First impression when I read the first panel: Mrs. Beauty, this is no time to be searching for potential love interests for your daughters. Stop while you're ahead.
And as utterly lame as it is to say "actually, I did make that connection" after it's been pointed out...well, actually, eye did make that connection...
I was amused that it turned out Beast quoted Beauty's own mother to her :) pretty sure that's how it went down, anyway.
She's such a mom here - at this point in time, her daughters are very young, perhaps she herself isn't more than ten or twelve years older than Argus was... I'd guess she's maybe barely into her thirties, just enough time to get firmly entrenched in the motherly mindset and start looking at everyone younger than her as somebody's grown child, with the accompanying compassion.
Well! It's been a while since I've been here and look what's happened! (I couldn't stand the break-up angst and so I decided to wait a little so I could read it all at once)
I actually laughed out loud when I read the first panel. :) It was so unexpected! And it just delighted me how "motherly" she is talking/acting/thinking. Also, I really appreciated how Beauty and the Beast's farewell was crafted. Well done as always! I'll stick around for a bit and see how this fascinating conversation plays out.
So this is interesting. Beauty's mother has enough of an understanding to see its workings, to some extent. She can see that the Beast has only "recently" been added to the castle--recently from her perspective seems to mean within the last few hundred years or so. She can also see that he's still a young man--that the magic is keeping him from aging physically and mentally. That's awful, in a way, but it also addresses the potential squick factor of his future relationship with Beauty. Even though he's been around for a few centuries, he's not actually all that much older than Beauty in body or soul, which is a definite relief. As a side note, I adore the Beast's body language and facial expression in the final panel. It really shows just how far your art has come since Act One.
I dont believe in secondary intents at this Point.
She wants to see who she is dealing with and sees right behind his mask.
And he is surprized she can see the Young man he really is.
So she knows Magic. And doesnt care for beastly Looks. Surprize surprize.
Also, eternally stopped in my Terrible Twenties? No thanks.