The next morning, Adrien was frustrated.

Since his heated argument with Kagami last night, he hadn't spoken to her since. Their interactions were brief glances as she tagged along with him and Marinette throughout the day, remaining ever-so-silent as she strode behind them. Marinette, sensing the tension, hadn't said a word to him since breakfast.

In a way, he was glad Marinette wasn't trying to speak to him because he wasn't in the mood. He had only escorted her to the main hall to revisit the mile stretch of portraits hung on the wall of his ancestry because she had timidly asked. When they actually arrived in the hall, her knights were both there to greet her, as if they had known she would be there.

Marinette left his side as soon as she saw them. A part of him was quite relieved to have her spend her time with them rather than with him. However, the other half of him really wished she wouldn't leave him alone with Kagami.

"Luka, you know all about art, do you not?" Marinette looped her arm around her knight's—a very improper gesture from what Adrien understood. He was tempted to say something, but he didn't have any right. So instead, he glowered at the interaction, truly annoyed by it.

"Somewhat." Her knight in question replied in slight confusion. "What do you want to know?"

Marinette's words became inaudible to him as she and her knights continued further down the hall. Adrien had no interest in trying to catch up with them. Instead, he kept a scowl on his face as he lingered behind. With his arms folded across his chest, he perfected the look of a spoiled prince.

Kagami was close behind him—so close that he could practically feel the heat radiating off of her. It had him scoffing, which then had him throwing her a glare over his shoulder. "You are too close. Step back."

Kagami simply arched a brow at him. There was no emotion behind it. "Since when has my closeness ever bothered you before?"

He ignored her question. "That is an order. Step back."

She did as she was told without another word being said, and her expression never changed as she did so. Adrien was bothered that she could mask everything behind a callous expression so well. He often envied such a talent.

He turned his eyes forward again, refocusing his gaze on Marinette and her knights. It seemed she wasn't even interested in the art, despite her having him believe she had wanted to see the pieces. She was busy walking in between her two knights, talking to them both as she turned her head from one to the next.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he wondered what they were talking about.

His eyes darted to his left when he realized Kagami was now at his side, still at his requested distance away. She kept herself in stride with him, looking at him with nothing but blandness. "You should consider ceasing your pouting unless you want the princess to beg her father for a dissolution of your soon-to-be marriage." She said rather emotionlessly.

"Then perhaps I should pout harder." He replied stubbornly.

Kagami's gaze hardened ever-so-slightly. "With all due respect, Your Highness, but you are acting like a child. If anyone suspects or notices that you are making the progression of this union difficult—"

"Why on earth are you acting like it is a concern of yours?" Adrien shot her a glare, unashamedly interrupting her. "Were you not upset with me last night when I mentioned some progression? When I revealed to you my conversation with the princess about seeing the snow?"

"I admit I overreacted." She admitted blandly, which was not something Kagami usually did. "However, you can understand the source of my anger, can you not? You were thinking about that while we were making love."

"Keep your voice down." Adrien quickly shushed her harshly. Voices could echo far down these hallways. The last thing he needed was for Marinette, her knights, or any of the wandering maids to overhear her.

Kagami merely remained silent, having nothing more to say about the matter apparently.

Adrien glowered at her, truly annoyed by her presence at that moment. "I think an apology is in order regarding last night."

Kagami's expression remained just as callous as ever. Her tone was monotonous. "I apologize for what I said last night."

He expected her to elaborate further, but the apology ended there. It was short and quick and it held no emotion behind it. It didn't even sound genuine.

It didn't make Adrien feel any better.

Kagami, however, must've thought her apology was top-tier. "Now, let us put that whole misunderstanding behind us. We do not need anyone suspecting anything from our different behavior towards one another."

"That misunderstanding was serious, Kagami." Adrien grumbled out from under his breath. He completely ignored the fact that their change in behavior might draw suspicion. "What you accused me of last night was extremely hurtful."

"And I apologized. What more do I need to say for you to brush it aside?"

"'Brush it aside?'" He met her eyes again, only so that he could narrow his own. "You accused me of cheating on you... with a woman I hardly know. That is not something that is just brushed aside."

"I already apologized, Your Highness."

Her callous response to end their hushed argument only made him angrier. He turned around to glare at her properly. "Why are you being so callous about this?"

"I am always callous, especially in public." Kagami simplified with a shrug of her armored shoulders. "That is my normal. However, if you continue to throw a tantrum out in public or act callous towards the princess, well, some might start to grow suspicious."

Her gaze lifted to what was in front of them, and Adrien's eyes followed. He quickly realized that the 'some' Kagami was referring to were Marinette and her knights.

He quickly swallowed the sudden lump that had formed in his throat. "You think they might suspect something?"

"Not necessarily," Kagami answered quietly. "However, I already told you the princess looked at you strangely the first night she arrived when you and I made eye contact."

Adrien suddenly realized that he didn't just have to worry about acting odd around Kagami if he wanted to remain inconspicuous. If he acted strange around Marinette as well, that was bound to raise suspicion in itself, which meant he needed to fix his attitude immediately.

He straightened his posture, suddenly determined. "I need to catch up with them. Since her two knights already seem to be chaperoning, your presence is not needed."

Kagami's expression remained as bland as ever, even despite her insistence to remain. "I could still be of service—"

"You would only be a distraction, and I need to focus." Adrien said over his shoulder with a cheeky grin as he started to pick up his pace. He wasn't sure if he had seen correctly, but he could've sworn a hint of a smile pulled at Kagami's lips—which was a rare sight in itself.

He rounded the corner a moment later, quickly finding Marinette and her knights a ways away. Thankfully, they had stopped to admire a certain portrait, and Marinette and Luka seemed to be discussing it more than Marinette was with her other female knight.

He wasn't sure why that bothered him—Marinette's closeness with her male knight. It wasn't as if Adrien liked Marinette in that way.

He loved Kagami.

A part of him wondered though, with their closeness, if they had ever been anything more?

He could just ask her, but what excuse could he possibly give if she then asked him why he wanted to know such a thing? He couldn't, because it was such an odd question. Prying seemed inappropriate anyway. Marinette and he weren't even on that level of friendship to ask such personal questions. He didn't even consider them friends at all yet.

Besides, it wasn't any of his business!

Adrien wasn't usually one who ran for anything or anyone. He potentially liked to take his time and enjoyed having people wait on him.

But in this instance, he ran like the wind to catch up to them.

He was panting heavily by the time he reached them. Luka and Marinette were seated on a bench across from a painting, completely oblivious to his presence as they chatted animatedly with each other. Her other knight, Alya, was standing right in front of a painting with her hand pressed to her chin as if she were analyzing it.

He had to clear his throat just so that Marinette would notice he was there.

"Oh... Adrien!" Marinette smiled at him warmly, but her smile quickly fell when she realized just how hard he was breathing... and the fact that he was leaning over, his hands resting on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. "Are you all right?"

"I am fine." He wheezed out even though he really wasn't. He looked up to meet her eyes and quickly offered her a reassuring smile, hoping that it looked convincing. "What were you guys discussing?"

"Oh nothing of importance." She replied with a wave of her hand. "We were just admiring the art... so much so that I did not even realize you were falling behind. What held you back?"

"A matter of importance I had to take care of." The vague response rolled easily off his tongue.

Marinette's smile did not falter in the slightest. She was just as good as Kagami at masking her emotions. He couldn't read her either... which somewhat frustrated him.

"Since you are here, Your Highness, would you be willing to explain what this piece is?" Alya, unbeknownst-ly, interrupted. He noticed right away the visible wince that pulled at Marinette's expression at her Dame's... intrepidness. She didn't even try to hide it.

He found himself smiling, despite how rude she seemed to come off. For once, he didn't mind the improperness. With a chuckle, he moved to stand beside her, taking in the art himself. "This piece, I believe, was meant to be the ocean, but the man who painted it claimed to have never seen the ocean before. So, he improvised."

"It... it looks nothing like the ocean," Alya stated matter-of-factly. "It looks like a blue... blob."

"I concur." Adrien agreed with a nod. He wasn't really sure why his father had been so interested in this piece. It was simply a canvas splattered with all different shades of blue. A child could have painted it, and yet, his father thought it was worthy to have on his walls.

"I thought it was the sky." Luka admitted quietly from behind them.

"I thought someone just splattered paint on the canvas." Marinette added with a giggle.

Adrien turned around on his heel to flash her a smile. "That is pretty accurate. I am not really sure why my father purchased this particular piece."

"Your father paid for this?" Marinette snorted out a laugh behind her hands.

Both of her knights joined in with her laughter, and Adrien found himself chuckling along with them. In any other instance, he would've never had the gull to make fun of something his father had done. Disrespecting his father was usually something he tended to avoid.

Then again, when it came to disrespecting his father, Adrien seemed to be doing a lot of that lately, particularly right after he had discovered he was betrothed to the princess of a country that was considered to be their enemy.

"Do you enjoy painting, Marinette?" Adrien asked her when their synchronized laughter had died down.

"I am not much of an artist," Marinette replied with a sheepish smile and a shy shrug of her shoulders. She then gestured to the canvas hanging in front of them with both hands. "But if this is considered art, then maybe I could create something similar."

Adrien chuckled at that. "We have a studio here. I would not say we are necessarily allowed inside, but I am sure with a bit of persuasion, the artists would not mind lending us a canvas and a bit of paint... if you are interested?"

That easily pulled a smirk on Marinette's lips. "Painting and rebelling? Sounds like a wonderful combination. Count me in."

"Princess—" Luka started with concern as he swiftly rose to his feet.

Marinette also stood to her feet and raised a hand at him. "There is no reason to worry. Adrien will take the fault if we are caught, won't you Adrien?" She teased.

"Of course." The prince cheekily replied. He didn't plan on getting caught anyway.

"Wonderful." Marinette clapped her hands together in excitement. "Then let us get going, shall we? I am starting to get bored staring at all of this art."

"Likewise." Adrien chuckled as he gestured with an outstretched hand down the hall. He'd had enough of art—staring at it that is. "Follow me then."

Much to his relief, Marinette decided to walk beside him as he led the way. Her knights stayed close behind them, and although he and Marinette exchanged idle conversation along the way, Adrien could feel their eyes staring daggers into his back.

He wasn't sure how much they liked him... or if they even liked him at all. There was a good chance they wished him dead. There was also a good chance Marinette spoke highly about him to them considering she wanted them to be friends.

But with the way Luka had glared at him earlier, Adrien had reason to believe he still had to win him over.

They reached the studio fairly quickly. Adrien held the door open for Marinette and stepped inside behind her. As soon as Marinette stepped underneath the threshold, her eyes widened in absolute wonder as she took in the room.

Adrien couldn't help but grin as he took in her reaction.

A few artists were still inside the studio when they entered, and their heads turned in their direction when they heard the doors open. Adrien raised a hand in the air and waved, smiling as he advanced with Marinette trailing close behind.

They were surprised by his presence, to say the least. Their eyes widened and they bowed instantly. "Prince Adrien—!"

"Who?" Adrien snickered when he witnessed their blatant confusion. "You must be mistaken. I do not believe Prince Adrien or the princess of Kingdom Cheng ever stepped foot in here."

It took the artists a moment before they understood what he meant. Nodding, they bowed again in silence, which was a promise of their discretion.

"Wonderful." Adrien hummed in approval. "Now, how about lending the princess and I some paints, brushes, and a canvas... would you?"

With another bow, they rushed to fetch his requested items. Marinette seemed fascinated by it all as she watched at how fast they worked. Within not even a minute, they had everything set and prepared for the two of them to paint.

Even an object had been placed in the center of the room. It was something random that had been chosen by the artists.

It was a vase with a bouquet of red roses in it.

"I cannot possibly paint that." Marinette said as she eyed Adrien with worried eyes. He was sitting beside her on an equal stool with his canvas adjacent to hers, propped up on a wooden easel.

"And you think I can?" Adrien huffed out a laugh as he turned his head slightly to meet her eyes, his irises twinkling in amusement. "Trust me... if I were to do this thinking I could replicate that, I would be a foolish man."

Marinette chuckled in response. Another thing they seemed to have in common: neither of them had an artistic thumb.

Marinette raised a paintbrush and flashed him a smile. "Contest to see who can paint it better?"

"Everything has to be a competition with you." Adrien shook his head in amusement before he raised his own paintbrush and accepted her challenge with a determined smirk. "But you are so on."

_______________

Three hours had passed before they had finally finished their paintings.

Marinette had finished an hour before him. He leaned over to inspect her work, only to get swatted in the shoulder when she insisted they should reveal their final products to each other at the same time.

He agreed... and so, she patiently waited for him to finish.

When he was done, they counted to three in unison before they turned their canvas to each other. In truth, Adrien had been proud of his results. It wasn't as awful as he thought it would be, and his painting actually looked like a vase filled with roses.

Marinette's painting on the other hand... left him speechless.

She didn't give herself enough credit. It wasn't perfect, but her painting looked much more realistic than his. She had spent less time on hers, and somehow, it had come out looking so much better than his.

Adrien's eyes shot up to hers in absolute shock. Even his mouth hung open. "I thought you said you could not possibly paint it?"

"Is it good?" Marinette turned the canvas slightly so that she could look at it, her lips pursed in uncertainty. "I am not really sure how I feel about it—"

"Are you serious?" He couldn't possibly understand how she couldn't see what he saw. Her painting was magnificent for a beginner. "Your painting turned out much better than mine."

"So I win then?" Marinette smiled up at him. It was closer to a smirk.

"Yes, you win." Adrien replied with a feigned defeated laugh.

Marinette smiled happily as she inspected her painting once more with a sense of pride. He watched as she lifted her painting up for her knights to see, who were standing close by in a nearby corner. "What do you both think?"

"Marvelous job, milady," Luka replied with a smile of his own. Alya simply shot her a double thumbs up.

Marinette giggled to herself. Adrien watched as she pursed her lips in thought. "What should I do with it?"

"Whatever you want," Adrien replied with a shrug. "Perhaps you could hang it in your chambers when you return home."

The suggestion, although meant to be uplifting, seemed to do quite the opposite for Marinette. At the mention of her home, her smile fell as quickly as it came, a slight frown replacing her once glowing happiness. Adrien couldn't help but frown as well.

Marinette tried to mask it with a smile, but Adrien knew a fake smile when he saw one. He was rather skilled at fabricating smiles like that fairly often. "What is it?" He asked, genuine concern laced in his voice. "Did I say something wrong?"

Marinette waved a hand at him and chuckled rather sadly. "No, you did not. It is just me... I find myself missing home more than I realized I would during this visit is all."

Adrien hummed in understanding. "I apologize. I understand the feeling of homesickness."

She tilted her head slightly in interest, her eyes sparkling with a sense of curiosity that had him genuinely smiling. In all honesty, he couldn't remember a time when Kagami had ever looked at him with that much interest when he had something to say—

"Do tell," Marinette said playfully, those two simple words shattering his thoughts in seconds.

Adrien snickered softly. His expression fell ever-so-slightly as he recalled the first memory of homesickness he had ever experienced. "I was young; six, I believe. My father and mother were summoned across the country for reasons I do not recall. The three of us were away for months, which does not seem long, but for a child, it felt like an eternity. I remember missing home to the point where I could not sleep most nights."

Marinette hummed as she considered his words. He found himself rather shocked that despite his confession, she didn't dare mock him for it. At the time, neither had his mother, but his father had. His father had called him insufferable and childish—which hardly made any sense because he was a child.

"I probably would have felt the same," Marinette said after a moment of silence. "I mean... look at me now. I am twenty-two and have only been away from home for almost a week now. I have never been as homesick as I am right now."

With the sudden damper on the atmosphere, Adrien didn't know how to respond next. He had already partially shared his own experience, and therefore his heart with her, and she still looked upset.

And he wouldn't dare offer her a hug.

Instead, his eyes drifted over towards his paint palette, and suddenly, an idea came to mind. He wasn't the best at comfort in general, and he didn't like her enough to give her a hug, but he had other methods of how to cheer someone up.

With a smirk, he dipped the tips of his fingers into his blue paint and swung. The sudden action took her completely off guard, leaving Marinette to gape at him in shock as blue paint splattered all across her face and the top of her dress.

A gasp left her lips and her eyes widened. When she stood to her feet and shook her hands free of paint, he laughed. She was covered in more blue than he had originally intended.

Marinette's eyes lifted to his and then, after she had fully registered what he'd done, she smirked, "Oh you are so on."

Her challenging gaze never left him as she scooped up some green paint into her hand. Adrien stood and moved around his stool, grinning as he tried to avoid her, but it seemed Marinette had every intention of paying him back. She quickly lunged after him, her hand raised over her head as she tried to get him. Adrien ran across the room, laughing loudly as Marinette chased after him.

Adrien should've known better than to think he would be able to escape her. For one, his eyes were entirely focused on her as he ran that he wasn't even paying attention to what lay in front of him. He tripped over a stool that had fallen over, causing him to vault forward and hit the floor on his stomach. With a pained groan, he rolled onto his back, and when he opened his eyes, she was standing right above him.

She gave him no chance to stand to his feet. Grinning, Marinette leaned down and stuck her hand with green paint in his hair, purposely rubbing the substance deeply into his scalp. Adrien groaned in defeat and lolled his head back, which only caused Marinette's laughter to rise.

"You better hope this comes off in the bath." He warned her, though he was still smiling widely despite his feigned warning.

"I do not know." Marinette's words were cheeky as she considered his new look with a playful gleam in her eyes. "I think you look good with green hair. Maybe you should keep it."

Adrien propped himself up on his elbows and shook his head, trying to free it of paint. His blonde locks, now drenched in green, smacked his forehead. "Absolutely not. Not only is it an ugly color, but my father would have my head."

"Green is not ugly."

"For hair? And for my hair no less? Oh yes, it is."

Marinette playfully shook her head at him and offered him her hand. He took it, and somehow, she was able to hoist him up. A bit shocked by her strength, he stood frozen in front of her for a moment, which left him completely vulnerable when she took her hand still covered in green, and smeared it across his cheek.

Snapped out of his reverie, Adrien gasped. Marinette snorted loudly. He left her no time to escape as he ran his fingers through his drenched hair, coated his hand in a mixture of blue and green paint, and smeared it across her cheek.

Adrien doubled over and laughed out loud when some of that paint got into Marinette's mouth.

"Ew!" Marinette tried her best to spit it out, but to no avail, the tip of her tongue was still blue. That only caused Adrien to laugh harder. Marinette's laughter followed shortly afterward, which chorused through the art room like an angelic melody.

"That is what you get for getting it all in my hair." Adrien had his hands on his knees as he glanced up at her from underneath his green bangs, his irises glistening mischievously.

"You were the one who got paint on me first." Marinette pouted at him.

"I did, and I will not apologize for it."

"Of course not."

Chuckling, Marinette simply shook her head at him. Her smile conveyed that despite the fact that she was covered in paint, she was thankful for his distraction. She didn't even need to thank him with words for him to know that his quick thinking had gotten her to forget about missing her home.

He smiled right back at her. In truth, this was the most fun he'd had in a long time. He hadn't laughed so boisterously since he was a child. He hadn't smiled so much since before his mother passed.

In all his years of living, he'd never felt so free. He hated to even admit it in his thoughts... but he'd never felt so happy. Even Kagami hadn't been able to make him feel this way.

Maybe... just maybe... he could learn to like his new life with Marinette—

Suddenly, the double doors to the art room slammed open. Both the prince and princess straightened in alert, their eyes widening in fear when the king himself stepped underneath the threshold.

"What is the meaning of this?"

_______________________________

Yay I was able to update this week! I'm trying my best to keep a weekly updating schedule with this book, so expect an update next week on September 1st!

Hope to see you then!

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