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

Beauty Behind the Mask

From deep within the frosty forest, you found the ruined castle. Castle Dimitrescu was rumored to have fallen under a curse ages ago. While some villagers believed this to be the case, others claimed its residents perished from a terrible fire. Rumors were rumors. You didn't know what was true, and you didn't care. Your only concern was finding your missing friend.

In your provincial village, your friend, Donna Beneviento, was a beloved milliner in the community. Men strolled out of her shop, looking debonair in their stylish top hats. Women gathered at the market to discuss the latest fashion trend and how pleased they were with their purchase of various hats: shallow-crown straw, wide-brimmed, silk-trimmed, and hoods.

One afternoon, when your friend failed to open her shop during business hours, you assumed she had taken the day off. Thinking she had fallen ill, you visited her home and knocked on her door. After receiving no answer from her, you peeked through her windows. She was nowhere to be found. It was then that you started asking questions and searching for her. Nobody knew where she was or where she had gone. After a few days had passed with no word on her whereabouts, you packed some essential supplies and ventured beyond the village with your horse. You told yourself you weren't coming back until Donna was with you.

The castle was a pitiful sight. Approaching the desolate structure, you wondered how it lost its magnificence. You pushed on the towering doors, which creaked open to reveal restored architecture from the High Renaissance period. Filled with polished columns, arches, and pillars, you first beheld the decorative ceiling in awe. Then you noticed how there were paintings and sculptures all along the walls, capturing the highly realistic representations of human figures. The castle was well lit and brimming with life, and yet there was not a soul around.

Mystified by its vacancy, you walked over to the staircase in the entrance hall. You lifted your gaze to the second floor to see if anyone was even here. "Hello?" Resting your hand on the railing, you swiped its surface with your finger. There wasn't a single bit of dust on it. You called out again in a louder voice. "Hello?"

After a few moments of silence, you caught something out of the corner of your eye. From the east wing, there was a dark figure crouched behind the banister. The figure studied you from afar, standing to run away as soon as you spotted them.

"Hey! Wait!" You watched the person flee around a corner before you could stop them. "Wait! Come back!"

Heading halfway up the stairs, you heard footsteps approaching fast from behind you. Twisting your neck around, you were too late to react when two hooded figures ambushed you. One threw an empty sack over your head while the other yanked you down the steps. Now that your body was being dragged all over the main floor, you kicked and swung your arms around while screaming at the top of your lungs. Your screams died when you were struck in the head by a cast iron candle holder.

Later, you awoke in a cell with a monster of a headache. You raised your hand to your forehead, trying to find your bearings. Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed you by the shoulders.

"You're alive! Oh, my God! I thought they killed you!" Relief flooded Donna when you came to. She supported your lower back and wrapped her arms around your waist to hold you up. "She's coming! Whatever you do, don't look her in the eye."

You groaned, feeling disjointed overall. "Look who in the eye?"

"The monster of this castle." Donna clung to you when a freakishly tall build of a woman appeared in front of the locked cell. "Please! Help my friend! She's not well."

Dressed in a black cloak, the woman brought down her hood to get a better view of you. A part of her face was visible to you, while the rest of it was hidden behind a white masquerade mask. The mask itself was shaped rather strangely. It didn't cover her lips, but it concealed a huge portion of the left side of her face, including the bridge of her nose. It was disturbing because it almost looked as if the mask was a part of her skin.