The stepmother gave word that her own daughters had died, and that the queen had miscarried and was ill; then, she put her own daughter into Biancabella's bed. Ferrandino, returning, was greatly distressed.
When the stepmother shared the news of her own daughters' death and the queen's miscarriage and sickness, she made a decision to swap her own child with Biancabella's. Upon Ferrandino's arrival, he was deeply affected by this revelation.