Authors Note: I am so sorry I continued to write and I wanted to write Adrien's PoV and then.. Idk sorry. So It's going to be Adrien's PoV a week before Mari's last chapter. Then it's gonna jump but you should be able to tell (hopefully).

-A week before Marinette's PoV-

Adrien was fifteen, and receiving a tour of the palace. He looked about in wonder, studying the grand rooms. He tried his best to create a mental map, but he knew it was flawed. He had only ever lived in a small house, never one with such immaculate tidiness and room. The guard was with him, explaining what his duties would be-for now, he would just be training-and failing at trying to be friendly. The guard turned around abruptly, startling Adrien.

"Ladybug thinks you're dead," was the simple statement. Adrien looked to the left, watching the scene of a small girl crying in their treehouse, calling his name. Not Chat Noir-here she knew he was Adrien.

"Where are you? Adrien, why did you have to die?" she asked the wind. Adrien looked back at the guard, his once forgotten rage and dread rising in his throat. He needed to tell her he was okay! He stood up, and fell. He tried to call out to her, but found he couldn't speak. The guard laughed at him, amused at his failure. Mocking the fact he couldn't stop the girl's wailing, or help ease her suffering. He wasn't worth her tears, he thought, as he started to shed his own. And then, Adrien woke up.

His recurring dream haunted him, making him wonder where Ladybug might be. At first he had been kept busy with training, but then guilt set in, jarring him out of his average life and mood. He had a feeling sometimes at random moments that he was being missed. Whether it was Ladybug or his mother, he did not know. He missed her like he was missing a limb. He thought back to his dream, and the real occurences of the dreamed day had been boring. Most of the dream was based on his actual memory. The guard had been unfriendly, and he had been amazed with the space. The guard whose name he had still yet to learn had never turned to say anything about Ladybug. He had no way to contact her.

He had thought of asking if he could send a letter, but a few guards he spoke to informed him that it was unlikely to go anywhere. They were in a special unit, and their distractions were supposed to be minimized.

He turned to Nino, one of the guards and his now best friend. He was awake somehow, staring at the ceiling.

"Pst! Nino!" Adrien called from his bunk bed. They were both on the top of their bunk beds, so they could speak without bothering the two below them. Sound didn't travel well in their chambers.

"What's up?"

"Why can't you sleep?"

"I'm thinking, Adrien. You should learn to do that every once in a while." They both muffled their laughter. Adrien seemed to always been the patient and cautious one. He used to be more rash, but after training he had become slightly more serious. Though, that might have been an aftereffect of no longer having Ladybug egg him on. Still, between them, he was more cautious.

"Why do you think we were chosen to be in the Guards of France?" Nino asked. Adrien had learned that the normal guards were allowed their own lives outside the palace, but he had been recruited for a special unit. They were guards closer to the royal family. There had recently been rumors that Adrien and Nino were to be promoted soon, and he hoped that was the case. WIth the higher rank, he could finally visit his mother, and explain everything to Ladybug.

"We were chosen at random, I think. I mean, no one here has that much in common. We were likely just hurried replacements for guards who died of the plague. We are all lucky that the royals found the cure." A long silence ensued.

After the plague had devastated so many, the royals themselves decided to attempt to cure it. There was a story about how princess Marinette had waltzed in the room one day and had barely glanced at the data before she miraculously found the cure. It turned out, the cure had been made of plants that were common around France. Everyone tried to make a commotion about her fixing the problem so easily, but Marinette had hidden away for a while- at least until the praise calmed down. The French people still felt like they were in debt to her, but knew she wouldn't like it if they kept openly praising her. People still discussed it on the streets, but it wasn't mentioned to the princess herself.

Adrien remembered when he was Chat Noir and had taught some of the plants and their properties to Ladybug. She had listened attentively, and helped him pick some of the herbs and flowers. They amassed lots of healing plants because they got hurt surprisingly often. They had a system where whenever the other was hurt, they would run to get a plant from the treehouse and bring some back to wherever the other was injured. Adrien had become a lot faster over their time together. Though they both got hurt often, she damaged herself more forcefully. She used to tell him tales of the lies she wove to explain injuries to her parents and friends. Some of them were really entertaining.

He was especially grateful to her, because she saved his mother. His mother had just gotten sick, and he couldn't spend all his time with her because he had to work for both of them. He was also warned that she had to be quarantined, but he had ignored that. He would've likely gotten sick too, if it had not been for the princess. He guessed that if this was karma- his job in service to her and her family- it wasn't the worst way it could have ended up.

Nino didn't speak for a while. The room was quiet, in a peaceful way. Adrien thought that Nino had fallen asleep, until Nino suddenly spoke.

"You know, next week the Grás Ball is going to start. Are you going to attend?"

"We have the option to?" Adrien hadn't known that.

"Yeah, our unit is allowed to. So, you gonna go?" Nino inquired.

"I dunno. I don't see much of a point."

"A break from the job, maybe?"

"I'm fine as I am." Adrien answered confidently.

"Yeah, sure, sure. How about emotional support for me?"

"You just want me to go. Why?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Nino replied innocently.

"You just want to be able to tease me, that's why." Adrien realized.

"Maybe, maybe not." Nino replied with an obvious smile in his voice.

"Probably not, to be honest. Again, there is no benefit."

"Hmm. Ok." Nino replied. "Adrien? G'night."

"Night." Adrien said softly. Nino turned over, and soon the sound of his soft snores filled the room. There was a peacefulness that filled the room and comforted Adrien. Soon afterwards, Adrien drifted off to a dreamless sleep too.

In the morning, they were woken up earlier than normal. They quickly got dressed and reported for duty. Their captain, Mr. D'Argencourt, was waiting for them.

"Nino, Adrien." His voice was not as sharp as usual. "Promotion. Nino, you are guarding the doors today," he turned a little to Adrien, "Adrien will be guarding the dining hall. That's all." He handed the pair their badges as the two sent each other glances of excitement and walked quickly to their destinations. They were randomly assigned every day to random parts of the castle. Adrien had never guarded the dining hall, however. He guessed it was a high-security job.

When he walked into the room, the cooks were placing breakfast on the table. He stood by the door, trying not to betray his emotions. With his promotion, he would finally be able to speak to his mother, and to Ladybug! He forced himself to appear emotionless as the king and queen walked in. They greeted him with simultaneous nods and smiles. After he bowed, he attempted to recreate a similar expression, and hoped he hadn't messed up. He looked around, and noticed the absence of the princess.

He'd never seen or met her, like most Parisians. She only appeared outside of the castle on very, very important days. Nobody quite knew what she did with her time- well, except for stopping plagues. Adrien guessed that she spent time outside of the castle often, as she had known what the plants were. When she entered, time stopped for him.

Her hair was jet black, with blue reflections, and her eyes were bluer than a blue jay's feathers. He couldn't help but stare. She looked- she looked- just like Ladybug. He kept his face impassive, sure that it must have been a mistake. No way had she been Ladybug! She had to have been busy around the castle, she wouldn't have had time to run outside with some random kid. She spoke, apologizing for her tardiness. Her voice- it was similar. No. she must have had other engagements.

Ladybug- Ladybug would have been taller by now. And her voice wasn't that similar. Ladybug's was an octave or two higher. And now that he had time to think about it, her hair was a cascade of waves, instead of Ladybug's straight. No, he decided, she was not Ladybug. There were too many differences. He nodded slightly, reassuring himself.

He stood throughout breakfast, and once they left he was allowed to eat. The room was deserted, so it was just him and the bread. Naturally, he stuffed his face for a few minutes and then went back to his station. He looked at the opposite door, leading to the garden.

He looked outside the window next to him and observed a few ladybugs on the gardenia tree right outside the window. He watched intently, wondering why so many were on the tree, and why they were hitting the glass. All of a sudden, they flew to the other side of the building, where the door leading to the gardens was. He was startled when the door next to him was abruptly opened and a giggling princess ran through.

She was laughing maniacally, and he didn't have words. He didn't know how to express it. She giggled as she twirled through the room, maneuvering around chairs. He was concerned because she almost ran into the door, but she hit it with her hip to open it and ran into the gardens.

WIth the sun on her hair, it looked blue. He noticed ladybugs- possibly the ones he had been watching earlier- follow her and land on her hands. She stopped her twirling and held them in her hands, studying them. She looked like the subjects in Mr. Disney's paintings, but she was 3-D and not altered by the royal artist's imagination. That was the last he saw, because then the door shut.

He stood, wondering why she might have been in such a rush. He knew she and Alya were friends, as he had heard their laugher before. So might she have been playing a game with Alya? He was startled when a cat ran through… what? The black feline ran past Adrien, almost faster than his eye could perceive. The cat then continued to run right at the door, into a section of wood paneling- which opened up to the outdoors.

"Plagg! I knew you'd find me, with your wittle smol toebeans!" Marinette babytalked. He turned to the door beside him, confused. He pushed the panel that the cat, apparently named Plagg, had jumped through. He had never noticed the hinges, as they had been hidden with ornate floral designs. He released the flap and it silently shut. He rushed back to his post when Marinette ran back inside, chasing Plagg. The two ran quickly and she gave him a joyful smile.

He smiled through his confusion. He liked being posted here. It was nice. Once the day ended, he reported back and met Nino there. There were both excited, and they chatted happily as they worked their way back to meet the rest of their units for dinner. Adrien didn't tell Nino about the princess's sudden appearance, only that the royal family had been there. Nino told him about his day, and his observations from the doors.

When they got to their chambers, they found the other guards. Kim, a young man who'd volunteered to be a guard after being convinced by his 'just friend' named Alix, was quick to ask about their promotions. They proudly showed off their badges. Kim had gotten his promotion a week prior, but no one had been overly envious. In due time, they'd all get their chances to prove themselves. The was lots of congratulatory talk and some people expressed that they hoped to be promoted next. Someone asked Kim if he had received and news from the outside world, and he brightened up.

"Yes I have! I'm lucky that I got promoted so quickly." He was new to their unit, having only been there for six months. To be fair, though, he had trained with a retired guard before joining. Everyone waited expectantly for him to continue his thoughts. He paused for a moment, debating. Nino was surprisingly perceptive.

"It was from Alix, wasn't it?" inquired a smug Nino. THey all gasped obnoxiously as Kim turned a little pink.

"Yes." he replied cautiously.

"What'd she say?"

"You don't deserve my news," Kim declared, purposely trying to sound childish.

"Please, bro? We'll be nice," Nino promised.

"I see your fingers crossed, all of you. I am one of you, I know the tricks." Kim smiled smugly.

"Fine," Nino said in a theatrically resigned voice, uncrossing his fingers with the others.

"Your toes," Kim stated. Nino looked at Adrien as they all simultaneously uncrossed their toes.

"The news. Now, please." Requested one of the older members, who refused to answer to anything except for "Mouse", despite his tank-like build.

"Well, the plague has died out. And my family is doing very well."

"Duh, Kim. Come on, get to the substance."

"What substance?" Kim asked in an innocent voice.

"Show us the letter." Mouse demanded with narrowed eyes.

"Nuh-uh, no way," Kim shot back quickly. Adrien smiled. So there was substance.

"Did you receive any other letters?" asked Adrien. He wanted to help the poor boy out- Kim looked like a cornered animal.

"Yeah I got mail from my brother, my sister, and my mom. They all said basically the same thing- they are all well, and they hope I am too. My mom kept saying she was proud, my sister never stopped writing about how she misses me, and my brother wrote like three sentences." Kim smiled sincerely at Adrien. "How about we go get dinner, huh?" He asked the rest of the group. They all begrudgingly nodded.

Dinner flew by, with talk of the upcoming ball and teasing each other. THe others kept trying to find something to make fun of Adrien for, but they could never find anything of worth. Adrien found it hilarious. Still, he liked it better when he had been with Ladybug and she had known everything worth knowing. He smiled softly. She had been his best friend, and soon he would be able to see her again. FInally, he would be able to send letters. Next promotion, he'd get to leave for a day or two. He could leave a note at the treehouse, and then- then it would all be good again.

He had no doubts about her still visiting the treehouse. She probably visited often to check for a sign. He assumed that she knew he was alive and well. He didn't know why, but he had hope for that.

Some of the others caught his smile, and someone muttered something about lovesickness. Adrien simply rolled his eyes. Yes, he had had a crush on her, but that had ended as they got older, he was sure. She might have even liked him back at some point, but it didn't matter now. Nothing would have happened. He tuned back into the conversation of the table, and was quiet. He wondered what Ladybug was doing at that moment.

Unbeknownst to him, she was in the gardens, running with her cat Plagg. Unbeknownst to him, she was wondering what he would have been like if he had been able to grow older. Unbeknownst to him, she was missing him, just like he missed her.

But he didn't know and of that. He simply sat at the table, occasionally laughing after a joke one of his friends made. Somehow, even in the crowd, he felt a little alone.

Adrien woke up to the sound of muffled voices. It was still very, very dark outside. He felt energized, somehow. He sat up. There weren't rules about the guards wandering the castle at night, so he wasn't worried. Plus, he could always pretend to sleepwalk. One of his friends might see him, but whatever. It wasn't the first time he had taken a midnight stroll through the castle.

He stayed in the shadows, despite him confidence. Some of the windows were open, letting in the cool night air. He wandered the castle, and found himself in the gardens.

He had been sent to guard the gardens once. He hadn't seen much, though. The light of the full moon was enough to illuminate the area. The moonlight on the flowers made them more beautiful than they were in daytime. The light was softer and comforting to Adrien. He knew Ladybug had always preferred night to day.

He looked at the blooming flowers, each one so small. He reached the sun garden, and he strolled through it. There were metal arches, and they had designed in them, so that when the sun shone on them it would send shadows to the floor. The moon gave some of the patterns light, but not many. After all, they were made for the sun. Adrien heard soft singing, coming from the small building behind him. He couldn't quite disconcern the words, but it was soft, sad, and caring. He opened the door sightly to see who it was.

It was Princess Marinette. She was sitting on a desk, and bending wires with twine to create patterns. She more murmured the words than sang, but her voice was enchanting. He tore his eyes from her and looked at the open roof of the building. It was covered with the small metal threads. She continued to sing, and he quietly and hastily closed the door. He didn't want to spy on her or anything.

He speed walked out of the gardens, only slowing when he saw a few ladybugs zip by and attempt to reach the room he had just been in. He now looked back and saw the sign "Moon Garden" on the side. He paused as he watched the ladybugs fly in the top of the building and disappear. Why were there so many ladybugs here?

He went directly back to the guard chambers and attempted to fall asleep. He couldn't. He stayed awake for a while, thinking back to the moon garden. He finally drifted off to sleep due to exhaustion.

When Adrien woke up the next morning, he got dressed and reported for duty. He would be guarding the gardens. Adrien patrolled near the Moon Room, but he never entered the room. Nino bugged him about going to the ball, as they had been stationed together. Adrien finally gave in, promising, "I will go to the ball one time." He hoped he could figure out a loophole somewhere so he could weasel out of it, but he had to go upstairs at least one time.

The week flew by, and it was the night before the ball. Most of the guests had arrived, and they had been verified as safe. Adrien was in charge of escorting guests to their rooms. Why they had to come the night before, he didn't understand. He caught a glimpse of the princess observing the crowd, her eyes raking over their heads impassively.

He had to escort three women and two men to their rooms. The small group was filled with arrogance. Adrien thought of the one insult that Felix, his brother had come up with while defending him from the older children- "if I wanted to die, I'd jump from your ego to your IQ." He felt that would be a fitting insult with the crowd he was with. Everyone had their names on their doors, so it was simple to find their rooms. He noticed that no one said thank you, or really acknowledged his existence. To them he really only existed to serve them.

The day was rather uneventful. Nino tried to commit Adrien to going to the ball another night, but Adrien ignored the negotiations. Nino backed off after a while and let Adrien be. They joked about random things over dinner.

Twas the day of the ball, and Adrien had the "privilege" to be guarding the ballroom that day. He knew it would be busy in the eventing, but bland during the rest of the day. He sighed, a little annoyed that he was going to the ball. He guessed he could attempt to convince Nino that this would count as attending, but Nino was a little too stubborn for that.

Marinette, on the other hand, was busy all day. She woke up early and got to breakfast on time for once. She was up before her parents, and she was a little proud of that fact. She waited for them, and they arrived with Alya only moments behind. Alya shot her a smirk. The guests were so numerous they would eat in their rooms, but Alya was close enough to family that she ate with them often. The conversation was light that morning, likely in an attempt to calm Marinette's nerves.

They would be greeting everyone attending the ball who were in the castle, and then they would hurry to greet the last few who were later and farther from everyone else. THe ball would last three nights, and most people would leave. It was a big social event, but the suitors for her would stay until she chose or dismissed them. She knew that she could only dismiss someone is they offended her majorly. When she had chosen, there would be masquerade ball.

For now, though, she was stuck sitting on her throne while the guests mingled in random parts of the castle. She worried that Plagg might look for her and scare someone, but there were no signs as of yet. She hoped he would just stay in her room. The ball attendees had better timing, and so they weren't waiting long. Part of the reason for the parties was to show off their wealth, so they would have access to lots of interesting things. The garden seemed to have attracted interest. She only hoped that no one would catch her singing and projects. She needed a keep out sign on that thing, really.

Marinette had started the sun project to fill her days in the summer, when she had time to measure and meticulously shape the wires. It had a beautiful result, but she also wanted to create on for the moon. She created her own designs, and the only people who were supposed to know were her parents. Her parents loved the garden, but no one was there at night. No guards were stationed there, due to the lack of any danger. So she could be alone, working and singing her songs to Chat. Why she felt the need to she didn't know- but singing calmed her and, like so many other things, she sang in honor of Chat. She would hum or sing while she worked. She gave herself the chills sometimes. It always surprised her when inspiration struck.

She sang alone, and she made her own words. Sometimes that helped her thing of possible designs for the moon garden, and sometimes for clothes designs. She worked when she couldn't sleep, and it helped dislodge thoughts from her mind. She smiled. Sometimes Plagg would join her. He could be helpful, sure. He brought things to her. He was way smarter than average cats, to her knowledge, and could be of assistance at times. Others, he would bat things off her worktable, sprawl across her lap for attention, or mew at her until she gave him whatever he wanted. He was really the perfect cat.

After she paid the respectful courtesy to their guests, she gave a tour of the palace. She showed the group around the visitor's floors, and the outside of the castle. The boy with the blue hair joined them, and she had to admit she blushed a bit as they followed her. The group contained about ten partygoers. Some of them had an arrogant air about them, but she tried to be fair in her judgement of them. They hadn't done anything too pompous yet, so she tried to keep a neutral opinion. The only one who seemed kind enough to talk was the blue-haired boy. She learned his name was Luca.

She brought them to the gardens, and everyone seemed very interested in the plant life. She stood by the doors at first, but seeing their reluctance to leave, she wandered farther in. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that Luca seemed to watch her a little. She tried to ignore it. She attempted to steer people a little away from the moon garden. She didn't want her in-progress works to be seen, and the room felt private, only for her eyes. She had locked it up, but she still felt insecure sometimes.

After the tour, it was mealtime. She went with her family for lunch, and they ate with Alya. Her parents mostly talked to Alya after notifying her mostly unresponsive state. There wasn't anything really wrong, she just didn't feel like talking. She listened to Alya retell her horror stories from diplomatic missions. RIght after lunch, they had to change for the ball. Her parents left her and Alya alone. Alya simply winked at Marinette as she walked out.

Marinette got ready for the ball. She wore a stunning light green dress with jewels scattered about in constellation patterns. She doubted anyone would notice that little detail, but it was okay by her. She had designed it that way for herself., and no one else She had an emerald necklace and earrings, with rich colours. A stylist named Deirdre (dear-dra) ensured that she looked well-put together, and then did her hair. Her hair was braided expertly. Her hair was the perfect length for braids, she had often been told.

She hurried to the ballroom, and she stood next to her parents. They ushered her behind a door with them. It was a tradition to make their first appearances dramatic. Marinette found it interesting how much thought was put into all of the special effects. The room had comfortable chairs and a tiny one-way window, placed where no one would notice. THey could see all the guests arrive, and then make their entrance from there.

Her mother squealed with excitement. Her father smiled fondly, and they all hugged each other fondly. Her parents released her and they smiled.

"Ohh, honey, it's your first Grás ball! YOu've grown up so fast." Her mother's eyes began to water. Queen Sabine was usually able to keep her emotions at bay, but she had always had a soft spot for her daughter. Crying with pride was not a rare thing for her. Marinette smiled, slightly embarrassed, but still happy. Her father looked out the small window, and gestured for Marinette to look through it too.

She gasped a little when she saw all of the people. She had seen all of them when they had arrived, but the ballroom was huge, and the room was almost filled. There was space for dancing of course, but it was still full. Sabine strategically didn't look out the window and focused on not crying. As her tears started to recede, she hugged her daughter again. Marinette greeted her mother with open arms. She looked out the window again, searching for Alya.

Was that her- oh no, that was the wrong coloured dress…was that her? No, too tall. She searched the edges of the room, knowing Alya would try to make it easy to be seen so she could help calm Marinette's nerves. As predicted, after a few searches around the room she saw Alya. Alya was speaking to a guard that they'd both seen around the castle often. Kim had a common friend, a girl named Alix. Alix had been one of the kids who played soccer with Marinette when she was little. Before she had learned to not obviously be the princess, they had been acquaintances. Alix was competitive, yet kind and compassionate to those who weren't as into the competition when they lost. In other words, she had been very, very kind to Marinette. Alix had met Alya at an art festival in Paris. Alix had been showing her art off and had made some fanart after hearing Alya's play. The two had become good friends over that. Kim liked talking about Alix a lot, and they had brought Kim news from her to him sometimes. Marinette went out of her way to go to areas Alix was as the princess so she could officially get news and not have secret identity problems.

Her attention turned to Alya's dress. Marinette had designed and mostly made it, and she liked it. She had created a theme of astronomy. Alya's dress was inspired by sunsets. It was a masterpiece of blended colours, Marinette had to say. It had been difficult to sew in some parts, but it had been worth it.

Her father called a servant to alert the crier. When Marinette was little, she had thought her job was to cry for people, which confused her to no end. Eventually, it was explained that they announced things. She had spoken to the crier about her misleading title, and the crier admitted that she could cry on command. Marinette had requested the crier teach her how, and attempted to get things to go her way with crying. It didn't work on her parents. It turned out, Marinette was a horrible actress.

Her parents were announced, and they walked out dramatically. It took a little effort to muffle her giggle when Sabine twirled. Marinette knew she had done that just to get a reaction from her, but the crowd seemed to like it as well. King Tom simply laughed.

Marinette tried to calm herself down by breathing. Her name was announced and she walked down the stairs. She almost tripped on the third to last one, but she recovered and copied her mother's twirl at the end to make it seem more natural. No one but her family and Alya noticed. She was aware of Alya's knowledge because Alya started to laugh loudly. The claps mostly muffled the sound, thankfully. Alya got some strange looks, though. Marinette made a mental note to ensure Alya knew she'd heard, just so she could tease her. She stood next to her parents in front of the crowd. There must have been hundreds of them there. It made Marinette nervous, but she knew she'd have Alya and her parents. Her father said a few words, and then the ball began.

Marinette tried to reach Alya quickly, but it was difficult when her path was blocked with people asking if they could have the dance. She didn't want to decline and seem rude, so she spent the first five dances on the dance floor. She always felt she was a little too clumsy for ballroom dancing, but she had practiced and mostly mastered it. She tried to figure out the route she'd take to get to Alya, but people moved too often. She tried not to appear rude glancing over their shoulders. Honestly, she was a little overwhelmed and needed someone familiar to converse with.

Luka was the next in her path. She had gotten close to Alya- ten feet away, but she hadn't been noticed. She had a clear path, and then Luka walked in front of it. She tried not to curse under her breath as she blushed. She had almost run into him, and she was glad she had stopped in time. When he asked her to dance, she was a little annoyed. Once on the dancefloor, she found he was a calming presence. He noticed her nervousness, and tried to make small talk to distract her. He engaged her in random conversations, asking her if she knew how to play any instruments and complimenting her , it mostly worked. He seemed kind enough. She lingered for a few moments after their dance, but remembered her mission. She started toward Alya and left him before she realized she didn't need Alya. She had already calmed down.

She wandered around for a while, dancing with more people than she could count. The only one who really stuck out to her was Luka. He was kind and seemed to understand her emotions well. He also diffuse the tension. She was tired of dancing and couldn't locate Alya, so she walked at the edges of the room. She stopped by to talk to Kim. He teased her about tripping, and assured her he only noticed because of Alya. She smiled, It was nice to talk to Kim. He could be competitive sometimes, but she was one of the only people who could beat him.

Marinette and Alya would often play board games that called for more than two people. Instead of bothering her parents, they had taken to playing games with nearby guards. Kim had played with them a few times. Marinette's parents only laughed at this, and commented that they might be safer with another person around. It wasn't like there was any real danger in France, but it was always best to be cautious.

She continued walking along the edges, and stopped when she caught sight of the boy in front of her. His blue uniform stood out against the shining white walls. She looked at his face, and tried to hold in a small gasp. No, she must have been going crazy. Hallucinating from the stress, perhaps. It couldn't be- could it?

Was Chat Noir in the castle?

Adrien was a surprised at the party. He had been standing for a few hours, but he was looking about in wonder. The decorations were tasteful and extravagant, the food delicacies. Today, he would get a fifteen minute break for socializing, and he was planning on using it to eat some food. He had good food as a guard, of course, but it wasn't this presentable. Their food was meant to be nutritious and quality, but not pretty. He found himself counting down the minutes. He people-watched. He saw the princess a few times, and he noticed her speaking to Kim. He had heard a few stories about her and her socialization with staff, but he hadn't really believed it much.

The evening went on, and he started to get used to the extravagance. He was calm, until he heard a small gasp. He turned his head to see who it was, and he blushed slightly when he identified her.

THe princess was staring at him, and then seemed to realize it was rude. He tried to keep a neutral expression as he accepted her soft apology.

"I'm so sorry," she said, "but you.. You reminded me of one of my old friends. I- I guess I'm just nervous and looking for familiar faces. I'm sorry." She continued to walk to his station. She stood next to him, observing the crowd with him. They didn't look at each other.

It was quiet in their corner, like a pocket in reality. They could hear the loud music, the chatter of the people- and yet to both of them it was so far off. Both could've sworn that they could simply hear their heartbeats in unison, beating quickly as the tension grew. He wanted to know who he reminded her of, but he couldn't ask. It would be improper and rude. He was sure now she wasn't Ladybug, she lacked a certain zest for adventure. She wanted to know why he reminded her of Chat, and she wanted to know if they might be siblings or something. Chat had been an only child, so maybe close cousins? They were so alike… suddenly, the clock struck ten. It was Adrien's breaktime. He could see someone make their way across the room, and the other guard made his way to stand beside them. Suddenly, the silence was broken.

"Would you- do you want to dance? WIth me?" Marinette spoke. Her voice was quiet, and she sounded shy. He nodded, and they made their way to the floor.

"I have to warn you, I'm not much good. I only know what they taught us in the classes here.: He admitted to her. She simply smiled. As she took his hand and led him to the floor, he was saying goodbye to the opportunity of wasn't too upset, though. It could be worse. He tried to speak to her, coming up with random things. After a while she gained confidence, and she started talking more and offering information. THey soon learned they had a common interest in stargazing. Once they learned that, they both had a moment of silence before the conversation continued. Adrien thought that Ladybug and Marinette would be good friends, enough to rival him. He wondered what Ladybug was doing at the moment. If only he knew she was talking to him, letting him spin her to the beat of the music.

The song ended with them both striking ridiculous poses just to make the other laugh, and neither disappointed.

"You liar," Marinette said after a second, "you're good at dancing. You're way better than me!" He shrugged, not very impressed with himself. After all, it was just a dance. She was the exact opposite- she had taken, like, five weeks to get through the dance shakily. He had probably only had maybe two classes, as one of the small skills guards were requested to have. He started to walk away, and she followed him to the snack table.

"Oooh, take those, those are good." She suggested random foods for him to try, and laughed with him when he ate something he didn't like so much. She was friendly, but not so much as to be a nuisance. She turned around and there was another person, requesting a dance. She glanced behind her at Adrien, and she nodded. She gave him a quick smile before she disappeared into the crowd.

Adrien spent the rest of his shift thinking about her. He didn't like overly-friendly people, but she was just the right amount of kind. He'd like to be friends with her. Also, she suggested good food. Though he looked, he caught no more glances of her. He wished a little bit that she would come back to talk. She was nice company.

THe night was danced away, and soon it was midnight. Adrien watched everyone exit the ballroom, then helped close the doors. He was the last one to linger. He looked into the room, listening to the door creak as he closed it. He watched the lights turn off slowly. He shut the door, and went back to his room. That night, he dreamed of Ladybug and Marinette- crazily enough, being one and the same.

Adrien was woken up by a pillow being thrown at him. He immediately got into attack position, but he hit his head and let himself fall back down onto the mattress. His assailant was laughing at him.

"Nino!" he exclaimed.

"In my defence, you were talking about something and it was creepy. Honestly, I don't know what you were saying."

Adrien turned red. He didn't remember what he had been saying. Whatever, it didn't matter. As long as Nino didn't have anything embarrassing on him, it was okay. Nino wouldn't blackmail, he would just joke about it anyway. He got up and ready for the day.

"Yo, are you going to the ball again tonight?"

"Ok Nino, can the break please count? I danced! That should count!"

"Nah, bruh. You have to go!" Adrien sighed in defeat. There was no use arguing. He went to his station outside the royal's office. It was rather uneventful- the king and queen walked in and out, he bowed each time… it was pretty boring. His shift ended after a few hours. He wandered around the castle, showing guests where things were. He noticed archery was outside, taught by the princess herself. There were more than a few willing 'students' waiting their turn. At the moment, the girl named Chloe was trying to be friends with Marinette.

Hi guys! This is the story's editor, Bird. The author wants to continue writing this chapter, but I'm cutting the chapter off here for the sake of length. This chapter is roughly 7,000 words long, so we're sorry for the wait! (Remember when the author wanted to do weekly updates? Hahahahahaha)