How did one make a monster fall in love?
The textbook version says be different from other women. Do not scream when he is being himself. Accept the monster. Love the monster. Tame the monster. It was like that in every movie I watched, every book I read.
When a dragon went berserk, all the female character had to do was not be scared of the flames, walk through it and touch the dragon's snout. After all, when the Devil stole Eve from the first man, all she'd done was cup the head of the huge serpent and ask if it was lost. It was the same in every mythology, every fairytale.
Meaning? There was a method to the madness.
So when Prince Ruin shows up to breakfast in a half-buttoned shirt and tailored pants, an askew tie and hair that looks like he'd run his fingers through a million times and an unpleasant expression that read, "Fuck off," I smile, rising to my feet and I kiss his cheek tenderly with a chipper, "Good morning!"
