#gardane

Lila was annoyed.

Not only had she been forced to some ball celebrating Ladybug and Chat Noir’s defeat of Hawkmoth, but she was not getting any of the limelight she would’ve liked. It was hard to cater to a large crowd unlike that of her classmates in Lycée, but lately, they hadn’t been giving her their undivided attention. What’s worse, with Hawkmoth gone, the possibility of manipulating situations to her favor had drastically decreased.

The ‘lying disease’ Adrien made her admit to back in Collège had worked against her, too. Things she said were now taken with a grain of salt; even the smallest attempted jabs at Marinette had only ended up with the class making sure they never interacted because of how ‘her disease seemed to act up the most around her’.

… Oh well, she still had her ‘friendship’ with Adrien and somehow she still had her contract with Gabriel. One of the few reasons she had to attend, but even if that hadn't been the case, her mother had been invited, too - or, had been expected to attend on Italy’s behalf. There were celebrities, business owners, the works in attendance, and even a few rumored royals. 

If she played her cards right, maybe she could be the next Katie Highland or Michelle Miracle.

Yes, forget a model; a royal would be what she deserved after all her hard work trying to bring down Ladybug and that cat sidekick.

Speaking of those superheroes, as she adjusted her fox mask, she spotted them and glowered. Another take, and she felt her irritation boil to scalding anger: Adrien and Marinette Dupain-Cheng. They weren’t dancing in the spotlight or anything, but even in the dim lighting, they stood out in a crowd.

Marinette wore some gaudy red ball gown with black satin roses around from the looks of it around the waist to imitate the spots of the superheroine. Obviously her own awful design; and of course she’d wear her hair up in a tacky bun with roses clips. Meanwhile, Adrien dared to wear a black suit with green trim and tie to reflect the cat tag along. She’d make comments about his hair being tied up in a ponytail, but his father had given him permission to keep it like that. Something about his new style helped with marketing numbers even if she personally hated it. 

They were smiling and happy and looked so in love that she needed to find a way to ruin it, but how?

She smirked - duh, all she had to say was Adrien had to dance with her. How would it look to people if they didn’t? How would it reflect on Gabriel?

Cheering herself at the plan, she put it into execution.

Carefully and ‘politely’ making her way through the crowd, she reached them shortly and cleared her throat. When they didn’t stop and continued twirling on, she tried again, a little louder this time.

Finally, both stopped and gave her a quizzical look, and that was her cue.

“There you are. You’re supposed to dance with me now.”

She held out her hand and expected Adrien to take it. However, seconds passed with her standing there looking like a fool, and he made no move. She could see his eyebrow raise but - was there something off with his eyes? - it didn’t matter. She straightened her posture a little and spoke loud enough for the two dimwits to hear.

“We don’t want any trouble tonight, right? So we’re going to dance or I’m going to see you’re under house arrest for the rest of your life.”

Usually, that threat would have cowed him into obeying, but Adrien just looked at Marinette and shook his head. She looked skeptically back at him and he shrugged. Lila rolled her eyes at their stupid antics and grabbed Adrien’s, pulling him away with a firm yank. Seeing Marinette stumble was amusing, but it was only passing. Adrien ripped his arm from her hold and took Marinette’s hand, helping her steady. Lila seethed and was just about ready to cause a scene.

However, the lights turned on and she paled.

Marinette didn’t have brown eyes and Adrien’s eyes were not teal.

“Your Majesty!”

Before she could escape, Lila felt a hand grasp her arm firmly to keep her in place. She struggled and shrieked, her voice deadening at the one-eyed glare she received from the brown-haired woman who held her. There was a sword on her hip; who the heck did she think she was?

Meanwhile, a man in military garb had approached not-Adrien and not-Marinette, his eyes stern.

“Are you unharmed?”

“Yes, I’m quite alright Captain Steiner,” not-Marinette said softly. “I believe there was a mix up due to our masks however…”

“Oddly hostile mix-up if you ask me,” not-Adrien said, his eyes leaving the young woman to stare at Lila - no, it wasn’t just a stare. Something about the look had her already wary of what he knew from that look.

A hand on his shoulder, not-Marinette was about to speak when the crowd parted, allowing Mayor Bourgeois and Lila’s mother to approach.

“Queen Garnet, Prince Zidane. Please, I’m so sorry for my daughter’s actions!” her mother immediately said and Lila felt her blood drain. A Queen and a Prince? Another look, and the young woman in red really did have this Princess doll beauty to her. No, Lila couldn’t have really—

But not-Marinette - Queen Garnet - waved a hand, “Please, it’s fine. I’m fine, but you may want to help your daughter find whomever it is she’s looking for.”

“If they are even here to be found,” Prince Zidane added. “You might want to have a private word with your daughter first?”

“Yes, I certainly will…”

Queen Garnet looked Lila’s way, her eyes on the woman holding her arm, and with a nod, she was let go. Not that Lila could escape still because next she knew, her mother was ushering her off the dance floor and to an adjoining hallway to have that word.

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Unbeknownst to Lila, Adrien and Marinette had come to the ballroom themselves upon hearing a commotion and noticing the lights had been turned back on. Adrien was wearing a white tux with gold trimmings and tie, matching Marinette’s white A-line dress with gold embroidery down the thigh of her skirt. It was a modern take of an Ancient Greek dress she wanted to try and he’d gone along with it, suggesting all the while they should try something with Hades and Persephone. 

Anyway, they had been attempting to decide when would be a good time for Ladybug and Chat Noir to appear, but now, they watched Mme. Rossi pull her daughter away for a stern word, and slowly let their eyes drift back to the Queen and Prince masquerading tonight as their superhero personas.

“I am going to have to personally thank them for taking that hit,” Adrien whispered.

Marinette nodded and then added, “And now you see why I said we shouldn’t dress up like Ladybug and Chat Noir as our civilian selves.”

“Yeah. I’m surprised she thought they were us though.”

“Right? Queen Garnet is so beautiful and Prince Zidane is way more roguish than you, kitty.”

“Princess, I’ll have you know you’re gorgeous,” Adrien chided. “But, I will give you that part of him being more roguish. I’ll have to work on that.”

If there was one issue with going in disguised as a guard, it was her horn. Not that Sarah would dare do anything to rid it; it was the last connection she had with her true home where ever that could be. Moving her hair just right, it hid it just enough before she stepped out of the Guardhouse with Blank, looking left and right.

Her task was simple: find Prince Zidane and put some sleeping potion into his tea cup. From there, Blank was the muscles to get him onboard the Prima Vista. He’d left at some point during their performance, but if she encountered him, she should be able to charm him off-guard – long enough to knock him out.

Hurrying up the stairs to find his chambers, she was startled when the double door burst open, a black-robed figure rushing her way only to stop before they could collide. What a strange garb, but she tilted her head. Sarah couldn’t see their face, but the strands of blonde hair…

 “Uh, could you please let me pass?” they said, tugging their hood a little lower with a gloved hand.

Crossing her arms, Sarah considered the question, but then stepped closer to try examining their face. Of course, they did their best to turn their head and eyes, but she caught teal eyes quickly looking away.

 “Is there something on my face, Miss?”

 “Hm? Oh, no… but…”

 “… ‘But’?”

 “You look like ‘the one’, you know?”

 “I’m… sorry. The one what?”

 “You know, ‘the One’. The man of my dreams! Someone I’ve wanted to meet since I was a child.”

 “Are you mocking me?”

 “Not at all, I’m being serious…!” She beamed as she noticed the poor boy’s face turn pink. Obviously, he was not used to this sort of flattery. Giggling and taking a step closer, it was her chance to go in for the capture. “Hey, if you come with me, we can talk more abou--”

 “Sarah, what’s taking so long?”

 Blank’s voice startled her and apparently startled the cloaked boy, enough that his hood fell back a little. Just as she had suspected; one look and she recognized those eyes and soft-angled face. Through the feathering blonde hair, the panicked, wide-eyed look sent in her direct had her freeze, bewildered because she could swear there was fear, but why?

“I…” he gasped, but then shook his head, rushing past her. “I must go!”

“Ah!”/”Hey!”

Catching her footing before she fell over, Sarah raced after him, pausing on the stairs besides a fallen Blank. His head whipped back and forth, finally stopping on Sarah, “Who the hell was that!?”

 “Blank! That was the Prince! Come on!”

 “Seriously?!?”