Question: where does the story beauty and the beast take place

title: Beauty and the Beast
text: During his return , the merchant becomes lost during a storm . Seeking shelter , he enters a dazzling palace . A hidden figure opens the giant doors and silently invites him in . The merchant finds tables inside laden with food and drink , which seem to have been left for him by the palace 's invisible owner . The merchant accepts this gift and spends the night there . The next morning , as the merchant is about to leave , he sees a rose garden and recalls that Beauty had desired a rose . Upon picking the loveliest rose he can find , the merchant is confronted by a hideous `` Beast '' which tells him that for taking his most precious possession after accepting his hospitality , the merchant must die . The merchant begs to be set free , arguing that he had only picked the rose as a gift for his youngest daughter . The Beast agrees to let him give the rose to Beauty , but only if the merchant or one of his daughters will return . Beauty