Now that the story has almost reached the ending point, I would like to take up this space to give thanks to all my readers and supporters of this story, which, without them, I wouldn't be able to have an ending and just give up half way. So here it goes!
A BIG THANKS TO...
DarkdemonRaYven : Without you supporting me from the VERY BEGINNING with your awesome, encouraging reviews, I would've given up at the first chapter. Thank you for supporting me so far, throughout my entire story and for taking your time to review. Your reviews were so much fun to read and made me laugh, cry out in happiness, or inspire me to write a new chapter. THANK YOU! ^^
333WaterBaby333 : I LOOVED reading your reviews because they would brighten up my day and start writing a new chapter! I usually don't start new chapters unless someone has reviewed my story to let me know there are still readers. You sure don't dissapoint me in that! Thank you for reviewing and supporting me so much! THANK YOU! ^^
ChocoTaiyaki121: I want to thank you for your review! It gave me the courage to continue writing this story when I was thinking whether or not to give up on it, you wrote a review that brightened my day. One word made a difference in my author life. THANK YOU!
SeafoamMist: Woow, I KNOW you read every single word in the chapters because of your reviews and it brought tears welling up in my eyes. I realllly want to thank you for hanging on with me until the very end and thank you again and again for reviewing. THANK YOU!
"No way." Corinne breathed. She silently picked up the book and slipped it back into Grell's hands.
"Anne is dead. I mean, since she's been missing for so long, everyone assumes that she died, but to think that…" She shook her head vigorously. "No, no I can believe it now that we know Meg isn't dead. Who else would've died in her place?"
"MY LADY!" A screech echoed through the lounge and the windows threw open, and Maria and Sebastian came in.
"Sebastian, did you and Maria find Meg?"
"Young master, we have pinpointed her location, but we found something more valuable then that. The young master always wanted to be a hero and save people do you not? Well Maria and I found that Meg is planning to kill another girl tomorrow morning. If we act now, we might catch her red handed."
"Why didn't you just catch her when you found her location?"
"We couldn't Earl, because we have no proof that it was Lady Magdala who killed the girls. We're just guessing that fact. But if we can catch her red handed, then we have proof and can report to the queen." Maria said.
She looked nervously at Corinne, who was breathing hard like she was having trouble taking in that information.
"Well what are we waiting for? If she's going to strike during the morning, we should beat her there. The streets are quieter during the mornings, so we have a better chance in getting Meg." Corinne said steadily.
Ciel smiled in encouragement because he knew Corinne was calm for the sake of him and the others.
"Then let's go."
"Wait young master!" Sebastian said.
"What?"
"You seemed to have forgotten something." Sebastian held up his dress and hat and Ciel groaned.
"Do I have to?" He muttered, but he knew the answer because even Corinne couldn't surpass her smile.
"Yes you have to." Sebastian pulled Ciel out of the lounge and disappeared in the halls. Maria placed her hands around Corinne's shoulders again to comfort her.
"My lady, it must be hard for you, to know that your beloved sister is a still alive and is a murderer. But you must be strong, strong for me, strong for the Earl." Maria cooed. Corinne shrugged Maria off and faced her, staring into her eyes.
"Maria, did you know that Meg was still alive?" Corinne asked. Maria turned pale again and looked away from Corinne, but she forced Maria to look at her again.
"Answer me, did you know?"
"I'm sorry my lady, I…I did know. I was afraid that if you knew Meg was still alive, you would be ruined. But I truly did not know that Meg was the Red Slasher nor do I know why."
"How did you know?" Corinne asked again, but she didn't seem mad at Maria for hiding such a secret. She looked more depressed, which made Maria's heart break.
"Remember how I asked you if you wanted me to rewrite your past? You seem perfectly fine if your life, but I saw your heart. You heart was crying and I felt…sorry for you. So I snuck into the shinigami's library and found your cinematic records…along with your sister's. I flipped through the lady's cinematic records and found that she isn't dead yet. I was shocked to see this, and kept it to myself. I'm sorry for being so selfish and will accept any punishment." Maria kneeled down to Corinne and bowed her head. But Corinne sighed and tilted Maria's head up.
"Stupid, I'm not going to punish you. Do I look like the punishing type? It doesn't matter now and you're right, I will break and turn into a mad woman like father if you told me, turning the world upside down looking for Meg." Her eyes looked far away and glassy, but she smiled like an angel. There was a pang in Maria's heart that made her realize she chose the right mistress.
This is the reason why I chose to serve a human, my Lord. This girl here, she's pure o the heart, so kind until the very end, always believing it isn't the other person's fault. I am very happy to be able to serve such a human.
"My lady, are you ready to see Lady Meg though?"
"What do you mean?"
"You just found out about the truth and you have to meet her now. Are you ready?"
"Maria, in this world, you have to be ready for things anytime, anywhere." Corinne said with a slight smile on her face.
"Now all that's left is to wait for Ciel and get going."
After a few long minutes, Ciel was dressed and ready to go. He lifted his dress unhappily and adjusted his hat.
"Sheesh, why do I have to dress like this again? Can't it just be Corinne who goes out into the city?"
"Young master, it would be a better chance if you go, since if the murderer is Corinne's elder sister, she most likely wouldn't kill her own family member." Sebastian said.
"Wait, Sebas~chan, don't forget me here!" Grell squealed. He ran over to Sebastian, tripping head over heels.
"Grell, I don't think we need you anymore."
"Oh Sebas~chan, don't be mean. I'm coming with you because of my job! See, look here." Grell held up his own shinigami notebook and flipped to a page. It was a picture of a young girl and her death date was today.
"I have to go collect her soul within a few hours, and her death reason is the Red Slasher. So if I came with you, I can collect her soul!" Grell batted his eyelashes and linked arms with Sebastian, which Sebastian did not look very happy about.
"Well then, let's go."
Even in the evening, the bustling streets of London were still filled with people, since it wasn't very late yet. Corinne looked into every little alley they passed, not knowing if she wants to see someone in the dark tunnels.
"Did you see someone?" Ciel asked. He noticed that Corinne was shaking and peeking into every tiny corner that was pitch black and could hide a murderer.
"Oh, there's no one. I'm just scary myself." Corinne muttered. Maria walked very close to Corinne, so close that Maria was literally glued on to her mistress.
"Sebastian, where are we going? We're not just going to walk around town all night until Meg strikes are we?" Ciel asked, his feet were already starting to pinch and hurt, his shoes slapping the soles of his feet whenever he walks.
"No, young mistress, we're currently going to the residence of the poor girl who's listed to die tonight by the hands of the Red Slasher. Just like what we did with the Jack the Ripper case." Sebastian said and glanced at Grell whose arms were still linked in his.
"…Which our planned failed because a shinigami was the murderer, but hopefully, this time, we should be able to catch Meg before she murders the girl. According to Grell's book, it said that Lorina Morcef."
Grell whistled happily, completely ignoring Sebastian's comments and what he was saying.
"Going on a date with Sebas~chan, going on a date with Sebas~chan ." Grell sang with much enthusiasm. Sebastian sighed and continued to lead the way until he stopped in front of a large mansion, not as big as Ciel or Corinne's, but bigger than normal English homes.
"This is it?" Ciel asked, placing his hands on his hips when Sebastian smacks his hand down.
"Yes my lady, this is the home of Lorina Morcef. The Morcefs is a rich family, so Meg must have guts to attack her."
Ciel frowned and snatched the book from Grell's open pockets in his jacket and flipped through it quickly.
"Wait, Sebastian, look here. Meg's pattern for killing changed." He showed Sebastian the book, then Corinne.
"Remember the first five girls the Slasher killed were around our age, twelve and thirteen? Lorina is sixteen and turning seventeen next month. The last girl who died was seventeen. Meg's killing pattern changed. Why is that?"
Corinne took the book from Ciel and gave the tiny picture of Lorina a good look and thought. Suddenly, she gasped and frantically flipped through pages.
"Maria, do you remember the name of the girl who died last week?"
"Um…I think her name was Arianna Montevista."
"That's why I thought that name was familiar! Ciel, Lorina and Arianna are both Meg's old friends! They were also invited to the party four years ago! I don't know why she would kill them, but I'm sure of it. I vaguely remember Lorina, but I'm positive that Arianna visited Meg once at the hospital one year, but she never came back after that."
Ciel looked at the mansion, then back at Sebastian.
"This is an order Sebastian. Keep Lorina Morcef safe from harm."
"What? That's not possible Ciel! Lorina's name is in a shinigami's list! Doesn't it mean that she has to die tonight?" Corinne cried. But Ciel gave her a look that was so horrifying, she stopped, he smiled, but with the nearby street lamp, the light illuminated half his face, the other half still in darkness, enclosed in a shadow.
"With a demon, and an angel, I think we can keep one girl alive." Ciel said. Corinne was hesitant, but nodded.
"Fine then, I think with three supernatural beings, we can keep a girl alive from a human murderer. Maria, this is an order as well. At all costs, you must keep Lorina Morcef alive."
Grell was checking out his nails when he too gave a long sigh that could last a whole year of sighs.
"Even though that pretty girl is on the list, I'll help Sebas~chan protect her until she's ready to die a second time. I'll just use the excuse of the girl's cinematic record being very clean and deserves a second chance at life."
"So what do you say Sebastian?" Ciel asked. Sebastian bowed and so did Maria.
"Yes, my lord."
"Yes, my lady."
"Let's go DEATH!"
Will they be able to keep Lorina Morcef alive? The next chapter might be the last chapter of Yes, My Lady, so please, please, please tune in for the final ending!