It all started with a young prince who lived in a castle deep in the forest. He had everything he could have ever wanted—yet he was never happy.
The prince was a very rude and arrogant person. If nothing appealed to him, it would make his temper rise even higher.
One day, an old beggar woman showed up at his door with a single emerald as an offering in exchange for shelter. The prince scowled at the gift, telling her to begone. In response, the elder woman told him not to judge a book by its cover—but the haughty prince refused to listen.
That was when she converted into her true form: that of a lovely maiden.
Fearing for his life, the prince tried to apologize to her, but she had already seen the hatefulness inside him, and placed a spell upon him and his assistants. Until he learned to love, the emerald that the woman left him would fade. If the emerald turned black, the prince would die.
However, if he loved someone and they loved him back, the spell would break. But who could ever love someone with the likeness of a beast?
