Beauty and Beast [boyxboy]

02 The rose

"Is that so?
He did call me a humbug, you say?
Hmm, let's show him, then, who I really am and what I am capable of doing!", the old, hunched witch grinned while picking a red rose bud from a crystal pot.

She then emptied the content of a few small bottles into a huge pot filled with a viscous, disgusting liquid.

"So, you say that our new king would make our kingdom a laughingstock in the whole world!
I don't blame you that you hate him.
He will never be able to give the kingdom a heir, other kings will laugh at our country, maybe they will even declare war on Peony, and try to subdue us, when learning that our ruler is not manly enough to be a king!
Who would have thought that our beautiful and powerful kingdom could fall in a degenerate king's hands?
Dammit, a homosexual, perverted, deviant king for our beloved Peony!", the ugly crone screamed, while keep stirring a huge stick in the green, thick potion.

"And what is even more upsetting is that he wants to come with me at the ball.
I bet that he intends to confess his dirty feelings to Rose's heir.
What if the prince will think that Peony's entire royal lineage is degenerate?
What if Xiao Zhan will think that I, Yang Zi, am a sick weirdo, same as my cousin is? And that way all my plans to become Rose's queen will get ruined?
Or even worse, what if Xiao Zhan will like our king more than he would like me?
It has happened before, so fu*king many times!", the princess shouted, forgetting for a moment to speak and act graciously, like any noble princess would normally do.

"Don't worry my princess!
Worries can give you wrinkles, it's bad for your beauty!
I have no powers over somebody's feelings of love, I can assure you that nobody has, maybe only the big boss from above...God forgive me for what I have done, and also forgive me for what I am about to do!
I can't force someone to fall or to unfall in love, sadly.
But, still I can help you, in my own way.", the witch put her yellow teeth at display in a wide grin, sinking the rose in the potion.

"How can you help me, and why are you willing to help?
How can I repay you?
Do you want money, diamonds and gold jewelry, expensive clothes, valuable land properties?
I have plenty, just tell me what is your desire and I will give you!"

"Not any of those, we will talk later about my payment, though.
Firstly let me explain to you, the way I can help you.
You did see the rose bud, you saw that it was red, look at it now!", the witch smirked, pulling out from the pot a beautiful, stupendous green rose bud with stem, leaves and thorns on the color of blood.