Once upon a time, there was a rich merchant with three beautiful daughters. Beauty, the youngest, was the most beautiful of them all. One day, due to unfortunate circumstances, the merchant lost all his money and the family suddenly had to live in poverty.
A year later, the merchant received a letter informing him that one of his lost ships had been found. Selling the ship would bring him a lot of money. The older sisters asked their father to bring back luxurious items, but Beauty did not have that desire. Her father insisted, and she said, “A rose would please me.”
Once they arrived at the harbor, the ship was seized, and the long journey was for nothing. On the way back, the merchant found an abandoned palace and walked inside. There was a table set with delicious food, and as hungry as he was, he ate it all. The merchant was so tired that he found a bed and went to sleep.
The next day, when he went to fetch his horse, he saw a rose bush and picked a rose. Suddenly, he was startled by a monstrous creature. “You ungrateful human,” the beast roared. “How dare you pick my roses? After all I’ve done for you!” The Beast looked at the merchant with wild eyes and said, “You shall die as punishment!” The merchant fell to his knees and said, “I am very sorry. I picked a rose for my daughter.”
“I hear that you have a daughter. Bring her to me, and I will let you live. I give you three months. Promise me you will come back, and then I will let you go!” The Beast disappeared after saying this. The merchant took his horse and went back home, bursting into tears and telling the story of the Beast.
“I will go,” said Beauty. “After all, I asked for the rose.” “No,” said the father, but Beauty could not be persuaded. After three months, the merchant returned with Beauty to the palace. The Beast asked if she had come of her own free will, and she said, “Yes.” The next morning, the merchant had to leave Beauty with the Beast. Beauty had dreamed of a woman who said, “Don’t be afraid. You will be rewarded for your choice.”
The following days, Beauty spent a lot of time with the Beast and got to know him better. Although his appearance was terrifying, he seemed like a good person inside. Beauty lived in the palace for three months and got more and more of what she wanted.
One day, she saw in a mirror that her father was seriously ill. The Beast gave her permission to visit him, but he told her that he would die of sorrow if she did not come back within a week. “I will give you a ring. Place it on a table if you want to come back.” Beauty told her sisters, who were jealous, about her warm friendship with the Beast.
They would make sure that Beauty stayed longer than a week. The Beast would die of sorrow. Beauty realized that she longed more and more for the Beast. That night, she dreamed that he died of sorrow. She quickly placed the ring on the table and fell into a deep sleep. In the morning, she woke up in the palace and hurried to the palace garden, where she saw the Beast lying down. “There you are,” said the Beast softly. “I thought you had forgotten me.” Beauty cried. “I’m sorry. I want to marry you. I love you so much!”
After Beauty said that, she saw that the Beast transformed into a handsome prince. What was revealed was that an evil fairy had cursed him until someone willingly wanted to marry him. “It was you who did not judge me by my intelligence or appearance. Therefore, I give you all my heart and everything I possess!” Beauty and the prince got married and lived happily ever after.
