"That tastes disgusting, whore!" Alois Trancy screamed as he threw the porcelain teacup on the floor, breaking it and soaking the rug with the warm tea.
"Young master..." Hannah tried to protest softly, her head lowered as she was collecting the broken pieces of the cup. "It's the same as always. I promise this is just the way Claude used to-"
"Don't you dare speak his name, filthy whore!" The blond boy screamed and kicked her in the stomach, sending her a few feet back. "You're not worthy to say his name. And you definitely can't make tea as good as my.."Alois took a small breath, feeling tears coming in his big blue eyes. "Get out. Now. Get out of my sight, I don't want to look at an ugly whore."
"Of course, young master." The white haired demoness replied and took a small bow, then headed out of her master's room. It pained her greatly to see the young boy in such a condition. He always abused her, but she was used to that. She embraced it, as long as it would make him happy. But since the brunette butler from hell had left, the young boy hadn't smiled. He wouldn't do cheerful dances around the house, he wouldn't mess with her and giggle at her misery, he wouldn't try fancy dresses and admire himself at the mirror. He would barely eat, never leave the house and just sink into more and more sorrow. It killed her.
Hannah sighed as she entered the large kitchen, the triplets following silently behind her. She started making preparations for her master's dinner, giving great care to make everything exquisite in a futile attempt to please the young boy.
"It's hopeless." Canterbury said.
"He won't like it." Thompson, added.
"The young master will throw it on your head." Timber concluded.
"It doesn't matter. I want him to."Hannah replied softly, making the triplets exchange confused looks among themselves. "I want him to lash out. I want him to hit me. I want him to take his sadness out on me. If only..." She swallow hard, cutting the salad with a silver knife. "If only that would mean that he would forget about Claude for a while. He..." She bit her lip. "He has to move on. If he has to step on me to succeed it, if he has to even break my back, I'll gladly accept that."
"Breaking your back won't make him happy anymore." Timber noted.
"Only Claude could make him happy again." Thompson continued.
"And he won't be coming ba-" Canterbury tried to say, before he was cut short by an angry glare Hannah threw at him.
"He better not. Claude broke his contract with young master Alois and more than that, he broke his heart. He shouldn't be allowed near the young master again."
Hannah continued the preparations of the dinner, remaining silent. 'What if Claude did come back though?', she thought. After the first week of his departure, Alois ordered her to search for him. She looked through earth and hell, she tried communicating with other demons. Nothing. Claude Faustus was nowhere to be found. Alois had her tied to a tree in the garden and whipped her for hours after she returned without information on his beloved. She remained bound on the tree during the rain that went off that night as per her master's commands. Yet as he was whipping her she was happy. She could see the young boy's eyes filled with rage. And rage was better than sorrow. Rage was cathartic, rage washes over you, sorrow drowns you and renders you helpless. She was familiar with sorrow. The sorrow of not being able to help the one she cared most about in this world. Claude was not coming back. That much, she thought, was now certain. Whatever hope there was to rescue the little boy's happiness laid with the triplets, her and of course Alois himself.
The triplets continued working in the kitchen, their faces expressionless. Whatever thoughts they had about their mistress' unhealthy attachment to the young boy, they kept to themselves. Just as Hannah's devotion to Alois was absolute, so was theirs to her.
A few hours passed and the demonic host had finished preparing dinner. Timber, Thompson and Canterbury carried the large amounts of food to the dining hall, while Hannah walked up the stairs to reach her master's room. The boy was lost in his thoughts, golden eyes shining within his minds, turning to a cruel pink, as the maid knocked on his door. He gave no reply and after a minute a second knock was heard, this time a little louder. "Young master. Dinner is ready. Will you be coming downstairs?" A voice asked, making Alois jump a little on his bed.
"I told you to leave me alone!" He yelled and threw a pillow at his servant who had just walked inside. "I don't want dinner, I want you to leave me alone.", he cried , despite the fact that he was starving, he barely touched breakfast and lunch today. Like most days for some time now.
"Young master. You shouldn't..." Hannah took a deep breath. "You shouldn't punish yourself like that. You have to eat, you can't keep going on like that. Please...I'm begging, come downstairs, if only for just a little."
Mechanically, the boy sighed, wiped his tears and got out of bed, not throwing a single look at her. In the end, it made no difference whether he ate or not, so he might as well give himself a small break. His stomach wouldn't give him any chance sooner or later. His slow steps brought him downstairs, the smell of the delicious food making him even more hungry than before. Despite his condition, though, he couldn't eat but a few bites, before feeling like throwing up.
He pushed back the plates and dragged his feet upstairs , collapsing on his bed. Everything felt stifling. The world was coming down on him, the walls were crushing in, the air was getting thicker, his clothes pressing against his pale skin. He brought his trembling hands to his shirt, trying to unbutton it , in vain. He was shivering, he couldn't do even that. Was he so useless? He didn't even have the strength to take off his clothes, was that why Claude left him? Of course he would leave him. He was a useless, frightened little boy, he'd stilwoke up in the middle of the night , screaming from nightmares, he needed others to survive, he was just a little vermin. A miserable, lonely excuse for a human. His soul...how could he even conceive the possibility that someone would desire a horrible soul like his...let alone love him. Love. If demons could even love, it was a miracle reserved for the likes of Ciel Phantomhime, the marvelous blue boy, not him. Never him.
A warm hand brushed against his, unbuttoning the white shirt. "Let me, young master. I will do it for you." a soft voice said. Alois raised his eyes, but instead of gold he saw blue. Blue was so inferior to gold, but that was all he had right now. Reluctantly, he let Hannah undress him and change him into his pyjamas.
"Good night, master." the maid muttered, before heading to the door.
"Hannah.." The boy felt tears coming to his eyes yet again and layeddown on his side, turning his back to his servant. "Am I...am I really that horrible? Is that why he couldn't love me? Am I unworthy of love?", Alois asked with a cracked voice, tears running down his cheeks.
Hannah rushed to his side, sitting on the bed next to him. "I told you, young master. You shouldn't punish yourself for what happened.", she said, stroking his back with her hand. "He was an idiot, it's his fault he couldn't see how beautiful you truly are."
"Don't.." the boy let out a sob. "don't call him an idiot, I.." Alois sobbed again. "I don't...I can't..." the boys cries were getting louder. "It hurts so much ,Hannah..."
"I know, young master.." the maid replied, stilrubbing her little master's back to soothe him. "It will pass. I promise, with time it will pass. You will go on, in time you'll be happy again, I promise..."
"I don't...I don't want to go on..." muttered the boy, between sobs. "I don't want to go on, Hannah, I love him so much.."
"I know, young master...I know.." Hannah replied and then stood still next to Alois, until the boy fell asleep on his pillows, sleep finally granting him a small break from his torment.
