Good news: I survived the Apocalypse and came back with a Sebastian plushie for Christmas. Bad news: ...Well, it's not that bad, but it's at the author's note. It seems that the past wasn't very satisfying to you, but at least I got good feedback. ^_^ Now it's time for the real thing. Like I put from my previous chapters, some chapters will be anime based, like this one, but it will end up different instead of the ending of Black Butler II (I'm not going to spoil what happens for the sake of those who haven't finished it.) Hope you have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I also hope you enjoy this chapter!
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~Chapter Twenty-Seven: His Bride, Determined~
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~Previously~
"Jane..." he said softly, cupping her cold cheek. He brushed her bangs slightly with a smile, later opening the New Moon Drop box. Instead of tea ingredients, there was a tube shaped container with red liquid. It wasn't blood, but something that the demon knows of. He opened it, trying to put it in her mouth, but since she's unconscious, it would be impossible.
It seems you are quite stubborn, love.
Instead of making her drink it, he did so, but swallowing it won't be good enough. He pulled her closer, embracing her with his eyes closed.
His lips touched hers, letting the potion pour from his mouth to hers. Once he made her drink every single drop, his lips pulled back, holding her securely in his arms. The silence around them was clear, nothing would interrupt them. This time, Sebastian will do everything in his might to protect her and catch the memories that fade away. As much as he wants to call her by her name, he must address what a butler should say.
He smiled, waiting for the potion to take effect.
"My lady, it's time for you to wake up." The warm breeze was gentle to them, making it peaceful for Jane to open her eyes slowly...
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~Present~
Jane slowly gazed at a piece of paper she's possessing. When she found the word "masquerade", she almost crushed the letter. It can only mean one thing... Before losing her grip, she sighed in despair.
"For the thousandth time, I don't dance, and what the hell is this bloody vampire theme?!" Jane slammed her desk with a fist while throwing the letter down. Sebastian sighed, picking up the letter Jane put on her desk. Once he read it, his eyes narrowed a bit, recognizing the one who sent it. He looked at Jane with a calm expression so he won't let her notice.
"Mistress, you danced at your cousin's engagement party; I'm sure this one won't be that bad," her butler reassured her with a small smile. Jane sighed, rubbing her temple slowly.
"Can you at least tell me what this 'vampire' thing is?" she asked. Sebastian cleared his throat.
"Certainly, my lady. From my distinct knowledge, vampires are human-like creatures that are impure just like demons. The difference is that instead of souls, they feast on human blood. They have beautiful appearances, which is one of their deadly strategies. Their weaknesses happens to be holy water, garlic, and sunlight." Jane turned her attention to Sebastian. She seemed impressed to know what a horrifying, yet beautiful creature can have and of their weaknesses.
"Mythical creatures, right?" Jane asked. Sebastian's red eyes glistened a bit after she asked such a question.
"As of now; there are other greater beings than myself, you see." Jane smiled, leaving her office. "Before you proceed to lunch, my lady, when is this event going to happen?"
"Tonight at around eight. The others can come, if you want that," the brunette replied. The demon butler bowed, grinning with a touch to the bow. Jane looked away and removed her smile, heading to the dining room. But before she could do that, she heard the telephone ring. She walked to it and picked it up, placing it to her ear and mouth. "This is the Worthington household. Who am I speaking to now?" she asked almost in a monotone way.
"Oh, Jane, hello," Isabel's voice picked up. Jane's eye widen a bit, but lowered them a second later. Last time she recalled, the last time she saw her in person was the wedding of Isabel and Cheren's.
"Hey, so are you feeling better?" Jane asked calmly. She can feel her hand shaking, ever since she found out that Isabel has been "sick". The blond herself knew of Jane's memory loss from Sebastian, but now she has to face the reaction her cousin will get when she tells her again. She smiled nonetheless.
"Jane, didn't I tell you that I'm pregnant?" The brunette's eye widened and she gasp of utter shock. She saw her butler at the corner, himself knowing what they're talking about. He nodded at her, his eyes deep red in absolution. Jane's breath started to stagger quietly and gulped before she could speak normally.
"When did it happen?" she asked nervously.
"It was around when Cheren and I were on our honeymoon; a week after the wedding to be exacted." Despite Jane not knowing of this now, she clutched a fist to her chest, sighing deeply.
"Hey, um... I have to get ready for a party, so I'll talk to you later, okay?" Jane asked, changing the subject politely.
"Okay, bye, Jane," Isabel said before Jane hang up. Placing herself on the wall, she closed her eye and sighed deeply.
"Please be careful, Isabel," Jane whispered to herself.
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The stars glistened in the dark night sky. The summer breeze was cool, yet it adds a hint of warmness to it. It wasn't eight yet, but they were called to be their early since they were the McCloud's special "guests".
"It was nice of letting us servants come as long as we wear the costumes!" Baldroy said while Finnian was chanting about going to the ball. "What was his name again? It has a 'Mc' to it, right?"
"It's McCloud, yes it is!" Mey-Rin said with a grin. Inside the carriage, Sebastian and Jane looked at each other for a bit before Jane spoke up.
"Alicia McCloud... When did her father die before she succeeded him?" Jane asked with determination in her eye.
"I've heard it was around three years ago," the demon answered. Jane closed her eye, thinking deeply.
"Sources say that she was missing during that time, her body covered in dark bruises and then returned home with a mysterious person in black. That was the time when she saw her parents murdered. Is that story correct, Sebastian?"
"Yes, my lady. The story is familiar somehow." Jane knew what he meant, the area around her eyes being covered by her bangs. Her eye twitched repeatedly, trying to shake of the tears. Free of them, she had the courage to look up at her butler.
"This maybe false, but I also heard that she was beaten ruthlessly by her parents, always swearing at her and telling her she's a disgrace to the family." Jane frowned, feeling guilty for someone she hasn't met.
The carriage met its destination, dropping off Jane and Sebastian at the McCloud mansion. The demon took Jane's hand, helping her out, and closed the door after she is completely away. "We'll be coming back later," Baldroy said with a smile.
"See you later, Lady Jane," Mey-Rin said cheerfully before they head off.
"Look forward to seeing our costumes!" Finnian said happily. Looking away, Jane raised her head to see the large mansion, as if it was about a thousand feet above. Later, she and Sebastian walked to the door, the demon prepared to knock on it, but it opened thanks to his hand. Jane blinked and her vision laid on a man in black. His hair is dark as Sebastian's, but with a hint of dark brown.
Claude Faustus.
"I presume that you're the Lady of Worthington; Jane, right?" he said, looking down at the young woman. He closed his eyes and bowed his head to her. "We've been expecting you." He opened his eyes, backing up his head from the bow. "I'm Claude Faustus, butler of this house." He moved out of the others' way, opening the door to let them in. "Won't you please come in?"
Jane started to head inside, along with Sebastian, but something above caught his eye: a spider and its web. The brunette noticed and stopped to look at him. "What's wrong, Sebastian?" she asked.
"Ah, yes," Claude said, noticing the demon's gaze at the arachnid. "The McCloud family holds the spider as their coat of arms, so killing them isn't the best thing to do."
"That makes it clear," Sebastian told Claude, his gaze still at the spider. "If you ever force it away, it will cling to you for life." He looked back and gave a devilish grin. Claude's face remained neutral, instructing them to head inside.
"This way, please." When the three of them went inside, Jane stopped, her head feeling hazy. Her vision started to be disoriented, starting to lose herself from reality. She felt that she has been here before, but it felt like a spell on placed on her mind. She fell back on Sebastian, himself catching her from falling. His hands laid on her shoulders, giving her a chance to sigh out of relief and turning herself to grip Sebastian's forearm, closing her eye for a second.
"My lady, is something troubling you?" The demon asked her, his face dark, but his voice so polite. Jane opened her eye and released herself from Sebastian's light grip, fully awakened.
"It's nothing," she told him with seriousness. Without looking at Claude, she began to ask him a question. "Can my butler come along with me?"
"Of course," he responded.
"Let's go," Jane said rather too quickly. Sebastian gave her a curious look and walked with her.
"I apologize, but I'm afraid my lady is away for business reasons," Claude said, making the two stop. He closed the door, continuing his words. "However, she'll be here just in time for the ball. I've laid out tea in the drawing room for everyone who is here."
"What do you mean by 'Everyone else'?" Jane asked. Claude didn't answer, but Sebastian escorted her to the room, opening the door for her.
"Jane!" a familiar voice picked up. She caught her in an embrace and Jane was in shock and out of breath when she didn't see her cousin coming here.
"Isabel? But you're..." Jane said, looking at her cousin's larger belly. Isabel smiled nonetheless, happy to see Jane.
"You're late, my lady," another familiar voice picked up. Jane looked to the carrier of the voice, revealing to be Lau with his bodyguard. Jane, Sebastian, and Isabel walked up to the two.
"Lau? So you and Isabel were invited as well?" Jane asked, looking around. "Isabel, where's Cheren? He should be here since he's my in-law." Isabel's eyes glistened, sadness about to dwell in, despite Jane not knowing the truth. Lau opened his eye, which was rare, since he knew of Jane's memory loss as well. "I didn't expect him to have any business trips since he's your husband." Isabel's green eyes almost shed tears, but Jane comforted her by placing her hands on her cousin's shoulders.
"Isabel, I'm so sorry if that upset you. I just didn't know what happened..."
"Jane!" another familiar voice picked up. He came to Jane in an embrace and she was more shocked than finding out Isabel was here. Prince Soma began to shed tears, clutching onto Jane like a lost person.
"Oh my," Lau said in his normal tone.
"Jane! Oh, Jane!" Soma cried out.
"What the bloody hell, Soma?! Please get off of me!" Jane said, trying to release herself from Soma's embrace.
"Jane..." he said softly, leaving the embrace. "Didn't anyone tell you...? That you have..." He shed more tears and embraced her again.
"Let me go, damn it!" Jane complained.
"Is that...?" Isabel dragged off. Sebastian glared at Soma, but whispered to Isabel.
"That's Prince Soma. You don't have to worry, because he has him." "He" appeared, forcing Soma to release Jane and calm down.
"Your Highness, you must not do that to Lady Jane!"
"No, Agni! Jane! Jane!" The brunette frowned, looking at the prince with sympathy and curiosity. Why is he crying for her? Why is he wanting her to know of something.
"He's deeply moved that he gets to see you again, my lady," Agni explained calmly while consoling the prince. Sebastian sighed, placing a hand on Jane's upper back.
"My lady, we should retire to our rooms and prepare for the ball." Heading out of the room, they encounter Claude, himself knowing that they are heading to their room. He instructed them to follow him, heading to a hallway. Jane looked around to her left, her vision becoming out of balanced, but shrugged it off right after.
"Sebastian," she whispered, looking at him, "search through this mansion top to bottom, got it?"
"I understand," he whispered back.
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I have to make this quick and alright as possible. I guess you can say this is the last update of 2012. :) However, I hope to update before I get back to school.
I also want to make this clear: I was going to put in three parts in this story, but due to time and for the sake of not losing interest in this story, it will now have two parts. I'm planning on putting this story to around forty chapters, the last chapter showing something really good, if you catch my drift. ;) I'm also thinking of putting two extra chapters, kinda like a two part epilogue. So please stay tuned~! :D
If you like this story and want more, alert me and review along the way at the bottom of this chapter! :)
