So, a little change in this chapter. I'm going to akumatize someone who is at the party but hasn't been akumatized yet. I hope that the readers will like the change.
Also, Felix will not discover the Miraculouses. He only discovered them because Alya couldn't keep her mouth shut about what the Miraculouses looked like online.
It was the next day in London and Bridgette was twirling around in a new dress that Marinette had made for her. Marinette had made a traditional Hanfu but modified it by using some modern elements in the outfit.
The banbi was peach-colored with the sleeves reaching just past the elbows. The skirt was Jianqun in design. The colored stripes had an ombre effect going from light to dark. It ended just above her ankles allowing for people to view her shoes.
They were traditional curled-up shoes with peach blossoms sewn on. The curled tops looked like peaches. The socks had the same ombre pattern as the skirt. In her hair were the traditional two-pronged hairpins that had sparkles all over them.
A pink double-woven silk sash was wrapped around her waist. Her jewelry was simple. She wore jade flower earrings with a matching necklace. A small peach-colored satchel hung off the sash with her hand fan inside.
"I look spectacular, don't I?" Bridgette asked her cousin as she stepped away from her full-length mirror.
Lying on her cousin's bed, the designer replied, "You really do. I don't need to adjust anything, do I? The soirée is on Wednesday and I'm only here until tomorrow evening."
Bridgette giggled cheerily as she assured her cousin that the outfit proved she was meant to be a fabulous designer. "I'm just so giddy! I still can't believe it! I'm going to a soirée with Felix!"
Marinette rolled her eyes. "I still don't get why you fancy Adrien's cousin. He seems a bit cold to me."
Bridgette brushed it off saying that Felix liked to keep his feelings to himself. "You don't know how reassured I was when I realized you would be able to prep me for the big night."
"I don't know how much fun it will be for us," Marinette huffed. "The party is just an excuse for the richest people in Paris to come together to share ideas on how to make themselves wealthier."
Bridgette rolled her eyes. "I know you're quoting your boyfriend. He's never had a good time before. That's all going to change because of you! By the end of the night, he'll forget all about the past parties."
"Can't argue with that." Marinette started to kick her feet around as she contemplated what she needed to hide when Bridgette came over after the party.
"Is your mother okay with you missing school on Thursday? I'm just wondering why you, Felix, and his mom, are staying overnight. I'm going to school on Thursday."
Bridgette made a face. "Mom's not happy about it. She wanted me to take a late train back. Ms. Amelia pointed out it would be better for me to get extra sleep after a long night. That's the only reason she agreed to it."
Bridgette went into her closet to change, still chatting about all the things the cousins could do. They knew the outfit was perfectly tailored, so it was time to have some fun. "You've seen the sights before, so let's go and find some sweet shops!"
"Sweet shops? Why would we do that when my parents are bakers?"
Bridgette came out of the closet fully changed. "Because your parents are distracted right now and I want to have a chocolate bar. Please?"
Marinette laughed and grabbed her purse. She made sure it didn't swing a lot. She didn't want to upset Goball's stomach. The coffee-flavored milkshake she had purchased at the station hadn't agreed with the kwami's stomach.
It also had bothered Marinette's stomach. The next time she picked up a milkshake for Goball, she was going to select a normal flavor like vanilla or chocolate.
She followed her cousin out the door, narrowly avoiding her dad who wanted Marinette to take his place in the mahjong game the adults were playing.
"My dad's going to be grumbling the whole way home about me ditching him. I should feel bad, but honestly, I don't."
Bridgette assured her that it would be fine. Right now, it was time to have fun!
It was the night of the party and the girls were helping Marinette get ready. Mylene was doing her hair. Instead of pigtails, Marinette was wearing her hair down. Mylene was using a tool to make the hair appear wavy.
Juleka was on makeup duty. She had already used black eyeliner and a shimmering blue eye shadow to bring out Marinette's eyes. "Okay, a light mascara will bring the eye makeup together."
The gothic girl applied the mascara and smiled. "Yeah, no we need to put a little color in your cheeks. Which blush do you want?"
Marinette looked at the variety of blushes and pointed to a light pink one. "Good choice. A light dusting on your cheeks will go well with your skin tone. Now, we need to determine what to use for your lips."
"I say since it's a soiree, Marinette should wear lipstick," Rose suggested as she finished putting on her jewelry. Prince Ali would be attending the party and had asked her to come with him.
"Yeah, but my girl's younger than those old money socialites. I say use lip color instead," Alya said before putting the iron down. She held up Marinette's dress for everyone to see.
The dress was based on old Hollywood-style glam. The dress was a light pink, with one shoulder, with a sheer overlayer going all the way from the shoulder to the collar line.
A black heart-shaped ribbon formed just under the bust and came together as a belt. There was a slit on the dress starting at the knee to the ankles.
Sheer white fabric covered the back of the slit, so you could still see Marinette's beautiful legs, but also have a sense of modesty. The hem was covered in a band of white glitter. Her black party shoes also had a band of white sparkles.
After Marinette put the dress on, Alix handed her the accessories for the dress. A pair of elbow-length white gloves, a black chocker, with a sparkly white hairband.
Picking up her purse, she looked at the girls. She was going to ask them how she looked when she saw Rose's outfit. "Oh my gosh, Rose. You look just like a sunflower!"
Indeed, Rose's dress was reminiscent of a sunflower. The bodice was covered in delicate black lace like the center of a sunflower. The sleeves were petal-shaped. The skirt blossomed out with black lace covering the hem. A thin green ribbon was tied around the waist.
She wore black flats with sunflowers on them. Her accessories included a gold bracelet, necklace, and small golden studs. Juleka handed her a flowery clutch to complete the look.
"Thanks, Marinette. You look fabulous. Adrien is going to be showing you off all night."
"I hope so. I can hardly wait to introduce you to my cousin Bridgette. I'm hoping she has a good time."
There was a honk from outside and Sabine's voice floated up the stairs. "Marinette, Rose, your ride is here. Better hurry up."
The girls had a group hug and the party-goers promised to tell them all about the night later. Their friends wished them luck and have fun.
In a limo heading to the Agreste's mansion, Bridgette was using a lint brush to ensure she got rid of any stray threads. "Thank you again for inviting me, Felix. I can't wait to see how high society acts outside of public scrutiny."
Felix chortled and responded, "Trust me, when a bunch of socialites get together to party, the claws come out. You're bound to see a few cat fights."
"Felix, I won't have you scaring Ms. Cheng. Remember, tonight is very important for Graham de Vanily Films. I need to find the best talent to help assist in creating a list of possible movie ideas for the years twenty-five to thirty," the blond woman reminded him snappily.
Felix looked mortified by his mom scolding him with his girlfriend next to him.
"Of course, Mother. I'll try to scout for a few talented teenagers. Anyone who wants to get in the film industry needs to start as a gopher as you say."
"Gopher? What does an animal have to do with films?" Bridgette questioned. Felix leaned over and whispered the explanation to her. The teenage girl let out a giggle.
At last, they arrived at the mansion. Prince Ali, Rose, and the prince's bodyguard had just crossed the threshold. The Bourgeois family was next, and to the surprise of everyone, Audrey wasn't criticizing anything.
It appeared those weekly family therapy sessions were working. While Bridgette had never met Chloe or her family, she was continuously getting updates from Marinette.
Kagami and her mother were next through the door. They politely greeted their host and started to mingle.
Then it was their turn at the door. Mr. Agreste was going to welcome them in when Amelia launched herself at him. She started talking loudly exclaiming about how nice it was to see him again. She mentioned how heartbreaking it was to be at this event with her twin sister still missing.
Bridgette was confused for a minute until she saw Felix's hand moving towards his mother's. Amelia's hand was close to the ring on Mr. Agreste's finger.
Realizing what was about to happen, she grabbed Felix tightly by the arm and dragged him away stating she wanted to find Marinette. She glanced over her shoulder and was pleased to see Amelia didn't have the ring.
"Why did you do that?" Felix hissed at her. "I was just going to…"
"Steal the ring?" Bridgette stated pointedly. Felix cringed slightly as he felt her disapproval of what he almost did. He opened his mouth to explain when she cut him off.
"I know that ring is a family heirloom and that Mr. Agreste didn't return it. Frankly, I can understand why. How would your mom feel if someone stole her wedding ring?"
Felix appeared puzzled so she elaborated. "Wedding rings hold a great deal of sentiment. Your mom hasn't removed hers despite the fact she's a widow. That ring symbolizes how much your father loved her."
"But it's not the same thing! My parents bought their wedding rings. The twin rings are a family heirloom! He should have returned it!"
Standing on her tiptoes, Bridgette looked down on Felix. Her blue-gray eyes were stormy. The boy realized too late that he had said a dumb guy thing.
"Your aunt is missing and she hasn't been declared legally dead. To give it back to your mother would insinuate that he doesn't believe she's alive. Worse, if she is dead, then that's all he has left of her."
"You and your mother's actions are selfish, discourteous, and very cruel. While your aunt should have asked permission to use the heirloom rings for her wedding, it doesn't cancel out the evildoing you were about to do. Don't you remember what happened last time you were in Paris?"
Felix glowered back at her. "That wasn't my fault. Hawkmoth or whatever he's calling himself akumatized me against my will. I should have controlled my anger better."
Bridgette replied she comprehended it wasn't his fault. It would partially be his fault if Gabriel got akumatized due to the theft of the ring. If he hurt Adrien, that was on him.
Felix glanced at his cousin, who was talking with the other teenagers. Despite how happy he looked he knew his cousin was still hurting from the absence of his mother. Gabriel would likely give Adrien the ring, and then he would give it back to Felix.
Was instant gratification more meaningful than causing his cousin more heartache and putting him in possible danger? No, it wasn't, especially because there was no need to get the ring back right now. He and his mom just had to be patient.
Satisfied she got through to him, Bridgette allowed him to escort her over to the other teenagers. They both grabbed a glass of punch from a server before introducing themselves to the group.
Amelia loured when she saw Felix socializing with his cousin and his friends. He was supposed to be getting Gabriel alone and swiping the ring back. That was the primary reason she had accepted the invitation.
The other reason was to steal a few of Gabriel's employees to work for her. It was only fair since he had stolen her twin sister. She always suspected that Gabriel had tricked Emile into marrying him.
When she disappeared, Amelia had called the authorities to investigate Gabriel, certain he had done something to her naïve little sister. The investigation on the man had turned up nothing. That hadn't changed her opinion.
Getting the heirloom back was just the start. She would bring down the man who had ruined her sister. She was very fond of her nephew but that didn't mean he was out of her cross-hairs.
Brushing those thoughts aside, for now, she walked over to the producer Bob Roth. His reputation had taken a nose dive. It was the perfect time to swoop in and "save" him.
She was stopped when a few robots came scurrying out. Gabriel straightened his tie and spoke. "Attention everyone, please deposit your cellphones into the robots. This party is private and we don't want any of our rivals to learn anything we talk about."
Annoyed, Amelia gave up her phone. Everyone else did the same, including the teenagers. The robots left the room and Gabriel led the guests into the dining room for the meeting portion of the party.
Nathalie cleared her throat gaining the teens' attention. "The business portion of the soirée will last for an hour and a half. Please, go to Adrien's room and enjoy yourselves. I will fetch you when the business meeting is over."
Gorilla and Ali's bodyguard escorted the kids upstairs. Once they were safely in the bedroom, the two men stood guard. Nathalie went back to her room, claiming she had some work to do.
After entering her room, she locked the door. Duusu was sitting on the nightstand next to her Miraculous. "Ms. Nathalie, please tell me you're not going to hurt the kids."
Nathalie gave the kwami a small smile. "No, we're not. That's why the kids are in Adrien's bedroom under guard. There's only been a minor change to the plan."
Duusu wondered what had changed. "Instead of Gabriel, we're going to akumatize someone else who's very prideful. Before you ask, it won't be Mrs. Bourgeois."
The kwami was pleased to hear this. Style Queen was one of the more difficult Akumas to deal with. Still, who was the new target? Nathalie had kept the guest list hidden from her after Duusu kept insisting that a few of Adrien's friends should attend.
Gabriel took a glance at the clock before returning to the discussion on hand. The meeting had started fifteen minutes okay. Audrey was actively trying to convince Thomas Astruc to let her company promote his next movie in her magazine.
"I'm certain that you want as much publicity for your next movie. I know you're producing a sequel to your Ladybug and Chat Noir movie. I can make it the biggest event of the year."
"I appreciate your offer, but as I said, we're still in the production stage. I would be happy to take you up on your offer when the movie is in the post-production stage."
"How long will that take you? I need to make sure it won't conflict with any important fashion events."
"Eight months from now. We can discuss it more at a further date. Now, who else requires a director."
Gabriel stood up. "Excuse my absence, I will be back in a few minutes."
The others figure he just was going to the bathroom and resumed their talking again. Amelia narrowed her eyes and proceed to state the same thing, but asked the director to wait for her return so they could discuss a deal.
She trailed her brother-in-law as he went to the bathroom. Once he entered, she hastily ran for the door. She tried the doorknob, but it was locked. "I know you're hiding something, Gabriel. I will find out what it is."
Inside the bathroom, Gabriel was carefully hiding behind the door leading to the private toilet. "We need to act quickly. Nooroo, how long can you control the Akuma before I need to transform?"
"It depends on many factors. I could hold keep it up for about fifteen minutes if you feed me right after you drop the transformation."
"It will have to do. Nooroo, Darkwings Rise!" Gabriel said in a loud whisper. When the flitter appeared, he urged them to be quiet. Selecting an akuma he sent it toward his sister-in-law.
The akuma slipped through the vent shaft and exited on the other side of the vent. It flew down and fused with Amelia's wedding ring. The woman quickly stiffened.
"Butterfly Maiden, I am Shadowmoth. Your attempts at getting justice for yourself and your family are being hindered. I can give you the power to bring your desire to life. You need to give me something in return. Ladybug and Chat Noir Miraculous. Do we have a deal?"
"Consider it signed and sealed," Amelia said as the smoke began to transform her. When it cleared away, she looked like a female version of Shadowmoth. There were a few subtle differences.
The purple was more lavender than plum. The peacock feathers were smaller and she wore a silver butterfly masquerade mask. The color of her hair had changed from platinum to silver. Her ring became a staff with a sharp fan shape blade attached to it.
"Now, it's time for some real answers." Using her staff, she sliced the door in half and strode inside.
Gabriel's back was to her as he washed his hands. Seeing the Akuma, he sprang away right before she would have impaled him.
"Who are you and what do you want?"
"Your acting skills are atrocious, Gabriel. How you tricked Emilie into marrying you, I will never know," Butterfly Maiden growled.
"Amelia! What do you want?"
"The heirloom rings for a start!" Her staff glowed and a silver butterfly emerged from the blade. "Turn him into my minion, pet."
Instead of cowering, Gabriel rushed her knocking the Akuma into the sink. He grabbed a soapy towel and flung it in her face before dashing out of the room.
The entire mansion was treated to the sound of an enraged shout echoing all around them. The adults burst out of the dining hall as the teens came running out to the second-floor balcony.
Gabriel ran into the foyer shouting there was an Akuma in the mansion. Butterfly Maiden walked into view aiming her staff at her prey. "You think you can get away from me? Think again, Gabriel!"
The guests all recognized that voice. Felix froze up unable to move. "Mom?" he whispered.
Butterfly Maiden heard him and looked sharply at her son. "Felix, I gave you one assignment and you failed me! Why didn't you take back the ring when I gave you the chance?"
Since Felix couldn't speak for the moment, Bridgette answered for him. "Because what you were doing was cruel! Mr. Agreste wears that ring as a symbol of hope that his wife will be found. Stealing it back would cause him great sorrow."
The Akuma laughed at the girl. "You're a little nitwit, you know that? The Graham de Vanillyl's take what we want! Allow me to show you!" Twirling her staff over her head dozens of silver butterflies appeared in the air.
"My pets, make everyone here my minion!"
The guests ran towards the dining room or the front door. Gorilla and Ali's bodyguard steered the kids back into Adrien's room. Gabriel ran up the steps as Nathalie burst out of her room to help him.
Many of the adults were infected by the silver butterflies. Their clothes turned silver and their skin changed to a bright yellow. They all looked at Butterfly Maiden who instructed them to bring them her son and Gabriel Agreste.
In Nathalie's room, she had transformed into Mayura. She pressed a hidden switch behind the headboard of her bed. A slim section of the wall went up revealing a one-person panic room.
"You should go undetected here. I'll sneak outside then come back into the foyer to assist Butterfly Maiden."
"Good, be on your guard if she tries to betray you." There was thumping on the door as several minions tried to break through. Gabriel closed the panel and Mayura quickly exited through the back window.
The minions burst in and found the room empty. They started to search for another way out of the room. Inside the panic room, Shadowmoth patted himself on the back for making sure Butterfly Maiden's powers reduced her victims' intelligence.
"Thanks to Butterfly Maiden my greatest wish is about to come true."
In Adrien's room, the teenagers had shoved the Foosball table, the sofa, and the grand piano, in front of Adrien's door. The sounds coming from the other side of the door were getting louder.
"We need more items to blockade the door!" Bridgette urged. She saw the giant TV and called out to Kagami. "Help me lift this. This should slow them down."
Kagami helped and Felix grabbed the middle. They carried it a few feet before putting it down. The blonde used his foot to push it closer to the door. Everyone yelped when the door started cracking.
"We're only delaying the inevitable. The minions will break through and capture us if Ladybug and Chat Noir don't appear soon," Kagami pointed out.
"With everyone's phones being confiscated, there is no way to call for help," Ali pointed out to the group.
"Maybe they're patrolling the area and we can flag them down," Zoe suggested.
Chloe remarked they couldn't count on that. The heroes could be on the other side of the city for all they knew. They had to get out another way.
Every Miraculous hero was wishing they had their Miraculous to help them save the others. Adrien and Marinette were wondering if they should reveal themselves so they could fight the Akuma.
Felix suddenly took charge. "Adrien! How many harnesses and helmets do you have?" as he pointed to the rock wall for clarification.
"Two each, but I don't know if they'll fit everyone properly."
Felix dismissed this as he started hauling over the climbing gear. "They only need to hold us long enough to escape." He grabbed Ali by the arm and started strapping the harness on him.
"This is just like the time Chat Noir saved me! Oh, I apologize for bringing that up Rose," Ali said blushing slightly.
"It's alright Ali. I wasn't myself then," Rose replied as Kagami helped her into the second harness.
The plan was for two people to repel down to the ground while the others belayed them. Once they unstrapped themselves, then the belayers could pull the items back up for the others to get down.
The noise at the door was getting louder. Butterfly Maiden's voice echoed up the stairs. "Hurry up, minions. I want my prizes right now!"
The kids scrambled to escape. Rose and Ali made it down. Next was Chloe and Zoey. Then Kagami and Bridgette. They had just gotten the harnesses back when the door was cracking. The barricade was starting to give.
"You two hide, they're after me!" Felix hissed as he dragged them into the bathroom and locked the door.
The couple listened as the minions came into the room. There were sounds of a tussle and Felix yelling things. Eventually, Felix went silent followed by the sound of a body being dragged.
Adrien was getting frantic at the thought of his cousin being harmed. "We need to do something!"
"How do we explain, Ladybug and Chat Noir suddenly popping in when our friends are next to the windows? Nathalie's room faces the backyard! We can't pretend we came that way if there's no footage to back it up," Marinette pointed out logically.
She was also terrified but they needed to think logically about the situation. Shadowmoth was watching the attack through Butterfly Maiden's eyes. Mayura could also be standing by to assist the Akuma.
Goball phased out of Marinette's purse. "I have an idea that may help the current situation. I will admit it might have some side effects once the Miraculous Cure is cast."
Plagg asked what kind of side effects and his "cousin" admitted it might leave the targets starry-eyed for a day or two. The humans looked at one another and silently agreed it was worth the risk.
Goball explained that his defensive power, Reverence, made the target have so much respect for a person their minds were unaware of what was going on around them.
"If I use it on everyone in the house and the teenagers outside, no one will question your sudden appearance. Nathalie and Mr. Agreste will have no reason to look at the security footage."
Tikki demanded to know how much control Goball had over his power. Her "cousin" replied enough. Knowing they were running out of time, Tikki told him to get going.
The heroes transformed as Goball zipped out the small ventilation window and squirmed his way to the other side of the street. The mansion and the teenagers were in his view.
"Please, let this work." Goball said as he started to change from purple to white "Reverence!" A bright white light appeared above the mansion sparkling bright.
Anyone in the vicinity of the light became starry-eyed. They began praising Ladybug and Chat Noir. Inside the mansion, the same thing was happening.
Butterfly Maiden had been arguing with Mayura stating she didn't need help to punish her son. The light affected them and found themselves cheering the heroes' names
Even Shadowmoth was affected as stopped in mid-sentence. He was wondering why he was hiding in this panic room when he should be inviting Ladybug and Chat Noir to his home.
Said people jumped down to the foyer. Felix was being held in place by Mr. and Mrs. Bourgeois. Chat Noir asked them to hand the boy over to him which they did.
Ladybug guided the blond into the atrium and locked the door. She sensed that Goball's defensive power dissipating. "Chat, get the staff!" she shouted.
Chat Noir lunged for it as the effects wore off. Mayura saw him coming and tossed her fan at him. The hero let out a cry of pain as the weapon made a small slice across the lower right side of his suit.
Ladybug pulled him back and the duo started fighting the minions. Noticing her son was missing and that she still didn't have Gabriel in front of her, the Akuma went into a raging fit.
"WHERE IS MY SON?! HE WAS RIGHT HERE!" she screeched. Waving her staff around, Mayura had to duck her head or risk getting in cut off.
"Butterfly Maiden, calm yourself! I'm your ally, remember?"
Butterfly Maiden growled, "If you're my ally then find me Gabriel Agreste! He's been lying about Emilie and I want the truth!"
Shadowmoth's mask appeared over the Akuma's face. "Butterfly Maiden! You need to get the Miraculouses for me! If you do then I'll have Mayura bring you Gabriel Agreste on a silver platter."
The Akuma nodded and started marching through the doorway leading outside. The fight had spilled into the street. Despite not having their Miraculouses, the teenagers were trying to help by taking the minions out.
"Mother, you need to yield! You are letting someone else control you," Kagami informed her mother. She dodged her mother's bokkom and tried to take it from her mother.
Tomoe resisted, her grip tightening on her bokkom. "You are interfering with my mistress's mission. Get out of the way or be brought before for punishment.
Kagami's only response was to pull harder on the bokkom. She wasn't about to give up.
Ali and Rose were working together to take out the Gorilla and the royal bodyguard. Rose flung her clutch, beaming the Gorilla on the head. It left a bump on his head but didn't slow him down.
"I think I just made him madder," Rose quipped as she backed up with Ali. The prince had attempted to use his tie as a makeshift restraint device. It hadn't worked obviously.
"We will think of something, I promise Rose."
It was a fierce battle between Butterfly Maiden and Ladybug and her partner Chat Noir.
"A couple of teenagers are not going to stop me from Gabriel Agreste's life! He'll pay for what he's done right after I deal with my turncoat son," the Akuma growled as summoned more of her silver butterflies.
Chat Noir jumped in front of Ladybug spinning his baton to create a shield. "Why do you want to harm Gabriel Agreste," he asked both in curiosity and stalling the Akuma.
"That man is responsible for what happened to my sister! He tricked Emilie into marrying him! She would never have stolen the family heirlooms if he didn't mess with her head!"
Out of the corner of her eye, Butterfly Maiden saw a flash of red. With a quick twist of the wrist, she stopped summoning butterflies and lunged with her staff. Ladybug had to twist and duck to avoid being speared.
"You think you can get the drop on me? No one outsmarts me."
"We'll see about that! Lucky Charm!" A red and black picture frame fell into her hands.
Before she could think of what to do with it, Mayura let out a loud whistle. The heroes and the Akuma turned their attention to the front doors of the mansion.
Felix and Bridgette's wrists and ankles were tied up. Thomas Astruc and Bob Ross had their hands on the teenagers' shoulders, forcing them to stay in place. The peafowl villainess had her fan up against Bridgette's throat drawing a tiny amount of blood.
Delighted at the capture, Butterfly Maiden had her minions carry her to the steps ignoring Mayura's order to stay where she was. Once she was in the doorway, she called for all her minions to form a blockade around the two captive teens.
"At last, you've done something useful Mayura. Now move aside so I can punish Felix and his little girlfriend."
Mayura refused to move. "Aren't you forgetting something? Shadowmoth ordered you to get the Miraculouses before you can exert your authority."
Butterfly Maiden stomped her foot. "I'm done with you and Shadowmoth barking orders! Either let me do what I want or you can get the Miraculouses yourself!"
Mayura was about to reply when Ladybug shouted, "Hey, Butterfly Maiden! Catch!" The picture frame was thrown directly at the Akuma's head. Mayura moved to intercept it but was shoved away by the Akuma.
Butterfly Maiden thrust her staff through the glass and back part of the frame. "Silly heroes, did you expect that to hurt me?" She pulled the staff backward and then tried to summon her little pets again.
Only nothing happened. To her horror, the fan blade had gotten stuck in the frame! It wasn't wide enough to be pulled back out! "No! Get it off, right now!" she instructed her closet minion.
The man reached to pull it off only to fall to the ground when someone kicked the back part of the knee. Zoe smirked up at the Akuma. "Surprise!"
The blond jumped Butterfly Maiden. She managed to pry it out of the Akuma's hands. "Chloe! Catch!"
While Butterfly Maiden and Mayura had been arguing, the teens had been quietly taken out the minions one by one. Without the Akuma's orders, all they could do was stand in shield formation.
The teenagers had spread out to form a chain. The akumatized item was heading for the heroes. Before Mayura could attempt to get it back, Bridgette flung her weight onto Mayura. Felix did the same to his mom.
The adults were pinned unable to do anything as Chat Noir used his power on the staff. Ladybug reached over and shoved the akuma into her yo-yo to be cleansed. "Miraculous Ladybug!"
Everything was restored to normal. Mayura was freed from Bridgette's weight and took off. The heroes were down to their last minute. Ladybug presented the magic charm to Amelia before the duo slipped away to de-transform.
As Felix was helping his mom up, Gabriel Agreste emerged into the foyer. His appearance was unkempt and he appeared to be sweating. "Amelia, I'm pleased to see you've been purified."
"I highly doubt that! Where did you come from?!" she demanded as she grabbed him by his jacket.
"In a small panic room inside Nathalie's bedroom. It's a tight space with limited room. Nathalie and I were forced to hide together. She's upstairs catching her breath," the man replied in a placid voice.
Amelia huffed and grabbed at Gabriel's hands when Felix pulled her away. "Mom, enough! I know you want the ring back, but now is not the time."
His mother protested saying this was the time to reclaim what her brother-in-law stole.
Bridgette took a deep breath and placed herself in between mother and son. "Mrs. Graham de Vanily, I understand why the ring is important to you. It's a family heirloom and you want it back, but not for the reason you're claiming."
The woman was taken aback as Ms. Cheng stated the real reason, she wanted it back so badly right now was because she missed her sister and her husband.
"You've been through so much trauma these last few months. Understandably, you want everything that reminds you of your family. It's the same for Mr. Agreste."
Adrien and Marinette were coming downstairs and heard Bridgette asking Amelia to set her family pride aside for now and try to be humble to Mr. Agreste. Adrien was surprised when his father spoke up.
"I was never against returning the ring, only that you wait until we have answers to what happened to Emilie. This is the only possession I have of hers I have right now. It gives me hope she'll return."
Amelia curled her fingers a few times before relaxing. "I guess we can wait until we both get answers before talking about this again."
Pleased that the issue had been worked out, the party resumed. The teenagers had fun dancing and playing games. The adults were able to finish their meeting without any more interruptions.
After the party, Gabriel went to Nathalie's room to discuss the results of the experiment. Sitting down on the bed he spoke, "Remind me to never akumatize my sister-in-law again."
Nathalie nodded and went back to her tablet. "I've compared Butterfly Maiden against other Akumas who you have used for their ego and pride. None of the results have been very good."
Duusu, who was sitting on Nathalie's shoulder, spoke. "Excuse me, Ms. Nathalie. What is the difference between ego and pride?"
"Ego refers to how a person values their self-worth. While pride is related to the actions a person takes to accomplish something."
Duusu appeared satisfied with the answer to her question. She then looked at her "brother" and asked him what his thoughts on the situation were.
Gabriel dipped his head slightly allowing the kwami to speak. "I believe that this latest Akuma proves that prideful people can't be trusted to use a Miraculous or work with someone who does."
Gabriel agreed with the kwami. "I should have learned my lesson when Lila was akumatized the first time. I didn't and kept finding exceptionally prideful women."
"I believe I should start screening potential targets before sending an akuma out."
Nathalie agreed as she didn't want to work with people like that anymore. "My concern with working with your test subjects is that it is nearly impossible to get them to do what I ask of them. There must be something in the book we can use to make them listen to me."
Gabriel promised he would find a way to make the Akumas heed her words. "We'll hold off from akumatizing anyone until I've discovered a solution. For now, the best thing to do is get some rest."
Across the Atlantic, Ning was in her weapons room cleaning the different blades she had. It was a quiet day and her presence wasn't required now. She decided to take care of some long overdue maintenance on her weaponry.
She had already taken care of her guns and locked them back up in the gun safe. The guns always were done first because of how deadly they could be. The sooner they were back in the safe the better.
Currently, Ning was polishing the blade of her push dagger. "Alright, a little more lacquer thinner should finish the job." She picked up the bottle and three small drops fell on the blade.
Using a lint-free cloth, she wiped from base to point a few more times before holding it up to the light. "That did the trick. No more dust and gunk on this one." Grabbing a rag, she dried the blade off and set it on her work table.
The next step would be to oil the blade before working on the handle. A light coat of lemon oil should prevent the handle from cracking for another six months.
She picked up the mineral oil and squirted a tiny amount on her new cleaning cloth. She was about to start when she heard an alert in the computer room.
Carefully setting the weapon down, she went into the room and discovered she had an important email message. She tripled-checked to make sure the email was legit or it didn't have a virus or worm, attached to it.
Opening it up, she read the contents and leaned forward in her chair. China was willing to let Su-Han's citizenship be declared a full Tibetan and allow him to be extradited. In exchange though, they wanted the man to serve one year in a Chinese jail for creating an international political situation for the government.
Chinese prisons were known for their brutality and notorious conditions. Most prisoners, especially political dissidents, were known to be killed within days of arrival. Rarely did anyone survive their prison sentence.
Once more, Su-Han's knowledge and magical gifts were targeted by governments looking to control him. The committee was taking a few days off for all the parties to consider the proposal.
"This is bad. Really, really bad," the young woman whispered to herself.