The Rose of the Court [A Beauty and the Beast Fanfic]

Chapter 1

Once upon a time, in the hidden heart of France, a handsome young prince lived in a beautiful castle.

A maid dragged an elegant golden brush against a beautiful crimson lip paint kept in a golden palette. The maid lifted the paintbrush from the paint and gently dragged it across the lower lip of a young prince. He watched her moves as she moved with the utmost precision, waiting for the moment that she would fumble and drag the paintbrush across his chin, ruining his pale white face paint. She made no such mistake and moved away a second later, placing the lip paint down on the little table. She picked up a small pot of deep peacock blue face paint and returned to the prince. This time, the prince shut his eye and allowed her to paint the underside of his eye. The paint shimmered in the dim candlelight and his lips quirked up at the feeling of the paint. 

With his makeup nearmpletion, the maid moved away and another took her place. She lifted up a puff and gently beat the prince's cheek with it, ensuring that his paint was perfect. Not one of the servants could afford a mistake of any sort.

The maid moved away and was replaced by a third. This one held a small pot of black paint and dabbed a single dot onto the prince's face. Just above his lip on the left side. A fake beauty mark.  A single dot of black paint to throw off the otherwise perfect features of the handsome prince. 

Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was selfish and unkind. 

A manservant approached the prince, holding a powdered wig delicately in his hands. He set it upon the prince's head and adjusted it so it sat perfectly before moving away. 

From the shadows of the room, a voice spoke. "Master, it's time." A man adorned with clothes of silk and velvet in shades of gold and bronze held out a bronze timepiece. The hands ticked away to show that it was nearing nine o'clock. The prince glanced over at the clock and nodded. Everything had to be perfect. His guests had arrived already, some having lingered in the elegant ballroom for upwards of half an hour as they waited for his arrival. 

He taxed the village to fill his castle with the most beautiful objects.

With a single jerk of his head, the prince summoned one of his servants to bring him the nearest candelabra. As the candelabra was brought over, he lifted his favourite mirror and stared into the glass. He smirked as he saw his beautiful reflection in the mirror's surface. It was perfect. He was perfect. But how could he be anything less? He was a prince.

And his parties with the most beautiful people. 

He snapped his fingers. Almost instantly, the sound of a pianoforte echoed around the ballroom. As the music drifted around the columns of marble and ivory, the prince watched from his golden throne upon the dais. The ladies started dancing with each other, keeping their eyes on each other though their minds were focused on the mysterious prince. Each one was dressed in the finest white fabrics, their hair done up in elaborate styles. All they could do was hope that one of them was beautiful enough to catch the eye of the prince. 

As the music flowed, he rose from his throne and strode down to the dance floor. His eyes picked out a pair of ladies and he made his way over to them, lifting his hand to join in as they danced. He was nothing if not elegant. Well, perhaps he was beautiful. Soon, he tired of the two and moved on to the next pair, his eyes trailing the appearance of the girls from head to toe. If he was ever to choose a queen, she had to be as beautiful as he. 

The music reached a crescendo as the prince finally made it to the centre of the room and slowly turned in a circle, watching as the ladies all danced around him. He moved from the centre and mingled between the circles of ladies, smirking as he saw their eyes locked solely on him.