Naria tightened her skirt with her hand as she walked away, feeling the adrenaline still coursing through her veins.
She rushed through the black curtains and entered her private performance room. The room was barely lit, filled with almost melted candles that cast a warm light across the walls. The scent of lavender and sandalwood filled the air, creating an atmosphere of calmness and peacefulness.
As she stepped further into the room, Naria heard the sound of a soft, calming music playing in the background. It was a melody played by a magic box rundu, a musical instrument known for its soothing sounds. The music filled the room and enveloped Naria in a cocoon of relaxation.
Naria breathed a sigh of relief as she looked around the empty room. She had been so nervous before her speech, and now that it was about to start her private performance, "I'm supposed to be used to it by now, so why is it so hard to focus?"
The plain-looking chair standing in the middle of the room caught her eye, and she made her way towards it.
She sank down onto the chair, feeling its cool surface against her skin. As she closed her eyes, Naria let out a deep breath and let the calming music and the gentle flickering of the candles soothe her body and mind. She was finally able to let go of the tension and stress that had been building up inside her.
For a few moments, Naria simply sat there, lost in her thoughts and the peaceful atmosphere of the room.
She knew that she would need to stand up soon, to face the world outside once again. But for now, she was content to bask in the quiet solitude of her private performance room, surrounded by the soft glow of the candles and the gentle melodies of the magic box rundu.
As Naria sat in the plain-looking chair, lost in her thoughts, the calming music continued to play softly in the background. Suddenly, a bright light appeared from the spot where she had entered the room.
Naria opened her eyes and saw that someone had opened the curtains, letting in a stream of bright sunlight.
At first, Naria squinted in the sudden brightness, "You were amazing out there! The audience loved you."
As Naria rose from the chair, she was suddenly startled by a man's voice. She jumped slightly and turned around to see who it was.
Standing in the doorway was a tall, broad-shouldered man with a calming and deep voice that seemed to echo in the room.
His long hair was tied back in a ponytail, and he wore a golden chest armor with an emblem of the black dragon on it. Naria immediately recognized it as the symbol of the royal guards of the castle where the tyrant black dragon lived.
Naria eye's darted around the room, she was fidgeting her fingers, not knowing who this man was or what he wanted, 'what is the royal guard doing here?' She swallowed her saliva as the sweat broke down on her face.
As Naria watched the man from slowly walk towards her, she couldn't help but notice the glint of gold on his face.
It was the unmistakable sign of a VIP client, someone who had paid a small fortune for the privilege of attending the private performance. But the man's golden mask was different from any she had seen before, intricately patterned and shimmering in the darkened light.
Naria's smile tightened slightly, wishing for just a moment that she too could wear such a mask and be elevated above the commoners.
But her envy quickly turned to nervousness as she realized the danger of the situation. If the black dragon caught wind of one of his guards enjoying the performance, he would surely fly into a rage and unleash his fiery breath upon the entire house.
Naria could already imagine the dragon's sarcastic tone as he scorched the building to the ground. "Oh, I see my guard has a taste for the finer things in life. Perhaps he would prefer to live in a palace instead of serving me?"
Naria shook her head, trying to clear the dark thoughts from her mind.
She knew that the black dragon was a fickle and unpredictable master, and that any misstep could mean the end of her life.
She turned away from the man with the golden mask, trying to focus on her body language, 'it's not the right time to show stress," she wiped her sweaty hands into her white skirt and moved to the corner where the magic box was playing.
"I can do this," she whispered to herself with her eyes closed and placed her left foot forward, pushing her body to follow.
As Naria began to dance, her body was moving gracefully around the mysterious man sitting in the chair. She had been practicing this routine for weeks, and it felt like everything was falling into place.
The air in the room seemed to thicken as she moved, and she could sense a strange energy building around her.
Suddenly, she noticed the man stir in his seat, his eyes focused on her as if he was seeing something beyond her physical form. Naria felt a chill run down her spine as she realized that this man was no ordinary spectator.
But before she could react, the man reached out and grabbed her hand, his grip was tightening harder. "Who exactly are you?" he demanded with a sharp and electric voice.
Naria felt a jolt of fear, her heart was beating louder than the music in the room, but she kept her composure. She knew that she was in the presence of someone powerful, perhaps even dangerous.
She tried to pull her hand away, but the man's grip only tightened.
"I am Naria," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "I am a dancer, here to entertain you."
The man's eyes narrowed, and Naria could sense that he was not satisfied with her answer. She could feel how the energy started building within her, and suddenly, blue butterflies began to emerge from her soul, filling the air around them with their delicate wings.
The man recoiled as if struck by a physical force, and Naria thought he would let her go, but then the man spoke.
"I will ask one more time, who exactly are you, Naria?"