The following text is for questions 15 to 17.

    A long time ago in south Sumatra, there lived a king who had been living as a widower for several years. He had two sons named Semesat and Semesit. Both of them spent most of their times to play football every day. The king concerned about their future, so he decided to marry again. However, his new wife didn't care about the children. She married the king for his wealth and saw the children as her main obstacle.

    One day, the king asked his wife to organize food and drinks for the council meeting, but she didn't do it. Instead, she smeared her face with chili to make it look like she got a bruise and blamed the children by saying they hit a ball to her face. Then, she asked him to choose between her and the children. The king decioed to exile Semesat and Semesit to live in the forest.

    Time passed by, Semesat and Semesit had grown into a good warrior in the forest. They decided to return to the kingdom. However, after he exiled his children, the king couldn't rule properly and his wife spent most of her time spending the kingdom's treasure for her personal needs. The people grew poorer and crime had increased.

    In the capital, Semesat and Semesit witnessed an act of robbery by a gang of the bandit. The guards were too few to handle them. Thus, Semesat and Semesit joined the guards to defeat the bandits. For this the king rewarded them. Without knowing who they were, the king asked Semesat and Semesit to be the royal guards.

    With the help of Semesat and Semesit, the kingdom's order had improved greatly. However, the people still poor because of the king's wife's greed. The two thought about the best solution. While doing so, they also played ball like they used to. The king saw this and realized that his new royal guards were their sons. He felt glad, but he also wondered, why they didn't say anything.

    The next morning, the king summoned Semesat and Semesit to give them a special task. They had to pick the king's sons up who were being exiled into the forest. Hearing this, the king's wife disagreed. She said they were bad and would bring misfortune to the kingdom. The king, then, made a proposition to his wife. He said if his sons had become good and useful for the kingdom. she would allow them to return. She felt confident and accepted the offer. She also boasted that if they did so, she would leave the kingdom.

    The king then asked his two new royal guards to confess that they were, in fact, his sons, Semesat and Semesit. They were surprised and asked the king, "How did you know that, Your majesty? We had never revealed our secrets to anyone." The king replied, "The way you play ball in my courtyard was enough to reveal who you are. Your face and sound might have changed but a father will always recognize his sons."

    The king's wife and the council in the palace were surprised about what they heard. The king's sons had become reliable guards that helped the kingdom. For this, Semesat and Semesit were allowed to return to the kingdom and the king's wife left the kingdom.

(Adapted from: http://ceritarakyatnusantara.com/en/folklore/60 (September 22, 2019))

Why did the king's wife smear her face with chili?