He heard a knocking on the door and looked at the familiar girl that was outside. The sudden knocking had jolted him from his day-dreams. After getting startled, he went to observe who was at the door from his second-level window.

Why did she look so familiar? The pretty girl that stood outside had long, blond hair that was blowing in the wind. He vaguely remembered hazel eyes belonging to the owner of that hair.

Then realization dawned on him. She was that one girl. The one that he stayed with for quite a while. He mentally smacked himself in the head, wondering how he could forget her.

Still, he was impressed. He never told her who he really was or where he lived. She really must have fell entirely for his act. If she found him, he must've either messed up or she was desperate enough to hunt him out. Maybe he shouldn't have been with her for that many weeks.

Or maybe he didn't act well enough that time. He had been very distracted lately, with a certain issue about the kingdom. He ignored the thought of the issue and brushed it away.

He put on a grin and tousled his dark-brown hair. He casually walked down the curving stairs, making her wait a little longer. Making people wait was torturous for them, but amusing for him. He arrived at the door, grasped the handle, and pulled the door open.

As soon as he opened the door, the blonde girl threw her arms around him. He was jolted back by the unsuspected force. He had to take a few steps to regain his balance, before he got a closer look at her. She had bright eyes and she was sniffling a little. She smelled of salty tears and flowers.

"Kaiden! Oh, Kaiden! I've missed you so much! How come you haven't come back to see me?" she cried. Kaiden realized that didn't remember her name. But then, he had never been good with names.

He would've frowned if he hadn't remembered that he needed to keep up his façade. He was actually surprised that she even remembered him after a couple of weeks. Clearly two months was too long to be with one person.

Or perhaps not enough if he still didn't remember her name. But the thought of a relationship longer than two months filled him with distaste.

His thoughts were interrupted when the girl started talking again.

"Why didn't you tell me you were a duke? I would've accepted you, no matter what you are," she chittered, fussing over him.

"I'm sorry, I've been busy. But I need to tell you something," he said smoothly.

He may have forgotten to end it before he went to the coast for a few weeks. It was his fault that it didn't end cleanly. Maybe now he should correct his mistake.

He was going to tell her that it was over, but her face brightened and she interrupted him.

"I know what you're going to say. Don't worry, you can make it up to me by coming to my house and meeting my mother! She's been waiting for three months now!" She exclaimed. Kaiden paled slightly. Parents? That was an enormous issue that he tried to avoid.

Once again, before he could talk, the girl interrupted him by latching onto his arm and dragging him. Kaiden was slightly surprised by her hidden strength, because he had never been dragged off like that. Perhaps it had something to do with her comment about her mother that threw him off balance.

"Let's go," she commanded, looking back at him for a brief moment. She walked him to the front gates of his castle, where he saw two horses.

He thought about just telling her no, but when they got to the horses, the girl waved her hand and told him to get on. Suddenly, he felt compelled to comply to her wishes. It was as if he was a servant and she was his master.

Confusion swirled in his mind. Why was he acting this way? What could possibly make him act like a mindless fool? The questions were at the tip of his tongue, ready to be asked.

But he kept quiet and absently-mindedly rode the horse next to her. They passed towns, small buildings, and fields. Smoke from the chimneys could be seen from far distances. He knew some of these towns, along with its villagers, because of business he did with them every once in a while.

They mostly kept away from the houses and stayed on a dirt path. The trotting noise was the only sound that accompanied them on the way.

Before he knew it, they were both by a small cottage towards the outskirts of one of the main villages. Smoke came out from behind the cottage, and the light hit it in a way that made it seem as if dark shadows were crawling over it. It seemed to clash with the pale yellow color of the cottage.

The girl jumped off of her horse and told Kaiden to do the same. After he got off, she waved her hand to shoo the horses away. As if she commanded them, they obediently trotted away. Then the girl walked up the stone path that led to the house and opened the wooden door.

The door creaked open as the girl called out to her mother. "Mother? I brought him back! You can meet him!" she called.

He paled once more. The girl, mistaking it for nervousness, murmured to him not to worry. His throat felt dry and he couldn't manage to get any words out.

A woman in a dark robe appeared and then went up to hug her daughter. She looked like an older copy of the girl. Her blonde hair had a few silver streaks within but their hair color was nearly the same.

"Agatha, I see you've brought him home," the girl's mother said quietly, yet loud enough for Kaiden to hear. Kaiden finally knew what her name was.

"Yes, I did. The waiting is over," Agatha smiled. Her mother smiled back before she turned her attention of Kaiden.

Agatha's mother stared at Kaiden, studying him. She looked back at Agatha and gave her a smile of approval. The she steered them into the house.

It was a quaint little place. The heat from the fire place filled the rooms. There was a small wooden table that looked like it was barely big enough for three people.

"Dinner is ready!" She announced. Three bowls of soup rested on the table. Agatha had clearly planned this out beforehand.

Kaiden automatically sat down. Internally, he was screaming in confusion about why he felt as if he wasn't in control of his body. Did Agatha have some sort of power? If she did, then why didn't he notice it before? His fingers were stiffly clutching the spoon, and his head hurt. He needed to clear his head.

While Kaiden was mentally resisting the mind webs clouding his thoughts, Agatha started to frown. She felt something was off. Or that something would go wrong. Her mother sensed the same feeling and tensed the slightest.

"Can I speak with you privately?" Kaiden managed to get out. Agatha's eyes flickered to her mother before gazing into Kaiden's emerald green eyes.

"Of course," she replied, taking his arm and leading him outside. It was grey and gloomy out, darkness about fall. She sat down on a rock, while he stayed standing up.

Kaiden knew he had to get rid of her, before she got more attached. He couldn't ever be tied down, and Agatha needed to know that. But how to do so without her making a scene in front of of her mother. Angry parents were a pain to deal with. Especially when they demanded marriage agreements, which did happen a few times.

"This thing has to end. I don't love you. We should part our ways," he decided to be blunt and outright. She froze for a few moments, and then stiffened.

"Why?" She quietly demanded, her eyes tearing up. "You said you loved me!" She continued, growing louder and angrier. "You promised that we would would be together - forever!"

"I lied!" He hissed back. Kaiden was a little surprised. The girls would never argue back, they would only cry and beg for him to come back. He usually picked ones that didn't argue back, but clearly, this time was different.

Agatha's eyes turned stony, and they blazed. Kaiden could see her hands clench into fists.

"How could you! You've fed me lies, and for what reason? Enjoyment? Was my love for you a joke? Was it funny to see me fall for you? Or when you lied to my face the entire time?!" she was furious. "Mother!" She screamed.

Agatha's mother was there in an instant. It was as if she had magically appeared out of thin air. She was just as furious as her daughter.

"He told me he loved me, and now he was admitting with toying with my feelings," Agatha explained. Her finger stabbed the air in his direction. Her mother's expression turned dark as she whirled around to face Kaiden.

Kaiden felt helpless at the moment, like he had when he was acting mindlessly. He didn't know what to do. One angry woman was enough, but two? He could see her mother's eyes blaze with the same fire that she owned.

"You fool with my daughter, you fool with me! And for that, you shall be punished!" she threatened. She turned to her daughter and said, "I will help you with any spell if you need my help."

Kaiden's eyes widened. Spells? Did that mean they were both witches? Was that why he felt like he was being compelled to follow Agatha's orders earlier?

After her mother gave her permission, Agatha began chanting, and cursing him. She stalked around him like she was a predator and he was her prey. He wanted to move but he felt like he was frozen. His eyes were allowed to move back and forth between the two witches. Agatha's mother was the one chanting the spell that made him stay in one place.

Lightning flashing in the sky made it seem more dramatic. The bare branches on the trees that seemed to want to pluck him off the ground also added to that effect. The experience was truly menacing.

As Agatha chanted things in a different tongue, Kaiden felt as if a force was shoving itself into him. Then it felt like he was being attached to a heavy burden, one that would stick with him through anything.

"I curse thee to live helplessly, switching into the monster you truly are, with no mercy and emotions, where you can suffer from your lies and the inability to control yourself!" Agatha yelled, making sure Kaiden understood the full extent of the curse. He could feel that it was a powerful curse to cast, one that could not easily be broken.

As if the uncomfortableness of earlier was a prelude, the pain struck him swift and without mercy.

Kaiden felt pain tearing through his skull. He fell to his knees, clutching his head, trying to will the pain away. Tremors ran through his body, and voices started to fill his head, whispering of cruelty. Burning sensations churned within his body. He felt like he was being burned inside out for eternity, even though it was only for a few minutes. He felt himself writhe on the ground, twisting his body.

He finally understood what her curse meant. He could hear his alternate self, the one he knew would be coming soon. And it felt evil and horrible. He heard his new, other self whispering promises of evil to him.

Agatha, still heartbroken, decided to make his pain worse. She knew the only thing that could torture him more was to offer him hope. Hope that she would most definitely crush to pieces, just like what he did to her.

"You can reverse this curse," she began her magic quietly. Her arms waved over him, for dramatic effect. Hope briefly flashed in Kaiden's eyes. Agatha laughed humorlessly on the inside. He had yet to hear the requirements.

"You must find a pure-hearted girl who truly loves both you and the beast, and has to be freely willing to kiss you at the end of this year at midnight," she continued. It seemed easy enough for Kaiden, until Agatha said the rest.

"Oh. And you must love her the same way too: whole-heartledly and devotedly." Agatha smiled cruelly.

Kaiden's heart dropped. Love? He felt destroyed. He can never love, and Agatha now knew that. Pain once again flashed, and then Kaiden realized another thing. He only had a little under eight months before the end of the year.

"If you don't succeed, you'll just stay a monster the rest of your life," she murmured sweetly into his ear. He flinched away from the sound of her voice. He was feeling strange and light-headed.

Kaiden quickly thought about it. What kind of monster would he turn out to be? Would he be able to live with it? What will the monster do?

Questions filled his head as he finally blacked out. His body slumped fully to the ground and stayed still.

"I hope you suffer," Agatha said bitterly to the unconscious Kaiden. She dragged him to the horse and magically ordered the horse to bring him back to his castle.

She thought of the two months they had spent together, the love she had developed for him, despite the short amount time she knew him. Now that was gone, because of him. She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing herself to keep the tears away.

"Farewell, beast."

 

2: Greed

~~
"Sometimes I wish I could just eat everything that we make," Annabelle Harper sighed in longing. She gazed at the delicious pastries that were baking in the fire oven. She was in the only bakery shop in the village, and was now watching her work bake in the oven.

"But if you did that, you would get fat and all the little children wouldn't get their yummy bread," Margaret Harper teased her younger sister.

Annabelle stuck her tongue out at her and giggled. The eldest sister, Catherine, just smiled fondly at the other two. Catherine was sitting on a bench behind the counter while Margaret was rolling new dough. Belle sat on the wooden chair near the fire oven with her palms on her cheeks and her elbows on her knees. Margaret rolled her eyes at Belle's posture.

While both Catherine and Margaret were married, they both kept Harper as their last name. They claimed it was because it was their family pride, but they all knew better. They were just clinging on to the hope that they would regain their lost wealth.

The Harper girls once had a beautiful, fancy home, and they used to be quite wealthy. They were living happily with each other. Then, one day, a torrential storm came and swept away their house, their wealth, and their mother. The family was devastated, and they eventually moved inlands after they couldn't stand the sight of the powerful ocean that took nearly everything away from them.

It had been around a decade since the storm, but the situation hasn't changed much.

At age twenty-one, Belle had a great burden on her shoulders. Her older sisters already married into other families and were well supported - but both Belle and her father were barely supported by her sisters, since they had to take care of their own families too. Belle now needed to take care of both her father and herself. Or find a husband wealthy enough to help them both.

She had been noticing eyes glancing her way, and was faced with hard decisions. Heart or mind? Would she wait to marry for love and hope that she wouldn't have to worry about her father anymore? Or just marry someone just for financial benefits?

No matter the choice, it wouldn't be too hard to find a suitor. Belle was the last beauty of the village who wasn't married, and she was perhaps the most loveliest. With long dark-brown curls surrounding her face, Belle's jade-green eyes stood out, along with her high cheekbones and dainty nose. She almost looked like a fairy with her ethereal beauty.

"How appropriate. Look who's coming," Catherine sang, continuing the conversation. Belle turned to look to see what she meant. She saw a small figure from the corner of her eye.

"Belle! Belle!" A small voice cried. A little girl in a muddy dress ran into the shop and onto Belle. After a few seconds of clinging, the little girl lifted her face off of Belle's pinafore and gave her a giant smile.

The girl, Melanie, had rosy, cherub cheeks, long golden curls, and bright blue eyes. She was only six, but she certainly knew how to convince people like Belle to give her treats. The strategy that worked the best was to act like a sweet, adorable angel. Which Belle thought she was.

"How are you, Melanie?" Belle smiled back at her.

The children of the village absolutely loved Belle. She would always play with them when she could, nurse their wounds, and give them secret treats. They all returned the affection, but Melanie was probably her favorite. Mostly because of her cheerful, innocent attitude.

"I'm great! Do you have a treat for me?" Melanie asked, whispering into Belle's ears. Belle winked at her. Although her sisters didn't mind her giving children little treats, Belle always told the kids to keep it as their little secret.

"I have a little something. But you have to remember to keep it a secret, okay?" Belle said. Melanie nodded eagerly. Belle took a small part of her bread and gave it to Melanie. Melanie squealed and hugged her again.

The sisters smiled and watched the little girl happily eat. The girl's chubby cheeks were filled with delicious pastry.

"Is it yummy?" Belle took Melanie into her lap and started to coddle her.

"Of course!" Melanie smiled, once again. She rocked back and forth on Belle's lap, munching little by little.

It was like any other day, it was all peaceful. Until they heard someone coming. Someone who would undoubtedly ruin the peace. It was bound to happen in a village so small.

When they all heard footsteps walking into the shop, Belle didn't even have to turn around to see who it was. The harsh clack of the shoes informed her it was Luther.

Everyone's good mood dropped, but Belle's soured the most. It took a lot to get Belle unhappy, so everyone would definitely be displeased.

Luther Hollingsworth had the looks, the money, but not the manners. While Belle doesn't usually mind lack of manners, sometimes he took it too far. He was arrogant and pompous, to say the least.

But, Belle had to admit that he was very handsome. He had blond hair and bright, blue eyes. Cold, blue eyes that always seemed to judge people.

"Hello Anna," Luther started. Belle hated his nickname for her. For some odd reason, ever since she was a child, she had never truly liked the name Anna. She didn't exactly know why, but now coming out of Luther's mouth, it made her dislike it even more.

"No treat for me?" he smiled, asking boldly. Belle knew that he could pay for it and didn't need to get it for free, especially when others weren't as fortunate.

"You have the money, Luther. Use it," Margaret said for Belle. She was glaring at him, and had to restrain herself from lashing out at him.

Luther narrowed his eyes at her. He did not appreciate women ordering him around, mostly because he was the one to give orders.

"Curb your tongue, woman. I wasn't talking to you," he said, coldly. Margaret returned his cold glare, while Catherine clenched her fists. Even Belle was tense.

Luther acted like a pampered prince who wouldn't take no for an answer. The truth, though, was that he was only a viscount. But even then, he was very influential and rich. The highest that she had met.

Luther looked at Melanie, who was slightly cowering with the bread in her hands. "You know what? I'll just take it instead," he said, plucking the piece out of Melanie's hands.

Melanie's lips wobbled and her eyes started to tear up. Belle glared at Luther. She couldn't stand a man who would steal from a six year old child without feeling any remorse. Belle bent down to Melanie and held her in her arms, rocking her back and forth.

"Don't worry. I'll get you some more, okay?" She murmured in her ear. Then she turned to face Luther and hardened her expression.

"Luther, you are fortunate enough to pay for your food without ease. Some people have a different story. Why don't you take advantage of it?" Belle repeated Margaret's words in a colder manner.

Luther frowned but relented. He handed Belle more than the usual price, proving that he still wanted to court her. He seemed to listen to her and give her presents. Belle would gladly sell them for money. There was some small benefits for being the prettiest girl in the village.

"Farewell, Anna," Luther said to Belle, before bowing. He clearly wanted to impress her with how much money he owned. Unfortunately for him, his spoiled-child attitude did not fare well with Belle.

Then he faced the other three. "Farewell," he said stiffly.

After the colder good-bye, Luther turned around and left. He could clearly tell when he wasn't wanted. The clacking of his shoes eventually disappeared into the distance.

After he was out of sight, all of them sighed in relief. "Thank goodness that horror is gone," Catherine announced.

"I know. I was a second away from strangling him," Margaret said, acting it out. They laughed. Most of the tension left the air, and they went back to their work.

But there was still one thing Belle had to take care of: Melanie.

"Come with me," Belle ordered Melanie, who seemed to be willing to do anything with her.

Belle grabbed a small pastry from the shelf, took Melanie's hand, and led her outside. Melanie's big smile came back.

They arrived at a little garden behind the shop. The garden was filled with many beautiful flowers, which bloomed in various different colors. It was a place full of peace and harmony. It had tulips, daisies, peonies, chrysanthemums, marigolds, violets, and more.

Belle gave the little girl the pastry, and the girl took it. Melanie was happily eating when she thought of something.

"Why aren't there any roses here? I heard they were supposed to be the most prettiest flowers in the world. Every other flower is here, so why not the rose?" She asked Belle. Melanie had learned from past visits about the types of flowers in Belle's little garden, which did not include roses.

"That's a good question. Roses are really rare to find in villages like ours. Seeds are hard to come upon, and the only places you can really find them are when the wealthy lords and ladies throw balls," Belle explained patiently. Melanie looked a little sad, Belle instantly felt obliged to cheer her up.

"Don't worry. I could try to find one for you so that we can plant one in our garden. Then we can show everyone our beautiful roses," she said smiling, which raised Melanie's hopes up.

"Okay!" Melanie piped, grinning again. Belle loved seeing her sweet smile, so she couldn't help but keep on smiling back.

But at the same time, other more serious thoughts came into Belle's mind. Like her father and his gambling habits. Or how his debt was one of the biggest concerns that Belle had to worry about, especially if she didn't want to marry Luther.

Belle decided to push the more negative thoughts away by hugging Melanie. She didn't feel like worrying at the moment. Especially after the Luther incident moments ago.

"Melanie!" an older woman's voice shouted from afar. It was her mother looking for her daughter. Melanie knew that it meant her leaving Belle, so she pouted. But Belle escorted her back to her mother anyways.

"Bye Melanie! I hope you have a better day!" Belle encouraged her. Melanie ran to hug her mother, but waved in response to Belle.

"Thank you for looking after her, Belle," her mother said. She looked relieved, and she must've been since she was the busy cloth weaver of the village.

"You're welcome. Any time," Belle just smiled in response. Spending time with adoring children did not need any permission in her book.

After saying her goodbyes, Belle headed back inside. Then she noticed there was an extra person inside. Her eyes widened when she realized who it was.

"Father!" she smiled and gave him a hug. Pierce Harper shared the same green eyes like his daughters, but his once-brown hair was now filled with many grey streaks.

Once again, her father's gambling habit came into mind. Belle scolded herself inwardly, she really didn't want to dwell on the negative every time she thought of her father. Before she could wipe it off her mind, her father said something.

"Daughters! I have good news! I went to a seer today who told me that we would soon regain our riches! And that it would all begin tonight!" He said excitingly. The three girls all frowned the smallest bit. Catherine had the biggest frown. Her past experiences with seers had not been good.

Seers were the paid tellers that read the future for those who asked of it. While all true seers were accurate, they also chose to be vague at points. Of course, unless they were paid more for specific details.

Pierce must have noticed their mood change, and started to explain. "I know, it isn't very specific, but I paid a little extra to find out that its start tonight. I went to the most accurate seer I knew. I have a good feeling, girls, and I want to take my chance tonight. And I realize, I was told soon and not instantly, so I may not win anything," he said.

After the explanation, he faced all three of his daughters, and felt his shoulders slightly drooping. He could feel disappointment in the air and decided to not discuss it much further. He didn't like feeling like a useless old man, or a burden.

"This habit is unhealthy. You are going to eventually give up something precious, or lose something dearly one day," Catherine warned. Pierce felt worse when Margaret didn't say anything to deny it.

"It's okay, Father. I'm sure it's true, and we shouldn't give up hope," Belle said, now trying to cheer her father up. Her father gave her a relieved look, one that spoke the thanks that he felt when he knew that he hadn't been entirely given up on.

"Well then, I'll leave now. I will try to return with more than I left, alright?" Pierce tried to convince not only his daughters, but himself. He had a sad look on his face and tried to change it to make it look like he was thinking.

"Bye, Father," Belle said softly. He returned her farewell, put on his coat and headed out the same way Melanie left.

The two older daughters sighed after he was gone and went back to work. They didn't want their hopes to be raised up again, just to have it get crushed.

Belle was slightly more hopeful. She trusted her father. Perhaps not his gambling methods, but she knew that he wouldn't lie to them. When the seers predicted, it came true. Maybe it could include some hardships, but they could get through them. Right?

It was then when Belle knew, that no matter how they'd end up getting back their money, if they did, it would certainly come with obstacles.

 

🌹~~~🌹~~~🌹~~~🌹~~~🌹~~~

🌹~~~🌹~~~🌹~~~🌹~~~🌹~~~

 

Kaiden had run out of solutions to break the curse. All of the people he had went to said that they couldn't break it. He gritted his teeth, and rubbed his temple, hoping to relieve stress. The past two and a half months have been a terror.

He'd often wake up confused in a different place. Sometimes it would be in his garden, or the library, or in a tree. Luckily, though, never in town. It was already awful enough that his maids had to put up with him. The townspeople would be harder to deal with.

His maids would tell him the awful things he had done when he changed. Some of them even wanted to leave their positions.

As if that wasn't enough, the beast seemed to be intelligent enough to know what he knew and destroy his precious work to break the curse. Not that he had gotten anywhere close to getting a different cure. Almost everything that Kaiden knew, the beast knew.

Kaiden was glad for the almost everything part. He had searched his secret room and found that it was spotless - so they beast couldn't have found it. It gave him a little hope, to know that he could keep some things away from the beast.

It had taken two weeks before he started to hate the thing. By then, his maids were terrified, windows were smashed, paintings were ripped, the garden was trampled, and his dog was dead.

He was really getting tired of death.

Kaiden tried tying himself down with steel shackles to the prison wall in the dungeon of the castle and locking the door, but it seemed as if the beast was strong enough to break through. The chains were entirely ripped off the wall and the metal doors were bent and distorted. Kaiden hated feeling out of control. Adding an incredibly strong beast that refused to be tamed was not any easier.

But the worst thing was that the beast could appear at any time. There was no set time when the beast came. It wasn't as if midnight was the time he switched, or even during a full moon. He could switch when he was eating, or sleeping. And then the beast would wreak havoc. Most of the times, the switch happened when he grew too angry.

Which was why it was better for him to be depressed.

That was the reason why he was now walking in great disappointment. He had went to the thirtieth seer, who had told him the same exact thing as everyone else. His last option would to be following the actual rule.

Kaiden groaned at the thought. He knew he wouldn't be able to fall in love. Even if he did, who knows if the girl would meet the qualifications. All the time would have been spent for nothing. He'd have to gather a group of girls, which both pleased and displeased him. Slightly pleased because he would have charming company. Displeased because he knew the beast could end up killing them all.

Then he tried to think positive. He still had five months, and five months was a long time. Surely he'd be able to find someone within that time period. But the more Kaiden thought about it, the more solemn he felt.

He wanted to drown in his sorrows, but getting drunk would make the beast worse. He learned that the hard way, since that was the day he'd found his dog dead.

So he found a way to get around it - by gambling. Kaiden found that he could remain passive when he gambled, which decreased the chances of the Beast appearing.

He was now in front of a famous tavern that was known for its gambling antics. He had stood there for a long time, not realizing that he was in such deep thoughts. Drops of water landed on his face, making him shake out of his daydreams and realize that it was raining. He decided to go in before he got soaked.

But before he got into the building, a flash of pain struck him. He clutched his head and groaned. He felt himself twisting and writhing. Burning sensations ran up and down his body. He felt like a hammer was pounding his head. The pain was more excruciating than usual.

Kaiden knew that the beast would come out, and he cursed the awful timing. He just wanted a break from the beast, but it wouldn't let him have it. Not to mention he was in town. He shut his eyes, wincing and hoping that the beast wouldn't do anything to harm the townspeople.

As quickly as it came, the pain went away. His brain felt as if it had been zapped and then cleared. He opened his eyes and stood up straight, cracking his neck.

His posture changed to a lazy, yet confident, one. His golden eyes flickered in the lighting from inside. A grin appeared on his face, and it also arrived with his beastly attitude.

The Beast had come out to play.

 

🌘~~~🌘~~~🌘~~~🌘~~~🌘~~~

🌘~~~🌘~~~🌘~~~🌘~~~🌘~~~

 

Pierce Harper hurried into the dry tavern. He had walked from the stables, where he left his horse, and was halfway to the building before he could get any more soaked. Cold, harsh drops of water landed on his face while he was riding the horse. By the time he arrived, it was pouring.

At the entrance, he checked his pockets to see that the money was still there. It was a little more than half of his savings. He crossed his fingers hoping that he would get lucky - like the seer had said. That was the only reason why he brought more money with him this time.

He walked into the building and felt like a wall of warm air smacked into him. There were so many groups and games that he didn't know where to start.

He scanned the place to decide where he'd press his luck. A table, with a big pile of money, caught his eye. The stakes were high, and he was tempted to go. But something inside him told him to wait and see before he joined.

He watched, studying strategies, until someone finally won. The winner smirked, while losers were full of anger. In the heat of the moment, they threw their money at the winner, who looked like he was enjoying their frustrations.

The winner was a handsome gentlemen, who from the distance, looked very wealthy, even without his newly won pile of money. Pierce briefly wondered who he was.

Pierce turned his attentions and tried to find a table where he'd start small. He'd have better luck with a smaller game.

There was a table with four men who looked like they were all having a hard time. Pierce smiled inwardly as he strolled over. While he wasn't the best gambler, he knew that they were most likely weaker players than him. Which was truly an accomplishment.

"May I join?" He asked politely. They nodded and allowed him to join in. Pierce sat down and added money to the table.

After a while, Pierce knew he was winning. He was correct in that the other men weren't too good, and that he had more of a chance of winning. The other players' frustration further cemented the idea of Pierce in the lead.

He was smiling at the fact that the seers were right. His family's rise to their original position was starting tonight. He felt giddy because it was almost over. Two more rounds and he'd...

"Good evening, gentlemen. May I also join?" a voice said.

All of their focus on the game was instantly taken away when they were interrupted. Pierce wanted this person to go away. He was almost there to retaking his fortune.

"Why don't you wait until we are finished. We're almost done," Pierce replied without looking up.

The man, clearly not happy with being ignored, and decided to throw in a game changer.

"I'll double the winnings," he stated.

Pierce froze. Double? How could he refuse? He was already in the lead.

He gave the man a smile and waved his hand over to an empty chair. It was only after the man sat down that Pierce realize it was the big winner from earlier. It made him a little nervous.

He looked closer at him, examining his opponent. He had spiky, dark hair, and... golden yellow eyes. The color of his eyes shocked Pierce, but he got over it quickly. When the man smiled, there was a feral sense behind it, as if he was a wolf waiting to pounce on its prey. Which, in this case, would be Pierce.

"Let's begin," Pierce said, trying to keep the nervousness out of his voice.

The Beast loved watching the old man squirm at his presence. He knew that Kaiden - his other self - wanted to gamble, so gamble he did. He loved the thrill of inhabiting such a body to make people nervous. The Beast's - Kaiden's - large frame was intimidating when he towered over some people. Like the old man.

The game grew intense, and Pierce felt like he might end up losing. He started to sweat. It was a lot of money. Either a lot of money to win, or a lot to lose. He was starting to regret letting the man join in.

The Beast felt satisfied when he was winning. Kaiden had better be happy with his hard work gambling. After all, Kaiden should get a break.... because he was going to need it when he finds himself waking up in town. The Beast grinned at the thought.

Then the Beast remembered Kaiden thinking about breaking the curse. He refused to have that happen. The Beast did not like the threat of leaving very well. He should just kill any girl Kaiden brings home.

Then he thought about it some more, changing his mind. He could help him fall in love, even with the exception of Kaiden's past, and then kill the girl. He would be crushed and then wouldn't want to live his life, then the Beast could take control without any complaint! Once again, he grinned at the thought. Freedom at last.

Finally, the last card was drawn, and the Beast had won.

Pierce felt his hope shatter. He was so close to winning and then he let him join. He thought about his daughters at home, especially Belle, and imagined them with their faces filled with disappointment.

"Belle, forgive me. I tried," he whispered quietly to himself.

The Beast heard it and his ears perked up. Belle was a name of a girl. Then he got an idea: he could start gathering them. And dispose of them later, of course.

"Belle, you say? Who is she, your daughter?" He asked slyly to the old man.

Pierce paled. What would he want from her?

"I didn't mention anyone by the name of Belle," he lied, wanting to protect her. But the Beast could hear through lies.

Then the Beast realized who he was talking about, from past knowledge of the townspeople in Kaiden's head.

"Oh, your daughter, the baker," the Beast grinned, knowing he got it right when Pierce paled again. Then he got an idea.

"You know what? I'll give you this money," he wave at the pile on the table, "if you can make your daughter deliver some pastries to my castle. Two cakes would be good." The Beast knew it seemed innocent enough, although maybe the free money might seem suspicious.

Pierce realized who the man was. It was Duke Kaiden Hunter. He was the only one with a castle near the village. And he was the most powerful and influential man around. If he knew who Belle was, he would also have the capabilities of how to find where they lived. If that happened, they wouldn't be able to escape him. Of course, he'd have no reason to bother them if there was no debt owed.

Pierce had to think hard. They already owed a lot, the money could pay it off. Surely just a delivery wouldn't harm Belle, right?

"Alright," he said hesitantly, not aware of the Beast's plan.

Pierce held mixed feelings about it. He was glad to finally be able to find a way to pay off debts and finally get money, but he didn't know the man's intentions toward his youngest daughter. Belle wasn't engaged or married and he wondered why the duke chose her of all three of his daughters.

"In three days then," the duke said. Pierce understood, and nodded. He was going to leave and think of his actions.

But then the duke added something that chilled Pierce, "Actually, I change my mind. Make sure to let her know that she should pack because she's going to stay for the rest of the year." Then the duke tilted his head, grinned mischievously, and left the tavern.

Pierce froze. What? Did he just change the deal? He wanted to call him back but the duke was gone. What had he done? Had he just sold his daughter for money?

He just knew that once Belle found out, she'd be so disappointed in him. Maybe she wouldn't even forgive him. He hesitantly gathered the money, tried to avoid the other men's stares, and then left.

The Beast watched the old man leave the tavern from the shadows. He chuckled quietly when he saw the old man flustered. If he had this much fun with an old man, he couldn't imagine what a thrill it would be with many young ladies - and Kaiden of course.

He mentally kept a checklist. Now there was one girl. He decided to gather more. Only he'd know that they'd all be sent home soon or driven mad with fear, and that the one lucky girl would be killed mysteriously. And then the Beast would free to take control.

There was one final battle between Kaiden and the Beast.

And he, the Beast, was determined to win.

 

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A/N

Sorry for the POV switching in the last section.

If there's anything that bothers you, be sure to comment and tell me about it. Please ask your questions if you are confused!

:D

3: Trapped

Kaiden groaned when he woke up. He rubbed his eyes and blinked at his surroundings. The candle light near his eyes blinded him momentarily. He shielded away from the light and into a pillow. He suddenly remembered the last thing that happened. He immediately stiffened and jumped up.

He frantically stared at the room he was in, and realized it was his own bedroom. His sheets were rumpled and the drapes were closed. The dark room still had lights from the candles that were lit. They looked ghostly, glowing in a dark room.

His heart pounded quickly. How did he get back here. What happened when the Beast was in control?

Kaiden's thoughts were interrupted when he heard a knock on the bedroom door. His attention turned toward the sound. A hesitant voice called from the other side.

"Your Grace? Are you finally awake?" Kaiden recognized the quiet voice of his head maid.

Mary was one of the few maids that stayed throughout the months of terror. With her stubborn tenderness, she managed to gather the courage to stay. She was also like a surrogate mother to him. They trusted each other. He trusted her enough to tell her about the curse, even though she had scolded him for fooling with the girl in the first place.

Throughout the last two and a half months, they both learned that the Beast wouldn't reply back to her as Mary. Kaiden needed her to know that he was back in control and that she didn't need to fear the presence of the Beast.

"Mary, how long was I out for?" He groaned. His sudden jump made him a little disoriented, so he laid back down on the bed.

A breath of relief was perfectly heard from the other side of the door. The door opened and an older woman appeared in front. Her greying hair was pulled back to make sure her hair wouldn't be in the way of her vision, and she was holding a broom in her hand.

Kaiden bitterly wondered whether or not if the broom was for sweeping or for protection. It was likely the latter.

"Two days. It's mid afternoon now," Mary said slowly, not wanting to break the bad news to him.

"Where did he go?" Kaiden asked. Mary knew what he meant but hesitated to start talking.

Kaiden knew it was coming anyways. He gestured for her to hurry up and get it over with. He didn't want to know the extent of the damage, but he had to if he didn't want to add more worry.

"He roamed beyond the castle grounds," she sighed. That was all that needed to be said. Kaiden's fist clenched. He forcibly relaxed it before clutching his head with his hands. He felt like a pail of horror and dread washed over him.

Kaiden could tell that Mary truly worried for him. She had watched him grow up from a child into a dashing young man, and always wanted to help him out. While she did not fear Kaiden, she knew that his other side was dangerous. He knew she wanted to comfort him.

She started to sit down on the chair next to him. But as she got closer, he flinched. Kaiden was afraid he'd hurt her. He slowly inched away, giving a bigger gap between them. The further the distance, the more time she could run. Mary realized that and stood up once more, giving Kaiden the space he wanted.

"May I suggest something?" She asked. Kaiden looked wary, wondering what question she'd ask.

"Of course. I need all the help I can get," he said, bitterly. He couldn't even control himself.

Once again, Mary was hesitant, not wanting to hurt Kaiden even more. Especially with what she was going to say.

"You need a witch," she started. He needed control. If witches could cause chaos, they could also control a situation.

Kaiden's head snapped up quickly, wondering if he heard her right. A witch? After all the mess the last one caused?

Mary saw the look on his face. "Now wait, I know what you are thinking. But listen, we can't let the Beast escape the grounds. For the protection of the villagers. There has to be a boundary, so that we can grasp ahold of some kind of leash of control." Mary tried to reason with him.

Kaiden closed his eyes. He knew that she was right. Protection of the people has to come first. He couldn't live with the guilt if the Beast did anything to them.

But it wouldn't stop him from mourning his freedom. Maybe he should walk outside the castle property once more before he would be trapped in for the next five months - or more, if he didn't break the curse.

"So be it. Get a witch," he sighed in reply. Before Mary could leave, she had to say one last thing.

"There's one last thing," Kaiden groaned. But Mary continued, "The Beast invited some guests that you should be introduced to. I would be careful, if I were you. The Beast must not know about the curse-breaker. Except, by the company he brought back, I wouldn't be so sure if he did knew." She warned.

Kaiden just stared at her as if she grew another head. Guests? How did they receive guests? With the Beast around? Without any response from Kaiden, she sighed.

"What I'm saying is that the guests should stay, so you can try to find out if one could help break your curse. Get to know them better," she explained quickly.

Kaiden just stared. He understood the meaning. There were innocent girls in the castle, who've already met the Beast. Asking for them to stay was incomprehensible. But it was necessary if he wanted to get rid of the Beast. Mary looked at Kaiden's frozen figure, her shoulders falling.

"I'm sorry, dearie," she said, her voice filled with sorrow, before she walked away.

Kaiden just laid back to think. Annoyance flashed through him as he thought about not being able to go out anymore.

Suddenly, pain struck his head again. At first, Kaiden thought the Beast was going to come out again, but it felt different. Memories flitted through his mind. Small memories of gambling, making deals, and coming back home. Kaiden was confused because he didn't remember doing any of those things. Then he realized that they weren't his memories, but the Beast's.

Kaiden almost felt happy knowing what had happened while the Beast took over. He relived the memories of himself winning the money, of seeing the fear in the old man's eyes, the charming of the girls.

While he got some of the memories back, the other parts were still missing. What were the girls' names? Did the Beast do anything else besides gambling and taking girls? What was the deal he made with the old man? Soon, he couldn't get any more details of his lost time.

Finally, Kaiden decided to leave the room. As soon as he stepped out of his dark, shadowed room, the piercing bright light shone from outside. The window reflected the light all across the hallway and Kaiden winced at the intensity of the brightness. He stood there a little longer, eventually making his eyes adjust to the setting.

He headed towards the visitor's room. He went down the hall, walked down the curving stairs, and turned into the room.

Mary was there waiting for him with another woman by her side. The woman, most likely the witch, looked slightly younger than Mary, but still had silver strands in her hair.

Kaiden grew a little nervous, he was still traumatized by the last witch incident he had. But he managed to keep his calm and convince himself that the witch looked benevolent enough.

"Hello. Welcome," he said politely, aware that he shouldn't say or do anything to offend the witch. Benevolent or not, witches were still dangerous.

Then he remembered that he didn't get the chance to walk outside. The thought instantly made him realize that it was reality. He internally kicked himself for not remembering to enjoy freedom one last time before being chained to one place for a long time.

The witch had an impassive face on, and had a voice to match the look on her face.

"Alright. I'll hurry and get the spell over with. Are you positive you want me to bind you and your cursed form to this place?" She asked. He nodded, thinking that he really didn't want to.

The witch sighed, closed her eyes, and started casting. She walked around him while chanting. Kaiden closed his eyes. It felt the same as that night, more than two months ago.

After a few moments, Kaiden felt a tug on his soul, like if he was being entwined with the property. It was slightly uncomfortable, but it was nothing compared to when the Beast came out.

After the witch was done, she opened her eyes and stared at Kaiden, expectantly.

"What do you want for payment?" Kaiden sighed, understanding the silent command of the witch. He had plenty of money so he shouldn't worry too much.

"A mirror," she stated. Kaiden was puzzled. Why would a witch ask for such a simple object for such a massive favor? But Kaiden wouldn't object.

"Why, if it were mirrors you wanted, feel free to take them all," he said, waving his hand towards the general direction of the castle. The witch chuckled. Kaiden was surprised that she had emotions, or that witches could laugh. Actually, that was a bit exaggerated. He had heard Agatha laugh before.

"Pardon me, but let me make myself more clear. I want the mirror from your secret room. I believe you know of the secret room I am speaking about," she rephrased her statement.

Kaiden tensed. She knew of his secret room? Or even what the mirror did? The witch noticed his stiff posture but continued speaking.

"Yes, the same mirror that your parents used and owned. The Mirror of Truth," she finally finished.

Kaiden couldn't believe she knew so much. Nobody knew about the Mirror or the room except for Kaiden, Mary, and his parents. The same parents that were still dead.

"Of course," he stuttered, not knowing how else to answer. He had to pay the witch back. "Wait here while I go get it."

Kaiden ran out of the room. He rushed into the maze of a hallways and navigated until he found the Forbidden Wing. It was hidden from view and only Kaiden, Mary, and the people who built the castle knew where the location was. Kaiden rarely dared entering the wing, and made sure nobody else did. It was filled with memories and emotions he didn't want to remember. Memories of betrayal, grief, pain, and anger.

He grabbed the necklace chain around his neck and looked at the key that hung on it. It was silver and thin, with an intricate design on it. Kaiden unlocked the door that opened into the secret room. He tried to ignore everything in the room and found the mirror right away.

It was a small thing, one of the handheld kinds. But it was golden, and had a very noticeable, magical presence. He held it in his hands and closed his eyes, saying goodbye to it. Then he opened his eyes and asked the mirror for help one last time. He avoided using it, since some people couldn't handle to pure essence of truth.

The last time Kaiden remembered someone using the mirror was his mother, and it had drove her insane.

Kaiden cringed at the memory and tried to pull himself back into the present. He needed the help, and he didn't have much left to lose. He was already insane.

"Will I be able to free myself of this curse? How will the girl look like?" He asked, trying to get the answer the easy way. Maybe the truth wouldn't drive him insane.

The mirror rippled until it showed large green eyes. At first, Kaiden thought it was his own, but the shade was different. Then he realized that the mirror was answering his question, in a very mysterious way. Kaiden tried looking for the color of the girl's eyelashes to hint what hair color she had, but only the color of her eyes remained. He had hope even when the image faded.

Kaiden then remembered that the witch was waiting for him. He walked out of the room, locked it, and then sprinted back to the visitor's room. Mary and the witch were still there waiting patiently. He was breathing heavily from the running.

"Here it is," he managed to get out. The witch smiled, but at the same time she was surprised. Surprised at how Kaiden was so eager and willing to give such a magical object away. Nevertheless, she kept her thoughts to herself, said thank you, and left.

After the witch was gone, Kaiden slumped onto a chair. He rubbed his forehead, showing the stress he was feeling. The one that got worse after the journey into town. He wondered how the witch knew about the mirror and why she wanted it. He waited there a few seconds before deciding that he should get to the next problem.

"What is the next thing, Mary?" He asked hesitantly. The maid understood what he meant, and started to show Kaiden the way. He stood up and followed her.

Now he had to deal with the guests the Beast brought. Mary waited, letting him get another small mental break, and then continued to lead Kaiden to the ballroom.

"Before I left to get the witch, I told the girls to get ready to meet you," she explained on the way. Then Kaiden realized he hadn't told her about the mirror's image. Then Mary stopped in front of the closed door. She turned around to face Kaiden to say one last thing. "Please ignore the number of girls," Mary warned, squeezing her eyes.

Kaiden sighed in dread. He didn't know if he was ready to deal with all of the girls. Especially how some of them were treated by the Beast. None of them were harmed, or at least from what Kaiden remembered, but they could still panic. He entered the room, almost bracing himself.

There must've been at least thirty pairs of eyes looking up at him. Kaiden was horrified. He didn't recall the Beast bringing all of those girls back home. And in two days, nonetheless! How did he convince them to stay? How did he even work that fast?

After he got over the initial shock, he walked down the grand, curved stairs and started to circle around them, admiring the looks, but more importantly, at their eyes.

He started to seperate the girls into two groups, telling which side of the room to go to. One side had girls with green eyes, the other without.

Unfortunately, Kaiden forgot what shade of green the mirror showed and couldn't narrow the remaining group down anymore.

Kaiden felt unlucky. Of all the different eye colors, many of the girls here had green. He wondered if the Beast knew what color the girl's eye would be. He counted six girls with green eyes. He hoped that the girl who would break his curse was one of them. Otherwise he wouldn't know what to do.

Well, he thought, six is an improvement from thirty.

"I'm sorry for this... waste of time. You may return back to your homes," he said bluntly to the girls without green eyes.

They looked confused and almost looked saddened. Kaiden wanted to scream at them to leave just so that their sad looks could leave their faces. He had enough of sad looks to last a lifetime. Last time someone got sad, they turned angry and cursed him. He scowled and they fearfully bowed and then obeyed his command.

After they all left, he sighed and faced the six that were left. They were all wearing dresses; some more simpler than others. The girls were also all very beautiful, in their own ways. He had to admit that the Beast had taste.

"Introduce yourselves," he commanded. He wanted to finally take back the reign of control.

A young lady with auburn hair, and a fairly expensive dress, stepped forward and bowed. "Your Grace," she addressed him first. "My name is Elizabeth, and my father is very well known and has -" Kaiden cut her off before she told her life story. She hushed immediately, bowed, then stepped back. Her lips were pursed in annoyance. She clearly did not like getting cut off.

The next girl to come up didn't look as elegant as Elizabeth. She had light-brown curls, and wore a simple green dress. "I'm Charlotte," she said simply, before stepping back into the line.

The third girl swooped right in after Charlotte and introduced herself in a flirtatious manner.

"Pleased to meet you, Your Grace. My name is Valencia," she greeted with a scandalous grin. Her teeth were straight, her hair was long and black, and her whole demeanor was full of confidence.

Kaiden couldn't help but admire her charisma. He liked her. Except for the fact that the Beast may be irritated by that trait.

The last three introduced themselves as Elise, Lenore, and Sarah.

Elise was like Elizabeth in every way, like the wealth department, but she had blond hair instead.

Lenore had pale, platinum hair and had a quiet personality. She tried to avoid his eyes. Kaiden wondered why.

Sarah was the last one, and the one that was the most nervous of them all. The nervousness irritated Kaiden. Unlike the last girl, who couldn't exactly meet his eyes, this girl fidgeted around in his presence.

Kaiden knew that they should be nervous, but he knew that a sign of weakness could make them a target for the Beast.

He was struggling to remember all six of the girls' names, especially since he never bothered to learn them in the first place. He tried repeating them in his head quickly: Elsbeth, Charlie, Valentina, Lisa, Lina, Sanah? None of them sounded right. He grew frustrated and told himself that he'll eventually learn their names.

"Maybe I will tell you why you six were specifically chosen, but that would be at a later time. Right now, I need my rest and I need to spend time alone. I'll explain rules and such in the morning tomorrow," he said, before dismissing them.

Even though some looked like they wanted to talk more, they all obediently left, finally giving Kaiden time to think about the mess the Beast made. He sat on a plush chair by one of the walls of the ballroom. The large window panes allowed the afternoon sun's rays to light up the room. Some rays reflected on the crystals in the room, making it sparkle.

Kaiden wanted to leave this cheerful, bright room to go sulk in the dark. He walked back to his bedroom, lied back down on his bed, and closed his eyes.
 

~~~🌹~~~🌹~~~🌹~~~🌹~~~🌹

~~~🌹~~~🌹~~~🌹~~~🌹~~~🌹
 

Belle was worried. Her father had been acting awfully strange the last two days. The two days after he went to gamble. Pierce insisted that nothing bad happened, he even brought the money to prove it, but Belle still wasn't entirely convinced. She couldn't quite figure out what was wrong.

He had avoided looking directly at her, and was almost acting...ashamed. Pierce's smiles seemed forced and he was very jumpy when anyone mentioned the night of the big gamble. When anyone asked, he would answer quickly and switch the topic. It was quite strange to see her father so unsettled. It made her wonder even more about what happened.

A loud knock drew her out of her thoughts. Her eyes darted to where the sound came from. She felt herself droop with annoyance.

It was Luther, with his arrogant grin, who was standing at the door. Belle had to restrain herself from kicking him out. He was just a spoiled, rich brat to her.

"Hello Anna. How has your day been? Are you busy?" He asked politely. Belle had noticed for the past year that his behavior toward her was noticeably kinder than to everyone else.

Although Belle was slightly grateful that she wouldn't have to deal with his attitude all the time, it annoyed her because everyone else was treated horribly. Like how he stole bread from a poor girl even though he had plenty of money. Or the one time he told another girl, who was Belle's age, to go to bow down to him because she wasn't beautiful because she accidentally spilled some water on him. The poor girl was forced to injure her own dignity.

"Just fine. And no," she replied. She had spent the morning in the baking and the rest of the day pondering.

She was suspicious of why Luther wanted to know that. Especially after his face brightened.

"Good! I want to take you somewhere," he grabbed her by the arm, pulled her up to her feet, and led her out of the bakery. Belle didn't even have enough time to process what just happened.

Belle was so confused that she just dazedly walked behind him. She didn't really know what Luther was planning to do. If it didn't seem good, then she was going to tear away from his grip and run away.

So far, the only destination in sight was a little meadow, with an open field of flowers. It was surprisingly a nice site.

Then, Luther stopped. He let go of her hand and faced her. He had some strange face on that Belle couldn't decipher. Then he knelt down with one knee and pulled something out.

When she realized what he took out, her eyes nearly popped out of her head with shock. Her entire body just froze, and her brain was spinning. What was he doing?! And was that what she thought it was?!

"Anna, will you marry me?" He proposed, with an semi-genuine smile on his face. There was almost some darkness behind the smile - as if he was finally going to possess something. Or Belle in this case.

He had a silver ring in hand that was shining in the sunlight. He slightly fiddled around with ring before he started to speak again.

"I think I got to know you fairly well over this past year, and even now, your beauty truly rivals that of the goddess of love herself. Please, will you do me the honor of having you by my side as your husband?" he continued. Belle wanted to retort back that he didn't actually know her because she barely talked to him. And if only liked her for her beauty, who did he think he was? His words may have sounded romantic, but Belle knew that he didn't know her at all.

She was going to reject him, but then she thought of something horrible.

Belle was suddenly speechless, but in an awful way. She felt like her stomach was churning with dread. This fairly powerful and influential man was asking for her hand. She desperately wanted to say no, but what would that rejection do to her family? Would he retaliate by hurting them? At the same time, she didn't want to say yes, because she'd be married to him. Belle knew that Luther would possessively own her like she was property.

"Err....u-uh!" She stammered. She didn't know what to say, but all she wanted to do was get out of the place and leave this issue. And maybe think about how to solve this issue.

"Ihavetothinkaboutthisletmegetbacktoyoulaterbye!" She quickly blurted out and ran away.

She could feel his eyes burning into her back and she cringed. Hopefully, this wouldn't escalate into anything more dreadful than it already was. At least he wasn't chasing her.

She ran all the way back home. She closed the door behind her, and then she listened to her heavy breathing. After she regained her breath back, she slumped to the ground and rested her eyes.

Although her eyes were resting, her mind and thoughts were not. They were everywhere at once, thinking about different possible futures. Belle thought about what her father said two days ago - something about regaining their riches soon. Was this what the seer meant? Belle hoped not. She tried to reason with herself that the seer most likely had meant her father's gambling success.

A knock vibrated the door Belle was leaning against. She froze and tensed up. Was it Luther?

"Belle?" Pierce's voice came from the other side. Belle relaxed and felt relieved. She got up, wiped off the dust on her dress, and opened the door for her father.

She noticed that it was darker outside and realized that he was probably just coming home for the night. She was in the middle of wondering where Catherine and Margaret were, when she noticed how awful Pierce looked.

Pierce was starting to get sleep bags under his eye, and his pallor was noticeable. The worry from earlier rushed back into Belle.

The concern for Pierce showed on her face, which made Pierce look a little guilty. He was starting to think that it's be the time to tell her the deal he made with the duke. Pierce tried to convince himself that just delivering pastries wouldn't be too bad. However, the ethics of it was what made it questionable. It basically was a trade of money for Belle.

It was then when the other two sisters came home. Although both Margaret and Catherine were married and lived with their husbands, they would occasionally stay with Belle to keep her company. They both felt bad that she was alone and not engaged yet.

Unfortunately for Pierce, it would mean that he would have to explain in front of the other two sisters. Maybe fate just wanted him to tell everyone. The other two sisters just stood there, not sure what to do. Pierce looked like he wanted to say something to all of them, which he did. Pierce sighed before finally explaining why he had been jumpy the last two days.

"Belle, I didn't tell you girls the whole truth," he started, stating the obvious. He continued, "I was winning and about to finish the game, someone else decided to join. Someone with a lot of money and power - the duke." He heard a small intake of breath. "He joined in and beat me. I would've been in his debt, but then he realized who Belle was and offered a deal: that I could keep the money if Belle would deliver some cakes. I agreed, but then he suddenly changed his deal and said that Belle would have to stay with him for the rest of the year!" Pierce felt even more ashamed after he heard the gasps of outrage coming from Catherine and Margaret.

"You did what?!? How could you?!" Catherine yelled at him. Margaret was busy yelling at him too. But Belle was quiet. Pierce didn't know what made him feel worse: the yelling or the quietness.

"Stop," Belle said softly. Margaret and Catherine both stopped their rants and faced their sister. Pierce felt a sliver of hope.

"You don't have to go! We have the money!" He scrambled to plead for her forgiveness. But Belle just glared at him.

She felt hurt that her own father sold her. But at the same time, she knew that he hasn't meant for that to happen. It wouldn't stop her from being angry at him.

"No. I'm going to hold up your end of the deal. It could be worse if you broke a deal with the most powerful man in this village," she emphasized angrily. Her older sisters started to protest, but Belle kept on talking. "Maybe you'll start changing your gambling habits and think about your actions while I'm gone," she said harshly.

Belle felt bad for being so cruel toward her father, but she really was too emotional from all the issues she had: their poverty, Luther's proposal, and now her father's deal.

"Goodnight," Belle said stoically. Then she excused herself and ran to her bedroom and shut herself in. The one she had for herself. She threw herself onto the small mattress that was not big enough to hold her. She heard her sisters' arguing and her father's sobbing. Belle's heart ached, and she finally started to cry.

She knew that when she woke up the next day, she'd have to be ready to leave.

~~~ 

It didn't feel like she slept a wink. Belle felt both physically and mentally exhausted.

It was only dawn, so she stayed curled up in her bed. She observed everything in her room. She spent the time memorizing every detail of the windows, the walls, the bookshelf with all her favorite novels. This would be her last time seeing her room this year.

After a while, she grabbed a trunk that would only be big enough to hold her most important memories and belongings. Belle knew she had to choose wisely with what to put inside of the trunk. She shoved her favorite blue dress, her simple purple dress, an umbrella, her mother's locket, her favorite book, and a miniature portrait of her whole family - the one that was drawn before her mother died.

After packing her more prized possessions, she sat on her bed, with her knees up to her chest, and stared out the window. She listened to the birds chirp, and watched the sky get brighter. It made her a little calmer.

Then Belle heard the door creaking. She was tempted to turn around to see who came in, but decided against it so that she could maintain her calmer mood.

"Annabelle," she could hear Catherine calling her name. Belle almost wanted to burst out in tears. None of her family members ever called her by her full name anymore - not since her mother died ten years ago. Only her mother had called her by Annabelle. If Catherine was resorting to that name, it would just make everything seem more real.

"Belle. I wish I could help. Maybe I can come with," Margaret offered. Belle finally turned around to face them both. Both sisters took that as a sign to sit on the bed with her.

"You mustn't. The duke asked for me. Besides, after I'm gone, you two will have to take care of papa. Make sure he manages his money properly," Belle replied. She shouldn't have to sacrifice herself for nothing.

Then Belle realized that she thinking in a negative way. She didn't actually know the duke, so she shouldn't judge him before she even met him. Maybe the duke wasn't too bad. Hopefully he was a nice old man who was already contently married.

Of course, if the duke was a married man, why would he want a younger woman to stay with him for the rest of the year? Belle suddenly felt uncomfortable. Then tried to shake the thoughts out of her head.

"Are you sure?" Catherine asked, her eyebrows furrowed in concern. Her worries toward her youngest sister was obvious. Belle softened and rested her hand on Catherine's arm. She would make it through, she had to. Her love for her sisters, the children, and her father would get her through anything.

Belle nodded, and that was all that needed to be done before she started to cry. Margaret pulled her into her arms, while Catherine hugged them both. All of their faces were wet from tears. Five and a half months was a long time for someone who had never left home.

"I'll miss you," Belle sobbed quietly. She really would miss them.

"Here. We'll each give you something that will remind you of us," Catherine thought up of a way to help her sister's mood. Catherine grabbed a silver pocket watch from her dress pocket while Margaret took the partially-jeweled, purple hair clip from her head. They both placed it in Belle's hands.

"Thank you," Belle said, grateful for her sisters' warm actions. But behind her sisters' generosity, there was guilt - guilt about the relief of not having to leave along with Belle.

"Don't forget to always keep your necklace on," Catherine said, reminding Belle. Belle clutched her necklace. Her mother gave it to her before the storm. It was one of the last things she gave Belle. Her mother said it was for protection and well-being.

After a few more last moments with each other, they were interrupted by the shuffling sounds of their father. Pierce had an apologetic face on, one that pain and guilt shined through.

"We should go if you wanted to be on time," he said in a distressed tone. At the statement, Belle gave her sisters on last squeeze.

They all walked out of the house, and in front of the horse. Belle realized that she'd have to make the journey alone, since they only had one horse. But then...what would become of the horse after she arrived at the castle? Pierce realized what she was going to ask and answered her silent question.

"The horse is smart enough to come back. There aren't any wolves or dangerous predators in the forests here, so she'll be safe," he said quietly, patting the horse on the snout. The horse snorted in response.

Belle quietly accepted the fact and started to gather her things. The she stopped when she realized that she hadn't said her farewells to her father. She may not have liked his actions, but leaving for five months without a good bye would be harsh for both of them.

"Bye, Papa. I still love you, despite your actions, and I will miss you during my five months. I will try to write letters to you, Catherine, and Margaret if I can," Belle said, hugging her father.

"I'm sorry, my sweet Belle. All I wish for is for you to be safe and as happy as you can be at the duke's castle. And maybe, in the near future, your forgiveness," he replied in a serious manner.

"Oh papa, I've already forgiven you. I know that it was an accident," Belle said.

She released him from her hug, turned to her sisters to give them one last hug, and then jumped onto the horse. Pierce handed Belle her small trunk, and made sure she was safe to travel.

"Bye!" Belle repeated, as the horse started to trot away.

She closed her eyes and let the horse take her to her new life. 

~~~🐴~~~🐴~~~🐴~~~🐴~~~🐴

~~~🐴~~~🐴~~~🐴~~~🐴~~~🐴

"Wait. What do you mean?" one of the girls asked. It was the girl with auburn hair.

Kaiden was annoyed with both the question and his inability to remember the girls' names. Again. He'll eventually find a way to remember their names. Or at least recognize them by something else, maybe colors? But Kaiden decided to think about that the next day. The present was all he needed to worry about.

Of course, his annoyance might have had something to do with the switch with the Beast two hours ago. Kaiden wondered why the Beast didn't harm any of the girls - not that he wanted them to get hurt, just that he was expecting some destruction from his other side.

In fact, according to Mary, the Beast kept quiet in his room. The only thing that was disturbed by his change was that his meeting with the girls was delayed and moved to late-afternoon.

"I think you understood me quite clearly. While you all are here, you shouldn't prance around doing what you'd like all day long. You need to do some house chores," he clenched his teeth slightly.

The idea came to him when yet another maid had fled the castle premises. Mary, the cooks, a few maids, and the remainder of the other helpers were the only people left. With more people in the castle, and less maids, it was destined to have more mess. And with the numbers he now had, it would put too much stress on the remaining staff.

"You mean...we have to clean?" Another girl clarified quietly. Kaiden tried to remember her name, but her name slipped out of his mind. He was never good at names, but he needed to know was that she was the one with platinum blond hair.

She didn't seem to think the idea was preposterous. It was almost as if she had expected it. Or maybe it was because she didn't take it as bad as the other five girls. But Kaiden still heard the undertone of sadness in her voice. He briefly wondered why before he realized that another girl looked like she wanted to screech in protest.

"If any of you refuse to do work, feel free to leave now," Kaiden interrupted the girl who was going to speak.

He wouldn't tolerate any complaints about working. His staff was already limited, and it was shortening as time went by.

Then he noticed the same nervous girl from yesterday, who was quietly tapping her heel. She looked like she wanted to flee. Kaiden's other side called to him, begging for him to pick at her weakness. The Beast wanted to be set free. Kaiden's eyes swirled between a green and gold color. It wasn't entirely gold, so Kaiden still had some control. But only partially.

"What's your name, girl," he demanded, almost growling. He had surprised her and made her tense up into a rigid position.

"Sarah," she said in a meek voice. It held terror within it, which made the Beast excited. He was threatening to take over Kaiden, but Kaiden was resisting enough for him to stay captive.

"Do you have an issue? Why are you so nervous?" He asked, narrowing his eyes. He stalked towards her, like a shark would to spilled blood. Sarah went absolutely still, and held her breath.

"I-I-I a-am not comf-fortable with staying here with you!" Sarah stuttered and blurted out at the same time.

After realizing what she'd just said, her eyes widened and she clamped her hands over her mouth in horror. The girl silently cursed herself. She shouldn't have angered him.

The transition into the Beast was painless and quick. Kaiden's emerald-green eyes turned into a molten gold color, and his face seemed to have a more cold manner. Sarah's eyes widened even more when she noticed the color change of his eyes.

"What makes you say that?" the Beast taunted her. She grew pale and looked like she was going to faint. He drew closer and looked like he was going to quietly speak into her ear. "If you don't want to stay, leave!" he snarled loudly, scaring Sarah. Sarah jumped and, like a frightened deer, ran out of the room.

The Beast could tell that Sarah had wanted nothing to do with him. She quickly ran out of the doors. He heard her whimper as she ran.

The Beast was itching to chase her, to hunt her, but he was in the company of the other young ladies he had acquired.

"I'm sorry for that... interruption. Any other complaints?" the Beast relaxed slightly. The answer to his question was merely silence. Just the way he liked it.

"Now continuing on from earlier, I will give you each a couple of chores. I expect them to be done with no whining." he said.

The Beast now he longer had a purpose to stay out. He could leave planning for later, since this was the calm phase. The waiting will be worth it, the Beast told himself before he went back in. His eyes slowly transitioned and swirled back to their normal green color.

Kaiden felt a slight headache and realized he had lost control temporarily. He wanted to go to the sanctuary of his room to escape the women. But more importantly, the Beast.

"Err. Write down the tasks that you are good at. Based on your abilities, I'll arrange your tasks likewise," he found a small stack of parchment paper. He ripped one into five pieces, and gave one piece per girl. Kaiden didn't even bother examining their feelings before he left with a stiff 'good night'.

He quickly walked up the stone stairs to his bedroom. When he got it, he shut the door behind him, and went to close the curtains. It was already night now, but he would need the darkness in the morning.

He was tempted to scream his troubles, but there were people in the castle who were already frightened enough. He needed to break the curse. He barely survived the last couple of months and he couldn't imagine the rest of his life in that condition.

Before he could change into his night clothes and head to sleep, a knock on the door stopped him. He almost growled.

"What?" Kaiden snapped. He went to go open the door to see Mary standing and waiting. The old maid quickly glanced at his eyes to determine which he was.

"Someone's at the door. She says you're expecting her," Mary phrased it like a question. Kaiden scowled, along with his inner Beast. It has better not be the Sarah girl. If it was, he was going to kick her out again.

He ran down the stairs, and was about to turn the corner into the front room, when he was starting to snarl. His eyes were swirling between a gold and a green color.

"If that's you Sarah, you can-" his threat froze suddenly.

The girl at the door was not Sarah. When her green eyes fell on him, she stepped forwards and introduced herself.

"Hello. My name is Annabelle Harper, and I am expected by Duke Kaiden Hunter."
 

4: Lured

Belle looked at the man in front of her. He was beautiful, to say it simply. He had handsome, roguish features and dark brown hair that looked slightly messy. He had a strong facial bone structure that highlighted his eyes. Belle moved her gaze to his eyes. He had long lashes and - green and golden eyes?

Startled, she realized what she was doing. She was studying him like he was some sort of wild flower she found in a field. Observing and critical. It might've appeared to look like ogling, which was why she grew slightly flustered.

Ogling reminded her of what the girls in the village did with...Luther. The thought of that man almost made her shiver, but she wondered what her family would tell him if he came looking for her. After all, he did propose to her yesterday.

Belle forced herself back into the present to remember where she was and what she was doing. The she wondered if this man was the butler. He did look rather young.

"Is the duke here?" She asked. She was really curious about how he looked like. Belle never actually heard much about him.

Maybe a few chitters from a girl in the village, but nothing much. And even if they had described him, Belle probably had tuned their gossipy chatter out.

The man in front of her chuckled, which made Belle confused. Why was he laughing? Was her hair messed up?

"I am the duke," he smirked slightly. Belle's eyes widened in embarrassment. She had been staring at the duke the entire time?

"You're the duke?" Belle sputtered incredulously.

She then quickly recomposed herself after realizing how she must've looked like with her widened eyes and dropped jaw. She had expected a man that was the same age as her father. Not a handsome man who looked slightly older than her.

It was as if she wanted the duke to be someone easier to hate.

Belle paused. Hate? Did she really want to hate someone? And did appearance or age really matter? She shook her thoughts and convinced herself that she was just tired. It had been a long day.

"Yes. I forgot I was expecting you," he admitted. Forgot? How could he have forgotten about the deal he made with her father that resulted in her residing in his own castle for the rest of the year? How does one forget that sort of thing?

She shivered from the wind that blew past. The duke noticed it and opened the door further for her to get her trunk through.

"Come in. You look a little cold," he waved his hand to allow her in.

When Belle stood next to him, she realized how tall he was. He was at least a head taller than her, in fact, a little more since she only reached his shoulders. And now that she knew who he was, she should've realized that he definitely had the presence of a duke - regal and powerful.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'll just have Mary to settle you in. Good night," he said before turning around and going into a different hallway.

Belle was surprised about how short their first encounter was. She thought that he'd probably explain her role for the rest of the year.

Her stomach dropped when she remembered that she would spend five months away from her family.

But five months wasn't too long and maybe it wouldn't be too bad, Belle thought while looking at the interior of the castle.

Belle finally had a chance to marvel at the castle. From far away, it looked magnificent. Up close, it was even more beautiful.

She studied the welcoming room and its curving staircase. She saw a picture of a horse, which reminded her of something. She turned to the maid, who was fondly watching Belle marvel at their surroundings.

"Oh! I tied my horse to the tree up front. Is that alright? Are there wolves around?" Belle asked the maid.

"They usually don't bother around here. Your horse should be safe," the maid reassured her. She looked like she remembered there was another dangerous creature, but her expression quickly changed back to normal.

"That's wonderful. What should I address you as?" Belle asked curiously. She thought it would be better to get to know the people she would be around for a couple months.

"Mary is just fine," she replied, smiling. The maid suddenly looked like she recalled a fond memory.

"Then you must call me Belle. I do realize that Annabelle is a mouthful," she said. She moved her foot slightly to the right and touched another object. Belle looked down to see her trunk, resting on the ground.

"Mary, can you help me carry my trunk to wherever we are going? You could hold the front and I the back," she suggested.

"I can carry it by myself if you wish," Mary offered.

"Don't worry. I insist on helping. This is my stuff, I shouldn't give you the responsibility of taking care it," she replied back sincerely. Mary looked surprise at her willingness to help. But Mary smiled and picked up the front end of the trunk. Belle happily took the back end and followed Mary.

Belle was led up the grand staircase and into the hallway that followed it. She looked around as she walked.

The castle was huge, especially compared to the house she lived in when she was younger. The one she lived in before the storm. But even with the notable size difference, it had the same regal feeling to it, which gave Belle a sense of nostalgia.

She remembered the times when she a child and would run, cheerfully shrieking across the hallways before her mother caught her and started to tickle her. She remembered her mother's big green eyes and long, curly brown hair, just like her own.

Her mother was truly a beautiful woman. It was no wonder that Belle, who was the spitting image of her mother, was deemed as the loveliest beauty in the village.

Belle was jolted back to the present when Mary lowered the trunk to the ground and stopped at a door.

"We are here," she said after they stopped. She then turned to knock before quietly calling.

"Charlotte? Are you awake, dear?" Mary asked quietly. She leaned her ear against the door to see if she could hear any sounds from inside the room.

Charlotte? Why was there another girl here? Who was she? The duke's wife? Belle reasoned that out though. It appeared that Belle was to sleep in the room they stopped in front of. If she was to reside there for a few months, it would not be in the same room as the duke and his wife. Clearly Charlotte was someone else. But who?

The door creaked open to reveal a young woman, around Belle's age, in a nightgown. The girl yawned and rubbed her eyes. She looked beautiful, even though she just woke up from bed. She had light-brown hair and dark forest-green eyes.

Eyes, when it landed on Belle, blinked in confusion.

"Who is this?" she asked Mary. The girl - Charlotte - glanced behind Belle and saw the trunk. Slowly, understanding came into her eyes, but not before Mary explained a little of Belle's situation.

"This young woman is to be your roommate for the rest of the year. I am positive that you two will get along just fantastically and will have no troubles," Mary said.

Belle took that chance to introduce herself to Charlotte.

"Hello! It is my pleasure to meet you. My name is Annabelle, but please call me Belle," she chirped. Charlotte smiled at her energetic introduction.

Belle remembered that she was in a castle, and that manners were expected. She curtsied quickly and clumsily, almost falling over. Charlotte looked a little stricken.

"Oh! You don't need to do that. I am not a noblewoman. If we are to be friends, we shouldn't have to bow to each other," Charlotte said warmly. Then she looked at Mary and told her, "Don't worry. I can handle it from here. Why don't you take a rest?"

Before Mary left, she helped carry the trunk into the room. They placed the trunk onto the floor besides the spare bed of the room. On her way out, Mary closed the door, which gave Belle the chance to explore and marvel her new room.

The room was bigger than the first floor of her house. And it was much more pristine and beautiful, just like everything else in the castle. There were so many things to look at. Belle wondered how big the room had to be in order to fit all of the furniture in the room. There were drawers, mirrors, desks, chairs, a huge closet the size of the bakery, and even a balcony that hung facing the garden. Belle tried looking at the garden, but decided to save it until morning, when it was brighter.

Then she looked into the closet briefly and saw dozens of dresses arranged in color orders so that it looked like a rainbow. There were probably more dresses in here than she had ever owned ever since they lost their fortune. Belle wondered if she had this many dresses when she was younger.

She was still awed when she decided to look into the bathroom connected to the room. The counters were made from marble and the floor was made of black stones. Even the bathroom looked regal.

"It is nice, isn't it?" Charlotte spoke from behind her. She yawned, making Belle realize that it was really late and that they should go to sleep.

"It's like a dream," she replied. Or, in a way, like a memory.

"I am going back to bed now," Charlotte remarked as if she could read her mind. She returned to her bed and slid under her covers.

Belle decide to do the same. She quickly changed into her nightgown, brushed her hair, and jumped into her own bed. She decided to leave organizing things for the next day.

"Good night. Nice meeting you. If I weren't so tired, I'd have given you a more introductory speech of myself," Charlotte said sleepily.

"It's alright. We can save it for tomorrow. Good night," Belle replied.

Belle then focused her attention on the only candle that was still lit. She quickly huffed at it, making it go out. It would have been nearly pitch black if it weren't for the crescent moon outside, still giving off a little light. It seemed more quiet and peaceful, even with the hoots of owls from outside. It gave Belle a brief period of time to think of the future.

Her eyes finally started to flutter in exhaustion. She closed her eyes and started to dream.

✨~~~✨~~~✨~~~✨~~~✨~~~

✨~~~✨~~~✨~~~✨~~~✨~~~

"Hello again, new roommate. My name is Charlotte Blackwell. I am twenty-two years old. My favorite color is green. I have two brothers, one older, and one younger. My mother is my teacher of etiquette, even though only the wealthy really stress manners as important. I don't enjoy lessons, but I am required to learn things if I'm to acquire a suitor. My father is an inventor of sorts. And I like to paint," Charlotte summarized and spoke really quickly.

Belle widened her eyes at all the information she received in the past ten seconds. She was surprised at how quick Charlotte could speak, even while enunciating everything - clearly a lesson that she was taught. Then she thought of how she'd reply.

"Nice to meet you too. My name is Annabelle Harper, but I prefer Belle. I am twenty-one. I have two sisters, Catherine and Margaret. I work in the only bakery of my village. I love to play with children, who all seem to love me back. I really enjoy reading and writing," Belle said, noticing later that she omitted talking about her parents. She felt a little uncomfortable, but failed hiding it.

Charlotte noticed and, luckily for Belle, realized that the discussion of parents was taboo.

"What do you like to read?" Charlotte asked instead.

"I like reading about mythology and adventure. And, of course, romance," Belle replied back smiling. It made Charlotte think of another question.

"So, are you married?" Charlotte asked. She seemed to be a little more excited.

"Oh no! Of course not!" Belle choked out, thinking of Luther's proposal. Charlotte looked taken back by her change of voice.

Belle felt a little guilty for raising her voice at her new friend, and was going to explain before a knock at the door interrupted her.

A strong sense of curiosity made Belle jump up and run towards the door. She opened the door to see yet another girl near her age. She wore a lavender dress and had platinum blond hair. She had eyes the color of sour grapes, pale green. And the eyes were very widely opened at Belle's arrival. She looked very shocked and scared, like a frightened gazelle, ready to flee.

"Who are you? Where's Charlotte?" She stammered out nervously. Her voice was really high and quiet. Her wide eyes kept looking at Belle.

Before Belle could reassure the girl that she wasn't going to harm her and that Charlotte was in the room, Charlotte appeared from behind her.

"Lenore! I am just fine. Do not fret too much. This is my new roommate, Belle," Charlotte smoothly covered things over with the girl.

The new arrival, Lenore, immediately relaxed after hearing that everything was alright.

"Lenore, Belle. Belle, Lenore," Charlotte introduced them to each other.

"Nice to meet you," Belle said, while waving at Lenore. She was going to originally going to curtsy, but thought against it when she remembered her clumsy one from last night.

Lenore timidly waved back. Then she remembered the thing that she was going to tell Charlotte. The message that Mary told her to pass on to them.

"The duke is expecting us in a short amount of time. You two should hurry. Elizabeth and Elise have been done for a long time, you know, with how long they take to pretty themselves up. They're already downstairs. Valencia's most likely done too, because her bed was empty when I woke up. I panicked, thinking I was late, but Mary told me I still had time and that I should tell you!" Lenore babbled out, throwing names all over the place.

Belle was confused. Lenore had mentioned many other female names. How many women were in this castle anyways? Why did the duke need Belle if he already had so many girls here?

But none of that mattered because Lenore told them they had eight minutes to get downstairs. Both Charlotte and Belle went rigid after realizing that small, yet important, fact.

"Eight minutes?!" They said in unison. How were they supposed to get ready, get dressed, AND find the duke in the maze of hallways in the castle?

They immediately ran back into the room. Charlotte went to wash her face in the bathroom while Belle brushed her hair quickly. Charlotte went to grab a dress from the closet came out with a green one.

Belle was on her way to the closet when she tripped over her trunk. She realized that she still hadn't organized her things. Belle decided to just wear one of the gowns she brought. She took the dark purple dress out of the trunk. It had ribbons on the sleeves and the neckline. She quickly tugged it on, and went to wash her own face.

After Lenore helped Charlotte put on her green dress, they were all ready and set to go. Belle quickly hopped into her slippers and ran out into the hallway.

All three of the girls held the skirts of their dress while they ran through the hallways. Then Belle wondered about something.

"Do you know where we are going, Lenore?" Belle asked, huffing a little from the running. She hasn't ran in a long while and wasn't used to the feeling.

"No. Not really," she replied meekly. "But I think I know which room it's in."

They carefully ran down the stairs and turned to the left. Then they saw a room with people in it. It must be the meeting area. Belle wondered if they were late. Surely not, time had flown by like a breeze. The three slowed down before entering, so that they could catch their breath. Five pairs of eyes looked at them as soon as they arrived.

Belle looked at the duke and widened her eyes when she saw his green eyes. She could've sworn they were green-gold the day before. She kept staring before she realized what her actions reminded her of. It was slightly embarrassing for her to stare at a man, even if it was just the color of his eyes. It kept reminding her of other girls' behavior around Luther, unflattering.

She quickly turned her sights on her surroundings. There were four women in the room. One of them was Mary, who was standing by the entrance. The other three dressed very nicely. And they were all around Belle's age. Belle wasn't even surprised, but she was still curious why there were so many women there.

"You three are late," the duke stated, drawing Belle's attention on him again. He sat on a chair with his legs crossed, treating it as if it was a throne.

Belle saw, from the corner of her eye, that Lenore and Charlotte both curtsied in apology. Belle tried to join them quickly but, once again, nearly stumbled forwards. She heard giggles from the other side of the room, which made her face turn red in embarrassment. Belle sort of wished, at that moment, that she still remembered her mother's lessons on curtsying.

Instead of dwelling on their tardiness, or on Belle's failed attempt at a curtsy, he went straight to the point.

"Before we continue on from yesterday's discussion, I have more rules I'd like to put in place," the duke started. "Please stand in a line in front of me," he ordered.

All the girls looked confused but they still obeyed. Belle stood in between Charlotte and Lenore. The duke examined at all six girls before speaking again.

"Since there are so many of you, and my ability to remember names is nearly nonexistent, you will be assigned a color," he started.

Belle was confused. There were only six of them, including herself. How hard could it be to remember six names? And what did he mean by them getting assigned a color? Fortunately, he was already in the middle of explaining.

"Whatever color I give you, is what you wear and what I will call you until I learn your names. Until then, you will get used to your answering to your color," he said. Someone must've looking confused because he got an annoyed look on his face and explained it in further detail.

"Let me give you an example," he began again. He pointed to Mary, who was still standing by the doorway. "Take Mary here for instance. Let's say she is assigned the color grey. She will wear only grey and I will call her Grey. Do you get that?" He explained quickly.

"Yes," the girls mumbled at the same time. None of then looked overjoyed that they would only be able to wear one color. One could only hope that whatever color they were assigned was a good color.

Belle thought it was also pointless to call someone by a color. While it may be more instantly recognizable, it wouldn't do anything towards learning all the actual names. Unless he eventually substituted one name for another, which didn't make any sense because it would be more work. What was the duke even thinking? But there was a plus side: it would be easier to choose what dress she'd want to wear. It would be more picking the design rather than the color.

"You," he said, pointing to the black-haired girl. "What's your name?"

The girl stepped forward and replied, "Valencia, Your Grace."

"You will be Red." He said in return. Valencia, or Red, stepped back in line, looking satisfied with her assignment. The duke motioned to the auburn-haired girl next to her. She stepped forward and said her name.

"It's Elizabeth, remember?" she said. A flash of annoyance crossed the duke's face before promptly disappearing.

"No. There is a reason why I am doing this. You are Orange," the duke said, coldly. Elizabeth did not look pleased at her assignment but she kept her lips clamped together to refrain herself from complaining.

A dainty, blonde-haired girl was next. Her hair was plenty darker than Lenore's but it was not dark enough to be light brown. "Elise," she said.

"Yellow," the duke just said her color. Elise looked fairly pleased with her color.

Charlotte was next, and Belle had a feeling her assignment would be green, and her own would be blue. At least, according to the pattern that was occurring. If Charlotte got green, she'd probably be happy because her favorite color was green.

"I'm Charlotte," she said. And just as Belle predicted, she got green. She hopped back in line and Belle automatically stepped forward.

"Belle," she stated her name. Rather than just reminding the duke what her name was, she was introducing herself, in a way, to the other three girls.

"You will be Blue," he said. Belle thought blue was a pretty color, and wouldn't be too bad to wear for the next five months. Maybe. She wondered if she'd get sick of the color. Belle then realized that she hadn't stepped back yet and quickly did so. She quietly wondered how long she was daydreaming up there.

Lenore was last and, unsurprisingly, got purple. Which was a perfect color choice for her entirely light complexion and hair.

Now that the color assignments were over, the duke went on to the next item on his agenda.

"Alright ladies, now let's continue from our discussion yesterday. I tried to give you a job that, based on your slip of paper, you would be able to accomplish. Unfortunately, we have a new member and should change the jobs, depending on if she has any different possibilities to contribute. If she does, then your tasks will not change," he said, officially addressing Belle's new-coming status. Belle hoped the possibility of a change of plans didn't bother anyone.

Then she realized that he said jobs. Jobs? Was that what they were all doing here? Why she was here? Belle had so many questions, and kept getting more as time went on. Why did he bring so many women to do jobs? What was the purpose of them being there if there were other people in need of jobs that were more capable? It all seemed so strange and suspicious.

What was his true intent?

Her thoughts were interrupted when the duke spoke to her.

"So, Blue, what are you good at?" he questioned her. To be honest, she was pretty good at many things. As long as it didn't require lifting heavy things or tedious, back-breaking work.

She quickly wondered how he remembered she was Blue, before realizing the girls were still in color order.

"May I ask, Your Grace, how many jobs I need?" Belle tried her best manners. She wasn't used to speaking around nobility. Especially without any contact with a single titled person since she was a child. She wondered if she even addressed him right. After all, Valencia addressed him that way earlier.

"Well. You need four choices. One will be cleaning a specific room, one will be a little more physical work, and the last two are of your choice. I will tell which room you will clean, and the one with a little more physical labor will alternate with another job of your choice so that I don't get as many complaints," he said.

It seemed pretty fair. Belle tried to think of it as a job. A job where she, or rather her father, was paid upfront and she'd have to earn it later. A whole lot of money for just four chores wasn't a bad deal. If the jobs were likable, it'd be easier to tolerate the next five months. She then tried to think of things she'd like to do as a job, and then thought of the perfect ideas.

"Does the castle have a library?" Belle asked, before hastily adding, "Your Grace."

The duke seemed rather surprised at her question. Belle wondered why.

"Yes, of course. Why do you wish to know so?" He asked.

"Could I possibly clean it as one of my jobs? Oh, and I also saw the garden from my room. May I also tend to that as well?" Belle asked.

"Yes, you may do both. I don't think anyone else has those chores, so no one's list should change. What shall your last chore be? I shall think of a place for you to clean," he answered. Belle remembered her other good idea and replied quickly.

"Work in the kitchens? I can cook and bake," she offered.

"That should be fine, even though I already have some maids that have that job. You can simply help them," he replied, before saying more.

"You will organize the library, help with the cooking, and garden in the courtyard. I have now decided that you shall clean the hallways of the West Wing. You shall do all of those for six days, therefore you will have one day of rest, before you continue if you are not done with the cleaning or organizing." the duke said, before speaking to the rest of girls.

"Same goes for the rest of you ladies. You will end up doing multiple chores a day. Some of you will share a task, but they will be alternating. Your work cycle will vary for each of you. If you are cleaning somewhere, I will allow you to do it every other week. If it is every day things, like setting up the tables, you will do that every day. In your free time, you may do whatever you want as long as you check it with me and as long as it is within castle premises," he droned to all the girls in a bored manner. He looked like he wanted to get this meeting over with.

"So we are, in a sense, here to be your maids. Why pick educated young ladies like me when there are plenty of willing peasants that are more capable of carrying on this laborious work?" Elizabeth accused. It was offensive because there were girls of poorer status here. Belle could tell that the duke was getting very irritated.

"Will you quit your incessant nagging? I will explain another day," he snapped. Elizabeth looked taken aback, but quickly recomposed herself to look normal.

Then he took a breath to calm himself down. "I suppose I could possibly give you some payments."

"What sort of payments?" Valencia purred. Belle almost blushed at her suggestive tone.

"I don't know... It depends on what mood I'm in," the duke, surprisingly, hinted and grinned back. Everyone's heart immediately beat a little faster. For half of them, it was appalling, and for the others, it was simply something to look forward to.

"And now, back to our conversation," he smirked, starting to change the topic. The duke knew that he had them all flustered. Belle could see his triumph on his face.

"Since Blue's chores didn't interfere with any of yours, you shall keep the ones that I pre-determined for you. I am short on time, so I will leave your jobs on a list and give it to Mary. You will all begin work next week, so it doesn't matter when you find out what your job is, as long as it is before we start. Mary can decide to give you it when she wants to," he said.

It took Belle a few seconds before she remembered she was Blue.

"You are dismissed," the duke finished. He stood up and smoothed his coat, and pointed his head towards the door, telling everyone to leave. One by one, the girls started to head out. Mary quietly watched them leave the room.

"Orange, come here," he ordered Elizabeth. She stopped, then turned around to face him. She looked a little nervous about why she was called back. Especially after he said he was short on time.

She quickly glance back at Elise before holding her head up high and walked in. Mary closed the door behind them and smoothed her skirts. She looked at the the five girls.

"I shall be in the kitchen if anyone needs me," she dismissed herself and left.

After Mary left, Belle turned around and faced the remainder of the girls. Two of them stared back in curiosity. After all, Belle was the newcomer.

They all followed her to a different room, where there were seats and more space.

"What is your real name again, Blue? I have forgotten already," Elise asked. Belle remembered that Elise was Yellow.

"Belle," she replied. She took a closer look at Elise. She was very pretty, petite but not too thin. Her hair was a few shades lighter than Catherine's light caramel brown.

"That's a beautiful name," Valencia chimed in, then laughed. "Oh, that was an unintentional pun. After all, Belle does mean beauty, doesn't it? Mine means strength and bravery. Hopefully the strength to tame my future husband," her voice chimed while she smiled.

At first, Belle thought Valencia was shameless flirt, but she seemed to be an outspoken, confident, yet nice girl. It sort of reminded her of Margaret.

Elise spoke again, introducing herself to Belle.

"My name is Elise Chambers. I am the daughter of Marquis Chambers. Elizabeth, who is inside with the duke right now, is my cousin. She is my father's niece," Elise explained quickly.

Belle thought she seemed fairly decent too. She was starting to grow sure that her time in the castle would fly by without any obstacles. It would be fabulous to have new friends, since back at the village, all the women near Belle's age were already married and busy taking care of their children.

Valencia let out a noise of surprise.

"Oh! I forgot to introduce myself properly. My name is Valencia, and I am not from around here. I was brought from over the mountains in the East by a fairy or witch. Which explains my strange name and appearance," she said, just as quickly as Elise.

Belle didn't think Valencia looked any different, even with her dark hair and skin. If anything, it made her even more beautiful.

"Your name is just wonderful. It really fits you," Belle said politely and truthfully. Valencia smiled and looked besides her to see Lenore and Charlotte.

"Have you three already met?" Valencia asked, gesturing to Belle, Charlotte, and Lenore.

"Yes. Charlotte's my roommate and Lenore told us up to come down here for the meeting," Belle answered, before turning to face Lenore. "But I don't know anything about you besides your name," she said, hinting to Lenore that she should briefly introduce herself.

"Well, my name is Lenore and I like to daydream," she said bashfully, playing with the side of her dress. Lenore seems to be a very, very shy person. Belle hoped to maybe help her with her confidence in the time they'd be together.

Then Belle wondered something about their names.

"Does anyone know if we are to address each other as our colors?" she asked. She got an instant response from Elise, who stiffened a little.

"I refuse to be called Yellow any more times than I need to," Elise replied quickly. Her tone was between one of disgust and wariness.

"I agree," Charlotte joined in. "As much as I like the color green, I don't think I could get used to being called Green. Or calling Lenore Purple or Valencia Red."

"That sounded strange and slightly humorous," Lenore said softly and smiled.

Belle had to agree. Charlotte made it sound as if Lenore's last name was Purple and that Valencia's was Red.

"Are we allowed to wander around and chat? Could we go outside to enjoy the sunshine?" Belle asked, wanting the enjoy their conversation somewhere outside in nature. But in truth, she just wanted to see the garden the duke had. It would remind her of home.

"I'm sure you could, but whatever you choose to do, I am going to go back to my room to separate my clothing now that I'm only allowed to wear yellow," Elise said. "Farewell," she said as she got up and left.

After Elise's abrupt exit, the other four decided to escape outside towards the garden. Belle led the way, trying to imagine where her room was in relation to the garden.

After they got out, a few bees were buzzing around in the beautiful landscape under the intense sun. For Belle, she felt like as if she was Melanie, exploring the village premises. It looked much different from the village, with more space and beauty.

They laughed when Lenore came in contact with the bees because she flailed back into Charlotte's arms trying to escape from them. Lenore went pink from embarrassment, but she kept walking with them.

When they got to the gardens, they saw some stone benches to sit on. They spent the rest of the morning talking and enjoying one another's company.

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Of all the possibilities, the new girl had green eyes. Kaiden couldn't believe his luck. Or curse, depending how he looked at it. He could've considered it lucky that she was absolutely beautiful and fit some of the requirements or that it was a curse in that he had yet another girl to deal with and choose from.

Which reminded of him of the girl in the room with him now.

Kaiden definitely noticed Orange's presence during his talk with all the ladies. Or, rather, her nagging.

The Beast tugged at him from the inside, wanting to devour her like he almost did to Sarah. But Kaiden had a different solution. All he needed to do was control her in a way that she didn't know that she was being controlled. The Beast wanted chaos, but Kaiden wanted order.

He faced away from her and tried to quickly think of something to do about it. He had to think of something to say to her before Mary closed the door on them. Kaiden was thinking of his mission when the perfect idea came to him.

The curse said that he had to love a woman as much and purely as the the woman loved him. The hard part would be for him to fall in love. But before that, all he needed to do would be making the girls fall in love with him. That would be the easy part.

He grinned but quickly masked it as he turn back around, just in time to see Mary close the door. They were alone.

"Orange," he started in an almost stern-like tone. He opened his mouth to talk again before the girl cut him off.

"Elizabeth," she interrupted. Once again, Kaiden felt annoyed. It was the third time she had interrupted him that day. But he kept his anger in check thinking that after their little meeting, those little problems wouldn't happen any more. He knew exactly what he was going to do.

"Elizabeth," he murmured in a lower voice. The girl's expression changed into one of surprise and something a little darker...

"Why do you need to get my attention? Don't you know that you already have it?" Kaiden said to her, stepping closer. He lifted his arms so that they rested below hers.

Her breathing quickened slightly, signaling to Kaiden that his plan was working.

"And what will you do with this attention?" she asked in a hopeful tone, her lips parted with her words.

Kaiden made a show of moving his eyes and focusing on her parted lips. He stepped even closer, to where he could see her eyelashes. He lowered his head towards her.

"This," he said, before placing his mouth on hers.

The girl quickly responded and put her arms around the back of his neck to pull him closer.

The entire time, Kaiden was thinking about how he successfully got her to submit. She was now his to control.

Next, all he had to do was to charm everyone else.