Within the ethereal realm of Elysia

Centered around one Jeon Jungkook

A short retelling of Beauty and the Beast

Part one

• • •

A normally lively and bustling kingdom went dark, mourning the sudden loss of their beloved monarch. In the silver castle that was perched on the top of a hill, the princess was to become queen.

The passing of her father was still fresh in Renee's heart when she had to assume the throne he had left empty. The seat was still warm and she had to bite back tears during her own coronation. Hundreds of envious and hungry eyes were watching her every move, waiting for her to slip up before she had even begun her official rule.

They are all wolves in sheep's clothing, she reminded herself what her father would never wish her to forget.

Once the heavy crown of gold was upon her head, Renee stood from her kneeling position. Her topaz-blue gown was well-fitted, cascading to the floor like a crystal waterfall. Brunette hair fell in waves over her shoulders and down her back. Her hazel irises glistened in sadness, but not a soul recognized it as such. To them, the shimmer in her eyes was of excitement.

The same night, after she had retired to her bedroom, she was visited by her newly widowed stepmother. And a widow she was—the kind that was venomous and deadly. Renee had her suspicions that the terrible woman had poisoned her father, but she did not have proof and she could not afford to make such an accusation so soon into her reign. She was stuck in the presence of who was likely her father's killer and who she knew was after the very crown that sat atop her head.

"What do you need?" Renee asked politely, crossing her arms uncomfortably over her sheer nightgown. She felt vulnerable, not to mention raw from her father's death. She just wished to sleep.

Her black-haired, red-robed stepmother gave a smile that looked anything but authentic. "Sweetheart, I know you must be struggling with all that's happened, but your father would have wanted us to rely on each other during this difficult time, don't you think?"

Renee kept her mouth shut, eyes grazing over the peach and beige colors of her room. She knew her father really would have wanted them to get along and spend time together, but she couldn't imagine that the woman before her would be genuine in doing so.

Her stepmother continued, "I think it would be... beneficial for both of us if we spent our evenings together. I thought we could talk and I could brush your hair out before you go to bed. Like a true mother would."

"I suppose that would be nice," Renee found herself saying, only the thought of her father helping the words leave her mouth.

The cunning widow gestured for Renee to take a seat in the chair that sat in front of the vanity beside her bed. Renee followed her suggestion and as soon as she was seated, her stepmother got to brushing. The younger watched through the foggy reflection as the older woman ran the brush through her long locks, the movement of her hands controlled and stiff. Renee wondered if it took everything in her not to yank on her hair and treat it roughly.

Once she'd finished smoothing out every knot and tangle, the stepmother sighed in relief and set the brush down. "Here," she began, pulling out a smaller, round mirror from her robes, "so you can see better."

Renee hesitantly took the small mirror, turning around in the chair and holding it up so that she could use both reflections to see the hair that fell down her back. "It's great, thank you," she said, forcing herself not to speak too quickly. It would've been all too obvious that she was desperate for the woman in front of her to just leave her alone.

The newly-crowned queen was suddenly distracted as she gave a second glance to the hand-held mirror. It was a perfectly round piece of glass with the clearest reflection she'd ever seen—a reflection so bright and sharp that she almost felt she was seeing herself for the first time. It had a white frame with ornate flowers and vines carved into its surface. A single handle stretched out to just the right length for her hand to comfortably hold it, and it had a weight that made it all the more pleasant to carry. It was one of the most beautiful things she'd ever seen, even in her nineteen years of life surrounded by the finest riches and the grandest materials.

"Do you like it?" Her stepmother's low voice pulled her from her reverie.

"Yes," she whispered, observing her pink-tinged cheeks in the reflection.

The stepmother placed her hands on Renee's shoulders. "It's my gift to you. For your coronation."

Renee had never easily trusted a single action of the woman who stood behind her, but that day, she was too entranced by the beauty of the mirror to think twice. It was her first time giving an ounce of trust to her, and unfortunately, it was the greatest mistake she would ever make.

"Thank you," Renee breathed, a genuine smile lifting her vivid red lips.

"You're welcome, my dear."

Renee was too absorbed in her own reflection to catch the insidious grin of her stepmother.

. . .

It only took about three months.

The first month, Renee was clueless. She was oblivious to the darkening of her once-bright eyes. She failed to notice the fading of her previously pink cheeks. She didn't recognize the drainage of color from her lips that were once a deeper red than the sweetest berry.

The second month, Renee began to catch on. She started to see the way her smooth, healthy hair grew brittle and dry. She took notice of her normally flawless skin beginning to spot and wrinkle and sag.

She couldn't determine what was happening to her, but she knew the loss of her beauty would stir whispers and cause questioning of her fitness to reign. They would doubt her health, and she knew her position was not guaranteed. If she was deemed unfit to rule, she would be replaced. She did what she knew she had to in order to not lose her crown to her stepmother: she called for all the elite, eligible bachelors in the kingdom to come to the castle in the hopes of finding a king.

Desperation tore the luxury of romance out of Renee's grasp. She could no longer consider her personal preferences as she searched for a partner to help solidify her place on the throne. It wasn't that she loved being queen, it was just that she was hellbent on protecting her kingdom from the destructive claws of the evil widow.

However, despite Renee's best efforts, not a single man showed a pure heart or a trustworthy character. She had them sign a contract to not speak of their visit with her beforehand, then she would show herself and gauge their reaction. There were those who took one glance at her diminishing appearance and grimaced, and there were those who masked their disgust in the hopes of gaining the title of King. Neither types were viable options for her, as she needed someone who would respect her and work alongside her. She was willing to sacrifice romance, but she was not willing to sacrifice the respect she deserved from a partner.

By the beginning of the third month, the loss of life in her features was undeniable. She didn't understand why it was happening, but she watched in the hand-held mirror as her face morphed into something dull and aged and ugly. Not even the eldest, most sickly woman in all her kingdom looked as lifeless and tired as she. The strands of her hair dried into straws of hay. Her eyes drooped and dulled, surrounded by dark bags. Her teeth tinted yellow no matter how diligently she brushed. And most notably, veins of translucent silver began to sprawl over her skin like cobwebs. The youth and beauty she had always taken for granted were stolen right out from under her.

No amount of investigation by her guards helped discover any sort of poison or toxic substance. No amount of visits to the castle physician brought about answers to what was happening. Even her stepmother seemed as lost and confused as Renee, though Renee knew the older woman was secretly awaiting the chance to steal her crown.

Still having failed to find a proper option for a king, Renee snuck out of her room to go for a walk in the castle gardens to ease her nerves. She'd stayed holed up in her room out of fear of having too many people spot her. Many already knew of her changing appearance and she did not want to risk others—ones she trusted less—to see her and spread the information. The moment the majority of the kingdom would be informed was the moment she would lose the throne and with it, her father's legacy. So she waited until sunset and wore an olive green cloak with a hood that she threw over her face, veiling as many of her features as possible.

Lifted by the cool breeze, the cape of her cloak billowed out behind her as she walked. Her shoes tapped against the concrete path, following every twist and turn of the maze-like garden. The bushes were a lush green, trimmed to perfection. They lined either side of the path, stretching taller than her own height and making it impossible for her to see beyond what was right in front of her. That's what she so adored about the garden; she was taken away from the pressure, the prowling eyes, the never-ending expectations that suffocated her in the castle. There, surrounded by the beautiful scarlet roses and the sweetness of their scent, she was free.

The tranquility she was enjoying came to a halt as she rounded a corner and rammed into a sturdy chest, her own startled gasp mixing with a deeper groan. Two hands went to her shoulders, straightening her out and lingering there. Renee kept her gaze on the ground, praying that the man before her couldn't see her face. When he leaned down to try to meet her eyes, she shifted away.

"I'm so sorry, I should've been more careful," Renee apologized, beginning to move past him.

"No, no, it was all my fault. I was rushing and didn't pay attention," the young man said. The smoothness of his voice was pleasant to her ears.

"It's okay. Have a good evening," she said, giving the slightest bow. Her attempt at escape was prevented once again as the male stepped in front of her.

"I'm sorry, I have to ask. Why are you here? The reason I was rushing is that all of us are supposed to be out of the gardens before sundown. You'll get in trouble if you don't—"

A faint chuckle of disbelief left Renee's lips, effectively silencing him. "I'm not worried about getting in trouble," she said.

Peering from underneath the hood, she could just make out his lips as they turned down in confusion. A moment of quiet passed, and she sensed that he was finally observing the expensive silk of her cloak, as well as the royal insignia that was on the clasp at the center of her chest.

"You're... You're the queen," he stuttered. It was his turn to bow, and as he lowered, Renee finally caught a glimpse of the raven-black curls on his head. "Forgive me for my ignorance, your Majesty."

"I'm not the queen right now," Renee said quietly, unsure why she chose to tell him such a thing. "I'm anyone but the queen when I come here, so please, don't worry."

The young man slowly raised from his bow, peering at her on his way up. Renee's heart fluttered as there was the briefest second when their eyes seemed to meet. He had no reaction, no wince or grimace, so she wondered if her face was too shadowed for him to truly see her.

"Is there anything you need? You don't have your guards with you, do you need me to—"

"No," Renee breathed, returning her gaze to her feet. "I'm okay, thank you. All I need from you is to pretend you never saw me."

"I'm not sure I can do that entirely," he replied, his boldness catching her off guard. "But I won't tell anyone that I saw you."

"Thank you," she whispered, then she finally managed to brush past him, and he let her.

Another week dragged by. Renee tried her best to find a potential husband—a potential king—but she continued to fail. She attended meetings with her advisors, followed her duties as queen, but in all that time, she could not escape the momentary thoughts of the servant she'd run into at the garden. By the end of the seven days, she found herself escaping into the maze of roses once more.

And she found him there.

She had walked deep into the maze. She knew the servants were not supposed to be out there that late, yet when she looked ahead of her, she found him sitting on a bench, leaning over and fiddling his thumbs as if he was nervously waiting for something. Or, perhaps, someone.

His gaze lifted and caught onto her before she could even think to hide herself from him. She froze in place, at a loss for what to do or say, and he stood quickly from his spot.

"Your Majesty—"

"I told you not to call me that," Renee quietly but firmly interrupted him. "You can call me Renee, but only when no one is around."

"I'm sorry." He gave the faintest bow, then tested her name on his tongue, "Renee."

"What are you doing out here so late? The sun is setting,"

The young man bit his lip, shaking his head. "I wish I could explain to you why I'm here. I... I've been waiting here every evening since we met. I must be out of my mind. I suppose I just wondered if you would come back."

Renee wished his words would have no effect on her. She wished she wouldn't have been as interested to see him again, as curious about him as he was about her. But she was.

"I just need a place to get away," the queen stated, allowing a pause to come between them. "What is your name?"

"Jeon Jungkook. I work under the groundskeeper. We're responsible for the gardens and the horses."

"I see. Well, Jeon Jungkook, you're lucky I don't take an interest in reporting servants who disobey orders just to meet their queen." A light laugh drifted from her lips.

Jungkook was stunned by the sound. He knew nothing about her yet he was undeniably drawn to her.

"Thank you." He smiled, teeth going on display. Renee's heart skipped at the sight.

Jungkook was not ready to leave. The young queen was not willing to ask him to go. So they ended up walking together, conversing about their different experiences. Neither of them had ever opened up as quickly as they did with one another that night.

Jungkook opened Renee's eyes to the hardships of being poor. Renee helped Jungkook realize that, though she knew she was privileged, not every part of being royalty was a dream. Jungkook touched her heart as he shared his difficulty in helping his parents stay afloat. Renee stirred sympathy in his heart as she shared the tragedy of losing her father.

Eventually, the air grew too chilly and the sky too dark for them to continue their time together. The two came nearer to the castle, and Renee was sure to thank him for a lovely night before she went to leave separately from him.

"Wait!" Jungkook whispered desperately.

She stopped and turned her head just enough for her ear to face him. His eyes fell over her hood, just making out the shadowed profile of her face.

"Will you meet me again?" he asked carefully, worried she would deny him.

Renee took only a second to reply.

"In three days, same time." Then she returned to the castle.

Three days might as well have been three years to Jungkook. He couldn't get her out of his mind. Her voice was like the smoothest satin to him, her laugh more pleasant than the chiming of bells. The grace in her movements and the passion with which she spoke made his heart race. He feared the odd pull he felt toward her. He knew it was not his place to be attracted to the queen, but he had already accepted that he was too bold and foolish. Jungkook had always been a deep feeler and he was not going to stop following his heart even if it meant that it would end up broken.

Renee couldn't escape thoughts of the young servant either. His voice replayed in her head at odd hours of the day, threatening to send a tingle down her spine. His dark curls flashed through her mind and she wondered how soft they felt. The gentleness and care that coated every word from his mouth made her heart skip a beat. Her brain warned her that she should not—could not—pursue something with him, but her soul longed to bind with his.

The latter was the stronger of the two.

Finally, the third day started coming to a close. The young queen went to meet the humble servant and she found him with no problem, on the same bench as last time. When he stood, she admired his long legs, the toned biceps that stood out from his short sleeves, the bounce of his dark curls as he quickly jumped to his feet, and the thin pink lips that tilted up in a smile.

Despite the racing of her pulse and the butterflies in her core, Renee tried to convince herself that it was innocent that they were meeting like this, that they were only becoming friends and neither would seek more. Though deep down, she knew that was the greatest lie she'd ever told herself.

The two went for their walk and easily slipped into conversation as they had before. Everything came effortlessly in each other's presence. Neither felt uncomfortable at any moment during their time together. Their talk flowed smoothly and the walls both of them used to guard themselves came crumbling down for one another. Their defenses were long forgotten, neither minding the vulnerability they shared.

As the lingering streaks of coral hues vanished from the horizon, dousing them in darkness, Jungkook turned to face Renee with a gentle sigh.

"I suppose you have to return to the castle now," he stated, and she did not miss the disappointment in his tone. She, too, was saddened at the thought of their night already ending.

She nodded, glancing at him from beneath her hood. Every minute spent with him nourished her courage further, and she'd been progressively showing more of her face each time she spoke to him. Still, she could not quite get herself to reveal her full appearance to him yet. She was worried that he would react in the same way as all of the visiting bachelors.

"Jungkook..." Renee clenched the edges of her sleeves as she prepared for what she would say, "I enjoy your company. You make me feel heard and seen, which I've never felt even while sitting on a throne... What I'm trying to say is that I'd like to keep meeting with you. But only if you want the same," she added the last part quickly, her cheeks aflame.

He smiled so brightly that she was stunned.

"Nothing would make me happier."

So they met countless times over the next several weeks. Both found it increasingly difficult to keep their blooming feelings to themselves. It was a struggle to resist reaching for the other's hand as they strolled the gardens.

One night, Renee brought her favorite sweets for him to try. Another night, Jungkook gifted her a crown of roses that he weaved together with his own hands. Their most recent night together was spent sprawled out on the grass beyond the maze of rose bushes. While stargazing, they surrendered to falling even harder for the person that lay beside them.

Meanwhile, Renee had begrudgingly continued her search for a husband. She was pained as she did so, the thought of Jungkook tugging on the strings of her heart. But her trusted advisors knew of her diminishing appearance and agreed that having a king at her side was the only sure way to keep the people satisfied and loyal. Whispers had already begun to spread about the queen keeping her face covered and otherwise sticking to her room most days, likely due to gossiping servants and the few bachelors who broke their oath to not speak of their experience with the queen.

The day before her next meeting with Jungkook, Renee finally managed to find a man who did not flinch when he set eyes on her. He was kind, he was respectful, he was genuine. He did not show any sign of self-interest or desperation, and Renee had always been a good judge of character. For the first time out of the countless men she had seen, she set a date for them to meet a second time.

Walking up to Jungkook that evening felt different than all the previous times. She'd always had butterflies, but never had her stomach twisted so much with nerves.

She had to tell him about the man she met, and she dreaded it. Even though neither of them had acted on their feelings, she knew by then that her pull to him was not one-sided. The last thing she wanted was to break his heart, which was exactly why she couldn't keep it from him.

Nearly an hour passed and the sky went dark, but Jungkook had started to bring a lantern to their visits to buy them more time together. As the golden glow of the flame illuminated their path, Renee finally gathered enough bravery to bring it up.

She made a mistake by reaching for his arm, breaking a barrier between them that could never be rebuilt. Her fingers locked around his bare wrist. He stopped in his tracks and his gaze fell to their touching skin, almost in disbelief. Jungkook's eyes searched for hers beneath the shadow of her cloak.

"I found someone." Her voice came out in a hoarse whisper.

"What?" Jungkook asked, though he immediately knew what she meant. She had told him about the search for a king early into their meetings. He just had always refused to believe that she would find someone.

"I'm meeting him again in two weeks," she said quietly. "We'll go riding on the trail—"

"What is his name?"

She inhaled. "Kim Seokjin."

"Do you think he's handsome?" His question was barely audible. As he waited for her to reply, he reached up and hung the lantern on the branch of a tree that stood above them.

"He's... Most people would say he's an attractive man."

"I don't care about most people right now. What do you think?"

Renee's brows drew together at the uncharacterstic frustration in his voice. She went to retract her hand from his wrist but he caught her, his own hand wrapping around hers.

"Jungkook-"

He stepped closer to her, far closer than they had ever been save for the night they ran into each other. His hand squeezed hers as he opened his mouth, his features weighed down with pain. The emotion in his eyes—hurt, desperation, longing—robbed her lungs of air. The amber light from the flame flickered over his face, then he asked what he had never asked of her before.

"Take your hood down," he whispered, voice cracking slightly, "Please."

She might've refused if not for the gentleness in his tone. Despite the pain he clearly felt, he was not demanding, but pleading. And she knew from the way he looked at her that it stemmed from nothing but a deep care for her.

Hesitantly, Renee used her free hand to grab the edge of the hood. Then in one slow motion, she let it fall away from her face and down to her shoulders. She couldn't will her gaze to meet his, feeling naked under his stare. Her eyes filled with unpermitted tears as she felt ashamed of her own face.

Two fingers were softly placed under her chin, guiding her to look up until their eyes connected. And when they did, she took an unstable breath. There was not a hint of disappointment or disgust as she had feared. There was only a single emotion that danced in his mahogany irises.

It was love. Deep, unconditional, and pure.

And if the look in his eyes wasn't enough, his next action made his feelings for her unmistakable: he stepped forward and took her face in his hands and he kissed her, soft and slow and sweet.

A small whimper left Renee as she melted into the kiss. Her arms lifted to wrap around his neck and he responded by bringing his hands to her waist and pulling her into him. Her fingers itched to weave themselves into his curls but she stepped back before they could, breathing heavily.

"Jungkook, we can't—"

"Don't. Please, don't say it," he begged, reaching out to wipe a stray tear from her cheek. "We can't pretend that we don't feel anything for each other."

"How are you even still interested in me after seeing my face?"

"What are you talking about? You are beautiful, Renee. But I fell for who you are before anything else."

"But everyone is repulsed when they see me. Why aren't you?"

He frowned deeply as if what she said made no sense to him at all. His thumb brushed over her bottom lip, his eyes drinking in every inch of her face with adoration.

"They must not see what I see," he whispered before planting another single kiss on her mouth—a kiss that made her feel more beautiful than she ever had in all her life.

• • •

Author's note:

Don't worry, this is only part one! I'm sorry for having to split it up, it just was running longer than I had planned and I don't want to put out something that so lengthy that you lose interest. Plus, I haven't quite finished the ending yet but I really wanted to get this published tonight. Part two should be out tomorrow!

What are your thoughts on the story so far? Are you interested to see how things will end for Renee and Jungkook?

Thank you again, @Maveea, for being such an amazing best friend and a beautiful human being. I am lucky to have you. Thank you for inspiring me to write what I love ❤