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Marinette's P.O.V
"Your father was truly a kind man," Alya said, helping me fit into a midnight-colored dress.
My father's funeral is today. Many of the servants were sorrowfully organizing the ceremony in the ballroom. The mansion is usually pretty quiet but this complete silence was excruciating. This type of quiet was loud, every soul crying out but not a peep was heard.
I understand that most of the servants were intimidated by my father but also somewhat respected him. He was kind to them, even Alya knew of it though she probably had only ever seen him thrice.
"That is kind of you to say," I replied, slipping on long, black gloves.
Once Alya was finished with my dress, she wrapped her arms around me. I returned the hug, finding warmth coming from the sweet gesture.
"I speak of such kindness because he too was kind. Just like you are," Alya said, "Do not ever change your goodness, Marinette. This world could use as much as it can get."
"You as well, Alya," I replied.
A knock on the door broke our hug.
"You may enter," I called.
Mother walked through the doorway, wearing a similar dress as mine. A veil curtained her face but I was able to make out the sadness in her eyes. I was confused as to why she was here. We were to meet in the ballroom for the funeral.
I dismissed Alya before returning my attention to my mother.
"I have...been thinking," mother said, unable to cast her gaze away from the floor.
"That is never a good sign," I thought, wondering what was going through her head. Did I really want to know though?
Not really.
"If you would like, you may break your engagement with Lord Couffaine," she said.
Shocked was an understatement for how I am feeling. I had to hold in the urge to question if this truly was my mother.
Okay, maybe I do want to listen.
"A-Are you serious? This is not a test to see if I pass, is it?" I questioned, baffled when she shook her head in disagreement.
"No, I assure you this is no test. Which, now that I think about it, those were very stupid," mother commented under her breath.
"Why the change of heart?" I asked.
Once mother had made up her mind about something, she was always for it no matter what others had to say or how dumb it was. It was her way and that was final. She had to always be right. This was the first time I had ever seen her go back on something and change her mind.
Even admitting the tests she gave was stupid left my mouth open in speechlessness.
"I have been nothing but a foolish coward, Marinette. I thought distancing myself from you and treating you harshly would protect you from what happened to me. But now I only see my mother when I look in the mirror."
Mother's voice wavered with emotion, trying desperately hard to keep herself together. I have never seen my mother in this kind of state. It was pretty odd and pitiful.
"I cannot believe it took me this long and the death of my beloved to reflect on my imbecilic wrongdoings. I hate myself for becoming someone I told myself I would never be. I hurt my own daughter. I hurt you."
Mother wore a look of frustration, glaring heatedly at the floor. Though, I believe that her anger was directed more at herself.
"You do not have to forgive me. I do not deserve it but I would like to try fixing my mistakes. Starting with breaking your engagement off with Lord Couffaine."
Did my mother realize the price that was to be paid if she did break off the engagement? Now that father is gone, the only thing keeping us from going to the poor section is my arranged marriage.
"You do know what this means if you break off my engagement?" I questioned her, "Our name and reputation will be shamed upon. We will live among the poor for the rest of our lives."
"I am aware of the consequences and I do not care anymore. So long as you do not mind living among the poor, I do not either. I once was a poor person but it kept my soul pure as any human and blood red. I let the rich taint it with their filth and turned my blood blue. I believe if I return to the poor life again, I can learn to be a better person and find myself again," mother explained.
I am not sure how much I trust my mother's words. She has tricked me into thinking that she was being genuine before returning to her wicked ways. It is difficult to understand her sometimes with all these mixed signals.
Is she really being honest about this or is this just another ploy to lower my defenses again What mother was saying was too good to be true.
"If you are trying to sway me with your meaningless words, it will not work. I cannot believe a word that comes out of your mouth. If you truly want to prove yourself a changed person, do it through your actions instead," I huffed.
Mother hummed in agreement, "I believe that is fair."
"But," she continued in a warning voice, "do you really want to live in the poor section? We will have a whole new life. There are no servants to assist you, no chefs to cook, and no guards to protect. There will be dangers whether it be a person or sickness. We will have to learn to survive. Once we go, there is no coming back."
I was aware of the life on the other side of the wall. I have been there and seen how the poor lived their lives. I understood the struggles that will be faced and the change will take some getting used to.
But I am willing to take that risk.
I do not want the rich life anymore. I have practically begged to any mighty being above to live in the poor section and those prayers seemed to have been answered.
There is no way I am hesitating with this chance.
"I do," I confirmed.
"Very well," she said, making her way out of my room, "The arrangement with you and Lord Couffaine will be broken. Within the week, we will be escorted to our new lives so be prepared."
With that, mother left to finish preparations for father's funeral.
"That conversation went a lot smoother than I could ever imagine," I mumbled under my breath. I thought for sure she would yell at me for my insolence. That may have been the first time we ever agreed on something without any troubles. It was quite odd, almost did not feel like I was talking to my mother but someone else.
"I will never understand that woman," I finally accepted. I am just happy that my wish is being granted.
Finally, I am going to be free of the rich life.
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Chat Noir's P.O.V
"When do you plan on doing Master Fu's funeral?" Carapace asked.
"In two days. I have everything planned out. It just needs to be put into action. How did patrol with Rena Rouge and Pegasus go?" I asked.
I placed the little girl I was holding on the ground to go crawl. She is quite an adventurous little lady and is curious about many things (which could be very troublesome at times).
"It went well. I had run into that one witch that comes once in a blue moon. Although, her name eludes me," Carapace said.
"Do you mean Madame Olympia Eye?" I asked, earning a grunt of disagreement.
"No, the one with midnight hair with some purple in it," he explained.
"Oh, you mean Juleka," I said.
"Yes!" Carapace agreed, "She had told me something quite chilling that she wanted me to pass on to you."
"And what would that be?" Chat asked.
I did not understand why Juleka had not just come to me in person to tell me the news. Although, Juleka was not too fond of even coming out of her hiding place in the first place, being a hermit and all. She might not be as comfortable around me as she was with Fu. She was still welcomed here as much as she had been when Fu had run this hideaway though.
"She told me there was some strange sorcery brewing in the air. Something vile is happening in Paris and she could sense it coming soon," Carapace relayed the news.
"She would not lay out any more details of what that meant and did not seem to want to stay around for very long. She was definitely scared."
This was troubling, to say the least. It made me wonder what was coming and why Madam Eye had not said a word about this. How would I go about investigating something I did not know when or what was coming?
Could it be Hawkmoth is about to finally strike his final blow after all these years?
"Can you watch her?" I asked Carapace, gesturing over at the little girl. The turtle hero gave me a nod.
There might be one person that could have information to start with. Although, it is questionable whether he will be compliant or not.
"Oh great, you have returned," Gabriel said, sarcastically, "Have you come to tell me where my son is?"
"Yes," I said, making Gabriel perk up in shock, "that is if you relay any information about what you know on Hawkmoth."
"What makes you so confident that I have any information at all, let alone, useful information? You might already be aware of the things I know," Gabriel questioned.
"You are a leader of an SSS group, meaning you have done research on your targets as part of your job. I do not doubt in my mind that you will know something about our opponent that I do not know," I replied.
"We both want Hawkmoth out of the picture. And as much as I hate to admit this, we are going to have to work together if we want to defeat him."
Gabriel was deep in thought, struggling with whether he wanted to accept or reject the offer. Yet, the pros seemed to outweigh the cons as he looked at me.
"Fine," he answered, sounding like he was forcing the word out, "I shall help but you have to keep your end of the deal or else."
"I will do you one better," I replied.
"If you promise not to do any more harm to innocent magic users, I will allow your freedom and to meet your son in person."
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Marinette's P.O.V
I silently stood next to mother while she talked with each wave of wealthy families. I went into a daze, tuning out whatever conversations mother was having with people. I did not want to hear the halfhearted sorrows, followed by some narcissistic comments.
This is a viewing! A place to mourn! Could the rich not get it through their thick skulls it was not all about them for once? This is about remembering father and his life! Not a place to brag about how "Thomas was a good businessman but lacked in making more money than me."
So irritating!
I do not understand how mother can even endure such imbeciles. But I suppose, she has been doing this for years.
"Although, she does not seem to be doing much better than me," I thought. Mother was a stellar actor, probably due to her old assassin job. She kept up a great facade but I could tell her smile was strained.
I used to practice smiling in front of a mirror for hours to perfect a fake, joyous smile. I learned a long time ago that I am always surrounded by bitter ones. Having been with the miraculous wielders recently, I could tell the difference between a genuine smile and a fake one. So, I can easily tell just with one look which is which.
"Lady Rossi and Lord Couffaine, I thank you for attending," mother greeted with a curtsy like she has been for everyone else. Lila also did a curtsy while Luka respectfully bowed.
It took all my willpower not to glare at that vixen.
"It sorrowed my heart when I heard of his passing. Lord Dupain-Cheng was a great man. I am sure heaven had welcomed him with the gates wide open and the warm embrace of his loved ones that passed before him," Lila assured.
I was appalled by how happy she looked yet there was something in her words that did not sound the slightest bit sincere. Her voice had the gentleness of sympathy but I do not believe it is genuine.
There truly is something wrong with this lying brat. I am glad I will never have to see her again. I wish there was something I could do for Luka though and free him from his curse.
"Your words are very kind and bring comfort in knowing he is in a better place," Sabine replied, gratefully.
I could tell mother seemed a bit leery of Lady Rossi. While all the other rich folk pulled the same facade, no one else was quite as pleased as Lila was with father's death. It was not that any of the wealthy class cared about father but that they lost a business partner.
If Lila and Luka acted like true rich-class people, Luka would have called off the engagement here and now.
Losing father meant losing power to the wealthy class, we would be desperate to marry me off to gain power again if we actually cared. Yet, there would not be any suitors willing to marry a lady, who lost her father's inheritance.
So, of course, mother found it strange Luka had not called off the arrangement. What was the puppeteer's motive behind wanting Luka to stay with me then?
"Once the funeral is over and if you have the time, would it be any trouble to speak with you, Lord Couffaine?" mother asked Luka.
I might have missed it if I blinked but I swore I saw Luka's eye twitch. Was his soul still trying to fight off the strings tied to him?
"Of course, Lady Cheng. And my condolences for your loss," Luka answered before turning to me.
"Lady Dupain-Cheng, I also give you my condolences. If you need anything, you can reach out to me. We can also reschedule the wedding day so you have time to mourn. A wife should be happy on her wedding day, not sad."
Luka did genuinely sound sympathetic about my loss at least. Even under someone else's influence, his true self would waver in and out of consciousness.
"That is very sweet of you. Thank you," I said, realizing this was the first time I had spoken since the viewing started, "Someday, I hope to repay you for your kindness."
Luka seemed to understand the meaning behind my words after giving me a soft smile.
"While I believe kindness needs no repayment, I will not stop you from your graciousness," he replied.
"Come, my dear cousin. Let us not hold up the line any longer," Lila urged the male foreword, "Lady Cheng has many more people to get through since she is the only one thankful enough for them to come."
I glared at Lila, who guided Luka away with their arms locked. As much as I was relieved that Lila was gone, I could not help feeling a twinge of guilt for Luka having to deal with her. Ever since Luka and I were arranged to get married, Lila and Luka seem to almost be inseparable like they were attached at the hip.
Not that Luka can control whether he wants to be in Lila's presence or not.
The puppeteer does.
"Maybe Lila's the puppeteer so she has someone who is forced to like her," I thought, biting the inside of my cheek so as to not laugh at my terrible joke.
Yet, the longer I thought about it...
I narrowed my eyes over at Lila in suspicion. She and Luka were currently conversing with Lady Bourgeois.
It almost seemed too good to be true—too obvious of a choice. As much as I hate to admit it, Lila is very sly and a good liar. If the puppeteer were truly Lila, she would be more sneaky about it...right? She would not be so blatantly obvious.
Although, maybe being obvious is the smart move to throw me off...not that she knows what I know about Luka. To everyone, including me at one point, Luka looked and acted like a normal man. No one would be the wiser that he was actually a walking and talking corpse.
Or could it be my distaste for that fox that is throwing me off my game? I could be blaming her because of my strong dislike of her character.
I need to find Rose and discuss this matter with her. I need a second opinion on my theory.
"Mother, do you mind if I take a break?" I asked. Mother nodded her head in approval before the next wealthy family approached. The said family raised their eyebrows at me and scoffed. They are probably thinking how dishonorable and rude it is for me to be leaving my spot. More so that mother allowed me to take a break.
I did not care though. I have not cared before so why would I now? It is not like it is going to matter in a week.
I left the room and quickly found a secret door. If I am correct, mother relocated Rose to the kitchen.
Using the walls as my guide, I mapped out the pathway of this tunnel in my head.
"If I remember correctly, I have to take two rights and a left-"
My thoughts were cut off when something ran into me from a different tunnel on my left.
I was startled by the sudden collision. Before I could get away, a small flicker of a flame ignited to life on a simple match. The said person who ran into me and was holding the light looked at me just as baffled.
"Marinette, what are you doing in here?" Alya asked.
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