Chapter 61: Princess Kuroyuki
It's morning at the Agreste manor. Adrien Agreste is looking for Nathalie Sancoeur or his aunt, Amelie Graham de Vanily, to ask permission for his friends to visit after school. After all, it's still not clear which woman is his legal guardian while his parents are comatose. (If anyone knows French law on the matter, I'd love to hear it! Of course, the situation is so unique it might genuinely need to go to court for a ruling.)
Adrien can't locate Nathalie, but he does find Amelie sitting by a window on the first floor. She has a photo in her hands. Adrien approaches her and calls her name, but then flinches back because he realizes she's been crying. Adrien apologizes and turns to leave, but Amelie tells him not to. She dries her eyes and asks him what he wants to say.
Adrien asks if someone of his friends can visit after school. He trusts them, and they all want to visit his parents and wish them well. Adrien admits he wonders if hearing new voices and stuff might help wake Gabriel and Emilie. Amelie is surprised by the request because Adrien never asks anything for himself. But she does give permission, in part for the same hope of helping her sister. She's also a bit smug inside because Adrien went to her and not Nathalie. Adrien is surprised his aunt actually agreed, since he's so used to his father turning down his requests.
He then asks Amelie what's wrong. She shows him the photo she was holding—it's a picture of her late husband. She explains that the first year anniversary of his passing is approaching this weekend, and she just had a moment of weakness that she didn't want Adrien to see. By now, she's perfectly composed, and she tells Adrien he won't see her like that again. Adrien tells her it's okay. They're family. She's allowed to mourn. The deceased is his uncle, and he's also sad his uncle is gone. Because of his father, he never actually got to hear much about his uncle. Adrien asks Amelie to tell him about him.
Amelie is surprised, but she complies. She remembers how they first met. It was a snowy winter day. She had just come from her family's film studio. The temperature had dropped during filming, and Amelie had lost her gloves. She buried her hands in her pockets and prepared to trudge to the car when her future husband noticed and offered her his gloves. "Such beautiful hands shouldn't get cold."
Adrien can see that Amelie loved her husband very much, and he thanks her for the story. Amelie, hiding her grief well, thanks him and ushers him out to get ready for school.
Adrien heads back to his room but decides to check on Felix. Felix is straightening his tie when Adrien knocks. They greet each other, and then Adrien asks how Felix is doing. Felix insists he's fine. Adrien asks again, just with a different question, and Felix starts getting snap-ish. He aggressively tells Adrien not to pity him just because it's approaching the anniversary of his father's death. Felix insists he's fine again and says he wants no condolences from his cousin. Adrien, wisely, backs off—but adds that he's available if Felix ever wants to talk. Felix shoots a death glare at Adrien's back as he leaves. Felix is in some pretty deep emotional repression when it comes to his father.
It's clear by Adrien's expression that he's still worried about his aunt and family. He does send a text message to Marinette, Alya, and Nino, saying his aunt gave them permission to visit after school. He returns to his room to grab his backpack and briefly talks with the kwamis (Plagg, Ziggy, and Kaalki). He wonders if there's anything he can do to help his family. Plagg tells him not to bother; if Felix doesn't want comfort, then respect that and don't give him any. Kaalki suggests giving a fashionable gift to cheer them up. Ziggy argues with Plagg, insisting Adrien should comfort his family. "All they need is a hug." Adrien thanks them for their thoughts. All three kwamis dart into hiding as the gorilla, Solomon, knocks on the door to take Adrien to school.
At the Dupin-Cheng Bakery, Marinette is on the moon that Adrien has permission to have guests at his house that afternoon. Tikki reminds her that it's to visit Gabriel and Emilie—not to stalk Adrien or steal his things. Marinette insists she knows this, though Daizzi and Roarr are skeptical. Tikki then repeats her concerns about going to the Agreste manor. She tells Marinette that maybe Marinette should consider leaving everyone's miraculous at home. Marinette wonders why Tikki is so worried. After all, they've been to Adrien's house before (including in Party Crasher), and Tikki said nothing then. Tikki falls silent—she is incapable of explaining the real reason is because Gabriel is Hawk Moth and that for the miraculous to be brought into his home is a huge risk. Even the other kwamis realize it's an unlikely suggestion coming from Tikki and want to know why. Tikki, again, can't elaborate, which cues the kwamis in at least that there's something bigger—something that Tikki is being magically forced to keep secret.
Marinette, however, doesn't realize this. She gets an idea that she should bring something nice to the Agreste home when she visits. So she quickly grabs her things and heads down to the bakery. Sabine is there and is surprised to see Marinette so awake and alert early in the morning. Marinette blabs that she wants to make a cake or cookies or macarons because Adrien gave her permission to visit.
Tom raises an eyebrow—Marinette didn't ask for their permission. Marinette apologizes and stammers out a request. Tom trolls her for a moment but then acquiesces and lets her spend the afternoon with her friends. Marinette gives him a big hug and asks what he suggests she bring. Sabine suggests pain au chocolat—"nothing is better." Marinette thinks it's a great idea. She gets to work baking and barely finishes in time to race to school—still covered in flour. Her parents just shake their heads and laugh.
Marinette and Adrien aren't the only ones on their way to school. Chloe Bourgeois is in her family's limo, en route. The morning news is running as the chauffeur listens to it. Chloe herself is scrolling through her phone to pass the time. The radio broadcast changes from the traffic report to celebrity gossip. And what is said stops Chloe cold.
The broadcast confirms that the divorce between Paris's mayor Andre Bourgeois and his wife, fashion designer Audrey, is now official. Comments from Audrey's PR department affirm she is leaving for New York City with no intention to return to France in the immediate future. Gossip continues to go on to affirm the rumors that Audrey had a lover. The report has irrefutable evidence that Audrey, while she was in America and her husband in France, was cheating on him with an American actor for many years now. They were even able to dig up enough dirt to confirm that Audrey (ex)Bourgeois had a daughter of her affair, who has been at a boarding school in America the whole time. The broadcast names this daughter as Zoe Lee.
Chloe absolutely freaks out. The fact that her parents are officially divorced (something she was in denial about), the fact her mother had a two-decade affair (something she was oblivious to), and the fact that Audrey had a secret family in America and was leaving Chloe and Andre for them (something that blindsided Chloe completely). The worst part is that she wound up hearing this from the radio. Her own father didn't even tell her. And for additional iodine in the wound, Audrey just up and left for her new life without even saying good-bye to Chloe once.
Chloe reaches for her phone. At this moment, more than any time in her life, she needs a friend. She scrolls for Sabrina Raincomprix's number. But it's not there. Then Chloe remembers how she and Sabrina are no longer speaking. And for the rest of the ride, Chloe feels heart-breakingly alone.
At Francoise Dupont High School, Alya Cesaire and Nino Lahiffe arrive at about the same time. They both express surprise that Adrien was able to get permission for their visit and how that never would have happened under just his father. Sabrina Raincomprix sits down on a bench and begins working on the emotions journal that Madam Gros assigned her. Tristan Fortier starts up a game of basketball with Cameran Tyler, Guy Nigels, and Le Chien Kim. Etienne Fontaine walks by and turns his nose up at them. "Sweating like that would ruin my hair." Marie Chauveau and Suzette Rault are gathered around their cell phones, maliciously listening to the broadcast about Chloe's parents' divorce with glee. They're very quick to start spreading the word about what happened, informing Aurore Beaureal and Mireille Caquet as they enter their school from their early morning broadcasts. They're not the only ones who heard the news. Pretty much everyone did. Gilles Chastain, Fumikage Tokoyami, Rachel Beauchene, and the Anciel brothers heard it over the radio on their way in. Yvonne Garnier, Genevieve Faucher, Alya Cesaire, Nathaniel Kurtzberg, and several others saw the headlines in the newspaper. And for those who missed the initial broadcast, the rumor mill informs them fast.
This means that Adrien Agreste (as well as Felix and Nicholas) also heard it over the radio while in the limo to school. He instantly feels a gut punch on Chloe's behalf. After all, they are childhood friends. He realizes Chloe is probably very upset. So as soon as he arrives, he heads into school to find her. Lila Rossi tries to catch his attention, but Adrien merely greets her and moves on. This annoys Lila, as she's fishing to use her "I saved Ladybug and Cat Noir" selfie to boost her reputation. She's also simmering because the student body is more interested in Chloe gossip than her own heroics.
Chloe walks through school with her head raised; her face betrays no emotions. There's obvious whispering as she passes; many are staring at her. But Chloe endures without batting an eye. Adrien finds her by the lockers and takes her aside, somewhere private, to talk with her. Chloe complies because he's Adrien.
Adrien asks how she's holding up. Chloe insists she's fine. Adrien doesn't believe it (just like he doesn't believe the same about Felix). Adrien tells Chloe she can trust him—they're friends. He heard about the divorce, and he says that he is so, so sorry that she has to go through it. Chloe's hard mask cracks for a moment but she repairs it. She refuses to reveal what she truly feels, but inside it is tearing her apart.
Nathalie Sancouer perks up from her work. She senses a great emotion of distress. She heads to Hawk Moth's lair—her lair. However, before she can get far, Amelie Graham de Vanily stops her. "We need to talk." Nathalie tries to brush aside the conversation, but Amelie doesn't get the hint.
Adrien is still talking with Chloe. She admits she tried so hard to be like her mother so her mother would notice her. She wanted her mother's love; she wanted all three of them to be a family. Now she knows her mother would never love her—and worse, she's going to live in America with her "fake husband and fake daughter." It's clear the fact that Audrey Bourgeois has a second daughter really, really gets to Chloe. Adrien just listens as there's not much else he can do. Her tone at this point is more anger and frustration and pride ("I'm way better than that Zoe Lee, whoever she is!") because Chloe is currently repressing all her sadness.
Adrien, knowing Chloe needs support, impromptu invites her to his house that afternoon. Chloe immediately accepts. Then Adrien adds that "several of his friends are already coming" to visit his parents. Chloe flinches at the thought that they won't be alone, but she doesn't retract her acceptance of his invitation.
Meanwhile, Amelie is explaining to Nathalie that she intends to return to London for the weekend with Felix to visit her husband's grave. She intends to offer Adrien the chance to join them—especially since Gabriel forbid Adrien from attending his own uncle's funeral. Amelie is semi-forceful, making it clear she's not going to accept Nathalie interfering and keeping Adrien in Paris. Nathalie, of course, realizes that Amelie might not bring Adrien back. However, she remains stoic and tells Amelie—"it's Adrien's choice to make, don't you think?" She's also internally sullen; with Chloe calmed, her opportunity to send an akuma to her vanished.
The bell rings, and all of the students disperse to their classes. Not long after, Madam Gros calls Stella Tenebrae out of Mr. Haprele's class for her mental health screening. Per the usual questions, Stella reveals her main hobby is running and she's part of the track and field team. Her mother puts a ton of pressure on her to get perfect A's; this usually leads to a fight between them when Stella brings home a B. She's friends with several athletes in the school, including Alix Kubdel as well as Le Chien Kim, Ondine, and Cameran Tyler. She's also getting to know Gilles Chastain and Max Kante as the school is sending them to the Young Scientists symposium together.
Noting that Stella admitted to having problems with her mother, Madam Gros needles that point. Stella reveals a deeper frustration with her mother's perfectionism. There's a lot of hostility, and Stella feels they don't have a good relationship at all. Stella finally confesses that she would rather go to a boarding school or start college early, out of city, if it means she could get away from her mother.
Madam Gros sees potential as being a stronger adult figure in Stella's life. So she asks Stella how she feels about Hawk Moth and Ladybug. Stella shrugs. She's grateful that Ladybug and Cat Noir saved both her and her sister from being akumatized. However, Hawk Moth has been a threat to Paris for far too long. "When is someone finally going to stop him?" Madam Gros asks Stella if she hates Hawk Moth and Mayura. Stella gives a ping-pong answer, saying that she really doesn't like Hawk Moth, but she knows it's not good to waste energy hating people. "But…I think…I think I still hate him."
Madam Gros, seeing potential, pulls out her miraculous box and explains to Stella Tenebrae that she's seeking to empower individuals to take Hawk Moth down for good. She pulls out a small hand mirror and offers it to Stella. "This'll give you the power you need."
Stella is immediately curious and asks a ton of questions—to the point that Madam Gros gets impatient and just urges her to take the mirror already. "Wait, what? That's a mirror. What can a mirror do? Where does its power come from? Why are you opposing Hawk Moth? Do you work with Ladybug and Cat Noir? Why are you choosing kids over adults to help you deal with a known terrorist? Wouldn't someone with experience in fighting crime be a better choice? Are you working with the police too? Why would you pick me? Do you know anything about the other heroes like Ringtail and Shark Regina? Wait, are you using my school for your own personal recruitment office? Why?" etc etc.
As things continue, Madam Gros gets fed up with her. As Stella continues to pepper her with questions, Madam Gros declares "Trumpet, Ellie." Her elephant kwami appears from hiding in a potted plant long enough to be seen, then vanishes inside Madam Gros's hair pin. This transforms Dolores into an elephant-themed villain.
Stella's eyes grow wide, and she rises to her feet, still asking more questions. "How do you do that? What was that creature? How does that work? Is it magic or science?" Dolores Gros ignores Stella. She declares "Oblivion!" and wipes Stella's memories of the encounter.
Stella, like Aurore Beaureal before, leaves the counseling session assuming it had been a normal psychological conversation. She has no idea Madam Gros has miraculous.
Madam Gros transforms back into herself. Ellie, sensing that Dolores is disgruntled, asks if everything is okay. Madam Gros insists things are fine—it's just taking longer than she had hoped to make her army. But as long as she can manipulate memories, the advantage lies with her. She crosses off Stella's name.
Lunchtime rolls around. Adrien Agreste tries to find Chloe after class—he figures she still must be hurting from the news about her parents' divorce, and he's sure she could use a friend. However, Chloe went off somewhere to be by herself, and Adrien can't find her. However, while he's searching, he runs into Kagami Tsurugi. Kagami tries to strike up a conversation with him, but it's clear he's distracted (looking for Chloe). But Kagami is persistent, and she asks him what's wrong.
Adrien admits to being worried about Chloe since she's basically been publicly humiliated by the drama going on with her parents. He mentions he invited Chloe and "some friends" over his house that afternoon—but he wants to check on Chloe in the meantime. Kagami picks up on the second part—that people are visiting him at home. Adrien affirms this—that friends are coming over to visit his parents, who are still ill. Kagami points out that his father and her mother know each other, so can she drop by too to see Gabriel? Adrien says that it's fine with him—as long as her mother gives permission.
Kagami pulls out her cell phone right there and rings up her mother. She asks if she has permission to visit Gabriel Agreste, who is still in a coma, after school. Tomoe Tsurugi gives her permission almost immediately, which surprises both Adrien and Kagami. Tomoe adds that Kagami is to head directly home after the visitation and that they are going to do kendo drills together to make up for her leisure time. Kagami agrees to this. She smiles at Adrien with a "see you after school" comment as she heads to eat lunch.
Other students are hanging out with friends during the break. Of course, Chloe's parents' divorce is the current biggest topic of gossip. However, Lila Rossi has been working her charisma and striking up conversations with her classmates. She talks about the akuma incident the prior day (it wasn't really an akuma) with Mink and how scared she was. But she dropped a vase on the fake Cat Noir anyway, and she's just so glad she could help Ladybug and the real Cat Noir. She really does admire them, after all, and if she can be a better person and more heroic, just like them, even if it's just a little, all the better (lies). She's also flaunting the selfie she took. A few more people are buying into Lila's claims about turning over a new leaf. Alya Cesaire is a bit skeptical and remarks as such. Lila insists she's being honest, and if Alya doesn't believe her, ask Ladybug and Cat Noir themselves. Alya says she will if she gets the chance—after all, she's a good journalist, and she would always confirm the facts first (yes, the Chameleon canon is dead in this storyline).
Tsuyu Asui and Fumikage Tokoyami sit together at lunch. A minute later, Viktor Vasiliev joins them. And then Marc Anciel and Nathaniel Kurtzberg. Viktor is the first one to notice the "atmosphere" has changed between Tsuyu and Fumikage. Tsuyu turns slightly pink, but she's the first to admit that they're officially dating now. Viktor comments with "you weren't dating before?" And Marc mumbles that "it's about time." Nathaniel congratulates them, then focuses on working on his manga. He and Marc are working on the sequel with the first one scheduled for publication. Everyone congratulates them. This eventually leads to them discussing manga—and, per usual, it's Muto Ashirogi versus Eiji Nizuma.
Giselle Winters-Blanchet takes a moment to send a picture of her lunch to her text-penpal, Vivica. A moment later, Vivica replies back with a silly photo of her own lunch. Giselle chuckles as she sits with her two best friends, Meera Pugliese and Raissa Deschamps. Meera asks Giselle quite bluntly how her superheroine job is going, and both Giselle and Raissa have to remind her to keep her voice down. Jean Duparc hangs out with his two best friends too, Pierre Lefevre and Jakeel Aristide. Jean actually catches a glimpse of the choker around Jakeel's neck, under his collar. He asks about it. At first, Jakeel denies he's wearing a choker. When he realizes he actually is, he says he doesn't really even remember putting it on. Then his eyes go kinda spacey, and he changes the topic to something completely unrelated. Sabrina Raincomprix waves to Yvonne Garnier and Genevieve Faucher before heading outside, where it's quieter, so she can talk to Delmar, her American boyfriend, over the phone.
(Names and faces: (( photos . app . goo . gl / cgLSrNi71rxfep9e8 )))
In the same time frame, back at the Agreste manor, Amelie Graham de Vanily has again found herself alone. Nathalie Sancoeur is working in Gabriel's office, Dr. Gerald Theroux is tending to his patients, and Solomon is waiting near the school, fulfilling his duties as Adrien's bodyguard. Amelie even acknowledges it herself that she doesn't really even have many close friends she can turn to. She has business associates, yes—but other than that, she keeps people at a distance. But right now, she really could use a friend. She looks at her late husband's photo again. Tears leak.
Which alerts Nathalie to powerful emotions, right within the manor itself. With no one else around, she sneaks into Hawk Moth's lair and transforms. Since she doesn't use the peacock miraculous this time, and since Duusuu is more lucid than he's been in years, he wonders if it's acceptable to akumatize someone who is dealing with the death of a loved one. Female Hawk Moth points out that akumatizing someone within their own house will further drive suspicion away from Gabriel. She sends an akuma to Amelie.
Amelie is completely oblivious of its approach until it lands on the photo of her late husband. Hawk Moth akumatizes her into Princess Kuroyuki—aka Princess Black Snow. "Why should other people have love when your love was tragically taken away from you? I give you the power to turn Paris into a land of snow and ice—everywhere your frost touches, love will die. All I want in exchange is the miraculous of Paris." Princess Kuroyuki complies. She skates out of the manor.
Kuroyuki points at the sky and summons a massive snowfall. It's not quite to blizzard levels, as there's a noticeable lack of wind. However, the snowflakes are big and thick, and most notably—they're as black as obsidian. Princess Kuroyuki begins a cold, confident walk down the street, snowfall in her wake. Everywhere she passes by, affection and friendship and love fade. Some people start fighting, but this isn't the same as Dark Cupid. While Dark Cupid sparked hatred, Kuroyuki drains affection, which leaves behind apathy. Mrs. Beaureal openly walks away from her step-son, Guilliame; she just doesn't care. Theo Barbot, who is watching Mireille's broadcast, turns it off—he's emotionless as to looking at the face of his girlfriend. One store clerk just throws down his apron and quits—what does it matter if he has a job or not? No one even notices Princess Kuroyuki, so there's no akuma alert sent.
The first sign that there's trouble is when it begins snowing at Francoise Dupont High School. With lunch break just about over, students gather in the courtyard and on the steps, looking up at the sky, bewildered. Marie Chauveau snarkily asks Aurore Beaureal and Mireille Caquet if "snow was in the broadcast today." Both of them insist it isn't. That's when the snowflakes change from white to black. Alya Cesaire is the first to notice and points it out in a loud voice. Suzette Rault reaches up to catch a dark snowflake, but Alya (with Nino backing her up) tells her that that's not a good idea because the snowflakes are too unnatural. However, Suzette touches one anyway and gets very waspish with them. "Don't tell me what to do! Do you think you're better than everyone else?!" Because she no longer has affection or concern for her own reputation.
A few other people go dark by touching the snowflakes, including the rather loving couple Tristan Fortier and Rachael Beauchene, who act as if they don't even remember who each other is—and to be fair, at this moment, they don't know each other. That pretty much alerts the whole school to not touch the snow. It's Luka Couffaine who takes on leadership and urges everyone to get inside, under the roofs, so no snow can touch them. With Alya and Nino helping, most of the student body complies, except for those already afflicted. (This, of course, affects classes for the rest of the day. It also means Madam Gros doesn't get a second interview in—thank goodness, this chapter is long enough as is.)
And except for Marinette and Adrien, who slip to the bathrooms, feed their kwamis the ice potions, and transform. They leave through the windows and head to the rooftops of Paris. Fortunately, at least at this stage, their suits are able to protect them from the snowfall's animosity. It also helps from the cold, since they're both in ice mode. They notice people bickering in the street or just wandering aimlessly as they meet up atop a tall building to survey the areas affected. From there, it's very clear where the storm's eye is.
Cat Noir asks Ladybug if she knows what happened, who the victim is, or if they know the person's powers. Ladybug admits she doesn't know anything else except the storm seems to make people heartless and apathetic. She notes it doesn't seem to be affecting them, likely because of their suits. But they'll still have to be careful (again); she says they'll have to keep their wits about them so as not to fall into discord like the rest of Paris. Cat Noir insists he won't. "I'll never forget how I feel about you, Ladybug. I promise." He leaps towards the vortex. Ladybug freezes up completely and has to regain her composure before she can follow.
By now, the B Team has also realized something is wrong and start texting each other. Dauphin and Firefly are trying to puzzle out what's going on. Froppy observes that usually miraculous's powers don't work on broadscale weather manipulation. This is likely an akuma victim, a la Terra Forma or Stormy Weather. Alpha adds that reports of arguments and emotionlessness are happening all over Paris. Something is causing that as well—and it's likely the black snow. He tells his team to stay out of it. Firefly wonders if they should help—after all, Ladybug and Cat Noir can't beat an akuma victim if they have to save civilians. Honey Bee reminds them that it's likely that they'll wind up trap in cocoons if they push their powers to far or spend too much time transformed. Should they risk it? Alpha says she shouldn't transform if she's not comfortable with it. Chip Bluestone wonders if he should even attempt to help, as he hasn't fulfilled the B Team's self-imposed rule and found a secret keeper yet. Alpha tells him to standby unless in self defense or defense of another. He also adds that with everywhere being snow and darkness, the best of the B Team to send in would be Snow Leopard and Tsukuyomi. Tsukuyomi readily agrees. He's been talking with Dark Shadow, and it sounds as if a kwami cannot be akumatized. So he should be safe from "going red". Snow Leopard adds that she is willing to protect civilians, so Alpha dispatches them. He then tells Firefly and Froppy to join him in searching for Hawk Moth's lair, since he is known to be active in empowering this akuma.
At that time, Ladybug and Cat Noir find Princess Kuroyuki in the middle of the snow squall. She's dressed in a long, black, fur-trimmed gown, and her facial coloring looks as if her mascara is running. Both immediately notice that her skin is grey-blue, which marks her as an akuma victim. Ladybug and Cat Noir (in ice mode) land in front of her and demand she stop.
Kuroyuki looks at them, her eye twitches. "Why do you get to be together with the one you love when my love was taken from me?" Now, the whole area becomes a blizzard, complete with powerful winds. Ladybug and Cat Noir shield themselves from the onslaught with their weapons, but the driving ice makes it hard for them to even approach Kuroyuki. In fact, they can hardly even see each other or the buildings around them.
Ladybug uses her Lucky Charm and gets a single glove. She has no idea what to do with it, but she slips it on her own hand to better keep a grasp on it while she deals with the crisis at hand. Then they charge in to attack Princess Kuroyuki and find her akumatized item. She dodges by side-stepping. "Don't stop me. The man I love is dead—love is dead!" As the wind howls, conflict around the city grows worse.
Cat Noir remarks that it seems as if this akuma victim is really, really suffering (he has yet to realizes this is his aunt). Ladybug insists that's why they have to save her. Ladybug tries to catch Kuroyuki in her yo-yo, but the strong winds make it impossible for Ladybug to aim her weapon. Cat Noir beings a steady walk closer, using his baton to deflect the snow. It seems safe enough to do so as Kuroyuki has no visible weapon besides summoning snow.
He actually doesn't chose to attack Princess Kuroyuki immediately. He tells her that if she wants to talk about the loss, he's willing to listen. It's similar to the exact same thing Adrien told his aunt and cousin and even Chloe—though with different words, so Kuroyuki doesn't recognize Cat Noir as Adrien. Cat Noir, of course, says this since grief and loss of family is on his mind due to what's going on in his own life with his family and with his friend.
Kuroyuki, being fully akumatized, rejects his offer of negotiation. "If I can't be with the one I love, no one will!" Cat Noir is nearly engulfed in her blast of ice, but Ladybug yanks him out of the way with her yo-yo just in time. She doesn't scold him at all for trying to reason with someone who is hurting so badly. Instead, Ladybug merely asks if he saw what item might be akumatized. Cat Noir shakes his head. Both reorient themselves and stand against Kuroyuki again. Kuroyuki conjures a wand-scepter of black frost and prepares to counter them.
Her first blast sends the heroes scatter-diving for cover, but Cat Noir and Ladybug use this to flank the akuma victim. Ladybug calls Kuroyuki's attention, and Cat Noir dives in for a definitive strike. However, Kuroyuki senses the attack and deflects the black cat with her scepter. However, it's a fragile scepter, so it shatters into hundreds of ice slivers upon impact. But this does not discourage Princess Kuroyuki as the shards strike Cat Noir in the chest, as she intended. He collapses.
Ladybug, again concerned for the boy behind the mask, runs over to see if he's okay. This leaves her open for Kuroyuki's black snow. Cat Noir tries to warn her, but he's shivering all over despite his ice transformation (yes, there probably is a shout out to Frozen in here somewhere). Ladybug realizes her mistake too late; the akuma victim's attack is bearing down on her.
However, that's when Snow Leopard and Tsukuyomi arrive, creating a shield of ice and shadows to protect the golden duo. Ladybug is relieved by their arrival and is surprised how much she has come to expect and appreciate having an extended network of allies.
Elsewhere, female Hawk Moth grumbles how yet again her own servants are turning on her. She considers turning the leopard's alignment to evil (since she can no longer touch the crow). However, she is able to remind herself that she needs to be at maximum strength to do so. In fact, it took Gabriel Agreste as Hawk Moth being empowered by Catalyst to turn the alignments of the ancient akumatized items. I've been waiting for my moment to turn them for my purposes. But how will I even be able to influence them when that moment comes? That's when Hawk Moth remembers that during the Heroes' Day epic, neither she nor Gabriel knew about fusing miraculous. However, now she does know and has often used that ability to fuse the peacock and butterfly for herself. A smile dances on her lips. But I can't wait too long; one by one they're slipping from my grasp. I must maximize on their betrayal before it's too late.
All four heroes rally against Kuroyuki. But Cat Noir is struggling the most. He's cold, and his attitude is steadily growing more apathetic. Kuroyuki conjures more weapons, ranging from a staff to a dagger to a lance, but every time the heroes strike one, it sends shards that threaten their ability to feel affection. Snow Leopard winds up on the defensive, trying to absorb most of the slivers with her own ice before her teammates get struck. She then attempts her special ability, Frost Fall, to put Kuroyuki to sleep. However, Kuroyuki is also an ice user, and it becomes a battle of snow versus snow. Kuroyuki actually overpowers Snow Leopard's special ability in an explosion of frost, throwing Snow aside and leaving her unconscious (but still transformed). Tsukuyomi moves in to protect her while dealing with the crisis at hand, shadows stretched in all directions.
Cat Noir begins to succumb. He shoves Ladybug away, rather heartlessly. "Why did I waste my time caring about you? No matter what I did, you still rejected me. I'm done getting hurt on your behalf." Ladybug insists that's not true and pleads with Cat Noir to stay focused and not give in to Kuroyuki's abilities. Cat Noir insists love is dead, echoing Kuroyuki. This deeply hurts Ladybug, who cares about him so much. She says what she can—that he's her irreplaceable partner and friend. (All the while Tsukuyomi is grappling with Kuroyuki in the background). Then Ladybug quotes Cat Noir himself. "Remember your promise? You said 'I'll never forget how I feel about you, Ladybug.'" Cat Noir grips his head against his own internal struggle and shivering.
Tsukuyomi grabs Kuroyuki's wrist and tries to wrestle her into submission in order to avoid her dangerous breaking weapons. He makes a comment about her hand being as cold as ice. Princess Kuroyuki jerks away, cradling her own hand. "Such beautiful hands shouldn't get cold" she echoes, disoriented. Cat Noir snaps his head towards her. "What did she say?!" He realizes then that Princess Kuroyuki is his Aunt Amelie. Ladybug cautiously asks if he's already. Cat Noir nods. "Thank you for bringing me back, milady." He rubs his hands over his arms and stops shivering.
Cat Noir then looks down and notices that Ladybug is still wearing her Lucky Charm glove. He's the one who realizes the purpose of the charm and asks for it. As Ladybug hands it over, she asks what his idea is to defeat the akuma victim. He tells Ladybug to trust him and watch. She insists she does trust him, very much. Cat Noir smiles at her.
With Kuroyuki struggling to get free of Tsukuyomi and Snow Leopard slowly regaining consciousness, Cat Noir calmly approaches his akumatized aunt. She takes a swing at him with a black snow whip, but Tsukuyomi's shadow shields Cat Noir. Cat Noir hands her the glove. "Here—you're right. Your hands shouldn't get cold."
Princess Kuroyuki goes still. She gingerly accepts the glove from Cat Noir. Then she holds it close to her chest and starts sobbing. Cat Noir notices the blackened photograph sticking out of her pocket. "I'm just going to borrow this really fast. It'll go back to how you remember it." He takes the photo and rips it in half, freeing the akuma. Ladybug is right behind him to purify it.
This reverts Princess Kuroyuki back to Amelie Graham de Vanily. She's baffled as to why she's on her knees in the middle of the street in the middle of a snow storm. Tsukuyomi backs off and checks on Snow Leopard, who asks what she missed. Ladybug politely asks if she can have the glove back. Amelie looks at it, confused as to why she's holding it, and passes it to Ladybug. Ladybug, of course, shouts "Miraculous Ladybug" and throws it into the air, clearing the snow from the streets and the apathy from the people. Elsewhere, Tristan and Rachael reconcile and Mrs. Beaureal races to Guilliame and scoops him up in her arms. Amelie's photo is also repaired. All four heroes "Pound it."
Tsukuyomi studies Ladybug and Cat Noir's ice-based transformations and asks about them. "How are you able to do that?" Ladybug and Cat Noir hesitate and then admit they can't say anything at this time. Tsukuyomi frowns but decides not to press the issue. He asks if Ladybug and Cat Noir can handle things. They say they can, so the B Team representatives depart. (The rest of the B Team found no clues to Hawk Moth's lair during this.)
Ladybug's earrings are beeping. Cat Noir tells her to leave; he'll get "this lovely lady" home. Ladybug hesitates a bit. She realizes it's because she wants to stay with Cat Noir/Adrien a bit longer. But, being unable to voice that, she finally says "thank you for remembering your promise, Cat Noir" before she departs. Cat Noir notes to himself that something has changed about Ladybug. But he remembers how she literally just insisted that he is her "partner and friend," so he still believes he's been Friend Zoned and struggles not to get his hopes up that maybe, just maybe, Ladybug likes him romantically.
He takes Amelie back to the Agreste manor and has to be constantly on his toes so as not to let it slip he's actually Adrien. For example, he nearly heads right to the manor but then remembers to ask her for directions because Cat Noir isn't supposed to have the Agreste address memorized. He asks if Amelie is doing okay, but he has to be careful he doesn't say anything Adrien already said, such as it's okay to mourn and that he's there to listen if she wants to talk. He also has to feign ignorance at knowing why gloves are important to Amelie. Fortunately for him, Amelie is rather subdued during the journey due to what just happened to her. Cat Noir just says "I can't imagine what you're going through, ma'am. But it sounds as if you and your husband truly had something special. I think you should remember those happy times you spent together—cherish them, because no one can take them from you." She thanks him, fully composed and professional, and heads inside.
School lets out, and Adrien waits by the front of the school for his friends. Nino Lahiffe joins him first. Nino notices Adrien is a bit melancholic (as Adrien is thinking about his aunt), so he asks about it. Adrien insists he's fine and repeats that he's glad everyone cares enough to visit his parents. Marinette Dupin-Cheng and Alya Cesaire meet up with them together, with Marinette doing her best not to malaprop. Alya notices the Agreste limo pulling up and states that it's time to go, but Adrien says that not everyone is here. Nino wonders who else would be coming. That's when Alya replies with the idea that they're likely waiting for Adrien's cousin.
Adrien starts to explain that that's not exactly it when Chloe Bourgeois approaches. She turns her nose up "these are the other people you invited over?" Marinette's eye twitches as she says, at the same time, "you invited Chloe?" Adrien steps between everyone. He states that everyone here is a good, trusted friend of his and that he wants them all to get along. It's clearly tense, but Alya declares that they'll call a truce. Chloe turns away, waves her hand dismissively, and remains silent, but it's clear by her body language she isn't going to push things.
A few moments later, Kagami Tsurugi approaches. She voices surprise, somewhat emotionlessly, that everyone here is going to visit Gabriel Agreste. Nino adds a "woah, Kagami too, dude?" Adrien repeats that all his friends are invited equally. Kagami, having a decent poker face, adapts and says she's glad that so many people care about Gabriel and Emilie and are willing to visit them. Part of why she says this is to butter up to Adrien, which works—much to Chloe and Marinette's jealousy.
Adrien ushers everyone to the limo, where Felix Graham de Vanily and Nicholas Sancoeur are already inside. The teens crowd in the back, and Felix is clearly uncomfortable with so many people. Nicholas is emotionally unreadable.
They begin to chat and joke as teens do. Chloe disengages herself from the conversation and stares out the window. It's un-Chloe-like, as she's not drawing attention to herself, but her thoughts and emotions are still locked on her mother abandoning her family. Adrien tries to bring her into the conversation, but her heart isn't into it. Kagami has some awkward first attempts but does eventually find her stride to fit in. Nicholas makes the occasional comment, and Felix does his best to ignore everyone. Since this is the first real time that civilian Team Ladybug actually spends significant time with Felix and Nicholas, it's important to linger here and see how their personalities interact. Marinette opens up the bag she made that morning and offers everyone pain au chocolat, which everyone except Chloe and Felix help themselves to. They all agree it's delicious.
At the manor, everyone spills out and into the house. Amelie and Nathalie are waiting. It's tense and awkward between the two. Adrien asks if everything is okay—by now it's common knowledge Amelie was the true identity of Kuroyuki thanks to the press and Ladyblog. Amelie dismisses that. She welcomes the teens and then says she and Nathalie have something to talk to Adrien about, if they'd give him a moment. The teens agree and step to the side, taking seconds of the pain au chocolat while they wait. Felix leaves for his room entirely.
Adrien asks what's going on. Amelie explains she and Felix are going to head back to London over the weekend to visit her husband's grave and commemorate his one year of passing. She invites Adrien to come along, since he was unable to attend the funeral. Adrien is surprised, but he admits he would like to go. He looks to Nathalie. Nathalie, stoically, tells him that it's his choice. Adrien hesitates a moment. He has his duties as Cat Noir. Can he really take a whole weekend off? But then he remembers that he has the horse miraculous in his possession. He tells Amelie he'd love to join them.
"Can we come too?" Everyone turns around to realize that Nicholas had been listening in on the conversation. This catches Amelie off-guard enough to stutter. Nicholas adds that he wants to support the people he lives with as they, too, deal with the death of a loved one. Amelie and Adrien both realize that Nicholas is likely referring to his father's recent death. Which makes it all the harder to turn him down. Adrien turns to Amelie. "Can Nicholas and Nathalie join us? They're like family too." Amelie's expression turns to plastic.
Nathalie Sancoeur also has to consider all her options at this. She debates about letting Nicholas go without her. Then he could keep an eye on things as well as ensure that Amelie doesn't strand Adrien in London. After all, Amelie would have to bring Nicholas back otherwise it would be massively kidnapping him. However, Nathalie reminds herself that Nicholas is a senti monster she created, and the range she has on her creations is the city limits of Paris. She has no idea what would even happen to him if they were separated by a farther distance. The only information she has to go on is the space whale from Startrain. When that senti monster left the stratosphere, it devolved into following its most basic of programming. Which worked for a space whale—but wouldn't work for a human senti monster. And who knows what damage it would do to Nicholas. She hates to admit it, but she's growing emotionally attached to the kid. She then considers what would happen if she, herself, joined them. It would leave no one but Dr. Theroux with Gabriel and Emilie, and Nathalie does not like the idea of leaving Gabriel alone. It also removes Hawk Moth from Paris, but Nathalie is convinced she has made such concrete alibis for herself and Gabriel that Hawk Moth could take the weekend off without any ill effect. There's also the possibility of giving Nicholas either the peacock brooch or the tie clip that houses his amok for the weekend, but Nathalie dismisses those ideas as there is a massive risk of letting a miraculous/amokitized item out of her grasp.
So Nathalie decides to needle Amelie, simply because she doesn't like the other woman. "Is it acceptable if we join you too?" Amelie struggles. While waiting for an answer, Nathalie does remind Adrien and Nicholas that that would be leaving the Agreste parents alone. Adrien stops short. He doesn't want to leave his parents for that long, just in case they wake up. He's just about to rescind his acceptance of the invitation when Amelie blurts out that "of course it's okay if you and Nicholas join us" to Nathalie—because she has to clamp down on Adrien's refusal. The whole conversation was very subtle manipulation on Nathalie's part, making Amelie react instinctively by giving Adrien a reason to remain behind. Nathalie's ultimate goal was to keep Adrien and Emilie out of Amelie's hands, as she knows Amelie would love to take both back to London and separate Gabriel from his wife. Nathalie refuses to let the family she serves be broken up. So her very subtle manipulations work. She doesn't like leaving Gabriel behind, but at least this way she can watch Adrien on his father's behalf. Adrien thanks Amelie for inviting everyone along, and Nathalie completes her machinations by comforting Adrien and saying that Dr. Theroux is talented and will watch over Emilie and Gabriel. Amelie gives an un-smile to Nathalie and tells Adrien that he should go spend time with his guests.
Adrien then remembers his friends are still there and hurries back to them. Nino asks what everything was about. Adrien says that he's joining his family in London, but just for the weekend. He really doesn't go into the one-year anniversary thing due to respecting Amelie and Felix's current grief. Marinette almost blurts out "but what about Cat Noir?!" but she catches herself in time. Adrien then leads them upstairs.
The joyous atmosphere sobers when they all get to the Agrestes' bedroom and see neither parent moving. Dr. Theroux is there to tend to them, but he can see everyone wants to visit, so he excuses himself. Chloe is the first to approach, and she talks to Emilie as if she knows her (which she does). Kagami tries the same, talking to Gabriel rather stiffly about his business connection to her mother. Tikki peers out between the zipper of Marinette's purse and glowers at Gabriel. She also whispers caution to the other kwamis hidden there, telling them to remain still and not give away their presence under any circumstance. Marinette lingers back by Adrien and asks how he's doing.
Adrien admits that this is only comparable to the pain of thinking his mother had been dead for a year. He's glad everyone came to visit…but what he wouldn't give to wake his parents. He even hints he's frustrated to the point of anger since no one knows what's going on—not with Gabriel and Emilie, not with what laid Nathalie flat, and not what caused himself to lose consciousness for a day. Why is this happening to his family? Nino notices Adrien is getting agitated and also joins them. "It'll be okay, dude. We're not going to let you go through this alone."
They visit for a bit and then head to Adrien's room where they all play games and stuff. Chloe remains on the outskirts of the interactions despite Adrien's best attempts to pull her in to cheer her up from her family's dysfunction. Alya suggests inviting Felix and Nicholas to join them in their game evening. Adrien calls them on his cell (despite being in the same house), but both refuse to come. Nino shrugs it off as "their loss." With Chloe not up to her usual antics and Kagami and Marinette having a truce, the afternoon goes without a hitch and everyone winds up having a lot of fun. After a couple of hours, Adrien suggests they call it a day as he has plans that evening and offers to have his bodyguard drive them all home. Nino, Alya, Marinette, and Kagami all thank him. Chloe refuses the offer. She calls her home to have her family's own personal limo come to retrieve her (she really does not want to be in a limo with everyone else but not Adrien).
Marinette is, of course, suspicious by Chloe trying to linger in the mansion, alone with Adrien, a bit longer. She gets a look in her eyes that suggests that she's going to try to do something to hijack things. Alya notices this though and stops her. "Don't go crazy stalker, girl." Alya tells her that Adrien had a lifetime to respond to Chloe's advances. He clearly only sees her as a friend, so that's no reason for Marinette to stoop to underhanded methods; she still has a chance. "Besides, Chloe is going through a lot right now. Only a jerk would prey upon that." Marinette takes some deep breaths (again as taught by adult Bunnyx) and admits Alya is right. She reminds herself that the one Adrien aka Cat Noir has always sworn love to is Ladybug, ironically herself (though she still mistakenly thinks that Adrien only likes the traits enhanced by the Ladybug miraculous and not her own inner characteristics). Heck, Cat Noir just promised he still loved her that very afternoon. So Marinette willingly walks away, leaving Chloe and Adrien alone, and gets in the limo. (Yes, I am trying to steer away from the stalker tendencies in the canon, as well as the cringe-worthy, morally questionable sabotaging-the-love-rival hijinks. It also subtly showcases how Alya is exercising her growth in responsibility.)
Kagami raises an eyebrow that Marinette leaves without a fuss. Marinette notices and tells Kagami simply to "trust Adrien." Kagami stolidly states that she does and also departs.
As the limo pulls away and Chloe waits for her ride, she and Adrien have time to talk. Adrien assumed Chloe wanted to stay longer because she needed more comfort about her mother. He doesn't realize there's romantic intentions. There is a bit of him looking at the time because he knows he's supposed to meet Ladybug soon to further translate the grimoire to help the B Team. And this he does consider a date even if Ladybug doesn't.
They talk a bit about how school and the afternoon went and how crazy that black snow was. It's clear Chloe isn't her usual self. During a moment of awkward silence, the radio can be heard in the background. And it's playing the current gossip about Audrey Bourgeois leaving the mayor of Paris for an actor in America named Lee. Chloe's expression grows rigid, and Adrien quickly turns off the broadcast.
He tries to recover with a stammer and says "you know that no one blames you for what's going on" and "your mother still loves you in her own way." Chloe stamps her foot and insists the latter isn't true. Her mother is abandoning her and has a "fake" daughter in another country. Audrey has been lying to Chloe and her father for years, and Chloe doesn't need her, she just…she just… She finally is able to start crying and expressing her true emotions on the matter. "I just wanted mom to admit she loves me—even if it was only once."
Adrien, not sure what to do, hugs her. He's seen a lot of grieving people today. Chloe sobs herself out in his arms. And, deep down, she really cherishes the warmth of his embrace. Once she's able to compose herself, Adrien asks her if she feels better. Chloe dries her eyes and says she does. She digs her mirror out of her purse and begins reapplying her make-up. Barbarra hands it up to her, unknown to Adrien. Adrien tells her that she doesn't need to—they're childhood friends, he doesn't care if she wears make-up or not. Chloe insists it's important to her, so he waits while she fixes it.
Chloe gets a notification on her cell phone that her ride has arrived to take her home. However, she doesn't yet want to leave. She now realizes that she's alone with Adrien and that he had just been hugging her. She sends a text back to tell the limo to wait until she's good and ready. Adrien offers to walk her to the door. Chloe accepts this and uses it as an opportunity to get physically closer to him. Adrien flinches in discomfort but says nothing. He endures, in part because he figures that this might be a way for him to learn about Chloe as Queen Scorpion, as "milady" asked. And without Adrien resisting, Chloe pushes things.
She leans into Adrien's shoulder and looks into his eyes. Then she confesses her feelings for him, telling him that she's been in love with him since they were both little. To her, he's her best friend (especially since she alienated Sabrina) and being around him makes her so happy. She knows he's someone she can trust, and she always wants to be with him. She adds that she really feels as if they understand each other because of similarities in their social status and life history. There's some ego in her confession—but Chloe honestly and openly admits all of her feelings. It's very rare to see her so vulnerable—in both crying and confessing her love. But that's because Adrien is the only one she'd ever be vulnerable around.
And this floors and blindsides Adrien because he only sees her as a friend and that he was completely clueless that she had any romantic feelings for him whatsoever. He is speechless for a moment, at which point Chloe declares they are officially dating. That's when Adrien stops her. Chloe wants to know why he'd want to keep their relationship a secret, but Adrien tells her that that isn't the case.
Adrien then has to tactfully and carefully and somewhat awkwardly explain to Chloe that he only sees her as a friend—and that while he values her friendship, he doesn't see her romantically. He then admits there's someone else he likes…and that those feelings are so strong, he doesn't want to lie to them or lead Chloe on. Chloe's temper sparks, and she demands to know who the other girl is. She throws out Kagami, Marinette, and Lila's names. Adrien denies all of them. Chloe practically shouts "Well, who then?!"
Adrien hesitates and considers the possible consequences. But since Chloe has no idea he's actually Cat Noir and because other people have already admitted to having celebrity crushes (including Theo and Nathaniel)… Adrien admits to Chloe that the one he loves is Ladybug.
Chloe freaks out for the second time in the chapter, demanding to know why Ladybug is so much better than her. Chloe adds that she's a superheroine too—Queen Bee (she's at least smart enough not to say Queen Scorpion). And she'll be Queen Bee again as soon as she gets her miraculous back. Adrien tries to calm her down, insisting that he wants to be friends with her and that friendship is a great relationship in and of itself. Chloe, however, will not let it go. She demands to know why Adrien prefers Ladybug over her. This stems, of course, from Chloe's mother abandoning her for Zoe and thus Chloe's ego and pride clashing with her currently battered self-esteem.
Adrien starts with a few traits. Like Ladybug's creative problem solving and endless optimism. But he soon sinks into gushing about her. He admires her fearlessness and selflessness, her determination and her kindness, her intelligence and sense of justice. Chloe quickly realizes that Adrien doesn't have a mere celebrity crush—he actually had deeper feelings for Ladybug. And this infuriates her.
She interrupts him by declaring her ride is her and she storms to the entrance. Adrien again says he can walk her out, but she snaps "don't bother!" Adrien flinches, wondering what he could have done to handle the situation better. Chloe slams the door, shaking the whole house.
Once alone, Plagg and the other kwamis appear. Plagg congratulates Adrien on being a Casanova, but Adrien tells him to drop it because he did just hurt the feelings of his childhood friend. Kaalki states that Adrien handled everything well, and Ziggy tells Adrien to focus on the fun times he just had with her. Plagg says to just shrug it off and eat a piece of cheese. Ziggy suggests a gift to cheer Chloe up, and Kaalki suggests the gift be macarons. Adrien thanks them for the ideas. He then realizes it's getting close to his time to meet Ladybug and transforms.
Chloe sits in her family's limo, steaming. Her personal grudge against Ladybug escalated all the further, and she is plotting revenge. She will be a better superheroine than Ladybug to steal Adrien back from her. She will get her bee miraculous, her rightful property, back. She will beat Ladybug and her entire team of allies for picking Sabrina over her. And then, she'll even defy Madam Gros to become the newest, bestest superheroine in all of Paris—even stopping Hawk Moth by herself, if need be. All the fame an the glory and Adrien will be hers.
But in order for that to happen, she needs to practice. However, she has to do that in a way that Madam Gros doesn't find out what she's doing and take the Scorpio hair tie from her. Practicing inside her own home didn't work out—so she needs to find somewhere else. But where?
It's evening, and Ladybug and Cat Noir are meeting on the Paris rooftops to attempt further translation of the grimoire. Ladybug is waiting when Cat Noir arrives, both having come from the same event at the Agreste manor. Cat Noir was delayed by Chloe while Ladybug returned home, greeted her parents, went to her room, and immediately transformed to leave for this meeting. Ladybug asks Cat Noir how he's doing and how his day went—in part because she is also Marinette and despite her leaving the manor in peace, she's still worried if something happened between Chloe and Adrien. Cat Noir, of course, doesn't know this. He just comments that he had a "busy day," what with Princess Kuroyuki and all (though he is still down that he hurt Chloe's feelings by rejecting her love confession). He then asks Ladybug how she is and how her day is going. Ladybug malaprops a bit before she can answer with "I'm fine; let's crack this code."
Ladybug pulls out Master Fu's tablet, and she and Cat Noir sit close to continue to progress with their translations. They try to start; however, both he and Ladybug get distracted by each other as they're sitting so close.
Cat Noir is an inch from asking, in all seriousness and openness, Ladybug, how do you really feel about me? Be honest. But it's Ladybug, possibly sensing things are heading that way, who plunges the topic in another direction. And since she is worried about Chloe moving in on her crush, she just blurts out. "We both know Chloe Bourgeois is Queen Scorpion, right?" Cat Noir is caught off guard, but he acknowledges this to be true. "She's joined up with Draco and his allies. You know we can't keep ignoring it. We need to talk with her."
Cat Noir leans back and mulls this over. He knows Chloe is going through a really hard time at the moment, but she as Queen Scorpion hurt Sabrina as Hachiko very badly—even knowing full well that Hachiko was Sabrina. And then Chloe as Queen Scorpion teamed up with their other enemies in Shark Regina and showed no qualms with attempting to pulverize Ladybug. Cat Noir knows that Chloe can't be allowed to continue down this path.
"You're right, we do need to talk to her. She doesn't listen well—but deep down, I believe she's always respected you, Ladybug. You should be the one to talk with her." Cat Noir is oblivious to the fact that Adrien Agreste revealing he's in love with Ladybug only ensured that Chloe will never have any affection for Ladybug ever again.
Ladybug agrees to this and plans to make it a priority. Even if she can't talk Chloe down, maybe she can find out more information about the allies Queen Scorpion has aligned herself with—because following her doesn't work. But then her thoughts wind back to—what happens if Chloe refuses every single olive branch? Would she have to steal Chloe's scorpion miraculous for the great good? Ladybug does not like that thought at all—stealing is wrong, period. And doing the wrong thing cannot possibly lead to the great good. (Canon does provide Marinette has strong feelings against stealing, as seen in the Shanghai special. Though this doesn't seem to extend to other people's cell phones…) She voices her concerns to Cat Noir, and he admits the same reservations to stealing. However, he does get an idea based on what he saw on the Team B Discord. Since the B Team is trying to follow akumas to find Hawk Moth's lair…maybe they could follow Chloe to find Draco's lair. Ladybug agrees that this is a much better solution than becoming thieves.
This weaves into one of the newest opponents they faced: Mink. Ladybug voices concerns that Mink is also using a real miraculous—though she has no idea where a cabbit fits into things. Cat Noir points out that the only enemy they're facing who currently is using real miraculous is the Western Order, which includes not only Draco and Rhino and Tarantula but also Shark Regina, Sir Silver Hart, and yes, Queen Scorpion. Ladybug flips through the pages of the digital grimoire, pulling up the section that shows various miraculous boxes. They squint, trying to figure out which box is the one the Western Order is pulling from—but since the miracle boxes are labeled with symbols, it isn't always clear which animal is being depicted. Cat Noir notices the elephant symbol first and points it out, reminding Ladybug how Master Fu warned them to beware the elephant. Is this the box Draco's allies are pulling from? After all, sometimes there are similar animals (such as an anaconda, a viper, and a cobra—or, including Alpha, different breeds of wolves etc). Ladybug zooms in and though this image is blurry, they're able to make out a ring of animals around the elephant: a spider, a salamander, a rhinoceros, and a crane.
Both cheer because by knowing which miraculous box Draco's allies are using, they can begin to study which powers they might be facing. Ladybug swipes to the side, trying to understand the animals associated with the symbols on the side drawers. But this is where they get snagged because those aren't animal symbols. They don't see a deer, shark, scorpion, or cabbit. It takes them pondering things a moment before Cat Noir recognizes the symbol for the Virgo—his zodiac sign. He tells Ladybug that the Eastern Order uses Chinese zodiacs—so the Western Order is using the western zodiacs! Ladybug facepalms as it's so obvious she can't believe she didn't think of it sooner. (Though, to be fair, the golden duo saw the animal transformations of their opponents first and didn't immediately associate those animals with Virgo and Cancer etc etc.)
Ladybug quickly pins Queen Scorpion to being Scorpio, Sir Silver Hart to Libra, and Shark Regina to Capricorn. That just leaves Mink… She ponders it a moment, and by process of elimination declares Mink to be the Gemini—a creature made up of two other creatures. Cat Noir states it's great that they've figured out so much about their opponents—now what powers do these opponents have? Both stop, as this requires translating the actual text of the grimoire, which they are struggling to do. Ladybug scolds herself and Cat Noir, saying they need to focus on why they really came: translating. Cat Noir says they'll have to decide where to start. They can work on unraveling the Western Order's powers—or they can help the B Team deal with the whole powers-to-kwamis thing. But they definitely don't have time to do both tonight.
Ladybug hesitates. She does want to know about her enemies. But she made a promise to Alpha to help his team ("pack" as he refers to them). She sighs as she turns from the miracle boxes and opens the pages on the butterfly miraculous.
Together they review where they're at so far. They currently have a rough "…if an item blessed by the butterfly lives for a hundred years" which goes on to explain (with many words the golden duo can't translate): '- is integrated and cannot be undone… The hold of the butterfly is thus permanent until - is born. The birth - deigns the sacred relic - a miraculous." Cat Noir attempts several translations that require a different grammatical structure (as Asian languages do have different grammar rules than European ones). He's able to fill in a couple words this way, though his initial attempts result in some very funny "Google Translates" level of mistakes.
Cat Noir rereads the passage as: "…if an item blessed by the butterfly lives for a hundred years, it can weld itself to a body's heart." He adds that the word "weld" could also possibly be "forge" or "make" or even "recreate" and that the word for "body" could refer to a physical body or to a person in general. As in "a body" versus "somebody." Ladybug says that doesn't make sense as they know, first hand, that the miraculous without kwamis don't physically fuse themselves to people. Cat Noir sighs that she's right, so he tries again.
This time, he comes up with "if an item blessed by the butterfly lives for a hundred years, it can align itself to a person's emotions." Both of their heads jerk up—because that sounds exactly like how the B Team explained how their transformations work. Ladybug cheers that they're onto something, and she points a kanji is used elsewhere in the paragraph, so they progress with their translations, reworking the grammatical structure when needed. They also realizes that there's two different hanzi for the word butterfly—likely in reference to the miraculous and it's user for the first and seemingly the akuma he or she creates for the second.
"The butterfly (wielder) holds sway over his (single, untranslated hanzi). However, after a century has passed, the item blessed by the butterfly (wielder) aligns itself with (same untranslated hanzi)'s emotions. The butterfly (akuma) melts into the item; this cannot be undone. The item will grow in power until it surges and a (pair of untranslated hanzi) is born. The birth of the (same pair of untranslated hanzi) forges the item into a sacred relic of its own miraculous powers."
Even with the few missing words, Ladybug and Cat Noir are able to puzzle out the meaning of the passage. "Wait—if an akumatized item doesn't get broken or purified for a whole century, it can create a kwami and become a real miraculous?!" They're both floored, but it aligns up fully with everything they have seen for the past 60 chapters.
"That explains the connection Master Fu found. Hawk Moth is linked to the B Team because they're using antique akumatized items!"
"Items that are a hundred years old—and now their kwamis are being born!"
It all makes too much sense. Though there also is a jolt of fear. The B Team is actively using antique akumatized items. No wonder Scarlet Hawk Moth overwhelmed them on Heroes' Day!
Cat Noir wonders who made those items. Ladybug does some math, pegging the miraculous without kwamis to have been made at least in the early 1900s—if not even earlier. There's no telling how long those items were sitting without "a person's emotions" to bond with and start the whole process. Cat Noir points out that this only leaves more questions—why did these items pop up now? In stores to boot, where the B Team bought them. Ladybug says that's yet something else they'll have to translate, as the grimoire does include information on previous users.
However, now that they know how these items came into being (it only took them 47 chapters longer than Hawk Moth to come to that conclusion), they still don't know how to help the B Team with the whole process. But the good news is that this passage heavily implies that the transformation of an akumatized item into a miraculous means the item can now stand on its own—independent of Hawk Moth or any other butterfly user. Ladybug points out that the existing problem is actually a solution to a different problem. Cat Noir looks at her confused. "Look, the B Team wants to be free of Hawk Moth? The grimoire all but states that when their kwamis are born, they're free. So if we want to help our allies be free of Hawk Moth, they have two options: stop using the items or hatch their kwamis." Though there's still the problem of several teens vanished for a couple of days while this happens. Cat Noir says that that means they have to figure out a way to control the powers surging thing. They start working on translating the next passage.
They're able to extract some words about elements and powers, miraculous and long-term use…but nothing to help them. Ladybug works her way through the images and their labels to supplement the paragraph Cat Noir is trying to construct. It's getting late, and both know they have to go home soon. But Ladybug really doesn't want to end things now after she promised Alpha to help him and his companions. Cat Noir says maybe they're over-thinking things. Maybe they should go by what they already know. So what do they know about the times when Tsukuyomi, Froppy, and Firefly all got trapped by their powers? Ladybug points out there's not too many common threads: the times of day and locations were different. Each human wielders has possessed his or her magical item for a different amount of time. The cycles of the moon are different, the proximity of other magical items are all different, even the opponents they were facing and the powers they used to defeat them were different. Ladybug's eyes go wide. "That's it! They all got trapped in shells after an intense fight!" Tsukuyomi had exhausted himself fighting against Berserker, his own self. Froppy went down right after dealing with Ikari Gozen. And Firefly was found the day after he helped to defeat Clock Maker.
"I get it!" says Cat Noir. "So we need to tell the B Team to be incredibly careful after using their powers against tough opponents because that could trigger the surge. And, maybe if we helped them, like by intensely sparring with them, we might be able to deliberately cause their powers to surge. We could do this at a safe time for them!" Ladybug cheers that that's a great idea, though she points out that ideally they would also be able to speed up the process so their allies wouldn't be trapped for 2-3 days and parents contacting the police and all. Cat Noir hopes there's some information on that aspect in the grimoire, but they are really out of time now to keep up translating as the moon has risen. (Wow this scene was so much longer than I intended.)
Cat Noir and Ladybug prepare to depart for the night. Cat Noir says he had a great time on their "date." Ladybug admits she had a great time too, and she's serious. It takes her a moment to remember to protest that it's not a date. As he's preparing to leave, Cat Noir asks Ladybug how she's progressing in solving the latest riddle from Master Fu. She admits it's not going well—though she has been too busy to give it her proper attention. Cat Noir admits he's been in the same boat.
He starts to leave, then he turns around. "Oh! I almost forgot! My family is going out of town this weekend. I'll have the horse miraculous on me if anything comes up. Please, don't hesitate to call. But I thought you should know." Ladybug almost blurts out that she knows he's going out of town as she knows Adrien was invited to London to attend the one-year passing of his uncle. However, she catches herself just in time and feigns ignorance. She thanks him for telling her. Cat Noir then leaves, and Ladybug watches him go. Then she scolds herself: she can't trouble him with her feelings while his family is in crisis, he likes "Ladybug" and not the real Marinette, and she likes the calmer, quieter Adrien to the loud, goofball Cat Noir—though she's having a hard time reigning in her heart on the last one. I'm just making more and more excuses, aren't I? But…but how do I tell him? I can't keep both of us in limbo forever…But when is a good time to say something? And will my mouth even work then? She sighs and heads home herself.
Elsewhere in the shadows of Paris night, Madam Gros meets with her underlings: Zenon Theroux (Draco), Brynne Theroux (Rhino), and Dr. Gerald Theroux (Tarantula—temporarily off duty from the Agrestes). She reviews their current allies (Sir Silver Hart, Shark Regina, Queen Scorpion, and Mink). That still leaves eight more people she wants to add to her army. Brynne shrugs; they'll find useful pawns eventually.
Dolores Gros argues that that isn't the primary reason she summoned them all here. The big issues are first—that no one has been able to track down the old guardian of the Eastern Order of the Miraculous. He keeps evading them! Zenon badgers Brynne about this, as that was her assigned task. Brynne asks if "what they used in Canada" has arrived yet. Dolores tells her it'll be here soon, but she is still to use the thread Tarantula put on the guardian and find him.
The second big issues is the increasing strength of their opposition. Ladybug and Cat Noir are increasing their allies with the Eastern miraculous. Then there's the anomalies that have popped up in Ringtail, Chip Bluestone, and Ruddiger. Brynne and Zenon have no idea what is empowering those individuals. Their uncle steps forward, telling them that he and Dolores have looked into a few of the remaining resources of the Western Order—the Order that they, personally, overthrew. Dolores tells them her theory—that these magical items are likely forged by Hawk Moth himself. This is supported by the fact that Lila Rossi/Mink is certain the peridot raccoon choker was provided by Hawk Moth himself. Brynne asks if that's even possible. Dr. Theroux confirms that, in theory, it actually is possible for the butterfly miraculous specifically. Zenon points out that none of those using a birthstone miraculous have openly declared alliance with Hawk Moth. Dolores counters that that would be rather brilliant on Hawk Moth's part, wouldn't it? Dr. Theroux also adds that as far as he's been able to tell, there's no record of a raccoon choker or unicorn cuff links anywhere (granted, they did destroy a lot of the Western Order's records).
Dolores then replays some of Hawk Moth's recent akumatizations, namely Terra Firma and Princess Kuroyuki. Dolores Gros comments on how Hawk Moth's strength and strategy is growing. If he continues to develop the powers of the butterfly any more, they won't stand a chance against him. So Madam Gros proposes that they call in the old favor. She produces an envelope with a set of crane wings. Dr. Theroux murmurs that the crane is the remaining miraculous from the outer circle of the Western Order's miracle box. Zenon asks what the crane even means.
Madam Gros explains that once France and Canada had a close alliance. That included the Western Order, in secret. In order to help, the crane miraculous user of the time journeyed from Canada to France and performed many great deeds here. However, that user remained loyal to the Western Order and swore to return to Canada should they ever have need. This promise would be passed down from generation to generation, along with the crane miraculous, even when the family moved countries. The Western Order kept loose contact with the crane family over the past two centuries. Dr. Theroux has spent the past couple of days researching the matter, and now he knows where the crane is. The others approve the idea, and Madam Gros drops the letter into the mail box. The address is a British address.
"It's time for us to call in that favor."
To be continued in Chapter 62: Alpha…