I Gave This City Everything I Had
Mayor Andre Bourgeois unexpectedly drops by the bakery. While he claims to be there as a 'regular customer', the Dupain-Chengs call him out, and he admits that he's actually looking for their daughter's boyfriend. Though Luka suggests waiting him out, Marinette wants to know why the Mayor's intent on bothering him, and to stand up to him.
The moment he sees the pair, Andre attempts to seperate them, swiftly growing uncomfortable when Luka declares that he won't keep secrets from his girlfriend. They also insist on going someplace public rather than getting into his limo; after all, the Place des Vosges is just right across the street.
As they walk over, Luka notices that several trees are mysteriously missing; upon spotting construction equipment, he groans. Seems all their efforts to protect the park from one of the mayor's vanity projects went to waste... except Marinette points out a sign that reveals it's not Andre's ego that is getting catered to. The Place des Vosges is being converted into a monument to the new Ladybug, and Theo Barbot is hard at work on one of the many statues that will be adorning the park.
The mayor swiftly starts trying to butter up Luka, offering to help his band land a sweet gig or get him off his houseboat and onto dry land. Luka demands to know what Andre wants from him, and Bourgeois reveals that Chloe passed on a rumor that he supposedly knows who the original Ladybug was.
Naturally, Luka denies it. But Bourgeois presses the issue, insisting that all he needs is a name, and he'll reward him handsomely for his aid. Marinette wonders what he wants with the retired heroine; though he claims that he just wants to thank her for everything she'd done and ensure retirement is treating her well, Luka realizes that he wants her to come back and trade places with her replacement.
Andre freaks out, frantically denying the very idea while nervously glancing about. Marinette cheerfully 'reassures' Luka that the mayor would never consider replacing the new Ladybug; after all, he clearly loves her! Wears a pin proclaiming his support of her! Is turning the whole park into a monument to her glory!
Not only that, he hated the old Ladybug. Shut down exhibits that were done in her honor, just like he shut down every suggestion she made about ways to protect the people of Paris. No shelters, no anger management classes, no therapists... and no reining in his daughter or his own bad behavior, no matter how many akumas got spawned by their selfishness. No, he never respected the original Ladybug, and she'd have no reason to come out of retirement just for his sake.
Luka notes that it hardly matters, since contrary to rumors, nobody knows who she was. Her secret identity was a closely guarded secret. Still, Andre persists: both he and Marinette were temporary holders, so surely they could come up with some leads if they just brainstormed! Not even the mayor has unlimited resources, and—
That phrasing catches Luka's ear, reminding him of how the government recently investigated rumors that the new Ladybug was charging for her services. While they found no evidence that any taxpayer money was being paid to her or Chat Noir, he can't help wondering: is the mayor paying her directly?
Hushing him, Andre reluctantly affirms it. What's more, he claims the new Ladybug has been secretly charging all of the richest people in Paris. Not for protection from akumas, but from her — when Bob Roth stopped paying, she saved him from an angry employee who got akumatized into Soundstealer, but then made a passing remark during an interview about how he "didn't support her"... and the public outcry did the rest. His record label collapsed as artists fled from it en masse, and he and his son were driven into hiding, leaving the mayor terrified of what could happen to him if he doesn't keep her happy.
Hearing all of this, Marinette starts shaking, struggling to hide her growing grin and the laughter swelling in her chest. Andre misinterprets this as her not feeling well, and continues to plead with Luka for help. Luka maintains that he doesn't know who the old Ladybug was, and wonders why he isn't asking Chat Noir for help; the mayor explains that he can't get a private moment alone with the other hero, and that he doesn't seem to care either way.
Marinette 'reassures' him, reminding him that the old Ladybug never would've endorsed him, and that she's sure he'll be able to keep the new one happy. Unable to get the answer he desired from either of them, Andre slumps off in defeat.
Once they're alone again, Luka asks Marinette how she knew about all the prosposals the original Ladybug made. While she'd cited the Ladyblog as her source, he'd never seen any articles about her talking to the mayor about shelters, therapists, or anything of the sort. Marinette admits that there weren't any records of such things, "but I know myself. I know what I would have asked him for. And I know exactly how that bastard would have responded."
In her first letter, she vented to Luka about how useless Mayor Bourgeois was, and how he refused to spend even a single euro on any kind of protective programs, even while splurging on diamond-studded phone cases and jewelry for his daughter. Meanwhile, she was forced to empty her saving account to take an Uber back to the bakery after an akuma fight stranded her out in Versailles after midnight, with no trains running or shops where she could get food for Tikki to recharge with.
She compares the Mayor to Bob Roth and Gabriel, noting how all three of them caused akumas with their abuse and disregard of others. And she questions why she should continue fighting to protect people when none of the city's leaders are willing to support her.
This chapter contains examples of:
- Accidental Misnaming: When greeting Marinette's parents, Andre addresses them as 'Mr. Dupain' and 'Mrs. Chang', rather than the Dupain-Chengs.
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Andre is swiftly reduced to pleading with Luka and Marinette, admitting that he's terrified of the new Ladybug and is desperate to enlist the original one's help dealing her before it's too late for him.
- All for Nothing: Played With regarding the Place des Vosges. After how hard everyone fought to save the park from being bulldozed so the mayor could build an artificial-oxygen tower in its place, it winds up becoming the site of another ego-fuelled project: a grandoise monument to the new Ladybug.
- Bad Boss: One of Bob Roth's sound technicians was akumatized into Soundstealer after Roth withheld two full months of wages, having apparently decided that he simply wasn't going to pay them for their work.
- Bad Liar: Mayor Bourgeois.
- When Sabine demands to know why he's at the bakery, he claims to be a regular customer, only for her to counter that he only visits when they're selling galette. Followed by Tom reminding him of the time he shut their bakery down for three days as revenge for Marinette beating Chloe in a fashion competition.
- He also tries to convince Luka and Marinette that he's only interested in thanking the original Ladybug for her service and ensuring that retirement is treating her well.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: The mayor wanted a corruptable Ladybug; one he could bribe into endorsing him and serving as another mouthpiece for his campaigns. He got just what he wanted when the Earrings changed hands. But this new Ladybug is a little too comfortable playing political games, and more than happy to deal with anyone who's willing to pony up the cash. And after what she did to Bob Roth, Andre's terrified of what she could do to him if he doesn't keep her happy.
- Cheshire Cat Grin: As Mayor Bourgeois laments what happened to Bob Roth and his current prediciment, Luka notices Marinette is sporting one of these while shaking from the effort of repressing her laughter. Andre mistakes her shivering as a sign that she's feeling ill.
- Convicted by Public Opinion: All it took to destroy Bob Roth's career was Ladybug remarking in passing about how he didn't support her, right after she'd protected him from an akuma born from one of his own disgruntled employees. The sheer amount of outrage that followed was enough to ruin his record label within three days.
- Entitled Bastard: Even after Marinette painstakingly spells out how poorly he treated the original Ladybug, Mayor Bourgeois continues insisting that she would have to put all that aside if he told her how much the city needed her, because she's a hero.
- Heroism Won't Pay the Bills:
- Marinette was never recompsensated for her service as Ladybug, and had to spend her own savings getting back home after an akuma battle stranded her in Versailles after midnight.
- The new Ladybug, meanwhile, insists on being paid... though not with taxpayer money. No, she's being funded by the richest citizens in Paris, for the sake of 'showing their support', as well as earning her endorsement.
- Laser-Guided Karma:
- After dismissing the original Ladybug's various suggestions of ways he could help protect Paris, disrespecting her, and being annoyed by her refusal to be bribed into endorsing him, Mayor Bourgeois finds himself with a Ladybug who scares the shit out of him. He got a Ladybug who was willing to take his money, but now he has to keep it flowing to keep her happy.
- Bob Roth treated his workers like crap, withholding wages from at least one technician, and decided he didn't really need to pay the new Ladybug either. Said techie got akumatized, and Ladybug saved the day again... but then let it slip during an interview how Roth "didn't support her", causing his business empire to completely collapse as the public turned against him.
- Like Father, Like Son: It's crystal clear where Chloe gets her Spoiled Brat tendencies from, as well as why she freely exploits her father's influence; Andre's just as quick to throw his money and connections around. And also just as incapable of dealing with problems where he can't exploit his resources.
- Loved by All: The new Ladybug enjoys widespread, open support all throughout Paris. People declare their love of her openly and proudly, to the point that Mayor Bourgeois fears what could happen if his own support of her was called into question. Given what happened to Bob Roth, he's got ample reasons to be concerned.
- Protection Racket: The new Ladybug is running one, getting the richest citizens in Paris to pay for her services. Oh, she'll keep fighting akumas regardless; they're not paying her for that, specifically. But as Bob Roth learned the hard way, she doesn't need to let an akuma get to them.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Much of what Marinette tells Mayor Bourgeois is this under layers of False Reassurances and Sugary Malice, as she remarks on how he refused to support or respect the original Ladybug, as well as his refusal to do anything about Chloe being a Spoiled Brat or the akumas he helped cause.
- Saying Too Much: The mayor's remark about not having unlimited resources catches Luka's attention, reminding him of how there was a brief investigation of rumors that the new Ladybug was charging for her services. While this was seemingly disproven when the national government looked into it, finding that no taxpayer money was going to her or Chat Noir, he still questions it, and gets frantically shushed by Andre.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: Andre is more than happy to use his political connections and wealth to try and get what he wants. He disliked the last Ladybug for not being willing to play along with his plans.
- Skewed Priorities: Mayor Bourgeois repeatedly dismissed all of Ladybug's concerns about the akumas who were created by his and his daughter's selfish behavior, as well as her suggestions about ways to help protect people from Hawkmoth's machinations or prevent akumatizations. No, he was far more concerned with using his position to push his various vanity projects forward, or spoiling his daughter absolutely rotten with insanely expensive gifts.
- Starting a New Life: Supposedly, Bob Roth and his son XY were forced to do this after Ladybug torpedoed Roth's reputation. According to a rumor Andre recounts, anyway.
- Stopped Caring: Despite how hard she fought to protect the park before, Marinette doesn't seem to mind that the Place des Vosges is being replaced by a massive monument to the new Ladybug. Instead, she seems almost amused by the irony.
- The Unsmile: When they meet up in the park, Luka is put off by how rigid and obviously fake the mayor's smile is, noting that it's so fake and fixed it looks as though he's suffering from rictus.
