(Edit: No A/N I suppose...Well, anyway, enjoy the chapter!)

Sabine ran from her seat, hugging her child. "My daughter isn't going to marry a sewer rat!" she exclaimed as Marinette pushed her away. "Maman! Stop saying such stupidity," Marinette mumbled the last word.

"Oh, I can't even get mad at you right now," she hugged her once more. Marinette sighed, patting her back. "But, Maman, I'm not even sure if I'm going to get in," She warned.

"Oh, of course, you are!" Maman said positively. "Because you are a professional chef, a seamstress for Le Blanc, and Marshal Arts Wizard!" Maman whisper-yelled, the excitement not leaving her tone.

I sighed. "Maman, I only bake, I sew clothes for fun, and I am self-taught for martial arts!" Marinette listed, counting on her fingers.

"They are going to see right through me Maman," she concluded.

"If I am going to do this, I need to be honest," "But dear, you need to stand out! Being honest won't do you anything,"

"Every girl is going to want to stand out! Every girl is going to exaggerate," she started, "I'm going to be the one who stays to the truth. That will make me stand out!" Marinette winked.

Her father smiled at her enthusiasm. "You're right, darling," he rested a hand on her shoulder. Sabine sighed at her husband and daughter.

"I suppose," Sabine mumbled as Marinette smiled widely. "Now let's go, let's go! We must hurry," Sabine scrambled, running to the bathroom to grab her makeup.

"Maman! Where are we going?" Marinette asked as she shut the door to the small bathroom. "We're going to the Parkinson's - their daughters are also trying out. We are going to do makeup together!"

***

Marinette knocked on the door as Maman raced to gather the makeup supplies and dresses. A tall, slender woman answered the door.

"Bonjour, Mrs. Parkinson," Marinette smiled. "Hello, Marinette! My, you've grown from the last time I saw you," she exclaimed as Marinette laughed.

"Where is your Mother?" she asked as Marinette pointed behind her. "She is right over there," she glanced at her mother "Getting all the supplies."

"So, what changed your mind about The Selection? I heard you were having some difficulty choosing," she asked. Marinette shuffled her feet a little. "Oh, well, just the thought of seeing the palace, the prince, and the Crowned Jewels sounds incredible," Marinette half-lied as Mrs. Parkinson opened her mother to reply.

"Bonjour, Marinette!" one of the sisters called, cutting her off. Mrs. Parkinson stepped aside so Marinette could walk in.

The eldest sister, Hazel, ran up to Marinette. "Bonjour, Marinette. How have you been? Can I get you a beverage?" she asked excitedly as Marinette jumped back in shock. "Uh, I've been good - and no thank you,"

The younger sister, Linda, then walked into the foyer. "Bonjour, Marinette!" she tossed a smile "Aren't you excited?" Linda asked. "Yes, of course," Marinette replied quickly as Hazel pulled on her arm, bringing her to the living room.

She then brought back a magazine and showed the cover to Marinette. "Isn't he handsome?" Hazel mooned over the picture. It showed the Prince standing with his father, wearing a very crisp suit.

"He is," Marinette quickly agreed. It seemed that Marinette could not take her eyes off it since Linda was giving Hazel a look behind the magazine.

Once Marinette peeled her eyes from the picture, the two mothers walked into the living room. "Get ready girls! Show Marinette where she can go dress up," Mrs. Parkinson flicked her hand - Linda then grabbing her arm.

She leads her to an empty room and left her to put on one of the dresses Sabine had picked for her. Marinette tried on the dress, but after a quick glance in the mirror, she didn't seem to like it. As she walked out, the two girls gasped.

"You look incredible Marinette!" Maman exclaimed as the girls nodded in unison. "Maman, could I maybe try on the outfit that I brought instead?" Marinette countered, Sabine's smile fading.

"Please?" Sabine wasn't convinced, "I have to be truthful, remember?" she emphasized the last word.

Maman sighed deeply. "If you must," she turned the other way, "But we must vote on which one looks better after," Maman added quickly, getting a quick nod from Marinette. She dashed back to the room and put on her ideal outfit.

She had put on a short black dress, with a long 'v' down her back, the edges etched with lace. It had been something that Marinette had loved, and it was the first dress she had bought by herself, without her Maman's opinion.

She had loved it, and she wanted to wear it for her photo. She exited the room for a second time and waited for everyone's reaction. The two daughters were the first to turn their heads around as she entered and immediately went into shock.

"Wow, Marinette," they both said, their tone sounding shocked. Sabine perked her head up and smiled slightly. "That is a nice dress, dear," Marinette smiled, "But isn't it a bit too black?" the smile faded.

"If you put some red accents on it, it will look nice," Marinette suggested. "Why red?" Maman had judgement laced into her tone. "Because red and black are the colours of Ladybugs, and I feel I'm going to need some luck," Marinette replied as the two daughters giggled, Marinette deciding to ignore them.

Maman sighed, agreeing with the daughters' reaction. "Well, if you want to look like an insect for the prince you may go ahead," she scoffed, Marinette ignoring the insult. Sabine then combed out her hair and curled it loosely. She then grabbed her makeup bag.

"Not too much," Marinette warned as she nodded. As Sabine was putting the final touches, Mr. Parkinson walked into the room. "You all look, wonderful ladies," he said, quickly kissing Mrs. Parkinson.

"C'mon Dad! We don't want to be late," Linda urged as Mr. Parkinson laughed. "What do you think?" Maman asked as Marinette's eyes drifted back to the mirror. She had nice red lipstick on and a very light red blush. She put some mascara and eyeliner, as well as ey shadow on but made sure it was not very noticeable.

Marinette smiled and nodded. She loved it; Marinette's natural beauty could really shine.

***

As she waited in line for her turn, she grew more anxious. She hoped that she was making the right approach. Maybe the prince wanted girls who wore pink frilly dresses.

Marinette shook her head - why did she even care what the prince thought of her? She wanted the prince to like her for who she was, not who she was trying to imitate.

"Miss Dupain-Cheng," someone called as Marinette walked over. She glanced at the mirror set beside the background to make sure the wind did not mess up her hair.

"Okay, smile!" she exclaimed as Marinette did what she was told. She looked at her and then at the camera. "No, really smile," she repeated as Marinette smiled wider.

"No, not like that," she said walking up to Marinette, as her brows furrowed. "E-Excuse-" "Smiles can't be forced," she interrupted as Marinette bit her lip. "Excuse me?" she finished her earlier thought, unsure of what to say.

"You don't want to do this, do you," she stated as Marinette shrugged. "I do...but I don't at the same time," Marinette admit as the girl smiled.

"Why?" she asked. "Well... My boyfriend had just left me since he was aware that he could not provide for me if we had gotten married. I loved him with all my heart, but I don't want to try out for a guy I barely know and don't even like,"

"Was that the only reason he broke up with you?" she asked as Marinette looked down. "He wanted me to try out for the Selection. It seemed that he wanted me to try out very badly. I was hoping it was just for the opportunity..."

"Not because he didn't love me," Marinette added quickly after. The girl straightened Marinette's shoulders and brought some of her curled hair to the front. She then took a step back.

"Of course, he loved you. He wants you to have the best life possible, that is why he left to give you a shot here," she said as Marinette smiled at the sentence.

Then she heard a flash. She glanced down to see that the girl had taken the picture. "See, that's perfect," she said showing Marinette.

"That's a true smile,"