Adrien escorted me to the back wing of the manor. It honestly felt the least lived-in so far. The corridors were dark and the window curtains were shut. At least my room had nice pale pink walls in it. Unlike the outside hallways, my room was one of the lovelier ones I can picture is in this manor. Canopy bed with pink flora bedsheets, a grand marble old fireplace, a sofa and lots of chairs, a writing desk, a vanity and wardrobe; even a hidden sitting room in one of those invisible wall doors. It reminded me of Versailles- beautiful…. Too beautiful to touch.

Adrien held the door open for me, letting me go in first. He followed suit, shutting it after him. While I was looking every which was around my new room, he was solely watching me. Watching me, and again, smiling. With a tender grin, he folded his arms and slanted up against the rim of the fireplace. "So, what do you think? Do you like it? You like pink, right? I tried to get as much pink here as possible." "It's gorgeous….. Is this really my room?" "Yep! It's got its own private bathroom suite, underfloor heating, servant's bell. And check this out! Your very own balcony," he eagerly ran over to the duel glass doors leading onto a massive round balcony. Surprised, I looked out the door panels to see that my room oversaw this extensive and very picturesque flower garden in the back. I think my jaw actually dropped open. "A garden…. You have a garden," my hand lifted up to press against the glass. Though I didn't see it, Adrien was- of course- smiling so affectionately just then.

After a minute he began to walk back inside. "I'll have the gardener bring a fresh bouquet of flowers up to your room every morning. Marinette?" I didn't reply, still too preoccupied with the luscious rose garden just below my balcony. God, I couldn't wait to walk around out there….. "Marinette?" This time Adrien's voice made me jump. "Huh?!" My head spun back around to see him sitting on the bed. He patted the seat beside him, beckoning me forward.

I hesitated but soon made myself walk up toward the bed. I sat opposite him- not too close, mind you. It was wigging me out how much he was smiling at me. Seriously! The man didn't even know me. Why did he look at me like I was the most perfect woman in the world? A ball of sweat started to form as he leaned in a bit closer to me.

Adrien pulled out something from his pant's pocket. It was a card made of titanium. He handed it to me. "This is your key to the manor, the garage, and the front and back gates. It'll give you access to everything." "T-Thank you," I half-whispered, quickly putting it into my own jean pocket. Man, this was awkward. He seemed a lot more comfortable around me than I was with him. But I guess that's to be expected…..

He explained everything to me. How to use the fireplace, how to adjust the heating, how to contact the staff should I ever need anything, how to find my room in this maze of a mansion, etc. I just sat there quietly listening and nodding. His voice… The more I heard it, the more it was like his green eyes- they reminded me of him.

Him.

After going through all the logistics, Adrien took in a deep breath and grinned my way. His stare was calm and sincere again. "Do you have any questions?" "U-Uh, no; none that I can think of….." I rubbed the back of my head awkwardly. He nodded at this. "Good," he concurred, and then he reached behind him. My eyes grew as he took out a small box. It looked distinctly like a ring box. His eyes drifted up from it to my face.

"Uh, I know this is all happening so fast but….. But I hope you don't mind. I had this made for you." Before I could ask what, he tugged the box's lid up to reveal this stunning ring tucked inside. It was big, but not too big- just the right size if you asked me. Its front stone was in the shape of a ladybug with green spots instead of black. The band was black platinum; much of the same material I'm sure Cat Noir's ring is made of. It was a breath-taking piece of jewellery, and I could only gawk at it for a brief minute. Adrien didn't utter a word, but simply watching my astonished reaction. He let me break the silence in the room first.

"A ladybug ring with green emeralds?" "Yeah! I heard you were a fan of Cat Noir…. A-And Ladybug, of course!" He quickly tacked on, blushing a tad. I gawked at him bewildered. "How did you know that?!" "Oh! I uh… I read your dossier. My uh, my father had one written up about you." "He did?!" Typical. I knew it! I'm marrying into a super-controlling family with a super-controlling father-in-law. I wouldn't be surprised if he hired me a personal bodyguard and full-time nanny. In other words, someone who'll watch my every move and report back to him what I'm doing. Dossier, indeed. Mr. Agreste's the real stalker here!

Sensing the mood had changed, Adrien examined my expression worriedly. "Marinette? I-If you don't like the ring, we can get another one. It's no bother!" "Like it…..? No…. No, I love it! It's beautiful! I couldn't think of a better engage-….." My lips stopped here of their own accord. He looked at me but didn't say anything. My eyes lowered a tad, my fingers curling inward on my lap. "I take it this is a…. a…" "An engagement ring? Yes," he chuckled. Then he took the ring out of its box and held his free hand out for mine. "May I?"

My hands didn't budge an inch. I think this is when it all became real for me. This was it; I was going to marry Adrien…. Adrien would be my future husband. Any children I had would be his kids. We'd spend the rest of our lives together….. I'd be with him, all the while wishing I was somewhere else. I'm rightly and truly screwed. I'm like those medieval princesses you read about, who are forced to marry someone who is not their beloved. The moment that ring slides onto my finger, I'll be Adrien's fiancée. Not Cat Noir's girlfriend but his fiancée and future life-partner.

I felt like I was going to be sick.

With more reluctance than I'd ever experienced in my life, my hand slowly, slowly inched its way over to Adrien's. He immediately took it, curling his fingers protectively around my palm. He carefully slid the ring onto my ring finger; the black band felt nice and cool against my skin. It fit like a glove, surprisingly. "Perfect fit….." I gave it a good inspection once it was securely on my finger. Adrien's grin deepened in its corners. "I've had this for a while now….." "What?!" His back instantly arched. "Uh! W-What I mean is that I got this custom made soon after my father told me about the engagement! J-Just wanted to be prepared, you know." "Yeah, I guess you would be….." My gaze wandered back over to the magnificent gem.

Adrien's shoulder's relaxed; his body language softened. My heart skipped an anxious beat as he reached over to take my hand in his again. He held it really, really tight. "Listen, Marinette. I know you're not thrilled about this arrangement." "Adrien!" I gasped horrified, but he didn't give me time to say more. He shown his smile onto me yet again. "But I just want you to know that…. that I'm here for you. This manor can feel very lonely, but you're not alone- not while I'm here." "A-Adrien…." What is he saying?! Why is he telling me all this? We literally just met! And here I thought that Cat Noir was an extreme romantic.

His hand gave me a reassuring squeeze. "You can take your time, Marinette. Not just with me but with everything. Moving to a new house and meeting your fiancé and future in-laws all in one day? It's a lot to take in, but no one's rushing you, especially not me." "Adrien," my mouth gasped again; I did that a lot around him. He chuckled ever so softly, bringing my hand nearer to him. "Don't worry; everything's going to be fine. Everything's going to be just fine. You have nothing to worry about, I promise you." "H-How do you know…..?" My lips trembled. The silkiest chuckle fell from his lips a second time, his head shook a little. "Because I know; you've got to trust me on this." "Adrien," I ogled him with gigantic eyes.

Tell him! This tiny voice shouted in my head. Tell him that you're in love with someone else! This isn't fair to him, and he's being so kind to me. I've got to honest with him front the start. It's the least he deserves…. There'll be consequences for me, but it'll be worth it if I can spare him. Him and Cat Noir. Let me die on this rock and save them; it's worth it. All I have to do is think of Cat Noir…. and I know it's definitely worth it. I'm so, so sorry, Adrien. I drew in a long inhale, not looking forward to the next few upcoming seconds. I breathed in and closed my eyes…

"Actually, Adrien, there's…. something I have to tell you…" To my sheer shock, Adrien reached over to cover my lips with his finger. I looked at him shell-shocked and he shook his head, grinning. It was as if he knew exactly what I was going to say before I said it. But that's a moronic thought since it's clearly impossible. The way he stopped me from continuing just now though…. He pulled his finger away once I was silent.

"It's ok, Marinette. You don't have to say anything else tonight." What? What the….? "B-But it's really important!" His eyes lowered ever so fondly onto mine. "It's as my dad said: we'll have plenty of time to get to know each other. We don't need to rush things. You'll share everything when the time is right…. We'll share everything," he added after a minute. I blinked at him bewildered. What does he mean by that? Wait! Is he….? Can he be in the same situation as me?! Is he already in love with someone else? It would everything so much easier if he was. But then again, if he was in love with another girl…

then why did he keep looking at me with those eyes?

My cheeks couldn't have blushed harder- more out of surprise than anything- when his hand suddenly rose up to brush some stray hairs off my forehead. All the while, he was smiling radiantly. "It's alright, Marinette; we'll figure this out. We've got nothing but time." "Y-You sound so sure….. H-How do you even know you'll be happy? W-With me, I mean!" He looked at me for a long moment, then- predictably- smiled. This smile was different, though. More amused, more knowing, more playful…. "I don't know. It's just a feeling I have. We may not have…. known each other for very long, but…" "But?" I repeated when he failed to finish his sentence. A pregnant pause ensued and Adrien released my hand. I only observed quietly as he stood up ready to head for the door. He gave me one last look over his shoulder. "Let me know if you need anything.

I'll always be in the wings should you call."