It all started when her parents were assassinated.

The neighboring country's king swore they didn't commit the crime. However, the evidence disproved his claim, and Marinette watched her father's second-in-command declare war on the other country.

To say she wasn't terrified of the thought of murder and bloodshed and war coming up to her kingdom would be an outright lie. This was her kingdom. If she were the heir, she would have gone on to negotiate with the neighboring king and try to uncover the truth. Unfortunately, even as the only child born to Queen Sabine, Marinette was not the true heir because she was a female, and the line passed down solely to sons.

So, she did the only thing she saw fit to do: join the military. She had been mocked at first, but when one of the commanders who had advanced high up the ranks spotted her, he enabled her to join.

"I remember you, your royal highness," he commented with a smile. "You're a crafty sort of girl. You were always able to slip around the house without anyone knowing. They called you Little Lucky Ladybug for good reason."

And that was how she got her nickname. It wasn't for two months that everyone fighting for her kingdom knew the spy that went by 'Ladybug'. She was a valuable asset to the war.

Then came the dreaded day that she found herself caught up in a battle. It was in one of her kingdom's towns, one that lay on the outskirts. Most of the town had evacuated, but for some, they had no where else to go but wait out the fight.

Marinette was forced to do the same.

She found refuge in a house close enough for her to see the fighting. Despite the queasiness in her stomach, she watched the battle. She watched as things exploded and guns went off and smoke billowed upward from the streets of the town. People were screaming; people were dying.

It was with a heavy heart Marinette watched the opposing forces win.

As the smoke cleared, it allowed her to see her army fall back, grabbing all the supplies they could and running in the cover the smoke provided. Those men would live to fight another day, and for that she was thankful. But when the smoke cleared completely, it allowed her to see the carnage in the streets, proving to her that there were many men who wouldn't make it back home. Furthermore, this town that had once been hers was no longer.

She made it a habit to hold back her tears, but for today, she allowed herself to cry.

It was only once she was able to forcefully swallow the tears did she realize the front door of the house burst open. Her heart was pounding inside her chest as she froze instinctually.

Get up! She mentally chided. Move!

But it was too late. By the time she found the strength to stand, soldiers burst into the second story room, guns pointed at her.

Her only option was to hold up her hands in surrender.

He shouldn't be here. If his father knew he was here, he'd have an absolute fit and likely punish Adrien as though he was a teenager instead of a man nearly twenty-one. But if his father was going to willingly go to war like this against Adrien's adamant council, then defying his father it was.

Adrien roamed the streets of the town his kingdom had just taken over. He didn't wear the uniform of a soldier, instead wearing plain clothes to blend into the surroundings. He wasn't completely insane, after all. He was a hidden soldier, one that made shots from the rooftops and scoped out the best way to win against the enemy.

The moment a woman's scream reached his ears, he instinctively looked up. Soldiers from his own kingdom were man-handling a woman, throwing her to the ground outside a house. They were yelling something, but at that point, Adrien didn't care. The men had orders to not harm women and children. Even in this time of war, Adrien would ensure to uphold their honor.

Before one of the soldiers could strike the female, Adrien grabbed him, forcing him off his feet and disarming him. "What do you think you're doing?" Adrien challenged.

Adrien felt the two other men point their guns at him while the man on the ground looked blankly up at him. With a scowl, Adrien threw the gun back at the man.

Adrien scowled. "Where is your honor, soldier? You don't touch civilians, no matter which side they belong to."

With that, he turned to offer a hand to the woman on the ground. Her wide-eyed gaze was mixed fear and intrigue. Adrien shot her a smile he hoped was charming before reaching his hand out to offer assistance. "I apologize on their behalf."

She remained silent as she hesitantly took his hand and allowed him to assist her in standing.

She had beautiful blue eyes and hair like a raven's feathers. Young, youthful face. A stunning beauty. He grinned, earnestly this time. "Was this your home?"

"No," she admitted. "I was passing through and hid before I got caught in the crossfires."

Poor girl. Yet, her voice held a stubborn courage underneath her fear. "May I then suggest running away from the fighting so as not to get caught again."

"Understood," she said, pulling her hand from his. "And thank you."

With that, the girl spun around and scampered off.

Adrien watched her for a moment before turning back to glare at his men. "Listen carefully," he warned, tugging out his pocket watch engraved with the kingdom crest. The men instantly stiffened and straightened. "Do not harass the enemy's civilians. They already think lowly of us. Don't give them any more reason to hate us."

"Sir, yes, sir."

It had been a month since Marinette had been saved from her certain entrapment by an extremely handsome young man. At the time, she had been carrying enough notes on her to have her captured as a hostage. She swore that if she ever got the opportunity to repay her debt to him, she'd do it in a heartbeat. Never once did she worry about forgetting his face. She would never forget those kind, green eyes or that mess of blonde hair on his head or that genuine smile.

It was after a battle that she saw him again.

He was in a town among the bodies of many people, both soldiers and civilians.

She would have to make up time later, but for now, she helped him off the ground, propped him upright against a building, then scavenged the area for anything she could find to wrap his head wound.

There was bullet-riddled laundry hanging about that would have to do.

"Well, we meet again," he said, his smile lopsided and eyes halfway opened as he watched her rip apart the fabric into bandages.

Her heart skipped a beat. He remembered her? "It seems so," she said with a grin.

He hummed, then remained silent as she wrapped his wound.

"Thank you," he said once she finished tying off the strips. "I find myself deeply in your debt."

She blushed lightly. "No. You saved me from those soldiers. This is me repaying my debt to you."

His smile turned roguish, which only made him more handsome. "I don't agree. You've exceeded paying off what little debt you were in."

Even though she'd have to scold herself later for being caught up here, letting her heart run wild for a moment, she shot him another grin while shaking her head. "Not by my thoughts."

"Well, then," he said, and she knew by that gleam in his eye that she was in trouble. "I'll just hope that I get once last chance to free myself of this debt you have placed on me, whether you agree or not."

She should get out of here before she gave into the will to continue flirting with a man she didn't know the name of. That was already scandalous of her, but it was particularly offensive in the middle of a war. She forced herself to stand. "Then I hope that our next meeting will be under more pleasurable circumstances."

The smile he gave her as she ran off would come back to haunt her for weeks.

He counted himself lucky beyond belief. He was supposed to be marching around the town, trying to scope out the battlefield. In his down-dressed state, he was able to walk straight past soldiers without any issue. He had to hold back his smug grin.

And that's when he saw her.

Gleefully grinning, Adrien slipped around the crowds of people so he could be in front of her path. "Why, would you look at that?"

He startled her, and it hurt his heart to see the sudden fear of her realizing her path was blocked. The way she looked up at him, with wide-eyes full of fear and stance prepped to run, it was clear she was skittish. If it was from war, then he could do nothing but feel guilty. But if it was from his men attacking her, then he'd swear vengeance.

However, she relaxed, her hand over her chest probably to calm her racing heart. "Oh, it's you."

"Forgive me," he said earnestly. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"No. I'm just not used to being approached."

He grinned. "Are you unused to men calling for your attention? I don't believe that. A lovely girl such as yourself? You must have had many a man dropping at your feet before the war."

Where those words came from, he didn't know, but the blush on her cheeks as well as the skeptical smile was invaluable. "Careful, you sliver-tongued devil."

He chuckled. "Forgive me. I can't help myself. Nor can I stop myself from asking this question that has been on my mind since the day we meet."

Her smile fell and brow knit in worry. He forced his smile to stay on his face even though he hated causing her guard to come rising up again like this. "Oh?"

"May I be so bold as to ask your name?"

Slowly, her shoulders relaxed and her smile returned. "Marinette."

He tested the word on his tongue and very much liked the way it felt. "Well then, Marinette." He reached for her hand to bestow a kiss on her knuckles. "What a pleasure meeting you officially."

With a giggle, she tugged her hand away. "We have not met officially," she teasingly scolded. "For I don't know your name."

Heat rose to his cheeks surprisingly quickly. "Ah, yes. What an idiot I am. My name is Adrien."

Before she could respond, the clock chimed the hour, and he realized he needed to get back.

"Forgive me," he said, bowing before her. "But I actually have somewhere I have to be."

"As do I," she said, taking a step back. "But it was such a pleasure to meet you."

"And you, Marinette. I do hope to see you again."

She gave him a smile before scurrying off into town. As he was leaving, he sent up a prayer that she would be getting out of town as quickly as she could. He didn't want his Marinette caught in the cross-fires.

Her kingdom was losing the battle. They were up against an equally skilled army. The issue was they were much larger than their own.

That, and they had Chat Noir.

Marinette had been transporting a warning to all the squadrons all over her kingdom informing them about the man once caught in black leather taking shots from a high ground. It was as though he knew the terrain, knew the field, knew how their armed forces would be organized.

And that meant they were in deep trouble.

Marinette found herself caught in the cross-fires once again. She had been delivering messages about this Chat Noir figure to the troops stationed here, only for the opposing army to spring an attack on them.

Not wanting to be caught anywhere near the general's house, Marinette scampered for another cover spot. Maybe, if she was lucky, she'd be able to get out of the town completely. There were many people unprepared for the attack here, all running around frantically while trying to escape the city. In the commotion, she slipped down an alley way, only to run into a figure in a black leather vest.

She looked up, only to come face to face with Adrien.

His eyes widened upon seeing her. "What are you still doing here? Get out of the town."

"I could ask the same for you," she countered, holding tightly to the hand he grabbed as he pulled her along out of the city.

"Wrong place, wrong time," was all the answer he gave.

"You and me both."

They escaped the alley, only to skid to a halt upon seeing several of the opposing army's men standing there, guns in hand.

One spotted them and raised to fire.

Without a moment's hesitation, Adrien shoved her back into the alley just as the shot rang out. Marinette squeaked at the sound, sadly accustomed to it but not of it being so close.

"Run!"

So she did. As fast as she could, her hand in his, she ran, weaving through the town buildings with ease. But just as she turned the corner, she slid to a stop upon seeing even more soldiers. She ducked into the closest open building, dragging Adrien in behind her. He quickly shut the door, just as the soldiers started shouting and gunfire went off.

"Upsta—" She never finished that word and instead gasped at the sight of blood staining his shirt.

He looked at her, then down at his shoulder. His brow furrowed as he tugged at the cloth. "They got me."

"We have to get the bullet out," Marinette said.

He frowned at her. "And you know how to do that?"

She would love to say that she could confidently, that she personally did it before when she spent the first month of the war helping at a hospital while other nurses were being assembled. "I've assisted in the procedure and seen it done many times."

His brow furrowed, questions clear on his face. But he didn't voice them. "What do you need?"

Adrien was not looking forward to this. Once before, did he have to get a bullet taken out of his leg, but that was the extent of his major injuries. He could have waited for the battle to be over and his own army's medical staff patch him up, however he knew they would be busy as is. And as Marinette listed off the things she needed, marching around the surprisingly full house with a determined expression, his confidence in her grew.

Once they collected everything they needed, Marinette instructed Adrien to lay down on the bed upstairs. He stripped out of his vest and shirt before he did. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a slight dusting of pink on her cheeks. He didn't know what to think of it, but he wanted to be flattered by it.

For the next several minutes, he was biting down on a rag while she dug the lead bullet from his shoulder and sewed up the wound. It was about as painful as he remembered it being.

However, the biggest pain of all was being shot by one of his own men. He supposed that was the price for trying to protect a civilian.

"Thank you," he said once she was bandaging him up yet again.

"You have to stop getting injured when I'm around," she said. He got the pleasure of learning her eyes sparkled when she teased.

"I'd love to," he said. "Unfortunately, I don't think that's going to happen for the foreseeable future."

She shook her head, but the smile she wore was one of amusement.

"I can't help but notice," he began, unable to help himself, "that I seem to cross paths with you in the middle of these battles."

Her expression fell as her eyes locked on his.

"I…" she began, struggling with her words. "I have family and friends everywhere," she eventually said. "But I'm as shocked as you are that you're in these battles constantly."

He forced a grin when he really wanted to cringe. "I… I'm documenting the battles," he answered, thinking that it was a halfway decent excuse.

"Oh," was all Marinette said as she tied off his bandages.

He had to think of something quick to change the subject. "Sorry for asking," he said. "It just seemed odd that such a lovely young woman like yourself happened to be in the middle of battles. Not that I don't love running into you; I would just prefer them being under much better circumstances."

A lovely rosy hue spread across her cheeks, and he couldn't help but feel warm knowing he caused that lovely look on her. Slowly, she ducked her head, a smile on her face. "Flatterer."

He grinned. "Hardly." The scary thing was that he meant it. Here he was, Prince of the Papillion kingdom, flirting with a commoner girl of the opposing kingdom. She was beautiful; that he wasn't lying about. And kind. And had a lovely smile.

She snorted, turning away.

Despite knowing he should be out there, it seemed he was trapped here until the battle was over. His own fault for wanting to clear out the civilians. He told the general not to pull such a barbaric move, attacking a full town, but even though he was the prince, the generals swore they knew better. Today, they would have to serve without their eyes in the sky. It seemed fair to Adrien. At least, that was what he told himself so he would feel less guilty in the pleasure he took being trapped here with Marinette.

She was terrified. And that was an understatement. She'd been caught by the opposing army. She listened to the creak of the enclosed cart, the lock and chains on the outside making plenty of noise with every step the horses took. There were a couple army officials in the cart with her, all ones she'd been meeting with before the camp was raided.

What they were going to do, she didn't know. So to keep the thoughts at bay, she thought of her kingdom. And when that got too hard, she thought of Adrien and his smile as he told her to stay safe as they last parted ways.

"I'll find you again once the war is over," he'd said with a wink. "Mark my words on that."

With a sigh, Marinette forced everything out of her head. Apparently, even dashingly handsome, green-eyed blondes made her heart hurt too much.

"Father, we took the kingdom."

Even though Adrien grinned for his father, he did not feel happy about it. He could only think of the civilians caught in the crossfires, of the towns he'd assisted evacuating when the fighting happened. His thoughts wondered to a certain Marinette and her bright smile, appearing in the battlefields. She wasn't the only young woman running for her life from the war—there had to be people younger and far older than her running for their lives —but she was the only one that came to the forefront of his mind.

"Good," was all his father said. "I hope this serves as a lesson to anyone else who dares to accuse us falsely."

Adrien's stomach dropped. He didn't like his father's methods. He felt them flawed. They should have gone to the kingdom with white flags raised and assisted them in discovering who the true assassins were. That would have been far more beneficial for both of them.

"We will absorb their kingdom into ours," his father said. "They are small, as are we. We will be a stronger power together."

Adrien simply nodded. "What will you do with the war prisoners?"

Gabriel paused. "I suppose we will release them," he said. "No need to make any more of an enemy with the new part of our kingdom. But document them all first so that they have records against them already. If there is an uprising they are a part of, then they will be tried."

Adrien nodded. "Yes, father."

"And I will have you oversee it," his father continued. "I'll be far too busy with other matters to oversee something so trivial."

"Yes, father. I understand."

Marinette may have hated liars, but right now, it was best to tell herself she wasn't completely terrified that she might just die.

She, along with all the other prisoners of war, were to be documented as potential threats, meaning that if they ever made a wrong move, they'd likely be hung.

The men brought the prisoners out in several small groups. They were warned against acting out, even under the threat of the Prince of Papillion being there and able to give the order of them being hung on the spot. Marinette hoped for the sake of them all making it out alive that everyone would cooperate and the officials would be merciful.

The soldiers made their way through the rows of cells, meaning Marinette was one of the last to be taken out. And as the only woman, she was taken out alone.

She had to squint at the sudden bright daylight, and she cursed the sunshine. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but once they did, her gut sank.

Because Adrien stood there in his royal garb, proving he was the prince overseeing everything.

She watched his expression shift to one of horror. She shoved down her emotions and begged her eyes to stay dry. She had to pretend it didn't feel like betrayal that the man she remembered fondly on the battlefield happened to be the prince of the kingdom responsible for murdering her parents.

She had been the Princess of Coccinelle; she would stand with her head high, chin raised, back straight. She would not cower.

"State your name," the recorder asked.

"Princess Marinette Dupain of the Coccinelle Kingdom."

Everyone froze, particularly Adrien.

The recorder was the first to move, ready to write the name down in the book.

But Adrien's arm shot out, covering the page before the man could touch the pen to the paper.

"Your royal highness," Adrien addressed, bowing before her. "I would like to give my deepest apologies for the treatment you have received. Should you agree, I wish to offer you a stay here at Castle Papillion, for there are many matters I would like to discuss with you."

Curious, she rose a brow. "What matters do we have to discuss? You are the ruler of my kingdom now, are you not? That is what this war was about."

He looked hurt at her words. As he should be. "The first matter I wish to discuss being a long list of apologies for our transgressions against you," Adrien began, his words still strong and steady as a prince's should be. "The second being an offer to discover who truly is behind the deaths of your parents, for I assure you that I know of no such plan that has ever been in place in this kingdom."

Her brow furrowed. "You say you know of no plan, yet did you not just wage war against us?"

"My father agreed to such terms, but I swear I opposed it from the start."

"If the king himself did not listen to your council then what makes you believe he will agree with your offer to me now?"

At that, Adrien was silent.

Marinette bit back the urge to smile bitterly up at him. "Then I will decline your—"

"Your royal highness, please," Adrien said. "Please, allow me to make amends."

"Amends!" Marinette cried in outrage. "You take over my kingdom and now want to make amends?"

Her heart was screaming in pain as she watched Adrien struggle for words.

"Yes," he answered. "I do. Whether my father does is not a decision I can make for him. But I want to do what I can to express my deepest regrets."

Marinette glared at him. Even though the logical answer was no, something in her… something in her didn't agree.

"One day," she growled. "I will give you one day."

Again, he bowed before her. "Thank you, your royal highness. That is grace from you I know I do not deserve."

There was nothing more humiliating than having to salvage any possible relationship with a princess that had been mistaken as a war criminal.

Adrien rubbed his eyes. His father had been less than happy at the news of what Adrien had done. His father had glowered at him and said, "I will have no part in whatever you decide to do."

Which really meant that Father was disappointed in Adrien's choices and would make Adrien clean up his own mess with his own resources.

Adrien felt that was fair. He'd bit his tongue against voicing off against his father, knowing it would only rain more hell back down on him.

He sat in his own study awaiting Princess Marinette to arrive. He'd ordered her to be tended to, which meant a bath, a place for the night, and a change of his late mother's clothes. Then, he'd asked for her to meet him in his study for the morning.

When she did arrive, she looked none too happy.

"Prince Adrien," she said, her voice sharp with irritation as she curtsied before him.

"Princess Marinette," he returned, bowing for her. He then offered her to take a seat, which she did. She sat all and proud, chin raised, eyes fiery.

If they were on better terms, he'd gladly pour compliments over her and lay a kiss on her knuckles. However, he knew that would not be accepted at the moment.

He hoped that one day they would.

"Your highness, I need to apologize —"

"Why."

Adrien paused. "Why?"

"Why do you feel the need to flatter me with apologies after what you did to my kingdom?"

Adrien took a breath. "Because no matter what my father did, I disagreed with him from the start."

"Yet you were on the battlefield."

"If he was going to start a war I could not stop, and the generals were more than happy to put in in motion, then there was nothing I could do except hope to keep the casualties to a minimum."

Her eyes narrowed as she studied him for a moment. "Is that why we constantly crossed paths in town?" she asked. "Because you were trying to keep civilian casualties low?"

"And I scouted ahead," he admitted. "To see the best way we could surprise people and subsequently flush them out instead of firing deadly shots."

Again, those sharp blue eyes locked on him. He stared back, hoping that she would realize that he was telling the truth.

"I want to believe you."

Her tone was sharp, but somehow, he believed those words. "If you don't, I would understand completely," he said. "You have every right to be mad at me. You have every right to not believe me. Honestly, you have every right to hate me and my kingdom and my father. I won't fault you."

For a moment, her eyes fell to her lap. After a moment of silence, they returned to him. "Before the war began," she started, "your father said your kingdom did not kill my parents."

"I have every reason to believe that is the truth," Adrien said. "We had no reason to start war with your kingdom. As I said before, I advised my father against going to war with your kingdom. If the assassins were from our kingdom, then we would brand them as traitors and bring them to justice. As smaller kingdoms, we would have been better off forging an alliance between us. Why start a war when we could be strong together and on good terms?"

Marinette looked skeptical, but at least she wasn't angry at him anymore. Adrien would gladly take any peace offering she would give.

"Can I have your word," she said, "that you know nothing about the assassins. Swear to me with the same honor you showed on the battlefield to my people—to me—that you did not have any involvement with them or the plan to take over my kingdom."

He held up a hand in oath and looked her directly in the eyes. "I swear on my life and on my honor that I had no knowledge of any sort pertaining to your parents' assassination."

For the longest time, she just looked at him, studying him. He didn't dare move.

"I believe you."

He felt relieved, but knew that that her belief was shaky. "I swear to you," he said, "that even if I have to spend the rest of my life proving that trust to you, I will. And I will begin today."

It was barely noticeable, but her shoulders relaxed the tiniest bit and her chin lowered slightly.

He grinned. He supposed it was a start.

Marinette was in her castle, back in her own room that wouldn't be hers for much longer. How long, she wasn't certain, but Adrien agreed to let her stay in the home she grew up in until further notice.

"Your royal highness," a servant that approached her said. "Prince Adrien Agreste of the Papillion Kingdom has arrived and requested an audience with you."

Her stomach dropped. "Lead me to him."

With false courage, she went downstairs to meet him. "Prince Adrien," she greeted. "What brings you?"

The look on his face was worrisome. His frown was strong, and his eyes held a sadness. With his head bowed, he presented her a stack of letters. "Princess Marinette," he said. "I must beg your forgiveness. I swear I have upheld my oath that I had no hand in this, but I recently discovered that my father has."

Her heart stopped. With shaky hands, she reached out to take the offered papers and slowly opened them to read.

"I'm sorry," Adrien kept repeating. "I'm so sorry."

She couldn't read them fully. She could only skim them. Words popped off the page at her, haunting her. Somehow, she finished reading the damning papers. Her world felt like it was spinning, leaving her dizzy and disoriented. Absently, she closed the papers, looking up at him even though she felt completely lost.

"Princess Marinette, I have a proposition to make you," he began. His voice was filled with emotion he was clearly trying to shove down. "I met you on the battlefield many a time, and if the rumors are true, then you are a skilled spy. Though, you only became one to serve your kingdom."

Her brow furrowed.

"I know I do not know you well enough to say this, but I will state it anyway: I believe you would make a great queen for your kingdom. As its heir, you should be the rightful ruler, not my father."

She smiled bitterly. "That is kind of you to say—"

"I'm not finished," he said. He glanced around at the soldiers in the room before leaning closer and lowering his voice. "I am only slightly more confident in saying that my father clearly does not have the proper respect or honor it takes to lead a kingdom."

Her eyes widened in surprise at his words.

A fire sparked in his eyes, and she knew he was about to say something dangerous. "So will you assist me," he said, voice barely above a whisper. "In overthrowing my father."

His words stunned. She was there with her eyes wide and mouth agape in a way she would certainly be scolded for.

"And once we do," he said. "Because I am most certain we will succeed, I will take over for my father and grant you back your kingdom, allowing you to become the ruler that your kingdom deserves." He paused, taking a step back to give her space. "I wish to prove to you that the man you met on the battlefield was one of honor. I'm asking for a lot, I am aware, but will you partner with me on this endeavor?"

Marinette looked him over, searching his eyes and his body language and his expressions. She knew it was madness to trust him, but then again, did he have reason to trust her? Marinette could tell he was earnest in his apology and righteous in his intentions.

"I remember on the battlefield," Adrien continued. "How, each time we ran into each other, we would find ourselves in the other's debt. Well, I seem to find myself vastly in yours, and I hope… I hope you will trust me enough to allow me to pay it off."

While stunned at his words, she stuck her hand out in the space between them. "Surprisingly, I do trust you. Prove to me now that you are that man I met on the battlefield."

He smiled, then reached for her hand, bowing over it to kiss her knuckles respectfully. "Princess Marinette, I will not let you down. And maybe one day, I will prove to you the kind of man I am."

She smiled, remembering that first time they met on the battlefield. How he'd come to save her. The irony of each of them assisting the enemy was not lost on her. But now, she knew in her heart that they were fighting for the same side. "I believe you… Partner."

It was the second hardest year of Adrien's life. Plotting to overthrow his own father… he warred with himself about how terrible of a son he was. But in the end, when he discovered more incriminating evidence about his father wanting to wage war with another kingdom, that was all Adrien needed to be certain that this plan was for the best.

Marinette was a good partner. She would make an incredible queen, her words powerful and actions meaningful. But she was also sly and crafty and clever. It was because of her that a rally of trustworthy troops were at the ready to assist in bringing Adrien's father to justice.

"I'm doing this for you, Adrien," his father had said when presented with the evidence.

"No, you're not," Adrien scowled. "This is for your own selfish gain."

After that, Adrien offered his father two options: step down quietly and give Adrien the throne, or be assassinated on the spot.

With Marinette pointing a knife at his nick, Adrien's father decided to go quietly. Adrien called in several court servants to serve as witnesses as the paperwork was completed.

"I don't want to lock you in the dungeons, father," Adrien said. "I suggest going quietly to mother's old estate."

Marinette was the one who sent soldiers to monitor him for months. And when they came back a few months later saying he was killed, Marinette and Adrien decided to look the other way instead of seek justice.

The next several months after King Gabriel's resignation were spent rebuilding the kingdoms and establishing Marinette as Queen of the Coccinelle Kingdom before releasing it entirely.

"But Marinette," Adrien began, "one thing before you return."

She turned her blue eyes on him. He could not deny the way his heart skipped whenever she looked at him. Or how it got hard to breathe. Or words failed him.

He swallowed. "I… For the benefit of both our kingdoms, I would like to bind our kingdoms together in peace," he said.

She smiled, and he might have had to brace himself on his desk to keep from falling over. When he was a kid, he never understood the fluttery feelings lovers got in fairytales. Now, it seemed he understood them too well. "Well," she began. "There is a simple solution."

It took him much too long to come to any conclusion, and when he did, it seemed like the wrong one. "A marriage union?"

Her smile confirmed it, and nearly knocked him off his feet in the process. "I do find myself in your debt, after all."

His brow furrowed. "How so?"

Her smile shifted slightly, changing it from congratulatory to sweet. "You returned my kingdom to me."

"I could not have accomplished that without your assistance," he countered. "Furthermore, that is the fulfillment of my debt to you."

She shook her head. "I disagree."

His heart skipped and he swallowed, giving him a moment longer to find words to say. "I don't think that you owe me nearly enough to pledge your life to me out of gratitude."

That locked the two in an impasse.

"Then," Marinette began. "May I suggest that you come courting, and maybe, after a while, I'll find myself in such a debt that I won't be able to say no to your proposal."

He couldn't hold back his smile even if he wanted to. "Then my I warn you that this young king has set his sights on a lovely young queen to be his bride."

He relished the sight of her smile as well as the light dusting of pink on her cheeks. "Your warning has been noted. Best of luck to you in your endeavors."