Chapter 01

We Meet Again

"Queen Victoria's favourite writer?" The dark-haired baron walked to and fro in front of the petite child, dark eyes piercing through her demure disposition. His jaw, framed by sideburns, clenched as he waited; his big hands carried a book.

The girl looked up to him, confident. "Lady Maria Corelli."

He paused, as though assessing that confidence, thinking of a way how to break it. "Her favourite book?"

"Der seltame Fall des Arzt Jekyll und Herr Hyde."

"English!" He snapped at once, throwing the hardbound book across the room. "Speak in bloody English!"

She cast her eyes down and whispered her answer: "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."

The baron nodded in encouragement. "Very good."

Charles Grey squinted his eyes as he passed by the grandeur glass windows of the Buckingham Palace. Using his gloved hand, he shielded the shafts of sunlight away from his face as he strode on, a document on the other hand. An attendant smiled and bowed politely, a steward addressed him formally. I am not so good with these, Grey thought instead, as he turned right towards the office he shared with Phipps.

The large double doors loomed before him, white and gold, as in the manner of his white uniform and the golden profile of Queen Victoria on his left chest. Running his fingers through the longer patch of his silver hair, Grey entered the office with catlike silence, and was aghast.

A girl in a red riding dress was standing in front of the bookshelf, tiptoeing to reach the fourth level. She did not seem to acknowledge his arrival, not that it mattered to him. Instantly, Grey scowled, dropped the document on a nearby table, and strode angrily towards the stranger.

"What in the world are you doing here?!"

Driven by instant anger and suspicion, he drew out his golden-caged rapier, pointed the sharp end at the stranger, and lunged forward. The girl in red was caught off guard, eliciting a surprised gasp as she moved away from the assault. Grey ran after her, noticing the muddy footprints the she was leaving all over their neat office. He jumped on the couch to catch up with her, until he had a better view of the girl.

With light blonde hair and indigo eyes, the girl had a mischievous look on her face; a face that Grey thought was familiar. Yet he did not stop there. He drove the blade back to the girl, sending her backwards, and him advancing. They seemed like two fighters in a fencing match, Grey on the offense, and the girl on the defence. Suddenly, the girl let out shriek and leapt away, standing with her muddy boots on the wide round table.

Still suspicious, Charles Grey made a run to assault her again, until—

"Grey!" A bewildered voice stopped him from his tracks.

He spun around, confused as to who could have stopped him. From the other side of the room stood his partner Charles Phipps, tall and collected in his white uniform. He was carrying a silver tray of pastries and tea, as he moved forward to get in between Grey and the trespasser. Phipps glanced at the girl before setting the tray on a free desk, and watched as she jumped down from the table.

"You should be more careful." His voice was deep and calm. The teacups were set in order, the pastries all served in a silver platter. Grey was scowling by the time his partner had finished setting the table.

"Trespassers are not allowed here," Grey warned the girl, as she slumped on the purple velvet couch and laid her muddy boots upon the wooden table. "Get your feet off the table," he growled, grey eyes narrowing threateningly. "And get the hell out of here."

For the first time since she came, the girl spoke up with a thick German accent. "Oh, don't mind me. I won't be here for long."

"And what the hell are you talking about?" Grey huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

Just as Charles Phipps was handing out a platter of pecan pie to their guest, another man entered the office. He looked slender and tall with his double-buttoned white vest and knee-high boots. A whip curled loosely upon his left waist. But what were noticeable were always his large sunglasses, making his eye colour a mystery even to Grey and Phipps.

"We have a problem," John Brown announced immediately. "Lady Coburg is late and— oh, you're already here." He stopped abruptly at the sight of the girl, slumped on the couch with her feet still on the table. John bowed briefly and turned to the Double Charles. "You didn't tell me she was already here."

"I was on my way," Phipps replied, "before Grey assaulted the lady."

Charles Grey looked back and forth at Phipps, John Brown, and the girl. He blinked once, and then twice, trying to process what was already happening in front of him. He felt dizzy all of a sudden; this was not the guest he was expecting.

"You're..."

"Queen Victoria is expecting you, Your Ducal Serene Highness." John Brown interrupted again, walking towards the couch. He inwardly cringed at the sight of the muddy table and carpet, where the girl had ran to and fro earlier.

The noblewoman nodded as she munched delightfully on the pastry. "Mm-hmm, I'm not supposed to be late."

"Remove your feet off the table, if you would please, my lady," Charles Phipps politely asked, much to the delight of the lady, and laid her muddy boots back on the carpet. The man in white fetched a clean towel and wiped the table free of the mud, while the lady sipped from her tea.

"Earl Grey tea," Lady Coburg hummed as she took another sip. Charles Grey narrowed his eyes at the mention of the name. "The older Earl Grey used to send packages of this tea all the way to Germany," she continued, meeting Grey's glare.

"You know the rules, Grey," John Brown said cautiously. "No weapons against Her Ladyship."

"I didn't know it was her!"

She held her hands up. "No harm done anyway."

"You look different." Grey savoured the memory of his youth with her. An unknowing smile graced his youthful and handsome face. He and his grandfather used to travel to Germany when he was younger. "Your hair was frizzy as straw and you had no more chest than a boy. And you always smelled like a horse," he remembered.

As Phipps and John Brown looked aghast, Lady Coburg laughed good-naturedly.

"The pimples went when the breasts came," she said. "And Aunt Alexandrine's dresses made me look presentable enough." She leaned in to take a nut from the pecan pie.

"Pardon my asking, my lady, but do you know why you're here?" John Brown seemed doubtful enough, Grey could see.

Again, Lady Coburg nodded her approval. "I'm afraid so. Is Queen Victoria in?"

"Her Majesty has been waiting for you."

Licking the chocolate off her fingers, she jumped up from the couch. She tossed the German-made gloves to Phipps, who caught them just in time. The mud that caked her boots was left on the luxurious red carpet. She followed John Brown out of the office, until she turned back to Grey, and said:

"It was nice seeing you again, Charles."

The foyer of Buckingham Palace had always mesmerized her, even as a child. The same red carpet felt so smooth, even with her leather boots that she had. The staircase was as grand as she remembered, the chandelier still gleaming golden and silver from the afternoon sun. Her eyes scanned the foyer eagerly, all the while keeping track of John. Soon, they entered another hallway, its walls lined up with paintings of the Queen and her relatives.

Suddenly, she stopped upon a certain painting that she had always loved. A grand painting of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert hung on the very centre of the hallway; the prince was sitting on a chair, surrounded by his pet dogs, while the young Queen Victoria was looking down at her beloved; beautiful and regal in her white off-shoulder gown. The girl grew up hearing stories of the love shared by the Queen and her Prince Consort, a story she kept close after all these years.

"Your Serene Highness?" John Brown turned to look at her.

"Coburg will do, John." She blinked the mesmerisation away, rubbing at her eyes, and smiled at him. "Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were deeply in love, weren't they?"

He nodded thoughtfully. "Up until now, Her Majesty still loves Prince Albert. Is there something the matter?"

"Nothing." She shook her head wistfully. Then, she turned and gave him an innocent smile. "So, a new member of the court, am I? Queen Victoria must need me very gravely."

"Her Majesty needs a new Master of the Horse. The last one suddenly fell ill. The Golden Jubilee would come soon; you are in charge of the outdoor parade. She also means for you to deliver a letter to Earl Phantomhive."

Her face brightened at the mention of the name. She remembered Vincent Phantomhive, handsome in his dark blue frock coat and black pants, when he visited her in Germany in one of her birthday parties. He had apologized for not bringing his wife and young son that day, with the reason that their health was frail.

"I'd like to meet Earl Phantomhive once again," she said.

John held up his hand. "Oh no, this one is different. Ciel Phantomhive, the new Watchdog of Her Majesty. You might find him... interesting..."

Lady Coburg frowned. "Too bad. I was looking forward on meeting Vincent Phantomhive instead."

Author's Notes: Hello, everyone! I am back (after almost a year) with a new story! This one will be different—extremely different, in fact—from The Vault of Bones. I return from the grave with our beloved Charles Grey~! I missed being in the Kuroshitsuji fandom, esp. after watching the animated Book of Murders. It was only recently when I was able to get my wits and start a new story. Hopefully, everyone would enjoy this one as much as The Vault of Bones.

Actually, I made this story out of experiment: I wanted to try a new kind of OC. I hope I would be able to write and portray her the way I wanted to.

So yeah! Reviews, opinions, suggestions, etc are always appreciated! Thank you very much for taking the time to read! Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ