"Just five more minutes!" Marinette begged as she kept staring at her balcony with concerned eyes. She was sitting by the window - careful not to ruin her dress.
"Marinette, we have to go! We should have already been there! It's gonna start any moment now!" Alya glanced at the clock on the wall which minute hand was about to cross the number 12 - meaning that it was almost 8 pm. "Girl, come on! He won't come tonight either," she said with pity in her voice and opened the door behind her.
Letting out a resigned sigh, Mari stood up, took some steps away from the window, and - glancing one last time on her balcony - she exited her room with Alya.
They were walking through the galleries in complete silence. Marinette was staring at the floor while not even a single word left her lips. She had been in a bad mood for the whole week and the last thing she needed at that moment was to attend a ball among hundreds of members of the high society. She had already been in several events like this although she wasn't fond of them - to say the least - still, she had always pretended to enjoy them - as was expected from a princess. The only thing she used to be delighted about was wearing a ball gown instead of the everyday dress as at least this way, she felt more confident in herself and could really believe that she was the future queen of the Kingdom.
As usual, she was wearing one of the most gorgeous ball gowns created by the famous royal designer, Madame Bourgeois. She was the Princess's designer ever since Mari was born and always made sure to make the Princess the most beautiful one - among hundreds of ladies - for the grand events. As always, Audrey did her best with tonight's dress as well. Knowing the importance of this ball, she chose the colors of the Princess' gown to match the season's colors while still making it look simple but elegant as she was well aware of the Princess's discomfort in excessively extravagant dresses.
Keeping that in mind, she designed her gown just by mainly focusing on the harmony of the colors - including the Royal rose symbols as the most important part of the dress. And at the end of the day, she was proud of her creation which she knew would be the perfect gown for this significant event aka the Autumn Ball.
The Autumn Ball. One of the most grandiose events of the year in the French Kingdom. It was held always in the middle of October when the season's unique, magnificent features reached every part of Paris - painting the streets and squares with its warm, vivid colors. This time the King always holds a ball for the prestigious members of the French nobility - including several quests from other nations as well. The event was first created to celebrate the successful year before them - both for the diplomatic and economic benefits, they have gained throughout the months and to strengthen the political arrangements and alliances between the Kingdoms.
But in reality, it was nothing but a party where the high society could show each other and the whole world how much their fortune had grown and for everyone to envy them.
Even though the Princess had already gotten used to this kind of events but this time - due to the current circumstances, or rather due to the war between her feelings and her rational mind - made it almost impossible for her to act like the perfect little daughter of the King.
It had already been one week since that certain night with Chat Noir happened. Marinette felt like she was in heaven and couldn't stop smiling even after the hero left her balcony. She could still feel his warmth, how his broad shoulders embraced her like a shield and made her believe that the world had meaning again. Deep down she hoped that from that day on, Chat would visit her sometimes - even if it was for just a minute it would have meant everything to her.
But he had never come.
Marinette felt ashamed. Since that day, she had been around her room all the time - only leaving it to visit the library or to attend meetings with the nobility - and waited eagerly to spot those adorable cat ears appearing behind the balustrade.
Mari was well aware of the fact that the hero didn't promise her anything - although his intentions implied that he would visit her again. Still, as the days had passed by, Marinette started to feel more and more foolish and desperate as she kept waiting for him. She often went out as Ladybug during the nights so she could have at least seen him while patrolling - even if she knew, he would avoid her the moment he spotted her.
Come to think of it, she didn't get surprised not to meet him during patrols - since his injuries were too serious to already go out, after all, he could barely stand up from her bed. And yet, Mari couldn't help but start worrying about him more and more.
As she made the last steps on the stairs with Alya by her side - to reach the second floor's gallery - she still kept thinking about him.
"What if his injuries got worse? "
"What if one of them got infected because I made the bandage wrong?! "
"What if he was reckless and got attacked by those monsters again?!"
"What if..?"
"What if..?"
"What if...."
"Ouch!" she whined as Alya's sharp elbow hit her torso and brought her back from her thoughts. "Alya what the...!" she asked frustratedly and frowned when her friend pointed at the end of the hall's direction with her head.
"Your beloved husband is here," Alya whispered giggling - raising her eyebrows at Mari.
"Shut up!" Mari gritted her tooth furiously and shifted her gaze toward the entrance of the ballroom.
There it was standing Félix with his back, alongside Captain Lahiffe in front of the door, and seemed like they were in a deep conversation - as neither of them noticed the women's presence.
But as the girls started to approach them, Nino - glancing up from Félix's shoulders - immediately spotted them, and rushed to Alya.
Marinette walked away from the lovebirds - leaving them alone for that little time they had alone before attending the ball - and headed in the Prince's direction.
It was so frustrating to see him again, especially because - just like Chat Noir -, Félix had also been ignoring her. In any other circumstances, she wouldn't have found it strange, she even would have been glad about it - especially after how their last encounter in the library turned out with Félix's unusually kind behavior towards her, to say the least. But still, she didn't understand why had he been avoiding her this much for the past week. Every time Mari would head back to their suite, he was already asleep on the couch, and the moment Mari had woken up in the mornings, he'd already left the room.
And what was even more frustrating was the fact that - to the Princess' biggest surprise - his ignorance bothered her. It wasn't like they would hang out together or even talk with each other every day - only just if it was really necessary - and yet, it had added even more to her bad mood for the past week.
The Princess was certain though that she wasn't missing Félix, only their never-ending arguments that always made her work harder and fulfill her duties more efficiently to prove him wrong. That was at least before their talk in the library happened which she had still confused feelings for and couldn't put anywhere his kindness - or what could that strange act of his was.
Just by recalling that event and her past week, it was even more awkward to see him let alone attend the Autumn Ball together.
Just as she was slowly approaching him, Félix turned as well to face her.
Marinette could swear her heart skipped a beat when he fully turned around and waited for her to reach him.
He looked dashing.
He was wearing a white uniform that fitted him perfectly, with a deep red collar that was embroidered with the Grahams symbol - just like his cream-white scarf. A red coat with gold accessories was placed on his shoulder and was tied with a gold braid - fixed by two roselike ornaments.
His attire was a magnificent mixture of elegance and autumn - making him look like a perfect prince.
Mari had always known - no matter how hard it was for her to admit it - that Félix was a handsome man and this was another fact about him that bothered her. Because no matter how exhausted he might be, or how awful of a day he may have, he never showed it to the outside world, in fact, he looked even more dashing in those days. While Mari felt like trash most of her days, especially when she didn't get enough sleep thanks to events like akuma attacks or patrols that took most of her energy away. It just wasn't fair that he always looked his best no matter what.
The Princess hated this in him.
And she hated that - for an unknown reason - her heart immediately started racing when Félix took some steps closer to her - giving his arm for Mari to hold it. Maybe it was because she had barely seen him for the past couple of days, or the fact that they were about to attend one of greatest balls in the Kingdom - let alone as a married couple for the first time - the Princess got extremely nervous. As she glanced at the man beside her, she felt her cheek turning red and suddenly the temperature in the hall seemed a bit too high.
"At least I don't need that scarf anymore." Mari was thinking as she knew it would be probably choking for her right now.
Luckily for Mari, as the days passed by her bruises got almost vanished - probably thanks to her patrols as wearing the ladybug suit made her injuries heal faster. And so now, putting on only a little amount of makeup was enough for her to cover the bruises around her neck.
From her thoughts, Félix's coughing bought her back to reality after he walked with Mari by his side to the entrance of the ballroom. The Prince seemed to be bothered by something as he constantly shifted his gaze away from the Princess whenever she looked at him.
Just as Marinette was about to ask him what was wrong, Félix turned back to her.
"You look beautiful." he whispered and before the Princess could even react to his words, he lead them into the ballroom and sighed, "Let's get this over with.." - forcing a smile on his face.
If it wasn't for her hand around Félix's arm, the Princess knew she couldn't make the steps by his side as they were walking down the stairs. She was staring at the furthest point of the ballroom with as reddening cheeks as her dress was, and tried to comprehend the Prince's compliment that caught her completely off guard.
"Did...did Félix just compliment me?! Did I hear it right?!"
Thanks to her pounding ears, she could barely hear the herald announcing their arrival: "Ladies and Gentleman, Prince Graham de Vanily and Princess Marinette Agreste!"
The moment he presented them, every guest looked in their direction - stopping their conversation with the other, or their dinner at the dining part of the ballroom - and watched as the couple made their way down to the floor.
Marinette - waking up from the shock the Prince had caused her - spotted her father on his throne, talking with Amelie and her aunt, and let Félix lead them to him.
As they noticed the couple's approaching, Amelie turned away from Gabriel and watched them with a strict expression on her face. Marinette immediately shifted her gaze away from her - as she was already nervous and Amelie's glaring eyes didn't help the Princess to calm down - and looked at Natalie who was smiling at them reassuringly. Knowing her niece and her opinions about this kind of event well or how uncomfortable she could feel to be among the nobility - let alone attending there as a married woman for the first time, Natalie was ready to be there for her and support her in everything during the night.
As if Natalie's gentle gaze could speak into her mind, the Princess calmed down quickly - letting out a relieved sigh - and stopped in front of her father with Félix. Gabriel watched with a serious yet proud expression as the pair bowed and greeted the King. He let out a barely noticeable smile and nodded - meaning to everyone that the ball was finally opened.
Marinette and Félix - aware of the tradition of this event - turned away from the throne and started welcoming the guests one by one: the nobles of Paris, the dukes and marquees and their partners from the country, and the guests from the other kingdoms, especially from the South Kingdom as a representation of the alliance between the two nations.
"This is my least favourite part of the ball." Marinette declared - already exhausted by the number of people they had to talk with - when they finished welcoming the hundredth guests, the mayor with his beloved daughter, Chloé Bourgeois with her fiancé. The Princess' ears were still ringing from Chloé's earsplitting voice as she was saying things like "please, did you see how awful she look that day?", "tell me about it! It was definitely the worst day of my life!", "Tsk. Daddy will take care of that brat!", "oh, by the way, have I introduced my fiancé to you too?" and so on. It seemed like she would never finish it.
"Finally, something we can both agree on!" Félix replied - glancing at the Princess. "I have never thought I'd rather choose your company over these people," he mumbled.
"Oh my, just not the second compliment I've got from you tonight?" the Princess scoffed and looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Should I be honored now, Prince?"
"Isn't it obvious, Princess?" Félix grinned and looked at her teasingly. "It's not every day you got to have a such good company like myself."
Mari just shook her head as she chuckled. No matter how much she had hated his personality, it felt refreshing - almost entertaining - after all the fake smiles and pretending among the nobility they had to get through the past hour.
She placed one of her hands into her heart and - putting up an ashamed expression on her face - she replied, "Oh, please accept my deepest apology for not appreciating your presence enough, my Prince! "
Mari waited with raised eyebrows for Félix's comeback, however, it never came. Instead of continuing the teasing, the Prince smiled subtly and stared into her eyes with a strange expression.
The Princess frowned - not understanding what has gotten into him - and turned her face back and forth - searching for the target she thought Félix was looking at.
"Shall we get to the table?" Félix coughed - breaking the silence between them - and gave his arm to the Princess. Mari nodded and grabbed his arm - still looking confusingly at him.
~~~
The couple was about to reach the table to have at least a little bit of all the fancy food the servants had prepared for this event when the music stopped and the musicians started to play the music for the minute - meaning it was time for the first dance of the ball.
"You got to be kidding me!" they groaned exhaustedly - knowing too well what this meant for them.
As the Autumn Ball was one of the most grandiose events of the high society, several traditions could add more to these nights. Traditions like the first dance of the ball that was always opened by the royal couple. Before Sabine's disappearance, it had been always the King and the Queen's duty to start the dance, but as the future rulers of the Kingdom, it was handed over to the Princess and the Prince this time.
Without further hesitation, Félix bowed at Mari and - after she accepted his hand - he lead them onto the dance floor.
Everyone soon gathered around them - leaving enough place for the couple - and watched amazed as they started dancing. For their biggest luck, no one in the ballroom could see through their fake smiles or feel the tension between them.
Félix held up their intertwined hands and - grabbing the Princess' waist gently - lead them all around the dance floor. As the music went by and Félix spun her again, Marinette kept avoiding looking into his eyes. Otherwise, she knew she would have immediately started blushing as she couldn't help but recall their last dancing together at his welcoming ball. She had convinced herself back then, that the only reason she had enjoyed that dance with him was due to the fact of not knowing it was Félix.
But now it was another way around and yet - even if she didn't want to admit it to herself - it wasn't that bad dancing with him.
"I must have a fever for thinking such nonsense!" Marinette thought frustratedly and shook her head - trying to clear her mind. "I have to break this silence otherwise I'm gonna go insane!"
Forcing herself to look back at him - only to realize that he'd been staring at her ever since they stepped on the dance floor - Mari let out a sigh.
"So, umm.. would you care to explain to me why were you avoiding me for the past few days?" she asked and looked at him curiously.
"So curious, aren't we? Félix raised his eyebrows and grinned at Mari. " Did you perhaps miss me, Princess?"
"Tsk. Only in your dreams!" Marinette scoffed - already regretting asking him. "I just happened to notice your absence." she shrugged and grinned back at him. "You see, for once I was able to sleep without any disturbing noises coming from your workaholic self with your midnight scribbling!"
As the music reached that part, Félix spun the Princess again. "Oh, dear Princess, please accept my most sincere apologies for not letting you sleep in your big, comfortable bed. It must be hard for you."
"Alright, you got a point there, I admit," Mari mumbled - sulking that Félix once again managed to make her feel like a fool. Just by glancing at him, Mari could tell he was enjoying her defeat as always.
"Well well well, if it isn't an unexpected turn of events! I'd never thought you will admit something one day, Princess!" he said teasingly and after another spinning, he placed his hand back on Mari's waist.
"Don't you dare feel delighted about it! You will still sleep on the couch! " the Princess gritted through her teeth, "besides, you haven't answered my question. What have you been doing for the past days?" she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
To her biggest shock, Félix leaned closer to her - his face was only inches away from her - and whispered against her ears, "Let it be my secret, Princess!"
Marinette didn't even have time to react to his cocky reply as the musicians had reached the end of the first dance and started the next one right away.
The dance floor immediately got filled with tons of couples who made the ballroom lively just in a brief moment.
The Prince chuckled - noticing that the Princess was still in shock - and tilting his head, he asked, "Shall we have an...?"
However, before he could finish his question, a young man stepped next to them. Just by looking at his attire, anyone could tell he came from a royal family - more precisely from the South Kingdom as he was wearing their symbols. He was - just like the couple - in his twenties, looking quite dashing and elegant with his blue hair tied up in a ponytail.
The boy - letting out a smile - bowed at the Princess, who seemed to know him as her face immediately lighted up, and asked without hesitation.
"May I have this dance, my Princess?"
Marinette immediately let go of Félix's hand - who glared at the man frustratedly - and answered him enthusiastically, "With pleasure!..."
"Luka."