The paradox of love
The author illustrates the complexity of love through a paradox that centers on the affairs of the leading characters in the novel. Every woman wants to get married to the Prince because he is handsome but not because of his ability to reciprocate the same love. Maggie is a victim of the Prince's charming looks, and she marries him. However, the Prince is aware that his previous lover, Charlotte, is in town, and he plots how to get close to her despite being married. At last, Charlotte and the Prince ignite their love behind Maggie's back, and they even go shopping together. Consequently, Maggie's perception of true love is an impractical fallacy because the Prince does not love her in reality.
The irony of Maggie
The primary satire in the entire text is that Maggie wants to spend most of her time with her father even after arranging his marriage with Charlotte. Maggie is married to the Prince and supposed to spend most of her time around her husband, but she does the contrary. Maggie leaves her husband to spend most of his time with Charlotte, her stepmother. Behind the scenes, Charlotte and the Prince have a secret sexual affair that rekindles their previous love.
The satire of the Prince
When the Prince and Charlotte go shopping together, they come across a golden bowl, and he makes a paradoxical decision of not buying it. In the background, the shopkeeper overhears his love confession to Charlotte. Later, Maggie goes to the shop and decides to buy the same golden bowl as a gift for his father. The shopkeeper follows Maggie and lets the cat out of the bag concerning the love between Charlotte and the Prince. Maggie gets first-hand proof that her husband is cheating on her with her father's wife. Therefore, the Prince's decision not to buy the golden bowl betrays him in the later days.
