The Gypsy Queen

– Happy birthday, Bojil, said Lubomir. Sit down.
Tall and with hair that was beginning to go grey, Czar Lubomir was a handsome man. His face expressed dynamic strength, and his frank, open manner instantly made people trust him. Bojil had always had great admiration for his father.
– My son, said Lubomir, now that you are eighteen it is time for you to think about marriage. I have already received some miniature portraits of princesses of other countries.
– Already, Father! exclaimed Bojil.
– Yes, of course. I have often told you that you would have to choose a wife on your eighteenth birthday.
Bojil looked at his father, and his face expressed a mixture of surprise and fear.
– Oh, yes, he murmured. I’d forgotten.
The Czar said kindly:
– Today, as you know, is a day of rejoicing. All the finest poets in the kingdom, the most daring acrobats, and the best musicians have already arrived to celebrate your eighteenth birthday. Enjoy the day and make the most of having all your friends with you.
Bojil had already thought about his birthday and looked forward to the celebrations, but his father’s words cast a shadow over his pleasure at being eighteen and the hero of the day. He sighed.
– Tomorrow, continued his father, you will have to take the time to look at these miniatures of the princesses. I will give you the whole day to make your choice, and in the evening you will tell me which one you like best. That is our custom, as you know. But if you need another day to make up your mind – or even two or three – you shall have them.
As Bojil left his father he felt very upset. To get married... already! he thought. But once the celebrations began, his joyful nature made him forget these troublesome thoughts, and he enjoyed himself with his friends and his young cousins.