Chapter Twelve

Self-proclaimed Surrender

The Lady and Prince Noir were tossed into a single cell without any sign of compassion coming from the guard who'd taken them there. If he hadn't promised to Plagg that he'd keep his identity a secret until the Moth was caught, Adrien would've taken the ring off his finger and prove his identity to his bodyguard before he'd even been given the chance to drag Adrien and his Lady to the dungeon.

Revealing himself now would put both the Prince and his Lady at risk. But – how else were they to get themselves out of this situation? That girl...

Adrien rubbed his chin. He'd hit the ground hard, but luckily he'd come out mostly unscathed. One sideways glance towards his Lady assured him that she was fine, too. Even her dress was completely clean – Adrien figured that the Miraculous provided some kind of protection for the wearer. That might include some advantage for the Lady and Prince Noir.

But for now, they had no advantages whatsoever – they were locked in a dark dungeon cell, with no one around to help them out of their situation. The Moth would probably arrive in minutes, to take their jewellery – Adrien figured the Moth would no longer need to kidnap him in order to get what he wanted, considering the Miraculous were now out and about. 'Up for grabs', so to say.

And even if they hadn't been up for grabs before, they sure were right now.

"So," Prince Noir said, letting out a nervous chuckle as he turned on his knees to face his Lady, "guess the Moth found someone who got the better of us, huh? That girl got us good..."

"She got us good," the Lady responded, "but we'll get her better." She was on her knees, struggling slightly under the weight of her skirt to get up. Adrien quickly hurried over to help her up.

"What do you mean?" he asked her, receiving a cheeky grin in return.

"I just looked at the lock, and I got an idea," she said. "I'm not sure if it'll work, but it's worth a try. All we need is a little bit of luck... a lucky charm."

Adrien still didn't get it, but things became clearer when the Lady reached for her hair and pulled out a pin. Her hair remained up because of the red ribbon, but the ribbon sank a little to the left due to its weight. The pins were simply meant to support the red accessory. The Lady made a couple steps forward – as far as she could, given the size of the small cell – and leaned forward towards the lock.

"You're going to pick that?" the Prince asked. "You... really aren't a thief, are you? Just trying to make sure."

The Lady threw him a glare and rolled her eyes. "No, I'm not a thief." A sigh followed. "I have a friend who's lost the key to a chest with things that are very important to her multiple times, and I've helped her open it without using the key multiple times." She paused working on the lock to smile. "She's found the key again, though. I... think."

Prince Noir nodded. "Interesting... and good for her. I think."

The Lady didn't respond. She was too busy trying to pick the lock. She held her ear as close to the lock as her position would allow, listening for signs that she was pushing the pins in the right position. Marinette had to concentrate; if she accidentally broke the hair pin, it'd be stuck inside the lock – and the Lady and Prince Noir would be stuck inside this cell all night. It was of the utmost importance that that didn't happen.

Finally, Marinette heard the sound she'd been waiting for; the sound of the lock clicking open.

"Got it!" she said, smirking at Prince Noir. As soon as he realised the lock was open, his mouth curled up into a broad smile.

"You did it! I knew you could do it, My Lady!" he said. "I could kiss you right now!"

Marinette had to blink twice to process what Prince Noir had just told her. Then, she burst out laughing.

"Alright, it's really not that funny," Prince Noir said. Adrien felt slightly embarrassed about that uncontrolled outburst. "Let's... let's just go now, alright? We've got a mission to complete, remember?"

The Lady nodded, giving the cell door a push so that it swung open. "I didn't forget," she said. "So follow my lead, Romeo, and we'll be able to enjoy the third night of this ball as regular guests."

Romeo. Another uncanny nickname. But Adrien put his feelings aside and followed his Lady out of the cell, back to the ballroom, back to their mission.

The clock struck. Half an hour until midnight; apparently, they'd taken longer to find the Akuma-victim and to get thrown into a cell than either the Lady or Prince Noir had anticipated. They had to hurry.

Luckily, the Lady's plan could be executed in minutes, and the closer it was to midnight, the larger the chances were of the plan actually succeeding. For now, it was important that the Lady and Prince Noir got out of the dungeons and back to the ballroom without being noticed. If they were caught, they'd probably get in more trouble than they already were.

The Lady and Prince Noir were in luck. The Gorilla had better things to do than keep watch of two seemingly innocent kids. Even if they were thieves, what were they going to steal? Neither of the two children seemed all that strong. Adrien was a thin seventeen-year-old, and so was Marinette. To the Gorilla, they seemed like nothing special.

But then again, the Gorilla didn't know about the magical jewellery the teenagers carried, and thus the Gorilla missed out on a most special fact.

Lucky Lady and Noir.

The castle halls were deserted, just as they'd been the night before. Marinette couldn't help but think about her plan. Would it work? The Moth would have to be quite the vain man for this plan to work... but he'd be exposed to the entire kingdom.

And so would Marinette and Prince Noir. But that was simply the price of freedom and safety for all citizens – those who were attending the ball tonight and those who were at home.

"Right this way, Master Moth."

"You've done a very good job, my little Akuma. When it comes to illusions, you are a true artist."

"Of course I am. I thrive off illusions – I can make anyone believe what I want them to."

Lila had proudly reported to the Moth as soon as the Gorilla had reported back to her – the Lady and Prince Noir had been caught successfully, and the Moth would have the honour of taking their jewellery. Soon, he'd be the most powerful man on the planet.

He'd be King no more... he'd be a god.

But when Lila and the Moth arrived at the cell where the Gorilla had claimed to have put the Lady and her accomplice, the Moth found an empty cell, door open.

"Lila," the Moth asked, "what is this?" Lila could tell by the tone of his voice that the Moth was boiling with rage deep inside, but somehow his exterior was capable of staying unsettlingly calm.

"I don't know, Master," she responded. "I mean – I saw them. I tricked that gorilla of a man with an illusion the Prince. The illusion ordered him to take the two to the dungeon, and that's exactly what he did." She paused and bit her lip. "They must've escaped."

The Moth's hands were shaking. Clearly, his patience was running out and his calm facade was minutes away from breaking down.

"If they escaped," he said, "then that means they're somewhere inside the castle. GO FIND THEM!"

Lila jumped. She curtsied towards the Moth, making multiple apologies before and while she ran away, off to find the Lady and Prince Noir. She had to find them, and fast – there were only twenty minutes left until midnight.

The Moth stayed behind. He needed some time to cool down. Five minutes were enough, and by the time he returned to the ballroom, there were fifteen minutes left until midnight. He heard the clock begin to chime as he set foot outside the dungeon. Three more had passed by the time he'd found the entrance to the ballroom again.

And there was something going on. The Lady and her black-suited accomplice stood on the balcony above the thrones, looking the Moth right in the eye. The ball attendants made way for the Moth, forming a path in front of him.

"Please, Hawk Moth," the Lady said, "come closer. We wish to talk."

"Very well," the Moth said, making good use of the path the ball attendants had created for him. These children had gained the full attention of the massive crowd, and had probably managed to tell them exactly what was going on. So much the Moth could tell from the silent gasps some members of the crowd let out as he passed them.

The Moth didn't know where his Akuma was. He didn't care, either, honestly – but he could use her as leverage. If the two self-proclaimed 'heroes' on the balcony held the girl hostage, he could pretend that he intended to save her. That would make the Lady and her Prince seem like the bad guys. At least, to some extent. But that wasn't necessarily the Moth's intention.

"Where is she?" he asked. "Where is that darling Lila? If you hurt her... you'd be no better than me."

"Don't worry," Prince Noir said. "We haven't even so much as touched her. Simply... subdued her."

"Leave her out of this," the Moth said. "If you know what's going on, then you also know she's an innocent victim."

"We are aware," the Lady said. "But we know you are holding the Prince and his father hostage somewhere." Pure bluff. Initially, Marinette thought the Prince had been subdued by the girl, who'd now been reintroduced to her as Lila, but after ambushing the girl from behind, she and Prince Noir learned the truth. The Prince hadn't been there at all; it'd been an illusion, created by a magical flute the Moth had given the Fox.

That gave Marinette an idea to give her plan a spin. A spin that would assure her and Prince Noir's safety just that much better than her original plan.

The Moth decided to play along, smirking underneath the heavy mask that concealed the entirety of his face, save for the mouth. "I do," he said. "And you also know what I wish for their ransom."

"We do, Moth," Prince Noir said. Adrien had no idea where his father was – but if he was safe, then his father was probably, too. He didn't like the Lady's original plan, but this new one, he liked. It was fun.

The Moth was about to receive a taste of his own medicine. "In return for the King and his son's freedom, we are prepared to give you what you desire. We will be coming down to you in a minute..." He quickly eyed the clock. "There's eight minutes until midnight left. We wish to make the exchange in three minutes."

"That's fine," the Moth said. It wouldn't matter. Five minutes would be more than enough. He'd be long gone by the time midnight struck.

His plan would be executed in the morning, when he'd regained his energy from being up all night.

The duo kept a close watch of the clock – in fact, everyone in the ballroom did. When three minutes had passed, the Lady and Prince Noir began descending the steps that led to the balcony. A minute. Another to approach the Moth, who had stopped to speak to the Lady halfway through the ballroom. The Moth noticed that the Lady and her accomplice were taking their time. But even three minutes would be more than plenty for the Moth.

They stood in front of him. Prince Noir bowed, the Lady curtsied. The boy reminded the Moth of his own son in some way.

The Moth began losing his patience. Two minutes and thirty seconds.

"I believe we had a deal," the Moth said through gritted teeth. The Lady nodded.

"Of course," she responded. "We do, Hawk Moth. Do not fear." Two minutes. "You will get what you deserve."

They waited another thirty seconds, every second feeling like an eternity. One minute. The Lady's hands began to move towards her earrings.
"First, I will remove the Ladybug Miraculous," she said, as she began to move the stud that kept the first earring in place backwards. She held the jewel safely in her palm as she moved to do the same to the next.

Fourty-five seconds. The Moth could start to feel beads of sweat running down his neck.

"Now, I'll remove my ring," Prince Noir said. Fourty seconds. The Moth held both his hands out, eager to receive the earrings.

"Where can we find the King and his son?" Prince Noir asked.

"I'll tell you, I promise," the Moth said. "Please. Give me the Miraculous and I'll tell you everything I know." Of course, the Moth knew nothing. And that was exactly what he'd tell these two utterly naive children.

The Lady and Prince Noir nodded. Thirty seconds. They placed the jewellery in the Moth's palms, but he did not feel their weight. As soon as the Moth closed his gloved palms and opened them again, both the Miraculous were gone. And so were the Lady and Prince Noir.

"WHAT?!" the Moth bellowed. "I'VE BEEN TRICKED!"

The ball attendants held their breath as they redirected their attention towards the figures that had appeared on the balcony. They'd hid themselves in the back and had remained unseen by the Moth.

The Lady and Prince Noir. And the Lady held the Fox's flute in her hands.

"Nice toys you give to your victims, Hawk Moth," she said, smirking at the man who was caught in a fit of rage down below. "I'd almost want to become one.

"I'm sorry... but it's time to show everyone who you are. Who we are. The masks are coming off."

The Moth bared his teeth angrily, wanting to shout at this girl, who had managed to patronize him. Then, he was distracted from his anger by the sound of a clock.

Twelve O'clock.

The Moth was frozen in place, and even if he hadn't been, the crowd had closed him in. His adversaries displayed no desire to run.

As the clock struck for a last, twelfth time, all three their identities had been revealed. Some ball attendants screamed. Others fainted.

A Prince and a baker's daughter stood on the balcony, and stuck between the crowd stood... a King.