Adrien wasn’t surprised to see Kim standing impatiently in his study when he walked in. Neither was he surprised at the way Kim’s expression clearly demanded explanation. What was a surprise was seeing Nino there wearing the same expression.
Adrien looked at his best friend with a quirked brow. “I thought you were going back home.”
“I thought you were single.”
Touché.
His two friends pointed to his chair in silent command that he sit down and start explaining.
“You know, I don’t even think I heard her name,” Nino commented as Adrien rounded the desk to his chair.
“Marinette. Marinette Dupain.”
Nino’s brow screwed up in thought. “Mari—”
“Wait,” Kim interrupted. “Is this the same girl you told me about on the battlefield?”
Adrien nodded.
Kim’s grin was cattish. “You’re right; she is pretty.”
The glare Adrien gave to Kim was wuthering.
“But weren’t you engaged to marry the princess of the other kingdom?” Nino asked. “Your father isn’t going to be happy about it.”
“Well, I wasn’t happy when he ignored all my protests. It wasn’t going to finish the war, and he knew it.”
“Sure,” Kim said, leaning over Adrien’s desk. “But I highly doubt you set out to marry this g—ahh!”
Nino was by his side, holding him up in an instant while Adrien shot up out of his chair to steady his friend. “Nino, get the chair.”
“Buddy, you got to take it easy,” Nino said, placing the indicated chair behind Kim. “That was one heck of a beating you took not all that long ago.”
“I’m fine,” he said, awkwardly taking a seat.
“Says the guy with the stab wound,” Nino quipped.
“It’s healing. The stitches just got taken out, so it’s still a bit tender,” Kim defended.
“You’re lucky it wasn’t your torso,” Adrien added.
“You’re lucky it wasn’t you.”
Adrien cringed. He knew that beating was for him, and Kim, being the selfless and devoted man he was, took it in Adrien’s stead. “That still doesn’t negate the fact you should have had back-up that day.”
“The man hell-bent and determined to kill you. I didn’t have time to get back-up.”
“I was two doors away!” Nino cried. “Shouting distance! You’re lucky I got there when I did, or that man would have had your head.”
“Enough,” Adrien interrupted before their quarrel could grow any worse. “We’re all lucky. Let’s leave it at that.”
Nino huffed. “This time. But what happens when Theo tries again? Because you know he will.”
Adrien tapped his fingers irritatedly on the desk.
“He has, hasn’t he?” Nino deadpanned.
“What does he even want with you?” Kim interjected.
Adrien felt the ring under his glove, his new nervous habit. “I don’t know.”
Nino sighed tiredly. Kim rolled his eyes in exasperation.
Adrien shrugged. “Sorry.” He felt bad for his friends. He really did. He wasn’t the kind of man who liked seeing them harassed and tormented, but he had to be thankful that they stuck by his side when everyone else at the house had left. The house that used to employ seventeen now employed three. Most of his peers wanted to cut ties to Chat Noir. Even his own father seemed to think he was bad luck, one of the reasons he had been sent here in the first place. That, and to privately recover from battle.
“Then let’s get back to the reason I’m here,” Nino eventually spoke up. “The girl. Your new wife. What do you even know about her?”
“Theo tried to rape her.”
His bluntness sent both his friends straight over the edge. “What?”
Adrien just nodded. “At the party, I tailed Theo when he snuck down into the servants’ quarters. Except I lost him. I only found him again when I heard a woman screaming.”
Nino’s hands scrunched into tight fists while Kim looked downright murderous.
“I saved her, thankfully. But I was caught by Duke Bourgeois’ head servant. That left her with two options: marry Theo or marry me.”
“Well, not that hard of a decision.” Nino sarcastically quipped.
Kim just huffed in agreement.
“Does your dad know about it?”
“No,” Adrien answered. He was not looking forward to that conversation. In all likelihood, he was going to hold that off as long as possible.
“Does she know you’re the prince?” Kim asked.
Adrien remained silent.
Nino quickly turned exasperated. “Please, at the very least, tell me you didn’t get married in those stupid cat ears.”
“Don’t worry, I did take them off for the wedding.”
“But not the mask?”
The silence spoke plenty loud.
“Buddy,” Nino groaned while Kim sniggered. “You are digging your own hole.”
“Just…let me go about this my own way. She’s already scared enough as it is. She nearly got raped, then she’s forced to marry a man she doesn’t want to in order to save her reputation. She got torn away from her parents—whom she obviously adores as much as they adore her—and now she thinks home is here. I’ve already informed her that she’s not going to get to go back any time soon because the rumors are so large right now. Somehow, against all odds, her father agreed with me on that point because neither one of us want to see her hurt by gossip that is currently circulating the peasant class as well as the high-class. I’m already going to have to teach her to be the ‘proper lady’ society expects her to be. I don’t need to thrust the weight of the fact she’s my princess on her. I’ll tell her soon; I have to. But this…this is a lot on her already. Let it sink in slowly. Or, as slowly as possible.”
Nino and Kim regarded him seriously before nodding in agreement. “You’re right,” Nino relented. “It’s probably easier for now. No telling how she’s going to react later, though.”
“In the meantime,” Adrien continued. “Please don’t mention any of this to her. Don’t mention anything about me being a prince. Don’t mention anything about the king. And most of all, don’t mention anything about the chaos Theo has been causing here. You can mention my reputation as Chat Noir. You can use that excuse if need be. But nothing that will potentially upset her. All right?”
“Understood,” the two men said together.
“Good. Anything else I need to catch you two up on?”
Nino shook his head. “No. But there’s something I should inform you of.”
Adrien raised a brow at him. “And that is?”
“That you need to ready my usual room because there is no way I’m leaving now.”
And this was one of the reasons he and Nino were friends. “I’ll tell Tikki to do that right away.”
Marinette did not come down for dinner. That was perfectly fine considering he told Ms. Mendeleiev to give her the option. It allowed him to talk with his friends about the possibility of more trouble and hash out the details of what to do if something extreme were to happen. It also gave them a bit of time to debate what to do about Theo.
Kim wanted to hang him. Nino seconded the notion. Adrien was hard-pressed not to third it.
“We have to find out what he wants and why,” he reasoned. “Then we’ll revisit that possibility.”
His friends relented. Reluctantly.
Eventually, they all parted for the night, each retreating off to their own rooms. Adrien was hesitant to go into his. He wouldn’t sleep. He knew it. Maybe he’d go stargazing. Maybe he’d retreat to his study and read. Or maybe he’d try to sleep. Maybe he was just tired enough to try.
The resulting gasp when he opened his door caught all his attention. He looked up to see Marinette standing there, her hair down around her shoulders, her arms crossed protectively in front of her while her white night gown swished around her legs. But the worst of it was that she looked like a scared rabbit backed into corner.
It all clicked in his mind when she shot a glance at the bed before taking a half-step away and returning her fear-filled gaze to him.
He shut the door behind him. “Marinette,” he inquired gently, hoping she’d realize he wasn’t upset or angry at her. “What brings you in here?”
She shifted uncomfortably. “It’s…um…we haven’t had…” her voice grew so very quiet. “The…wedding night.”
“I know,” he said, slowly making his way to her.
Not that she fully noticed with the way her gaze was glued to the floor. In fact, he was certain she didn’t even hear him. “And Ms. Mendeleiev said that…that it was better form if the wife…I mean, for the wife… to be waiting for…for her husband in his room.”
She flinched when she realized just how close he’d gotten, taking two steps back before hanging her head in shame. It broke his heart to see her so scared. So scared of him. “Marinette,” he spoke softly. “I will not force anything on you. I married you to get you away from that. You never have to be scared of me. I will never force myself on you. Never. Didn’t I promise you that?”
Her gorgeous blue gaze fluttered up to him, lidded by dark lashes and the sheen of tears. He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “I’ll say it again: I promise that I will never demand anything from you that you aren’t willing to give, especially that.”
With that said, he reached out his hand in between them, hoping she would take it. Hesitantly, she looked at it, giving him a couple similar glances before she hesitantly reached out to place a hand into his awaiting one.
His smile grew as he pulled her back to the door that connected their rooms. He opened it for her before motioning for her to go through. “I promised your father I would take care of you. I gave my word, and I don’t go back on my word. All I ask is for the chance to prove to you that I will keep that promise.”
Marinette blinked a couple times, her dark lashes glimmering as a tear broke loose and rolled down her cheek.
He desperately wanted to wipe it away, but he had to be cautious of his contact with her. She was scared of him. Of how he might handle her. Right now, the hand she had placed in his was contact enough, and she barely trusted him with that. “This house is now your house, as well,” he said. “You may go anywhere you please and avoid any room you don’t want to be in. Furthermore, you are the lady of this house. The servants don’t get to tell you where you have to go. So I don’t want to see you back in my room unless you wish to be here. All right, my lady?”
Adrien was happy to see the fear slowly fade from her eyes. It never went completely, but rest of her unshed tears started to dissipate. It was a start. “All right,” she agreed.
He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “Good. One last thing before you leave for the night: it is my desire that we could, at the very least, become friends, but don’t feel pressured into anything. I know this is a lot to take in. I’m sorry this had to be thrust upon you. Just know that when you’re ready, I would like to try to create a friendship.”
In the candlelight, her eyes seemed to glow. Especially since those brilliant blue orbs were no longer half-covered by her eyelashes or full with tears. Now they looked…surprised. Intrigued. Curious. “All right,” she said once again.
He gave her a smile. A real, large smile that he could feel was genuine. He resisted the urge to kiss her knuckles and instead settled for squeezing her hand before releasing it. “I wish you a good night.”
She curled her hand back up against her chest but didn’t quite drop her gaze from his just yet. “You too.” With that, she hastily retreated back into her room, shutting her door behind her.
Adrien quietly shut his door, then leaned back against it when he felt the energy drain from his legs.
Well, there went any possibility of sleep coming tonight.
At least he had something to do: reassign Marinette’s lady’s maid.
I thought I was playing peek-a-boo with Simon until I noticed the guilty face and scanned for River's whereabouts. Target acquired in the top right corner...trying to get behind the couch.
Yeah, I literally just selected the content label before saving, and now you're going to annoy the F out of me with this warning that keeps coming back after hitting that X.
