Falling Rose Petals

Chapter 05

Something There

"Marinette, why do you always insist on wearing that same red dress?"

"It's the last dress I made before I got here. It reminds me of home."

Mylene frowned and closed her drawers before continuing, "I understand. I was just hoping you'd try on one of these dresses for a change."

"Why don't you wear something different? Your red dress probably needs to be washed too," Alya added, hopping over to the conflicted Marinette. "Just for tonight. We'll have it cleaned and washed, and it'll be good as new by tomorrow. What do you say?"

Knock, knock, knock.

Marinette opened up the door to reveal Tikki, who grinned up at her with such innocence and childlike wonder. She hopped into the room and stopped next to her mother figure, Alya.

"Good evening, Marinette! Dinner's all ready," Tikki greeted, eyes trailing down to her dress. "Oh, I'm sorry! You're not done dressing up yet! I'll tell Prince Adrien right away—"

"No, no," Marinette interrupted, clutching the skirts of her red dress. "I'm done, actually."

"You are?" the young teacup asked in confusion. "But you wear that dress all the time!"

"That's what I said!" Mylene intervened. She opened up one of her drawers, picked out a light pink dress from one of her racks and nudged their guest, "Come on, Marinette. What about a change for once?"

"But…" Marinette started.

"Please?"

Marinette sighed and took the dress out of the wardrobe's hands.

"I'm sorry for taking so long," Marinette apologized upon entering the dining room with Alya and Tikki in her arms. She carefully put them down on the floor, and then proceeded to take her seat at the table that was opposite from Adrien.

He immediately noticed her change of attire, noting, "You're wearing a different dress today."

"Oh, really? I haven't noticed," Plagg said sassily, receiving a glare from the Prince himself.

"Huh? Oh, yes," Marinette said, looking down at her new clothes. "Mylene, Alya and Tikki all suggested that I wear something different."

"I see."

"Compliment her," Plagg coughed.

"I mean, it looks really nice on you," Adrien said sincerely, to which Marinette responded by giving him a little, awkward smile.

Carts came rolling in to serve them their food, and both the beauty and beast thanked the servants once the food had been placed on the table. Adrien and Marinette filled their plates up with food and ate in silence.

Adrien felt somewhat stressed and very uncomfortable in comparison to the calm and comfortable Marinette. Since his friends didn't eat (obviously—who had ever heard of a candelabra, teapot or teacup that could eat?), they all decided to occupy themselves by watching his every move.

"Strike up a conversation," Nino suggested in a low whisper, unable to take the silence anymore. "Ask her questions. Learn more about her, and tell her about yourself too!"

"Geez, do we have to tell you everything?" Plagg ridiculed, which earned him a stern look from Alya for being so rude.

"So… why the change of dress all of a sudden?" Adrien tried, earning nods from Alya, Nino and Tikki, but a shake of the head from Plagg. "Or, uh, why do you always wear the red one?"

Adrien noticed Marinette pause.

"Well… you see," she began. "That red one was the last dress I made before I got here. It brings memories of home."

"You made that dress?" Adrien asked in awe.

"Yes," Marinette responded.

"Th-that's amazing!" Adrien suddenly exclaimed, surprising Marinette. "You're really talented!" Marinette stared at him from her side of the table, making Adrien realize his unexpected exclamation. "O-oh, uh… I'm sorry about that."

"No, no, it's fine," Marinette said. "It's just… this is the first time I've actually seen you… well, not brooding."

Adrien scratched the back of his head with his paw, laughing. "Well… um, what got you into sewing?"

"I think it happened shortly after I read a book," Marinette started. "It was a book about clothing and design, and it really interested me. So, on days when my father didn't need my help in the bakery, I'd be in my room practicing with the help of my books. I'd make clothes for the two of us with the sewing machines and fabric my mother left behind. Clothes are pretty expensive, so I figured making them would save us some money."

"You… like reading too?" Adrien asked.

Marinette's face instantly brightened. "Of course, who doesn't?"

They discussed their favorite books and authors while they ate, oftentimes reciting their favorite passages. Marinette never realized how easy it was to talk to Adrien, and she was starting to believe what her friends had told her on the first day at the castle—Adrien really was very kind.

"I'll walk you to your room," Adrien said when they finished their dinner. His face suddenly flushed. "If you'd let me, that is."

Marinette smiled.

"Sure."

Adrien and Marinette thanked the servants for the meal, and stood up from their seats. When they exited the room side by side, Plagg tried to follow, but was stopped by Alya.

"What?" Plagg asked.

Alya smiled. "Let's leave them alone."

"You lost your mother too?" Adrien asked.

Marinette nodded. "She died of illness when I was about five years old," she replied. "The last thing she gave me before she passed away was these earrings." She tucked a few strands of her midnight hair behind her ear to show them to him. They were red, circular earrings with five black polka-dots on them, resembling a little ladybug.

"At least you still have your father," Adrien said quietly. "And at least he loves you."

"What do you mean?" she asked, turning to look at him. He had on a solemn look on his face, making her wonder what could have possibly happened that made this very subject so sensitive to him.

"Well, basically, I never met my mother," Adrien frowned. "She died giving birth to me, so it had always just been Father and me. But he was the King, so he obviously had many responsibilities. He always neglected me and always put his duties before me. I was… lonely."

Marinette said nothing, so he continued, "I mean, I had Nino, Alya, Tikki and Plagg, but sometimes, you just need your father or mother's care, right? I just… wanted my father to love me."

"I'm sure he did," Marinette tried, but Adrien just shook his head, laughing sadly.

"He didn't even care to learn anything about me. He didn't know the slightest thing about me. Not my hobbies, or tastes, or preferences—nothing. The only time he ever talked to me was when he taught me the duties of the kingdom. He cared more about the kingdom than his own son," Adrien frowned. "I guess it's understandable, but… it hurt. And when he died, my feeling of loneliness was just stronger than ever before. Just like your mother, he at least left me something behind."

Adrien held up his hand to show her the ring on his ring finger. It was black as coal, and shone brightly under the light of the chandeliers above them. On top of it was the design of a cat's paw print in silver.

"But every time I look at it, it just reminds me of him, and…" Adrien trailed off, sighing. "I feel like he blamed me for my mother's death. That was probably why he hated me so much. I deserve this loneliness."

Marinette placed a comforting hand on Adrien's shoulder, making him flinch. He slowly turned his head to look at her, and instantly felt his face heat up the moment he locked eyes with her. She was so beautiful, and he…

Adrien turned away from her gaze, eyes trailing down to the floor as they continued walking to Marinette's room.

"Don't say that," Marinette said while shaking her head and keeping her hand on his shoulder. "You don't deserve to be lonely. No one does."

A ghost of a smile appeared on the Prince's face.

When they arrived at her room's door, Marinette opened the door to her room and said, "Good night."

Before she disappeared behind it, Adrien stopped her. "Marinette, wait," he said.

She looked up at him. "Yes?"

"Would you say…" Adrien began quietly. "That we're… friends?"

Marinette was shocked at first to hear such an innocent question coming from him. But then she remembered that he had lived in loneliness and isolation for ten years. She was probably the very first friend he had ever made.

"I mean, I know we didn't have a very good start, and I apologize for that," Adrien babbled. "But I'd still like to be friends with you. I mean, I don't want you to feel like a prisoner during your entire stay—"

"Yes, we are, Adrien," Marinette confirmed, smiling. "Good night."

Adrien and Marinette started talking to each other more often. All initial fear Marinette had around him completely vanished, and she felt a lot more comfortable around him.

"How's life in the village?" Adrien asked on the seventh night. Walking Marinette to her room became routine, and each night, they asked each other questions to learn more about each other. It was because of this that the two have gotten more comfortable around each other. "I've always wondered about that."

"It's… predictable," Marinette replied, placing her arms behind her back. "It can get a bit boring sometimes, but the atmosphere's very nice. We're all neighbors, so we always help one another whenever there's help needed. It's simple and somewhat free, but I'd give anything for a little adventure instead of such a poor, provincial life."

"It'd be nice to experience a life in the village. Life as royalty isn't all sunshine and rainbows, you know. There's so much to study and learn, and the fate of the kingdom rests on your shoulders. It's so stressful and you can be drowning in paperwork if you take even one day off," Adrien sighed. "I remember going to the village once in my entire life, and I was so envious of all the children my age. They all played in the fields without a care in the world, while I was forced to stay inside and study about laws and taxes. Doesn't my childhood sound fun?"

Marinette frowned. "That sounds terrible," she said. "But life in the village isn't so perfect either, you know. It also has its flaws. Want to know a little fact about me?"

"Sure," Adrien said.

"In every village I've moved to, I was an outcast because I liked books," Marinette confessed with a frown. "People were always talking about me wherever I went. They always called me weird."

"That's ridiculous," Adrien said, taken aback by her words. "How could you be treated in such a way for liking books? Reading, learning, thinking, creativity, imagination—intelligence is such a good trait! Don't you listen to them no matter how many times they call you weird, they're the weird ones."

Upon realizing that he was rambling, Adrien turned bright red and shrunk under Marinette's gaze.

"S-sorry," he laughed nervously. "I didn't mean to babble or insult any of the villagers, I was just—"

"Thank you, Adrien," Marinette said softly. She smiled up at him, "No one's ever told me that before. Thank you for making me feel better about myself."

Adrien smiled, and scratched the back of his head with his paw. "I'm just telling the truth," Prince Adrien said honestly. They stopped walking when they reached the door to Marinette's room. "Well, good night, Marinette. I'll see you tomorrow for breakfast?"

Marinette nodded. "Good night, Adrien."

Before she closed the door, Adrien added, "Just to let you know… I would've gladly become your friend if I were a villager. Don't think you're alone."

She smiled. "Thank you. I would've become your friend too, beast or not."

One sunny winter's day, Marinette decided to take advantage of the fine weather by going outside. She walked her horse around the castle's enormous backyard, looking down at the snow with a sad look on her face. She supposed she was enjoying her stay, but she was starting to get homesick, and most of all, she was starting to miss her father. Noticing Marinette's sad expression, the horse nudged her, making her turn to him with a smile. The horse neighed happily as she petted it affectionately.

Adrien watched her from his balcony alongside Nino and Plagg, who stood on the rails. The Prince felt his heart beat increase when he caught sight of her smiling face, and he felt his whole face heat as well. When Marinette started thinking of him as a friend, Adrien, on the other hand, started thinking of her as so much more.

"I've never felt this way about anyone before," Adrien whispered, catching his friends' attention. Nino and Plagg turned to him, but the Prince's eyes were kept locked on Marinette.

"Something tells me you're starting to see her as more than just a friend," Plagg smirked.

"I want to do something for her," Adrien announced with a smile, his cat ears pointing upwards excitedly. His face suddenly fell, and his ears drooped down pathetically. "But what?"

"Camembert?" Plagg asked, which earned him a glare from the Prince. "Calm down, I was just kidding."

"Well, she loves to read, doesn't she?" Nino asked. "The library's looking pretty empty these days, don't you think, Prince Adrien?"

"That's perfect, Nino! It completely slipped my mind!" Adrien exclaimed as he turned to them, making both the candelabra and teacup smile to each other because this was the first time in years that they had seen him look so happy. "That's not enough though."

"Not enough?" Plagg asked. "What are you talking about? That's more than enough! You have hundreds of books in there!"

"I know, but I want to give her more, you know?" Adrien asked, hoping they understood. "I want to make her really happy while she's here."

Adrien continued to watch her from the balcony, his eyes widening when he noticed that she was wearing her red dress again.

"I think I have an idea," Adrien said, rushing out of his room. Nino and Plagg looked at each other and shrugged before hopping off the rails to follow him. They followed him up and down stairs, and through doors, and long corridors, until the Prince finally stopped in front of a door at the end of a hallway.

"Is this what I think it is?" Nino asked with a grin, to which Adrien responded with a nod and a smile.

"Get everyone down here," Adrien ordered. "We have a lot of cleaning up to do."

"Marinette," Adrien began. "There's something I want to show you."

Marinette found herself looking up at a large, white door with intricate designs on it. After lunch, Adrien had asked her to come with him. When she has asked why, he refused to reply, saying something about a surprise. This fueled her curiosity, and when he led her to a part of the castle that she had never gone to before, her curiosity only strengthened.

With a smile on his face, Adrien cracked open the door, but his expression faltered when he noticed how dark the room was. He closed the door and turned to her, and said, "You have to close your eyes."

"Why?" Marinette asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Like I said, it's a surprise," Adrien responded.

Marinette shrugged and closed her sapphire eyes shut. Adrien waved a hand in front of her face to make sure she wasn't peaking, and when he was certain of it, he opened the door and grabbed her two hands with his paws. He led her into the room, their footsteps echoing throughout the empty hall with each step they took.

"Can I open them?" Marinette asked.

"No, not yet," Adrien grinned.

"You better not try anything funny."

He laughed. "I would never."

Marinette smiled.

When they made it to the center of the room, Adrien stopped walking and let go of her hands. "Wait right here," he ordered before running off. "And no peaking!"

Adrien pulled open all of the curtains with all his might, grinning as sunshine spilled into the room to provide illumination. When the sound of him pulling the curtains ceased, Marinette asked once more, "Now can I open them?"

"All right," Adrien grinned. "Now."

Marinette opened up her eyes and gasped at the enormous library right before her eyes. Hundreds of hard-covered books were stacked neatly on the shelves that seemed to cover every wall. There were ladders and swirling staircases to help reach the books lying on the tallest shelves, and a magnificent fireplace sat at the very bottom.

"I can't believe it!" Marinette exclaimed as she scanned the library with absolute awe and joy. "I've never seen so many books in all my life!"

"Do you like it?" Adrien asked, eyes sparkling.

"Of course! It's wonderful!" she replied, circling around him to take a good look at every corner of the room.

"Then it's yours," Adrien said softly. "All of it."

"Oh, thank you so much," Marinette said as she placed her hands on top of Adrien's, eyes tearful from happiness and joy.

"That's not all," Adrien said, grasping her soft hands and leading her out of the library. "I have one more surprise for you."

"Adrien, this library is more than enough," Marinette said, giving his paws an affectionate squeeze. This shocked Adrien for a split second because he noticed that she didn't shudder at his paw. She continued, "Really, this is more than I could ever ask for."

Adrien shook his head. "Trust me," he said. "You're going to love this one just as much."

He led her out of the grand library and into another room near the end of the same hallway. Marinette looked up at the less extravagant door, but who knew what surprise lay behind this one.

"Do I have to close my eyes again?" Marinette laughed.

Adrien shook his head. "Not this time," he said, pushing open the door to reveal an already lit-up room. The curtains were already pushed aside, pouring sunlight into the room, and Marinette's eyes widened at the sight of what was inside.

On the large mahogany table sitting against the wall sat a sewing machine far greater than the one she had back at home. Numerous rolls of fabric of all colors and designs, as well as sewing tools and equipment lay on the shelves on the cream-colored walls.

"Is this…" Marinette trailed off, taking a step into the room. She walked to the center of the room and stopped to admire it. "…A sewing room?"

Adrien nodded, biting his lip nervously. "You said you liked sewing, so I thought I'd give this room to you too. The seamstresses used to work in this room. They all agreed that you'd appreciate it," he said. "It was a bit dusty and messy, so my servants and I all got together to clean this room up for you."

Marinette remained silent. Adrien couldn't see the look on her face because her back was turned to him, and this made him anxious.

"Marinette?" he asked, taking a step forward. "Do you not—"

Adrien let out a startled gasp when Marinette ran up to him and wrapped her arms around him. He froze in place and panicked that she would feel the pounding of his heart when she buried her face in his chest.

"Thank you, Adrien," Marinette whispered, hugging him tighter. "Thank you so much."

Adrien's eyes widened at her actions, but the expression on his face slowly softened, and he found himself hugging her back.

"Well, would you look at that," Alya beamed. She, Nino, Plagg and Tikki all stood by the open door, watching the scene before them unfold. "There may be something there that wasn't there before."

"Prince Adrien's never looked so happy before," Tikki noted as she observed him. There was a spark in his eyes, which she and the rest of the servants noticed. Adrien appeared so much happier as the days passed. There was a spring in each step he took, and even just one glance of Marinette kept him smiling all day long.

"It's about time he stopped moping around," Plagg commented, smiling at the Prince's change in attitude.

"Come on guys, we should go prepare for tonight's dinner," Nino smiled as he hopped off in the direction of the kitchen. Alya, Tikki and Plagg all took one last glance at the couple before turning around to follow the candelabra.

It was evident that something special was starting to bloom between Adrien and Marinette, and all the servants in the castle were filled with hope once again.

A/N: I absolutely love the library scene in Beauty and the Beast, but I also wanted to stay true to the characters. Marinette's not much of a bookworm, so I decided to add that sewing room scene too. :)

Thank you la-hija-de-Dios for pointing out my grammar error in the last chapter! And thank you everyone for the kind reviews and faves! Thank you for reading!