Evermore [The Beast/The Prince x Reader]

chapter six

She sat in front of a vanity. Madame de Gardrobe insisted on brushing her hair, claiming that the movements were good for her brass arms. She was gentle, and if ___ didn't glance in the mirror, she was sure that the hands in her hair were human.

Chip was hopping across the top of the vanity, hitting a dish of makeup powder. It exploded around him in a puff of white, making him cough. She chuckled at him.

"Chip!" Mrs. Potts scolded. "Behave yourself!"

"Sorry, Mama," he said.

"Don't apologize to me," she said. "That's ___'s makeup you ruined."

"Sorry," he mumbled to her.

"No harm done," she assured him, scooping the tiny cup in her hands. "Let me clean you up a bit, Chip."

She reached over and grabbed a handkerchief. She began to gently dust the powder off of him. He giggled as she wiped it off of him. She smiled and set him down.

"You've got a kind heart, dear," Mrs. Potts praised.

She smiled.

"And lovely hair," Madame de Gardrobe added, running the brush through her locks. "Absolutely beautiful."

"Thanks," she said. After a moment, she sighed.

"What is it?" Mrs. Potts asked, her gold sketches of eyebrows forming into a single line. "Is everything okay, my dear?"

She nodded and smiled kindly. "I just wish I could help you. I wish someone would tell me how we can break the spell. I'd do anything to help you all."

"It's nothing for you to worry about," Mrs. Potts assured her, and she smiled. "How about another cup of tea to relieve you of your stresses?"

"My stresses?" she asked, laughing in amusement. "What stresses could I possibly have? I am being pampered enough by you all."

"We just want you to feel comfortable here," Mrs. Potts said.

She smiled. "I assure you, you all are very hospitable. I have never felt more like a princess."

"A princess!" Madame de Gardrobe exclaimed. "A princess worthy of a gown, and a gown worthy of a beautiful, handsome prince."

She shrugged and glanced at the reflection of the wardrobe in the mirror. "A prince? I fear that I'm not much of a woman worthy of marrying a prince."

"Nonsense," Mrs. Potts scolded lightly.

"I am not," she said. "I don't mean it in a way to draw attention to myself. I am simply not a princess. I am a maiden, and that is all."

"A maiden with beautiful hair," Madame de Gardrobe sang, "and eyes, and cheekbones, and blush..."

She raised her eyebrows and smiled. "A maiden that uses all of these to her advantage. I may not have a crown on my head, but I sure act like it. And that's what gives me access to all of these parties."

"And princes!"

"And princes," she agreed, sighing lightly. She smoothed down her skirt. "Still... not so much anymore."

Mrs. Potts frowned. "Oh, cheer up, dearie. Things will look up in the end, you'll see."

"But how long?" she asked. "How long must we sit and wait? And what are we waiting for? I want to help you. I want to help all of us! But I can't if you will not tell me how."

"It isn't for you to concern yourself," she said, a soft sigh coming out of her.

"But it is, ma'am," she said. "Well, I am involved, aren't I? Give me a task. Any task! Nothing is too extreme for me to handle. I refuse to sit here and watch you all gather dust while I and the Prince waste away in our towers!"