The Marriage Law

Chapter 4- The Marriage Law

Adrien's POV

It's been a heckling couple of weeks. My father has booked me more photoshoots, but has shortened my photoshoot time, so I can get more time to myself and time with my father.

He has actually been speaking with me more, and not as protective, but whenever there is the slightest bit of news, he becomes more and more... not intimidated, more like oppressed that his only son and heir of his fashion brand will become chosen to be in a reaping for an arranged marriage and will be paired alongside someone who will not only interrupt the once lonely and undisturbed home, but become a disgrace to his name. Agreste.

We, just like everyone else in Paris, has just received new news about this 'law'. Apparently, they are supposed to be pinning the lists outside and inside buildings before emailing the participants, within the next two days. I'm not too stoked about it.

Marinette's POV

Love, marriage, arrangement. Why, why do I feel like I'm being punished and my consequence is being forced into an arranged marriage?

Marriage is supposed to be for couples who are devoted to each other, like my parents. Not for experiment. How is the mayor going to guarantee that this worthless plan will raise the population among Paris?

Alya, Nino, Nathaniel, Adrien, and I have been talking about the law, about how it'll benefit us, whether it'll actually gain new humans to gain back the population... that is if these 'couples' actually fall in love and do couple activities.

Nathaniel and I are on better terms, we don't have feelings for each other, I just recently found out he fell out of love when he betrayed me and hurt the one who loved him most, but is afraid of him. Keyword: loved.

He's asked me about Elise, how she is and what's she doing. I answer telling him she's doing good, I don't bring up the twins because he doesn't know, and I can't exactly tell him that she ran away to keep her children safe from their father. He's told me that he regrets everything he's ever done. Cheat on me, hurt her, force her to get rid of something, or someone who was going to make her happy. He said he's done a lot of thinking, if cheating on me to be with her, was it worth it? What would his life be if he never hurt her? If he didn't force her to miscarry his child, could they have been a family? Would he love his child? Would he have fallen in love with Elise because of her pregnancy? Would it have been better to break up with me to be with her instead to cheat? Would it have been better than we had only ever remained friends?

As Nathaniel was ranting to me about all of this, I could hear the hurt in his voice. It sounds like he really misses her, but I don't know, but one thing is for sure, if I was a fool for love, I would be encouraging for him to search for Elise, beg for forgiveness, to plead with her to enter couples therapy, have her take him back, but I'm not. There are different days where he's brought her up, and I'm not mad.

Nobody knows what happened to our relationship, or that he got another girl pregnant while with me. They see that we still hang out with each other, but our relationship is history, and that's it'll ever be. History.

I've spoken with my parents about The Marriage Law, they believe, just like I do, that marriage should be out of love, not out of enforcement. Sure they respect other countries that have arranged marriages, but we're in Paris.

Ironic, isn't it? Paris is the City of Love, and we're being enforced to marry another because we don't believe in love.

Right now I am with my parents listening to the latest news about this so called law, and the mayor just stated they are planning to pin the lists of participants of the law sometime in the next two days, apparently those list don't state who it is we're being partnered with. So if I wasn't already nervous about this thing, I am now.

-

I was on the rooftop facing the Eiffel tower now. I wasn't on Patrol, just needed to clear my mind. If not clear my mind, rant to myself about how I went from someone not worrying about something as stupid as love to.... being reaped for not believing in love. It's pathetic.

"hey M'lady," I heard a voice on my left. I didn't even have to turn around to know it was my partner Chat Noir.

"Hi Chat," I reply still looking out into the night.

"How've you been?" He asked.

"Not so well, I'm nervous about this whole law," I respond, "and yourself? How have you been holding up?"

"not terrible, but not great, I don't want to go through with this," He said seriously, I turn to look at him, and he's frowning.

"Same here, this whole law is just plain stupid, I guess I'm just waiting for him to become overwhelmed enough to become akumatized so we can talk him out of it, but it's been literally weeks, a month even, and nothing, I think he's serious about this," I deadpan.

"Do you think it'll ever become normal again? Us? The kids and teenagers? Will we ever have our freedom, as both heroes and civilians?" He asked.

"honestly Kitty, I don't know, if I thought Ladybug took my freedom then and the mayor doesn't become akumatized again, then there is simply nothing we can do but to comply with the mayor's commands," I whisper defeatedly, resting my head onto his shoulder.

"We haven't revealed our identities yet, but have you ever thought that maybe by chance, we'll be partnered to be wed as civilians without knowing it?" I smiled when he asked.

"I think I'd recognize my Kitten anywhere," I said sleepily. 

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{last update: Nov 23, 21'}

{new update: Dec 28, 21'}