Luka and Alya had been Marinette's personal knights for as long as he could remember. Alya, of course, had been there a bit longer than he had, but Luka could still say he'd had the privilege of witnessing Marinette grow up to be the fine woman that she was today. He was proud to say that he knew her so well that he always felt like he was a friend in Marinette's presence more than he was a servant.

But being Marinette's friend came with a hefty price. It meant that when she chose to sneak out of the palace in the middle of the night—with her betrothed no less—that he was forced to cover for her.

"So..." King Gabriel leaned back on his throne, surprisingly calm for a man who had summoned them here because both Marinette and Adrien hadn't shown up for breakfast. "You have no idea where the princess of Kingdom Cheng might be?"

Luka swallowed uncomfortably. He could feel the tension pooling off of Alya beside him. "I believe she is still in her chambers, Your Majesty—"

"You believe she is in her chambers or you are certain?"

"I-I am certain, Your Majesty." He quickly fixed his wording, the stutter slipping past before he could help it. He internally cursed at himself for being so careless. For good measure, he added, "She wished to stay in and soak in the bath."

The lie rolled off of his tongue so easily that it quite frightened him. The king arched an unconvinced brow, which led Luka to believe that no matter what he said, the king truly wouldn't buy any story he had to offer.

Oh, Marinette was so hearing from him when she returned.

Thankfully, King Gabriel didn't press the matter any further. Instead, he turned to Adrien's knights who stood right beside him and Alya, their shoulders just as tense as theirs. From the rigid way they stood, Luka had a pretty good feeling that neither of Adrien's knights knew where he was either.

"And what about you two?" The king narrowed his eyes at them. "Where is my son?"

Nino timidly spoke up first. "I-I could not s-say for certain where he might be, Your Majesty."

"Why not? Are you not one of his personal knights?"

"I am, but—"

"And what of you?" The king turned his sights to Kagami, completely cutting Nino off. It left the knight quivering in his spot. Kagami, however, differed from Nino in the sense that although she was tense, she didn't look worried. "You have no idea where my son might be?"

"The prince has a habit of evading me from time to time," Kagami's tone was so neutral that Luka winced on her behalf. She was bold to admit such a thing in front of the king, he would give her that. "More so as of late to spend more time with the princess... alone."

Luka's eyes widened at such an accusation before they narrowed at her. He knew that she could feel his gaze, even if she wouldn't meet his eye. What she was implying—

"Are you implying that my son has snuck off with the princess to partake in... inappropriate activities before they are to be wed?"

"I only say this out of concern for His Highness..." She evaded the question so easily that it left Luka wondering just how manipulative this woman was. "But perhaps the princess is merely a bad influence."

Luka felt his teeth grind together and he quickly fixed his jaw, lest he let his anger get the best of him by saying something he shouldn't. Marinette was right to have suspicions and distrust when it concerned Kagami. Not only was this woman accusing Marinette of something so... appalling, but she was also doing the same to a man she was supposed to be serving.

She was throwing them both under the bus as if to save her own skin. It was atrocious.

King Gabriel said nothing in response to that. Luka could only hope he didn't believe her accusations to be true. Instead, he turned his sights back to Luka. "And what do you have to say regarding this matter? Do you believe it to be true?"

"No, Your Majesty," Luka replied instantly and with much confidence... because he knew without a shadow of a doubt that Marinette would never do such a thing. "I do not believe that to be true at all."

The king let out a disinterested hum. "Regardless of what either of you say, my son and the princess are still unaccounted for. I think your talents would be put to better use searching for them rather than continuing to spew nonsense in front of me."

Luka knew a dead horse when he saw one. It didn't matter how much more he said in defense of Marinette's virtue. The king wouldn't believe him unless Marinette proved otherwise.

It was just a matter of finding Marinette so that she could prove herself virtuous.

"Yes, Your Majesty." The four of them said in unison as they bowed respectively. They were all dismissed a moment later.

Luka kept Alya close to his side as he watched Kagami and Nino take their leave. Kagami walked down the corridor with such confidence he couldn't understand as if she had the solution to this problem right underneath her sleeve and wasn't afraid of the outcome, however uncertain. Luka didn't like that one bit.

"We need to find Marinette and the prince quickly," Luka said under his breath near Alya's ear. "I have a bad feeling about all of this."

"So do I." Alya murmured, "I do not trust that woman one bit."

"Neither do I. She was quick in her attempt to throw both Marinette and the prince out of the king's favor."

"Do you suppose she might know where they are?"

"Unlikely," Luka spared a glance around the empty corridor, making sure that no wandering maids—or Kagami herself—was eavesdropping on them. "But perhaps she believes she might be able to easily find them."

Alya looked just as worried as he felt. Marinette disappearing from underneath their noses was no new feat for them, but they weren't facing her father who was often lenient and didn't mind if his daughter spent her free time alone.

They were facing a king who was known throughout the land to be colder than ice itself. He wouldn't accept his son and Marinette being alone together. Luka doubted King Thomas would accept that either, but at least King Thomas knew of his daughter's true intentions.

It seemed King Gabriel had no clue what his own son's intentions were.

Alya pursed her lips as if she were considering a thought. "Do you think Marinette was the one to instigate this?"

"Oh, Marinette definitely instigated this."

Despite this serious matter, they both had to stifle their laughter at that.

"So, where do you think they could have gone?" Alya asked.

Despite knowing Marinette as well as he did, Luka had no idea. In truth, he hadn't expected Marinette to be this careless. It wasn't exactly a wise decision for her to go sneaking off in what was considered unfamiliar territory and take the prince with her no less. He couldn't even begin to fathom what her reasons for doing so were.

"I do not know," Luka said, "But perhaps we should start searching in—"

The words fell dead on his tongue as soon as he caught something out of the corner of his eye. He whipped his head in that direction, his eyes widening when he caught sight of Marinette, her head poked around the corner of the next corridor and her expression sheepish.

"Princess?!" Luka's exclamation was whispered as he quickly rushed towards her. Alya followed right behind him. He grabbed her shoulders as soon as they were both hidden behind the wall, his eyes searching her for any visible injuries. "Where have you been? Where is the prince?"

"I am right here," Adrien answered for himself from behind her, his expression dark and his tone radiating his annoyance.

Luka and Alya, having not yet seen him, quickly bowed in respect. "Apologies, Your Highness—"

"None of that now." Adrien interrupted coldly, his gaze anywhere but on them. "Stand straight, will you?"

They did, and Luka suppressed a visible roll of his eyes at Adrien's rude behavior. Thankfully, the prince wasn't looking at him, otherwise, he might've noticed.

"Can you please explain where you have been all morning?" Luka's attention was back on Marinette, his worry evident. "We have been looking everywhere for you. The king has already hounded us with questions about both of your whereabouts."

"Please do not be upset..." Marinette's smile was anxious as she met his eyes. "But we have been gone since the middle of the night. We snuck out to see the village."

Luka's brows furrowed further in confusion. He and Marinette had discussed her desire to see the village, along with the fact that she wished Adrien to show it to her, but Luka had assumed that would be done under his and Alya's watchful eye... and in the daytime, no less. "Why? You could have asked and we would have accompanied you without question."

"Because we felt like it." Adrien snapped, interjecting.

Luka had to force himself to ignore Adrien's rude interjections, lest he really say something to get himself in trouble with the crown.

Marinette pressed her lips together nervously. "I simply did not think it necessary for your assistance. I had it all under control. We even decided to stay the night at the local inn for the purposes of safety."

Luka and Alya exchanged brief eye contact at that, unsure of what to say besides expressing why that was just a horrible thing to do.

Alya beat him to it by speaking up first. "Milday, I ask this with the utmost respect, but why would you do something so foolish?"

Marinette quickly opened her mouth to respond, but surprisingly to Luka, Adrien beat her to it in an attempt to defend her. "How dare you insinuate the princess's decisions to be—"

"Adrien please," Marinette's tone was quip as she shot him a look over her shoulder, one that Luka couldn't access from where he stood. But it was enough to have Adrien huffing in defeat and folding his arms across his chest.

That in itself shocked Luka. Were the prince and Marinette already close enough to the point where they were taking each other's side? To the point where the prince listened to Marinette without an argument?

Luka swallowed, suddenly feeling nervous. He had spoken with so much confidence when he assured the king that Marinette would never be unvirtuous. But if she and Adrien had stayed in an inn alone, in the same room (regardless that they had no romantic chemistry between them), how could he defend her virtue? He knew it wasn't impossible for... things to occur regardless of the lack of romance between them, considering physical attraction was always a possibility to be in the picture, and he would not dare insinuate that Marinette had gone there, but still—

"Why do you think my decision to be foolish, Alya?" Marinette asked softly, breaking Luka out of his wandering thoughts and wild assumptions.

"Luka had to defend your virtue in front of the king, Milady," Alya explained timidly as she gestured to her fellow knight with both hands. "If what you say is true, then his word is no longer credible."

Marinette's gaze snapped to Luka, her brows suddenly furrowed. "Why would my virtue need to be defended?"

Luka swallowed uncomfortably as he worriedly met her eyes. He knew Adrien was staring at him intensely, but he wouldn't dare meet his eye. "Kagami, the prince's Dame, made... an accusation about how the prince tends to avoid her quite often to spend time with you... alone. She implied that you two might be..." He raised his brows and tightly pressed his lips together, leaving the rest of his words unspoken.

"Kagami said this?" Adrien's expression held immense anger when Luka finally met his eye, even though he was scarily calm. "You are certain of this?"

"I am." Luka nodded, his gaze returning to Marinette. "And when the king questioned if he had understood her right concerning her implied accusation, she answered by saying she believed you, Milady, to be a bad influence."

"That was when the king questioned Luka, and he defended your virtue," Alya interjected.

"But I cannot even be certain if he believed me." Luka's gaze was pleading as he stared into Marinette's eyes. "What if he did not? That will mean that I have failed you—"

"Nonsense." Marinette cut him off. "The fault is all mine. And I will handle it."

"How?" Adrien questioned before Luka could ask her just that. "If anything, let me take the blame. I will tell my father the idea was all mine. Your virtue will stay intact."

"My virtue will still be in jeopardy if your father discovers we stayed alone together in an inn."

"Then we leave that part out. We can say we went to the village this morning."

"But will he not be upset that we went to the village alone regardless?"

"May I suggest an idea?" Luka asked, his interjection polite. The question was directed at Adrien, who looked surprised to even be asked such a thing by one of Marinette's knights. Luka couldn't fathom why.

Adrien nodded once, and that was all the approval Luka needed. "I was thinking that perhaps it would be wise not to even mention you two went to the village."

Adrien frowned at that, clearly in disagreement. "Considering I wish to speak to my father about the conditions of the village, I was hoping it would not come to that."

Luka's eyes widened at Adrien's revelation, and it truly took him by surprise. He knew the horrid living conditions of the Agreste subjects. On the day Marinette told him she was to be wed to the Agreste prince, he had told her about how horrible the village was; about how he had seen it for himself because he passed through there long before he came to serve her.

He had always believed that neither King Gabriel nor his son cared for their subjects. But it seemed that Adrien did.

Had Luka been wrong all this time? Or had the prince suddenly gained a change of heart?

"You wish to discuss the conditions of the village with your father?" Luka asked, truly intrigued and confused, "May I ask why?"

"Why would I not?" Adrien's eyes narrowed slightly as if he took some offense to that question. "The place is practically in ruins. The people are in poverty. And for some odd reason, my father turns a blind eye to it all."

Luka's eyebrows furrowed further in confusion. "Were you not aware of its condition before last night?"

The silence grew heavy as Adrien averted his gaze and huffed, leaving the question ignored and unanswered, but Luka didn't need a verbal response to be answered. Adrien's silence said all he needed to know. The prince had no idea his village was as bad as it was. He'd been living in ignorance—unintentionally, but still in ignorance.

Luka sighed through his nose in defeat, deciding it was best not to push the matter any further. "Okay. New suggestion. What if you were to tell your father you visited the village this morning alone?"

Adrien met his eye once again, this time seeming more open to the idea. "So you think it would be best to leave out Marinette's involvement?"

"I do."

Adrien briefly considered Luka's words before he nodded once. "Very well. I will implement your advice. I should meet with my father immediately."

"Are you sure?" Marinette asked, "Your father will certainly be enraged."

Adrien placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled, "He will be angry regardless. It is best his anger is directed at me, not you."

Marinette placed her hand atop his and smiled back. Luka surveyed their exchange, his eyes narrowing slightly as Adrien's hand squeezed Marinette's shoulder as a form of comfort. To say he was still weary of Adrien was an understatement, but at least the prince had been open to his suggestion. That was a start.

"And what will you do about the knight who tried to sabotage Marinette's virtue?" Luka interjected, his expression still guarded. "Will you speak with her as well?"

An emotion suddenly flooded over Adrien's face at that question, an emotion Luka did not recognize. It was almost as if he were experiencing anger and guilt all at once. It didn't make sense where that guilt was originating from, but those emotions were gone in the blink of an eye. Adrien schooled his expression in seconds and cleared his throat, throwing Luka even further off when he casually said, "Most definitely. I will not tolerate such behavior."

That answer should've been enough to satisfy Luka, but for some reason, it wasn't. There was still an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He met Marinette's eyes in the silence, and the look on her face was enough to convey that she felt the same way as him.

Something was surely going on behind the palace walls. What they didn't know for sure was what.

"I will take my leave then." Adrien broke the prolonged silence, unaware of the tension that lingered as he offered Marinette a smile. "I will see you later?"

"Certainly," Marinette smiled back. She put on a mask with her emotions that hid her unease well, and Adrien, of course, didn't notice it. His smile widened, and he bid her one last farewell before he headed down the corridor.

As soon as he was out of sight, Marinette's smile fell. It revealed just how troubled she really was. When she turned around to face him, her sad gaze meeting his, Luka didn't know what to say. He didn't even know how to comfort her. How could he wash her worries away when he was starting to share the same suspicions as she?

"Do not worry, Milady," Alya tried to comfort her instead, "Everything will work out. You will see."

Except... Marinette's worry had nothing to do with Adrien speaking with his father. Luka knew that, but Alya didn't. Alya thought Marinette was worried about the outcome of their meeting, but what truly worried Marinette was what implemary consequences would take place after Adrien spoke with Kagami, or if he even planned to speak with her at all.

Adrien said he wouldn't tolerate such behavior... but if he truly had feelings for his Dame, did his word even matter? In the end, would he let her get away with her behavior? Would he care if she was only dismissed with a mere slap on the wrist?

Luka wanted to believe that Adrien was a just prince, but he knew from experience that emotions oftentimes clouded judgment. If Adrien was too blinded by emotions, it wouldn't be unlikely for him to be manipulated.

And from the way he'd heard Kagami speak back there, he had reason to believe she had a habit of manipulating people.

"We should get you to your room," Luka suggested when the uncomfortable silence had stretched on much too long for his liking. "And maybe actually getting to soak in the bath is not a bad idea."

Marinette chuckled softly at that, and he was glad to have lifted that frown from her face, however brief. She turned to face him, her smile wan, and nodded, "I think soaking in the bath sounds like a splendid idea."

"Good," Luka offered her his arm, which she instantly took. "Because I think spending an hour alone in your room would do you good. To linger out in these halls any longer does not sit well with me."

"Me neither," Alya chimed from Marinette's other side. "Today has made me realize that we should be careful about what we say. I do not want to assume, but..."

Alya didn't even need to finish her thought. Marinette nodded in understanding, and nothing else needed to be said for the three of them to all silently agree. They all had the same, chilling feeling weighing on their shoulders. They all felt uneasy about a certain Dame near the prince's side.

And she could not be trusted.

_______________________________

Hello everyone!

So sorry for not updating in a while. This chapter is a little shorter compared to the last (I hope you don't mind) but SO many things have happened. In my time away, I managed to somehow get a double ear infection while never getting sick and it took about 2 weeks just for it to go away. That was the worst of it, I think. I've just been so incredibly busy between work and life that I just haven't had the time to just sit down and write!

Oh, and Christmas happened... Merry Christmas! And New Year's too... HAPPY NEW YEARS!!! I can't believe it's already 2024... time is going by so fast and I just keep getting older and older... :,)

I hope everyone had an awesome holiday and a great start to their new year! Share something that you got for Christmas in the comments!

I got a pair of crocs (I'd been wanting a pair for the longest time) lol

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you're having iffy feelings about Kagami too, they are definitely warranted. Hope to see you in the next chapter!

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