The Masquerade Ball

I

Thwack!

Hitting true to its target hung on a tree branch, the arrow made a satisfying and firm sound of victory. With a smirk and cocked brow, the huntress clad in red turned to her opponent and rival. The mixed look of awe and irritation on his features sent a tingle of chuckles out her mouth.

"Another bull's eye and win for me, Chat," she triumphantly spoke, hanging her bow over her torso. "That's… 30 wins for me, 30 losses for you." She grinned.

Rolling his eyes, albeit amused at the whole predicament, the black cat rogue turned to give his rival a cheshire smile. "Oh, but you forget. It's 30 wins over 30 wins, my Lady. It's a tie which means I only need one more bull's eye to wipe that smile off your mouth."

The huntress merely scoffed. "That's if you can, chaton. Besides," she said, turning to gaze at the setting sun. It cast an orange glow around them who were at the edge of a cliff. In front of them, a dense green forest and, behind them, the deep blue sea which was a 100 feet drop from the cliff. The whole scenery might have been a beautiful sight, if not for the knowledge that she would always end up returning to her boring life as a noble lady. "It's time for me to go. We can settle this some other time." She smiled wickedly, winking as she looked back at him.

The rogue felt a shiver of giddiness run down his spine at the promise of meeting with his Lady again. However, maintaining his suave, he simply displayed his signature cat-like smile. "When that time comes, I'll make sure to make it less humiliating for you when I win."

Laughing heartily, a sound and image that made the rogue's heart beat louder, Ladybug, as she liked to call herself, mounted her horse. "In your dreams, Chat Noir," she addressed the rogue before galloping away through the forest to who-knows-where she actually lived.

That was what made their meetings more charged and exhilarating. Neither knew who the other really was underneath their accoutrements and masks. As Chat Noir watched his lady gallop away, his heart gripped at him. Thoughts of wanting to know the woman behind the mask ate at him, but he refused to give in. He promised. They swore to each other secrecy and privacy in exchange for this little getaway of an alter ego life.

Thus, as he watched her figure disappear, the rogue could only wistfully sigh.

By the time Ladybug returned to her family's estate in the Capital, dinner hadn't been served yet. Relieved, she immediately snuck around the mansion from the stables and skillfully jumped over the high wall to get to her bedroom's open window. Once she stepped inside, closing the window behind her, she elicited a sigh of relief.

"My lady?" a soft voice called out.

From underneath her bed's covers, her trusted handmaid, Bella, emerged with a worried yet relieved look on her face. She didn't tell her to, but Ladybug was relieved nonetheless that her maid took the initiative to cover for her.

"Thank you, Bella," she spoke as she helped the servant stand up. "You really didn't have to do this. I would have taken any punishment had they discovered I wasn't here."

But Bella simply shook her head. "I know how important your freedom as Ladybug is, my lady. It is a pleasure to help you in any way I can," she loyally spoke.

Her chest warming up, Ladybug resisted the urge to hug her handmaid. Ever since she was a child, Bella had always been by her side and, most importantly, her trusted ally at home. She didn't know exactly how she earned such loyalty and trust from her maid, but Ladybug was deeply grateful for it.

"You really are the best, Bella," was the only thing she could say before the maid gave a knowing smile and proceeded to help her out of her outfit.

"Have they suspected anything yet?" Ladybug asked Bella as the maid helped her get into her dress. "It's one thing that Luis is loyal to me, but it's a different issue if other servants have seen me walk into the estate through the back gate."

Luis, the gatekeeper of the estate's back gate, was a young man who had taken a liking to his lady's persona as Ladybug; thus, garnering her his loyalty and oath to keep her alternate life a secret. However, as Ladybug mentioned his name, Bella's expressions turned sour.

"Everyone is busy preparing for dinner, as well as the upcoming ball hosted by the Madam. No one should have tarried by the back gate today. At least, Luis should have made sure of that before you returned," she spoke in a rather sour tone. Ladybug could only chuckle and nod in understanding.

"Right, there was that ball," she muttered begrudgingly. This time, it was Bella's turn to chuckle.

"My lady, for the past eighteen years, you've done an excellent job at being the perfect daughter and an esteemed noble lady," Bella spoke as she started brushing her lady's hair. "Since your debut into high society, you've captured the hearts of every nobleman and noblewoman around. It isn't an overstatement to say you're loved and adored by all, my lady. And you're used to all of this. So, what must you dread about?"

It was true. She was loved and adored by nearly all of the nobles in high society. However, that's only due to her hard work and upbringing. Every day since she was young, Ladybug had been trained to be the perfect lady and individual. Despite their highly esteemed titles, her father and mother had never forgotten to teach her basic human kindness. It was due to this particular part of her training that made her grow into such a lovable individual. And, because of her training as a noble lady, her sensibility and rationality were not compromised. In a nutshell, she was smart and kind.

Thus, she was dubbed as the 'Perfect Lady' of high society.

Nevertheless, all this energy devoted to being the 'perfect lady' drove her into a corner. She had other traits to her that didn't fit with such a heavy title. She was also a different 'somebody' underneath all the perfection. She was also imperfect.

And so Ladybug was born.

It was out of her need to be freed from the responsibilities and roles of a perfect lady that created this persona. It was from the pressure of being someone she wasn't entirely that forced her to create a means to relieve herself, else she became deranged and twisted.

On the day of her debut in high society was the first time she ever lied and snuck out to the stables to ride to who-knew-where. That was three years ago. Since then, the name Ladybug became a source of gossip amongst hunters, and her unexpected talents and role as a huntress grew until she was one of the top hunters in the Capital. What made her even more desirable and mysterious was that no one knew who exactly was underneath that mask.

Smart as she was, Ladybug never left unless she knew for sure it was clear to go out. So far, she hadn't been caught by her parents yet. But, then again, that was also due to the help of her trusted aids at home and her own wits.

"Well, I dread this ball particularly because Father and Mother are finally going to announce my engagement to my fiancé," Ladybug spoke begrudgingly and sullenly.

Bella's eye lit up at that news. "Oh my! I didn't know that," she said. "Did the Count and Countess tell you that personally, my lady?"

To that, Ladybug's eyes wandered off to the side in an uncertain manner. "Well, not exactly," she said, causing her maid to cock a questioning brow. "During one of my escapades last week, I happened to overhear their conversation through the open window of my father's office. He was talking with a guest. Do you remember who it was?" She asked her maid with a knowing yet tortured expression.

Bella paused brushing her lady's hair, thought for a moment, until her eyes grew wider than saucers. She gasped dramatically, slightly alleviating Ladybug's dread. "You-You mean your fiancé-to-be is… is…!"

"That's right," the lady unenthusiastically spoke, despite the blush coming up her nape. "That dastardly handsome duke."

"Oh. Oh my gods! My lady!" Bella squealed. "What an opportunity! No, what a blessing from the heavens! Do you mean to say, your long time crush since you entered the Academy, the Duke Adrien Agreste?!"

Embarrassed and red as a beet, Ladybug hushed her maid. "Bella!" she sheepishly exclaimed as she covered her maid's mouth. Bella was still squealing and laughing underneath her palm when there was a sudden knock on her door.

"My lady, dinner is served," her family's butler, Charles, spoke from behind the door.

"Coming!" the lady called out, sensing the butler leaving as she did. Turning to glare at her handmaid, Ladybug stood up and positioned not only her body but also her mind. Right at that moment, she was no longer the sassy and down-to-earth Ladybug, but the perfect lady and daughter of a count, Lady Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

With a huff of determination, she straightened her dress and back, walking towards the door.

Another day, another perfect lady, she thought as she walked down the halls to dinner.

A/N: Hi guys! So this is an AU filled with all my fantasies from the Korean isekai webtoons I've been reading lately. No, just kidding, it's only filled with some of those fantasies. Anyway, since this is an AU, some of their characteristics may not be accurate to the original cartoon and I've also added my own characters to fill into the story. But even so, I hope you guys still like it!

The next chapter will mostly be an introductory for Adrien but all the chapters after are for reals.

Fave, review and share! 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug and its characters.