Nathalie sat in her bed, trying to concentrate on the book she was reading to no avail. Closing it, she took off her glasses, resting her head back and closing her eyes. She hadn't stepped foot outside of the palace for days. Théo was keeping a very tight reign on who came in and out of the gates. Mostly it was a handful of his personal servants and military personnel.he claimed it was for their protection, but she wasn't so sure.

News of Gabriel's convalescence was starting to spread and it was only a matter of time before Bourgeois would want to negotiate, if he hadn't made contact already. Considering the disarray the military was in over the deaths of Prince Adrien and Chat Noir, what was left for them to fight for? Gabriel had never been that popular as King, it was Queen Emilie the public had always adored and as the Prince grew, there had been so much of his mother in him. He held the promise of the whole country for a brighter future, a future that felt so much bleaker without his sunshine.

Nathalie wiped a stray tear from her eyes. How did it all fall apart so quickly? If Gabriel had shown just a little more kindness to Adrien and listened to him rather than forcing a marriage for his own selfish reasons, then Adrien might never have run away to the war. No… no it goes back further than that. When exactly did Gabriel's friendship with the Bourgeois crumble, and why? Gabriel had been friends with Audrey and Andre,long before he met Emilie. Then after Emilie's father died her and Nathalie returned from the funeral and something had changed. Over the following months Gabriel wasn't the same, Audrey stopped writing and Emilie's sister Amelie was more distant. When Emilie died, Audrey never even attended the funeral.

Nathalie was disturbed from her thoughts by a knocking on her balcony window. Quickly putting her glasses back on and wrapping her shawl over her shoulders, she opened the glass door to find Félix standing there.

"You're going to break your neck one day doing that." She scolded, looking down at the height he must have scaled. She sounded very much like how she used to scold Félix and Adrien when they were younger.

"How else am I supposed to get around? There's guards at every passage now." Nathalie stood aside for him to enter her chamber, offering him a drink which he declined.

"How is my Uncle?" He asked as he sat down. "His chambers are more closed off and I can't get anywhere near him."

"Do you really want me to answer that?" She said disparagingly. "Ever since word that Adrien…" Her voice choked on the words. She couldn't say died, she just didn't want to believe it. "He's become lost within himself. It's just like when Emilie died. He doesn't eat, he doesn't sleep... not unless he is in a drunken stupor. Back then I was able to snap him out of it by reminding him that he still had Adrien. But now…" Her voice trailed away. "He won't talk to me at all and I don't know what to do for him."

Nathalie cast her eyes down and sighed. "It's like he's just given up on life. They didn't need a war, they just needed to take away the one thing left that Gabriel actually cared about. His legacy."

"You mean his son?" Félix tried to correct, but Nathalie slowly shook her head.

"No, I mean his legacy. That's why he was so anxious for Adrien to marry and produce grandchildren. It would have cemented his legacy and the legitimacy of his line to rule."

Nathalie leaned over, fear evident in her eyes. "Barbot is watching all of us." Nathalie said in a hushed whisper. "You, me… the whole Palace. All these new guards everywhere he claims are to protect the Princess, but they are just his spies. I can't even send out a letter without it being read and approved first. He sees everything."

"Not everything." Félix said cryptically, an amused curl playing the edge of his lips. Nathalie couldn't help a small smile. She knew Félix had been sneaking up to see Kagami, although she couldn't help but worry for both their safety if anyone else found out.

"So how is the Princess?" She asked. Félix leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees with his hands clasped, fixing his eyes on the fireplace.

"Scared if I'm being honest, although she won't admit it. Adrien and Kagami were supposed to have married before Adrien turned 21. That's only a week away and sooner or later Queen Tsurugi will start asking questions, if she hasn't heard the rumours already. Kagami is her only child and she will be looking to make a new deal, a new… marriage." He closed his eyes and pressed his clasped hands to his forehead, not seeing the guilty look on Nathalie's face. "Why is Barbot keeping us all locked up here? It doesn't make sense."

"For the safety of the Princess? There were those threats…"

Félix shook his head. "Who would want to kidnap her? Bourgeois? I hardly believe they are in a position to pick a fight with Tsurugi, they are already adversaries. What even was Gabriel's deal with Kagami's mother?"

Nathalie fidgeted in her seat, uncomfortable with the truth. "Money. Pure and simple greed. The Tsurugi Kingdom is only small with few natural resources. They are our biggest importers of wheat and grain from the Southern Dupain region."

"So all that talk about the marriage helping to end the war…"

Nathalie shook her head. "It was a lie. I don't think even Barbot knew that. Both Audrey Bourgeois and Tomoe Tsurugi have the same problem, one child that happens to be a girl and Gabriel with an only son. Audrey tried to push a marriage with her own daughter, stating a prior claim and that Gabriel owed it to her. Gabriel flat out refused, making Tsurugi a better offer for her daughter out of spite, knowing that Tsurugi and Bourgeois are adversaries. Tsurugi doesn't even care what happens to Kagami. She handed her over in exchange for wealth and a free trade agreement. She doesn't know it, but Kagami effectively belongs to DuPont now whether she marries Adrien or not and is caught in the middle of a face off caused by people who should know better. This whole war could have been avoided if Audrey and Gabriel could have just sat down and resolved whatever their problem was in a diplomatic and mature way."

Félix was frowning at her, trying to make sense of what she was saying. "Audrey Bourgeois and Uncle Gabriel?" He asked. Félix had always assumed the issue was between Gabriel and Andre. "What happened between them?"

Nathalie shook her head. "I've been asking myself the same question, but I can only speculate. Sadly Kagami has become just a pawn in a game of chess where the rules keep changing."

Nathalie could see how worried Felix looked, not for himself but for Kagami. "I never thought I would see the day where you cared about someone other than yourself."

Félix balked, albeit through a chuckle. "That's a little harsh isn't it? I always cared about Adrien."

"You cared about irritating your Uncle by helping Adrien rebel and escape his responsibilities, no matter how noble he thought his intentions were."

Félix just shrugged. "Gabriel deserved it for what he did, to all of us." He mumbled. He then looked at Nathalie with complete sincerity. "But Kagami doesn't deserve any of this. I love her, Nathalie. I didn't intend to, I wasn't looking to, but it happened and it was out of my control. I love her more than I've ever loved anybody and she loves me which is a miracle in itself. I won't let anything happen to her."

"I can see that, but what can you do? I know how much time the two of you have been spending together but the reality is that Gabriel, or even Bardot acting on his behalf, can give Kagami's hand to whoever they wish and you'll have no say in it."

"I'll take her away from here before I allow another man to touch her." He said with determination, balling his hand into a fist on his knee.

Nathalie could see the fire in Felix's eyes. It was almost territorial, like he was protecting his claim. "Oh:" Nathalie breathed out in realisation. "Felix, you should have been more careful than that. I know you're both young and in love, but we can't afford a scandal right now."

Félix stood up, a look of defiance in his eyes. "It's too late for that Nathalie. I'm not letting her go now, not without a fight. I'm still the Duke of De Vanily, despite what my Uncle might say. Adrien promised me..."

"Félix…" Nathalie sighed. "We don't even know if Adrien is alive."

Félix shook his head. "Adrien is alive. I still believe that in here." He retorted, tapping over his heart with his fingers. "I'm going to find him and bring him back." He then crouched next to Nathalie's chair. "You should come with us. You're not safe here either."

Nathalie slowly shook her head. "My place is here with the King. When your Aunt died, I promised her I would always be by the King's side, and Adrien's. I intend to keep that promise."

Nathalie got up and opened a drawer on the writing bureau by the window, taking out a small rolled piece of paper. "You know Mr Ramier don't you?"

Félix had to think for a moment as he stood up. "You mean that strange guy with the carrier pigeons? I heard he sings them to sleep at night."

Nathalie lips curled up slightly. "Perhaps, but he is extremely loyal to the King. Usually Lila is always hanging about the coup waiting for messages from their spies, but this arrived yesterday when she wasn't there and he snuck it to me. It bears the mark of the akuma - a secret warning symbol only used when the Kingdom is in grave danger."

Félix took the scroll she offered him and unrolled it, holding it toward the light of the fire and reading the message inside.

"Organising support to rescue resistance members from prison. Will come to Capital asap. Traitor in the palace. King in danger. Use caution. L.C."

"It's from Captain Couffaine." Nathalie said, her heart heavy. "When I read the message, I didn't know what to do with it or who I could trust. I'm sorry Félix. I see now I should have trusted you with this."

Félix shook his head. "No, you were right. A few weeks ago I probably wouldn't have been able to be trusted. The truth is, Lila convinced me to join their schemes but things have changed. Maybe I've changed."

Nathalie reached her hand over, taking his in hers. "I'll help you however I can but you need to contact Luka. If he's trying to free prisoners they most likely were taken to the island prison of Montparnasse. It's a Bourgeois stronghold and difficult to escape from. There is a camp of our troops not far from there. Luka is most likely there planning his next move."

"Thank you." Félix said, leaning over and embracing her. Despite the way his Uncle treated him, Nathalie had always been kind to both him and Adrien, filling in the mother role as best as she could. They then heard a scuffing sound coming from the courtyard below, and Lila's voice telling someone to follow her.

Félix moved to the curtain and tried to look out the window to see what was going on.

"Looks like a courier." He said, turning to Nathalie. "I'll take this opportunity to send a message back to Luka."

"Be careful." Nathalie warned as Félix went to climb down the balcony.

"You know me Nathalie." Félix grinned as he disappeared below the railing.

"That's what worries me." Nathalie mumbled to herself.

Climbing along the rails, Félix re-entered the palace through the library where he knew no one would be. Opening the door, he saw below where the courier was following Lila across the foyer towards the throne room.

Carefully avoiding any guards, Félix pushed on one of the decades old portraits in the hallway, the image swinging open to reveal a secret passageway that was as old as the palace itself. Félix hadn't been through the passage in many years. Brushing away the odd cobwebs, the passage was only dimly lit by the air vents that dotted the way,

As he passed the throne room, he could hear Lila, Théo and XY talking. He stopped momentarily to hear what they were saying.

"Are you sure that's what you want me to do? I mean I'm up for it, but it's not that simple." XY said. "It will generate a lot of heat, so what's in it for me?"

"I have confidence in you." Théo replied, slapping a hand on XY's shoulder. "But to sweeten the deal I will bestow on you a Knighthood and a bride of high standing in this Court, as well as the rigement that had been cruelty denied you by the Prince. The personal guard of the new King. As for the heat, I already have the perfect decoy."

XY considered Théo's proposition before holding out his hand. "Consider it done."

Théo grasped XY's hand, shaking it before XY left the room. Lila then approached her Uncle. "So what was that message from the courier?"

"Something I had been waiting a long time for." Théo said cryptically. "Do me a favour, send a message to Lady Zoé Lee. Tell her I would like to see her to discuss some important business with her."

Lila wrinkled her nose up. "Lady Zoé Lee? You mean the Bee Keeper from the southern province? What's so important about her?"

Théo gave her a sinister grin. "She's our secret weapon my dear Lila. Now run along like a good girl. I have a war to negotiate."

Deciding not to waste any more time, Félix made a quick pace up the winding staircase that brought him up to the roof.

Finding Mr Ramier, he explained he needed to send a message of absolute urgency to Captain Couffaine. The bird man opened his coup and took out one of the birds. "This is Edgar." Mr Ramier explained. "He is my most reliable pigeon. He has never failed to deliver a message yet."

Félix didn't like the idea of having to trust a bird, but he had no other options. Quickly he wrote out a message.

"Need your help. Barbot is the traitor. Use caution. Meet Docklands ASAP. F.F."

Mr Ramier rolled the note up, putting it in the canister attached to Edgar's leg. Kissing the bird on the top of the head, he let him go and Félix watched as he disappeared into the night.

Félix thanked Mr Ramier for his loyalty and made his way back through the passages towards the library. He noted on the way that Lila and Théo had left from the throne room. Time was running out, and the thought of that brought on a cold sweat. If Barbot was up to what he thought he was, he needed to get Kagami away from here as quickly as possible.

Intent on going up to see her, he made a quick pace towards the window at the far end of the library when a figure moved from out of the shadows to block his path.

"I wondered how you were getting up to her room." Lila said, stalking her way towards him like he was her prey. "Keeping the Princess warm on lonely nights are we?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about." Félix replied, folding his arms. "I was planning on sneaking out to the kitchen for a late night snack."

Lila laughed, clearly amused. "Last time I checked, the Kitchen was on the other side of the palace. You don't have to lie to me, Félix. You forget that I'm the one that changes Kagami's sheets and the smell of your cologne is unmistakable. I knew you were a good actor, but I didn't think you would take my suggestion so literally. I'll hand it to you though, ruining her reputation was a bold move, even for you."

Félix regards Lila for a moment. It was obvious Lila must not have known the true nature of Kagami's betrothal either. Had she known, he was sure she wouldn't have suggested that little ploy he had originally tried to pull, although looking at it now he was almost thankful she had.

"What do you want, Lila?" He asked, clearly irritated.

"Oh nothing really." She replied innocently. "I just wanted to see you. I feel like you've been avoiding me lately and I've missed you so much." She said, moving closer to him to play with his cravat. Félix quickly grabbed her wrist.

"Maybe I don't like the company you keep."

Lila quirked an eyebrow at him. "Maybe I don't like the company you keep either, yet here we are."

Félix shook his head at her. "You don't get it, do you. These are real lives you're toying with here. People have died. How much did Bourgeois pay your Uncle to betray his King?"

Lila blinked at him innocently. "Whatever do you mean? My Uncle only wants peace so his fiancée can come home from the war."

"Bullshit." Félix growled angrily. "Don't act dumb with me Lila. Andre Bourgeois had no reason to think he could win this war and declare himself as ruler of DuPont if he didn't have someone working for him on the inside. Someone assuring him of success."

"So what?" Lila shrugged, not even bothering to deny it again. "Why should you care what happens to DuPont? King Gabriel has always had nothing but disdain for you, and for your mother. He stripped you of your title, remember. He took away everything you ever had and made you dependent on him." She inched closer to him, grabbing his collar and pulling his face towards hers, her eyes soft and seductive, her warm breath fanning his neck. "Forget this place, Félix. Forget Gabriel and Kagami and wars. I can give you everything you want. Marry me and you can be Duke of De Vanily again. Think about it. You're mothers ancestral home would be my wedding gift to you."

"You can't give me what isn't yours Lila." Félix said flatly, prying her hands off him. "Neither can your Uncle. I'm done with this. Whatever you two are scheming I want no part of it anymore."

Lila glared at him, her eyes narrowed and her finger pointing accusingly. "You really are in love with her aren't you?" She then erupted in laughter. "Poor Félix, you really can't catch a break can you?" Her laughter made an already irritated Félix positively irate.

"Lila, I swear if your Uncle even thinks about touching her…"

Lila waved her hand around at him. "Or what Félix? What do you think Tsurugi would do if she found out her daughter had been ruined by a man who didn't even have a title to his name. Without Gabriel's protection you'd be on the street. You should be grateful my Uncle will help her to at least keep face and her position in society as the wife of a Knight rather than out her publicly for her indiscretions."

Félix wasn't sure he couldn't feel any more contempt for someone than he did right now. "So that's what this was all about? Your Uncle marries the Princess off as a prize? For what exactly?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She teased. "You've shown where your loyalties lay. I hope you get what you deserve."

"Be careful what you wish for Lila." Félix retorted. "Traitors never prosper. You should save yourself while you can."

"If you think I'm going to throw my Uncle under the carriage, you can think again. He's my family."

Félix glared at her coldly. "And Adrien was mine."

Lila locks eyes with him, almost daring him to back down. When he didn't she simply chuckled annoyingly. "Enjoy your time with her while you can Félix. You won't have her for long." With that she stormed out of the library, slamming the door and causing the chandelier above to rattle.

With the courtyard below clear, Félix scampered over the window and climbed up the trellis to Kagami's balcony. With three slow taps on her door he waited for her to come and open.

A delicate hand reached out, grabbing his arm and pulling him inside before a soft body slammed into him. She was wearing a red knee length negligee and he could feel every curve of her body beneath the soft fabric.

"I thought you weren't coming." She whispered. Félix ran his fingers through her midnight hair before cradling her chin, turning her face to look up at him. She looked so small, so vulnerable, so precious and she had no idea how precarious her life was becoming.

"I promised I would come, didn't I?" He smiled, but she could see it wasn't reaching his eyes.

"What's wrong? You look worried."

"Always so observant." He grinned, kissing her softly. He lifted their entwined hands and kissed the back of hers. "Lila knows about us."

"I had a feeling she did. Do you think she will say anything?"

"I don't trust her." He said, his eyes hardening. "I thought she was my friend once, but not anymore. We need to get you out of here. Barbot has too much control here, and he's about to negotiate with Bourgeois. That can't be good for any of us, or you." He said, leading her over to the edge of the bed to sit down.

"Me? What about the King?" Kagami asked. "Surely he wouldn't surrender."

"He's not in a position to disagree." Félix replied, shaking his head. "He's in a drunken stupor and on a path to self destruction. We need to find my cousin. He's the only one who can stop this madness. I know he's alive… I know it."

"I believe you." She said, tightening her fingers around his hand.

"I've sent a message to Captain Luka Couffaine. He's to meet us at the Docklands Hotel when he returns. It's near Swan Island. If anything happens to me, you find your way there. He's Adrien's closest friend and he will help you."

His face then softened and he looked back into her hazel eyes. Gently he tucked her hair behind her ear and stoked the back of his fingers on her cheek. Kagami could read Félix like an open book, and she could see he was holding back. "There's something else isn't there? What are you not telling me?"

Félix hesitated, but she needed to know the truth. "Kagami, your mother gave you to Gabriel to marry whoever DuPont chooses for you. He chose Adrien for his own reasons, but it wasn't for the reasons they led us all to believe. I think Barbot is planning to marry you off to his mercenary, XY. I don't know what he's planning, but he's getting a Knighthood in the mix, and enough standing in society to keep your mother's deal in play."

A soft gasp of horror escaped Kagami's lips. Félix cupped her face in his hands. "I won't let that happen. I'm getting you out of here. Be ready in two days. I love you. Do you hear me? I love you and I would rather die than let him lay a finger on you." He crashed his lips into hers, devouring her taste between gasping breaths. Kagami fell back into the bed, his lips hungrily chasing hers as their bodies melded together.

"Félix…" She whimpered as he found that sweet spot, her body arching into him.

"Marry me Kagami." He murmured against her neck. "I know I don't have anything to offer you right now, but soon I will have my title and land back and you'll be the true Duchess of De Vanily, my wife and no one else's."

Kagami held his head in her hands, her eyes locking onto his. "I don't care if I'm the Duchess of De Vanily or just Mrs Fathom. I just want to be with you." She brought his face down to hers, kissing his lips softly, languidly, as the fire reignited between them. "I'm yours Félix. Don't ever let me go."

"Never." He vowed, as they became lost in each other.