"Clang."
The sound of the envelope falling into the depths of the mailbox was faint but clear, like an announcement of a girl's secret worries taking root.
Marinette and Alya exchanged a smile, then, as if by prior agreement, opened their arms and once again gave each other a big hug filled with joy and a sense of accomplishment.
The lingering glow of the setting sun, like golden honey, gently enveloped their figures, and even the air seemed to carry a sweet fragrance.
"We did it!" Alya whispered cheerfully into Marinette's ear.
"Mm!" Marinette nodded vigorously, her cheeks flushed with a cute blush from excitement.
After releasing the hug, Alya seemed to suddenly remember something; she gently nudged Marinette with her elbow, a sly curiosity on her face: "But seriously, Marinette, I've always wanted to ask… how did you know Jaden's address?"
This question, like a sudden bucket of ice water, poured down on Marinette's head.
The smile on her face instantly froze.
Her heart, which had just been racing from excitement, was now pounding so hard it felt like it would burst through her chest, but for a completely different reason.
She subconsciously released Alya's hand, her body somewhat stiff.
The address? How could she know the address?
Should she tell Alya that because she was Ladybug, during countless night patrols, she had hovered over that neighborhood like a tiny guardian angel, seeing that warmly lit window as the most unique star in the Parisian night sky?
Should she tell her that she had seen Jaden leaning lazily by the window more than once, reading a book or staring blankly at the night sky?
No, impossible!
Marinette's brain began an unprecedented high-speed storm, countless excuses flashed through her mind, but she rejected them one by one.
Each one sounded so pale, so full of holes.
She felt her face must be ashen white like a sheet of paper, and cold sweat was almost seeping from her temples.
Just as she was at a loss, almost overwhelmed by this panic, she looked up and saw Alya looking at her with… a look that saw through everything, composed and calm. There was no surprise, no questioning in His eyes, only a knowing "I knew it."
It's over… Marinette's heart sank to the bottom.
Could it be… could His identity, really, once again… be exposed? Was it because of the drawing she made? Or did some action just now give her away?
She desperately closed her eyes, preparing to face the judgment of her biggest secret being revealed.
However, what she waited for was not a gasp, but Alya's matter-of-fact tone, even with a hint of slight complaint: "It must be… Jaden himself told you, right?"
"…Eh?" Marinette suddenly opened her eyes, staring blankly at her good friend.
Alya folded His arms across His chest, looking smug like a great detective who had solved a mystery: "If it wasn't for that, how could you possibly know His address?
I'm telling you, those two guys, Marc and Nathan, their mouths are sealed tight like a safe now. I hinted several times, and they wouldn't reveal a single bit of information!"
As she said this, she even made a face at the air, as if blaming those two unhelpful boys.
Marinette's mind was completely blank for a few seconds.
She stared blankly at Alya, at His confident expression, and then, an indescribable surge of ecstasy, like a tide, instantly overwhelmed her.
His identity… was not exposed!
She let out a long, almost exhausted sigh of relief, feeling that her nerves, which had been stretched almost to breaking point, finally relaxed.
She quickly followed Alya's lead, forcing a slightly stiff smile onto her face: "Yes… yes! It was… it was just during a casual conversation once, I asked…"
"You're so uncool!" Alya playfully poked her arm, feigning anger, "Knowing such important information, and you didn't even share it with your bestie! That's so un-friendly!"
"I… I wasn't afraid…"
"Afraid of what?" Alya couldn't help but laugh at her expression, "Now that the letter's been mailed, what are you still afraid of?"
"You're right… I guess." Marinette also laughed, the earlier tension and panic vanished, leaving only the relief of having escaped danger and the joy of bantering with her friend.
The girls' laughter, like silver bells, echoed in the evening park.
Just then, the smile on Alya's face suddenly froze; she seemed to feel something and instinctively looked up at the sky.
In the sky, dyed a magnificent orange-red by the setting sun, a black figure, like a circling vulture, flew slowly, emanating an ominous aura.
His pair of enormous black wings cast a cold shadow under the lingering glow of the sunset.
It was Dark Cupid!
He seemed to have just returned from the direction of The Bridge of Arts, still exuding a strong negative energy condensed from heartbreak.
He flapped His wings, searching for new targets in the air, His eyes, red with hatred, coldly scanning all the couples on the ground.
Earlier, on the bridge, He had already pierced the false love of over a dozen couples with arrows of hatred.
Now, the happy atmosphere radiating from this park was even more blinding to him.
He drew His heart-shaped longbow, and black, resentful arrows rained down, precisely striking the embracing couples on the lawn and benches.
The lips of those struck by the arrows instantly turned a bizarre inky black. Their eyes, which had been full of affection a second ago, were now filled with disgust and mockery.
"I must have been blind to like someone like you!"
"Get away from me! You smell awful!"
Former sweet nothings turned into the most vicious curses.
Dark Cupid happily watched these tragedies, which He had personally orchestrated, feeling some solace for the pain of rejection in His heart.
Strangely, ever since His Akumatization, He had stopped receiving any commands from Hawk Moth.
The feeling of being constantly monitored and urged had disappeared.
However… this was also good.
Without that annoying voice chattering in His ear, He could do what He wanted more freely.
His gaze swept across the ground, and then, He saw the two girls standing together, chatting and laughing.
Alya and Marinette.
Beautiful… friendship.
A cruel smile formed on Dark Cupid's lips.
He drew His bow, and a black arrow, silently, aimed at the more vibrant girl with long, reddish-brown wavy hair.
"Whoosh——"
The arrow shot through the air, as fast as a black lightning bolt!
By the time Marinette followed Alya's gaze and saw the Akumatized Person in the sky, it was already too late.
She only had time to gasp, and the arrow had already struck Alya, then silently merged into His body.
"Target achieved." Dark Cupid in the sky watched His masterpiece with satisfaction, flapped His wings, and happily flew towards His next target.
"Alya! Are you okay?" Marinette anxiously supported her friend, checking His body up and down.
Alya's body swayed. He turned His head and looked at Marinette.
His originally lively, light-brown eyes were now veiled with a cold, gray mist, filled with impatience and disgust.
"Why should I always help you?"
His voice became sharp and cutting, "Don't you have hands and feet yourself?
Marinette, why are you always so clueless? So clumsy?
I'm sick of you! I hate you! I'm going to do my own thing now!"
With that, He pushed Marinette away and ran off without looking back.
Marinette stumbled from the push, staring blankly at Alya's resolute departing back, a pang of pain in her heart. But she quickly reacted.
Alya's lip color… she knew, those weren't Alya's true feelings; it was the arrow's effect.
She immediately looked around, quickly found a hidden corner shielded by bushes, and ducked inside.
"Tikki! Emergency!"
"I know, Marinette! It's an Akumatized Person!"
"We must stop him!"
Marinette's gaze became incredibly firm. After transforming, she took out her yo-yo and quickly sent a message to her partner… "Sigh…"
In Adrien's room, one person and one cat were still staring at each other over the "he" and "she" problem.
Just then, the ring on Adrien's hand suddenly flashed with the green light of an emergency communication.
"Time to go to work again."
He sighed helplessly, but His eyes had already sharpened.
"Plagg, attack!"
"I'm not full yet——"
With a wail, the black sprite was sucked into the ring.
After transforming, He took out His weapon and immediately opened the communication.
It was a message from Ladybug, with only an Akumatized Person's avatar and the two words "Come quickly."
The next second, the agile Cat Noir had already pushed open the window, leaped out, and merged into the Parisian night… In another corner, in a quiet cafe.
Jaden was sitting with Nathan and Marc, enjoying a rare, leisurely time undisturbed by Akumatized Persons.
Nathan stirred the coffee in His cup, looking at the people on the street outside the window holding roses, and couldn't help but tease: "I say, Jaden, today is Valentine's Day.
Logically speaking, you're quite a prominent figure in our school and even the city now, so how come you haven't received a single box of chocolates or a gift?
This doesn't seem like a 'big shot' at all."
Marc also nodded in agreement: "Yeah, it's too abnormal."
Jaden heard this and just smiled gently. He took a sip of the black tea in His hand and said unhurriedly: "If you also had a 'Pigeon Fan' like Mr. Pigeon, then I believe no one would dare to just come over."
The "Pigeon Fan" He referred to was, of course, Mr. Pigeon, who was Akumatized almost daily.
"Hawk Moth is practically at His beck and call," Jaden said with a hint of helpless amusement, "He's probably been defeated dozens of times, right?
Any girl who wants to send me something probably has to weigh whether they'll be surrounded by a huge flock of pigeons halfway there.
Just thinking about it… it's quite pitiful."
His calm and gentle demeanor, and this explanation, which sounded absurd yet was incredibly true, made Nathan and Marc both laugh.
Just then, Jaden's phone vibrated gently.
Nathan, like an entertainment reporter who had discovered a shocking secret, suddenly leaned forward, a exaggerated and mysterious smile on His face.
"Just as we were talking, someone's romance arrived."
Nathan was the first to break the silence. He stirred the already cold coffee in His cup with a small spoon, His tone full of undisguised teasing,
"Let me guess, who is it? To make you so serious. Is it Aurore? Or Mireille?"
The two names He mentioned were both girls universally acknowledged in the school to have a crush on Jaden.
Ever since the TV station incident, the always competitive weather reporter Aurore and the shy Mireille had become the most noticeable "rumored partners" around Jaden.
"They both already called me this morning to check in."
Jaden's answer, however, made Nathan's guess fall flat.
"So early?" Marc said, a little surprised.
"After all, they are meteorologists and weather forecasters, and they are all very busy."
Jaden's tone was gentle, as if stating the most ordinary thing, but these words in Nathan's ears were nothing less than the most ostentatious display of Versailles.
"Oh... then that's excluded." Nathan stroked his chin, continuing his deduction, "Then let me guess again... is it Marinette or Alya?"
"Uh oh..."
This time, even Marc couldn't help but let out a speechless sound. He glanced at Nathan and retorted, "If it were Marinette, she might not call directly; she's too thin-skinned.
If it were Alya... then she would definitely snatch Marinette's phone and force her to talk to Jaden face-to-face. So, it's not very likely either."
"Alright, alright, that makes sense."
Nathan wasn't discouraged; his interest grew even stronger. "Then let me guess again! Is it Juleka or Rose?"
"Juleka is very unlikely."
Jaden shook his head, the image of the quiet, talented Gothic girl who always hid in a corner appearing in his mind.
"As for Rose... we agreed to meet on the weekend, and she's probably at home preparing now."
As soon as he thought of the lively, cheerful girl, like a sunflower, a gentle smile involuntarily appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Tsk tsk tsk, look at your expression." Nathan had a mischievous, 'I get it' smirk. "Then... is it Mylène or Alix?"
"Nathan!" This time, Jaden and Marc almost shouted in unison.
"Stop guessing wildly."
Marc helplessly held his forehead. "They are even less likely."
"Yes."
Jaden nodded in agreement. "Alix has a cool personality; if she has something to say, she'll definitely say it in person, never through messages.
Although Mylène is timid, if she really had something, she would gather her courage and tell me directly. So, it couldn't be either of them."
Nathan's guesses were repeatedly rejected. He scratched his head, a little unconvinced, and scanned the cafe, as if looking for new inspiration.
"Then it couldn't be... Ms. Caline coming to settle old scores with you, could it?" He suddenly blurted out.
"Ms. Caline has been a bit strange these past few days," Marc added thoughtfully from the side. "During class, she always seemed to look our way intentionally or unintentionally.
But... there shouldn't be any reason for it to be her."
"It couldn't be Chloé, could it?" Nathan finally said the last name, which he thought was the most unlikely.
"She just got her autograph and video from you, perfectly satisfied. She's probably immersed in online praise now, enjoying the feeling of being in the spotlight."
Jaden watched his two friends guessing back and forth, enjoying themselves, and just smiled, shaking his head.
"Wouldn't it be over if I just opened it?"
Although their conversation seemed to have lasted a long time, in reality, only a dozen seconds had passed since the phone vibrated.
He picked up his phone, unlocked it, and tapped on the incoming call.
It was Chloé.
A muffled, tearful sob first came from the receiver. The sound was fragile, helpless, and full of fear, making one's heart clench.
"Ji... Jaden..." It was Chloé's voice, trembling uncontrollably. "Kim... he... he's been akumatized... right near my house... I'm so scared..."
The teasing expressions on Nathan and Marc's faces instantly vanished. Both of them leaned in simultaneously, their expressions becoming serious.
"Sabrina... Sabrina was affected by Kim's power... She... she kept mocking me... the servants at home too... their eyes on me... so terrifying..."
Chloé's voice was thick with a nasal tone, as if she was about to completely break down the next second.
"I... I'm helpless now... the only one I can rely on... is you..."
Listening to the desperate cries of the girl on the other end of the phone, Jaden's brows furrowed slightly.
He wasn't immediately overwhelmed by this sudden plea for help. Instead, he comforted her softly in as calm and gentle a tone as possible:
"Don't be afraid, Chloé.
Stay in a safe place, lock the doors and windows, and don't go out."
"Mm... mm..."
"I'll be right there. Please wait a moment, my queen."
His voice, like the steadiest anchor, carried a reassuring strength.
On the other end of the phone, the sobbing seemed to lessen, as if comforted by his words.
"Okay... okay... I'll wait..."
Chloé even feigned strength, sniffing. "Please... please hurry, my... knight."
The call ended.
Jaden put down his phone, looked up, and met Nathan and Marc's eyes, both filled with suspicion.
"This... could be a trap designed by Chloé herself." Nathan was the first to speak, stroking his chin, his face full of suspicion. "I bet this is definitely a play she directed herself to get your attention!"
"Very likely." Marc also nodded in agreement, analyzing with his meticulous logic. "The timing is too coincidental.
Kim was rejected by her, and then he got akumatized. And she just happened to ask you for help immediately.
The correlation is too strong."
"I'd rather run a thousand false errands than miss one genuine plea for help."
Jaden looked at his two friends and said calmly. He knew they were right; with Chloé's personality, she was absolutely capable of doing something like this.
But... the fear in the call, though perhaps mixed with elements of performance, the helplessness of being isolated, didn't seem entirely fake.
"Moreover," he continued, "Chloé sounds really in danger right now."
"What if she's doing it on purpose?" Nathan pressed. "Have you forgotten how she used to feign pity? It's not just once or twice!"
"I'll have to see it with my own eyes to know the truth." Jaden stood up and began to gather his belongings.
"This doesn't sound like your 'calm and happy life' plan at all."
Nathan looked at him and couldn't help but retort.
Jaden put his wallet back in his pocket, turned around, and gave them a gentle smile.
"A calm lake sometimes needs a ripple, doesn't it?"
He winked, his tone carrying a subtle hint of knightly romance and responsibility. "Now, my queen is waiting for her knight in the high tower.
How can I disappoint her?"
"Alright, alright, I knew it with you," Nathan said, spreading his hands helplessly.
"You have no resistance to girls' requests.
Go on, go on."
"What about you two?" Jaden asked.
"We're fine," Marc nodded to him. "You be careful.
If... it really is a trap, remember to message us immediately."
"Don't worry."
Leaving a reassuring smile, Jaden turned and quickly walked out of the cafe, blending into the Parisian streets at dusk, as the city lights began to twinkle.
His figure soon disappeared into the crowd, leaving Nathan and Marc standing there, looking at each other, both seeing a hint of worry in the other's eyes... Sitting in the taxi, after giving the name of the Paris Grand Hotel, Jaden leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes.
The Parisian streetscape rapidly receded outside the car window. The romantic atmosphere of Valentines Day still stubbornly lingered in every corner of the city, with giant hearts decorating shop windows and vibrant, dewy roses filling the entrances of street-side flower shops.
All of this formed an incongruous, absurd contrast with the purpose of his trip.
His mind was calmly analyzing the current situation.
He actually completely agreed with Nathan and Marc's guesses.
Given Chloé's personality, she absolutely had the motive and the ability to package a real crisis into a unique drama belonging only to her and him.
Her perfectly timed sobs on the phone, her lines that precisely hit his "knight" promise, all showed traces of performance.
However, Jaden could also hear the fear hidden beneath that performance.
No matter how arrogant and overbearing she was, facing an akumatized classmate filled with hatred, she was, after all, just a teenage girl.
That fear was real.
The reason he was going wasn't entirely because of Chloé's tears, nor because of that somewhat chuunibyou "knight" promise.
It was because the cause of this incident was Kim. And the reason Kim broke down and got akumatized, tracing it back, was Chloé's cruel rejection.
And tracing it back even further... Marinette and Alya's unintentional encouragement also, more or less, played a role in fanning the flames.
This was a chain of cause and effect linked by countless coincidences and choices.
And since he was already in it, he couldn't stand idly by.
The taxi stopped in front of the magnificent entrance of the Paris Grand Hotel.
Jaden paid the fare and stepped out. He looked up at this hotel, which symbolized Parisian luxury, and his eyebrows raised slightly.
As he expected, chaos had already erupted here.
The doorman in a crisp uniform leaned against a doorpost, whistling at passing guests, his face full of disdain.
In the lobby, the waiters, who should have been providing the most attentive service, gathered in small groups, pointing and gesticulating at the guests' attire, letting out undisguised laughs.
Several couples, who should have been deeply in love, were red-faced, arguing fiercely.
It seemed Dark Cupid's "Arrows of Hatred" had already paid a visit here.
Jaden ignored the malicious glances directed at him, walked straight through the lobby, and headed for the elevator.
He pressed the button for the top floor, and the elevator doors slowly closed, completely isolating the outside noise.
The air inside the elevator was so quiet he could hear his own heartbeat.
"Ding."
On the top floor, in the presidential suite, the corridor was covered with thick, sound-absorbing wool carpets.
It was eerily quiet here, a stark contrast to the chaos downstairs.
Jaden walked to the large double door carved with intricate patterns, raised his hand, and gently knocked three times.
"Knock, knock, knock."
Almost as soon as his knocking stopped, the door was suddenly pulled open from inside.
Chloé's figure appeared behind the door.
She did look a bit disheveled.
Her expensive Chanel-style jacket was a bit messy, and a few strands of her carefully styled golden curly hair had fallen around her cheeks.
Her eyes were red, and there were two clear, seemingly freshly dried tear streaks on her face.
The moment she saw Jaden, a subtle glint of successful planning flashed in her icy blue eyes, but it was immediately replaced by a look of grievance and dependence, as if she had seen her savior.
"Jaden..."
She called out, her voice trembling and tearful, and then, without hesitation, she threw herself into his arms.
"You finally came... I'm so scared..."