Chapter O2 – Falling Forever

As classical music filled the air, people clamored to the dance floor. It was a melody of footsteps and a visual display of swishing dressed and coy smiles. How glamorously they were all dressed, hair rolled up into the most fanciful of styles she had ever seen. The jewelry – sparkling and shining so much in the light that it was nearly blinding.

While she looked upon the sight wistfully, Adelaide felt no inclination to join them. The high-heeled shoes on her feet were already cutting into her skin. She grimaced at the pain every time she took a step. Her brother – the prince – seemed vaguely aware, casting her the occasional glance, but he spoke not a word and offered her no reprieve. He kept their arms firmly locked even as she tried to pull away. (Probably because he was waiting for the right nobleman to approach, the one he planned to marry her off to.)

Fortunately, luck seemed to be on her side. One of the government officials stopped by and started engaging the prince in political matters and the distraction allowed her the opportunity to slip away. Adelaide made a beeline for the stairs leading out to the balcony, casting the occasional wary glance back to make sure that her brother's eyes weren't following her.

Safe, she thought triumphantly as she stepped out into the night, where the cool air caressed her cheeks. She took a sharp inhale. It smelled of wet grass, air thick with humidity from the rain the night before. Trudging in the confounded shoes that still constrained around her feet, Adelaide made her way to the arched railing.

Peering over the edge, she was pleased to see that the sight that greeted her was none other than her father's garden, Well-tended as it was, it was often her favorite escape. The lilacs, the daisies, the roses – they were all so beautiful, an array of vivid colors that could only be described as a delight to the eyes.

Adelaide slumped against the railing, breathing a sigh. She knew that it was her duty to return to the party and yet the idea of meet a suitor convinced her that she would rather be scolded than courted by some spoiled rich boy from some allied kingdom. (Handsome or not, they were all the same. Boys – still so boring and immature, even at her age.)

And while she was preoccupied, far more engaged in her wild imagination than she should be, Adelaide only vaguely registered the blur of movement down in the garden. At least not until she spotted it – that which she had seen the night before, peering into her windows – two golden eyes, gleaming through the darkness like fireflies in the summer.

Startled, she took a stumbling step backward, nearly tripping over the folds of her own dress. It took her a moment to get her bearings though her heart was still racing. Her breathing still hadn't steadied either, but she took a hesitant peek back over the railing.

They were gone.

Feeling a bit more courageous, she stepped on the elevated ledge, leaning half of her body over the railing, and peered around the garden. Eyes narrowed, she tried again to try and spot it. In the darkness, with the light of the party glaring in from behind her, it made it difficult to make out much of anything. All she could discern were the outlines of the flowers and bushes, but there seemed to be no human silhouette to be found. Carried away in her search, she leaned a little farther. At that moment she lost her footing and with a shrill cry, started to topple right over the edge.

Two hands firmly grasped her waist, pulling her back over and onto the safety of the balcony. Her heels tapped against the marble flooring. Legs still trembling from the scare, she cautiously craned her head to gaze upon the face of her rescuer.

Startled to recognize the familiar, unforgiving face of the stranger she had met just a night ago when the storm had hit, Adelaide took a step backward. The man easily released her and she stumbled away from him, her back bumping the railing. Those eyes of his, the same shade of gold that she had seen gleaming through the darkness just moments ago startled her.

"Y-you," she said, pointing a finger toward him.

"Me," he acknowledged blankly.

"Claude," a booming voice called from behind the tall, lanky man. It was none other than George, who looked particularly livid, eyes glaring in Adelaide's general direction. "I see you have met my... sister." He seemed reluctant to acknowledge their blood relation (albeit a half blood relation, as their mothers were different).

"Yes."

Confused at how the two seemed acquainted with each other, the girl looked to her brother for answers. "W-who is this?" Although she knew it was a little rude to word it that way, Adelaide could still feel her heart beating against her ribcage.

George seemed to stare at her for a moment, the gears in his head spinning. His hesitancy to answer the question inclined her to believe that he did not want to answer. Alas, he spoke, "He is to be your new tutor." It seemed a cover for something more and Adelaide wondered at the reasoning as to why her brother could not explain that in the first place, rather than looking at Claude questioningly before responding to her.

"Tutor?" she echoed quizzically. But Adelaide soon remembered that it was improper to question authority, especially her brother's. So she bowed her head and said, "Thank you for looking out for my well-being." Although there was little truth to those words. Her brother always had an ulterior motive. It was probably a tutor hired to reform her into a lady so she would be more suitable for marrying off.

"You should return to the dance floor and mingle." A command framed in the form of a suggestion.

Although she begrudged her brother for it, Adelaide paused before heading back inside. Her eyes lingered on the stranger for a moment – this Claude person. The way he returned her gaze gave her chills down her spine. There was something foreboding about him that prompted her to avert her eyes and quickly scramble back to the party. She couldn't get away fast enough. There were goose bumps across the length of her arms.

When she was back inside, Adelaide decided to head straight for the dance floor. If only to stick it to her brother for forcing her to mingle. (She was, after all, a dreadful sight to behold on the dance floor.) Unfortunately for the few partners that approached her, they walked away limping after they'd had enough of her clumsy footwork. She felt a little giddy about how triumphant she had been in driving them off.

And after a while men stopped approaching. So she stood at the sidelines, muttering a few choice words beneath her breath while looking down at her aching feet. The party could not be over soon enough. Regardless, she did not plan to entertain herself with watching much longer. As soon as she saw her brother heading onto the floor with his fiancee, she turned to leave. He would be too busy to give chase and she would be free.

At least, that had been her silent hope. But then, in a blur of black, she was swept back onto the dance floor. One hand gently cupped her waist while the other cradled her hand in its palm. She was so surprised that it took her a moment to realize that she was twirling around with someone.

"Who-" her words were cut short as she lifted her chin, brown eyes meeting golden ones. Immediately she realized it was her newly-hired tutor. "Sir Claude," she addressed politely with some amount of disdain. Purposefully, she tried to jab her heel into his toes but like an experienced dancer, he deftly dodged her misstep, which nearly sent her toppling over.

Claude, however, tightly grasped her hand which helped to keep her upright. "Those shoes must be bothering your feet," he surmised solemnly, "For you to dance this poorly." To Adelaide it seemed like a crude remark, but judging by the expression on the man's face, he saw it merely as an honest statement.

"Likewise, you must be unused to parties to treat a lady so poorly," she quipped sourly. Unlike the night before when he had caught her at her weakest, Adelaide was not content to be walked on. Her rigidity was probably what kept most men from actively pursuing her. Something her brother was undoubtedly bitter about but that she had never been more thankful for.

"Are you old enough to be considered a lady?" He quirked a brow at her as he paused to dip her backward.

Adelaide's body tensed with fear. She had half a mind to reach up and grab at his neck to keep herself steady, fearing that out of spite he might drop her. Alas, he did not, and as soon as she was back on her feet again, she responded. "I most certainly am – I could be married now if I wanted."

The features of his face remained oddly still, almost statuesque. Adelaide likened it to dancing with those stiff guards that always stood outside the palace. They never seemed to laugh or crack a smile. It was a perfect resemblance. "Yet you are not."

"I have yet to meet someone suitable. That's all." Although in truth, and most likely the both of them knew it, Adelaide had no choice in who it was she would marry. It was just that her father had not actively sought out someone for her and her brother was not yet in the position to force her along. But she could feel the pressure. It would not be long until her brother assumed the throne and she would be cast off in a political marriage, never to return to England again. The very thought saddened her.

Then, suddenly, a thought popped up in her mind. Feeling a little mischievous, she asked the question, "On that very note, Sir, why are you not married? You are older than I, are you not?"

He did not seem the least bit taken aback by her inquiry. "I am merely one hell of..." Then, for a moment he paused, a slight tug working on the edge of his lips as he finished, "a tutor." It was an awkward thing to say and truly did not answer her question. But he at least had enough sense to elaborate. "I am here to serve His Highness."

It was a straightforward answer that she would expect of anyone working for her brother. Adelaide frowned. Having someone like this as a tutor would prove utterly boring. How many other people had her brother tried to plant around her to shape her into her a proper lady that she had run off? Even though he was a good enough dancer that he made up for her own lack of coordination, there was no way he would make it for more than a few weeks.

Sad, really, when she thought about it. For, as she gazed up at his face, she felt drawn to those eyes. Golden like the crown upon her father's head, they seemed to shine with some unforgiving malice that left her heart beating frantically. But Adelaide was not one to be so easily swept up into the maelstrom of emotion.

When at last the melody of instruments ceased, she abruptly tore herself away from Claude. "I bid you a good night, Sir." Then, discarding her dignity, she hiked up her dress and hurried out of the ballroom. Her feet were nearly screaming at her, and she imagined it would be difficult to walk tomorrow.

—

"You should at least understand this much."

She strained to try and understand the Latin written in the book that Claude was so deterministically asserting that she should be able to read. But for the first time, Adelaide found herself outwitted. She had always neglected her language studies and so the whole sentence was beyond her. It just sounded like some jumbled garbage that she had no inclination of understanding. "Well, I can't."

Those gold eyes stared at her for a moment. "Have you learned the basics?"

It was probably a genuine question but, once again, she felt insulted. "Well, of course I have."

"Tell me what you do know."

Disgruntled, she folded her arms over her chest. "I fail to see the importance of this. It is academics, is it not? All the other tutors have instructed me on women's duties – how to be a lady. Granted they were all women... But is that not what my brother hired you for?"

"I remember you claiming to already be a lady."

Exasperated, she huffed at him. "That's right, and what does a lady need to know these things for?" She jabbed a finger in the direction of the stack of books on the table. They were sitting in the middle of the castle's library. Rows of shelves were lined around them like a fortress of books. (Many of which Adelaide had willing read as a child.)

Claude stared at her for a moment. "Ask your brother." He always answered vaguely. Yet he was simultaneously very direct. Definitely a frustrating man – she could somehow understand why he was not married. What father would see his daughter married off only for her to die young after having her head twisted by this disturbing individual?

She groaned to herself. "Let's just call it a day."

"Three more hours," he reminded her.

For whatever reason, he seemed to be under the impression that he could persuade her. That or he thought by being a man and being under her brother that he had some kind of direct authority over her. How wrong he was, she thought to herself, and she would show him as much. "Sir Claude, how long have you been at the castle?"

"Several days."

A devious grin curled onto her lips as she stood abruptly, the legs of the chair dragging against the carpet as she did so. "You must be weary then. It is a lot to take in, in just a few days. Rather than being cooped up in here studying, you should do something fun."

"Fun?" he echoed questioningly, doubt evident on his face.

"Yeah," she was quick to assure, giving him a nod. "So do you like gambling, Sir Claude?"

Both of his eyebrows arched up. "What are you eluding to?" It seemed from the way he suddenly crossed his arms over his chest that, while he was willing to hear her out, he was uninterested in her proposal. But still, as a man, she was sure he would not be able to decline.

"My father has the most beautiful garden anywhere around. And there is a maze within. Surely not as small as some that you might find in foreign countries. The twists and turns are well-planned and not once has anyone – not even my brother – managed to get through it without help. So how about we have us a race, Sir Claude? I will even offer you a head start."

"If I win, you will resume your studies." He did not even have the courtesy the frame it as a question. Rather, the dark-haired man seemed to understand Adelaide's aim well enough to effectively "assert" his end of the deal.

She felt a little callous for not even forewarning him that she was an expert at maneuvering through her father's maze... But considering the material he expected her to study, Adelaide could feel little remorse. Suppressing the smirk that threatened to rise onto her face and reveal her plans, Adelaide guided Claude through the library, down several flights of stairs, and to the garden.

The maze loomed insight, shrubs several heads taller than even Claude whose height seemed to be unrivaled. Even on her tiptoes, Adelaide would be unable to see eye-to-eye with him. Perhaps it was because he managed to tower over her that he also thought himself superior. No matter, because she would show him quickly that he was mistaken.

It was hard to believe she was such a saucy thing in the day when unsupervised by Marie or her brother. Perhaps Claude found it mildly jarring at how capricious she was – shifting from different extremes in such a short amount of time. Not that Adelaide paused to consider the whiplash she was giving him.

"I will let you begin whenever, Sir Claude. Meanwhile I will start count at zero and once I reach one-hundred I will begin." She smiled sweetly, although there was little genuineness to be seen on her face. "Good luck. If you get lost, I will round up some of the guards to help me find you. But try not to panic, that just makes it worse."

He did not seem the least bit shaken by her warning, regarding her with narrowed eyes. "I see." Then abruptly, with a flutter of coattails, he strode toward the entrance of the maze. Without another spoken word he disappeared into the maze of greenery.

Humming to herself as she deliberately counted faster than she needed to, Adelaide soon followed in after him. Really, she reasoned, it did not matter how much of an advantage she gave him because even too much would end up being too little. Frankly, the moment he accepted her offer, he was doomed to be beaten. She would drive him out quickly this way.

And then I won't have to study any more of that Latin. That was the main point, really.

Weaving through the various twists and turns, she sighed to herself. It had been years since she memorized her way. It would be all too easy to beat Claude and have all this over with. Except, as she soon realized, something seemed a little off.

When she came to what was supposed to be a fork in the road, it slip three ways. The path was distinctly different than Adelaide remembered. Her brows furrowed as her heart started to race. Don't panic, she reminded herself. She composed herself and then closed her eyes. In the silence she was left with, she tried to remember the way, mentally moving herself through the map that was laid out in her mind. Yet no matter how many times she repeated it, she came up with the same conclusion: the maze's layout had been altered. She was not sure why, she was not sure when – but she was sure that it had been changed.

Her first instinct was to fly into a panic – exactly what she had told Claude not to do. But she took a deep breath and tried to quiet her nerves. "Claude?" she bellowed in the darkness and the silence, hoping to hear some kind of response. If he was not too far away, the two could join back together and find their way out.

There was no answer, however.

"Claude?" she called out again, her voice cracking. It belied the mantra she was chanting in her head, trying to calm herself down. No good – her heart was racing and her breathing had become labored as she started to dash randomly down various turns. "Claude!" Golden locks of hair billowed behind her as the wind whipped against her face.

As she was running, her foot caught on a rock and sent her flying face forward into the ground. She managed to place her arms in front of her, cushioning the fall. But she cried in anguish as her knees scraped against the ground. Adelaide quickly scrambled onto her haunches, inspecting the scratches on the skin of her legs. There was a little bit of blood but it was a superficial cut. Still, the pain just made the situation worse. Inwardly she admonished herself. This was surely the divine's will to punish her and make her reflect on her actions. No doubt she would be rattling off this confession in church on Sunday to see that she was forgiven for the sin of pride.

She hiccuped and sniffled as she slowly plopped down onto her bottom and hugged her knees to her chest. How humiliating to have been so overconfident and conceited, only to be knocked down a few pegs by her own arrogance. Adelaide pressed her face into the back of her legs, mumbling a few curses against her skin. The warmth of her breath caressed the exposed skin of her legs and it caused her to shiver. Somehow, where the sun could barely be seen peering in from above, it felt unusually cold.

Although she knew, somehow, someone would find her and help her out, she did not know how long she would have to wait until then. In the first place she had memorized the maze so as to never be forced into such a situation again. She remembered as a child, using yarn to keep her from losing her way, to remind her of the paths she had already gone. Yet now she had no such luxury.

And as she wallowed in her own self-pity, she wondered to herself if somehow Claude had already made it out. Hardly possible, she thought to herself. Surely he was just about as lost and bewildered as she. That gave her some measure of comfort.

After a few minutes of mentally reassuring herself, Adelaide returned to her feet. Her stomach was still in tight knots that left her feeling nauseous, but she did not see fit to loiter just hoping for a rescuer. If she was going to make it out of the maze, then she would have to find the way herself. Although her own actions had come back to bite her, it put her on even footing with Claude. For that she couldn't feel guilty. It was now a race to see who made it out first. And being especially competitive, Adelaide did not see fit to lose. She pumped her fists while saying, "Okay, here we go!" Then took off in a dead run, trying every pathway she could.

Yet for all her confidence at being able to eventually find her way out, after it seemed as though several hours had passed, her ego was beginning to deflate again. She had slowed to a steady walk, peering around worriedly at her surroundings. She was not sure how much, if any, progress she had made. All the turns, all the corners looked the same. And she had no way of marking the way in which she had already come from. As far as she knew, she was moving in circles. And the whole time she saw neither hide nor hair of Claude. Which on the one hand had her thankful, on the other had her curious if he had already made it out.

He had better come back in to find me then, she thought bitterly as she gritted her teeth.

Then all of a sudden she heard a rustling from behind her. Although it jolted her in surprise, she suspected it was Claude making his approach. So she turned around with a look of relief on her face, only to see that, hidden amongst the tall bushes, were two gleaming gold eyes. The same ones she had seen in the garden last night. At first she had thought them to be Claude's – somehow – but they were distinctly different, she was sure.

She swallowed hard, taking a step back. What was that thing? Peering out at her – it looked like some kind of monster. And it was advancing. Screaming at the top of her lungs, she turned around and took off running as fast as her legs would allow. Inwardly she was praying that she would not run into a dead end and be cornered by that – that thing.

Once she was sure she had put some distance between herself and it, she chanced a glance back, still keeping her pace up. In the split second she was not paying attention, and she started to twist her head back around, she crashed into something rock solid that sent her reeling backward. A hand caught her elbow and steadied her.

"My Lady," Claude addressed in a monotone voice.

Although her heart was still pounding in her ears, she managed to hear his words. Still terrified of whatever it was that had been chasing her, Adelaide craned her neck again to do a double-take – just to make sure it had not pursued her. "Th-there was something," she stuttered breathlessly, "Something.. Th-that followed me."

"You were probably hallucinating in your panic."

She swallowed the lump in the back of her throat and firmly shook her head as she gazed up at his eyes – the same shade of gold as that monster. "I know what I saw, Sir. Something has been following me since the other night."

Author's Note: Long time between updates unfortunately. Just got out of school so hopefully that will change. Thank you guys for all the supportive reviews! I started this, in part, because of the lack of Claude stories. He is kind of a jerk in Kuroshitsuji II but I just can't but like him nonetheless. Ah, I always like those aloof characters with a cold heart. (Or, arguably, heartless.) Thanks to Xephy for being my eternal slave... err, beta reader.