After the first dance had ended Adrien politely kissed his fiancee's cheek. "I must go mingle with the guests, Princess Chloe." he told her before practically running off to go meet Marinette. He was going to play it cool.

She was mingling next to the snack table. Adrien felt his cheeks heat up as he approached the table. He grabbed a clean plate at the start of the buffet and began loading it up with crackers, chips, grapes, anything he could get his hands on while also giving glances up at the lady - or would she'd rather the term maiden, assuming she is not married.

At one point she looked in his direction. He was caught glimpsing in her direction. She smiled and waved at him. Adrien blushed and looked back down at the array of snack foods I'm front of him. His plate was already too full to fit another item but Adrien continued fidgeting with the tongs as a distraction.

He felt a tap at his shoulder and turned around to see Marinette by his side. "Hey." she gave him another bright smile.

Adrien felt like he was taken from Earth for a very brief second. Having to compose himself so he wouldn't be a fool around the Noblewoman he started stuttering: "Oh - Um… where are my manners?" Adrien bowed and kissed her right hand. "Good evening m'lady."

She brought her other hand up to her mouth and let out a little giggle. "Are you hungry?" she asked then.

Adrien looked over at the mountain he had on his plate before giving her a forced laugh and a reply. "I might be? It's pr-p-probably just my nerves though." oh gosh, did he sound like an idiot?

She chuckled again and replaced a hand back on his shoulder. "I just wanted to congratulate you." she told him. "Your mom has been going on about this party since you've turned sixteen."

"I guess she would tell you everything." Adrien shrugged and gave Marinette a goofy grin. Marinette nodded.

"She's beautiful." Marinette continued. "... Your fiancee." Adrien watched as her gaze moved to look at Chloe from where she stood on the other side of the ballroom.

He took a look at Chloe for himself. The same thought came to him again. Beautiful? Yes. But it seems to only be on the outside. He may not know the girl too well but Adrien's intuition was hardly wrong.

Chloe looked over in their direction. She waved over towards Adrien. Adrien gave a small wave back before returning to the buffet.

"Looks like she's coming this way." Marinette said as she turned back around.

Adrien took one more peek back and sure enough Chloe was making her way towards the snack table.

He felt her arms wrapped around one of his and laid her head against his shoulder. "Hey ~ Adrikins. Can I call you Adrikins? I'm gonna call you Adrikins." she started rambling. "Anyways… I was speaking to one of your maids. You know Miss Sabrina Raincomprix, right? Well she just adored me and definitely wants to be there for me when I come to live with you."

Adrien looked over his shoulder in the direction that Chloe came from. Yes, he saw the maid in question having a conversation with a butler. She always seemed a bit anxious and even more of a pushover. He wondered if that was the only reason why she even remotely liked Chloe. And he felt that was why Chloe liked Sabrina. He hardly believed that Chloe would even try to have a merry conversation with someone below her ranking unless it was for her own benefit.

He shouldn't be assuming these things, but maybe he was just trying to think of every possible excuse in the world why he didn't want to marry Chloe.

Okay starting right now he'll stop assuming the worst about his fiancee.

"Who is this?" Chloe's question brought his attention to the group around the snack table. He knew she could only be referring to Marinette.

"Oh, Chloe, this is my mother's lady-in-waiting, Marinette." He waved his hand in Marinette's direction.

Chloe unlatched herself from Adrien and curtsied. "Good evening, Lady Marinette."

Marinette waved a hand dismissively. "Please, I'm just a maiden." Adrien could see the blush forming on her cheeks. He was correct in his thinkings.

"A maiden ~ ?" Chloe drew out looking Marinette up and down. "Hm… you do look to be about our age… And you're not even betrothed.?"

Marinette shook her head. "My parents don't believe in the old fashioned marriage between Noble families and royals." she told them. Adrien wished his parents thought the same as hers. "My papa once told me that I could marry a commoner if I wanted to." she gave them a big smile.

"That is so unique." Chloe plastered a smile on her face back at Marinette. She flung herself back onto Adrien. "C'mon, let's go out and mingle with some of the other guests." she beamed at him.

"I-" Adrien glanced back at Marinette.

"Okay, have fun you two." she waved at them. "I must go find your mother anyways." Marinette specifically told Adrien.

Chloe started dragging Adrien away. He wanted to stop his bride-to-be, wanted to hug the snack table with Marinette and share his food with her. He watched as Marinette picked up the plate that was filled with the array of snack foods Adrien piled up and mouthed a: ""What do you want to do?" Adrien mouthed back: "Share it with others." then he was given a forceful tug at his arm by Chloe and he turned to look where she was dragging him to.


It was five dances and twelve conversations with Noble people later before Adrien could break free from Chloe again. "Would you like a drink, my Princess?" he asked her.

Chloe shook her head. "No, I am fine."

"Alright," he pecked her lips, "then I'm going to grab something for myself then speak to my parents real quick." He glanced at the platform in front of them where his parents still sat at their thrones looking over their guests and son.

Marinette was there earlier. She sat on the platform floor in front of the Queen's throne. He had spotted them a few times laughing and holding a joyful conversation. Adrien wished so much that he was there with them joining in on their merriment. Of course whenever he finally got his chance Marinette had completely disappeared.

He did as he told Chloe. He grabbed a bottle of water. After chugging down half of it and accepting congratulations from three people who stopped him on his way to the platform Adrien found himself at his own throne next to his mother.

They both gave him a tight-lipped smile. His mother had asked him why he wasn't out there with Chloe and enjoying himself. Adrien felt like asking them the same thing, but knowing that wouldn't go down well - especially with his dad - he kept his mouth shut and told them that he needed a break to rest. Chloe knew he would be found here anyways.

"Where's Ms. Marinette?" Adrien then asked his mother. "I-I thought she was up here with you?"

"Oh, I let her retire to her quarters for the night. She was looking a bit sleepy and I wanted to make sure she had a good night's sleep."

His mother was not a mean Queen, Adrien reminded himself of that fact. Even if a lady-in-waiting was meant to keep her Queen company throughout the day she still made sure that they had received plenty of rest and remained healthy. That's how it was with Antoinette and that's how it seemed to be going with Marinette.

Antoinette! Adrien had completely forgotten about her since laying his eyes on Marinette. Where was she anyways? He glanced around the room. Did she retire to her quarters too? He hadn't seen her all day or night!

"Did Antoinette leave too?" Adrien blurted out a bit frantically, worried about the lady-in-waiting. She had been around for as long as Adrien could remember.

Elise looked away from her son. There was almost a look of uttermost sadness as she stared out blankly towards all the guests. "Did you not know that Antoinette died?"

Adrien swore his eyes would've bulged out of their sockets in complete shock. "No!" he shook his head as he tried to come to terms with this news. Antoinette was a very maternal middle-aged woman with her own family. Queen Elise often let her visit her husband and children during holidays and celebrations. How could he forget one of the sweetest women he's ever had the pleasure of saying he knew.

"When did that happen?" Adrien's eyes softened in concern. "Is that why Marinette is the only lady-in-waiting that I have seen today?" he was pretty sure that his mother only had one, then he met Marinette and for a second he questioned if she had a couple, and now that he found out Antoinette was dead he started wondering if she did only have one then. That would explain only just meeting Marinette recently.

"Three years ago Antoinette was diagnosed with breast cancer. Shortly after she broke the news to me I met Baron Tom Dupain and his Baroness Sabine Cheng - why she kept her maiden name, I do not know - but their daughter Marinette Dupain-Cheng had just recently turned thirteen and was looking for a purpose as a young adolescent. I requested her to be my next lady-in-waiting in case Antoinette didn't make it.

"Antoinette had undergone surgery after several months of treatment. They were certain that they had rid the tumor but it had metastasized and spread across her body.

"I became her companion during her last days. She died about two months ago. Marinette became my lady-in-waiting. She slowly eased in from doing more outdoor activities like horseback riding and gardening to being with me all throughout the day.

"Do you like Ms. Marinette?" Adrien's cheeks flushed a furious shade of red. Was it that obvious? Why wasn't she scolding him for liking another woman.

"Y-Ye-Yes…" he had to look away from his mother as he covered his burning cheeks.

"I do too. She's a good young lady. And a great companion." Elise said. The red drained from his cheeks. She hadn't figured it out and was just asking generally.

Adrien looked back up at her and nodded. "She seems sweet. I had the pleasure of speaking with her earlier to know."

Elise nodded as she looked back over at her son. "But I do miss Antoinette. She didn't want an official viewing or funeral. Antoinette just wanted her husband and children at her burial."

Adrien stood up. He shouldn't have brought it up. He could see the tears that glistened in her eyes. That must've been a sensitive topic to discuss with her. She didn't even get to say goodbye.

None of them did.

Adrien excused himself, for once during this night did he actually want to return to Chloe. It was like the universe knew it too as Chloe made her way up to the platform and curtsied at the other royal family.

"I sincerely apologise for my daddy neglecting to come tonight. He had other more important matters to attend to, but he wished us well and is looking forward to meeting my fiance sometime quite soon."

The King stood from his throne too and bowed at the princess. "We will make arrangements to visit your palace sometime soon."

"Thank you, King Gabriel Agreste." Chloe curtsied again. "But I think we should call it an end. It is coming close to one in the morning and my daddy wished to see me back home soon."

"Then we'll get the closing ceremony started." King Gabriel stated. He clapped his hand twice and the servant that has acted as their announcer stepped up onto the platform from where he stood just right off to the side of it, waiting for Gabriel to give him that exact signal.

He took the microphone from it's stand and turned it on. The announcer tapped it twice to check that it worked which also conveniently silenced the crowd, causing them all to look up at the platform where the royals and the announcer stood. "We will now call this ball to its successful end." He held a hand out towards the royals to present them. They stood in a line in front of their thrones - King Gabriel, Queen Elise, Prince Adrien, and Princess Chloe. "May I present our Royal Highness, King Gabriel Agreste!"

The guests clapped for the King as they made an aisle down the middle to the double doors on the other side of the ballroom. Gabriel stepped down off the platform and stopped right at the start of the aisle.

"Our Royal Highness, Queen Elise Agreste!" Elise did exactly as Gabriel did and linked arms with him as she stepped down. "Our King and Queen!"

All the gentlemen bowed and Ladies curtsied at their King and Queen as Gabriel and Elise strolled gracefully down the aisle. They both pointed their noses up and their free hands were placed behind their back. They disappeared through the other side of the doors. It was just Adrien and Chloe left with the guests in the ballroom.

"And now to introduce our soon-to-be married couple Prince Adrien Agreste," once again the guests clapped for the young Prince. Adrien copied his mom and dad by stepping down off the platform and waited at the start of the makeshift aisle. "and Princess Chloe Bourgeois!" after she stepped down next to Adrien they linked arms and the Noble people bowed and curtsied again as they too made their way out of the ballroom.

Chloe rested her head on Adrien's shoulder. She hummed as she snuggled up against him, resting her eyes and draping her free arm around their joined ones. "That was such a lovely night." she sighed in contentment. "I think I may already be falling in love with you."

Adrien rolled his eyes thinking about the absurd statement but instead of telling her how he really felt he just said: "Yeah, me too."

He walked Chloe out to the front gates of the castle and went no further. They unlinked their arms and Chloe put her hands in both of his. They looked each other in the eyes - though Adrien almost seemingly forced himself to do so.

"Thank you and your family for tonight. I look forward to seeing my fiance lots now that I know who I'll be marrying in the future." Chloe said. She lifted herself on her tiptoes and gave Adrien a kiss on the cheek. She started pulling herself away from Adrien, her fingers lingering in Adrien's hand before turning and walking out the gates. She looked back one more time to blow Adrien a kiss. Adrien played along by grabbing the kiss in one hand and pressing it against his lips then gave her a smile in return. Chloe fluttered her fingers in a seductive wave before walking long into the darkness with two bodyguards that waited for her outside.

As soon as she was out of sight and the gates began to close Adrien turned back towards the castle. He sighed with relief and ran his fingers through his hair as he made his way back inside. Adrien just needed a long shower and a good night's rest after a night like that.

Once he was snuggled under the covers in bed and closed his eyes he dreamed of those final moments with Chloe, but Marinette was in her place.