Author's Note: Hey guys! Snivylord here and I am so sorry that this update took so long. We're starting to get into the endgame, and this is only the beginning. It's been a few weeks since my last update but this story has now got over 1,000 reads on Wattpad!!!!!! I am so glad that you guys are enjoying the story because I love the way it's going. I hope you guys keep following my story on and continue to comment. ANYWAY! This chapter is the beginning of the Miraculous Ladybug X Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney crossover and I really hope that you guys enjoy it and stay tuned for the rest of the trial!
Chapter 25: A Summons to Court
The fight is not over, nor is it won. However, I never imagined things would have come to this. I didn't think I would standing here and now, facing volleys of judgmental eyes as our story comes to light before the public. It was all his fault... Gabriel's, it's because of him that I've had to testify for things that I would rather not remember. I felt like I was spiraling, every moment our situation seemed bleaker and he was going to win. I wondered to myself how much longer does this have to go on, because I was sick of it. My family was being oppressed right before my eyes and yet the only thing I could do was be afraid. It was because we were summoned... to court for something my mom didn't do. Regardless, what happened before that was a blur, as that fateful summons became a huge trial that changed what we knew about the truth forever.
A few days before the trial...
Marinette found herself in jail for something she didn't do. It was only a matter of time before she had to go on trial for her supposed crime but as she sat there in the cell by herself , she couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen to her kids. This happened about a month after Louis was discharged from the hospital, he continued physical therapy there after to get his physical form back on track and it was successful as he could walk normally again. He still felt tired a lot of time if he exerted his strength. Things were going back to normal, until Marinette got arrested that is.
"Marinette Dupain Cheng, you are under arrest for the murder of Dr. Alver, you have the right to remain silent as anything you say can and will be used against you," Marinette recalled as she remembered the harsh grip the police officer had when he twisted her arms behind her back to handcuff her. She remembered the yells of her family when they tried to stop the officers from taking her.
"What's going on?! What are you doing?" Marinette yelled as she tried to struggle against the bonds as she whipped her head around to try to force her hands out of the reach of the cuffs, but to no avail.
"You are under arrest for the murder of Dr. Alver," The police officer answered her as her brain immediately registered the name.
"Dr. Alver?" Marinette murmured to herself in shock as she was led out of her home. Louis felt his arms freeze as he heard the name as the rest of his family, including Adrien followed the officers out of their home.
"Dr. Alver... her gynecologist?" Louis murmured to himself before hurrying himself out of the house and following his family to his mom.
Marinette shivered and gripped her sides, contemplating about how much longer she has to be in here. She lifted her head from her knees slightly to be greeted with the same dismal fluorescent lighting she's known for about 2 days now. She had heard her trial was getting closer, but she didn't know when it was exactly. Suddenly, she heard the metal creak of a door open and a police officer came into view.
"Ms. Dupain Cheng, someone is here to see you," The police officer announced as he carefully opened the door for her and she nodded at him graciously.
"Thank you," Marinette replied curtly before being led out of the detention center and into the visitor's corridor. The building itself made her afraid because of the limited lighting and the dark walls, but she eventually became numb to the fear. The visitor's center had separate rooms for the prisoners and visitors that were divided by a plexiglass divider, that had a little holes that made it easier for the pair to hear. Marinette was led into one of the rooms and she had found Alya, Chloé, and Kagami waiting for her.
"You guys... to what I owe this pleasure of seeing all three of you?" Marinette sighed a breath of relief as she sat down. She noted how all of them smiled sympathetically at her as Alya started.
"How are you feeling girl? Are they treating you ok in there?" Alya asked as she folded her hands and straightened her posture as to be polite. Marinette sighed and lowered her head slightly, contemplating the question for a moment.
"I suppose I'm alright, how's progress doing on the trial?" Marinette asked, leaning forward as Alya whipped out her notes from what she has researched, the other two leaning in to get a better look.
"So, Dr. Alver was murdered about 8 years ago, and it was on the day of the accidental insemination," Alya flipped her phone and showed it to Marinette, who read the article in shock.
Marinette gripped the table counter tightly as she stared at the phone screen. An article was showing on screen of a very familiar woman that she hadn't seen in 8 years, and she's finding out about this now. Why now of all times? Why didn't she find out sooner?
"Where did you find this?" Marinette asked lowly as she looked up at Alya, who just continued to stare in shock without giving any words, "how did I not know that Dr. Alver was dead all these years?!"
"It was kept hidden, as a certain someone swept it under the rug. She was found on the outer banks of the Seine," Alya continued to read through the article, "the police at the time determined that the cause of death was most likely suffocation from drowning," Alya looked up again with a serious look in her eye that Marinette couldn't decipher.
"I'm guessing this certain someone was Gabriel?" Marinette sighed as Alya nodded in reply causing Marinette to clap her hands together to avoid bursting out in anger.
"Why is it him everytime?!" Marinette exclaimed through her fingers as Chloé spoke up suddenly.
"I feel like he kept this under the rug until the time he needed to use the incident to his advantage. To bury you once and for all," Chloé surmised, making Marinette breath out an even bigger sigh, "Adrien's going around the city right now to try to find a defense attorney for you, but the cowards won't even take your case," Chloé huffed, clearly annoyed as Marinette's eyes fell at her words. That emptiness and hopelessness that she felt before ran even more rampant than ever.
"Really?" Marinette whispered, crestfallen, "why so?"
Chloé flipped her hair slightly as she started to explain, "Apparently, Adrikins said that the lawyers that he spoke to said that your case seems so convoluted and compromising that it's almost a guarantee that you're guilty of the charges," Marinette felt her jaw open slightly in shock as she took another deep breath in to calm herself back down.
"I see... so it's hopeless?" Marinette asked, her question ending on a note of finality before Kagami interjected.
"Don't give up hope Marinette, there's always a chance someone will represent you. You just have to hold out hope for that," Kagami reassured Marinette, who didn't feel all that better to be honest, however, she just prayed that Adrien could find someone in time.
Meanwhile, Adrien and Louis were just finished with another round of lawyer searching when they finally took time to rest at the plaza at L'Arc De Triomphe. Louis slumped back into a seat defeatedly as Adrien carefully sat beside him. Louis looked over at the book his dad was holding to find him crossing out another firm name.
"Another lawyer firm, crossed off," Adrien sighed as Louis sighed with him and laid his head in the crook of his dad's shoulder.
"What are we going to do? Mom's trial is in two days and we have nothing to show for it because every lawyer in this city is a biased douchebag!" Louis mumbled angrily as Adrien let out a tired chuckle and stuck his hand out to pat Louis' knee.
"It's going to be okay Louis, we're going to find a way to get through this," Adrien looked down at Louis, who was just staring ahead at the street, watching the cars and vespas go by, "together."
Fortunately for them, fate had a funny way of stringing favorable incidents and miracles together. Their savior by the name of Phoenix Wright was visiting France for a European trip with his friends after being invited by his fellow lawyer and prosecutor Franziska Von Karma. He was currently touring Paris with his friends, although coincidently not that far from L'Arc De Triomphe. People observing them would of that they made a weird group of people: a man wearing a full navy blue three piece suit, two girls wearing kimonos for what people would assume to be harajuku cosplay, a detective, a woman wearing a bright yellow three piece suit that talks to her weird necklace for some reason, and another woman who has a whip. Needless to say, they were a weird group.
"Hey Nick! What are you looking at?" The older of the kimono girls asked, she wore part of her hair in a petit bun while letting the rest of her hair flow out over the back. Phoenix or "Nick" was busy looking at his phone as he looked at the news . The younger of the kimono girls, Pearl, looked over on the other side.
"Maya, look at this," Phoenix motioned the older kimono girl to look, "there's a major trial happening here in 2 days and it's all over the French news," Phoenix moved his phone so Maya could get a closer look. There were multiple online articles about the scandal between Gabriel Agreste, Marinette Dupain Cheng, and Adrien Agreste. The title read "Trial Awaits for The Murder of Dr. Alver!"
"It seems like a pretty big trial," Maya mumbled as they continued to read through the article. While they were reading, Franziska decided to fill them in with a little more context.
"The foolish trial has foolish fools who base the foolish charges against the poor girl who was indicted. She goes by the name of Marinette Dupain Cheng, she's a pretty big fashion designer that works under Style Queen Magazine. It's quite unfortunate what happened," Franziska explained as Phoenix nodded and the group continued down the street.
"She was accused of murder of her doctor during an artificial insemination. That entire situation sounds fishy..." Phoenix murmured to himself as Athena, the spirited girl in the yellow suit outfit, Maya, and Pearl looked at him worryingly.
"Surely you're not thinking of investigating this trial are you? We're in France to get a break buddy," Dick Gumshoe the detective exclaimed in disbelief as he recognised the determined look on Phoenix's face.
"Gumshoe, you should know by now that this is what the boss does, save lives by taking random cases with the most complicated murder plots. It's all part of the job," Athena joked with Phoenix shooting her a look and sighing as the group walked across the street towards the plaza.
"I wish I could help, but it sure would give me something interesting to do," Phoenix sighed, immediately feeling two smacks on both his arms as everyone was shooting him a glare, "what was that for?!"
"You're lucky I don't feel like using my whip, the whole reason we came on this trip was because we'd have some vacation time to have some down time so save your foolish ideas for later!" Franziska clicked her tongue and continued to walk towards L'Arc De Triomphe, and that's when Athena noticed a familiar blond head of hair who was comforting a boy who was presumably his son. However when she realized who it was, a whole wave of shock hit her.
"Oh my god... THAT'S ADRIEN AGRESTE!!!!" Athena squealed loudly causing the aforementioned person to look up at the sound, or more precisely his name, and saw Athena literally speeding towards them.
"Oh hello, I'm assuming you're a fan of mine? Judging by how loud that squeal was?" Adrien asked tiredly as the group eventually came to a stop in front of the pair. Athena scoffed jokingly as she rubbed her arms in embarrassment.
"Yes, when I was studying in Europe, your modeling work on fashion was a huge inspiration and I absolutely lived for your work. I absolutely that one chiffon collection that was based on exotic birds, that was AMAZING," Athena emphasised as Adrien smiled knowing that he such an avid fan.
"Yes, that was one of my father's finer works," Adrien spoke through gritted teeth as he tried not to show his disgust towards any topic concerning his father, "that photo shoot did come out pretty well I have to say." Phoenix immediately noticed this slight change in behaviour as he continued to look in sympathetically.
"So you're Adrien Agreste? It's a pleasure to meet you," Phoenix held out his hand kindly, which Adrien took and they shook hands warmly, "you're all over the French news right now, so what I wanted to ask is: are you feeling alright?"
Adrien and Louis' eyes widened slightly in surprise as they scanned over the entire group.
"I suppose I'm feeling alright. Why do you want to know?" Adrien asked questionably as the others took their places in the other chairs so they could talk in a circle.
"Do you mind if we sit pal?" Gumshoe asked as Adrien nodded and motioned his hand to a seat.
"Not at all, no please sit," Adrien insisted warmly as the others smiled at him and they all sat down in a meeting, "so first of all, why do you want to know about what's going on? I hope you can forgive me, but it is pretty personal."
"Yeah, we completely understand, we just want to know because as a lawyer, I find this situation when I read through it to be quite strange, especially when this case becomes a trial," Phoenix noted as Adrien's eyes widened for a second before clearing his throat.
"You're a lawyer then?" Adrien asked as Phoenix lifted up his attorney's badge that was attached to his suit, "I see..."
"Nick, are we really doing this?" Maya asked knowingly as Phoenix nodded and turned back towards Adrien with a knowing grin.
"Wait what's going on?" Louis asked, finally speaking as he looked between Phoenix, Maya, Athena, and the others.
"Adrien, do you happen to have a lawyer?" Phoenix asked as Adrien continued to stare at Phoenix, partially thinking this is some kind of joke.
"No, my son and I were out looking for a defense attorney today, Monsieur Phoenix, is that your name?" Adrien asked as Phoenix nodded, "what exactly is it that you're suggesting?"
"I'm asking if you'll take us as your defense attorneys for your case," Phoenix replied confidently, making Adrien and Louis' eyes even larger than before. They honestly could not believe that after a full day of searching for a lawyer, one just comes up and volunteers himself.
"Are you serious?" Adrien asked incredulously, earning a quick and confident response from Phoenix.
"Of course, you're exactly the kind of people I strive to help," Phoenix held out his hand for Adrien to shake, "we're going to get you out of this." Adrien nodded appreciatively as he took Phoenix's hand and shook it graciously.
"Thank you so much, truly," Adrien let his shoulders relax from the tension and the whole group smiled at each other, as a new case, and a new adventure was beginning. However, Louis still felt worried about it.
"Really? Just like that?" Louis murmured, keeping a calculating stare in Phoenix. Phoenix has seen a lot of things in his life, but that stare of being judged by someone never failed to give him anxiety, "you're just gonna waltz up to someone you don't even know? And offer them legal help?" Louis asked, earning confused looks from the others.
"Don't worry, Nick is usually like this, he always helps someone in need," Maya waves off Phoenix's grand gesture like it was nothing and eyed Louis closely, as if she was gauging him. Louis couldn't help but feel an aura of spiritual pressure bear down on him. It was a presence he had never felt before, "I know that believing in miracles seem childish, and frankly a little too good to believe despite the things you've gone through. But trust me when I say that Nick will get you out of this. And the rest of us has got your back, ok?" Maya explained sympathetically as Louis nodded mutely and continued to let his dad explain the situation to them. He somehow felt that their involvement was just going to make this trial blow up in everyone's faces, he just knows it.
Sometime later, Louis, Adrien, Phoenix, and Maya went to go visit Marinette back at the detention center. The rest of the group waiting for them in the lobby as Phoenix wanted to sort out a few loose odds and ends with the story. Marinette thought it was strange that she would be called twice to the visitor's room in one day, but maybe it was Kagami's words after all that made her remember to always have hope. When she sat down in the seat, hearing the security guard guard the door behind hear, she noticed three people: Louis on the left, Adrien on the right, and a man she doesn't recognize in the middle. Given that he's wearing a full navy blue suit with a gold badge on the collar, she could only assume that they finally found a lawyer.
"Adrien, Louis! I trust your search went well?" Marinette asked tiredly as she folded her hands in her lap again and looked graciously at the both of them. She then turned to Phoenix and gave a small smile which Phoenix reciprocated.
"So you are Miss Dupain Cheng? It's nice to meet you," Phoenix smiled warmly as Maya waves enthusiastically from behind them. Marinette nodded back and looks from Phoenix to Maya and then back at Phoenix.
"Likewise, thank you for taking your time and going out of your way to meet with me, but before we get down to business, just allow me a moment," Marinette smiled graciously before looking at Louis, who had an empty and sullen look in his face, "Louis sweetie... are you ok?"
It took a moment for Louis to answer, he just looked down at nothing, but he raised his head slightly to look at her, "You don't deserve to be behind there..." Louis murmured, his mom barely catching the sentence. She sighed and reached her hand to the glass, as if she was trying to comfort him through the glass.
"Louis... I'm sorry... but you should know by now that life isn't fair... but we must live on and continue to fight," Marinette kept her gaze gentle on her son, who she knew was having a hard time coping with the fact that his mom is in custody.
"How long... is God going to punish you for that one mistake 15 years ago?" Louis asked and everyone could hear the desperation and brokenness in his voice, "How long... is God going to make your suffer for my existence?" Louis clenched his fists together and he heard a firm voice cut clear through the glass.
"Louis, look at me," Marinette said firmly, Louis' head snapping up to meet hers, "it's not your fault, I want you to understand that. I know it's unfair and cruel... but you should keep smiling and look forward to what kind of future you're going to have. I want that for all three of you, but you have to trust that we'll get through this," Marinette wiped away the tears from her eyes and continued to look at her son straight in the eyes, her words ringing true in her mind, "you're a gift Louis, the greatest gift God has ever given me... so please don't say things like that again... for me?" Marinette asked as Louis nodded and wiped away the tears from his eyes. He just needed a reminder that he wasn't a sin that derailed his mom's life, he was a gift.
"Ok Mom... I know... your trial's tomorrow and we're all going to face that man... together..." Louis nodded, looking over at Phoenix, Adrien, and Maya who nodded their heads in agreement.
"Alright Miss Dupain Cheng, I already filled in the official request to be your defense attorney. However what I need you to tell me is what you were doing the day of the insemination. Because the court record for this case shows that Dr. Alver was murdered during the insemination, and you were the last person seen with her," Phoenix laced his fingers together and looked seriously as Marinette, who sighed and brushed some hair out of the way as she started to explain.
"To be honest, that day was kind of a big blank..." Marinette twiddled her thumbs slightly as she was a bit afraid of their reactions, but the only indication she got from Mr Wright that he was surprised was the widening of his eyes, "that morning, I was supposed to getting a pap smear, and I came with Louis. However, something happened when I went into the hospital room..." Marinette trailed off as Phoenix signaled her to keep going.
"And?" Phoenix continued, as Marinette tapped her finger on her chin as she tried to remember.
"I kinda fell asleep right before it started, or at least I think I did," Marinette murmured, however it was more towards herself as she was trying to figure out those events for herself as well.
"You fell asleep? Was it naturally, or was there something off about how you fell asleep?" Phoenix asked, earning a confused look from Adrien.
"How? Isn't it normal to fall asleep in the morning like that?" Adrien wondered aloud as Marinette corrected him there.
"No, I remember I had coffee that morning, so there was no way I could have fallen asleep voluntarily. Is that what you're getting at Mr. Wright?" Marinette turned her attention back towards Phoenix, who nodded and rested his head on his laced fingers.
"Exactly, it may be a sore spot in your testimony, but there may be something that happened when you were asleep..." Phoenix trailed off, but he continued his line of questioning, "did you notice anything odd when you woke up?" Marinette leaned her head back slightly to think about what happened that day, but other than her falling asleep, she didn't find anything odd about her visit.
"Maybe my doctor wasn't who I thought it was? Because the people that were in my room said that Dr. Alver was on leave and they would take over the operation instead..." Marinette recalled as she remembered the two people that did the operation. To be frank, she didn't remember their faces since they were covered by surgical masks and identical hospital uniforms. She noticed Phoenix staring at her for a bit before he huffed out a breath and leaned back, crossing his arms and for everyone else, it looked like he was in deep thought.
"This may be a possibility, but Dr. Alver may have already been murdered at that time," Phoenix surmised, causing the others to gasp at his theory. Phoenix then broke out of his thinking reverie and smiled at Marinette, "Not to worry Miss Dupain Cheng, this case may be a lot more complicated than the news let on, but my team and I will figure this out," Phoenix continued to smile warmly at Marinette, who reciprocated his gesture. Phoenix then looked from side to side at Adrien and Louis to reassure thank them, "thank you Mister Agreste and Louis for taking your time to set up this appointment with the defendant."
Adrien smiled warmly back at him, while Louis just flashed him a momentary smile before looking back at his mom, "Thank you so much for taking our case."
"Definitely not a problem, all of you are in good hands," Maya answered for Phoenix and she smiled sympathetically at Marinette and the others. Phoenix nodded at her answer and the two of them left the room, leaving a quiet sound of the door behind them. As Maya and Phoenix were walking down the hall, Maya couldn't help but ask.
"Do you think she did it?" Maya wondered aloud as Phoenix let out a sigh of contemplation as he furrowed his eyebrows in thought.
"No, I don't think she was actually responsible, we just need to prove that she fell asleep during the operation so she has an alibi, but..." Phoenix explained with Maya nodding at his proposal, "she does remind of Adrian Andrews..."
"You mean that blond girl who you almost got wrongly convicted in that one case where I got kidnapped by that assassin?" Maya asked casually as Phoenix looked at her incredulously and nodded.
"Yes her... Miss Dupain Cheng reminds me of her because she seems to have a lot riding on this trial, and she seems almost detached and apathetic towards how this trial is gonna go. Like she's given up before it's even started," Phoenix noted as Maya looked back towards Marinette's visiting room and sighed.
"Now that you mention it... perhaps..." Maya said questioningly as the two made it back out into the lobby in order to relay the rest of their conversation to their friends.
"We just need to look at the court record and the autopsy report again," Phoenix looked over at Maya, expecting a reply, and she nodded back in response and made a sound of agreement. Back in the visitor's room, Adrien and Louis were still talking about the trial tomorrow. Adrien had his arm around Louis, pulling him closer to Adrien in an attempt to comfort him in his breakdown earlier. Adrien knew that his son was going through a lot, because none of them expected it to escalate to this point, but they just have to find a way through.
"Louis, how are you holding up?" Adrien asked with Louis smiling and leaning into his dad's shoulder.
"Better, maybe," Louis responded, his heart really meaning it this time. Being in his father's presence always made him feel better, his warmth just gave him a sense of home that made his heart feel complete.
"I'm glad... It's been really tough for all of you, and I'm sorry I'm just making things more difficult," Marinette smiled sadly, wiping away a stray tear from her eye. Adrien and Louis smiled sadly at her and pressed their hand against the glass in an act of reassurance.
"Mari look at me," Adrien said softly, and Marinette brought herself to meet his earnest emerald eyes. They always managed to captivate her and there was so much honesty and determination in those eyes that she really believed that everything was going to be okay. And to think, this man is the love of her life, and she knows that he loves her so much, that he would do anything in his power save her, "we're going to get out of this together: you, me, Louis, Hugo, and Emma, we're going to put Gabriel in his place and finally free all of you from those chains, that I promise."
"I know... Adrien... because I don't know what I'm gonna do if this trial doesn't finish things once and for all," Marinette smiled with a bittersweet nuance behind her words. Adrien sighed and she continued, "I love you two so much... and I want you to be a part of what we have: a family." Marinette continued to smile as Adrien let those words ring in his ears, because he knew that they rang true. Suddenly, the officer said the visiting hours were over and guided her out of the room with the family exchanging a heartfelt farewell and she went back into her cell awaiting the trial. As for the two Agreste men, they went back home to Marinette's place to find the gang and Hugo and Emma waiting for them.
"You guys are back! Please tell me that you found a lawyer for them," Chloe rose from her chair to greet them at the doorway. Adrien nodded as Louis came in and sat on the couch with his siblings, exhausted.
"We did... and the real battle is only beginning tomorrow. We're part of the jury tomorrow, so we won't be able to accompany Marinette to the courthouse, but we have to see this through to the end," Adrien explained seriously as Chloe nodded and snapped around so she could get responses from the others, who nodded in agreement.
"Good, because that son of a bitch is gonna be taken down in this trial once and for all! For Marinette!" Alya yelled, pumping her fist into the air as Louis literally scrambled to plug his siblings' ears and stuff their heads playfully into the couch so they couldn't hear. He could hear them giggling maniacally as they tried to free themselves from Louis' grip.
"AUNTIE ALYA!" Louis reprimanded the woman in question, who smiled sheepishly at his scolding. Adrien couldn't help but look jokingly angry at Alya before laughing with everyone else. Louis let go of his siblings and yelped when his brother jumped on his back and hugged him around his neck while his sister snuggled into his torso.
Adrien looked at his kids in a kind but solemn gaze, it was sort of a like a reminiscent gaze as he promised them silently to himself.
Don't worry Louis... Hugo... Emma... my dear and wonderful kids... it'll be over soon, and no matter how it ends... we're going to see it through together.
That next morning, Marinette arrived at the courthouse while she was escorted by police officers that formed a shell around her. There was paparazzi and reporters all around as she tried to get into the courthouse and when she finally got in, it was like the cacophony of shouting and questioning just stopped and all she could hear was the clacking of the boots of the soldiers and her own footsteps. The silence was so nerve-wracking as she walked up the the courtroom doors and she could hear the faint sound of the court room's chattering and preparation for the commencement. The soldiers then dispersed and gave her some space as Marinette heard some other footsteps and she looked down the hallway on her right to find Phoenix Wright, Maya, and another lawyer in a yellow three piece suit that she's never met before.
"Good morning Miss Dupain Cheng, my other subordinate with me today is Athena Cykes, she's a lawyer that specializes in psychology," Phoenix explained as Marinette looked over at the woman in question, who grinned at her and flashed her a peace sign, which Marinette couldn't tell was professional conduct or not.
"It's a great pleasure to meet you Miss Dupain Cheng! Don't fear! The boss, Maya, and I's got this!" Athena reassured Marinette, who nodded in response.
"Likewise... alright," Marinette turned her attention towards the door, along with Phoenix and the others.
"It's time..." Phoenix murmured as the group entered the courtroom, the light blinding them momentarily as the officers followed behind them and guarded the door. The courtroom consisted of the judge's seat at the other side of the room and wooden bleachers on both sides of the room where the jury can seat. On the near side of the room was the defendant's chair and accusing party's chair where Marinette and Gabriel will sit. At the base of each bleacher was the counters for the prosecution and defense. It was essentially like an Ace Attorney courtroom. Marinette looked towards the bleachers and found her entire family and her friends watching her. Adrien, Louis, Hugo, and Emma looked at her worryingly as she flashed them a small smile before heading to her designated seat. One thing she did notice however was that besides the judge's podium seat, there was a bunch of music stands, instruments, and speakers as if there's an orchestra that plays there.
"Why would you need an orchestra.. for a trial?" Everyone thought at the same time, but Marinette noticed that Phoenix, Maya, and Athena didn't look surprised, like having an orchestra was normal for them. Soon, the judge, an old bald man with a voluminous beard filled his seat and the orchestra took their places and started to play with a crescendo of strings. It was at this moment that she noticed Gabriel sitting beside her in the opposite seat and they shared sharp cold glances for a moment before looking at towards the judge. To be honest, Marinette thought this music just made everything seem more dramatic in her opinion, but it did make things more interesting.
A/N: Alright guys! Here, you can Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney Dual Destinies OST for "Trial Begins" if you want to make the reading experience more epic.
"Alright! Trial is session for the Miss Dupain Cheng on the charge of the murder of Dr. Alver 8 years ago!" The judge's voice boomed out over the courtroom, making everyone silent. Suddenly, Gabriel called out after the judge rang down his gavel.
"Your honor.. you're forgetting one more charge, it just arrived this morning," Gabriel said solemnly, but Marinette could tell it was laced with malice. All of a sudden, she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. Phoenix looked suspiciously at the man in question as the judge raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Another charge?" Phoenix murmured as Maya and Athena looked over at Marinette worryingly.
"Yes, it should be in the files," The prosecutor said, making Marinette cringe at his voice. It was a high nasally like voice that just reeked with arrogance.
"Yes Mr. Payne, I see it," The judge read over the files again and found what Gabriel meant, but he couldn't believe what he was reading, after another moment, he read it aloud, "The prosecution has indicted Louis Agreste on the charge of grand theft of Adrien Agreste's sperm sample on the day of Dr. Alver's murder." This announcement caused Marinette to actually scream out loud as the wave of shock and anger hit her so hard it was almost made her see red.
"WHAT!? WHAT KIND OF RIDICULOUS CHARGE IS THAT?!" Marinette yelled out as she looked at the bleachers to find Louis' increasingly horrified face as everyone in the gallery looked at him shock. Even Phoenix looked up at the boy with shock, but then he looked at Gabriel and grit his teeth, as this trial just got a whole lot more blown out of proportion. The police came from the entrance to the jury's bleachers and came to Louis' row and roughly grabbed Louis by the shoulders and started to drag him out. The rest of the family fought to keep him back his seat, but the uproar just made everything so chaotic. Marinette whipped her head towards Gabriel to find him giving her an malicious smirk.
"PAPA! MAMAN! HELP ME!" Louis tried to wring himself out of their grip, but there was too many of them. He had never felt so panicked in his life
"LOUIS! NO! HOW!?" Adrien yelled as the officers dragged Louis out of the reach of his family and looked at everyone else. Hugo, Emma, Alya, Nino, Chloe, Luka, and Kagami just had shocked looks on their faces, but it quickly turned into looks of pure anger as they looked back at Gabriel, who seemed as if he planned this all along. The other people from their old high school days were part of the gallery too and the other children like Gavin and Elena were also watching from the gallery as well since all of them were also part of the jury. Soon, Marinette could see the officers dragging Louis to the defendant's seat and she got up so she could yank him from their grasp and hugged him tight.
"Louis, Louis, it's going to be ok..." Marinette cried as she stroked his hair and snuggled into the crook of his neck as he did the same and wrapped his arms tightly around her. Phoenix felt so bad for them as he's starting to get an idea of what their situation looks like.
"Maman... please tell me it's going to be ok..." Louis whimpered as he closed his eyes tight and wished that he hadn't heard what the judge said because now... he was getting charged for something that he didn't do as well. The battle is not won after all as it is only beginning. The trial would change everyone's lives forever, because the past has now been reopened for the world to see.
