"The Princess and the Pea" is the title of the short story written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen first published in Copenhagen on May 8, 1985.

It tells the story of a prince who seeks, without luck, his ideal partner. One night a drenched and dirty-looking young woman appears at the castle gates, claiming to be a shipwrecked princess.

They welcomed her and cared for her. The Queen Mother decided to find out her true identity by testing her sensitivity by placing a pea under twenty mattresses on her bed. The next morning the princess said that she had not been able to sleep because of an annoying pea. The prince fell in love immediately, impressed by her delicacy, which showed that she was a royal princess.

There are several interpretations for this story. The one we like the most is that the chosen young woman was strong and brave enough to overcome a storm and a shipwreck, but sensitive and delicate enough to notice a pea under twenty mattresses.

Of course the moral is the interesting point of the story: Appearances are deceptive. Things are not always what they seem.