Epilogue
The day after the final battle, Adrien mopes about his room, lonelier than ever. While he wasn't arrested, as the police couldn't decisively prove that he aided and abetted his father, Paris now widely believes that to be the case. Now that the city knows that he was Chat Noir all along — not just his lady's partner, but the son of Hawkmoth himself — many are convinced of his guilt, and the money he was counting on isn't coming.
Alya and the rest of the class haven't forgiven him; last he heard, she was still hounding Marinette, trying to get 'her' Miraculous back. His aunt remains distant and controlling, keeping him out of the public eye... though he doesn't want to deal with the scorn and suspicion following him everywhere. While he will finally get access to his own finances once he turns eighteen, that also means having to support himself... and who would employ somebody with his reputation?
As he's busy sulking over his bleak-looking future, Ladybug and Viperion go on patrol, discussing how their friends are dealing with their newfound fame and fortune. They consider their own future plans, such as having Luka start working with Plagg so their options are more open.
And what about Lila, who seemingly got away with everything? Well...
Over in Marseilles, Lila's watching the moon rise from her rooftop patio when Ladybug arrives. The two have a short, frank conversation, wherein Marinette admits that there's little point in her telling her to stop, as she's clearly not inclined to change her ways. Still, she cautions, if she stays on this path, eventually she's going to piss off the wrong person.
"Do you know where this path ends, Lila? You bleeding out in a jail cell, because some gang boss learned that you robbed him blind and decided not to wait for the justice system to punish you for the other people you robbed blind. You will die alone, hated by everyone who ever knew you."
Lila feels her heart speed up, but does her best to brush it off. However, a stray comment by Ladybug about needing to get some carrots for Fluff gets her attention. When asked, Ladybug casually explains that she's one of her kwami, letting her hop into the future to see how things go. By the time the implications of that sink in for Lila, her unexpected guest has already left, leaving her severely shaken.
Back by Luka's side, Marinette admits that she doesn't know whether or not that will make any difference... but at least she tried. The rest is up to Lila.
This chapter contains examples of:
- All for Nothing: Played With. Adrien's primary motivation for shielding Lila in the first place was to safeguard his own reputation, not wanting to deal with any potential unpleasantness from calling her out. Ultimately, that blew up in his face and destroyed the very thing he was trying to protect... but he did ensure that Lila never faced any consequences for her crimes. So he achieved his goal with her, if not the selfish intent behind it.
- Ambiguous Situation: Did Marinette actually go into the future to see what Lila's most likely fate was? Or was that just giving her a taste of her own medicine with an unnervingly plausible-sounding lie?
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Adrien succeeded in sparing Lila from any backlash over the consequences of her actions, and ruined his life as a result.
- Bittersweet Ending: More sweet than bitter for Marinette; she earned her happy ending, but notes that while she's doing her best to get over how her Fair-Weather Friends abandoned her, it still stings to think about them too much. Lila also got away with her crimes in Paris, but Ladybug tracks her down to pass on one last warning, taking some comfort in that and leaving Lila to decide her own fate.
- Convicted by Public Opinion: Despite lacking any solid proof, the public largely believes that Adrien was a Fake Ultimate Hero who may have been secretly working for his father all along.
- Downer Ending: From Adrien's perspective. The reputation he worked so hard to safeguard is in ruins, he still doesn't have any access to his family's fortune, he's not being allowed to visit his mother in the hospital out of concern that he might do something on his father's command, and his father is in jail. He learned absolutely nothing from the experience, continuing to cling to the delusion that he's an innocent victim of karmic overkill who didn't do anything to deserve it, despite continuously ignoring all warnings and digging himself ever deeper. To top it all off, he overhears Marinette and Luka sharing a romantic moment, sending him into an envious crying fit.
- Easily Forgiven: Alya mistakenly believes that Juleka and Rose fall into this, arguing that since Marinette gave them Miraculi, she should hurry up and make amends with the rest of her former classmates as well.
- False Reassurance: Played With. After Marinette tells her what kind of fate may be awaiting her if she doesn't change her ways, Lila promises to "give [that warning] all the attention it deserves." However, the more she thinks about it, the more horrified she is by the notion that Marinette might have been telling the truth...
- Gone Horribly Right: Adrien kept protecting Lila, shielding her from the consequences of her actions and ensuring that others suffered instead. Thanks to his hard work, she got away with everything she did in Paris while he was left holding the bag.
- Hated by All:
- Adrien is widely despised by the public over their suspicions that he assisted his father in terrorizing Paris. Meanwhile, those who know him well dislike him for things he actually did, like betraying all his friends by letting Lila run rampant.
- Marinette warns Lila that if she continues down this road, she'll wind up dying alone in a jail cell, hated by everyone who knows her.
- Karma Houdini Warranty: As Marinette points out, while Lila escaped consequences for her crimes in Paris, that doesn't mean she'll be able to dodge them forever...
- Loved by All: Marinette and the rest of Team Miraculous have the admiration and gratitude of all of Paris, and are still adjusting to all that positive attention.
- Oh, Crap!: Lila reacts this way once the implications of Ladybug's comment about Fluff sink in.
- Paranoia Gambit: Marinette sets one into motion by visiting Lila to offer a friendly warning about what sort of grim future might await her if she doesn't change her ways. After outlining a suspiciously specific scenario, she mentions in passing how Fluff lets her hop into the future, leaving her to wonder whether or not she was bluffing.
- They Just Dont Get It: Neither Alya or Adrien have learned anything from their experiences, insisting to the end that they were robbed of everything they deserved.
- Wrong Genre Savvy: Lila is very careful to avoid saying anything potentially incriminating during her last conversation with Ladybug, anticipating that she might be secretly recording their chat. But Ladybug has a different plan in mind; one that hinges entirely on what she's telling Lila.
