The dining room was eerily quiet. Belle had never seen it so lifeless. She stopped at the door, feeling as if she had trespassed on some sanctity that the castle had still kept hidden from her. She had thought she had come to know it so well, and yet...

But the candles were all lit, and at least an hour's worth of wax had dribbled to the stubs. That was part of what made it feel so sanctified, she thought. There was a solemnity, almost a cathedral quality to it.

"Please, sit."

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