Zoè paced back and forth in the chamber that had formally been occupied by Princess Kagami. She knew that because the Princess had left behind most of her monogrammed luggage which Lila had stacked neatly into the corner. There was an uneasiness that had settled in Zoè's stomach since she had arrived at the Palace, and she was beginning to wish she had listened to Nathaniel and not come.

When Zoè had finally been given the news that she was to come to the palace, she was expecting a brief audience with the Regent, perhaps a deal for honey to be signed and then be on her way. That was four days ago and she was yet to see the Regent Barbot at all. In fact the only person she had seen was Lila who was assigned to look after her. She couldn't quite figure what to make of Lila. At first she had been quite aloof and looked like she would rather be anywhere else than there, but over the last day Lila had softened up somewhat and seemed almost concerned.

Looking out over the courtyard, Zoè saw more troops marching through. There had been a steady increase in troops over the last 24hrs, many of them bearing the bee signet of the House of Bourgeois, not the butterfly of DuPont. News was already circling that an alliance was being formed, and still there was no sign of the Prince. She thought he would have made it to the Capital by now and the delay was making her worry.

There was also a rumour that there was a prisoner from the resistance who was being held in the dungeon, although no one seemed to have known who he was.

Lost in her thoughts, Zoè was startled by a knock on her chamber door. When it opened, Lila stuck her head in.

"Forgive the intrusion Lady Lee. I have someone here to see you." She said, before opening it more to reveal a certain redhead.

"Nate!" Zoé exclaimed, running into his relieved arms. "What are you doing here? What about the village?"

"Oh little bee, I was so worried about you." Nate replied, patting her hair as Zoè clung onto him. "The village is in no danger and I couldn't just keep sitting around wondering what had happened to you, not after hearing about Master Fu being taken."

"He was taken?" Zoè gasped. "By who?"

Lila then stepped into the room and closed the door. "He is being held in the dungeon below this palace." She explained, her voice low and clearly on edge. "Lord Barbot has the Miracle Box and is planning on forcing the Jade Turtle to lift the spell that is preventing the Miraculous from reaching its full power."

Zoè covered her mouth while Nate kept a supportive arm around her shoulders. He looked Lila up and down suspiciously. "No offense Miss, but that's quite a wild story. Besides, how is a handmaiden privvy to such information?"

Lila cast her eyes to the floor. "Forgive me Sir Kurtzberg, I did not introduce myself properly before." She looked back up at the two curious faces. "I am Lady Lila Rossi. Lord Barbot is my Uncle, but I am no longer his ally."

Nate gave Zoè a worried look before focusing back on Lila.

"So that means you were his ally before?" Nate prodded, still unsure if she could be trusted. Lila nodded slowly.

"Yes, but under false pretenses. I knew nothing of the Miraculous or the Miracle box until a day ago. Now my Uncle is threatening the life of someone I care for very much. I want no part of my Uncle's power hungry scemes. Lady Sancour and I are trying to find a way to warn the Prince that my Uncle has set a trap for him here to kill him and take his Miraculous... and his wife."

"So he knows about them then?"

Lila nodded. "He has had them watched for some time. There was a secret courier and..."

"So your Uncle knows about the wish?" Zoè cut her off, her voice shaking a little.

Lila could sense the gravity of this development. "Apparently yes. Lady Sancour has explained everything to me and I understand how detrimental the wish can be. There is more though." She paused, listening out for any approaching footsteps. "I don't have much time, my Uncle is keeping a close watch on me. I'm sure you saw the troops marching into the Palace. Lord and Lady Bourgeois have arrived with their daughter Chloè. I've been instructed to tell you to join my Uncle and the Bourgeois in the dining hall tonight. You as well Sir Kurtzburg. I don't believe my Uncle is about to let you leave any time soon."

Nathaniel tightened his hold around Zoè's shoulders. "That's fine with me. I wasn't about to leave my honorary sister alone here, but how can we know that you can be trusted?"

Lila took out from under her blouse the foxtail pendant. "Do you recognise this?"

Nathaniel nodded. "I know it." He replied. "The Miraculous of the Fox."

"Nathalie... Lady Sancour, has given this to me. As soon as we find any word of the whereabouts of either the Prince of his cousin Félix I will go and warn them. I owe them that much for what I have done." She lowered her head in shame. Both Nathaniel and Zoè could see true remorse in her eyes. "I loved him, you see... Félix that is. But I didn't know how to show it. I was possessive and jealous and when I thought my uncle was offering a way I could have him for myself, I didn't consider the consequences. I was wrong."

Zoè stepped closer to Lila and placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. "What's past is past." She spoke kindly. "You can't change what you did, but you can decide what you do now."

"That's why I have come to see you. My Uncle is planning to do something tonight that concerns you Lady Lee."

"Me?" Zoè questioned, startled. "But I don't know these people. Why would...?"

Lila grabbed both of Zoe's hands. "Listen, there's something you don't..." Before Lila got a chance to explain anything, a guard came banging on the door looking for her to take her to her Uncle.

"I just need a moment." Lila insisted with as much authority as she could muster, but the guard only glared at her.

"It's a direct order from the Regent." He huffed gruffly, looking with clear suspicion at the group. "You must come with me now."

"It's fine Lila." Zoè said reassuringly. "I can sort myself out for tonight, but thank you for your assistance."

Lila could see Zoè was covering and gave her a small smile and nod in thanks before following the guard back to her Uncle and leaving Nathaniel and Zoè to wonder what she was going to tell them.

When nightfall came, Nate escorted Zoè downstairs to the grand dining hall. Inside was Audrey and Andre Bourgeois, talking and laughing with Barbot while Lila was left to entertain their stuck up daughter Chloè. As Zoè and Nathaniel crossed the floor Zoè was taken aback by the young blonde woman. She was graceful and elegant in her golden gown that matched her golden hair, and a stunning sapphire pendant around her neck that reflected her eyes. For some reason, Zoè was struck by an odd familiarity about her.

On the opposite side of the room, the young Bourgeois looked down her nose at Zoé's simple (by her standards) lemon and pink frilly dress, but what really caught her eye was the very handsome redhead that was accompanying her.

Practically cutting Lila off with a wave of her fan, Chloè picked up her ample gown and made a beeline for the unsuspecting Nathaniel.

"And here I was thinking I would be bored out of my mind at this dinner tonight." She said, without so much as an introduction. "Lord Barbot never told me that such a handsome man would be here to keep me company." She batted her long lashes and Nathaniel didn't know what was going on as this whirlwind suddenly grabbed his arm and started walking him across the room, nattering at an alarming pace. Zoè was about to try and rescue him when Lila placed a hand on her arm.

"Let her go." She whispered, clearly exasperated with the socialite. "She has a bit of a reputation for throwing herself at eligible young men, but not much ever comes from it. Let her have her fun. After tonight, she could very well lose everything she knows."

"What?" Zoè gasped. "But I thought your Uncle and Bourgeois..."

Lila shook her head. "Things are not what they seem, Zoè. The truce is a front for a much more sinister plan. Secrets are about to be revealed tonight. I need you to remain calm and to trust me and Lady Sancour, no matter what is said. Can you do that?"

Zoè nodded her head, although she couldn't begin to imagine why she was somehow caught up in all this. Perhaps the Lee property was of some kind of strategic importance? Or... well she really didn't know, but her gut was telling her she was going to be finding out.

"Lila!" Barbot bellowed from across the other side of the room. "My dear Niece, come and sit by me and allow Lady Zoè to take her place at the table. This delicious dinner will not wait."

Lila gave Zoè one more nod of encouragement before joining the others. Barbot sat in the King's seat of the table with Nathalie to his left and Lila to his right. Choè sat beside Lila, smiling flirtingly at Nathaniel opposite her. Zoè sat beside Nate, trying to avoid eye contact with the formidable Audrey who was chatting with her husband seated at the other end of the table.

At first it seemed like any other royal dinner. Chloè fixated all her attention on Nathaniel, flirting shamelessly with him to the point it was even making Lila uncomfortable with second hand embarrassment, although Nathaniel took her amorous attention in good humour. At one stage Zoè was sure Chloè was trying to reach her foot towards Nathaniel's leg under the table even. His cheeks flared almost to the colour of his hair, but he remained gracious under pressure, trying to guide Chloè into more mundane, and less flirtatious conversation.

Bardot nodded along to Andre as he boasted about his plans for DuPont, but he looked decidedly uncomfortable when Andre began to ask him about his fiancée. Of course, he quickly made his excuses for her absence while declaring his undying devotion to her and apparent pride at her important work in the nursing corp.

"Of course we make sure she has everything she needs." Bardot continued to lie. "I have a man keeping an eye on her and I am updated with regular reports on her welfare. I send what we can spare to help ease the suffering of the soldiers, including wounded Bourgeoise soldiers. I do worry so much about her, but I also understand how important her work is to her and she makes DuPont proud with her dedication."

Nathalie pushed away her barely eaten plate of food and looked like she wanted to throw up, preferably all over him. Zoè also began to become restless at his bald face lying, knowing full well how frightened Marinette was of Bardot and how very much in love she was with the Prince.

Andre raised his glass up. "You sound like you have a good woman there, Thèo, just like my darling Audrey here. Behind every great man is a great woman that loves him unconditionally. Am I right?" He chuckled at his own wisdom "May this truce bring a lasting peace between our people so everyone can return to their loved ones."

Audrey looked less enamored. "It's not the work of a Lady. Now that the war is ending you should put a stop to her foolishness. She is of age is she not? Get her out of that grubby hospital and see that she serves her duty as a wife to you here."

"Ugh, a field hospital?" Cholè tisked. "What kind of noble woman would get her hands dirty with bleeding and dirty soldiers?"

"One with compassion." Zoè blurted out with conviction. The table went quiet and everyone looked at her.

"Compassion..." Barbot pondered out loud. "Now there is an interesting concept, isn't Lady Lee?"

"Interesting?" She questioned, confused at his sarcastic tone. "I would have thought that compassion would be the foundation of any society. If Lord Bourgeois means to be ruler over us, then it is only compassion that will win over the people you mean to rule over."

"Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous." Audrey scoffed with a wave of her hand. "Compassion is nothing more than a sign of weakness. When you show compassion people will take advantage of you. Respect is to be commanded and if they don't show due respect, then they need to be punished."

Zoè looked across the table at Chloè who had gone very quiet. She wondered what kind of a life she'd had growing up with these conceited people. In this one conversation she had seen the Bourgeois for the shallow and cold hearted people they were. Had they shown her any love at all? Is that why she was trying to latch onto someone like Nathaniel, because she saw him as maybe a way out of the life she felt trapped in?

"Indeed Lady Audrey." Barbot said with a sinister undertone. "Showing weakness can put one into difficult positions, can it not? Especially when one can not control their own desires."

Audrey's cold stare hardly diminished as she glared at Barbot with narrowed eyes and the atmosphere in the room dramatically thickened. Zoè wondered if there was a double meaning in what Barbot had said because it seemed to have struck a nerve.

"I don't see compassion as a weakness." Zoè said decisively, breaking the stare off. "After all, if the Lee family hadn't shown me compassion as a baby they wouldn't have adopted me and given me such a wonderful life." She looked at Nate and smiled and he gave her hand a supportive squeeze.

Bardot stroked his goatee and Lila could see in his eyes he was ready to drop the hammer down on this strange little gathering.

"Do you really believe it was compassion that led your birth mother to give you up?" He asked with a smirk. "Surely you have wondered about the reasons why?"

Zoè was taken aback by such a personal question. "I... of course I have wondered why. It's only natural to wonder. I'm sure it must have been a very difficult decision." She replied nervously. "My adoptive mother didn't really know much and before she died, I guess I didn't give it a lot of thought to be honest."

"But you want to know now, don't you?" Babot continued to prod. "Isn't that why you accepted my invitation to come to the Capital? You were hoping there would be some record of your birth at the registry of births, deaths and marriages that would give you a clue but there wasn't, was there."

Zoè's eyes widened. She shouldn't have been surprised that Barbot had someone spying on her while she had been left waiting in a hotel before coming to the palace.

"No, there was no record." She replied quietly, avoiding Nath's questioning eyes. "I thought I had been born in DuPont because that was where the adoption papers were signed, but it appears that wasn't the case."

Barbot hummed in thought to himself which Zoè thought was odd. What was her adoption to him? He would have been barely out of his teens at the time. Barbot then stood up, "Ladies and gentlemen may I offer you all wine and brandy in the throne room? It's time we commenced the business portion of the evening."

Chloè quickly latched back onto Nath, dragging him once again unapologetically from Zoè as Audrey and Andre looked very smug following close behind Barbot. For Audrey, she believed this was finally going to be her moment of vindication. She had waited over almost 18 years for this day to get what she believed was hers. 

On the other hand Nathalie had the face of a woman who looked as though she was about to officiate a funeral.

Entering the vast throne room, there were two tables set up. One had a butler behind it ready to serve the wine and brandy, the other bore a solitary quill and inkwell beside an official document. Bardot's personal lawyer was present. Behind the tables next to the throne was a glass box on a pedestal containing the King's crown.

Audrey and Andre gazed upon the crown in anticipation before readily accepting their brandy glasses from the butler to toast to their host.

Andre held up his glass. "A toast to our gracious host and to a prosperous joint future for DuPont and the House of Bourgeois!" He said bombastically. "A new alliance with a new Monarchy. A glorious union of our two great nations as they should be."

Audrey enthusiastically joined in with her husband. "To a new alliance."

Barbot held up his own glass. "Indeed." He replied slyly. "I toast to the future and finalising our arrangement." He placed down his glass and picked up the feather quill, passing it to Andre. "There is no time like the present. Shall we rewrite history Andre?"

Andre stepped up to the table, the room in silence as he took the quill from Barbot and hovered it over the document. Reading across the page, his smile soon dropped and his eyes widened.

"Well get on with it Andre." Audrey said impatiently.

Andre looked up from the document and frowned angrily at Barbot. "What is this? This isn't what we had agreed to." Andre fumed. "This names you as King of DuPont."

"Let me see that!" Audrey demanded, all but pushing her husband and the lawyer out of the way. "If this is some kind of sick joke, Thèo, it isn't very funny? We had an agreement that Andre would be declared King, as per the historical claim of the House of Bourgeois, and you would arrange a suitable marriage for our daughter to a foreign noble..."

"What?" Chloè screeched in offense. "You can't just barter me away! I'm not a commodity you know."

"Can't she?" Barbot replied coldly. "It seems to be a bit of a family trait. After all, your mother bartered your younger sister away."

Chloè frowned at him, folding her arms. "What are you talking about? I don't have a younger sister." Chloè looked at her parents expecting to be backed up but instead found her father confused and her mother visibly paled. "Mother?" She asked more quietly, but Audrey had her attention firmly fixed on Barbot.

"You don't know anything." She seethed between her teeth. "You're bluffing."

"Am I?" Barbot replied confidently. "You will note my lawyer here. Not only will he be overseeing. Your signature in that document, but he also holds a birth certificate for the younger daughter of Audrey Bourgeois."

Chloè stomped her foot and walked up to Audrey. "Mother, what is he talking about?"

"Shall I enlighten her?" Barbot continued, clearly enjoying Audrey's discomfort. "I'm sure your husband must have a lot of questions."

Andre pulled out the chair at the desk and sat down, his hand shaking as it gripped the armrest. "What exactly are you suggesting Barbot? Are you accusing my wife of infidelity?"

Bardot took his time answering, reveling in the undivided attention now on him. Nathalie approached him, her animosity evident. "Barbot, consider carefully the path you are choosing to take here. Many lives will be irreparably changed if you do this."

Bardot brushed past her, approaching Audrey and Andre and leaving the rest of the room watching with apprehension.

"Let me start right back at the beginning." Barbot began. "As a young man, Prince Gabriel fell in love with a feisty and head strong young woman that completely captured his attention. She was outspoken and brash and would make many in the court blush at her audacity, but he was smitten by her. However his father deemed her unsuitable as a future Queen and was more interested in making an alliance with England. Gabriel faced a choice, follow his heart, or make the right choice with the beautiful and elegant daughter of the Duke of De Vanily. For his own reasons, he chose the latter, marrying the fair cousin of the English King and leaving his first love to a marriage to a man she married only for status - Lord Bourgeois."

There were murmurings amoung those witnessing the scene. Andre brushed off Bardot. "There is nothing new here." He stated. "I was always aware that Audrey and Gabriel had been lovers before our marriage. I do not judge her for that. People grow up and move on."

Bardot continued unperturbed. "Perhaps, although you can't tell me there wasn't some resentment there knowing your wife always compared you to her true love." Barbot was well and truly stoking the fire and Andre's face was quickly turning red.

"I don't see what any of this has to do with changing our agreement." Andre stewed. "We had a claim."

"Well..." The lawyer interjected. "Actually you don't if there is any scandal. It's written under subsection 23 that if there is a dispute regarding succession then the Regent must take control."

"What dispute? Chloè is the only legitimate heir of Bourgeois."

"Then allow me to continue." Babot smirked "For a few years, everything was status quo. The popular Queen Emilie gave birth to a son and heir, making Gabriel very pleased with his wife and Audrey had her daughter Chloé. Desperately wanting to ensure her daughter would become betrothed to the young Prince of DuPont, she set out to plead her case to her former lover. Unfortunately the elderly Duke of De Vanily, Queen Emilie's father, died suddenly and she left with Nathalie to help her twin sister in the aftermath leaving Audrey to negotiate with Gabriel alone. Gabriel was, shall we say, reluctant to indulge the request as the House of Bourgeois didn't hold the same kind of status as say the House of Tsurugi, so Audrey turned to what she thought worked best, moving the negotiations from the throne room to the bedroom."

Chloè looked at her mother mortified and Nathaniel was having enough of this conversation. "Lord Barbot, is it necessary to air this kind of dirty laundry? Especially in front of the ladies."

Barbot eyed the young man. "You do not approve of my methods, Sir Kurtzburg? Or are you just trying to shield the young lady beside you from learning the truth?"

"What truth?" Nathaniel's nostrils flared in agitation, but Zoè placed a gentle hand on his arm to calm him.

Bardot smirked and then focused his attention on Audrey. "Some months later, Gabriel received an unexpected letter from a distraught Audrey telling him that she was with his child. Gabriel knew that little one night stand for old times' sake could lose him the woman that he had grown to care deeply for. Burning the letter, he sent Nathalie to sort out the situation under strict orders that his wife must never find out. Needing someone to trust, Nathalie turned to Emilie's sister Amelie. While Andre was on a diplomatic tour of Europe, Audrey traveled to the De Vanily estate with toddler Chloè in tow for a 'long visit with her dear friend.' There she gave birth in secret to a second daughter."

Andre gasped and Nath put a protective arm around Zoè's shoulders. Her heart was racing in her chest and knots were churning in her stomach.

"Gabriel had disowned any knowledge of the child and Audrey knew if word got back to her husband, he would have divorced her without a penny. Amelie then offered her a way out. She knew a couple who could not have a child and would raise the baby girl as their own but the price of her silence was that Audrey handed over to her a jewel - the bee comb of the House of Bourgeois."

"You gave it to Amelie!" Andre demanded. "You told me you lost it."

"I didn't have a choice." Audrey yelled back angrily. "I was trying to protect my family. She was obsessed with getting that thing and had been asking for it for years. It seemed a small price to pay."

"You were trying to protect yourself." He sneered. "Just like you always do Audrey!"

Barbot smiled, pleased that Audrey had all but admitted the truth. Andre took a deep breath. Sadly it didn't even surprise him that Audrey would have done something like this. Their marriage had only been in name since Chloè was born anyway. "Do you know what happened to the child?" He asked Barbot.

Barbot nodded. "Amelie asked the then Lord Barbot, my benefactor, to bring the child to DuPont. I accompanied him on the trip and heard the whole story first hand from Amelie. Neither Gabriel or Nathalie knew what had become of the child, but I did." He then turned and looked straight at Zoè. "I have been watching you your whole life, waiting for the day when this piece of knowledge would become useful to me."

"That's enough." Nathaniel demanded, stepping in front of Zoè. "I don't know what kind of sick game you are playing here, Bardot, but I won't let you smear Zoè for the sake of your own ambitions."

Barbot placed his hand on his chest in mock offense. "It is not my intention to smear this young lady's good name, my dear Sir." He replied, ignoring Nathalie's side-eye at him. "However, I am a businessman, and I do not exercise altruism for free. There is only the be price I seek for my silence."

He then looked back at Andre. "Sign the document Andre, and no one needs to know the real reason you will be divorcing your wife."

Andre balled his fists on the desk, resenting the position he was being put in to. Of course Bardot knew full well Andre wouldn't divorce Audrey and bring that kind of scandal. "I want the bee comb back." He demanded. "It belongs to the Bourgeois family."

Barbot stroked his goatee as he considered the request. "To be used as a weapon against me. I wasn't born yesterday, Andre. You and I both know what that comb really is and what it belongs to. That's why you were after the De Vanily Estate like everyone else, but your too late." He then banged his fist on the table, causing the ink well to wobble and threaten to topple. "Sigh the damn paper Andre, or Chloè meets the executioner rather than a husband."

"Don't sign it." Audrey threatened her husband. "Get rid of the brat and he has no evidence."

"I won't allow that." Nathaniel interjected. Reflexively he went to grab his sword, but it wasn't there. Barbot had ordered all weapons be removed before he entered the Palace. He could see why.

"Are you offering to take her place?" Barbot asked flippantly.

"If I have to." Nathaniel retorted, ignoring the soft 'no' passing Zoè's lips as she grabbed his arm. Barbot simply looked amused.

"You surprise me Sir Kurtzburg. Then again your dabbling in the resistance clearly paid off... oh yes, I am well aware of your involvement with the Jade Turtle. As of tonight though you can consider your little rebellion squashed. I will find and eliminate your friends that I know are hiding in the city and I by this time tomorrow your precious Prince will also be no more. It's over."

Barbot then focused his attention back onto Andre who was gritting his teeth and seething. "I don't see your signature Andre. If you want your daughter to still have any standing after tonight, you better come to the right decision quickly."

Unlike Audrey who couldn't have cared less about her daughter's welfare than she did for her own ego, Andre wasn't without some consideration for his own child, even if her being a girl had been burdensome to him. "Alright Barbot, you win." He conceded, dipping the quill into the inkwell and writing his name on the document.

Bardot grinned as Andre finished his signature. Without a word Bardot stepped up to the glass box and opened the small latch, removing the crown and placing it upon his own head.

"What are you doing?" Nathalie asked, stepping towards him with an outstretched hand. "You can't do that. There must be a ceremony with the Archbishop and..."

"Silence woman." Barbot commanded. "I don't need a Pope puppet to tell me I am the King." He brushed past her and straight to Andre. "Let it be known from this time forward that Bourgeois lands are now forfeit."

"What?" Andre exclaimed, his hand gripping his constricted chest. "But you... how could..."

The lawyer stepped forward, holding a document. "In the even that the House of Bourgeois forfeits its claim to the throne of DuPont, their lands shall from henceforth become DuPont land and they shall be stripped of their titles before going to exile."

"Hear that." Barbot laughed, holding a hand to his ear. "Your lands and military are now mine. You should be happy Andre," he added, slapping Adre across the back. "I have ended the war and brought peace to DuPont and look on the bright side, I'm letting you live." He then invaded Andre's personal space, towering over the shorter man. "But if I get so much as a whiff of rebellion, the slightest hint of discontent, there is a cell below waiting for you. Do you understand?"

Everyone in the room looked around at each other. Barbot looked positively crazed, his pupils fixed and dilated.

Andre's face was pale and clammy, Andre nodded. "I understand... your majesty." He added with a small bow of subjugation.

"Good." Barbot said, pleased. "Now get out of my sight."

Andre grabbed his wife's arm and began to head for the door with Chloè quickly following behind.

"Leave the girl." Barbot called out over his shoulder as he swigged down a shot of brandy. "I have plans for her."

"But your Majesty..."

"Are you questioning my sovereignty?" Barbot snapped. "We need more allies, and she is going to help me get them." Audrey quickly stepped in.

"No, no... she'll stay. Run along child, your King commands it."

"But mother?" Chloè pleaded, only for Audrey to practically push her back.

"For once in your life, do as you are told." Audrey demanded.

"Listen to your mother." Andre agreed. "If you marry well, you can help us out of exile. Now be useful for a change and do the right thing." Andre said as his wife pushed him out the door and disappeared into the night.

Chloè stood stunned. Behind her she heard Barbot saying something about meeting with the Guardian, but her brain could not process his words - only the echo of a door slamming shut and the ringing of her own ears. They left... they actually left her there without so much as even a goodbye. She could feel tears beginning to prick at her eyes. Maybe it wasn't a total surprise, she had certainly been living in a fair bit of denial that her parents cared for her at all, but when the moment finally came, she thought they would have at least fought a little bit for her and not just served her up on a platter.

"Chloè?" A quiet voice called to her and a soft hand on her shoulder. Chloè looked around and was met by a pair of sapphire blue eyes, not unlike her own. "You aren't alone here, Chloé. We will help you."

Chloè whipped away a tear that had fallen uninvited down her cheek. It was only Zoè and Nathaniel left in the room. Chloè regarded the girl offering her friendship and she couldn't understand why she would.

"Why would you want to help me?" She asked, accepting Nathaniel's handkerchief to wipe her eyes. "I'm nobody to you."

Zoè gave her a soft smile. "You're my sister." Zoè replied simply with something Chloè had rarely heard - kindness. "I never thought I would ever have a sister, and now I find out that not only do I have a sister, but a brother also."

"Adrien." Chloè said nostalgically. "I haven't seen him since the Queen died. I guess it makes sense now why my parents were no longer welcome at the palace. I can't believe them. My whole life has been nothing more than a bunch of lies."

Chloè went with Zoè and Nathaniel back to their chambers to talk. It was clear she had been kept in the dark about what was really going on with the war, and knew nothing of the Miraculous. Zoè knew it might have been a risk taking a stranger into their confidence, but Chloè was lost and lied too and needed someone to believe in her, not just see her as a burden to be married off.

Later in the evening, the door opened and Lila entered. She looked exhausted. "My Uncle has been trying to threaten the Guardian again, but he is still refusing to unlock the Miracle Box."

"How is he?" Nath asked and Lila sighed and shook her head.

"I don't know how much longer he can hold out and we can't just keep sitting here doing nothing." She pointed to Chloè. "How much does she know?"

"We filled her in." Zoè said. "And she wants to help."

Chloè nodded. "I might not have seen them in years, but Adrien and Félix were my friends when we were younger. I want to be useful for once. I'm sick of being treated like an air headed idiot."

"Do you have any leads on where the Prince is?" Nath asked.

Lila nodded her head. "The courier has sent word that he knows where he is and is closing in. Time is running out." She then opened her hand holding out the Bee Miraculous in her palm out to Zoè. "Nathalie held this out of the box along with the Fox in case they were ever needed. We have to find the Prince now."

Zoè took the miraculous and looked it over. "This is the symbol of the House of Bourgeois. It doesn't belong to me."

"But you are the daughter of Audrey Bourgeois." Lila insisted.

Zoè continued to shake her head. "This belonged to Lord Bourgeois, not his wife."

"But you are also the half sister of the Prince who is the rightful King." Lila pointed out.

Zoè thought for a long moment. "Then my place is here in the palace." Zoè eventually said. "Nath and I will keep watch on what Barbot is doing and try to get in contact with Master Fu." She then took Chloè's hand and placed the Miraculous in it. "If nothing else, I wouldn't want you being anyone's arranged bride. Lord only knows who Bardot will try and hand you over to. If you want to be useful, then help Lila find the Prince."

Chloè felt overwhelmed. Never in her life had anyone entrusted her with anything. "I won't let you down... sister." She said, pulling Zoè into a tight hug. Nathaniel placed his hand on her back.

"Remember too, you have a family here waiting for you."

I'm lacing the comb in her hair, a bright yellow light emitted from the comb and a small yellow creature that resembled a bee appeared.

"Greetings my Queen." The bee said with a bow. "My name is Pollen. When you are ready to transform, simply say Buzz On."

Lila called on Trixx, making her transformation into the fox hero Volpina.

"Say the words Chloè." Zoè encouraged. "We are behind you."

Do the right thing, her father had said. Be useful.  Chloè stood tall with a smile on her face. Yes, for once she will do the right thing and will be useful.

Chloè called on her transformation and admired herself in the mirror. She then took off the spinning top weapon attached to her belt. "And this doesn't work yet, right?"

"Right." Zoè confirmed. "If the lock on the box is lifted, you will be able to use venom, but remember you will only get one use of it before you detransform. I have a feeling that Master Fu will have no choice but to give in to Barbot, if only so the rest of you can have your full powers."

After giving reassurances to try and stay in contact through Mr Ramier, Volpina and Queen Bee snuck out onto the roof before making a clean break over the wall and heading South towards the Prince's last known location in the mountains.