CHAPTER TWO

A SCANDALOUS PHANTOMHIVE THEORY

"An uncanny resemblance indeed," Ciel said,. He eyed Liec. His servants had escorted the boy to the bathing chambers down a hallway. Sebastian stood next to Ciel in a hallway. "Any information about him?"

"None as if yet, my lord," Sebastian said. "He seems to have a form of amnesia and only remembers his name."

"Amnesia, you say. And about his name, did you happen to notice?"

"I did, master. Liec spelled backwards is Ciel. One of many mysteries about this boy we have yet to unravel."

"He looks exactly like me."

"But with a kinder disposition." Sebastian smirked.

Ciel frowned, not sharing his butler's humor. "We must discover Liec's history. I leave that up to you, Sebastian."

"I shall endeavor to adhere to your request, my lord." Sebastian bowed, and then left to attend to their new houseguest.

Liec had cleaned up very proper. His hair was clean and shiny and parted on the right and he was dressed in one of his young master's casual dress attire. Sebastian had to admit a curious but uncomfortable sensation gazing at this spitting image of his master before him. But Liec's eyes were brighter, not filled with hate.

"You're staring at me again," Liec said.

Sebastian shook the momentary fog from his mind. "Forgive me."

"Do I really look so much like your master that my very appearance turns you statuesque?"

"If I may beg your indulgence for a moment. By your sudden appearance, I am reminded of a novel written by an American author called the Prince and the Pauper. It is about a bored prince who wishes to leave the confines of sovereignty and royal life to partake in simpler things and a young pauper boy who wishes to live the life of luxury. Thus, their resemblance uncanny similar, they exchange places. Only when it comes to changing back, they find it isn't so easy, and when their rouse is found out, no one believes their story."

Liec crossed his arms. "So what does that make me? Are you saying I am some sort of begger hound after your master's lineage just because I look like him?"

Sebastian said nothing at first. Then he smiled. "Forgive me. It was not my intention to allow such assumptions to flourish. Rest assured I had no thought of the kind." Pausing momentarily, he rubbed his chin. "However, lineage does pose an interesting question. Perhaps you are a distant member of my master?"

"Will your master see me now? Am I presentable?"

"Quite," Sebastian said. "I will lead you to him. This mansion is like a labyrinth and you could get lost on your own of you are unfamiliar within its inner dwellings."

"I know something about twins, and they are identical from birth, but I have no siblings," Liec said, as they began to walk.

"That you know of," Sebastian corrected. "You have amnesia, and that will play disorder with an individual's memories. Come, it is time to meet my master. The Earl of Phantomhive."

Liec nodded. "Lead the way, good butler."

Ciel and Leic stood facing one another, gazing at the other's uncanny resemblance to the other. Other than Ciel's eye patch, they were near identical.

All the servants agreed. Sebastian, Tanaka, Finny, Mi-Ryn, and Bard were all in attendance in the Drawing Room watching the children who had never met but looked like twins from birth eye each other up and down with curiosity.

Ciel stood motionless as Liec then circled him as if furthering his inquiry like some detective. "I don't believe it," Liec said. "You really do look like me. How is this possible?"

"I am Ciel, son of Vincent Phantomhive, and I know for a fact that he had only one child. Me! If that's what you were thinking. I detest this insult to my family!" Liec stopped to face Ciel directly. "What? What are you looking at?"

"What happened to your eye?" Liec asked.

Ciel gently touched his eye patch. "An accident, nothing more." He gave a brief glace towards Sebastian. "A keepsake of sorts, from when my family's mansion burned down two years ago. Then rebuilt to exact standards as before." At least that's what everyone has come to believe. The truth is more disturbing. And more sinister, Ciel thought.

Liec blinked twice. He looked concerned, almost sympathetic. He raised a hand, as if to touch it. "May I see your eye?"

Ciel slapped Liec's hand away. "Certainly not! How impertinent to suggest such a thing! Your presence here is testing my patience. I demand to know who you are and why you look like me!"

"I don't know, I swear! All I know is my name. Liec. It's the truth."

"We know that." Ciel's one visible eye narrowed. This wasn't getting anywhere. "I would know if I had a sibling, more so a twin. There is a special connection between twins, I am so told. But I feel nothing for you. Tanaka, my father's butler has stated with absolute certainly I am an only child. So, we are to make one conclusion. You are lying! Who set you up this farce? I have many enemies, even as young as I."

"I am not lying!"

"If I may beg my master's indulgence for just one moment before tempers begin to flare," Sebastian interrupted. "It is a rarity, but knowledge of such identical children are known to appear within families who are distantly related. Master, you do have several cousins outstanding within England, even if you never visit them. I am not suggesting Liec is anything of the sort. But the evidence does sway in this direction, no matter how fantastic."

"Non-sense!" Ciel protested. "Similar in appearance, I will agree. But not identical. No, Liec is an imposter, and whoever set him up this will get a rude awakening."

"I am not an imposter!" Liec eyes began to tear up. "You have - you must - believe me. I don't know why I look like you!"

Sebastian put a gentle hand on the Liec's shoulders as if you comfort him. "Please, young sir. Do not take my master's hostility to heart. He is merely angry and confused."

Ciel sneered. "You presume too much, Sebastian. In any regard, I want to know who he really is." Ciel turned to leave the room. "And in the meantime, escort him to one of the guest quarters and secure the door. Do not let him leave."

Sebastian bowed. "Of course, my lord. Leave everything to me."

When Ciel had left, Sebastian turned to the servants. "Please escort, young Liec to one of the guest quarters and obey our lord's orders." Finny, Mi-Ryn and Bard obeyed. "Tanaka, please stay behind for a moment."

After the room was empty except for the two of them, Sebastian turned to Tanaka, who had found enough energy to revert back to his normal, distinguished self, instead of a low energetic old man.

"I do not know him, if that is what you are going to ask," Tanaka said.

"I believe you, but something is not right. I feel trepidation from our young lord, uncertainty. But we both know he will refuse to admit it."

"Quite right. Ciel is a strong boy. I believe I know who may shed some light on this. An authority on family heritage. Ciel is an only child, that I am certain. But as for other relatives, I do not know them all. I will provide what information I can of the Phantomhive family."

"That will be helpful. And I too know of a person who may be able to help us. He is an expert in his own rite on controversial subjects as well."

The Undertaker was sprawled across the floor of his shop laughing hysterically. Sebastian had just told him a funny joke. It was the Undertaker's price for information exchange.

The Undertaker preferred a combination of funny and rude humor, and Sebastian knew this and was happy to oblige, and he knew a lot of crude jokes that would make even his master cringe with disgust. The Earl didn't have much of a sense of humor, but the Undertaker did. Sebastian didn't know the man's true name, everyone just called him the Undertaker because of his profession. Sebastian accepted that.

"The delivery of the joke was perfection," the Undertaker said, crawling to a display casket in the middle of his shop and taking hold, hauling himself to his feet. "I say, you get better and better with these jokes!"

"I do try," Sebastian said modestly. "Now, for the information I requested, if you please."

"Yes, of course." The Undertaker composed himself. The man grinned. "Oddly enough, twins are becoming more commonplace these days. Human Biology is an interesting science that I enjoy along with my duties here. I here Lord Byron of Jackson has twin boys and The Duke of Earnest also has the same. And just this year."

"Yes, that news has passed my way in the local newspaper. But how rare is it that members of the same family have similar identical children both of different parents. I had heard of such a thing happening, and in telling my master, I may have embellished to put my master's mind at ease to say it was rare but not uncommon."

"I can't say I know of that happening, but anything is possible. The only theory I can come of with, and you may not like it, is that young lord Phantomhive's father may have birthed an illegitimate child."

Sebastian cupped his chin thinking. "That is disheartening. My master holds his father is high regard. If it were true, it would be scandalous, and would blacken my masters' family name. I can not allow this information to see the light in any regard. And it puts me a very precautious position."

"His butler with two masters, how amusing," the Undertaker said.

"Quite." Sebastian nodded. "That may also explain the spelling of Liec's name."

"Two different lives they've lived, only one in a position of power and the other homeless. And to what history does he tell you of his lineage?"

"He does not. He does not remember anything but his name."

"Amnesia, he has, eh? Quite problematic for you." The Undertaker mused for a moment. "I do say, I can recall a young boy running through these very streets just last afternoon. He was being chased by two men on horseback. I need not know why. I just happen to see them while sweeping my entrance."

"And from which direction did you witness them adhere from?"

They stepped outside, and the Undertaker pointed West. That really didn't help Sebastian.

The Undertaker mused again, but this time out loud. "This reminds of me a story. There is a legend of a spirit who often takes the shape of a lost boy. The story goes he was chased by two men on horseback and fell down a well on the edge of town. The well was so deep his body was never recovered, and no one even claimed he was missing. Sometimes on foggy nights, a boy can be seen running through the streets chased by two men on horseback. This is a very old legend, and some people even claim to have seen the boy."

"Like yourself," Sebastian said.

"Ah, but this boy I saw was no spirit. He was solid like you and I."

"And the men I intercepted on my master's land were real as well."

"You killed them, did you?"

"No, but they will not venture onto my master's land again. That I imprinted on them quite clearly."

"Then a mystery you have on your hands, you do," the Undertaker said with a chuckle. "But I never take things in hand as they are. All people have a story, a secret they wish or do not wish others to know. In death, there are no secrets, however. Appears in life can be deceiving."

"In the meantime, I must coven this boy as if he is my master until things are clarified."

"The Earl will not like that. A butler can not serve two masters."

"Indeed." The idea did not sit well with Sebastian, especially with the covenant he had with Ciel. "Thank you for your help, Undertaker."

"My pleasure."

The Undertaker stared at Sebastian. "Was there something else?"

"We are not finished, you and I. I have more information. Some of which you will not enjoy to hear. Snippets of the Phantomhive's - rumors per se about their butler, Tanaka."

"He is a very private man, not even I know a lot about him," Sebastian said.

"Then return with me to my parlor. This information must be spoken in private."

TO BE CONTINUED.