Here's the new chapter of I'll Find You! I'm quite satisfied with it so I hope that you guys will like it! Enjoy!

AU: Arranged marriage/Secret lover

Pairing: Marichat/Adrienette

Summary: Marinette is not happy to know that her mother had married her off to some random prince of a neighbouring country, especially not since she already had her little black kitty. The only way to get out of the marriage was to find another, wealthier family to marry… what was Chat Noir's real identity, again?


Marinette shifted nervously in her seat. Her parents were looking at her intently and she couldn't help but squirm uncomfortably under their gazes.

"… What?" she asked nervously.

"Marinette," her mother, Queen Sabine, said, her tone serious. "We have something of extreme importance to discuss with you."

Marinette swallowed her nerves. She did not like the tone that her mother was using. She knew that there was a high chance of it being something that she would not like.

Her father took over, "It is something that your mother and I have been discussing for some time. You are 16 Marinette," she did not like where this was going, "and you are nearly of age to be married."

Marinette's jaw dropped. Nononononono. It couldn't be. She must have heard it wrong. Her parents were not implying that they were marrying her off. They weren't implying that they were arranging a marriage for her, against her will. She snapped her jaw closed, swallowed, before she asked, "Pardon?"

"You are nearly of age to be married." Repeated Tom patiently, "Sabine and I have decided that you will marry Prince Nathanael of the Illustrator kingdom. He requested your hand in marriage a week ago."

She couldn't believe it. They were marrying her off. Against her will! Not even caring what she wanted!

"But, Papa!" She protested. "I don't even want to be married! Not at this age! And especially not to some random prince in a neighbouring kingdom! Why can't you at least let me choose who I want to marry?!"

"Honey," said her mother with a sigh, "16 is the ideal age for girls like you to be married. If you wait much longer, I am afraid that few kingdoms will ask for your hand. Besides, the Illustrator kingdom is quite wealthy, and this will benefit us greatly. Additionally, Prince Nathanael is a perfect gentleman from what I have seen."

"I don't care!" Marinette snapped, not caring if she sounded like a petulant, insolent child. "I don't care if I'll get too old to be married, I don't care if their kingdom is wealthy, and I don't care that that whatever prince is a gentleman! You can't make decisions like that for me! This is marriage, and I should be allowed to choose!"

"Marinette!" Sabine snapped, "Do not raise your voice! That is what we have chosen, and what we have chosen is for the best and in your best interest. Do not question our decision."

"Who gave you the right to completely govern my life?" Marinette yelled, ignoring Sabine's warning not to raise her voice, "You may be my parents, but I'm 16, and I can make decisions for myself! You can't decide everything for me! At least give me a choice in this matter!"

"Calm yourself, Marinette," said Tom in an even voice.

"Calm myself? Calm myself? How do you expect me to calm myself when you-"

Her father sent her a withering glare and she halted, sealing her lips, even though she was still seething with anger. How dare they?!

Tom turned towards Sabine, and he led her a little distance away, where they began whispering to one another.

No doubt discussing my insolence, thought Marinette bitterly.

She still believed that she had every right to be furious. An arranged marriage! An arranged marriage to some random prince from a neighbouring kingdom just because they had wealth and power! Why wouldn't they respect her freedom and allow her to choose what she wanted? They hadn't even asked for her opinion.

Besides, her subconscious added, there's Chat Noir to think about.

Yeah. Chat Noir, she thought, thinking of the black cat that had stolen her heart. But she pushed her thoughts of her lover away for the time being. It would not bode well with her parents if they found out that she was having a secret affair with Paris' very own saviour, Chat Noir.

She had to get out of the marriage. But how?

"Marinette," At the sound of her father's voice, Marinette jumped slightly, so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize that her parents had returned from their discussion.

"What." She returned tiredly.

"We have decided that you are to be married to the Illustrator kingdom. No buts," Tom said firmly, "You will meet the prince next week."

Marinette clamped down her rising anger, her mind whirring to find a way to get out of this. Think, think think…. Aha!

"There's no way out of this marriage?' she asked.

"Not unless you find a good reason to," said Sabine sternly, "And a 'good reason' isn't some petty argument on how we didn't give you a choice or we didn't think of your feelings."

"What if," Marinette paused, searching for the right words, "What if… I find someone who comes from a wealthier family? Someone whose family has even more wealth and influence and power than the Illustrator kingdom?"

It was a gamble, she knew. But she remembered Chat telling her once that his family was quite rich, and held quite a bit of influence. She wasn't sure exactly how much, but she presumed that it was somewhere around, if not more, than the Illustrator kingdom.

Her parents exchanged glances, and Tom shrugged, "I suppose so. If you can find a kingdom better than the Illustrator kingdom, and the prince or king of that kingdom is willing to lend you their hand in marriage, then you can marry into that kingdom of your choice instead. But be warned – you have until next week, so you'd better be quick."

With that, her parents left her room, leaving Marinette alone to think over what had just happened. It was clear that her parents did not believe for one bit that Marinette could find a kingdom more well-off than the Illustrator kingdom and had a prince willing to marry her, but they didn't know that Marinette had Chat.

Speaking of him, Marinette decided that there was a certain kitty she had to find.


It didn't take long to find him. Or rather, he found her. Chat Noir had once told her that he felt confined and restrained when with his family, so he often roamed around and visited her when he could, which was quite a lot.

Within minutes, there was a thump on her balcony, and she knew that he had arrived. Sitting on her bed, she waited for him to enter.

She waited only a moment, and then he was beside her, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face into her neck.

"Hey kitty." She breathed, raising her arms to run her fingers through his soft, soft hair.

"Mariiiiii," he mumbled, his voice rumbling in her neck. She laughed.

"Down, kitty. I know you miss me, and I miss you too, but I have something very serious to tell you. Something we have to discuss."

He leaned back, pouting. "Fine. What is it?" he leaned closer, his eyes suddenly filling with concern, "Is everything okay?"

She looked away. He knew her too well. "Yeah," she sighed, "And you're not going to like it either."

His brow furrowed, "Okay, now I'm scared. What happened, Princess?"

She wrapped her arms around her legs, staring hard at the ground, "My parents… they forced me into an arranged marriage."

Silence. Slowly, she turned her head to look at him, only to find that his feline green eyes were burning into hers, his mouth hanging open slightly.

"… What?" he finally said, his voice a mere whisper. She sighed and slumped.

"Yeah. Apparently, I'm of age, and the Illustrator kingdom is wealthy, which is beneficial to our kingdom. Prince Nathanael asked for my hand." She grumbled unhappily.

And then his arms were around her once again, with her face pressed to his chest. "But, Princess," his voice cracked slightly, "What about us?"

"They told me that there's one way I can get out of this marriage." Immediately, he perked up, his ears twitching. She reached out to scratch them. "They said I could get out of the marriage if a man from an even better kingdom asks for my hand."

She could feel him tense slightly, before relaxing, seemingly understanding her implication, "Well, I'm pretty sure that my family is much, much better off than the Illustrator kingdom."

"You don't have to," she said quickly, "I know you don't want to reveal your identity."

"It's fine," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Besides, it's about time, don't you think? We've been doing this for a year, at least. It's probably time to tell you."

"I don't want you to feel obligated to tell me just because of this. You should tell me when you really want to." She told him, reaching out to ruffle his hair.

"No, I've wanted to tell you for a long time. I just wasn't sure when the best time was to tell you," he chuckled softly, "So, am I allowed to ask for your hand in marriage?"

She laughed, "Of course you are, chaton. Why'd you even ask?"

"Just making sure." Sending her a wink, he placed one last kiss on her lips before standing up and bounding to the window. "Well, I got to go. Got to ask for a certain princess' hand in marriage as soon as possible. The next request you get from an ultra-wealthy family, you'll know it's from me. See you later, Mari." He smiled softly at her and leapt out of the window.


Three days.

It had been three whole days since Chat Noir told her that he would ask for her hand in marriage. She was getting worried. What if his request couldn't arrive by the end of the week? She would be stuck with Nathawhathisname for the rest of her life. And while she didn't doubt (much) that he would be a gentleman, she found herself dreading the idea of not being with her dear kitty.

She sighed and decided to get ready for bed. Just then, someone barged into her room without knocking. Gasping, she whirled around, facing the intruder… or rather intruders, who happened to be her parents.

"What the -?" Marinette exclaimed. She took in their appearances and was surprised to see that her usually immaculate and put together parents looked slightly disheveled, as if they had rushed to find her. They also had some kind of look in their eyes that she couldn't decipher.

Had something happened?

Before she could even open her mouth, her mother had beaten her to it. "How did-Marinette-what-" Sabine shook her head before composing herself. "Marinette, how is it that you managed to get a request for marriage from none other than Adrien Agreste himself of the Agreste kingdom?"

Marinette gaped. Adrien Agreste? The son of Gabriel Agreste, one of the most famous and influential men in Europe? The one who she'd once had a huge crush on?

He'd asked for her hand in marriage?

"I-I don't understand." Marinette swallowed, "Adrien Agreste?"

"Yes." Her mother's voice trembled from shock.

Her mind immediately flew to Chat Noir. What had he said again?

The next request you get from an ultra-wealthy family, you'll know it's from me.

Did that mean that Adrien was Chat?

She knew that she could be jumping to conclusions. But she started to put together pieces of information.

They both had blond hair and green eyes. Now that she thought of it, their height and build were actually the same as well.

Chat did say that he was from a very wealthy and influential family. So was Adrien.

They were both sweet and kind.

And they both had, at one point or another, made her heart flutter madly and her stomach do flips and her brain melt.

All the evidence pointed to one thing.

Adrien was Chat Noir.

Because how could he not be?

(Of course, this was too good to be true, and there was a chance that Chat wasn't Adrien, but Marinette wanted very much to believe so)

"Well?" realizing that both her parents were looking at her expectantly, Marinette hastily regained her composure and opened her mouth to speak.

Her mother cut her off, "You would be a fool not to accept this, Marinette. Just imagine it. Marrying into the Agreste family."

"I-I…" she gulped, "Of course I accept, Mother."


Not long after she had accepted Adrien's – Chat's – hand in marriage, her parents told her that they had arranged to meet with the Agreste family in a week's time. Marinette was buzzing with excitement.

She could not wait for that day to come.

The week flew by in a blur. Much to her disappointment, Chat Noir did not drop by to visit, but he hadn't been spotted anywhere in the country as well. She guessed that he was being pestered by his family to get ready for their meeting and their wedding.

She missed him, but she knew that she would see him soon.


It was the big day.

The day when she would meet the one she was to marry.

Adrien Agreste.

Chat Noir.

She was now quite sure that Chat was Adrien, since there had only been a few more requests for her hand in marriage over the past week, and none of them were from particularly wealthy families.

She was a bundle of nerves and oh god what if he decides that he doesn't like me anymore what if my dress falls apart what if I die oh gosh.

She tried to calm herself, and failing at it.

Gosh, she was going to fall apart in front of him if she kept at that.

With that thought, she forced herself to take deep breaths and not to worry. She would not embarrass herself in front of him. She would not.

God help her, she was so nervous. She tried to steady her erratically beating heart.

There was a knock on her door. "Marinette, it's time!" her mother called. Marinette could hear the nervousness in Sabine's voice.

"One moment!" she called back. She smoothed down her dress and checked her hair one last time in the mirror, before squaring her shoulders and wiping away her frantic expression.

She strode over to her door and stepped out, where her mother was waiting for her with a gentle smile.

"Darling, you look lovely," cooed Sabine, smiling at her, "Prince Adrien won't be able to take his eyes off you tonight. He'll fall all over you, I'm sure."

Marinette chuckled, "Yeah." He'd already fallen all over her, really, if he was who she thought was.

Sabine led her down the stairs, where Tom was waiting. Together, they walked to the ballroom in silence.

"Ready?" asked Tom.

Not at all. Marinette nodded, plastering a smile on her face.

The guard at the grand doors of the ballroom bowed to them and pushed open the door. Immediately, Marinette was greeted by music and colour and people and laughter.

She gazed in awe at the scene before her. Marinette had only been to a few parties before, and none of them were quite this big or extravagant. There was a live orchestra, and there were hundreds – hundreds! – of people dressed in formal attire, talking and dancing and eating.

Upon seeing the three of them enter, a hush fell over the huge room. Heads turned, and even the orchestra stopped playing.

Marinette fought the urge to twitch, feeling uncomfortable with so many stares focused on her. She continued smiling, trying to look confident and elegant, just like a princess should, and strode after her parents towards the thrones set in one side of the room.

When they sat, down, most of the people resumed their previous activities, and lively music filled the air once more. She scanned the crowds, looking for a familiar blond head, but was disappointed when she couldn't find him in the crowd.

"Where are the Agrestes?" she asked softly, leaning closer to her mother.

"They're arriving soon after us, dear." Sabine answered. They should be here… right about… now."

Right on cue, the ballroom doors opened, and, at the sight of the people who stood there at the entrance, the room lapsed into silence once again.

The first person she noticed was the tall, proud man with a stern expression. He had graying hair that was slicked back smartly and cold gray eyes. Hand in hand with him was a pretty woman with long golden hair and kind emerald eyes and a dazzling smile. Next to her…

Marinette's breath hitched slightly, her breath catching in her throat. She'd thought that she was at least semi-prepared for this. Apparently, she wasn't prepared at all because holy crap he was even more beautiful without the mask than in a tight leather suit.

The boy who stood next to his mother was both familiar and not. He had the golden hair that she had so lovingly run her hands through, the emerald eyes that made her weak in the knees, and the sweet sweet smile that she adored. Now though, his hair wasn't tousled like it usually was, and his eyes didn't have its feline features that she was so used to seeing. The mask that adorned his face as Chat was not present and he was wearing formal attire instead of the black leather suit she had grown accustomed to.

But even so, his identity was as clear as day to her. Any thoughts that Adrien wasn't Chat vanished from her mind.

She'd recognize her silly kitty anywhere.

The Agrestes moved towards where she and her parents were seated. She tore her eyes from Adrien and focused on Gabriel Agreste. Adrien might be her betrothed, but she was not going to be caught dead staring at him like a lovesick fool.

When the Agrestes were halfway across the ballroom, though, she felt someone's gaze burning into her, and she knew precisely who that someone was. Stubbornly, she kept her eyes on Gabriel Agreste, refusing to look at Adrien and fall to pieces in front of him.

She felt his gaze linger on her, and was mortified to realize that heat had begun to crawl up her neck. Swallowing, she forced down her blush, resisting the urge to just look at him, just one look at those captivating emerald eyes…

The Agrestes stopped just in front of where they were sitting. Marinette hesitated, unsure of what to do, and looked at her parents. Tom and Sabine got up from their thrones, and Marinette copied their actions, following them down the dais until they were face to face with the Agrestes.

It was only then did she allow her eyes to drift over to Adrien. Just as she expected, he was still gazing at her, and when their eyes met, Adrien's lips curled to form a soft smile, a smile that she recognised. She returned it, a weight lifting off her chest as a burst of giddiness rushed through her heart.

Oh, how she had missed him. It had only been a week, but she already missed him. Seeing him in front of her, unmasked and smiling, soothed the ache in her heart.

Her parents were talking with Adrien's parents, but she didn't – couldn't – pay attention to what they were saying. She stared at Adrien, unabashed, and he stared right back. The world around them faded away and disappeared and they were the only ones left in it.

"-and this is my daughter, Marinette." At the sound of her name, Marinette jolted out of the trance, tearing her gaze from Adrien.

"Marinette," said Gabriel Agreste, his expression contemplative, "Pleasure to meet you."

He held out his hand for her to shake, and she did so, hoping that her palm wasn't as sweaty as she thought it was. "The pleasure is all mine, King Gabriel." she replied in the most polite voice she could muster.

"Marinette," murmured the woman by him – Celine, she recalled, "That's a pretty name."

Marinette flushed slightly at the compliment, "Thank you, Queen Celine," she said, "But it was my parents who named me."

Celine smiled, "Ah, they must have good taste then. I adore the name Marinette."

Tom and Sabine exchanged smiles, before they turned towards Adrien.

"Prince Adrien," Tom boomed, "We are honoured to have our daughter betrothed to you."

"Please, King Tom," Adrien reached forward and shook Tom's hand, "The honour is all mine. I am delighted to have such a wonderful girl to be my bride." At that, Marinette flushed red, ducking her head slightly and hoping that no one noticed her blush.

Sabine giggled softly, "Quite the charmer, are we?" Adrien smiled, and took Sabine's hand, bringing it to his mouth and placing a polite kiss on it. "I speak nothing but the truth, Queen Sabine. I am sure that your daughter is an amazing person." He sent her a wink and it took everything Marinette had in herself to will herself not to blush.

"She is indeed," chuckled Tom.

Adrien turned towards her, and Marinette smothered the blush that threatened to show. "Princess Marinette," he greeted, taking her hand and pressing it to his lips, looking up at her through his lashes. It was that look alone that sent her reeling, and she caught herself before she did anything stupid. He straightened and smiled, "It is my utmost pleasure to finally meet you. I look forward to our time together."

"Likewise," Marinette was surprised and relieved that her voice didn't tremble, "It is nice to meet you, Prince Adrien."

They stared at each other for a moment too long until Tom cleared his throat, "Well, you two go off and have a good time. Would you like to join us, King Gabriel, Queen Celine?"

"Of course," Gabriel replied gruffly, and the four monarchs left, leaving the two teens staring at each other.

The slightly awkward silence was broken by Adrien as he extended a hand to her, "So, Princess," he all but purred, "May I have this dance?"

Giggling, she accepted his hand, "You may, my dear Prince."

Adrien led her out to the middle of the dance floor, and together they swayed to the music, a comfortable and familiar silence between them, and she relished in the feeling of being in his arms out of the suit.

Several dances later, Adrien whispered in her ear, "Do you want to go for a walk in the gardens? I'm growing rather tired of all this dancing."

She contemplated it for a moment. "Alright, alright." With that, Adrien pulled her away from the crowd of dancing people and towards the glass doors at one end of the room.

The guard there dipped his head in recognition, opening the door for them.

Stepping outside, Marinette breathed in the crisp air, a sharp contrast from the air in the ballroom. Adrien tugged her hand and led her to one of the benches.

They sat down, Marinette leaning her head on Adrien's shoulder, and enjoyed the other's companionship for a while. Finally, Adrien broke the silence.

"… Hey." She twisted her head to look at him curiously. "Is everything… good between us? You're not upset or anything, right?" he asked softly. She laughed.

"Of course not, you silly kitty," Reaching up, she brushed back a strand of his hair which had fallen out during their dancing. "Why would I be?"

"No, I just…" his voice trailed off, before he released a soft chuckle, "Irrational worries, I guess." He took her hand and swung it between them.

"Silly kitty," she mumbled, "I told you that I'd love whoever it is behind the mask, no matter what."

He nuzzled his face in her neck and she laughed, ruffling his hair. "I love you," he said, his voice muffled.

She laughed again, gently this time, "I love you too, chaton. Now, get your head out of my neck and give your Princess a proper kiss."

His head left her neck and suddenly his face was right in front of hers, green eyes bright in the moonlight, "With pleasure, Princess."

He kissed her, on the bench in her palace gardens under the moonlight, and she had never felt happier as she wrapped her arms around her betrothed and kissed him back.


Boom! Done! Sorry for the late update, my lovelies, but well, my week had been completely filled with tests and quizzes and homework. My following updates won't be frequent, since exams are next week, but I'll try my best! I already have half of the next chapter typed out so there'll probably be an update (or maybe 2 if you're lucky) this weekend. The next chapter is a Faerie AU, and after that will probably be an AU based off one of the books I read. Review and tell me what you think!

~stephanie