A Thief's Tale [lady dimitrescu x fem!reader] [COMPLETE]

Chapter 9

"What song did he play?" Cassandra asked softly, wrapping bandages around your stomach and torso.

"Gymnopédie No. 3." You whispered out, remembering the sound of the keys and how each note tugged at a different part of your soul.

After that, she finished bandaging you and stood up, her eyes scanning your bandaged form and making you shift under her gaze. She left without a word, leaving you to let out a quiet huff, noticing the cell door was still open.

Cassandra returned a moment later, shoving a new uniform into your hands before glancing away. "You'll have to stay in here for the rest of the day — someone else will finish your chores — so please, don't slack off again."

"Lady Cassandra.." You called before she could leave, effectively making her glance at you. "Could I play for you some day? He never got to finish teaching me but, I can play what I remember."

She stared at you for a while in silence, making you immediately regret your decision to ask the question. You were about to speak up again and tell her to forget you ever asked, your heart hammering against your chest.

"I'd like that." Cassandra hummed before leaving, shutting the cell door behind her and making sure it was locked.

When her response processed in your head, a wide smile took over your face, a sense of pride and excitement swelling inside of you. That was quickly replaced with exhaustion as you leaned against the wall again, your eyelids growing heavy with each passing second.

Before your eyes could close and you could let sleep welcome you, flies swarmed outside of your cell, a few coming to bite you when whichever sister it was noticed your sleepy state. You let out a quiet huff before glancing up at the swarm, the flies slowly taking the appearance of Bela.

"Ah, lady Bela... To what do I owe this pleasure?" You mused out, a sleepy smirk tugging at the corner of your lips.

"How much did you hear?"

Her question caught you off guard, making you tilt your head in confusion for a moment.

Oh right, when I heard her playing...

"Not much... That maid spoke up after a few seconds of me standing there." You muttered out, stifling a yawn.

Her gaze tore away from you as her hands gripped the bars, the sound of leather stretching filling the air for a moment. She seemed deep in thought and you took this opportunity to close your eyes, nearly falling asleep before a few more bites were felt on your skin.

"WILL YOU STOP THAT?!" You yelped, your eyes flying open to glare at her giggling form.

"Stop trying to fall asleep while we're talking."

"YOU WEREN'T EVEN TALKING!" You objected, pointing an accusatory finger at her. "I'm starting to think you just enjoy biting me."

Her eyes narrowed at you but held no malice this time — in fact, it seemed like she was trying to force back a smile. You raised a brow at her before shaking away the thought, letting out a quiet grumble of a complaint before she spoke again.

"None of the help dares go near the opera hall when I'm not patrolling down here. If I'm not here, I'm there or in the library... they know to stay away from those rooms so you... startled me."

"I startled you?" You goaded her, earning a small glare. "I was simply trying to do my chores!"

"Most of the maidens that are tasked with cleaning that usually clean it when they know I'm down here." She grumbled, letting out a soft huff shortly after.

You stared at her for a while, noticing her shift under your gaze when she realized you were staring at her. Then it clicked. It clicked and you couldn't help the chuckle that left you.

"What's so funny?!" She hissed out, clearly flustered.

"Do you normally kill any maiden that hears you play?" You inquired, watching her body go stiff. "Hm? You do? So, why chase me? Why not just kill me where I stood?"

She stayed silent instead of answering, further proving your theory. You crossed your arms over your chest, watching her steal glances at you.

"You spared me because you were curious as to how you didn't sense my presence. Because you want someone to praise your playing but you also don't want the help to be the first ones to do it... So you figured a maid raised by a vampire would be the best option for praise. Am I right?"

Her silence was deafening. It made you question your assumption, especially when she started laughing. Your gaze dropped and you waited for any harsh comments from her or for her to open your cell and torture you some more so when nothing happened, you slowly lifted your gaze to her face, noticing a single tear slide down her cheek.

Holy fuck... I am right... I thought the eldest would get praised more often.

"Lady Bela," You whispered out, watching her quickly wipe away her tear before glaring at you. "You sounded lovely. That's what I wanted to tell you earlier but..."

She flinched slightly when you trailed off, making you clear your throat and recover quickly.

"That doesn't change the fact that your playing was amazing! In fact... I'd love it if you could play for me some day. Maybe next time I need to clean the opera hall?"

Her face lit up at the suggestion before it quickly went neutral, indifferent eyes glancing away from you. "Sure, whatever..."

She tried to hide it, but you knew she was happy about your praise and your suggestion, making your heart swell at the thought. Even if they were psychotic vampires, they still had things they loved to do outside of killing and torturing maidens. That brought something to you immediately, something you didn't think would ever cross your mind.

I wonder what Cassandra and Daniela do in their free time... What about their mother? What does she like to do? What makes her happy?

Those thoughts made you look away from Bela, heat coating your cheeks. There's no way I care about what they do that makes them happy... They're my captures, not my friends.

Then again... it wouldn't hurt to finally have friends.

——————
so as many of you may know, i took a break from uploading this week due to mental health. things still won't be back to normal just yet.

i can't be in my room and writing anymore so that means i'm downstairs more often, which also means less writing time. hopefully things get back to normal soon (i may honestly have to start walking once this weather clears up).

i'll be taking days off of uploading and just working on stories and then mass uploading them once i have multiple chapters to send out.