Once Upon A Time...

There lived a young princess.

She had all the riches she could ever ask for.
She was kind-hearted and beautiful.
She had the most loyal, trustworthy friends in the world.
She and her family were very, very, very close.

Everybody thought she must have lived a very happy life.
Everybody but herself.


She had all the riches she could ever ask for.
Except these riches brought her only material, temporary happiness. 
She was deprived of real happiness; the happiness that was deeper than what riches could get.

She was kind-hearted and beautiful.
On the outside, maybe.
On the inside, however, there were thoughts that would not have been considered to be "kind".
And every day, she would wake up, look into the mirror, and it would crack...because she did not consider herself to be beautiful.

She had the most loyal, trustworthy friends in the world.
Sure, for the most part.
Except they never seemed to really try to understand her.
Or if they did, she would push them away because no matter how hard they tried, she knew they would never understand her life.

She and her family were very, very, very close.
A little bit too close.
Her family was very controlling.
Family before friends...always...
Better safe than sorry...always...
Family's approval before self-expression...always...
Everything she did was for her family...
Never for herself.

Because of all this, the princess lived a very isolated, controlled, and lifeless life.
Happiness was nowhere to be found.

But every so often, somewhere up in the heavens, a voice would speak in her head, and would urge her to reflect upon her life.

So she did.

She had all the riches she could ever ask for.
To enjoy her riches on top of the basic needs for survival was indeed a true blessing; a blessing that many people did not have.

She was kind-hearted and beautiful.
Everybody has negative and cruel thoughts.
It is through good intention and good action that counts.
People are always hard on themselves.
If somebody tells you you're beautiful, why not believe them?
There is definitely no harm in that.

She had the most loyal, trustworthy friends in the world.
Friends who would never intentionally hurt her.
Friends who would do anything to make her happy.
Friends who were there to listen and tried their best to help.

She and her family were very, very, very close.
A tight-knit family was a rare treasure.
They only meant well for her.
They wanted what they thought to be the best for her.

...

So, why wasn't she a happy princess?