"Could you...tell me one of them?" Beast was careful and quiet, since asking nicely was something he had done only on very rare occasions. "I always used to like it when the servants would read stories to me, even though I could never read very well..."

He looked away from Belle, embarrassed to mention that in front of her when she was so enthusiastic about books. He might have even told her about it before, but it had been a long time. What he forgot was that he hadn't mentioned the castle or his servants often either.