𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐃 | 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬

𝐗𝐗𝐈. 𝐓𝐨 𝐁𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝

𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐀 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐃 as the front door was slammed. Of course Celine could be a bit dramatic at times when bothered, but she was normally quite good at concealing it. Lately though, the girl had grown more vocal when it came to voicing her complaints.

Celine stomped toward her room, contemplated slamming the door, but ultimately flopped down on her bed without using any extra effort. She buried her face into her pillow and released a muffled scream that surely would've impaired someone's hearing at full volume.

"Will he ever give up?" Celine questioned into her pillow then scoffed, "Imagine. Me, the wife of that boorish, brainless—gah!"

"Perhaps you're judging a book by its cover too quickly, mon ange."

Celine looked up, a bit surprised since she hadn't realized her mother was watching her mental breakdown. She slowly sat up and brushed a few stray hairs out of her eyes before crossing her arms. "I offered him a second chance, Maman, which made me realize I want nothing to do with him."

"I remember a time when the opposite was just as true," Althea replied gently, taking a seat at the end of the bed while still providing enough distance between them.

"I was a foolish child who only looked at outward appearances," Celine contradicted. "Just because a painting is appealing to look at does not guarantee it possesses any real substance."

Althea chuckled. "Okay, I'll play along. Maybe a painting doesn't possess any substance upon a first or second glance, but sometimes when you stop and really look at the artwork and consider the time it took to craft, you may just realize there's more to it than meets the eye."

As her mother spoke, Celine's gaze drifted toward the window. She didn't mean to zone out the conversation, but her thoughts couldn't be contained. The topic of paintings brought her back to the castle and the decadent display of art hung around the castle. She'd spent much time simply staring at the walls. There were even moments when the beast would join her. Usually there was a comfortable silence between them, but there were rare moments that led to deep and meaningful conversations she'd never shared before... not even with Belle.

"Do you understand, Celine?"

Celine blinked out of her daze. An amused look crossed her mother's face as if she'd just realized something. Celine's brow knitted in confusion. "What?"

"No wonder you have no interest in Monsieur LeGume," Althea laughed under her breath. "There's some other young man who has carved away at the walls guarding your heart."

Celine quickly scoffed, denying the accusation. "No... what makes you say that?"

Althea gently rolled her eyes. "I may be getting older, mon ange, but I am not blind. At first I thought you were still upset by your downcast mood, but I see I was wrong. You hardly speak, eat, or sleep, and you spend most of your time away from home... you're falling in love."