"This is an absurd idea."

Marinette grinned up at him from underneath her black hood, her features concealed by the darkness of the night and her oversized hood. They were currently standing outside the palace gates by the stables, secretly readying their steeds. Thankfully, they hadn't run into any of the overnight stable hands who tended to spend the night in the stables to avoid horse thieves.

They were also able to avoid all of the guards on their nightly patrols. To say that was a coincidence wouldn't have been true. Adrien had a pretty good feeling the only reason they hadn't been caught yet was because Marinette had practice in sneaking around.

"Yet you agreed to it," she winked at him, then more seriously, she added, "But you need not worry about getting caught. Just follow my lead and you will be fine."

Adrien wanted to believe her... but that didn't ease his worry.

"Would it not have been better for us to head to the village in the morning?" Adrien asked her, his eyes widening in awe as she swiftly mounted her horse with ease. To say he was impressed would have been an understatement.

"It would have been harder for us to sneak out to the village during the daytime considering both your knights and mine will be wondering where we are." She said from atop her horse, her expression serious despite her visible smile.

"But I thought you wanted to observe the people? Will they not all be asleep?"

Marinette's smile widened, "How would you feel about spending the night like a commoner?"

Adrien's eyes simply widened at that. "What do you mean by that?" He asked, stunned, "You want to stay out all night? Where will we sleep?"

"In an inn, of course." Marinette snickered.

Adrien wasn't sure how he felt about that. Marinette expected him to spend the night in an inn—a resting place for traveling commoners? The conditions of a place like that had to be extremely dirty.

"I do not know, Marinette. What if we are caught?" He gripped onto the reigns of his horse, still hesitant to mount. He wanted to step out of his comfort zone and try new things... but this was a dangerous risk. What if his father found out?

What if Kagami found out?

He had never snuck out of the palace before, and he certainly hadn't taken a horse from the stables to attempt a trek down to the village with the intention of spending the night in an inn out of all places.

He could only imagine the conditions of such a place. The thought made him shiver.

"I do not plan to get caught, but I will take all the blame if we do." Marinette assured him softly, "Our story will be simple: I forced you to abide by my will."

Adrien couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Sounds believable enough, although I am not sure if my father will believe that you forced me to do anything."

"I doubt my father will believe such a story either." Marinette chuckled, "But if I lived my life worried about everything my father thought, I would never live, so get up on that horse, will you?"

Adrien's hands fumbled with the reigns hesitantly. He wanted to take Marinette's motto by both hands and simply apply it to his own life... but his relationship with his father was just starting to take a better turn.

Did he really want to risk such progress to go on some midnight escapade with the woman he was maybe/maybe not starting to feel attracted to?

Even with the risks, he couldn't help but still think yes.

Hesitantly, he decided to climb atop his steed. Marinette lightly clapped her hands to root him on, though the sound wasn't loud enough to even echo past their shared space. Adrien shook his head and playfully rolled his eyes at her as he tugged on the reigns and quietly guided his horse out of its pen. Marinette followed closely behind him.

They both spared one last look at the quiet palace behind them as if that would be all the assurance they needed that they weren't being followed. Adrien was first to send his horse into a low trot as he headed for the treeline. Marinette kept her horse in step with his.

Together, with only a lantern in hand, they entered the dark forest that they would need to travel through in order to reach the village.

Despite being persuaded in the end by Marinette to embark on this very risky trek, Adrien was still extremely nervous as they made their way through the eerie forest. His horse grunted and shook its head repeatedly, sensing his rider's anxiousness. Adrien swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. There were too many things that could go wrong, and his father finding out wasn't even the worst on that list. The crowned prince and his betrothed traveling through the forest at night alone wasn't exactly safe.

They could easily encounter bandits... and how would they be able to defend themselves? He surely didn't know how to wield a sword as well as Nino or Kagami, and although Marinette was good at archery, she wasn't carrying a bow on her back.

Adrien swallowed uncomfortably, "Fill the silence in between us. Please."

He knew his tone sounded desperate, and in most instances, that would have left him feeling embarrassed, but he knew Marinette wouldn't judge him for it.

And he was proven right yet again when she fulfilled his request without question. "What is the one thing you wish to accomplish as king?"

Her question, as random as it was, was actually a piece of conversation that he appreciated. He appreciated it because it was so genuine.

However, he didn't quite have an answer for that, and a wan smile pulled at his lips when he came to realize how awful that probably was. "I... I have never really given much thought as to what I will become after I take up the crown."

"Well, it is not too late to decide the answer to that question," Marinette assured him with a soft smile.

She spoke the truth... and yet when Adrien thought about what his goals were as a future king, his mind only drew up blanks. The truth was: he'd never had any. His father had raised him with all the necessary tools he needed in order to succeed him, but succeeding him had always been a duty that could never be avoided. There was never really a passion in Adrien's heart to rule. It was just expected of him.

Before he'd met Marinette, the only thing he could think of that would have been an accomplishment he wished to fulfill was abolishing her very kingdom. Now that he no longer considered her or her country to be his enemy, he couldn't really think of anything else that he could accomplish that would benefit his kingdom.

"What about you?" He asked, swallowing whatever nerves still lingered down his throat. "What do you wish to accomplish as queen?"

Marinette considered his question briefly before she hummed, "All I have ever wanted as queen is to serve my subjects."

Her answer shocked him regardless of the fact that he already knew Marinette was such a kind and loving person. "Your goal as queen is to serve the common folk?"

"Why not?" Marinette countered softly, "I have not done anything of great value, and yet they look upon me as if I am a gem plucked from an empty mine. The only reason I live so glamorous is because of my nobility. The least I can do is show my appreciation."

"That... that is a good way to look at it all," Adrien admitted. The truth was, he hadn't even considered that type of mindset. Considering he had grown up so bitter and resentful of nothing in particular, his mindset had always been that he had been better than his subjects.

But he'd been so wrong. He may have been blessed to be born of noble blood, but he was just as human as any of them, and so far, he and his father both had failed those people.

Perhaps, when he became king, he would take on Marinette's goal. Perhaps he would strive to serve the people as well.

A dim light suddenly came into view in the distance, and Adrien's eyes widened at the sight of it.

"That must be the village," Marinette pulled her hood over her head. Adrien did the same, wanting to make sure that if they did happen to stumble upon any of the villagers out at this time, they wouldn't notice who he was. "Ready?"

"Not quite." Adrien let out an uneasy chuckle, but nonetheless, he whipped his reigns, and his horse picked up speed.

They reached the first settlement in minutes, which seemed to be a simple cottage on the outskirts of the village right by the edge of the forest. A dim light could be seen coming from the window, but there was no activity outside except for a cow that was penned nearby. Grass could be seen poking out of its mouth as it lifted its head to their approach. Disinterested, it continued to graze, and Adrien found himself chuckling at how unperturbed the creature was.

He thought that little cottage on the outskirts of town was rather homey, and he even contemplated that he wouldn't mind living there himself (if he wasn't royalty, of course.) But as they further ventured into the village, Adrien realized rather quickly that most of the people who lived there weren't living in cozy little cottages.

Considering the time of night, Adrien was rather surprised to see just how busy the village was. People traveled back and forth along the cobblestone roads on foot. Some pulled carts behind them, while others carried heaps of items in their hands. Each lantern along the street was lit, giving them a clear view of just how run down the roads and the buildings were.

Adrien's eyes watched it all in horror. Every person who passed his sight was dressed poorly. Most of them were in rags, if barely in that. Most of them didn't even have a pair of shoes and had to trek the rugged cobblestone barefoot. Too many people could be seen huddled on the side of these roads, pressed into the alleys or up against buildings as if they intended to spend the night there, begging for spare change or simply for a loaf of bread.

"This is awful..." Adrien breathed in absolute shame. There was no one to blame for this but his father. His father... and himself too.

Marinette reached over to place her hand over his. The sudden touch caused him to jump, but she made no effort to point it out. In fact, she didn't say anything. What exactly could she say?

"My father must know about these horrible living conditions," Adrien turned to look at her, his expression distraught. "How could my father not give a damn about this?"

Marinette's expression was just as distraught and sympathetic. "I do not know, Adrien. That is a conversation you will need to have with your father."

Having that kind of conversation with his father would mean that he would have to disclose the fact that he was here. But at this point, Adrien no longer cared.

They ventured further into the village, and Adrien was met with only more misery. Buildings upon buildings had their entrances boarded up; businesses that had seemingly shut down. The town square was flooded with people. Many of these people were homeless. Anyone who wasn't homeless brushed passed them aggressively, some of them even shoving these people aside or snatching whatever little they did have and taking off with it.

The sudden fear that someone might snatch the sack off his shoulders or his horse itself flashed through his mind. He involuntarily clutched his reigns tighter.

The inn was close to the center of town. When he dismounted, Adrien took notice of just how deteriorating the place was. Several pieces of stone were missing from the exterior and the paint was chipping off. The door itself was barely holding on for dear life by one hinge.

His sight fell on Marinette as she swiftly dismounted, and her eyes quickly found his. "Are you sure it is wise to stay here?" He gestured to the ramshackle with a slight jerk of his head. "This place looks as if it might collapse any second now."

Marinette gave the place a once over for herself. She winced when a roof shingle suddenly slid off into the side alley, crashing into something below.

She slowly turned her head to look at him. "I did not expect it to be... this bad."

The door suddenly slammed open and several people stormed out of the inn, rumbling their discontentment underneath their breaths. The innkeeper stepped outside after them, shaking his fist in the air as he shouted after them. Adrien and Marinette stood off to the side of him and exchanged a look, their eyes wide in terror.

Then, the innkeeper noticed they were standing there and turned to face them. He broke out into a grin as soon as their eyes met. "Welcome welcome! Do you two need a room?"

"Actually I do not think—" Adrien went on to decline, but Marinette quickly cut him off when she raised a hand to block his face, and nodded, flashing the innkeeper an innocent smile.

The innkeeper clapped his hands together. "Wonderful! Follow me!"

Adrien shot Marinette an unappreciative glare. She didn't dare meet his eye.

"Might we board up our horses first?" Marinette asked.

"Oh yes! Of course!" The innkeeper sauntered past them, gesturing with a wave of his hand for them to follow as he began to lead them around the building. "In uncertain times like these, we certainly would not want you to leave your horses tied out here overnight." He flashed them a grin over his shoulder. "Our stables are just right around the back."

Adrien leaned towards Marinette. "Or maybe, what really lies behind this inn is his murder shed where he lures fools like us to their deaths."

Marinette socked him on the shoulder, and Adrien couldn't help but chuckle despite the fact that he was still very worried about spending the night here.

"The stables are locked up at night," The innkeeper explained as the stables came into view. The structure was not the prettiest sight to behold, but it looked like it would hold more than the inn itself would. "And I have several stable hands who take shifts watching the horses overnight just to be careful."

Despite Adrien's worry, he quickly realized that the innkeeper truly sounded genuine and seemed to prioritize his customer's satisfaction. It quickly reminded him that he couldn't be so quick to assume that everyone here had sinister intentions.

"Thank you. This will do wonderfully," Marinette fashed him one of her kind smiles. "How much will it cost to board the horses for the night?"

The innkeeper humorously tsked his tongue and waved a hand at her. "The boarding is free."

"Nonsense." Marinette stopped him short and held out a gold coin. Adrien's eyes widened when he realized it was his country's currency. "A gold coin should do, yes?"

The innkeeper's eyes widened in absolute shock. It was likely he hadn't seen money like that in quite some time. "W-What.. oh no! I could not possibly take this!"

"I insist."

He looked at her with uncertainty before he finally relented and gently took the coin from her hand. He marveled at it for a moment in his own fingertips before he pocketed it quickly. "Your generosity is much appreciated, miss, but you must not let anyone around these parts catch you holding one of those." His gaze snapped from his left to his right as he carefully surveyed his surroundings for anyone who might be eavesdropping nearby. "They will rob you blind."

"I appreciate your concern, good sir," Marinette replied kindly.

The innkeeper offered her a thankful smile. "Now, enough wallowing out here. Hand your horses over to my men and follow me. I shall give you both one of my finest rooms!"

_______________

"This is what he calls one of his finest rooms?"

Adrien wasn't expecting much, but now that he was actually standing in one of the rooms—one of the innkeeper's finest rooms, to be more specific—he couldn't help but actually glower at it all in distaste.

The wallpaper had almost all but peeled away, revealing the all-gray stone underneath. The sound of water slowly dripping could clearly be heard, and he found that the source of the leak was in the corner of the room, which thankfully wouldn't disturb them. The wooden floor was also stained and even ripped up in some areas.

If this was one of his finest rooms, Adrien couldn't help but horridly wonder what the regular rooms were like.

From the other side of the room, Marinette narrowed her eyes at him. "That man was very generous to set aside this room for us."

"And I appreciate his generosity, but how can this be one of his finest rooms?"

Marinette shrugged off her coat and sighed, "It truly is sad to see that this is what has become of his utmost asset."

Adrien took another look around the room, only to grimace. He couldn't understand how someone could treasure something so... broken. He couldn't even imagine the place looking decent at one point. The truth of the matter was that the entire place needed fixing, but Adrien doubted, from what he had observed thus far about the village, that there was any money set aside for restoration.

And that bothered him. It bothered him that his father was capable of restoring this entire village and doing so would not even cause a dent in their treasury, but he hadn't.

He couldn't understand why his father was turning a blind eye to all of these people.

Sighing somewhat defeatedly, Adrien took a seat on the bed. The tiredness he was feeling was already seeping through his bones, and as tempted as he was to lay back and close his eyes, he couldn't help but worry about what type of mites possibly lingered under these sheets.

The mattress dipped beside him as Marinette sat. Amidst the silence, her hand came to rest on his forearm as if to comfort him, and Adrien found that it actually helped when her touch alone pulled a faint smile out of him.

"I am sorry I insisted we come here." Marinette broke the silence with a troubled sigh. "I can see that it troubles you to see all of this."

"It does trouble me..." Adrien turned to look at her, his smile small. "But I needed to see it. I had no idea these were the living conditions of our subjects."

Marinette remained silent for a moment as if she were profoundly considering her next words before she spoke again. "I will do everything in my power to help you restore this village... if the meeting with your father regarding this matter does not go well."

Adrien's brows pinched together in worry. "Do you think the meeting will not go well?"

"Well..." Marinette averted her gaze as she drew out the word anxiously. "I do not know if your father will be willing to listen if he discovers we snuck out here."

"I think at this point, him finding out that we came out here is the least of my worries."

She let out an airy chuckle, but she let the silence take over after that. Adrien could tell in just her chuckle alone that she was anxious. Anxious about what... he wasn't sure.

Her hand was still on his forearm, and so, to try and diminish her anxiousness and his as well, Adrien reached over to place his other hand on top of hers. "I have to ask, because my curiosity is nagging me, how you came to be in possession of my country's currency?"

"Oh, that..." This time, Marinette's chuckle was lighter. "I was given a little leather sack of your country's currency."

"Who gave it to you?"

"Your knight... Nino..." Marinette winced slightly as if she thought admitting so would get Nino in trouble. "Luka requested it on my behalf and it was exchanged between the two of them. I swear I never had any interaction alone with your knight—"

"Relax, Marinette, I do not mind," Adrien assured her softly, though a dreaded feeling did suddenly consume him as a thought came to mind. Marinette was so quick to assure him that she hadn't met with his knights alone, and he couldn't even assure the same.

He cleared his throat, trying his best to keep that thought hidden from her, as he absently rubbed his thumb over the top of her hand. "Though you could have asked me. I would have given you more than just a measly sack."

Marinette's relieved laughter filled the room at that. "What on earth for? It is not as if I have any means to spend it."

"Would you like to spend it?"

Her eyes shot up to meet his, and whatever humor had been swirling in her irises was long gone as confusion and shock took their place. "Well... I-I would not be opposed to spending it, but I do not have anything particular in mind to spend it on."

Adrien leaned back, his arms supporting his weight. His smile was lopsided as he tilted his head in her direction. "Well, what do you like? Jewelry? Dresses?"

Marinette simply smirked at him, her expression playful. "Come now. Do you truly take me for the average woman?"

Adrien rolled his head back and laughed, "No, I do not. That was a joke."

"It better have been a joke." Marinette poked him in the chest, which earned her another genuine laugh. "But to answer your question... I think I would spend my little sack of coins on something more practical. Like a new bow."

"A new bow for your hair?"

Marinette whacked him in the chest with the back of her hand. "A new bow and arrow, you oaf."

Despite the fact that she hadn't hurt him at all, Adrien's hand came up to rub at his chest. He knew what she meant, but he enjoyed teasing her for some reason. "Oh, right. I almost forgot that you are quite handy with one of those." He said, smiling.

She simply smiled at him... and then she suddenly fell back, her head hitting the soft mattress and her arms outstretched to her sides. With a content sigh, she simply lay there with her eyes closed and a smile on her face. Adrien was so appalled that he was about to demand how she could do such a thing without checking the sheets for mites first, but then he simply found himself too stunned to look away from her.

Because Marinette was more beautiful than he gave her credit for.

Adrien couldn't even find the words to describe how majestic Marinette looked simply lying beside him. His heart was pounding so heavily he could hear it in his ears. He licked his lips, his mouth suddenly feeling dry.

How could she do this to him? How could she make his heart race when she hadn't even done anything?

He finally turned his sights away from her and placed an open palm over his mouth, sighing through his nose. Thankfully, Marinette didn't notice, because had she noticed, she might've teased him for his rosy cheeks without even knowing why they were so rosy, and the last thing he needed was to be teased.

His hand moved from his mouth to his forehead. "Are you certain we should sleep here?"

Marinette let out a grunt as she stretched some more. "Well, I do not believe it would be wise of us to travel back so late at night. Besides, the bed is comfortable."

"But there is only one bed."

He hadn't really noticed that major detail until now because he'd been too focused on the deteriorating walls of the room. But now that he was sitting on the bed beside Marinette, it had just occurred to him that there was only one bed in which they would have to share.

If Kagami ever found out about this, he would surely be a dead man.

Marinette propped herself up on her elbows. "Does that bother you?"

"No..."

He wasn't necessarily opposed to sleeping next to her on the same bed... but...

"Well, that is good to hear, because it does not bother me either." He felt the bed shift as Marinette moved to rest her head on one of the pillows. With her legs straightened out, they came to rest over his legs, and she nudged him with her toes, trying to get him to move.

He chuckled despite his nervousness and moved to climb over her legs. He lay on the empty side of the bed, their bodies adjacent to one another.

His hands were fidgeting on top of his stomach as he asked, "Should w-we not check the bed for mites?"

Her giggles caused his stomach to do an involuntary summersult. "Adrien, there are no mites in the bed. The sheets are clean."

He wanted to laugh along with her, but he was too nervous, for too many reasons. "No, but seriously, there could be mites in clean bed sheets, Marinette. Or spiders. Or roaches. I cannot do roaches—"

His words were caught in his throat when Marinette turned on her side to face him. When he turned his head to look at her, everything he was about to say instantly died on his tongue. His eyes widened on their own accord as he took her in. She was smiling at him, amused... and that smile alone was already seeming to be the death of him.

Marinette was a sight to behold. She was beautiful... but he had always known she was beautiful. From the moment he had laid his eyes on her, he had seen it, even though he had been too stubborn to admit it. He was still too stubborn to admit it now even if he couldn't deny it. But she was beautiful.

"Just relax." She whispered, her smile content. "You will be fine. Trust me."

Then, her hand moved across the sheets towards him and she took his right hand, which was still resting on top of his stomach, and pulled it down to the mattress. Adrien's breath hitched, but he said nothing. Marinette gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

Every fiber in his being wanted to relax. He wanted to trust Marinette with everything he had, too. He hadn't quite mastered allowing himself to trust her yet fully, but he was slowly getting there. He was just grateful that Marinette was so patient with him.

He squeezed her hand back as a form of his thanks. The silence engulfed them once more, and soon after, Marinette's even breathing could be heard as she fell asleep first. Adrien's gaze remained fixed on the ceiling above him until his eyes started to grow heavy.

He fell asleep moments later, their hands still entwined.

_______________________________

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one!

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