"Well, after searching for Marinette unsuccessfully for about an hour, I stumbled upon Ladybug and Cat Noir at the top of the Eiffel Tower." Adrien answered. "Since they were so high up, it was hard to hear what they were talking about. Judging from their body language, Ladybug seemed to be very upset about something."

"Maybe she's still mourning over Jade Sensei's death." Alya suggested.

"That is possible." Nino stated.

"Most likely. She trusted him more than Cat Noir ever did." Adrien said.

Gabriel turned to Adrien. "But he did accept him as an ally, didn't he?"

"He did. Eventually... After seeing them from afar, I went back here."

"I can't believe that Chloe now has targets all over Marinette's back." Alya clinched her fists. "She doesn't deserve this. I wish I could just destroy her."

Nino grabbed Alya's wrist. "Alya, don't. You're going to end up in the same situation as Marinette. Or worse. And I can't afford to lose you." He threw her arms around her and whispered something into her ear. Alya embraced him before they backed away from each other.

"I won't attack her, but still she deserves to be punished. She's a complete loonie!"

"A loonie with power."

"Are you sure Chloe's that crazy?" Adrien asked.

"Definitely." they answered in unison.

Gabriel looked at Alya curiously. "Are you and Nino dating?"

She nodded. "We sure are."

"How long?"

"Um..." Alya began. "It started on the Menagerie Madness..."

"I thought it was called Animan Attack, April 29th." Nino answered.

"It depends on the article you read." Alya said. "I honestly thought the media was unaware of the victim's akumatized villain title of Animan."

"Nope, they're all aware that your father was corrupted by Hawkmoth."

"That's old news. So remind us, Adrien, why were you searching for Marinette?"

He hesitated. "Well... I... I wanted to tell her that... she didn't have to be alone..."

"You like her, don't you?" Nino asked. "No wait, you don't just like her. You're in love with her!"

"What?! No, that's... that's crazy!"

"I think he's right there. I saw the way you looked at her at the dance." Alya added.

Adrien looked at his dad. "Father, help me out here! Please tell my friend that he is crazy!"

"You're not going to like hearing this, but I think your friend might be right there."

"Huh?" Adrien and Alya asked in unison.

"Yes, I never thought I'd hear myself say that either. And what's this about a dance?" Gabriel asked.

Alya was puzzled. "You didn't know that Adrien went to the Summer Solstice Gala?"

"Summer Solstice Gala? What exactly is that?"

"It's an end of the year dance that our high school holds every year close to the summer solstice. Several students attend this party every year, often with a date. In fact, Adrien went to the dance as friends with Marinette." Nino answered.

"Oh really?" Gabriel turned towards Adrien. "I'm guessing that you snuck out of the house like a sly, agile, black cat, and whisked away your princess to the ball?"

"Uh... you could say that." he answered. "Anyway, I'm not in love with Marinette. And even if I was, why would it matter? Marinette's a fugitive, and I'll never see her again. Who knows what has happened or even what will become of her?"

"She'll probably be caught eventually and then thrown behind bars." Nino predicted. "Such a sad fate..."

Alya had a grim look on her face. "You think so?"

"Either that, or worse."

Adrien decided to switch topics. "So... do you think Marinette's actually right? About Lila willingly working for Hawkmoth or Chloe being Queen Bee?"

"Hmm. I think it's definitely possible that Lila could be willingly working for Hawkmoth. Marinette had never trusted Lila, even in her civilian form. Although she claims the Fox Miraculous, although she still acts like an akumatized victim as opposed to a Miraculous wielder. It's hard to tell. As for Chloe being Queen Bee... I think it is possible, and definitely more likely than being a hero. Chloe doesn't even need superpowers to be bad! If Chloe was a Miraculous wielder, oh boy, she would cause a lot of damage. But the problem for Marinette is a lack of solid evidence. What do you think, Adrien?" Alya asked.

"I think it's possible that Lila could be a for real evil Volpina. As for Chloe, I'm rather skeptical. I mean, I hate Queen Bee immensely. She's a destroyer, a party-smasher, and she's cruel. She helped to kill Jade Sensei and she doesn't care about the destruction she causes. Chloe also has no reason to join Hawkmoth. What could she possibly have to gain? Nino? Any thoughts?"

"I think that Queen Bee and Chloe could very well be the same person. As for Lila? I highly doubt she's evil. I know Marinette doesn't trust her and thinks she's nothing more than a silver tongued liar, but she seems too nice to be evil."

Gabriel looked at Nino curiously. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Well, in case no one told you, Lila's a foreign exchange student from Rome. While in Paris, she's staying in our apartment. She's super nice around the house. She volunteers for chores, helps my mom cook dinner on some nights, and she gets along with all of my siblings. She's even teaching my little sister how to speak Italian. Of all the foreign exchange students we've under our roof, none have been evil."

"You've had foreign exchange students other than Lila?"

"Of course. Over a span of several years, we've had foreign exchange students from Germany, the United States, England, Ireland, Spain, Chile, Guatemala, Russia and with Lila's recent addition, Italy. We don't ask for much. We don't care what you look like, what your sexual orientation is, or even your faith. All that we ask is that your kind person who's willing to help others and do the right thing. That's not too much to ask, is it?"

"It isn't. You and your family are very accepting of others, aren't you?"

"We are. Is that a bad thing?"

"Not necessarily. That depends on who you ask. Although..." He hesitated. "Since Lila is accused of willingly working for Hawkmoth, I would advise you to keep an eye on her. See if she does anything suspicious."

Nino looked at him curiously. "Do you think Lila and Chloe are evil?"

Gabriel sighed. "I don't know, but I see it like this. Your girlfriend could be right, you could be right, Adrien could be right, or maybe all of you are wrong. The truth is, no one knows, and without solid proof, no one will truly believe Marinette's words."

"Everyone thinks she's evil. That is, except for us." Adrien stated.

"Hmm... I don't think she's actually evil. Perhaps, lost and confused, but not evil. There's a difference between the two."

Nino's phone rang. "I'm sorry, I should probably take this." He answered it. "Hello? Oh hi, mom." Brief silence. "Oh not much. What'ca need?" More silence. "Really? Again? But I just got hot red chill peppers two days ago! How can she stomach all that spiciness?" More silence. "Yes, I have the money." He sighed. "Alright. You can pay me back later. Love ya mom, bye." He hung up. "Lila's been eating several red hot chill peppers lately. I don't understand her... I better get going before the market stand closes. Bye guys."

"Well, I better get going as well. I have to babysit my siblings."

"See you later, Alya."

She hung up, ending the conversation. Gabriel turned to Adrien. "Do you know who Queen Bee really is?"

"No, but I do know that Lila has the Fox Miraculous. If only I could tell Nino..."

"Keeping secrets from your friends is difficult, but it must be done. You of all people would understand the importance of secrecy."

"I know. Secret keeping is the hardest part of the job."

Gabriel sighed. "You are in a bad situation. You and Ladybug are losing the war against Hawkmoth. Considering all that has happened, this is no longer a mere battle of good vs evil. This is a Miraculous Civil War."