"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you have committed the most appalling action in the history of Françoise Dupon."

Marinette cried as all eyes glared at her for Lila's latest prank. Mr Damocles was especially angry with her since he had to miss an important meeting' to deal with her.

"Therefore, you are expelled from this sc-"

"GILBERT!"

Mr Damocles' final words were cut down by the sudden shrill of a nerdy name.

All heads shipped to the left to see an old woman standing at the entrance of the school, shoulders hunched and legs standing apart in an angry pose, matched her the enraged scowl in her genteel face. Narrowed blue eyes behind black glasses with soft blue lenses and short curly hair in a fluffy bob. She was dressed in a magenta blouse wrapped around her of smooth silk, long puffy sleeves and long cuffs at wrists, tied into a bow at the left side, embellished with silver beaded stars and a smooth navy skirt falling to her ankles in ruffles, showing a pair of magenta shiny loafers. She also wore big and long silver chandelier-earrings falling down to her shoulders and a silver necklace of a thick elaborate chain and a big star pendant. Despite the few wrinkles and a white cloud for hair, she seemed as young as was Mr. Damocles.

Everyone gazed in awe of how beautiful she was, a fairy godmother magically manifesting out of thin air.

"Catharine-Marie!" Mr Damocles gasped, a red blush blooming on his face.

She marched up to him in elegance impossible for anyone else to possess, her skirt flowing like waves of a tempestuous storm in the ocean. She glared up at him, the top of her head passing his chin by a few inches, scaring him into stepping on his tippy toes.

"I heard everything. How could you? How dare you abuse your power like that?"

"W-Wha-what are you doing here?"

"We're supposed to have lunch together. Then you called me, saying you couldn't make it due to an incident at your school. I came to see you, to see if I can help and I found you expelling a poor girl with no fair trial!"

She spun around, her skirt hitting his legs and her fluffy hair slapping his face, before walking over to Marinette. The woman stopped in front of the young girl and knelt to her level, her hand gently raising her face up to view.

With teary eyes, Marinette looked at the woman. Her blue eyes became kind. The woman smiled at her.

"Here, dear." She said comfortingly, handing Marinette a lacy handkerchief. Marinette took it wipe her tears and scuffle her whimpers. The woman rubbed her arm in a soothing movement. "My name is Ms Auberon. I will help you, dear. I promise."

The woman, now called Ms Auberon, rose and turned back to Mr Damocles, her kind eyes quickly regaining her ferocity. "How could you do this? I'm so ashamed of you. You great, big, bumbling barn owl!"

Mr Damocles bit his lip, embarrassed. A crowd was already around them, previously watching him almost expel Marinette.

"What is the incident about anyway?"

"Li-Li-Lia-Lila Rossi claims Marinette tripped her, then she saw her spray-painted 'SCHOOL SUCKZ' in red!"

Ms Auberon folded her arms, an expression unconvinced playing on her face. "Witnesses can be unreliable."

"The whole class backs her up"

"It is still not right to carry out this action. If that was the way, then our justice system would be even more flawed. You're basically teaching these children that this is how the law works. Imagine what they'll be like in 10 years' time, doing what you're doing, hurting people. I run a boarding school of teenage girls, I know how to handle drama and dishonesty. Why do you think I got the job as headmistress, because of my good looks?"

Mr Damocles blushed for the second time.

"He sooo likes her." Chloe whispered to Sabrina, the two girls giggling.

"Let me ask you a few questions, Mr Damocles."

"O-Of course."

"Who told you that Marinette was solely responsible for tripping a student and vandalising school property?"

"Lila, of course."

A white eyebrow rose on Ms Auberon's face. "Lila, the alleged victim, slash, witness? Was this the first time an incident like this happened?"

"No. A number of times Marinette has caused trouble."

"Trouble? Such as what?"

"Coming in minutes late, skipping one or two classes, not completing her homework, falling asleep in classes, acting sluggish."

"Sounds like a normal teenager struggling through school life to me. If she's having problems, why aren't you helping her? Why are you punishing her instead? You're either focusing too much unwanted scrutiny on her or not giving her any attention when she needs it. I looked Marinette in the eyes and saw only hurt and sadness. She's as fragile as precious china, I strongly protest that she has no character to do such an act, and with her weak state, she's the one who was tripped. She's the victim, not Lila."

The onlookers chattered amongst themselves, fuelled by Ms Auberon's accusations, how she immediately found the flaws in the plan and how she was not afraid to say so. Lila winced at every word Ms Auberon had said and Marinette gazed at the woman helping her, defending her so passionately. She spent months defending Paris but even Chat Noir doesn't defend her like this. She felt touched.

Mr Damocles struggled to speak his defence. "I…"

Ms Auberon threw her head back, groaning. "Where does Marinette lives?"

"Right across the street. Her family owns the bakery."

"So, she lives 2 minutes away from your school and is obviously having problems, yet you fail to connect the dots? Are you that blind? Your pupils are living human beings with feelings, not robots built for your paycheck!"

"Ouch, she's really tearing him down." Kim commented.

"Suggesting by his mannerism, his body language and attitude towards Marinette for cutting into his lunchtime, I'm confident he has a 98% possibility of a crush on that woman." Max theorised. "And 100% confirmation that she's not happy with him."

"Nice going, Lila. Now Mr Damocles is gonna hate you next." Alya said.

"I didn't cause this!" Lila exclaimed.

"No but I have a feeling you'll come up."

"Let me ask you this, why are you so determined on punishing the poor girl?" Ms Auberon said next. "Are you upset about missing our lunch meeting that you're venting your frustrations on her or are you just that foolish and careless?"

"Well…Lila, uh…" Mr Damocles stuttered helplessly.

"Oh...So Lila convinced you it is Marinette to blame? She was the one who told you Marinette caused all this. Now, in the matter of a fair trial, what kind of student is miss Lila Rossi?"

"Well, she is a very popular student, everyone likes her. She travels a lot and knows quite a few famous people. Jagged Stone, Prince Ali, Clara Nightingale."

"She does, huh? And I assume you have written permission from her parents for her absence."

He immediately fell silent, shifting his eyes.

"…You don't have them, do you? Never received them?"

"I-I-I-I-I, she-she-she-she…"

"And I may be in my golden years, yet I am familiar with today's technology, and I and my iPhone never heard of such a Lila Rossi associated with those people, especially when I run the school their daughters go to."

Ms Auberon waved her silver iPhone, a red cross highlighting the name 'Lila Rossi.'

"She's making him look stupid!" Alix gawked.

"He kinda is." Nathaniel said to her.

"You know, now that she said it, I think Lila is lying about everything." Mylene mentioned.

"Really?" Ivan asked.

"Yeah..."

"Hold the phone...she is." Alix said in realisation.

Lila sweated, feeling the heat.

"How absent was she?" Ms Auberon asked.

"Eh…Ms Bustier!" Mr Damocles shouted. "How often is Lila in your lessons?"

"Considering her travelling and disabilities, she only comes in once or twice a week." Ms Bustier answered truthfully.

"Excuse me, what disabilities?"

"Lila is a special case with several disabilities. tinnitus, lying disorder, dyslexia, deafness, Asperger's syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Addison's Disease, Arthritis, Vertigo, insomnia, psoriasis-"

"If she has so many disabilities, why is she here and not in a special needs school? This school has an average mental and physical standing! You cannot accept a child with at least 3 disabilities! She must be transferred! Don't you realise that?"

"Uh…"

Ms Auberon turned away from him, asking another teacher.

"I'm guessing she never gets your homework done?"

Ms Bustier sadly shook her head "No. I'm afraid not."

Ms Auberon turned back to Mr Damocles. "Did Lila give you the requested notes from her parents and doctor for her absence and disabilities?

"…no, she did not."

"How you ever met her parents? Contact them by phone, by email, by letter, anything?"

"…I talked to them months ago when they want to put their daughter in my school-"

"That was it? One time? ONE TIME MONTHS AGO?" She screamed at him, her angry lashing out big time. "You allowed this girl to slack off and punish another who struggles to get through the morning! Honestly, Gilbert! You're supposed to be the authority figure for this palace of learning, but you came out as the court jester!"

After screaming her lungs out, she placed a hand on the bridge of her nose, taking a deep breath in and out. She calmed down after a few minutes but her steel remainder.

"Gilbert...You are such a fool."

Flashes of hurt crossed Mr Damocles' breaded face.

The woman spun around, facing the students.

"May Lila Rossi come to me please." She commanded in a clear, strong voice.

The crowd moved back, leaving Lila standing alone, on her own.

"Miss Rossi. Come here."

After a minute of hesitation, Lila slowly walked up to Ms Auberon, keeping her head down.

"Lila. Look me in the eye."

No move was made from the girl.

"Lila..."

The woman's gentle voice commanded her to finally look up.

"As I understand this 'blog' thing correctly, you said in a video that you are Ladybug's best friend?"

"Yes, Ms."

"You know her secret identity?"

"Yes, Ms."

"And you're willing to tell anyone? Even her enemies?"

"Ye- no. No!"

"Lila, you said so on your interview." Alya corrected, making Lila gulp.

"Dear, you just claimed to blackmailing Paris's superhero." Ms Auberon stated.

The kids and Mr Damocles exploded.

"She WHAT!?"

"According to your interview, you publicly proclaim that you are Ladybug's best friend to the world. That is such an irresponsible move, dear, you just put a target on your back."

"I am Ladybug's best friend!"

"She is, Ms!" Alya protested.

Ms Auberon remained calm and firm. "Darling, I'm middle-aged, not senile. I am not gullible. If I was a superhero, I would never be best friends with someone who outs me like that. Ladybug seems so level-headed, I cannot see her with a girl like you and the fact she hasn't spoken on it shows how immature the statement is. A secretive superhero publicly friends with a popular citizen? Preposterous."

Alya blinked, realization sinking in. "Oh. That makes sense." She snapped her bespectacled eyes on Lila. "Wow, Lila, you are an idiot. And a liar!"

"You have no proof!" Lila exclaimed.

Ms Auberon scoffed at her attitude and then her right hand made a wave of a gesture.

"Marinette, come here please."

Unlike Lila, Marinette approached her willingly and immediately.

"Show me your hands."

Marinette presented her hands, palms up and then turned to the front. Her skin was clean as a whistle, not a trace of red spray paint streaked on. Murmurs and gasps were made. Mr Damocles had his mouth hung open. Lila gawked. Ms Auberon smiled.

"Lila, do the same."

Lila reacted by fisting her hands and hiding them behind her back, shooting the old woman a stubborn glare.

"Lila. Hold out your hands."

Lila shook her head, acting as if she had requested to see her bare chest.

"Now, young lady."

"No."

"Lila, I am not asking you. Hold out your hands now."

"No way!"

Lila darted for the exit, but Ivan and Nathaniel blocked her way, both of them sending her hard scowls.

"Trying to run away from the truth?" Nathaniel asked almost rhetorically.

The Italian girl stepped back, going back to her original spot before the older people.

"I can do this all day." Ms Auberon said teasingly. "If you have nothing hide, then you shouldn't be afraid to show everyone."

"I don't!"

"Young lady, do as she says!" Mr Damocles demanded.

Ms Auberon glanced his way. "Oh, so now you're disciplining her?"

Mr Damocles made a funny face whilst blushing. Then he turned to Lila, telling her firmly.

"Ms Rossi. Hands. Out. Now."

Lila whimpered. Yet she gingerly brought her hands up. In between her fingers were little paint smudges.

"I was painting in art class earlier." Lila said quickly.

"Lila, you don't have art class today." Ms Bustier inputted. "You only have art on Fridays."

"Did I say class, I meant club! I was painting in art club."

"Marc and I were in the art club room all day since we were working on a project together and we didn't see you at all." Nathaniel said.

"Besides, you're not even a member!" Marc exclaimed.

"Show everyone your palms as well." Ms Auberon ordered.

Lila hesitated again, all eyes set on her. Eventually she turned her hands around. Big, bold red streaks ran across her tanned skin.

"Oh my God!"

"Lila, how could you?"

"Because of you, Marinette almost get expelled!"

"You're a liar and a bully!"

"You mean to tell me that all this time, you've been lying?!"

"No, this lady is just jealous of me! She's being mean to me because I'm so pretty and young and she's an ugly old hag!" Lila screamed at Ms Auberon, the woman stepping back with a hand over her heart.

"Mr Damocles, you have a psychotic liar on your hands. That is definitely a confirmed disability you cannot handle." Ms Auberon whipped out her phone and started dialling. "I am ringing the board of education."

"NO!"

Lila jumped, no, she leapt, she lunged, she pounced at Ms Auberon to snatch her phone.

But Ms Auberon was no weak lily. She agilely evaded Lila's twists and turns while lifting up one finger, indicating for all to wait and listen.

"Hello. This is Catherine-Marie Auberon, headmistress of Olympe College for Young Ladies, good day to you too. I am calling to report a serious case at Françoise Dupon. There is a girl named Lila Rossi who has been lying to her teachers about disabilities she doesn't have, travelling she doesn't do and people she doesn't know as part of her mastermind plan to skip classes and homework while repeatedly harassing another student, Marinette- What is your last name, sweetie?"

"Dupain-Cheng, Ms."

"Thank you. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. And the principal and teachers in charge haven't even acknowledged the situation and are instead focusing all unnecessary scrutiny on poor Marinette. Even where the evidence is plain sight. I am no psychologist, but Lila is most definitely psychotic liar who is too dangerous to be around. Therefore, I demand you handle this matter at once!" She fell quiet as she listened and then nodded. "Merci. Avoir." And then she hung up. "The board has been notified. "They're conducting an immediate investigation."

"You can't do that!" Lila wailed.

"Yes, I can, and I will. I am not a vulnerable wee filly you can bully, I am a grown woman with the power to give you the discipline you need."

Lila snarled and turned sharply to Marinette.

"You! You plotted this to happen! You and the old bag! You're always jealous of me. You wanted Adrien and you would do anything to get him. Little Miss Perfect…you bitch! You ruined everything!"

Like a wild cat, Lila lunged, hands out ready to claw Marinette. But thankfully, Marinette swiftly moved out go the way, leading Lila to crash to the ground. Lila scrambled onto her feet and approached Marinette again. But Ivan swept in and took her in his arms, holding her tight as she trashed about, kicking and screaming.

"You are a maniac!" Mylene told her.

"Man, Lila's a nutcase!" Nino commented, astonished.

"I believe her behaviour proves how much of a threat she is to everyone around her, even to the ones she deemed a threat." Ms Auberon stated. "Young man, take miss Rossi to a classroom and go the nurse when you can, she has given you a few scratches on your arms."

Ivan nodded and left, Lila's screams dulling as he disappeared.

Marinette had her eyes down, feeling light-headed from everything that had happened. First, she was in big trouble for Lila's and then a woman came out of thin air to her rescue. The way she stood up for her, how she looked down every one of Lila's empty potholes and filled them up with the truth, how she maintained an air of grace and steel that awed and stunned everyone around her, how she toyed with Mr Damocles and gave him the discipline he needed.

She was a fairy godmother, fixing her problem like magic.

Marinette felt a hand gently pressing her back. She looked up, blinking at the kind smile of her saviour.

Ms Auberon.

"Come on, Marinette. Let me walk you home."

The woman and the girl begun to walk away.

"Wait!"

Mr Damocles ran up to them, stopping them from leaving his school. His face showed true pleading.

Ms Auberon gave him a hard glare. "Gilbert, this crosses the line. Nothing you can say can ease the pain you directly caused. You ignored your own students, the children you are responsible for, blind to their feelings and intentions."

"Look, Cath- Ms Auberon, I would've done something if I had known earlier. I believed it was just young drama, I didn't think much of it-"

"Are you saying you knew, and you ignore the issue? You did absolutely nothing at all?"

"Yes, I mean no! I mean-"

"Taking the high road is an act of cowardice. Only a fool of no brain and no common sense would think of that as a good idea. It never is."

Nearby, Adrien looked down at his feet in shame.

"You cannot talk your way out of this mess. The damage has been done."

"Listen, Ms. Auberon...yes, I admit. I handle the situation rather badly. Lila is very convincing…"

"You nearly expelled an innocent girl and you let a dangerous pupil roam free."

"Yes. I'm afraid I did. I'm sorry. But please, listen, I'm sorry!"

"Are you really?"

"Yes! Marinette does deserve a fair trial, I-...How can I make this up to you?"

"By showing up to trial by the education board, do right by these girls and never speak to me again outside of our job duties. If you still have one by the end of the day. Farewell, Mr Damocles."

"Catherine-Marie!"

He called after her as she walked away with Marinette. He sadly watched her enter the bakery, closing the door after her, the ends of her skirt disappearing behind.

"...you better do that, sir."

He jumped and then straightened up his posture. He turned at the kids, glaring hard.

"Children! Have you no shame, eavesdropping on a private conversation?"

"Sir, you were loud enough for the whole school to hear." Alya admitted.

Mr Damocles huffed, then rounded onto Lila. "And you! If it wasn't for Catherine-Marie, I would never have realised that you were lying about everything! She opened my eyes. She's so wonderful..."

He went off into a daydream of the headmistress, a goofy smile of lovesick bliss on his face. Then his hands clutched the sides of his face and he threw his head back, wailing. "Now she thinks I'm an idiot! A great, big, bumbling barn owl of an idiot! 40 years of pining gone down the drain!"

It was funny to witness a grown man acting like a teenage girl over her first crush.

Lila, who came back despite being told to stay away in a room, crossed her arms, pouting. "It was his own fault, expelling Marinette unfairly like that and get yelled at by his own crush. What an idiot."

Wrong thing to say.

Her attempt to turn the tables on Mr Damocles only made him madder.

"Lila Rossi, Detention! For the rest of the day and the whole week until the trial has ended!"

"But, sir-"

"GO! NOW! WHILE I CALL YOUR PARENTS!"

"But-"

"Shut up, Lila! Get moving!" Alix snapped as she shoved Lila away.

When the loud-mouthed girl was finally gone, the crowd returned to their school activities of the day. Mr Damocles, Alya and Adrien were left standing, all three pondering in deep thought by the sudden revelation.


The trial was carried out by the board of education.

Lila was found guilty for bullying Marinette, lying to her teachers and skipping several classes. She was the worst pupil the board has ever had. Never had they met a girl with so much venom in her blood.

As such, she was condemned to severe punishments by both the board and her mother who discovered her daughter lied about the school being closed due to akuma attacks.

But she wasn't expelled from Françoise Dupont.

In the board's own words, "Expelling her would be just what she wanted. She'll go another school and weave another web, and devour the poor souls stuck in it."

So, Lila had to face the people she hurt and lied to every single day until she graduates lycée at 18.


After about a week enduring the humiliation of the trial, Lila returned to Ms Bustier's class, walking slowly, nervous of facing the kids who found out her true motivations. Peeking behind the door, she carefully saw everyone sitting patiently in their desks, waiting for something. Or someone. Presents were wrapped up nicely and settled on their laps. Adrien even clutched a bouquet of beautiful flowers.

Jumping to conclusions, Lila threw the door open, banging off its hinges and sauntered over Adrien.

"Oh, Adrien. You shouldn't have-"

Adrien yanked the bouquet out of her slimy reach. He glared at her, holding the bouquet up protectively. "They're not for you! They're for Marinette."

"If she turns up." Alix commented, holding a box of chocolates.

"You don't know that!" Alya protested heatedly while she held a brand-new sketchbook.

"After what happened, I doubt she'll face us. We're the ones who didn't believe her."

"He could've got some flowers for you, but they were out of dead daffodils." Chloe sneered at Lila, grasping an envelope containing a gift certificate to a fancy store.

"Marinette went through hell because of you!" Rose swore while cuddling a brand-new plush toy bear with a blue bow around its neck.

Juleka stood beside her as she has a big metallic balloon saying, 'I'm sorry!'

Lila absolutely refused to take the blame. "It was Mr Damocles' own fault."

"No. It was your fault!" Alya growled.

"Class." Ms Bustier came in, stopping the fight from escalating. "Lila, go sit at the back."

"But-"

"MOVE!" Ms Bustier ordered loud and firm.

Lila, stunned by her teacher's demand, numbly walked to her new seat and then Ms Bustier begun her morning lesson. The majority of the class stared at Marinette's empty seat.

"Uh, Ms, Marinette is not here yet." Nino said.

"I'm aware." Ms Bustier answered.

"She'll be here any moment." Alya assured.

"No, she won't. Ms Auberon convinced Marinette's parents to transfer her to her boarding school across Paris."

"WHAT?!"