Ever After - Ella Enchanted AU

Ever After - Bonus Chapter (4.5)

Adrien managed to make his way back to the carriage hidden behind the mall's back gate without having the unfortunate luck of running into anymore screaming girls with his face pinned to their chest. He crawled into the carriage and his father, being the aristocrat he was, merely told his son to straighten his vest without bothering to look up from his book. Adrien complied, his face downcast at his father's ever aloof behavior before the carriage lurched to life.

The countryside whizzed by outside his window once again and Adrien for once wasn't dwelling on the fact that today had been less than stellar in terms of appearances. There was one bright spot to coming to Frell, and her name was Marinette Dupain-Cheng. He leaned his head against the window edge, closing his eyes as the sun warmed his face, the image of her flickering to life on the inside of his eyelids.

Dark hair.

Blue bell eyes.

A determined look that made his heart skip a beat.

She didn't even care that she was talking to the future king, in fact she seemed to find it more of a nuisance than an honor like more people would. Then again, he had tackled her to the ground rather senselessly, so it was more his fault for giving a bad first impression than her lack of respect. She was honest, something he valued more than he could ever convey. Most people wanted to just keep him happy, some even willing to lie to do so, but she hadn't even bothered.

What makes you think that we'll see each other again?

Again, it was an honest statement. Sure, he had her name and could probably go track her down in the palace records to find out more about her - where she lived, what her parents did for a living, whether or not they paid their taxes on time or not, but it was a matter of status more than anything. He was the prince of the realm, only son and heir to the throne of Kyrria, which meant he had eyes on him at all times. Still, a small voice at the back of his mind urged him to see her again.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Adrien's brow crinkled in thought. He had heard that surname before but he couldn't place it. On a hunch, he dared to ask his father and his assistant. The prince leaned back in his chair and put on his well practiced bored look as he continued to stare out the window, not absorbing the landscape as much as he had during their first ride down. If he appeared to be too interested in the topic he was posing, his father would be suspicious, and the last thing he needed was him sending an armed battalion to go through Frell in search of a girl Adrien had met in passing.

"Father, who's the current lord of Frell?" Adrien asked as casually as possible.

From where he sat, King Gabriel let out a contempt sigh, as if he couldn't believe that his son couldn't remember the name of some obscure lord in some obscure territory of theirs. "Why do you ask."

"You said I should take an interest in governing. I assumed that knowing the names of the nobility within our kingdom would be a part of that since whatever I decree, they're the first people to be affected by it," Adrien answered flatly, hoping his excuse sounded genuine enough for his father despite having been made up on the fly.

King Gabriel stared his son down for a moment more before waving a hand at his assistant. "Natalie, what were the names of the noblemen in Frell?"

Adrien tried not to roll his eyes at the fact that his father didn't even know them but dared to think of his son as incompetent. Natalie quickly rifled through her papers before pulling out a specific one. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she read the names, "Lord Dupain and Lady Mendeleiev, recently married after the death of his first wife Lady Cheng."

Adrien's heart twisted in his chest. Her mother had died. He knew the pain of that more than anyone. Still, he couldn't help but feel a spark of hope rise up in him. Lord Dupain and Lady Cheng. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. It couldn't be a coincidence, could it?

King Gabriel must have saw a glimmer of emotion in his son's false countenance because he once again closed his book to give him a hawkish look, like he had zeroed in on a wily piece of prey. "Adrien," He asked flatly. "What's with the sudden interest in Frell."

Adrien stifled the urge to squirm in his seat like he often had done under his father's scrutinizing gaze. "Just a passing curiosity. I thought I remembered the name from the noblemen's convention."

He didn't know if his father was completely satisfied with his lie, but when he inclined to pick up his book once again and leave his son alone, Adrien let out a mental sigh of relief. He was in the clear and he finally had a starting point in terms of tracking her down again. But how would he manage to see her again? Sure, if she was a nobleman's daughter then that made things a little easier, but the pretense would be something hard to come by.

"Don't forget, Adrien," Natalie suddenly chirped from where she sat beside his father. She also didn't bother to look up from her papers as she filed through them quickly, no doubt trying to track down a copy of their all too busy schedules. "You have a fitting for your coronation this afternoon."

Adrien flinched at the realization of what Natalie had just said. She had just given him the solution to his problem without even realizing it. He was going to be crowned king, which meant that the nobility of the realm would be invited to his coronation ball followed by his real coronation the next day. Nobility meant the nobility of Frell which meant there was his in with seeing the enchanting Marinette.

Maybe there was a use for the hall of records after all.