THE PRINCESS. I can tell you now. The happiness of a truck driver consists in drinking beer with his friends at the tavern in the evening, and taking his sweetheart out to see the royal menagerie on Sunday afternoon. And do you know how you can best sub serve that happiness, O King? By letting him alone, to drink his beer, and make love to his sweetheart.
THE KING. You are wrong. You must be wrong. If the happiness of a people were as simple as that, there would be no need of governments and kings to promote it.
THE PRINCESS. Be thankful, O King, that they do not know that—and that they like to have kings and queens, to whom they give, in their generosity, palaces and horses and—and silken chemises from Astrakhan! Why not enjoy the gifts we have, as the truck driver enjoys his beer and his sweetheart? Let us each have our brief flash of happiness in the sun, O King!
THE KING. Your philosophy is the deadly enemy of mine.
THE PRINCESS. And must we be enemies of each other, too?
THE KING. Never, madam. Let us be friends in spite of our opinions.
THE PRINCESS. Your majesty is very gracious.
THE KING. And now that we are friends, I hope you will not keep up the jest any longer. The lady who is to be my wife and queen arrives in a few hours. You can see how necessary it is that the matter be cleared up before she comes. You will not continue to embarrass me?
THE PRINCESS. Now that we are friends, I will tell you the truth. I am not she who is to be your wife and queen.
THE KING. Thank you. And in return, I forgive you freely for all the disturbances you have caused to me and my kingdom.