"Feeling better?" Alya cooed, still holding her friend in her arms.

Marinette nodded against her shoulder. Alya had done her best to settle and comfort her. After pulling Marinette up off the floor and coddling her all the way to Alya's room, the first thing Alya did was give Marinette a new blouse. While a bit too big for her, it wasn't ripped open. Never had Marinette felt so exposed in her life, having a man drag her to the floor, her back slamming against the ground, feeling her blouse give under his aggressive hands as she struggled fruitlessly against him. And then how he had shoved up her skirts and grabbed her leg…

She almost burst into tears again.

She had been so close. So terrifyingly close. She was so, so thankful that someone had attacked her attacker before his hands had undressed her any further.

Marinette burrowed deeper into the blanket Alya had wrapped her in, as if that could give her the privacy she was stripped of. As if that could conserve her modesty. As if it could block the fact she had nearly gotten—

She took a shaky breath.

Alya was right there to rub soothing hands over her back. "You're safe now. Don't worry. You'll be all right. Everything is going to be all right."

Right now, she would pretend it would be, but she had heard the duke. She knew she would have to marry one of those men. She just hoped her savior, whoever he was, was a good man.

A frantic knocking sounded at the door. "Alya," a man said, one that sounded like Mr. Damocles. "Alya, may we come in?"

"Yes."

The door burst open, and her father was by her side in an instant. "Marinette."

"Papa." She let go of Alya to fly into her father's all-encasing embrace.

"Oh, sweetheart." He squeezed her tight, and Marinette finally felt safe.

Tears started dripping down her cheeks again. She wasn't sobbing this time, but she couldn't keep the tears at bay any longer.

"Did…did that man…?"

She shook his head against his shoulder. "No, Papa," she managed.

His whole body relaxed at that. "Thank God." He rubbed her back before guiding her chin upwards to meet her eyes. "We're going home."

She wasn't going to argue. Not when she just wanted to go home and hide away forever. "Okay."

"We can continue this tomorrow," Mr. Damocles spoke up. "Once she's settled and this has all died down."

"Thank you, sir," Mr. Dupain replied.

"We can sneak you out the back," Mr. Damocles continued. "Alya surely can manage your table for the rest of the evening."

Alya nodded, hearing the command to leave. "Of course, sir." She got up off her bed, patting Marinette on the shoulder before taking her leave.

With the help of Mr. Damocles, Marinette and her papa slipped out the back servants' door to their awaiting horse and cart. They barely made it off Duke Bourgeois' property before her father asked, "Who was it?"

Marinette cringed. Her gaze fell straight into her lap and tears started forming.

"Marinette," her papa pleaded. "Please, sweetheart."

She sniffed as the tears started up again. Her voice came out in barely a squeak. "Lord Barbot."

"Lord Barbot?"

Marinette nodded.

She felt her papa wrap a large arm around her, encasing her in safety. "Thank you, sweetheart. Thank you for telling me."

She sniffed, before burying herself in his bulky side and relishing his embrace as tears spilled down her face. "I don't want to marry Lord Barbot, Papa," she blubbered. "I can't marry him."

"Hey, hey." He pulled the horses to a stop, then pushed Marinette just far enough away to meet her gaze in the moonlight. "Listen to me. I promise that won't happen. Even if we have to move far away to escape any rumors, we will. I swear to you, honey, I will not let you marry that man."

Marinette's tears slowed at her papa's comforting words. "But…but the duke said I have to marry someone."

"Then we'll get away from this. You don't have to marry anyone," he quickly promised. "We'll pick up and move. It will be okay. I promise. All right?"

Marinette managed a nod. "All right, Papa."

He smiled at her before pulling her close again and pressing a kiss onto the crown of her head. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too, Papa."

It didn't seem much longer before they arrived home. Immediately, Papa shooed her upstairs to bed immediately. She didn't say a word, just trudged upstairs and fell into bed where she was too tired to even cry herself to sleep.

And in the morning, she would barely remember any of that.

She made it into the kitchen, feeling half-dead. Her father was the first to greet her, engulfing her in a hug upon the sight of her. "Good morning, sweetheart," he greeted softly.

"Hello, Papa." She wasn't sure if she wanted to call the morning "good."

He hummed, the deep sound rumbling in his chest.

When he let Marinette slip through his arms, she was then held by her mother. No words were exchanged between the embracing women, but no words were needed. Maman patted Marinette's cheek in that reassuring motherly fashion, and Marinette's teary smile was hopeful that, just maybe, everything would be all right.

Never was she so thankful that it was Sunday, that the shop had a reason to be closed and that today could just be a day of rest and recuperation. That there would be no "carry on as normal" today. That there wouldn't be customers to tend to or goods to bake.

Until a persistent knocking sounded through the house. Her papa grumbled as he made his way to the door. Curious herself, Marinette peeked out from the kitchen doorway to see who their guest was. It was difficult to see past her papa, but there was no mistaking that the man wore fine clothes. Then he spoke, and his voice gave him away.

Papa invited Duke Bourgeois in, as was an automatic response to seeing royalty. The tall man stepped inside, bringing with him an anxious aura that didn't sit well with Marinette.

"I apologize for interrupting your day of rest, but the issue at hand is pressing."

"I understand that, your grace—"

"Fact is," the duke continued, not caring that he interrupted Mr. Dupain, "that rumors have already engrossed my household that both Lord Barbot and Lord Noir were caught with your daughter in a compromised position. More false rumors state that one of them had…relations with her. She is expected to marry one of them."

Marinette's brow screwed upwards. Lord Noir was her savior? The man in cat ears?

"Seeing as no such thing happened," her father spoke clearly and firmly, "my daughter will not marry either of them."

"The damage is done," the duke affirmed. "She is ruined, and you'll be ruined too if she doesn't marry. And fact is, since there were witnesses to the scene, there is proof that puts not only your daughter, but Lord Noir and Lord Barbot in poor light. She isn't the only one at stake here."

"She was forced into this position unwillingly. I have no issue with Lord Barbot or Lord Noir's marred reputations. My daughter is all I care about, considering she is the one that very nearly got raped by Lord Barbot last night."

Marinette threw her hands over her mouth to keep in any sound that might escape her. Her father was being blunt, fighting off against a duke for her. Watching his mouth for the sake of her ears wasn't exactly top priority at the moment; she knew that. But it wasn't easy listening to that blunt fact, though. Especially since she had been the one to live it.

Her mother, who had long since joined her in her eavesdropping, now placed comforting hands on her daughter's arm. The silence that stretched longer and longer between the two men grew tenser by the second.

"Then, pray tell," the duke spoke haughtily, "what do you believe is best for your daughter?"

"That she stay as far away from either of those two men as possible," her father rebutted, "until this all dies down. The town's people will forget, but if she marries either man, then she will be marked permanently for a rumor that isn't true."

"And if she doesn't marry," the duke retorted, "then the rumors will always be circulating about how your daughter had an affair with a man but didn't do the proper thing. It will always be in the upper circle, considering those two men consist of the wealthiest high-class bachelor and the most notorious Chat Noir."

Strained silence once again rent the room. Neither one would back down, Marinette could tell. There wasn't going to be any resolution.

Until a second knock came from the door. The tense silence dispersed in the best way. Marinette peeked around the corner once again, watching the two men turn their backs to her as they faced the door. Her father opened the door—

To reveal Lord Noir.

"Good day, Duke Bourgeois, Mr. Dupain," he greeted formally. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"No," Mr. Dupain assured. "Not at all. Won't you come in?"

Lord Noir entered, his face still baring the mask. However, the cat ears were gone. Thankfully, he didn't seem completely insane.

"I've come in hopes to talk privately with you." With that, his eyes immediately shot to where Marinette was looking around the corner. She gasped softly as she retreated out of sight.

"Marinette. Sabine."

The two women appeared in response to the head of their household.

"Please, go upstairs."

Sabine nodded, then guided her daughter up the stairs into Marinette's room.

Marinette didn't struggle against her mother. However, before she complied, she stole one last glance at the masked man in her house, noting how soft and sympathetic his brilliant green eyes were.

Once the two women reached Marinette's room, her mother shut the door behind her.

"Papa's not going to be able to talk his way out of this, is he?"

Her maman looked at her, her face full of sympathy, and Marinette knew she had her answer.

"Marinette, listen to me," she said softly, taking her daughter's hands in her own. "Your father and I love you very much, and I know for a fact he is going to do everything is his power to ensure that you are taken care of. He will fight tooth and nail for you. You know that. But some things are out of our control."

The unspoken words sounded loudly in the silence. "I know, Maman. I know."

Her mother squeezed her hands. "You're a very brave girl, you know that?"

Marinette tried not to cry as she nodded her assent.

"That's my girl." Maman wiped away the tears that Marinette started to shed before leading her to sit on the edge of her bed. They sat in the silence, Marinette leaning against her mother's shoulder while her maman held her.

It seemed like an eternity before her papa knocked on the bedroom door and called them back downstairs. With one last hug from Maman, Marinette made her way down. Her papa stood in the main room, his shoulder slumped and eyes sad. Marinette knew that didn't bode well for her, but all she could think about was how her heart was breaking for her father.

She glanced at the other man in the room. The duke must have taken his leave, but Lord Noir remained.

When she turned back to her papa, a look that Marinette read easily passed between them. "I'm to marry Lord Noir, am I?"

"Marinette," her papa said. "If I could stop it, I would. Unfortunately, I can't. It's the best thing for you, right now."

"I've given your father my word that I will treat you right," Lord Noir spoke up. "With the utmost respect you deserve. You'll be taken very good care of, always having more than enough. Lastly, I promise you'll be safe with me. I don't say any of those words lightly. I hope you know that."

Marinette wasn't the best at reading people, but considering the softness in his eyes and the reverence in his tone, she believed him. Her voice seemed to fail her, so the best she could muster was responding with a nod.

He gave her an apologetic smile, one she didn't quite catch, before he reached into his pocket and held out for her the retracted item. Her ribbon. The one Theo had pulled out last night. In all the turmoil, she hadn't realized she lost it.

"A peace offering."

She glanced back up at him, silently taking in his gentle expression. He further pushed the ribbon her way, indicating that she take it.

Her eyes darting between his gentle gaze and the ribbon he held loosely in his hand, she reached for it. When she managed to grab hold of it despite her shaking hand, he let go, pulling his hand back and letting the ribbon trail though his fingers.

She pulled the ribbon to her chest, forcing her eyes up to meet his gaze once again. He held it for a few seconds before giving her a kind smile. "I think I best leave now. Tomorrow morning, we will marry privately, then I will take you back to my home in the south portion of the kingdom."

Marinette bit her lip, but nodded.

He bowed to her. "I will see you tomorrow, my lady." With that, her papa walked him out.

Leaving Marinette standing in the center of the room, clutching her ribbon. And feeling numb to all of it.

A/N: I had this chapter completely written out before I even posted chapter 2, and then, when I was reading your comments on Monday about Papa Dupain being all protective, I realized I failed to express that in this chapter and so rewrote the entire thing.