"Students!" Miss Bustier called, walking into the classroom of Class 3B of College François Dupont to her desk, everyone standing up and reluctantly dropping their conversations "Before we start our new history topic, I have an important and exciting announcement."
Before anyone could find out what their teacher could say Marinette Dupain-Cheng came barreling through the door in a blur of pink, white and gray, skidding to a halt before she knocked over Mme. Bustier. Her hair was frizzy and her cheeks dusted pink from the December cold before deepening from embarrassment at the fact that her whole class was staring at her.
Still panting from her sprint to school, Marinette glancing up at a startled Mme. Bustier she quickly muttered a stuttered mix of an apology and an excuse, walking up the steps and collapsing tiredly into her seat, the class watching her go.
Mme. Bustier turned and shut her classroom door, coughing slightly to gain the class' attention as she went.
"Pr- Marinette, please come and talk to me after class." She began, staring up at the horrified teen, "Now before Marinette arrived, I was going to tell you about the surprise trip we will be going on next week..."
Marinette's attention was no longer on her shoes.
"...to China..."
The words slowly began hit her in waves, and staring at her teacher in absolute horror, she began to pray silently in her head Please not my cori...
"To view the city of Lhasa for two weeks."
Oh no, please don't let it be... Marinette tried her best not to look freaked out, but she was doing a very bad job and Alya had caught on to the terror clearly placed on her face. She knew Marinette had lived in China until she was 11, and then she transferred to Paris for high school. But she never talked about it, and Alya knew her best friend wouldn't spill easily, but she was on the case.
This was a job for a reporter.
Mme. Bustier continued, "The most of the first week will be spent in the city, and the second will be in the palace itself! We have been very graciously invited by the Royal Family themselves to stay in the palace and have a personal tour and history."
The room became a ruckus very quickly. Kim and Alix were already making bets about who could get around the entire hotel faster, and then the palace. Marinette was procrastinating and knew exactly what Mme. Bustier would say next, but she hung on to a tiny hope, that was as thin as tracing paper by now, that they would not be invited to...
"We have also been specially invited to the Crown Princess of China's coronation, which is an honour and a privilege, considering nobody has ever seen the Princess or the current King and Queen in public before. However, I received a personal correspondence inviting us to attend. Consider yourselves extremely lucky." Mme. Bustier said, bursting into a large smile that Marinette thought could outdo the sun any day, and when she said that she glanced straight at Marinette, which burned brightly into her soul.
Meanwhile, Marinette registered screams of excitement and miscellaneous movement behind her, as her brain began to focus on one thing, and one thing only.
Marinette stared, extremely gobsmacked, back at Mme Bustier.
She knows.
I don't want them to find out. Not like this. I don't want to leave Paris, I don't want them to treat me differently. What will Alya think? Nino, Adrien, my friends? Will they be angry at me for hiding this? Not just this, but being Ladybug and a Princess too? How will I protect Paris from another country? Is this my last week in Paris?
Marinette began to have a meltdown, all her secret fears boiling over and exploding her brain at once, slowly melting her current icily frozen face to a look of worry, horror and upset mixed together in an awful mess across her features.
Mme. Bustier, Alya, and even Nino and Adrien at this point had noticed that Marinette was not all that excited about the trip, and returning to her homeland.
"Marinette..." her crush's voice slowly registered into her shut down brain and she looked towards him to see Nino, Alya, and Adrien staring at her in confusion and slight worry.
"Dudette, are you OK?" Nino looked straight at her face, his toffee brown eyes anxious about Marinette's statue like state.
"Yeah girl, aren't you excited to meet the Princess, and see all your relatives?" Alya blocked her view of the boys and Mme. Bustier, gripping her friend gently by the shoulders and shaking her slightly in case it wasn't Marinette daydreaming and it was something more serious.
It took Marinette a minute to rack her brains for an explanation to respond with, but Alya had beaten her to the chase, and was already glancing back at Nino and Adrien, "Her mind wandering has never been this bad before..."
She had begun panicking before Marinette cut her off with the only words she could think of, "I'm fine guys, don't worry." All their heads snapped in her direction, "I'm excited I'm just bummed about missing the competition to be featured in Adrien's dad's dress line. I've been working on it for months now."
"Aw girl, cheer up, you'll have other competitions, you'll never meet a Princess again!" Alya began consoling her best friend and hugged her tight.
But I will. Because I'm her. And they'll be no more competitions, no Chat Noir and Ladybug and no Alya. Just me in a draughty, large and empty castle all day. Marinette thought sadly, as she hugged back.
"And besides Marinette, I could ask my father if you could enter early." Adrien interjected, smiling at his friend, which, of course, turned Marinette into a stuttering mess.
"Adanks... I mean thandrien, I.. I... Than-ks A-adrien." Marientte stuttered out, while Alya and Nino internally face palmed at the two.
Mme. Bustier decided to intervene before her classroom became a jungle full of very hyper children, and somehow, managed to gain everyone's attention again.
"However... you will be writing a detailed essay on the history of the Royal Family, and your experience there." That dampened everyone's spirits, but everyone was still ecstatic none the less.
"Madame, when will we be leaving?" Rose's high, sweet voice, rang through the babbling chatter of the students.
"Tomorrow, Rose. Your parents were informed weeks in advance and have all replied to the correspondence so you are all permitted to go."
That made everyone smile harder.
"Now what're you all waiting for! Everyone go home and pack. Your parents know that you need to be here 7 sharp tomorrow to take luggage, and then 7:30 at the airport, or we will leave without you because otherwise we will miss our plane. Your parents have your tickets, and make sure you don't pack too little or too much!"
Mme Bustier began ushering everyone out, whilst Alya told Marinette she would wait for her in the courtyard.
Marinette nervously descended the steps towards Mme Bustier's desk.
Her teacher turned to face her, her sea green eyes kind and understanding, and she only bowed slightly at Marinette, just in case people were passing outside the window of the door and saw what was going on.
"Your Highness, I would like you to know how kind it was for your parents to invite us to stay for your corination and how grateful the class and I are." Mme. Bustier said politely, but kept her voice down.
"I know Madame, and it wouldn't be right without out you or the class there, you are all very special to me." Marinette replied genuinely, although she was happy that her friends would be there she was still afraid, "And please call me Marinette."
"Alright, Marinette," Mme. Bustier replied, as if she was testing it was OK, "Your parents have also arranged for you and Alya to fly first class and that you will be going back and forth to the palace, but don't worry, I will help cover for you until you find the right time to tell the rest of the class."
Then her smile lessened and her eyes grew sad, "I have also been informed that you will only be here until the Christmas break because of your royal duties. You are a charming, kind student and we will all miss you," she teared up slightly, "You have been a pleasure to teach, and you are going to be a wonderful Queen for China."
By the time Marinette met Alya in the courtyard, she was sadder than ever about leaving Paris.
All her friends, her normal life, gone as soon as the crown touched her head. In a flash.
But she had discussed it with her parents a long while ago and she was allowed to visit, but her superhero life with Chat Noir was done for.
Tikki had explained that Hawkmoth's kwami could sense other kwami's presences, so when Ladybug or Chat Noir left Paris, Hawkmoth would know.
Great. So that means not only does she have to sort out royal duties, she has to fulfil superhero duties if an akuma comes to China, when she will most likely be surrounded by guards.
How does one escape from half the cavalry to fight?
She could hear Alya in the background rambling on about the clothes and packing and something about a sleepover and a frappe, but no offence to Alya, she was interested in what her best friend was saying, but she was busy taking in all the sights of Paris and enjoying it one last time. This would be her last day living in Paris, tommorow it was all getting obliviated.
When Marinette came back to reality, she saw Alya's hand waving in front of her face trying to get her attention.
"Girl, are you ok? You keep zoning out"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm just excited, 2 weeks on holiday with you and Nino, and Adrien..." she sighed deeply.
Oh yeah, no more seeing Adrien too. I guess she would survive on the wallpaper of his 1000 faces, she would see them all again at some point or another when she became Queen, and she would make sure of it.
"OK gurl, well, see you in 20?" Alya asked as they stopped outside the Dupain Cheng bakery.
Oh. Alya was coming for a sleepover.
OK.
"Yeah, and then we could build a pillow fort and have a movie night while packing!"
"Sounds good, see you in a minute"
Marinette watched Alya race down the streets towards her house, before walking into her bakery and nearly walking into her mother.
"Sorry maman," She murmered tiredly, slowly climbing the stairs to their appartment.
"Marinette sweetie, are you alright? You don't look very good."
"I'm fine, mama. It's just going to China, and the class finding out, and leaving Paris and my friends and my normal life behind and the cori..."
"Sweetie, it's going to be OK. I'm sure your friends will understand why you didn't tell them about being a Princess. And me and your father will make sure you have time to call them and visit them occasionally. We have faith that you are going to be a wonderful Queen, and so does your grandpa." Sabine, motioned for her daughter to come towards her and she gave her very confused and sad, not so little, girl a reasurring and comforting hug, before continuing to bake the cookies for the store. "We all suggest you tell one of your close friends, Alya probably, because you can't hide it from everyone."
"Alya's coming over for a sleepover, I could tell her then."
"That sounds good Mari. Make sure you lock up all the doors and windows and go to bed so you don't wake up late." her mother smiled at her daughter, knowing what happens when Marinette wakes up late. Thank god Alya was going to stay over.
"What time are you leaving?" Marinette asks, just as her father walks downstairs towards the front of the store, ruffling her hair on the way past.
"In about an hour," he told his daughter.
"Tomorrow Guo will pick up you and Alya in the limo, so be in front of the bakery at 5 past 7." Her mother handed her the two first class tickets, "Look after these carefully sweetie, and give Alya her's when she arrives. And on the first morning there you need you to come to the palace because the coronation dress may need some adjustments..."
After Marinette had a quick conversation with her mother about when she needed to be at the palace and when she could bring Alya and her friends with her. She knew what day she would greet her classmates at the palace and when she could have her free time. She had made a list because, at this point, there was no way she would remember all this information. Apparently, she was going to have two before coronation surprises when she arrived in China so she was looking forward to that, and to seeing her other royal friends and family, especially Prince Branden, the Crown Prince of England and one of her best friend's, who she hadn't seen in years.
She was upstairs packing.
She knew wouldn't need to pack much because she was literally going to be in the palace most of the time so she could just get her favourite outfits out of her walk in closet.
So there she was packing a day's worth of clothes and other electronics and essentials that she wouldn't have in China into a tiny pink spotted holdall.
She only had a few things left in her room because everything in their house was being shipped to the palace in China. so she only had her bed and some clothes left now.
She found the secret latch in the wall, lifting it and letting the door swing open. She reached inside the secret alcove, grabbing the box with her diary and then the wooden box and frame at the very back.
She teared up a bit at the photo contained in a frame.
It was her, Prince Branden and Princess Leesa of Belgium, her other two best friends, on her 9th birthday. They were all smiling and laughing, despite the responsibility and duty they knew would soon be placed on their shoulders. She remembered that day vividly. She had learned to drive and had Branden in the back complaining and Leesa in shotgun trying to help her turn the Mercedes, because she had taken hers in January, and already got her license.
She had missed them so much.
And now she's two weeks from seeing them.
Putting the frame carefully into her carry on bag, she gently swiped dust off the top of the ebony coloured box, and slowly lifted the lid, slowly picking up the contents within the box and placing it softly on top of her silky, messy, blue hair.
Her royal crown.
It felt strange wearing her crown again, after not wearing it for so long.
She stared back at the princess in the mirror, finally accepting the large change currently happening in her life.
There was a bang from the corner of her room, which made her jump, the tiara tumbling off her head, and into her fumbling hands (thank god).
She turned around, hiding the tiara in her hands behind her back.
Alya was standing, frozen on the ladder into her bedroom, the trapdoor in front of her on the floor. She was staring between Marinette, the open secret panel and whatever Marinette had hidden behind her back.
"Hey girl..."