Beauty and the Beast: Rose Castle 1

It is said that in the mountains to the west of the village, there is a castle surrounded by tens of thousands of acres of rose fields. Every time the sun rises, the castle is bathed in a magnificent rose color.

However, a cold-blooded, cruel, and fickle python lives in this fairy-tale castle. Some say this snake was once a noble and handsome prince; others say he is an ancient evil god sealed by a witch.

Regardless of whether the legends are true or not, I must go to that castle.

— When my father passed by the castle, he picked a rose, and after returning home, he fell seriously ill. I must plead with that evil snake to spare his life, no matter the cost.

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Tightening the reins, I dismounted from my horse. Its hooves kicked up gray-black dust. I quickly patted its cheek, soothing it softly. It snorted a few times and gradually calmed down under my touch but refused to move forward. I had no choice but to tie the reins to a nearby tree and proceed on foot.

I had never seen such an eerie landscape: the soil was gray-black, the thorns were tall and dense, and colorful flowers bloomed on the ground. Crows perched on twisted dead branches, their black eyes fixed on my movements. Bracing myself, I pushed through the thorns and branches, lifting my cumbersome skirt as I tried to cross. However, the thorns were too dense. Reluctantly, I removed my skirt hoop, broke it in half, and fashioned a makeshift walking stick. Then, I tore off part of my skirt to wrap around my head and arms, took a deep breath, and charged forward. Strangely, with my eyes closed, the journey went surprisingly smoothly. But when I looked back, the path was obscured by thick white fog. Never mind, this was a one-way adventure. With this thought, I gritted my teeth and continued forward. To my surprise, the legend turned out to be true. There was indeed a seemingly endless field of vibrant red roses here. The rich fragrance of the flowers filled the air, making me dizzy. I realized this scent might have a mind-altering effect, so I pulled the fabric covering my head to cover my nose and mouth.

As I walked forward, a grand and elegant castle appeared before me. It was impossible to describe the splendor of this castle, with its towering dome reaching towards the clouds and beautiful yet strange rose vines climbing its walls. Two huge statues stood in front of the castle gate, and the gilded door knocker was covered with a thick layer of dust.

The castle was beautiful but too eerie—can you imagine? Crimson roses surrounded the castle, yet above it gathered dark clouds, with flashes of pale lightning visible; meanwhile, the sky above the rose field was clear and cloudless. At this point, I started to believe that this land was indeed cursed.

Should I go forward?

I must. My father’s illness cannot wait.

I closed my eyes, trying not to look at the eerie dark clouds, and walked towards the castle gate, knocking on the door knocker.

I thought it would take some effort to get in, but the door slowly opened by itself. What I saw was a deep red but dilapidated thick carpet. Walking on it, I could still feel the luxurious and soft touch it once had. Entering the interior of the castle, the space was vast to the point of being almost empty. A staircase—yes, I never thought I would use “a staircase” to describe an indoor staircase, but this one was grand enough to be called “a staircase.” It spiraled upwards, reaching the top of the castle, at least tens of meters high. Looking up for a few seconds made me feel dizzy and weak.

The fireplace was burning, making crackling sounds. Was there someone here… or a snake? Or some unknown monster? For a moment, my scalp tightened, and the thought of meeting that evil snake sent a chilling fear up my back.

At that moment, something tapped my shoulder. I was so scared that I took two steps back, grabbed the cane made from my skirt hoop, and swung it behind me.

A slender hand caught my cane.

It was a man dressed entirely in white. He wore a pure white wool coat with silver buttons, white leather gloves, and tanned goatskin ankle boots. Seeing the pure gold pocket watch hanging from his vest, I guessed his status and position were not low—perhaps a landowner or a noble, definitely a wealthy person. What was a wealthy person doing here? Did his father also pick roses from here?

My thoughts were in a mess. I expected to encounter a python, but I saw a noble and handsome man instead. I lowered my head, and my expression must have been extremely embarrassed.

The man smiled slightly: “No need to be so flustered, miss. I am a human, a living human.”

I pulled down the fabric from my face, nodded, and said somewhat sheepishly, “Sorry, are you hurt?”

He seemed shocked when he saw my face, then smiled: “No, I am a royal guard. How could I be hurt so easily?”

I didn’t know what to say, so I just stood there foolishly. The royal family was too far removed from my world.

He didn’t mind my rudeness and continued, “And you? What is a weak girl like you doing here? I must warn you, although the roses here are beautiful, you must not pick them. That snake has enchanted them, and picking them will bring severe illness.”

“But… my father has already picked one,” I said softly.

He frowned, “That is truly unfortunate.”

“Is there any way to save him?”

“Forgive me for being blunt, dear girl,” he said with a sympathetic smile, but his tone turned somewhat cold, “Anyone who picks a rose, whether man or woman, old or young, cannot escape death. You cannot expect that inhuman snake to save your father. Take my advice and go home. The only thing you can do now is prepare for your father’s funeral. It sounds harsh, but it is the only thing you can do as his child.”

“…Is that the only way? Is there no other solution?”

His expression became impatient, “I told you, that snake is inhuman. Go home now, don’t make me repeat myself.”

At that moment, he exuded a cold and commanding aura that made it hard to breathe. I didn’t dare to argue with him, nor did I dare to look him in the eye. I lowered my head and obediently said, “…Okay.”

Seeing me submit, his tone returned to being gentle and polite: “Sorry, my tone was a bit harsh earlier, but my intentions were good. You should know that not only your father picked the roses here, and not only your father fell seriously ill. We’ve tried every possible method, but none worked, and we were mocked by that snake. I really don’t want to see you follow the same path, so my tone was a bit severe. Please forgive me.”

I said softly, “It’s okay, I understand.”

“Good to hear. It’s getting late now, you should hurry back.” He made a gesture as if to send me off, as if he were the master of this castle, “By the way, I haven’t asked your name yet—you are more beautiful than the roses here, so your name must be beautiful too.”

“Rosalind.”

“Rosalind… a blooming rose, how beautiful.” He squinted his eyes and murmured, “After I defeat that snake, I will come to find you. Please make sure to see me then.”

Normally, I should have blushed, but I really wasn’t in the mood to deal with his flirting: “Thank you, I’ll be going now.”

I walked out of the castle with my head down. After leaving, I realized he hadn’t told me his name.

Never mind, just a passerby, did I really think something could happen between me and someone from the royal family?

I shook my head, dismissing those pointless thoughts. The sadness of losing my father filled my chest, making my steps heavy. After walking a few steps, I couldn’t bear to leave just like that. Since I was already here, how could I be sure that the snake was genuinely inhuman without trying?

I gritted my teeth and walked back to the castle. This time, I avoided the main entrance.

After searching around the castle for a long time, I finally found a narrow hidden door. I squatted down, trying to push it open, but as soon as I exerted force, it made a sharp screech, scaring me into stopping immediately. I stood stiffly against the wall, cold sweat dripping down, afraid that the man in the main hall would come over and see that I hadn’t left.

Fortunately, the soundproofing of this castle was much better than I had imagined. He probably didn’t hear it. After waiting for a while, I squatted down again and continued to work on the hidden door.

This time, I was smarter. I pulled it open bit by bit, making only very slight noises, though it was very slow.

After half an hour, I finally managed to open the hidden door. I carefully put one leg inside, and after stepping on the floor, I put both legs in. Once inside, the strong smell of rust filled my nose. I couldn’t tell if it was really rust or the smell of blood. I wanted to hold onto the wall but touched a mass of insect shells, almost screaming.

In the end, the thought of saving my father outweighed my fear of insects. With tears of fear, I wrapped my hands in my skirt and held onto the wall, slowly moving forward.

I didn’t know how long it had been—just when I was about to be driven mad by the insect shells, I finally saw a faint light. I quickly walked over, only to see a blood-stained cage.

Where is this? The castle dungeon?

I held my breath, just about to investigate, when a voice suddenly rang out, freezing my blood: “Brother, haven’t you figured it out yet? Do you really think a beautiful woman will fall in love with you, break the witch’s curse, and turn you back into the once-spirited heir to the throne?”

—It was the man dressed entirely in white. He leaned against the stone wall, his expression mocking: “If I were you, having turned into this monstrous form, I would have ended it long ago. Yet you cling to life, showing just how strong your obsession with the throne is.”

No one answered him.

Just when I thought he was a madman talking to the air, a pair of golden eyes lit up in the darkness, two cold yet bright golden flames illuminating the surrounding armor-like scales. Then, a cold, deep, hoarse voice spoke: “Get off my territory, Ulysses.”

It seems the legend is true.

The snake really exists… and he is indeed a prince of noble status.