I apologize for missing the update on Wednesday - I had a ton of schoolwork due that day.

Chapter 22: Princess Silence

Chloe, Adrien, and Marinette all walked into the classroom looking ready to burst, but Bustier ushered them to their seats too quickly and started the lesson.

Lacy kept her eyes on her notebook, finding herself unable to focus. She was still shook up by Lila's threat and the close call with the akuma. As Bustier taught, she drew random words on her notebook.

Alix tapped Lacy on her shoulder ten minutes in.

"Are you okay?" She whispered.

Lacy nodded.

She turned back to her notebook, noticing that the random words had gone from French to English to Greek.

Fifteen minutes in, Chloe slammed her hands against her desk, startling Lacy.

"I can't take it anymore," Chloe declared, standing up.

"Chloe," Adrien sighed.

"Is something wrong?" Bustier asked.

"Yes," Chloe replied. "It's Lila."

"Wh-what did I do?" Lila asked, faking innocence.

Alix scowled. "Something bad, probably."

"Now, let's not team up against Lila," Bustier said. "I'm sure whatever it is was a misunderstanding."

Chloe slammed her hands against the table again. "I don't think so."

"Chloe, it's not a big deal," Adrien repeated.

"Wha - did she do something to you?" Nino questioned.

Marinette leaned over her desk and whispered something to Nino.

"She threatened you?"

"I did no such thing-"

"Yes you did!" Chloé said. "Adrikins doesn't lie about stuff like that."

Chloe marched up the stairs, making the students in the aisle seats lean away, and slammed her hands against Lila's desk.

"Let's make one thing clear, Rossi," Chloe snarled. "Bully Dupain Cheng all you want. Lie about all the amazing places you've been. Get out of school work, whatever, I don't care. But no one touches Adrien Agreste. You hear me?"

"Chloe..." Adrien said.

"No," Chloe snapped. She slammed her hands onto to the desk again. "Adrien is off limits."

She turned on her heel and began marching down the steps, but stopped mid way and walked back to Lila.

"Oh, and don't touch Sabrina either."

This time, Chloe marched all the way back to her desk. She huffed when she sat down, bringing her phone out to check her reflection.

Besides Lacy, Alix fumed.

"Miss Bustier, if Lila threatened Adrien, shouldn't you do something?" Sabrina questioned.

"Well, we don't have any proof," Bustier replied.

"You have Adrien's word," Alix argued.

"Actually, Adrien hasn't said anything," Bustier answered.

"Exactly," Lila said. "And he won't. Because I didn't do anything." She stood up and gracefully walked down to Lacy's desk. "Lacy, you're good at reading facial expressions. Am I lying?"

Lila plastered on the fakest innocent expression Lacy had ever seen.

"I can't say for sure," Lacy replied, scooting a little away from Lila. "But you do seem to be acting guilty."

Lila's fake expression dropped and she snarled. "Really?"

Lacy did her best not to flinch. "Really."

Alix slammed her hands on the desk, which definitely made Lacy flinch.

"You heard her," Alix said.

"Lila," Bustier said. "Please go back to your seat. We have a class to finish."

"Maybe we should ask Adrien what happened?" Rose suggested.

"Yeah," Ivan said.

Everyone's eyes fell on Adrien.

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled nervously.

"Well, I wouldn't say threatened me, but-" he rubbed his neck again. "Yeah, she did."

"Still, that's your word against hers-" Bustier started.

"But Lila has a history of lying, and Adrien's a good student," Alya argued.

"Still-"

"Miss Bustier!" Marinette called, standing up. "I may not have seen Lila threaten Adrien, but I did see her threaten another student. Me."

"What? When?" Alya demanded, also standing up.

"When she first came back from her 'trip'," Marinette replied. "I didn't say anything because I didn't think anyone would believe me."

"Oh, girl..." Alya replied.

"That is it!" Alix shot out of her seat.

"Alix," Lacy said, grabbing Alix and trying to push her back to her seat. "That's not going to help anything."

Alix plopped back in her seat with a scowl.

"Miss Bustier, that's two students who have claimed to see Lila threatening someone," Alya said. "Surely, that's enough."

Bustier hesitated.

"Miss Bustier," Chloe called. "If you're not going to do anything, I will."

She gracefully slid out of her seat, hmpfed, grabbed her bag and trotted towards the door.

"Blogger girl, you're coming with."

"You bet I am," Alya replied, following Chloe out the door.

The door shut with a bang.

Bustier took a moment to compose herself before speaking. "While they do that, may we continue our-"

She was interrupted by a yell.

"Akuma!"

Lacy saw the butterfly out of the corner of her eye, flying towards her desk. She pushed Alix over, knocking her to the ground.

The butterfly swerved towards them.

"Lila is not worth getting akumatized over," Lacy said.

Alix's muscles relaxed. "You're right. I can punch Lila without Hawkmoth's help."

The butterfly flew by Lacy's shoulder before changing directions, heading to the back of the classroom.

"Rose, look out!"

"Your majesty, a pleasure to meet you again. You wish to defend your class - your kingdom - from this liar? Very well. I will give you powers, Princess Silence, to put your classmates minds at ease!

"All I ask in return-"

Marinette watched with wide eyes as the purple light engulfed Rose.

I need to get out of here and transform!

Marinette slowly slid out of her seat, landing on her hands and knees. She was out of Rose's line of sight, but could still see the girl's transformation.

The top of her outfit was a lot like Princess Fragrance's - black, with puffy shoulders, long sleeves, and a white flower emblem across her chest. But her skirt was long and flowing, starting black like her top and fading into white at the hem. White silk gloves covered her hands up past her wrist. Her blonde hair now tumbled past her shoulders and down her back, stopping at her waist.

Marinette snuck a little bit closer to the door.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you," Rose said, standing up. She put her hand on Juleka besides her, and Juleka relaxed into her grip, until she was sleeping. "We're all just so emotional, we need a break."

Rose stood up, and the effect of her skirt draping against the ground made her seem to be floating.

Around her, the light dimmed. Colors faded. Kim yawned.

Marinette scooted a little closer to the door. Almost there.

None of the other classmates seemed capable of moving. Rose placed one hand on Lila's arm, and another on Nathaniel's, and they both fell into slumber.

Looks like it takes direct contact and several seconds for her to completely put us to sleep, Marinette noted. But being around her at all is causing us to grow tired.

Marinette scooted forward another inch, accidentally slamming her knee into the desk. She winced from the pain, but no sound was made.

She must be dampening the sound as well.

Rose put her hand on Kim's arm, and Marinette made her last scoot to the door. Confident in her guess that sounds were dampened, she slowly opened the door and slipped out.

Once out, she darted.

She slipped into the bathroom, backpedaling when she saw it was occupied, and then into an empty classroom.

"Aren't you going to help your classmates?" Tikki asked.

"I will, once I've transformed," Marinette said. "I couldn't risk being caught in my civilian form again. Tikki, spots on!"

"Is she gone?" Lacy asked.

Alix quickly looked over the desks. "Yes."

Lacy stood up, looking around at the dampened classroom warily. She and Alix had gotten lucky, being out of Rose's eyesight when she transformed. Now, the rest of her classmates were fast asleep.

"Huh, she left Lila alone," Alix noted, walking over to where Lila was left asleep.

"Rose isn't a vindictive person," Lacy replied.

"No, but akumas are," Alix replied. "Last time Rose got akumatized - well, it was scary. But then again, there's a big difference between being akumatized because of Chloe being cruel and because you're worried about your girlfriend being overstimulated."

Lacy glanced over to Juleka, who was sleeping peacefully.

"That does mean she'll probably be back for her," Lacy said. "We need to get out of here."

Ladybug shut her yo-yo with a sigh. Ten minutes into the fight and no sign of Chat Noir.

Rose - or Princess Silence, as she declared herself - wasn't a big concern, as far as safety. She was just putting everyone to sleep - and Ladybug had even watched her cause the cars carrying asleep drivers to stop.

So different from Princess Fragrance, she noted. Wonder why.

For the most part, Princess Silence would be an easy akuma to beat - she could only cause people to fall asleep by touch, and while her powers dampening powers made it hard to stay awake, they made it easy to sneak up on her. The only problem was Princess Silence could phase through her yo-yo, even after she had been captured.

Sneaking up on her would still work, but Ladybug had no idea where the akuma was.

And also no partner.

Ladybug sighed. She needed help - her eyes were starting to feel heavy, and she needed someone to keep her awake.

It was short trip Master Fu's, even after waiting a moment for him to shoo away a customer.

Marinette kneeled down in her usual spot as Master Fu brought out the miracle box.

"Choose an alley you can trust," Master Fu said.

Marinette immediately reached for the rooster and the fox. Not only would they be the most helpful battling Princess Silence, but they were her only classmates who made it out of the classroom.

Except Alix and Chloe.

Marinette hesitated. Could she Trust Chloe with a miraculous again? Freezing Princess Silence would be super helpful, if it kept her from phasing. And Chloe had been nicer recently.

But that didn't change the fact that her identity had been revealed. While at times that may have been an excuse - Marinette would never enjoy working with Chloe, not even now - it was still a valid point.

And what about Alix?

She was destined for the rabbit miraculous. Marinette had met Bunnyx twice, and she was crucial both times. But Alix had yet to show the delicacy needed for that miraculous. The bee, on the other hand, she would be a natural at.

But something in Marinette's gut told her to wait, so she settled for just the two miraculouses.

"Orikko, sun up!"

A jolt of energy spread throughout her body as the transformation washed over her. Even in the dampened hallway, the colors of her outfit were bright.

"Ready?" Ladybug asked.

Kota nodded.

Kota followed Ladybug up onto the roof of the school, where Rena Rouge was waiting for them.

"Still no sign of Chat?" Ladybug asked.

Rena Rouge shook her head.

Ladybug sighed. "Looks like it's just us then."

"That's fine," Rena Rouge said. "So, what's the plan?"

"Right now, what we need most is to figure out where the akumatized object is," Ladybug said. "Her powers dampen sound, so it's easy to sneak up on her, but once she knows you're there she can phase through your weapons."

Kota frowned. "That's inconvenient."

"Once we figure out where the akuma is, Rena can distract her with a mirage and I'll sneak up on her. But in order to figure out where the akuma is, I need to get up close."

"And the closer you get the more tired you are," Rena Rouge guessed.

"Yes," Ladybug said. "Which is why I need back up."

Kota stood up straighter. "We won't let you down."

"Okay. On three. One. Two. Three!"

In unison, the three superheroes dropped around Princess Silence.

Ladybug stuck first, wrapping her yo-yo around Princess Silence's legs. Princess Silence gave a silent yip as she toppled over.

She quickly recovered, phasing through the yo-yo, but just as she turned solid again, Rena Rouge whacked her with her flute.

Princess Silence was a tough opponent, but she was quickly overwhelmed. The three superheroes were near flawless with their teamwork, one moving in as soon as another faltered. Not that it mattered, since they still had no clue where the akuma was.

When Princess Silence dodges one of Rena Rouge's attacks, Ladybug wrapped her yo-yo around her leg and pulled. Princess Silence phased through the yo-yo, but Kota jumped on her and pushed her kite down over her, keeping her on the ground.

Princess Silence reached out with her free hand, something glinting on her wrist, and grabbed Kota's arm.

Immediately, the world around Kota began to fade. The adrenaline coursing through her vanished. Kota tried to pull away, but the grip was tight and it seemed so easy to give in -

Something shrieked through the air, knocking the sensation away, and Kota yanked her arm out of the grip and backed off.

"What was that?" Kota asked.

"Me," Rena Rouge said, proudly. "There's more than one way to weaponize a flute."

She spun her flute and dove back in.

"Are you alright?" Ladybug asked, approaching Kota from the other side.

Kota nodded. "My ears hurt, but yeah. And I think I know where the akuma is. She has a bracelet on her wrist, but it's covered partially by those gloves."

"Good job," Ladybug said. "Looks like she has a limit as to how long she can go without changing back to solid - a second at most."

Rena Rouge slid next to Ladybug. "Looks like you have a plan."

Ladybug grinned. "I think I might. Lucky charm!"

A tuning fork fell into Ladybug's hands.

"Alright, Rena Rouge, do your thing. Kota, wait for my signal."

"Mirage!"

The mirage was impressive - one of the best Kota had seen. Dozens of Ladybugs, Kotas, and Rena Rouges appeared in the courtyard, each charging towards Princess Silence.

Princess Silence dodged by phasing through those she could, and moving out of the way of the others. It would have been effective against real enemies, but all it meant against the mirage was that the illusions persisted.

Ladybug gestured for Kota to position herself in front of Princess Silence, and Ladybug moved to her back. Ladybug gave her the signal, and Kota charged.

Princess Silence attempted to dodge, but Kota predicted the move and changed her heading. She rammed her kite, now the size of her torso, and her shoulder into Princess Silence, sending her backwards.

At the same time, Ladybug ran forward. She slipped on end of the tuning fork into the bracelet, and twisted it. It popped off with snap, and the butterfly flew out. Ladybug didn't even pause before capturing and purifying the akuma.

"Pound it!"

Two attacks on school grounds was definitely cause for ending school early, and slowly the students began trickling out.

Lacy and Alix were waiting by the stairs for Nathaniel when Lila and Chloe bumped into each other.

"There you are," Chloe said. "I was wondering where you scampered off to."

Lila huffed. "Please. Don't try to pretend that you have power over me."

"Excuse you, but my daddy, you know, the mayor-"

"Isn't even related to you," Lila said.

Chloe stopped dead. Lacy could see from the expression on her face that, for once, what Lila said was the truth.

"What makes you think that?" Chloe asked.

"Oh, just something I heard. Somewhere."

"Well, whoever told you is wrong. The idea is ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous!"

Chloe flipped her hair, turned around, strutted out of the courtyard.

Lila smirked, and Alix rolled her eyes.

"Why does it matter if they're related by blood or not?" She questioned. "If he's still willing to abuse his power for her."

Lacy shrugged. "I guess it's the worse Lila could dig up on her."

"Yeah, cause she shows off all her horrible traits already," Alix replied. "Everyone knows her at her worst."

"So Lila had to find something else to lord over her," Lacy finished.

Ladybug waited on the rooftop, watching Chat Noir's Symbol on her yo-yo slowly approach her position.

So, he was coming. That was good - meant he didn't loose his miraculous, or quit, or anything like that. He was fine.

Except that he was dead for making her worry like that.

Chat Noir landed on the rooftop behind Ladybug, and for once in his life, hesitated before speaking.

"So, um, sorry?"

"Sorry?" Ladybug parroted.

"Yeah?"

Ladybug clenched her fists and spun around. "Sorry? Is that all you're going to give me? I was sick with worry, Chat!"

Chat Noir scratched the back of his neck. "I know, and I'm sorry. I wish I could give you more, but I can't - not without diving into identity stuff."

Ladybug took a deep breath. And another. And another.

"Okay, okay. But you swear there was nothing you could do to have transformed?"

"I swear," Chat Noir replied. "I was - yeah, there was no way I could have transformed."

"Then I guess I can't blame you," Ladybug said.

"Well, it might be my fault for getting in that situation in the first place," Chat Noir admitted. "But you know I would never leave you alone, right?"

"I guess I just worry," Ladybug said. "I mean, what if you were in a car accident? Or dropped your ring down a drainage ditch?"

"My kwami would have alerted you," Chat Noir said. "Like he did with Style Queen."

"Right." Deep breath. "Right."

Ladybug paced back to the edge of the rooftop.

"You don't think I'd actually drop my ring down a drainage ditch, do you?" Chat Noir questioned.

"I don't know what I think," Ladybug replied. "It just - it seems so fragile, sometimes, that all this mighty power is stored in things so small. I mean, what if I dropped my earrings down a drainage ditch?"

"Maybe you should start avoiding drainage ditches if they're scaring you so much," Chat Noir answered.

"That's not the point." Ladybug plopped down onto the roof and put her elbows on her knees. "I need a vacation."

In case it wasn't clear, the reason Chat Noir didn't show up was because Adrien didn't sneak out of the classroom in time. He was asleep for the entire fight.