Love Is Never Ugly

Chapter 41

Each time Alastor and Charlotte waltzed together the world around them seemed to completely vanish, leaving them in a new world of their own where it was only just the two of them. A world where there was no fear, no sadness, no anger. Only laughter, music, and compassion. Neither beauty nor beast thought it possible to experience such bliss through mere movements between two people. No denying that they made a very strange looking couple but they were having such a wonderful time together that they didn't even notice. Even more strange to some, both found themselves internally wishing that their dance could last forever.

But all dances must end and as the lateness of the evening grew they soon began to tire and decided to rest. He escorted her back to her bedroom and upon reaching the door Alastor bid her goodnight with an honorable bow and a single rose.

"Thank you." She told him before inhaling the blossom's perfume. "I must tell you that your roses are the most beautiful in all the world."

"That is because they grew from my mother who was one of the most beautiful women in all the world." Alastor answered. "The other beauty being you my dear."

She blushed with a smile and curtsied before him.

"Goodnight my sweet gentleman."

"Goodnight my fair lady."

Charlotte blew him a kiss and stepped into her chambers. She undressed from her gown and jewels, unpinning her hair to where it fell over her shoulders, and changed into her night dress. Though tired from the events of this evening she could not help but be giddy. She hummed a sweet melody as she combed her hair and continued to hum while briefly spinning about her room and then leaping on to her bed, holding that rose over her heart. She could not recall a moment in her life when she had felt such joy. Such happiness and splendor. She didn't even know such bliss before her father lost his fortune.

"Father." She thought.

She realized that she did not think of him as much as she used to. In the beginning he dominated her entire mindset but now he only came to mind once a day. Sometimes there were days when she didn't think of him at all. How odd. She was always so sure that she could never be happy without Lucifer yet here she was overjoyed and he wasn't even the cause of it.

"Why was that?" She wondered.

But she didn't wonder long because soon became too tired to wonder for the remainder of the night. She fell asleep.

...

In her dreams the sun had risen in the sky and she stood in the middle of a field. A field that was very much like the ones near the farmhouse where she had once lived with her family. She could smell the scent of corn as it was being harvested and she heard the sound of goat hooves clunking as the creatures played about. Then she heard her father calling her,

"Charlotte...Charlotte...Charlotte..."

"Father? Father is that you?" She called back.

"Charlotte...Charlotte...Charlotte..."

Overcome with desire to see him, she moved to follow where his voice was beckoning her from.

...

Outside her dream world Charlotte still remained asleep but she was not lying motionless in bed as she should be. Instead she slowly risen from bed, left her chambers, and was now ascending down the grand stairway. All the while she did not wake.

None of the other residents of the castle were awake either so they did not see her. The master and his servants were fast asleep in their beds. On a quiet winter's night as this, it seemed that they would not wake in time to realize what Charlotte was doing. But suddenly Alastor found his slumber being disturbed by an incessant chirping noise. At first he thought he had only imagined the noise in his deep sleep but when the noise wouldn't cease for too long he finally stirred to see what the source was.