Tom had just finished telling his three year old daughter the tale of 'Cinderella' and the young girl was very confused about some words that she couldn't understand.

"Papa, what does 'true love' mean? "

The man swooped her up in his arms from her princess bed and rubbed her head lovingly."It means loving someone unconditionally all their lives. It does not matter if the other person doesn't like you, you love them for all your life. "

"And soulmates? What do you mean by that?"

"Um... Soulmates are like your best friends. Like you are best friends with Nathaniel? Yes, just like that. They are best friends, but so much more closer to each other. He will know all of your secrets and you know all of his. He will understand you better than anyone. Your soulmate will be by your side even when other's don't. You don't love them blindly, but you see their imperfections and flaws and love them too."

The little ravenette couldn't understand much other than the first part, "So... If best friends are soulmates, is Niel my soul mate, papa?"

The older man laughed heartily, "That depends..."

After shutting himself up with much effort, he looked at her with a twinkle in his eyes and whispered mysteriously, "Can I tell you a secret, sweet? "

The little girl inched closer to her father and whispered back quickly, "Yes, please. I promise not to tell anyone."

Then, she pretended to zip her lips, lock them and throw the key away, something she had just learned in preschool from another girl that week.

Tom laughed at his daughter's cute antics and then said in a low voice, a serious note entering his voice. "Let me tell you something, Marinette. When I was a child, I've heard from your gramma that soulmates are meant to be together forever and always. But when I grew up, I realized that sometimes, you don't end up with that person... You settle for someone else... Someone who loves you, more than anything else in the whole wide world. You understand, sweetiepie? "

Marinette smiled brightly at him."Yes, papa. You want to say that soulmates don't exist. But what if they do and my soulmate doesn't love me? "

Tom patted her head and smiled softly, "Then, you find a good man who loves you and try to fall in love with him. You may love your 'soulmate', but remember, the man who fell in love with you after he saw you in love with someone else, that man is the one for you..."

Marinette couldn't understand half of what her father said but she tried to remember his words. After all, papa would never say anything meaningless...

Right now, as she listened to the soft tune that Luka played on his guitar, his face set in a soft smile, she felt blessed and she could finally understand all what her father said to her when she was just three.

Sure, Adrien was not her 'soulmate' per se, but he was someone who she loved deeply. Luka told her that he'll be there for her, when she was madly in love with someone else and that promise made everything clear for her...

She would love him.

All along, she thought that Adrien was the one for her.

But, it was non-negotiable that she had put him on a pedestal, worshipping him like a god. It wasn't love, like she thought it was.

Her father's words came back to her,
Soulmates aren't real. What we expect about soulmates is not what happens in real life, sweet. What we choose does. But also, mind you, be absolutely sure when you do choose someone. Because once you're do it, there's no turning back.

And right now, she was pretty sure that Luka was the one for her.

He had picked her broken pieces up and mended her heart carefully; although she didn't deserve it. And it was more than she could ever ask for...
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I hope you guys are liking it so far.
Stay pawsome!! 🐾