Adrien couldn't even describe how angry he was.

It wasn't often that his temper rose this high. He knew most people saw him as the cold and callous prince who had no interest in anyone's well-being but his own, but he never thought there was a valid reason behind why people thought this.

He'd been proven wrong—and practically slapped in the face—when Marinette's knight basically asked him how he'd not known of his own village's destruction until now.

Adrien wanted to blame his father, but the truth was the blame wasn't entirely his. Although Adrien hadn't meant to be purposely cruel, he'd stopped having an interest in the people's well-being after his mother passed away. He isolated himself and embraced callousness just like his father had.

But Adrien refused to believe that his father had been ignorant like him. His father was the king. His father had to know about the village's condition.

Adrien stormed into his father's throne room, the guards stepping to the side without protest to let him pass. Gabriel's head snapped up upon his son's arrival, his expression blank... until he realized it was his son who had entered the room.

"You!" He immediately rose to his feet, his expression clouded with shock and mostly anger. "Where have you been?!"

Adrien paused in the center of the room, his posture straight. He remained right where he stood and made no effort to advance any further. His father, reacting in anger and impatience, made his way down the steps from his throne.

"I was out." Adrien said dryly.

"'Out?!'" The king bellowed, his voice loud enough to shatter one of his many decorative vases as it mercilessly bounced off the walls. Even some of the guards standing off to the side covered their ears. Adrien didn't even flinch. "You have been missing! Your own knights could not even tell me where you were!"

Adrien scoffed underneath his breath. "I was perfectly fine—"

"You have quite the nerve to stand before me acting indifferent!" The king cut him off, his raging shouts slicing through their like knives as this father neared him closer and closer by the second. "Tell me where you have been, Adrien, or so help me—!"

"I was at the village." Adrien cut his father off, his eyes narrowed, as his father practically came nose-to-nose with him. "The village that might as well be in ruins because you have neglected it and its people."

Adrien hadn't expected much out of his father when it concerned a reaction to this news. The least he had expected was shock. But Gabriel showed nothing but anger. His eyes narrowed even further, his rage seeping out of ever pour, as he gritted his teeth and seethed, "You have no right to set foot in that village, let alone without me knowing about it."

Adrien scoffed at that and stepped away from his father to create a bit of space between them. "I have no right? I am the prince! I have every right to know what is going on there!"

He didn't expect the slap that came next. It happened so fast that Adrien wasn't even given the chance to process it coming. His father raised his hand and slapped Adrien across the cheek, the sound echoing throughout the room in the midst of deafening silence. Adrien stumbled back, a hand rising to his cheek, as he stared at his father in stunned silence.

To Adrien, the silence that followed felt like it stretched for hours. He was too stunned to even speak. He watched as his father used his other hand to rub the hand he'd hit him with as if the action had left him sore. Adrien could only blink back frustrated tears as he held his cheek. His father didn't even look perturbed, let alone remorseful for what he had just done.

When his father finally decided to speak, Adrien hardly recognized his voice. His father glanced up at him, his gaze empty, and it left the air between them feeling as chilly as ice. "That village is my concern and my concern alone. You had no business poking your nose in that which does not concern you."

Despite the unexpected slap, Adrien didn't back down. The only thing he did was lower his tone. "If you knew about the condition of the village, why are you ignoring it?"

"Because the condition of the village is not important." Gabriel said, his tone surprisingly calm and collected. "All that matters is that they pay their taxes."

"How can they afford to pay their taxes if they cannot even support their own families?"

"You are being dramatic, Adrien."

"I am not." Adrien's tone was callous. If he was to be slapped again, then so be it. "I saw firsthand how the people are suffering. Most of them are living on the streets. They look as if they can barely afford to have one meal a day, let alone meet the requirements of their taxes. Yet we have all the financial means necessary to help them and you want to do nothing."

The king whipped around to face Adrien, his expression once again angered. "That village is a thorn in my side, Adrien. I want nothing to do with it. If I could eradicate it and all who live there, I would."

Adrien gasped, "How can you say something so cruel like that?!"

"Because that village only reminds me more of your mother!" Gabriel snapped, "And I cannot stand it!"

"So, you take it out on the people?" Adrien couldn't believe what he was hearing. He knew his mother loved the village with all of her heart. He somewhat remembered her dedication to the people as a child. But how was her death the people's fault?

They loved her just as much as she loved them. They thought of her as the best queen to have ever ruled their lands. They were just as heartbroken and devastated when they learned she had passed away.

They didn't deserve to live in poverty just because the king and his son were grieving.

Gabriel blatantly ignored his son, instead turning on his heel and heading back towards his throne. Adrien would not allow his father to extract himself from the conversation so easily, not when so many lives were at stake due to his father's stubbornness. Adrien quickly followed after him. "They do not deserve our neglect just because you are hurting, father! At the very least you could have some compassion for them!"

"If you care for them so much, then you take on the affairs of the village!" Gabriel roared from over his shoulder.

"I will!" Adrien practically jumped at the opportunity, shouting at the top of his lungs. "Officially permit me and you will never hear of the affairs of the village again!"

Gabriel turned around again, this time seemingly stunned that his son would offer himself for a position so selfless. The king looked so shocked that he didn't even have a retort ready. Gabriel struggled for a response, his words falling out of his lips in stutters, as he said, "V-Very well. If that is what you truly desire, I will sign a document to finalize it."

"I look forward to it." Adrien nodded once. He kept his chin held high as his father studied him further, almost as if the king thought his son might backtrack at any moment. But Adrien hadn't been more serious in his life. He wanted to make it up to his people. They deserved that.

The king huffed and turned away from his son one last time, a flick of his wrist insinuating that Adrien should leave. Adrien didn't plan to stay another second longer. The guards that stood at the entrance opened the doors for him, and he stepped outside, his back to the throne room as the doors were shut behind him.

"What happened to your cheek?"

Adrien turned his head, finding Nino and Kagami at his left. Nino had been the one to ask, concern laced in his features. Kagami, however, looked as stone-cold as ever. She didn't even seem perturbed as her eyes indifferently trailed over his swollen cheek. He looked away from her, scoffing, as he marched down the corridor.

Nino quickly scurried after him. Adrien didn't look back to see if Kagami was following. "So, I do not want to assume your father had anything to do with this but—"

"Assume all you like." Adrien cut him off, frustrated. "He hit me."

"He has not hit you since..." Nino trailed off, the rest of his words left unspoken. Adrien knew what he meant though. Adrien didn't hate his father, but the man certainly would never earn any 'Father of the Year' awards. His father was overall a good man, but to say that was the first time he'd ever hit his son would be a lie.

The occasional hitting started after his mother passed. Adrien had always figured anger had been the one to guide his father's hand. He knew his father wasn't all cruel—the conversation initiated by his father that they'd had about love had been proof of that—but there were sides to his father that were not pleasant. Sometimes, Adrien wondered if he reminded his father all too much of his mother, and that that was the reason why his father had neglected him, just like he had neglected the village. His father had once assured him that Adrien brought him happiness, but happiness could also be distorted by memories, familiarity, pain, and longing.

Adrien's cheek felt numb, though, which was good. He couldn't even feel the sting anymore. The only proof that he'd been hit was the redness that covered his cheek along with rising of the skin due to the swelling that he could only guess was starting to occur.

He would be fine. He knew he would be. But emotionally, he wasn't doing all too well. He could already feel the tears threatening to spill.

He didn't want to be alone right now... and he wouldn't even bother begging his cold-hearted lover to grant him the comfort he needed.

What he needed was Marinette.

"Where is the princess right now?" Adrien asked Nino, who was seemingly having trouble keeping up at his side. He didn't even care if Kagami overheard him asking for Marinette. If Kagami had no interest in his feelings, why should he have any in hers?

"Her Dame, Alya, informed me that she was in her chambers." Nino said from his side.

"Good." Adrien sharply turned a corner, Nino hot on his heel. "I will be headed there... and I do not need an escort."

Nino didn't argue, and Adrien was thankful for it. As much as Nino was considered a friend of his, or at least someone he had known for a very long time, his timid knight couldn't grant him any comfort no matter how hard he tried. Nino was better at pep talks and lectures than he was at consoling.

So, Adrien marched down the corridor alone and headed for Marinette's chambers. The emptiness of the hallways didn't bring any peace to his thoughts. Instead, the silence made them louder and constant, and he found himself struggling just to walk in a straight line, his head already spinning from not just the stress, but from all the blood that had rushed to his head due to being slapped.

Once or twice, he found himself glancing over his shoulder, looking to see if Kagami was following him. Her footsteps were oftentimes so soft that she could do so without him knowing—that was just how stealthy she was. He didn't want her following him, though. In fact, checking over his shoulder for her presence had been an act of anxiousness, not longing.

He knew Kagami didn't like Marinette. That was obvious. But what she had done to Marinette's virtue was an unforgivable act. It was devious. The Kagami Adrien knew didn't practice such low standards. But then again, Adrien was starting to question everything about his relationship with Kagami, including if he even knew her at all.

He finally reached Marinette's chambers and exhaled in relief, his fist raising to knock softly. There was a bit of shuffling on the other end, hasty footsteps that grew louder by the second as they rushed to the door, and then the door swung open.

Marinette stood in front of him, her expression shocked, as if she hadn't expected it to be him. She was adorned in a robe, clothing that obviously wasn't appropriate outside of her chambers. Behind her, a bath had been prepared, the water still hot if the smoke rising from the basin was any indication to go by.

"Oh!" Adrien instantly raised a hand to cover his eyes. "I-I am so sorry, I had no idea you were—!"

"There is no need to apologize," Marinette chuckled, clearly amused by his reaction. "I was the one who opened the—woah... what happened to your face?"

Her shocked gasp caused him to wince, and he tried his best to muster a sheepish smile. From the way Marinette's expression morphed from humor to concern, he had reason to believe that his smile looked more pained than anything else.

"Uh..." he instinctively moved his hand to cover his cheek, no longer concerned about looking at Marinette (even if she was underdressed.) "My father... he..."

The words died on his tongue because he found that he was ashamed to admit them; to admit that his father would do such a thing; to admit that he had just taken it. But Marinette did what he knew she would... she reached out to him, and he let her. He let her pull his arm away to get a better look at his face. He let her place her hand over his swollen cheek.

"Your father did this to you?"

When she asked him that, he felt his resolve instantly shatter. Marinette's voice, one that was usually so calm and comforting, sounded as broken as he felt. Once again, he broke down in tears in front of her, and Marinette pulled him to her, wrapping her arms around his neck and cradling his head on her shoulder. His arms came around her waist, and he bent down just so that he could bury his face into the crook of her neck.

"I am so sorry, Adrien," Marinette murmured near his ear. She started to pull away from him, and he let her, despite how much he wished their hug could last just a little longer. "Come inside... let me have a look at it."

"No, no," Adrien choked out and shook his head. "Y-You are not decent—I should not even be here—"

"We have had this conversation before, Adrien," Marinette cut him off softly, "I am covered, and I am telling you it is okay."

Adrien chanced a glance over her shoulder, his uncertain eyes surveying what he could see in her empty chambers. From what he could see, Marinette was alone. He had no idea where her knights were. Regardless, they would be alone, together, in her chambers.

He'd never done anything like that before. Kagami always came to his chambers, but he'd never been in another woman's chambers before.

He found himself already sweating even though he had no ulterior motives. In truth, all he really wanted was Marinette's comfort. If that was the case, then why was he so damn nervous?

Marinette chuckled softly, the sound snapping him from his thoughts as she tugged on his hand. "You will be fine, Adrien. Come on."

He let her pull him inside despite his nervousness. "You cannot blame me for being uncertain. I have never been inside of a woman's room before."

Marinette openly laughed at that, a snort bubbling past her lips. "I can assure you it is nothing special. It is just like yours, just with a slight feminine touch perhaps."

And Marinette was right. As she softly shut the door behind him, Adrien further inspected her room. It hardly differed from his, minus the color of her linens and the decorative pieces. What had he been so worried about?

His shoulders fell as he quickly relaxed. With a small smile, he followed Marinette when she gestured for him to sit on her bed. He did as he was told and intriguingly watched as she glided across the room to one of her dressers. She pulled out a small box from the top drawer, and as she came towards him again, he realized that it was a medical kit.

The right side of his lips pulled upward as he watched her open it. "You know how to treat injuries?"

"Are you really asking me that after I told you about how I broke my arm horseback riding?" She offered him a teasing smirk.

"I did not forget about that, I swear!" Adrien promised with a laugh. He even playfully raised his hands in a surrendering manner, which earned him another laugh of hers. More seriously, he added, "But I was not under the impression that you mended your own broken arm."

"And you would be right," Marinette approached him with a small, brown, glass bottle and a swab. "But I do know a few things about treating injuries with herbs. Call it a side hobby."

"You seem to have a lot of hobbies," His eyes fluttered closed as Marinette applied the damp swab to his cheek. A small hiss escaped his lips and she mumbled an apology, but even despite his discomfort, he couldn't find it in himself to let his smile fall. Marinette didn't reply when it concerned his comment about her hobbies. Instead, she dismissed it with a chuckle. He didn't mind it though, not when he got to witness the smile it brought out of her.

"What exactly will this do for my cheek?" He asked when the silence had stretched on a bit too long for his liking, looking to make more conversation. "It is not like I am bleeding or have a broken jaw."

"No, but it will help with the pain, swelling, and possible bruising."

Adrien winched slightly when Marinette accidentally applied a little too much pressure. "Is the swelling bad? I have not had a chance to see the damage for myself."

"Not too bad," Her fingers delicately ran across his skin, inspecting his cheek to the best of her ability, and he shivered. "It definitely would be worse if I did not use this oil."

"What kind of oil are you using?"

"It is actually a flower turned into an oil," Marinette showed him the bottle up close. There wasn't anything special about it. It was just a brown bottle, but the fact that she showed him regardless made him smile. "It is called the Arnica flower. Much to my luck, it tends to grow best in cold climates, preferably up in the mountains."

"Interesting," Adrien replied, truly fascinated. He found it to be extremely cool that something like this which came from her homeland—a place that he once considered enemy territory, evidently with everything in it to be harmful—to be helping him now. If anything, it was extremely humbling.

The irony almost had him laughing out loud, but he didn't want to explain that to Marinette. So instead, he smiled and closed his eyes again, allowing Marinette to continue her handiwork in comfortable, peaceful silence.

It didn't take her long to finish, but when she was finally done, he found himself missing the contact. Marinette set her supplies aside and sat down on the bed beside him, her sympathetic smile surprisingly comforting even though he wasn't exactly eager to talk about why he'd been smacked in the first place.

"I will go ahead and assume that the talk with your father did not go well," Marinette said as she watched his reaction carefully, "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

Adrien pressed his lips together and shrugged, averting his gaze to his lap. "My father was a lot angrier than I thought he would be."

"The understatement of the century, I am sure."

He chuckled lightly at that, appreciating her light commentary. "Yeah... he probably would have been less upset had I told him we had stayed the night there. I am obviously joking," he added teasingly, his eyes flickering back up to hers to gauge her reaction. A slight grin pulled at her lips at his attempt at humor, and he matched it briefly before it fell again, his grim frown returning. "But he got angry when he found out I simply went there. He made it very clear I had no business going there. He claimed it was his business alone."

"Surely you asked him about the village's neglect?" Marinette asked in concern, her smile long gone. Something else flashed in her irises when he remained silent, and he could see the spirals running as she tried her best to put the pieces of the puzzle together. "Was he even aware of the village's neglect?"

Adrien swallowed the lump in his throat. "Yes, he is aware. He does not even care about its condition."

"Oh..." Marinette averted her eyes, her shoulders falling slightly. Adrien could tell she didn't know how to respond to that. He frowned slightly at the troubled look on her face. He didn't even know what to say himself. He couldn't defend his father; he wouldn't defend his father. They both shared an equal amount of disappointment. On top of that, he felt shame.

"Sorry," Adrien didn't know what else to say, so he settled for that. "I...I had no idea my father was blatantly ignoring those people—"

"There is no reason for you to apologize, Adrien, especially to me." Marinette cut him off, her hand coming up to rest on his forearm for reassurance. "What your father does is not your fault."

"But I should have checked on them sooner." He argued, "I should not have ignored them for as long as I did. I should have done more instead of wallowing behind these palace walls."

Marinette squeezed his arm, her eyes carefully searching his. "Is there a reason why you chose to ignore the village this long?"

"Is there really a just reason?"

"Maybe not, but there is a valid one," Marinette said, her smile small, but soft. "And I would love to hear about it if you would like to share it with me."

Adrien offered her an appreciative smile, though he was certain the sadness behind his emerald irises was noticeable. "The village reminds me of my mother. She used to take me with her every time she visited and—"

"Wait." Marinette cut him off suddenly, confused, "I was under the impression your mother passed away shortly after you were born, or at least when you were too young to remember her much."

"What?" Adrien laughed at that, truly amused, but not surprised. After all, considering their kingdoms had been enemies for so long, it made sense for her to have inaccurate information about him and his kingdom, just like he'd had with hers. "Who told you that?"

"No one specifically. More of that is what I have overheard." Marinette replied sheepishly.

Adrien snickered underneath his breath. "Well, I suppose I should tell you now that I was about four or five when my mother passed. I do not really remember how old I was. Definitely young." His voice turned more solemn, the playfulness gone, as it usually did when he talked about his mother. He almost sucked in a harsh breath when his shoulder brushed against hers, his own body betraying him as it leaned instinctively toward her—and yet, he didn't want to pull away, especially when Marinette didn't seem to mind and in fact purposely leaned in towards him, almost as if she were encouraging the contact. He offered her the softest of smiles, hoping it matched the one she was offering him. "My mother had an immense passion for serving our people. She instilled that passion into me... until she passed, of course, then I hated the village."

Marinette's smile turned sympathetic. "I can understand the sudden resentment, Adrien. You were only a child."

"That is not an excuse."

"Give yourself a break." Marinette squeezed his arm again, reminding him that her hand was still on his skin, and he almost found himself placing his other hand on top of hers. "You lost your mother at such a young age, and personally, had I been in your shoes, I probably would have reacted the same, if not worse."

Adrien looked up to meet her eyes, confusion clouding his irises. "Really?"

"Of course." Marinette huffed out a laugh, mostly in disbelief. "If I lost my mother now, I surely would react just as badly. Heartbreak has a way of completely shattering everything as we know it, and everyone handles it differently. You should not beat yourself up over how you as a child handled it. You did so the best way you knew how."

Adrien wasn't sure how Marinette did it—how she always knew what to say to make him feel better. It was truly a talent of hers.

He smiled, already feeling the guilt and shame ebbing away. "May I admit something?"

Marinette's eyes widened slightly in curiosity, her smile matching his. "Of course."

He allowed his previous temptation from before to control his movements as he bravely placed his hand over hers, his doubts be damned. Marinette's eyes quickly shifted to the contact only briefly before her eyes flickered back up to his. There was no sudden shock in her expression, though. She simply smiled, waiting for him to continue.

Adrien squeezed her hand. "I want you to know that I am grateful for you."

Marinette looked more relieved than surprised to hear him say that. Her expression mellowed, revealing just how truly relaxed and content she was to be in his presence. It was refreshing to have this kind of relationship with someone. It was almost.... intimate in a way that he still couldn't fully understand because the only intimacy he'd ever known was lust and sex.

But he did know one thing for certain. He liked this. And if this was meant to be a part of any relationship of his—romantic or otherwise—he wanted to have this. This is what Marinette offered. She offered him kindness and genuineness. She offered him love in a way that he'd never seen or felt before. Because even though they were just friends—two people being forced into a union that wasn't necessarily of their choosing—he could feel love radiating off of her for him, even if it wasn't romantic. She saw him as a person. He could feel that she loved him as a person too.

He couldn't feel that from Kagami. He'd never felt that from Kagami. And he'd known Kagami much longer than Marinette.

How could that even be possible, right?

How could someone like Marinette—someone who hadn't known him for long at all—already love him more as a person than the woman who claimed to be in love with him?

Marinette squeezed his hand in return. "I am grateful for you too, Adrien."

His response to that was a genuine grin. One that surely couldn't be faked. Underneath that smile, though, his uncertainty continued to stir. He had so many questions about what he was feeling.Too many. But they could wait. For now, he would bask in Marinette's light. And hopefully, in due time, he'd be able to return the favor, and she would be able to bask in his one day too.

_______________________________

Hiiii

So I know in the last chapter I made it seem like I was going to stay consistent with updating, but believe it or not, the last update I made on this book was three days before I ended up in a car accident. Needless to say, I broke my wrist and had no choice but to step away from writing 🥲

But I'm here now (still healing btw) but I can do a lot more now with my wrist. So I'm still taking it easy and writing a bit here and there which means updates will still be slower than before. But I wanted to give you guys an update!

Also... super random but... some of you might know about the new Megamind "movie" and series that was released on Peacock TV. It's not good (and that's putting it lightly) but I watched it anyway because I love Megamind and now... along with retackling this fic... I also just so happen to be writing a Megamind fic on AO3. I haven't decided if I'm going to post it here yet, but if you're any interested in checking it out, please do! It would mean a lot to me!

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

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