"How generous of you to honor me with your presence." Amélie's mouth twitched when the Prince entered his study alongside his mother's lady's companion. Amélie was standing behind Félix's desk, her hands folded over her chest.
"What are you doing in my room?" the Prince shut the door behind him. A frown creased his face when he noticed some unknown papers on his desk. "I thought I'd found you in your suite."
"Yours just seemed more convenient to me." his mother shrugged.
"And why is that may I ask?" Félix rolled his eyes and only took one step toward his mother - making it clear to her that he didn't intend to stay for too long.
"Simply, because your room is situated far enough to prevent any possibility of being overheard." Amélie's lips curled up for a split second before returning to her usual impassive expression. Leaning toward the table, she held up a tea cup and sipped from her tea. "Why don't you take a seat and have a drink with me? I've already ordered mine..."
"Cut the act, Mother. I know you didn't request me here just for tea, considering how urgently you asked to see me. " Félix's frown deepened.
His mother had never invited him for just a drink. If she ever wanted him to visit her, she was always led by an ulterior motive. The Prince was certain that this time was no exception either, judging by those papers in front of her that looked like reports to him.
"It surely is painful when a mother has to hear that his own son isn't willing to have tea with her." Amélie sighed dejectedly and sipped from her cup, her expression was telling though she wasn't astonished by his words.
The Prince, ignoring his mother's reaction, took some steps away from the door and leaned against the wall. "So? What did you want to discuss with me?"
"Very well." Amélie put the cup back on the table, acknowledging that Félix wasn't in the mood for her chit-chat, and waved dismissively at Lady Rossi.
Subtly bowing with her head, Lila stepped out of the room - pulling the door behind her just enough to look like as if it was completely closed, while she pressed herself against the wood and listened to the conversation eagerly.
Constating that they were alone, Amélie reached for her papers and, as if she didn't read them a couple of times already, read them all over again, declaring, "I'm sorely disappointed, son."
"How unfortunate!" the Prince sneered, not surprised as this wasn't the first occasion he had to hear these words from his mother. Feigning his curiosity, he raised his eyebrows, "What did I do this time, would you enlighten me?"
"The better question is what you didn't do!" she retorted. "Looks like you already forgot about our agreement. Your marriage with the Princess happened for one purpose! For you, to become a king! " taking a glimpse of the papers, she clenched them in her grasp as she continued, "But what did I have to hear?! That despite our plan, you not only stood up in front of Gabriel on her behalf but even helped her to prevail in political meetings! Thus, now more than half of the government members are convinced of her potential of becoming our future ruler!"
To the Prince's luck, she was blinded by her frustration enough at that very moment to not notice as his lips curled in a smile after hearing this news.
"..on top of that, " Amélie gritted through her teeth, "I've had to find out today that the two of you spent a whole day in the streets without guards, or even without informing anyone about it! How could you be so irresponsible?! And what if something were to happen to you?! No one could have gone to save you two!" shaking her head in dismay, she leaned on the table. "What got into your mind to do something so reckless?! Or was it the Princess' doing?"
"I was in control of things, Mother. I was the one who insisted to go out in secret. "Félix looked away, trying to suppress his remorse.
He had to admit that his mother was right about one thing. Indeed, he was reckless and put Marinette's life in danger on that day. Although he saved her and had been doing everything to keep her safe, his guilt seemed to not emerge from his heart which like a chain - kept capturing his soul at every taken breath.
Still, he felt like he needed to clarify himself in front of his mother, to not let her see him being vulnerable. "We were aware of the consequences. " he declared. "But we had to do it discreetly in front of the citizens for our research's sake."
"Ah, that so-called research! .. Yeah, I've heard about it from Lila that you two have been spending hours in the library lately.." Amélie grimaced. "Listen, you know exactly well that usually, I don't interfere with the way you manage your duties, Son.. "
She ignored Félix's snort in response to her, and continued, ".. but this ought to stop! You shouldn't care about that disease, nor should do anything in the Princess's favor! If Marinette was to solve this problem, people would think even more highly of her! But we must not let that happen!" pushing herself away from the desk, she walked to the window as she continued in a lower voice, "You want to provide the most suitable leader for this kingdom, don't you? Then you ought to be concerned to be that one and not let that pesky, immat..."
"Stop it," Félix interjected firmly, his gaze darting to her. "Stop talking about her this way, Mother."
"Tsk, why would I?" Amélie sneered, glancing at him from the corner of her eyes. "We both know that she's nothing but a childish, spoiled daughter of Gabriel who's absolutely incompetent of..."
"I said, stop it!" the Prince declared - his tone claiming authority. "Don't talk so disrespectfully about Marinette! You know nothing about her! If there is someone who's the most suitable to rule this Kingdom then it's the Princess! Therefore, just to make things clear between us, Mother " he stepped before her, peering earnestly into her eyes, "I have no desire to take the throne. I'll rule by her side only if she asks me, but that's all."
"You must be joking! How could you say such nonsense?!" Amélie flinched, her hands curling into fists to suppress her hands shaking. "This alliance is pointless if you aren't to become a king! I did everything on your behalf to ascend the throne one day and to grant prestige and the highest status in the nobility on our family's behalf! So how...how can you do this to us?!" her usual nonchalant countenance was long gone, her whole body was vibrating with anger and frustration. "Do you really want to bring shame upon the Grahams, upon your family by letting her rule instead of you?!"
Letting out a breath, attempting to gain some semblance of her composure back, she continued, "Just out of curiosity, since when have you been thinking like this? You used to share the same opinion of the Princess as myself and you didn't want her as your queen either! "
The air suddenly felt too suffocating for the Prince as, without his own will, he reminisced about his past relationship with Marinette. Glancing at the window behind his mother, his five-year-younger self's reflection stared at him in a judging way.
Truth be told, way before his journey to his master, he indeed used to think of the Princess as low as his mother mentioned. But it was not the case anymore. If Marinette was the one or Félix himself who had changed throughout the years, he couldn't tell. But he was certain about one thing: he wanted nothing more but to call her his queen one day.
Shifting his gaze away from the window, he replied gravely, "Maybe I used to share your opinion, Mother, but not anymore. Marinette had proved several times already that she is indeed worthy of the throne and I pledge my full support to her."
"So all this time you were deceiving your own mother? You made me believe that our agreement remained in force and, as a matter of fact, I was even contented to hear that you spent more and more time with her because naively I believed it was your plan of making her fall for you! But if that's not the case then why the hell would you do all of this...?!"
Amélie suddenly halted when she spotted something in his eyes. She slowly leaned against the window, her eyes widening in recognition while all of the blood drained from her face. "Wait a minute...Don..don't tell me you fell for her?!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile
A tiny, glistening raindrop emerged under the blankets of dark clouds and, after taking one last glimpse of its home, it let itself fall off the sky alongside its brothers and sisters. As they got far and far away from the clouds, they spotted more and more details of the city that laid below them and waited eagerly to see where they would reach the end of their journey.
Some of them landed in the Seine - uniting with the waterdrops of the river -, while some of them fell on pavements, rooftops, or even on windowsills that belonged to the Royal Palace, precisely to the arch windows of the library.
They reached the window - accompanying by a tapping sound that reverberated through the place - in perfect sync with the silence of the world of books.
Silence.
It was one of the virtues of the place that captivated not only one member of the royalties. Still, even though the Royal Library was very popular among the nobility, it rarely saw visitors and even if it did, the room was too spacious to get its peaceful silence disturbed by anyone.
Even the rain respected the library's dignitary and didn't dare to be impertinent enough to interrupt it with loud, discourteous noises.
The only noise that could be heard was the raindrops..
.. and a book opening. Its pages were turning rapidly as the future heir of the throne eagerly searched for that certain page her husband was reading some minutes before.
As soon as the Prince and that lady exited the library, Marinette scrambled up to her feet and walked to the window with the book in her hands.
Her eyes creaked wide open in recognition of the book. Her cheeks immediately got painted with an intense blush of embarrassment."How could I not recognize it before?!" she whispered in shock as she read the first lines of the page.
~~~
"Elizabeth answered only by a slight bow. Her thoughts were instantly driven back to the time when Mr. Bingley's name had been the last mentioned between them; and, if she might judge by his complexion, his mind was not very differently engaged.
"There is also one other person in the party," he continued after a pause, "who more particularly wishes to be known to you. Will you allow me, or do I ask too much, to introduce my sister to your acquaintance during your stay at Lambton?"
~~~
Marinette didn't need to read further, she already knew the upcoming scenes by heart.
Closing the novel, she placed it on the table next to her carefully. Her face was redder than ever - burying it into her hands -, she pressed her back to the wall.
The calmness of the library soon got disturbed by the millions of thoughts that rattled in her mind; she felt like she was back in the streets of Paris, where she couldn't even hear her own voice thanks to the noise of the crowd.
"I can't believe this! Why did he read this novel out of all books?"
"Did he do that on purpose? Did he know that it is my favorite?!"
"He used to mock me for reading such novels. Then why would he...?"
Such questions interrupted her mind, - she was unable to comprehend all of this. She couldn't believe that Félix was reading that book! That book which she had read a million times already ever since she started to have an interest in romantic stories.
Pride and Prejudice immediately caught her eye back then, making her fall in love with not just the author's story-writing but even with the male lead, Mr. Darcy as well.
Ever since the first time of finishing this book, she reread it over and over again - at least twice a year -, simply because she got so attached to see how Elizabeth's prejudice toward Mr. Darcy slowly turned into respect and eventually, love.
Releasing her hands from her face, in order to soothe her mind, she went back to the historical book section. Gathering the books, those that she and the Prince left on the floor, she hold them up and placed them back in their places.
No matter her attempt though, her brain couldn't let go of the fact that Félix was reading her favorite book, in fact, it played an unfair game with her heart when she couldn't help but compare the male lead with him.
"Now that I think about it, Félix has so much in common with Mr. Darcy." Mari pondered as she put the last book back into its place. "Just like Lizzy, at the beginning of the book, I misjudged Félix too. I've always thought that he was an arrogant, cold man but turned out....he is the opposite."
Although, they'd always got on each others' nerves in the past, but after the Prince had returned two months before, he wasn't the same man anymore. The only issue was that Mari refused to acknowledge that until now.
A smile quivered on her lips as she walked back to the table, her gaze finding the novel instantly. Her fingers lingered on its cover, caressing its spine before she stepped to the window. Leaning against the wall, her icy-blues followed the raindrops falling from the grey sky and landing on the garden that laid below her.
She unintentionally recalled the scene from the book when Elizabeth visited her sister in Netherfield after she caught a cold due to the rainy weather. It was probably the first scene when Marinette started to like Mr. Darcy who, despite his pride, ignored the fact that Elizabeth arrived at the estate while her petticoat was covered by mud and even admired her dedication to visit her sister all the way. Not to mention, he was the one who did not let the other ladies badmouth her for - instead of useless chit-chats - choosing to spend her time with reading.
It didn't last long until the Princess' thoughts returned to a certain Prince. Watching the rain definitely not helped her to suppress that strange warmth in her chest - that she had been feeling recently whenever he crossed her mind -, as she reminisced the times Félix had shown affection to her: at the ball when he gave her his coat, or on the day of her mother's death when he consoled her with words she had never expected to hear from him of all people.
"You can't act always perfectly, it's okay to sometimes just let your guard down and to care about yourself for once."
"You're stronger than you think."
- these two sentences were still lingering in Mari's mind as if he said them a moment before.
"Come to think of it...he had been doing so much for me ever since we got married...or maybe even before that ..." the Princess thought, her heart starting to beat faster as she recalled every moment of the times they had spent together. "He was the one who saved me on the night of my break-up with Chat. He was the one who made me endure the pain our 'second breakup' caused after that strange akuma attack - even if he wasn't aware of it. He was the one offering his help and standing up for me in front of Father....he...he was always there for me, all this time."
Her icy-blues grew wide open in realization, her heart skipping a beat as she collapsed against the wall and slid down to the floor. Her cheeks were stained by an intense blush - that not even her hands could cover anymore.
"I think..I like him." she whispered barely audibly, "..or rather...." millions of butterflies awakened in her stomach as she muttered the upcoming words, "I'm in love with him."
It all made sense now! She was just denying her feelings. But this was the reason she couldn't keep her composure and why she got flustered in his presence. It was why she kissed him back in the park, and that was why she could let go of Chat Noir so easily...Because of all this time..
..She felt the same way as the Prince.
Marinette couldn't hear the rain anymore, only her pounding ears could interrupt the crazy whirlwind of thoughts that lamented in her mind uncontrollably - but for the first time in a while -, it wasn't an unpleasant feeling.
The battle between her heart and her mind finally had come to an end, making her see everything clearly for the first time.
Indeed, at that moment all she could hear was her racing heart and ..
..a stepping sound as someone approached her.
Jolting up from her world, she perked up and turned her head - with a wide smile spreading across her face - expecting to see the Prince approaching her.
Faster than the speed of light, Mari's smile vanished from her face when she realized who was standing before her.
"She again?!" Mari groaned internally. "Is she a devil or something?" she couldn't help but imagine her with horns and a tail -, considering this woman always appeared out of nowhere and with the worst timing possible. Scrambling to her feet, Mari looked at her crossly.
Lady Rossi immediately gave her a curtsy, putting an apologetic look on her face before announcing, "Your Highness, Prince Graham sent me for you. He asked me to relay his message in which he wishes to see you in his study."
"How come?" Mari sent her a puzzled look, not really understanding what was going on. They had agreed on seeing each other in the library once his visit to his mother end, after all. Besides, the Prince had never invited her to his old study before.
"I'm afraid His Grace didn't inform me about it, he just asks for Your Highness."
"Well, I shall hurry then," Mari said reluctantly, still confused by the sudden change of plans. "He must have engaged in a fight with his mother and didn't want to go back here." she assumed. Frankly, it wouldn't surprise her as she was aware of the quite complicated relationship Félix had with Amélie.
Following Lady Rossi, the Princess exited the library and - instead of the West Wing -, they made their way toward the East where the Prince's old suite was situated.
As they turned to the stairway, Mari's cheeks soon began to wear a vivid, red hue on her cheeks. She could barely steady her breathing when she spotted his door the moment they reached the first floor.
After that realization in the library, she knew she must not wait any longer to tell him how she felt toward him too. It would change a lot of things between them, she was aware, but for the first time, she wasn't afraid of what the future held for them. Knowing that there was a man by her side who she could rely on, who supported her in every decision she was bound to make as the next French ruler, and who shared the same feelings as her, the Princess felt invincible and finally had faith in herself as well.
"That's it. I'm gonna tell him the truth." Marinette said to herself as she stepped before his room.
Just as her fingers were about to touch the golden door handle, her body froze - her hand halting in the air.
Félix wasn't alone.
Sounds of talking spread through the door, making it clear to everyone that the Prince was having a conversation with someone in there.
The Princess pursued her lips when she recognized Amélie's voice. She frowned, surprised to acknowledge he was still talking with his mother, considering he was the one asking Mari to come here.
Glancing at Lady Rossi with a confused look - her icy-blues wondering if she knew about this -, Mari couldn't read anything in her eyes.
Hesitating whether to enter the room or not, she decided to wait a little outside.
Félix must have stepped closer to the door because the Princess overheard him just as she was about to step away.
She didn't intend to eavesdrop.
She really didn't.
Yet her body halted in its place, her heart skipped a beat - making her forget to breathe for a moment when she understood what he was saying.
"...I did all of this to become a king. ..the sole reason I was kind and thoughtful with her, and even offering my help was so she could fall for me and eventually renounce the throne and give it to me...."
Glass shattering..
It was all she could hear.
As if the whole building collapsed around her - burying her to the ground in the process.
She felt as if a hole opened up in the floor - engulfing her alongside every joy, every happiness of her world until there was nothing she could sense just darkness.
Suffocating, boundless darkness.
To prevent her legs from giving out, she reached for the wall and started stepping away. She didn't want to hear any more of this. She didn't need to. She wanted nothing more than to get as far away from there as she could.
It didn't last long until tears started gathering at the brim of her eyes and streaming down her face - accompanying her on her way through the hallways. Her icy-blues - that used to gleam brighter than the stars or any jewelry in the Palace - were now deprived of its light, the vivid blue tones turned into almost grey ones.
Mari didn't even look where she was going, her trembling legs made their way on their own - further and further from that door.
She felt numb. As if her body was nothing more but a vessel of agony, from where the soul was long gone. All she could feel was her heart that beated feverishly - every beat felt like a dagger made by her feelings.
Her mind constantly recalled the words he said so firmly, in such a cold tone that she could never forget.
"It was all a lie," she whispered, still unable to comprehend all of this. "Everything he did, everything he said...was a lie."
Even while she said these words out loud - as to fortify this cruel reality -, she couldn't believe it. It all felt like a nightmare, a misery she had yet to wake up from.
"I should have known." she wiped away her tears to no avail as they soon got replaced by new ones.
Mari didn't know what to think, what to do anymore. All she knew was that this strange pain caused by his words in her heart increased as time passed.
It hurt.
It hurt her more than she expected.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some minutes before
"Wait a minute..." Amélie frowned, staring at the Prince in bewilderment. "Do..don't tell me you fell for her?!"
Taking some steps backward, Félix looked away from his mother. "And what if I did?!" he replied slightly flustered, - yet no hesitation laced in his voice.
"You can't be serious! I thought you did everything on behalf of our plan, for..for.. "
"For what?" Félix scoffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest - intending to end this conversation as soon as possible. "Did you really think that I did all of this to become a king? That the sole reason I was kind and thoughtful with her, and even offered my help was so she could fall for me and eventually renounce the throne and give it to me?!" shaking his head in dismay, he added, "I told you way before the wedding that I would never do such thing to her. Not even for my family's sake."
"Tsk. You're a fool then." Amélie inhaled sharply through her teeth after minutes of awkward silence. "Have you forgotten already what I've been telling you for years? You can't let your emotions get back at you because people will use you to their advantage! And now... And now look at you!" she pointed her finger toward him - disgust and disappointment lacing in her voice. "All she needed was a smile to wrap you around her fingers!"
Stepping back to Félix's desk, Amélie slumped into her seat. "You obviously can't think clearly, but let me tell you, she's not the innocent girl you think she is!"
"Not this, Mother! Just not this!" Félix glared at her, clenching his fists - trying to maintain his composure. "I don't want to hear any words you might say about her!"
"Really? Not even if I say that she's been unfaithful to you all this time?" his mother's voice made him freeze in his place.
In a split second, millions of thoughts popped up in his mind about the worst scenarios possible, - a certain blue head flashing in front of his eyes.
He shook his head, desperately attempting to erase everything from his mind. His emerald greens had never looked at someone as cold and seriously before as now.
His mother was lying again, he was aware of that very well.
Marinette had never been unfaithful to him, not even at the very beginning of their marriage. He was certain about that. Especially, considering the opportunities she had had with Chat Noir - who Félix knew she had or even still has feelings for -, and yet she didn't do anything inappropriate.
No. Whatever his mother was implying, ought to be a lie.
"I don't believe you." He finally spelled these words, as a reinforcement to his belief.
Seeing the Prince's momentary hesitation, Amélie's lips slightly curled devilishly.
Lifting the papers, she glanced at them, before saying, "Then you would be surprised about the things my people have found out about her. Did you know, for instance, that she often spends long hours in her old room while unknown voices stream out as if she wasn't alone?"
"Unknown voices?" Félix raised his eyebrows, his tone telling her he didn't buy a word she was saying.
"Indeed. I believe it can belong to a certain noble guest from the South Kingdom, who seemed to be really close to her. One would think they were even having an affair." Amélie glanced at him before adding, "I suppose, you know who I'm talking about."
"Enough, Mother!" Félix gritted, his hands shaking in frustration.
Truth be told, Félix did harbor resentment towards the crown prince. After all, he was aware of Prince Couffaine's feelings toward Marinette, but he trusted the Princess. She was probably the only reliable person he knew besides Nino. If she was to claim there was nothing between them, then it was the truth.
"... And there was another quite interesting thing my people noticed.." Amélie continued, ignoring his reaction. ".. That she not even once was seen with Chat Noir on her balcony."
What??!
The Prince's eyes creaked wide open, his heart forgot to beat for a moment, as his face turned white as a sheet. "What... What are you talking about?" he tried to feign his unawareness on this matter while constantly asking himself how and when could anyone see them.
"Could it be that Mother find out my identity?" was the first thought that came into his mind. After all, he often transformed back on his balcony - after making sure that there was no one to spot him though.
Seeing his son's reaction, - Félix was obviously nervous and enraged -, Amélie grinned viciously. She was certain she finally reached the right path to make him lose his faith in the Princess for good.
"Lifting her cup, she sipped from her tea again before replying, "According to my sources, she and that black cat was often spotted on her balcony, where..." she descended the cup from her lips, ".. let's say they acted very cozy with each other if you know what I mean.."
The Prince needed all his strength not to show his mother his relief after realizing she didn't find out the truth.
But, that didn't alleviate the cruel fact that his mother not only insisted on fulfilling her ridiculous plan but in order to do that, she was willing to take such low actions as to follow his wife's every move with her shady people.
"I'll ask Marinette regarding this matter but there is one thing you must be aware of, Mother." his eyes peered into hers in a threatening way, "I've already said several times before to stop this." walking to the desk, his figure towered over hers, his voice lacing by authority, ".. But let me repeat myself: Stop badmouthing her. Stop following her with your men. She is the future queen of this realm. Therefore, no matter your title or your privilege in this Palace, you'll have to face the same consequences as everyone else who is to commit high treason. You have my words, Mother."
"How...! "Amélie's lips twitched, her face reddening by rage and humiliation."How dare you speak with me in..."
"You heard me," Félix interjected, as he pushed himself aside from the table. "If you are unable to endure the mere thought of me being sincere with her, then there is no point in continuing this or any other future conversations." he declared, the tone of his voice freezing the air in a fraction of a second.
As the Prince started heading toward the door, he glanced back at his mother as a sigh escaped his lips, "Please forgive me for not being the son you've always wished for. But one day I hope you will accept me and my decisions the way they are." he said the last words as he opened the door and - stepping out to the hallway -, he shut it behind him.
He didn't even acknowledge Lady Rossi's presence when he turned away from his room and made his way through the hall.
He wasn't surprised to hear any of the sort of nonsense from his mother. He got used to them by now. But this time she went too far. He would not let her do any harm to Marinette or their relationship.
His mind soothed as he walked through the hallways in the direction of the library.
He wanted to do nothing but see the Princess, who was probably the only one who could make him feel better at that moment.
_______________________________________
A/N: Thank you so much for being patient with me, guys! It means a lot to me! ♥️
A/N: Thought I have to make a little side note regarding something from this part, to be more precise, Pride and Prejudice.
So apparently Jane Austen (aka this and many other amazing romantic novels' author) wrote Pride and Prejudice in the early 1800s. But since my story plays exactly around this time (just in an alternative universe, so that's why the dresses' designs and many other things are not historically correct), I had to change Jane's life a little.
Therefore, in my au, she was born a little earlier than in real life and became a famous writer way before Mari was born. That's why she could find her books in the library back then.
P.S.: I recommend everyone Jane Austen's books, they're just simply magnificent! ♥️🛐