[Authors Note: So I was going to make this story only thirty chapters long, but it looks like it'll go on for a little bit longer. Yay!]
"Why must the murderer be one of us!?" The stage director, Grimsby Keane yelled, looking very shaken and scared, his girlfriend Irene Diaz was sticking closely to his side, "A lot of us have only just met each other and-"
"Ah!" Irene gasped. Everyone's attention turned to her. "When we arrived at the door to this room it was locked, wasn't it?'
"That's right." Lila nodded.
"Then someone could've entered through the window and, after locking the door to stall for time, escaped the same way they came, couldn't they?"
"But wouldn't you expect there to be some footprints if someone came in from out of this downpour?" The Queen's butler, Charles Grey spoke up from his position near the window. "And let's not forget that this room is on the second floor, and," He pulled on the window, which rattled in protest, "the windows locked, too."
"Then somebody locked the door from the outside and ran off after all..." Keane said.
"That isn't possible." Sebastian said. "Not only are the keys incredibly complicated to duplicate, but all the keys are stored in a locked cabinet, which I, the butler, stand guard, so no one can take the keys out as they please."
"In addition to the warden lock," Sebastian continued, "The doors are also fitted with latches on the inside for convenience's sake, so they may be locked from within. In a situation where the keys cannot be removed from the cabinet, it is only possible to lock the doors from the inside."
Lila finally understood what he was trying to say. "In other words, we're looking at a locked-room murder..."
"But... that is impossible...!"
"No it isn't." Lila disagreed. "There is a very simple way to lock the doors from the outside." Both Ciel and the professor seemed to understand. "Needle and thread." Ciel went on to explain how the needle and thread could easily lock a door while Lila looked around the room at everyone's expression.
She knew fully well that she and Sebastian had nothing to do with this murder, and the same went for the servants and Ciel. Lau and Ran-Mao also didn't seem like the people who would commit murder, but she couldn't say the same for the other guests that she didn't know.
As soon as the professor claimed that anybody in the manor was capable of murdering Siemens, there was a huge uproar from the other guests, more specifically, Grimsby, and Woodley and it was Lau that managed to calm things down by asking for everyone's alibi at the time of Siemends death.
Grimsby, Irene, Phelps, Grey and the professor were all in the billiard room. Lau, Ran-Mao and Woodley were drinking in the lounge, Lila was with Sebastian and the other servants, cleaning up after the party, and the only person left without an alibi was Ciel.
"Please wait!" Finny exclaimed, "Young Master would never do such a-"
"Finny." Ciel interrupted. "It's fine." Finny stepped back until he was once again standing with Bard, Meirin and Tanaka. After a while, it was decided that Ciel would be locked up with another guest. Nobody was willing to volunteer besides Lila, and the other servants, but they did not get the job.
Later that evening, after leading all the other guests to their rooms, Lila and Sebastian were attaching shackles to Ciel's and the professor's wrists after passing the long chain underneath the bed so the other couldn't escape.
"This has turned out to be quite troublesome." Ciel groaned, stretching his arms over his head as Sebastian buttoned up his night-shirt, while Lila poured two glasses of cool water and gave one to the professor, who's wrist was attached to the shackles that ran under the bed and came out on the other side. He thanked her quietly and sipped the water.
"It's going to be cold tonight." Ciel continued, flopping down on the bed. "Make sure the guest rooms have enough coke to keep the fires going through the night." Lila put the glass of water on the bedside table. "Even if I'm not around, make sure our guests get the finest Phantomhive has to offer."
Sebastian smirked. "Yes, my Lord." Lila picked up Ciel's bathrobe and folded it over her arm while Sebastian shackled Ciel's wrist and waited for him to get into bed before he bid them goodnight and picked up the candlestick while Lila tucked Ciel into bed for the second time that night and kissed his forehead.
"Goodnight." She called as she and Sebastian left the room, closing the door behind them. They walked mostly in silence until they reached the door to Lila's bedroom. Sebastian held the door open for her and followed her inside. While she was changing into her nightgown, Sebastian was stoking the fire.
"Will you stay with me tonight?" Lila asked softly, climbing into the bed. Sebastian smiled back at her. "I am afraid I still have a bit of work to do, my dear."
"But after...?" Lila pressed. Sebastian put the fire-poker back where it belonged and fluffed Lila's pillow like he did for Ciel. "I will return here for the rest of the night." Lila smiled sleepily and reached up to hug Sebastian around the waist, he bent over and kissed her lips gently. "Goodnight," She murmured, "I love you."
Sebastian paused for a second. "I... I love you too."
A smile was growing on Lila's face when she heard him reply, she snuggled into her warm bed and sighed through her nose; Tonight had been very exhausting, what with the party and all, but Siemens death really topped it off. It was almost four in the morning now, Lila fell asleep quickly, replaying Sebastian's words in her head.
She woke up around ten o'clock the next morning, the first thing she noticed was that the room was freezing, there were cold ashes in the fireplace and the other side of the bed had not been slept in at all. Something was wrong. Lila pushed off the blankets and pulled on her bathrobe before she left the room.
It was quiet, and then, she heard it.
"I command you!" Ciel shrieked, "Get up! Get up right now! Do you hear me!?" Lila took off running in the direction of the shouting and stopped in the doorway of the lounge, everyone was gathered around again and Lila couldn't figure out why until she saw him, laying on the ground with Ciel hovering over him, shaking his lifeless body.
