Marinette plastered a fake smile as she woke up in her bed, her maid coming to fuss over her. The previous week's incident was still fresh in her mind. It was the very source of her nightmares. The incident flashed through in her mind like a replay and she would see the men staring at her, their eyes void and full of darkness. She could see her own terrified expression when she stood there, trembling. It had been like this every night, and by now, she was afraid of even closing her eyes, just in case the image came back again. She couldn't tell anyone, even Alya, in case word got out to her father that she had disobeyed him. She had to deal with the consequences, no matter how much she regretted her actions.
Katerina, Marinette's maid, came upon her with a grin. "Oh my goodness! How exciting is this? All those men yearning to protect you," she sighed dramatically, earning a slight giggle from Marinette, "I am so happy for you, darling." Katerina was a middle-aged motherly woman with short blonde hair that fell in deep waves on top of her shoulders. Her caramel colored eyes were warm and filled with genuine care. She was on the larger side, so Marinette loved that she felt like she was hugging a teddy bear whenever they embraced. Katerina was a second mother to Marinette, one that she trusted and loved dearly.
"Katerina, you're married!" Marinette spoke in a hushed whisper, unable to stop the smile from appearing on her face.
The boisterous woman gave a snort and slapped her knee, "Oh, Marinette! Make sure you don't tell anyone!" The two laughed together until silence fell upon them. "You cannot hide this from me, you know. I know that something is bothering you." She looked at Marinette and tilted her chin upwards. "What's wrong, my dear?"
Marinette threw her arms around Katerina, burying her face into the crook of her neck. She breathed in the familiar scent of vanilla and the homey fragrance of coffee as they embraced. When Marinette pulled away, she couldn't bear to look at Katerina in the eye. Face downcast, she spoke, "I've done something terrible. If my father were to find out, he would definitely kill me. I feel incredibly guilty and I...I just don't know what to do." She sneaked a glance at her maid, knowing she would most likely be disappointed in her, but she saw only compassion and forgiveness.
"Marinette, I suppose I can't ask you what happened?" Marinette shook her head. "Well, in that case, I can only give you some advice. Things happen and sometimes, even we do things that we don't think about, which cost us a lot later on in our lives. All of our actions have consequences, no matter how big or small they may be, but in the end, the way we choose to learn from that action is what helps us grow as people. I don't know what happened, but what I'm trying to say is to learn from whatever mistake you made. Do you understand?" Katerina's calloused hands made her way into Marinette's hair, stroking the glimmering midnight strands softly.
"I know that this may be hard for you, but it helps if you remember that everything happens for a reason." Marinette nodded silently as they stayed in that position for some time. A knock from outside broke the quiet peace and Katerina immediately broke away and started fumbling.
"Oh my goodness, look at the time! We better get you dressed! Your parents will be waiting!" She pushed Marinette into the bath, and the soothing scent of lavender wafted through the air.
"Lavender?"
"I know you usually prefer roses, but I thought lavender would help soothe whatever nerves you had. I can change it if you wish."
"No, no. This is great, Katerina. Thank you so much." She smiled at the older woman, warmth blooming in her chest.
Katerina simply nodded with a smile and left. "You know what to do if you need me."
Marinette stepped into the large bathtub, the warm water tingling the tips of her toes. She took deep breaths as the scent of lavender wrapped her like a blanket. She lathered the shampoo into her hair and took time to wash it out. Opening her eyes, she traced little patterns in the water, humming softly.
It was then when she saw a figure on the surface of the water. She blinked, wondering if she was seeing things. The image became clearer and clearer the longer she looked at it. Finally, she could recognize her own expression. She saw the tears in her eyes as...oh.
Terror clutched her heart again as she continued to look at herself with the three men. She felt like she needed to scream. Her heart pounded a million beats a second and she felt the sweat beads start to form on her forehead. She shook her head, her damp hair whipping her face painfully. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat but to no avail.
Finally, she squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them again, there was only the water and her own frazzled expression staring back at her.
She ran a shaky hand through the wet strands of her hair, pushing them back. She took a deep breath to calm herself. She rung the hanging cord to summon Katerina and tried to look as if she'd only been enjoying the bath.
When Katerina arrived, Marinette tried her best to smile, but all that came out was a crooked slant. Thankfully, Katerina didn't notice a thing as she bustled around her, fussing over her hair and clothing. A knock on her door caused them both to pause. "I'll get the door!"
Marinette looked at her reflection in the large mirror. People would think that her skin was glowing and clear, but she only saw the pale blotchiness in her cheeks. They would think of her hair as an endless midnight sky, but she could only see the dry, dull shine that it gave off. She looked into her own eyes and saw the fear hidden beneath them.
Marinette broke out of her trance as she felt someone put a hand on her shoulder. She squeaked and turned around, only to see the worried face of her mother.
"Maman! You scared me!"
Her mother frowned, "Marinette, I've been calling your name for the last minute. Are you alright?"
Marinette could not face her mother's gaze at the moment, so she just looked down. "Look at me, Marinette." Her face slowly rose to meet her mother's eyes. After a minute of the close scrutiny, her mother sighed. "I know what this is about," Marinette's heart raced. Had her mother figured out her betrayal? Could she see the fear and terror embedded in her eyes? "You're just nervous that you won't find someone." At that, Marinette took a deep breath. So she didn't know after all.
"Don't worry, my dear. Many people have turned up for this day. I know there will be someone perfect waiting for you." Sabine smiled.
Marinette nodded, trying to fight the tears of relief. "Yeah. I-I mean yes. That's what I was really afraid of and I feel much better now. Thank you." Her mother grinned at her.
"I'm glad to hear that. Now, let's go. Everyone is waiting for you."
They both walked into the throne room. There was an obvious tension in the air after the heated argument between Marinette and her father, but all she wanted to do was forget it had ever happened and move on. She greeted her father curtly, "Good Morning, Papa."
"Good morning to you as well Marinette." He glanced at her. "I apologize for my behavior, Marinette. It was not my intention to hurt you in any way."
She spoke quickly, trying to fight the incoming images of fear flashing through her brain. "Don't worry about it, Papa."
"I just wanted to say that I'm really proud of you for challenging me that day. That is what makes for a good ruler: going with your judgment of doing what's really right." His proud expression brought waves of guilt into Marinette and she gripped the armrests of her seat so hard that her knuckles turned white.
However, she was quite surprised by his statement. "Thank you, Papa."
At that very moment, the guards opened the door to reveal all the men and even a few women from the village. Her father came close enough to whisper in her ear. "All of these people have already been tested for their physical ability beforehand. They will present themselves and then leave you to converse with them so you can see which one you like best." She nodded as she looked straight ahead.
Her count revealed that there were about twelve men and about two women. They lined up in front of the royal family and all of them bowed deeply.
Her father rose. "Welcome to all of you. As you may already know, my daughter, your Princess Marinette, has finally been permitted to go outside. By the end of the day, she will choose one of you to be her protector. Please introduce yourselves, starting from the left to the right." He sat back down.
Marinette watched as they all introduced themselves. She wasn't really paying attention, for her mind was already preoccupied with other things. "...Princess?" A warm, silky voice interrupted her train of thoughts. She looked up to see a handsome young man. From what she could see, his eyes were a beautiful shade of honey. Her heart faltered in her chest. She had almost believed that it had been Chat Noir. For some reason, she felt a twinge of guilt for associating this man with Chat Noir.
Oddly enough, the word "Princess" felt wrong coming from the different voice. Of course, many other people called her Princess, but this felt different.
Marinette mentally kicked herself for being so ridiculous.
"I'm sorry, what?" She felt bad for not paying attention.
The man just smiled, dimples showing through. "No need to apologize, I know I may be quite boring to listen to." He said it with a humorous lilt to his voice and Marinette couldn't help but giggle. "I just asked if you were doing well?"
The lie slipped easily past her lips and for that she was glad. "I'm doing well, sir."
"Well, we can't have the Princess be anything but well, can we?"
"No, I guess not."
He bowed deeply. "Allow me to introduce myself, your majesties. My name is Théo Barbot and I am very pleased to have gotten this opportunity to serve you all. Thank you for your kindness and generosity." For the first time that day, Marinette smiled a real smile.
She immediately took a liking to him. He was the first person out of the twelve standing in front of her to even ask how she was doing, which meant he was caring. He also had a good sense of humor - not like the ridiculous puns of Chat Noir - and he carried himself with confidence, something she had always aspired to have.
Once everyone was done, they left through the main door. Her father broke the silence first. "So…?"
"Well...they were all very nice people. But I especially liked one of them. I think his name was Théo?"
"Ah, yes. I liked his attitude as well. He was very charming, no?" Her father winked, and Marinette felt her face growing considerably warm.
"Papa!"
Her father laughed along with her mother. "Would you like it if you got a chance to meet with him personally?"
She considered the idea for a moment before replying. "That does sound like a good plan. Yes."
"Very well, then. I will let him know." Her father got up and kissed her forehead before he walked out. "I'm very proud of you, darling. You will make a fine queen someday."
That night, Marinette sat on her bed, tracing the flowers on her bedsheets. A soft wind blew through the window, ruffling her hair forward. She walked outside and stared at the full moon above. The stars glistened like diamonds in the sky. She couldn't help but close her eyes and hum with the breeze.
A soft thump sounded next to her and without even opening her eyes, Marinette knew exactly who it was. However, she didn't want to deal with him at the moment, so she just continued to hum and pretended to ignore him.
"I know you know that I'm here, Princess." His voice was full of uncertainty and hesitation, which was very unlike him. He hadn't shown up in a week and just when she had just started to feel better about everything (she wouldn't admit it to herself that she really wasn't), he just had to show up and ruin her delicate sense of peace.
His presence brought back waves of bad memories and opened up wounds that were still fresh. She felt them start to open up again and fought to keep them closed.
She coughed, and the air was suddenly a little bit too warm and felt it start to suffocate her from the inside. She opened her eyes and tried to do anything to avoid looking him in the eye. She couldn't face him. It would just tear her apart more than it already had.
"Chat Noir," Her voice was hoarse, and she hated how weak it sounded. "What a pleasant surprise. I'd hoped I would never see you again."
"I…"
"Well, in case you didn't quite get it, that was sarcasm. So you know...I want you to leave."
She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and was surprised to see that his expression didn't hold any of his usual mirth. His emerald eyes were dull and even his little cat ears were facing downward.
After a long, silent moment, she sighed, finally frustrated. "What do you want from me, Chat?! I've tried to tell you to go away countless, yet you still continue to come here. What is your problem!?" She couldn't hold it in anymore. Her anger poured out of her and she couldn't even feel sorry for him.
"I just came here to apologize! I-I thought you would at least be grateful that I ended up saving your life. I also know that it wasn't my place to say anything about-"
"Oh, so you just came here to get my thanks? Okay-"
"That's not what I meant-"
She put her hands together and looked him in the eye. "-well thank you, Chat Noir for saving my life. There. You have my gratitude. Anything else you need from me?" She stepped away from him so he wouldn't see the hot tears run down her face. She swiped at them furiously.
After a moment's pause, he responded, but there was a new cold edge to his voice. "Yes actually, I wanted to know if it was true if you were letting Théo Barbot become your bodyguard."
She gasped and turned around. "How did you find out about that? Are you stalking me now?"
"Just…" He pursed his lips, feet tapping on the floor impatiently. "Just answer the question."
She turned to him and crossed her arms. "Why do you care? And yes...what if he is? Why does it matter to you?"
After a pause, he responded with a heavy sigh. "He's...he's not as good if a person like you believe he is. You can't agree to let him be your bodyguard."
"So now you think you can tell me what to do? Just because you're jealous that we've had a better interaction in one time than you and I have ever had since we first met?" She shook her head, unable to believe him. "Really? Come on! Could you be any more ridiculous?!"
He walked forward and put a hand on her shoulder, which she immediately shook off. "Don't touch me!"
He sighed again, running a hand through his hair. "Look, it doesn't matter what I think. He is bad news, whether you like it or not." He leaped away in the darkness of night, leaving behind a very conflicted Marinette.
I apologize for the longer than usual wait. I write on my phone rather than my computer because I tend to write better and have my ideas flow easier on a phone. My phone stopped working mysteriously two weeks ago, so I thought of finishing writing this chapter on the computer, but I thought it would be better to wait because I thought quality over quantity. I got a new phone, so yay, but I'm thinking that it would be easier to update every 3-4 weeks because of all the school work that I have going on. Hopefully, you guys are okay with that.
And thank you, once again, for all the support and kindness you all have shown me. You really are the best.
Thank you and have a wonderful day/night!