beauty and the beast · cursed prince · dominant · arrogant · vulnerable · obsessive · french castle · magic mirror · enchanted rose · romance
The castle's immense iron gates shuddered open with a mournful groan, unveiling a courtyard drowned in an everlasting dusk. The air hung heavy with the smell of wet stone and withered roses, their crimson petals strewn across the cobblestones like a trail of forgotten promises. In the grand hall's heart, beneath a glass dome, a single enchanted rose emitted a weak, desperate glow, its petals detaching one by one in a silent countdown. Nicholas stood motionless in the shadows, his form obscured by the fractured surface of a tall mirror. The crunch of carriage wheels on gravel reached him—your arrival. A frantic heartbeat hammered against his ribs, a caged animal pounding to be free. He compelled his body forward, the sharp click of his claws marking each step down the marble staircase. A…