Time passed from the announcement of Princess Bridgette's and Prince Adrien's engagement. Unaware of their bankruptcy, the kingdom was confused yet overjoyed at the news.

Princess Bridgette was at her dress fitting only a month before the wedding. Maids and servants frantically scattered around as they took the princess' measurements for adjustments. The dress was beautiful; a long white gown with blue accents, made from Les Couturières Bourgeoises, but the current fitting is just in case alterations are needed.

Max ran towards the princess. "Your Highness, we have a 98% chance of being late for our next appointment if we do not finish on time. We have less than thirty minutes to finish this fitting, and then we must move to your conference for the marriage at 11:30 am. Next, we have to rush you so you can have lunch with Lady Rossi. And in the afternoon, you must meet with Felix for your lessons…" he droned on.

As the scheduler continued to drone on, Alya rolled her eyes at the sight as she tried to pin the dress in place. She glanced up and noticed the princess' hopeless look.

"Your highness…" Alya muttered.

That seemed to snap Bridgette out of her trance as a fake smile planted on her lips. "It's nothing; I'm okay."

It may have worked on other people, but Alya was observant and knew that the princess wasn't taking everything as well as people believed. But that isn't what bothered her.

What bothered the most was how out of the blue this wedding arrangement was.

For years, she's overheard the queen and the then-alive king discussing numerous times that they would like their daughter to choose her prince when she is old enough for marriage. So, that implied they wanted Bridgette to choose, so why had the queen suddenly selected a prince for her?

It was strange.

However, as much as she would've liked to find out, it wasn't her place. She was a maid—nothing more, nothing less.

Rustle.

Alya's eyes shot up as Bridgette stepped off the podium and began walking around the room. The young maid watched her in surprise. The princess wasn't usually the type randomly moved out of her place during a fitting appointment. It was so unlike her.

'What was going inside her head?' Alya thought.

Bridgette walked around as if it were a feeling off of her chest. She smiled as she twirled, her dress spinning with her movements.

Then her eyes caught the doors to the balcony. She walked toward them and opened them, glancing at the outside world—the blue sky decorated with clouds. The familiar warm breeze caressed her skin.

The princess closed her eyes as she breathed in the fresh air. She exhaled with a smile.

Chirp chirp.

Blue eyes opened, watching as two birds flew freely around her balcony without a care in the world. Bridgette closed her eyes and imagined that she was one of those birds. She walked across her balcony, wishing for and feeling the ability to fly in freedom. As she reached the edge, she opened her eyes and placed her hands on the railing.

A figure by the fountain caught her eye, and the princess watched the man in interest.

Felix.

A soft, genuine smile on her lips as she watched the unsuspecting man. This man was not only her tutor but her childhood friend. They were playmates as kids, but they slowly grew apart as the years passed; Felix became a little distant.

Bridgette liked to think that ever since he became her tutor, their relationship could be like it had once been.

"I wish you the one I could marry, Felix," she whispered. "I love y-"

"Bridgette," a voice called out. The girl flinched and turned to see her mother behind her. "I'm sorry for all of this, my dear. I never wanted to do this to you, but you must marry Prince Adrien. Our combined kingdoms will help to take care of our people, you understand, don't you?"

Bridgette stared at her mother, gulping. "Yes, mother, I understand. I must serve my kingdom and guard the hopes of our people," she recited.

Queen Reina smiled but then remembered something. "Oh, and my dear. You have another engagement gift from Prince Ali."

Bridgette watched as her mother walked inside. The girl followed as the queen showed her the concealed gift. She picked the present up and fingered the string holding it together.

She chuckled with a tiny hint of sadness. Everyone thinks she was lucky to get anything she wanted, but they didn't realise the strings that came with each present—tying her down even more into her restrictive life.

After all, she would always remain a royal, but there was always something she held dear.

Love. Hope.


Marinette bounced across the building of Les Couturières Bourgeoises, trying to finish as many orders as possible. Ever since the wedding announcement between Princess Bridgette and Prince Adrien, the shop has been flooded with requests for outfits for the royals, nobility and gentry to attend the wedding.

The girl grabbed another finished set of clothes and placed them on the side, ready to be packaged and shipped to the client. She turned to see Sabrina, her co-worker, sewing another dress and cocked her head. A red cat sat beside her, curled upon herself as she slept.

She walked toward the girl and asked, "Need any help?" Marinette sat down beside her and began to stroke the cat.

Sabrina looked up and smiled. "Thanks, but I have this covered. You've done a lot this morning."

Marinette smiled. "You know what I'm like, Sabrina; I always have to be on the move. I have a pile ready for me every morning, then I have press hems, makes sure it's correctly stitched, the sleeves intact, but one thing- thank god that I don't any another wedding gown to do."

"Like the princess' wedding gown?" Marinette nodded. "At least you did a wonderful job. It looked gorgeous, Marinette."

"I hope it would, based on what specifications they wanted for the design. I can't even think of the number of stitches that went in it or embroidery. It was a miracle that I got it done in time, especially with all these orders coming in," Marinette sighed. "Sometimes I want a day to myself, and I don't have that debt to pay."

Sabrina smiled, but it dropped as she looked up. Her fair skin was losing colour, almost making her red hair look even darker.

"Sabrina?" Marinette asked, worried. She reached to place a hand on her co-worker's shoulder. "Sabrina? Sabrina, what's wrong?"

"What do you think we're running here, Maritrash?!" An obnoxious voice called out. Marinette rolled her eyes and turned to see Chloe, Madame Bourgeois' daughter. "A therapist station?"

Marinette scoffed. "More like a debtor's prison, if you ask me."

Chloé laughed mockingly. "You poor pathetic loser. I won't be laughing since you'll work for us for the next few decades. Look how nice we are; we took you in and gave you a job. You should be grateful to my mum and me."

Marinette's jaw dropped as she stood up. "What? I've already paid off most of the debt; there's no way I would still be here for that long."

"Oh, Maritrash. I guess that you've forgotten about the interest, right?" Chloé asked in a fake sweet tone. "You did, didn't you? Your parents didn't think of that when they borrowed a loan, did they? What a shame."

"They did it to feed me, Chloé!"

Chloé shrugged. "Not my problem," she said as she strutted off.

Marinette shook her head in disbelief. She couldn't believe the arrogance and nerve of this girl. She thought she was superior because her family was more affluent than others, yet she was not royalty. She liked to believe she was. To Chloé, you were beneath her and should bow to her every whim.

"I can't wait to leave this place," Marinette gritted.

"If you go, can I come along?" Sabrina asked.

The girl opened her mouth in surprise, but she smiled and nodded. "Of course, Sabrina. I would never want you to be alone with that witch."

"Thank you, Marinette," the girl muttered shyly but happily.

Marinette smiled at her friend as she turned to face the window, in which she had a mini-balcony. She walked over to it and opened it, overlooking the mountainside.

She sighed with furrowed brows. There must be a way out of this situation.

A thought entered her brain, and a smirk formed on her lips.

Marinette may not have an extravagant lifestyle like Princess Bridgette, but she had a lot of determination. She would ensure that the people heard her voice. Chloé could silence her as much as she wished, but in the end, the girl had one goal: to repay her parent's debt.

She swears that she will do it.

If there was one thing that Marinette knew about herself, it was that she was incredibly creatively crafty. She would be able to whip up a scheme to help earn more money to pay off that debt. Not even Chloé would be able to stop her.

She felt a slight pressure on her hand, and blue eyes looked down to see a single ladybug crawling on her hand. The girl watched the little creature with a smile as she remembered something.

Ladybugs symbolise good luck, and it's believed that if one lands on a person, it will bless them with good fortune.

Determination. Good luck.


After all, duty meant you had to do things you would regret in your heart. But there was more to living than wearing gloves and gowns, sewing threads and seams, even to Marinette and Bridgette.

No matter the circumstances, the princess and the seamstress still have their dreams, and in them, they are:

Free.