Belle noticed that she had startled the beast. She didn't say a word as he tried to make himself busy. Not that she didn't know he had been watching her, but she wanted to allow him to preserve his pride. As she saw him try to open a book and pierce the cover, Belle tried to choke a small laughter and bit her lip. His curse made her blush a little. After what she had seen in the morning, she was more tolerant of him, though.<br/><br/>When he came closer, she waited for him to feel more at ease. With a smile, she nodded before answering his question. After much thought, Belle had decided to be kind and polite to the beast, not out of fear, but out of compassion. "It is, thank you", she answered softly. To move her gaze away from the beast and make him less embarrassed, Belle resumed her needlework. "I hope you don't mind me being here. Jaques said it was all right", she said gently.<br/><br/>With a pause to pay attention to a part of her work, Belle sighed again. When she lifted her gaze, there was a hint of sadness in it. "Would you really have killed my father, Sir? I... I'm sorry if it is an inconvenient question." There were many others she wanted to ask, but, Belle considered, she would probably be there forever, so there would be plenty of time for questions.