The prince ordered every girl to sit on a massive golden ball covered in razor-sharp spikes. The strange object weighed nearly 100 kilograms, and the spikes were so sharp that nobody could even imagine sitting on it without being injured.
But when the 130-kilogram daughter of one of the counts finally stepped into the center of the hall, she did something that left the entire palace completely speechless.
The prince had invited the most beautiful young women in the kingdom to his palace and announced that one of them would eventually become his wife.
However, there was one condition.
Before making his choice, he wanted every girl to complete a special test.
He deliberately refused to tell them what the test would be.
So the daughters of counts, dukes, and wealthy courtiers arrived at the palace dressed in their finest gowns. Most of them assumed the prince would test their manners, dancing abilities, intelligence, or knowledge of royal etiquette.
None of them expected what was waiting inside the throne room.
When the massive doors opened, the girls entered one after another.
Almost immediately, their attention was drawn to something standing in the very center of the marble floor.
It was a huge round ball made entirely of gold.
But the entire surface was covered with long, extremely sharp spikes.
The prince’s most trusted craftsmen had spent weeks constructing the bizarre object. It weighed nearly one hundred kilograms, and the tips of the spikes were so sharp that several girls instinctively stepped back just from looking at them.
The prince sat high above them on his throne, surrounded by guards.
For several moments, he simply watched the girls in silence.
Then he stood.
“My future wife will be the one who succeeds in this test,” he announced.
One of the girls cautiously raised her hand.
“And what exactly are we supposed to do, Your Highness?”
The prince pointed toward the enormous golden ball.
“You must sit on it and remain there for as long as you possibly can.”
A terrified murmur immediately spread throughout the room.
“Sit on that?” a girl in a blue dress asked, staring at the spikes.
“Exactly,” the prince answered.
The girls looked at one another.
Some immediately turned pale.
It was obvious that sitting on the ball would be extremely painful, and nobody could understand how the prince expected them to complete such a ridiculous challenge without getting seriously hurt.
The first participant to step forward was the daughter of a wealthy duke.
She slowly approached the ball, carefully lifted her dress, and tried to lower herself onto the spikes.
The instant she touched them, she screamed and jumped back.
“I can’t!”
The second girl managed to stay for only a few seconds.
The third couldn’t even bring herself to sit down completely before stepping away.
One after another, the participants attempted the challenge.
None lasted very long.
Some cried out in pain.
Others became angry and accused the prince of creating an impossible test.
Several simply refused to participate after seeing the spikes up close.
Throughout it all, the prince barely spoke.
He simply watched.
Eventually, most of the girls had completed their attempts.
Only one participant remained.
A servant stepped forward and announced her name.
The daughter of one of the counts slowly entered the hall.
Unlike the other contestants, she immediately stood out.
She weighed around 130 kilograms and had a large build. Throughout her life, she had been mocked and judged because of her appearance.
The moment she entered the room, several of the other girls exchanged amused glances.
“Did she really come here to become the prince’s wife too?” a blonde woman in a silver gown whispered with a mocking smile.
Her friend quietly laughed.
“Apparently. If I were her, I wouldn’t even bother going to the center.”
The count’s daughter heard them.
But she continued walking.
When the other girls realized that she was actually heading toward the golden ball, the whispers became louder.
“Wait,” one participant said. “Are we sure that thing can hold her?”
Several girls laughed.
“It weighs nearly one hundred kilograms,” another said. “And she probably weighs even more than that.”
“Then perhaps the prince will have to order another one,” a third girl joked. “This one is going to collapse.”
Laughter echoed across the throne room.
The count’s daughter paused for a moment.
Then she kept moving.
“Be careful!” someone called from behind her. “If she sits down, the spikes might break!”
Another girl laughed.
“I’m more worried about the floor. What if the whole thing falls through?”
Even some of the courtiers struggled to hide their smiles.
As the count’s daughter passed one of the other contestants, the girl looked at her with open contempt.
“Why did you even come here?” she asked. “Do you honestly believe the prince would choose you over all of us?”
The count’s daughter stopped.
She turned toward the girl and calmly replied:
“I came here to take the test. I didn’t come here to ask for your permission.”
For a moment, the laughter disappeared.
The room became noticeably quieter.
But the blonde in the silver dress soon smiled again.
“Then sit down,” she said. “Let’s see how long you can last.”
The count’s daughter turned toward the golden ball.
For the first time, she stood close enough to see exactly how sharp the spikes really were.
She knew it was going to hurt.
She knew everyone in the room was waiting for her to fail.
And after everything they had said, she no longer wanted to retreat.
She gathered her dress carefully in her hands.
Took a deep breath.
And slowly lowered herself onto the enormous golden ball.
A few nervous laughs immediately broke out around the room.
Ten seconds passed.
Then twenty.
The girl didn’t move.
She sat upright, her back straight and her hands tightly clenched.
Her face had become pale from the pain, but she didn’t make a sound.
One minute passed.
The laughter began to disappear.
“Why isn’t she getting up?” one of the girls whispered.
Nobody answered.
Another minute passed.
The count’s daughter was still sitting there.
Sweat had appeared across her forehead.
Her fingers were trembling.
But her eyes remained fixed on the prince.
Another minute went by.
Now the entire hall was silent.
Not a single person was laughing anymore.
The prince slowly stood from his throne.
He walked down the steps and approached the girl.
From only a few feet away, he could see the enormous effort it was taking for her to remain seated.
She was clearly in pain.
Yet she wasn’t begging him to stop.
She wasn’t looking around for sympathy.
She wasn’t trying to prove anything to the girls who had mocked her.
She was simply refusing to give up.
Finally, the prince extended his hand.
“Enough.”
He helped her carefully to her feet.
Then he turned toward the other contestants.
“I did not create this test to discover which one of you is the most beautiful,” he said.
Nobody spoke.
“There are already more than enough beautiful women in this hall.”
The prince looked around at every girl.
“What I wanted to discover was who could endure pain when she wanted to give up. I wanted to see who would remain standing when everyone around her was laughing at her.”
The room remained completely silent.
Then the prince reached for the count’s daughter’s hand.
He held it in front of everyone and made his decision.
“The test is over,” he announced.
“I have made my choice.”
