Chrysanthyllis was in deep, deep trouble. She was stuck in a castle with an innocent, carefree butler and a terrifying, wrathful beast, and she had nowhere to go.

Her first encounter with the monster had ended with her fearing for her life and thoughtlessly hurling a book in its face. A week later, she still found it hard to believe that nothing bad had happened to her after what she had done. The monster did not reappear to exact revenge, Elliot did not punish her, and none of it seemed believable. She thought that death was inescapable, or at the very least, that whichever hand responsible for throwing the book would be lopped off, but Elliot’s only request from her as a show of remorse was to continue using the dining room. After a number of days without incident, she felt safe enough to leave her room and acceded.

The second time she saw the monster was likely not intentional on its part. She had finally drawn up the courage to ask Elliot about his circumstances, and as soon as he tried to allude to the identity of his master, the most horrific, earth-shattering roar pierced her eardrums and reverberated through the castle, shaking the walls down to their very foundation. Elliot grabbed her by her arms, anchoring her. At that moment, her fear of the monster far outweighed her lifelong fear of people, and she simply went cold.

The deafening roar resounded for a long time, both in the air and in her mind, eventually giving way to softer groans, but the decrease in volume did not detract from the pain and anguish that permeated each and every grunt. 

Elliot excused himself and disappeared out of the room in a hurry, and against her better judgement, Chrysanthyllis trailed after him. She was cagey around him, as she was with anyone and everyone, but she wanted to make sure he would be okay in his endeavours to tame the beast. She rounded the corner, quickly taking refuge behind the wall, peeking. She saw Elliot on his knees, apologizing profusely to the monster that was slumped against the wall, huffing rabidly and groaning in pain. 

They were in a part of the castle that she had never been to before. Chains scattered the floor haphazardly, a dungeon set in the farthest corner of the manor. This was probably where the beast would be restrained if it did not behave. She watched them for a while. She stood up a bit straighter, realising that the monster had raised its head in her direction. Its glowing red eyes were shooting daggers at her, bright and sharp, and she swallowed hard. Elliot appeared unharmed, the beast incapacitated, so she scurried back to her room before her luck ran out. 

For a period of time, none of them mentioned anything about the incident. Elliot had not seen her when he was with the beast in that dungeon-like place, so Chrysanthyllis was finding it hard to bring up the topic lest she opened a can of worms. Not much had changed. She did have a few questions, but seeing how Elliot had lowered himself in front of the monster, she was fairly sure that it was in actuality someone of importance. She did not want to speculate, but chances were that the monster was the snake of the battlefield.

It had been nearly three weeks since she first found herself in Huvestria. Even though she was still bound by the shackles of the empress’s seal, Chrysanthyllis had been experimenting with her magic as covertly as she could inside the freedom of her room. She liked it here. Elliot only called for her when it was time to eat, and no one had expectations for her, at least not yet. No one was forcing her to do anything she did not want to do, and she kept to her room because she could do as she liked, not because she was being forcibly isolated.

“Lady Chrys.”

She looked up from her plate. 

“Would you mind very much to dine with the beast tonight?”

Her hand stilled, and her potato cube dropped off her fork. She stared at Elliot. “Excuse…me?”

They both knew that she had heard him loud and clear, but he repeated himself anyway. She looked down at her plate, a mess of pulpy potato and gravy, wondering if tonight was the night she would lose her life. In a state of panic, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“Is the beast the master of this house?”

Elliot clammed up. His face was white. “A grand feast awaits, my lady.”

“Are you…able to nod or shake your head?”

His stance remained rigid, his lips unyieldingly sealed, and Chrysanthyllis was quick to pick up. If Elliot could not divulge any information related to the monster, it was almost certain that the man underneath that purple skin was under a very powerful curse. Any attempt to speak of it would cause immeasurable pain to the cursed one, perfectly explaining what had transpired a few days ago. 

“If he does not mind eating with me.”

The relief on Elliot’s face only made her feel more queasy about her upcoming dinner.

Time flew by too quickly. After an entire afternoon spent on her magic, albeit with a complete lack of focus because she was too busy worrying for her life, Chrysanthyllis dreaded the knock on her door, knowing that Elliot would be on the other side waiting to escort her to the dining room. She did not understand her own fears. She was sure he was a man under a curse, not an actual beast. She had even dealt with monsters and mythical creatures in the past, although none of them came close to looking as scary as him. He had not laid a hand on her, and through Elliot, he had given her a place to stay. But, she was still afraid. 

Knock, knock.

It was time.