A/N: Hello again, everyone!
Here's the twelfth chap!
"Ms. Bustier! Or should we say 'Mayoress Bustier?" said Nino, the first to congratulate her on winning the election to be the city's next leader. He and all his friends heard she had her baby and wanted to visit her at the hospital.
"Aw, thank you, everyone!" Ms. Bustier loved the huge flower bouquet her former student gave her.
"Aww!" Rose gushed at her newborn baby. "What's her name?"
Gisèle announced with joyful pride. "Her name's Harmonie."
Harmonie had a tan complexion, short brown hair, and grey eyes and cooed in her mother's arms.
"Lovely name," Aisha said with a smile. "Like a melody."
Alya asked, "So, how've you been?"
Ms. Bustier sighed. "So much has happened..." she turned her head to Adrien and Kagami. "I'm so sorry, you two, about your parents."
Adrien and Kagami nodded their heads.
Both the Gabriel Agreste brand and Tsurugi Industries immediately went bankrupt after it was confirmed that Gabriel Agreste was the one who committed terrorism for the past year. Tomoe Tsurugi knowingly aided and abetted these heinous crimes and the true purpose of the Alliance rings.
And speaking of Tomoe, her trial and Nathalie Sancouer's took place around the same time. To say many countries wanted a piece of them was an understatement. Even the United States, Chinese, Japanese, and Nikenobian governments wanted a trial against them to throw the book at them.
And the two were extremely lucky to have escaped a death sentence, especially with the charges against them.
And in Gabriel 'Monarch' Agreste's case, it would have been much worse for him if he had still been alive.
All their friends have supported the two however they can, especially during the trials.
Kagami wanted one last moment with her mother and decided to confront her alone after being convicted of the charges.
"You called me a weak, disappointing humiliation. How could you do that to me? You said I wasn't up to our family's expectations. Yet, you willingly and knowingly caused so much terrorism and destruction around the world and used me and Adrien. How could you do that? Ask yourself this, mother. Was it worth it?"
A stone-faced Tomoe said nothing as she was led away to begin her sentence; Kagami watched with a tear falling from her eye.
Adrien had his own moment with Nathalie.
"Why, Nathalie?" Adrien asked with deep sorrow. "You helped my father cause so much destruction and terror because...you loved him?"
"I did, yes," Nathalie answered remorsefully. "And I wanted to bring your mother back as well. He had a chance to stop all this with the Rabbit Miraculous. I advised him to go back in time with instructions on how to fix the Peacock Miraculous. He could have saved your mother and me. But after seeing how obsessed he was with getting the Miraculous, I severed all ties with him."
Adrien responded, "But you still helped him in spades. And you knew I was a...senti-being." He swallowed his gulp when he said 'senti-being'.
"I only wanted to protect you, Adrien," Nathalie lowered her head. "And I failed you. And your mother. I'm sorry."
"I know you are." Adrien remarked bitterly.
Two guards come to retrieve Nathalie, and she's led away to begin her sentence.
Ms. Bustier spoke up. "Let me tell you two something: neither of you caused any of this. You were brought into your parents' madness. But you are not them. They made their choices. Now it's your time to make yours."
"We got your backs," Nino had his hands on Adrien's shoulders; Marinette had hers on Kagami's. "You two make the choices now."
"You can make your own rules on what you want now," Félix agreed.
Adrien and Kagami stared at each other. "Yeah. Thanks to you all. We're free."
"We're always gonna be here for you, dude." Nino lightly tapped Adrien's chest.
"No matter what," Marinette hugged Kagami, and the latter returned it.
"Thank you."
"And speaking of choices, Mayoress Bustier, what do you plan to do with the city now?" Myléne was excited to hear her former teacher's plans for the city, especially the ecological proposals in her programs.
"Everything! But first, there is one thing I'd like to do."
Mayoress Bustier held a conference in front of a large crowd at Place des Vosges and addressed the citizens.
"After the worldwide Miraculized attack, all Alliance rings hijacked and destroyed have been recycled and melted down to honor Ladybug and Cat Noir as a thank you. They remind us every day to never give up and that everyone is a superhero, whether or not they wear a mask."
Said statues were unveiled from white cloths, and the crowd roared in cheers, including Marinette and Adrien, who blushed and held hands.
There was also something Marinette needed to do with Kagami and Félix.
"How did you two know?" Marinette needed to know how the couple managed to find out about her secret identity as Ladybug.
Kagami spoke up. "I overheard you and Alya talking about it on the Liberty."
"And then you told Félix," Marinette whispered. She felt a little betrayed that Kagami would do that. "Which you then told Adrien."
Félix replied, "We needed your help to help you defeat Monarch, and we can all have a happy ending."
"Still..." Marinette had her hands on her head. "Did you know that Monarch came after me? In the safety of my own bedroom?" Her voice rose a little.
The two, especially Félix, felt chills when Monarch invaded her bedroom. "I...had no idea."
"Yeah. Why did you think I freaked out and got so angry with you during the Red Moon? You had no idea what he did, especially to the Kwamis. He locked them up in cages, turning their Miraculouses into his personal rings." Marinette gritted when she said 'cages' and 'rings'. "Though you had your reasons, you still gave him the power to cause even more harm and destruction." Marinette glared at Félix when saying this; the latter looked ashamed.
"We're sorry, Marinette," Kagami apologized. "We didn't know what else to do."
Marinette inhaled and exhaled through her nose. "But at least hearing what happened at the end-of-the-schoolyear dance...that I escaped the wrath of Nightormentor. And you, Kagami, you never gave his father a hint that I was Ladybug when you were akumatizated twice by him."
Kagami shrugged. "I...admit to having doubts. That you lied to me, that you were a manipulator like Lila said you were when she was the liar. But I understood why."
"Please forgive us, Marinette," the couple pleaded for her forgiveness. "We admit we still have much to learn about friendships and people. We never meant to cause harm."
"I'm willing to as long as you don't tell anyone else," Marinette begged. "I don't want anyone using you or anyone else to get to me."
Marinette hugged them, and they returned it back.
"Adrien's lucky to have something like you."
A/N: Sorry if it's been a while (real-life sucks sometimes), but I hope you liked the chapter!
Wait and see what happens next...
It will take some time, though.
