Miraculous the tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir; Princess Justice

Chapter 10

The day following the toilet incident, Marinette walked up to her school to find Juleka, Alya and Luka waiting in front of the large doors to the building. She was going against her doctor's advice to stay at home for a couple of days, mostly because she wanted to reassure her friends that she was fine, and also partly to thank Juleka for her fast thinking and help. But the bluebell eyed youth couldn't help but notice the trio flinch at the sight of her. She knew she still looked a wreck, a bandage over her nose, and over the sight where a dozen stitches had been applied to her head. Her panda eyes had lessened to the point where she could cover them up successfully with her make up.

"I still think you should be taking the day off." Alya said sternly to her best friend as a greeting, with a hug.

"I miss enough school as is Alya." Marinette replied with a half giggle, trying to seem some what like her normal self, "What's the news Jules?"

"Lila only got suspended." Juleka answered, hardly daring to meet her friend's eyes, "Something to do with her mother being a high ranking Italian ambassador or diplomat."

"So the Principle is bowing down to authority and once again showing his corruption." Luka spat, "And he calls himself a local hero. He has no right to if he is willing to punish the innocent and basically give rewards or lesser punishments for the guilty when power is involved."

"Luka its ok," Marinette said softly, placing a hand on the tall boy's shoulder, "Lila is seeing some punishment this time. Besides, we shouldn't let our bad feelings get the better of us. It would make us targets for Hawk Moth."

"There goes Marinette," Alya said with a smile and a laugh, "always worrying about everyone else and the bigger picture before herself. It's almost likes she's Ladybug."

"What, me be Ladybug," Marinette exclaimed with fake shock as she played into Alya's joke, "you must be joking, I am too clumsy." Juleka joined in the laughter, but her brother couldn't find it in himself to.

"At least tell us its a long suspension." Luka demanded.

"Only a week." Juleka said with a sheepish look in her eye that wasn't covered by her long dark hair. Luka looked murderous.

"Well, would you look at the time," Alya said dramatically seeing this, flitting her eyes briefly at her watch, "classes are about to start. We all have to go. Bye." Alya then proceeded to push both Juleka and Marinette towards their homeroom.

Marinette was glad that it was mostly empty when they arrived. This meant she wasn't going to be stared at going to her seat. The only people that had beaten them were Nathaniel, Nino and Max. All didn't look up, since they were either sketching, checking homework or reading, respectively.

They took their new seats and before they could get their books out, Max had come over. Marinette pretended to be scanning her homework for errors.

"Marinette," Max said, a nervousness in his voice, as she turned to him because she couldn't ignore him when he used her name, "I just want to say I'm sorry for, you know, not believing you. Its just that..."

"Its ok Max," Marinette said warmly, "I don't blame you. I don't blame anyone. I have already forgiven everyone. I just blame Lila for being so good at telling stories. For saying what people want to hear and believe."

Max smiled and thanked her, then returned to his seat, not knowing what else to say. But Marinette soon found herself repeating the similar responses to the rest of her classmates before class started. But that didn't mean that she felt comfortable with them. The trust between her and her classmates had been broken, and she knew it would be hard to fix, despite the fact that she had done nothing wrong.

When Miss Bustier called her students to attention, Marinette couldn't help but notice a certain blonde model hadn't arrived for class. She scolded herself for falling into a habit she had promised herself that she would stop. But despite the internal scolding she couldn't help but wonder why.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Paris, said blonde model was stomping his way across a black and white marble floor in a barely controlled anger. He thundered up the stairs and slammed his bedroom door shut, his father's words echoing in his head.

"You are grounded," Gabriel had informed his son after Adrien had demanded that he not be required to model with Lila because of what she had done, "I will teach you respect, Adrien. You will not leave this house, except for photo shoots and fencing for a week."

"But she violently attacked one of my frie..." Adrien had protested hotly.

"Continue to defy me and it will be permanent." Gabriel had cut across his son's words. Adrien knew he was defeated at these words, and so glared at his father and then had turned and went to his room. 

"IT'S NOT FAIR!" Adrien roared, "Whenever I make a stand my father doesn't like he uses what I want against me. Does he not care about what I want at all?"

"I don't know what to say kid." Plagg answered, scared at Adrien's outburst.

Adrien didn't care that his father had grounded him, he usually escaped as Chat Noir when this happened. It was the fact that he couldn't see Marinette that he hated the most. That Luka would have more time to charm her. Then the second thing that bugged Adrien was that his father seemed to be siding with Lila. That made him sick.

He was brought out of his thoughts by Nino, who had texted him, asking why he wasn't in school. But as the boy began typing his long reply to his best friend, a floor below his father was smiling.

"Weren't you a little hard on Adrien, sir?" Nathalie asked her boss, as he stood by the window, an elegant statue as always.

"No, I have this perfectly planned." Gabriel responded without turning toward his assistant.

"Are you going to akumatize him?" she asked, wondering why the fashion designer sounded so pleased.

"No, but he will vent his emotions," Gabriel answered, showing how much he did understand his son and how he would react, "he'll tell his best friend everything, and it will make its way to Marinette."

"But why go to all that..."

"Because Marinette only gets angry when one her friends has been unjustly upset," Gabriel answered before Nathalie could finish her question, "With such unbridled righteousness, and anger she will be the creation that will be my closest to perfection yet."

"But she'll target you, sir." Nathalie stated with concern.

"I am sure that she will target Lila." Gabriel affirmed.

"But that could lose us an asset." the assistant said.

"She is an asset that we can a ford to lose. All I have to do is wait." Gabriel stated with a calculated coldness, that really deep down had Nathalie wondering if her master would cast her aside too, if one day he judged her usefulness to be gone.