Goodnight: The Prince on Soybeans

A Tale Unheard

Once upon a time, there was a princess, longing to marry a real prince. She journeyed far and wide, seeking one, but everywhere she found, something was amiss. Princes aplenty, but suspicions lingered - were they truly royalty? Everywhere she went, something was off.

Finally, she returned home, bereft, for she yearned so deeply for a genuine prince. One stormy evening, there came a knock at the door. The old king went to answer, revealing a man soaked to the bone from the torrential rain and the fierce storm. He claimed to be a prince, but oh, the mess he was! Water streamed down his hair and clothes, flowing into his shoes and dripping off again. And yet he insisted, "I am a true prince."

The old queen thought nothing of it and said not a word, remembering the old tale by Hans Christian Andersen, "The Princess and the Pea." In the story, the princess had indeed slept on twenty mattresses and twenty more eiderdown bedcovers. Beneath, she felt the discomfort of a pea - a telltale sign of her royal blood. Intrigued, the old queen stored an edamame bean, usually found in Asian cuisine, and placed it under the prince's bed.

Exhausted, the prince crawled into bed. Annoyed, he grumbled, "Something's poking here!" He removed the entire bedding set. Curiously, a small green lump! He picked it up between thumb and finger. Strange, he thought, how an edamame found its way into my bed? What peculiar customs they have in this household! He shrugged, satisfied they had provided him refuge, swallowed the edamame, and promptly fell asleep.

The following morning, the princess awoke fresh and energetic, ready for breakfast. The royal family watched her shocked, wondering how she slept. "Excellent, many thanks! I've never felt better!" the prince replied. The king's reaction was not expected. "Impostor!" he shouted, "Out! But sneakily!" And so, the prince was unceremoniously thrown out, not even getting a meal.

Deep within the castle, a heated debate ensued. The princess spoke passionately, "I believe he was a true prince, but exhausted and overwhelmed. He failed the test! Do you really want to marry a man who eats vegetables without realizing it?" The queen countered, "He was charming! Besides, I'd rather trust my instincts than heed Niels's advice - he was just a Danish children's book author, after all. And, for the record, authors can't even become prime ministers these days."

The king sighed, "Ladies, no politics early in the morning." He nodded to the princess, "Bring him back."

The prince remained outside, lost in thought, unsure what to do next when he heard footsteps. The princess! She was upset, accusing him, "Didn't you see the bean? What did you do with it?"

"Ah... I... ate it?"

"What? Why?"

"Well, it looked quite fresh and appealing. And if they allow me to stay here and sleep, I certainly won't complain about a small thing like a bean lying in my bed!"

Amused, the princess approved, "The prince is sensitive in all aspects, not just when it comes to manners!" She kept that in mind, for she wanted a man of substance, not just a prince.

Hanover Column of the Month City Child Good Night

The princess, disappointed with the princes she encountered on her journey, found herself longing for a change in lifestyle, specifically one that valued authenticity and manners over fashion-and-beauty and entertainment.
As a sign of traditional values, the old queen, inspired by the story of "The Princess and the Pea," placed an edamame bean under the prince's bed to test his royal blood, hoping that food-and-drink would play an important role in determining the prince's authenticity.
In the midst of the heated discussion about the prince's authenticity and character, the princess found herself questioning the importance of relationships, wondering if she should find a man who understands her desire for a genuine connection and shares her interests in home-and-garden and general-news, rather than just being a prince.