On Valentine’s Day, couples will give each other chocolates, stuffed animals, and many other treats. One classic thing to give someone you love is a red rose. It is considered the most romantic flowers in the world. Why is this? What is the meaning behind the red rose?

Many years ago, a marriage was arranged between the prince and princess of two powerful countries. The prince was named Felix, and he was known for his kindness to the people. He was very generous and humble. The princess, named Emmaline, was quite different. She was cruel to anyone beneath her, and her only desire in life was power. Nevertheless, Emmaline was in love with Felix, but her love was unrequited.

Emmaline tried everything to make Felix love her in return. She wanted her future husband to love her as much as she loved him. She did not know that Felix was in love with someone else. Far outside the kingdom, a kind girl lived in poverty. She lived with her father, who was very ill and needed her assistance. Felix had first seen her from a tower in the castle tending her roses. They were colored pure white, and she tended them with such incredible skill. They were the most elegant flowers in the kingdom.

Felix first met her when he ventured out to further investigate the beautiful flowers. He was instantly breathless at the sight of the girl. It was not her beauty that struck him, but her genuine kindness and innocence. Her name was Jacqueline, and she could also sense the kindness in the prince. The two fell deeply in love. When Felix’s father promised him to Emmaline, the two were devastated.

Felix came up with a risky plan to run away with Jacqueline. At first she was hesitant because of her father, but Felix arranged for him to escape with them. The evening they planned to escape, Emmaline found out their secret. She was infuriated that a peasant could steal the man she loved. She ran to Jacqueline’s house and saw her outside tending her white roses.

Jacqueline did not notice as Emmaline crept behind her. From her cloak, Emmaline pulled a dagger and drove it into Jacqueline’s back. Blood splattered the white roses as Jacqueline fell to the ground. Emmaline ran back to the castle, certain that Felix would now be hers. She left her dagger in Jacqueline’s back.

That evening, as Felix prepared to escape, he looked out his castle window and saw Jacqueline lying on the ground, covered in blood. He ran to her as fast as he could, but he was too late. Inside, Jacqueline’s father was hunched over, shaking with sobs. Felix went to comfort the man as he also mourned the loss of the girl he loved. As soon as his tears subsided, he went to Jacqueline once more and saw Emmaline’s knife in her back.

He was immediately furious. He drew the knife from her back and began to charge to the castle, intent on giving Emmaline the same fate as Jacqueline. Suddenly he stopped, remembering the kindness of his dear Jacqueline. She wouldn’t have wanted revenge. Instead, he went back to Jacqueline’s home and cut the roses from her garden with Emmaline’s knife. He swore that these roses be a sign of his continuing love and respect for Jacqueline.

Jacqueline’s father came to live in the castle with Felix, who never married. Emmaline was banished from the kingdom, but her life was spared. The roses Felix cut from the garden were planted around the castle. They never grew their pure white color again. The red rose now stands as a symbol of love around the world because of Felix’s love for his precious Jacqueline. Even after her death, he continued to show her love and kindness to the people around him.