Monarch was smirking from inside his hidden layer. He couldn't believe his luck! The one person that he had tried and tried to Akumatize multiple times was now practically vibrating with frustration and negativity.
"A tenderhearted fan rejected by her idol and wounded by her pride. Now here's a date my Megakuma wouldn't miss for the world." He paused in his monologging and turned to face one of the many glass cylinders that the kwami were kept inside of.
He touched the container that held the horse kwami inside with his fist. "Kaalki, your power is now mine." A wide, crazed smile formed on the supervision's face as he pored his dark energy into the butterfly that was resting in his other hand. "Voyage my Megakuma. Make this jilted lover dance the tango of broken romances."
The black and purple Megakuma flew through the portal and headed for it's intended target. Once the target had been spotted, the winged insect flittered toward the girl and entered the red rose clutched tightly in her hands.
"Unmasker, I am Monarch. If you knew who was hiding behind the mask of your idol, he wouldn't have any reason to reject you, would he?"
That made sense, didn't it? If his rejection was borne from concern for her safety, then she need only remove the veil of secrecy for them to give it a shot—to prove that they would be fine. She closed her eyes tightly. "That's true…"
She thought someone might be shaking her, but she was too detached to really tell. "Please, resist! Don't listen to him!" A warning. This voice was so much warmer than the other, and it resonated with her heart. She tried to focus on it, until the previous voice boomed once more.
"Do not let him lead you astray. My gift to you will provide you the power necessary to accomplish what you desire most. You will have the freedom to choose for yourself, and he will no longer have a reason to hide!"
Of course, she couldn't afford to waste time now. Not when freedom was within her reach. She clenched her teeth and gripped the rose she held tighter. What right did anyone else have to make decisions for her? None, for only she knew what was best for herself.
"I'm giving you the power to discover what's behind any mask. All I want in return is Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous!"
But there was something dangerous about that, wasn't there? A distant feeling told her this could be a very bad idea; a terrible sin. She raised her free hand to her earlobe on instinct—ignoring whatever the person holding her tried to say—but found nothing there.
Perhaps this was an opportunity, a chance to finally take back control of her life. Her fingernails dug into her palm as her grip tightened impossibly further around the rose. Just this once, she could let her fears go. "Just this once… but I'm doing this for myself," she muttered.
Monarch, meanwhile, glanced at the Miraculous of the Mouse as he pondered why the girl was not wearing an Alliance ring. "Unfortunately, I will not be able to grant you any extra powers. However, you only need to unmask your beloved hero to free him from responsibility!"
That strange tidbit was almost enough to snap her out of her stupor, but she pushed the thought aside for now. It was then that she realized Chat Noir was trying to pull her into another kiss. Her eyes widened, but she twisted her head just enough so he caught her cheek instead. A spark coursed through her body, but it was gone just as quickly.
The startling moment of clarity was still enough for her to make one final decision. Twisting her free hand around so as to grab one of the arms that held her, she started to spin around. She used the momentum of a full turn to launch him away from herself, just as a dark aura erupted from the rose to consume her. "Kitty… I'm sorry," she whispered.