Back at the castle Adrien was terribly sad. Though it had only been three days since Marinette left, he already missed her so much. He couldn't eat, he couldn't sleep, nothing brought him joy not even the roses.

He walked into Marinette's room and pulled the sheets off of her bed. They still smelled like her, he buried his face into them and inhaled her scent that had been left behind. He hoped and prayed that she'd come back. He didn't know how he would survive if she never came back.

"Marinette." Sighed clutching her sheets. "Remember your promise. Please remember your promise."

...

"Marinette this is the best soup you've ever made." Tom said at dinner.

"Thank you it's Adrien's favorite."

"You sure have been talking about him alot." Sabrina said.

"Have I?"

"Yes, Marinette I don't mean to be rude." Tom said. "But I'd really wouldn't like to think of him."

"Father." Marinette said. "At the end of the week I have to go back."

"No you're not going back." Tom declared.

"No I must if I don't he'll die."

"The evil thing!" Chloe said. "Let him die!"

"Yes then his castle and riches would be ours." Sabrina said.

"And of course you would be free." Chloe added.

"No! I could never!"

"But Marinette he held you prisoner." Tom said. "How could you go back to someone like that."

"Father I already told you he didn't treat me like a slave or a prisoner. He treated me like a princess."

"Why would he think of you as a princess?" Chloe teased.

"For your information he treated me better than some of the people here." Marinette glared at her stepsister. "Oh Father he tried so hard to please me. And his eyes...They were always so very sad. So full of misery and self loathing. If he's ever been cruel to anyone it was to himself."

"You must be mad!" Chloe and Sabrina gasped.

"I am not." Marinette said. "I do not wish to leave you but I gave him my word so at the end of the week I will use the ring he have me to go back."

Later that night Chloe drew Sabrina aside to talk to her.

"She wants all the wealth to herself the greedy pig!" She said.

"Yes it's unfair! We slave all day over a hot stove while she lives like a queen." Sabrina agreed.

"I have an idea, let's act nice toward her for the rest of the week and when it's time for her to leave we'll act sad and beg her stay longer."

"You think she'll do it?"

"Of course she will! The pathetic kindness of her has always been her downfall! She'll stay longer and the beast will die!"

"And then we can live in his castle and collect his treasures for ourselves."

"If we're really lucky before he dies he'll devour her for being so late."

"What? Now Chloe I may not like Marinette that much but I don't want that creature to hurt her. I mean you know aside from stealing all the men in town and keeping those treasures for herself, she's not so bad."

"Did I say I hope he'll devour her? Sorry you're right Sabrina. How awful of me to say such a thing. Let's just focusing on killing the horrid monster."

So for the rest of the week Chloe and Sabrina went out of their way to be nice to Marinette. They invited her to go shopping and dancing, they had tea with her, and they complimented her. Though she didn't know why her stepsisters were being so nice, she was glad that they were but she was a little suspicious. On the last day of the week Chloe and Sabrina rubbed onions on their eyes and came into Marinette's room crying fake tears.

"Please don't go." Chloe blubbered.

"Please stay." Sabrina sobbed.

"I'm sorry but I must go." Marinette said. "I promised Adrien that I wouldn't stay longer than a week."

"He's had you for almost a whole year we've only had you for one week." Chloe wept.

"But he needs me."

"Does he really need you more than we do?"

"Does he really need you more than your father does?" Sabrina cried.

"You know how much he loves you, after all you're all he has left of your mother."

"If you were to leave it would break his old heart. If you can't stay for us then please stay for his sake."

Marinette smelled the onion and doubted the girls but she knew her father's tears were sincere and they were right. She was all he had left and it would probably be another few months before Adrien let her go back. Surely a few more days wouldn't hurt right?

"Alright." She agreed. "But only for a few more days."

"Oh Marinette you're so good to us." Chloe said sneaking her hand over to grab the ring from Marinette's nightstand and slip it into her pocket. "Too good even."

So she stayed for a few more days but she found herself quickly regretting it because now all she ever thought about was Adrien. Then one night she had a terrible nightmare. She saw rain, thunder, lighting, and wind at the castle. All the roses had wilted away and died, laying by the dead roses with the rain pouring over his body, was Adrien. He looked so weak and frail, his eyes looked sadder than they ever had and they were overflowing with tears.

"Marinette." He cried weakly with sorrow. "You promised...You promised you wouldn't abandon me...Why didn't you come back?...Marinette my heart is breaking...Please come back...I cannot live without you my love."

Marinette awoke with tears streaming down her face.

"I broke my promise! I have to go back!"

She got out of bed changed out of her nightdress and into her pink gown, pearls, and fixed her hair up with the comb. But when she went to get the ring off her table she was horrified to find it gone.

"Father!" She cried running downstairs. "Father!"

"What? What is it?" Tom asked.

"My ring is gone! Did you take it?"

"No."

"Chloe! Sabrina!" Marinette called.

"What?" Her stepsisters called back.

"Did any of you take my ring?"

"Ring?" Chloe said faking innocence. "What ring?"

"It was sliver with an emerald and I kept it on my nightstand. Please if any of you have taken it please give it back!"

"Sorry Marinette but I've seen no such ring." She lied. "Have you Sabrina?"

"No I have not." Sabrina lied.

"If you've lost it then you only have yourself to blame."

"I didn't lose it! Someone took it!"

She ran out of the house and began searching frantically around the area for her ring. At that very moment Nathaniel arrived to court her again.

"Marinette what's wrong?" He asked her.

"My ring is gone! Someone stole it! I have to find it!"

"Calm down Marinette if your ring is not returned I'll buy you a better one to replace it."

"No you don't understand! I promised Adrien that I would return and tge ring is the only way back."

"So that's why it's so dear to you." He said. "Well no one will blame you if you break your promise to that creature."

"But I want to go back!"

"Why would you want to go back to that monster?"

"He's my friend! I care about him! He needs me and I need him!"

"Marinette." He said shocked. "Are you in love with that creature?'

She didn't answer him. She just stood there thinking. Did she love him? She knew that ever since she had left him she had missed him dearly and the thought of him dying was absolutely horrifying to her. But was it really because she loved him?

"You don't understand Nathaniel, if I go back don't he'll die!"

"Good! Then his spell over you will break!"

"There is no spell! Oh I don't have time for this! I'm going to search Chloe's room! I know she took it!"

She ran back inside the house and upstairs into Chloe's room. Nathaniel called Chloe and Sabrina outside to talk to them.

"What do you want?" Chloe asked.

"Alright I know you two took her ring."

"Nathaniel how can you possibly accuse me of-"

"And I thank you for it."

"You do?"

"Yes. I don't want Marinette to go back to the monster so I want you to let me hide the ring."

"Why you?"

"She's cleaned this house from top to bottom, no doubt she'll find it wherever you hide it but if I hide it she'll never find it."

"That is true." Chloe said.

"Yeah but she sure does look desperate to get back to him." Sabrina said. "Is this a good idea?"

"It's obvious the monster has her under some spell." Nathaniel said. "Once he's dead she'll be free from it."

"Then we can use the ring to go to the castle and live like royalty." Chloe added.

"And with you all taken care of for good Marinette will have no reason to stay with you and she'll marry me."

...

"He's getting worse." Tikki looking at Adrien who had spent the past few days howling in pain.

"Where is that girl?" Plagg said. "She promised that she wouldn't stay later than a week."

"Maybe something happened. Maybe she got sick or she lost the ring."

"Or maybe she just never cared about him."

"We can't assume that."

"Why not? It's obvious."

"Look I have an idea. Why don't we send the horse to go get her? If the horse comes back without her then it's clear she's not coming back but if it does then there's hope."

"I think it's a long shot but okay. I'll get the horse in the meantime you and the others try to keep him alive."