Prince Charming and Palace Maid
Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, there was a wealthy Prince Charming. The Prince was actually a wise figure, but unfortunately, he was also infamous for his violent and cruel nature. Many beauties in the kingdom admired him but feared his hideous personality. Even so, plenty of girls still try to approach him. Many of them were beautiful, noble girls. Among the frightened girls who could only admire from afar, there was a girl who believed that the Prince still had a good side hidden inside of him. That girl was the Palace Maid.
The Palace Maid was actually a country girl who was extremely beautiful and extraordinarily intelligent. It’s just, well, she had a habit that made her love life and career somewhat hampered. She fell madly in love quickly. When she fell in love with someone, she would really believe that that person was the best in the world and could not possibly have any sins! Whatever other people said about the person she loved, she seemed to close her eyes, ears, and mind, and only believe what she wanted to think. She saw how the girls in the kingdom constantly gossiped about Prince Charming’s lousy personality, even though they continually sought his attention. That was why she felt determined to learn more about the Prince’s personality. So that later she could show off to the other girls that she had proven them wrong.
One day, the Palace Maid asked the Head Maid to let her be the only person to clean Prince Charming’s room. The task initially belonged to the Head Maid, the most senior worker, because Prince Charming did not easily trust strangers. The Head Maid, having faith in the honest and dexterous Palace Maid, granted the request. She also thought that this was a golden opportunity. Actually, the Head Maid did not like Prince Charming and was always terrified whenever she had to carry out the task.
Thus, the Palace Maid got to spy on Prince Charming’s private activities. She also carried out her new assignment diligently. She cleaned Prince Charming’s room daily, twice a day, every morning and evening. After a few months, one evening, while cleaning Prince Charming’s room, the Palace Maid found a strange golden key in the corner of the room. Without thinking, she took the key. She intended to ask the Head Maid about the key as she could not find a keyhole that fit the key in the Prince’s chamber. However, while cleaning the fireplace, she noticed a secret door in the wall inside the fireplace. The key she found fit perfectly into the keyhole there. Curious, she immediately opened the door and entered it. There was a staircase leading down in front of her, and there was no visible light source. She lit a candle and went down the stairs.
After walking for a while, she came to the bottom of the stairs. There was a very spacious room with high ceilings. She tried calling for other maids to see if anyone was inside or not. Because she could only hear the echoes of her own voice, she was even more curious and tried to reach one side of the room. Still trying to decide which way to go, she decided to try the north side of the room first. How shocked she was when she found many bones and fresh blood at the end of the room! She tried to walk to the east end, and found the same thing. Then she walked to the far west, and found a large pile of women’s clothing. Then she walked back towards the stairs, only to realize that the side of the wall was full of jars filled with various preserved body parts.
The Palace Maid realized that Prince Charming had a terrible secret. He viciously killed girls who tried to be his wives and hid their corpses in this secret room! The Palace Maid felt nauseous and immediately ran towards the stairs. She climbed back up the stairs in a hurry, very scared and could not wait to get out of there. Arriving back at the Prince’s room, she immediately relocked the secret door and rushed out. How surprised she was when the Prince entered the room before she could reach the exit!
Prince Charming looks surprised to see the Palace Maid. His eyes immediately fell onto the golden key still gripped by her. When he looked down at the Palace Maid’s feet, blood stains were clearly visible on her shoes and the hem of her skirt. Instantly Prince Charming knew that the Palace Maid had entered his hidden room and saw his secret. His face immediately turned red angrily, and he tried to catch the Palace Maid. Prince Charming tried to kill her to shut her mouth.
The Palace Maid, who was always diligent in doing the heavy work in the palace, could move more agilely than Prince Charming. She managed to avoid Prince Charming’s attack and escaped. She ran as fast as she could towards the King’s study. She broke into the room without the Guard Soldiers being able to stop her. When she got in the room, she immediately fell on her knees and burst into tears, begging the King to forgive her impoliteness and saying that she saw terrible things about Prince Charming. The Queen, who was also there, felt pity and approached her. The Queen asked her to calm down first and promised to listen to her. Prince Charming, who had finally caught up, shouted angrily that Palace Maid would not be trusted. The King, annoyed that his conversation with the Queen and Palace Maid was interrupted, rebuked the Prince to hold himself. The Palace Maid told them what she witnessed in the Prince’s room and gave the Queen the golden key. She also showed them her shoes and the hem of her skirt, which were stained with blood.
The Queen was stunned, but decided to prove the Palace Maid’s story herself. Panicked, Prince Charming tried to dissuade the Queen but was held back by the Guard Soldiers on the King’s orders. After seeing the contents of the secret room, the King was furious and the Queen fainted. The King decided to sentence Prince Charming, his own son, to death!
Palace Maid was appointed as a noblewoman for her services in uncovering the crimes of Prince Charming. She was also selected as the Queen’s confidant and always accompanied the Queen in various palace events.
This story teaches us not to look only at someone’s outward appearance. Sometimes, behind a beautiful face and a lot of wealth, there is hidden a very horrible and cruel nature. And in the end, the truth will always be revealed, even if we try to cover it up tightly.
Do you enjoy my writing?
Please continue to support me by following my account and giving me tips or buying my work! Your gesture of appreciation is my creative fuel^^ Thank you~
The Indonesian version of this story can be found here^^
