A/N: Hey everyone! I'm back! I made an effort to reach 5k words and I did it. I'm quite proud of myself. From now on, I'll be making it a point to make each chapter 5k+ words. After all, this is monthly updates, so 2k won't be much of anything to anyone.

Despite not receiving any reviews, I still appreciate the readers who take the time to read my story. Please, when you get the chance, explain what I could've done better with my "mystery" arc so that if I ever get around to editing, I can improve the arc just a bit. Otherwise, enjoy some surprise appearances and have fun reading!

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

Chapter 13
Rachel's POV (1st)
I hadn't ever considered it at first, but I didn't think I would've accustomed so easily to Victorian life. Ever since donning the tailor-made outfits Bridget so nicely crafted for me, the odd stares and glances from Undertaker's customers decreased. Well, not that I had them that long.

People still marveled at the fact Undertaker even had an assistant, but at least my outfits wasn't cause for attention anymore. However, I did find that the dresses were comfortable, weren't very long either since they ended just below the knees, and the boots were just heavenly. They weren't like anything I ever had, and despite being stylishly made, the heels weren't so overbearing that I'd have to take them off. It was quite nice being able to dress nice without actually dressing too nice. In my opinion, at least.

My stomach grumbled again. Ah, right. Food, was it? I had already made it to the foyer of the shop out of habit. And, to my surprise, Vincent was sitting on a coffin chatting with Undertaker until I arrived. Now, a permeable silence coated the room as I stared in a haze of confusion and lethargy. I blinked.

"Diedrich's absent?'

Vincent smiled calmly. "Ah, yes, he will not be accompanying us today. Rather, he had urgent business to take care of."

I nodded, not really interested. "I see. And the time?"

"Why, it's twelve in the afternoon~" Undertaker piped up, grinning in amusement at how lost I looked.

I froze. Twelve p.m.? Already? That was approximately twelve hours since I was last awake considering it was already lunch time. Was I really that stressed?

"Ok. So, why's the Earl here, then?"

Undertaker giggled behind a sleeved hand. He was sitting behind his desk as usual, which was set up at the center of the shop facing the entrance. My "desk" was just a coffin, but rather towards the left of the entrance in the perspective of a guest entering the morgue. However, the desk faced towards the side of the shop so that Undertaker was in view and whatever antics he was up to.

"Well now, it seems that the case is yet to be fully resolved considering we have half a culprit residing in my shop~" Undertaker suddenly looked behind me where I noticed Zero now was.

Zero, of course, grinned sheepishly and gave a half-hearted wave. "Heh heh, right, well, about that… How about some lunch before we begin? I'm afraid Rachel won't be able to fully function until she's got some food to quiet the monster in her belly."

At that opportune moment, my stomach chose to growl ravenously, and Undertaker smirked before gesturing at the sandwiches placed on a platter on top of his desk. "Well then, help yourself~"

Vincent chuckled. "Of course, you won't mind if we interrogate you during, no?"

Zero shook his head. "Nah, besides, she can vouch for me." He gestured to me with a bright smile before joining them.

I only retorted silently with a raised eyebrow before focusing on the food. Considering there was only salted pork with cheese or ham and cheese, I didn't feel the need to be picky. Zero already had chosen two, and before my hunger could overwhelm me, I gestured towards the two men. "Anyone still want any because within five minutes, the whole plate will be cleared."

Vincent and Undertaker shared an amused quirk of the eyebrow before offering the entire platter with a hand. "Please, help yourself. I've already partaken."

I shrugged. "If you say so." And true to my word, the platter was cleared.

Taking the last bite of my morsel, I looked up to see Vincent with wide eyes staring at me before looking at Zero with amused defeat. "I see you weren't lying at all about her appetite."

Zero smirked. "What can I say? Of course, she only gets this ravenous after missions considering she consumes large amounts of energy. Otherwise, she snacks for the most part."

Undertaker giggled. "My, who knew I had such a hungry wolf at my side~"

I glared at him, narrowing my only visible eye at him. "Tch, keep it up, and you'll be wondering where the rest of your food's gone to."

Undertaker pouted. His appetite was, of course, much bigger than mine considering he was a guy, and if anyone needed to know anything about him, if you were planning to eat anywhere with him, you might as well bring two extra servings just to make sure you had enough for yourself. Undertake could easily consume a meal for two people alone.

Vincent simply smirked. "Well, all pleasantries aside, to properly conclude the case of Lady Evans, we must know where the bodies have been buried. For now, the Yard has possession of her manor as well as being placed in charge of her house arrest. However, it would ease them to know where the bodies are considering they're still searching as we speak. If Mr. Zero would be so kind as to let us know?"

Zero sighed melodramatically. "Why not? After all that back-breaking work she made me do, it's the least I could do. Like I told Rachel, just follow the trail to the woods. All of them should be buried there." His nose twitched at the thought before shuddering. "Ugh, the smell's enough to put me off for a week."

I huffed. "Well, you could've just killed them than use arsenic. Much more clean, considering." I received a bunch of raised eyebrows at my blunt remark, but no one could deny the truth behind that.

Zero only frowned thoughtfully. "Well, it was Lady Evans' idea. I was simply the henchman insofar as the fate of the bachelor's."

"But still, quite the unconventional mastermind for baiting my assistant to discover you~" Undertaker smiled in amusement, apparently delighted at such foolish and reckless planning.

Zero only grinned playfully. "Well, sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures~ I simply worked with what I had and all that matters is that it worked out." He grinned, satisfied with himself.

My eyebrow ticked. "Right, you dingus, and that's why you've made yourself an enemy of the Crown, better yet, embarrassed me by association, and now you're probably looking at jail time as the least of your worries."

Zero deflated considerably with a pout but offered no rebuttal.

I sighed. "So then, Earl, what does fate have in store for my underling."

Vincent held his chin in thought. "Hm, well, although he didn't directly kill the bachelors, he did supply the arsenic, hid the bodies, and worked alongside the perpetrator as co-mastermind. This might take some time to resolve. Of course, this isn't including what the Queen may have in store for him."

I frowned. This was bad. If I can't convince them of what use Zero has for them, then he's most probably going to end up permanently in jail or worse. Then I had a brilliant idea.

"What about having him work for you as parole?"

Vincent blinked. "Come again?"

I gestured to my associate. "Have him work for you and let those hours be considered as parole towards good behavior. Of course, he'll be under your supervision, but I'll have to accompany you considering he usually only follows my orders. Well, at least the important ones."

Vincent hummed thoughtfully. "Well, that's a start." After a minute of pondering, he nodded. "Alright, well, the Queen will have to settle the duration of his parole, but it shall be agreed. Of course, you can't aid him in his punishment, however."

"Obviously."

The Earl beamed. "Wonderful! It's decided, then." He clasped his hands together. "Now, on that note, piano lessons. I do believe the twins are scheduled for today if I'm not mistaken."

I blinked again. I've been doing that a lot lately, haven't I? I took out my phone to a check the date only to realize the pointlessness of doing so. "If you say so. I suppose this is also the reason for why you came?"

Vincent chuckled. "Well, that and I wanted to know what kind of materials they would require. Of course, I had already gone ahead and bought easy to play pieces, but I'd want your recommendation on types of composers to specifically keep an eye for."

"Oh, that. Well, besides music, just a notepad so we can keep track. As for music theory, well, I'll worry about that. I think it's good you prepared ahead of time, but I'll suggest that within a year or two, as soon as they start to develop skill, buy them pieces from J. S. Bach. Despite its difficulty, my own music teacher was a firm believer in the saying that 'if you can play Bach, you can play anything'. It's a great stepping stone in developing skill. Also, finger exercises such as Hanon will aid in finger strength." Well, considering I was already playing Beethoven and Chopin from about a decade of experience, I didn't expect we'd get very far, but it was at least a start.

"My, well, that seems reasonable. Very well, I will keep that in mind, although it seems I will be requiring your assistance when we cross that bridge." He pulled out a silver Albert and checked the time. "It seems we're just about at one in the afternoon. If it's no hassle at all, it would be in your best interest to join me on my way back to the manor. Of course, I'll be having you returned within reasonable time to the Undertaker. I'm sure he's quite busy considering the time we'd been away."

Undertaker giggled, tipping his hat in acknowledgement. "Right you are, milord~ Go on, dear. Go ahead and get dressed. Wouldn't want to keep the Earl waiting, now do we~" He made shooing motions with his flapping sleeves.

"Alright, alright, I'm going." If I'd had more presence of mind, I would've been embarrassed at my lack of presentation concerning the guest we had since I hadn't showered nor combed my hair. But, one look in the mirror confirmed that I at least didn't seem that much of a mess. With that comfort in my mind, I began my preparations for the manor.

…

The silence in the carriage was stifling, although that may be partly my fault. Undertaker had opted to stay behind, and Zero decided to help out considering he really had nothing to do with the Phantomhives. Therefore, it was just me and Vincent in the carriage. Occasionally, I'd glance at him out of the corner of my eye, and when he caught my gaze, he'd give me a small friendly smile, but I'd look away before he could say anything.

I deadpanned. What I hated most were awkward silences. What was even worse was if I were the one to cause them. Now that was just downright distasteful. Unfortunately, I had made the mistake of pulling out my earbuds - which I had put on the moment we finished greeting each other - and Vincent took his chance to initiate conversation.

"Ah, Miss Rose, before I begin, if I may, what was it that occupied you so to put those strange things in your ears from that collar on your neck?" Vincent never lost that inquisitive state of the nature of my origin, it seemed, and my carelessness would pay the price for it.

I rose an eyebrow before holding up the phone, pressing on the power button for the screen to flash. It displayed the date, time, as well as the album picture and song title, considering I possessed an iPhone, white person that I am. (But of course, not only white people get iPhones if you get my meaning.) "You mean this? Well, music. And these-" I held up the "strange things" that were my lifeline- "are earbuds. Although, normally you'll see that there would be a wire connecting these earbuds to my phone via this headphone jack you can see here, this collar on my neck is what enables to listen without needing a wire there."

Vincent leaned forward to examine the headphone jack with a hand to his chin before processing my words. "So the lack of the wire gives you more freedom to move around? Well, I say!"

I shrugged. "Well, that but also, you don't have to deal with a tangled wire or having to worry about misplacing your headphones when it's just around your neck." I tugged on the collar which was just actually those fancy wireless earphones that came with a collar, the Mpow Jaws to be exact. "They're wireless, to be precise, hence the lack of connection. Of course, they have to be fully charged in order to work."

He smiled politely.

Ah, he doesn't know what that means. I cleared my throat. "Meaning they need sufficient battery charge. Like a human, they need to recharge by eating and drinking to function. It's similar but in that it needs electricity. Don't ask the specifics though since I'm no expert." I held up a finger pointedly, seeing his mouth open before comedically shutting. He looked put out, but I decided a distraction was needed before the conversation was derailed. "Anyhow, milord, you mentioned something you needed to tell me? Besides my phone?"

He frowned before smiling slyly. "Ah, why, yes, of course. It seems we'll be having guests today." He crossed his legs - English men seem to have a habit for doing that - and folded his hands on his lap, no trace of the inquisitive Earl remaining to be seen. "However, no need to be alarmed. Simply relatives coming over to visit."

Curiously, that had the opposite effect on me.

"Also, Madame Red did write a letter to you and wanted me to deliver it personally. She seemed quite secretive about it, however." He reached into his coat to pull out a white envelope which he handed to me.

I glanced at it out of curiosity, flipping it over to see the seal stamped on the front before looking back up at him. "She only needed it mailed to the Undertaker's residence."

He smiled impishly. "Of course, however, she was quite suspicious of your landlord's curiosity and though it better to take preventative measures."

Ah, well, I can't say I blame her, but I wouldn't say Undertaker's that lacking in dignity. "He's not that invasive of privacy." I paused, reconsidered. "Well, at least not that much." I did recall him stealing my phone on several occasions or hiding in various spots to figure out my password. I had to remove the fingerprint option considering he could just use my own handprint if and when I was asleep. But otherwise, no other breach of conduct there. Of course, that didn't mean I didn't have to change my password weekly, or even within the hour, damn that nuisance.

Vincent smirked. "If you say so."

I quirked an eyebrow. What the hell was that supposed to mean? I looked down at the letter again before using a small pocketknife to tear into the envelope and read the letter. Steady silence consumed the carriage as I read her cursive script.

Dearest Miss Rose,

Would it be impudent of me to call you Elle? Such a nickname would be rather fitting for you, I would think. Not to mention, less confusion between you and my sister. Anyhow, I quite enjoyed our time together at dinner with the Phantomhives. Your piano playing was quite spectacular, no doubt. You simply must divulge how you came to acquire such mastery with the skill! I must also express my gratitude and congratulations on your behalf of becoming a tutor for my nephews in such a short time. Not many people have the talent of making the youngest one so comfortable within a day, after all.

But of course, before I begin to dilly-dally, I wanted to invite you to my manor for tea. I would be delighted to get to know you personally. Being surrounded with men so often simply can't be healthy for a young woman like you. Some girl time here and there ought to add variety, no? I look forward to our time together. However, I must warn you that I am quite busy being a doctor, after all. Simply drop a request for a meeting and we can arrange a date. Until then, dear Elle!

Warmest regards,

Angelina Barnett aka Madame Red

I blinked. "Well, I hadn't expected for her to consider me a friend so soon, much less invite me for tea."

Vincent smiled, amused. "Well, not many can refuse her charm and wit, after all."

I arched an eyebrow at him before pocketing the note and envelope. "I see. Well, anyhow, anymore questions?"

An innocent smile. "Why, yes, I do, in fact."

Cue internal groaning. I should've known better than to ask.

"I wanted to inquire about your musical taste. Although you seem rather well-versed in the classical repertoire, your preferences seem to be rather broad."

I shifted uncomfortably. Since when had he noticed this? "I see. Well, there's multiple genres, obviously, such as Rock, Heavy Metal, Alternative, Jazz, Pop, Blues, R&B, Rap, Latino, and so on. The list goes on and on. As for my specific tastes, well, it varies based on the song. I may be likened to listen to more Pop Rock and classical music, but I've been working to expand it towards Alternative, Classic Rock, and so on and so forth. But in sum, whatever floats my boat, I'm content to listen to. Recently, remixes and dubstep have also become a huge hit in my generation, which is just basically electronically generated music that uses an original song and basically plays around with it. Of course, they can get away with it so long as it doesn't sound like the original song, otherwise, they can be charged of copyright. That's just about the gist of it." I shrugged.

Vincent looked at me thoughtfully, head tilted. "Do you mind giving me a sample?"

I arched an eyebrow. "Do you even need to ask?" Despite this, I was already fishing my phone out of my pocket, scrolling through my playlists.

All I received was a sly, charming grin.

…

I settled on the piano bench, fingers brushing the ivory after pushing up the wooden part covering the keys. Vincent had already retreated to his office somewhere in the manor, and I had an hour before my lessons with the twins began. Tanaka had escorted me to the music room, and surprisingly remained. I looked out of the corner of my eye to find him dutifully standing guard at the door, patiently waiting for me to play perhaps. I dismissed the thought. More importantly, I finally had free time solely devoted to myself.

After several moments of mulling over what piece to play, I settled on Schumann's A minor Piano Concerto. Despite it being accompanied by an orchestra, the piece itself could be played on its own wonderfully, especially during the cadenza. Eyes closed, I allowed myself to open up, feeling the emotions as the melody rumbled in sync with the arpeggios. Only during these times were I truly vulnerable, and rarely did I play for anyone who would see my eyes closed. Tanaka didn't really count considering I had some regard for him and that he was a servant, not that his socioeconomic status determined his worth. But servants didn't really have the time to worry about people like me, however.

Sometime later, I felt a tingling of my sixth sense. Despite only sensing two presences, I could tell there was definitely someone else in the room, but very well hidden. The unknown stranger didn't exude hostility, but neither did that mean they were any less a problem.

I decided to wait and see what they would, flawlessly carrying on with the piece until I felt the presence right behind me. Then, I acted.

Pulling out my katana, I turned around and was surprised to see it clash against a fencing sword. And of course, said weapon curved in response to my attack. Then, the figure drew back the sword only to lunge it at me again. However, the area was too claustrophobic, and being trapped between the piano and piano bench gave the unknown assailant the upper hand. I kicked the piano bench towards them, seeing the lithe figure clothed in black and masked lunge to the side to evade before pursuing me once more. I made sure to deflect with the flat of my blade, trying to figure out who this was.

Obviously a woman, considering the breast outline, and very experienced, and considering how they got in the manor without raising suspicion meant they were a relative/friend, and only one person matched that description. But of course, they couldn't know that, and they would be rightfully suspicious if I acted like I knew them so I'll just have to act as if I were going to kill them. Hopefully it won't go too far.

But of course, life wouldn't ever be that easy on me. The "unknown" assailant was definitely pushing my boundaries, trying to test my reaction. How would I be able to defeat them without having to kill them yet convince them I was definitely trying to kill them?

That could only mean one thing…

While having my inner monologue, I deflected every parry, thrust and lunge of the sword until I felt the sparring become too drawn out. At the last second, I allowed the sharp edge of my sword to cut through the thin length of the fencing sword before swinging the sword and stopping an inch from their neck.

A terse silence reigned before a voice, muffled by the mask inquired, "Why did you stop?"

I had to answer this carefully or else my cover would be blown. "By deduction alone, the fact that Tanaka didn't react to your presence meant you weren't a threat. However, in relation to me, I suppose he allowed it as a test of skill."

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the old man give a small wrinkled smile.

Taking that as confirmation, I continued. "But of course, this doesn't answer the question of who you are and why you're doing this besides testing me. Otherwise, I can surmise that you're familiar with the Phantomhives for the butler to be at ease and that you have no true intent to kill me."

"Oh? Is that so?" Non-plussed, the woman removed her mask to reveal blonde hair tied up in a bun, aristocratic features and stern blue eyes with fair skin. It was none other than the infamous Francis Midford, Vincent's sister. She gave me a stern, disapproving glare.

I could already guess what it was: Asymmetrical bangs that completely covered the right side of my face giving me a somewhat sloppy face, a slovenly face that could easily be compared to our demon-to-be Sebastian, and my overall dress of pants, a black shirt, and my trench coat. Overall, not a generally pleasing way to greet a noble, of all people. Add to the fact that this is Lady Francis, but of course, she didn't know that I knew that.

"First order of business is to fix your sloppy appearance!"

Ouch.

She marched right over to me and grabbed the bangs, pulling them up to reveal my face. Paused. Then released them and looked away. "Of course, exceptions can always be made."

Huh. Well, whaddya know?

"Oh my, well, I can see you've met Franny~" A familiar voice resounded from behind me, and I turned around to see that it was Madame Red standing in the doorway, hand on her hip. She was giving us peculiar glances seeing as how I still had my sword brandished at Lady Francis' neck. Obviously, a new look for the "intruder" considering her reputation.

Said "intruder" replied to Madame Red with a pointed glance.

I slowly lowered my blade, relinquishing my attention back to the stern blonde who picked up the remaining length of her foil, inspecting it. "While I applaud you on your quick reaction to the "surprise" attack and your swordsmanship, I expect that if such an occasion occurs again, you will not hold back under any circumstances. Is that clear?"

I bowed, sheathing my sword and lowering myself to one knee. "Without a doubt, milady."

She looked down at me before giving me a wry smirk and a stiff nod of approval. Then she walked away, not giving any of us nary a backwards glance.

"Well, that went well," I remarked dryly after waiting to make sure she was gone, straightening to my full height.

Madame Red chuckled. "Well, that's Madame Francis for you. If you didn't know, Vincent's younger sister and married to the Marquis of Midford. Speaking of which, I believe her daughter is also here. She, not the daughter, of course, usually comes to give Ciel fencing lessons. Lizzy just comes over for playdates is all."

I nodded. "I see."

"Well, now that that's settled, there was something I wanted to discuss with you, as per stated within the letter you received, I hope?"

I pulled out the envelope. "Just today, yes."

She smiled. "Very good. But first, we'll have to do about this 'oh so unladylike' appearance of yours." She gave me a smirk with half-lidded eyes.

I merely rose an eyebrow.

She threw her head back and laughed. "Oh, just kidding~ Come along, now. It's been quite a while since I've had some girl time with a woman, and my sister's so busy now that she's married. It's left me quite wanting." She pouted before correcting it with a smirk. "Well, now there's you, so I suppose that's an issue resolved."

I sighed. "If you say so, milady."

A merry giggle followed as she pulled my hand for me to come along.

…

"What do you think?"

I stared in the mirror. I was dressed in a midnight gown of deep purple. The fabric would've been extremely exhausting to wear, but thanks to well-conditioned exercise, it wasn't as bothersome as it should've been. But still, to add on the confusing layers of petticoats and the corset and whatnot, I was just about done for the day. However, the dress itself was beautiful, with black lace covering the bodice and matching black lace fingerless gloves fitted to my hands up to my elbows. All in all, an astonishing taste of preference I hadn't expected Madame Red to notice in me. Or maybe because the dark purple suited me rather well.

I crossed my arms and caught her eye in the reflection, stating, "You do know I am supposed to give a piano lesson within the hour, yes?" The remaining allotted time of what was supposed to be my personal time was only ten minutes. I didn't know what to think. I was just a jumbled mess of exhausted, a bit annoyed, and somewhat exasperated feelings.

She waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, pish-posh, dear. I'm sure Vincent won't mind. Besides, it'll be quite the surprise for the twins to find a lady all nice and dressed up for their very first lesson, don't you think?"

I scoffed. "Who are you calling a lady?"

She smirked wryly. "Oh, don't be so pessimistic. Any woman, with just a little effort, can become a lady. Speaking of which… your hair. Hm, this seems to be quite formidable."

I felt the weight of my hair being lifted by her hands as she played with it.

"Come, sit over here so it's easier for me to style your hair." She had moved from behind me to stand behind a chair she had moved back, gesturing for me to sit in front of the vanity.

Wordlessly, I joined her. I was silent for several moments, gazing at my reflection with hooded eyes as I felt over-bearing guilt crush my conscience until I couldn't bear it any longer. I didn't deserve this gift. Not one bit.

"Madame, if I may? You bought this dress for me, correct?"

She glanced at me, baffled. "Why, yes? Is there an issue with the dress or-?"

"No, that's not it at all. It's just… Why?"

She blinked, obviously expecting a completely different reaction than that. "Why, you ask?" She was silent, hands stilled from coiling and pinning my hair before deciding to play off my intensely simple question as a light joke. "Why, to commemorate our friendship." Her hands resumed their work diligently.

I gave no reply. That really wasn't the answer I was looking for, but to deny the gift would be a slap to the face, too.

Silence reigned for a few more minutes. Six minutes to go before I would be expected. "My, you have such thick hair. And such a lovely ebony color. Doesn't having this heavy weight give you a headache at all?" Any pain that might have registered from how tightly she pulled my hair was completely obsolete by my inner thoughts.

"No, only if I have it up for too long," I mumbled quietly.

She only tilted her head, deciding to finish her work before saying her piece. "Ah, there we are. The very picture of beauty, if I may say so myself. Just a touch of make-up, and you'll have any man jumping at the chance to ask for your hand."

I blinked, taking a moment to register the stranger staring back at me, that imposter who shared the same face as me, but wore such fancy dressing, hair coiled to Victorian standards. No way that was me.

"Why the question, Elle?"

I looked back at her, deciding how to answer it before shaking my head. /No, it was too soon. Besides, she has her own demons to deal with, after all./ I smiled. "No reason, at all. Just wondering."

She gave me a patient smile albeit worried before enveloping her arms around me in a hug.

I froze a little bit, still unaccustomed to such intimacy from strangers but hugged her back lightly. Hesitant.

"You mustn't be so harsh on yourself, Elle. After all, we come from all walks of life. Not all are so pretty and ideal as nobles like to portray." She smirked before squeezing me. "Take care to remember that." She released me with a soft smile before taking a step back to admire her work with a nod. Then her eyes popped open. "Oh! The make-up! Silly me, how could I have forgotten!"

But before she could go on a mad spree over caking chemicals on my face, I decided to stop her, lightly taking hold of her elbow which made her still in shock and look at me with doe eyes. "Don't worry yourself over that. I'm afraid I'll have to regretfully take all this off. It wouldn't be appropriate to teach the twins in. However, I will be keeping the dress. I appreciate the time you spent buying this dress and dressing me up, despite the original plan of not having a make-over when I came over."

Her face that had comically saddened over my words were now beaming with pride and happiness. "Oh Elle, of course you can keep the dress! And please, if you are able, come over to my manor this Saturday. I should be having the day off and we'll spend more time together. Don't mind my husband, though. He'll be quite busy in his office."

"Oh, I see. Alright, it's settled then. What time, though?"

"I have the whole day off, so you may come in the morning if Undertaker allows it."

"I'll talk it over with him."

"Excellent! Oh, but your dress-"

"Don't worry, Madame, I have it taken cared of."

"Already? But it's only been your first time-"

"Trust me. I have quite a good memory."

She gave me a dubious look before relenting. "Oh, alright, if you say so. I'll be expecting you downstairs in the music room. I hope you don't mind my listening in."

I forced a smile. "Of course not, milady. But please, I must get dressed."

"Ah! Yes, tata for now, dear~" She snuck in a wave before closing the door.

I sighed. "Right. Now to get out of this mess." And true to my word, I was dressed in my old attire and down the stairs in the music room within three minutes. To say that Madame Red was shocked to see me all dressed up and ready to go was the understatement of the year. The fiery red-head had already been seated with a cup of tea provided by Tanaka in my absence, yet the tea had just finished steeping. Before I could be assaulted with anymore questions, I addressed the two twins who were seated on the piano bench.

"Alright, who's ready for some learning?"

The two looked at each other before shrugging and with beaming smiles raised their hands, chorused by "Me!"s.

I nodded. "Very well, let us begin."

A/N: I had planned on continuing the lesson this chapter but I decided to include that next chapter. This story was just about reaching 5.5k words when I finished lol. Still, I wonder if any of you would've expected such a quick appearance of Francis. Tbh, I just needed to spice up the story a bit, keep it exciting. Otherwise, hope you enjoyed some Madame Red one on one, as well!

03/31/19