History Literature / TheMugAndSpoon

* MassiveMultiplayerScam: [[spoiler:A local girl is groomed to pose as a princess]]. The townspeople spread a rumour about a princess who was put under a sleeping spell and found by the town’s innkeepers. A would-be rescuer arrives to try breaking the spell. [[spoiler:As he dines at the inn, the innkeepers ask him about his financial situation and the girl eavesdrops from the next room. After he finishes dinner, she lies down in a gilded coffin and pretends to be asleep. If she thinks him good enough, she "wakes up" after his kiss, and if not, she waits for a richer guy. When she "wakes up", marries and leaves, another girl steps in to take her place]]. Repeat on infinite.

''The Mug and Spoon'' is a short story by Anastasia Kharlamova (Tropers/AutumnLeaves), published in Timeless Tales Magazine in 2018.

* DancesAndBalls: The last part of the story occurs during a royal ball.

* TimeSkip: Fifteen years pass between two parts of the story.

* GuiltRiddenAccomplice: Marie feels ''very'' uncomfortable about having to [[spoiler:participate in the con]] and soon spills the secret of it to her husband.

** Count Leedway leads a rather miserable life, being deep in debt and hiding it behind his StepfordSmiler facade. He finally finds happiness when he marries Marie, a beautiful kind girl who loves him unconditionally, so it's only natural he [[spoiler:doesn't tell anyone that all the Mug and Spoon brides are impostors, to avoid being parted from Marie and/or hurting her friends]].

* FantasticallyIndifferent: The wicked queen is so self-absorbed that she doesn't react to the princess's curse being broken, as long as the fact isn't rubbed in her face. [[spoiler:That's because there is no curse and no princess]].

* FluffyFashionFeathers: Both Lady Austreigh and Countess Leedway are mentioned to have "enormous ostrich-feather fans".

** Count Leedway leads a rather miserable life, being deep in debt and hiding it behind his StepfordSmiler facade. He finally finds happiness when he marries Marie, a lovely kind girl who loves him unconditionally, so it's only natural he [[spoiler:doesn't tell anyone that all the Mug and Spoon brides are impostors, to avoid being parted from Marie and/or hurting her friends]].

** Count Leedway leads a rather miserable life, struggling to make ends meet and hiding it behind his StepfordSmiler facade. He finally finds happiness when he marries Marie, a lovely kind girl who loves him unconditionally, so it's only natural he [[spoiler:doesn't tell anyone that all the Mug and Spoon brides are impostors, to avoid being parted from Marie and/or hurting her friends]].

* WhiteAndGreyMorality: The antagonists of the story aren't the worst of people. The Zwercks are friendly, hard-working and genuinely want what's better for their town and their country. Notably, even though their goal is [[spoiler:to get rich husbands for the local girls]], they don't object to Marie marrying for love. Rita is a nice woman who ultimately has a good and loving marriage as well, [[spoiler:even though she chose her husband more calculatingly and doesn't reveal her secret to him]].

* CinderellaCircumstances: The princess was forced to worked like a slave by her stepmother. [[spoiler:Subverted. This is just a cover story to explain why the "princesses" are so skilled in household chores]].

Lord Austreigh hears rumours of a beautiful princess called Schneewittchen and kept under a sleeping spell, and he sets off to look for her. He does find her – she lies in a gilded coffin in the Mug and Spoon tavern in a small town. He gives her the TrueLovesKiss, she wakes up and happily agrees to marry him, and they ride off into the sunset.

* TrueLovesKiss: The sleeping princess should be woken up with one. [[spoiler:Except not, as the "princesses" are never asleep to begin with, and for many of them love isn't involved that much]].

And then, twenty years later, Lord Austreigh meets his old army friend who tells him the exact same story about how ''he'' woke up and married the enchanted princess.

''The Mug and Spoon'' is a short story by Anastasia Kharlamova, published in Timeless Tales Magazine in 2018.

* MassiveMultiplayerScam: [[spoiler:A local girl is groomed to pose as a princess]]. The townspeople spread a rumour about a princess who was put under a sleeping spell and found by the town’s innkeepers. A would-be rescuer arrives to try True Love's Kiss. [[spoiler:As he dines at the inn, the innkeepers ask him about his financial situation and the girl eavesdrops from the next room. After he finishes dinner, she lies down in a gilded coffin and pretends to be asleep. If she thinks him good enough, she "wakes up" after his kiss, and if not, she waits for a richer guy. When she "wakes up", marries and leaves, another girl steps in to take her place]]. Repeat on infinite.