Well, here's round two.
Vengeance and Freedom
Chapter Two
Ulrich opened the rooms to the drawing, recreation, and dining rooms, observing the new features his master demanded suitable for the home he lived in. Lord Rothshild wanted the walls a midnight blue, and had the curtains changed from bronze to red. The silver around the house accented a cool mood, which fit for what he was going for. The rooms also had different assortment of paintings, which mainly reminded someone of the woods surrounding the estate; others were to remind the lord of his homeland. A place the lord wish he could return to without making the people around him question his reasons.
The butler took out his pocket watch. The master's piano lesson was only just beginning and would last for the next hour or so. "Well, I better get started. Wouldn't want to risk of Lord Lawrence getting here early, again." Yes, the man did that. Just to make sure things were pristine even when he wasn't expected. Each time was a close call, so the butler learned it better to get things ready at the end of lunch. After all, the man never showed up any time before that.
So, he raced through the building; changing the decor as need be for tonight's event. Once he got to the dining room, he made sure the previous Earl's favorite set was out, and had dark red flowers accent the table. Everything was returned to normal; even the lord's room, should the young Vergil leave to head in there again. The boy looked up to his cousin and wanted to learn to be just like him. The lord was very sure society would frown on teaching Vergil what he knew, so he cast an illusion over him; that before the Rothshild family took him in, he didn't know much about anything.
He soon stopped, looking around the foyer. Yes, this was acceptable. Now all he had to do was check on the ser-
Another crash caught his attention. Ulrich put his head in his hand; the plate settings were already finished, meaning that the crash most likely came from the kitchen. He turned heal and, sure enough, it was the kitchen. Some of the pots had fallen over, leaving a mess on the floor. If that weren't bad enough, some of the ingredients that were gathered had fallen off the prep table, some had mixed in with the fallen both and sauce, while other were squashed on in the face of hysteria.
In the kitchen, quite naturally, was there cook, Samson; an average sized man with scruffy black hair and blue eyes, wearing a chef's uniform as per always. With him were Grace and Reggie, the maid and gardener. Grace had rather long purple hair, which was always kept in a braid, as well as bright green eyes. She wore a red maid's outfit, if you'd believe it. The lord wanted her hair to stand out, as he found the color calming. Then there was Reggie. He was still wearing his gardening clothes, minus the gloves, and had bright blue eyes along with curly black hair.
Ulrich felt his eyebrow twitch. It wasn't uncommon that Reggie and Grace would come into the kitchen to help Samson, especially on days they were having guests. The only good thing about it was that their chores were done and nothing else could go wrong from it. However, things like this seemed to have liked happening whenever the Earl's family was coming to visit, and that was the absolute worst of it.
Sighing once, the butler moved in. This mess had to be sorted out before the master's Kendo lessons finished.
The Earl Rothshild just returned to his room, wearing one of the few kimonos he could get away with owning. One of the reasons to hate being a nobleman. At the very least, when costume balls came around, he had an excuse to wear one for a few hours; hence why he dealt with the dancing lessons. He honestly wished he had a reason to just lounge in one tonight, but no. That wasn't the case; he still had to deal with his uncle, after all.
Looking around the room, Kanda soon found something out of place. That something being his butler. "Ulrich, where are you?" He questioned aloud, tapping his foot impatiently. It wasn't like the man to drag his feet. A light knock came from behind the door. Turning around, he did see the albino, who was smiling same as always. Kanda glared at him. "You're late."
Ulrich bowed slightly. "My apologies, Sire. Dinner preparation took a bit longer than I expected." Kanda sighed; another accident. It was the only excuse he would allow his butler to use for his tardiness, and even then, it was seldom accepted. Tonight was just one of those nights, though, so he let it slide.
Kanda changed out of his Kendo gear and allowed Ulrich to redress him. Now, the Earl was in a white suit with a dark purple scarf. The black silk hair that up in a ponytail was then re-brushed before being tied back loosely with a gold ribbon. Finally, Kanda removed his rings so that he could put on black silk gloves, then replaced them on the according fingers. "Is everything ready?" He asked when he put the amethyst back on.
The albino bowed. "As of now, yes."
The ebony blinked once, but soon found himself smirking when he heard the sound of horses in the distance. "Shall we welcome our guests, then?" He questioned, amused. Ulrich only smirked, kneeling before his master before walking with him to the front door.
A carriage stopped in front of Rothshild Manor, three passengers sitting patiently for Ulrich to open the door. Once done, a young boy dressed in brown jumped out and began racing towards the Earl. "Cousin Kanda!" He screamed in utter excitement.
Kanda smiled in response, moving to lift the boy once he got close enough. The boy had blond hair and green eyes just a shade lighter than Grace's. The pair laughed a bit, but the lord soon hugged the boy. "Oh, how are you, my little Saru-kun?" The Earl asked, playfully.
"My name's not Saru, Kanda." The child bit back.
The elder male chuckled. "I know that. You just act a lot like one." He informed the boy.
The boy puffed his cheeks. "One day I'm gonna learn Japanese; then you can't hide what you really mean from me." He mumbled.
Kanda rolled his eyes before putting the child down before crossing his arms and raising his brow. "I'm sure you'll do a lot more than that if you learn it fluently, Vergil." The latter beamed up at that, pleased that his cousin stopped calling him Saru.
"It's good to see you, Kanda." Said man turned to see his aunt Persephone approach them. She was a beautiful woman who also had blond hair, braided and in a bun. Her eyes were blue, and the dress she was wearing was black, and adorned white lace around the waist and at the collar.
The teen walked towards her as well before allowing his aunt to wrap her arms around him. He carefully hugged her by the waist and held her for but a moment before parting the hold. "As it is to see you, Aunt Persephone," he then moved his head so he could see his uncle come up the steps. "Uncle Lawrence," he greeted, removing his hands from his aunt before moving to face his uncle, a hand open to shake his.
Lawrence Rothshild was a well dressed man in a black suit and a red scarf around his neck. He was a bit pudgy, with blond hair cut short and pale blue eyes. A forced smile was on his face, and Kanda's trained eyes could see his lip twitching slightly. "Hello, nephew." The man shook his hand, placing the free one on Kanda's sleeve. "How are things, here?" He questioned him.
The Asian male chuckled. "Very well, thank you for asking. My family's here for dinner, and I just received good news from the office in India."
"Have you now?" The man asked, removing his hand from Kanda's.
"Oh, yes." He stated, standing straight. "Sales have gone up, and another factory's being built. We're getting more buyers, and we have a new source of supply." He informed, proudly.
"Excellent news, Kanda." Lawrence commented, letting out a good chuckle.
Kanda laughed with him before standing straight, his false smile holding firm. "Well, shall we go inside? If I'm not mistaken, it seems as though a storm's coming." He informed his uncle, looking behind him. The four outside looked up, and indeed, the clouds were a dark grey that threatened rain within a matter of minutes.
The family was sitting down at dinner, soon enough. There was a bit of idle chat here and there, but none that Kanda gave of importance. He kept himself tuned in, though; he was the Earl, his family was meant to be his top priority, and that meant keeping an ear open for anything that might be stirring. "Kanda," his aunt called.
Kanda turned in her direction, smiling still. "Yes, Aunt, what is it?" He asked her.
The woman gave him a week grin in return. "I'm just curious, but... are you going to look for a bride at some point?" The Asian blinked. Well, that he didn't see coming.
Lawrence smirked. "That's right, Albert didn't set you up with a betrothed, now did he?" He stated more than asked, amusement leaking from his very presence.
The man sighed once. He didn't have reason to go looking for a bride, but now his family was wondering why he hadn't. Thankfully, though, he already knew a good enough reason to explain why he hadn't. Kanda looked up at them, a frown on his face as he spoke in feigned sadness. "Dear Aunt, I don't think I need to remind you of my true nationality. People already frown upon me as it stands, if I were to marry a noblewoman and have a child with her, they too would receive equal ridicule that I do; perhaps more so. I wouldn't be able to live knowing what was in store for them."
"Well, there's half of it." Ulrich couldn't help but think, smirking once his back was facing them.
Persephone put a hand to her mouth, regretting that she had forgotten. Vergil was listening to his statement, but after a few moments, he slammed his hand on the desk. "That's stupid, Kanda! We all love you, we'd love your wife and your child too."
The Asian sighed once more. If only the boy knew. "That's true, cousin. But, even if nationality wasn't an issue, there's also finding someone genuine to be with for eternity. The women I've met before only want to be near me because I hold most of the Rothshild funds from business. I refuse to marry someone who doesn't truly care about me."
"How do you know?" The boy asked, a bit surprised by the statement.
Kanda lowered his head, a smirk on his face. "There's a certain glint in everyone's eyes; that glint tells you whether or not they truly care or if they're simply near you for self gain. I've met too many women with that look in their eyes." He explained simply.
His uncle rose a brow. "Then how do you plan to continue the Rothshild line, might I ask?"
The teen chuckled. "Well, that won't be a problem, so long as Vergil is up and willing, that is." He insinuated. The look on his uncle's face was a truly shocked one, having not expected Kanda to simply pass the torch.
Vergil's mouth was hanging open, but he was soon smiling. "Really, Kanda? You want me to do it?" He asked, enthusiastically. His cousin simply nodded, a bright smile on his face.
Awhile later and the family was heading home. Lawrence and Kanda stood on the porch having the only real conversation they could ever get on visits. "You're serious?" He questioned Kanda, unable to believe what he heard.
Kanda nodded, a strict expression on his face. "So long as he's taught well. No doubt, you'll manage." He informed the man, standing a bit more firm. "Am I to assume that you want more money this time around? You normally don't like visiting otherwise."
Lawrence nodded, seemingly annoyed. "Yes, we need to hire a new violin instructor for Vergil. The one from before barely taught him anything and made it out with a lot of our valuables. At least 10,000 pounds worth." He begrudgingly admitted.
The Japanese male felt his lip twitch, but refrained from commenting. He did warn his uncle about him, which was probably why the man was hired to begin with. "Expect a banknote in the mail soon. I know how much Vergil wants to play his violin alongside my piano, and I can't help but imagine most of those valuables include Aunt Persephone's jewels." Lawrence confirmed the statement with a nod. Kanda then smirked for real, extending his hand. "Pleasure seeing you, then."
With a reluctant handshake on Lawrence's part, the trio left Rothshild Manor, smiling. Once they were far enough, Kanda let out a heavy sigh; his annoyed expression bare. "Fucking hell." He swore under his breath before turning and heading back into his home. "Ulrich, get me some damn tea and have it brought up to my room."
And he got it; walking into the room to see that Kanda had already changed into his nemaki with his clothes set off to a pile in the corner of his room. His rings were already put back in there appropriate cases. "Impatient tonight, Sire?" He questioned, holding back any amusement the sight would have normally given him.
For what felt like the hundredth time that night, the lord let out a sigh, plopping on his bed in resignation. "Tired." He admitted. "Days are going by slowly and rarely anything is coming about. Makes me feel like I'm running in a fucking circle."
Ulrich was about to reply, but his master beat him to the punch. "And don't you dare bring up how the Earl of Rothshild shouldn't be speaking with vulgarity. I'm only in this position because Old Man Albert thought I was a better pick for being the Earl than his brother, and at getting to know him, I know why. I'm not a real Rothshild, Ulrich, nor was I ever. The only reason I haven't given the position to that fat bastard is because this position is the one with the best advantage for what I truly want. But then again, you already know that."
Ulrich smiled as he poured the tea. "Yes, that I do, Sire." He stated, handing Kanda his cup.
The young lord sipped his tea, calmly. One of the few things in his life that provided him with any form of peace. "Ulrich," the lord called before the man left to check on the staff, "I'm going to be training early tomorrow morning, starting at four. I'll be back no later than eight. I expect everything laid out for when I come back in, and if something keeps me past eight, you may come to get me. If not, you'll leave me be." He told the man.
The butler stared at him with a rather neutral gaze. "Will you be taking Mugen with you?" The latter simply nodded. The butler then did something he hadn't all day; he knelt before his lord, his head lowered. "By all means, Sire," he said, looking up, "Happy training to you." And with that, the man rose to his feet; leaving the lord to sip his tea before he went to bed.
Well, I hope people are liking the story so far. A quick note I should mention before anyone asks, a Nemaki is a traditional Japanese nightgown worn by men and women alike. I think it suits Kanda more than an English one.
See ya next time! ;)
~ K. Fang-sama
