The Love of Lady Dimitrescu X Female Reader || One-Shots

The Attic

"What time is it now?" Bela turned her phone on, reading 1 AM. "Girl, it is way too late for this. Please — go back to bed. We'll talk about it in the morning."

Daniela clung to her arm. "I'm not going back to my room after what I heard. Can I stay here with you? I won't make any noise."

"Like all the noise you've already made?" Bela teased, her smirk vanishing when she realized just how frightened her sister was. "Fine. But only tonight. We only have two more days of this and then Alma will be home Sunday evening." Bela scooted over, allowing her to curl up into her. When they were children, Daniela always loved to snuggle with her older sisters whenever they'd permit it. "No hogging the blankets, okay?"

Daniela giggled, hiding her face under the covers. "I don't know what you're talking about. I would never."

"Mmm, right."

When Bela closed her eyes again, things were silent for a few seconds until Cassandra's voice suddenly spoke through the darkness. "Hey? Guys?"

Daniela let out a high-pitched squeal, while Bela felt the blood drain from her face. "Cass! What are you doing up?"

Cassandra grinned through the blackness before turning on the lights. "I could ask y'all the same thing — I'm literally right next door to you. These walls are paper thin. I could hear you two talking about something?"

"Daniela says she's hearing things from the ceiling."

"Thumps, not things!" Daniela mumbled from under the covers. "Something fell, and I'm pretty sure it's coming from the attic."

"The attic!" Cassandra's eyes sparkled with glee. "Not going to lie, I was hoping Alma was going to show us that. I mean, in this huge place? I want to see what it looks like!"

"That's...random," Bela said. "Alma wouldn't need to show us her attic. Her personal stuff is probably stored up there. It's not our business."

Casandra beamed, running over to her sisters and throwing the covers off Daniela. She grabbed her by her ankles. "It's our business now. Come on! Rise and shine, my piglets! We must conduct a thorough search through the attic, so our baby can sleep in her room again."

Daniela glared at her, giving her a light kick. "Then you're on your own! I'm not checking out the attic."

"Come with us," Bela suggested, nudging her. "Or you're going to be left in my room all by yourself. You should come."

"Fine, but I will not be the first one climbing into it."

Gazing up at the spring-loaded attic hatch together, Cassandra pulled on its cord. The wooden ladder then slid out and was carefully set down on the floorboards. Setting her feet on the wobbly ladder, Cassandra was most eager to see what was up there. "Hey? Can one of you grab my phone from my room? I need a light up there." After Daniela fetched her phone, she headed up while Bela stood directly below her in case she lost her balance and fell off.

Cassandra took a deep breath before poking her head above the scuttle. Shining her light into the attic, the first sight she was greeted by was a one-eyed doll, leaning drunkenly against an antique dollhouse. Its appearance was an idealized image of wealth, wearing the finest dress of maroon silk and satin from the Victorian era. "Oh, hell. That's creepy."

"What's creepy?" Daniela asked, craning her neck upward.

"Nothing! It's just a dollhouse. I see a bunch of boxes filled with clothes, I think. Some kid toys. And one of those exercise bikes that don't go anywhere. I didn't know they had those during the 19th century."

Bela sighed. "They didn't have stationary bikes!"

"I know, I'm just messing with ya." Cassandra then aimed her phone to the back of the attic, where a mannequin stood wearing a white dress. "Aw. I found Alma's wedding dress. It's pretty. I bet she looked beautiful in it when she was...however old she was."