Hey readers.
This chapter is a bit rushed. I am very busy lately. I am moving to my new apartment today. Not to mention, college is around the corner. I will try to post when I can, but please be patient!
Anyway, writing this arc is a bit of a challenge. Sorry if there's not much of a Rina perspective. It's hard to fit it in with all these other characters. Even making her speak, I fear to break the flow. Lots of these discussions are important to the manga. So, sorry if it seems boring. But I am trying my best!
Stay safe guys,
0o0o0o0o
This is the second time tonight a yell wakes me up. I whip my head up so fast, a cramp in my neck takes form. "Ow, ow, ow," I repeat in pain. I try to massage my neck, but I forgot my arms are trapped by chains. "What is it?" I ask. Did the murderer enter?! I can't see behind me!
"Relax, Rina. Arthur shouted is all." I hear Ciel explain. I slouch in my chair, all alert leaving my muscles. I'm too tired for this bullshit.
"Ehhh? Earl, you were awake?! U-Um did you hear—"
"Arthur, why did you have to yell?" I whine.
"I didn't notice the butler was here!" Arthur defends.
I roll my eyes and close them after. "Speaking of that, Sebastian you're late." Ciel states and I hear the blankets rustle with him. "Give me the pillow already."
"Huh? Pillow?" Arthur questions. Next, I hear Sebastian's footsteps and I assume he is by my brother's side now. "This is what you'd call the young master's security blanket, I guess?" Sebastian teases.
I couldn't stop the laugh that flies out of my mouth. "You're not joking, right? I didn't know you needed that kind of thing, Ciel." I snort. I swear he is glaring at me through the chair. "Shut up! I just like this pillow." he fumes.
I hear a small chuckle come from Sebastian and I hold back another laugh. "Would you like a lullaby also?" Sebastian asks. I can feel his amusement from here.
I end up laughing again, a small wheeze escapes me. "How about a warm cup of milk to go with that?" I tease him as well, finding this hilarious.
"NO WAY!" Ciel shouts, sounding pretty pissed off. "And like you've ever sung to me before?! Your two's sense of humor sucks! Don't say it like you want someone to misunderstand!"
"But Ciel, I've sung you to sleep before—" I remind him, but I feel something hit the back of my chair. "Hey! You brat did you just throw something at me!?" I screech. I wrestle in the chains, wanting to fight him. "I'm going back to sleep!" I hear him shout and flop back down into the bed. "Go back to your room already." Ciel tells Sebastian.
"Well, I will return to my work then. Please excuse me." Sebastian informs us. I hear more sheets being moved and I wonder what's going on back there. Suddenly, the sound of soft snores fill the room and I realize Ciel fell asleep. "Mr. Wordsmith, I'm sorry to have caused you trouble." Sebastian speaks up quietly before leaving.
"Not at all." Arthur replies just as quiet. "The young master stands firm as the Phantomhive head of the house, but he's still thirteen," Sebastian mentions.
"He's still a child." Arthur comments.
"That's right." I sigh heavily. My brother is so young, it's kind of hard to believe. He carries himself around like an adult. "It's only natural for him to be uneasy when he's been caught up in this kind of incident." Arthur breathes.
"You don't believe the young master did it, Mr. Woodsmith?" Sebastian asks, sounding a bit surprised.
"Yes, I don't think the Earl would do something like that."
I hum in thought, good to know he thinks Ciel is innocent; even though that's complete bullshit. "What about me, Arthur?" I ask curiously. There is a second of silence and I wait for his answer. "You don't seem like a murderer, lady Rina. Plus, you were intoxicated when you went to bed. It is very unlikely." he informs.
I stare at the fireplace in front of me as it crackles. "Don't seem like a murderer...huh." I mutter under my breath. I clutch the end of the arms where they lay strapped down. It would be nice if his sentence were true. "I'm really glad they chose you to watch over them." Sebastian says.
"Huh?" Arthur questions, his voice sounding confused. "Mr. Wordsmith, I'm leaving the young master and my lady in your hands." Sebastian informs him.
I feel my eyes widen at his remark. What does that mean exactly? I hear Sebastian walk toward the door, but I don't want him to leave quite yet. "Sebastian," I call out.
"Yes, my lady?"
"Come here," I tell him. His steps come up to my chair and I look up at him, feeling a little unsure. I didn't like what he said. Sebastian supposed to take care of us, not some amazing writer. I beckon him closer with my head. He leans in, and I feel a frown appear on my lips. "Is everything alright?" I ask in a low whisper.
His eyes widen for a second before he gives me a fake smile. "Everything will be fine." he whispers back. My frown becomes deeper as I didn't like how that sounded either. I stare into his eyes, waiting for him to show what he really thinks. But I don't find anything, and I sigh through my nose. "It better be, you hear me?" I warn.
"Yes, I understand. Please go back to sleep."
"Can you turn me around? Towards Ciel?" I ask before he leaves. He nods and does as I said. I face Arthur who is silently watching our interaction. I smile at him tiredly and peer back up at Sebastian. "Thanks. Good night, Sebastian." I say and close my eyes.
I feel a blanket cover me suddenly and I did not realize I did not have one on. I blink rapidly and I find Sebastian smirking down at me. He tucks it around my neck and makes sure it covers me before stepping back. "Good night, everyone." he says with a small bow. He walks toward the door and leaves swiftly. I hear his steps echo in the hallway until he disappears somewhere his steps are faint to me. My eyes flicker back to Arthur to find him sitting at the edge of the bed, appearing deep in thought.
I assume he is dissecting everything that has happened. Picking apart pieces and tearing them into itty bitty sections to help solve this case. I know my brother did not commit the murder nor did Sebastian. There is no way the servants did. It is one of the guests, it just must be. But Arthur does not know that, and I suppose that is what makes the game fun as Ciel puts it. I feel a yawn come on and try to get comfortable in the seat again. Whatever happens, nothing will hurt Ciel and I. Especially Ciel as that would be going against the contract. I'm sure he knows more about this case than I do at this point. I am not the best critical thinker, but I have my moments.
I don't know when my world becomes dark, but it does in a flash and a rumble.
0o0o0o0o
"Rina..."
I look around in the darkness when my name is called. Who is doing that? "Rina." I hear again and I keep my eyes closed. Who is waking me up? Ugh.
"Rina, wake up!" the person shouts again. I snap my eyes open with a tick mark, "What? What is it?!" I shout groggily. I am not the happiest person when being wakened up.
Ciel is wearing a frown while in front of me. "Somethings not right. Sebastian didn't come to wake us up."
I blink and shuffle in the chair, "What...yeah, that is pretty weird." I agree. I hear footsteps outside our door, and they stop there. That's not Sebastian, I notice immediately. The person outside knocks twice and we all look at each other. The door opens and Tanaka walks in his full form, "Please excuse me," he apologizes and steps inside with a bow. "I'm sorry to be late."
I stare at him in surprise, wondering where Sebastian is. "Tanaka, where is Sebastian?" Ciel asks for me.
Tanaka glances away before coming toward me. He takes out a key and unlocks the chains around my wrists. I rub them gratefully, but I'm more concerned where Sebastian is. He makes his way toward Ciel and Arthur next and does the same for them.
I stand up, feeling worry cloud my thoughts. Why is Tanaka serving us? "Tanaka, please answer us." I tell him.
He simply looks at me with a shake of his head, "Sebastian has been killed, I'm afraid."
All of us freeze, I can't feel my legs. He can't be dead. Sebastian's a freaking demon, how can he die so easily?! Something isn't adding up. I'm not going to panic until I see his damned body. I march out of the bedroom before anyone else and Tanaka follows hot on my steps. "Lady Rina, please slow down. You don't know where the room is."
I ignore him just this once and follow the scent of blood. That's exactly where he is. I did not know his blood smells so...odd. It's not really ironic, but it is sweet. Some weird demon thing, probably. I hear Ciel and Arthur run behind me, but I am too quick for them to catch up in time. I follow where my feet lead me and there's a crowd in front of a parlor. I push through them and look inside. I stare at Sebastian's body which lies on the ground, blood splattered all over the carpet. I can hear the servant's sobbing behind me, but I pay no mind.
I examine his body and find a bloody poker sticking out of his chest. I feel Ciel come next to me, breathing hard. Some of the guests are gathered around with concern and fear. They all stare at us with pity. "Young master...lady Rina..." the servant's whimper sadly.
"Sebas...tian..." Ciel whispers, I don't need to look at him to know he is shocked. I watch as he takes a step forward and I do not stop him. However, someone else does I see Mey-Rin grab him from behind. "Y...You can't! Young Master, you shouldn't get closer!" Mey-Rin cries and holds him back.
"Let go!" Ciel shouts and struggles in Mey-Rin's grasp. Fenian rushes forward to help detain him. I watch in fascination. It may be messed up, but something isn't sitting right with me. Why is he acting so traumatized?
"You can't young master!" Finnian exclaims.
Ciel smacks Mey-Rin aside, quite literally. He pushes Finnian out of his way. Their tears are very genuine, but I am not surprised by that. They cared about Sebastian too. It almost makes me tear up. "Young master..." Finnian sobs again.
Ciel trudges on forward, his feet enter the pool of blood coming from Sebastian. "Sebastian...stop fooling around. Sleeping on the floor doesn't look all that comfortable to me." he mutters. Sebastian does not even twitch the slightest. His rolled back eyes stay in that position and his mouth is still open. "Exactly how long are you planning on pretending to be asleep?" he asks darkly. A shiver runs up my spine at his tone.
"Young master." I hear Bard call out softly.
I feel my eyes widen when Ciel slams his foot down on top of Sebastian's chest. "Didn't you hear me, Sebastian? I said get up." he commands coldly.
He grabs the poker with gritted teeth, and I pace to his side. I can hear him breathing heavily as if he really is troubled by Sebastian's death. Ciel said to act, right? Fine, I'll act so fucking perfect, I will win a god damn Oscar award. How about that? I know this is a farce. There is no way it isn't. The closer I get to Sebastian; I can feel his stupid presence still. But he doesn't know that, of course. So, these two assholes want me to act or go with the flow, I shall do as they say. I'm going to fool them both.
The sound of the servant's tears is enough to create my own. They sound so heartbroken; it makes my heart quake. The thought of Sebastian disappearing from my life also produces such feelings. Not to mention, the idea of never seeing Ciel again, hurts just as much. It's all the right amount of faint pain I've been enduring to let my flood works burst like a dam. I make it in time before Ciel releases the bloody poker from Sebastian's chest. "Ciel! Stop it!" I scream at him. I grab his hand, keeping him from pulling the poker out from his chest.
"Let go of me!" he shouts at me with an angry eye. I do not do as he wishes and simply applies more strength as he struggles to take it out of Sebastian's chest. "I will not." I state seriously. I make myself tremble and increase the flood works. "He's gone, and there's nothing you can do to bring him back." I sob. "Let him go." I murmur.
Ciel stares at me for a few seconds and his anguished face makes my heart hurt. "He's not dead!" he resists suddenly.
I stare at him in shock, not expecting him to keep fighting me. "He is dead, open your eyes, Ciel!" I shout at him with a loud sniffle. I can hear the servants sob again in the background. I yank Ciel toward me and I put my hands on his shoulders. "Sebastian is...dead." I repeat and lower my head with a trembling lip.
Silence poisons the air beside the sobs and my own. I squat down onto my knees until I am at his height. "You're kidding...right?" Ciel utters with a downcast look. "Are you dead...Sebastian?" he asks in barely a whisper. His legs begin to falter, and I sink to the ground with him. I place my hands over my eyes and cry into them. I wipe rigorously them when I hear Ciel shuffle over toward Sebastian. "You, my butler," Ciel murmurs and strokes Sebastian's cheek. "you were supposed to be by my side until the end."
"If we leave him here, he'll rot. It'd be better if we moved him quickly." Charles suggests. "Yes." Bard agrees with a sigh.
Mey-Rin comes up to Ciel again and I let her. She tries to separate him from Sebastian's 'dead' body. "Come, young master."
"No! Let go!" he resists. "Don't you dare leave me behind Sebastian!" he shouts and tries to climb out of Mey-Rin's hold. "Young master!" Mey-Rin cries, trying to hold him back. He clings onto Sebastian's jacket with a fistful of black fabric. "Sebastian! It's an order!" he cries and keeps fighting Mey-Rin. "It's an order! An order..." he trails off and his hand leaves Sebastian. I catch something in his hand though and I narrow my eyes. This only confirms my theory that this is all an act. "...an order!" Ciel practically screams.
I pull my knees up to my chest and rest my face against them. I rock myself on the spot, pretending that I can't handle it anymore. But I'm glaring at my legs and making sure to fake a sob now. I can hear Lau say something, but I opt to ignore it. I'm too pissed off at the demon and brother of mine. The scent of Sebastian's blood is bothering me a little bit too. Not in an unpleasant way, but not in a good way either. I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I freeze. I peer up while looking exhausted and find Tanaka by my side. He is smiling sadly at me.
Damnit, Tanaka, must you give me such a look? I feel my waterworks build again because that face is the kind that makes me remember the fire. I let him help me stand and I notice Ciel is also being helped by the servants. I stare at his back with a semi-glare, seriously, is it this hard to tell me to pretend to do something. I've lied my whole life; this is nothing new.
Tanaka leads me over to my brother and the servants. Mey-Rin hugs my side and pats my back. I do the same back and sniffle. At least the servants are kind enough to care. I must stop the smile on my face from appearing at the thought of their compassion.
"Seriously, what is wrong with this mansion?!" one of the guest's shouts. "To have two murders overnight!"
I look around innocently like I didn't know what is wrong with the mansion. It has a lot of history behind it despite its original one being burned down. I watch as Arthur moves forward and squats to examine Sebastian's body.
"M-Moreover, with that..." the woman clinging to him comments. She is staring at the poker with a horrified look.
Arthur removes the poker from Sebastian's chest. Most of the guest's wince at the sound and sight. He sets it on the side. "He was stabbed with the poker alright," Arthur confirms. "How brutal."
Suddenly, Arthur gasps and starts to mess with Sebastian's hair. I briefly wonder if Sebastian is internally disgusted with being touched by some humans. I almost snicker at the thought. Arthur continues with lifting Sebastian's head up and I notice blood there as well. "There are also traces of being hit in the head. He must have been hit from behind while collecting ashes." he deducts.
"You're saying that wasn't enough to kill him...so they gave him the final blow by stabbing him in the chest?" Bard pipes up.
"Either that or they just continued attacking without checking if he was already dead." Charles suggests. "Two hits would be more likely to kill him than just one."
I narrow my eyes at Charles, he sounds a bit suspicious. Normally, I would expect nothing more from the queen's guard. However, he is staring at Sebastian as if he were a pest. I look away before he can notice my gaze. "Strange." I hear him comment. "Hm," he hums. "even though he didn't die from the blow from the back of the head...why did the killer go out of his way to stab him from the front?" Charles questions.
That catches my attention along with everyone else's. These murders may be set up by my brother. As in he used his pawns to do all the work, but I will not lie that the way everyone is being killed is very peculiar. In other words, the murderer is very crafty and there may be more than one in here. "Certainly, it makes more sense to attack from the same angle a second time." Bard inputs.
"Perhaps," Arthur starts with a serious look, "there are multiple culprits."
"What?!" the servants shout. The other guests murmur in fright at the notion of such a thing. I place my fingers on my chin in thought. If there were many culprits involved, how many would that be? How many can get away with murder? Surely, there must be evidence somewhere. Hair, fabric, footprints, or something of the like.
"For example," Arthur starts off and I pay attention. "one of them came from upfront and started chatting to attract his attention. Meanwhile, the other snuck up behind him and hit him over the head. Then in a flash, the one upfront gave him the final blow by stabbing him."
"Well no matter how it's certain that this killer didn't feel any mercy or hesitation." Lau chimes in. "To have killed even that butler, the culprit must be extremely—"
"Stop it already!" Finnian shouts beside me and I jump slightly. Before I know it, Finnian grabs me into a one-sided hug along with my brother. I have been slowly teaching Finnian to get used to his strength. Sebastian has too, and by God, it has helped; or else I would be closed to crushed right now. "Why are you having this conversation in front of the young master and lady?! Please think of their feelings!"
"Finny!" Mey-Rin gasps and tries to calm him down. I smile into his embrace. "P-Please excuse him." Mey-Rin stutters and bows to the guests.
"Oh...certainly," Charles says and puts his hands behind his head in a nonchalant manner. "...instead of standing around the corpse-like this, why don't we temporarily move this thing to the basement. We can discuss who did it and such later over some food."
I glare lightly at him, referring to Sebastian as a thing. It's like showing how much he doesn't care. "Isn't that just a little too easy-going?..." one of the guest's comments, a man in his mid-forties I would guess. I need to learn their names quickly.
"Indeed, there is no point in being hasty." Lau agrees with him.
Charles begins to walk toward the door. The moment he drifts past us, I catch a whiff of Sebastian's blood on him. I feel my eyes widen as I watch him leave. The scent is very faint, he tried washing the blood away. But some of it is still in his hair. How I can know that is not something I choose to worry about currently. "It's decided then. So, you guys are in charge of cleaning that up." Charles settles. "And oh," he pauses and looks back at the servants, "the preparations for breakfast also."
Tanaka bows his head and accepts the task. The servants stay still next to us. "I'm going ahead to the dining hall, I'm starving." Charles says without a single care and leaves finally.
"We're going to." the couple, I shall note from now on say. They take their departure through the door.
"It's as they say," Ciel speaks up softly. "Move Sebastian to the basement." he orders with a wavering stern gaze. "I'm sorry for losing it."
I put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "But..." Mey-Rin protests. I hear Finnian mutter Ciel's title afterward sadly.
"Tanaka," Ciel calls out. "Yes." he responds with a smile. "Sebastian is dead. From now on, you are our butler." Ciel claims. "I entrust you with the management of the mansion and supervision of the servants," he says and pulls out Sebastian's butler pin. I feel my eyes widen, realizing that's what he took off his body. "This pin...will be returned to you also."
Ciel offers it out to Tanaka to take. "The pin of the head butler...how nostalgic. Should you really be hiring an old man like me?"
"It's just until I've found a replacement." Ciel corrects and turns away from him.
"Certainly." Tanaka accepts with a bow. He holds his hand out to Ciel and he drops the pin into his palm. "I'll hold on to it firmly."
He places it out his label and becomes serious. It's been a while since Tanaka has been my butler. I feel nostalgic as well. The injury from the fire...hurt him more than me. He may have had time to heal, but I still worry about his wellbeing. "Well then, first we'll prepare the morning bathes, Mey-Rin, the hot water if you will. As for you two, please carry the hot water to the young master's and ladies' bathrooms after moving Sebastian." he orders the idiot trio.
"Yes!" they shout in sync.
"Hurry!"
Mey-Rin leaves the room in a rush. Finnian and Bard stay in the room with frowns placed on their lips. Tanaka lightly touches our shoulders, directing us to the door. "Let's go, young master and lady, you'll catch a cold dressed like this. Let's give you a change of clothes first."
I shake off Tanaka's hand, not that I mean to be rude. I glance up at him and he stops us from moving. "I will return to my bedroom by myself." I say.
I don't leave any more room for conversation and walk out of the room bristly. I continue the path to my bedroom, going up the staircase to reach it. I hug my arms to myself to anyone who might see me. I must act like someone killed Vincent again or something relatively close, great. I approach my door and open it with a sigh. Once I close the door, I drop my sad look and trudge to my bed. I flop face down on it and stare at my pillows. I can hear the rain still pouring, did it not stop?
I'm so tired, I could fall asleep right here...
.
A knock makes my muscles tense and I sit up in surprise. I rub my eyes and find Bard at my door with two buckets full of steam. "Your water, ma'am." he says and lifts the buckets. I let him in, and he goes into my bathroom with them. I follow him to the door and lean against the threshold corner. I watch him dump the water into the tub. "Are you feeling alright?" he asks abruptly.
I cross my arms and look at the floor, "No..."
I hear him place the bucket on the floor and his steps come closer. He puts a hand on my shoulder, and I peer up at him. His mouth is formed into a frown and he appears troubled. "Don't worry about it. Give hell to the murderer who did this, you hear me? Don't succumb to the depression yet. Make it wait and help figure out who the bastard who did this."
I feel my eyes widen, not expecting him to give me such advice. If I really was heartbroken over this, I would've crumbled in his arms most likely. Realizing I need to pretend this is real, I do as I thought. I let my lip wobble and he gives me a concerned look. I release a stream of tears and put my hand over my mouth. He wraps me in a hug, I've never gotten one from him before. He smells like smoke. He strokes the back of my head and I curl into his arms. I cry for a couple of minutes until I pull away with a loud sniffle.
"Feel better?"
I nod and detach myself from him. I wipe at my eyes, "Thanks, Bard."
He smiles sadly at me, "Don't mention it. Relax in the bath for a bit."
I nod again and he leaves me to go do more chores I'm sure Tanaka has instructed him. I walk over to my sink and look at my mirror. My eyes are bloodshot. I turn on the faucet and splash water onto my face. I also take a couple of sips from it. I pat my face down with a towel afterward. Next, I take my chemise off and slide into the tub. Warmth encompasses my body and I sink down until my nose is touching the surface of the water. What is the rest of the day going to hold? And why does Charles have a grudge with Sebastian?
0o0o0o0o
An hour later, after the bath and dressing myself, I sit at the dining table with the guests and Ciel. The food has been served already. I smile at the smell of Sebastian's cooking. I miss him a lot, I realized in the tub earlier. It hasn't even been that long. Talk about needy, I scoff internally. I am seated at the end of the table, across from Ciel. Arthur is to my left and an empty seat is to my right. Where is the person? No one speaks for a while as we all stare at the food.
"...He really saved us by preparing all this properly." Ciel comments as Tanaka places another dish on the table next to him.
"This smells so good! I'm gonna dig in! I'm really hungry since I didn't get to eat this morning." Charles practically cheers.
I stare at him incredulously, not believing how no one questions his energetic nature after such a death. Everyone slowly begins to dive in. I put a napkin down in my lap and start to nibble on the meal bit by bit. "What's wrong, Irene? You didn't even touch your food." the man asks his girlfriend, or so I dubbed her as.
Irene holds a napkin up to her mouth, appearing a little pale. "I'm sorry. I'm not very hungry."
I frown at her, knowing how she feels. "Hey, since there's some left, is it ok if I have it?" Charles asks abruptly. I stare at him in disbelief, the gall of this man. "Yes, feel free to—" Irene offers.
"Not that." Charles corrects her and points his fork at the empty chair beside me. "I didn't mean yours. The one next to you."
"Huh?" Irene voices in confusion. "Oh my, there's indeed one too many. Perhaps, the chef got the numbers wrong."
"The one who prepared breakfast was Sebastian. He wouldn't mix up the numbers." Ciel states.
I hum in thought, "Who are we missing?"
"Hm, Mr. Phelps isn't here!" Arthur realizes.
"Ahh, since he's always so inconspicuous I didn't notice." the male guest laughs. I frown, feeling concern brew inside me once more. Is he dead? "Now that you mention it, I haven't seen him all morning. Looks like he overslept a little too much."
I set my fork down, having a distinct feeling that reasoning is wrong. Arthur stands suddenly in the corner of my eye, "Excuse me!" he shouts. He looks at us with an unsettling gaze, "Shouldn't we go have a look in the Earl's bedroom?"
Again, silence entraps us all into a small stupor. I stand at the same time as my brother. "I'll take you there." Ciel announces. Eventually, everyone else stands in a rush and Arthur paces out of the dining hall. Ciel and I are hot on his tracks and I can hear the guests/servants follow behind us. Arthur leaps up the main foyer stairs and I struggle to follow in this damn corset. But that does not stop me. We run down the hallway and round a corner, Arthur is ahead of us. "It's over there, to the right!" Ciel shouts.
We come to a halt at Ciel's closed double doors. Arthur pounds on them, "Mr. Phelps!" he cries, his voice laced with panic. "Mr. Phelps, if you are in there, please answer me!" There is no response and the tension in the air rises. After a minute, Arthur grabs the doorknob and wiggles it around. "Huh?! It's locked!" he informs in surprise. He swivels to look at Ciel, "Earl! Where's the key?!"
"I don't know."
"What?!"
"Sebastian took care of the key to my room. No one knows where he kept it except for him." Ciel explains. "Since he's dead, even I don't know where..."
I sweatdrop at what he says. How inconvenient. I can't even tell if that's a lie or not because of how realistic it sounds. But how are we going to unlock the door then? I guess I could bust it open. I roll my neck, hearing it crack in the process. I step forward, "Move." I instruct Arthur.
"Huh?" he questions and blinks at me. He steps away though and I do some boxer jumps. "One, two, three—!" Finnian tackles me and Ciel to the ground suddenly before I could finish. "Gah!" I gasp as the door becomes crumbles within seconds. I glance to my left and find Charles with his sword out. A fork in his mouth, appearing bored as he holds a plate in his other hand as well.
"We need to be quick seeing as there's still dessert to serve." Charles says in a bored manner. I glare at him and stand up on my own. "You white-haired piece of shit. You could've killed us with those strikes!" I snarl at him; I can feel a tick mark pulse on my temple.
"So what?" he shrugs and walks past us into the room. I start to shake in anger, fuck this guy. Arthur sweat drops and takes back the lead into the room. I follow along with great control of my temper. Stupid queens guard. It's hard to not attack him since he "murdered" Sebastian. No one is inside the outer room, which is more like a common area. Arthur approaches the door to the bedroom and slams it open, "Mr. Phelps!" Arthur shouts and takes a step forward. However, I hear a squishing sound and the smell of rot permits the air. I reel back with a grimace at the sight and smell of Mr. Phelps lying on the floor. "Mr. Phelps!" Arthur shouts once more, falling onto his knees to assess the damage done to the poor guy.
The guests whisper behind me, I hear Irene cry out in fear subtly. Arthur kneels before the dead man and examines him in horror. "Why?" Ciel murmurs beside me. Arthur shakes his head with a deep frown, "Rigor Mortis is already setting in. So, he's been dead for a while." he informs.
"Are we living in some kind of nightmare?" I hear Irene's boyfriend question. I can only guess how insane this all might feel to all the guests.
Arthur searches the dead man's body for any clue of what killed him. I can't see anything from here. "He doesn't have any external injuries like the other two though..." he notes. He turns the body onto its side and his eyes widen at a certain spot. I shuffle closer while plugging my nose with two fingers. The smell is overwhelming me. "There's a wound on the neck like he was stabbed by something!" Arthur gasps.
I kneel on the opposite side and examine the wound. I find there are two holes, so it's not a needle that did this. Unless this is a rare weapon I don't know about. "It might be a needle-like object that was used to inject poi—" Arthur rambles, but I interrupt him. "No," I state and peer at him with a frown. "this wasn't caused by no needle. I mean, first of all, there are two pinpoints. I can't think of any weapon that can do this."
"That is true." he acknowledges me, appearing antsy about the whole situation. I think it looks like a snake bite...but who knows? "It resembles a kind of bite mark but a bite mark in the neck...it sounds just like Carmilla." Arthur continues.
I stare at him in disbelief. I cup my mouth to stop the laughter from escaping me which is very difficult. Is he for real? "By Carmilla, you mean Le Fanu's 'The Vampire Carmilla'?" Ciel asks.
"Yes, do you know it?"
"You're saying this guy's been killed by a vampire?! Don't be ridiculous." the older man in the room scoffs. "You can't say that kind of occult and unscientific nonsense in the 19th century!"
I scratch my head and stand, my knees popping in the process. "Don't you think your creative mind is getting ahead of reality?" I question. I mean, this is the person who writes Sherlock Holmes. Doesn't he write a book about a vampire? I'm trying to remember. Either way, I guess he can believe in what he wants.
"Not really, I mean, it can be possible, right?" Arthur insists. I shrug in response, having no opinion on the matter. If demons exist, I suppose vampires could too. I should ask Sebastian sometime. What human myths are true? I truly wonder now.
"Unscientific huh...I guess you could say that." Ciel hums in thought. l notice how Lau begins to ruffle through Ciel's closet. I shake my head at him, what is he doing? I drop the thought quickly. Arthur leaves the body and wanders across to the bedroom. I drag my hand through my long hair, not sure what the hell is going on. Ciel looks a little worried. I don't know who the killer is either. No one smells of Ciel's room, besides him obviously. I don't think my brother killed this poor man on the floor. This is his game after all. Everyone in this bedroom is his pawn. Ciel follows Arthur and I do the same. Is there any leftover evidence in his room?
"Two thirty-eight." Arthur announces abruptly. I glance over at him to find Ciel's clock in his hands. "That's the clock I kept by my bedside." Ciel states. "I guess it probably fell down when he was writhing in pain...it's broken." Arthur assumes. "So, in other words, Mr. Phelps died around two thirty-eight." Ciel concludes.
"Yes."
A brief minute of silence passes over us as we digest this information. Lau sneaks up behind us with Ran-Mao. "Hey. Rather than discussing this while standing here, why don't we sort out the situation while sitting down? We'll drink some tea as well." Lau suggests.
"Indeed. Tanaka, please escort everyone to the drawing-room." Ciel instructs. "Certainly." Tanaka obeys and leads us all to the drawing-room. I look behind me at the dead man before I leave, wondering if there is a snake slithering around or someone really killed him with two needles. I dismiss the thought for later and follow everyone down the hallway. This is all very fishy.
When we arrive, Tanaka pulls the door open for all of us and insists we go inside. I sit down on the couch and Ciel sits in the sofa chair next to it. Arthur ends up beside me and Lau at the end. Ran-Mao is wrapped up in his lap basically. Irene, her boyfriend, and our older male guest are across from me. Charles gets comfy in the other sofa chair which is across from Ciel. The coffee table separates us all. We wait for Tanaka to come back with the tea. Otherwise, the atmosphere is dead silent, but our minds are very busy thinking away. I narrow my eyes at Charles once more; I hate the man. I know it's a strong word 'hate' but the idea of him hurting Sebastian pisses me off.
I glower at him the most until I realize this is an opportune time for something. I smirk and turn toward Arthur with a predatory gaze, "Arthur," I whisper his name. He perks up and looks at me, "What is it, lady Rina?"
"When we're not busy later, can you do me a favor?" I ask, feeling hopeful. I smile at him prettily, really wanting the thing he can give me. He blinks and scratches his neck in thought. "What is the favor?"
I feel my smile broaden and I scoot closer to him. "Can I get your autograph?" I whisper again, not wanting the others to hear me. He leans back as a small blush dusts his cheeks. "E-Eh!?" he voices in surprise. I snicker at first until I give him my ultimate puppy dog face. It sometimes even works on Sebastian, but it is rare. "Pretty please." I beg.
His blush increases in color, "Why do you need it?" he questions shyly. I grab his hand out of nowhere and clutch it. I will do anything for that autograph. He tenses slightly not expecting skin contact. However, this does not deter me. "Let's just say, I know you will be an excellent writer one day. I wish to have your signature for that day." I explain.
He coughs a little, seeming embarrassed but I find it adorable. "I-I," he stutters. "if you want it that...I will give it to you." he murmurs.
"Yes!" I chirp happily, trying to keep my voice down. I give him some space again and he takes out a small notebook. I stare at it in awe as he grabs his pen next. He flips to an empty page and glances at me once more, appearing unsure. I nod my head enthusiastically, wanting him to do it. He sweat drops and writes his full name in cursive. I can't believe he will give me it! This will be a family treasure for sure, I think. Ciel tosses me an exasperated look, and I smirk. Yes, this will be a memorable day. He rips the page out and hands it to me. I take it carefully, not wanting any wrinkles on the paper. I restrain the urge to hug him.
Tanaka enters the drawing-room abruptly with a whole cart full of snacks. He strolls closer with the food cart and sets up the coffee table with all sorts of small desserts. He serves the tea last to everyone before moving the cart. He walks over to my brother's and I's side afterward.
Charles does not hesitate to eat the dessert in front of him. Some of us nibble at the delicacies as we did not find it in ourselves to have an appetite. "Well then, we've eaten the dessert, so let's sort things out." Charles offers first. "First of all," Charlies begins to summarize, "lord Simmens. His death was around ten past one this morning. The only one who doesn't have an alibi is the earl and lady Phantomhive. Next is the butler...his time of death is unknown. Finally, Mr. Phelps, his time of death was thirty-eight minutes past two this morning...am I correct?"
"No, the butler's corpse was found first, but who actually got killed first is still unknown." Arthur reminds him.
"Ah, that's right."
"From their condition, we know that a few hours had passed between them being killed and our finding them." Arthur continues and takes out a small notebook. He clicks his pen and looks back at us. "At this stage, I, the earl, and the lady who was chained down till morning have an alibi."
"Me and Mr. Wordsmith got into bed and were chained to it around two o'clock. My sister was chained at the same time as a chair. Just before then, Sebastian said he had guided Mr. Phelps to his room. And Mr. Phelps was killed at two thirty-eight..." Ciel informs everyone.
"So, who saw, Sebastian, the butler last?" I ask as my eyes roam around the room for witnesses. "That would probably be us, but...not only was it dark, but the clock was rather far away so I can't tell you the exact time." Arthur chimes in.
"We saw Mr. Sebastian in the middle of the night!" Finnian exclaims with a raised hand. "M-Me too..." Mey-Rin comments.
"At what time was it?" Bard questions the other two servants, trying to remember. "I'm certain it was around two-fifty." Finnian answers, although not entirely sure.
"So, this means...Sebastian was killed last." Arthur elaborates. "What did he want?" Arthur asks and the servants walk closer to our sofa. "He came to me to confirm the food stock...and he gave this guy instructions on cleaning the hearths." Bard gestures to Finnian at the end.
Mey-Rin fidgets slightly in her spot, "He asked me to...take of a delivery...owl?"
I feel my eyes widen, wondering the intent behind that. Why on Earth would he do that? Was he calling for someone? For help? More and more questions sprout in my thoughts, all of them inconclusive. "An owl?" Ciel inquiries, also interested in this information.
"As opposed to pigeons, owls can fly through a storm. It's just like him to think of everything." Bard sighs not surprised at all.
"What was in the letter?" Charles asks Mey-Rin. "I don't know." she responds.
The rain pounds against the windows. This storm will not let up anytime soon. Absolutely terrific. How long must this show go on for? "He might have sent a letter to the police." I guess.
Ciel glances at me with a small nod, "Seeing how the telephone wouldn't connect in a storm like this, I guess so."
"However," Arthur says, "if Sebastian was the last to be killed, the story becomes more complex. The only ones who could lock the earl's room would be Mr. Phelps himself, who was in the room, or Sebastian who had the key. This means that Sebastian being the killer is the most likely scenario. But...Sebastian was killed."
I hum in thought; this whole situation is very complex indeed. But one thing no one else knows is that Charles is the culprit behind Sebastian's death. Does Charles have an alibi even? I ponder. "So maybe..." Lau begins which takes me out of my thoughts, "the butler joined up with someone and together they committed the murders, but then, afterward, they quarreled over the rewards the job would bring and finally was silenced?"
"It's not unthinkable." Ciel inputs his opinion with a boring look. "In that case, the probability of the killer being someone who would gain from their deaths seems high."
"Wouldn't money be involved?" I hum in thought. If the person is being given money, it makes things very certain as the motive. So, therefore, did Charles kill Sebastian for money or for personal vendetta? Guess we'll have to find out later.
Lau smirks at me oddly, "Well, money does make the world go round." he comments.
I grab my teacup and take a sip. I haven't had Tanaka tea in a while. It's very nostalgic. I believe it is a white tea of sorts. Ciel stares at Lau, and dare I say he is looking at him suspiciously. "Mr. Phelps was the heir to the Blue Star Line, a major company in marine transportation. He was a little weak-willed, had enough skill to be entrusted with the foreign trade branch, and recently even expanded the business to the Asian branch." Ciel shares, educating everyone on who Mr. Phelps was. Ciel points at Lau with a small frown, "Lau, he was your business rival."
Lau stares at Ciel, his eyes appearing as if they are closed. The teacup in his hand waits to be used as Lau contemplates how to respond to my brother. He brings the cup to his mouth as a side smirk stretches across his parted lips. "Well, I guess that's true." Lau agrees.
"Furthermore, you walk around with a needle in those dragging sleeves of yours, do you not?" Ciel asks.
I can't believe Ciel is trying to rat Lau out. This is actually quite funny to me. "What?" Irene's boyfriend voices his confusion.
Lau slides his hand in his left sleeve and pulls out a super long needle. I sweatdrop at the length, like hell that will go into my skin. "Yes, I am carrying one," Lau admits. "It's used in oriental medicine though."
Arthur practically flies across the couch. He clutches the arm of it and the other guests lean back in fear. "What?!" the guests cry in shock.
"Y-You killed Mr. Phelps!" the older man stands and shouts. Irene's boyfriend joins in, also standing, his figure shaking with anger. "You bastard! You searched for the Earl's room just now, didn't you?! Are you sure you weren't just destroying evidence?!"
I tap in my chin thought and don't find Lau to be lying. He really isn't the type to do that. He doesn't kill people unless there's a purpose. So, I seriously doubt he did kill Mr. Phelps. In fact, I don't think anyone in this room did. Mr. Phelps wound reminds me of a snake bite. I am very lost on the matter of how a poisonous snake got in. There's no other cause of death I can think of. Who owns a poisonous snake? I do not know these people well. From looking at my brother, I feel he does not know either. Which only tells me one thing, there's more than one murderer.
