Chapter 2

[Disclaimer] I'm using google translate for any French I don't know so I apologise if anything is wrong.

---

The kitchen was as crowded as she'd expected it to be; filled with chefs and maids rushing to prep for the evening ball. There were even a few guards there using the opportunity to snag a few bread rolls or eclairs when they could; the only other chance they'd get to eat was after the ball and that would last hours.

The colourful palettes of food intrigued her. They'd even had the decency to prepare a few Chinese snacks like dumplings and green bean cakes. The unmistakable sound of her stomach grumbling for food caught her attention. She looked around meekly hoping no one had heard, but someone had.

A deep laugh managed to escape the noise in the room as a guard sat up from the stool he was sitting on and made his way over.

"Adorable!" he chuckled.

Marinette flushed. How embarrassing.

He plucked a cheese roll out of a nearby tray and handed it to her.

Marinette smiled but froze as the bread touched her lips.

The guard's eyebrow lifted, confusion written on his face.

She lifted the roll to her nose and sniffed it then went on to inspect the crust. With a satisfied nod, she popped the cheesy carb into her mouth and hummed in delight before swallowing.

The guard watched her curiously.

As she licked the last few crumbs off her fingers, she looked back up to see him watching her.

She flushed under his gaze. "Ah-um I was checking for poison."

He nodded.

She watched as his soft dark hair moved along with his neck motions to only flop when he stopped moving his head. On a closer inspection, he was rather quite handsome. His eyes sparkled resembling an ocean and his skin was only slightly tanned. His years of training had done well for his figure. She wondered if he was as strong as he looked.

"I almost forgot my manners." he bowed and came back up with a smirk. "I am Richard Grayson, but most people call me Dick. I'm sure you've met my younger brother by now, Damian."

That guy was his brother? Mr I-never-smile-and-glare-at-people-all-day was his brother?

The corners of her lips lifted up as she plastered a smile on her face covering up the grimace threatening to reveal itself. "Nice to meet you Sir Di--"

Her voice was muffled as a hand shot out from next to her and covered her mouth. Her maid shot a glare towards him before removing her hand just as quickly.

"I don't think your maid likes my name very much." Marinette's eyebrows furrowed slightly as she worried that he'd been offended. But her worries were refuted when he laughed it off and the tension that had managed to worm it's way into her heart broke as she sighed in relief.

"It's okay, it happens a lot. You can just call me Grayson."

"Well, it's nice to meet you Sir Grayson."

"Likewise." he responded.

He turned his attention to the maid indirectly asking for her name. She glared back at him.

"We call her Kiwi."

"Kiwi?" his eyebrow lifted up, "Strange name."

"It's not her real name, it's a nickname."

He opened his mouth wanting to ask but reconsidered and shut it.

Kiwi. She remembered when they'd named her that. It was the same day they'd found her outside the castle walls at night freezing to death. The same night the royal treasury had been broken into.

~A Few Months Ago~

The heavy thud of metal was heard as guards searched the area for the bandits who'd managed to make their way into the treasury undetected before a maid noticed and called for help. Luckily for them, nothing had been stolen but it was obvious they'd been looking for something.

A loud huff was heard as a guard kicked at the stone littering the floor. There was no point looking anymore, they would've escaped by now. The main thing was that no one was injured. He trudged along the stone path picking at the uneven twigs sticking out of the hedges. He stopped as his foot hit something and he backed up.

He narrowed his eyes attempting to focus on the figure in front if him. Was it a dead animal? He picked up a nearby fallen branch and gently prodded it. When it moved, he took a step back.

But when it muttered something, he took a closer look. Was that a girl?

"Hey I found something!" he called.

The sound of rushing feet was heard as a few other guards made there way towards him.

----

"She's waking up."

Her eyes slowly fluttered open adjusting to the light before they went wide and she shot up.

"Hey, it's okay hun." A smooth voice relaxed her and she looked around.

She seemed to be in a room.

The undeniable smell of food reached her nose making her salivate.

A bun and a bowl of soup was placed in front of her and she began to eat.

"Why were you outside? Do you remember?" the woman asked.

She muttered the words she'd been ordered to say, "They killed my family and held me captive but I managed to escape."

The maids shared uneasy looks.

"Do you remember your name?"

She shook her head.

The woman sighed but then smiled and held up two pieces of fruit.

"Which one do you want?" she asked.

She pointed towards the Kiwi.

~Present~

"So Princess." he piped up, "Your dress is lovely, but aren't you worried you're going to ruin it before the ball?"

She chuckled. "This is only part of my dress."

He stared at her. Part? He sighed; women were so confusing and they made everything exhaustingly over-complicated.

A butler squeezed himself past them with a tray of sandwiches. Marinette picked one up and handed it to Dick. He received it with a smile but looked at it confused.

"It's a thank you for the roll and also a parting gift. The kitchen is too busy right now. I'll probably come back tomorrow to familiarise myself with the staff."

He nodded, lifted the sandwich up and took a bite watching as she left.

"Farewell princess! I'll be seeing you at the ball."

<><>--<><>

Adrien grumbled muttering incoherent words as he filed out his paperwork. The moonlight from the window being out-shined by the light in the room. In a few days, him and the princess were set to oversee the opening of a new hospital and all he could think about was the fact that he'd been assigned to teach her about French customs and he had no idea where to start!

Damian watched as the prince huffed and rubbed the bridge of his nose in utter annoyance. He watched as he went through the paperwork seemingly giving it his full attention, but he knew that his mind was on other things. Such as the princess.

The moment he'd seen her, he knew something was off. She emitted this sort of aura. He didn't know if it was good or bad, but he did know that the moment their eyes met, his muscles tensed and his senses were on high alert. Was she dangerous? She didn't look it, but he knew by now not to judge people by their exterior. The last time he'd done that, he'd cost someone their life.

Ugh, he couldn't take anymore of the Prince's self-moping.

"Perhaps you would like to take a break?"

Adrien looked up surprised that he'd spoken. He rarely spoke! Silence dragged on until he realised that the guard was waiting for an answer.

"Oh, um yes. I should." He thought before a massive grin found its way onto him face, "Shall we go to the kitchen?"

----

They knew they'd be getting in the way if they took another step forward. There was barely any room with all the food lying around practically begging to be eaten. Adrien looked around before stuffing a red velvet cake into his mouth. He almost melted into a pile of goop. It was so good! He knew he probably should've checked for poison but even if there was, he'd built a sort of immunity to it due to all the tiny dosages his father had ordered him to take as a child. Even if something was poisoned, he'd survive.

He looked around at all the colourful plates; his eyes stopping at the prawn crackers. They were his favourite Chinese snack as a child and even now he still found them extremely hard to resist. He knew he shouldn't but his legs moved on their own and before he knew it, he was stuffing one into his mouth. He reached for another but was stopped by the presence he felt behind him. He gulped.

He slowly turned around and gave a big smile, "Monsieur la nourriture!" [Literally, 'Mr Food']

The man behind him glared at him, his beefy hands by his side and his Chef's hat slightly askew. "Your Highness, I'm sure you're aware that this food will be served tonight and I know your Father wouldn't like it if he found you sneaking a few snacks in before the main meal."

He nodded and slowly turned around walking away. He really needed to work on his stealth.

Damian watched the Prince as he made his way back. He looked like a puppy that had just been kicked.

He moved to escort him back to his office but froze as he felt a familiar aura creeping up on him.

It couldn't be.

No way.

Please say no, please.

"Hey Demon Spawn."

Damian huffed. It was.

He turned around and was met with the familiar grin of his elder brother.

"Grayson, why are you here." he deadpanned.

The older guard chuckled, "Look around, lots of guards are here!"

Damian gave the man a glare. "You know that's not what I mean."

Dick wiped the grin off his face and now adorned a more serious expression. He lowered his voice as he spoke, "The King called me back because of her."

Damian's eyes widened. "She's here?"

Dick looked around before nodding. "She looking for someone."

"Who?"

"We don't know. Tim's still trying to figure it out."

Damian's eyebrows furrowed. "Have you told Father?"

Before he could respond, the prince's golden hair came into view and he straightened up and bowed.

"Your Highness."

Adrien nodded at the older guard.

He turned back towards Damian and his face brightened up as he remembered the encounter with the Princess. "You'll never believe who I just met!"

Damian's eyes furrowed.

"The Princess!" Dick beamed, "She is so nice! She's like an angel!" He turned towards the prince, "I'm sure you'll love her!"

He turned back towards Damian pointedly staring into his eyes before saying, "But her maid seems a bit uptight." He checked the time, "Ah, it seems I must take my leave now. I will be seeing you both later!"

With a grin, he left the room leaving Adrien and Damian watching the doorway he'd just left. Damian eyes narrowed. He knew exactly what that warning meant:

Watch the maid.