A/N: So, as promised, another monthly update. Tbh, this month was a celebration for me because I am now officially an adult by US standards. Hooray! Happy B-day to me. Anyhow, moving on, this chapter was quite hard to come out with because I didn't know where to go on from last chapter, but thankfully, all I had to do was start writing, and the issue resolved itself. It may seem a little disjointed, I hope not, but possibly, if I overcome my college issues, I'll be able to come back and give the story a whole revision if need be. For now, I hope you enjoy.

As for the clothing part, just think of the clothing from Violet Evergarden. The dresses there are so beautiful, especially on the main character, but I'll explain more of her preferences in the future. For now, just imagine Rachel as the gothic apathetic anti-social I've attempted to make her be. Hopefully, with successful character development, you'll see her experience emotions thanks to her boss and the soon to be demon butler.

Also, as for the ending, it's a hint about Rachel's otherworldly feature. Not gonna make any spoilers, but it oughta make some ideas for what you think it will be.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroshitsuji nor will I ever. Everything read not included in Kuroshitsuji are my ideas and characters alone.

Chapter 7
Rachel's POV (1st)
Oh God, I don't want to deal with this.

My eye twitched but I wore a blank face anyway. It wouldn't do to give away my irritation to the wife of said Earl who'd just invited me to join the Evil Noblemen.

She smiled brightly, before looking down at her sons fondly. "So I hear you've accepted to tutor my sons."

"Yes, my Lady." I wondered where this was going.

She smiled softly, as if relieved that I'd taken some unknown burden off her shoulders. "Please, teach them well. My youngest, especially, is quite shy, and the fact he warmed up to you so quickly gives me faith that he'll continue to grow under your tutelage. So please, if there's anything you need, don't be afraid to let us know." I could see her youngest peeking at me from behind her with a hopeful look.

I was quite dubious, but then I paused. Vincent's wife had the face of someone who didn't know the hardship of life, was untouched by it, and it suddenly reminded me of a friend of mine. A friend that I held dear enough to keep their innocence intact, and for some reason, that urge overwhelmed me to honor her request. I couldn't find it in me to turn her down.

"You have my word, my Lady. I'll see to it he and your eldest are taken cared of under my wing."

Of course, this didn't seem to her surprise her in the slightest because she gave me an approving nod before gesturing to a familiar red head - whom I failed to notice due to my thoughts - who stood not far behind. Madame Red, otherwise known as Angelina Durless. "I'd like you to meet my younger sister, Angelina. Although she's commonly known as Madame Red, I like to call her Ann."

The redhead lavishly dressed stepped forward with an even brighter smile, not at all put off by my blank face. "Please, call me whatever suits your taste. Any is fine." She waved her hand carelessly, unconcerned with social etiquette although her outward appearance contradicted that quite plainly. Yet, despite the make-up and bright smile, I could see through her facade. clear as glass. The reserved, lonely and quite type. The kind of person I am.

Or was, in her case especially.

I had to restrain myself from twitching unconsciously from how fake she was obviously acting, but I decided to let it pass. Given her history based on the manga, I couldn't help but pity her. Unlike her sister, she wanted for everything but never received. The spoilt fruit attached but attracted to the beauty of the other. And yet, despite all that, she accepted it out of love for her sister and brother-in-law. I decided I found that quite admirable, no matter how off-putting her mask was.

"Madame Red. A pleasure to meet you. My name is Rachel Rose, assistant to the Undertaker." I bowed, obviously adhering to formalities. Despite having insight to everyone mentioned thanks to the manga, it would definitely look odd to suddenly be so familiar with a stranger I knew about objectively, not intimately.

Madame Red cocked an eyebrow in amusement, glancing at her sister as the irony dawned on her. "Rachel, eh? Say, you share the same name yet look as different as night and day. Why don't we come up with another name to avoid confusion?"

I tilted my head. Making a big deal out of this and it's only names! My eyebrow knit. "Why not just call me Elle? I respond to either since a friend gave me that nickname anyhow." There, that oughta solve the issue.

Madam Red tilted her head in confusion. "Why Elle?"

Or not.

It took discipline to hold back a sigh. "Mainly because Rachel is short for Rachaelle. As well as my last name, Rosenthal. It's just easier to say when it's shorter."

If Undertaker's face had been revealed, I imagined he would've lifted a brow… until I remembered that he didn't actually have any if the manga drawings were accurate.

"Oh~ You've never mentioned this before, m'dear! Why's that, hm?" He giggled, albeit unbothered by the fact he was unaware. Perhaps its the fact I was telling it now and not then.

Ack, who knows with him! I couldn't care less at this point.

"Mainly because you've never asked." I shrugged. That's his problem, not mine.

His grin widened. "What terrible reasoning, love~"

"Hey, I never claimed to be logical." I frowned at him, ignoring the amused look on Madame Red's face as she observed our interactions. Suddenly, Lady Rachel's face lit up.

"Oh, now that I think about it, your full name sounds oddly like a man's name; Rashael. How did that come to happen?"

Albeit the look of innocence on her face, bless her soul, three pairs of eyes turned to me, heavy with inquisition.

I deadpanned. "Long story."

Madame Red pouted. "Oh come now, don't be such a stiff! Do tell!~" She boldly sidled up to me, sneaking an arm around mine as if to make a show of closeness.

I sweat dropped but held firm. "My lips are sealed, my Lady."

"Hmph!" Madame Red tore her arm away as if accusing me of touching her in the first place and turned away, crossing her arms childishly as she peered at me from the corner of her eye. "Fine, be that way. We'll weed it out of you some day, one way or another. Isn't that right, dearest sister?" She smiled sweetly at Lady Rachel, using the same gesture she did with me but this time, using her charm.

Vincent's wife only laughed softly before conceding. "No no, I'm quite fine with not knowing. It is up to her discretion, after all."

Madame Red's eyes grew pathetically large, almost teary-eyed as her plan backfired ironically on her. "Sister! How could you? That story ought to have some quality somehow!"

I almost smirked, but I managed nothing more than a twitch at the corner of my lips, which, of course, didn't escape Undertaker's notice.

"Hmph, guess that's one loss for you, Madame Red." I crossed my arms, victorious.

"Oh, but don't forget, you still have your caretaker to deal with~" She rose an eyebrow at me, clearly indicating Undertaker behind me.

I only rose an eyebrow before smirking. "Please, I'm a one-man army. As if I'd need help." I tilted my chin up. "On the contrary, it seems /you'd/ be needing the help."

Madame Red's eyes glinted with amusement, but she held a finger to lips slyly. "You never know, dear. You might miss a step, and we'll be waiting then to pounce."

"Heh, I'd like to see you try." Despite my dry response, she seemed to understand that I was playing along which came as a relief. Despite her facade ticking me off, she was slightly more pleasant than the usual socialite.

But before I could say any more, Tanaka knocked on the door to announce his presence. "Dinner is served. Please follow me back to the dining hall by order of name called. Afterwards, we'll proceed from there."

Whoo, saved by the butler, and a badass one at that. Not bad.

But by the looks of Madame Red's face, I'm sure it was anything but.

…

The next day, I woke up groggily. Slowly sitting up, I rubbed my eyes, yawning before checking the time on my phone.

9:56

Oh God. I'm late.

I flung the blanket to the side, hurriedly changing into work clothes. I decided to forgo the shower since it would make me even more late.

Tch, very bad manners. I don't know how often the Undertaker gets mad, but he definitely won't be pleased.

I practically pulled on some pants and a shirt in record time before rushing to the door and flinging it open to reveal a surprised Undertaker who just managed to save my breakfast on the tray.

For a minute, we paused, registering the situation. He, too, froze, taking in my rushed appearance and uncombed hair, mouth slightly agape at having never seen me so unneat before I broke the silence.

"Uh, what are you doing?" I looked up at him, down at the tray, then back up at him. I though he'd be at the front already preparing his guests.

He tilted his head, as if confused that it wasn't obvious enough what he was doing. "Bringing you breakfast, of course, m'dear~" He lifted the tray a little.

I deadpanned. "I know /that/. I meant, what /are/ you doing? Shouldn't we be working already?"

I saw a green glow from behind his bangs, temporarily inhibited by him blinking before he doubled over in laughter, barely holding on to the tray. I grabbed it last minute before he started heaving on the floor.

"Bwahahahaha!~ That's what you're worried about, m'dear?~ Hihihihi~" He was twitching and drooling all over, worsening my mood from before. Eventually, I got fed up to the point that I walked back into my room, closing the door forcefully. I proceeded to eat my breakfast in silence as his muffled giggles resumed throughout the door until a rustle of clothes and some heeled steps approached the door. He knocked first before a silver haired head with a top hat and liripipe popped in with a grin.

"Well now, I suppose that takes care of today's payment~" He'd wiped the drool from earlier, and yet a new one was making its way down his chin. I glanced at him with a scowl before looking away with a sigh.

Whatever. At this point, I stopped worrying over what he was planning. No point in getting high blood pressure as something so trivial as this. I finished eating in silence my bacon and egg with bread. Nothing too fancy, but at least it's filling.

Undertaker simply decided to sit on my bed - I was at the desk this time - until I was done, his never-ending grin resilient against my scowl.

Reluctantly, I turned to him. "So, why are we starting so late?"

"Hihi~ Well, you were quite worn out from yesterday's activities that I decided you oughta sleep in for good measure and a hearty breakfast oughta brighten your day… but well, as you can see, that backfired quite nicely on me, I would say." He leaned back on the bed, hands supporting his weight as he leisurely explained.

I could feel the guilt again, weighing like a stone in my gut. He's so nice for an asshole. He let me sleep in AND even made me breakfast.

I looked away, scratching my head uncomfortably. "Okay, so what now?"

At that, he bolted upright, as though he were a child receiving presents for doing something good. "Now, we wait for the seamstress to measure you for your clothing!~ I imagine you'd have some preference to your dressing, but do try as much as possible to blend in with Victorian fashion. We wouldn't want you attracting any more attention than you already do now."

I frowned. I already knew that, but still, it was a good point. It couldn't hurt to give them a few ideas, though. I didn't mind the fashion part, but steampunk looked quite nice, and I figured now would be the best opportunity, and as much as I liked my pants, dresses wouldn't hurt so long as they don't get in the way.

"I'll keep that in mind, but I have a few ideas that could work."

Undertaker nodded fervently, agreeing already to my decision without even bothering to know what it is. "Then that'll do. Now, if you're done, we'll catch up on some of yesterday's leftover work while we wait. Hopefully, we may even finish today's~ But of course, you'll be in charge of the paperwork~" He grinned slyly at that.

Of course, I knew that he'd use that as an excuse. If anyone needed to know anything about the Undertaker, it was his self-proclaimed hatred for paperwork. He'd do anything to avoid it, and in this case, I was the perfect leverage.

I shook my head. "Whatever works for you, sir." I got up from the chair, tray in hand as I walked to the door. Undertaker followed behind, giggling like some naughty schoolboy as I deposited the dishes in his sink for washing.

"Now now, dear~ No need for such formality~" He leaned against the counter with a smirk as he watched me wash the dishes, scrutinizing each plate carefully.

I snorted softly. "You're my boss. Of course, there has to be professionalism on the field. Otherwise, lack of boundaries may lead to unforeseen consequences that I'd rather not find myself tangled up in." I held a plate up to the light, scrubbing a stain until I was content no mark was left behind.

"No matter how professional you are, can't an employer be friends with his employee? The boss must, after all, know how to empathize with their workers on some level~ Hihihi!"

"Hmph, but even a boss must know when to draw the line between stern and lax."

His grin widened. "Touche, m'dear."

After having finished putting away the dishes, I followed him back to the front, resuming my position at the desk filled with stacks of paperwork as he opened a lid to the coffin to finish the cadaver from yesterday. The one runover by a carriage, I believe. I glanced at the page. Right, Mr. Durby.

I sighed, resting my head on my left hand as I continued where I left off. I get that I'm his assistant, but that doesn't mean shove the part you don't like about your job onto /me/. My eye twitched.

But I digress. I had ambidexterity - thank God - so it wouldn't that big of an issue. Besides, I had free time to wander with my thoughts, which brought me back to the events last night at the Phantomhive manor.

The dinner was excellent and the company, I didn't mind so much. Madame Red, for all her fakeness that I could bear, was quite intelligent given her MD and amusing to talk to although the banter was unexpected. I hadn't expected to make friends with her so soon. The wife herself could be considered a close acquaintance, but as for Vincent?

Hm. I'd need time to consider that. Diedrich, of course, was a vessel to anyone's amusement, and as much as I would pity him, it was his own fault for being fooled so easily.

As for the twins…

…/Timeskip\\\…

"Hey! Miss Rachel! Why don't you come play with us!" One of the twins, I guessed to be Master Ciel, came towards me.

I sweat dropped. Dinner already ended, which the servants were busy cleaning up, and everyone was about to retire to their beds. Even Madame Red had already hailed a carriage to take her home. Undertaker and I were simply waiting for it to return to take us back to the morgue.

"Don't your parents know about this?"

He shook his head vigorously. "No, because then they'd tell us it's time to sleep." He pouted.

I blinked. "Well, that's because it is."

"But I don't want to sleep!"

I deadpanned. "But then, not only would you be in trouble for not going to sleep, but also I for causing you to stay up." I was hoping some logic would put some sense into his brain.

He instead stuck out his lower lip. "But I want to play with you. It's not fair that he got a piano lesson and I didn't."

Well, he's not wrong.

Actually, that's a fair point. "Alright, run to your parents really quick while we still have some time. We only have an hour and a half before Undertaker and I leave."

He suddenly brightened, smiling widely. "Okay, you stay right there!"

He took off before I could even say anything, so I ended up just sitting on the couch, awkwardly waiting for him in the lounge. I don't know specifically what he wanted to "play", whether it be a game or the piano, but for now, I'll just go along with it. Undertaker was currently with Vincent, so that granted me a few minutes of much needed peace. Leaning my elbow against the arm of the sofa, I rested my head on my hand, closing my eyes. The next minute, I opened my eyes to see the twins.

I blinked in confusion, wondering if I was seeing double images - especially since I was so tired- but seeing as they remained, I figured both of them wanted to play.

"So, I take it your parents said yes?'"

The eldest, I take it, beamed and nodded fervently. "Yep, until your carriage comes to take you and Undertaker back." He held up a chess board, and I sweat dropped. "Why don't we play chess!"

"Won't that take a while?"

"We have time, right, Ciel?" It was the youngest, this time.

"Uh-huh, especially since Aunt Red lives so far away." He was already setting up the chess board, him with the white pieces while I had the dark pieces.

Ah, well, guess there's no escape. Even if I was a top-tier assassin didn't mean I was the best at chess. "If you say so…"

A little while later, and Ciel and I were ready. He already moved his white pawn, so I decided to move a black pawn, diagonal from his. "I'm only playing against one of you, correct? No double-teaming?"

Ciel blinked. "Of course, but that would also be a great idea! We should do that next time, right?" He looked at his younger sibling.

"But only you, Father, and I are good at chess. That means we can't share equally."

Ciel giggled, moving his white chess piece. "No, silly. When Miss Rachel and the Undertaker are here! That way we can play!"

The youngest blushed. "Oh, right…"

I smirked. "Well, it's yet to be determined whether I qualify or not. Undertaker might be adequate for this, however."

"My, my, singing my praises when I'm away~ Aren't you a dear! Hi hi hi~" A dark shadow loomed over me as I looked from the corner of my eye.

I glared. "Oh, stuff it, old man. I only said adequate."

In mock hurt, he grasped his chest. "Oh, the pain! Such a cruel assistant I've hired!~"

Ciel giggled, watching with rapt attention as I moved my next pawn.

"Ne, Miss Rachel, can I ask a question?" He moved his pawn next.

"Yes?" I studied the board, contemplating my next move. Undertaker, meanwhile, leaned against my chair, amused at the scene playing out.

"Why don't you want to know my younger brother's name?"

I looked up, seeing three sets of inquisitive eyes on me. I blinked before tilting my head. "Why not? Well, I believe it's up to him when he trusts me enough to tell me his name. Otherwise, I'll stick with calling him Young Master, or bocchan, which would be Japanese."

Ciel blinked, looking quite amazed at my thought before looking at his brother. "What do you think?"

The youngest looked at me thoughtfully before nodding. "I don't mind." His shy mannerisms told me he was still slightly intimidated, but hopefully, the next few weeks would change that. As his future piano teacher, he'd have to get comfortable with me providing private lessons.

Ciel, however, would definitely have no problem.

A few minutes later concluded the game with me having narrowly evaded a loss. I sighed, slumping against the back of the chair as Undertaker giggled. Ciel was looking in wonder at the board, trying to figure out how I managed to win.

"You're pretty good at this, Miss!"

I almost snorted. Yeah, define good. "If you say so."

"Hey, you two. It's past your bedtime!" Vincent arrived, appearing just as a chorus of "aww's" were heard from the two, but they ran to their Dad anyway.

"Look, Father, Miss Rachel beat me at chess, too!"

I deadpanned as he neared, looking over the chessboard with amused skepticism. "Did she now?" He looked at me with a raised eyebrow but I only shrugged my shoulders.

"Beginner's luck." What can I say? My luck only went so far.

Vincent chuckled before looking down at his sons. "It's well past bedtime, don't you think? Go with Tanaka. He'll have you both ready for bed."

"Sure thing, Father. See you next week, Miss Rachel!" The twins waved goodbye before following Tanaka out the door.

Vincent smiled fondly before looking at me and Undertaker. "Well, now, I take it both of you enjoyed yourselves?"

Undertaker grinned. "Without a doubt, milord~ The Phantomhives always knew how to have a good time, if I may say so, hihihi~"

I glanced at him before looking at Vincent. "Whatever he said."

"I see. Well then, I'll accompany you both to the front. Diedrich's already taken his leave. We'll talk again next week. However, our Underworld meetings will be specified on a later date."

"I see. Well, pleasure meeting you, Earl." I nodded my head at him.

"The pleasure's mine, m'lady. Undertaker, until then." He shook his hand before Undertaker got into the carriage.

"Will do, milord~" He gave his signature giggle before the carriage rolled away, the last image of the Earl of his back turned as he entered his home.

I turned to the Undertaker and he grinned widely. "Well, that was fun, wasn't it, m'dear~?"

I glared.

He giggled.

"Shut up."

…/Timeskip to present\\\…

My nose twitched. Well, the twins weren't so bad. I found myself favoring the youngest, however. Ciel was always prioritized due to being next in line as Earl, therefore, the youngest wasn't always most important in most people's minds. Especially concerning the future.

Oh, well. I don't think I'll mind giving private lessons. It's just that, Vincent's proposition was so sudden that I couldn't help being suspicious. It was as if…

Wait.

Hold on a second. Did I seriously accept their offer to tutor their children just because I felt bad?

I internally groaned, face-palming. Damn you, conscience. Damn you.

Undertaker's grin widened, having noticed how quiet I'd gotten. "Hi hi hi~ Having an internal spat, aren't we, m'dear," he giggled shamelessly.

I glared sideways at him. "Right, tell me about it."

I was one step away from ripping his head off his neck. If only it wasn't for the "good graces" of the bell ringing on top of his door that signaled for the entrance of a new guest that prevented me from carrying out my plan.

"My, could it be the one we've been waiting for this afternoon?~" he opened the door to reveal a rather demure brunette, carrying a huge suitcase which must've been quite the hassle due to the bustling dress she wore. She was probably around my age, maybe less, but from the way she leaned away from the Undertaker pitifully, quite a spine-less girl as well. Oh well, I'll take what I can get.

I looked at him with a questioning glance and by the looks of his grin, he got my unsaid question. What is this person doing here?

"My dear assistant~ Meet your future friend, Bridget Higgins, the tailor!" He presented her like it was a birthday gift although I had no idea why he was so hyped up about a simple tailor. "She oughta help you fit in with Victorian standards of dress, but she's quite flexible with consumer demands, I hear~" He tapped a nail thoughtfully against his lip as though contemplating if he found the right one or not.

The brunette, however, looked around til her blue eyes rested on me and then lit up for some odd reason. "She is to be my next customer, sir?" Her voice, albeit timid, could be likened to bells, soft but clear.

He leered with a grin, nodding.

She paled a bit, but upon seeing me again, she smiled brightly. "Oh, wonderful!"

Um. What about me was so wonderful? I'm pretty sure I was the worst person in the world to exist right now.

"I can't wait! Come! You'll need to get undressed so I can take your measurements! Your room oughta do!~" She rushed to me, taking my arm urgently. Thank God I'd healed out of my stitches or I'd be in a world of pain right now, but that was the least of my worries at the moment.

I need to be undressed? Oh, hell no! Not in front of a stranger, and with the amount of scars on my body? No, thanks.

I shot Undertaker a murderous glance as I wrestled with the girl trying to get me out of my seat so she could get me to my room. I had to be careful not to be too rough which was a hassle in itself.

Undertaker, of course, only giggled unhelpfully, but he understood my predicament well enough. "Worry not, m'dear, I've provided a slip for you in your room~" To the tailor, he informed, "You'll have to forgive her since it's her first time. She's from America, after all~" He drawled quite admonishingly as though it were my fault for being new, but I let it slide. For now.

She cast me a dubious glance, but relented. "Oh, alright. But just so you know, the clothes may either be a tad loose or tight since they won't be rather accurate."

"Hihihi~ unless if you'd like to work with the measurements I took while she was recovering" He held up a piece of paper which the tailor eyed like candy.

I stared at him. When did he get the time to measure me? While I was passed out? Because I would've sensed him otherwise if he even tried to sneak in five feet away from the door.

Sensing my stare, he only shrugged. "I didn't know whether or not you'd be waking up, so of course, being a mortician, I prepared for the worst in case you'd be needing a coffin~ hehehe!"

I glared. Oh, I'm sure he did. Glancing at the tailor who managed to procure the paper, she glanced down but frowned a bit. "Although you did manage to measure her, I have some I require that are missing from the page. So, my friend, I suppose you'll have to change into that slip, after all. Also, forgo the undergarments. These will need to be as close as possible."

I blanked. Of course, it would.

…

A few uncomfortable few hours later, I was changing back into my casual "traveler's" clothes as she scribbled down the last measurement from outside my room. I'd managed to discuss the types of styles and kinds of clothing I preferred, and she most graciously agreed, much to my surprise. It wasn't often you found lenient British women.

The great thing, too, was that the drawings I made of Victorian clothes were taken into account with also gothic/steampunk themes - those I had to explain in great detail - but overall, I think it would work great. I managed to squeeze in having pockets as well, but we'll have to see in a few weeks.

As for the concern for my scars, although I could feel her burning stare, she was completely occupied with her work. I was prepared to make up some story, but the most I'd gotten from her were shock, then a deep thoughtfulness, and then professionalism. She chose to ignore them. Oddly enough, I went along with it. I just hoped me overseeing this wouldn't pose a huge problem.

Afterwards, she left with a cheerful wave and some biscuits as thanks from the Undertaker as we resumed our work stations. I'm pretty sure the mouthful I gave her ought to have inspired a few ideas of her own. After all, I did give her the freedom to add any inspirations she found that would fit better. She had the experience after all.

All that remained was dealing with Undertaker who'd managed to progress some in his work. He was actually working on the coffins for his guests now. I, for the most part, had some much needed catching up to do.

I had just sat down when Undertaker spoke.

"By the way, in case you were hungry, I left some tea and biscuits at your desk while you were busy~" He was, for the moment, occupied with sewing a lining into the coffin, but his face was directed towards me. It was kind of unsettling but also admirable to have mastered a skill so well you didn't even need to look.

I nodded, murmuring my thanks as I sipped from the beaker. With biscuit in hand, I endeavored to finish at least yesterday's and today's paperwork so I wouldn't be so overloaded tomorrow. Even if I was exhausted just from having a tailor fuss over taking measurements.

"So, I've been thinking~"

I looked up curiously. "Hm?"

He smiled knowingly. "When were you going to tell me about your little demon?"

The tip of my pen broke as I stared straight at him, a dead weight settling in my stomach. My God. How long had he known?

09/30/18