Chapter Text
Marinette looked around with wide eyes as Élysée Palace came into view. The cart they were travelling in juddered against the cobbled road, but she paid it no heed. The palace was so magnificent; she couldn’t tear her eyes away from it. White stone, black iron gates, and golden gilding surrounding each and every window. She had lived in Paris her whole life, yet she had never come to the Champs-Élysées. She and her family were poor: they had no reason to ever stroll around in the eighth arrondissement. But now they would be living here all the time.
Marinette tore her eyes away from the palace to smile at her parents who were sat in the cart with her, their luggage piled up between them. She was so proud of them. They had owned a small bakery on the outskirts of Cour des Miracles, and by some stroke of luck, King Gabriel had happened upon her father’s wonderful pastries on an obligatory visit to the slums and he had hired them on the spot. Now, Marinette’s parents were going to be the King’s royal bakers, and they would all live in the palace.
She knew they would be living in the servant’s quarters; it wasn’t going to be as grand as pretty as the rest of the interior of the palace surely was, but she still couldn’t contain her excitement. King Gabriel had also hired her as a maid for his ward, Lady Chloé, so although her parents would spend most of their time in the basement, in the palace kitchens, Marinette would be above ground, serving in the palace apartments, and she was ecstatic.
Sabine chuckled when she saw the big grin stretched across her daughter’s face. ‘Are you really that excited?’
Marinette nodded. She loved the royal family. The one day a year when King Gabriel and Queen Emilie visited the Cour des Miracles was the best day in her opinion. She had been absolutely heartbroken, along with the rest of France, when Queen Emilie had died suddenly last year. She hadn’t been able to believe it. She had been such a wonderful lady. Marinette had always dreamed of her walking into their bakery. And even though they were going to be living in the palace now, Marinette would never get to serve Queen Emilie. It had always been her dream to do that; it still was, even though she was now seventeen. But hopefully she could take pleasure in serving Lady Chloé in replace of her.
‘Don’t forget you won’t be sharing a room with us,’ her father said and Marinette practically bounced on her wooden seat with joy. Their bakery had been small and they all had to live in one room together. They were being provided with two rooms in the servant’s quarters. Sabine and Tom would be sharing one, and Marinette would be in the other, sharing with another maid called Alya. It wouldn’t be her own room, but she was certain it would be more spacious than their bakery in the Cour des Miracles. And she would get to sleep in an actual bed! It was going to be amazing.
The cart continued its journey, passing by the front of the palace and going round to the back. The horse pulling the cart stopped at a small courtyard that was fenced off, but there were a few people stood around, all of them wearing palace uniforms. They were a mixture of maids, footmen, cooks, and guards stood around, all on their break, but one of the footmen stood up when he saw the cart. He was dressed in a smart black uniform and he had bright red hair. He smiled as he opened the gate into the courtyard.
‘Are you the Dupain-Chengs?’ he asked.
‘We are,’ Tom said as he clambered out of the cart.
‘I’m Nathaniel,’ the footman said.
‘I’m Tom, and this is my wife, Sabine,’ the baker said as he helped his wife out of the cart. ‘And this is my daughter, Marinette.’
Marinette smiled at the boy and his cheeks coloured up pink.
‘D-do you need some help getting out?’ he asked, holding out his hand, his eyes not quite meetings hers.
‘No, it’s okay.’ Marinette jumped down from the cart. She leant back into the cart and grabbed her small suitcase, and her parents did the same. They didn’t have very many belongings, but they had earned a little money from the sale of their tiny bakery, and they could hopefully earn even more working for the King. Marinette loved making clothes when she could afford to buy the material and could find a sewing machine to use. She would definitely be saving up for a sewing machine of her own whilst she worked here.
‘Err… if you w-want to follow me,’ Nathaniel stammered as he led the family of three through the courtyard and into the servant’s entrance. They descended some stairs, and at the bottom, it opened up into a dining room for the servants. It was basic, just a large wooden table with wooden chairs surrounding it, but it was well lit with candles despite being in the basement of the palace. It was nice.
‘The kitchen is that way.’ Nathaniel pointed to an open doorway where they could hear pans clanking together and faint chatter. ‘The stairs to the palace are through there, too. And this way is all of the bedrooms.’
They followed Nathaniel down a corridor leading off from the dining room. It was lined with doors, all with little golden ornaments attached to identify each of them. ‘Tom and Sabine, you’ll be in the room with the candelabra on, and M-Marinette, you’ll be in the room with the golden rose on the door.’
The family smiled at him in thanks, then they shuffled down the corridor together. The door with the golden candelabra was five doors down, but the door with the golden rose on it was right at the end of the corridor.
‘Will you be okay all the way down there?’ Sabine asked, biting her bottom lip.
‘I’ll be fine, Mama,’ Marinette said with a smile. ‘There’s only ten rooms between us.’
Tom wrapped an arm around his wife’s shoulders. ‘Mari’s seventeen. She’ll be fine.’
‘Thanks, Papa.’ She kissed both of her parents on the cheek, then went into her room.
As predicted, there were two beds inside. They were pushed up against the far wall, each with a bedside cabinet next to it. There was also a chest of drawers pushed up against the wall opposite the beds. It had a few trinkets on it, along with a vase of dried lavender. The bed nearest the door was obviously taken, going off the wrinkled sheets and the nightgown lying on the pillow, so Marinette went over to the other bed. She put her suitcase on the floor, then sat down on the bed, bouncing up and down a few times to see how comfy it was. Oh, and it was. It was probably the comfiest thing she had ever sat on. She led back with a sigh and shut her eyes, but her reverie didn’t last long.
‘You enjoying yourself down there?’
Marinette sat up with a shriek and the girl who was stood by her bed shrieked as well, dropping the clothes she was holding.
‘I’m so sorry!’ Marinette said, quickly retrieving the clothes from the floor and handing them to the girl. She must have been so relaxed on the bed that she didn’t hear her come in. But the girl looked friendly. She had long brown hair and a pair of glasses were perched on her nose. She was wearing a long black dress with a white apron tied around her waist, and a small white cap was on her head: she was a palace maid.
‘It’s fine, girl. Don’t worry about it. It’s actually your uniform.’
Marinette looked at the clothes in her hands, realising they were the same as what the other girl was wearing. ‘Oh. Thank you for bringing them to me.’
‘It’s no problem. I’m Alya, by the way. I’ll be sharing this room with you. I see you found the correct bed?’
Marinette smiled. ‘Yes. Thank you for letting me share with you.’
Alya grinned and sat on her own bed. ‘Don’t worry about it. It makes sense really. My mum’s the head chef here, so she’ll be working with your parents, and we’re both maids for Lady Chloé. This room has just been me on my own for so long. It’ll be nice to have some company.’
‘Is Lady Chloé nice?’ Marinette asked, hoping she would be as kind as she imagined Queen Emilie had been.
But Alya shook her head. ‘She’s incredibly cruel and horrible. And believe me, I would normally say something to people like her, but she’s the King’s ward. I’d get fired if I said anything.’ She sighed, then continued, ‘anyway, get changed. I need to show you around the palace. Meet me in the kitchen when you’re done.’
Alya stood up from the bed and left the room, then Marinette got changed into her uniform. It was a little too big on her, so she tied the apron a little tighter, hoping it made the dress look a little less baggy on her body. When she saved up for her sewing machine, she could take in the seams properly.
Once she had placed the cap on her head, Marinette left the room and went into the kitchen. It was a lot quieter in here now, one of the maids cleaning up as Alya spoke to them.
‘Oh, there you are,’ Alya said with a smile. ‘Marinette, this is Mylène.’
The other maid glanced up at Marinette and offered her a shy smile before returning to her work.
‘She’s a little quiet, but she’s friendly once you get to know her,’ Alya whispered, then she grabbed Marinette’s wrist. ‘Anyway, let’s go to the palace!’
Marinette giggled as she let Alya drag her up the set of stairs in the kitchen. They were made of marble, much grander than the simple stone steps that had led from outside and down into the servant’s quarters. But when they reached the top of the stairs, that’s when Marinette became really impressed, and she let out a quiet gasp.
‘It’s magnificent…’ she whispered. All of the walls were white, gold painted on the borders of each panel, and on the parts that weren’t covered in portraits or tapestries; there were mirrors or windows. They both illuminated every room they went in to, making them seem larger and brighter. The inside of the palace was more beautiful than she could ever have imagined.
She dawdled beside Alya as the other girl showed her around, pointing out the throne room, the dining hall, the ballroom, the entrance to the gardens, the library, but Marinette was paying only the smallest amount of attention. She was so taken with the beauty of the palace that she could barely concentrate.
They ascended another set of marble stairs and the hallway went both left and right. ‘You won’t ever need to go to the right,’ Alya said. ‘Everything that way is King Gabriel’s quarters. Come on.’
The two girls went to the left, and once they had gone through a set of double doors, the hallway branched off again. ‘To the left is the prince’s quarters. You won’t need to go there either. Lady Chloé’s chambers are this way.’
Marinette followed Alya, and after walking through another set of double doors, they came to a sitting room of sorts. It had several chaise lounges in it, along with a tea trolley.
‘This is Lady Chloé’s receiving room, and those three doors lead to her bathroom, the middle one is her bedroom, and then the one on the right is her closet,’ Alya said, pointing to each one as she did.
Marinette nodded as she stepped into the receiving room a little further. It was like the rest of the palace: white walls, high ceilings, and golden gilding. It was just as magnificent as everywhere else she’d seen in here so far.
‘Alya!’ a voice screeched from inside the bedroom and Alya sighed.
‘And that will be Lady Chloé. You can explore some more since you don’t actually start work until tomorrow. Just don’t go into either the prince’s quarters or the king’s, and I’ll come and find you later.’
Marinette nodded with a smile and she left Lady Chloé’s receiving room; now back in one of the palace’s corridors. It still took her breath away. Everything was so intricate. She stepped closer to one of the walls and let one of her fingers trace over the detailed ridges. Maybe, when she finally got her sewing machine, she could create a dress with a similar pattern to go on the bodice.
‘Are you lost?’
Marinette twirled around to face where the voice had come from, but she immediately regretted it when she bumped into them. She squeaked as she felt herself fall backwards, but the person she had turned around into put their hands on her waist to steady her.
‘I’m so sorry!’ Marinette said, holding onto the person’s forearms, but she stared at the floor, too embarrassed to look up.
‘It’s okay. You’re not hurt, are you?’
She shook her head, still clinging to the stranger. ‘I’m fine. Thank you for helping me. I’ll just go…’ Marinette attempted to leave, but the man still held around the waist.
‘I need to make sure you’re not hurt. Look at me please,’ he whispered, his voice so soft, and Marinette couldn’t help but oblige him.
The man was about her age, maybe ever so slightly older, with blond hair and amazing green eyes. They shone in the sunlight that came in through the large windows, brown and golden flecks highlighted in the irises. His smile was kind and Marinette tightened her grip on the man’s forearms as she felt herself blushing. He was incredibly good looking. Marinette only hoped he was as nice as he looked.
The man removed one of his hands from Marinette’s waist and cupped her cheek with it, gently caressing just underneath her eye. ‘Are you sure you’re okay?’
‘I-I’m not o-okay,’ she stuttered, finding it hard to concentrate.
His eyes widened in concern and he stepped closer to her. ‘You’re not okay?!’
Marinette shook her head then. ‘No, I’m fine. I promise, I’m fine. I-I just got my words mixed up. Sorry.’
He smiled again. ‘You don’t need to apologise for that. It happens to everyone. What’s your name? If you don’t mind me asking.’
‘Marinette,’ she said with a smile. ‘I’m a maid, but I only arrived earlier today. Tomorrow’s my first official day. Alya was showing me around, but she had to tend to Lady Chloé.’
The man grimaced. ‘Will you be working for Chloé, too?’
Marinette nodded.
‘I feel sorry for you,’ he said.
‘Is she really as bad as everyone says she is?’
‘No. She’s much worse.’
Marinette still smiled. ‘I guess I’ll see tomorrow. What’s your name?’
He returned her smile. ‘Adrien,’ he said, his thumb still caressing the skin beneath Marinette’s eye. This girl was gorgeous. He couldn’t bear to tear himself away from her. But if his father or Nathalie saw him… He sighed and took a step back, reluctantly separating himself from Marinette. He wasn’t really supposed to talk to any of the servants, but he did anyway. He should really consider stopping soon: he didn’t want his father to fire anyone for talking to him. But when he had seen the beautiful maid wandering around, daydreaming, he hadn’t been able to resist going to talk to her. She fascinated him. He wasn’t sure why, though. He’d been around plenty of girls before. He’d grown up with Chloé, and he was friends with the majority of the female staff at the palace. Maybe it was because Marinette didn’t seem to know who he was? Or maybe she was just really good at hiding it. Either way, her shy kindness and beauty intrigued him.
‘Did Alya show you around the palace then?’
‘Err, yes, but I wasn’t really paying any attention. I couldn’t stop looking at the decor. This place is so gorgeous.’
Adrien smiled and took Marinette’s hand in his. He would have to be extra careful not to let his father of Nathalie see them together, but he knew their schedules. He was certain they could avoid them.
‘Would you like me to show you around some more?’ he asked. ‘I’ve been at the palace longer than Alya. I’m sure I could show you a few secrets.’
Marinette smiled at Adrien and squeezed his hand. ‘O-okay.’
Adrien grinned and he took off, pulling Marinette behind him, both of the teenagers laughing as they jogged through the palace corridors. He led them downstairs, to the library, which was fortunately empty. It was massive room, and the floor to ceiling bookcases made the room seem darker than the rest of the rooms in the palace, but it made the room feel cosier. Coupled with the crackling fire needed to warm the drafty room through and the smell of old books, it was Adrien’s favourite room in the palace.
Marinette glanced around with wide eyes. She had never been in a library before. There wasn’t one in the Cour des Miracles, and even if there had been, she would have no need to go inside. She couldn’t read or write. But she could appreciate the beauty of the room. She stepped forwards, Adrien’s hand slipping out of hers, and she walked down the length of one of the bookcases. They tomes were all leather bound and gold leaf picked out the titles on their spines. The edge of each shelf had been engraved with Gallic roosters and leaves, and she dragged her finger across the edge, feeling all of the smooth bumps and grooves.
Adrien stayed stood where Marinette had left him, watching her carefully. Her hands were small, tiny even, in comparison to the size of the bookcase she was touching and the books upon it. The rest of her was small and lithe, too, and even though Adrien was certain they were of a similar age, she was a lot smaller than him, only just coming up to his shoulders. Teamed with her high voice, wide eyes, and gorgeous face, Marinette was a sight to behold indeed.
The maid shivered and Adrien was upon her within a moment, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. ‘Sorry, it can get a little drafty in here because it’s so big. Let me show you somewhere else.’
Adrien quickly glanced behind them, checking that neither Nathalie or his father were in the library doorway, then he led Marinette further into the library where the fireplace was. Instead of sitting down in front of it, though, he kept going, approaching a door to the right of the mantelpiece. He let go of Marinette for a second, and then he took a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door, revealing a set of stone stairs. He put the key back in his pants and held out a hand to Marinette. ‘Do you trust me?’
She stared at him for a moment. Growing up in the Cour des Miracles had made her wary, but they were in the Champs-Élysées now. And Adrien had done nor said anything to make him seem dishonest. With a smile, she placed her hand in his and let him lead her down the steps.
They came out into a small sitting room. There was only room for a settee, a small bookcase, and a lit fire, but it was cosy and warm.
‘What is this place?’
Adrien smiled. ‘I’m not really sure. But my mother and I used to come here all the time. I still come here, on my own now. Generally more of to hide than anything else.’
‘Hide?’
The blond bit his lip. Marinette genuinely didn’t seem to know he was the prince, and he’d rather keep it that way. ‘Just from jobs and stuff. Doesn’t everyone do it?’
Marinette smiled. ‘I guess. How come you don’t come here with your mother anymore?’
Adrien glanced down at the floor. ‘She died. About a year ago now.’
‘Oh, Adrien, I’m so sorry… If I had known-’
He looked back up with a smile. ‘It’s fine. You weren’t to know. Come on, let’s get you warmed up.’ He took a step forwards, but Marinette didn’t move.
‘Are you sure we should be here? I don’t want you to feel like I’m encroaching on your mother’s memory.’
Adrien squeezed her hand. ‘You’re not. I wouldn’t have brought you here if I felt like that. Besides, I think she would have liked you.’
Marinette smiled and allowed Adrien to lead her into the room. They sat in front of the fireplace together, and once she was comfortable on the rug, Marinette turned to Adrien.
‘Tell me about your mother? What was she like?’
Adrien looked into the flames of the crinkling fire. ‘Kind. Really kind. Selfless. Caring. She was super beautiful, too. I have the same eyes as her.’
Marinette smiled, remembering how Adrien’s eyes had looked when the sun had been shining in the hallway outside of Lady Chloé’s quarters. They looked just as gorgeous now, shining in the firelight. ‘Your eyes are beautiful,’ she whispered.
The blond looked back at Marinette then. Her eyes were the colour of the bluebells that the royal gardeners grew in the spring, but around the centre, the irises were darker, tiny spots of black and navy decorating it. ‘So are yours,’ he whispered back, a small smile on his face. His smile grew as he watched a pink blush cover Marinette’s cheeks. He opened his mouth, about to tell her how pretty her blush was, too, but he heard a shout from inside the library.
‘Adrien?’
It was Nathalie. She didn’t know where he was, but if they stayed here much longer, then she’d find them for sure. He stood up quickly and Marinette looked up at him.
‘Are you okay?’
‘Yeah. I just remembered that I had something to do. I’ll leave the door to this room unlocked, though, so you can back anytime you want to hide from Chloé. You can stay here for a bit longer if you like.’
Marinette shook her head and got up, too. ‘No, it’s fine. I should probably go and find my parents in the kitchens. I’ll come up with you.’
Adrien smiled at her, not knowing what else to say to make her stay down here for a little longer. He went up the stairs, Marinette following, but he tried to walk slowly. He could hear someone wandering around beyond the door. If Nathalie saw he’d been alone in a room with a girl, especially one who was a maid, then Marinette would be fired on the spot, and he would be severely punished.
But he had no choice now. They reached the top of the steps and Adrien pushed open the door, and to his relief, he saw Alya wandering in and out between the shelves, looking for something. Nathalie must have come in and briefly looked for him before leaving. It was Alya who he had heard wandering around.
‘Are you sure you’re okay?’ Marinette asked as she shut the door behind them.
‘Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry, I just get unnecessarily jumpy sometimes,’ Adrien said with a light laugh. ‘Anyway, will I get to see you tomorrow?’
Marinette blushed again. ‘Maybe? I don’t know. You never told me what your job at the palace was.’
‘Marinette?’
Adrien sighed in relief as the sound of Alya’s voice. He really didn’t want to tell Marinette that he wasn’t a servant, too. He supposed he could have lied to her, but he didn’t want to hurt her.
Marinette smiled at the other maid as she approached them. ‘Alya! Is everything okay?’
‘Yeah, I just came to look for you.’ Alya glanced at Adrien. ‘Why were you with-’
‘Adrien.’
The blond boy held back the yelp that wanted to escape his throat as he turned to face Nathalie. How did she keep her footsteps so quiet?! His father’s advisor was sure to give him a heart attack one day with how silent she was.
‘Hi, Nathalie,’ he said, trying to cover up how shaken he felt.
‘Your father wanted to speak with you.’ She looked over at Alya and Marinette then. ‘What are you doing in here, Alya?’
‘Oh! Erm… Lady Chloé wanted me to fetch her a book, so I brought the new maid, Marinette, with me, to show her around the library. She starts tomorrow. Her parents are the new head bakers.’
Nathalie nodded. ‘I see.’ She looked between the three teenagers, eyes slightly narrowed, and Adrien grimaced: Nathalie was definitely suspicious. ‘Come along, Adrien.’
He nodded and followed Nathalie out of the library without looking back at Marinette. He had wanted to smile and wave at her, shout that he’d find her tomorrow, but that would have definitely made Nathalie suspicious. Instead, he kept his head down, bracing himself for whatever his father wanted from him next.
Marinette frowned as she watched Adrien go. He had seemed so much happier earlier. What had happened?
‘Girl,’ Alya said with gritted teeth. ‘What on earth do you think you were doing hanging out with the prince?!’
Marinette took a moment to process what Alya said, then she gasped. How could she have been so stupid? Of course, he was the prince! Prince Adrien! He’d never visited Cour des Miracles before, but Marinette had seen official portraits of him and oh, god, why hadn’t she realised sooner?! His green eyes from his mum, the fact that she was dead, that he knew his way around the palace better than Alya. She was an idiot. ‘I-I didn’t know… I bumped into him by accident and…’
Alya sighed and rubbed a hand down Marinette’s arm. ‘It’s fine. Just… his dad, the king, isn’t fond of Adrien talking to servants.’
‘Oh.’
Alya bit her lip. She had been friends with Adrien ever since she and her mother had begun working in the palace five years ago. He hadn’t quite been the same since his mother died, but during the brief exchange she had seen between Marinette and him, it reminded Alya of how Adrien used to be. He was always so happy, like the ball of sunshine his mother used to call him. She should really do more to discourage Marinette from talking to him, but if she made the prince happy… ‘Adrien really seems to like you, though. Just make sure that Nathalie or the king don’t see you talking to him.’
Marinette nodded with a smile. ‘Okay. I’m going to go and see my parents. I’ll see you later.’ She left the library, thankfully remembering the way back to the stairs that led down into the kitchens.
As soon as she began descending the stairs, the smell of food and the sound of shouting hit her. When she got further down, she saw who she presumed to be Alya’s mum, wearing a white chef’s outfit, shouting instructions to the other cooks, and Marinette’s parents were stood off to one side, slowly and quietly mixing together cake batter together.
Marinette dodged between the other chefs, then perched on the counter by her parents. ‘Hey,’ she said, and her parents looked up with bright smiles.
‘Marinette!’ her mum exclaimed. ‘Did you have a good day?’
‘Yeah. Alya, the girl I’m sharing a room with, showed me around the palace. And I met someone else, too,’ she said with a smile, hoping the steam from the nearby stove would mask her blush.
‘It sounds good, sweetie,’ her dad said. ‘Why don’t you head to bed? It’s only going to get busier in here as it gets nearer to dinnertime and you’ll need your rest for tomorrow.’
‘Okay,’ Marinette hopped off the counter and kissed both of her parents on the cheek before she navigated her way back to her room.
It was how she left it, her simple cloth dress laid out on the bed from when she had changed before and her suitcase on the floor. She put it on the bed now and opened it up, unpacking her few belongings and putting them away in the dresser before changing her maid uniform for her simple nightgown.
She got into bed then, sighing in happiness at how soft the bed was. After sleeping for only one night on it, she was certain she wouldn’t be able to sleep on the floor again.
She snuggled under the sheets and closed her eyes, and as soon as she did, she was greeted with an image of Adrien, smiling at her, golden flecks in his eyes, his arms around her waist. She’d heard what Alya had said, and now that she knew Adrien was the crown prince of France, they couldn’t be together. She sighed into her pillow. It was unfair, but she wouldn’t pursue anything with him, even though she was already smitten.