Daisy and the Magical Music Box

In a distant land, there was a girl named Daisy. Daisy came from a very poor family, living in a very small house with tattered clothes. Despite being a beautiful girl with shining eyes, her hair was always tied up in a bun, and her face was often smeared with dirt.

Daisy worked as a maid for the royal family to support her parents. The royal family consisted of four members – the King and Queen, and their children, Prince Lucas and Princess Laverna. The princess was the same age as Daisy, and the prince was two years older than them.

The King, Queen, and Prince were always busy. They traveled frequently for their royal duties, leaving Princess Laverna to manage the palace affairs. Every morning, Daisy arrived at the palace ready to work.

Princess Laverna hated Daisy. She was very jealous of Daisy's beauty and did everything she could to assign the dirtiest tasks in the palace to her.

"Go and clean the bathroom, you wretched Daisy," Princess Laverna would order. "Then wipe the chimney. After that, dust the furniture, and clean all the floors and carpets by hand."

Daisy would reply calmly, "Yes, Princess Laverna, I'll do it right away," and then get to work. When Prince Lucas was around, Princess Laverna didn’t act this way. The prince liked Daisy and always stood up for her, saying,

"The chimney doesn't need to be cleaned every day, Laverna. Why don't you let Daisy spend some time outside picking flowers for the palace instead?" The prince always suggested pleasant tasks for Daisy.

Unfortunately, the prince was not around very often...

One morning, when Daisy arrived at the palace, she heard Princess Laverna shouting upstairs, sounding very angry. Daisy went to see what the problem was. "What's wrong, Princess Laverna?" Daisy asked.

"It's this stupid music box," Princess Laverna said, holding an ornately decorated wooden box. "Look, there is a key here, and every time the key is turned, the box should play music. But it’s not working!"

Princess Laverna threw the box at Daisy's feet. "I don't want to see this stupid thing here. Get rid of it, then go clean the floor."

"Yes, Princess, I’ll do it right away," Daisy replied. That evening, after work, Daisy returned home. Instead of disposing of the music box, she took it with her.

"This is a beautiful box," she said to herself. "I don’t have any jewelry or treasures to put in it, but it will look very nice in my room."

She entered her small room and before placing the box on the shelf, she said, "I’ll try turning the key first. I wonder if it will work..."

Daisy turned the key in the box, and suddenly, the lid opened and began to play the most beautiful melody Daisy had ever heard. She was delighted. When the music stopped, a gold coin appeared in the box!

"Wonderful!" Daisy said eagerly. "This gold is enough to buy food for me and my parents tonight! Finally, we won’t go to bed hungry!" She hurried to a nearby market and bought some vegetables to cook a delicious meal for her parents. Daisy couldn’t believe her good luck. Every night when she returned home from the palace, she would turn the key, listen to the music, and take the gold coin to buy food for her family. The good food made Daisy more beautiful every day, and Princess Laverna became increasingly jealous.

One afternoon, while Daisy was working in the palace gardens, she heard rustling in a nearby thicket and went to check the source of the sound. She saw a frightened young boy.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Daisy asked the boy in surprise.

"I’m a boy from the village," the boy replied. "I came to look for some food – I haven’t eaten in three days!"

"You poor boy!" Daisy gasped. "Wait here, I know how to help you!"

Daisy hurried to her home, went into her room, grabbed the box, and rushed back to the palace. When she arrived, she showed the box to the boy.

"Watch this," she said to the boy as she turned the key. As usual, the music began to play. When the music stopped, another gold coin appeared in the box.

"Wonderful!" the boy said eagerly. "This is enough to buy food for my family too!"

From that day on, Daisy helped the poor boy and his family as well. She felt happy that she could make others’ lives better.

But Princess Laverna began to notice that Daisy was becoming more beautiful every day and decided to spy on her. One night, Princess Laverna followed Daisy to her home and saw her turn the key and take the gold coin from the box.

The next day, when Daisy returned to the palace, Princess Laverna ordered the servants to arrest her and steal the box. Daisy tried to explain, but the princess wouldn’t listen.

"This box belongs to me now!" Princess Laverna shouted.

But when Princess Laverna tried to use the box, no sound came out, and no coins appeared. The princess began to feel angry and frustrated, realizing that the magic only worked for Daisy.

Princess Laverna decided to return the box to Daisy and realized that true goodness and love were what made the magic work. The princess apologized to Daisy and asked her to return to work at the palace, but this time as a friend, not a servant.

Daisy agreed and lived happily in the palace with Prince Lucas and Princess Laverna. She continued to use the music box to help the poor and needy and became a symbol of hope and generosity in the kingdom.

Princess Laverna learned a valuable lesson about love and humility, and the kingdom lived in peace and prosperity.