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

Beauty Behind the Mask Part 3

"Is she dead? Is she dead?" Daniela kept shouting over and over. She and her sisters trailed behind their mother, fretting about your condition and wondering what had you so scared.

Her mother carried your shivering body in arms, hurrying into Castle Dimitrescu to counter your effects of hypothermia as soon as possible. Had she not saved you in a timely manner, your complications would be far more severe and the damage irreversible. "Bela! Cassandra! Grab whatever blankets you can find. Daniela, run to her room and bring us another set of clothes from her wardrobe. We need to remove her clothes now!"

Lady Dimitrescu proceeded inside and went into the main room. Carefully setting you down on the checkered floor in front of the fireplace. She left you briefly, only to add more wood to the dying flames. Afterward, she sat on the ground with you. "I need you to take off your clothes."

Your teeth chattered as you weakly moved away from her. If all your limbs weren't numb from the cold, you'd flee from her again. "No. Don't t-touch m-me!"

She clenched her jaw. "We need to remove them, or else your condition will worsen."

You shook your head at her, thinking you were better off being left alone to perish from hypothermia than being bare before this monster. "No."

A flicker of irritation flashed in her golden eyes. "Just do as I say!"

You trembled, forcing yourself to speak again "No! I don't trust you."

She let out a frustrated growl. "You shouldn't have crossed the lake!"

"And you shouldn't have thrown a chair at me!"

Lady Dimitrescu took a deep breath, regulating her emotions more so than her breathing. The warmth of her voice then stunned you out of your miserable, cold state. "I'm sorry I frightened you. Now, will you please allow me to help you take off your clothes?"

Reluctantly, you nodded your consent. Her apology didn't make your situation any better, but at least you knew it was sincere. The wet clothes that clung to your body felt as though they were burning your skin right off. You needed to be rid of them. "Okay."

Without a moment's delay, the masked woman began undressing you. She lifted the tunic up over your head, tossing it off to the side. Then she unclasped your inverted conical shape corset, watching how your breasts dropped into their natural place after removing it. Then your skirt and socks followed.

Left in nothing but your underwear, Lady Dimitrescu was swift to wrap you in her dark cloak. Much to your surprise, she then lifted you into her lap, so she could press her body against yours. As she held you for several minutes, she glanced around the castle, looking for her daughters and questioning where they were. Her curiosity was soon sated when she heard her girls' footsteps from behind her.

"We're here!"

Cassandra had a stack of folded blankets towering above her head. Bela stood close by her, holding them in place so they all wouldn't fall over. "Sorry we took so long. We couldn't decide which blanket would be best. Cotton? Linen? Wool? Silk? And we brought towels, too."

"Here you go!" Happily, Cassandra dumped the massive pile on you. "You get all of them!"

"Cassandra!" Her mother pierced her with a glare. "Be more gentle." Lady Dimitrescu pushed most of the weighted blankets off your head, grabbing the wool for you.

Daniela waited nearby, holding a floral lace up sleeve dress, which was known for being more comfortable and looser around the waist. "Can I help dress her?"

"Why don't you all head into the kitchen and make her a warm drink? I'll dry her off in the meantime."

"Aw, man!" Daniela pouted, handing her mother the dress to leave with her other sisters.

When they did, the pale countess peered down at you. You shivered less in her arms. "Are you warming up?"

"Yes." You then noticed how her white sleeves were drenched. It was then that you fully realized she was the one who rescued you from the lake, not the girls. So much of it was a blur. As you recalled, you slipped back into the water and fell into darkness, only to open your eyes to see the night sky. You knew someone was carrying you, but you couldn't tell who it was at the time. "You're wet, too?"

Her lips curved into a teasing smile as she dried your hair with a hand towel. "Well, it's hard not to be when I have a nearly naked woman like you in my arms." The blood that rushed to your cheeks turned your face bright red. She then chuckled, knowing she had succeeded in raising your body temperature slightly. "I didn't have to dive into the water. I only needed to stretch my arms farther to yank you out by the arm. If your shoulder socket is sore tomorrow, you'll know the reason."

You shifted around in her lap, crossing your arms over your chest to cover yourself. Honestly, you couldn't help but feel like a helpless animal under her intense gaze. She had a hungry look in her eyes, and that mask wasn't helping. "Right. Uh, I'm ready to dress, if that's all right, Lady Dimitrescu?"

She broke eye contact with you before she ran the towel down the length of your neck to your shoulders. "Call me Alcina."

After she patted your hair a few more times, you ducked your head and crawled out of her lap, so you could slip on the dress Daniela brought you. It was a little baggy on you, yet you never minded loose-fitting apparel. You picked up your wool blanket and wrapped it around your body securely. "I saw your mask on top of a book in your room. What book were you reading?"

"Aren't you a curious little thing? It's my journal." Alcina then got up from the floor, standing at her full height while rolling up her white sleeves. "You're still trembling. Let me take you back to your room." Before you could protest, she lifted you up like you were a small child. Never had you imagined being carried around by a woman this size. She returned you to your chamber as she said she would, tucking you into bed as if you were a part of her family.

Alcina fluffed your pillow and made sure your legs were covered well. "Are you fond of reading? I assume the girls showed you the library?"

You found it unbelievable how this woman was making casual conversation with you after what she did. She was the one who drove you away from her castle, and yet the very one who brought you back. "They did. You have a magnificent collection. I've never seen a library quite like yours. In my village, we have a bookstore. It's a lot smaller, but I've always loved it. Some villagers have lectured me that I waste too much of my time reading."

"I shall have to disagree with them. The ability to read is among one of the greatest privileges. Books are an escapism. A refuge for the mind." She then sat on your bed, facing the window with an empty stare.

With the tense silence that hung in the air, you worked up the courage to ask this mysterious woman your one and only question. "Why did you save me, Alcina? You could've let me drown."

"Because..." Alcina whispered, keeping the uncovered side of her angled away from you. "Because it wasn't your fault." She then got up and departed from your room without glancing at or uttering another word to you.

Deeply disturbed, you snuggled deeper into your blankets. Your uncertain fate in Castle Dimitrescu left you afraid and curious about being in this family. A family with a dark past.