Chapter 16

"So, she gave him a second chance? Is that when she started to like him?"

A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Maybe you'll find out if you let me finish the story."

At first, Céline was nervous over what the Bérangers would have to say if Gabriel always visited her. They wouldn't too happy if their blood slave was receiving the attentions of the Crown Prince instead of their own noble-born daughter. But Gabriel readily assured her that there would be no trouble, because he was the Prince and if they defied him then they could be charged with treason.

Céline gaped at that and tried to tell him that was too extreme of a punishment. Yet when she expressed her concerns, he merely took both of her hands in his and said that he would do what it took for them not to be apart.

The implications of those words, and the way he said them like a promise, it was too much too soon. She knew that. Even still, her heart began to pound in her chest like a beating drum. She wondered if he could hear that, and understand what it meant. She internally cringed; that would be so embarrassing.

She externally cringed when his knowing grin confirmed her fears.

At least he had the decency not to say anything about it.

Céline shook it off and asked him again if they could see each other without her masters finding out about it. He couldn't be there all the time, she didn't want to deal with the questions and judging stares. It would be better if they didn't know.

Gabriel's eyes softened at her pleas. He reminded himself that he was lucky she was willing to give him a second chance at all. She could've smashed his heart into pieces and sent him on his way. Instead, she was asking him for another way they could see each other than what he first suggested and he just outright refused her. He chided himself for this almost-fatal error and was quick to accept her request.

Since the family was mostly active at nighttime, the blood slaves were required to sleep during the day. Gabriel said this would be when he would come to see her.

Céline furrowed her eyebrows and tilted her head at that, confused since she knew that vampires burned in the sunlight.

At her questioning of this he grinned and pointed to the tiny purple brooch that sat just under the collar of his shirt. It was barely noticeable, and she just assumed that it was merely a simple gem for decoration. He certainly had enough wealth to have it. Apparently, that wasn't the case at all.

He held a flap of his coat and gently pulled it open.

"Come out, Nooroo," he quietly called.

Her eyes flickered between the coat and Gabriel's face, wondering if he had lost his mind. He said he was in perfect psychological health back at the castle…then again isn't that what a crazy person would say?

Turned out Gabriel wasn't crazy at all. A small, light purple creature with large wings on its back flew up to her face, causing her to jump in her seat and emit a small shriek of fright. She had never seen something like this before, so she had every right to be slightly scared.

The creature flew back and bowed its head.

"Hello, Céline. I'm Nooroo, Prince Gabriel's kwami. It's a pleasure to meet you," he spoke in a high-pitched, albeit adorable, voice. In fact, now that she observed him properly, the kwami (as he called himself) was extremely adorable. He even had purple eyes and a purple swirl on his head like a curl of hair!

She felt her heart bursting with how cute Nooroo was. With a gasp she scooped him up in her hands and rubbed her cheek against his tiny head. He gave a surprised squeak at first, but warmed up to the affection in no time and returned her nuzzle.

"You are just the cutest thing I've ever seen!" she gushed, planting a kiss to the center of the purple swirl on his head. She continued lavishing more praises and kisses to the kwami, with Nooroo accepting it all with a large smile and closed eyes as he relished in the affection. He never got this much attention from his holder, all he ever got from Gabriel was a smile and occasionally a scratch on the head.

He didn't know how his stoic chosen and this obviously warm, bright and happy woman could be together. Moreover, he had no idea why Gabriel was attracted to someone so different from himself in the first place. But who was he to question it, especially when he could get attention like this every day if it all worked out in the end?

When Céline remembered she had an audience, her head snapped up to see Gabriel sitting with his head tilted and a broad, soft smile on his face. It was the first time he had ever given her a true smile.

She didn't know why he didn't do it more often. It was quite lovely to look at. She supposed the rarity of such a display also helped to make the smile more valuable.

"Nooroo is attached to my brooch, which is called a 'miraculous'," he explained after a minute. Luckily, the smile didn't completely drop from his features as he spoke. "When activated it puts me in protective clothing so the sun won't affect me. I'll be able to see you no matter what time of day I come."

"And that's how it began. They set up a time and my mother told him exactly where her room was so he could visit her."

Marinette fondly smiled, this was actually turning out to be quite romantic. She wished she could have something like that.

She stiffened and felt her cheeks heat up when she remembered that she did technically have 'something like that'. Adrien visited her nightly, with full intentions of pursuing her and winning her heart. She was the only one who was holding back.

Gabriel did roughly the same thing. Céline held back, just like she was doing now. But they still ended up together.

"Marinette? Are you alright?" Adrien questioned in concern, glancing over her form in case she had an injury he might've missed. His gaze strayed to her flushed cheeks. "You look warm. Are you sick? I can go get you medicine if you want."

She shook her head, her mind practically crying because of how caring and considerate Adrien was. She didn't deserve someone like him.

"I'm fine, thanks Adrien." She peered up at him with hopeful eyes and a reassuring smile. "Can you continue the story now?"

His eyes stayed concentrated on her cheeks, otherwise he made no acknowledgement that he even heard her. She opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, but snapped it shut when he wordlessly reached out a hand and placed it on her forehead.

She started at the sudden cool temperature, as she always did whenever he touched her. But seconds later she relaxed into it, although she was sure to raise an eyebrow and grin at his silly behavior.

He retracted his hand with a sure smile. "Just checking. It doesn't feel like you have a fever."

"Thank you, Dr. Agreste," she replied sarcastically with a laugh. "But come on, I told you I was fine."

"You can't be too sure about these things," he insisted with a shrug of his shoulders and a lazy grin. "Your health and safety are my top priorities, Princess."

Marinette stared with her eyes wide open and her heart doing a curious quickened beat. What was she supposed to say to that?

If Adrien took notice of her change in demeanor, he didn't comment on it.

"Let's see," he mused. "I suppose I can skip ahead a little bit…"

Céline waited anxiously for the Gabriel's secret arrival. She could still scarcely believe that this was even happening at all. A blood slave and a vampire prince…if they did wind up becoming lovers, then they would be quite the pair, indeed.

What would this end up meaning for her, though? Did he just want a temporary relationship? Or something more? It wasn't like they could get married, right?

She took a deep breath to steel her nerves before letting it out.

This was nonsense, she shouldn't be thinking like this. She wasn't even sure if she wanted a relationship with him, she just wanted to get to know him better. That's all.

She was brought out of her thoughts when she heard a distinct tapping sound against her window.

Céline held her breath, almost wanting it to not be him. What if she made the wrong choice?

The tapping sound was heard again, with a bit more force applied than last time.

She released a calming breath and stepped onto the wooden floor. Barefoot, she walked over to the old window and with a grunt wrenched it open. However, the sight that greeted her caused her mouth to drop in shock.

"Get away!" she shrieked at the silver-masked intruder, making a move to push him off her window sill that he was holding onto. Unfortunately, he already saw it coming and snatched her hand in his black gloved one. His stormy eyes were narrowed and a scowl twisted his lips. Her heart picked up its pace in fright, as he still held her wrist captive. He could probably snap it if he wished.

"Céline, it's me," he said, sounding a tad annoyed. "Gabriel."

She paled and tried to take back her hand, which he picked up on and as a result let go of it. No wonder why he was vexed, she just tried to push him off the side of the manor!

"Gabriel?! I-I'm so sorry, I couldn't tell it was you. It's just the mask…and-and the outfit…"

In all honesty, he looked like a cliché supervillain on one of those children's superhero shows. Was this the costume he told her about that allowed him to go out in the daytime?

Gabriel lifted himself inside, something that would normally be challenging for a normal human being, but the vampire was able to do it with ease. He immediately turned around and closed the thick, black curtains, encasing the room in darkness. The only light available was a small candle she had the foresight to light.

"Nooroo, wings fall."

Céline watched, completely in awe, as a purple light washed over him. Gone was the silly costume, and in its place were khaki pants and a dark blue button-down shirt. Her eyes strayed over to Nooroo, who hovered over his master's shoulder. The little kwami softly smiled and bowed his head, before flying past her and out of the room.

"Nooroo!" she gasped, whipping around to face the door. What if one of the Bérangers saw him? "Gabriel, we have to-!"

"It's alright, Céline," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder to calm her. In return, she gave him a skeptical look. How was this possibly 'alright'? "Nooroo knows how to stay hidden."

"Did you forget that the Bérangers are vampires?" she hissed, not at all satisfied with the way this night was shaping up to be. Gabriel might be more trouble than what he was worth. "They can sense everything!"

Gabriel cracked a tiny, amused grin.

"Contrary to what you may think, my dear, vampires cannot sense everything in this world. If something is truly well-hidden, the vampire likely won't find it. You can relax."

Relax, huh? Coming from the guy dressed so formally all the time, and even now?

She peeked back at her bedroom door, where she last saw the little kwami. He was a fast flyer, and Gabriel didn't seem worried about it at all. Maybe she should relax a little bit.

Meanwhile, Gabriel slightly shifted on his feet, the only indication to his trepidation. In all honesty, he had no clue was he doing. He didn't know the first thing about wooing a woman. He knew that one day as King, he would have a queen to rule by his side, but he always figured it would've been arranged by his father beforehand. No romance necessary. He would rule over the vampires of his country with whoever was picked to be Queen and have an heir.

He never thought he would be at this point. Placing his fate in the hands of a human, but more than that, a blood slave. He never entertained the possibility of ever being so entranced by someone, that they haunted his mind every waking hour with memories of fierce green eyes, flowing blonde hair, and lips practically calling out for him to kiss. He never thought that he would ever have these feelings. He had scoffed at other men for experiencing them.

Now he wished that he asked them for advice. He almost lost the opportunity of being with Céline; he couldn't afford to make another mistake that could prove fatal.

He cleared his throat, even though vampires never had to. They were made to be perfect, flawless, and impervious to minor things such as needing to clear one's throat. He didn't know why he even did it.

Now she was looking at him, waiting for whatever it was he was going to say. He thought hard; she didn't want to just dive into a relationship with him. She didn't even know if she could like him the way he wanted her to. Perhaps he should treat this as two people meeting for the first time and looking for something in common? Yes, that could be it.

"So, why don't you tell me about yourself?" he asked. No sooner had the question left his mouth that he internally winced. That was a stupid question, not at all exciting. What if she was bored of him already? She already said that she didn't like his personality.

He tried not to dwell on that last memory.

Céline blinked as if she couldn't believe he asked that. Abruptly the bemused look faded and a scornful curve of her lips took its place.

"There's really not all that much. I was kidnapped when I was five and sold to Lady Beatrice's family. When she married Lord Béranger, I was part of the deal and forced to move in with them. I didn't really care whether or not I would be forced to go, to be honest. My blood would've been drunk no matter if I had stayed or left."

Gabriel frowned. He never really thought about what a blood slave must go through in their daily lives. To vampires, they were just mainly considered to be a fresh form of food. His father had a few, but he himself preferred to go out into the night and get some the old-fashioned way. As a result, he never really paid much attention to them.

Perhaps he should've taken a closer look.

She shrugged her shoulders. "That's basically it for me."

He shook his head, refusing to believe that. She was much more than a blood slave, and he would personally see to it that she saw it one day.

"That can't be it. What about your favorite color? Food? Animal?" He was interested in hearing them all. He couldn't help but mentally note that he never was intrigued with such trivial matters in another person before. Of course that changed when he met Céline.

She crossed her arms together, apparently feeling awkward with the questions. It's been so long since someone cared enough to ask her those things. She never really thought of them anyway, since her life was always the same, monotonous routine of cleaning, eating, and having to surrender her blood.

"My favorite color is green," she started, going with the easiest thing to answer first. Gabriel mentally filed that little bit of information away for later usage. "I like soupe à l'oignon, and I like birds."

He raised an eyebrow. "Birds?"

She nodded, a smile slowly making its way across her face. "Yeah, birds. All kinds. Especially peacocks, they're so beautiful." All of a sudden she paused and began to giggle, piquing Gabriel's curiosity.

"What is it?"

Her amusement subsided so that she could answer, but the grin of hers remained.

"I like birds, but I'm allergic to feathers. Isn't that ironic?"

Gabriel's lips quirked up as a particular mischievous glint came over his eyes. She hadn't seen him make an expression like that up until that point, and she would be lying if she said it wasn't hot.

And then he opened his mouth.

"Owl say it is ironic."

Silence.

"Oh my God, he actually said that?" Marinette laughed. "That was terrible."

"I didn't think it was so fowl," Adrien replied smoothly, shooting her a wink complete with a set of finger guns.

Marinette sighed.

Céline blinked, absolutely stunned. Although she wasn't sure what she was more surprised about, the fact that he made a pun or the pun in itself was so bad.

"What's wrong? Don't you like puns?" Gabriel asked, obviously trying to hold back a laugh. Again, she couldn't help but being at least a little taken aback. This Gabriel was a stark contrast to the serious, stoic one she met back at the castle. Here, wasn't so much of a robot. He actually had a personality.

She shook her head. "No, especially not ones as horrible as that."

Gabriel merely grinned at her lack of amusement.

"Well, usually I have better ones. But it's kind of hard to just wing it."

She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Stop it."

"No, I think I still have a few more in the nest. Wow, hoot have thought I had it in me to think of so many puns? Well, I guess wren push comes to shove…"

"Oh my God, you're terrible," Céline laughed, unable to hold it in any longer. Thispun-spewing dork was the Prince of Vampires? Did someone kidnap Gabriel and instead a clone visited her tonight?

Or maybe this was how he really was, when he was at ease and didn't have to worry about having his every move judged.

Gabriel straightened, positively preening that he made her laugh. He already accomplished one of the qualifications she specified for a future husband, overall he'd say he was off to a pretty good start.

…

And it was a good start. Gabriel visited her every day for weeks, which inevitably brought the two of them closer. They talked about mundane things, interesting things, shared secrets…and the Bérangers were none the wiser.

Recently her heart started to beat a little faster whenever he would come to visit. It was like he was an entirely different man from the one she originally met all those nights ago. He was warm (not temperature-wise), caring, and his puns were kind of funny, even though she hated to admit it. He was actually charming, dammit. A part of her was angry about this new development to his character, while the other, larger part, reveled in it.

So when he asked for her permission to kiss her hand, she gladly let him. And when he asked if he could have the pleasure of kissing her lips as well…she found herself unable to refuse him.

This was dangerous, she knew.

Dangerous, her mind whispered as his hands trailed their way up her back.

Reckless, as his lips kissed above her pulse point.

Mad, as a breathy sigh escaped her past her mouth.

Really, what would come of this odd relationship they had? Did he wish to marry her? Use her for now until he found another vampire to marry? He was a prince, it was only logical that he would want to truly be with a princess.

She wound up getting her answer the next day.

…

Céline winced at her reflection in the smudged mirror. Earlier that night, she had to endure another one of Lord Béranger's attempts of flirtation while he drank from her. Instead of meekly turning him down like she previously had done, this time she gave him a rather strong refusal.

He didn't take too kindly to being called a 'perverted, blood-sucking leech'. As a result, he ripped his fangs from her throat, effectively paining her so much she fell to her knees. He didn't see that as enough punishment, though. No, he picked her up by the hair and slapped her so hard her left cheek was swollen and mottled with purple marks. The bottom of her eye was swollen as well, it hurt to even touch it with one of her fingers. He probably broke a bone.

There was no way she could hide this from Gabriel. Unless she convinced him not to come in her room, that is.

When she heard the soft tap from the window, the signal to his arrival, all hell broke loose in her brain as she scrambled to think of a way to make him leave.

"Uh, I'm not home!" she called out whilst frantically searching for something to cover her face.

"Céline, I just heard you," his muffled voice replied, sounding a bit amused. "Can I come in?"

"No!"

A pause. For a moment, she thought he had left. But when she about to exhale in relief, he spoke again, confirming that he was still there.

"Why not? Are you alright? What's wrong?"

"Noth-nothing's wrong!" she insisted, picking up a promising brown paper bag. "I'm fine!"

"Then why can't I come in?" Her heart tugged painfully at how broken he sounded. "Do…do you wish not to see me anymore?"

"No!" she answered quickly, trying to make that disappointed tone of his go away. "I just look terrible, that's it. I don't want you to see me like this."

"I'm sure you look as breathtaking as ever," he replied lightly, prompting a new flush to wash over her cheeks and her heart to beat just a bit faster. "Whatever it is you're worrying about, I'm sure it's nothing."

And with that, the window slid open.

She just managed to slap the bag over her head as he hauled himself completely inside.

"Céline?" she heard him question, accompanied by footsteps taken to be closer to her. "Why do you have a bag over your head?"

"I told you," she mumbled, glancing away. "I look hideous. So please leave."

"And I told you that I'm sure you do not," he replied with a chuckle. "Come on," he prompted, and she sensed that he was right in front of her now. "Take off the bag, my darling."

Slowly, ever so slowly, she inched the bag off her head, but not without placing her hand directly against the left side of her face.

"There, see!" she chirped brightly, smiling widely as if nothing was amiss. "I look bad. Now, if you would just-"

"Céline," he interrupted, quieting her. His stormy eyes were narrowed, full of suspicion. "Put down your hand."

She didn't want to see his reaction. She closed her eyes and bent her head, then steadily let down her hand to her side.

She kept her eyes closed as she felt his index finger on her chin, gently tilting her head up. She heard a sharp intake of breath, followed by a growl.

"Who did this?" he seethed, but she only squeezed her eyes shut tighter. "Céline, tell me who did this!"

"It doesn't matter," she mumbled. And it was true. The person who struck her owned every aspect of her life, it didn't matter how he treated her.

"It matters to me," he hissed. "Look at me."

When she didn't move, he repeated the order.

"Céline, look at me. Please."

She forced her eyes open. As she did, she saw how his eyes, narrowed and livid, were glowing a brighter blue. She didn't even know vampire eyes could glow.

"Are your eyes glowing?" she asked off-handedly.

"Tell me who did this," he demanded again, ignoring her question entirely. "Who was it? Gaspard? Beatrice? Veronique? A butler? Who?!"

"It doesn't-"

"It does matter!" he snapped, taking hold of her shoulders. For the first time since the ball, she was actually afraid of him. He must've sensed her fear, for immediately afterward he released her and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm himself.

This time when he opened them, they looked purely distraught. When he took her by the shoulders again, it was by a much more gentle approach. Wordlessly, he brought his mouth down to her neck and licked the two, previously unhealed puncture wounds, before planting a kiss to the newly-healed flesh.

He brought his head back up to look directly at her. She glanced away in shame, as he brought up a finger to just below her eye. She hissed as he applied a tiny bit of pressure, prompting him to snatch his finger away.

"I can't heal internal wounds by licking them," he murmured, and she nodded her understanding. She would have to endure this for however long it took to naturally heal.

"You'll have to drink my blood."

She snapped her head back to look at him in shock. Drink his blood?!

"But won't it turn me into a vampire or something?" she questioned worriedly. She didn't want to become a vampire anytime soon.

"No, the toxin is in the fangs. My blood will only heal you," he answered solemnly, the frown of his lips and the serious look in his eyes indicating that he was telling the truth. She believed him, but she was still wary of just how she would be able to drink his blood. He would have to have an injury or something, right?

Gabriel raised his wrist to his mouth, keeping his gaze trained on Céline the entire time. Her ears picked up a distinct snapping sound, drawing out a wince from her. The noise sounded so sick and painful, yet he didn't even flinch.

When he removed his wrist from his mouth, her mystified stare zeroed in on the two lines of dark, red blood seeping from the self-inflicted bite. He wasn't actually planning for her to-?

"Drink," he ordered in a low murmur, guiding his wrist closer to her mouth. She grimaced and leaned her head away; she couldn't drink his blood! That was gross, and scary, and something that a normal human being didn't do.

"Céline, please," he begged, now using his other hand to cup the back of her head, probably in an effort to prevent her from trying to escape. "It will heal you, I promise. You only need a little bit."

Her lips screwed together in a stubborn pout. What did it even taste like? Death? She was perfectly fine with waiting for her injuries to heal naturally, in that case.

His wrist now rested against her lips. All she would have to do is dart her tongue out to taste the red liquid slowly trickling its way out of the vein.

"Drink," he prompted again, yet he only succeeded in making her shake her head vigorously back and forth in outright refusal. He sighed; sometimes he wished he didn't fall in love with a woman who could be so hard to persuade.

But he was very skilled in getting what he wanted, and he wasn't about to surrender now.

His fingers in her hair slightly curled, so that the golden strands were in between the digits.

"I could simply compel you to do it, you know," he pointed out, making sure to look deeply in her eyes as he said it. "You would do anything I asked of you."

"But you won't," she replied in a whisper, her cautious gaze still pinned to the trails of blood that was still oozing out of his bite. "You know I'd never forgive you for manipulating my mind."

He leaned closer to her ear, so that his lips were placed just at the shell.

"I could make you forget," he continued, shifting his voice to a husky tone he often used when enticing his prey. The mortal he targeted would go weak in the knees upon hearing it, usually agreeing to whatever it was he wanted with no further protest. He hoped Céline would react in a similar way.

His lips curved into a smug grin as he heard her breath hitch. Just one more little push.

"Drink, my darling." He punctuated the words by pressing his wrist to her mouth with a gentle push. "I'd rather not have my Loved One in pain."

The resulting gasp that tore out of her throat was enough of an opening. He lightly tugged down on her hair, bringing her neck up in the process. He tilted his wrist and before she could make any sort of retaliation, watching with satisfaction as a single drop of blood landed on her tongue.

Her eyes widened as she let out another gasp, most likely in disbelief at what happened. For a few moments she didn't move, utterly still in his arms as he still held his wrist to her mouth. He felt fear spike inside him; was she in shock? Angry? He didn't want to force her, but it was the only way she could be properly healed. The Bérangers weren't likely to take her to a doctor if they haven't done so already.

Imagine his surprise when she abruptly grabbed his hand with both of hers and latched her mouth to his wrist, before sucking on the wound to get as much blood as she could.

Céline involuntarily moaned at the exquisite taste, the ensuing noise of Gabriel shifting in his stance mere background noise in her mind. His blood tasted so sweet, not in the sense of dessert, but something otherwise completely foreign. She couldn't get enough. And to think at first she was completely against this! If she had known, she wouldn't have even hesitated.

She felt his fingers ghost over her injured cheek, to just below her eye, along the bone there. She continued on as if it hadn't happened, not even registering that she didn't feel a bit of pain from his touch.

"Alright, my darling, I think that's enough," Gabriel said, trying to tug his hand free. She whined in disappointment, but made sure to lick the last few drops she could before she completely released him.

She didn't take notice of the way his eyes briefly darkened as her tongue flicked against his wrist. However, it wasn't very long before the irises faded back to their normal color. Without another second to waste he took his hand back, licking the puncture marks closed to stop the blood flow.

Céline slowly blinked, as if just coming out of a daze. When her eyes refocused, her peeved glare landed straight onto Gabriel.

"Did you compel me to drink your blood?" she accused, already half-convinced that her suspicion was true. "I told you I'd never forgive you for doing that."

He shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"You're welcome for healing you, by the way. As for your question, no, I didn't compel you. You drank my blood by your own volition."

"No, you tilted my head back and pressed your wrist to my mouth!" she retorted, pointing a finger at him. She wouldn't dare admit to being actually thankful that he was willing to share his blood in order to heal her. "And you seduced me to get to that point!"

"I didn't have much of a choice, Céline," he hissed, matching her glare with an annoyed scowl. "Would you have rather me leave you to your orbital fracture and bruised cheek? To wait weeks for it to heal on its own? You're my Loved One, you should never feel any amount of pain. This should never have even happened in the first place!"

"And that!" she pointed out, "you called me your 'Loved One'. That's not true. We're not-" she faltered, finishing the next words in a whisper. "-together, like that."

He felt the sharp sting of rejection, but only straightened his stance in response. He couldn't look weak.

"Oh no? Then what is this we have right now?" he coolly asked.

"It's just a fling for you, isn't it?" she replied, her voice sounding smaller. Her gaze strayed to the side before looking back at him. "Just to have some fun before a vampire princess comes along, right?"

He took the steps needed to close the distance between them. Without a word he brought a finger under her chin to tilt her head up, effectively causing her to meet his earnest gaze.

"Céline, I don't have 'flings'. I don't spend my time with other women, only to wait for the next best thing. Not only would it be a waste of my time, but I simply have no interest in pursuing anyone other than the one I know I'm meant to be with. All of this has been real, every moment."

His lips pressed into a tight line, and for a second she thought that he actually looked frightened.

"I love you," he finally forced out, monotonous but after talking with him for so many nights, she could detect the sincerity in his voice.

And honestly, that scared her.

"I love you, Céline. I don't care that you're a blood slave and I'm a vampire. I love you."

Never before had he felt so vulnerable. The truth was finally laid out; it was up to her for what she did with it.

I know I said that Adrien would wrap this up in the next chapter, but I underestimated how much longer Gabriel and Céline's story would go. Hopefully next chapter Adrien will end it xD

Also, I felt I should point out that the story Adrien is telling is more like a summary with some details here and there. He doesn't really know about the kissing parts, since I don't think a parent would go that much into detail about them with their child xD