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Prior to the spell being broken, Belle and Adam had connected over the common feeling of being left out. Adam had claimed that laughter died when he entered a room, and he felt like a stranger to the people he had spent his entire life with. Belle, on the other hand, never quite fit in with the simple villagers back in Villeneuve. They had grown up in two very different settings, yet they still experienced the same feeling of loneliness and misunderstanding wherever they went.
This had changed after the spell had been broken. The village people came to their senses and realized how cunning Belle really was with her endless knowledge and her lust for a good adventure. Like her father had always said, those who didn't understand mocked people until they found themselves imitating them. Belle didn't take this change in behavior in a spiteful way, but instead she embraced the newfound interest in things like reading books and wanting something more than a boring life.
Of course, the change wasn't sudden by any means. Marie was still late with the baguettes every morning, and Monsieur Jean still misplaced his hat or his tools from time to time. While these occurrences still remained the same, some things were different, like the fact that girls could attend lessons with the boys at school. Belle taught reading classes to those who wanted to learn. Maurice's practice with inventing wasn't seen as odd or crazy anymore, now people often regarded him as a genius. For Villeneuve, life was starting to progress forward in the same way that Adam had regained his easiness and friendship with his servants.
While Belle often frequented the village, Adam had never gone with her. Belle had often thought to ask, but the thought of the greatest being in her life being exposed to such a vulnerable part of who she used to be frightened her. Adam mentioned going with her, assisting her with the reading classes and whatnot, but Belle was hesitant. For some reason, she thought that if he saw her old, commoner lifestyle, he would think less of her, even though she knew Adam wasn't someone to judge another person on their background.
Besides, Belle would love to have Adam by her side, reading sections from books to the villagers. They often read aloud to each other in the comfort of the castle, and Adam's reading voice was one of Belle's favorite things. Who was she to be selfish and keep that to herself?
One night, she approached Adam while he was in the library, readying novels for her trip to the village tomorrow. This was a ritual they practiced almost every week: Adam would help Belle pick out books that would be best fit for the villagers, since he had read all of the ones that weren't in Greek, and Belle unfortunately hadn't been able to tackle every book so far.
When Adam heard Belle come in, he looked up from the book he was examining, and grinned.
"I was just finishing up here," Adam said, placing the book into the basket.
Belle watched him for a second, then said, "Would you like to join me tomorrow morning? I could show you around the village, and you could help with the reading lesson if you like."
"That would be lovely," Adam replied, then he smiled smugly, "But if I'm going with you, then we're going to need to bring something special."
☾
When Belle and Adam had arrived to the village, the town hadn't woken up for their day of chores yet. Belle really wasn't sure how Adam would react to seemingly the entire town coming alive right at the turn of the hour, but she knew it would be a startling experience indeed. Belle watched the clock tick toward the twelve, and when it did, windows opened, people walked out of their doors, and the town was bustling with energy.
Adam laughed a bit, then said, "Their timing is truly incredible."
"I still wonder how they manage to do that every single day. Do they stand outside of their doors, waiting for the big clock to chime? Why must they wait for a specific time of the morning to start their day?" Belle thought out loud, nodding at the villagers who passed by her and Adam.
The village people did seem a bit shy to be in the presence of the prince. A few even tried to awkwardly bow or curtsy, but Adam always insisted that he be treated just like everyone else. That was something else Belle loved about him, he never had the sense of entitlement that Mrs. Potts said he used to have about him. Adam was truly the best, happiest version of himself, and Belle basked in it.
Belle spotted the baker with his tray of bread and rolls, and like always, she approached him and exchanged currency for two rolls. She handed one to Adam, and that's when she spotted Jean Potts, bent over, searching under a nearby table.
"Good morning Monsieur Jean, are you searching for something?" Belle asked.
"My glasses, I seem to have misplaced them," Jean said, looking between the glass plates that were arranged around the table.
Belle giggled, plucking the glasses from the top of his head, "You mean these?"
Jean looked up, delighted, "Oh! Yes, those! Thank you Belle, I don't know what I would do without you. You're just as good at finding things as Mrs. Potts, and you're just as good as hiding things as little Chip!"
"He's always been quite the playful one. Will we see you today at the schoolroom for reading lessons?" Belle queried, putting her arm around Adam's.
"Are you reading books about potters?"
"No, but we are reading about romance and adventures," Belle said excitedly, trying to make the class sound as appealing as possible.
Jean shook his head, "I'll skip out on today. Mrs. Potts and I are taking Chip out to Paris this afternoon. It'll be his first visit to the big city."
"That'll be so wonderful for him, do say hello them for me and Adam, will you?" Belle said.
"Of course. Well, I better be off then, I'll see you tomorrow, Belle! It was nice to see you Adam, you know, you should come around the village more often," Monsieur Jean suggested, starting to mount his horse.
Adam nodded, "I'll try, it's always nice to see you."
They exchanged goodbyes, then Belle and Adam were off to their next stop, which was the school. As they were walking, Belle noticed Adam staring at her, and when she asked why, he gave her a response that made her heart flutter.
"I love seeing you talk to the villagers. You get on so easily with them, and I really love seeing you be so open and free in a place where you used to feel like the odd one out. The people here have really come to love you," Adam said as they entered the school.
Belle grinned, "And I love that I'm able to share it with you."
The classroom was already full by time Belle and Adam had arrived. Belle smiled at all of her familiar students: the three girls who used to pine over Gaston had formed a circle in the middle of the room, pining over their new love interests of the week; LeFou and Stanley often sat in the back corner, holding hands and sharing apples that Stanley had accidentally borrowed from the marketplace; Tom and Dick, Gaston's henchmen, sat near LeFou and Stanley, often discussing their latest hunting ventures; and so many other people had turned up to learn how to read. Seeing all of the people that once thought Belle was a "funny girl" now want to indulge in the very thing they mocked her for filled her with utmost joy.
"Good morning everyone, Adam decided he wanted to help teach you all today," Belle announced, "First, we'll do like we always do: I'll read some of the book first, then we'll pass it around and each read a bit out loud."
Belle opened the basket to reveal the first book, and she was surprised to find William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet facing her. It was her favorite book, and Adam definitely knew that. This must have been the surprise he was talking about.
Belle held the book in her hands, then said to Adam, "How about we read it together?"
Adam obliged, and they took turns reading in front of the class that morning. As Adam read passages of her favorite book out loud, Belle couldn't help but be glad that he was here with her, bringing so much light to the village that she once wanted so desperately to escape from. Now Belle realized that maybe she never needed a reason to escape, she needed a reason that would make her want to stay.