Here we go, chapter three.

Vengeance and Freedom

Chapter Three

Kanda Earl Rothshild returned to his room a bit after seven-thirty, a smile on his face. Yes, he needed a morning like this. It was refreshing to him, and it helped lighten the mood of his rather dull life. Kanda, true, wanted to live in peace and quiet, but when he imagined it, it wasn't living as a noble in fucking England. He would have loved to be ruffing it in the woods of Japan right now, but that wouldn't do. He doubted he'd see his home country before his contract with Ulrich was fulfilled, so why bother trying?

He entered his room and noticed his butler, who had just finished drawing back the curtains. "Ulrich," he greeted blandly, having now noticed he had to shift from swordsman to nobleman within but a few moments. Such a painful transition, but one he couldn't avoid.

Ulrich stiffened slightly, but soon turned to face his master. "Good morning, Sire. How was your session?"

"Fine. Still too short for me, but fine nonetheless." He told the man as he moved towards the head of the bed. Behind it was a rack to hold his blade, Mugen. Kanda placed the sheathed blade back in its appropriate spot, specifically positioning it so that he could grab it if he were lying down.

He then allowed Ulrich to dress him, black and purple as per always, a scarf to hide the marking on his neck, his two rings, and of course, his hair in a ponytail. The tea was poured and Kanda was informed about his schedule. There wasn't any dancing today, thankfully, but he had to go over more of the reports about his company and think of new marketing ideas. After lunch came his piano lesson, then there were his basic lessons; mathematics, science, history and so on.

"The usagi would love to be seeing this." The lord couldn't help thinking. Finally, he had an hour less of Kendo. Hearing that made Kanda happy that he took the training session that morning.

Breakfast went by swiftly, as Kanda was given a treat by his butler this morning. Tempura soba with green tea, his absolute favorite. If he had things his way, he'd have it everyday, but that wasn't natural and he didn't want his servants whispering about his eating habits. Under other circumstances, he wouldn't care, but he was the Earl Rothshild now; rumors spread about weren't good, no matter how small they seemed. Letting any other nobleman catch wind of them was even worse.

He went to business as Ulrich attended to some other matters. The man would return to the room before lunch, so he had no reason to wait. It allowed time to comprehend what to do with the business. Rothchic Industry was a fashion company that worked with several fabrics, made many different kinds of shoes, and crafted their own jewelry. An artistic man would adore the position, but Kanda was no artist. He didn't understand fashion, and he'd need to consult with Ulrich about most of his choices.

The man sighed. "Lenalee would be having a field day with this..." He muttered to himself as he looked through different papers. It was almost time to start another line and Kanda would have to provide re-modified designs as well as a few of his own. He didn't have much care for it, however, had no choice.

"Things going well, Sire?" His albino butler questioned, a silver tray in his hand as he approached the desk.

Kanda sighed. "I have to start working on the Winter Line soon. It seems as though some of those talented designers Albert hired are running out of ideas." He replied, already feeling exhausted by the task. He didn't like the idea of spending money on clothing lest it were necessary, but now he just hated the entire fashion industry.

Ulrich's smile shined through. "Well, "soon" doesn't appear to be today. A letter from her majesty just came in for you." He informed the man, lowering the tray to hand him the letter.

The Earl took it without question. "Been awhile since the old bat contacted us. Wonder what for." He said more to himself than to his butler. He read the letter silently, his lips soon curving. Once he finished the letter, he folded the parchment, put it back into its envelope, and then put it into his jacket pocket. "Pack my bags, Ulrich. There's been a change in today's schedule."

Ciel Phantomhive arrived at his country home, not the least bit pleased with the recent news. It wasn't the fact that he was away from his work, nor was it the Queen's recent orders to catch a new serial killer. No, Ciel's annoyance was what he read in the letter. "I have faith in my loyal dog, however, I feel this time two noses will be required. So, I'm sending the Hunting Wolf to aid in the investigation. He'll be arriving at your country home not long after you do. As a fellow canine, please work well with him."

He could feel his eyebrow twitch. How annoying. He didn't want to work with an amateur on this case, but by Her Majesty's letter, this Hunting Wolf was already aware of the situation and would be coming over in the next twelve hours. So, much to his distaste, he came trying to mentally prepare himself for whoever it was that was coming.

Upon arrival, Ciel took quick notice of two familiar faces; Lau and Ran-Moa. The two were just about to enter the house until they heard the carriage pull up. Therefore they waited for it to stop and for Ciel to get out before greeting him. "Hello, my lord. You're here rather early. I take it the Queen's Guard Dog has another scent."

Ciel smirked at this. "Yes. While Sebastian prepares us tea, perhaps you'd like to tell me about another servant of hers called the Hunting Wolf." Lau was intrigued by this, sure enough.

Once they were seated inside, tea made and poured, Lau spoke. "Her Majesty's Hunting Wolf. Yes, I have heard of him. The wolf is the symbol of the Rothshild family, however, they're better known for their fashion company. They make every style of clothing, including accessories and shoes; best brand on the market." He began.

"How come I've never heard of this Hunting Wolf until now?" Ciel questioned.

Lau's expression didn't falter, in fact his smirk grew as he explained. "Actually, that's just it. The current Earl Rothshild found many a kidnapped children as well as the bodies of dead ones a little over a year ago. Ever since then, he's been tested with different cases to see if he deserves the Queen's trust, or so I'm told. Thus far, he hasn't failed in bringing any criminal to justice. Very much like you, my lord."

Yes, that made sense. Her Majesty would want to test the Earl's capabilities if he were only just starting. To hear he was doing well made Ciel feel a bit better about working with him. "If you don't mind my asking, Lau, but how is it that you know all of this?" Sebastian asked him, a bit curious.

The man chuckled. "Allow me to answer that with a different question." He turned to Ciel. "My lord, have you heard a story about an Asian boy taken in by a nobleman who later succeeded him after he died?"

"A story, yes, but nothing more. No man from Asia can obtain nobility status." He replied fluently.

Lau chuckled at this. "Oh, but it's no story, my lord. The previous Earl Rothshild took in a young man from Japan less than a year before his death and stated in his will that the boy was to succeed him." Shock grasped the two adjacent from the Chinese man, but neither spoke. They just sat in silence; waiting to see what he'd say next.

"The man's been using his heritage to speak to other immigrants and gather information. It's allowed him to put a stop to drug cartels, corner the mafia, plunge many human trafficing scenes, as well as put an end to many a people experimenting on human beings; a good number of which were also involved in murder cases."

Ciel let out a sigh. Great, another pawn he had to keep an eye on. "My, this Hunting Wolf seems to have quite the spotless record for only being at it a year." Sebastian commented, a suspicious air coming about him. Ciel would have to agree; a lot of work in a short amount of time, that's for damn sure.

"I agree. He seems always able to solve a case in three to five days. It's rather suspicious if you ask me." And Ciel as well. It could explain why the Queen insisted on him being on the investigation.

Lau was about to speak more, however, a knock at the door interrupted him. The man smiled soon, though. Looking at the Earl Phantomhive, he said: "My, my. I daresay that's the Earl Rothshild at your door." Ciel agreed; the man had impeccable timing, that's for sure.

He turned to his butler. "Sebastian, bring our guests inside. They must be tired from traveling." He ordered flatly.

Sebastian bowed at the boy. "Yes, my lord," he spoke before heading to the front door.

Okay, that was my first time using actual Kuroshitsuji characters, so if you would, tell me how I did. I like improving from mistakes, if there are any.