| The Little Princess | |
| |
| Found with | N/A |
| Find Target | N/A |
| Location | Auto-obtained |
| Chapter | The Little Princess |
| Purpose | Plot |
| “ | A mysterious book received from the boy in white clothes. | ” |
The Little Princess is one of the Storybooks that Jennifer encounters, this one being given by "Joshua Wilson" (or Wendy-as-Joshua) on the bus in the opening cutscene of Rule of Rose. Unlike the other Storybooks, The Little Princess appears as a purely blank document, with the obvious exception of its cover. Only when Jennifer exited the bus did the Storybook begin to reveal more of its text and illustrations. As Jennifer continues to unravel more of her past memories, the entire Storybook will become readable towards the end of the game. When read in its entirety, The Little Princess resembles a vague, allegorical summarization of the events of Rule of Rose and its chapters.
Specific events in other chapters are mentioned but not explored in any sufficient detail whilst also containing some subtle tidbits of information that can only be found in this Storybook and not in any of the other Storybooks. This Storybook is notable for its symbolic examination of Jennifer's relationship with an entity referred to throughout its text as the "Princess of the Red Rose." The significance of the Princess of the Red Rose is not readily made apparent early in the game.
Description[]
The Storybook revolves around the traumatic childhood experiences of Jennifer, "a precious little girl" who found herself embroiled in a double tragedy that led to her being the sole survivor. Early on, the "Princess of the Red Rose" is mentioned to be "always at her side," her significance becoming apparent over the course of both the Storybook and the game. The deaths of Jennifer's parents in the airship crash and the disappearance of the Princess of the Red Rose led to Jennifer herself being "sent away to a strange house," which is revealed to be Gregory's House. After being freed to reside at "a new home," Rose Garden Orphanage, Jennifer swore fealty to the Princess of the Red Rose and upheld the Rule of Rose as part of the Red Crayon Aristocrat Club.
Loneliness characterized much of Jennifer's time at the Orphanage until she adopted a Labrador Retriever she named "Brown." Together, they continued to abide by the Rule of Rose, which represented a rule of law that reflected the will of the Princess of the Red Rose. Their obedience to the Rule of Rose, no matter how devoted they were, did not win them any sympathy from the State, as embodied by the triumvirate of the "Countess," "Baroness," and "Duchess." Despite many hardships and with Brown's unwavering cynicism, Jennifer endured. However, her continued loyalty to Brown did not gain the approval of the Princess of the Red Rose, who later plotted to have Brown killed. Brown's death led to Jennifer rebelling against the excesses of the incumbent Princess of the Red Rose, resulting in her to become the new Princess of the Red Rose. The takeover proved to be short-lived as her predecessor launched a counterrevolution that ultimately backfired and led to the deaths of everyone. Unable to save anyone or create "a new game," a new political system for the Orphanage, Jennifer repressed her memories of the double tragedy behind "lock and key" for as long as she lived.
Transcript[]
Once upon a time, there was a precious little girl.
Her friend, the Princess of the Red Rose, was always at her side.
Then one day, her mummy and daddy died suddenly.
The Princess, too, disappeared, leaving the girl all alone.
And the poor little girl was sent away to a strange house.
At her new home, the Aristocrat Club lived by the Rule of Rose.
But the girl found herself very much alone,
until she discovered a wonderful new friend.
The girl and her companion obeyed the Rule of Rose.
For in the Aristocrat Club, the Rule of Rose was absolute, as was the word of the Princess of the Red Rose.
The girl obeyed the Rule of Rose, but the Countess refused to like her.
The girl obeyed the Rule of Rose, but the Baroness punished her still.
The girl obeyed the Rule of Rose, but the Duchess taunted her anew.
And yet, the girl and her friend were still faithful to the Rule of Rose.
The Princess of the Red Rose found this all very dull.
And so, she issued a Rule of Rose for the final time.
The girl was to sacrifice her very special friend.
And when she did, she became a princess.
A lonely little princess, burdened by the Rule of Rose.
The woeful princess put her memories under lock and key, forever and ever.
Symbolism[]
The "Princess of the Red Rose" plays an important role within the narrative of The Little Princess. Outside the Storybook, there are multiple meanings: a Social Rank in the RCA; two girls who held that Social Rank; and a doll that appears in certain cutscenes. It is clear in the game's narrative that the Princess of the Red Rose was the highest-possible Social Rank in the RCA. Only Wendy and Jennifer held that Social Rank at varying points in the story. However, the idea of the Princess of the Red Rose "always being at Jennifer's side" prior to the events of the chapter of the same name can be interpreted in two equally valid ways. It could imply that because she has sworn loyalty to Wendy, Jennifer will always have Wendy's support as the Princess of the Red Rose. That is, as long as she was willing to conform to her will. But the other interpretation is that the Princess of the Red Rose doll that appears in certain cutscenes may have been one of Jennifer's personal belongings prior to staying at the Orphanage, which later went on to symbolize the person who held the actual Social Rank in the RCA.
Video Narration[]
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 Chapter Storybooks
| |
|---|---|
| March | The Little Princess |
| April | The Clover Field |
| May | Sir Peter |
| July | The Bird of Happiness |
| August | The Mermaid Princess |
| September | The Goat Sisters |
| October | Rag Princess |
| November | The Funeral |
| December | Stray Dog and the Lying Princess |
| January | Once Upon a Time |