Thorns of Roses

Chapter 54 - The Wall Between Us

*Marinette's POV*

Raindrops were falling uncontrollably as the day progressed, it seemed like the clouds didn't intend to put a stop to their sorrowful lament. The sound of the rain had the power to soothe the world around him, - washing every other noise away that attempted to disturb him.

Including the arrival of a certain someone.

Marinette, completely lost and captured in the valley of her broken world, couldn't notice that Félix was approaching her.

As if she was possessed by something, she was watching intently the lake's surface and the little waves the raindrops caused.

She jolted out of her numbness in a fraction of a second when she heard Félix's shouting.

"Marinette, watch out!"

Her head shot up, instantly turning to the sound's direction, only to see the source of her misery, the person who she didn't wish to see ever again.

He was standing right before the bridge, one of his hands was holding an umbrella, while the other was stretched out in her direction. She frowned when she looked at his face. His countenance reflected dread - as if he saw a ghost -, his eyes widened in horror.

It didn't take a moment for Mari to understand the reason behind it. Just as she was about to tell him to go away, something soft touched her arm out of nowhere. Glancing down at her arm, her heart skipped a beat.

An akuma.

She was touched by an akuma, without her notice, without any chance of fighting against it.

Millions of thoughts ran through her mind in a split second, saying how could this occur in the first place. How could she, despite being Ladybug, be so reckless to not acknowledge the danger that her negative emotions could hide, to give Hawkmoth the possibility to akumatize her?

..which didn't happen - to her biggest astonishment.

Suddenly, white - almost blinding -, lights radiated out of her whole being, as if a greater power surrounded her, protecting her like a shield. When the white gleaming reached the butterfly, it made the dark creature razed to the ground in a blink of an eye.

The akuma was destroyed.

Yet, she couldn't soothe her mind, her heart was still beating feverishly by the sudden rush of adrenaline that spread through her body in less than a second. Marinette could barely comprehend what just happened - or more precisely, what didn't happen, when she found herself in Félix's arms.

"Are you alright?!" his voice laced with concern as he cupped her face between both his hands - his umbrella falling to the ground in the process.

Forgetting everything at that moment, Mari was about to melt into his embrace, - yearning to feel his warmth -, when she remembered what she just heard an hour ago.

"He's pretending to care, just like all this time before." she thought, a wry grimace twitching her lips. She grabbed his hands and pulled them away slowly from her face as she took some steps aside.

"I'm fine. So you shall take your leave." she folded her arms to somewhat maintain her composure in front of him.

"What..What are you talking about?" the Prince asked in disbelief. "You are obviously not okay! You almost got akumatized, dammit!" he slicked back his hair, trying to soothe his mind, as he continued in a lower voice, "Please, tell me what happened, Marinette. You were supposed to stay in the library and wait for..."

"..for you?! For my devoted husband?!" the Princess interjected, spelling the word devoted while sarcasm plagued her voice. "I bet it would have been to your liking if I obey you once again."