Chapter Text
Marinette was always given a say in her life. It’s what Tom and Sabine had wanted for her from day one. Of course, she was never spoiled or gotten anything that she wanted, but if she thought that she was being treated unfairly or that there was something she seriously wanted to do with her life, then they would talk it over – even when she was struggling to form coherent sentences – and decide the best course of action.
And Marinette had always known her aunt. Sabine’s older sister, Annette Cheng, always known as “Aunty” and occasionally “The Lady I Was Named After.” Sometimes, “Other Mom.” They’d always remained close, and she could remember long phone calls with her aunt about anything and everything, ranging from what colors she wanted in the drawing she was going to mail her to a schoolyard bully that Annette offered to throw in the dungeons.
She just hadn’t always known what Annette’s job was. She figured it was something boring and not as fun as a job where you get the leftover cookies from the day, but by the time she was twelve it had never really been a concern to her.
It was one of the few Christmases where Annette could visit, and Marinette had been sent off to her room to fiddle with her brand new sewing machine so that adults could talk. After a few hours and seven needle pricks in her fingers, she had been called down into the kitchen where Annette was waiting for her.
She explained that she was a queen for a small country called Astrucia. It had been a small island that China had owned since what felt like forever, and it had mainly remained unforgotten. As the eldest sibling, she had been ruling Astrucia while her mother, who had resented her upbringing, moved to France, married Tom, and had her. Since she was ruling Astrucia, she had gotten married to a man named Howard, discovered that she was unable to bear children, and then presented with an illegitimate son that was not hers.
“The thing about Astrucia royalty is that the heir to the thrown must be of royal blood,” Annette explained, her parents sitting by quietly as Marinette absorbed everything. “I do not have any children of my own.”
“What about Ben?” Marinette asked.
Annette grimaced and Sabine choked on a laugh.
“Ben is…Ben is Howard’s son, but not my son,” she explained with difficulty. Marinette’s eyes widened, but she nodded anyway.
“So, Marinette, what Annette is asking you is…” Sabine took a deep breath, mouth pulled in tight, “And, sweetheart, you can say no if you don’t feel like you’re up to it. Throughout all of this, you have a choice. I want you to know that.”
Marinette nodded slowly, looking to Annette who held her hand softly, smiling at her. “Marinette, I would like to ask you to become princess of Astrucia, and later queen.”
Marinette’s mouth dropped open, and she said the only two words that made sense at that time.
“Shut. Up.”
Annette seemed startled while Sabine snorted and began to giggle, Tom grinning at his little girl.
“Sorry! I mean – h-how would I…? What would I have to do?”
“Lessons about foreign relations and politics mostly, possibly language lessons but most of the country picks up French anyway, although Mandarin wouldn’t hurt either,” she said with a shrug, leaning an elbow against the breakfast bar. Annette had always seemed so stylish to her, with pantsuits at perfect hair and simple yet elegant jewelry. “We could have summer lessons over webcams, you’d be ready to go by the time you’re eighteen.”
Marinette looked to her mother, who had smothered her laughs and was looking at her warmly, offering up all of her support with a single look. “Can I…can I still own my own fashion company?”
“Sweetheart, you can do anything you want to,” Sabine said with a smile, Annette and Tom smiling and nodding. “Nobody’s asking you to quit what you love.”
“The only thing being asked here is a lot of responsibility from you,” Tom added, “We have the utmost faith in you, and will support you in whatever you choose, but this is your decision. It’s your life.”
Marinette thought long and hard, taking a break from the conversation to watch the brand new sewing machine zip through all of the patterns she never could manage by hand. Running a country was a big deal. She was only twelve. But she would be older and have more wisdom by the time she would need to run the country.
So she stepped downstairs and agreed to become a princess. After all, eighteen was a long ways off, right?
“So we’ve got this month, then next month with the finals from hell, and then graduation!”
“Oh yeah, no sweat, not like there’s university as well, babe.”
“Oh come on, there’s a summer break in between, it’ll be fine!”
“Says you! Not all of us have our schools picked out, Alya!”
“Adrien, you have nothing to worry about, you can get in anywhere.”
“Uh, no he can’t, he’s got to go with me so we can be roommates. Right, bro?”
“Of course, naturally.”
“Marinette? Mari?”
Marinette blinked, looking up from her phone with red, glassy eyes, her friends stopping in their trek from the school to the park, blinking at her in surprise.
“Marinette, are you okay?” Alya asked, reaching forward and touching her gently, afraid that she’d break if she poked the wrong place. Nino looked on with worry, fidgeting with the chord on his headphones. And Adrien looked like he was ready to hug her, which she’d accept at any other time with glee, but for now.
“Uhh,” she sniffed, wiping at an eye with a shaky laugh, “My mom just texted and said she needs me home.”
Nino and Adrien glanced between each other with curiosity burning in their eyes.
Alya, however, looked concerned. “Do you think it’s about your aunt?”
She gave another shaky laugh and shrugged, “What else could it be?”
“Uhm, pardon if we’re being insensitive but…what’s wrong?” Adrien questioned, Nino grimacing and nodding.
Marinette took a deep breath to steel her nerves, “My aunt found out a year ago that she has cancer. The chemotherapy treatments were working, we thought, but she’s been getting weaker and…I’m worried that my mom texted me rather than said nothing.”
Nino nodded as Adrien pursed his lips, Alya rubbing her arms with comfort before giving a soft smile.
“How’s about we walk home with you? And if it’s bad, we’ll help you. Okay?”
Marinette bit her lower lip before nodding, accepting the hug from Alya and the comforting arm she kept around her shoulders on the walk home. As Marinette texted her mom that she was on her way with her friends, the three returned to their conversation about summer, although with more curious and worried glances thrown her way.
The three stopped when a limo was pulled up to the front of the bakery, Marinette clutching Alya’s arm as she felt her knees go weaker and her heart plummet into her stomach. Without asking, they helped her to the front door, where Tom was holding Sabine and three men in suits turned around to great them.
One was a nameless bodyguard, big and muscular with a black curled wire running up to his ear. He gave the four a nod before resuming his indifferent stance by the wall.
Another was Marinette’s “cousin” Benjamin Hawthorne, who straightened his suit and gave a winning grin to his cousin.
The third was Prince Ali, his head bowed after he made accidental eye contact with the four.
“What’s going on?” Alya asked, squeezing Marinette tighter in her worried confusion.
Sabine sighed, rubbing at her temples before giving a small grin, “Let’s all go upstairs, there’s more room to sit down.”
The entire group followed, Tom pausing downstairs to lock the doors and close the blinds on the windows before he too joined them. The bodyguard remained standing, everyone else taking a seat on the sectional or pulling up chairs to sit in.
“Is Annette alright?” Marinette asked at first, hands fisted in her lap as she felt Tikki press into her hip for comfort.
“Annette is…” Sabine faltered before sitting down on the side that Alya hadn’t taken, holding her hand and cupping her cheek, “Annette is getting worse, cupcake. The doctor’s keep saying any day now. She hasn’t been awake for a week.”
Marinette squeezed her eyes shut tightly, balling her hands into fists so tight that her knuckles turned white. After a few moments and Alya rubbing her back, she released a deep breath before turning to Ben. “What’s he doing here? And Prince Ali?”
Ben, who looked nothing like his aunt or any of Marinette’s family, grinned like a snake and stepped forward, “Astrucia has found itself with some high tensions from the Achu kingdom. To right any hurt feelings, we have agreed to allow them to have reign over part of Astrucia.”
“How could you do that?!” Marinette stood up in a flash, glaring at Ben as he stood there with his smug little grin and a tablet. “You are not the heir nor ruler of Astrucia, you don’t get to say that!” As an after thought, she turned to Prince Ali with a nervous smile, “Err, sorry.”
“I understand,” he nodded, a tight smile and his hands behind his back.
“The reason that Prince Ali will reign part of Astrucia is because we have agreed to an arranged marriage, which is entirely legal in his country,” Ben stated, that malicious little glint in his eyes growing brighter.
Marinette gaped at him, her mother, and her father before releasing an almighty screech, “What?!”
“Uhh…what does that have to do with Marinette?” Adrien asked with some hesitation.
“What does any of this have to do with Marinette?” Nino added.
“Didn’t she tell you?” Ben asked as Marinette’s teeth gritted and grinded together. “Marinette’s a princess!”
After a long, silent pause, Alya finally broke the silence. “Explain.”
Marinette sighed, sitting back down on the couch, rubbing her face tiredly. “My aunt Annette is queen of a small country called Astrucia, it’s mainly forgotten by pretty much everyone, everywhere. The heir to the throne must be of royal blood, and seeing as I am the only one aside from Maman, I have been a princess since I was twelve.”
“THAT’S THE KIND OF SHIT YOU TELL YOUR BEST FRIEND, GIRL,” Alya shouted before Nino clamped his hand over her mouth.
“We’re supportive and understand your secrecy,” he insisted loudly, trying to drown out her muffled yelling.
“That’s…pretty big,” Adrien agreed before frowning up at Ali, “What about Rose?”
Ali grimaced, looking down at his toes. “Rose…we had to split up. She’s unhappy, but understands….”
Marinette frowned as Alya tried to calm herself. “And you want Ali and I…?”
“In order to avoid a war, yes,” Ben answered, still with that smug grin.
“Marinette, we’ve always told you throughout all of this that you have a choice,” Tom spoke up, “And this is more than we’ve ever even thought of.”
“Arranged marriage is highly illegal in Astrucia, but that doesn’t mean it still doesn’t happen,” Sabine insisted, “If you went through with this, you would have to pretend that you had dated for a while before deciding upon marriage.”
“But nothing will happen if Annette wakes up,” Marinette murmured.
“Marinette…I think we need to start thinking that Annette might never wake up,” Sabine whispered, wrapping her arms around her daughter tightly as she took deep breaths to keep from breaking down. Alya, having calmed down again, merely watched on with concern like Nino and Adrien.
“Well, Marinette, if it’s too much for you, we can always –“ Ben began before she raised a hand to stop him.
“I’ll do it,” she sighed, “It’s what Annette wanted. I’m going to do it.”
Ben pursed his lips before grinning, “Great! You’ll be married before the summer begins.”
“So while I’m in school, lovely,” she muttered with a growl as Ali straightened his tie.
“We can, ah, discuss the arrangements later, get to know each other properly,” he said, wondering whether to shake her hand or not. “You need time to process this.”
“We need time to process this,” Alya grumbled, Nino and Adrien shooting her a glare.
“Of course!” Ben insisted, that saccharine grin condescending them. “Take your time. Although, I’ve got several appointments already lined up in the next two weeks.”
“Ben, get out,” Sabine growled, holding Marinette tightly and rubbing her back.
“Of course, Aunt Sabine, Uncle Tom, dear Marinette and…friends,” he sniffed before turning on his heel and escorting Prince Ali out, “Come then, we’ll settle the treaty papers as soon as possible.”
Once they and the bodyguard exited, Alya got out her phone and began furiously typing.
“Astrucia – founded by some guy name Thomas Astruc, been a Chinese territory ever since,” she spoke, mainly to Adrien and Nino who were listening intently. “Often forgotten for how small it is, it’s stayed out of numerous wars, only ever having civil disputes. It is currently having issues with the Achu kingdom, and diplomats are converging to try to make peace.”
“Current queen is Annette Cheng,” Nino spoke as he tapped on her page.
“Annette Cheng is the eldest of two siblings, Sabine Cheng and Marius Cheng.” They paused, looking to the family, where Tom offered a photo from his phone of Marius – who was now known as Celia Cheng. They continued on. “Annette discovered early in her reign, after her marriage to Howard Hawthorne, that she was unable to bear children. After Howard’s affair with Astrucian actress Sybella Bona…Bonafici? – after his affair, Benjamin Hawthorne was born. However, Benjamin is not of the royal bloodline so he is ineligible to become heir. Annette’s niece and Sabine’s daughter, Marinette, has been declared the princess and heir to the throne.”
“And now she’s agreed to an arranged marriage,” Nino supplied, the three turning to watch Marinette begin to break down in her mother’s arms.