The Romanian Noblewoman (Lady Dimitrescu x Female Reader)

Adequate Company

"Wake up. Wake up, sweetheart." Lady Dimitrescu's hand caressed your cheek and you woke with a start as your dream started to fade, leaving you in the lurch. You look around, squinting. The soothing sunshine flooded into your room. You could see the room clearly. It looked very subordinate. You try to stand up but it was the exhaustion that forced you back onto the bed. Thankfully, you felt no pain. You turn to your right and start to pull the blankets over you again when you saw a tall glass with some sort of liquid, placed on the nightstand. You eyebrows start to furrow. You sit up and reach for the glass. There was a piece of paper leaning against it.

Drink.

It said, in perfect cursive. You put the rim of the glass to your mouth to take in the scent. The scent seemed unfamiliar to you. You rolled your eyes and took a sip of the drink. It seemed to flow with proficiency. The consistency was that of water. 'Grape juice?'. It had no trace of alcohol in it.

"It's not wine then. It would've helped."

"What would've helped?" Andrea walked in without knocking, which caught you off guard. She was dressed in a long, brown, collared dress which covered her entire body but her face and palms. Her hair was tied up into a neat bun and her face was bright, albeit, pale.  She smiled and walked to you. "Don't spill it, dear. All the maidens are busy today. You won't be able to convince anyone to clean these sheets." she took the almost empty glass from you and placed it on the table. "The door was open the entire time?" you question her. "Why? Plan on leaving us so soon?" she tilts her head to the side and then throws her head back, laughing. It was quite adorable and inevitably puts a smile on your face. "I'm just playing with you, dear. But on a serious note, don't wander the halls without my permission. Especially at night. You don't know this castle and you can get lost within the many labyrinths that make it." she raised her eyebrows as she spoke. She was no young woman. She looked older. Crows feet was clearly visible beneath her eyes. She turned around and walked to the cupboard and opened it. She seemed to pull out a few things. You open your mouth to as her something but she cuts you off "The bathroom is right through this door. You're lucky you have your own. All the other maidens must use the common bathroom." she smiled and headed over to you. She placed a short, black dress with white collars and puffed sleeves on the bed. Over it, she placed a white apron and undergarments. "This should fit you. If it doesn't, make do for today. I will alter it myself in the evening." She tuned to leave and as she reached the door she looked back at you with her index finger in the air "Ah, yes. I almost forgot. Y/N, your shoes were beyond repair so I had no other choice but to throw them away. You'll find a pair, along with some socks, in the cupboard. They've been unused for a long time so check for bugs first. Now if you'll excuse me, I am running a little late. Be ready in half an hour. Once you exit this door, walk to your right and you will reach a long corridor. I will meet you there at said time. Please don't be late, dear." and without another word, Andrea left you alone, shutting the door behind her. 

You looked at the dress. You picked it up and entered the bathroom. It wasn't too large or grand, for that matter. You walked over to the sink and washed your hands and brushed your teeth. To your left, you noticed a bathtub and behind you was the lavatory. You walked over to it and did your business. You opened the tap and water flowed into the tub with a fervour so strong, the tub was filled within minutes. As that happened, you went back to your room to check the time. 'Twenty minutes. That's enough time.' 

You peeled off the bandages from your legs. Some of the wounds already seemed to start healing. You decided that a change of bandages will not be necessary. You got into the tub letting the warm water engulf you. You can't remember the last time you felt this comfortable. The soft bedding was one thing but this...Yes...This gave you the peace you needed. You were still aware of the time crunch. Somewhen, you got out and dried yourself. You put on the clothes and were surprised to see that it was loose. 'No matter' you said to yourself. Actually, it was quite comfortable. You didn't even find the need to tell Andrea about it. You could save her the trouble of sewing the dress unnecessarily. You tied your hair into a neat bun, similar to Andrea's, after mercilessly brushing it to remove the stubborn tangles. You went back into your room and opened the cupboard and rummaged through some boxes until you found the one with the shoes. Squeaky clean, as they say. You put them on and ran out of the room.

You followed Andrea's directions and reached the corridor. Andrea's back was to you and she was looking down at her fingers, analyzing her palms. You cleared your throat which made her turn around. You smiled at her and she did the same but with a raised eyebrow. "Five minutes late but no matter. We must move along." She started walking after gesturing you to follow her. She took the lead and you walked a few steps behind her. The corridor was long and narrow with paintings and curious trinkets hanging from the wall. You look at them in awe. Judging by the style, they must be very old. 

"It is rumoured that Lady Dimitrescu painted each and every painting in the castle, herself." Andrea looked back at you with a smile, still walking. "Is that right?" you replied "And where are we exactly?" you asked the woman. She turned back in front and replied "You are in Castle Dimitrescu. It is owned by Lady Dimitrescu. She is the mistress. Don't be alarmed if you don't get to see too much of her, especially in this part of the castle. She tends to frequent the more...let's say...richer areas." "Which are?" you ask. "The dining hall, a meeting hall and her private chambers, to name a few." Andrea replies. "And what is her line of work?" you ask her. Your voice is almost a whisper. After what seemed like a long pause, Andrea answers "She produces and exports wine." she echoed your whisper. She suddenly turned around which made you bump into her. Her motherly and friendly expression left her face and was replaced with that of a serious one. She opened her mouth to speak "You are a maiden now, Y/N. You are not to ask these questions to anyone but me or the maidens. Refrain from speaking to Lady Dimitrescu or Miss. Bela, Miss. Cassandra and Miss. Daniela. Speak only when you're spoken to or suffer the consequences." She turns around again and continues to walk. You both now reach a staircase that leads down to another floor.

"Andrea, who are Bela, Cassandra and Daniela?" you ask, quite softly so as to not annoy her further. "They are the daughters of Lady Dimitrescu. You will be acquainted with them soon enough, with my deepest apologies." she replies. "I will walk you through what you need to do and introduce you to some of the maidens as well. If you have any query, ask them and they will help you. There are certain rooms you must not enter under any circumstance. You might hear screams at night or even in the daytime. You are to ignore them and continue on with your work. Am I clear?" she sounded more stern than before. 'What screams?' you ask yourself.

Andrea leads you into the kitchen. It was rather large and you see at least ten maidens at work. They look fully invested. They eventually turned around to face you and Andrea after hearing her clear her throat. "This is Y/N. She is the new maiden. Some of you had the pleasure of meeting her yesterday. Do help her out if need be. Y/N, this is our little family. Welcome." she gave you a warm smile. Her blonde hair still remained intact in that bun. You looked around and the maidens beemed at you and quickly got back to what they were doing. Andrea put her hand on your back and led you to three girls. "This Margaretta, this is Emilia and the little grumpy one over there is Diana. Get well acquainted with them. They will help you if you need it. Now, here are your chores." she extended a piece of paper and a pencil towards you. You were tasked mostly with cleaning and dusting. As you looked through the paper, Margaretta and Emilia walked towards you with a smile. 

"Hello, Y/N. You seem well rested." Margaretta was the first to talk. Her blue eyes sparkled as they stared into yours. "Yes, I had a good sleep, thanks. You were tending to my wounds yesterday?" As you spoke, Emilia handed you a glass of milk "Her and I, both" she replied for Margaretta. "Drink, Y/N. It'll help you until breakfast. Mistress and her daughters eat first and they usually take their sweet time." both Margaretta and Emilia both look at each other and laughed. Diana lets out a huff which drew your attention towards her. Margaretta and Emilia gave her a glance and turned back to look at you. "Don't mind her, Y/N. She's always grumpy. It'll take a while to open her up but she's great company, trust me." Margaretta explained. "She's always picked on by the daughters. More than any of us. So, she's always unhappy and rightfully so." Emilia continued. Margaretta furrowed her eyebrows at Emilia which made you realise that she is the mature one of the three. Emilia ignored the glare and smiled even widely at you. "Enough of that now. Come. We have lots of work and little time." Margaretta dragged you to one area of the kitchen and handed you a cloth. You join the three and start scrubbing the floors as the maidens started to cook breakfast.

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Yes, this is a longer chapter but I wanted to include all of the above details in one chapter alone. I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to leave some suggestions down below!

See you in a few hours! Toodles!