Once upon a time there lived a rich merchant. His wife died leaving him with three daughters. All were beautiful, but the most beautiful was the youngest. One day the merchant set off to trade in faraway places, but before leaving on his long journey he bade his daughters live honestly and discreetly. He promised to bring each of them a present. The eldest daughter wanted to have a golden crown with precious stones, which could glow at night as brightly as a sunny day. The father thought and said: "Well, my dear daughter, I'll bring such a present for you, though it won't be easy." The middle daughter asked for a crystal mirror in which she could see all the beauties of the world and herself getting prettier and prettier, age notwithstanding. This errand seemed even harder to fulfill. But the father thought for a while and vowed to perform it.
The youngest daughter asked for a scarlet flower, which had to be the most beautiful in the whole world. "Your task is the hardest, my beloved daughter. It is not difficult to find a beautiful flower, but who can tell whether it's the best? But I'll try."
The merchant traded in various countries. Everywhere he went he looked for the promised presents. He succeeded in buying presents for his two eldest daughters. He came across scarlet flowers of untold beauty but each time doubted that it was the most beautiful in the world. He went on searching until he was attacked by robbers. The merchant escaped from them leaving all
his goods behind. Wandering in the forest he noticed that the further he went the better the road became. Finally he came to a meadow and saw a palace of silver and gold decorated with precious stones. The window and doors were open and music was playing inside, He stepped in and the splendour of the interior amazed him. Strangely enough not a soul was in sight.
"What a magnificent place!" he thought. "But, unfortunately, there is nothing to eat." All of a sudden there appeared a table with delicious food and drink upon it. After a heavy meal, the merchant wished to thank someone, but there was still nobody to be found. His wanderings had tired him and he felt sleepy. No sooner had the thought of bed entered his head than there appeared a golden bed with crystal legs before him. He lay down and thought: "If I could only see my daughters, at least in a dream." He fell asleep at once and saw his daughters in his dream. The elder two were merry and joyful. They were going to marry without their father's blessing. Only the youngest missed her father and was waiting for him.
The merchant got up in the morning to find that clean clothes had been prepared for him. After all that had happened he was not surprised that breakfast had been laid out. The guest was curious to see the entire palace. He was greatly impressed by the decoration of the chambers. Through the windows he could see well-tended gardens, flowers of rare beauty and unusual birds. Marble stairs with gold rails led to the gardens. A little way off atop a green hill he saw a scarlet flower of untold beauty. He realized that it was he had been looking for and plucked it.
The ground trembled under him, lightning flashed, thunder rolled and before his eyes appeared something half-beast, half-man. The monster roared: "Who dared to pluck my favorite flower from my own garden? I'm the owner of this palace and garden. I accepted you as my respected guest and that is how you pay back my hospitality. I want you to know that you will soon die for your base deed." His words echoed far away.
The merchant knelt down and pleaded for mercy. He told the creature about his three daughters and their wishes. He said he was sorry and ready to pay any price for the flower. The latter made the beast laugh: "I don't need your gold. I have more than enough of my own. No mercy for you! My servants will tear you to pieces. The only way for you to save your life is to bring one of your daughters here. I won't hurt her, and she will live in the palace as you have. I'm weary of being alone."
The merchant thought about his young daughters and burst into tears. "What shall I do if none of my daughters want to come here? I can't force them. And how one can get here anyway; it took me two years to reach this place, but by which roads, I don't remember."
"I don't want a prisoner, let one of your daughters come out of her love for you. If not, return for your execution. The ring I now give you will take you wherever you wish as soon as you put it on your little finger on your right hand. I will let you stay at home for three days and three nights."
The merchant thought for a while then decided to go and bid farewell to his daughters and return to the beast. The latter read his thoughts and gave him the ring. In an instant the old man found himself at the gate of his house and to his surprise saw a caravan with goods entering the yard. His daughters ran out of the house to greet him. They embraced and kissed him why he was wearing such a grim expression. He promised to tell them the following day and suggested they spend his first day back joyously. The eldest daughters were very pleased with the presents. The youngest one took the scarlet flower reluctantly and burst into bitter tears.
Soon guests arrived and a feast went on till midnight. The following day the father told his daughters what had happened to him. The eldest daughters said since the scarlet flower was the cause of the troubles, the youngest must save their father. She knelt before her father: "Bless me, my beloved father. I'll go to the beast."
Everyone in the house cried but the youngest did not show any sorrow, gathered her belongings, bade farewell to her family and the servants, and with assistance of the ring soon found herself in the beast's palace. She looked round the chambers, went to the garden, to the place where her father had plucked the flower, intending to plant it. But the flower flew out of her hand and grew onto its old stem by itself.
She returned to the palace. The table was laid for her and she thought: "The beast doesn't seem to be angry with me and he might be a merciful master." While she was thinking these thoughts words appeared on a marble wall: "I'm not your master; I'm your obedient slave. You are my mistress and your every wish is my command."
She lived in luxury and contentment enjoying the fulfillment of her wishes and embroidering various articles for her affectionate master. She liked visiting the marble chamber to speak tender words to him and read his answers on the wall. She wanted to see him and to hear his voice. She begged him to appear before her but he refused. At last he gave in, and she heard a harsh, hoarse voice. The girl shivered inside, but was able to conceal her reaction. He spoke sensibly and sweetly, and she soon grew accustomed to his voice. She would ask him: "Are you there, my kind and beloved lord?" and the beast answered: "I'm here, my fair lady, your true slave and devoted friend," and she was no more afraid of his harsh voice and their conversations lasted many an hour.
The girl insisted on seeing him. To this he answered: "Don't ask me that. Don't beg me, my fair one, to show you my ugly face and my wicked body. Naturally the time came when he could not resist her imploring any longer: "I love you more than myself and for this reason I'll fulfil your wish, though I know that it will bring me close to my death."
He showed himself from afar. She looked and fainted, so ugly was he. A cry from the beast restored her to consciousness. Earlier he had allowed her to leave the palace at will and he thought the time came when she would avail herself of that liberty. However, she felt pity for him: "Don't be afraid, my kind and tender master. I won't leave you. It's only seeing you for the first time I have became a little frightened." Next day her fears had vanished and their conversations were even sweeter.
One day she saw in a dream that her father was sick. The beast let her go and see her father, but warned her that unless she returned three days and three nights later he would die, being unable to live without her. She promised to return an hour ahead of the set time, then no sooner had she put the ring on the little finger on her right hand and she found herself at home. She told her father and her sisters about her life without concealing a thing. The father was glad to hear that she was enjoying her life and had no fear of the beast, and sisters were even jealous of her luxurious life. On the third day they began trying to talk her out of returning to the beast. She would not hear mention of it. "If I repay my kind and tender lord for all his favour and love with his death my life will not be worth living," she answered.
Her father praised her, but her sisters put all the clocks in the house back one hour. As the time of her departure approached she felt embarrassed looking at the clocks while her sisters kept on begging her to stay and trying to make her forget the time. Finally she parted with everybody and just a minute before time appeared in the beast's palace. The silence inside was deafening. No birds were singing in the green gardens, the spring had stopped running, music was not playing. She understood something had happened. She called out loud to the beast, but nobody answered. She ran to the hill where her scarlet flower was growing. There she saw the beast lying on the ground with the scarlet flower in his ugly paws. She seized one of his hairy paws and tried to wake him, but it was too late; he was dead. She kneeled down, embraced his head with her white hands and burst into tears: "Awake, my sweetheart. I love you as my desired bridegroom…" At these words there came a flash of lightning, the earth trembled with thunder and the maiden fainted. She regained consciousness in the marble chamber sitting on a golden throne bestrewn with precious stones. A young handsome king with a crown on his head embraced her and said:" So you did love me, my fair one, for my kindness and love for you despite my beastly form. Love me now that I have recovered my human appearance, and be my wife." He explained her love and wish to marry him had freed him from the curse put on him by an enemy of his father's.
The old merchant blessed the couple. The wedding was then celebrated, and all lived happily ever after.

(Based on Russian folk tale. English language retelling was done by Vadim Shchanitsyn)