For years, the royal heir searched for a young woman with “perfect legs” and forced every candidate to undergo a strange test. But when it was finally the turn of a curvy young woman, the entire room burst out laughing. No one expected that she would be the very one to make the heir rise from his seat for the first time in a long time. 😧
For four years already, the palace had been organizing the same strange selection.
Adrien was the only heir to the throne, and his advisers had been insisting for a long time that he finally get married. Daughters of influential families, foreign princesses, and young women considered the most beautiful in the kingdom all came to the palace.
But Adrien had a rather strange condition.
— My future wife must have perfect legs.
At first, everyone thought it was simply the whim of a spoiled heir. Yet it quickly became clear that he took this requirement very seriously.
On his orders, a court craftsman named Léon built an unusual device out of wood and metal. It consisted of two tall, narrow sections fitted with measuring marks and small movable plates.
Each candidate had to stand inside the structure and remain still for a few seconds.
Adrien never explained exactly what the mechanism measured.
The young women prepared for the test for months. They went on diets, took dance lessons, practiced walking elegantly, and even ordered special shoes that made their legs appear longer.
But the result was always the same.
Adrien would look at the readings from the device and calmly say:
— Next.
Over four years, hundreds of young women took the test.
But the heir chose none of them.
One day, a new selection began at the palace.
In the enormous hall, dozens of candidates dressed in luxurious gowns stood in line. Guards stood on either side, while old Master Léon was beside the strange device, personally checking that it was working properly before each test.
Suddenly, a young woman appeared at the end of the line, completely different from the others.
Her name was Emma.
She was short, curvy, and wore a simple burgundy dress. When they saw her, several young women exchanged glances before quietly giggling.
— Is she really going to take the test?
— Maybe no one explained to her what they check here?
— I wonder how she’ll even manage to fit in there.
Emma heard every one of their words, but did not react.
When her turn came, even Master Léon was momentarily taken aback.
— Madam, the device is quite narrow. You may be uncomfortable.
Once again, laughter echoed from the back of the room.
Emma calmly looked at the master.
— If the rules are the same for everyone, I would like to try as well.
Until that moment, Adrien had paid little attention to what was happening.
But this time, he raised his head.
— Let her take the test.
To discover what happens next, check the comments below 👇👇👇
The room immediately fell silent.
Emma approached the device and carefully placed her feet inside the two metal sections.
The master lowered the measuring plates and activated the mechanism.
A faint metallic click sounded.
Then a second one.
Léon looked at the readings—and suddenly frowned.
He leaned closer, checked the markings once again, and then looked at the result.
This time, his expression changed.
— Your Highness…
Adrien noticed his expression and, for the first time all day, stood up from his seat.
— What is it?
The old man remained silent for several seconds, as though he could not believe what he was seeing.
Finally, he said:
— She passed.
A murmur of astonishment swept through the room.
The young women who had been laughing at Emma only minutes earlier now stared at her in complete disbelief.
Adrien approached the master.
— Explain it to me.
That was when Léon revealed the secret Adrien had been hiding all these years.
It turned out that the device had never measured the beauty of a woman’s legs.
Several years earlier, Adrien had been involved in a serious hunting accident. After the accident, the court physicians discovered that he suffered from a rare hereditary condition affecting the joints.
The condition barely prevented him from living a normal life. However, the doctors had warned him that there was a high risk of passing this hereditary factor on to his future children.
The court physician then discovered a strange peculiarity.
Certain characteristics of the structure of the foot, the position of the knees, and the distribution of body weight significantly reduced the likelihood of a dangerous combination of hereditary factors.
That was precisely why the strange device had been created.
It did not check the length, slimness, or outward beauty of a woman’s legs.
It analyzed the position of her feet and knees and the distribution of her body weight.
Adrien had deliberately allowed everyone to believe that he was simply looking for a beautiful woman with “perfect legs.”
He did not want the candidates to know the true criteria of the test and try to adapt themselves to them in advance.
Léon looked at the markings once again.
— In four years, I have never seen such a perfect match.
Emma looked at the heir, completely bewildered.
— So… does that mean you have to marry me now?
Absolute silence fell over the room.
Everyone waited for Adrien’s answer.
But, to everyone’s surprise, the heir burst out laughing.
He looked at Emma and replied:
— Of course.
And it was at that moment that everyone present realized that the young woman they had just mocked was precisely the one Adrien had been searching for all these years.
