Chapter Five || To Challenge a Beast

                                    

                                          


                          


                          
THE MORE TIME I spent walking throughout the dusty hallways of the castle, I became suspicious that the rooms were circling around me. It made no sense, for I had walked up the same staircase twice, yet each time, I found myself in the opposite direction to where I had been faced earlier.
                          
The same door opened to multiple different rooms, staircases led to opposite directions without ever splitting, hallways circled me back to where I had come from without ever turning, and I would step into rooms with no entrances.
                          
It confused me, how any sound person could navigate their way through this castle. By the time I had circled back to my chambers for the fifth time, I was convinced that everything within the castle walls had a mind of its own. My husband had not bothered to assign an escort to assist me and I was not about to request one.
                          
However, I was likely monitored by those bodiless servants who used their invisibility to report to their lord. I was certain they were curious to what I would do if I thought myself alone. Whenever I stepped, I made sure to keep an ear strained for an extra set of footsteps clopping after me. I strode onward, continuing my aimless wandering.
                          
The Beast had very conveniently failed to mention this little detail. I suspected he was laughing his throat hoarse thinking about how many times I walked the exact same corridor as I insisted on denying what I speculated. I ground my teeth together. He must find this so very entertaining.
                          
Furious, I spent my entire morning exploring the castle, determined to find something that would be of use to me. Something—anything—that hinted at his mortality. But to no avail. I wandered until I no longer recognized the halls. They would shift around and the stairs would twist so that I was returned to the very doorway of my room.
                          
At one point in the day, I had discovered a large ballroom. Its ceilings were so high and decorated with exquisite archways that extended into ornate pillars. These pillars framed tall glass panes that let in the brilliant light from outside the castle. It left me breathless, the sensation of the sun filling my chest as it shone through the glass and reflected on the extravagant gold cornices lining the walls.
                          
Beyond the crystal chandeliers, I could see that the ceiling had displayed a fresco of painted cherubs hiding in puffy clouds. They were looking down at the marble floor which, despite the dust, was varnished so extravagantly that it reflected their image. My chest was weightless, filled with the kind of air that lifted a corpse so that it floated atop the water.
                          
This was quite different from every other section of the palace. Where the castle was grim and black, these rooms shined with vibrancy and opulence. It seemed odd that this ballroom existed here and I dared say that once I left, I would not enter it again.
                          
So I took the opportunity and committed the dance room to memory, imagining that at some point in time, celebrations were held here and music was played. Since the Beast came into rule, the country has grown desolate and lifeless, every city and town losing the meaning of frivolity. For this castle to have such a dance room meant that it was likely built before his time. Perhaps it was the castle of a rich family he had slaughtered.
                          
Secretly, I was searching for the West Wing. They were the only place the Beast had forbidden me from entering. Of course, that would fill me with the desire to enter them. Despite my attempts to walk in the direction I knew was West, I always found myself back at my doors even though I had never turned. It was beginning to drive me mad.
                          
Eventually, the sun had begun to set and it was time for me to dine with my lord husband. Just like the previous night, he was not present when I arrived. I fiddled with the sleeves of my dress, smoothing the black fabric over my wrists.