Long ago, in a sunny kingdom in Italy, a queen wished more than anything for a child. When at last her baby was born, the whole court fell silent. The baby was a small, pink pig. The queen wept, but she loved him anyway. She named him and raised him with kindness. The little pig learned to walk on his hind legs, to bow, and to listen. He had the kindest eyes in the kingdom.
The pig prince grew up gentle and wise. He loved music and books. He was polite to everyone. But when he reached the age to marry, the king said, "You must find a bride if you are to rule one day." The pig prince nodded sadly. He knew that many would run away from him. Still, he set out to find someone who could see his heart.
In a nearby village lived a farmer with three daughters. The king sent word: the prince would visit and ask for one of their hands in marriage. The two older sisters laughed. "Marry a pig? Never!" they said. They put on their finest dresses and planned to refuse him the moment he arrived.
The pig prince arrived at the farm. He bowed to the first sister and asked, "Will you marry me and be my queen?" She sneered and said, "I would never marry a pig!" and turned her back. He asked the second sister. She laughed and said, "You are a pig. Leave at once!" The pig prince hung his head but did not get angry.
The youngest sister had been in the garden. When she came in, she saw the pig prince standing alone, looking sad. She had heard her sisters' cruel words. She walked up to him and said softly, "I will marry you." Her sisters gasped. "How can you?" they said. The youngest sister replied, "He has a kind heart. That is enough for me."
The wedding was held in the castle. The youngest sister wore a simple white dress and a crown of flowers. The pig prince wore his little red cape and his golden crown. He thanked her again and again. She smiled and said, "I am proud to be your wife." The queen cried happy tears. At last, someone had seen her son for who he was inside.
In the castle, the new princess treated the pig prince with respect. She ate meals with him, talked with him, and never made him feel ashamed. She said, "You are wise and good. That is what matters." The pig prince grew happier every day. He had never felt so loved.
One night, the princess woke and saw a strange light in the room. The pig lay sleeping beside her. Then, slowly, the pig skin began to loosen. It slipped away like a coat. Underneath was a handsome young prince with dark hair and a gentle face. He was still asleep. The princess did not scream. She understood: a spell had been broken by her love.
The princess did not want the spell to return. She had heard in old tales that if the skin was destroyed, the spell could not come back. So she took the pig skin and hid it in a chest. When the prince woke, he looked at his hands and wept with joy. "You accepted me as a pig," he said. "Your kindness broke the enchantment."
The king and queen rejoiced. The whole kingdom celebrated. The prince told his wife, "A witch had cursed me at birth. Only someone who could love me as a pig could set me free. You did that." She took his hand and said, "I would have loved you either way." That made him smile even more.
The two older sisters heard the news. They came to the castle, full of envy. "If only we had said yes!" they cried. The prince and his wife were kind to them but said, "You had your chance. You chose to judge by appearance." The sisters went home and thought about that for a long time.
The prince and princess ruled the kingdom together with fairness and kindness. They taught their children that true beauty is in the heart. And whenever someone asked how the prince had been freed, the queen would say, "Love and acceptance broke the spell. That is the magic that changes the world."
