Rich Mess ; Adrien vs. Felix

12 - His Princess Now

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Marinette's POV

"Marry me," Felix said.

I blinked a couple of times, processing the two words that came out of his mouth. His green eyes stared inside my blue ones deeply, patiently awaiting an answer.

When I didn't answer, he continued, "I had this whole cliché thing planned for you, I was going to fly us to South Africa and propose near the beach at sunset... But seeing you like this, in my arms before bed... I realized that I don't need you to wear a fancy dress, jewelry and makeup for me to ask you to be my wife. I just want you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

"You want me to... marry you?" I asked like a blithering idiot.

A small smirk appeared on his lips as he took out an emerald velvet box from the nightstand. He opened it, revealing one of the - scratch that, the most beautiful ring I've ever seen. It was a silver ring featuring a large, square-shaped diamond.

The gemstone's glimmer was nothing compared to the light inside Felix's eyes. Any type of hesitation left my body. I grabbed his jaw and kissed him. It was a tender kiss that made my chest burst with butterflies.

"Is that a yes?" He asked smugly after our kiss.

A small tears escaped my eyes as I nodded. "Yes, Felix. It's a yes."

He took the ring out of the box and put it around my finger. "You're my princess now, darling."

My bliss instantly vanished into thin air.

That nickname.

Felix took notice of my sudden change in demeanor and frowned. "Nothing's gonna change, Mari. It's just a stupid title. We'll just have to move to England and attend some ceremonies, and-"

"That's not a problem, Felix..." I cut him off. "It's just-" I scoffed and hid my face in my hands. I took a deep breath and tried to play it cool. "Adrien used to call me that... A lot."

"...Oh" He replied awkwardly. He slid his tongue inside his cheek and rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"I'm sorry, it's not even a big deal. Forget I mentioned it..." I let out, trying to diffuse the tension. God, fucking Agreste. Why does he have to ruin everything?

"It's alright... Let's just cuddle and go to sleep, yeah? Tomorrow is going to be a big day." Felix said.

And so we did.

(The next morning)

While Felix was in the shower, I decided to call Chloe and tell her the wedding news. I wanted to tell her first, partly because I felt bad about not telling her about Felix for so long.

Surprisingly, she was super happy for us. "That's amazing, Marinette!" She squealed. "You know, as long as he makes you happy, I'm going to support it despite our... families' past."

"Thanks, Chloe." I smiled. "He really does make me happy... But I'm kinda scared that this whole royalty thing is going to change things. I mean, it's certainly going to change our personal lives..."

"God, I still can't believe that Amelie got married into the royal family..." She blurted. "And you'll be a princess! How crazy is that!"

I sighed. "Maybe I still don't fully realize what it means... All I know is that I want to be happy, you know? A marriage shouldn't be complicated."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but as a politician, I must tell you... Becoming a member of the royal family is far from easy, and you'll have to be very strong emotionally. Especially considering the fact that the British people don't like Felix in the first place, since he's not a 'true royal'..."

"Yeah..." I exhaled, deep in thought.

"Anyways," Chloe squealed. "The sex must have been good last night, tell me the deets!"

"Ummmm, yeah about that, we still haven't-"

"Oh, sorry for assuming. He must have been tired after his flight, silly me."

"Actually..." I started, mentally slapping myself. "We've never... I mean it's nothing to worry about, right? I mean, for sure it's gonna happen eventually..." I explained, feeling my cheeks redden.

Chloe let out a dramatic gasp, followed by uncontrolled laughter. "Wait wait wait... So you guys are engaged but you've never slept together before?!"

"Chloe, I'm gonna fucking hang up-" I scolded, unamused.

"Hell yeah you are, you're gonna hang up, then you're gonna go to the wild wild west with him, understood? Love you!" She blurted before hanging up.

My jaw dropped at her words. I tossed my phone away and let myself free fall in bed exhaustedly.

Adrien's POV

Gabriel Agreste is dead. They say it was a heart attack.

His heart stopped beating last night, and so he just... stopped living.

Gabriel and I never had the easiest relationship: High expectations, bitter arguments, lack of communication... He was a careless husband who made my mother run away to another country. He was a greedy business man who made billions thanks to his creativity and intelligence. He was a narcissistic father who sculped me in his image.

Even if he beat me, abused me with his words, body shamed me... Even if I never heard a kind word coming out of his mouth, I am saddened by his death. After all, he was my father.

I'm sad, but I'm not crying. The tears won't come out, I feel numb. What is wrong with me? All I can think about is that I am now CEO of the Gabriel brand.

After an hour of staring at the ceiling, I decided to do paperwork and call my business contacts around the globe. Gabriel Agreste is dead, and I need to make sure that the company keeps functioning without him.

"Adrien..." I heard Kagami's sweet voice from the other side of the room.

I looked up and took off my glasses. "Yes?"

"I just heard... I'm so sorry..." She approached me and hugged me from behind my chair.

After a moment of silence, she let me go. "You should take a rest, did you eat something today?" She asked, worry plastered on her features.

I scoffed at her words. "The CEO of Gabriel Designs just died, I can't rest. So much paperwork needs to be done..." I stated emotionlessly.

"Your father died as well, Adrien..."

No fucking shit. "What do you want me to do, cry?" I asked, a little irritated.

"Well, if that's what you need, then yes!" She raised her voice.

I sighed and rubbed my temples tiredly. "What I need is to be left alone. I'm sorry..."

"It's okay..." She reassured me. "I'm going to the Grand Palace to meet with Marinette for my wedding dress, I'll cook something for you and leave it in the oven before leaving... Don't overwork and drink water, okay?"

Wedding. I'm getting married and my father won't be there.

"I love you," Kagami said at the door.

I stared at her for a few moments. "I... love you too." She left with a small smile.

Why am I lying to her?

Worse, why am I lying to myself?

It was Gabriel who wanted us to get together, he claimed that we were "a good pair". And I actually believed it for years.

But now, Gabriel is dead.

And I don't love Kagami.

-

Oh shit Adrien, it took you 12 chapters. You dense mf I hate you. But I'm gonna make your character grow, now <3

Okay, so Gabriel died because I think it's a great way to make Adrien realize that he doesn't really love Kagami: Death has a way to open people's eyes. Also, his character was kinda pointless in my story.

Aaaanyway, thoughts on this chapter? Vote?