"You can't judge someone only by what you see. Some of the best people hide who they truly are just so that people can't take advantage of that."

— Forbidden Love

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

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It wasn't that Chat Noir feared the dark, but he highly disliked it. The night only brought darkness and silence upon it, and in instances involving him– the leader of the king's guards– it also brought danger.

It was only at night when Chat Noir was left to patrol the perimeters on his own. He had grown accustomed to loneliness and orders from his father, the king. But when Chat was told at a very young age that he would one day become the king himself, he had never fully grasped the idea.

Until now.

Soon, his coronation would come, and Chat Noir would be standing before his people to be crowned the next King. He would watch as his people cheered in celebration, and clinked their glasses together in a toast for the rise of their new king. But Chat Noir, he would not celebrate. For becoming king was nothing he wanted.

And once he was crowned, it was accustomed for him to choose a bride. Chat Noir had vowed he would marry eventually, but of course only for true love itself. But when his father decided to arrange a dinner with a suitor his son had never even met, Chat Noir had grown angry with his own father.

He didn't love this woman. He didn't even know her! And he was supposed to marry her? For the greater good of his kingdom?

That just didn't seem fair.

And even when Chat Noir first met her, had a chance to take her in her dressed up appearance with a steady once over, there was no spark. None. Even as she extended her hand out to him, and he took her hand, pressing his lips gently against her gloved hand, he felt no love. He felt nothing really. The blonde-haired woman who stood before him, batting her eyelashes innocently, was only a stranger to him.

Her name was Chloé, daughter of another leader of a similar tribe who lived deeper in the forest. Chat Noir had never heard of their kingdom (or had read about it, for that matter) until he had met their daughter. Chloé's father, Andre The Third, was a king just as high as his father who founded and ruled another world.

It made Chat Noir wonder how many other kings lived amongst them in this forbidden forest.

"I will not marry her!" Chat Noir growled at his own father, refusing to show any respect at the king's thrown.

However, King Gabriel, refused to allow such disrespect from his own son. "I beg your pardon?" The king stood to his feet. "You will marry whoever I choose for you and who I see is fit to rule by your side! Whomever is best for this kingdom, you will marry."

Refusing to simply give up and accept a fate he did not want, Chat Noir pressed on. "I refuse! Do you hear me? I refuse to marry Chloé! I do not know anything about her– we are strangers!"

"That is why there is a thing such as courting, son," the king said, "You will get to know your bride first before you marry her, obviously."

"I do not wish to get to know her! I do not even love her, and you expect me to marry her in a few weeks?!"

"Love her?" The king crackled a laugh, and a broad grin spread across his lips. "Have you been sticking your nose up in fairytale books, my son? Marriage is not for love. It is for your rulership as a king."

His father's words only made Chat Noir's anger boil. "But what if I want my marriage to have love in it!"

The king cleared his throat, clearly unamused. "Life is not about what you want. It is about doing what needs to be done. As a prince, this is your duty to your people. If you care so much about love, there is always a possibility of learning to love her."

"Learning to love her would be like swallowing a dead toad! She is the most annoying creature I have ever met!"

Gabriel reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "You are being dramatic, son."

"Am I? We are nothing alike! We do not even have the same interests."

"Enough," the king said, his stern and dark gaze piercing right through Chat's eyes. "You have known for decades that this is what you would have to do. After all, this is what you have been preparing for your whole life. It has always been inevitable! You do not have to like her, and you certainly do not have to have her as your partner. All you have to do with her is marry her, and eventually produce a heir."

In that moment, Chat Noir wanted nothing more than to spit all over his father's name. Whatever respect he had for the man had just vanished entirely in an instant.

"You disgust me, father." He spat. How could his father say that love had no part in marriage at all? Why would you want to spend the rest of your life with someone you didn't love?

His father's eyes narrowed thinly into slits. "You dare speak to me with such disrespect? Your actions lately have given me doubt on whether or not I should even crown you king to begin with."

But, of course, Chat didn't care at all if he was never crowned. "Keep the damn crown, father. I will be ecstatic to know that it will never rest on my head."

And that, unfortunately, had been the last time Chat Noir had spoken to his own father.

That conversation had taken place a week ago, and to this day, Chat Noir knew even after all that he had said, he would still be crowned and married to Chloé against his own will. He didn't even love her, and yet, she was destined to be his bride. To be his wife. To be the mother to his future children.

A part of him even wondered if she had any sort of romantic feelings for him?

But then he came to the conclusion that she probably didn't. Which didn't bother him at all. But yet, even Chloé was being forced to marry a man she probably had no feelings for at all.

Why couldn't they both just marry by their own choosing?

If Chat Noir could choose, he would've left long ago. He would have started his own life, embraced the true meaning of freedom, and would've found himself a woman to truly love with all his heart.

And already, Chat Noir's eyes seemed to be directing him in the wrong path.

For his human friend, Marinette, seemed to be directing him in a direction that he had forbade himself he would never follow.

No matter how many times he tried to remove her existence from his mind, it seemed like she always knew how to pop back in and disturb his peace. It was like he could never stop thinking about her, and he was barely able to keep his duties up and act normal around his father with her constantly flooding his mind. But... at the same time, Chat Noir couldn't complain. He sort of wanted to think of Marinette, and he sure as hell never wanted to forget her.

But, every time he would wait by the stone wall to see if she would reappear for a visit, she would never show. It was like an everyday necessity to wait by the wall for her visitation. But the longer he waited and the more he continued to return, he realized that it seemed as if Marinette was not planning to visit his side of their world any time soon.

Or ever again.

And maybe that was a good thing.

Chat Noir had been trying to keep her away, but to no avail, Marinette had been stubborn enough to return multiple times. He had admired that about her. She was strong-willed, confident, and definitely stubborn. She was different from most women he'd met, especially from the women of his tribe. He hadn't met other human women before, so he wasn't able to compare Marinette to others of her kind, but he knew for a fact that she was something different. Chat Noir had never met anyone like Marinette before. She was unique.

But he'd also convinced himself she would no longer be returning. Maybe that disappointed him just a bit, but maybe it was for the best that she stayed away. He had, in fact, tried to chase her away for her own safety to begin with.

So, when Chat Noir was making his nightly rounds around the boarder of the stone wall and found Marinette sitting atop of it– her feet dangling over the edge onto his side as she swayed them back and forth– he immediately lifted his spear, frightened by her dark shadow. Not only had she frightened the living daylights out of him for randomly sitting in the darkness, but she had also been missing for weeks.

He hadn't seen her in so long that he was unsure on how to approach her.

Nonetheless, as soon as his eyes were able to adjust and register that it was indeed her, he was thrilled to see her. "Marinette! You are here! Where have you been? Have you decided you are now done with me." He chuckled.

Chat Noir expected her to say something possibly sarcastic like she always did, or look his way with a grin spread across her lips, but instead, Marinette met his eyes and said nothing. Immediately, Chat Noir caught onto the small frown that pulled at her lips.

Something was wrong.

He'd never witnessed a sad or upset Marinette. This was a new situation he now had to handle.

He titled his head, closely trying to study her through the darkness. "...I-I was not expecting to see you tonight. Is everything all right?"

She shook her head, her eyes dropping from his immediately.

Chat Noir frowned in disappointment, almost pouting that she'd looked away from him. "What happened? Are you hurt?"

He was not entirely sure on what to do. Marinette– the woman he had not seen in weeks– was now right in front of him, right in his reach, siting over the top of the wall with her legs dangling over, a distraught expression written across her features. He had never seen Marinette like this before. Chat Noir had become unashamedly accustomed to Marinette's chirpy, happy personality. Never yet had he seen her his way.

She shook her head again, indicating that she was not hurt in any way– at least not physically. Then, she looked up again to meet his eyes, and mumbled in a regretful tone, "I need a place to stay, Chat Noir."

Immediately, and without any hesitation, he ran to her aid.

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