Chapter 1: Prologue
Chapter Text
The halls were empty just like years and years before.
Decades of ghostly apparitions wandering the halls and vanishing through doors to complete the daily routine that they did during their life even now when all that was left was their soul. Portraits hung from the peeling wallpapers at a tilt with their contents obscured by the layers of dust untouched by time. Candle holders knocked over on the end tables throughout the long carpeted hallway with not one hand, dead or living, moving to touch it.
Sunlight poured out through the large windows with the heavy, torn curtains doing nothing to cover its brightness. Pieces of light fragments touched the random places in the hallway and shine right through the servants as they passed by without a word spoken out loud except in small, soft whispers.
Suddenly, the sound of his harsh footsteps started to echo through the corridor, frightening the servants so badly they ducked into the abandoned, dusty rooms that no guest had ever rested in over a hundred years.
The footsteps through the corridor were only echoed by the movements of the house. Curtains began to sway from the clinking of the rails head from behind the door. The shifting of the rug against the wooden floor was easy to miss above the banging of the frames hanging on the walls.
A dull thud of one of the thicker candles fell to the wooden floor from his powerful footsteps. A wave of his melancholy presence with feelings of anger and despair twisted in the air like a cruel dance. He breathed it in like it was his late father’s cigar smoke of yesterday. He slowed his footsteps to a stop as his eyes traveled up to the dust covered chandelier hanging above him.
And here he stood. Master of the Culpa Mansion. A ghost of his former self.
Félix Culpa.
Then, the sound of footsteps quickly thumped against the carpeted floor like it was a vengeful spirit chasing him down. Instead of a mournful howl, Félix heard the pleading voice of the most familiar servant echoing through the hall.
“My lord! My lord!” Emelio’s voice was unmistakable, but he was not in the mood to go along with whatever Emelio thinks will ‘cheer him up’ this time.
He turned towards Emelio who had stopped in his tracks. He could feel edge edges of his body form slipping at the edges to retreat back into the walls of the house. Nevertheless, he willed it to remain
Emelio was stunned in his place as the Félix turned his head over his shoulder with a darkened gaze. The words flowed from his mouth, chilling the air like his voice was pure ice. “... What?”
He could feel the house, especially the floorboards beneath him trembling under his strong presence. “Speak.” Félix commanded, his voice vibrating through the hall like the hall was an amphitheater.
“I believe I found her!” Emelio replied.
Félix did not look amused at his vague statement. Who was Emelio talking about? Was it the new human servant that Emelio was adamant that the mansion ‘needed’?
He surged forward and was standing before Emelio who yelped at how fast he had teleported to his side. Emelio threw up his ghostly hands that were turning transparent over his brown haired head as he yelled, “I found Bridgette’s reincarnation!”
Félix felt his eyes widen at the answer, his mouth falling open in surprise as Emelio shit his eyes like Félix would punish him for such valuable information. Emelio slowly peeked his eyes open to stare at him briefly Félix gripped him by the coat of his head servant’s uniform.
He tried to remain calm but the eagerness and impatience won over his tone as he commanded Emelio to show him what he had found.
Emelio nodded, turned and vanished into thin air with his visage vanishing as well. Together, the wisps of their forms traveled through the mansion at high speed, their souls passing by the forgotten pieces of the Culpa mansion.
The lake outside was green from all of the debris and algae growing inside the waters from right outside the windows on the eastern side of the mansion. The western side had the overgrown garden being taken care of by the human gardener who was trimming through the hedges. The door to the music room was still open to show off the many instruments that laid there on the floor with no fingers to touch their strings or lips to press against their mouthpiece.
Then, their souls came to a stop at the first floor entrance where all of their new technology was waiting. Well, lol of the technology that the human gardener, Zoey, told Emelio was useful to have like a ‘laptop computer’, an updated phone line, and an ‘internet provider’. Whatever those words meant.
Zoey had taught Emelio all he needed to know about the new inventions after the inventions were fully installed into the mansion. He knew that because he ordered Emelio to search through the technology to find something useful. To see if the story of his life or of Bridegtte’s and his love had lived on. To find out if anyone out there was aware of his mansion and wanted to steal it from him.
And especially to see if anyone from their past still haunted them. If Lady Lilianna had descendants when she had hastily escaped to Italy. If Miss Alana had actually found what she had been looking for. If Lady Beatrice was still as rotten as ever?
If his Bridgette had finally returned to life.
For months, Emelio scoured the computer with weekly reports of what he had found told directly to him. And now, it seemed like the months of work had paid off.
“I wouldn’t have found her if it wasn’t for this new technology that the human servant showed us.” Emelio revealed. “Here! This is what I found.”
The main picture on the screen made his heart skip a beat.
Marinette looked like Bridgette if she had ever cut her hair shorter. The picturesque swirls of artistic designs and detailed fashion sketches was similar to how Bridgette would have done it if only with a more modern take to the ideas. Félix stumbled as he leaned forward only to frown as Emelio clicked onto a colorful ad for a bakery.
“Explain.”
“Ah, right!” Emelio moved the computer mouse slowly to click on the bakery logo which made the screen load up a different page led with sweets. “This is an advertisement for a local bakery all the way in Paris. From what I found, our lady was reborn as the daughter of the bakers who own this establishment.” Emelio laughed, smiling so hard as he pulled up a picture with Marinette who was being embraced by two people in aprons. “See? Doesn’t she look like she did in our life?”
“Beautiful.” Félix said like a prayer under his breath as he stared down at the electronic screen. The vision of that black hair and adoring baby blue eyes looked back at him with that shy smile that Bridgette had shown him when they first met. “My beautiful angel has finally returned.” His voice purred, hovering his fingers over the picture like he could reach those locks of hair through the screen.
The master turned his head sharply to the servant. “Make arrangements. I don’t care what you have to do.” Félix flipped his hand through the air exaggeratedly as he barked out the order to Emelio who stared back with a satisfied gaze like a cat who got their cream. “Make it so she returns to me!”
“Yes, sir!” Emelio saluted with a grin. He whooped as he jumped up to the ceiling of the small room. He squirmed towards the entrance and slithered out with his form like a snake he called back in excitement. “I can’t wait to tell everyone about the good news!”
Félix rolled his eyes fondly before landing his eyes onto the frozen image of Marinette, his chest growing soft at the girl’s carefree expression. Although the feeling grew cold as he looked up to see just how debilitated the small room was. With a scowl, he walked out to view the first floor ballroom which reflected the same care as the rest of the mansion.
If she were to come here, she would turn tail because of how abandoned and unloved the mansion’s interior looked. He would need to make sure that the mansion looked better, even more pristine than it was all those years ago when he still walked among the halls as a living being.
With his mind made up, Félix clapped his hand, the shape sound ringing out through the silent ballroom. He breathed in deeply and let out the most tremendous commanding call. “Everyone. Here. Now!”
It took under a minute for every servant inside and outside the house to report to his call. The final one to arrive was the human servant who looked flustered with dried leaves stuck in her blonde hair as she gathered in a line amongst the dead.
The ballroom chandelier shined as he stepped in the middle of the floor to address the gathered servants who swayed on the floor and floated above the tile. He looked up to see the head servants on the second floor, looking down from the balcony surrounding the chandelier.
With a click of his tongue, Félix gestured with his arms out to the mansion's interior falling apart around him. “I want this entire mansion spotless from head to toe.”
Zoey wasn’t the only one who looked intimidated by such an order. Félix scowled at the one who cowered from the sudden command to clean the entire five floor mansion. “There will be no excuses for your laziness. Each floor will need to be cleaned... except the basement. That one will remain untouched by time.”
“You may be asking why now choose to renovate this mansion...” Félix started before any of his servants could raise a hand to question him on his motives. With a cordial smile, he stated, “Our Bridgette is returning to us, so we must see that she is welcomed.”
“Our Bridgette!” Many servants shouted out in shock and delight.
“The mistress can finally reunite with our master!”
“Finally!” One of the head servants called out from above which was echoed by the other three in charge of each floor.
“Silence.” Félix order which forced all of them into silence. “Get to work! I won’t have our future lady being disgusted with her home.”
“Right away, sir!” “Yes, master!” “Of course!” The air filled with quick agreements followed by fluttering steps racing for doors and windows. Zoey ran back to get back to her work outside in the garden with three servants following after her with nets and rakes grasped in their hands.
Félix waited until all of the servants filtered out even the head ones that surrounded the chandelier. With a small, genuine smile, he walked up to the portrait he had commissioned some time ago.
His Bridgette.
Just like the smaller portraits he placed around the mansion, she looked as stunning as ever. Félix reached out with his ghostly hands to trace along the detailed carved wooden frame.
“My Bridgette, we can finally be reunited.”
Félix floated up until he could touch the painted cheek of his Bridgette. Those baby blue eyes smiling at him cheerfully through the mixed colors of blue, green and white. Her lips were a rosy pink. Those enchanting waves of her black hair cascading down the edges of her face and falling behind her freckled neck. Her favorite heart necklace hung from her neck which perfectly kissed the neckline of a dress she had designed herself.
The perfect portrait of his beautiful and never forgotten love.
“When you come home, there will be no need for you to worry about leaving me again.” Félix whispered with a vow, a promise lining his words. His hand never left her cheek as he stared into those tempting eyes fixed on him “Ever.”
Chapter 2: Welcome to the Culpa Mansion
Summary:
Marinette and her class find their way to the mansion
Notes:
This is a No Miraculous AU. So I don’t think Lila will necessarily be as bad as in the show without the whole Hawkmoth plotline. But she will still be a manipulative bully.
In this, everyone is more like 16 instead of 13-14 like in the show. They are just regular French teenagers in school.Hope you like it!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The sky was a dim gray outside the bus’ tinted window which made all the forest around them feel more like towering shadows that the lush green one can see in the brightest sunlight.
Marinette had one of her mini notebooks open as she sketched out a pillow sleeve dress that mimicked the flow and shapes of the tree with a ribbon sash tying it all together. Everyone in the bus provided this white noise of conversation as she focused on the design.
All except one person whose voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard every time she opened her mouth with the most egregious lies ever told.
“Oh my god! That reminds me of the time that Olympia Hill wanted my help with her project in New York City. Ah, she was such a doll!”
Lilia Rossi. Her poisonous words would make the most venomous snake jealous. That sausage styled hair that every butcher wanted to know the secret of. And those vicious eyes paired with the cunning smile that haunted her from the moment she walked in claiming to know everything and everyone and happened to travel everywhere all at once.
The girl had come to their school and suddenly had everyone in her class wrapped around her finger within the first week. Marinette had found herself fighting a one-woman war to derail Lila’s attempt to become the leader of the school with all of her lies.
That attempt ended with her being suspended for the week before Lila took her lies back after the week ended. The brunette had cornered in the bathroom and threatened to take her life as she knew it right from under her.
Luckily, the amount of charm she had seemed to fade from the first month due to Marinette’s insistence on them to check for evidence. Especially Max because what the hell? A wadded up napkin wouldn’t hurt his eyes? Plus, he wears glasses all of the time!
Marinette breathed out a long sigh that she had been holding onto for a while. Even though the class mostly did not believe Lila all the time, they still fell for her schemes, especially the elaborate ones where Lila could fake text conversations and evidence. Even now that they are all older, Lila still has not gotten the comeuppance she deserved.
The last time the brunette targeted her directly ended up with Marinette recording the conversation while Lila was telling the class this fabricated story with crocodile tears. Somehow her phone was stolen and the conversation was deleted before she had the chance to really show for how much of a manipulative witch the teen really was.
Yet it ended with her somehow getting into trouble with some text conversation that Lila texted her phone to herself! It was so stupid!
But the class wouldn’t be having this trip without it.
When Marinette got home that day, she had found an email directed to her that she would have missed otherwise due to her schedule. That schedule being school, homework, commission work if necessary, dinner, bathe, and sleep. However, the anger caused from the incident made her go on her laptop specifically to calm down with DIY videos when she saw the email notification.
And the email itself was strange when she first read through it. It was like an advertisement for a castle in the middle of nowhere in the countryside of France. She knew this because the address she looked up online only had the visual of a rotted gate with only a small portion of an old brick wall castle behind it. She thought it was fake but then it became weirder when she noticed the email was written directly to her since there were no other mentions
The sender of the email had apparently seen her graphics design for her parent’s bakery and loved it. There was an entire paragraph on how they loved her art and wanted to have her help them announce the reopening of the renovated Culpa Mansion.
Although one little tidbit at the bottom made her heart stutter as they talked about how the owner of the mansion would love for her to make a unique masquerade outfit perfect for a ball complete with a feathery mask because of the pigeon hat that she won in Gabriel Agreste’s fashion competition near the beginning of the school year.
The email had ended with them asking for an exchange of sorts. How she could invite as many people as she wanted as long as the guest list did not exceed over twenty due to the limited rooms. How all they wanted was an exchange of services in return for the free food and board. How all the sender wanted from her was to advertise the castle and design an outfit in exchange for the trip. And all her guests would be free to explore while also helping out in some ways for the official reopening.
It was too good to be true.
So she responded to the email therefore starting a chain that lasted well into the night with such quick responses from whoever was in charge of this.
Despite the risky start, Marinette had accepted the offer with the condition that her class could come with the condition that they could help them out further with the renovations and cleaning.
Her parents were a bit wary of her taking the offer at first, but they relented after a long conversation. And her teacher, Ms. Bustier, had gladly started to help her plan the trip.
At first, it was supposed to be all of her class except Lila who was allegedly away in Madagascar. But it ended up with Adrien being unable to make it since his father wanted him to go in a weeklong shoot and runway in Milan.
She was a bit disappointed that her friend, who was her old crush, couldn’t come. And that disappointment only grew when she guided her classmates to the school bus outside.
The disappointment compressed into a ball of annoyance at the sight of Lila standing at the bottom of the steps. Apparently, she came straight from the airport for the class trip because she ‘didn’t want to miss such a special trip’!
Marinette rolled her eyes when she thought back to the girl, giving a little wave from where she was waiting, making the bus driver take her luggage like it was his job. Of course she had to show up! Lila didn’t want to miss a week-long trip to a castle that she didn’t have to pay for.
Marinette flipped to the back of her notebook to look at her smaller ideas for the outfit she needed to make for the owner. A more fully fleshed out design form was waiting in her official sketchbook in her bag along with the folded pieces of fabric she wanted for it. There was so much material she had to use she had to bring a while separate bag apart from her clothes just for the commission!
Marinette tilted her head back with a massive sigh.
“Hey girl.” Marinette’s friend Alya knocked her elbow into Marinette’s arm with a smile. Marinette turned to see her friend gesturing out the windows all around them. “Aren’t you excited for this?”
“A little. I think the nerves are just getting to me right now, so it’s overriding my enjoyment.” Alya sobered up at that, patting her arm in comfort with a soft grin still on her face. Marinette chuckled. “That and the fact that the bus driver keeps hitting those kinds of bumps.”
Alya laughed, pushing her glasses up her nose. “Yeah. But that’s to be expected with roads like this.” Alya sighed, leaning forward in her seat to peek out at the countryside around them. The shades of green passed by the tinted screen quickly with only pots of colors like white and the lightest of blues and yellows peeking out to them as the bus continued on. “I have never been to this part of France before. Have you?”
Marinette shook her head. “Never. Although the scenery is inspiring me to make some new designs.”
“Ooh, you have to show me your designs when you get finished with them. I can already picture the vibe you are going for.” Alya knocked her shoulder into Marinette’s who giggled at the action, making her twisted inside feel a bit lighter. “Well, it looks like this will be our first time here. Most of our first times because I don’t think anyone has ever been to this area.”
“Wow, Lila. Have you actually been over here?”
Marinette’s happy expression immediately dropped into a frown. The teen scowled then groaned as an exaggerated gasp rang out inside the bus. “Say the magic words and the snake appears.”
“Of course!” Lila’s overly fake nice voice pierced the calming air.
“Hey, that’s offensive to snakes.” Alya whispered, smiling when Marinette had to hide her laugh in return. “I picture her as more of a spider. Because spiders entrap all of their prey into a web they created.”
Marinette grinned back at her friend. “You know, I think that’s pretty fitting.”
The teenage spider continued with her charade as she started to explain her next lie to Rose and the awaiting audience who had nothing better to do inside the bus. “I come over here sometimes, not all the time, to explore the countryside. I did that back in Italy most summers when I was growing up apart from the times I was traveling with my dear mom.”
Nino caught their eye across from the seat he was sitting in and leaning onto the front seat. He wiggled his eyebrows then gave a wide eyed look of disbelief in their direction like he was trying to say ‘can you believe this?’ with his eyes.
“Do you know this area pretty well then?” Rose, with her whimsical-like voice fitting a princess, asked Lila. “And do you know the place we’re going to?”
“I know the area. But I must admit I don’t know much about this castle mansion that we are going to.” Lila purred. Those poisonous green eyes flitted over to where Marinette was watching her, a predatory glint in her eyes as she continued. “I’ve been to a raggedy hotel around here but it sounds like nothing she described. Maybe Marinette could be stretching the truth a bit with this whole mansion thing.”
Marinette rolled her eyes, turning around to slump back into the bus seat cushions as Alya patted her arm in comfort. “Nettie, relax. I bet she will be too absorbed in getting photos of herself to bother you or any of us really.”
“She better not.” Marinette replied. She hopes she can just lock herself away or find a secluded place to work on what she needs to do. She had no time to draw an entire advertisement only for Lila to ruin it. Or for her to make the commissioned outfit only for Lila to start crying and whining to the people who hired her about how she was a fraud and Lila was the one who designed it. Blah. Blah. Blah.
Marinette said, “I don’t have the time to deal with any of her pettiness through this week because of the things I need to do.”
However, her thoughts were interrupted when the bus slowed down and pulled over to the side of the forest road. The bus driver cleared his throat after the bus was parked, drawing attention to himself
“Hey, Miss. I’m not sure I have the right address.” The bus driver called out to Marinette and her teacher who sat a few booth seats ahead of them, closer to the front.
“What is it?” Ms. Bustier asked.
Marinette started moving before she knew it, moving her way to the front of the bus as her classmates started to whisper and speculate of why they were stopping in the middle of nowhere. The bus driver tilted the GPS towards her with a frown. “It says I’m on top of it but I don’t see anything but trees around here.”
“Let me see that.” Marinette mumbled, searching the screen for the point and found it to be very, very close to where the bus’ pinged location was.
Marinette looked out the window in confusion only to see towering trees with no sight of the gate she had seen in the email. “Okay. Everyone stays here. I’ll walk around to see if we are missing the gate.”
Ms. Bustier stood up from her seat, looking between the back of the bus where everyone was gathered and her. “I’ll be there to join you soon.”
Marinette waved her towards the back, her eye twitching when Lila started to complain about how the trip was starting with them getting lost. Marinette was holding back from grinding her teeth as the brunette started to say she would have done a much better job with ALL of her connections. “It’s fine, Ms. Bustier. I’ll be right back just to focus on watching the class.”
Marinette marched her way out of the bus. Once she passed the bus, she grumbled under her breath. “Stupid Lila.”
Marinette stepped into the forest line to see if she could spot any marker or gravel on the ground to lead her in a good direction. Marinette walked through the trees, carefully walking over the gnarly tree roots to see a glimpse of a black metal gate.
Marinette stumbled through the overgrown trees and found a hidden path with stones peeking out from underneath dead grass and fallen tree leaves. It was a mess of light brown of the grass and dark brown of the crumbling leaves. The cobblestone underneath it all was an unwashed, dirty color.
Marinette frowned. Weren’t they renovating? Maybe they were saving the exterior of the property for last? She started to walk closer to the gate that was almost entirely hidden by the foliage of the trees and tall bushes with leaves poking out from the metal.
The metal itself was rusty yet beautiful upon a closer look. The thick metal bars had connected smaller metal that curved and looped in detailed vines with roses and thorns.
Suddenly, a brown haired man appeared out of the tree line with a bright grin. “Hello!”
“AH!” Marinette yelled, jumping back from the stranger who held up his gloved hands in a surrendering position. The stranger wore a classic butler look complete with suit tails and a green patterned handkerchief folded to a tip in his breast pocket.
A woman walked out from the other side of the tree line with a scowl. She wore a dark green dress that hung below her knees at a perfect tea length with a decent amount of voice in the skirt. A black jacket was buttoned over the dress that matched the exact shade of her boots and gloves. The woman put her hands on her hips with a scowl, her blonde curls bouncing as she walked. “I told you that this was a terrible idea for an introduction, Emelio.”
“Welcome, Miss Marinette Dupain Cheng.” The woman said, bowing to her which was immediately followed by the other man. Both of them looked remarkably close to her age. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
“Ah, um... Hi?” Marinette waved at the two who slowly rose from their bows. She felt awkward as she looked behind her at the dark trees behind her whose branches swayed slightly in the breeze. “I didn’t expect the entrance to be this hidden.”
The woman looked around them with a relaxed smile. “Yes, we are planning on trimming back the trees and making the entryway more clear and clean for the reopening.” The woman’s smile became more strained as she looked down at the dirty ground. “But we haven’t had the time since all of our focus has mostly been within the gates.”
“Oh.” Marinette swayed on her feet, pushing a few leaves off one of the stones with her ballet flat. “Well, if you need help, you can always ask me. I can help trim back some of these branches.”
“Do not worry, Miss Dupain-Cheng. We will take care of this issue by the time morning comes.” The woman explained. Then, her hand went to her mouth with a small gasp escaping past her lips, “Ah! Forgive me! My name is Melody and this is Emelio. We are employed by the owner of the mansion.”
“I am the one who contacted you. I apologize for the rough beginning.” Emelio bowed again to her. He straightened up with an awkward grin on his face as he scratched at the back of his neck. “I feel like I was a bit awkward with the delivery. I had to have the gardener help me phrase it better along our ongoing digital letters.”
“Ah, there’s no need to apologize—“
“Marinette?!” Ms. Bustier called out for her. Marinette turned around to see the redhead stumbling down the path until those piercing aqua eyes landed on her. “Where are—Oh!”
Emelio straightened up with his fists clenched at his sides as he greeted the older woman. “And you must be Miss Dupain-Cheng’s teacher?”
“Hello there.” Ms. Bustier smiled and gave both of them a wave. Then she paused to look behind her. “Oh, let me get the rest of the kids, so we can start unloading!”
“No need.” Melody smiled, snapping her fingers. Marinette startled as six employees filed onto the path and headed down the cobblestone in the derivation of the bus. “We are here to serve our guests for the entire week. So we will help get you settled inside in no time at all.”
Ms. Bustier clapped her hands. “How lovely!”
It wasn’t long before the dark green and black dressed employees came back with a multitude of luggage followed by the small crowd of students. Marinette watched as the color of the bus disappeared in a flash down the road.
“Woah.” Nino drawled. He whistled at the sight of the twisted metal gate. “Creepy gate, man.”
“That’s because of all the rust.” Emelio waved off the negative comment with ease. “We’ll get it touched up with a little bit of elbow grease in no time.”
“Oh, look at all the rose bushes inside.” Rose commented, peeking over amulets to see the spots of red hiding behind the spaces in the metal bars of the gate.
“Yes. We have been taking care of more of the property than the outside so forgive us for the unfortunately hard time finding our location.” Melody responded, her gloved hands gesturing at the gate. “This castle is quite well hidden from the world.”
“Well, what are you two waiting for?” Chloé groaned, her heels clicking against the stone and kicking at the pieces of dead leaves. “Ugh, this is filthy.” When none of the servants moved at her command, she snapped her fingers. “Aren’t you supposed to be the people escorting us?” The blonde brat waved her hands towards the gate like they were the employees at the hotel her father owns. “Chop, chop.”
“Chloé, don’t be rude.” Sabrina whispered to her but Chloé only held up her hand like she could silent the quiet redhead with her open palm.
“Miss Bourgeois. Do not worry.” Melody said in the most perfect customer service Marinette had ever heard. Her customer service voice had never sounded that polite. “We will open the gate in only a few moments once everyone and everything is off the bus.”
“And soon you won’t need to worry about the bus at all,” Emelio said with his gaze trailing over to the road past the trees. “Because the driver is going right back to Paris and leaving you all here with us.”
“Until he returns by the end of the week. Yeah, I know, we got debriefed about it on the bus ride here.” Chloé yawned exaggeratedly. “Just let us in already.”
Lila hummed in response to Chloé, her eyes trailing over the gate doors with something in her gaze that made Marinette look away. Alya appeared right at her side, bumping her with her hip.
Melody paused, taking her time to look at everyone gathered with a calm expression on her face. “Hmm. Now that we are all together, it is time for the proper greetings to our wonderful guests.”
Emelio and Melody turned towards each other and bowed, both of their hands gesturing to the gate behind them that slowly opened with a long creaking sound. “Welcome to the Culpa Mansion.”
Notes:
Thanks for reading!
Chapter 3: Introduction to the Culpa Mansion
Summary:
A tour...part 1 out of how many parts the mansion has
Chapter Text
The class was in awe as they stepped through the iron gates with carved details. Marinette made a mental note of the curved lines and detailed roses in the metal for a future sketch. Maybe something more structured for the bodice with embroidery that replicated that kind of repeating pattern in the gate.
Nino’s whistle pierced the air drawing her attention back to the property. Her mouth dropped open at the sight much like the gobsmacked and astonished expressions she could see on her classmates’ faces.
The house was stunning despite the brick showcasing how old the building has stood. There were vines along the sides that were currently being tended to by a blonde gardener with the most adorable apron Marinette had ever seen. A lighter green than the darker shade that most of the employees wore.
The gothic mansion was made of a dark, gray stone that towered over the gorgeous land with cobblestone paths and flowers that reached out towards their feet. A large, glass greenhouse was off to the right with a surrounding garden that had a gazebo from what she could see of the roof peeking above lush, green bushes.
Off to the left was a dark blue lake with moss hanging from trees and a short, wooden deck leading out into the calm water. A small group of rowboats swished in the water from where they were tied to the dock.
As Marinette got closer to the mansions with her class, she could feel the creative juices flowing that made her have to hold back from pulling out her book and sketching everything she could see. Everything about this place was so beautiful she couldn’t stand it. The details right to the flowers and plants that were overgrown in the perfect amount to not make it unruly, but make it seem more otherworldly.
“This place is amazing,” Alya whispered to her with an exaggerated smile. “How much do you think they would charge me if I rent a room out when I become the top journalist of Paris?”
Marinette chuckled, batting away at Alya’s arm that was nudging hers. She said, “Maybe you could get a discount depending on how well known you become.”
“Well, I just have to become the most famous and beloved one then.” Alya gave her a wink then had to choke back laughter. “Who am I kidding?” Her friend gestured at her with a grin. “I feel like you would be the one with the perks. You’re the fashion designer who caught their eye in the first place.”
“Ah, I’m sure they didn’t look for long and just went for someone local!” Marinette protested against her comment, waving her hands like he could push away Alya’s words of praise. She didn’t deserve those kind of compliments.
If anything, she must have been a cheaper option for them to use than an actual successful and established person. It helped that she could do both the advertising and the designing instead of them hiring two or three people to do what she was hired to do.
“If they didn’t care, they would have just reached out to Agreste and some other person to handle this stuff,” Alya flipped her hand through the air casually with a roll of her eyes. Then she looked at her with a gleam in her eyes that she normally gets when hunting down a scoop. “They looked you up and they loved you and your work. Don’t sell yourself short!”
Marinette was about to respond but her words were taken away as the whole group stood in front of the elegant entrance to the mansion. The arch of the doors led to a pointed tip at the top. The deep, rich color of the wood shined like a fresh coat of varnish was placed on just for their visit.
“Woah,” Alya whispered. Marinette could only silently nod, grasping for her friend’s hand to squeeze her palm in excitement.
If only she could bust out her sketchbook now! The exterior of the mansion was giving her too many ideas of embroidering patterns and prints we could stencil onto the fabric she had and—AH! There were so many ideas she could do for the advertisement too! This was going to be good. She could feel it in her bones!
“While you are guests of this mansion, we do have a few rules.” Emelio cleared his throat, his tone adopting something more serious as he addressed the crowd. “One of the rules is do not venture outside of the mansion or any other place that we did not show you yet.”
“This means that until we introduce and tour you through said area, you may not be permitted to enter it. There are some exceptions, those being the outside garden and just along the perimeters of the lake.” Melodie clarified with a calm smile creeping across her face. “This rule is in place to make sure none of you get lost on the estate.”
“Who knows what might happen if you get lost?” Emelio smiled sharply at the guests gathered around the door. “This property is way too big to navigate without help from one of us. So simply don’t get yourself in trouble where we might not be able to reach you.
“Sounds reasonable.” Alix said with a shrug as Kim started to spin where he stood to gaze out at the land. His eyes had sparkled once he saw the lake which made Marinette hope that her classmate wouldn’t just dive into the lake to practice his swimming.
Chloe interrupted her thoughts when she called out with her manicured hand barely raised in the air. “Does this place have cell service?”
“We have upgraded electronics although the range may be a bit spotty through the mansion,” Melodie answered.
The blonde teen scoffed, “Ugh. Of course it is.”
Emelio cleared his throat and explained, “And of course, the agreement to stay at this mansion is that all of you will help with cleaning and placing finishing touches on the Culpa Mansion, so it may be returned to its proper glory.”
“Yes!” Rose shouted. Her hands came up to cup each cheek to frame the bright smile on her face. Marinette supposed tiptoe made sense for her to be excited. Rose and Mireille were the two in her class that are always happy to help out the community. “I’m excited to know when we are going to start.”
“Volunteering? That’s why this trip was so cheap?” Chloe pouted. Those frosty blue eyes locked into her, walking closer to more or less yell at her through whispered words. Although it was more of the yelling part due to the servants watching the blonde with bored expressions. “Dupain-Cheng, can you do better with your planning? I don’t want to ruin my fresh manicure and pedicure for this dump.” Chloé flipped out her hand to show off her glossy, white topped nails sharpened to a soft point. “It cost daddy so much of his hard earned money.”
Marinette held herself from rolling her eyes too badly as she answered the frustrating blonde. “I’m sure you will be able to do something that won’t ruin your precious nails, Chloé.“
“Volunteering?” Lila’s grating voice rang in her ears once one word escaped her. Marinette glanced over at the brown haired girl immediately trying to justify how she wouldn’t be able to help at all. Marinette knew it wouldn’t be long for the girl to try and excuse herself out of the hard part to enjoy the stay at the mansion freely. “Oh, I would love to, but my arms are so tired from my time in Madagascar! I was building some tiny houses for charities and it really put my muscles through the ringer.”
“Well, I’m sure you can extend your help in another way. We have multiple things left to do that I’m sure your help would be perfect for,” Melodie replied to Lila with a smile that Marinette knew was completely false. That customer service smile was plastered on in such a way that Mairnette could just feel that Lila would not get her way. That was the ‘f**k around and find out’ smile. Her mother did that often before pulling out her trusty rolling pin on unruly customers.
“What will we be doing anyway?” Nino asked after he was called on by Melodie. “Are we tearing down walls?”
“Certainly not!” Emelio was quick to shut down Nino’s suggestion straight away.
“No, we won’t be doing that.” Melodie calmly responded. “The master wants this mansion to be restored, so it can still be the same place the original master and his love spent time together.”
“That sounds like the start of a love story,” Rose commented, her eyes practically had hearts already floating in her pupils from the idea of a true love story inside the history of the mansion.
“It is. However it ends more bittersweetly than you think,” Emelio admitted with a sad smile. Melodie’s face dropped ever so slightly to reveal a more melancholy expression. “More details will be revealed when we tell you all the history of the Culpa Mansion over dinner tonight.”
Melodie moved aside as Emelio pushed open the tall doors of the mansion. The wooden doors creaking open to showcase just a glimpse of the fancy decor inside. “For now, let us begin the introduction to the interior of the Culpa Mansion.”
“Please follow us,” Emelio smiled, swinging the doors opens fully so all of them can get an eye full of the amazing decor.
Ms. Bustier gasped. “Oh my. This is incredible.”
Marinette agreed. She had to because who wouldn’t agree from seeing what she was looking at.
The class entered into a massive ballroom type of foyer with a massive chandelier above them that had hanging crystals. The ceiling had small paintings of flowers and renaissance era type of techniques that Marinette could spot. And from Nathaniels’ gasp, she could assume the artist noticed the detail as well.
The ballroom had two curved staircases leading up to the second floor with an open door in between the elegant staircases.
Marinette could hear the whispers of praise at the decor while ignoring the unsavory, petty ones from two people in particular.
“Wow,” Nino said, his hands went up to both sides of his head while his eyes went wide.
“This is stunning,” Max commented. Markov floated next to him, silently taking pictures from the small flashes she could see from the small robot.
“Cool,” Juleka mumbled so low that Marinette could barely hear her. But from that smile almost hidden behind her long bangs, she could tell the goth girl was liking the gothic influences she could spot in the mansion. Juleka’s voice was a little louder when she pointed out the stone decoration above them. “I like that gargoyle.”
Kim whistled. “Man, I want something like this in my room probably next to my trophies.”
“Yes. Let us begin the first part of the official tour of the Culpa Mansion.” Emelio started with a bright smile. He spread his arms out in a grandiose gesture. “This part will cover the amazing ballroom space we are currently standing in and the dining room right through those doors.” Emelio ended that statement with two fingers pointed at the grand door between the staircases.
“When will we get to see the whole place?” Alya asked, her voice was clear as it echoed in the empty ballroom. Marinette’s eye drifted up to the chandelier which had an opening that she could only assume gave her a glimpse into the second floor. She froze where she stood, seeing a glimpse of a golden haired figure. She blinked and then the next figure was gone like nothing was there.
“Parts of this large estate will be shared with all of you each day.” Melodie’s voice drew Marinette’s attention back to the tour guides. “In the second part of the tour, we will show you the rooms that all of you will need the most, that being the bathrooms and your bedrooms that you will stay in for the rest of your trip.”
Melodie waved at the class to follow her as Emelio went ahead to open the main doors ahead of them. A large clock was hung on the wall right above the top edges of the door frame with curved arrows that point at the hour and the minute.
“Hey, there’s knights along the sides!” Nino said. He approached the silver armor only to stop short before the metal. He looked back at the tour guides patiently watching him. “Um, they are just armor, right?”
Melodie’s blank expression changed into a smile. “Yes. The knight armors you see here are merely here for decoration. There are no official guards that wear armor such as this.”
Alya turned and silently yelled in awe at Marinette which sounded more like a very shrill exhale as they passed through the door into the hallway. Alya frantically pointed out the knight armor like she was a little kid at the zoo. Nino spotted Alya’s excitement and the fond smile that spread across his face made Marinette want to clutch at her heart.
The hallway was shorter than she thought since the class was now standing in front of another door that was just behind a thick red curtain with golden ropes that held it back. Melodie opened the doors and gestured for the class to enter. Her classmates rushed into the room with Marinette and Alya near the end of the group.
“This is the dining room. There will be three meals served each day that should be enough for everyone.“
A long wooden table sat in the middle of the room with enough seats for everyone with one chair right at the head of the table. The hardwood chairs were detailed with curves along the edges and the top with plush red cushions on the back and the seat. A massive fireplace sat behind the table with a roaring fire filling the room with the comforting smell of a campfire and a suitable amount of warmth.
The marble floor underneath her feet was beautiful with no stain or blemish in the stone. It shined underneath the warm, yellow light the room was lit up with.
“If you get hungry before or after official meal times, you have to visit the kitchen yourself and politely ask for a snack or small meal.”
“The kitchen door will be immediately to the right once you enter the dining room.” Marinette looked over to see a large pair of double doors with windows giving her a slight glimpse into a room beyond the door.
Marinette turned her head to see a huge—how did she miss that?!— staircase with an ornate attention to detail on the railing. The wooden stairs were carpeted all the way to the marble floor with their carpet spilled out onto a platform mantle where an organ lay waiting for someone to play.
“To your left will be a grand staircase that will be one of the two ways that you can walk up to your rooms.” Melodie continued. “Your suitcases have been placed inside the rooms already by the loyal workers of the mansion.”
“Our rooms are up there?!” Kim shouted in excitement, bouncing on the balls of his feet like he was ready to run up and dive into his bedroom.
“Yes.” The worker nodded back to him with a gesture towards the top of the stairs and then towards the door they just came through. “You can also enter them from the ballroom foyer staircases as well but it will be a longer walk.”
“Unfortunately, we cannot have dinner yet due to the timing.” Emelio exaggerated a frown. He sighed with a hand thrown over his forehead like he was about to faint then suddenly jerked up with a tight grin. “But the good news is that we can show you to your rooms on the second floor.”
“Wonderful.” My. Bustier clasped her hands together with a gentle smile.
“Ah, Ms. Bustier, you do not have a second floor bedroom. We thought it best for you to have a guest room on the first floor.” Ms. Bustier blinked at Melodies’ clarification. “We will show you to your bedroom after dinner.”
“Oh, that’s alright.” Their teacher’s smile faltered then looked around at the class around her. “I don’t exactly like being so far away from my class though. What if they need my help?”
Marinette watched as the smile on Lila’s face grew. She had to roll her eyes because she knew that the girl would use this situation to her advantage.
Melodie said, “The Culpa Mansion servants are here to help them with their needs. And your room is not too far away from them, so you have no need to worry yourself.”
“Now then, follow us.” Emelio exaggerated his waving, walking backwards towards the stairs. “We will just have enough time to showcase the first floor hallways and show you to your rooms where you will be staying before dinner is officially set out.”
Melodie trailed after Emelio, but faced forwards instead of her partner who continued with the backward way. “Any questions?”
A few hands raised up from the class with Kim frantically waving his hand in the air. Kim was chosen first, so he yelled out. “Is everyone getting their own room?”
“Unfortunately due to short staffing, only a select few rooms have been cleaned out and readied for guests.” Melodie responded with a sympathetic tone which made a few of her classmates groan. “So all of you will be bunking with each other until the rooms inside the halls are fully prepared.”
“Oh! That could be part of your stay here! You can get a room ready and have it to yourself for the entirety of your stay.” Emelio suggested then pointed and gestured at the crowd with a cocky gin. “I see a few interested faces...”
“Do you have any rooms with natural light?” Nathaniel asked.
“Yes, we do,” Emelio answered cheerfully. “Some of the best views can be seen from the second floor which is where most of you will be staying.”
“I call whichever one has the best window!” Nathaniel called out. It was no wonder why he wanted it. Marinette could understand from one artist to another. Natural light could be the best light an artist could want and the view can give them some inspiration for natural backgrounds and more.
The class climbed up the stairs with Ms Bustier at the lead taking in the sights with wide aquamarine eyes.
“I’m going to head up to Nino.” Alya said. Marinette turned to her friend who she can just tell was bursting with excitement from her sparkling eyes. “I want to see if he wants to film a little feature for the mansion since we are here.”
Ah, that makes sense. Nino and her could do a collaboration video on the mansion. And that could actually be a good advertisement for the mansion when Alya posts it on her blog. She would have to tell Emelio about it, so he can talk to the owner about that being a possibility.
Marinette nodded to her friend who immediately started jumping up the stairs to catch up to her boyfriend. She watched with some feeling dredging in her stomach.
She had a crush on Adrien for the longest time to a point where she was albeit a bit stalkerish towards him regarding his schedule. She had a good reason though! That fake boyfriend prank that Chloé and Kim pulled on her messed up her trust issues in dating or crushing on anyone.
It wasn’t until her failed attempt at dating Luka that she realized how far she was going. Luka was an amazing boyfriend even though they weren’t together long due to their schedules.
But thanks to him, she began to see her actions in a whole new light. She didn’t want to be this obsessive girl tracking down a boy’s movements knowing that all the boy ever saw was a trusting friend. It took a while for her to force down her feelings until she finally started to see Adrien in a more platonic, approachable light. Ever since then, she believes their friendship has improved.
Alya was a bit saddened that she and the other girls couldn't plan these ultra spy missions to get her and Adrien into meet-cute situations anymore. But her friend supported her in that decision. Especially since Marinette had more time to hang out with her.
And with all of the free time she had now, she had time to start work on her professional MDC social media page. The same page that the mansion commissioned her from.
Melodie’s voice traveled through the empty space as she started to introduce the rooms on either side of the well-lit hallway. Marinette hurried up since she had fallen even further behind from the group and trailed her eyes over the artwork placed in each wall of the hall. Marinette kept her eye on the walls even when she felt the eyes start to move with her or have to take a double take at some of the paintings that seemed to change as soon as she passed them.
Before she knew it, Melodie was gesturing down a short hallway to the left of the bigger one they were standing in. “And this way is a study room and a bathroom.”
The class only looked down the opening briefly before living on with the tour guides. Marinette stopped to actually walk down the hallway when her legs slipped out from underneath her.
She fell to the ground while she heard Lila stifle a chuckle and called out to the tour guides to hurry up to the bedrooms. This caused a chain reaction from what she could hear from her place on the ground as Kim, from what she could hear, raced forward with a yell to see where their bedrooms were.
Marinette heard the class retreating at a much faster pace with the tour guides calling for them to be quieter and calmer in the grand halls of the mansion. With a grimace, Marinette collected herself and pushed herself up from the ground.
She was about to walk back into the grand hallway when a crack of lightning through the window made her jump back further into the hallway she was standing in. The curtains of the window started to move, jerking forward and back even though she could feel no wind bruising against her skin.
Marinette watched as the shadows from the window ledge started to morph and change. The dark shadows on the detailed hall-runner started to reach towards her, a movement illustrated by another lightning crack that lit up the shadow’s claws coming closer.
Marinette walked further into the short hallway, grasping onto the molding of the walls and trying to find a light to stand under.
She let out a sigh of relief after stepping beneath a flickering lantern that mimicked candlelight.
“Hello.”
Marinette stumbled back from the shadowed stranger, clutching onto the wall to stop herself from falling. The stranger stepped into the flickering light of the hallway with their golden blonde hair shining in the light.
The man clicked his tongue and then the light stopped flickering like he commanded it with a simple noise. The man looked up at the light briefly before staring dead into her gaze with a pair of emerald eyes. She stood frozen in her place as the man walked up to her with his footsteps echoing through the small hallway. His feet tapping against the wooden floor which mimicked the beating of her racing heart.
The stranger stopped right in front of her. His pulled back blonde hair highlighted the smile that grew on his face. “Miss Marinette, if I am correct?”
“Y-yes?” Marinette cursed herself for stuttering in the blonde’s face. She trailed her eyes over him, admiring his blond hair that was pulled back away from his face.
The teen breathed out in relief. His deep, heavenly voice addressed her, “It is my pleasure to meet you at last.”
“Who—Who are you?”
“Oh? You don’t recognize me yet. However, that is to be expected considering our situation. You see, I’m your dear customer.” The blonde smirked at her in such a way that made her heart thump faster than before. Before she could think, the teen guided her hand into his and brought the back of her hand to his lips. Marinette would deny the tiny yelp that escaped her lips from the touch of his soft lips against her skin. “My name is Félix. And I am in your capable hands during your stay here.”
But he looked young! He barely looked older than her... Yet he was the owner of the entire mansion? Did something bad happen?
Marinette mentally shook her head away from those thoughts. It was better to not bring the topic up straight away since she had no idea if a tragedy happened and if it was affecting Félix.
Marinette‘s hand was still clutching in the other’s hand that looked hesitant to let her hand fall from his loose hold. The young designer cleared her throat and smiled. “Well,” She started, looking down at herself with a gesture. “I’m here now. The wait is over.”
Before she could stop herself, she warmly did finger guns with her remaining hand that wasn’t held by Félix. Marinette let out a groan while the teen chuckled at her awkwardness.
Félix slotted his fingers with hers slowly as a hopeful smile grew on his face. Yet his smile didn’t match the gleam in his eyes that Marinette couldn’t describe. It was something like regret, hope, admiration and something darker. “So it is.”
Notes:
Thanks for reading!
Chapter 4: A Story Told Over Dinner
Summary:
Marinette reunites with her classmates and has dinner with them as they are told the tragic story of Bridgette and Félix.
Chapter Text
Marinette flicked her eyes between their clasped hands and Felix’s gaze until the blonde lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her skin right on a freckle. He looked down at her hand and gently let his finger trail over the edge of her thumb, sending goosebumps down her arm.
She awkwardly laughed as the suave, older teen met her eye with a welcoming smile on his face. “It appears you have been separated from your class. Here, allow me to guide you to them.”
“Ah, do you know where they are?” Marinette asked, confused. There was no way he would know unless he had access to cameras. He was the owner of the mansion so he would have that kind of access, wouldn’t he? Wait, was he even the owner or was he lying?
“It wouldn’t be hard to find them.” Félix interrupted her thoughts with a tug on her hand, drawing her close to him with one smooth movement. Marinette gasped as the claps on her hand shifted down to a gentle guiding palm against the middle of her back. “This should be the bedroom tour as scheduled so it shouldn’t take long for you to be reunited with your group. Follow me, Marinette.”
With that, Felix started guiding her the way she came and not the way that her class was moving. She frowned, glancing behind her and back to the blonde. “Um, aren’t we going backwards?” Marinette asked.
“Oh, my dear,” Félix chuckled. His green eyes were lit up with mischief swirling in his pupils. “When you’ve lived here as long as I have, you get to know your way around a lot of secret passageways and shortcuts.” The blonde stopped at a narrow door almost hidden behind a curtain and side table holding a lit candle upon it. That’s a fire hazard if she ever saw one. But it didn’t seem to bother the blonde who peeled back the wall curtain and opened the door to a hidden passageway waiting behind the wood. “There we are.”
Marinette gasped, walking past Félix to enter through the narrow door that led into a more spacious hallway that she would have never known existed. Her hands trailed against the stacked stone walls that left no dust on her fingertips. “This is... amazing.”
“Isn’t it?” Félix looked proud as he slid past her with a prideful smirk. “This castle was made with a lot of things in mind. One of them being places to hide if any unsavory company came along.” He raised his eyebrows and tilted his head towards her with a mischievous look. “Or one could look at it as places for small children to run off and play games.”
“Really?” Marinette asked with a smile, holding back a chuckle when her mind immediately provided an image of the blonde running through walls and opening doors like a cartoon chase scene.
Félix looked delighted at the sound of her laughter. He nodded. “Indeed. You will hear more when you hear the manor’s history during tonight’s meal.” Félix clarified like she was going to assume that the servants would talk about Félix running through the halls.
And he was right because for a brief moment she had thought that. At least until she remembered Melodie talking about more details about the house will be given later that night.
“How long have you been living here?” Marinette questioned. There was a good chance he had been living there a long time or it could be a situation where he just visits the mansion.
Félix hummed at her question. “As long as I have been alive and even longer after that I suppose.”
Marinette’s eyebrows scrunched together near the end of his statement before it all smoothed out in surprise when Félix reached the end of the passageway. The blonde turned back to her with a gentle hand gesturing towards the door waiting behind him.
“And here we are.” Félix cleared his throat with his fist going to his upper chest. His gaze drifted to her with something gentle in those pupils that shone in the dim light in the passageway around them. He gripped the handle and pulled the door open with a loud dragging squeak erupting from the old hinges. “Ladies first.”
Marinette smiled, a joyful giggle falling from her lips at the polite gesture. “Such a gentleman.”
“I’ve had years of practice,” Félix returned her grin with his own.
She kept her eyes on him as she passed through the door, tilting her head even as she walked forward into another part of the familiar grand hallway. She turned around to give him one more thankful smile when the sound of rushed footsteps came stomping towards her.
A pair of hands spun her around to stare directly into a pair of amber brown eyes behind two glass lenses. Alya loudly whispered to her that sounded more like a hiss. “Mari. Girl, where have you been? I was taking photos nonstop then I turn around and you were gone.” Alya punctuated her statement with a short reenactment of her raising two hands in a classic picture pose and spinning around with a shocked expression.
Marinette looked away with a guilty smile. “I tripped due to a little... incident.” She glanced to where the rest of the class was gathered ahead of them. She saw Melodie glance at her above Alix’s head and then turn back to the crowd.
Marinette gestured behind her in a rush to explain everything to her friend. “But he—” She turned her head to see Félix had disappeared once again. The door which she came through was gone as well. Was it a piece of the wall that perfectly fit against the decor without a single space to indicate where it was? It must be because there is no other explanation as to how the door she stepped through had just... poofed away! “Where did...”
“Tell me later, now come on, bestie.” Alya linked her arm with Marinette’s to drag her slowly to the group that was paying more attention to the rooms ahead than her sudden reappearance. If they even did notice she was gone. She was sure a combination of the tour and Lila led to her classmates not even noticing her disappearance for the few minutes she was gone. “We need to get back with the group. We skipped over a lot of the rooms, so dinner must be coming up soon.”
Even if they skipped over a lot of rooms, was the tour supposed to feel so short? That hall looked pretty long and intricate, so she thought it would be longer. Hm.
Marinette and Alya rejoined the group without any fanfare. Yet as soon as they stepped up to the group, a short servant appeared from around the corner and knocked on the wall to gain Melodie’s attention. With a nod, the servant disappeared around the corner once again.
Melodie smiled calmly at the group. “I have just gotten word that dinner will be served shortly. Please everyone follow me back down to the dining hall.”
“Ah, I’m starving!” Kim commented loudly, followed up by Alix who whooped in agreement.
“Called it.” Alya whispered to her from the side of her mouth. “Perfect timing for you, huh?” Marinette nodded absentmindedly, glancing back at where she thought the door she went through was. She didn’t hear it close behind her. She couldn’t think on it too long as Alya tugged her forward like a child pulling at their mother to get to the elephants at the zoo. “Let’s go! I wonder if they have good desserts.” Alya’s voice dropped down with a mischievous smirk. “Maybe they can compete with your family’s sweets.”
The thought of the door finished in her mind at the idea of this castle ever competing with her father’s macarons. She scoffed. “They wish.”
With that, the two girls followed their class down the stairs into the dining room where servants were gathered on either side of the stairs to welcome them in. The room was filled with light from the fireplace and the chandelier above them. The cold room that they first walked into transformed into something warmer and welcoming with all sorts of color shining from the light.
Alya gaped in awe as they all made their way down to the long dining table waiting for them. Her friend patted her arm repeatedly in excitement at the nameplates waiting for them on each seat.
“Ooh, you’re sitting right next to me and Nino is across from me on the other side. It’s like they know me.” Alya commented, dragging her right up to the table where their seats were waiting for them. Surprisingly, Marinette was seated right at the end with a lone chair placed at the very end of the table.
So Alya sat on one side with Nino gladly sliding up to the other. And all the way across the table from her seat was another, almost identical, throne-like chair.
“Are you sure this is the right seat for me?” Lila started to say, refusing to get into the chair that a servant had pulled out for her right in the middle of the table in front of the fireplace. “My—“
“Yes. Sit down.” A servant, dressed similarly to Melodie and Emelio was very straight to the point as they answered. The only thing that was remarkably different was the dark green newsboy cap on his head that matched the same side of green as the uniforms. However, at Lila’s silence and lack of movement, he added, “Please.”
“Hmph.“ Lila plopped down on the chair, surprisingly without as much of a fuss as Marinette was used to seeing.
“Thank you, Gavin.” Emelio said then thumped his fist into his palm. Emelio shook his head and moved quickly to stand beside the servant who was watching him with a calm smile. “Oh, I almost forgot to introduce you! How silly of me.” Emelio looked out at everyone gathered around the table and gestured with his hand to the other. “Everyone, Gavin is the third head servant.”
Gavin did a small bow at his introduction, his glasses slipping down his nose a little at the movement. The third head servant did not waste time and immediately went back to work helping to set up the table efficiently.
“Oh, what kind of silverware do you use?” Chloé asked. Her tone went up in pitch as she plucked the silverware from its spot in the folded napkin by the side of her plate. Her frosty blue eyeshadow was highlighted further as she raised her eyebrows at the detailed etching on the handle of the spoon. “I need to bother my daddy for some time when I get back home. This is absolutely stunning, so it’s perfect for me.”
“Thank you, Miss Chloé.” Gavin responded with a respectful tone. “This silver has been here for many years so I’m not entirely sure if they make the same design anymore.”
Chloé rolled her eyes. “Ugh.” She dropped her lips into a pout as she plopped the spoon on the napkin. “Right when I find something that fits my taste in here.”
“Alright everyone. Listen up!” Emelio clapped his hands like a teacher trying to get the attention of young students. “Dinner will be served shortly.”
Melodie stepped up beside Emelio with a practiced smile. “On the menu tonight, there will be three courses. The appetizer consists of oven roasted asparagus and zucchini fritters. There will be a serving of Kedgeree which is curried rice with smoked fish and boiled eggs for our main course. And a citrus parfait with lemon sherbet.”
“Ooh.” Marinette could hear Nino groan in delight. She could understand why since she didn’t see him have a snack on the bus much like a few others on the bus.
Well, except for herself, she had small croissants and macaroons wrapped in napkins that were stuffed in her purse by her dear parents. Some of which Alya had swiped before they even got on the bus.
Marinette won’t lie though, the meal did sound like it was going to be delicious. She commented, “Ah, that sounds so good.”
“I know.” Alya’s answer came out muffled from the way she was laying her head in her hands.
Nino looked across the table at Alya with a pout. “I am so hungry.”
Alya tilted her head at her boyfriend and nodded knowingly. Marinette could hear her stomach rumble from beneath the table like it had a statement to make. “Me too, babe.”
“Excuse me, how will the meals work again?” Ms. Bustier raised her hand, gaining the attention of the two head servants they had gotten to know in the past hour or so. “I’m just making sure.”
“Of course, Miss.” Melodie replied with ease. “Three official meals will be served each day. However, if anyone is late to the meal or gets hungry between the official times can come here for ready made snacks to keep their stomachs satisfied.”
“Excellent.” With that, their teacher was satisfied.
The answer came right on time since serving tables started to roll out of the kitchen with covered plates. One by one, the plates were placed in front of each of the students with the utmost grace that Marinette had never seen before.
When the plates were revealed, there were many gasps down the table as the students looked down at the colors of the dish and breathed in the smell of the appetizer.
Emelio waved his hand in the air, a gesture that made all of the other servants step back from the table. “Now, please, dig in.”
*
Midway through their dessert, Melodie cleared her throat which made Alya’s eyes widen in anticipation. Nino hurriedly turned his head with his cheeks filled with the sherbet, a drip cascading down his lips.
“It’s time~” Alya whispered as Emelio, Gavin and Melodie gathered themselves in front of the fireplace.
“Thank you all for coming to the Culpa Mansion.” Melodie started, her voice like a melancholy harp echoing through the elegant room. All of her classmates looked entranced with a few of them contouring to eat their dessert but more slowly than before. “Right now, we will share some of the history of the mansion and why it remains as empty as it does today.”
“Interesting,” Sabrina said, scooping up a perfect scoop of fruit and sherbet into her spoon to guide into her mouth.
After her words, the fireplace was brought to life behind the servants. The flames roared up to a point where the fakers picked the mantle above it while the chandelier lights dimmed. She ignored Alya’s hushed comment of ‘mood lighting’ since her attention was stolen by the head servants.
All of her class turned their attention to the trio of head servants, even Chloe who looked halfway interested in the story. All of them except Lila who continued to eat her dessert even though she was seated right in front of them.
Melodie gave the brown haired girl a look that she quickly hid before others noticed. Marinette watched as the elegant woman started the tale with her melodic voice. “Long ago, Master Culpa and his wife left England to find a new place for their family to grow. Their marriage was not approved by their families, so they left the country to avoid any attempts to break them apart.”
“But their love was nothing compared to the star crossed lovers that bonded underneath the roof of this house.” Emelio said dramatically with an exaggerated gesture of his arms towards the ceiling. His gaze trailed over to her side of the table as he added. “And it all started with a young boy named Felix.”
Félix? That was the same name of the boy who helped her.
“Young Felix Culpa was born and raised inside this mansion. And like any young noble, he was engaged at a young age.” Gavin continued on, his deep voice drawing attention to him. “However his engagement with Beatrice Bourgeois did not last long before it was dissolved.” Chloe looked intrigued at the information but her face quickly changed as Gavin explained the reason why. “Due to her father’s poor luck with his business and her mother fleeing from the marriage with a foreign businessman, the family reputation went down far too quickly to Felix’s parents’ taste.”
Melodie picked the story back up. Wow this story felt very rehearsed. Marinette wondered if it continued in this pattern for the whole story. “He had been engaged to another woman in his early teens, but that ended shortly after his parents died in a tragic carriage accident coming back to the mansion after a diplomatic trip to Italy.”
Gavin’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Felix was set to become the official master of the house soon after their demise, so both of his previous fiancés were trying to get back into his good graces during his mourning period. Yet their attempts were thwarted when Felix announced that he had already found his bride.”
“Bridgette Chen.” All three of the head servants said at once like a harmony from a song chorus. It was eerie how in sync it was with no hesitation or pause at the beginning like she saw many people do. There wasn’t even a stumble in their words. They must have practiced quite a lot.
“It was unheard of.” Melodie trailed off, slowly walking around the table as she recalled the love story. “A noble marrying a commoner and making them the official wife. There have been similar situations with commoners becoming concubines or mistresses, a love hidden behind the world of nobility and royals.” Melodie passed by her table’s side with an elegant glide of her feet. “Yet... he was the only one who wanted to hold her at the same level as him even if they came from different worlds.”
Emelio interjected with his excited, showman voice. “So that’s how Bridgette Chen, a maid, became the fiancé of a noble!” When Melodie walked back to the fireplace, he added, “Also, fun fact, she was known to be a devoted, loving daughter of a seamstress and baker.”
“However, not many found their love story to be that enchanting.” Gavin said, his tone more somber than before. “A lot of nobles found the class difference between them to be distasteful.” Then, the third head servant started to circle the table much like Melodie with every one of his sentences sounding pointed like her class was present at that time. “Rumors began to spread about how a girl like her ended up where she was and what she did.” Marinette spied him glaring at Lila who was not paying attention and rolling his eyes over Chloe. “Stories about her bullying others to manipulate the master into loving her were lies told and spread within inner noble circles.” Gavin passed by her side of the table with slow, dragged steps. “The ones who seemed to detest her the most were his past fiancés who were not pleased to hear such news.”
“Many nobles hated the idea of a commoner usurping the coveted position at Master Culpa’s side from a noblewoman.” Emelio’s easygoing smile dropped into a frown. “So this is where the love story becomes a bittersweet tragedy.”
“Oh no...” Rose, a lover of romance, whimpered in response.
“One night, the Culpa Mansion hosted an engagement party for the young couple.” Melodie started it off. The mood lighting from the fireplace dimmed down as the chandeliers glowed a bit brighter. The wall lights started to dim as well like the dining hall was copying the lighting of the engagement party. “A themed masquerade ball for all of the guests to enjoy.”
“Throughout the night, the young couple was seen dancing and laughing together underneath the beautiful chandelier.” Emelio sweeps in to drag Melodie into a short dance which makes the woman yell at the sudden move. The scene drew a few laughs from the table of guests especially when Emelio got slapped in the arm for the action. “It’s the same one you first saw when you entered.”
“Wow...” Alya mumbled right next to her while Nino nodded in agreement
“When it was getting close to midnight, Bridgette left her lover’s arms to freshen up her nose upstairs.” Melodie said her tone and smile dropped in the next sentence. “She had not returned. Félix went up to check on her when she didn’t come back.”
Melodie stopped, placing a hand over her mouth while Emelio picked back up the story. “And when he entered, he found Bridgette sprawled across her chaise lounge chair with a spilled cup of wine staining the floors that she adored. He checked to see if his love had simply fainted, but found no pulse.”
Gavin shook his head sadly, his gaze lowering to the floor.. “He entered the ballroom with the cold body of his love held tightly in his arms. He administered a warning to all that attended.” When he looked up, his glasses flashed in the light. “A curse.”
“A curse meant to spread like vines and wrap around the people responsible for Bridgette’s demise,” Emelio finished for Gavin as Melodie collected herself. “And their descendants as well.”
Marinette felt her heart break for the past Félix. It sounded like he finally found the one he loved despite everything only to lose her right before their marriage was set in stone.
And it looked like many of her classmates had the same gut wrenching pity for the poor couple. Yet Marinette frowned when she noticed just how unbothered Lila still seemed to look as she poked around her plate. Even Chloe looked a bit sympathetic for a few seconds! And she was Chloe!
Ms. Bustier looked saddened by the tragic turn of events. She questioned quietly in the silence of the room. “Did he find out who did it?”
“There were multiple suspects. The main two were his past fiancés who did not hide their rage and envy for the humble girl.” Melodie answered, her voice was monotone. Nothing gave away her feelings just utterly blank as she talked. “The other suspects were several nobles who seemed to delight in the fact that Master Culpa’s fiancé perished because it gave them a chance to put forward their own daughters and nieces for the open position as the mistress of the house.”
Emelio and Gavin nodded while she continued, a hint of anger spilling into her words while she recounted what happened to the main two suspects. “Beatrice was placed in hiding by her family due to the suspicion placed on her. But the other fiancé, Lilianna, escaped back to her home country in Italy before Félix could keep her inside the country lines for the investigation.”
“Damn.” Nino mumbled under his breath.
“Bridgette was buried on the grounds in her favorite place, a grave hidden away by the judging eyes of the public who saw her as anything but an angel in Master Culpa’s eyes.” Gavin added in with a small smile.
Julia raised her hand and waited for Melodie to tilt her head her way. Julia cleared her throat and asked in a low voice. “What happened to the master of the house? Félix Culpa?”
“He had ended his life three months after his fiancé had perished.“ Emelio answered swiftly, his eyes trailing past the table and up to the chandelier above them. “His body was buried within the large estate near his beloved.”
“Oh no...” Rose brought her hands up to her mouth. Julia pulled her in with one arm to comfort her.
A lot of her classmates felt the same with the sad and pitiful looks they were sending around to each other or to their plates. Nathaniel winced and commented. “Poor guy.”
“But don’t be saddened by the story,” Gavin said. He swept his arms out in a grand gesture. “It is said that his ghost is still present inside this mansion waiting for his precious Bridgette to reunite with him, to come back to their home so they can rise to the afterlife together.”
“How tragic,” Rose commented, a smile growing on her face at the bittersweet ending. She looked over to Julia who was still holding her close. “Yet romantic!” Julia nodded with her cheeks slightly growing red at Rose’s hopeful expression.
“So this mansion is haunted?” Kim asked, his eyes trailing over the decorations now with something wary in his gaze.
“Indeed. This property is haunted by many souls.” Gavin replied easily. “A few Culpa family members. Some friends who were deeply intertwined with the young couple and despaired when their friends went under so much suffering.”
Emelio grinned, sliding in front of Gavin and clapping a hand on their shoulder. “And many servants who decided it was their duty to wait by their master’s side for all of eternity.”
“Damn, how many souls are in here?” Alix asked. She jumped back in her seat when a servant swept in to take her empty dessert plate.
“Well, counting the graveyard and the piece of land beyond the lake—“
“And the ones possibly still in the lake.” Emelio whispered quite loudly with his eyebrows raised towards the guest.
“What?!” Chloe exclaimed, one of her manicured hands going over her heart. Lila’s eyes went wide as she slowly turned over her shoulder to pay attention to the servants for the first time.
“Emelio, stop scaring our guests.” Melodie scowled Emelio who awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck in reply. She sighed and turned her eyes on the dinner table with a reassuring smile. “Do not worry. There are no bodies in the lake...” Emelio cut in. “...last time we checked.” Melodie immediately placed a hand over his mouth and raised her voice to drown out whatever he wanted to say next. “Anyway! Is everyone finished with their meal?”
There was a chorus of agreements while several servants started to take away empty plates.
“Good. Rest your stomachs for some time. Then, we will guide you back up to your assigned rooms.” Melodie replied with ease. “And we can officially begin the volunteer cleaning tomorrow.”
Kim raised his hand in the air yet did not wait to be called on as he asked, “Will we be cleaning up all day?”
“No, there will be several breaks for food and extra hours given to everyone to explore and enjoy the estate.” Melodie answered with a smile. “Remember that we did tell you about the multiple tours of the estate.”
“Yes! Awesome.” Kim pumped his fist in the air while Chloe muttered something about that fact being good. Marinette couldn’t make out what she said but she could assume that Chloe was thankful she did not have to get her hands dirty or that long. If she did any work. Poor Sabrina might be stuck doing her workload too.
There were a few minutes of the students talking amongst themselves while Marinette talked with Nino and Alya. Nino told her about hopefully setting up a period of time where he can tour around with his phone to show off the fun stuff to Adrien. And Alya looked far too excited about a secret project she got inspiration from during the storytime during dessert.
“I’ll tell you about it tomorrow, girl.” Alya whispered with a mischievous smile on her face. “I want to make sure I have everything I need in preparation for it before I do the topic.”
Melodie clapped her hands to have attention back on her after what felt like twenty of so minutes. Marinette gazed over the table to see that every plate had been taken away except their glasses that looked refilled. The blonde woman asked, “Has everyone’s food settled?”
At the chorus of nods, Emelio jumped from his excitement. “Good. Good!” He waved his hands in a circle to encourage people out of their seats. Melodie and him started to walk towards the grand staircase. “Now let’s go to your rooms so you may unpack and relax for the rest of your night.”
Kim and Alix whooped at that, scooting out their seats in a rush to get to the rooms. Marinette got out of her seat and waited for Nino and Alya before continuing her way to the head servants waiting by the stairwell. When everyone was gathered, Gavin walked up behind the group and joined the other two at the front.
Melodie and Emelio grinned at them while Gavin called over his shoulder at the guests. “Follow us!”
*
Everyone followed after the three head servants up the stairs with Emelio leading the way in a triangle formation with Melodie and Gavin. A few other lower servants had guided Ms. Bustier to her room on the first floor.
And one by one, all of her class were given rooms to share with, which was understandable given how huge the rooms seemed to be!
Lila somehow managed to make a big enough fuss to get her own room instead of bunking with Alix. So the servants arranged for Alya to room with her and gave Lila her own room. However, they did not listen again to her pitiful complaints about it being smaller than the ones they were shown.
Alya got paired with Alix in a room with a lot of storage with a coat hanger that Alix happily tilted her skateboard against. Chloe and Sabrina roomed together in a room with an abundance of mirrors and an empty, antique jewelry box on the dresser. Rose and Jules picked out a room with luxurious beds and a daybed in the center.
She could hear Nathaniel further down the hall rushing into his room that had a bay window. Marinette awkwardly stood there in the hall while servants rushed in and out rooms to guide other students inside. Melodie noticed her plight and approached with a sad smile. “We apologize, but given the unexpected moves this evening, it seems there are no rooms on the second floor vacant that are clean enough for a visitor to stay in.”
Marinette tried not to let the information get to her. She could clean pretty fast, so she can dust off a bed in one of the unprepared guest rooms and sleep there. And she can take the time to clean around places she would use before heading to bed—
“However!” Melodie interrupted the plans she was cooking up inside her mind. “There is a room on the third floor that you might enjoy even better. I had one of the servants bring your things up there already.”
“Really?” She didn’t see any servant from the room she was supposed to share with Alya and leave with her things. Maybe they did it while she was distracted with the boys finding rooms? They could have done it whole Nino started that pillow fight in the hall. “Well, that sounds better than my idea.”
Melodie nodded. Maybe she had already assumed what she was going to do since the other woman glanced towards the multiple rooms that had no one in them. “Now then, I will guide you up there.”
Melodie gestured with her hand in front of her then started to walk past her, leading her away from the busy hall of everyone getting settled into their room.
Alya poked her head out in the hall and gave her a questioning look, mouthing some words that she couldn’t make out. The only possible thing she could be asking is where she was going or something similar. So Marinette shrugged in response and pointed up, hoping that Alya could understand what she was mining out.
When Marinette saw her friend nod, she relaxed and turned her attention back on the head servant guiding her to the third floor. The stairs were a bit more modest than the sweeping staircase from before, especially as they ascended into a dark space. Melodie led the way as the lights started to warm, chasing away the shadows with their soft beams.
Melodie kept her voice low like there was someone that was listening to their conversation around the corner. “Not many are permitted to go up here given the history behind it.”
Marinette frowned. “What history?”
“Hm.” Melodie hummed. Her eyes trailed over the small paintings on the striped wallpaper. “A story for another night I suppose.”
Melodie guided her down a hallway that was very different from the first floor and second floor. This section of the house felt more hidden away like a secret place that was never meant to be explored casually. Marinette felt like she wasn’t allowed to look up or pay attention to the details along the walls or the side tables next to the large windows.
It did not take long for her to be brought directly to her guest bedroom. Melodie smiled a bit sadly as she opened the door, her hand shamed when it gripped the door handle. “Here is your room.”
Marinette gasped as Melodie flicked on an overhead chandelier with dazzling lights. “It’s... beautiful.”
It was the only way she could describe it! It was lavish and bigger than any of the rooms on the second floor. Against the wall was a soft pink colored canopy bed with sweeping curtains that hid the silky looking bedding behind it. She could see the mountain of pillows gathered up near the hand-carved headboard with what she could only describe as roses engraved into the wood grain.
The wooden floor ached underneath her feet beneath the soft, plush carpet. There were two bookshelves against the left wall with a gorgeous oil painting depicting an angel fountain in a garden with an overflowing picnic spread out on a lacy cloth.
The right wall was covered head to toe in what Marinette could only describe as her dream fashion studio. Mannequins stood posed amongst the organized messiness of the area. There were buttons, lace, cloth, silk, leather, appliqués, jewels, stones, threads of all colors and more just waiting on a desk next to an old sewing machine. It was a dream to see especially with the square table that was going to be perfect for laying out fabric and pinning it in the right places.
And by the clothes was a mannequin covered by a thick red cloth right next to a chaise lounge chair. The chair was a soft pink much like the bed with golden details in the material and the wood. Marinette found herself walking towards it or more specifically a particular spot where the chair was stained against the leg. She narrowed her eyes at the stain, creeping closer to see how the color dried a darker pink in the light—
Marinette jumped when Melodie cleared her throat and started to talk about the bedroom. “We recently upgraded the room and added more elements to it while trying to keep the overall theme of the original. Much like the way we are doing to the rest of the house.”
She moved to follow Melodie, feeling the curtains of the bed reaching out for her by the way it brushed against her skin when she passed it. Melodie pointed out her bags against the wall near the door and gestured to the armoire near the bookshelves and vanity tucked beside the desk.
“You can get yourself settled in here.”
“Are you sure?” Marinette asked, her eyes surveying the room once again to view all of the elegant decor. “This room feels so much more extravagant.”
“I’m sure.” Melodie smiled to reassure her. Then the servant gestured to the side where all the sewing materials were gathered. “Plus, it feels fitting because we were going to guide you to this room for the promised custom clothing for the Master.”
“Oh...Now that you say that it does make sense.” Especially with all of the items she could see, it would be a pain to move all that furniture and material to another room on the second floor that might not fit everything well.
Although she did feel a bit uncomfortable being in this room. Maybe it was because she was the only one on the third floor? That made sense, right? Wait, was there a bathroom on this floor?
Melodie looked like she couldn’t feel the amount of worries or concerns that Marinette was currently feeling as she walked right back to the door. “Now then, I wish you a good night. Oh, and if you need to powder your nose there should be a shared bathroom two doors down to your right.” Marinette breathed out a sigh of relief at that information. “Please rest. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Melodie.” Marinette then began to stammer as the head servant started to exit the room. “Good—uh. Sweet—Dream to your heart’s content!”
It must have been something she said or the way she said it but it made Melodie freeze with her hand on the edge of the doorframe. The blonde woman turned back to look at her with a vulnerable expression like a child being given hope. “What did you say?”
“Ah...” Marinette trailed off with an awkward giggle, something that made Melodie somehow tear up. Flustered, she waved her hands in the air in front of her. “I didn’t mean anything bad. I just thought—“
“Thank you, Marinette.” Melodie replied with a genuine smile, nothing like the customer service one she was showing at the tour. A glimmer in her eyes shone in the soft light of the room. “Thank you for coming here.”
With that, Melodie gently shut the door leaving Marinette standing awkwardly in the middle of the giant, lavish room. Marinette opened her mouth and closed it again like a fish. “Okay… Right.”
With a sigh, she turned her attention on her luggage to get her mind off the somewhat weird interaction just then. Did she make things weird? Oh no! Don’t think about it! Just pack now and worry about it later!
Marinette sped through her unpacking, dropping her own materials and swing kit on the overcrowded desk. Her modest makeup bag was placed on the vanity. And all her clothes that were already folded were all softly placed inside the armoire’s drawers. Although she did take the time to use the hangers inside the armoire to hang up a few of her dresses.
It did not take as long as she thought it would be.
So after all her unpacking was done, she dressed into her silky pajamas and headed for bed in the massive guest bed she was given. Marinette landed with a thump that turned into a giggle at the fact that there were way too many pillows.
It took a few minutes to get settled into the bed especially since she turned off the light in the room, so she was only guided by the soft illumination from the window that was covered by a very thin curtain. But Marinette got to a point where everything was set to maximum comfort with several pillows around her with a few others that were sacrificed to the floor.
Marinette snuggled into her plush pillow underneath her head and whispered out a soft ‘good night’ to the empty room.
*
A soft hum filled the air of the garden. A young black haired woman was idly sketching into a notebook with a feather pen, dipping it into ink every now and then to draw out a long sweeping gown. Strands of silky hair escaped from underneath the sweeping brim of the hat she was wearing.
A plate of freshly baked bread was prepared with a small bowl of berry jam and a knife. The woman placed the book down to prepare a slice of bread with the red jam smeared over it. The lady hummed around the snack before a voice yelled out.
“—ette!”
The lady turned towards the voice with a smile on soft, pink lips.
“Félix!”
Notes:
Thanks for reading!
Btw, story is not abandoned nor will it be unless I announce it but updates are very spaced out given the fact I have a lot of stories on my plate. I appreciate the comments given to show support and love.
So please take this, 6600 word chapter. It took SO LONG to write. If there are any errors, let me know.
Chapter 5: A Tour of the Garden
Summary:
Breakfast and garden tour
Chapter Text
The joyful beeps of her alarm tone woke her up from her slumber despite the endless urge to dig herself further into the comfortable material all around her.
Then, remembering everything she needed to do, Marinette quickly jumped up from the covers and checked what time it was. Phew! It looks like someone was on her side because it doesn’t look like she would be late for the day.
“Ah. Thank goodness,” Marinette whispered to herself while she got out of the luxurious bed that she was still surprised was hers.
At first, he began unpacking the smaller things she didn’t get to do yesterday night like her makeup bag. Even though she wasn’t in a rush, she still did a quick makeup routine since there was no reason to do much.
Sunscreen for her skin on her face and arms since she could be working outside. Her fingers danced across her cheeks and lips to place a rose color on both areas. And she just needed to pull her back in a bun—and done! She placed some lip balm off to the side just in case before heading to the closet to put on some appropriate clothing.
A material that moved with her for the top and some regular jeans would do just fine for the day. And the outfit paired with her sneakers perfectly. Marinette looked back at the clock and was still impressed with her time. At this point, she would be rushing to get downstairs.
Marinette paused. Wait, what if the time is wrong on her clock? What if they are all downstairs at breakfast already? Ah! She needs to go!
Phone? Check. Lip balm? Check. Sneakers are tied? Yep! And a small notebook just in case...? Yeah, she should bring it just in case she had a break.
Alright, here she goes!
Marinette closed the door behind her as she did her best not to trip down the rather steep stairs. She clung onto the railing while she walked down the grand stairs to the second floor where thankfully not many people were walking around.
The reason why was answered quickly as she heard some loud noises coming from the direction of the dining hall. Marinette followed the volume of the voices until she could see the giant table filled with many foods ranging from breads and pastries to thinly sliced meats and sausages.
It was served in a buffet style with many of her classmates having plates in their hands and digging in from where they were spread out in the room. The chairs were taken away from the table and placed against the walls so a few people were sitting on the chairs like Chloe and Sabrina.
Others like Kim and Alix were standing up with their plates and trying to eat as fast as they could, chomping down on orange slices and grapes. Nathaniel, Ivan, and Mylene seemed to be hovering around the table with their plates, picking through the options.
She looked over to a corner where Alya and Nino were eating while talking quietly with each other. Perfect!
Marinette descended the stairs and made her way over to the Buffett table to pick at the food laid out on the table. She fixed her plate so it was full of pastries and fruit just like a normal day in the bakery. With her plate in her hands, she walked over to her friends right as Nino pulled out his phone with a grin.
“Marinette! Just in time!” Nino called out as soon as his amber eyes landed on her. He adjusted his glasses with one hand and raised his phone up with the other. “Adrien should be video calling any minute now.”
“Oh?” She didn’t know Adrien would have time given the schedule his father had given him.
Alya seemed to understand her expression just from one look. “Yeah, he managed to sneak in a few minutes before he started his first photo shoot today. He said he would try to call a few times this week when he could—“
Nino cut her off with a choked gasp as his phone started to vibrate in his grasp. He looked over at them with a grin as he slid his finger across the screen without looking at his phone. They all watched as Adrien’s face bloomed across the screen at an awkward downward angle that showcased more of his forehead than his face. Nevertheless, Nino greeted him happily like any other day. “Adrien! Buddy, how’ve you been?”
“So far so good,” Adrien sighed. The blonde took a moment to adjust his hair presumably with the view of himself he had on his side of the video call. “How is everything over there? Did you start renovating yet?”
“We’re officially starting today.” Nino explained. “Yesterday was mostly just a tour, having dinner and going to sleep. And now we’re having breakfast, check it out.”
Nino stretched his arm out and angled it down to showcase all three of their plates of breakfast to the blonde model who looked hungrier with every shot he got of the food.
“Wow.” Adrien admitted with wide eyes. “I want to have a bite of that.”
Nino chuckled and lifted his fork that had eggs and a piece of bacon shoved onto its prongs. Nino pulled up the fork to the screen where Adrien opened his mouth to mime eating. Marinette and Alya laughed at the exaggerated sounds Adrien was making even as Nino pulled his fork away to serve the food into his own awaiting mouth.
Adrien smiled at all of them from the phone screen. “Well, the trip sounds relaxing so far.”
“Hey, don’t jinx us yet,” Alya interrupted him with a point of her utensil. “We don’t know what they have in store for us yet.”
“Yeah, dude.” Nino leaned into his phone and failed at whispering, “Although it wouldn’t hurt to show off my strength.”
Nino paused to showcase his arms which made Alya laugh and jokingly fawn over his muscles for a short moment before the four of them dissolved into laughter once again. Marinette scooped up one of the mini muffins on her plate and shoved it into her mouth.
Alya started to go on about the tour they had yesterday and talked about the suits of armor they saw and the overall feel of the huge mansion. Marinette and Nino took the time to eat from their plates as Alya went full journalism mode in telling Adrien all about the tour in detail.
“The mansion sounds even better than I thought. Make sure to take pictures for me if you’re allowed to,” Adrien said with a grin. The model’s gaze landed on her through the screen right when she had stuffed four cubes of watermelon inside her mouth. “Mari! Are you excited to start? And have you started your commission yet?”
Marinette held up her finger and looked away as he hurriedly chewed on the fruit. She swallowed then cleared her throat to answer her friend, “Yeah. I hope I can get started on the design after we finish—“
“OH. MY. GOD!” Lila’s irritating voice rang out in the large dining room. All, if not most, of the eyes of the class landed on the frustrated brunette who was strutting towards the food with determination.
She was dressed... not the best for working or cleaning unless she was that talented in moving in heels. And the Italian girl was wearing a light colored sundress on top of that! Nobody else was dressed that nicely! Even Chloe was wearing ankle boots and bootcut jeans! Although the blonde made sure she wore the jeans that had heart embellished pockets so it was still being true to her style in a way.
“Finally! I can get some food!” Lila stomped her way to the food table and started to pile up her plate. She scoffed loudly. “Did no one hear me?!”
“What’s going on?” Adrien asked as quietly as he could from the phone speaker.
“We have no idea,” Marinette whispered as she silently watched the brown haired girl ‘gently’ push Ivan out of the way to get to the meat plate.
Adrien looked like he was about to say something else before his head jerked up with a nervous expression. He gazed back down with an awkward chuckle. “Oh, it looks like I ran out of time. I’ll text you later, guys.“
“See you, Buddy.” Nino muttered with his eyes darting between his phone and the buffet table. They all waved goodbye quickly as the model disappeared into a black screen.
“Man, what’s up with her?” Alya mumbled to Marinette. She shrugged at her friend in response because she had no idea. Maybe she overslept? But she said something about no one hearing her.
“Calm your tits, Lila,” Alix spoke up from the stunned and somewhat concerned classmates. “What are you upset about?”
“What am I—?! Ugh!” Lila rolled her eyes so hard she tilted her head back to emphasize that point. “Are you telling me you couldn’t hear me pounding on my door or yelling for anybody to help me out?”
“Did you lock yourself in?” Kim questioned.
“No! I would never do something that stupid!” Lila huffed. Then her eyes strayed to the door leading to the kitchen with a sneer. “I wouldn’t put it past one of the servants to lock me in.”
“Why would they do that?” Juleka defended the staff, crossing her arms as she talked. “They need everyone’s help to help clean up this big place.” She sharply gestured to the stairs where everyone’s rooms were. “Your door could have just been jammed.”
“Yeah. Don’t worry about it right now. Let’s just eat.” Rose tried to bring the mood in the room up by gesturing to the table that still had food leftover on the plates with a bright smile. “They have plenty of food set out for everyone.”
Lila grumbled at having her words be ignored yet made no attempt to add to it since she went straight to the table to add more to her plate. Maybe she just didn’t have the energy to argue more because she was that hungry?
Marinette shared a glance with both of her friends before they all went back to eating from the plates. It wasn’t long before the kitchen doors opened to reveal two servants dressed in aprons.
“Work for today will begin soon.” The first servant with a side ponytail said.
The other servant with loose curly hair added, “Please start wrapping up your breakfast now to have your stomachs settled in time to begin the work.”
“You can always return for a snack during the work breaks,” The ponytailed servant commented.
Marinette’s eyes traveled around the room where most people were already finished or were very close to cleaning their plate. Chloe was already pushing her empty plate into Sabrina’s hands to take care of while she reapplied her lip gloss.
Lila still had most of her plate filled with food with a fork halfway to her mouth. It was expected since she was a bit later to arrive due to the supposed mishap with her door. With a scowl, Lila started to shovel food into her mouth with visible frustration.
*
Melodie appeared shortly after their breakfast plates were stacked by the kitchen. Her blonde hair was styled with curled green ribbons that matched the color of her uniform.
“Good morning, everyone. We will be working on the outside garden along with our gardener, Zoe.“ Melodie explained to the class standing in the dining room. “The work will be cleaning the stone walkways, weeding, cutting grass, washing off the stained surroundings and dealing with the overgrowth.”
“Then after lunch, everyone will be assigned to a room inside the house on the same floor you are staying on.” Melodie responded, gesturing up to the stairs where their rooms were assigned. “This way there will be more rooms that are cleaned and everyone can switch to a newly cleaned room if they wish.”
“Awesome,” Kim muttered, he rubbed at the last traces of sleep in his eyes.
Alix rubbed her hands together. “Can’t wait.”
Melodie bowed her head to the gathered crowd of teenagers then tilted her head back to the way leading to the entrance. “Now if everyone would follow me outside, I will guide you to the area in the garden that needs the most help.”
Marinette lingered by Alya’s side near the back with Nino being dragged up to the front to talk with Nathaniel. They followed the crowd as they made their way back outside to the cobblestone paths and overgrown greenery.
They were making their way around the house and stepping over a decorated path that almost looked like a tiny bridge between the hedges blocking off the garden area. It was just a flowery detailed wooden piece between the two types of stones that transitioned from the bigger, polished stone to the second stony ground.
And Lila decided this was the perfect time and place to start her usual, daily tactics to piss off Marinette.
The brown haired girl decided to take a moment while everyone else was distracted and made herself fall onto the ground leading right into the garden. Not only was it such a lame attempt at falling it also blocked off their way inside the garden.
Marinette could feel her eye twitch while Alya took the moment to grab her hand and grasp it tightly to give her that small amount of comfort.
“Marinette,” Lila called out loudly to her from the ground where she was sprawled on the stony path. Some of the class looked back at her volume while others just glanced back at her. “I can’t believe you would trip me!”
“I wasn’t anywhere near you,” Marinette defended herself. She could already feel the rising bite of irritation in her tone from having to deal with this kind of situation yet again.
By this time, the group had stopped due to Melodie’s instruction while Lila stubbornly stayed on the ground like he was trying to relish in her soap opera drama moment.
Thankfully the frustration was extinguished by Alya’s comforting hand on her shoulder and the fact that Rose was quickly approaching to lead Lila away from her.
“It will be fine.” Rose interrupted Lila before she could bust out anything more besides her accusation. Rose’s eyes glanced over to her before she waved her hand in the air. “I’m sure it was just an accident. Marinette’s more of a stumbler than she is a pusher. Let’s focus on the flowers instead, Lila!”
“I don’t know why people still take her seriously even a little bit.” Alya sighed. Marinette copied her sigh. At least their classmates could see through the bullshit more than half the time. But Miss Bustier and some of the other staff including Principal Damocles still got tricked in more ways than one. That’s what really infuriated her. They are adults! The only teacher that doesn’t take Lila seriously is Miss Mendeleiev.
Alya tilted her head back before leaning in to whisper. “Especially with that door thing this morning. Do you think she slept in or something and wanted some kind of attention on her?”
“I wouldn’t put it past her.” Marinette shrugged. Lila has done more childish things for less at this point, but it might have been a possibility with the older residence. She is not trying to give the girl an excuse, but there is a chance that it unfolded like that. “But this is an older house, so maybe there was something a bit off with her door lock.“
“Sure,” Alya replied with a grumble.
Both girls walked back up to join the group as Melodie guided them to a pair of busts that made up the corners of the hedge walkway.
“And here we have a pair of busts made by the Culpa’s sculptor, Marcus.” The busts were beautiful. White marble that has obviously been cleaned often due to the limited amount of wear and tear on the small statues.
And the marble pillars below the busts supporting them were full of color. The etched vines were bountiful and done in multiple shades of green. The colors of the carved flowers matched the same shade of the flowers that Marinette could see glimpses of in the garden. And there were spots of colors that swirled around the natural imagery like the whisper of a rainbow dancing around.
It was so wonderfully done.
Melodie had smiled at the group, gesturing to the busts at either side of her. She said, “All around the mansion his work along with his lover, Nicolai’s, works are portrayed. You can often see a bust or statue art right next to a painting so the two lovers are nearly always in a pair.” Then, she paused, then leaned closer to the group. “The garden is the exception one might think. But that is not the case because—“
Melodie gave a pointed glance down at the planted pillars supporting the busts which drew Rose’s attention immediately. “Oh, did he paint the pillar?”
“Yes. Nicolai often paints using the original medium of canvas.” Melodie replied. “But he experimented with the pillars for the busts to provide support for his lover. According to their story, they were introduced by the lovely lady Bridgette and were together until their untimely death.”
“Aww.” Rose clutched at her heart which made Julia step closer to her side so the blonde could lean on her.
“Do not be saddened.” She rushed to reassure the sensitive teen. “Their bodies rest together among the graveyard behind the mansion due to their loyalty to the Culpa family.” Melodie paused again, her expression becoming soft as she addressed the busts besides her. “And these two busts, in particular, were made after the likeness of Felix Culpa’s parents.”
Marinette stepped closer to the busts when she heard that. Her gaze was fixed in the sculpted features of both heads. Both adults looked younger than she thought they would. Only the delicate lines around their features were the indicators of their age. Nevertheless, they looked young...
The tour continued with both Aliya and Marinette towards the back as Melodie guided everyone towards what looked to be the middle of the garden. Alia gasped, pushing at her arm once she saw what was the centerpiece of it all.
A stunning work of art in the form of a large fountain was placed around circular stones with water spurting out from the top of the layered stone. Carved roses curved around the rim and down the base of the fountain until it faded into the rose bushes set up around the stone fixture.
“Here we are! You are standing officially in the center of the Culpa garden.” Melodie announced. She paused as everyone reacted to the fixture, kindly stepping out of the way once she spotted some phones coming out to take a picture. However, she did not let the moment last long before she opened her mouth once again to say. “This garden was started by Felix’s mother when they first arrived to make the area around the mansion more lively. It has only grown bigger due to the diligence of the servants, keeping the lady’s memory alive through nature.”
With that statement, Melodie spread her arms wide and gestured everywhere. Marinette furrowed her brows. How big was the garden?
She quickly got her answer when her best friend, Alya, started to whisper to her. “Girl. Girl. Girl. Look. Look!”
Marinette snorted, turning her head to where Alya’s was pointing and was surprised once again. She honestly thought she saw all of the garden when they were simply walking into the manor the other day. But this sight begs to differ.
It felt like she along with her classmates were plopped into the middle of a storybook fairytale. The stone path she could see was covered by a canopy of trees with hanging moss drifting down. Dark flowers littered the area with vines creeping up the stone walls she could see. The glimpse of the area she could see down the path was beautiful with a gazebo that looked so well kept aside from a few vines creeping up the sides.
“It’s like we’re living in a fairytale.” Marinette whispered.
Alya muttered, “Where’s the pumpkin carriage when you need it?”
“If you could not tell, this garden extends out from this section from the stone pathways guiding you out in different ways. One of the ways leads out to a gazebo next to the pond. That’s my favorite part of the garden.” Melodie gestured with her hand towards the path they were looking down then shifted in her place to point down the separate one. “And another leads you towards the rather expansive graveyard. It is said there are a lot of souls from even before the Culpa’s moved in that rest there.”
The two girls turned their heads to use ether other path of the garden trail. Alya whistled at the sight. It was the exact same with trees and moss hanging down. But there was more stone incorporated in the pathway with statues and busts and dark green hedges to separate the gray. This path was more overgrown from what she could tell with a lot of tree branches crowding others. And at the very end, Marinette could see a glimpse of a curved iron gate much like the one at the front of the mansion.
“I didn’t know this garden stretched so far.” Alya stated.
Marinette looked down the overgrown path and spotted the ladder resting against one of the trunks with a discarded pair of clippers on the grass. “Maybe that’s the reason why they need our help. One gardener can’t possibly take care of all of this.”
It felt like Melodie either was listening in or the universe had perfect timing because Melodie’s voice floated over their heads in an excited tone. “And the most important person on this tour is here!” Alya and Marinette turned their attention away from the paths to look at the new visitor.
“This is our gardener, Zoe.”
The gardener barely looked older than them. Her blonde hair was tied back in a pink handkerchief that matched the same shade as the pink in her bangs. She had a light green ensemble on that was similar to the other uniforms except she had a heavy, brown apron with deep pockets. Marinette smiled when she saw the embroidered flower designs on the pockets. She could always appreciate a touch of personal style.
Zoe raised a hand to wave at everyone who echoed their own greetings to her. Melodie introduced her. “She has been with us for over a year but it does seem so much longer. She will be in charge of assigning specific chores to everyone.”
“Hello everyone.” Zoe greeted once the whole introduction was done. “Um, I will be showing you around the areas that need the most work. I’ve been tackling what I can in the garden and outside.”
Melodie backed away, pushing Zoe forward with a hand who slightly stumbled on the stone. “Well, I will be joining the others back inside. Please refer to Zoe if you have any questions. I will be available on the first floor if anyone needs anything.” Melodie slipped away by going around the fountain and back towards where they came. “Have a good time cleaning!”
“See ya!” Kim yelled out.
Nino looked around then looked at Zoe. “Man, I can’t believe this garden is so huge.”
Zoe awkwardly laughed while scratching at the back of her neck that was almost hidden by the handkerchief tying her hair back. “Technically, there are supposed to be three gardens on this estate. One of them is an indoor greenhouse that leads outside and the other is said to be in a secret location. It’s so secret that I’m not even allowed to go in there.”
“So you take care of two or three of the gardens?” Rose asked.
“That’s right.” Zoe replied with a grin. “I also deal with the other greenery on the land. And I try to help with the more modern appliances in the house.”
“So it’s thanks to you we have the Internet?”
“Kind of. I was the one who called in a team of workers to deal with the actual part of it. It took a long time for the workers to set it up all around the mansion.” Zoe sighed, taking a moment to rest the back of her hand against her forehead. “But not as long for the team that was sent over here to deal with the electrical lines.”
Alix winced. From what Marinette knew, her father had to have talks with workers like that when an electrical line fell near the museum he worked at. She guessed that Alix knew a bit more on how that encounter would have gone. “Oh, that sounds like hell.” Alix said.
“Ah, it sure felt like it,” Zoe responded. “There was so much talking...”
Zoe cut herself off by clapping her hands together. She froze when the attention went to her immediately then cleared her throat awkwardly. She breathed in and said, “Anyway, Melodie already told you about the different pathways. I will show you around then separate you into groups to focus on those places.”
How much bigger can this garden get?
Notes:
This took so long for no reason?? It’s because I kept trying to make it longer but I kept losing inspiration. So I ended chapter where I could and the garden tour will continue in the next chapter. And Félix makes his second appearance in the next one.
Thanks for reading!
Chapter 6: Cleaning the Garden
Summary:
Everyone is cleaning up the garden.
Chapter Text
It can get so much bigger.
Marinette was stunned as Zoe continued to lead them through the outside gardens in the areas she worked on. As she went, she gestured and pointed out to places she needed the most help in. The lake area with the gazebo had overgrown vines and way too much algae and plant life in the water.
Some areas seemed like all they needed was a good trimming and weeding. But then other areas had so much overgrowth that it might take all day to deal with the fallen branches from the trees and the mess of green. It looks like acorn trees were sprouting where they shouldn’t be which Marinette knew would be trouble to deal with especially with how tall they were already.
“How do you manage to deal with all of this work?” Juleka asked. She brushed back her bangs to look around clearly at the massive garden around them. Zoe had paused in her tour to look back at the punk girl. Her face was a little bit twisted up like she was still reeling from the information that there were even more areas she needed to tend to.
Rose frowned, her hands clutched in front of her heart in concern. “Yeah, it seems like too much for one person.”
“Honestly, it’s not too bad. I get to play music and just work on the gardens all day. They also provide a free lunch for me...” Zoe trailed off as she gave an awkward laugh. “It’s not like they wanted me to do all of it at once. But I’m not going to lie and say it wasn’t hard.” Zoe swallowed then shuddered like she was reflecting back on a war flashback that Marinette imagined was full of bugs and unruly weeds. “The first few months clearing out the dead plants and weeds was hell. But after that, things started flowing more easily.”
Zoe suddenly had a mischievous grin on her face that lightened up the air around them. “But there is still plenty of bulk work to be done which all of you will help me out with during your stay here.“
And then she took no time in practically skipping ahead of them all. Alix sped up ahead of everyone with Kim following close behind. Max set off his robot drone to start filming their chase through the overgrown path.
Alya tugged Marinette forward to step in pace with Nino as the trip tried to catch up with the speedy tour. Marinette ignored Chloé and Lila’s complaints and whined as she giggled with her friends. She glanced behind her to see Lila stomping her heeled feet around the overgrowth and trying not to step in the muddy places.
Lila’s face twisted as two figures passed by her. Chloe was basically using Sabrina as a horse at this point, jumping on her whenever there was mud so she wouldn’t get her white running shoes dirty. Sabrina passed right by the brown haired girl with Chloe in a piggyback position on her back.
The tour continued on as Zoe led them through a small orchard of trees whose branches were getting unruly. Then a gravel stone path that had tons of weeds reaching for the rocks and loose stones in the grass that needed to be returned to the stone path. There was a hedge garden leading out to the graveyard behind the manor who had tall black gates barring their entry from the area they were in.
Zoe talked over the mumbles as she guided them through a flower and herb garden directly behind the manor.
There was a larger area blocked off by tall hedges which made Alix ask about it. Zoe answered that the kitchen has their own fruit and vegetable area they take care of personally. “They have me take care of the tall hedges around it but everything inside is theirs to handle. Even the orchard has fruit trees that they pick off themselves.” Zoe sobered up for a moment, giving all of the students a warning. “That being said: don’t touch the fruits unless you get explicit permission beforehand. They get touchy about their fruits. Trust me.”
With that, Zoe moved all of them into the part of the garden they started in with the large fountain and the two marble busts. She clapped her hands together. “And that’s it for the garden area or at least the areas that we will be focusing on.”
Marinette wasn’t too proud to say that she was still recovering from the long tour of the entire garden and green areas that needed to be tended to. Alya was exactly the same, her glasses fell down her nose to her tip until she pushed it to her nose bridge.
Everyone looked a little overwhelmed by the amount of area. None of them were more unprepared for the work than Lila with those heels and Chloé who was looking down at her long, manicured nails.
“Now, I will split you all into groups to start working on the outside.” Zoe paused after she finished talking to gaze at everyone. “Okay. Max, Alix, Mylene will cover the area of the garden that extends towards the pond.”
“Rose, Nathaniel, Juleka will deal with ripping out the more unruly weeds and vines overgrowing in the northwest sides of the garden near the orchard. Kim, Nino and Ivan will handle the tree branches and the acorn trees disrupting the harmony of the path near the northern path.” Zoe separated each of the teens into groups with a gentle smile that wasn’t like the stiff nervous one at the beginning of the tour. “Max and Nino can help beautify the area near the gate leading towards the cemetery.
Zoe took in a deep breath then added, “And the rest of you will be here with me in this main area of the garden. We will deal with the garden closely surrounding the house. Lila, Chloe and Sabrina will work together as a team. And both Alya and Marinette will stick close to me.”
Zoe turned to everyone in the area and gestured with her hands back towards where they just walked past. “Everyone can gather materials in the shed we passed by for your area. Don’t forget to grab gloves. If you need advice, just ask me.” Zoe gazed at Marinette and the other four girls standing in the middle of the garden. “You five can rest here while I grab the tools we need.”
Zoe waved then started guiding the group of students back to where they came from to lead them towards the shed. Marinette watched them disappear past the hedges when Alya nudged her.
Marinette looked up at her best friend who gestured towards the roof with her chin. Frowning, Marinette looked up to see some male employees climbing onto the rooftops without their coats on. There was one woman stationed near the window they climbed out of with a bucket hanging off her arm.
“What is with them?” Alya whispered.
“They might be cleaning off the roof?” Marinette mumbled back to her with a shrug. That’s the only reason that came to mind since it did appear that they had tools in their hands.
Marinette glanced over at the trio behind them—well— it looked more like a duo and a third wheel standing awkwardly a few feet away from each other.
Alya winced, “I hope we don’t have to deal with the roof. That would be a little too concerning for me. Although the view must be pretty nice up there.”
Both of them looked away from the roof when they heard the grass rustling.
“I got the gloves!” Zoe called out cheerfully as she carried a bundle of gloves and handheld tools. Marinette’s attention was drawn to the clippers more than the small rake tool.
Alya spoke up, “Hey, why are some employees on the roof? What are they fixing?”
“Oh, they wanted to replace some shingles on the roof.” Zoe clarified, gesturing a gloved hand up at the roof. She took a moment to use her gloves hand to pull the other glove over her other hand. “They should only be up there today since only a few shingles need to be replaced.”
“You know, my mother—.” Marinette blocked out Lila’s voice as soon as she started to go on about some connection to her art inspiring the construction of a guiding in Italy or something similar. She focused on Alya and Zoe instead as she guided them to trim up the garden starting from the far gate near the graveyard.
The trio of girls started working on the outer layer of the garden with Lila going on and on as she barely picked at the weeds. Sabrina was putting her back into it while Chloe was finding the best angle for a selfie with the flowers.
She was in the middle of working on wrapping up an unruly batch of ivy when she heard a sliding sound from somewhere up above.
She felt Alya clutch her arm as she exclaimed, “Woah! Watch out!”
Marinette looked at Alya on instinct before following her gaze to Lila right on time to see the Italian girl throw herself backward to avoid falling debris from the roof. Lila screamed as the debris fell only inches away from her. Marinette watched as the brunette glared up at the workers, “Hey! Watch it! I could sue you for trying to hurt me!“
“Terribly sorry, Miss Rossi!” One of the serpents called out quite cheerfully despite the current situation. And, if her ears weren’t tricking her, she swore she could hear a bit of whispered laughter from above her. “We are currently working on the roof. Apologies for the mess!”
One of the others on the roof shouted out, “Please everyone, be careful of any falling debris.”
Alya whistled, “Wow, Lila almost got flattened.”
“I’m sure she wouldn’t have been flattened, but it could have been bad,” Marinette replied. Alya nodded her head. Then, both of them averted their eyes from Lila’s form as she started to curse up a storm in Italian.
Marinette stuck near Alya as Zoe bounced around all the areas people were working in. Zoe stayed mostly in their area afterwards until someone in her class needed her help with something.
Chloe and Sabrina were working together—well—Sabrina was taking care of things while Chloe directed her from above. It was just like how they were back in Paris.
But Lila was slower than everyone. Maybe it was because she kept pausing to look up to watch out for more debris every time she steered close to the wall or the fact she had to keep rubbing her feet from the pain from her heels.
Either way, they worked in the garden for what felt like an hour yet Zoe came out all smiles with a group of her classmates behind her.
“Alright, everyone!” Zoe clapped her hands together then winced at the sharp smack. She looked all around her to make sure everyone was gathered around in the garden before smiling awkwardly. “Uh, all of you are good to stop for now and head in for lunch. I think you will get started on some inside work when you’re done eating.”
Alya sagged beside her as Marinette felt her arms ache just at the mention of work.
Ah, hopefully the work will be better with the air conditioning inside the manor.
*
“It’s delicious!” Kim nearly sobbed in delight, his words muffled by the food stuffed into his cheeks.
Lunch was rather light compared to dinner the night before, but it was the type of meal that was especially refreshing to eat after working under the sun for a few hours.
Nino was nursing his second cup of lemonade as Max treated a splinter in his hand. Chloe was ‘elegantly’ demolishing the finger sandwiches on the tower in the middle of the table. Alix was munching down on the fruit tower she set up on her plate while Nathaniel was still trying to recover from the activities with some water beside her.
“Alright. Each of you has free time before the next cleaning session will begin. Please take this time to relax or look around the property.” Melodie’s voice travelled around the room like a gentle melody. Everyone hummed at her words while continuing to eat. “Again, please do not interact with the off limit areas.”
Marinette had taken to floating around for a more filling lunch since living in a bakery tended to lead her away from the lighter finger sandwiches. She couldn’t really haul up flour bags with her dad if she was relying on just the cucumber sandwiches. Even though she did sneak a few onto her plate. They were her favorite after all.
She had barely made a dent in her plate before her thoughts trailed to the garden again. A flash of inspiration struck as she thought back to the delicate ivy along the dark brick and the artistry of the fountain.
“Girl? Earth to Nette?” Alya whispered, waving a hand in front of her while her other hand gripped the rind of a watermelon slice.
“I’m going to go out for a bit.” Marinette replied softly. She gave her best friend a coy smile as she tapped the side of her head with a wink. “I have ideas.”
“Well, don’t let me stop you.” Alya grinned then nudged her shoulder. “Take your plate with you before I help myself to those blueberries.”
“See you later,” Marinette said. Alya hummed in return since her mouth was full once again with fresh fruit.
Marinette swept her lunch up in her hands with a smile as she eyed the goodies piled on the plate. She waved goodbye to Alya, turned on her heel, and started to walk towards the door leading to the lobby.
From behind her she could hear Max talking with his robot friend.
“Has anyone seen Miss Bustier?” She could hear Max ask a little louder than the regular whisper.
“Miss Bustier is resting in her assigned room.” An unfamiliar voice answered him. It must be one of the servants. Marinette glanced over her shoulder, but couldn’t see either of them in her line of sight. “No need to worry, sir.”
She fixed her gaze back on the door and dismissed the thought from her mind. Miss Bustier was pretty tired so maybe she was just resting for a little while longer.
With that, her thoughts focused back on her plan.
Marinette did not have time to go upstairs for her full sketchbook, but she was glad she brought her mini notebook along with her. Sure it was small! But it was the right size for an inspiration breakthrough no matter how big it is! She could refine it later into a full design idea in her sketchbook.
She smiled to herself at the thought, looking down at her pocket where the notebook was hidden when he unexpectedly ran into someone. She stumbled back with a cry only to meet the flustered gaze of Zoe who looked panicked.
“Oh no! I’m so sorry for bumping into you. You aren’t hurt, right?” Zoe fretted over her in such focused concern as her eyes trailed over her body to inspect her for any injuries.
“I’m fine! Are you okay?” Marinette asked Zoe. It felt awkward how both of them were checking the other over. “It‘s my fault for not looking up. You should see the messes I cause in the bakery.” Marinette tried to make the situation better yet Zoe didn’t crack a smile. So she awkwardly laughed, “Haha...”
Zoe nervously chuckled then noticed her plate in her hands. “Where are you heading?“
“Ah, I wanted to eat the rest of my lunch somewhere outside.” She shared. She gestured to the front door leading out to the garden. “I got called here in the first place to do some designs, so I wanted to sketch out parts of the garden to hopefully incorporate some of that into my sketches. Is that okay?
A strange look passed over Zoe’s eyes as she eyed the front door leading out to the garden. She looked back at her with a smile that seemed tight around the edges. “Of course. I’ll inform Melodie.” Then, almost secretively, she leaned in to whisper.” Just be safe out there, okay?”
“I will. Thank you.” Marinette replied gently. Something in her tone eases the discomfort in Zoe’s shoulders. Why was she worried? There were no dangers in the garden the last time she checked. Maybe she was worried about the bugs? “See you later.”
Zoe nodded once then walked towards the room she just left. Marinette turned on her heel and continued on her journey to the garden where the fountain was waiting for her.
She wondered why Zoe was acting that strange over bugs in the first place.
After all, the garden had no bugs crawling or flying anywhere around it.
*
Marinette walked into the garden once again with one hand digging into her pocket to dig out the little notebook. Thankfully, it had a little mini pen attached to the front of it. It was an adorable piece of stationary. However, she hoped that the mini pen still had a decent amount of ink left in it.
Once she sat down on the grass in front of the beatific fountain, she immediately got started on sketching. The floral details that could replicate the roses growing around the garden. She tried her best to replicate the vines while making notes on what shades of green to use. Possibly something a bit darker than the natural green of the leaves. Maybe she could embroider something close to the iron gates detailing and combine it with the vines.
The sunlight beamed down on her, providing the perfect light for her sketching time. She popped some fruit into her mouth in between the finer details. But she had to put down her sketches to bring the bigger sandwich to her mouth.
It felt so perfect. The weather was right for a picnic. And even though there was no blanket below her, it felt exactly like that type of outing with the plate of food beside her.
There were no workers on the roof, so no noise to interrupt her solo picnic.
And no noise to distract herself from the sound of crunching grass. She lifted her head up and found herself looking up into the familiar green eyes of Felix Culpa.
“Felix!” Marinette loudly greeted in shock. She stumbled back into the fountain so she felt the stone against her back and heard the swooshing water in her ears. Yet all she could see was the rather handsome face of Felix.
Felix’s eyes softened at the sound of her yell, his eyes grew gentle the longer he gazed down on her. He smiled, his form almost glowing in the sunbeams.
“Marinette.”
Notes:
Thanks for reading!
Again, updates are slow. But I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far!
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SelinaBloodstone13 on Chapter 4 Thu 30 May 2024 06:20PM UTC
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Passing_Ghost_Friend on Chapter 4 Thu 30 May 2024 06:42PM UTC
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KnifeDancer on Chapter 4 Sat 01 Jun 2024 08:15PM UTC
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Passing_Ghost_Friend on Chapter 4 Sat 29 Jun 2024 09:37PM UTC
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T0TALDrama on Chapter 4 Tue 02 Jul 2024 01:07AM UTC
Last Edited Tue 02 Jul 2024 01:07AM UTC
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Passing_Ghost_Friend on Chapter 4 Tue 02 Jul 2024 01:08AM UTC
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T0TALDrama on Chapter 4 Tue 02 Jul 2024 11:19AM UTC
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Lollipops_and_Landmines on Chapter 4 Tue 30 Jul 2024 10:26AM UTC
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Passing_Ghost_Friend on Chapter 4 Thu 01 Aug 2024 10:59PM UTC
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