𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐃 | 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬

𝐗𝐈𝐈. 𝐃𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭

𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐓 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐊 down on her plate as she finished the last bite that she could muster bringing herself to eat. The servants had prepared so much food, too much for simply two people to eat alone, but it had felt rude to not try at least a small portion of everything served.

The beast on the other hand, well, he had no trouble at at all scarfing down another decadent duck leg. She averted her eyes and lifted the napkin from her lap to wipe the corners of her mouth.

"This was amazing," Celine finally broke the silence, "You'll have to give my compliments to the chef."

"Chef Bouche has a way with food that he considers genius." The beast nodded his head in agreement, setting down the bone of the duck leg.

There was a brief pause of awkward silence. It wasn't that Celine had nothing to say. In fact, it was the opposite, she was bursting at her sides with a million questions; however, she didn't want to push her luck of hospitality.

"Why did you agree to let Belle go?" Celine cautiously asked. "One dinner hardly seems to equal the severity that you consider thievery."

The beast rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as if avoiding the question. It was odd to see such a large creature uncomfortable by her small presence.

Slowly, he clumsily explained, "It's been awhile since we last had visitors here at the castle—"

"Ten years to be exact, right?" She interrupted with another question, but offered a silent apology at his look of confusion. "Your candlestick sang about it when serving dinner."

"I think he's a candelabra," the beast corrected playfully, catching her off-guard.

"Is there a difference?"

The beast nodded his head. "The branching arms hold more candles than a single candlestick... and I'm circling off-topic."

She released a gentle laugh. "Yes, but that's how conversations go sometimes, one subject to the next."

The beast nodded his head in thought then answered her original question. "That's why I extended an invitation to dinner... You weren't exactly afraid of me when we first met, were you?"

Celine shrugged and played with her fingers. "I was more focused on the fact that my friend was locked away."

"You looked as if you were ready to sacrifice everything for this friend," the beast noted.

"Belle means a lot to me," Celine admitted, "she's the only person back in my village that seems to understand me."

"Your village doesn't sound like much of a pleasant place to live."

Celine shrugged. "It's the only home I've ever known though."

"Can you really call it home if you'd rather be anywhere else?" The beast asked.