The evening sky reflected off warm hues his blond hair as we stood atop the Eiffel Tower, eyes squinting at any signs of another Miraculous holder. It wasn't long before I caught sight of him. "Noir Kitty, over there!" I pointed at the figure, retreating into the shadows of an alleyway.

My partner, more like purr-tner, nodded and we set off, using our weapons to float over to where he was. Thanks to the darkness setting in, we were able to follow him stealthily until we reached an apartment. The boy, clad in purple robes and a hood, leaped to a balcony on the third floor with ease and let himself into one of the flats.

"Think we go in now?" I heard Kitty ask from behind me. I bobbed my head.

"You bet. He would let his guard down at the sight of Kagami. There's no chance like now!" With that said, I pushed my arm to throw the yo-yo to the pillar on the third floor. Chat put his arm around my shoulders, and I hoisted us up to the balcony. There he was, Felix, detransformed and looking eerily similar to Adrien Agreste.

"Felix Fathom!" Chat shouted as we forcefully entered the said flat. I quickly bolted the lock behind me when the boy made to move.

The girl, Kagami, looked on with widened eyes as Felix shielded her with his body. That was exactly what we wanted him to do. "Now!"

Chat charged forward, obeying our plan, and leapt over the boy. However, Felix too was no less agile. He managed to meet hands as the two began to wrestle each other. I signalled for Kagami to move away, which she obliged, and launched a surprise attack on our target.

The end of my yo-yo held his hands back, allowing Chat to take off the Miraculous he was wearing. "You must submit to our questions, and this is the order of the Guardian of the Miraculouses!" I proclaimed, tugging at my weapon. He grunted, before sighing.

"I'll do anything, but please give me back my Miraculous."

"It isn't yours to own. That choice lies with Ladybug," Chat threatened. Felix shook his head in protest.

"It belongs to me more than anyone."

"The–"

"It's okay, Noir Kitty," I intervened. Nobody wanted a silly fight right now, especially me. "What do you mean by that?"

"What?"

"Your last sentence. What do you mean it belongs to you more than anyone?"

Felix's eyes narrowed at me, before he started. "You're here to know who Monarch is."

This boy seemed like an evil genius. "Yes."

"To end his reign?"

"To end his ruthless reign."

The boy contemplated my words. I could see Chat losing his patience already, so I signalled to him to calm down. He bit his lip, but otherwise did nothing.

"I'll tell you everything I know."

My gaze met Chat's, and I felt a warmth spread over me. We were finally getting close to Monarch. "We're all ears."

Felix took in a deep breath before starting. "There lived two princesses—"

"We didn't come asking you for fairytales, Fathom," Chat cut in, hissing.

"Ladybug, tell your Kitty to keep his nose out of our business, lest you don't want the intel," Felix retorted, tugging at the strings binding him. I looked at my partner with pleading eyes, and he got the message.

"Fine."

"Go ahead, Felix," I encouraged. "With every word you say, your binds will loosen. I promise you that." The new motivation worked, and the boy spilled the beans.

"As I said, there were two princesses. One of them, haughty and curious. The other was obedient and quiet. The former, and the eldest of the twins, was a runaway. She married a poor tailor, and disappointed her parents by not being a responsible enough heir to the throne.

"The second one, yielding her values, was arranged to a wealthy merchant. Everything was fine with their family, except that both the princesses were unable to produce an heir to the throne. Then they came across a magical jewel, one that allowed them to create any object they wanted. However, it was broken, and not knowing the consequences, they used it to create a child out of thin air.

"Both the families had one child, and were merry. But nothing came without a cost. Lives were lost. The merchant's and the elder princess', both of whom had used the magical jewel to produce the fake children." His voice wavered, and he took a deep breath once more.

"In an attempt to revive his beloved wife, Monarch reigns above us, trying in vain to get The Wish by combining your Miraculouses." He nodded at Chat and I. "This is your tale."

"Wait, you know Monarch personally then!" I concluded, and felt hopeful when he nodded. "So who are you in the story?"

"The fake child," Felix mumbled, eliciting a gasp from Kagami and me. "Doesn't matter anymore. Don't worry about me. I must ask you a favor, Ladybug." I nodded, urging him to continue. "Please take back the Miraculous of the Butterfly and the rest of them from Monarch.

"I do realize that I was the one who handed him everything, but that was to take the Miraculous of the Peacock from his custody. The Miraculous capable of resuscitation of heartless monsters like me. I don't regret it, but I don't wish to see my cousin suffer the same fate as I was doing, just until a year ago."

Realization hit me like a load of bricks collapsing. This was a mystery to crack. Vaguely formed answers ran afresh in my mind, and I hurried to make sure they were right. "Your cousin... As in Adrien Agreste... which means the tailor, Monarch, is.. Gabriel Agreste."

Felix nodded once more, and I found myself watching Chat and Kagami sink to their knees. As for me, I was glad I was one step closer to finishing the nasty show that Monarch was putting up.