Okay, time for more "Wedding Ladybug!" This time, Evillustrator (starting to get a bit fed up with Nathaniel's crush on Marinette) suggests Nathaniel try to goad Marinette into a mock wedding with him.

Needless to say, Marinette is not comfortable with doing it, even after seeing her classmate shedding tears. The lengths she'll go to to see her friends happy... Is Adrien going to do the right thing and step in to stop the wedding?

Sorry these chapters take so long. Between juggling other stories, a part-time job, etc., these things take time.


Nathaniel was once again in his room, looking over his comic drawings of Marinette, and was muttering to himself. His eyes were glued to Marinette's perfectly-sketched profile, and he all but swooned.

"How can I get Marinette to fall in love with me...?" He murmured. "I can't win her love by forcing it. That wouldn't be right."

He then remembered that a few years ago, he witnessed Marinette going to comfort Chloé of all people when she was crying. The next thing he knew, Chloé had become Alya and Marinette's BFF, and it was so confusing.

And it wasn't just Chloé that Marinette would to go comfort when she saw someone crying - it was almost anyone who would be feeling down. If she saw someone who needed help, comfort, or anything, she'd go over and listen to them.

"Aha... She's weak against tears." Nathaniel realized as he smiled.

The Evillustrator then appeared behind him. Nathaniel slammed his book shut and picked up his phone as the akuma approached.

"What'cha up to, Nathaniel?" He asked.

"Um, just doing research on the Love Angels on my phone." The redhead lied, his eyes darting around.

"Oh?" Evillustrator asked.

"Speaking of whom, did you find them?" Nathaniel questioned weakly.

Evillustrator sighed before going inside Nathaniel. The redhead groaned in pain as the black energy was absorbed into him. He fell to his knees.

"Ow... Please cut that out," Nathaniel muttered as he stood up. He was standing right next to the full length mirror on the door to his room. "You know I hate it when you get in and out of my body like that. It's painful."

The reflection in the mirror changed from Nathaniel to the Evillustrator. He said, "Nathaniel, you're as transparent as a windowpane. You should know by now that you can't hide anything from me."

"What are you talking about?" Nathaniel asked.

"Don't play dumb," Evillustrator commented with a chuckle. He crossed his arms and he had an amused smile. "You're still going on and on about that Marinette girl."

Nathaniel turned to the mirror, only for his cheeks to match his hair.

"Just like I thought," He said with a sigh. "Listen, why not marry her? Have a wedding?"

"Whoa, marry her?!" Nathaniel asked. "That's going way too fast! Besides, legally, we're not old enough to do that yet!"

"No, I mean a mock wedding," Evillustrator said, chuckling again. Nathaniel sighed in relief. "Aren't there mock wedding demonstrations done at bridal fairs and the like all the time? Using that as the bait, there's no way she wouldn't give you a kiss. After all, that's the most anticipated part of the ceremony, isn't it?"

"No way..." Nathaniel muttered, but then he went to pondering the suggestion.

The next day at school, Chloé and Alya were in their club room, with the kwamis out. They had a few treats out, such as homemade fig bars and mini honey bundt cakes with an orange blossom honey glaze, all courtesy of Tom and Marinette. There were some coffee cups from the bakery, too. There were a few chocolate chip cookies out as well, just in case Tikki, Nooroo, and Marinette came back.

"Are you sure?" Chloé asked. "Marinette and Adrien? A couple?"

"Yeah! I've seen the sparks!" Alya said.

"But you've seen how they talk to each other," Chloé commented. "It always turns into an argument."

"Marinette has let her guard down around him, though," Trixx commented. "Remember when he got kidnapped by Dark Cupid? She was worried sick about him."

"But Duchess Marinette decided to have Duke Carapace erase his memories," Pollen added. "So even if that knave did show Duchess Marinette kindness, he wouldn't remember."

"True," Chloé agreed. "And don't forget that Marinette's got some feelings for Luka. We can't be insensitive to that!"

"Yeah, I get that, and honestly, I wouldn't mind them pairing up either if it made her happy, but I still think we should at least try to get Marinette and that blonde together!" Alya insisted.

"Why are you so stuck on this idea, anyway?" Trixx asked. "I'm not sure Marinette would like it if we meddled in her love life."

"Well, I think they'd be great together, to start with," Alya replied. "BUT there's an even more important reason! It could be an edge in the war."

"Um... Not understanding here, Alya." Chloé stated.

"Think about it! If Marinette has a boyfriend, then her love waves will be stronger! And the stronger her love waves, the more powerful the love waves that the Miraculous Something Four will radiate, and in turn, the sturdier the barrier that surrounds the angel realm will be! And that'll give us the upper hand in the angel-akuma war!"

"Wow, Alya, you're not just thinking of your friend's happiness, but of another way to win the war," Trixx said. "Killing two birds with one stone. You're a clever one!"

"Yep," Chloé agreed. "And now that you mention it, stronger love waves could be a good thing. On the other hand, the stronger the love waves, the more incentive the akumas would have to attack her and us by extension."

"But Duchess Marinette is capable of handling herself," Pollen stated. "She was battling those akumas prior to your awakening."

"Pollen's right," Trixx agreed. "But that doesn't mean we shouldn't do whatever we can to strengthen our powers."

"Another thing that would help is that if we find the fourth of us Love Angels, and that last piece of the Miraculous Something Four - the Something New." Chloé added.

"Yeah, good point," Alya agreed as she ate a honey bundt cake. "The three of us alone can only do so much for so long..."

Meanwhile, Nathaniel was sitting on one of the staircases at the school, trying to take his mind off of the Evillustrator's advice by working on his drawing.

'Nathaniel, if you want it to happen, then do what I advised NOW!' Evillustrator spoke from inside.

"I..." Nathaniel began, reluctant to make any moves.

Unbeknownst to him, Marinette was hiding in a nearby corridor across from the bottom of the stairs. She was watching Nathaniel, trying to find something.

"Lady Marinette, spying on people isn't a nice thing to do." Nooroo spoke as he and Tikki were poking out of Marinette's bag.

"But doesn't it worry you?" Marinette asked Nooroo. "He asked me if I was a Love Angel. More accurately, he asked me right to my face if I was Ladybug! How does he know about that, anyway?!"

"She has a point," Tikki spoke. "There really shouldn't be any way for Nathaniel to know about any of that, especially since you and the others are so private about those discussions."

"It's just too strange! I need to find out how he knows." Marinette whined.

Nearby, Adrien, in his fencing gear, was coming out of the lockers to get to fencing practice, but he noticed Marinette.

"Mariboo?" He questioned aloud.

"Poor Marinette," Alya said. She and Chloé had approached. "She's been keeping her eyes on Nathaniel lately. No clue why, though."

Adrien's face contorted in discomfort.

"Well, Nathaniel has been really set on wooing her these days," Chloé added. "I just hope Marinette hasn't taken his pushiness too seriously and started liking him like that."

"That's impossible," Adrien said. "I've seen her shoot him down."

"But he doesn't quit," Alya added. "And you probably shouldn't be so confident about it, either. Check it out."

Alya pointed out Nathaniel approaching Marinette again, and she was trying to be polite and hear him out, but she was also visibly nervous.

"He's gotten really forceful," Chloé admitted. "Wouldn't surprise me if he managed to start stealing her kisses."

Adrien blushed subtly as Alya said, "That's disgusting! She's constantly telling him "no," but he can't take a hint."

"Um... Should I really care what goes on between them?" Adrien asked innocently, but the ire on his face was palpable. "Is it really any of my business?"

He put his mask on before going out to meet the rest of the team for practice. Alya and Chloé looked at each other in worry.

In another classroom, Nathaniel was standing by the window.

Evillustrator phased out and said to him, 'Nathaniel, if you want her to give you some attention, you'll really need to turn on the waterworks.'

"Is it gonna kill you leave me alone?" The redhead questioned.

'Yes, and it looks like sympathy is the only way you'll get a kiss from her,' Evillustrator teased. 'Time to harden up that weakling heart of yours.'

The thumb ring glowed, then the glow transferred to Nathaniel's body for a few seconds. He was groaning in pain, and when the glowing subsided, his eyes flashed red for a split second.

The classroom door opened. Nathaniel turned his akuma-influenced face to the sound, and he saw Marinette coming in.

With a smile (granted a cautious one due to his behavior as of late), Marinette spoke, "Hi, Nathaniel. You needed me?"

He started sniveling a bit, loud enough for Marinette to hear.

"Nathaniel?! What's the matter?" Marinette asked.

"I... I'm so embarrassed..." Nathaniel cried, putting his hand on a desk, and the other one on his face.

"Nathaniel..." Marinette said.

"I... I tried doing another flip on the bars, but I couldn't pull it off, and everyone started laughing at me!" Nathaniel cried.

"What? How? You did it once before." Marinette said.

"I don't know!" Nathaniel whined. "It had to be a fluke! No other way to explain it!"

He left the desk and walked to the window. He looked out of it, a wistful look with tears in his eyes.

"Ever since childhood, I've been poor at sports," He recounted, still sobbing. "Never heard the end of the teasing. Even... Even now!"

"Don't cry, Nathaniel..." Marinette said, approaching him.

"I can't do sports! Just plain and simple!" Nathaniel cried.

"Come on, Nathaniel," Marinette said with a smile. "Focus on the things that you're good at, things you're passionate about, the things that make you happy. Your drawing, for example. You're one of the best artists in school!"

"I may be poor at STEM, but I'm not an idiot," Nathaniel cried. "No one likes me, they all think I'm lame!"

"That isn't true, Nathaniel," Marinette insisted. "Don't beat yourself up like that. Everyone in school loves your artwork and your comics."

"Stop, please..." Nathaniel said, turning teary eyes to Marinette.

Her face fell sadly.

He walked away from the window and said, "I'll never find love. No girl wants a guy who can't do sports."

"Cut it out, Nathaniel," Marinette said, getting annoyed. "There are plenty of girls who prefer artists over athletes. Take me, for example. I'd much prefer a man who would serenade me on their instrument... Possibly a guitar or a piano..."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better." Nathaniel began, still crying.

"I'm not, it's the truth," Marinette insisted. "I hate it when my friends are feeling sad like this."

"You mean it?" He asked.

"Yes." Marinette said with a nod and smile.

"Then will you help me with a confidence booster?" He questioned.

"Sure," Marinette confirmed. "What can I do?"

"W... Will you have a wedding ceremony with me?" Nathaniel requested.

"Whoa, a wedding ceremony?!" Marinette said, her eyes bulging out.

Nathaniel stepped forward, his hands locked together in pleading, and said, "Don't worry. I mean a mock wedding ceremony. Just to help me feel better."

"Hang on, Nathaniel..." Marinette began.

But Nathaniel blinked and sighed before turning away, "Don't start. It's a stupid idea, you're right."

He turned his back and began sobbing again, before saying, "As if you'd have a mock wedding with a loser like me! How can I love anyone when I don't even love myself?!"

"Don't cry, Nathaniel!" Marinette said as she watched Nathaniel cry. "If it... It's only a fake one, right? I'll do it."

He turned around with a big smile and said, "Really?! Then will you come to the studio house this Saturday?"

"Um... Okay." Marinette said with a stiff smile and nod.

The kwamis, who were in the bag and listening to the whole thing, looked at each other anxiously while sweat dropping.

Out on the fencing field, Adrien was sparring with his teammates, but he was a little distracted. As he was waiting for his turn, the image of Marinette and Nathaniel talking to each other was sticking out in his mind.

"Well, Nathaniel has been really set on wooing her these days," Chloé's voice rang in his mind. He could see their faces in his brain, too. "I just hope Marinette hasn't taken his pushiness too seriously and started liking him like that."

"He doesn't quit," Alya's voice said as he saw her. "And you probably shouldn't be so confident about it, either."

"He's gotten really forceful. Wouldn't surprise me if he managed to start stealing her kisses." Chloé spoke in Adrien's head.

An opponent on the team charged at Adrien with his saber. The shout immediately pulled Adrien out of his mental state and he just narrowly avoided the saber, only to get touched with the thing, and he fell onto his stomach on the mat.

"Adrien!" The coach shouted. "Focus!"

"Sorry." Adrien spoke as he stood up and he went back to sparring.

Meanwhile, Marinette was watching the sparring practice with a sad look from in front of the door to one of the other classrooms.

Later, Adrien was in the bathroom, splashing water on his face and letting the water run down his head. He lifted his head out of the sink and shook the water off. He breathed a heavy sigh.

A towel was thrown to Adrien's side. He picked it up and turned around to see Nino.

"Hey dude," He said. "I was watching from the sidelines. What happened out there?"

Adrien turned his face away, a sad look.

"Your head was elsewhere today," Nino added. "Like you were preoccupied."

"Well..." Adrien began.

"Is it about a girl, dude?" Nino asked.

"What? Whatever gave you that idea, Nino?" Adrien asked.

With a chuckle, Nino said, "You gotta be honest about these things, dude. Honest about your own feelings."

Adrien looked at Nino with a questioning look before the DJ started to leave. He said, "If you have feelings for her, you gotta be a man and tell her. Faint heart never won fair lady, after all."

Nino left Adrien to think.

Back at the Dupain-Cheng house, Marinette was up in her room, holding her mother's wedding dress up against her while looking in the mirror. But she wasn't happy about it.

"Ugh... Mom, what should I do?" Marinette questioned loudly.

"You shouldn't do this!" Tikki said to her owner.

"But Tikki, Nooroo..." Marinette murmured, remembering the distress that Nathaniel was in.

"Lady Marinette, you can't have a wedding, even a fake one!" Nooroo insisted.

Marinette didn't respond, only muttering, "But I already told him I would do it..."

"Marinette, how can you stand next to Nathaniel in a wedding dress, your Maman's wedding dress, when your heart yearns for another?!" Tikki questioned, worried.

Marinette's mind played moving images of her moments with Adrien, and with Luka.

But she shook her head and lifted the dress up, saying, "I'm so sorry, mom, but I have to help Nathaniel! I made a promise... And it's only a pretend wedding, too, right...?"

That self pep talk didn't stop Marinette from crying, though. Tikki and Nooroo looked at each other, worried.

That Saturday morning, Alya was in her room, working on a blog post about spreading love and how to maintain it, as another low-key weapon against the akumas (she put in a disclaimer about her only talking about experience and she was NOT a professional in this field, so reader discretion was advised).

"What? Marinette?" Alya asked. Nooroo had gone to Alya's house to inform her of what was going on. Tikki stayed behind with Marinette.

"That's right!" Nooroo insisted.

"We'd better get Chloé." Trixx added.

At the studio house, Nathaniel was getting ready for the "wedding." He was already in a nice, dark purple tuxedo with a white rose boutonnière in the lapel. He also combed his hair and was looking at the makeshift altar he set up, chuppah and everything.

'She'll be here soon, Nathaniel,' The Evillustrator stated as he spoke from inside. 'I gotta say, you're quite the actor. You pulled off a brilliant performance! Very convincing.'

"I'm still having second thoughts about doing that," Nathaniel admitted. "I feel awful about deceiving her with fake tears the way I did."

'But thanks to that display of yours, you've got your chance to kiss her!' Evillustrator laughed inside the boy's body, as the poor redhead looked over his altar.

Nathaniel's mind was still stewing when he heard the doorbell.

"Marinette!" He said, delighted as he ran for the front door. "Marinette, you're early! Hang on, I'll be right there in a second!"

He opened the door, only to see Adrien in there instead of Marinette.

"Adrien Agreste!" Nathaniel spoke as he stepped back, getting on the defensive.

"Hi, um... Where's Mariboo?" Adrien said as he cautiously stepped inside the doorway.

"Huh?" Nathaniel asked.

"Is Marinette Dupain-Cheng here?" Adrien questioned as he looked around a little bit.

"Hey, you weren't invited inside," Nathaniel stated, getting the blonde's attention. "And even if Marinette were here, how would that be any business of yours, Adrien?"

Adrien's face fell with a scowl, then murmured, "She's smart, but this is pretty stupid of her to do..."

"I beg your pardon?" Nathaniel asked.

He picked his head up and glared at Nathaniel, saying, "You can easily trick her into coming here, can't you?"

"That may be true, but again, this isn't your business, Adrien," Nathaniel said, before crossing his arms and cocking a brow. "Unless there's something going on between you and Marinette?"

Adrien recoiled a little bit, a tiny blush came upon his face, then he looked down, saying, "Marinette's just a friend..."

With a smirk, Nathaniel said, "Listen, Marinette's coming here for one reason only: because she wants to. If anyone's a problem here, it's YOU, bub."

"Huh?" Adrien asked.

"Now leave!" Nathaniel barked, shoving Adrien out the door. "Get lost!"

"Listen, pull anything cruel on Marinette, do anything to upset her, or give her even one reason to make her cry, and I'm the one you'll answer to. Understand?" Adrien said, pointing at Nathaniel's face before walking away to the car.

"What's his problem?" Nathaniel questioned aloud.

'Love can turn into a contest when there's more than one person vying for someone's heart. Looks like you've got competition, Nathaniel.' Evillustrator explained.

"Just BE QUIET for a while, why don't you?!" Nathaniel shouted, spooking the Evillustrator and forcing him back inside his body.

Nathaniel watched from the window on the second floor of the studio house as Adrien's family car started driving away.

'If I give her even one reason to make her cry...' Nathaniel thought, the words repeating in his head.

As Adrien sulked while riding in the car, he was thinking, 'What was I doing?'

Nathaniel walked out to the patio on the top floor, and looked out over the city. He saw something out of his peripheral vision, and turned to see Marinette walking up to the studio house from a long way away.

"Marinette!" He said with a smile.

Marinette was carrying her mother's wedding dress in a suitcase, and walking to the studio house. She saw it in the distance, then took a deep breath.

"Marinette, are you sure this is a good idea?" Tikki asked from Marinette's purse.

"I know I'm doing the right thing, Tikki," Marinette insisted. "Nathaniel needs to get his confidence back, and I want to help."

"I don't know, Marinette," Tikki commented. "I feel like this is just another plot to get a kiss from you."

"You're probably right, Tikki, but when I saw him crying, I... I couldn't help but feel like I needed to reach out a helping hand." Marinette admitted.

"You're kind almost to a fault, Marinette," Tikki spoke. "If you're sure this is the right thing, then let's go."

Marinette gave a nod and continued on her way to the studio house.

Nathaniel was watching Marinette, but...

'Hey, I'm picking up a VERY strong love wave! It might be a Love Angel!' Evillustrator said as he phased out of Nathaniel in a wave of black energy. He took out his pen and started sketching something on his wrist tablet.

He conjured up a creature that looked like a small kindergarten child from Japan, including the clothes and hat and a small pack on its back. Nathaniel balked at the sight of the thing.

"I think that girl nearby might be a Love Angel. Would you please take a look?" Evillustrator stated.

"Okay!" The small child-like akuma said before flying off.

Marinette was making her way to the house when a rush of wind blew over her. Above her, the akuma child was looking at her with a smile and asked, "Are you a Love Angel, by chance?"

"What are you?!" Marinette questioned.

"I'm detecting a very strong love wave from you!" The little akuma said as the small coin purse backpack opened up. A pink cyclone came out of it and attacked Marinette.

She screamed in pain. The little akuma was giggling and cackling as the love waves from Marinette were slowly being drained. But she stood firm, trying to resist the akuma's pull. Even Tikki was hanging on tight inside the clutch.

"Show who you truly are before you're out of time!" The akuma taunted in a singsong tone.

"Bride's Bashfulness!" Queen Bee shouted. "Marriage Announcement - Honey Star Shower!"

She spun her baton and fired the bee lights, blasting the akuma kid, forcing it to stop its attack on Marinette.

"Love's Tribute Candle!" Rena hollered as she summoned her wand, then shouted, "Miraculous Fantasies!"

She fired the foxtail lights at the kid, and he screamed in agony.

"Rena! Queen Bee!" Marinette spoke. The two angels were standing side-by-side as they smiled, ready for a fight.

"Aha! The Love Angels!" The akuma spoke as it fired black energy from the coin purse backpack.

The girls leaped out of the way to evade it, then started trying to attack the small akuma, who was playing games with them by playfully jumping around to dodge them, irritating them further.

"Lady Marinette!" Nooroo shouted as he approached her.

"Nooroo! You told the girls where I'd be, didn't you?" Marinette asked in delight.

"That was so smart, Nooroo!" Tikki agreed, flying out of hiding.

"Thank me later! Just stop that akuma!" Nooroo stated.

Marinette nodded.

"Lucky Wedding Flower! Bridal Change! Wedding Dress Transform! Angel Creation Ladybug!"

Immediately, Rena Rouge grabbed the backpack on the akuma with a snarl on her face.

"Gotcha, you little brat!" Rena said with a smile. "Honestly, this isn't much different than keeping my sisters under control."

"Now you're stuck!" Queen Bee stated, tapping the kid on the head with her baton.

But the little akuma pulled up two red triangle stickers, and swiftly slapped them on the girls' foreheads. They gasped, and were rendered immobile.

"Hahahah! Do whatever you want, but no matter how much you try, you won't be able to move!" The akuma giggled as the girls stood, paralyzed. "Now to drain your love waves!"

The coin purse opened up again and the pink cyclones attacked the girls directly. The akuma was cackling, but a yo-yo string came out, wrapped itself around the small akuma, and then it was thrown into a tree.

Ladybug stepped forward, still spinning her yo-yo, and she said, "Stop right there! If you think you can get away with draining my friends' love waves, then you're wrong!"

But the akuma took out more triangle stickers and started throwing them at Ladybug. She kept ducking and dodging, even blocking the stickers with her yo-yo.

"Make sure those stickers don't touch you, LB!" Rena Rouge hollered.

"You'll be like a statue if you get stuck!" Queen Bee added.

Ladybug immediately summoned her Lady's Crystal.

"Lady's Crystal!" Ladybug shouted as she got ready to use it.

But the akuma immediately threw a triangle sticker at her forehead, forcing Ladybug to be stuck in her pose. She gasped, and tried moving, but nothing.

The akuma giggled, and said, "You look very silly the way you're posing!"

"Ladybug!" Rena and Queen Bee shouted, worried.

Over with Adrien, he'd asked the bodyguard to pull over. He was now standing on the bridge at the Canal Saint-Martin.

"Mariboo... I really wish..." Adrien began.

Back with the angels, the little akuma had opened up its coin purse backpack was draining Ladybug's love waves. But a familiar green shield cut through the pink cyclone before acting like a boomerang and hitting the akuma square in the chin.

Then it returned to its owner. Up in the sky, for the umpteenth time, was Carapace. He'd caught his shield and put it on his back again.

"Carapace!" The angels shouted in delight.

"You're a sight for sore eyes!" Nooroo agreed.

"Don't bother trying to steal the Miraculous Something Four with your wicked schemes, dude! We will guard them with our lives!" Carapace said.

Another portal came out of nowhere, and Evillustrator stepped through. He was wearing his jetpack, and this time he sketched out a sword before taking it into his hand.

"You leave Carapace to me! Just get the Love Angels!" Evillustrator shouted before flying to go and fight.

Carapace held his shield up as Evillustrator slammed his sword down on it, meanwhile the tiny akuma started sucking the love waves out of the angels via the cyclone coming out of the coin purse again.

The girls were screaming in pain.

"Ahhh!" Nooroo screamed. "What am I gonna do?!"

Yet again with Adrien, he was stewing in his thought when he heard piano keys playing. He looked in his pocket to see a green glow, and he pulled out his father's ring to see it glowing green.

"What the hell?" He said.

The ring shot a green beam out to the sky. It cut across the sky and bathed the Love Angels, stopping the draining process. The girls' surroundings were highlighted, like a beautiful spring day, and the cyclone from the coin purse stopped. The akuma paused, blinking in confusion.

The sound of piano keys being played was ringing out and the girls were listening.

"Do you hear that piano?" Ladybug questioned.

"It sounds so beautiful." Nooroo commented.

The piano sounds kept ringing out through the silent scene. The girls listened intently, feeling soothed.

"Wow... My heart's feeling warmer, and it feels completely new." Ladybug said, smiling in calm.

"It's intense." Queen Bee commented, mirroring Ladybug.

"I'm feeling a new hope, and a new dream, too." Rena added, smiling.

"Are you girls feeling a new love wave?! Because I am!" Ladybug said, her smile going from calm to confident and determined.

"Yeah!" Rena Rouge agreed.

"We're not going down without a fight!" The trio declared.

The girls' Miraculous Something Four tools all shot light beams, and when they converged, a white light orb formed from it. The love waves radiating from it stopped the akuma in its tracks.

A beautiful tiara emerged from the light orb. The tiara was small, with crimson as the primary color. The heart-shaped gemstone was gold, and the tiara had black accents to it. It was the type of tiara that would be worn on the forehead of a person instead of on top of one's head.

"That tiara...!" Ladybug spoke.

The Miracle Box in the angel realm opened up, glowing.

The tiara was still radiating light and love waves.

"The final Miraculous Something Four! The Something New!" Carapace declared.

"The last part?!" Ladybug declared.

"The Something New?!" Queen Bee asked.

"For real?!" Rena questioned.

The tiara slowly fell towards the angels, and the love waves that it radiated caused the stickers on the girls' foreheads to fade away.

"Hey! My stickers!" The akuma shouted.

Once the girls could move again, they jumped to fight. But the akuma fired energy from its coin purse backpack.

This time, Ladybug was ready. She absorbed the energy through the Lady's Crystal.

"Now to finish you off!" Ladybug said as the crystal glowed. "Engagement Present! Lady's Crystal, L'amour Pour Vous!"

With a blast of love waves, the akuma was purified and its facial expression smiled. It then turned into sparkles and flew into the sky.

"Ugh, doesn't matter if the alum's defeated! I'll get that Something New!" Evillustrator shouted before flying to the Something New.

But its love waves were so powerful that it repelled him.

"Quick, get it!" Ladybug shouted, but then the tiara started flying away.

"Hey, get back here!" Evillustrator hollered as he started flying after the tiara.

Carapace approached the girls, and he said, "Ladybug, Rena Rouge, Queen Bee..."

"Yes?" Ladybug asked.

"The new hope and love you three found has brought the Miraculous Something New to life." Carapace stated.

"But why did it just fly off like that?" Nooroo asked.

"No idea, dude," Carapace said. "Though I have a hunch... Maybe its going off to find the fourth Love Angel and bring her to us."

"The fourth Love Angel?! I nearly forgot there were four of us," Ladybug said. "But... I guess it's easier to have the Something New go off and find its user itself rather than us running around like a bunch of headless chickens trying to find her."

"Can't argue with that." Queen Bee agreed.

Further down the Seine, where there were flower boxes filled with irises, the tiara fell into the water and started to sink down. The Evillustrator was flying overhead to track it down.

Once the chaos was over, Marinette was once again walking to the studio house.

"So, are you going to do it?" Tikki asked.

"Actually, Tikki... No," Marinette admitted. "Mock wedding or not, I can't do this. It's gonna hurt Nathaniel, but I'm gonna have to tell him the truth."

"That's very mature of you, Marinette," Tikki commented. "I'm glad you know when to put your foot down."

Nooroo nodded in agreement.

She saw Nathaniel standing outside the house. The kwamis ducked.

"Marinette!" He said before running up to her. "I can't believe you actually came!"

"Y-Yeah..." Marinette began. "Listen, Nathaniel, I'm really sorry, but... I just can't do this. I don't want to hurt your feelings, but..."

"Hey, it's okay," Nathaniel said, putting a hand on her shoulder and smiling at her. "There's nothing to worry about."

"What?" Marinette questioned.

"Thing is, Adrien came by earlier and gave me a pretty thorough chewing out." Nathaniel explained.

"Wait, Adrien?!" Marinette asked, confused.

"It's the strangest thing, but after that, it's like all my depression and sadness evaporated," Nathaniel continued. "I'm okay now. Thanks."

Marinette gawked.

"I'm so sorry for all of the trouble I've caused you," He apologized. "Just thank you for being so kind to me."

Nearby, the girls were hiding behind another building.

"What is he saying to her?!" Alya asked.

"No clue." Trixx began.

"What on earth was that prick thinking? I know I can be a bitch, but that was ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!" Chloé griped.

"Agreed." Pollen, Trixx, and Alya all said at once.

Around the corner, Adrien was sitting in the car and watching Marinette and Nathaniel. He smiled with a nod and motioned for the bodyguard to start driving.

Piano keys rang out, and Marinette turned around to where Adrien was hiding, but the car had long gone.

Once he was back home, Adrien looked out to the sunset setting over the city horizon, and he took his father's ring out of his pocket once more, looking at it curiously.

The girls were walking home with Marinette, who questioned aloud, "Adrien stopped by the house? But why?"

"Isn't it obvi, girl?" Alya asked. "He was worried about you! He came by to defend your honor!"

"Yeah, I get that, but again, why?" Marinette said.

"He likes you!" Chloé teased.

"Huh?" Marinette asked, surprised.

"He's head-over-heels for you, Marinette!" Alya added.

"No way!" Marinette denied, red in the face. "There's no way he has feelings for me! Like hell he does!"

"Marinette, be a lady and call Adrien to thank him for his help!" Alya said, pulling out her phone.

"No, no, no, NO!" Marinette said, shaking her hands in refusal.

"Come on, girl," Alya said. "Like the song - give up, give in, check the grin, you're in love!"

"You two are fated for one another." Chloé added.

"Out of the question, girls!" Marinette said, running further away from the girls.

"If those two end up an item, we'll have an extra weapon in the war!" Chloé said. "We can win this thing!"

Marinette, hearing everything, turned to her friends and said, "Is that it?"

"Huh?" Alya asked.

"You're trying to hook me up with Adrien so we can win the war?" Marinette asked.

"Um... Yeah." Alya admitted.

"I get it," Marinette said with a smile. "Stronger love waves means we'll be stronger against the akumas."

The girls nodded, admitting to their plan.

"I know you mean well, girls, but please," Marinette said, before hugging her friends. "No schemes to get me to get together with someone without my permission!"

"Okay, girl!" Alya said, and then the girls laughed as they continued walking home for the day.


That's that for now! Thanks to Adrien (granted unintentionally on his end for the latter), not only is Marinette spared the mock wedding, but the girls identified the final piece of the Miraculous Something Four - the Something New! But it's acting on its own accord to find the last of their team and bring her to them!

Speaking of Adrien, his ring seems to react to the Miraculous Something Four whenever it's near the items, but they aren't woken up yet. Why is that? Honestly... I'm not telling! *Laughs* Let's just say it's related to that "skeleton in the closet that even he doesn't know about" that I mentioned back in chapter 9.

Next time on Wedding Ladybug, the girls are volunteering at a nursery school, and it seems like the only ones who know what they're doing are Alya and Marinette. But what's Nino doing there? And then trouble happens again when an akuma called the Bubbler shows up to wreak havoc!

Time for another preview! Let's jump ahead to, say... episode 41.

"What? You can't make it?" Alya asked as she and Nino were walking home.

"Yeah," Nino confirmed. "Master Fu called for me, so I gotta go. Total bummer, too. I was looking forward to it."

"It can't be helped," Alya said, sounding disappointed. "It's for the sake of angel realm."

The two of them held hands and gazed at each other lovingly as they kept walking home together.

Soon, the day of the ski trip came. Everyone in the group was racing down the slopes on their skis and winter gear, color-coded so everyone could tell who was who.

Alya did a hockey stop on her skis as she made it down the slope. She lifted her goggles up and said, "This is unreal!"

"This is fun!" Chloé agreed. "I'm so glad I came along!"

"Winter should be all about skiing." Adrien stated.

"No kidding," Marinette said. "...Hey, where's Nathaniel?"

"Hey, wait!" Nathaniel shouted as he was unsteady on his skis. "It's cruel of you guys to just leave me like that!"

And he soon face-planted into the snow.