The day was bright. For the first time in her life, the princess felt a faint flicker of hope.
The Joker was woken by a maid's hurried voice.
"The princess wishes to see you. She is… furious."
Word spread through the castle like a cold draft — the only light in this lifeless place was being summoned by the princess herself. What if he angered her? What if he was banished… or worse?
But the Joker felt no fear. He trusted his own judgment.
He walked the long, not-so-empty empty corridor, its walls heavy with portraits of kings and queens who had never smiled.
He entered the princess's room. She stood at the window, her back to him.
"Come closer," she said.
He stepped forward.
Without warning, she turned, slapped him, and grabbed his collar.
"Are you a moron? You escaped this hell, yet you came back! If you could leave, why don't you just go?"
The Joker only smiled. He reached up and patted her head gently.
Her hands loosened. Then, unexpectedly, she pulled him into a hug.
"Thank you… for bringing back my paintings. I threw them away without a thought, but when I realized how much I loved them… it was too late. I thought I'd never see them again."
The Joker said nothing.
"Why don't you speak?" she asked, tilting her head.
He opened his mouth. Her eyes widened. His tongue was gone — cut and burned so that no word could ever escape his lips.
Slowly, she placed a hand on his cheek. "How do you make everyone smile… while you suffer in the abyss all alone?"
He walked to the table, picked up a pen and paper, and began to write.
The princess leaned in to read his words:
You don't need a reason to laugh. You need a reason to be sad. And why should I drown in the sorrows of yesterday and ruin the today?
She looked into his eyes, and for the first time, she smiled.
"Aren't you a strange one?"
He bowed deeply.
And that was the moment the Joker melted the wax of the Wax Princess.
From that day on, she didn't just watch his performances — she enjoyed them. She laughed.
The Joker had found his purpose.
To make the princess smile… and keep her happy.