My Fair Lady (Lady Dimitrescu x Actor Mark story)

Chapter 1: Castle Getaway

     It was an average day, relatively sunny but rather uneventful for Mark. Even the manor seemed to groan not unlike its master. It was a little past noon as Mark took residence in his bedroom, sprawled out over his large king-sized bed. The plush mattress and silky sheets were always comfortable against his skin, and he expected no less from the expensive materials. His limbs were splayed out just so over his silk sheets, giving him the appearance akin to that of a starfish. 

     He hadn't the desire to nap nor was he even sleepy. 

     He was just bored. 

     Admittedly, very bored. 

     The problem with living in such a large and rather cavernous manor all on his lonesome was just that; it was a harsh reminder that he was by himself here. It wasn't that he didn't have friends, but it was more so regarding what friends he did have. Specifically, he was great at acquainting himself with all sorts of people. Unfortunately for him, it was usually work related or a greeting that never went further than reaching out only when they had need of Mark or vice versa. Even so, Mark did have a handful of closer acquaintances he considered friends. Problem was each one seemed to be busy when he gave them a call trying to convince them to hang out.

     Embarrassing as it was, the only true legitimate friend he had was Harmony. As tempted as he was to give her a call, knowing she'd always make time for him, he left his phone alone. Mark had to constantly remind himself that despite how much he'd love to spend time with her, she was far busier a woman than she'd ever admit to. It wasn't fair of him to constantly pester her, even though he knew she never viewed it that way. In the end, Mark remained left alone to his devices, wondering why it was that everyone seemed to have something to do... but him?

     With a halfhearted groan, Mark lazily reached for his laptop, opening his web browser and scrolling through half-mindedly, hoping to find something to occupy him or better yet, cure his boredom. After scrolling through a bunch of nonsense for what seemed like forever, Mark only felt worse than before, his finger inching over to the off switch. That was, until something in the corner of the screen had caught his attention.

     "Hmm? Wait a minute, what's that?" Mark wondered aloud, his gaze now hovering over some words in brightly colored font.

     It was an ad. 

     An ad in bold lettering reading, "CASTLE GETAWAY".

     Now Mark new how ridiculous some of these internet ads could be. They sometimes even led him to fake virus alerts that would pester him about getting them fixed. Even so, he decided he'd take the chance of risking a little annoyance, as he had literally nothing better to do and this seemed to be the only thing that had piqued his interest all day.

     He clicked on the pop up, being taken to a rather poorly made but not too devastatingly done ad page, the description upon it reading:

     "Lonesome? Bored? Desiring something new and exciting to cure all such problems? Look no further than the one-of-a-kind experience offered at Castle Dimitrescu. Stay in the ancient castle, rich with architectural beauty and history. Enjoy exquisite dining daily in the grand dining halls as well as indulging in all the traditional foods made solely within the castle. Relax and unwind with special rejuvenating treatments in the castle's uniquely crafted bathing chambers. Take a breath of fresh air on the castle grounds, beautiful flora and fauna to experience, especially this time of year. You will find this and more offered in this exclusive getaway package. Come and allow Castle Dimitrescu to serve you this once in a lifetime opportunity~"

     Mark read through the ad thoroughly, seeing there was a tab with images provided of this castle. Scrolling through pictures provided, he noticed right off the bat that the images were of rather poor quality, almost purposefully so. Despite that, the castle did indeed look beautiful and grand. He'd never seen such a castle. It seemed like a beautifully preserved piece of history, the uniform style seemingly revolving around the rococo period, the walls decorated with gold accents, the floors with velvety red carpeting. Although the pictures weren't as professional as one should think they'd be, they managed to provide ample coverage of the castle's interior and exterior as well as a concluding photograph of the castle from afar, showing it in all its splendor.