#belle

And last for now is Belle in a piece from Elie Saab's Autumn/Winter 25/26 collection

The heavy oak doors of the castle had always felt like the gates to another world, but tonight, they felt like the lock on a golden cage.

You clutched your cloak tight against the biting chill of the midnight air, your heart hammering a frantic, wounded rhythm against your ribs. The castle was quiet now. The magical, humming warmth of the curse had been replaced by the cold, opulent reality of a royal fortress.

You had to leave. Not just because of the Prince, but because of him.

It had all started with a stolen book, a desperate bid to save your dying mother, and the dark, calculating eyes of Beau, the Beast's reclusive bookkeeper.

He had saved you from the monster's wrath, offering a trade; your companionship and willingness to be tutored in exchange for your mother's life.

But the tutoring had become something entirely different.

In the dusty, sunlit corners of the grand library, Beau had not just taught you posture and politics. He had read you sweeping, tragic romances, his deep voice wrapping around the words like a physical caress.

During your dance lessons, his hands had lingered on your waist just a fraction too long, his dark eyes tracing your lips as he whispered, "You are far more captivating than any heroine in my collection."

You had fallen for him. As you thought his stolen glances and gentle touches meant he was grooming you to run away with him.

Then the final petal fell. The Beast transformed into Prince Adam, a breathtaking, terrifyingly possessive monarch who immediately announced your royal engagement. And Beau?

Beau had simply stood in the shadows, smiling a cold, triumphant smile as Adam claimed you.

You had been nothing but bait. A project. A peasant polished into a bride for his master.

As you slipped down the grand staircase, the marble freezing against your thin leather boots. Freedom was just beyond the heavy iron gates in the foyer.

"You are skipping to the epilogue, my dear. I haven't written it yet."

The familiar voice was more than enough to make you faint in fear.

You stood still in fear. As a candelabra flared to life, illuminating the landing. Beau stood there, impeccably dressed.

"Step aside," you demanded, your voice cracking with a betrayal that cut deeper than bone. "I'm leaving."

Beau moved his head, his dark eyes trailing over your travel stained cloak. A slow, indulgent smile curved his lips as he began to descend the stairs, his movements deliberate and predatory.

"Leaving? After all the late nights we spent together? After the sonnets I read to you by the fire?"

"Don't," you snapped, tears pricking your eyes.

"Don't pretend it meant anything! You lied to me. The touches, the poetry, you made me think you loved me. But you were just molding me for him."

Beau reached the bottom step. He didn't stop until he was mere inches from you, his distinctly masculine scent overwhelming your senses.

"Oh, my sweet, naive girl," Beau whispered, lifting a hand to brush a stray lock of hair behind your ear. The touch was agonizingly tender.

"I didn't lie. I do love you. But what can a humble bookkeeper offer a woman of your... potential? A life of dusty poverty? No. I wanted to give you the best."

"By selling me to the Prince?!" you cried, swatting his hand away.

"By making you Queen," Beau corrected smoothly, his eyes flashing with a dark, obsessive hunger. "A Queen is bound to her kingdom, to her castle. And, most importantly to her Royal Advisor."

The air in your lungs vanished. You stared at him, the horrifying brilliance of his plan finally clicking into place. He hadn't groomed you for Adam.

"You're insane," you whispered, taking a trembling step back. "Adam will kill you when he finds out you've been touching his bride."

"Will I?"

A new voice, deep, resonant, and dripping with arrogant amusement, rumbled from the shadows of the grand hall.

Prince Adam stepped into the candlelight. He was no longer covered in fur, but the predatory grace of the Beast remained in his wide shoulders and the heavy, boots-on-stone thud of his approach.

He moved to stand directly behind you, his massive hands coming to rest on your shoulders.

You stiffened, trapped between the towering Prince and the cunning bookkeeper.

"Beau has always had a good taste," Adam purred, his breath ghosting over the shell of your ear.

"He found you in the mud, recognized your value, and brought you to me. We have an understanding, he and I. I get a beautiful, refined you to warm my bed and rule beside me."

Adam's grip tightened on your shoulders, anchoring you in place, as Beau stepped forward, his dark eyes locking onto yours with a terrifyingly gentle adoration.

"And I," Beau finished softly, reaching out to cup your cheek, his thumb tracing your cheekbone, "get to keep my favorite book on the shelf forever. Safe. Secure. And entirely mine to read whenever the King permits."

You trembled violently, a sob catching in your throat as the reality of your nightmare closed in. There was no escape.

"Now," Beau taunts, leaning in to press a lingering, branding kiss to your forehead while Adam's hands held you captive.

"Be a good girl, take the Prince's arm, and let us go back upstairs, I still have a few things I need to teach you"

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991)