The journey was long and awkward, but they finally made it to the Dupain-Cheng kingdom. It was the morning of the ball, and several other royal carriages had arrived at the same time that the Agrestes had.
Adrien was staring out the window of the carriage through a slit in the curtain. The world surrounding the Dupain-Cheng palace was lush and vibrant. The scenery was similar to his own home, but different, it was lively.
All the carriages were steadily pouring into the palace, and Adrien could see that each carriage was being unloaded by the staff.
"Father, are we going to be staying in the Dupain-Cheng palace while we're here?" He didn't look at his father when he spoke.
"Yes, accommodations have been arranged for us to stay in the palace, but just until the ball starts. It's a good opportunity to roam the grounds and take notes on the layout."
He absentmindedly nodded his head, and watched as they pulled up to the front. They were unloaded and directed to their room. Fortunately for him their rooms were separated, so Adrien was allotted a few hours of freedom from his father before the start of the event.
He settled into his room and took a bath, the trip lasted four days without them taking a single rest. He changed into some fresh clothing and left the room, his father asked him to roam about the castle and see what he could discover.
Most of the servants who accompanied them there to the Dupain-Cheng's were already roaming around the castle taking notes, so Adrien wasn't really sure what he was supposed to be observing.
He wandered around the castle walking through the hallways, it was bright. The halls were open concept, so the sun spilled in illuminating and warming the corridors. He felt comfortable here, even though he'd only been there for about an hour. It was probably just because it was a different environment from his usual lonely one.
He roamed the palace grounds for a good five minutes before he realized he was lost, he had been aimlessly taking turns left and right and didn't stop to think about the fact that he was in unknown territory. Shoot he thought, I should have been paying more attention. I haven't seen a servant in quite some time either, perhaps they are all busy preparing for the night.
He stopped walking and sat down on a window ledge. "Alright think Adrien, someone is bound to walk by at any moment so perhaps it'd be best to wait here. Then you could ask for directions on how to get back to your sleeping accommodations." He nodded his head agreeing with himself.
He steadily grew anxious in the three minutes he sat there waiting for someone to pass by. Concern furrowed his brow, and anxiety danced in his stomach. What if nobody came by? Would he be in trouble for wandering the palace, if somebody did happen to find him here?
It was too much to take. He had to start moving again, be proactive and find his own way back.
He walked through the halls for a few minutes before he realized he couldn't find his way back on his own. At this point he didn't care if he got in trouble for wandering the castle, he couldn't stay lost like this forever. Eventually his father would notice his absence, and he knew he would be in a world of trouble for it.
He continued to steadily pace the corridor when he thought he heard some feminine voices sounding in the distance. Where there were voices, there was bound to be people, and people meant help.
Following the sound it steadily grew louder, he could distinguish two separate voices. Both were conversing in an excited tone, when suddenly they drew quiet. Adrien was concerned he wouldn't reach them in time, in case the sudden quiet was due to them leaving wherever they were.
He picked up the pace then stopped abruptly when he heard the most beautiful laughter in the world. It chimed through the halls and was clear as a bell. He had never heard something as genuine as this before, it was the sound of pure happiness to his ears.
He desperately wished he could capture this feeling of joy that it stirred in him, bottle it up and take it home, so that he might never have to feel sadness again.
He was pulled out of his trance when the laughter stopped, and realized the voices were growing distant from one another. It sounded like one of them was leaving. Then he heard a door loudly click shut, and footsteps followed soon after.
Now's your chance he thought, find that person and ask for directions back to your room. He ran forward and saw a woman quickly take a turn at the corner.
Both were coming too fast, Adrien couldn't slow himself down fast enough. They crashed directly into one another.
"I'm so sorry, are you alright? I didn't see you there." The stranger quickly scrambled to her feet, and held her hand out for him to take.
"I'm alright, thank you." He stood up, brushing the dust off his clothing.
He looked at the girl, she had copper skin and brown hair, and wore an orange, white, and black dress. It was simple but pretty.
"Oh, do you happen to work or live here? You see I'm a little lost, and I can't find my way back to my room." He hoped she wouldn't scold him for walking around the palace.
"Yes I do work here, I'd be glad to show you back to your room. If I could just get your name, then I'll be able to direct you back to your sleeping quarters."
She was so kind and helpful, Adrien was surprised that he wasn't in trouble.
"Yes certainly, my name is Adrien Agreste." He put on the best smile he could, secretly wondering if she was the one with the beautiful laughter.
"Of course, your highness Agreste. I know exactly where your sleeping quarters are, if you would please follow me." She started walking in the direction where she came from.
"Thank you, for your help Lady..." He waited for a response.
"Alya, and I'm not quite a lady yet." She kept her eyes forward.
As they walked past the second door in the hallway, he noticed her eyes flick momentarily in the direction of the door. He wondered if that was where she came from, and if the second voice was still in there.
"You're not a lady yet?" He asked hoping he wasn't imposing or offending her.
"Um, no. For now I'm still just a servant." She looked a little uncomfortable, but hid it well.
Adrien hadn't had a conversation with anyone who wasn't his father or servants in a few months, so he was enjoying this slightly awkward interaction. His social skills were a little rusty and he wasn't doing a very good job at reading her emotions so he continued to prod.
"So you will become a lady, would that be to the princess?" He had an innocent curious look on his face.
Alya hesitated to respond but decided that this line of questioning was harmless.
"Yes, her royal highness, princess Marinette Dupain-Cheng has graciously allowed me to become her first lady. I am very grateful for her kindness and generosity." Her eyes seemed to sparkle with a fondness when she spoke about the princess.
"She sounds like a wonderful person."
"She is." Her eyes softened and a rosy glow came to her cheeks.
Her tone changed from professional to comfortable. It was clear even to Adrien that the princesses' kindness lived up to the tales he'd always heard about her.
"I'd really like to meet her." He spoke his thoughts out loud before he could stop himself, feeling embarrassment warm his face.
He internally scolded himself for forgetting that he wasn't allowed to want anything from the poor girl. He was the one who was literally going to rip her away from this warm comforting atmosphere, and put her into the dangerous clutches of his father.
No he thought, I'll do whatever I can to keep her safe from my father. I'll find a way to protect her.
"I'm sure you will meet her tonight at the ball, she will greet all the families as they enter the great hall." She stopped in front of a door that looked similar to all the doors in the palace.
"This should be your room, prince Agreste." She waited patiently for him to confirm.
He opened the door and found his things laid out on the bed.
"Yes it is. Thank you again for all your help." He walked in as she excused herself and disappeared down a stairwell.
He closed the door, and sat down on his bed. Thinking back to the way the laughter sounded, he hoped to never forget the sound. Maybe this way he could keep the memory of it with him forever.
He laid flat on his back and closed his eyes, remembering the way Alya's entire demeanor changed when she spoke about the princess. She looked like she was experiencing the same joy that he had when he heard the laughter.
Could it be possible that the laughter came from the princess?
The thought of it brought a sense of admiration to his heart. If the laughter had come from the princess, and it had caused this warmth of joy to spread through every fiber of his being. He couldn't imagine what knowing her would actually be like. What an honor it must be to even be acquainted with such a soul.
A flutter in his chest caused him to sit up in surprise. What was that?
He looked at himself in the mirror, and saw how red and heated his face was. Was he blushing? How could this be? He hadn't even met the princess, and he was already an emotional mess.
He went over to the basin of water and splashed his face, trying to calm down.
"This isn't real, you're just lonely. She's just some nice stranger that you've heard a lot about, and you're desperate for any human interaction. That's all this is." He tried to convince himself, but it wasn't really working.
He splashed more water on his face, "besides you don't even know what she looks like you can't be in lo-... ahem you can't be feeling this way about someone you've never even seen or spoken to." He tried laughing it off, and felt like he was going crazy.
"Adrien." A knock came at his door.
It made him jump, and he clutched his chest.
"Yes, father" He pleaded to the sky, please don't let him have heard me talking to myself.
"It's time to start getting ready, the ball will start at midday." He spoke through the door.
"Yes, father. I'll start getting ready now." He covered his face with his hands, thanking the stars he wasn't overheard by his father.
He took a few steadying breaths, before he grabbed his clothing for the night. A traditional peak lapel black suit with a white button up.
He dressed quickly, ignoring the residual pain in his body from his still recovering bruises. His father met him out in the hallway and they made their way over to the great hall.
A great crowd had already gathered there, all waiting their turn to greet the Dupain-Cheng family. He felt nervous butterflies tickle his belly as they stood patiently waiting their turn.
His father had turned his attention toward the other royal families, conversing more animatedly with them than he ever had with him. Adrien was irritated with his father's change in personality, clearly the only way to get this side of him was to be in a position of power that he thought a shared relationship with could provide gain for him.
"Is that the famous prince Adrien Agreste I've heard so much about?" A sickly sweet voice came from behind him, the sound sent an unnerving chill down his back.
He turned around slowly, doing his best to keep a polite face on.
"Hello, who might you be?" He forced a smile.
"Why, you insult me prince Agreste, you'd think you'd remember me after all these years but I suppose I was wrong. Oh well it can't be helped with how little you leave your kingdom." She sneered at him.
He didn't like this girl, she was self-centered. And he was sure he had never seen her before in his life. And on top of her nasty attitude, she was making a jab at his imprisonment. This girl was giving him a bad vibe, all he wanted to do was get away from her.
"Allow me to reintroduce myself, I am princess Lila Rossi. The honored guest of this event."