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

Beauty Behind the Mask (Ending)

On a rugged trail within the thickness of the woods, voices echoed in the distance. Gripping the reins tightly, you tugged and guided Wilbur into the cover of the trees with you. Assuming you had encountered a group of hunters, you followed their distant conversation until the glow of a campfire illuminated your path ahead.

Concealed behind the trees, you moved closer to them, hoping you might recognize some of their faces from the village. But when you got close enough, you backed away. There were five men and three women. None of their faces were familiar. Based on their leathered outfits, reduced plate armor, and weapons by their sides, you guessed they were mercenaries. This was not an unusual sight; over the years, your village had become a somewhat common passageway for mercenaries traveling from distant lands. You knew it was better to leave them alone rather than interact with them, so you passed by them, resuming your trek back to your village.

"Let's sleep for a couple of hours, and then we'll make our way into Castle Dimitrescu," the leader announced. "I want us on the road no later than nine."

His companions, huddled around the fire, chewed their meat while contemplating his words. "And what if we encounter trouble along the way?" one asked.

One of the women laughed. "Indeed. What about Donna's tale of the giant woman and her three vile offspring? How should we deal with them?"

Their leader's response was simple and cold. "We kill them. Loot their bodies and take whatever else you find. Only take what you can carry. As for Donna's friend, find her, and escort her outside the castle. I'm sure she'll find her way home from there."

"We're not taking her back to the village?" a man asked.

"That wasn't included in our contract. Our task is to liberate her from her captors, not babysit her. If she's survived this long, then I trust she is capable of handling herself."

Back at Castle Dimitrescu, Daniela was in her mother's arms, crying over you. She had spent the evening dancing with her family in the ballroom. With too much energy left, she then wandered the halls, prancing, pirouetting, and swaying on her feet. But after hearing a loud noise coming from her mother's room, she paused her late-night frolics to check on her, only to find her vanity mirror shattered. It was then she learned that you had left them.

"Why did you let her go? Why didn't you stop her?" Daniela asked between sniffles.

Rubbing her daughter's back, Alcina almost regretted her decision of releasing you. "Sweetie, I had to let her go. Her life is in the village. It wouldn't be fair, or even right, to keep her here."

"But she could've chosen to stay with us! We had so much fun together! We cooked, we cleaned, we played, we danced. We chased each other around with laundry baskets, throwing dirty laundry at one another. We had mock duels with mops and brooms. I don't understand! Why did she leave? Did she not like us?"

Her mother shook her head. "No, no. It's not like that at all, Dani. She wanted to remember us."

The youngest daughter gritted her teeth as another sob clawed its way up her throat. "If she had wished to remember us, she would have stayed." She then gazed into the tear-stained face of her mother—a face that had known nothing but sorrow for many years. "Mother?"

Absentmindedly, her mother twirled her long strands of red hair around her slender fingers. "Hm?"

"Am I selfish for wanting to keep her?" Daniela asked, her voice a mere whisper. "I had even hoped you would adopt her, like you did us. She would have made a great addition to our family."

"Adopt?"

"Yes. Cass and I were ready to draft convincing adoption papers for you to sign."

"But I would have married her, not adopted her as my own daughter."