Okay, thanks for the reviews, everyone!
Today in this chapter, Marinette opens her present from the beast, and despite her stubbornness, she ends up meeting him face-to-face after a while and starts getting to know the real him.
Marinette was calming down from her crying fit, and she sat up on the bed. She picked up the small box, and opened it to reveal two stud earrings that were also red with black spots.
Out of the earrings came a small red creature with the same patterning as the earrings. She had big blue eyes.
"Hi there, Marinette! My name is Tikki, and I'm a-!" She began, only for Marinette to start throwing her pillow at her. "Wait! Hey! Stop, please!"
"What are you?! Mouse, a bug?! No, a Bug-Mouse?!" Marinette shrieked.
"Calm down, Marinette! I'm your friend! I'm a kwami!" Tikki explained after evading all the projectiles.
"A... A what?!" Marinette asked, shocked to see her.
"A kwami! An abstract creature connected to those earrings," Tikki explained as Marinette gingerly put the earrings in her ears. "The master gave you those earrings so I could be your friend."
"He... He did?" Marinette asked as she opened her hands. Tikki landed.
"Yes," Tikki confirmed. "He thought you'd be lonely without your family here, so he gave me to you."
Marinette fell quiet for a second, and then she looked at her enw friend as she said, "...That's very kind of him."
"Changing the subject," Tikki said. "Let me explain what I'm capable of and what the earrings can do..."
Marinette listened intently to Tikki, immediately hitting it off with her.
"...And that's how it works," Tikki said, finishing up her spiel. "Any questions?"
"...Not really, no," Marinette began, but there was another knock on the door. "Who is it?"
"...Juleka." A voice quietly said.
Marinette stood up off of the bed, walking to the door, opened and then opened it to reveal the tiger cub with a tea tray on her head.
"Oh, um... Come in." Marinette said as Juleka walked in.
"I brought you some tea..." Juleka said as Marinette took the tray and poured herself a cup.
"Thank you." Marinette said before putting the tray on the nightstand. Juleka leaped up into Marinette's lap.
"What you did for your dad was the bravest thing ever," Juleka commented. "I don't have the courage to do something like that."
"I didn't have anything to lose, Juleka," Marinette said after taking a sip of tea from the cup. "My dad needed to be in the village more than I did."
"Don't worry, Marinette," Tikki said as she landed on her new owner's shoulder. "Things are going to turn out all right in the end. I know it."
Juleka nodded in agreement before saying, "Yeah. I'd better get back down to the kitchen and help with dinner. One of the snake servants will be by to get you later."
Juleka leaped off the bed before bounding out the door.
Marinette sighed before Tikki said, "Okay, now let's get you dressed for dinner! You said you were into dressmaking and fashion design, right?"
She flew over the to the wardrobe and opened the door to reveal several dresses in a variety of designs.
Marinette stood up off the bed and walked over to the dresses. She took out a carmine evening dress that had a one-shoulder neckline with a butterfly sleeve, and a center-draped skirt.
"Oh, that one would look beautiful!" Tikki said.
"Listen, Tikki, that's very nice of you, but... I'm not going to dinner." Marinette said.
"Why?!" Tikki asked. "You should! Or rather, you must!"
"Tikki, I-" Marinette said, only for a knock at the door to interrupt.
The door opened and one of the snake servants came in, before saying, "Dinner issss sssserved."
Downstairs, the beast was waiting at the diner table. There were two place settings, one at the head of the table, and one in the seat adjacent to it.
"She's certainly taking her time," The beast said. "I guess she and Tikki are having too much fun getting to know each other."
"Nice call giving her the Ladybug Miraculous," The tiger cub stated quietly. "I think that'll make her feel more at ease, now that she's lost her family and her freedom in a matter of hours. All over a rose."
"I wasn't going to make it into such a big deal," He admitted. "I was just gonna tell the poor man that if he wanted a rose, all he had to do was ask. Though I probably shouldn't have scared him by unintentionally sneaking up on him the way I did."
"Yeah, that probably would've helped." Juleka agreed.
"I wasn't expecting the man's daughter to show up, either," The beast added. "...It was amazing that she was willing to take her father's place, but I was never gonna do anything to him."
"But now the girl's here." The tiger cub murmured as she licked her paw.
"I know," The beast said with a sigh. "Nothing we can do about it now. But I could have sworn I put him back in his room so he could recover from the fainting spell, so how'd he wind up in the dungeon?"
The tiger cub tensed up and turned her head away from the beast.
Noticing the baby big cat was acting a bit weird, he gently asked, "Juleka... Do you know something?"
Silence. Juleka shook her head, but didn't say anything. Then the beast came over to her.
"Juleka, please," He pleaded, a smile in his tone. "If there's anything you know about this, tell me. I won't get angry."
"You promise?" Juleka asked.
"Promise." He confirmed with a nod.
"I... overheard that he had a daughter while he was in the gardens, so I... I might have dragged him into the cell while he was unconscious and you weren't looking." Juleka admitted.
The beast's eyes widened in shock.
"What?! Juleka, why?!" He asked.
"I saw a chance to help you, so I took it." Juleka said.
"Juleka, that was uncalled for. She basically made herself a prisoner for no reason." He scolded.
"Don't you want this spell broken, bro?" Juleka questioned.
"Yes," He said. "I do."
"Then at least try," Juleka said. "She offered herself up on a silver platter, so now you can set yourself free from this."
"...You did that for me?" He asked.
"Yes," Juleka confirmed. "You didn't do anything to deserve to be cursed like this. You've been selfless your whole life, never putting yourself first. But when you tried to put your foot down with that witch..."
He gave a nod before saying, "I know... But she may not like me or even want to get to know me, considering earlier. And besides, she's the loveliest thing I've ever seen..."
"She is beautiful." Juleka agreed.
The door creaked, getting their attention.
"She's here." He said, delighted, but then one of the snakes came in instead of Marinette.
"Pardon my intrusion, Masssster." The snake told the beast.
"Where is she? Is she on her way?" He questioned kindly.
"I... I..." The snake began.
"Go on." The beast said with a kind smile.
"I... I'm afraid she'sssss not coming to dinner," The servant reported. "I tried to perssssssuade her to come and eat, but no luck. She's quite... Headsssssstrong."
The beast's expression didn't change. Rather, he was quiet for a second or two before addressing his servant.
"...I see. Thank you," He said. "Juleka, wait here."
He started slithering out of the dining room.
"What are you going to do?!" Juleka asked as she jumped off the table and followed him.
"Don't worry. I'm going to just go and check on her." The beast said as he went up the stairs to Marinette's room.
He came to the door, then gave it a gentle knock.
"Marinette?" He asked. "It's me."
"What do you want?" She asked curtly.
"I want to make sure you're okay in there," He said as some of the snake servants came over to watch. "Are you hungry? Dinner's ready. You can vent to me if you need to."
"No." Marinette said.
His face fell sadly, then asked, "Please come out, at least? I promise I won't do anything to hurt you."
"No! Just leave me alone!" Marinette cried, before starting to weep.
"Okay. I'll give you all the time you need to adjust," He said sadly as he leaned off the door. He turned to the snakes. "Be sure to feed herwhen she's ready. No questions asked, okay?"
"Underssssstood, Massssster." The snakes said together.
The beast slithered off, a sad look on his face.
He went into his room, before gently shutting the door. He slithered to the table in the center of it. There was a beautiful, teal tourmaline hand mirror on it.
He picked it up, then said, "May I see Marinette, please?"
The glass on the mirror glowed before showing Marinette sitting on her bed, tears streaming down her face and with Tikki on her shoulder.
"Come on, Marinette," Tikki said. "Why don't you give him a chance? He's giving you your own room instead of locking you in the dungeon, you're allowed wherever you want in the estate, and he's giving you your space so you can acclimate. And wasn't it sweet of him to check up on you?"
"True, Tikki," Marinette admitted. "But locking my dad up over a rose?! That's so petty! I could never... No! I'll just stay away from him and he'll stay away from me!"
"I don't think that's possible, Marinette," Tikki stated. "You're here in his home. It's inevitable."
"...I guess you're right." Marinette sighed.
The image in the mirror faded and he looked a bit sad.
"Well, she's giving me credit for how I've treated her so far," He sighed. "I've gotta have hope..."
The beast looked in the mirror, examined himself, and sighed.
He remembered exactly what led up to his situation. Long story short, a girl was visiting the estate, took a bit too much of a liking to him, and tried getting close to him. However, she kept getting in his space, which consisted of her trying to kiss him, hug him, etc., all without his consent. She even tried to keep him away from Juleka, including spreading lies about the situation to tip the scales in her favor, and cause drama between the siblings.
But he wasn't stupid. He knew something was wrong, it was the guest's fault, and he was not amused. He immediately tried to kick the offender out. But she tried to play the victim again and once again get in his space for a kiss, but he pushed her away, scolded her for not respecting his space, and immediately said that he wanted nothing to do with her anymore, demanding that she leave.
Instead of respecting his choices and wishes, she immediately transformed into a witch, and cursed him into his current form.
Basically, he did the right thing, but got punished for it anyway.
But he had a glimmer of hope now that Marinette was there.
He put the mirror down before saying, "This is gonna take time. And I need to do this at her pace. Not mine."
It'd been about an hour or so since Marinette locked herself in her room. She'd spent the time getting to know Tikki, and having a great conversation with her.
"I know! And then..." Marinette began, but her stomach growled. "...Wow, I must've been in here for a while. I don't remember eating since this morning."
"Well, there's always the kitchen," Tikki said. "Let's go and get something to eat."
Marinette gave a worried nod. She got up off the bed, then left the room. She looked around and saw there wasn't any sign of the beast in the hallway.
"Good, he's not here," Marinette said. "Come on, Tikki."
Marinette started walking through the hallways to go to the dining room/kitchen area.
When she arrived in the dining room, she saw a single place setting with all kinds of silverware, a glass of red wine, and a candlestick lighting for her at the head of the table. And the fireplace was roaring peacefully, too. And there were a lot of different dishes and food out on the table, not unlike what her father was served. Pheasant, breads, roasted meats, and so much more. It was like the castle staff members were just waiting to feed her.
"Wow," Marinette said. "This is a huge spread. I'm not sure I can eat it all."
"Only eat what you can and the rest of the staff will eat what's left," Tikki said as she flew over to the dessert plate and took a macaron up before biting it. "These macarons are great!"
Marinette walked over to her table setting, picked up the plate, and served herself. But she was keeping an eye out just in case the beast snuck up on her or something.
As she sat down and started eating, the flavor of the food was falling on a tongue that had no sense of taste. Or rather, she was so focused on staying alert and wary of her surroundings that she couldn't taste the food.
"Are you okay, Marinette?" Tikki asked as she munched on a macaron.
"I... I'm fine. Just a little antsy," Marinette said. "It's a little eerie eating alone in here."
"You have me, Marinette." Tikki said, flying over to her new owner and sitting next to her plate.
"It's true." Marinette said with a smile and blush.
"Everything will be okay. So eat up!" Tikki said with a giggle.
Marinette, feeling more courageous, smiled at her little friend and went back to eating. Now that she was feeling more at ease, she was able to taste the flavor bullets that were in her mouth. They broke the dams in her salivary glands and electrified her tastebuds and senses.
"Mmmmm!" Marinette said, dancing in her seat as she ate the food. "This is delicious!"
"I know!" Tikki agreed.
The twosome laughed before continuing their meal. The snakes that were in the room were staying in the shadows and watching Marinette intently.
"She'sssss quite a beauty." One snake commented quietly.
His companion nodded in agreement, then said, "I'm ssssssure that ssssshe'll be the one to help our Massssster."
"Let ussssss leave her to her meal." The first snake hissed, before the two of them slithered off into the dark.
After Marinette finished her food, she started to make her way back to her bedroom.
"That was the best food I've ever eaten in my whole life! And my parents are great at cooking." Marinette said.
"I wish I could taste some of your parents' work!" Tikki began.
"...Yeah, me too. I miss it already, but... There wasn't anything left for me in that town." Marinette said sadly.
"...You said something like that earlier," Tikki asked, realizing her owner was thinking on the life she left behind. "What did you mean? You mentioned your best friend, Alya, and you talked about your parents fondly. So..."
Marinette grew misty-eyed, and she opened her mouth, about to tell Tikki the whole story when she started hearing music.
It sounded like it was in minor key, with a monophonic texture - that is, it was only the one instrument, no accompaniment - and from the sound of the music, it sounded like it was being played on a harp, or some other form of string instrument. The harmony was simple duple, the tempo was adagio and the melody was conjunct. As for the dynamics, it was mezzopiano.
"What's that music?" Marinette asked quietly.
"It sounds so sad, but so beautiful." Tikki stated.
Marinette started following the sound of the music. She went down the opposite direction of the hallway. As she continued following the sound, it began to get louder.
"It's coming from in here." Marinette said as she came upon a door that had a giant, teal music note on it. She gently pushed the door open.
She looked around and saw the variety of instruments in the room. There were fifes, piccolos, clarinets, flutes and other woodwind instruments on one wall in the room. On the adjacent wall were percussion instruments, like timpanis, snare drums, bongos, marimbas, etc. On the wall opposite to that was a section of brass instruments, including saxophones, trumpets, trombones, French horns, and more. In the middle of the room was a giant harpsichord. On the final wall was the biggest collection of instruments yet. And they were all string instruments. There were enough members of the violin family for at least four string quartets, but there were also harps, citterns, lutes, harp-guitars, regular guitars, and more.
She came in quietly and gazed at all the instruments. She rubbed her finger over one of the violins, and she examined it: not a speck of dust. Obviously the people... Or rather, the snakes in charge of the cleaning did an impeccable job.
The music was at its loudest in the room. And it was so soothing that she felt safe.
Marinette's eyes wandered, but her breath caught when she saw the beast sitting on a piano bench.
She screamed in fright, causing the beast to jump and shout in shock, tossing the instrument in his hand up in the air. He immediately settled down and he caught it with ease.
He immediately looked at Marinette, then breathed a sigh of relief.
"Oh, Marinette," He said before smiling. "I didn't hear you come in."
Marinette swallowed a lump in her throat as she examined him.
He was playing the biggest lyre she'd ever seen. It looked like the color of teal tourmaline and the strings looked very thin, but very strong at the same time. And Marinette couldn't help but notice how calm and happy he seemed.
"I-I..." Marinette began, trying to figure out what to say.
"It's okay," He said. "You don't have to hide your true feelings."
Marinette took a breath before saying, "I... I'm sorry for startling you."
"It's fine," The beast said. "I was just playing some music on my own."
Marinette went quiet.
He scooted over on the bench before patting the spot next to him. She took this invitation with hesitance, breathed and sat down next to him. And yet, she didn't look him in the eyes.
The same lyre music from earlier was filling the air between them, and once again, it put Marinette at ease.
Once he stopped playing, he looked at Marinette with a smile.
"...That was great," Marinette said. "What music was that? It sounded so... soulful, a bit sad, but still beautiful."
"It's the music that I felt matched your mood the best. The song in your heart." He explained.
"Th... The song in my heart?" Marinette asked, curious. She still wasn't looking at him.
"Yeah," He confirmed with a nod. "I'm good at reading people's emotions and then translating them into music. In your case, in this song you're feeling sad, heartbroken... Like you felt you made the right choice, but you're missing your home already."
"...Yeah," Marinette confirmed quietly. "You've got it right."
"...I don't think I've ever met anyone as unbelievably brave as you." He said.
"Huh?" Marinette asked as she finally turned to face him.
"You were willing to give your freedom up for your dad," The beast elaborated. "I don't think there are very many people in this world who are willing to do that."
"...Thank you..." Marinette thanked.
"And I can see you and Tikki are already pretty close," He commented with a laugh as he saw the kwami sitting on her shoulder. "I knew the two of you would bond quickly."
"We sure did!" Tikki agreed as she nuzzled against Marinette's cheek. "Thank you for giving me to her!"
"You're welcome, Tikki." He said with a nod.
Marinette smiled as Tikki landed in her hands. She was still looking at her kwami instead of the beast.
"...So, how do you like your room?" He asked.
"It's beautiful, and very comfy. Thanks," Marinette stated before turning her face away. "And your staff is very kind, too. Juleka came by to my room to bring me tea."
He chuckled before saying, "That's my sister, all right. She must really admire your courage."
"Wait, Juleka's your sister?" Marinette asked. "But she's a tiger and you're... Well..."
"It's complicated," He laughed again. "Not something I really want to talk about."
"Okay, then." Marinette said.
More time passed between them where they sitting in silence.
The beast's thought's remembered Juleka's words from earlier, 'She offered herself up on a silver platter, so now you can set yourself free from this.'
He decided to say something, asking, "...Do you want to hear more music?"
Marinette looked at him, blinked, but then shook her head. She said, "No thanks. I..."
She stood up from the bench and made to leave, but her foot seemed to catch on something. She flailed her arms and screamed as she started to fall to the ground.
The beast caught Marinette by her arms before she hit the floor, he helped her stand up, then immediately took his hands off her. He asked her, "Are you okay?"
Marinette looked at him and noticed he was looking at her and not something or someone else. He asked her if she was okay, and he immediately took his hands off her when she was safely standing. All on his own accord as opposed to having to ask him to let her go.
She dusted herself off before saying, "Yes, I'm good. Thank you."
"It's no problem," He said. "I'm glad you're not hurt."
"T... That's very sweet of you to say," Marinette said, her eyes askance. "It's... Getting late. I'll go."
He gave a nod, before Marinette scurried out of the room in a hurry. She shut the door quietly, and started briskly walking down the hallway.
Tikki commented, "Wasn't that chivalrous of him to catch you instead of letting you fall?"
"It was, Tikki, and..." Marinette began.
"And what?" Tikki asked.
"I will admit... He's nicer than I thought..." Marinette said, as a slight smile came up on to her face.
That night, at the Agreste-Graham-de-Vanily mansion, Félix and his mother had called a meeting with the local asylum owner, and they were in the living room with him. The fire was roaring and
"I don't like being called out from the asylum in the middle of the night," The owner said. "But Mme. Graham de Vanily here said you'd give me a good reason for it."
Félix threw a bag of gold coins to him with a serious expression.
"Alright. Make your case." The owner said.
"Here's the deal," Félix began. "I have plans to marry Marinette. But the thing is, she needs some... Convincing."
"My poor baby," Amélie said as she drank her tea. "The girl had no shame, turning him down."
"Mother, let me handle this." Félix said sternly.
"I don't see where I come in." The asylum owner spoke.
"Simple," Félix said. "Her father's losing his mind. He was in here earlier, going on and on about some monster in a mansion or whatever."
"Tom is perfectly sane," The asylum owner retorted. "Overbearing, yes, but sane."
"Listen, the point is that Marinette would do whatever it takes to protect her family. Anything at all." Félix said with an evil smirk growing on his face.
"Including marriage." Amélie added with a smile.
"So you want me to incarcerate Tom, unless Marinette agrees to become your wife?" The asylum owner summarized.
"Exactly." Félix said.
"Out of the question," The owner immediately said. He put the coin back in the sack and pushed it back to Félix. "I refuse to be part of a blackmailing scheme."
Félix growled, stood up, and grabbed the asylum over by the collar of his shirt before saying, "Listen, you! You are going to help me with this plan, or I do have the means to end you! If you don't do this, I'll ruin your career, and you'll never work in this region ever again! You and your family will be on the streets."
The man nodded furiously before saying, "Okay, okay, I'll do it!"
"Good." Félix said with a smile.
Back at the Dupain-Cheng house, Alya had come back empty-handed. Alya saw that there was a sign in the bakery door that said that they were closed due to a family emergency. She came back into the cottage, and saw Tom and Sabine were gathering up supplies for the trip.
"Alya! Any luck?" Sabine asked as she took up one of the maps.
"No," Alya said. "All of the horses are occupied with other work."
"In that case, we'll have to go on foot," Tom said as he gathered some food and survival gear. "It's gonna be a long way. We may be gone a few days or even longer..."
"You guys are going to go alone?" Alya asked.
"No one is going to help, so we don't have any choice." Sabine explained.
"I'm coming, too!" Alya said.
"No, it's too dangerous!" Tom said.
"I don't care! My BFF is in trouble and I want to get her out of there, too!" Alya insisted.
The two adults looked at each other, and then Sabine said, "...Okay, you can come with us, Alya. But please, let us take charge on this."
"Thank you," Alya said. "Now let's go!"
The trio left the house. With Tom leading the way with a lantern, they walked away from the cottage and into the woods to find the castle.
They were just missed by the asylum carriage, with Félix and Amélie.
Félix kicked the door to the cottage open and came in. He saw it was dark, and shouted, "Marinette? Tom?"
"It doesn't seem like they're home. I guess this plan isn't going to work." The asylum director said, looking for an opening to leave.
"Oh no!" Félix said, grabbing the man by the collar. "They'll have to come back at some point. And when they do, we'll have them right where we want them!"
He threw the poor asylum owner into the snowbank next to the house, and said, "You stay there, and once they come back, you let us know!"
Félix and Amélie left the cottage, with the poor director in the snow, and he sighed before saying, "Nuts..."
The next day, Marinette was sleeping in her bed when she heard a knock at the door.
She sat up in bed before swinging her legs out. She said, "Who is it?"
"It's me," He said. "Breakfast is ready. Care to join me?"
Marinette was about to tell him "no," but Tikki gave her a look that told her to try and talk to him.
"...Okay," Marinette said. "Just let me get changed."
"I'll see you down there." He said before leaving.
Marinette immediately started to change into one of the provided dresses. Since it was only breakfast, she took one of the more casual, less stuffy ones, still in red.
She got into her dress and started for the dining room. As opposed to the night before, she was feeling more at ease. And the fact that she could hear the music the beast played for her the night before in her dream also helped.
"I'm proud of you for at least trying, Marinette." Tikki said.
"Thanks, Tikki," Marinette said. "If I'm going to be here for the rest of my life, I should at least try and get to know my captor. And considering how sweet he was last night..."
Once she got to the dining room, there was a huge spread of breakfast foods. Cinnamon rolls with icing, eggs, biscuits, etc. And the beast was sitting at the head of the table with his place setting. There was another one two seats away on his right.
"Good morning, Marinette." He said with a big smile.
"Good morning." Marinette said with a smaller smile.
"Please, sit and eat." He said as he gestured to her plate. It was filled with the food that was on the table.
"Thank you." Marinette said as she went to sit down.
She took a bite of the cinnamon rolls. The sugary-sweet icing glossed the warm, inviting aroma of fresh cinnamon and nutmeg, which was cradled by the pillowy, cotton-soft bread dough. She moaned blissfully as she swallowed the bite, and then she spooned some scrambled eggs into her mouth.
She swallowed the food before smiling and going for more.
"How's the food?" He asked.
"It's delicious," Marinette commented. "I've never had eggs so fluffy."
"That's great," He said. "So..."
The two of them started having a full-blown conversation with each other. Now that Marinette was a bit more comfortable with him, she was more open to talking to him.
Tikki flew back and watched the scene unfold. Some of the snakes, and even Juleka, were also watching, and they were all hopeful.
After what seemed like hours, Marinette finished eating, before saying, "Yum, that was good!"
"Glad you liked the food." He said.
"I know," Marinette said. "...Now that I think about it, I haven't seen much of the building aside from the music room last night."
"Would you like a tour?" The beast asked.
"I'd love one!" Marinette said as she stood up. "Come on, Tikki!"
Tikki flew over to her owner as the beast escorted Marinette out of the dining room.
The beast brought Marinette around the estate, showing her every part of the building. He first brought her to the gardens, and since it was daylight, Marinette could see the true colors of the flowers.
"Oh, these are beautiful roses!" Marinette said as she looked at the rosebushes and all of the colors that were there. "No wonder dad wanted to pick one for me."
The beast chuckled quietly and just watched in silence and Marinette walked through the gardens, taking in the nature that grew. She took every chance she could to smell the flowers, and even picked one geranium for herself. She looked back to the beast, a bit worried about his reaction, but he was only smiling.
Seeing this, she just giggled before smelling the same geranium. Even Tikki was enjoying the place.
The beast watched, a sensual, affectionate look on his face, and he couldn't help but want to hear more of the happy music notes that he could sense in her heart.
"This is the most beautiful garden I've ever seen," Marinette said as she walked back to the beast. "The flowers are so well-cared for."
"I know," He said. "I love this garden a lot. Being in nature is really helpful whenever I need some inspiration."
"I totally understand. I do the same thing for my fashion designs." Marinette said with a giggle.
"What do you know? We've got something else in common." He laughed.
Marinette laughed again at this notion before the two of them settled down.
"Shall we continue? There's lots more to see." He suggested, thumb-jerking to the building.
"Okay." Marinette agreed as she followed him inside.
The tour continued. This time he brought Marinette into the library.
The room was one of the largest ones in the building, and it had several, very tall, full bookshelves around the room. There were a few rolling ladders on the
"Wow, this library is huge," Marinette commented said as she made a beeline for the lifestyle section of the library, where there was a sign that had a dress for a symbol. "Dress-making books!"
She immediately took one down from the shelf. It wasn't one that she saw in Audrey Bourgeois's shop, or even anywhere else. She popped it open and started reading it.
The beast watched with loving eyes, completely enamored with her obvious delight at whatever she saw in the book. He sighed as he watched, his back against the bookshelf.
"Masssster, you ssssssseem to be making progressssss." One of the snake servants whispered to him.
He gave a smile and said, "Yeah... I don't think I've felt this way about anyone before."
The snakes smiled. Juleka did, too.
His face lit up when his eyes laid on the book Marinette was reading. It was a seamstress's book, and all of the books that she'd taken off the shelves were fashion design related. He then remembered what Marinette said earlier in the garden.
"I think I have an idea." He said as he bent down and whispered his idea to the others.
A few hours later, he brought Marinette to another room in the estate.
"What are we doing here?" Marinette asked him.
"There's something I want to show you, Marinette," He explained. "It's a surprise, so close your eyes."
"Okay." Marinette said before shutting her eyes.
He opened the door and led Marinette inside by both of her hands. He immediately pulled the curtains to let in the light.
"Open your eyes." He said.
Marinette opened her eyes and she gasped in delight.
It was a giant sewing room. There were mannequins of all shapes and sizes around the floor, with both completed and incomplete projects on it. There were walls filled with cubbies that had fabrics of all kinds, including ones in colors or types that Marinette had never seen before.
There was a giant cabinet with tools of all kinds, including needles, fabrics, threads, and trimmings of all varieties. She saw laces, beads, satin ribbons, etc.
"I can't believe this... This is the biggest design studio I've ever seen!" Marinette said in awe and joy.
"You like it?" He asked.
"I love it!" Marinette squealed as she ran over to him.
"Then it's all yours." He said.
"Really?!" She said.
"Yes." He stated with a smile.
"Oh, THANK YOU!" She squealed and she leaped onto him, giving him a hug. "You've given me something that I could've only dreamed of!"
The beast's heart skipped a beat at the touch. But he hugged back without hesitation.
"You're very welcome, Marinette," He said as she pulled away and faced him in the eyes without a problem. "While you're here, Marinette, anything you need or want will be yours. I promise."
"Anything?" Marinette asked, curious.
"Yes," He confirmed with a nod. "Anything."
Marinette paused a bit before looking around. She asked said, "Well, there is one thing."
"Sure. What is it?" He asked.
"...Can I get your name?" Marinette asked.
"My name?" He questioned.
"You... Beast or no beast, you're still a person," Marinette explained. "And calling you "Beast" or "the beast," when there's clearly more to you than that... Doesn't that seem a bit rude?"
He gave her a warm smile and said, "You're right. It does seem a bit rude. My name is Luka."
"Luka, huh... Well, it's nice to officially meet you, Luka." Marinette said with a smile.
The two of them laughed together at this notion. Meanwhile, the others who were watching were feeling very encouraged.
Alright, that's the end of this chapter! It seems Marinette's starting to open up to Luka a bit more, and his hopes of winning her over are getting brighter!
Now, I'm sure you noticed I didn't add anything about Marinette wandering into a taboo area of the castle and getting scared out of the castle. Sorry, but that just seems a little too OOC for Luka in this scenario. And to put it bluntly, I like Luka too much to do that to him.
In the next chapter, Marinette and her serpentine friend grow even closer, and she even confides in him about a few things. Then the romance is about to come to a head.
So, time for the next review goal. Can we see about 17+ before seeing chapter 4, please?