"Sister Olivia! You must not touch such artifacts!" one of the younger nuns ushered Olivia away from the ancient texts displayed, "Keep with the others, my child, or else you may stray too far from the flock."
"How are we supposed to see anything if we stay together, Sister?" Olivia asked motioned to the hoard of other females encircled in the middle of the large library, "If we are to learn anything valuable in the old books here, then we have to actually look at them."
The nun seemed surprised by Olivia's statement before rubbing the rim of her nose, "Sister Olivia, your curiosity of knowing too much will be the end of you. Please remain with the other ladies and mind your manners."
This was a battle no one could win with this nun, Olivia thought as she reluctantly went to the other females. Living abroad in Rome was much harder than she had anticipated in truth. She missed her parents, her brother, and the luxuries of having the ability to read from a book. It was a risk all to itself to be in a university as a Historian, but why learn history if one could not actually hold a book? Olivia remained stoic as she heard the others begin to murmur about her. Mother and Father were right to have sent her to be a Historian, but if they were to be told of her treatment here… She could just see her father being quite upset at the ordeal, but it was hardly the reaction she knew she would receive.
"Alright, ladies, now we will attend Mass before heading back to the convent," the young nun announced as she direct the group of females out of the library.
It was not as if attending such a prestigious university wasn't what she had thought it'd be. Olivia prided herself on the scores she received and the outstanding effort and study she put into her work, but it wasn't enough. Learning about sacrifice given by other religions was a thought she could understand, but to feel such passion for a population amazed her. She glanced at the gossiping females, could she sacrifice her life for them to live in a beautiful world? Hardly. Well, she wanted to think that way, Olivia thought to herself as she glanced up at the clear, blue sky.
Once they reached the convent to tend to the convent's private mass for those who were unmarried, Olivia was seated in the front row before dawning on her veil. She couldn't pay attention today. No, not today; in fact, today was a very special day. Her dreams were telling her something; something was going to happen today and she would receive a sign. Olivia could hardly keep still as she went through the common rituals of songs and prayer before being able to leave mass. She went straight to her room before diving into her bed, exhausted by the day's travels. Living in such a convent for her religious history studies was one of the few downsides of this university, but she could manage as long as she could sleep more than she had imagined.
Her roommate walked into the room and quietly shut the door. A demure young woman, much more frigid than Olivia thought herself to be being born into a high-class family. Her roommate took her long, golden blonde braid out to brush out the waves. Olivia envied the girl's hair, it looked so soft and light as if the strands were made of actual gold. However, the roommate's cold, light brown eyes glanced at Olivia through the mirror and Olivia averted her gaze. They didn't exactly get along like Olivia had hoped, but there was some truth that she was the one who started it.
A knock at the door brought both girls to attention as they each stood up and presented themselves to the Head Mother, a rather young, old woman. Her wrinkles were not as set and it was easy to see the laugh-lines around her mouth to know she had a kind heart despite the rumor of a nun's cold actions for purity. Head Mother nodded her head as each girl lowered their head in respect, "Sister Olivia Phantomhive, I seek your company. Would you care for a walk?"
During this time after afternoon mass was a strict time for silence, so Olivia was at a loss to say or not to say something. She simply nodded and followed Head Mother out of the bedroom. After the door shut, Olivia could have sworn she heard her roommate actually curse.
Outside was one of the loveliest days Olivia had ever seen in Rome. The warmth of the sun made her feel as if she were back at home in the middle of Spring. Surrounding her and Head Mother was the renowned garden that the nuns kept for beauty as well for growing herbs to help the sick and destitute. Olivia recalled herself picking a few the herbs for home remedies to treat dry skin or acne on her face, then getting caught by the Head Mother herself though the older woman never gave her a punishment.
"I'm sorry for sneaking out after dark for the herbs," Olivia murmured, embarrassed, "It was very vane of me…"
"Yes, but vanity is still important for young girls. I wasn't always a nun, child, and I was quite a beauty myself," Head Mother smiled as she caressed a flower, "Perhaps the other Sisters have forgotten what youth and beauty felt like, but I remember having suitors myself."
Olivia was more at ease knowing that the Head Mother wasn't angry at her, but she could see that something else was troubling the Head Mother. Not only that, but why her? Why bring her, out of all the other students there, to the secluded garden? Olivia awkwardly changed her foot position as she stood, "Uhm…Head Mother, may I ask why you wanted my company?"
The Head Mother's smile faded slowly before she stood tall, holding her hands together as she kept her gaze low, "Sister Olivia…your parents have been sent back to our Lord the other night in a terrible fire. I am so sorry, my child. No child should be away from their loved ones in this time of need."
Olivia held her breath as her eyes widened. The Head Mother extended to letters, each one with the title 'Death Certificate', to Olivia. She didn't want them. Those dreams…the ones that were vivid and colorful dreams that seemed like they promised a surprise visit, a letter about her betrothal, or something..positive..changed to that of death? This didn't make sense at all. Olivia remained still as she felt nausea wake her stomach. The Head Mother walked over to Olivia and held her shoulders as Olivia whispered, "And…my brother?"
"Thanks be to God that the child survived with his life, but I believe he is just as damaged as you are now," she answered gravely, giving Olivia's shoulders a light squeeze, "I will secure your standing at the university and the convent if you choose to return to your home."
"No," Olivia looked up at the Head Mother, "Well…no. I will finish my studies here."
"And what about your brother, Olivia?" the tension in Head Mother's voice grew, "I have only one other person to contact besides your parents and that is your aunt. Would you care for your brother to live with someone he may or may not remember? You are his-"
"Head Mother, please…" Olivia cringed away from the older woman's touch, "I know what I'm doing! Just…please, let me stay and I promise that I will return home as soon as I can. My brother is safe, I would never let him get harmed."
Olivia rushed away from Head Mother, leaving the older woman confused. The Head Mother glanced at the Death Certificates in her hands and held a dismayed look. Accepting a Phantomhive was hard to begin when she looked over Olivia's criteria, but to have her here and going through the death of her parents' was far more than what the Head Mother had anticipated. Such occult business…she feared the Olivia, as unstable as she was at times, would find herself at the heart of the occult like her family.
To never feel loss again, to never feel the pain of humanity, to never feel everything taken from him again… This is what Olivia wanted. Her vision stumbled and blurred as she drew the pentagram on the floor in her own blood. She pulled herself away as she light a red candle, a black candle, and a lavender candle. The only thing that kept her alive as she continued to bleed was the immense anger boiling within her.
At the strike of 3AM, Olivia pulled a ritualistic book off the shelf of the convent and began the incantation. She had practiced this summoning ritual hundreds of times before without much luck on calling on a demon to help her. It had grown too weary to trust such trickful creatures that she decided to go one step further. A small moan echoed as her tethered roommate began to awaken, Olivia ignored the soft moans as she continued the incantation. When she finished, she smeared more blood onto the pentagram. A few minutes passed with nothing. Olivia grew angrier at her efforts and spat on the floor as she held onto her knees to keep balanced. Her vision was growing darker, but she bit her bottom lip to keep going. Again she recited the incantation before waiting for a response; still nothing. This time, the moans of her roommate grew louder as the girl realized she was no longer in the room. Olivia, now getting more rageful, snatched the girl's beautiful, blonde hair and dragged her to the center of the pentagram, "I'm not good enough? I'm not good enough! The world isn't good enough…you, sadly, weren't good enough. And look at your hair? Your lovely, lovely hair. I will surely miss it."
Olivia pulled out the knife she used to cut herself and cut the girl's clothes down the middle to show her body. She grazed her hand over the girl's soft skin before setting her palm on the girl's chest, who attempt to squirm away from Olivia. Olivia held the girls throat before placing the knife over the girl's heart, "Perhaps you will be good enough."
Without hesitation, Olivia stabbed the knife through the girl's chest before yanking it out. She then stabbed the girl's torso, her sides, her arms, her neck, her cheeks, her head, her thighs, anything that Olivia could pierce was stabbed until blood pooled around her.
"Tsk, tsk. Mortals are such messy creatures."
Olivia leaped back and crawled away from the voice, ready to kill whoever it was. She watched as a taller man with silver hair emerged from the shadows. A glimmer of hope filled her eyes as she stood on her knees, "You are..!"
"No, I am not Lucifer in the least," the man scoffed, "I'm just…well, what you would call a messenger. In truth I am a part of my King. Perhaps you have not heard of me, but this is neither here nor there. I have been sent with a message. Mostly to shut your mouth, you're causing quite a problem."
"B-but!" Olivia scrambled to her feet, the knife still in her hand, "I tried summoning demons! I did anything I could, but no one answered my calls!"
"Mortal," the man grimaced as he glanced at the mess on the floor, "Do you know how many people call upon Lucifer? A ridiculous amount, but that's neither here nor there. The message I have is that you will not be aided in your desires. A…female mortal like yourself could not possibly fathom what would await you if Lucifer helped you."
"I'll do anything! I'll give anything! Please, I just need…" Olivia felt the hope trickle out of her soul as she dropped the knife, then her eyes narrowed on the man, "Let me see him in person."
"That's neither here nor there, out of the question," the man stated sternly, "You don't deserve an audience with him."
"Then I will do more rituals, more sacrifices, and I won't stop until there's only me left on the planet until I can get an audience," Olivia growled as she balled her fists, "And I mean what I say."
"Would you kill your brother?" the man smirked, then smirked more when he saw the surprised look in Olivia's eyes, "Very well, that is your answer."
"This is regarding my brother," Olivia replied, her fists softening as she kept her stern gaze on the man, "Everything from this is for my brother, I can't let him feel this loss forever and I have a means of giving him everything for his disposal."
The man gazed down at Olivia. He was not convinced that this was a good idea, but Olivia seemed…out of touch enough to mean her words for constant sacrifices. Olivia smiled widely when she saw the man roll his eyes before extending his hand, "Very well, though this is really neither here nor there. Follow me, if you can talk Lucifer into this then may the world have mercy on all those pitiful mortals."
Ciel felt a cold chill run down his spine as he sat at the dining room table with his breakfast displayed in front of him. It had been over a month since Olivia's 'happy' marriage, but he hadn't heard from her at all during her absence. Well, he hadn't heard from her directly. However there were newspaper clippings, articles, and more photographs taken of her being sighted with the Queen or at public appearances with Aleister. Ciel held the most recent article in his hand, stating the donation Olivia was giving to orphaned children at the local convent, before tossing it to the ground, "I'm sure the next issue will be of how she grew wings and heard for voice of God himself. This is rubbish. How is she already in ties with the Queen and making a public mockery of it? Why is the Queen even allowing such behavior?"
"Perhaps, young master, that since Prince Albert's death, the Queen is being soothed by her new kinship with Olivia," Sebastian commented as he poured more tea into Ciel's cup.
"It wouldn't surprise me if she slipped into the Queen's bed every night…" Ciel grumbled as he bit into his scone.
Bard and Mei-rin, who were standing not too far from Ciel, both gave each other a glance. Ciel noticed and regretted his last choice of words. No one in the Estate were fools to know the dangerous affair their gardener, Finny, was in with Olivia. The naïve lad had his heart splayed in front of Olivia that worried all of them. Ciel admitted that he never really took much notice of Finny, but he didn't want his own employees, gone or not, to be harmed or worse. He gave Sebastian a glance before standing up, "I'm no longer hungry."
The two servants looked at each other one last time before approaching Sebastian, who followed Ciel. Mei-rin jumped in front of Sebastian and shut the door behind her, "Mr. Sebastian! Please, you have to help us save Finny, you do!"
"That's right," Bard stood tall next to Mei-rin, "Finny may be all lovey with Olivia, but he needs to be back here. If that girl liked him as much as she says she does, she'd divorce that girly-husband of hers and settle with Finny."
Sebastian was at a loss for words as he listened to each person. He hadn't the slightest notion of retrieving Finny, as it turns out he was the main person to do so. With a grimaced sigh, Sebastian checked his pocket watch, "I'm afraid there is nothing I can do. He is hired by the Lord Druitt and has his own relations with Olivia. Bringing him back here will only further his resistance and make it seem like our master cannot control his own servants."
"Oh…" both murmured as they looked away from Sebastian.
He walked passed them, but not before saying, "And whatever you planned on doing, I highly suggest that you don't go after him. Now get back to work."
Ciel dawned on his walking coat and snatched his walking cane as he waited for Sebastian at the main door. It was starting to cool down as Fall began to set in, he anticipated Elizabeth would be making an unannounced visit sometime soon. For now, he wanted to enjoy the crisp air and clear his mind of his troubles. Once Sebastian arrived, the two were off walking along the paths that eventually led to a pre-drying forest. The leaves were starting to fall from the trees that crunched beneath Ciel's heeled boots. He enjoyed these walks in silence, taking in the air around him and the sound of Sebastian following him. It was comforting to be in the sight of his demon at all times.
"What have you gathered so far?" Ciel asked as he stopped to face Sebastian.
"Olivia did, indeed, kidnap the Queen's oldest son," Sebastian answered as he pulled a trinket that was usually seen on numerous portraits of the young prince, "He was bound and unconscious during his imprisonment in a hidden dungeon for the Lord Druitt's activities."
"Then it's obvious that Olivia has plans to get close to Victoria under duress," Ciel spoke softly, more so to speak to his own thoughts, "And the Queen is still quite upset over Albert's death, so it makes sense that Olivia would establish some type of bond with Victoria seeing how they're only a few years apart."
"I also took the liberty to answer your other question concerning your sister's marriage," Sebastian pulled out a notebook, "I wrote down most of the activities your sister is able to do without Aleister's company and compared them to those she has been seen alone for. After some study, it seems that the Lord Druitt doesn't allow Olivia to be involved with money alone. With further investigation, Olivia is also confined to the house if Aleister is not with her."
"Good, I knew he would keep her more like a lavished prisoner than a trusted wife," Ciel seemed more pleased at this knowledge.
"There's more, but I'm not so sure you'll be willing to hear what this entails," Sebastian looked up from his notebook to Ciel.
"I've heard enough of her affairs to stomach whatever else she has her entertainment on," Ciel clutched his cane slightly tighter.
Sebastian waited a moment to hear any signs of declination before reciting, "Aleister also performs a sadistic intercourse with Olivia. I have found her reactions ranging from a woman who is raped to where she does not react at all."
Ciel didn't reply, though he seemed somewhat disturbed by the information. Instead, Ciel turned and continued walking as Sebastian followed close behind. He knew what Aleister would do when he married Olivia, and apart of Ciel enjoyed the fact that his sister was being hurt in a way that invoked great pain in her to not even give a reaction. But…it still put a pain in his chest knowing that he knew of this and had no inclination of helping her. Her trials in her marriage meant him time to act.
"First things first, we need to get Finny out of that manor," Ciel changed the subject, "I have a bad feeling with him there, he's still under the Phantomhive name."
Plus, Ciel didn't want Finny to get hurt because the lad was still someone of some value to him. He then stopped walking once he reached the clearing of the burnt remains of his old home. This was one of the few times of the year he didn't mind seeing the charred remains of his previous life. It gave him some peace at mind knowing how far he had come since that awful moment in his life. Ciel took a long breath before adding, "Once Finny is out of that Estate, then we start by going to Aleister to cut the ties Olivia has with the company and fix any problems she created. Then, when there's nothing left, we…"
"I will handle everything, young master," Sebastian placed his hand on Ciel's shoulder, allowing him not to say the words that obviously caused him to falter, "What would you have in mind for supper?"
"And if you're going to cut off the petals of my beautiful flowers, you might as well cut off your own fingers..or better yet, your head," Aleister glowered down at Finny before leaving the gardener on the ground.
It wasn't the first time that Finny received the blunt of the Lord Druitt's anger. He was just thankful Olivia wasn't around to see him in such a low state. Back at the Estate, even when he did something wrong, Sebastian was always there to clean it up and Ciel wouldn't get mad. He scratched the back of his head as he looked at the desecrate garden. What was he supposed to do to make it look pretty for Olivia? He glanced up at her window directly above the gardens. A pain erupted in his stomach as he realized it had been days since he had last seen her. The other maids had made comments to him that Aleister was beating her because of him. Finny stood up, a mix of anger towards Aleister and worry towards Olivia made him feel on edge.
He hadn't realized the time as the sun began to set. It was getting late and he wanted to at least get some food from the chef. Finny wiped his brow and walked into the manor, heading straight for the kitchen to see the maids and the chef eating, but there was nothing left of any food. He then asked, "Is there any left for me?"
"Be on time next time and maybe you'll get to eat," the chef snorted before throwing a large piece of meat into the trashcan.
It wasn't the first time that he went to bed hungry either. Finny slumped up the staircase until he reached his room to see that the knob was locked. He was growing frustrated of Aleister's treatment towards him. First, he had heard the Viscount tell the chef not to give Finny scraps, because Olivia brought him food for a few days. Second, he would have Finny's door locked, since Olivia would be waiting in his room most nights. Lastly, he had heard Aleister and Olivia arguing about going to certain parts of the manor before Finny last heard Olivia. This was getting more and more frustrating as he felt the harsh blow of reality as he slumped to the floor.
"Oh Finny…"
He looked quickly to his left to see Olivia, wearing only a thin, silk robe, approach him. Finny stood up, afraid that someone might see them together, "Olivia, you'll get in-"
"Shh," she touched his lips, "Here, let me."
Finny watched as she waved her hand over the door knob and opened the door. Whatever craft he had seen before didn't compare to the wary feeling he got watching Olivia unlock his door. He walked in after her, shutting and locking the door before leaning against the wood. His eyes watched as she slid on top of his bed as the open window brought in a cool breeze. After working hard all day, going though her husband's wrath, and even with little energy he still wanted to make love to her. Finny ran his fingers through his hair as he approached Olivia, "I haven't seen you for days. What happened, are you alright?"
Maybe it was the darkness that hid the mark. Or maybe it was just something he had simply over looked. The thin robe she wore barely masked the bruises all over her body, the cut on her lip, and the healing black-eye she bore. Finny paused as he took in the battered sight, how did he not just see this a few seconds ago? His fists balled up as he felt like hitting the wall, or just Aleister for putting such marks on Olivia.
"He has been hurting me the last few days," Olivia sat on her knees in front of Finny, attempting to hide the bruises on her rams, "He yelled at me, cursed at me, and…"
Finny watched as she looked away, looking like she was fighting back tears before hiding her face. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. As he watched her cry, all he wanted to do was cry too. What was he supposed to do? Aleister was far above him and could easily have him killed because of the affair, but he was the one who hurt Olivia! Finny carefully touched Olivia before softly holding her, "Olivia…I..I don't know what to say.."
"We have to kill him, Finny," Olivia stated sharply as she grabbed his shoulders, "Aleister has to die in order for us to be free from his grasp! Don't you see? If we can just kill him, then I will be a widow and we can marry like we planned! We'll run away together, and raise our child together!"
He was just about to talk Olivia out of the idea when the word 'child' rang through his mind. Finny held his breath as Olivia placed her hands from his shoulders to her lower belly. No way… He let go of Olivia as he took a step back. This seemed to concern Olivia as she asked, "Are you…mad?"
"N-n-no! I'm happy!" Finny beamed, "You're pregnant with my child!"
"All the more reason you and I need to do this," Olivia pulled Finny back into her reach, "I'm having your baby, Finny. Aleister will have us both killed when the child is born and he sees your features instead of his. If we do this now, we can be together until our dying breath."
"Murder is wrong," Finny debated sternly, "We can just runaway together and go to the country-side. There are plenty of villages that take in other runaways. Lets leave tonight and never look back."
"Aleister will find us," Olivia warned as she dug her nails into his skin slightly, "The only way to fully be rid of him is his death. I need your support in this, Finny, we can make it look like a suicide so that I can keep the home and we can live here together."
"Listen to yourself, Olivia, you sound mad because of what you've been through," Finny tried to further reason with her, "I hate him as much as you do if not more, but murder will only complicated everything. There has to be another way."
"No," Olivia shook her head, cupping Finny's head and pulling him closer to her, "There is no other way from this. If you don't do this with me, Finny, then you, me, and our child will die a slow, painful death. Don't let your family die. I am still your wife in spirit, carrying your child within me that we created together."
He had no other family. There was no one to turn to for advice anymore. Finny felt the life drained from him as he realized that he had given into Olivia's plans. They were to kill Aleister. He felt sick to his stomach, even after the passion they created together. Finny felt Olivia shift in her sleep as he rolled over to have his back to her. There had to be a way out of all of this mess that would mean for Olivia, their child, and his own safety.