at noon on the following day, the prince was blindfolded and brought before a priest, where a marriage ceremony was performed and he could feel and hear a lady standing next to him. once the ceremony was complete, the blindfold was removed and he turned to find 40 ladies standing before him, one of whom was his new bride. if he did not correctly identify her, the discourager would execute him on the spot. the prince narrowed the possibilities down to two, one lady smiling and one frowning, and made the correct choice.