Chapter 9

Alyssia POV

It was the day of Madam Red's funeral. The woman was quite the celebrity within the noble circles. Yet no one knew her truth. She was a pitiable woman; in love with her sister's husband, losing her own and her unborn child. A mother never forgets something like that, even if the child wasn't born yet. Red was so plagued by the loneliness and despair that she must have finally cracked. 'Loneliness and despair huh?' I smiled nostalgically. The madam and I may not have been all that different. I still carry the scar to prove that.

A scar Sebastian had seen yesterday. Just thinking about the incident made me frown. Neither of us had exchanged words since the previous night. We just quietly accompanied the young master to the church whilst he kept to his stoic butler façade and I was simply not in the mood to talk.

I knew that Sebastian had questions and that he was used to getting what he wanted and yet I denied him an explanation. 'I'm sure he wants nothing more than to wring those answers out of me.' A rueful smile graced my lips. Why would he want to know so badly? To be honest it wasn't any of his business, my scar was something personal, and while we may be quite close here after this contract we will most likely go our separate ways. So, what did it matter to a demon like him? I eyed him questioningly as we waited for the little lord to finish saying his goodbye. 'Especially Sebastian.' I never thought our meeting would play out like this. I have always tried my best to stay out of his path, but now here we are; working side by side all because of this little earl.

3POV

Her gaze returned to their charge that was now draping a red dress over his dead aunt. It was his way to honor her. The child was truly amazing now that she thought about it. He has Sebastian who is considered royalty within the confines of hell and her, Alyssia a born blood witch, both serving him. And yet he didn't even know what power he held; all the little lord knew was that they served him and it was the only thing that really mattered to him – it was one of the reasons she liked it here. 'How will Ciel react when he finds out exactly how much power he holds? Or will he even find out?' The witch smirked, things were only just beginning.

When the ceremony ended the servant duo followed Ciel onto the graveyard, meeting the grey haired mortician there. "Have you done it Undertaker?" The young earl asked.

"Of course, earl~ I've made her a pretty little grave." The man giggled out and stepped aside to showcase a newly made grave. Both servants were shocked with the name on the headstone; Mary Jane Kelly. She was the last of the Ripper victims. Neither of them knew that their young lord had this grave made, so they were truly perplexed. Why did he do it?

The mortician giggled at the servants' expressions. "The little earl here was kind enough to make a poor, nameless prostitute a grave." He pinched the kid's cheek with a grin.

"I'm not kind." Ciel waved Undertaker's hand away and frowned at the tombstone. "I simply came to realise why I could not save this woman." The other three listened intently to his reasoning. "On that night, had I made her life my priority then I could have saved her. However, I did not." It was true. Had the little earl ordered his two servants to evacuate the prostitute, she would still be alive. And even without her there, Alyssia could have posed as bait whilst Ciel awaited the murderer. It would have worked – but that wasn't what happened. "I knew there was a chance to save her but I made the capture of Jack the Ripper my priority. I let her die. Even my own relative." 'Is that why he made her a grave? Guilt?' The witch narrowed her eyes at the kid's back. Was it really because he couldn't safe her? She didn't know for sure. The little earl was the kind of person who used everyone around him – or he at least acted that way. Sometimes she forgot that he was still but a boy.

"Do you regret it?" Undertaker asked curiously, also trying to make sense of the young earl's actions.

"I do not." Ciel turned his head to look at the mortician, but his gaze did not appear as strong as it usually was. It made Alyssia hope that the boy wasn't losing his touch. "Jack the Ripper is gone. Queen Victoria's melancholy has been put to rest."

"Victoria eh? Can't say I'm a fan." Undertaker noted thoughtfully. "She sits so high above everyone else – then leaves all the painful, dirty work to the earl." He covered his frown with a dark long sleeve.

"It is my family's fate and was passed down to me along with this ring." The little earl twisted the object around his thumb.

"Seems more like a collar to me." Undertaker's wide grin reappeared as he creepily giggled and the witch couldn't help but agree with the mortician's point. Nowadays, the human emperors just sat upon their high thrones and pushed all their work onto others. They rule a country whilst in reality only few hold real power and wisdom – Victoria wasn't any different. It was so unlike the Netherworld where you are only worth as much as your capabilities.

"The one who decided to wear this 'collar' was me"

Suddenly the mortician forcibly tugged the earl closer and Alyssia could feel Sebastian stiffen when it happened. "I hope that one day that collar chokes you." Undertaker set the boy back to the ground. "Well~ if the earl ever needs help, my door is open. He he he~" His laugh fading away as he left them standing by the grave.

"It was very kind of you." Sebastian's words filled the silence.

It only made Ciel scoff. "For the hundredth time I'm not –"

"You are kind. Otherwise…" The butler interrupted, "it was weakness." He narrowed his eyes at the boy whilst a dark smirk adorned his face.

"Wha – don't be ridiculous."

"Why didn't you pull the trigger?" He questioned the earl. "I don't appreciate lies. You had a gun but you hesitated." The demon continued his prodding. "Even when I insisted you still would not fire." He didn't want a weak soul filled with hesitation and Sebastian was sure that if the brat continued this way there wouldn't be a show for the witch to enjoy. She would most likely end her deal, but he didn't have that luxury. "Tell me why." He stared down at the brat with demonic eyes. "Was the thought of killing the madam yourself…scary?" The words dripped with mockery. "Is killing someone from your own family too much?"

"It was because that is your job." Ciel stared up at the demon with a bored look. "I thought that even if you died somehow you two would protect me." For a second his eyes flitted towards Alice. "That's why I did not fire." Even she who just quietly watched the exchange was shocked by his statement. It would seem the little lord hadn't lost his will and she was undeniably glad for it. The witch couldn't help but let a wicked grin cross her face as the little earl continued. "It was part of the contract between us that until I reach my goals, you shall be my power. You will protect me until the end and see that I am not killed," The boy turned a cold gaze towards the demon, "or am I mistaken?"

"Then explain why we were stopped?" Sebastian asked, genuinely confused why they couldn't kill the madam.

"There was doubt in her eyes. She couldn't kill me – her own relative." The little earl walked away from the grave. "Hesitating for even a second can be fatal. She hesitated and lost sight of her goal." He walked passed his two servants with a confident look. "That is why I will not hesitate." Their expressions quickly turned from shock to dark wicked glee - for them this boy was truly worth serving. "This is an order. You two shall never betray me and never leave my side!"

"Yes, my lord."

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