Temari’s First Royal Ball

 "I THINK that's tight enough… I can't breathe," Temari groaned and complained as her assigned lady's maid continued to pull at the ribbon of her bodice. 

 "Just a little more, Lady Temari." She pulled again and Temari wanted to curse aloud. Whoever invented this bodice thing should experience extreme torture. That was what she was feeling at that moment. 

Finally, the lady's maid tied the ribbon behind her and she finally let go. Temari could still not breathe, though. And she still needed to wear a dress with layers of skirts. It was another minutes of trying hard not to curse as the maid helped her finish dressing. When she was done she felt like she was carrying a few kilos of cloth. Why women chose to wear such heavy clothes was beyond Temari's comprehension. She looked down and saw that half of her breasts are exposed. It was hard to move and she bet she wouldn't be able to run, jump, and climb with this dress. 

 "You look beautiful, Lady Temari," the maid said while looking at her from head to toe and back again. 

 Temari wanted to laugh. She was never called beautiful in all her life. She didn't believe that compliment but she smiled because that was a lady is supposed to do. "Thank you. Shall we go to the ballroom now?" 

 The lady's maid led the way and Temari followed slowly so she could secretly look around and memorize all that she could store inside her head. She took note of the thick black stones the castle used for the walls. She remembered the number of turns they had to take and how many stairs they had to climb down. She also memorized how many doors they passed by, wondering if all of the said doors are occupied or locked. Then finally, they reached the ballroom where the royal ball is currently happening. 

 Temari winced when she heard a butler loudly announcing the names of the arriving princesses and ladies. "It's so hard to hide your identity in this place," Temari muttered to herself.

 "Did you say something, Lady Temari?" the maid assigned to her suddenly asked.

 She forgot that the young woman was standing behind her. Temari turned to her and smiled politely. "I said I need to go to the washroom before we enter the ballroom."

 "Oh. There is a washroom that way, Lady Temari. Allow me to guide you there –" 

 "No need," she cut her off then smiled politely. "I can go there myself. You see, in our estate in Winterfield I am used to doing things on my own. You can just stay here and wait for me."

 It was obvious that the lady's maid wanted to protest but Temari didn't give her a chance to do so. She quickly moved away toward the direction the maid pointed out earlier. Temari saw the washroom at once when she turned into a hallway. She glanced around. When she was sure the lady's maid could not see her and there were no other people around she walked past the washroom. 

 While everyone is focused on the royal ball, Temari decided that she will take every available opportunity to explore the castle. It was part of her strategy when she was in a mission. She familiarizes herself to her surroundings before she searches for what she was tasked to steal. 

 Temari planned to walk for at least an hour and if someone asked she could just say she got lost. However, she just turned a few hallways and didn't actually get too far away from the ballroom when she bumped into a big and hard body. 

She gasped as she felt the strong impact of their collision. She also panicked because she didn't hear and sense that there is a person near her. For a thief like her, being extra aware of her surroundings has been part of her life. She couldn't believe that she didn't sense someone approaching and even collided with him. She was not distracted so it means that this person knew how to hide his presence. Which means, this person might be someone dangerous. 

Temari tried to jump away from him but she failed. She blamed her heavy dress and tight bodice when she lost her balance and almost fell backwards. She was prepared for her fall when two strong and big hands grabbed her arms and pulled her. She gasped when instead of falling backwards on the floor, her body fell forward to the stranger's wide and hard body. 

"You almost broke your bones and banged your head on the floor," the stranger said from above her head. He has a masculine, emotionless, and cold voice. They were too close that she could feel his hot breath on her hair when he spoke. "We couldn't afford a death inside this castle too early. It's just the first day," he added.

A shiver run down Temari's spine and goosebumps covered her whole body. She wanted to think that it has something to do with his last comment and not because of his intimidating and strong presence. She wanted to believe that this sensation new to her was not because of their bodies almost pressed against each other but because of the dangerous edge in his voice.

Temari mentally shook herself. She took a step back so she could put a distance between her and the stranger. He loosened his hold on her arms but didn't fully let go of her. If people will see them, people might think he was just making sure she was alright. But Temari could sense that he was not letting her go because he doesn't want her to run – something she really wanted to do at that moment. 

"Why are you here without a chaperone?" he asked. "The ladies should also be in the ballroom by now. What are you doing in this part of the castle?" 

Temari cleared her throat. "I got lost."

"Lost?"

She nodded and started to take note of what the stranger was wearing. She froze when she saw the expensive royal blue with gold lining garment. She slowly looks up, realizing that the man in front of her doesn't only have a wide and hard body but is also extremely tall. Her gaze was already on his neck when she sensed another person behind the stranger. 

Then a voice said, "Your Highness. Master Lennox has been looking for you. Why are you here alone?" 

Your Highness?! Temari finally looked up to see the stranger's face. He was looking at her, so their eyes met. She stopped breathing as her eyes widened. He has forest green eyes.