In the short story "The Lady or the Tiger?" by Frank R. Stockton, the main conflict is between the protagonist, a young man who is put on trial, and the king. The conflict arises from the king's unjust and peculiar form of justice. The king's method involves placing the accused in an arena with two doors. Behind one door is a fierce tiger that will kill the accused, and behind the other is a beautiful lady whom the accused will be forced to marry. The choice of which door to open is left to the accused, and it is unknown to everyone, including the accused, what lies behind each door.
The conflict centers around the young man's love for the princess, who is the king's daughter. The young man's relationship with the princess is forbidden, and when he is put on trial, he knows that if he chooses the door leading to the tiger, he will die, but if he chooses the other door, he will be forced to marry another man. This creates a dilemma for the protagonist, as he must decide between a potentially gruesome death or allowing the princess to marry another man.
The conflict between the young man and the king represents a clash between love and the cruel nature of justice, leaving the resolution of the story open to interpretation and the reader's imagination.