Yay it's once again Saturday! I just moved into my new uni and new dorm 3 days ago and am feeling so nervous and lonely and just a tiny bit homesick D: I don't know how I imagined my uni life would be like but it definitely wasn't this. Anyway, I'm gonna stop whining and let you all enjoy this chapter. As always, beta credits to Felicia.

Chapter 9
Countdown: 7 days

The Beast had given her a mirror that she now held in her hand before she left the castle in the morning. He had said that it was a 'magic mirror', and had taught her how to use it. His last words when he saw her off were deeply etched in her mind.

"Promise me you'll come back, Elizabeth, promise me!" He had pled in an anguished whisper. She had merely nodded her ascent as she stared into his very familiar-looking deep blue eyes.

"One week, no more!" He had cried, pulling her into his arms into an emotional embrace. She nodded again, wide-eyed.

"Come back to me…" His last words were no more than a heart-felt prayer, spoken so softly and with so much grief and heartache that Elizabeth couldn't bear to be near him for one more second, for fear that her heart might break for him and thus be persuaded to stay. She had quickly nodded again, before scrambling out of his arms and into a splendid carriage that he had made ready for her.

Fitzwilliam had penned a letter to his sister, Georgiana, asking for a small favour before he went to bed the night before. He had then spent half the night watching his beautiful Elizabeth sleep so peacefully in his magic mirror, thanking whatever superior and divine power that had allowed him to have a glimpse and a taste, however brief, of what life would be like to have a loved one to share it with. The other half of his night was spent wallowing in self-pity.

As Fitzwilliam watched the love of his life ride away in his carriage, he felt his heart break into a million little pieces. It was as if Elizabeth had taken away a big chunk of his heart away as she rode off his castle ground. He couldn't even discreetly watch her from his mirror, now that he had given it to her in hope that she wouldn't forget him.

The only other gift he had given her, apart from the mirror, was a single red rose. It seemed an appropriate enough parting gift, as after all, it was one single red rose that had brought her into his life.

Elizabeth's journey home was fairly smooth. When she got out of her carriage and knocked on the door of her old home, she was all giddy with excitement.

It was Mary who opened the door to an Elizabeth who was almost bursting with happiness.

"Lizzy?" Mary stared at her in disbelief. Then suddenly realising that it wasn't apparition she was seeing, she squealed in delight, and then ran forward to hug her sister.

"Mary!" Elizabeth exclaimed as she greeted her sister, and then let out a small yelp of surprise as she was pulled into a tight, affectionate embrace by her usually bookish, shy and introverted younger sibling.

"Goodness, Lizzy, is it really you?! We've missed you so much! Wait till the others see you! Oh, Father has been so sick since you've gone missing! And I dare say Kitty and Lydia have been somewhat more tamed and helpful with the housework since you've been gone. Oh, Lizzy! I've missed you so much!" Mary gushed, non-stop. She caught her breath and hugged her lost sister tightly once more, and then turned around and shouted into the house, "Papa, Jane, Kitty, Lydia! Look who's back!"

As multiple footsteps were heard rushing down from the wooden stairs, Mary ushered Elizabeth into the house and closed the front door behind them.

Jane was the next to see Elizabeth and after letting out a gasp and then a squeal, like Mary before her, dashed towards her and pulled her sister into a warm hug. Lydia and Kitty soon joined their two older sisters, and then Mary was beckoned forward to join their group hug. Jane, Mary, Kitty and Lydia peppered their lost sister with questions and kisses. The youngest two, still not rid of all their bad habits, spent a fair amount of time gushing and fawning over Elizabeth's new gown, shoes, headgear and the carriage they had spotted outside their house. Elizabeth had sensed Lydia's jealousy, and for a few minutes had been worried that she would do something daft, such as going back to the palace in her place, but the thought was banished from her mind as quickly as it had entered.

As the group of girls slowly parted, Elizabeth saw her father standing by a doorway, leaning against the wooden pain. He looked paler and thinner than she last saw him, and his hair had all gone quite white.

"Papa!" Elizabeth blurted and flew into his embrace. Her already watery eyes immediately overflowed as two lines of tears ran down her rosy cheeks. "Oh, Papa, I've missed you so much!" She sobbed against her father's shoulder as he ran a comforting hand through her brown tresses.

"I've missed you too, dearest Lizzy. Now, don't cry, poppet. You're home now, all will be well," he said soothingly, and then planted a few kisses on the crown of her head.

The next few days passed in a flurry for Elizabeth and her family. She slept exceedingly well back in her own, familiar bed. The blue-eyed prince of her dreams no longer haunted her here at home. And with the Beast's mirror shoved into a faraway corner in one of her drawers and her extravagant gowns and accessories all hidden in Lydia's wardrobe, Elizabeth completely forgot about the Beast and her promise to return to him. Her two youngest sisters who had never shown much care or affection for her crowded around her every day, telling her of how their lives had changed since the day she disappeared. Elizabeth was most touched by their displays, to say the least, though she knew that in essentials, Lydia and Kitty were still much the same – two lively and too carefree girls.

Elizabeth was kept busy every second since her return, catching up with the running of the household (which she and Jane had used to share responsibility for), meeting up with old neighbours and going shopping with her sisters. Just like the old times, she spent a great portion of her time in her father's study as well, playing chess, reading, and debating with him.

On the fifth day of his favourite daughter's return, Mr. Bennet received a letter sealed with wax, stamped with an unfamiliar royal emblem. It read:

Dear Sir,

I have recently heard from my brother of your misfortunes at sea which resulted in the ruination of your merchandise and family's finance and fortunes. My brother claims to know your daughter intimately and have thus generously decided to restore whatever amount of goods etc. that you have lost in the tempest at sea.

I am not at the liberty to disclose my brother's name, but please be assured that he is a most trustworthy and respectable person.

Please write me back the exact or estimated amount your lost goods costed that you wish to be restored. I will have a trusted messenger deliver the money to your home as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely,

HRH Georgiana Bingley

Princess of Netherfield

Lydia immediately exclaimed over the letter and their 'good luck and fortunes'. "La, a princess! A Princess Georgiana of Netherfield no less! She wrote to us – a princess wrote to us! God must have finally taken pity on us. Quickly pen a reply to her letter, Papa. Will we be moving back to our old house? Oh, just think of all the new fancy dresses and fashionable bonnets! We can finally buy colourful, new gowns that are in season now! And we will not have to work anymore. Oh, Kitty, can you imagine it all?"

Kitty, who had already been daydreaming about their new life, agreed with Lydia vociferously. The younger girls let out a deafeningly high-pitched squeal, and then giggled in excitement.

"Papa, what are you going to do about it? Who is this mysterious brother?" Elizabeth asked in concern, her voice cutting through her youngest sisters' high-pitched voices.

"And which of the five of us is she speaking about, Papa?" the usually unsuspecting Jane asked.

"I don't know, my dears. Perhaps I shall find that out when I write her back. We lose nothing if we give her the amount I lost anyway," their father responded while quietly contemplating how he should compose his reply. "Don't worry, girls, she does seem quite sincere and honest."

Though still feeling slightly pensive, Elizabeth, Jane and Mary all nodded in assent. Thus, a short letter was quickly penned and sent out to the return address, and the family of six waited eagerly for the reply which two days later in the form of a messenger.

"Mr. William Collins at your service, Sir." Mr Bennet made out the silhouette of a short and stout man against the dim moonlight as he executed a ridiculous bow. His hands held a thick package bound neatly by strings.

Mr. Bennet had quickly opened the package to find the exact amount of money he had requested in his letter to the Princess of Netherfield along with a short note. He immediately composed a quick letter of thanks and further inquired into the identity of this mysterious brother who he and his family owed their gratitude towards.

"Who do you work for, Mr. Collins?" Mr. Bennet asked as he handed the man his reply.

"Why, Her Royal Highness the Princess of Netherfield, of course!" He replied feelingly, as if affronted by Mr. Bennet's ignorance. "Her Highness is the kindest and most generous of rulers and I feel most privileged and thankful to be working for her."

"And who is her brother, do you know?"

"Ah well, rumour has it that he died a few years before she ascended the throne of Pemberley. But there are, of course, many theories behind his alleged death that many believe was but a disappearance from the public eye. Some say that our Princess fought and succeeded in escaping from her abusive brother by locking him into a room in the castle. I have also heard stories of him being cursed by a witch, or–"

Mr. Bennet interrupted the man's monologue. "Pemberley, you say?"

"Yes, Sir."

Upon receiving this information, Mr. Bennet thanked the man and made a mental note to himself to talk through his suspicions with his second daughter on the morrow.

The clock's ticking fast! Think Lizzy will make it before Darcy's curse becomes permanent?