(Author's Note: I know the MariChat ship doesn't really start until Season 2, but to be honest I wasn't much of a fan of either Season 2 or 3 (and we're not even gonna talk about 4). There's a lot of contradictions that are introduced in Season 2 which I want to avoid. SO, for the purposes of this story everything in-universe is from Season 1. Ladybug and Cat Noir will not lose their superpowers if they reveal their identities (though it's heavily discouraged). Also they are the only two superheroes in Paris that we are aware of; this won't change for this story.

One significant difference I'm including is that Marinette comes from a very well-connected family on her mother's side. Adrien's father, Gabriel, wanted to expand his business in the Chinese market and saw Marinette- or rather, her powerful family back in China- as the perfect way to serve his interests. All of this is to say that, after a lot of persuasion, Gabriel has arranged a marriage between his son, Adrien, and their daughter, Marinette.

The other significant difference is that in this version, Marinette is in love with Cat Noir from the beginning. She's never met Adrien in-person before and has no idea that her boyfriend is also her future fiancé. Likewise, Cat Noir doesn't know that his girlfriend is Ladybug. Thus, Cat Noir doesn't love Ladybug and remains staunchly loyal to Marinette. While Marinette is reluctant to stay in the relationship after she's pressured to marry Adrien, Cat Noir is not so inclined to leave her (mostly because he's the only one who knows that he's Adrien).

Also, just one last plot hole to cover. Pretend here that, like in the Cinderella live-action movie, when Marinette and Adrien transform, they're endowed with a magic that literally hides their true identities. That's why Cat Noir hasn't figured out that his girlfriend is Ladybug, and why Marinette won't recognize Cat Noir when she meets him. There's magic simply preventing that connection (a spell which is broken when one's identity is willingly revealed to another person, but no one knows that yet).

I know that was a lot to cover. Told from Marinette's P.O.V. (mostly). Please enjoy!)

The driver opened the door for me. I thanked him with a smile as I put on my backpack. The Palace of Versailles wasn't that far of a drive from our house- about ten minutes or so- but Mom insisted. I wanted to spend as much time as humanly possible here at the palace before…. Well before I had to move. We'd all be moving, with Daddy coming back during the day for the bakery. But soon the three of us would be living in the centre of Paris.

Yippy.

I guess it will be faster for Ladybug to get around if I'm actually living in the city centre. Haven't really hammered out the details yet of what being a secret superhero will be like living under a new roof with a bunch of new people….. One being my future husband.

I had to give my mind a rough shake. No! Don't think about that! This is your last visit to Versailles before you move tomorrow. Stay focused! Keep your mind in the game and enjoy yourself- you might as well. Can't picture myself having much fun in an arranged marriage. Sigh.

The grounds were packed today. I snuck around to a side door to show the security card my ID card. He let me inside the right wing of the palace. This was a quiet, "staff-only" section; a stark difference from the overcrowded left wing on the other side. I walked on down the hallway without seeing another person. About halfway through, I used my ID to open a door leading into one of store houses. There was a storage vault at the back of the room which was always locked; and no, I didn't have a key. Making sure to shut the door firmly behind me, I entered and made my way over to my temporary designated work desk. Alya was already at her desk, busy working away under a microscope. She looked over and smiled at me as I came inside.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the blushing bride?" "Please, don't tease me about that! I already told you, I'm already nervous enough as it is," I cringed, taking a seat on my uncomfy wooden stool. Her eyebrow raised at me. "Why? You're getting married. It's not like you're summitting your PhD dissertation or anything." "But I don't even know the guy," I swiftly countered. "What's there to know? He's young, he's rich, he's well-educated, he's hot. What more could you want in a fiancé? 'Oh no, I'm Marinette and I'm being forced to marry a perfect man who any woman would kill for. My life is sooooooo hard,'." I shot her a look as she rolled her eyes dramatically.

"It's not like that. I don't want to marry anyone else; I already have a….." But I had to stop myself. Oh no! That was too close; I almost said that I already have a boyfriend! This definitely caught Alya's full attention. She spun her stool so she was facing me directly. You could see her face light up in glee. "You already have a what? Gasp! Are you already seeing someone else? You are serious?! You're already cheating on your future fiancé?!" "No! I mean no, of course I'm not. And it wouldn't be "cheating"; we've never even met before." "Uh huh, sure. Do you even know the name of your future husband?" "Erm…. Well, I…. I'm sure if I heard it, I'd know it." "Oh my god. You forgot his name?!" She gasped, making me cringe again. Weeeeeeeeell maybe; he did have a very generic name. Not that I'm one to talk.

Thankfully our conversation- more like interrogation- was stopped by the professor opening and closing the door. He was an old, fashionable, and very austere Parisian gentleman who'd been teaching historical fashion at the university for decades. We both perked up as he entered, briskly marching over to my desk, and plopping down a stack of folders and loose papers. "Now there'll be no more chit-chat. I didn't reserve you girls this space so you could gossip. Back to work, Alya," he directed in that thick, raspy voice of his. "Yes sir," my best friend immediately turned back to her microscope, which she was analysing medieval fibres under. The professor then turned his attention to me, making me jump a little.

"Marinette, have you informed the department about your new living arrangements?" "Yes, sir; last week," I replied on spot. He nodded, though it was never approvingly. "And you've submitted a request for the summer months to be taken off, is that right?" "Yes, sir. I have requested both July and August be taken off for my….." I had to pause here to gulp.

"For my wedding…."

His head nodded again before his eyes grew sharp on me. His hands clasped behind his back in the sternest of fashions. "I hope you understand that I expect your dissertation to be submitted on time. Don't let any of this "engagement" nonsense interfere with your work. There are standards I expect my supervisees to meet, and you WILL meet them. Is that clear?" A drop of sweat rolled down my neck. Forget Hawk Moth; this guy was truly terrifying. But I had to nod my head in utter obedience. "Y-Yes, sir; of….. of course." He made a "hmmmmm" sound before walking off, letting me finally take a breath. Holy crap, that man scared me to no end!

Alya and I worked in absolute silence the whole time Professor Grinds was there. We each had our own separate workspaces and focused on our own projects. I'll admit, while it was a tense work environment to say the least, it was optimal for getting a hell of a lot done. It's been my dream to be a fashion designer ever since I could crawl. But unfortunately, Paris is chalked full of fashionable people making it nearly impossible to stick out. I decided to go a different route and get a PhD in fashion so I might enter the market through the backdoor, so it were. It was really hard at first but soon I discovered that I loved learning about fashion nearly as much as designing it. My area of interest was historical Parisian fashion in the seventeenth century- hence why I'm at the Palace of Versailles. That, and I simply loved the castle. Cat Noir and I can- and have- spend hours just roaming the gardens, playing hide-and-seek in the palace, and just lying in the grass. Hey! Dating a superhero has some perks.

After a long couple of hours, Dr. Grinds finally stood up. Both Alya and I paused to see what he would do next, not saying anything. He stretched out his arms then glanced back at us. "I'm going for some air and a coffee. You ladies are going to stay right where you are and not move until those samples are finished. Understand?" "Yes, sir," we replied in unison. Gotta admit, he trained us well. "Won't be long," were his last words to us before exiting the room. Only then did we practically collapse onto the ground in pure exhaustion. Alya breathed deeply, shutting her eyes for a minute.

"Oh my god; I'm so tired." "Me too," I agreed, also closing my eyes. I loved shutting my eyes; every time I did I saw his green ones… Ayle's reopened and her head spun my way. "I thought he'd never leave. It's been like two hours! I gotta update my Ladyblog!" Oh boy, here we go. I had to make a show of it, rolling my eyes unimpressed. "You still on that thing?" "Course! Did you hear? Ladybug and Cat Noir saved Paris last night again! They're so awesome! And that Cat Noir…"

This perked me right up. I sat upright so I could fully examine her face. "Cat Noir what?" Her eyes immediately met mine through her red-rimmed glasses. "Well, he is incredibly hot, and suave." "I suppose…. if you like that sort of man," keep it together, Marinette. Don't blow your cover now. It didn't help that Ayle did that swoony sigh thing to herself. "You mean the hot, extremely desirable kind? What's with you, Marinette? It's like you're not interested in attractive men or something. I mean if that's how you swing, then that's totally cool! But…." "No! It's not like that. I'm just…. I'm getting married, remember?" "To a man you have zero interest in," she retorted rather bluntly. I frowned. "It's not that I'm not interested in… in…." "What's-his-name?" She smirked. "Yeah, him. It's just that…. This is an arranged marriage! It feels weird and wrong and… and….." "And you wanna marry someone that loves you for "you"? Is that it?" Ayle leaned in toward me a bit. My eyes slowly wandered over to her and I nodded.

"Yes, but that's not gonna happen," the man I'm in love with is a famous superhero, after all. There was this pregnant pause, with Ayle shifting her gaze back and forth between me and the ground. This gentle smile eventually crossed her lips. "You could… grow to love him, your fiancé? You never know! Maybe you two will really get on." "I doubt that. He's probably some rich prick who'll have a ton of affairs and is only marrying me so that his dad becomes even richer through family connections," my face fell into the palms of my hands. Ugh, if only Cat Noir could save me from this disaster….

Another moment of silence passed. Ayle's hand reached out to rest on top of my back in an act of reassurance. "Hey, maybe it won't be that bad. And if it is, you can always get divorced!" "Not gonna happen. My mom's side of the family doesn't believe in divorce; we'd all be disowned from the rest of the family. Nugh! This is a nightmare!" "But you never know. You might just get on with your new husband- it's possible." "But what if I fall in love with someone else?" I looked her back in the eye. She stared at me for a minute before opening her mouth. "You're getting married, Marinette. Even if your fiancé is a cheating bag of trash, it doesn't mean you should be." I couldn't help but sigh. "I know you're right…. I've always believed in fidelity, and I can't dismiss my morals because I'm being forced into a relationship." Ayle rested the side of her head into mine. "It'll be fine; you'll see. Things will work out in the end." "I sure hope you're right," I sighed again. I sighed and shut my eyes….

And thought of nothing but Cat Noir.