The Traitor Card (Ace of Spades Bonus Scene)- ML Requests and One shots 7
So in the original story, Alix showed anger towards Lila. Well, here's why. For the record, the Jass card is a real card. It's usually used in a game of trump and is considered the highest trump card. It is usually a jack card and is worth 20 points in the game, which is the highest value. Anyway, I thought it would be the perfect title for the traitor card. Hope you guys enjoy this is little snippet from my Ace of Spades AU. This is explains how he got all those cards :D
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In a game of cards, a player always has a trump card up their sleeves. Luka had his royal flush but he also had a hidden card. One he only ever brought out when a true enemy needed to be taken down. Known to the members of the Royal Flush as the Traitor card, the role of the Jass is a special player he brings into the game as his high trump card. Given to a person who loyalties are switched, the Jass acts as the Ace's spy and is key to his enemy's defeat.
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"Alix..." Nathaniel's voice made the skater turn around and face him. He looked fuming and she knew why. She helped destroy Marinette's sketchpad. Marinette had grabbed it and run, tears rolling down her face as she did. Alix felt bad but Alya insisted that she needed to be taught a lesson. Kim and Ivan had held back Nathaniel and Adrien who tried to stop it and everyone else ignored their pleas, including her. She hadn't done as much damage as Alya did. She only splattered paint on some of the papers but Alya and Lila completely blacked them out. Lila wrote horrible words and Alya poured an acid she stole from the Science Lab on the cover. They had laughed at Marinette's tears but that had passed and now it was just her and Nathaniel, who looked so disappointed and angry at her. "How could you?"
"Marinette was bullying Lila," She stated but to her surprise, it felt wrong.
"Lila is a liar," He stated, shaking his head. "She lied about Marinette and she stole Marc's work. She threatened him into staying quiet,"
"Then how do you know?" Alix retorted.
"Because I found him crying over his destroyed notepad," He stated. "I pressed him until he relented and told me what happened. Alix... I can't be friends with you..."
"What?!" She gasped, shocked. It had been her and Nathaniel against the world for ages. "But... you're my best friend..."
"Not after what you helped do," He stated, shaking his head. "You need to realize what you and the rest of the class did was wrong and make it up to Marinette-"
"But she's a bully!"
"Even if she is, harassing her isn't going to help!" He shouted back, pinching his nose. "And it makes you a bully too! I'm sorry, Alix but we are not friends,"
She went to argue but he turned on his heel and left the classroom, making her frown. She shook her head and continued with her art piece. If Nathaniel didn't want to be her friend and wanted to take a side of a bully then that was fine by her. She didn't need him anyway. She had more friends then she ever had before.
(***)
"Have you heard?" Alix frowned as a girl leaned over to her friend and whispered as they walked past her in the corridor. She was on her way to lunch but she stopped to listen into this conversation.
"Heard what?" Her friend replied.
"The Ace is back," The original girl replied, making Alix's eyes widen.
"The Ace? I thought he retired,"
"He did but somehow he's back," She hissed back. "Apparently, he named Adrien Agreste as his king. Naturally, Lie-La is claiming that he's her boyfriend,"
"Well, we all know that's a lie," The second girl laughed. "The Ace wouldn't touch her with a ten foot pole,"
"Yeah, he actually has standards," They both laughed as Alix frowned before she walked off and headed into the locker room. Nino was getting his bag and Ivan was talking to Mylene. Naturally, Kim was goofing around with Max. She walked over to them, causing them to look at her.
"Alix?" Max asked, making her sigh.
"Have you heard the new rumor going around the school?" She asked, making him frown and shake his head. Kim stopped goofing and the others looked at her as well. "The Ace... apparently, he's back,"
"I calculate the chance of that been true at roughly 20%,"
"Yeah but if it is true, why would he make a return?" Mylene asked, getting a nod of Ivan.
"Who cares why?" Kim grinned. "I wanna know who's gonna be in the royal flush this year. Hey, Alix think you'll get the jack's chair back?"
"Maybe," She smiled but she had a terrible feeling that this had something to do with Marinette and how they had been treating her. If her feeling was right then nothing good could come from this. She followed the rest of the class into the canteen, feeling bile rise from her throat as she noticed the royal table. Sabrina was stood there, glaring at Alya and Lila as Luka sat at the front. On his left was Marinette, Marc and Nathaniel and on his right was Adrien, Chloe and Kagami. He looked up with a bored expression as they took their seats and said something to Lila and Alya before Sabrina cleared her throat.
"Can I have everyone's attention please?" She stated, getting the entire place to look at her. Kim grinned excitedly as he looked towards the Royal table. "A new royal flush has been formed,"
People whispered and muttered as Sabrina paused. Max pushed his glasses up as Alix frowned. If she had the Jack's chair again, she would already be up there with her card. She knew how Luka worked. He had given her the Jack of Diamonds when he last ruled but it seems he had a different line up this year.
"This year, we have the Ace of spades, the King of Diamonds, the Queen of Spades, the Jack of Hearts, the Ten of clubs and two Jokers," Sabrina stated, reading from a scroll. "The royal flush member are as follows. Ace's chair: Luka Couffaine, King's chair: Adrien Agreste, Queen's chair: Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Jack's chair: Chloe Bourgeois, Ten's Chair: Marc Anciel, Joker's chair Alpha: Kagami Tsurugi and Joker's chair Beta: Nathaniel Kurtzberg. This is the royal flush. Anyone who goes against them will be considered traitors. You all have your cards as well. If you have a card that is a 6 or higher then you may talk to the Ace and his subjects but if you have a card with a value of 5 or less then you are peasants and are not worth of talking to any of the royal flush! His highness has some words to say,"
At that point, Luka stood up and looked around as the students gasped and whispered. He narrowed his eyes, causing everyone to go quiet. They lingered on Alix for a few seconds and she looked down as she saw betrayal in them but it disappeared as quickly as it came.
"Firstly, I want to say why I decided to retire and why I have come back," He stated, placing his hand on the tables. "I wanted to experience life the way other people did so I stepped down from my throne and joined the common rubble. I got to experience life as a normal student or as normal as I could. As you recall, I asked everyone to treat me normally. Not to show fear or to ask permission to speak to me. While this was enjoyable, I officially retract that statement. As of now, I am no longer part of the common rabble. I take my throne back and you will treat me as royalty as well as my royal flush. Anyone who does not do that will be punished. Now for the reason, I have come back. It has been brought to my attention that there is a liar among my people, who has corrupted a number of students and have been tormenting my loved ones. I will not stand for it so I will say this once. This Liar and their followers have one week to retract all of their lies, remedy their wrong doings and apologize to their victims. If they do this by the end of the week, all will be forgiven but if they don't, I will unleash a fury like nothing they had ever seen on them and anyone who allies with them,"
All of the students gulped and whispered as Luka glared at all of them but her class felt especially scared. Alix knew it had to do with Marinette and her sketchpad.
"Now as I have taken rule again, I will reinstate the rules I expect you to follow," He stated. "Respect each other and no bullying are the most important but I expect you to follow the others too. If you don't know what those rules are, ask Sabrina or Aurora, who I name as the royal advisers. If you want to arrange anything, talk to them and they will arrange a meeting with myself and the royal flush and finally to the liar, I'd appreciate if you didn't spread rumors about me or my friends. I am not dating anyone right now and I have no intention of 'bringing you under my wing'. That's all,"
Alix instantly got up and left as she felt sick. She quickly went to the bathroom and gasped. She should have known better. She should have just been a neutral party. In the back of her mind, she knew hurting Marinette was bad but she never expected Luka to come out of retirement but it made sense. Everyone knew that Luka and Marinette had been friends forever and they knew he would do anything to help or protect her. Marinette could take a lot but destroying her sketchpad must have been the final straw. She must of have gone to Luka and told him everything. Alix felt sick again. Hell hath no fury like a Couffaine. He had told her that way back and now he was going to destroy them. Taking a deep breathe, she made her way back to the locker room and opened her locker. She took out the card tucked into her locker and looked at it. A frown crawled onto her face. Two of Diamond. A mockery of the card she once held. She pocketed it and walked to class. Marinette was sat next to Adrien and Chloe but she wasn't looking for them. She walked over to Sabrina and cleared her throat.
"Yes?" She asked, making Alix a little nervous.
"I need to speak with the Ace,"
"Card?"
"Two of Diamonds," She sighed, making Sabrina look at her with a look of disbelief. "But I invoke the right of Honor as a previous member of the royal flush,"
"You understand that Honor only grants you audience with his highness once?" Sabrina asked, getting a nod of Alix. "Very well, I shall ask him if he will honor it,"
"Thank you," She mumbled, sitting back down as Sabrina took out her phone and began to text Luka as Lila and Alya came in. Lila tried to point out to Miss Bustier that Sabrina shouldn't be on her phone but Miss Bustier completely ignored her and continued with the lesson. Her fear of Luka's wrath was much greater then anything Lila could provide. Kim leaned over to Alix as she took notes.
"Do you think he'll agree to see you?" He whispered, making her frown but nod. Luka was many things but he placed honor above all else. The least he would do is see her even if it was only for a few minutes. However, she couldn't be certain that he would see her today. In fact, she suspected that he would be busy for the rest of the day, given that today was his official return. She remembered how busy it was when she was by his side. Everyone constantly going to him for approval. Students, the class representatives, the art group, the science club, the teachers and even the principle. As the Ace, Luka controlled the whole school so it made sense that he would be busy.
~Three Days Later~
Alix frowned as she sat in the classroom, next to Kim and Max. Alya was chatting with Nino while Juleka and Rose were acting all loved up. Marinette had her phone out and was texting someone as Adrien smiled and laughed with Chloe. Alix had noticed that he seemed happier, despite been away from Lila. Chloe, Sabrina and Marinette had took it upon themselves to keep him away from her. Earlier, Alya had tried to confront Marinette about been a bully, only to be brutally shot down in true royal style. The real shocker was the words that came from Adrien. He had questioned if been friends with Marinette and Chloe made him a bully too. When Alya tried to argue, he shot her down and told her that it didn't matter what she thought. Alix couldn't help but feel a little proud of him as he stood up to Alya. He had even quit been a model as well. That had an annoying effect as Lila cried all lunch, claiming that Marinette had stolen Adrien away from her but if Adrien was with Lila, why did he look so much happier been away from her? Alix frowned but before she could come to any conclusion, the door to the classroom slammed open and Lila stormed in. She took her seat next to Alya and sniffed to herself, making Alya gravitate towards her.
"Hey, girl... are you ok?" She asked, gently placing her arm around her shoulders for comfort. Lila sniffed and wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Oh, Alya... it's awful..." She sniffed dramatically as Nino handed her a tissue. "I just tried to talk to Luka about Marinette's true nature-"
"Ahem," Sabrina cleared her throat, making everyone look at her before she slammed down a detention slip, causing Lila and Alya to gasp as she walked away.
"What the hell, Sabrina?" Alya gasped, making the red haired girl look back at her.
"Miss Rossi had an unauthorized meeting with the Ace. She singled him out to have a 'chat' with him. This chat took up his time and the time of other students, therefore Miss Rossi is to be punished as it states clearly in the rules that you need a card with a value of six or above to gain his audience and as par his instructions, Miss Rossi did not receive a card as and I quote he 'does not care to entertain an audience with a liar'... his words, not mine," Sabrina stated before looking directly at Miss Rossi. "The detention is with Mrs Mendeleiev so I highly suggest you do not skip. She has already been informed that you are to attend and to ignore any argument or suggestion you might try,"
"B-But I'm not a liar," Lila gasped, tears in her eyes. Alix frowned as Sabrina looked over at her coldly.
"Maybe you are, maybe you aren't," She stated in a professional manner. "That doesn't change the fact that you met with the Ace without a card and his permission. Now if you excuse me, I have notes to take,"
She sat down and began talking to the other royals, who looked over at Lila and smirked at her. Marinette in particular was smirking more then the rest, causing Lila to want to strangle her until she noticed the phone in her hand. Lila went to open her mouth but decided to close it as Kim shook his head and mouthed 'leave it'. Alix frowned as Alya moved closer to Lila.
"So what did you tell him?" Alya asked, wanting to get the scope.
"I tried to warn him that Marinette was only using him to get his power," Lila gasped, sniffing again. Alix frowned even more as she listened. "But he didn't believe me. In fact, he threatened me to stay quiet but I just-"
"My brother would never do that," Juleka suddenly stated, making everyone look at her as Rose nodded in agreement, causing Lila to frown but to Alix's surprise, it wasn't one of fear but one of annoyance, like she wasn't expecting anyone to question her.
"Yeah, Luka is kind and fair. He may rule the school but he is a kind ruler," Rose piped in but Lila sniffed.
"But he threatened me..." She gasped. "He's a bully... just like Marinette,"
"It's one thing saying Marinette is a bully but Luka isn't," Juleka added before lowering her voice. "But even if they are, they're royalty and you can't do anything about it,"
"What do you mean she can't do anything about it?" Alya gasped, outraged. "We can take this to Mr Damocles and the school board. Once they hear-"
"They'll do nothing, Alya. Luka practically knows everyone in Paris because of his job. He works part time as a delivery boy for the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie, which has some of the most famous clients. He also works with Jagged Stone and the Kids+ studio. You guys have heard of Bob Roth right?" Ivan stated, making everyone look at him.
"Yeah, wasn't he a music producer who got sued and charged with Thief and Copyright infringement?" Alya asked, frowning. Alix frowned too as she remembered that. "Last I heard his record company went bankrupted as he couldn't get anyone to work with him,"
"Yeah, that was because he stole one of our songs. Luka sued him for the thief but he dug up every bit of dirt he could on him and used it to destroy him. Bob Roth is currently serving a sentence for Fraud and was sued by six other artists. Seven if you include Luka," Juleka gulped as Lila listened. How the hell did he have the very connections she lied about?! "Luka is a kind soul until you hurt him or someone he loves then he'll destroy you, regardless of who you are,"
"Surely, he can't be that powerful," Lila stated, making everyone look at her as they frown at her. "And it doesn't change that he threatened me,"
"But there is nothing you can do about it," Ivan stated, making Lila frown but again, it didn't look like sorrow. It looked like she was annoyed. Alix frowned even more but again before she could think about it, someone knocked on the door.
"Come in," Miss Bustier called out, causing the door to open. Aurora walked in and smiled brightly at her.
"Can I borrow Miss Kubdel please? The Ace wishes to see her," She stated, making everyone but the royal flush whisper. Miss Bustier nodded, allowing Alix to get up from her seat and grab her bag. The lesson was nearly over anyway. She walked over to Aurora and followed her out but she didn't miss the glare from Lila as she did. Aurora didn't speak to her as she walked over to the art room and stopped outside of the door. "The Ace is in there. Please be respectful while talking to him,"
"Of course," Alix replied before opening the door and walking inside. To her surprise, Luka wasn't alone. She had noticed that Nathaniel hadn't been in class earlier but she didn't expect to find him in the art room with Luka, who was playing a song on his guitar as Nathaniel was drawing and Marc was reading out a new script for the latest comic. The three of them stopped when Alix closed the door and cleared her throat. To her surprise, Nathaniel and Marc were glaring daggers at her but Luka put down his guitar and walked over to her. "Ace,"
"Miss Kubdel," He stated before pulling a chair out and sitting down. She played with her hands as she wasn't sure where to begin. "Miss Kubdel, you were the one who invoked the right of Honor and yet you don't say a thing. You, of all people, should know not to waste my time,"
"R-right..." She mumbled before looking at him. "I think you should reconsider your royal flush, especially the knave,"
"Really?" He asked, amused by her boldness. "And why would I do that? And more importantly, who would I replace with whom?"
"Well... most of your royal flush can't be trusted... obviously, Adrien and Nathaniel are trustworthy but the rest aren't..." She mumbled, feeling small as he continued to walk her. She noticed Marc crushing his pen. "I would suggest replacing Chloe with myself as I have served as your knave before. Marc could be replaced by Nino or Max and Marinette... I would suggest your sister or even Lila... she has a lot of connections and Kagami isn't a good wild card.... Alya would be a good replacement,"
"You're boldness amuses me," He stated as she licks her lip. "But allow me to explain why those who you have suggested are far from worthy to be by my side. Let's start with Ten... you suggested Nino or Max as a replacement for Marc. Now I chose Marc for his gift and his kind heart. He is a wonderful writer and very talented with words,"
Marc's face flushed with red at the compliments.
"And he is extremely compassionate. Nino, on the other hand, is a weak, spineless fool who can't even stand up for him to his control freak of a girlfriend. As for Max, he has no common sense nor real compassion for people. Sure, he has talents but he is not suited to be given a card higher then a four. Anyone who believes a napkin is a threat to their eyes, especially when they wear glasses can only be described as a fool," Luka stated, making Alix frown. "Let's move onto Kagami. Kagami has a strong sense of justice and is skilled with combat. She also had access to resources and certain celebrities. Why would I replace her with Alya, who is nothing more then tabloid trash and a gullible idiot,"
"Alya has a strong sense of justice and is tr-"
"No, Alya's sense of justice is warped. She believes that 'revenge' and justice are the same things when they are not. She is pushy and obsessive to the point where she puts herself and in turn, others, in order to get the 'scope'. She posted Lila's interview, despite the fact that it could have put a target on Lila and her family's back but Alya doesn't care about that. She only cares about the views. She has obsessively bothered Ladybug about her identity, despite Ladybug stating that she can't tell her and she puts targets on people's back. She never fact checks and she is arrogant, refusing to admit when she is wrong. After all, in the name of 'justice', she became the very thing she was trying to fight against. She became a bully," He pointed out, making Alix frown. "Regarding my choice for Jack, I chose Chloe because she's actually trying to be a better person, unlike you. You once held my confidence but that changed the moment you turned on Marinette. You know Marinette would never hurt or threat anyone but you didn't listen to her. The role of the Knave is to protect but you lost that role the moment you began to bully Marinette,"
"But Marinette was bullying Lila?!"
"So that makes it ok to become a bully as well?!" He shouted, making her step back in fear. "No, it doesn't and where was your proof? Did you see Marinette steal her designs or push her down the stairs?! Where were her injuries huh? You should have known that no one could fall down the stairs without been hurt and why would Marinette even have her number? Did you even try to compare it to the one in your phone?"
"N-No..." She mumbled, looking down.
"You knew Marinette for so much longer then Lila. She is the kindest, most selfless person and you tormented her, along with most of your class because some new girl told you that the girl who you had known for years and who wouldn't even retaliate to the likes of Chloe was a bully. I saw the texts and the bruises. I saw her shatter into pieces and I was the one who picked them up, Alix. That's why I chose her to be my queen. This way I can protect her and let her know she is important. She was always going to be my queen if I decided to return. As for your 'choices', Juleka has become someone I barely recognize. My sister is caring and gentle, not someone who joins in with bullying and as for Rossi, I have no time for a liar,"
"Lila isn't a liar," Alix argued but Luka didn't try to argue back. Instead, he took out his phone and pressed play.
"You can't prove it," Lila's voice stated in a manner that made Alix's blood run cold. "People just love hearing what they want to hear. It's not my fault they're too dumb to question my stories. Anyway, it's not like anyone will believe you if you claim that I'm lying. I have everyone wrapped around my little finger and there is nothing you or your stupid royal flush can do about it. This school is mine! Now I was hoping you could come willingly with me. Clearly you're not as smart as you think but since you're not as dumb as the rest of this useless school so I'll give you one more chance. You're either with me or you're against me but mark my words, Ace, if you're against me, I will destroy you. A few well placed bruises, a few tears and some ripped clothes and everyone will think you're the bad guy and I'm the poor innocent victim. So you better what do what I say,"
Luka stopped the recording and looked up at Alix, who looked like her whole entire world was crushed.
"Lila tried to confront me, Alix and I knew she would try and spin it to make me the bad guy so I recorded the talk," He stated, making her look at him. "Marinette isn't the bully. She is the victim, along with Adrien and Marc. She's been sexually harassing Adrien for months,"
"B-But she said he was dating her," She gasped.
"And how many times did he tell her to stop and she didn't? How many times did he look uncomfortable or told you guys that he wasn't dating her?" Luka asked, making her mind flash back. She saw him push her away from him. She had commented how how cute they were together and he told her they weren't dating but Lila said he couldn't tell anyone. She saw Lila grabbing him arm and him flinching. She covered her mouth as she realized. Luka didn't look at her with sympathy though. His eyes were cold and his expression was harsh. "And how many times did you brush off his concerns or ignore his discomfort?"
"I didn't know..."
"No, you didn't want to know. You saw it and you chose to ignore it," He stated, making her frown. "And Marc... you've been friends with him for two years yet you believed Lila over him, despite the fact that he had the original manuscript. You even read it before Lila even mentioned it but No, instead of believing your friend, you helped burn it because Lila cried wolf and claimed he was stealing from her,"
"Marc stealing someone else's work is ridiculous and you know it," Nathaniel piped in. Tears rolled down her face as she felt to her knees, the truth finally getting through to her. She had betrayed her friends for nothing more then a liar, who had shiny but empty promises. Luka walked in front of her and looked down at her as she sobbed.
"W-What can I do to make this right?" She gasped, looking up at him. To her surprise, he took out a card and handed it to her. She took it and looked at it. "J-Jack of Diamonds... but you already have a Knave?"
"You're not the Knave, Alix," He stated, making her frown. "I'm giving you the role of Jass,"
"T-The Traitor Card?" She gasped, looking at the card before looking up at Luka. "As you wish, my lord,"
"Good," He stated. "Your instructions are as follow. Act like you still believe Rossi and continue with the act but when you get a chance, sown seeds of doubt about her. You will also report anything she said about me or the others to Sabrina. I will contact you when I need you. I believe it goes unsaid that what you learnt here today stays between us or you will pay a penalty. Understood?"
"Yes, your highness,"
"Good,"
~The Night Before Lila's take down~
Alix's phone vibrated, making her frown as she picked it up. She saw it was a message from Luka. She had wondered when he would get in contact with her but she had played her part perfectly. She pretended to believe Lila but whispered seeds of doubt in the others' ears. She also reported the rumors and claims she made against Luka and the royal flush. She provided them with a link to Alya's interview as soon as it was released. She unlocked her phone and checked the message.
From Unknown Number:
Jass,
The time has come.
Go to the school asap.
I've arranged for it to be unlocked.
You will find your instructions there.
Follow them exactly.
Ace
Alix got up and climbed out of her window before making her way to the school. It didn't take her long to get there. She tried the door and found it unlocked. She slid inside and walked over to the courtyard. To her surprise, Sabrina and Chloe were there with a box. She had been expecting Luka to be there himself but it seemed he chose not to come. She couldn't help but wonder why. Chloe had her arms folded and looked bored while Sabrina was tapping her foot. Alix walked up to them.
"Jass, excellent timing," Chloe smirked. "Sabrina, bring the little traitor up to date,"
"Yes, your highness," She smiled before turning to Alix. "The Ace has a plan that he intended to put into action tomorrow but for it to be successful, he requires the help of the Jass. As you know, he has a flare for the dramatic so he has provided you with two spray paints. One red and one black,"
Alix nodded as she took them from her before checking them. They were good quality spray paints.
"He wants you to use those on Alya's and Lila's lockers," Sabrina explained before gesturing to the box. Alix looked over and saw it was filled to the brim with the same card. The Ace of Spades. It was different designs as well. Some look handmade and others looked like they were from a normal pack. "The Royal flush have provided you with these. You are to put these in their lockers,"
She handed her a handful of Ace cards and a list.
"These are the Aces for the rest of your class. You will place them in the lockers of Nino, Kim, Mylene, Ivan, Max and of course your own locker. Not only will that keep your role as our Jass uncovered but you still must pay the penalty for betraying your friends. Understood?"
"Yes, Miss Sabrina but what do you want me to spray onto Lila's and Alya's lockers?" She asked. "And what about Rose's and Juleka's?"
"We've taken a much more personal take for those two," Chloe replied, looking at her nails as Sabrina took out a piece of paper. Alix took it and looked at it. It had a riddle on it, completely with a message and a diagram of the two lockers that explained what he wanted her to do. On the inside of both Lockers, she was to spray paint an ace of spade and write the message. On the outside, she was to spray paint a huge spade across both lockers before writing 'tabloid trash' in red on Alya's locker and 'liar' on Lila's. She put the picture in her rucksack and put it back on her back before taking the box with the cards. She headed into the locker and found the lockers she needed. She opened Lila's first and began to work on that then moved onto Alya's. While she let them dry, she placed the other aces in the rest of the lockers before returning to Alya's locker. She filled it with half of the cards and slammed it close before repeating her action with Lila's. Finally, she completed the task by adding the spade and the writing. She took a step back and nodded before packing the paints away and grabbing the box. She walked outside back to Chloe and Sabrina.
"All done," She stated as Sabrina took back the paints. "Gotta ask though. How did you get some many cards?"
"Nathaniel and Marinette made some, Marc ordered a couple of packs, along with Luka and me, Adrien and Kagami provided the rest," Chloe stated. "Now your job is done. Head home and get some rest. Tomorrow, you have one last role to play. Lila will more then likely try and make out that she's a victim in this. Your job is to make everyone question it. Got it?"
"Yes, your highness," She bowed, making Chloe smile.
"Excellent," She smirked. "The Ace will be happy,"
~The Next Day~
Alix had to hide her smirk as she walked into the locker room along with everyone else. Lila was near the door and was pretending to sob. She had been trying to spread a rumor that Luka had threatened her again but hardly anyone believed her. In fact, Alix was certain that only Alya did. Kim and Max had been questioning it, along with Nino and Ivan. Not that they showed it though. Alya rushed over to her, along with the rest of the class but no one else made a move. Alix could feel the rest of the room glaring at all of them.
"Hey, are you ok?" Alya asked, gently placing her hand on her shoulder. Lila did a dramatic flinch.
"Oh, I'm still frightened," She gasped, wiping her eyes. "I'm scare he'll come and threaten me again,"
"Don't worry. I'll protect you. Come on, let's head to our lockers," Alya smiled, getting a smile of Lila but as soon as they walked over two girls stopped and stared at their lockers in surprise as did everyone else. Everyone instantly began to whisper as both girls stared at their lockers. Alix clenched her fist. It took a lot of willpower not to smirk at her handiwork. Someone had sprayed painted an spade sign across both of them. The words 'tabloid trash' was sprayed in red across Alya's locker, making her growl and the word 'Liar' was sprayed across Lila's in the same paint. Of course, that someone had been herself. She was proud of her work but knowing she still had a role to play, she tried not to let it show. Her heart came to a stop as she saw Lila looking at her but thankfully, she didn't question her. Instead, she began to sob a little as Alya frowned at the vandalism before glaring at Marinette and Chloe. Alix had noticed them and wanted to say hi but again, she couldn't reveal herself. Not yet. Both girls were grabbing their stuff, along with Nathaniel.
"Should we ask them if they did it?" Mylene suggested but Alya shook her head.
"No, we'll confront them about it in front of Miss Bustier. That way they'll be forced to tell the truth," She declared as she unlocked her locker but stepped back as a number of cards poured out of them. "What the hell?!"
She frowned and leaned down as she picked up one of the cards. She turned it over and frowned as she saw it was the ace of spades. She picked another card and turned it over. The Ace of Spades again. Frowning to herself, she turned over several, revealing them to be all the Ace of Spades. Once again, Alix had to resist smirking.
"A-Alya..." Nino whispered, looking at her with horror before he backed away from her and Lila's lockers as he pointed at them. The two girls looked at where he was pointing and gasped. An ace of spades had been sprayed painted on the insides of their locker doors, along with a riddle. Alya frowned as she looked at it.
"Kings and Queens can cling to their powers and the Jokers have their call but as you will soon discover, the common one outranks them all. I hope you enjoyed the peace I gave you. It's over now and I'm coming for you both... sighed Ace..." She read out loud as everyone backed away from her and Lila. "What the hell does that mean?"
"He's given you the ace of spades..." Nino whispered as if someone had died. Alya and Lila looked at him confused as Ivan opened his own locker. He jumped back as a card fell out of his. The class looked at him as he picked it up. Alix moved across to hers. She would have to act surprised to get one as well.
"Ivan?" Mylene asked as he shook. He looked at them and showed them as Alix unlocked hers and took out the card. "Oh no..."
"It's just the ace of clubs!" Alya gasped, confused as Lila frowned but the others checked their lockers. Mylene let out a sob as she held another ace of clubs in her hand, Alix shook as she also held an ace of clubs, along with Max, who also got the ace of clubs. Nino and Kim didn't receive the Ace of clubs but instead got the ace of hearts and the ace of diamonds. "What the hell does all this mean? And why did we get the Ace of Spades?!"
"It means he's coming for us...." Mylene muttered as tears rolled down her face as Ivan held her. Nino clearly his throat.
"The Ace of clubs means you broke someone's trust, the ace of diamonds means you broke a promise and the ace of hearts means you broke a heart... if anyone gets any of these three aces, it is a warning to change your ways or he will come to punish you..." Nino muttered, making everyone frown deeply. Of course, Alya had no idea what they meant. She wasn't here when he ruled.
"And the Ace of Spades?" Alya asked. "What does that mean?"
"It means you've done all three of those things or worst and unlike the others, it is not a warning. It is a promise," Nino frowned, deeply as Alya gave him a confused look. "It's basically a death sentence... but why would he give it to you two?"
"Because he hates us," Lila gasped, tears rolling down her cheeks. Alix bit her tongue but she knew it was her time to shine so to speak. Chloe's instruction was make them question her claims of been a victim. She knew exactly how to do that. "This is because I rejected him and tried to stand up to Marinette..."
"Then why hasn't she got an ace?" Alix asked, making everyone look at her. Everyone here, apart from Alya and Lila, knew how Luka worked so she could easily make them question Lila. "Everyone knows he only ever gives the ace of spades to bullies,"
Lila frowned deeply as people were muttered and beginning to question why she got it. Alix held back a smirk at the look of panic on her face but before either could do any more, Juleka entered the room, looking extremely pissed off and followed by an equally pissed Rose. Her eyes moved across the room looking for something. Lila gulped in fear as Juleka looked fierce. Alix couldn't help but think to herself what Luka had told her before. Hell hath no fury like A Couffaine. As soon as Juleka's eyes landed on Lila, she stormed over to the girl and slapped her across the face.
"What the hell, Juleka?!" Alya shouted as everyone else, including Alix was too shocked. Juleka never got violent with anyone.
"Stay the hell away from my brother!" She screamed, shocking everyone. Alix felt her blood boil. What had Lila done to get such a reaction from Juleka? Is that why Luka had sent Chloe in his place?
"W-What?" She gasped, fake tears in her eyes but she did seem genuinely surprised by Juleka's reaction. "W-what did I do?"
"You fucking assaulted him, you bitch!!" Juleka screamed as Rose held her hand. Alix gripped her hand into a fist.
"How could you?!" Rose gasped, looking betrayed. Alix noticed Lila looking around, panic clear in her eyes. She was obviously trying to think how to get around this, especially since Alya was actually glaring at her. "Because of you and your lies, both me and Juleka were given an ace card each!! I broke my promise because of you and Juleka, she became the very thing she hated and it broke Luka's heart!! How... how could you lie?!"
"L-Lie?" Lila gasped, panic settling in. "I didn't lie!! H-he... he's the one who lying! He assaulted me and is trying to make me look like the bad guy when I'm the victim!!"
"Liar!!" Juleka growled, shoving Lila who looked surprised by the sudden attack. "He was absolutely terrified when he came home yesterday!! He told me about how you assaulted and threatened him twice!! Fucking twice, Lila!! He didn't want to tell me about the first time as he was too afraid to do so!! It was only because Mum pushed him to tell us if it had happened before!!"
"N-no, you've got it all wrong!!" She gasped, tears in her eyes as Rose glared at her. Alix wondered what had occurred. Was Lila really stupid enough to assault Luka? "H-he assaulted me, Juleka. I swear!! I didn't want to say anything because I was scared"
"Really?!" Juleka growled, not buying a single word. "Then explain to me why the fuck there were fucking claws marks on his arms and on his face as well as bruises marks on his stomach and his shirt was torn?!"
"It was self defense I swear!" She gasped. "H-he tried to assault me and I hit him in self defense!"
Juleka and Rose weren't buying it and Alix couldn't blame them. Luka was many things but he would never hurt a woman, even in self defense but it seemed Alya and the others were looking doubtful. Lila smirked when she thought no one was looking but Alix saw it. However, she knew Luka wasn't stupid and she was certain now that Lila had confronted him. However, last time he had recorded her and he was definitely not going to talk to her without a back up plan. Chances are he did the same thing with this 'talk'.
"He showed us the fucking recording of you threatening to scream rape if he didn't do what you wanted!!" Juleka screamed, making go Lila go pale. Alix wanted to laugh as Juleka confirmed her theory. Of course, he had fucking record it, the smart bastard. Alix smirked a little before morphing her face into a look of horror as Lila quickly looked around. Everyone else looked at her with horror. Almost instantly, she began to cry.
"H-he faked it to make me look like a bad guy," She cried but Juleka was having none of it. She punched her again. "I swear, Juleka, I didn't assault him!!"
"You fucking liar!!" She screamed, tears roll down her face. "I can't believe that I actually believed you!!"
"I'm t-telling the truth!!"
"Then where's your injuries!?!" Juleka screamed again. "If he assaulted you, why aren't you hurt?!"
Lila couldn't answer that. Alix knew it and so did Juleka. She gulped as Alix glared at her, along with the others.
"It... it was Alya's idea!" She gasped, tears in her eyes. Alix almost broke character. Lila had literally just dug her own grave.
"What?!" Alya screamed. "I didn't tell you to do that!!"
"Y-you told me to try and prove that Luka wasn't who he claimed to be..." She sniffed.
"So you tried to accuse him of sexual assault?!" Alya screamed. "And then try to blame me when you get uncovered!!"
"Not cool, dudette!!" Nino gasped.
"Nino, Alya is the one in the wrong here!!" Mylene scolded but frowned when Alix snorted.
"Alya would never do that!! This is Lila's fault!!" Rose gasped, tears in her eyes.
"No way, Lila was just following her terrible advice!!" Ivan gasped, clearly still believing Lila.
"I never gave her that advice!! She's lying!!" Alya growled, clearly pissed off.
"I'm not lying about that, I swear!!" Lila sobbed.
"You also swore my brother assaulted you!!" Juleka growled, making everyone look at her. Alix saw the perfect chance to make them fully doubt her.
"Guys!!" She shouted, getting everyone's attention. They all looked at her. "If Lila lied about Luka and Alya's advice, what else did she lie about?!"
~After the Take Down~
"S-She lied about everything..." Mylene gasped as tears rolled down her face. Despite knowing that she had been lying, Alix was shocked at how bad it really had been. What kind of psycho tried to get Ladybug killed or drove people to have mental breakdowns. She felt guilty as they had put Marinette through that but now most of the class was trying to apology to her. Alix was leaning against the wall as Kim gasped for forgiveness while he was on his knees. Nino had taken off his hat and bowed his head low. Rose and Mylene were crying and Ivan was looking guilty. Marinette had her arms crossed but said nothing until Luka walked over. He gently placed his arm around her and led her towards Chloe before the two girls left. He turned to the rest of the class and narrowed his eyes. They all went silence as they waited for him to speak. He looked at Rose, Mylene, Ivan, Kim, Nino and Alix.
"You all have one more chance. If you step even a toe out of line, I will personally destroy you," He stated, making them gulp. "You will be suspended for three weeks and I expect you to treat Marinette and the rest of my royal flush with the fear and respect they deserve. If I think you have earnt your right, I will grant you a new card. It will not be a court card but it will be a value higher then 6. I also expect you to pay back Marinette every single penny you owe her. Anything she made you, anything food brought from the bakery, anytime you convinced her to be babysit for free. Is that understood?"
"Y-Yes, your highness," The students whispered, shaking with fear. He dismissed them, expect for Juleka, who was playing with her hands and Alix. Alix felt bad for her. She gulped as he looked at her.
"Alix, you will face the same penalty as the rest of the class but I want to thank you for your help. However, I revoke the role of Jass for you as it is no longer needed. Like the rest of your class, you will gain a new card but given your current action, you will probably be the first to get yours. Now, you're dismissed. I need to talk to my sister," He stated, turning to Juleka. Alix nodded and left but decided to wait for Juleka. She hid beneath a pillar and looked over. Luka had his arms crossed but he didn't look angry. He looked hurt and disappointed. Juleka looked up at him.
"Lu, I'm sorry... I-" She started but he held up his hand.
"I'm not going to lie to you, Jules. I'm extremely disappointed in you," He sighed, making her frown. "You have known Marinette as long as I have. You have seen what she is like with people and how she is. Hell, we both have met Ladybug and we personally know Jagged. And you know how I feel about bullies. You know what it is like to be bullied. Remember Xavier?"
She flinched at the name.
"So I'm going to ask you one time and I expect you to answer me honestly. Why did you believe Lila when literally everything you know could tell you she was a liar?"
"S-She... I...." She gasped, looking down. For a minute, she was silence. She felt tears form in her eyes because when she really thought about it, nothing Lila said made sense. Marinette was like her. She knew what it was like to be bullied. She had put up with Chloe for years and other bullies. Luka had done his best to protect her from the mayor's daughter but she was clever and never went as far as Lila did. Juleka hung her head in shame. "I don't know..."
"Allow me to enlightened you then," He stated, making her frown. "You believed her because she promised you the world. I know how she offered to get you to meet Gabriel Agreste and Audrey Bourgeois. I know that she promised to get Kitty Section a record deal and tried to pass the songs you gave her as her own work. What I don't know is why you didn't question her and you followed her like a blind idiot. You became a bully because of her!"
"I didn't mean to..." She gasped, looking down. "I thought she was telling the truth,"
"Have I taught you nothing, Juleka? If it sounds too good to be true or it sounds out of character for someone then it probably is,"
"But... she was so nice..."
"And so was Dad!" He snapped, making her flinch before he pinched his nose. "You will have the same punishment as the rest of your class. You're also grounded until Mum says otherwise and Kitty Section is disbanded until I say so. I expect you to learn from this, Juleka. I know that you're better then this but you're gonna have to prove it,"
"I will, Luka..." Juleka muttered. "I promise,"
"Good," Luka muttered as Juleka walked away. However, he sighed and leaned against the wall, finally dropping his guard. Alix frowned as she had never seen him look the way he did. He looked hurt and that's when she realized a damage that no one saw and the final straw that caused Luka to destroy Lila the way he did. Sure, Luka had a flare for the dramatic but looking at him now, she realized this had hurt him. Lila hadn't just isolated his best friend and almost destroyed her. She had poisoned the mind of his sister and tore apart his life. In one simple move against Marinette, she had awoke a monster that he had been fighting all his life. Alix stepped out from her hiding, making him look at her with a harsh look. "You better have a damn good reason to be spying on me!"
"I... I wanted to say I'm sorry..." She muttered, making him frown.
"You should give your apologies to Marinette,"
"I know but I also think you deserve one," She stated, making him narrow his eyes. "Lila may have been trying to hurt Marinette but she ended up causing you pain and I never realized it. Your sister became the very thing you hate and your best friend could have been pushed over the edge. God knows what it must of been like for you seeing her broken or watching your sister turning into a monster. I can't even imagine it so I'm sorry. You're right. If it's too good to be true then it probably is... but I've got to ask... what if Lila comes back or gets away with this?"
"Alix, I promise Lila will never be coming back," He stated before turning on his heel and walking off. She stood there for a second before she smiled and went back to her class. She knew now that Lila would never be back in their lives. After all, the Ace always kept his promises.