Beauty and the Beast: Rose Castle 7

On the way back, no matter how much I pleaded, he did not respond.

Returning to the castle, it had drastically changed from when I left: dark clouds loomed almost tangibly, and lightning intermittently struck the grand tower. Passing through the sunny rose garden, the temperature suddenly dropped below zero, and the wind and snow roared, covering the castle’s windows and stone walls with thick frost.

Seeing all this, I was too shocked to speak. How did it become like this?

I looked up at Lambert, who was always looking straight ahead. His sharp jawline was the only thing I could see.

Entering the castle, he threw me onto the sofa by the fireplace, found a medical kit, and sat down with his back to me, examining the wound on his arm. A month had passed, and his once slender and elegant fingers had become thick and his nails sharp and hooked. He seemed to want to bandage the wound, but his nails kept catching on the flesh. After several attempts, he frowned impatiently, gave up bandaging, and leaned back in the chair with his eyes closed to rest.

I hesitated for a moment, walked over, picked up the medicine and bandages, and crouched beside him. Before my hand could touch his arm, he suddenly opened his eyes, coldly uttering a single word: “Get out.”

“Let me finish bandaging, then I’ll leave.” I opened the medicine, evenly spreading the white powder on the wound, then cut a piece of bandage and gently wrapped it around his injury. After doing all this, I stood up and turned to leave, but he grabbed my wrist, his voice low and harsh: “Do you often seduce men like this?”

This kind of humiliation has happened more than once or twice. I couldn’t stand it any longer and turned to glare at him angrily: “That’s right, I’m that kind of vicious woman who likes to seduce men when my father is seriously ill. I advise you to let me go quickly or be careful of being schemed against and losing everything.”

As soon as the words fell, the atmosphere plunged into dead silence.
Such harsh words were really pointless. I turned my head irritably, ready to shake off his hand and return to the previous room to rest. However, he suddenly increased his strength, pulling me backward forcefully. Caught off guard, the back of my head almost hit the armrest of the chair. He caught my head with one hand, leaned over, and with the other hand, directly passed through the crook of my knees, lifting me onto his lap.

My chest heaved violently as I looked at his calm face, feeling utterly bewildered. “What exactly do you want?”

He looked down at me, his eyes filled with complex emotions. Besides the startling possessiveness, there seemed to be fleeting sadness and despair.

I wasn’t sure if these emotions were my illusion, as they lasted only a moment.

After a moment, only intense aggression remained.

“I’ll give you a chance,” he said lightly, “seduce me.”

I had no idea how he could say such things with a straight face.

I felt even more bewildered: “Not interested. Let me go.”

His ugly and terrifying fingers brushed across my forehead, cheeks, and chin, finally stopping on my lips: “Stay. Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you.”

I never expected our relationship to become so distorted. Just a month ago, we were getting along well. For a moment, heavy regret filled my chest. Maybe I shouldn’t have left without saying goodbye, but how could I have ensured my father’s safety if I hadn’t left the castle? It was an unsolvable dilemma: staying and leaving were deceitful.

I suddenly felt tired and closed my eyes, saying, “I didn’t leave on purpose, Lambert. My father picked a rose from the castle and fell seriously ill. I had to go back…”

He pointed out emotionlessly, “So, you came here for your father from the beginning. Saving me was just a lie.”

I squeezed out a difficult voice, “I’m sorry.”

“And that kiss?”

“…For self-preservation.”

“Very well.” He nodded indifferently, repeating, “Very well.”

“But later, I really thought about how to save you. Although the witch changed your appearance, your soul is kind. I can feel it. You are nothing like the cold-blooded and cruel person in the legends. But you know, falling in love with someone isn’t that easy. It’s not something you can do just by saying it. I…” The more I explained, the more confused I became. “If I could, I would definitely choose to fall in love with you and help you break the curse.”

“Is that so? You are really kind.”

I probably said something wrong again. Just as I was about to say a few more words to make up for it, he pushed me away and walked towards the stairs: “Thank you for your honesty, for making me realize how self-deluded I was.”

“I didn’t mean that!”

He stopped but didn’t turn around: “Really? Then let me ask you, do you like me?”

I was stunned.

Over the past month, no matter how much I tried to suppress my feelings, his face, his voice, his body temperature, and even the scent of his neck and wrists kept involuntarily appearing in my mind. This uncontrollable emotion. Does it count as liking?

I hesitated for two seconds. He nodded, paused for a moment, then shook his head: “Forget it. I won’t humiliate myself any further.”

“Wait…”

Before the sound could leave my throat, he had already walked up the stairs without looking back, his figure disappearing into the darkness.

I stood in the empty hall, feeling a bit at a loss.

There was no doubt that I had feelings for him. When he was human, he was noble and cultured, with a royal demeanor that I could never encounter in my lifetime. Any woman would find it hard to resist such an excellent man. So what about when he was a beast?

Perhaps because of the curse, his beastly self was rough in actions and blunt in speech, without considering others’ feelings at all. But I no longer felt as repulsed as I did initially.

Was it because I had feelings for him, or I had already fallen in love with him?

I covered my forehead, feeling even more at a loss.

“Should we talk to her?”
“She’s a liar who deceived Master’s feelings!”
“But she doesn’t seem to have done anything…”

I raised my head sensitively: “Who’s talking?”

The long table made a clattering sound. Besides Lambert, were there other people in this castle? Did Lambert know? For a moment, a chill ran down my spine. I looked around for a moment, picked up a novel Lambert hadn’t finished reading, and tiptoed toward the long table.

The imagined fierce and terrifying monster did not appear. On the long table, there was only a set of exquisitely crafted silver cutlery. I was a bit puzzled: “Strange… the sound came from here.”

At this moment, a spoon jumped up: “Miss Rosa.”

I was startled: “What is this?”

The spoon cleared its “throat,” which, of course, meant bouncing twice on the plate: “We are the servants of this castle, Miss Rosa. Allow me to introduce; this is Mrs. Teapot, who arranged your meals before; this is the castle’s butler,” its handle pointed to the clock on the wall, the pendulum let out a cold snort, seemingly not very fond of me, “and this is my beloved, Miss Bowl. Her cream truffle soup is a delicacy.”

I was shocked for a long time before accepting the fact that the furniture could talk: “So it was you I heard before…”

“It was us,” the spoon said apologetically. “We are terribly sorry for disturbing your rest.”

I leaned on the table and waved my hand: “It’s okay. What do you need from me?” It was unbelievable that one day, I would be talking to a spoon.

“I don’t understand what you are thinking,” the clock said coldly. “Do you really think this peasant woman is Master’s true love?”

“Shut up, Richards. Can’t you see Master has fallen in love with her? The curse can only be broken if both people truly love each other. If one doesn’t love the other, it won’t work. Right now, she is the only one who can break the curse.”

“Wait, wait.” My head started spinning again. “Lambert has fallen in love with me? You must be mistaken. I am just a peasant woman. There’s nothing about me that he could like.”

“Child, we are all ‘old-timers’ who have accompanied Master as he grew up. We know better than he does whether he has fallen in love with you,” Mrs. Teapot said kindly. “A month ago, because of your presence, his beastly transformation actually stopped and even began to reverse. But your sudden departure left him enraged and in pain. The day after you left, he found out your address and the reason you approached him, but he never disturbed you. If it weren’t for the giant snake attacking people near your village, he wouldn’t have come near where you lived.”

“…So, he knew all along.”

Mrs. Teapot sighed, “It’s precisely because he knew he was so heartbroken! Over the past month, his transformation into a beast has accelerated at an unprecedented rate. We originally expected him to live until next spring, but now it seems making it through the winter would be fortunate.”

The clock said, “Why are you complaining to a liar? If he dies, he dies. I’ve had enough of this monstrous form.”

“Richards!” the spoon warned, tapping the table.

The clock snorted.

Mrs. Teapot ignored him and continued, “Now, Master’s condition is very bad. Every night, he loses his sanity and is left with only the instinct to hunt like a beast. To prevent himself from hurting others, he locks himself in the dungeon, even if it means bruising himself all over. He is a good child, Miss Rosa. I beg you, give him a chance to become human again.” With that, she tilted her body and bowed deeply, the lid of her teapot clattering onto the table.

The spoon wobbled its handle and also lay flat on the table. Seeing this, the other pieces of furniture followed suit. For a moment, the castle was filled with the sound of furniture falling over. The clock saw this and silently stopped moving, its hands drooping in sorrow for the Master’s fate.

Actually, even if they didn’t ask me, I would still try to find a way to turn Lambert back into a human. However, I still don’t understand what my feelings for him are.

Do I like him? Do I love him?

After he turns back into a human, can we have a future together despite our differences?

“I will do my best,” I said softly. But I don’t know if love can be achieved by trying hard.

In the evening, Mrs. Teapot prepared dinner, but Lambert did not come down for a long time. Just then, a gloomy and frantic roar came from upstairs, accompanied by the sound of heavy objects collapsing.

Mrs. Teapot’s voice changed: “Oh no, he’s lost his sanity early. Miss Rosa quickly finds a place to hide. This is not a joke!”