Adrien walked back to his room and he couldn't stop smiling. His father had been right, she was amazing. Was this what love at first sight felt like? Could he really fall for someone that fast? Nino Lord of the Turtle, who was his chair protector, but would someday become his voice in court and Max Lord of Horse his main strategist meant him in his room to ran over travel plans before he went to breakfast with his father and cousin. "Who was that Lord Adrien? She is not a woman I recognize?" Lord Nino smiled knowingly. 

"Lord Nino she is Lord Adrien's newest "wife". She is the daughter of the disowned noble and grew up in the village, and is the princes best chance for an heir because she will not be a "wife" who is sought after like the others because she has no family ties." Lord Max smiled, "And I would say based on their interactions Prince Adrien has finally found a favourite." 

"Yes... Thank you, Lord Max." Adrien cringed He was grateful Max was the only one who was that aware. He'd be ruined if anyone else knew that his "wives" all had other partners. "He's right Lord Nino, she is my new "wife". 

"And you let her join into your private breakfast? Your other "wives" don't even know you get up that early, even Lady Kagami who would have the best chance of finding out. Even when they sleep in your room, you manage to keep them from finding out." Nino knew Adrien protected that time with everything he had. 

"I found her outside when I was out on my morning walk, she was used to getting up early. And my she is amazing..." Adrien rambled on for a few minutes until Max interrupted him. 

"My Prince, she sounds amazing and you can tell us all about her while we travel to the torment but we must talk about the plans now, or else you will be late for breakfast." Adrien blushed, something Nino and Max hardly saw. 

After plans were set in stone Adrien headed to his father's private dining room. He ran into Felix on his way there. "Dear Cousin, glad to see you are well-rested." Felix was always proper unless they were travelling. 

"Of Cousin! I feel like I am on a cloud! Father has found me the most perfect "wife"! I will do everything I can to make her my queen! She is perfect and amazing in every way! She dresses in the most simple elegant way! She is so smart, her wit is sharp, she is so kind, both unaware and yet always on guard." He had been talking so much that he hadn't noticed that they had walked into the dining room. 

"Boys." His father smiled, he wasn't mad he seemed to find this amusing. "Adrien, I take it your new "wife"  is to your liking?" 

"Oh, father! I am so grateful you found her!" Adrien smiled. 

The king was surprised at the things he heard, the girl his son described was not the quite self-conscious girl he had meant the previous night. Then again she had told him I know the importance of wit and reading people's intentions. And the importance of having some of great power in your corner. Maybe she had been hiding more of her cards with him. 

"Father?" The king was brought out of his thoughts. 

"Yes, my son?" 

"Well in talking with Lady Marinette this morning she told me she come willingly but she longed to see her parents and let them know she was okay, she doesn't trust her grandfather to send word." Adrien had seen her this morning? It was early? Had they already spent the night together? "And Father I wanted to give her the same grace my other "wives" were given, when they left their homes they knew they were going to be "married" they could talk with their mothers and be blessed by their father. She didn't get that, so while I am gone I would like you to make that happen, please? She asked to be close to the servant's quarters so her parents could see her so please make that happen." His sons smiled, in a way the king hadn't seen, maybe this girl would be the one to break the curse after all? Maybe his plan didn't need to happen after all. 

"Of course my son, I will meet with her and make arguments with her, and would you like me to find out what else she needs to make her comfortable here on your behave?" he didn't want to overstep with his son. 

"I would be grateful for that."  Adrien sighed, "I wish I didn't have to leave this weekend, I would love to spend more time with her." 

"Well if you met her this morning she is up, right?" Felix asked with the question, what was his nephew up to? Adrien nodded, "Have one of the servent girls take her to the balcony in the Harem and she can wave us off like your father always does from his balcony." 

"Felix! Your the best, I'll send a message to her ladies in waiting!" Adrien gestured to one of the kitchen girls. She giggled and agreed to take the message. Adrien had a way with the servants and common folk the King understood why he was everyone's favourite. He didn't think Marinette would have any problems would the common folk and the servants but would she be the noble's favourite? "Now that is taken care of Felix and I have plans for the tournament we host." 

The boys soon were chatting about contests and challenges they would like to see and how they would like to have the ball so there could be a mixing of nobles. And after too short a time, the King decided the boys were heading off to the stables to leave. And he was headed up to his balcony, he wounded if he would see his son's new favourite. 

***

"Lady Marinette!" Mylene ran into her room followed by Alex. shocked to see her already dressed and ready for the day,  "Why didn't you call us when you woke! We would have helped you get ready for the day."

"Mylene, Alex, I didn't see a point in bothering you when I was up before the sun I'm used to doing things by myself. But I didn't call you and you came running what's wrong?'

"A kitchen girl sent us a message from the Crown Prince asking you to wave goodbye from the balcony and we thought we'd have to come to get you ready, but you are already ready? Did you know he was going to ask you?" Alex looked her up and down, Marinette tried hard to feel judged the prince liked how she looked. 

"No, I got up and got dressed, and went for a walk before the sun was even the sky. I ran into the Prince briefly." She blushed, she wasn't sure how much she should say." 

"Ohhh! You spent time with him!" Mylene giggled, "You like him! Did he like the way you were dressed? Because we need him to like you! The king needs an heir and we need him to want to spend time with you!" 

"Mylene, breath! You're going to stress her out! We know she's got the best shot because she has no lovers and you know the other Ladies will keep it that way, so breath." Alex pulled her friend in line. 

"Yes, he did like my look. He encouraged me to keep it that way, so to the balcony? Then once that's done, help me find my way to breakfast? I would like to be there early and maybe talk with one of the girls one on one." She smiled and her ladies led the way. 

"You'll likely be met by Lady Kagami, she also gets up early, followed by Lady Alya, and lastly Lady Chloe," Alex explained, as they walked up a narrow set of stairs. 

"Do the other girls come up here to see the Prince off?" Marinette idly wondered aloud. 

"They did... before they found others, Kagami comes up most often, because the court believed her to be the favourite, but she never was, the Prince never has had a favourite, he couldn't do it which is why the other Ladies found love in others men's arms. they wanted to be first in their lover's eyes." Mylene explained.

"Even if there isn't love between the Lady and the Prince." Alex shrugged. 

They neared the top of the stairs, "Do either of you have a love?" Mari wanted to know her girls well, to help them. 

Both girls blushed. "One of The Prince's Gentlemen of the Bedchamber named Ivan, he is also trained to be part of the royal bodyguards if need be." Mylene smiled. 

Alex sighed, "He and I are not encouraged to be together, he is the Prince's strategist so he is a lower class of noble is still of noble birth and I am of peasant birth, it is not possible." She looks down. 

"Not if I become Queen and make you my lead lady in waiting, it would elevate your status. Wouldn't it?" She smiled. 

"Well it would, but I can't count on that." She smiled, "I appetite it."

Marinette began to realize her becoming queen could help out more than just the other "wives", She needed to create a network of women on her side, get the women and the men will follow, she would need to ask Adrien for help. "This balcony is lovely. I should come here again... Oh, look there are the men getting ready to leave." Her ladies smiled and waited by the stairs. Right, it wouldn't be proper for them to be seen, even if no one was really up yet.  

She looked through the men trying to find Adrien. Soon she finds him. Her face lights up, he then looks up as if he knows she there and waves. She couldn't make out his face but she bet he was smiling as he points his men to look at her. So she courtesied and giggled as the men saluted her. As he prepared to get in his closed carriage he stood tall on the step, and blew Marinette a kiss, she returned it. Then as Adrien's carriage started to pull away, she felt another set of eyes on her. She looked up and saw the King looking at her. She could see his face better as his balcony was closer than the stable. He was smiling Adrien must have spoken well of her. She courtesied and the King nodded towards her, they shared a smile and then she headed back to the Harem. 

She and her ladies walked to the dining room, "Do you want us to wait with you or are you, okay M'Lady?" Mylene asked. 

"No, it looks like Lady Kagami is coming down the hallway. But I didn't know what to do with everything I used this morning would you mind?" 

"Say no more our Lady. We will take everything." Alex and Mylene smile and bow the heads bidding her goodbye. 

The two Ladys met at the table. "Ah, Lady Marinette I hopped you would also be an early morning riser." 

"I have been waking before dawn since I was a girl. I doubt I'll ever stop." She smiled. 

"I awake early to train." 

"Where? Clearly not in the courtyard, I was walking there this morning." 

"Oh, Adrien took one of the bedrooms and made it a training room so he and I could practice together." She smiled as if that was something that happened in the early days of her time here. 

"Oh, I bet that would have been lovely." The girls chatted ideally for a bit longer. 

Soon Lady Alya joined them, "Lady Kagami I see you have a fellow early riser too. Better be careful Lady Marinette she might get you into training." 

Lady Kagami beat her to the punch, "If we are going to help her be Queen she has more important things to worry about than training." But that gave Marinette an idea, one she must bring up with Adrien.

Soon Lady Chloe joined the table and the food was brought out. "Lady Marinette your dress is so simple." Marinette looked down. "I like it, it reminds me of the late Queens style. Though we should work on your look for your first appearance at court, later this week we'll have your ladies come by my room and my ladies and I will find the perfect compromise of your simple elegance with the dramatics required of court." She smiled. 

"Oh, thank you." She smiled as they started to eat. 

"Sooo" Alya began, "Did you meet him last night?" Marienttes face filled with blush. 

"Oh my look at her face! She so did! Did he spend the night?" Chloe giggled. 

"No he arrived too late for that and he had an early morning but we visited for a while. He's very sweet." She fidgeted and went back to eating. 

"Alright keep your secrets, it's the best way to survive in court anyway." Alya smiled. "Besides we need to ear your trust, just like you need to earn ours before we can become part of your Royal Ladies." Alya smiled. 

"My Royal Ladies?" Marinette was confused as to what that meant.

"Oh my, a peasant really don't learn anything about the court do they?" Chloe shook her head.

"Chloe that's unfair, Marinette was raised in a life we can't even imagine, she was played between her peasant parents and her noble grandparents, she is lucky she even had the training she doe, and that's only because Lady Dupain was her grandmother." Kagami scolded. 

"Oh, I hadn't realized you come from such a high family, your grandmother taught me." Chloe offered a smile. 

"She also taught me. She also encouraged me to fence, and that was part of what drew Adrien to choose me." She smiled. 

"She even gave me a few pointers on the differences in your court versus where I grew up." Alya smiled. "But anyway the Royal Ladies are the Queen's closest friends. They hold roles she appoints to them, often she and the King have a network of men and women who keep the court in line and protect them."

As the rest of breakfast continued those words played in Marinette's mind. She needed to make these girls more than just her friends but her Allies. So when after a wonderful visit with her parents and Adrien returned after winning the whole tournament as he promised, and they become "husband and wife" in a night that Marinette would never forget. She didn't know someone could feel that good. Three months when by and she'd taken classes from her grandmother being able to appear in court as a proper Lady. She kept her simple but elegant style but with Chloe's help While the court didn't know what to do with the peasant girl turned noble turned could be queen. But they could see that their Crowned Prince was in love with the girl and she was his favourite. She went to more dinners and balls than any other of his "wives". She also was well-loved by the peasant flok which they know would go a long way in the future. So they kept quiet waiting to see what this young girl would do.