Black Magic ▸ Prince Adam

I

CELESTE IS FIESTY

"MAMA, I CAN start working again."

"There's no place to work, dear." Agathe told her daughter, giving her a sympathetic smile. "There are only so much to do in a small village like this."

There was an unspoken message in that statement, one they both knew. No one would hire someone who was the daughter of a beggar, especially one born out of wedlock. Celeste didn't know her father and that was how Agathe liked to keep it, she didn't want her daughter knowing her lowlife of a father. She didn't care if she was a beggar for the rest of her life, not as long as she still had Celeste.

"Maybe if I knew my father...." Celeste trailed off and gave her mother a hopeful look.

Agathe's smile fell as she patted her daughter's cheek. "Nice try, Celeste."

The brunette groaned and practically stomped away from the makeshift cottage, which was really more of a hut made out of fallen tree branches and twigs. It definitely wasn't the best living conditions but it shielded Celeste and her mother from the elements, for the most part. She never complained though, except for the occasional downpour that would have everything inside the home soaked. It was all she ever knew and she didn't have a problem with that. She would rather live there for the rest of her life than be married off to someone she didn't even like, let alone love.

Celeste began making her way to Villeneuve, which was only a few short minutes walk from the hut on the outskirts of the village. Every morning was the same, almost exactly the same. She would run into Belle, typically at Pere Robert's, and she would tell her all about the books she had read, despite the fact that it was more than likely one they had already both read. It had become an unspoken ritual among them, ever since Belle taught Celeste how to read when they were younger.

The church was Celeste's safe space. Not because she was religious, but because it was the only place she didn't have to listen to the constant gossiping of the villagers, not that she cared. She just wanted somewhere to clear her head for at least some period of time during the day. He, along with Belle and Maurice, were the only ones that accepted her without a second thought.

The brunette said her usual greetings to the same people as she did every morning, always putting a smile on her face to act as if she were happy to see them. She didn't have a problem with most villagers, but she was exhausted with the same routine every song day.

"Ah, there she is." Pere Robert greeted Celeste with a smile as soon as she entered the vestry of the church and let out a sigh of relief once the doors closed, muffling much of the outside noise. The priest set down the book he was reading and got up from his seat across the room. He picked up the plate of bread and jam and handed it to the girl. "Breakfast, Madame."

Celeste smiled and quickly took the plate from the man. "Thank you, Monsieur." She said before taking a seat on one of the tables against the wall, leaning against it before setting the plate on her lap and taking a bite out of the bread. As she got older, she began to dislike the taste of it, but considering it was essentially the only thing people would give her and Agathe, she dealt with it. She always promised herself whenever she got money, she would never eat bread unless she had to.

"You and your mother are always welcome here." The priest reminded Celeste. "There isn't much food, but it is something."

"I know." Celeste nodded, giving him a smile. "I appreciate it, I really do.... But my mother does not want to impose, and I don't like the idea of her being alone out there." She finished just before Belle entered the building.

"Good morning, Belle." Pere Robert greeted the young woman with a smile while Celeste only waved as she devoured her food. "Where did you run off to this week?"