When Bella heard a knock on her door, she opened it expecting Mrs. Potts or Lumiere. Though she knew there must have been more walking (and talking) objects with magical abilities, she did not expect to see a chipping wooden cupboard, standing in front of her room, a scroll in his hand.
"You have been invited to dine with the Master at half past eight tonight. Do not be late. This is not a request," he stated, reading off the contents of the scroll. Bella could only stare blankly at him, hardly registering the meaning behind the words.
Once the cupboard realised that she was not going to give him a reply, it marched off, its heavy footsteps successfully jolting Bella out of her thoughts.
A dinner with the Master of the castle? That must mean the Beast! Oh, how Bella wished to escape from her life right now, run far away. Yet, the fear she felt that her father would be dragged into the castle in her place, as well as the guilt at betraying the trust of the objects that were kind enough to give her such a beautiful bedroom, it did not allow her to even formulate the basics of an escape plan.
Instead, Bella began mentally and physically preparing herself for a way to handle dinner time. Her stomach growled at her thoughts and she patted it absentmindedly.
Despite her ravenous appetite, Bella did not think she was actually going to eat much tonight.
Bella flicked through the contents of the closet, frowning at her choices. Why were dresses that were in style probably centuries ago, still hiding within the closet? Though they were clean and beautiful, Bella felt uneasy looking at the clothes, as though they belonged to a ghost.
Regardless, she shrugged off her discomfort and tried on the dresses, eventually settling for a fitting blue dress that was right around her torso and loose from below her hips. It felt odd wearing something so beautiful and comfortable yet old-fashioned but Bella shook her mind.
Her dress sense was probably the last thing she had to worry about for dinner. Bella only hoped that she did not say anything that angered the Beast and made him demand to throw her back into the dungeons. She did not think she could bear leaving such a beautiful room on the day she got it.
More horribly, instead of the dungeons, what if he demanded to make her his slave? Bella did not think she could live through that, serving a beast that condemned her to a life in hell. She did not believe she could ever do such a thing.
Bella shook her head, jolting her mind away from the despicable thoughts.
Nothing will happen, don't worry, she kept trying to reassure herself. It was not truly working but Bella kept chanting it like a mantra to stop herself from trembling like a leaf.
Nodding her head with a firm resolution to not mess up the dinner, Bella headed out of her room, determined to find the dining room and at least have a partially enjoyable meal.
YOU ARE READING
The Beast Inside | ✓
Romance"I'm here to take the place of my father," Bella said, her heart pounding with fear. The beast smirked, his face the epitome of evil. "Well then, I hope you enjoy the dungeons because from now on, that is going to be your home forever," he whisper...
