Here is a concise summary of the provided text:
**Title:** The 12 Princesses and the King's Challenge
**Summary:**
* A king, who despises dancing due to a tragic accident involving his late queen, challenges suitors to discover why his 12 princesses' shoes are mysteriously torn every night.
* Nolan, a kind and brave man, takes on the challenge after passing a test set by a fairy (disguised as an old lady in distress).
* Armed with an invisibility cloak, Nolan discovers the princesses sneak out to a secret garden to dance at night.
* The youngest princess, who had befriended Nolan, ultimately reveals the secret to her father, leading to a change of heart.
* The king lifts the ban on dancing and allows his daughters to pursue their passions and choose their own partners.
* Nolan and the youngest princess fall in love and get married, living happily together.
**Key Themes:** Self-discovery, Following one's passions, Love, Personal growth, and the power of kindness.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text, keeping each fact as a short sentence and numbered for reference:
**Setting and Characters**
1. There were 12 princesses in a kingdom, each with their own unique beauty.
2. The king was their father and was strict about their education and activities.
3. A man named Nolan, known for his kindness, heard about a challenge related to the princesses.
**The Challenge**
4. The king had issued a challenge to find out how his daughters were sneaking out at night.
5. Many noblemen and princes from neighboring kingdoms failed to solve the challenge.
6. The penalty for failure was punishment, which many had faced.
**Nolan's Journey**
7. Nolan met an old lady (later revealed to be a fairy) who was being robbed, and he saved her.
8. The fairy rewarded Nolan with an invisibility cloak for his kindness.
9. Nolan used the cloak to stay in the room next to the princesses' quarters.
**Discovering the Princesses' Secret**
10. Nolan befriended the youngest princess, who was friendly and unlike her arrogant sisters.
11. The youngest princess was given a drugged sherbet every night to make her sleep.
12. Nolan discovered the princesses' secret: they danced in a secret garden with a silver leaf path every night.
13. The garden was a place the princesses' mother had told them about before she passed away.
**Resolution**
14. The king realized his strictness was misguided after hearing from his daughters.
15. The king's aversion to dance stemmed from the queen's fatal accident while dancing.
16. The king lifted the ban on dancing and allowed the princesses more freedom.
17. Nolan was made a prince and allowed to marry the youngest princess, with whom he had fallen in love.
18. The wedding ceremony took place in the royal palace, and they lived happily together.