A/N: bad news... it's exam time for me. I don't want you guys to worry about this book not getting done on time but I just want to let you know that it might take a little while for me to finish each chapter.

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Nathaniel Kurtzberg practically marched into the Kingdom, his head held tall with his fellow soldiers following behind him— one of them being Le Chién Kim. Prince Nathaniel noticed a dark-haired Dupain soldier walking towards them as the group made their way up the stairs entrance.

"Your Highness!" the soldier greeted with a wide smile, "It is such an honour to finally have you with us! I am Louis Dupain-Cheng, Marinette's cousin."

Louis held out his hand to Nathaniel, which he obliged immediately. Family, Nathaniel thought, perfect. The prince had a theory that the closest way to someone's heart is through someone they love.

"Of course I know who you are," Nathaniel said, forcing a smile, "You are the main soldier of this kingdom, yes? Oh, please, it's an honour for me."

Louis did not know how to react. He had received some compliments of respect from royal families, but never had anyone told him it was an honour to meet him.

"Thank you, Your Highness," Louis said uncertainly, "If you would please follow me."

* * *

"Your visit was quite unexpected," the guard admitted, guiding them towards the grand hall.

"So was that of Adrien Agreste, I assume," Nathaniel replied in a monotonous tone.

Louis hesitated for a moment and looked at the face of the Kurtzberg prince. His tone had been constant but his brow narrowed in spite, eyes sparking with unknown fire. It only registered through Louis' mind at this moment that Adrien was the reason Nathaniel must have decided to come.

"He had sent us a letter beforehand,"

"So have I."

Louis wanted to say something along the lines of 'A marriage proposal letter does not count' or 'You can stuff those letters up your behind' but he thought it best to keep his own mouth shut as Prince Nathaniel continued to speak, "If Adrien decided to come unexpectedly, then there should be no problems with me coming unexpectedly as well, especially since I am Marinette's fiancé."

"We do not know for sure," Louis blurted before he could stop himself.

The other soldiers held their breaths, some hovering their hand above their swords. Le Chién Kim glared at his men as a warning— they were not allowed to kill any of their hosts.

The prince, however, just laughed, "I only speak from the truth."

The idea of Marinette infinitely belonging to someone she did not love churned Louis' stomach. After watching Marinette grow into the strong, kind and independent woman she was now, Louis could not bear imagining her walking down the isle for her people, not herself.

Louis was suddenly angry. No, he was furious. Prince Nathaniel had no right to walk into Marinette's life and take it away form her the second he stepped into their castle. If it weren't for Nathaniel, Adrien would have asked Marinette for her hand in marriage instead.

With an irritated heart, the guard turned towards Prince Kurtzberg and asked him, "Would you like any of your guards to travel around the castle to make themselves comfortable with their surroundings?"

"Why on earth would I do that?" Nathaniel asked confusedly.

"Prince Adrien had done it," Louis answered easily, knowing it would set him off, "but I understand completely if you are too uncomfortable not having all your guards with you. Adrien is the most legendary and youngest fighter in the whole of Paris, after all."

Nathaniel clenched his jaw at yet another reason why Adrien Agreste was better than he was. The red-haired prince knew that the guard was just trying to get under his skin but he could not let it get the best of him. Nathaniel would pretend to be Adrien's ally for now.

"Prince Adrien is quite an independent man isn't he?" Nathaniel asked with a dazzling false smile, "A legendary fighter and champion on the battlefield."

"He's also quite the competition," Louis agreed, referring back to their training sessions.

Prince Nathaniel chuckled and asked jokingly, "Is that a warning?"

Louis smiled, using the prince's own words against him, "I only speak from the truth."

~|~|~|~

Marinette stood in front of her father's throne, head bowed down with her hands clasped behind her back. She had been called early in the morning to the grand hall to speak to her father. She was told that it was urgent.

King Thomas stared at his daughter worriedly. He knew that the next few words that would come out of his mouth would not go well with her. He prepared himself if ever it were necessary that Marinette would not agree with his decisions, but he knew that there was a possibility that he would never be trusted again.

"Prince Nathaniel is coming today," he began, getting straight to the point.

Marinette gasped before raising a hand to her mouth. The prince who asked for her hand in marriage was going to be there? No, it could not be— it was too sudden. She needed more time! What would Adrien say? What would he do? The princess shook her head in disbelief.

"What is he doing here, Father?" Marinette asked.

"He's here to make sure that all the marriage agreements are final," Thomas explained, "so that the wedding will not have to be cut off."

"Marriage agreements?" the princess asked incredulously, "A wedding?"

King Thomas frowned and stared guiltily at his daughter as her eyes started to water. He cleared his throat, "We have to do this for the people, Marinette. You know that. We need the money."

"I did not agree to anything, Father."

"You are my daughter," he said with a hint of warning in his voice, "You agree to everything I tell you to do."

Marinette imagined Adrien's beautiful, green eyes suddenly turning into something resembling hideous anger. Anger and hurt because she had lied to him and kept secrets from him. Then she imagined Nathaniel— a boy she barely even knew well enough to spend the rest of her life with— as the face she walked up to in the wedding aisle... A face that did not belong.

"You are telling me to marry a man I do not love," her voice croaked at the last word, "Would Mother want this for me?"

"For you?" Thomas replied, "No. For her people? Yes."

Marinette shook her head and wiped the developing tears from her eyes. She had to be strong. For her people, her mother and herself. There had to be another way to get the money. They could ask Princess Rose or Alix, maybe even go as far as the Rossi Kingdom? Marinette tried to stand up for herself one last time.

"I-I cannot marry him, Father," she stuttered, "I b-barely know him."

"You will get to know him," Thomas said, "During your marriage. You will love each other more than any other married couple, believe me."

"Nathaniel and I will never have that kind of connection," Marinette admitted.

"How are you so certain?"

"Because I am in love with someone else."

Her mouth moved before she could stop the words from revealing itself, every dark thought coming to light. A silence passed between them before King Thomas slowly got up from his seat. He strolled towards his daughter with a deadly look in his eyes. Marinette's heart hammered in her chest with impossible speed.

"I hope," he whispered icily, "that this 'someone' is not Adrien Agreste, Marinette."

Another moment of silence passed and by then, Thomas knew the answer. For a moment, Marinette thought he was going to hit her across her cheek. She was prepared for physical impact— she knew she was strong enough for the pain. But her father did not even touch her.

Instead, he asked her in the most disappointed voice,  "How could you? The man who put you in this position in the first place? How could you possibly love him? If it weren't for his request and selfishness, we would not be in this mess."

"F-Father, please," Marinette begged, "it was me who signed that his request in the first place, but I'm confident that if we just had more time..."

"Our time is up," Thomas sneered, "You will be marrying Prince Nathaniel. End of discussion."

"Adrien is a good prince, Father," Marinette persisted, "the money problems were my fault, not his. Adrien does not know about the wedding or Nathaniel or—"

"Oh, but he will," the king said, "With or without you telling him. And when he finds out, he will never love you back."

Marinette would much rather have preferred a physical slap to the cheek than experience the punch of her father's words resonating through her heart.

~|~|~|~

"You must be Adrien Agreste."

Prince Nathaniel held out his hand confidently to him, gleefully staring at him with his challenging eyes. Adrien stared back, not with glee or anger. In fact, he did not know what to feel, except maybe emptiness. Is this what it feels like? Adrien thought, to be defeated?

Nino glanced at Adrien beside him with concern. The prince had been acting a bit off ever since he had heard that Nathaniel would be visiting the Dupain Kingdom.

"You must be Marinette's fiancé," Adrien said monotonously, rejecting the handshake, "Congratulations."

Nathaniel uncomfortably scratched the back of his head with his outstretched hand, thinking of more thinks to say. He had expected Adrien Agreste to be more...jealous or angry about him coming to marry Marinette. However, the fighter seemed as if he did not care at all.

"Thank you," Nathaniel replied, "I am delighted to finally meet you. I heard that you had saved Marinette's life in battle and words cannot fathom how grateful I am for your bravery."

Adrien thought back to the battle when Marinette actually saved his life initially and he fought beside her because he knew that he owed her his life. He was not brave back then. Nino gestured for Adrien to reply— his eyes gave warning, as if to say 'Be kind'.

"How are you feeling about the marriage?" Adrien asked, trying his best to stay nonchalant and sophisticated.

He was still a guest in the castle and so was Prince Nathaniel. It was only fair if they conversed on kind terms. Nathaniel replied, "I'm really excited actually. It has been much too long since I had last seen Marinette, but thankfully I get to see her again."

Kim shook his head in disbelief behind his leader. Why would Nathaniel make it seem as if he and the princess had been lovers once? As if they were happy to spend the rest of their lives with one another.

"I am also really glad that Marinette did not say no to this," Nathaniel continued, "As an ordinary prince, I would not have imagined that one of the most successful women in Paris would fall in love with me."

Adrien stopped breathing for a long moment, his pupils dilating at the word 'love'. Marinette had agreed to marry Prince Nathaniel? She had loved another man behind his back...? Please do not let this be true, Adrien thought.

Just then, Alya Césaire walked down the corridor. She stopped for a second to stare at Nino who blushed bright red at her presence. Following Alya was the last person Adrien wanted to see that day. Marinette paused, momentarily shocked at the sight of Adrien Agreste and Nathaniel Kurtzberg standing in front of one another.

He knows, she thought dreadfully and her heart immediately sank as the only man she loved gave her the most earth-shattering glare she had ever received in her life.

"If you will excuse me," Adrien said to Nathaniel, avoiding her by making his way down the corridor back to his room.

Wait, she wanted to say to him. The words so close to forming on her lips. The same lips that were so tempted to kiss him in front of Prince Nathaniel as an official confirmation that she did not want an arranged marriage.

She should have reached out to Adrien, she should have run up to him and hugged him from behind, apologizing for lying and promising to never do it again, but she didn't. She stayed still, attempting to smile as Prince Nathaniel made his way towards her.

~|~|~|~

Adrien stared at the ceiling, thinking about the guilty look in Marinette's eyes the last time he saw her. All the hope he had about having a future with her and falling in love with the perfect woman was all just a fantasy, worse than the stories his mother used to read him.

The prince heard a knock on the door and knew that it was Nino so he made little effort to get up. In fact, he did not get up at all.

"What?!" Adrien yelled to the door.

"Are you feeling okay, Your Majesty?" Nino asked, concerned, from the other side.

"I said what the hell do you want?!"

A moment of silence passed before Adrien saw a grey piece of paper being slipped under his door. It seemed Adviser Lahiffe was to cowardice to face him head-on. The prince got up from his bed and picked up the letter reluctantly. This better not be an apology letter from Marinette, he thought.

He tore open the envelope and read the letter with such irritation first, then his facial expressions slowly turned into that of pain and confusion. Adrien's eyes skimmed through the letter. Twice. Thrice. Five times...it was too much to take in only a few sentences. The words muddled together in his head all at once:

Emma.
Sick.
Medication.
Money.

Emma... Emma... Emma...

At that moment, Adrien most certainly knew that all his nightmares had come to life.

~|~|~|~

"What do you mean you no longer want to get married?" Nathaniel asked incredulously.

They were walking in the garden, talking to one another about the wedding and their people. Nathaniel had just confessed that he was in love with Marinette, but all she could think to say in return was 'I no longer want to get married'.

"I am sorry for only telling you this now," Marinette apologising, "but I should not be marrying a man all for the sake of money. It seems wrong."

"But I love you despite the money," Nathaniel argued, "Please Marinette, I can give you anything you desire. I can make you so happy."

The plea in his eyes looked desperate. Marinette could see all the hurt and confusion in just one simple expression. She explained herself further, "Nathaniel, we have no connection."

"Of course we do. You just don't see it. I love you, Marinette. You're beautiful, kind, smart—"

"You know not of what I enjoy and the person I truly am. That is not love. Not the one worth fighting for."

Worth fighting for? Nathaniel was not a fighter— he was not used to fighting for what he wanted. He usually just received everything he ever wanted without question so it came as a surprise to him to have the courage to come all the way from his own kingdom so that his fiancé would not love another man.

That was fighting for love was it not? Taking the time to visit a lover miles away. Nathaniel most certainly believed that he was fighting for their love, but he knew that Marinette was talking about someone else.

"Are you in love with Adrien Agreste?" Nathaniel asked.

"W-what?" Marinette scoffed, "What makes you think so?"

"I suspected that you were fond of the prince, but not so much as to let it get in the way of our marriage. A marriage that can save your people."

The princess pursed her lips together to prevent herself from saying something she would regret later. Nathaniel knew that he was right— the marriage would save them. If anything, Marinette was being a bit selfish, fighting for her own personal life instead of the lives of her people.

"Marinette, you're not thinking straight," Nathaniel said, "I have heard terrible things about Prince Adrien. The Agreste Kingdom is not what you think."

Marinette was just about to say that that was untrue; that Adrien had was a kind, caring and understanding person if only he took the time to get to know him. She decided rather not to say anything to defend Adrien because it would just prove Nathaniel's point that she was only doing it for herself.

"I can treat you so much better than he ever will," Nathaniel continued, "because I know that he is only here because you needed the money he requested before the battle. He did not give any portion of the money, did he?"

In Adrien's defence, Marinette thought, he still had a few more days to decide. Her heart knew that Adrien had already made his decision about giving a portion of the money to the Dupain Kingdom— he just wanted to spend a bit more time with her before he confirmed with her father.

Now it was too late. She did not tell Adrien about the arrangement and she doubted he would ever forgive her again. It was all her fault.

"No, Marinette replied, "he did not give any portion of the money that he requested."

"See, he only thinks about himself, Marinette," Nathaniel said, "He had been using you. I have no doubt that the second he leaves, he will forget about you. Adrien Agreste is a monster."

Before she could say anything else, Louis was clearing his throat behind them. They turned around and the sad expression he had on his face told Marinette everything she did not want to hear.

"Prince Adrien is leaving back to his kingdom tomorrow morning," Louis announced to them.

The princess looked down to the floor, hopeless and guilt-ridden. Of course Adrien would want to leave. She had broken his heart— no matter how many people told her that he had a heart of rock, all Marinette could remember was the way he looked at her after he made love to her which she would never see again.

Nathaniel on the other hand, was over the moon. Adrien would be out of Marinette's life forever and he would have a princess who would love him because her last lover treated her so badly. Finally, something was going his way.

"What a shame," Nathaniel said, sarcastically, "What a true shame."

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A/N: I am a horrible person.