Adrien stood in the extravagantly adorned hallway that led to his father's office, impatiently fussing with the cuff of his coat as he tried to straighten it. It was being stubborn, not wanting to appear presentable, but with a little finagling, he managed to get it situated just as the door at the end of the hall swung open.

He jumped, quickly spinning away from the mirror to watch Nathalie step out of the room. The Head of their maid staff had her eyes glued to a notebook in her hand while she held the door for him with the other. She addressed him without even looking up. "Adrien, your father will see you now."

With a quick, courteous bow, Adrien took in a sharp breath and marched into the office. Nathalie slipped through the doorway behind him before closing it with a soft 'click.' The stifling quiet of the room immediately settled over him, almost suffocating as he rigidly stood with his hands behind his back, waiting for his presence to be acknowledged.

A clock sitting atop a bookcase ticked quietly while Gabriel sat at the ornate desk at the back of the room, his gaze focused on a canvas laid out before him. From his angle, Adrien managed to catch a glimpse of the refined sketch that his father was working on—most likely adding the finishing touches to one of his latest designs.

A moment of silence stretched between them before his father finally lowered the pencil and regarded him with a neutral expression. "Adrien. You wished to speak with me about a business venture?"

"Yes, father." Though Adrien tried to keep his nerves from showing, he found his hand unconsciously messing with the hem of his sleeve. "I wanted to discuss some plans I have to earn my own living."

"Your own living?" Gabriel's voice wasn't cold, but Adrien could hear the impatience in his tone. "Have I not already told you that you will one day inherit the entirety of this company and its wealth?" His hand swept out toward the wide window, through which Adrien could see a grand view of Paris with the Seine somewhere in the distance. "Everything has already been laid out for you here. There is no need for you to dirty your hands on some childish project."

"It's not childish!" Adrien quickly spouted, already feeling his resolve crumble slightly. "I've been preparing this for weeks without shirking the responsibilities that I already have." From the inside pocket of his coat, Adrien dug out an envelope with a wax seal. "This is a contract for a full ship and crew, ready and able to transport goods to trade overseas."

"Trade?" His father's eyes widened in surprise, an expression that rarely crossed his features. "You want to trade overseas? And you've somehow managed to procure yourself a ship," Gabriel mumbled as his mouth turned down in a slight frown. "How did you acquire one so quickly?"

Adrien could hear the slight distaste in his tone. There was an unspoken, how did you do that without my knowing?

"I may have had a little luck, being in the right place at the right time," Adrien said with a nervous smile, tucking the envelope back into his pocket. His father had no idea the lengths he had gone to get so far, and there was no doubt he wouldn't have approved of any of it if he knew. "I found a Captain of a small crew that wanted to retire, and he was looking for a new, reliable owner for his ship."

His father hummed and leaned forward in the chair, lacing his fingers together in an arch over his desk. "It sounds too good to be true. Have you checked out the validity of this transaction?"

"I've done my research, and the contract is valid," Adrien said with a little more confidence. Though he seemed to have his doubts, his father appeared to be listening. "It's not as good a deal as it sounds, though. The ship comes without a crew, and it's in need of some repair, but I've gathered together some acquaintances to help man it. After we take it on a test run to prove our abilities, we can pick up our own trade routes."

"And transporting the goods yourself would allow you to amass a small bit of wealth." Gabriel nodded as if he agreed with the idea, though his expression remained unreadable. "It's an excellent opportunity, but I don't see why you felt the need to procure your own ship. I could have provided you one through the company."

"That's…" Adrien hesitated, certain he wouldn't be allowed out of the house if he explained his real goal. He didn't need wealth or riches; he simply needed a ship free of his father's control. "It would feel hollow if I just used one you bought." Unconsciously, his hand moved up to rub at the back of his neck as he brought up his next idea. "And I was hoping to help get things started by accompanying my new crew..."

His father's eyes narrowed. "You want to travel with them?" Gabriel rubbed his fingers over his brow. "Adrien, you know how dangerous the sea is for merchant ships. I fail to see why you need to be present on their voyages."

"It will establish more trust between us," Adrien started quietly. "It's not as if you didn't establish your own company by working closely with your staff and attaining resources by running the trades yourself. I want the same experience you had—"

"Adrien—" His father's mouth stretched into a thin line as he gave him a stern glare.

"Is it so terrible to want to do something for myself, father?" Adrien turned and began pacing in front of the desk. "It's not as if I haven't made any preparations for the journey! If you're so worried about my safety, then I can hire guards to help protect the ship!" he continued on before his father could stop him. "I just want to establish something with my own abilities, and once operations are running smoothly, then I can supervise from here."

Gabriel was quiet for a moment as Adrien finished, and he quickly grew nervous, wondering if his father was considering his proposal or simply livid over the fact that he had interrupted him. Adrien moved his hands behind his back and straightened up, his fingers instinctively reaching for his sleeve to nervously fiddle with it.

"How long will you be gone?"

Adrien almost slumped in relief at his father's words. "As long as there are no delays, our first trip will only be a few weeks."

Gabriel closed his eyes with a soft grunt, picking up a pen on his desk and scribbling something into a notebook. "Contact the company at this address." He ripped the slip of paper out and held it up. Adrien quickly stepped forward to take it. "They have reliable men that are experts with a sword. They should offer the best defenses for your ship and crew."

"Thank you, father!" Adrien slipped the address into his pocket before turning toward the door. He was almost out into the hall when his father called him again.

"Adrien?"

He stopped in the doorway and turned his head. "Yes, father?"

Gabriel had spun his chair around, facing the wall where an elegant portrait of his mother hung. "When you return, I'd like to discuss the matter of your marriage."

Adrien's hand moved straight to his wrist and squeezed.

"A colleague of mine has been slipping the topic of his daughter into more of our conversations." His father didn't seem too concerned by Adrien's silence as he continued without pause. "While I don't care much for his lack of subtlety, she comes with a substantially impressive dowry should you be interested."

"With all due respect, father," Adrien began slowly as his hand clenched into a fist. "I'd prefer not to marry someone based on the amount of their wealth." He took a soft breath and tried to relax, focusing on calm thoughts. "Besides, I'd like to establish my own matters before worrying about settling down. How can I raise a family that I can't support?"

"This company is more than enough—"

"A company that I don't even know how to properly run?" Adrien lowered his arms and put on a forced smile, even though his father was no longer looking at him. "You can't deny that this experience will help when it comes time for me to take over."

His father hummed softly, a sound that Adrien wasn't certain how to interpret before Gabriel sighed. "Very well. But you can't keep putting this off much longer." His father swiveled toward the wall so that all he saw was the back of the chair. "Don't blame me when there aren't any eligible girls left in Paris."

"I'll keep that in mind, father." Adrien tried to keep the growl out of his tone and bowed quickly, taking that as his cue to leave. He ducked out the door and closed it softly behind him.

Adrien found the hallway empty, so he leaned back against the wall and let out a quiet sigh. "The girl I'm looking for isn't in Paris anymore," he mumbled softly to himself.

"Adrien?"

He choked back a yelp as his eyes shot up, seeing Nathalie standing in front of him with a stern expression fixed on her face. "Y-yes?" he stammered.

"You have a guest," Nathalie said quickly, sounding annoyed. "He insisted on—"

"Yo!" a familiar voice interrupted her as a dark figure leaned out from behind Nathalie, waving his hand with a wide grin on his face. "How'd the meeting with your old man go?"

Adrien couldn't keep the panic from his expression as he jumped forward and grabbed Nino by the neck of his tunic, quickly dragging him down the hall and around the corner. "Thank you so much Nathalie gotta go now bye!"

Adrien managed to whisk Nino out of the mansion so quickly, that by the time he'd pulled his friend to the courtyard, Adrien was leaning on his knees, huffing and wheezing to catch his breath.

"You still pining away for your princess?" Nino teased. Adrien turned his glare up to see his friend tilted forward, hands folded beneath his chin and eyelids fluttering playfully.

He straightened and gave Nino a light shove. "What were you thinking just showing up in there? My father may not know who you are, but he knows enough to realize who you aren't!"

"Can you hear the words coming out of your mouth right now?" Nino gave a dismissive laugh and crossed his arms over his chest. "Relax, he never leaves the mansion, right? He didn't see me, so he wouldn't pick me out as some roguish, boat savvy, riff-raff." Nino then poked a finger against Adrien's chest. "Besides, don't change the subject. What was that mumbling about your little lady in there? Hmm?"

"You caught that?" Adrien groaned and drug a hand through his hair.

Nino smiled and pointed to his own ears. "My hearing's pretty sharp. Don't think your maid noticed though."

"Good." Adrien let out a heavy sigh. "My father's been pushing me to take a wife. If I don't hurry, he's probably going to arrange something with a girl I don't even know."

Nino grimaced. "Yuck. Glad I don't have to bother with that kind of thing." His friend shifted closer and draped an arm over his shoulders. "But don't worry, once we get you on that ship, the sea will be the only woman that calls to you!"

Adrien let out a genuine laugh, unable to keep a smile off his face with Nino's encouragement. "I do want to get married one day, but it won't be to anyone my father picks." He lifted his arm and pulled back the sleeve of his coat, a warm smile lighting his face as his eyes moved over the charm band on his wrist. "There's only one lady for me."

Nino's face shifted into a sly grin, and he pulled the hood of his cloak up over his head, shielding himself beneath a cover of dark green. "Ah, ready to set sail then and find your lady… Captain?"

Adrien reached into his shirt and tugged at something, giving Nino a glimpse of the small black mask he kept tucked away. He gave his friend a wink as his own smile grew. "Aye. Looks like it's time for Chat Noir to get his claws out."