"Love can be a curse. It can make you addicted to somebody you wish you never knew." 

— Forbidden Love

CHAPTER FIVE

•┈••✦ ❤ ✦••┈•

The next morning, Marinette was forced to peek an eye open the moment she felt someone nudging her side. Her peaceful slumber was ruined, destroyed by the force of someone's small hands trying to shake her awake.

If it wasn't because she was so tired, she probably would've backhanded the person interrupting her sleep.

When Marinette did open an eye to peek up at the one that interrupted her sleep, she was suddenly face to face with her youngest sister.

Emily.

"Marinette?" Emily cautiously asked the moment she noticed her sister was no longer asleep. "Are you awake?"

"I am now," Marinette yawned, pushing herself up into a seated position as she rubbed her eyes with the balls of her palms.

Emily moved slightly to give Marinette her space before she settled on the edge of the bed. She waited while Marinette slowly woke herself up, and once the little girl felt that Marinette was alert enough, she asked, "Are you still upset with me?"

The question clearly caught Marinette by surprise, because she turned around to face her sister in confusion. "What? No Emmy, I was never upset with you. I was just annoyed." And then her eyes widened when she realized those words didn't come out quite right. "Not with you! I was not annoyed with you, just... annoyed."

Emily furrowed a confused brow, but she didn't comment on her sister's choice of words. "So... you are not upset that I told Aunt about your secret endeavors with a man?"

Marinette sighed heavily, and she couldn't help but feel annoyed as she grumbled something underneath her breath– because she was not, and would never have, secret endeavors with any man– before she replied, "Emily, I do not have a secret endeavor with a man. What you saw was me trying to piss a man off... and succeeding."

"Would Aunt approve of that?" Emily asked.

Marinette shook her head. "Oh no, of course not. She despises it. Which is mostly why I do it, but, the other reason is because I do not wish to marry, at all."

Emily tilted her head slightly. "Why not?"

"Well, I do not want a man to control what I do or tell me what to wear."

"They do that?"

"Yes, they do." Marinette grimaced at the thought. "When a woman marries, she must become submissive to her husband."

"Submissive?"

Marinette smiled softly and tucked a strand of hair behind Emily's ear. "It does not matter to you now. You are young and have a while until you must worry about this. Just know that I am terribly sorry for ignoring you these past couple of days. Forgiven?"

Emily's smile returned, a toothy grin spreading across her lips. "Forgiven."

The two leaned into each other for a hug before a knock sounded on the door, forcing them to pull away. Neither were given a chance to answer it when the door was opened nonetheless.

As the door was opened, Krissy came into view. She was garmented in her work-day dress. "What is going on in here?"

"I do not think either one of us said you could enter." Marinette deadpanned.

"We were making anew," Emily decided to add after Marinette's unfriendly reply, smiling happily, "Everything is fine now."

Krissy grinned at the news. "Good. Great. That is just fantastic because Aunt is waiting downstairs for you two."

Emily, of course, jumped up from the bed and rushed out the bedroom door and down the staircase to see what Aunt had in store for her. Meanwhile, Marinette stayed seated on her bed, very unenthusiastic about seeing her aunt. "What does she want?"

Krissy rolled her eyes. "Why do you not head down stairs and find out?"

"Why do you not just tell me?"

"Because I am not Aunt."

Marinette shot her sister an unamused look. "I am serious, Krissy."

"I am too!" Krissy exclaimed with a slight laugh. "I know you despise Aunt and all, but just because she has restricted you from not leaving this house without supervision, does not mean you can never leave your bed."

Marinette took that opportunity to say something that would most likely bother her sister. "Aunt has restricted me from going anywhere you say? Oh! How will I possibly be able to remove my butt off from these sheets!"

Krissy frowned slightly, "So not funny."

"You are absolutely right," Marinette laughed. "It is hilarious."

Krissy shook her head and stubbornly folded her arms across her chest, though Marinette knew that her sister was fighting back a smile. Suddenly, Emily poked her head into the room again. "Girls, Aunt wants you both downstairs. We are leaving for the market!"

Marinette groaned and threw her head back, falling into the softness of her bed. "The market? Tell her I do not want to go!"

Krissy finally let out a small laugh just as Emily nodded and rushed back downstairs to give the news to Aunt. Both girls knew that was done in vain. "You cannot get out of this one so easily, Marinette." Krissy said, "Aunt is persistent in making sure we all go."

Marinette groaned, reluctantly sitting up and standing to her feet. She watched as her sister rounded the corner, only sticking her head under the doorframe to shoot her sister with one last scolding look. "Hurry up and change," She then disappeared around the corner of the bedroom door, her receding footsteps down the staircase being the only indication that she was leaving as she shouted, "Aunt will not want to wait for long!"

Marinette grumbled just as Krissy's footsteps faded into silence. Shuffling towards her wardrobe, the ravenette rummaged through her clothes in search for her work-day dress. When she finally found it folded underneath another pile of other unwanted dresses, Marinette slipped it on over her head with little to no effort.

Just as Marinette was beginning to head towards the bedroom door, she remembered the little trinket she had left under her pillow. Racing back to retrieve it, she quickly stuffed it into one of the pockets in her dress. "My lucky charm." She smiled, knowing perfectly well that it was a trinket treasured by her acquaintance from the other side.

A trinket that resembled peace, love, compliance, and an assurance that they were one of the same in two different worlds.

•┈••✦ ❤ ✦••┈•

Marinette was in a bad mood.

Typically, that was not a surprise. She absolutely hated going to the markets. It was pointless when she wasn't at all interested in spending her allowance on useless items, and it was pointless when she, and her sisters, had to get everything approved by their aunt before they could purchase anything.

"Oh Marinette!" Marinette visibly flinched, but Krissy didn't seem to notice. Instead, her sister skipped over towards her with a wide smile, holding out a red-colored dress up against her body. "What do you think of this one? It is absolutely beautiful, right?!"

Marinette gave the dress a steady once over. The dress wasn't horrific, but it wasn't exactly eye catching either. "If you really want my opinion, it looks absolutely hideous, and you would not catch me wearing it. Not unless I was dead."

A comment like that would've probably been offensive to any other young woman asking for advice on a dress, but Krissy simply offered her sister an unamused glare. "It is not hideous." Krissy defended.

"Do you need a pair of eyeglasses? It is hideous."

"It is not!"

"If you wore that dress in public, people would mistake you for a fire hydrant."

"They would not!"

"That is why dresses like that are only worn by women who are already dead in their caskets. No one can mistake them for a fire hydrant if they are dead."

"You stop that! It does not look like a fire hydrant!"

"Fine," Marinette shrugged her shoulders, unperturbed. Despite already feeling annoyed with having to be at the markets in the first place, she found herself grinning sinisterly. "Purchase the dress. But just remember that I tried to warn you."

"Whatever," Krissy rolled her eyes. "I think I will purchase it, no matter what you think."

"Oh yes, go right on ahead."

"I will!"

"And just remember what you are wasting your allowance on."

"How dare you accuse me of wasting—"

"Oh leave it, Krissy. Do not even bother arguing with her." Elizabeth interjected, somehow out of the middle of nowhere, standing by her sister's side. "Why would you ask for her opinion when Marinette can not even tell the difference between a gown and a pair of trousers?"

Elizabeth laughed after her 'insult' had been made, but no one else joined in– because no one else thought it was funny. Elizabeth may have been good at dressing nicely, but she wasn't very good at telling jokes. Or insulting people in general. Marinette simply rolled her eyes, not even bothering to glance back at her oldest sister. "She is the last person you should be asking when it comes to fashion," Elizabeth continued, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Next time, ask me instead, and I will tell you that the dress is prefect."

"Yeah sure," Krissy shrugged off her sister's touch and quickly moved away from Elizabeth. "Surely I will remember that next time."

Elizabeth simply nodded in response to that, but she was not done being a nuisance yet. She then turned to face the ravenette, a frown directed her way. "For once Marinette, you should consider your sisters' feelings instead of always being negative about things you do not like. This is why Aunt is ready to marry you off as soon as she can."

Ouch. For once, Elizabeth's words actually hurt.

"Elizabeth!" Krissy hissed, "That was so uncalled for!"

But, Elizabeth didn't care. Elizabeth didn't have sympathy. Never did and never would. Her striking resemblance to Aunt was somewhat terrifying.

Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders, unperturbed, as she turned on her heel and smiled bright, heading back to accompany Aunt and Emily.

Marinette watched her eldest sister go with a scowl on her lips. Krissy decided to break the silence with an awkward cough. "Um, do not listen to what she has to say, Marinette. It is not—"

"True?" Marinette finished that sentence for her, spinning on her heel to now face Krissy. "It is fine, Krissy. I know it is the truth. No need to try and find a bright side to it, honestly."

"But—" Krissy tried again.

Marinette, however, shook her head, and to divert the topic of conversation, the ravenette's gaze fell onto the dress that was now draped over Krissy's forearm. "The dress is not... that horrific, Krissy." Marinette admitted– though, she wouldn't admit she was only doing so just to be nice. She offered her sister a small smile. "If you want, I could help you find a nice shawl to match it with."

Krissy's eyes light up. "Really?" She asked, surprised. "But I thought you despised dress shopping?"

"It is not my favorite thing in the world, yes." Marientte admitted playfully. "But, Elizabeth is not the only one who knows a thing or two about looking pretty."

_______________________________

Vote?
Comment?
Share?