"What was that all about? Were you trying to get her to hate you?! Ya know, Marin, I trusted you back there, and you let me down."
'Exactly' Mari thought to herself. 'You're not supposed to trust me…'
"My apologies, sir. I will not act disrespectfully towards you or your guests ever again, your highness."
She watched him flinch as she turned back to formalities.
"Whatever. Just go eat some lunch. They'll give you something if you go to the kitchens."
Adrien turned on his heel and walked briskly in the direction of his room.
Why was he angry at her? Chloe deserved worse than that… Did he just want her to stay with him that much? Was it because… Because she reminded him of his Lady?
He still regretted leaving the miraculous organisation. Leaving his partner, his Lady, his love all behind in the dust.
He shuddered as he remembered the last day he spent there.
He had discovered the identity of their enemy.
*flashback*
He could hear the heels on her boots clopping down the hallway as she ran.
The stretchy material of this man's mask slid like a liquid between his fingers. With an agonising tear he yanked it clean off his face.
And stared.
Horror. Disbelief. Impossible.
He backed up to the door of the room they were in. Ladybug was getting closer. She couldn't know. He had to protect him.
"Oh Chat, I made it! Are you oka-"
He slammed the door shut in her face, clicking the lock.
"Chat!? Chat! Open up! CHAT PLEASE! It's getting closer!"
She began pounding on the door, furiously.
"CHAT! LET ME IN! The water, it's-"
Water? What water?
'Don't tell me… The ship is flooding?!' He thought.
The floor beneath him creaked in unison with her scream as something powerful made impact with the door.
Water began to pour through the sides of the door.
Adrien turned, to see the man he knew so well had escaped through the other door.
He began to frantically fumble with the lock. He had to save her. She was drowning. Alone. Because of him.
He yanked open the door, only to be hit by a surge of salty water that pushed him back, back, through the back door.
All he saw was a glimpse of red, before he was released from the water's hold.
Without thinking, he scrambled up the stairs and up, up onto the deck. Only when he was jostled into a small rowing boat and lowered over the edge did he realise.
She was still down there. In that corridor. Probably dead. Definitely his fault.
They watched the ship crumble under the weight of the water, every wooden plank that came bubbling to the top seemed to stab him clean through the chest. The sails floated perfectly against the surface, before twisting painfully and plunging into the deep unknown.
His partner. His strong, beautiful, brave partner. The only girl he'd ever loved was gone, because of him, trying to protect their sworn enemy. Even if Hawkmoth was his father, Ladybug had made him a great deal happier than the king ever had.
*end of flashback*
After that, Chat Noir never showed his face at the Miraculous Organisation again.
Marinette made her way down to the kitchen, keeping her eyes on every passing member of staff, in the hope that she'd find what she was looking for.
She thought back to the morning, remembering her conversation with the prince. Something about him and the way he spoke seemed… familiar. Very familiar.
She cast the thought aside and continued. She'd stay here, lying about her identity and gender as long as it took her to find him. The man who worked at the palace.
Marinette couldn't decided if she loved him or hated him. He had been a great friend to her, even if he had joked about liking her from time to time.
(Btw he was NOT joking all you Ladynoir fans nudge nudge but that was just what Mari thought. Well actually I think she knew she just didn't want to acknowledge it)
However, she couldn't work out how Chat could betray her like that, leaving her to die. It didn't add up…
"Have you eaten?"
Adrien's sudden appearance caught her off guard.
"Y-Yes, your highness."
Stuttering?! Really Marinette? What are you, a silly 14 year old with a crush?
"I told you specifically not to call me that, I prefer Adrien."
"R-Right. Adrien. Right. Hahaha, why am I rambling?!"
Adrien was taken aback by her sudden shyness.
"Anyway, Marin, we have some free time now, so why don't we take a walk… You seem to be looking for something? Or someone?"
"No, do not worry Adrien. Shall we go?"
The two walked back to the courtyard where they sat on the very fountain from this morning's incident.
He looked at her as she gazed up at the sky.
Now he was aware that she was a girl, he could see all of the flaws in her disguise that he hadn't noticed before. But if he hadn't noticed them, were they really flaws at all? She really was beautiful, up there with the likes of his mother and his Lady.
And it struck him like a bolt of lightning. What had felt so familiar about her. The way she spoke to him.
The first time they met, it was like one of his flirty conversations to Ladybug. Obviously at the time he hadn't known he was talking to a woman, but that didn't matter now. Did this strange woman know Ladybug?! Heck, they even looked the same to some extent. I'm sure if she wasn't trying to look like a boy she would have looked like his Lady. What if they were related.
He could see the similarities.
What if she knew he was Chat Noir, and was related to Ladybug and that's why she was lying about her gender to become his personal retainer and extract her revenge.
Well, in all honesty, he deserved it after what happened.
But wait, how would she have known? The only person that knew Ladybug's death was his fault was Hawkmoth. And Hawkmoth didn't know who he was. His Lady-
He stopped.
He had no right.
No right, to call her 'his'.
Not after what he did. Not after all he'd done.
"Adrien? Are you even listening?"
He snapped back into reality.
"Sorry, I zoned out, you were saying?"
She sighed.
"I was asking if you knew of anyone who worked here who seemed to, I don't know, disappear, a lot. Blonde hair, green eyes. A bit like you. Similar build, height, voice… A lot like you actually."
She was realising the similarities very, very quickly.
'God, I was right, she is after Chat Noir! But she doesn't know it's me…'
"O-Oh yeah! I think there was this one guy… He left a while back though…"
She looked at the ground.
"I see… He left, huh… I don't think I can stay here. I need to find him. Adrien, I want you to fire me. It's the only way I can get out of this job today. I can't waste a second."
His eyes widened in shock, not knowing whether or not he wanted her to stay or he wanted her to leave so that hat she wouldn't discover him.
"W-What? Why? You only just got here, and I really like you! I mean, I want you to stay…"
Why? Why wasn't he gladly obliging and kicking her out!? I guess he wanted someone to punish him, to make him feel bad about killing her. Nobody knew it even happened except him and his father. Not like his father cared.
"I'm sorry, but I came here to look for someone and if they're not he-"
"They're right here. You're looking for Chat Noir, are you not?"