Once upon a time, a rich merchant had three daughters. The youngest was so lovely that everyone called her Beauty. She was also the kindest — her older sisters were vain and selfish, but Beauty was gentle and good.

Then one day, the merchant lost everything. His ships sank in a storm, and the family was left with nothing. They moved to a small cottage in the country. The older sisters complained bitterly, but Beauty rolled up her sleeves and made the best of it.

After a year, the merchant heard that one of his ships had survived. He set out to find it, and before he left, he asked each daughter what she wanted him to bring back.

"Jewels!" said the eldest.

"Fine dresses!" said the second.

"Just a single rose, Father," said Beauty. "That's all I wish for."

But the ship's cargo turned out to be worthless. The merchant started home, poorer than before. On the way, he was caught in a snowstorm and lost in the forest.

Just when he thought he would freeze, he saw lights through the trees. He followed them to a magnificent castle. The gates were open. Inside, he found a fire burning, a table set with food, and a warm bed waiting. But there was no one in sight.

He ate, slept, and in the morning wandered into the castle garden. There he saw a bush covered in perfect red roses. He remembered Beauty's wish and picked one.

A terrible roar shook the garden. A huge creature appeared — part man, part beast, with claws and fangs and fierce, dark eyes.

"I gave you shelter, I gave you food, and you repay me by stealing my roses!" the Beast snarled. "For this, you will die!"

The merchant fell to his knees and explained about his daughter's wish. The Beast was silent for a moment.

"I will spare your life on one condition," he said. "Send me one of your daughters to live here willingly. If none will come, you must return yourself in three months."

The merchant went home and told his daughters everything. The older sisters turned to Beauty and said it was all her fault for asking for a rose.

"I'll go," said Beauty quietly. "I asked for the rose. This is my doing."

No matter how her father begged, she would not change her mind. She traveled to the castle alone.

The Beast was terrifying to look at. But he gave her beautiful rooms, fine clothes, and anything she wanted. Every evening, he came to dine with her. His voice was rough, but his words were gentle.

"Are you happy here, Beauty?" he would ask.

"You are very kind to me," she would say. And she meant it. The Beast was kind, in his clumsy, growling way.

Every evening, after dinner, the Beast asked her the same question: "Beauty, will you marry me?"

And every evening, Beauty said, "No, Beast. I cannot." She liked him. She even cared for him. But marry him? He was still a beast.

The Beast never grew angry. He only looked sad and lumbered away.

Months passed. Beauty had everything she could want — except her family. She missed her father terribly. The Beast gave her a magic mirror that could show her anything she wished to see. When she looked into it, she saw her father, ill in bed and heartbroken.

"Please let me go to him," she begged. "Just for one week."

The Beast looked at her with his dark, sad eyes. "Go," he said. "But promise you will return in seven days. If you don't, I will die of grief."

Beauty promised. She went home, and her father recovered the moment he saw her. The older sisters pretended to be glad, but secretly they were jealous of her fine clothes and her stories of the castle.

They convinced Beauty to stay just a little longer. One extra day. Then another. Then another.

On the tenth night, Beauty dreamed of the Beast. He was lying in the castle garden, near the rose bush, barely breathing.

She woke in a panic. "What have I done?" She rushed back to the castle as fast as she could.

She found the Beast on the ground, exactly as she had dreamed. His eyes were closed. He was cold and still.

"Beast!" she cried, kneeling beside him. She took his great paw in her hands. "Please don't die. I'm sorry I stayed away. I came back. I'm here."

She bent down and kissed him. "I love you," she whispered.

And in that moment, the Beast began to change. His claws softened into hands. His fur became skin. His dark eyes grew bright and human. Where the Beast had been, a young prince lay, looking up at her in wonder.

"You broke the spell," he said. "A witch cursed me long ago to live as a beast until someone loved me for who I truly was — not for how I looked."

Beauty looked at the prince. She could still see the Beast she had come to love — his gentleness, his patience, his kind, sad eyes.

"I do love you," she said. "I loved you before I knew you were anything but a beast."

They were married, and Beauty's father came to live with them in the castle. The roses in the garden bloomed all year round.