The prince wanted to marry a true princess, but could not determine if the princesses he met were genuine. One stormy night, a princess arrived at the palace gate soaked from the rain. The queen put a pea under her mattresses to test if she was sensitive enough to be a true princess. The next morning, the princess reported that she barely slept due to something hard in her bed, showing she felt the pea through the layers. The prince then knew he found a true princess and married her. The pea was put on display as proof of the story.