Fear was beginning to grip his heart, making it beat faster. He watched from his mother's side as his elder brother was questioned by a strange man who had shown up at the master's house suddenly the previous day. The man had spoken with the master in hushed tones which frightened him, especially when he and his brother were summoned to be introduced to the unknown man. They were examined carefully by both men before being dismissed so their elders could talk cheerfully about business.

That night, he was pulled aside by his brother as they readied themselves for bed, loose gowns set on the bed to be worn once they scrubbed themselves clean.

"Frère." He looked up at his older brother with questioning eyes. "I think that man wants me for work. That means I won't be here anymore to take care of you and teach you."

"He won't take you," he chirped innocently, not seeing the sadness settle on the other boy's face as he turned away to tug on his nightclothes. All he could do was smile, assuming all had been fixed with his simple statement.

Clearly, as the men spoke the following morning, the issue was not so easily remedied. He felt the prickles of unease settling over him and his mother as his brother nodded and promised to be ready in an hour's time at most. He startled a little as his name was called and he shuffled forward. He stopped before the master, lifting his chin to look up at the gentleman. His brother looked on, pity filling his gaze.

"Say goodbye to your brother," the master said coolly. "You will help him pack. He is to become a part of Monsieur Chaput's staff."

"Lumière!" Cogsworth shouted having had enough of his maître d' lounging about like the day would suddenly wait for him to finish his little breaks. Dinner preparations couldn't wait, not with important guests on their way; guests who would most likely be eager to eat after the long trip from their lavish home to the castle. He continued to angrily call for the source of his numerous headaches only to abruptly halt when Belle exited the library, Lumière at her heels with his arms filled with books. Cogsworth hastily bowed to acknowledge the princess' rank. "Your majesty!"

"Hello, Cogsworth," Belle said. She smiled as the man stood straight once more. "I'm terribly sorry, I heard you calling for him but I had him busy helping me."

"It's not a problem, Madame, he just needs to get to work preparing for dinner. After all, you have important guests coming tonight!"

"Oh Cogsworth, you know I'll have everything ready in time. Even if I'm not a timepiece like you. I do a marvelous job taking care of the dining room!" Lumière boasted. He merely grinned when Cogsworth pinned him with a glare.

His words had had the desired effect, earning a giggle from the tired looking woman. He was always one to prefer spending time with the female half of the population, and while it was merely as friends, Belle was no exception. Especially now that she and her husband Prince Adam were expecting their first child. The former candelabra eagerly accepted any opportunity to assist the young woman in her daily tasks, since it allowed him to be helpful and kind to her, as well as a reason to avoid Cogsworth for a while.

"Lumière, you should go, I can carry my books from here, Belle said, holding her hands out. She was surprised when the man turned away from her and suddenly dumped the load into the arms of the unsuspecting Cogsworth. His actions caused the head of the household to yelp.

"Be a gentleman and help the woman with her books, Cogsworth. After all, it would be rude to force an expectant mother to carry such heavy things," Lumière declared. He dipped into a bow to give his respect to Belle before walking off. Cogsworth was left struggling with the heavy burden and tried hard not to let them crash to the ground onto his own feet.

"U-um, my lady? Where do you need these to be taken?"

Belle eased a few out of his hands then led him to the sitting room she found herself using the most. She found that people only used it when they had reason to, such as her prince speaking with a guest or two. The maids visited it on occasion to clean and they would leave her sitting in the corner in her fortress of books if she asked them to.

More often lately, she found herself needing to be alone, something that was hard to actually achieve in the castle, since there were so many people living within it that being alone was a rare treat. Especially since she was pregnant, leading the others to worry about her to the point she sometimes felt like she would go mad or suffocate. But she knew it was their way of showing that they cared and so she couldn't be mad at them for it. It just made her try a little harder to find places to stay where she could read in peace.

She was lightly pulled from her thoughts when Cogsworth placed the books atop one of the numerous piles decorating the area around a worn, comfortable chair. He turned to her with eyes on the floor, as if he were uncomfortable in her presence.

"Madam, I'm afraid you'll have to excuse me. I need to be sure everything is going well in the kitchen. Things will go to pieces if someone isn't there to make sure everything is done right!"

Belle simply smiled. Once he was out of sight, she curled up to immerse herself in a fictional world, content to stay that way for hours.

Alas, she was needed long before she could read away the night. Her husband brought her from the sitting room to the dining room, where she sat through dinner with a wealthy couple she could not for the life of her remember. Perhaps part of the reason she felt absent from the conversation was the fact she found herself more interested in her staff than the rich man and woman seated with her.

Lumière himself stood near the door, assisting with serving them well, staying close to Babette's side as the maid worked to keep their glasses filled. A few other servers loitered nearby, watching the festivities for any sign that something was needed. Belle couldn't help but marvel at how smoothly the staff worked, even when Cogsworth appeared to check on how things were going. It made her wonder; their seamless execution of what was expected betrayed years of practice working with one another at such events.

Curiosity began to eat at her, making her pull Adam aside, after the guests were escorted to their rooms to rest for the night, to question him on it.

"How long has everyone worked here?"

"Most of them were here before I was born. You would have to ask them yourself, Belle," he apologetically replied. He touched her cheek, his hand moving down to her belly after a moment. "You can ask them in the morning."