A/N: Alright, so I took a little unprecedented break. I extended this chapter a bit so it hit about 7.5k, so I'll have to squeeze in about 2.5k for next update. Partly, the unwillingness was to make sure there was no lapses. But also, there's a bit of a religious discussion in there, so if you're sensitive to it, you're welcome to skip. It's not to promote or shame any religion but simply how Rachel analyzes faith, etc. If you have no issue, then you're welcome to read on.

But, to be fair, that part just spontaneously popped up because of a nasty argument with parents, and I found an outlet through writing. I debated removing it but I figured we'd arrive to this topic anyway, so I left it in.

Just as FYI, there is a warning when it does begin, so again, you're welcome to skip.

Also, trigger warning: At the very beginning, some violence, but otherwise, nothing major until next chapter.

Other than that, I thank the readers for staying with me so far. All the favs, follows, and comments are appreciated. Sorry again for the unexpected break.

On to the reviews:

xenocanaan: I'm so glad to hear that! I hope the break hasn't dissuaded you, so please enjoy today's update!

BlackSakura-chi: You are a correct that he is a death god (sorry if that's a spoiler to you), and I also would agree to the nickname as well. However, in Rachel's case, Undertaker is already retired as a shinigami and sees him as a mortician, so to associate him to an active shinigami would be weird for her. In my opinion, at least. And true, it sounds like humming, but it's sort of Rachel's nature to be (kinda) lazy when she doesn't feel the need to exert herself, so in her case, she's fine with it. And I know there's not enough in the story to prove that (unless I'd forgotten), but I'll work on that eventually. But no lol, it's a coincidence if it were based off of urn, but that would make for a good joke within the story. Kudos for the idea.

Anyhow, rather than continue rambling, I'll thank you for reading and leaving your thoughts. I hope to see more in the future. Thanks and enjoy today's update!

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 25 Rachel's POV (1st)

September 12, 1885 - Saturday

Late Evening

The blindfold was untied, the rough cloth tugged off but the gag was still in place. Even with my eyes shut, I could tell the room was still encapsulated in darkness until the striking of a match, the hiss of a flame, and eventually, the room lit up. It was easy to distract myself from the revolting taste of the gag as I focused on the scent of my captor. The same one who'd been my dance partner just a couple hours prior. I didn't even have to open my eyes.

I could feel his hand picking up my hair, rubbing the soft texture - thanks to Undertaker's scrutinizing care.

"You look so much like her," he murmured.

It never failed to surprise me, the duality of people. No one would've expected him to be a murderer. At least, not if you weren't me.

I held a simple belief: Anyone can be a murderer, no matter how innocent or kind they were. All it took was conviction. Time and time, my thought was proven again. It's a sad revelation, I admit, but it's the truth my world revolves around.

But I digress. Now was not the time for such thoughts.

"Why won't you open your eyes?" He questioned, seemingly amused.

Funny how he wasn't commenting on me not panicking.

"Do you think not seeing will protect you?" His hand brushed my face.

I turned away, trying to withhold a snort. Hardly the solution in this kind of situation.

"Don't waste your time. She won't fall for those kinds of tricks." A new voice.

Slap!

My head jerked to the side. Ah, he must know me.

That same hand then gripped my hair, pulling it up so I would be face to face with him.

I still hadn't opened my eyes.

"You didn't think I would forget, did you, little assassin?"

Ah, yes, as I expected. There was an accomplice. There's never an end to these surprise rendezvous, is there?

I opened my eyes. "Ah, so you're…"

Four Days Ago

September 8, 1885 - Tuesday

We all had just finished breakfast, and the twins excused for their usual routine of studies.

"Miss Rachel, if I may, I would like to inquire on a somewhat delicate subject." The Earl had steepled his hands fingers over his face, giving him an uncharacteristic look of seriousness.

"Yes?" His posture reminded me of Undertaker whenever he was up to no good. I was immediately wary.

"It has come to my attention that this would be your first attendance in an official Victorian setting, correct?"

"…yes?" Obviously, was my mental response, but I doubted that would merit good reception.

"Very well, then. In that case, I have been going rather easy on you."

That earned a raised eyebrow from me. He considered yesterday easy? Humiliating, yes, but hardly a challenge.

He plopped his chin on top of his steepled hands to smile mischievously at me. "From today until the upcoming event this Saturday, you will be required to wear a corset as part of your training."

I felt like I should be worried, but I figured that because I was fit, there shouldn't be a problem. My only question was if I could actually fight wearing one or would it render me completely immobile? I paused. Maybe that was the point of the corset?

"Rachel-san?"

I blinked. "Yes? Sorry, got lost in thought."

Vincent smiled patiently. "I was wondering if you had any questions."

"Not at the moment."

"Very well, then. In that case, we shall have Madame Red and some maids assist with your clothing. If any further assistance is needed, then simply ask."

I nodded. There shouldn't be a problem.

Half an hour later.

There was a major problem. Apparently, being physically fit wasn't all Victorian fashion required of you. From the way they insistently tugged at the strings of the corset, its ever incremental tightening inch-by-inch had me wondering just how truly capable the human body was.

I grunted again as the contraption tightened even more. "Just how much tighter does it need to be?!"

"Oh, settle down, now. You'll get used to it~" Madame Red dismissively waved her fan as though derisively disappointed by my pain.

Glad to know someone cares.

Besides the confusing layering of cloths, I had to take painstaking measures to conceal my scars by finding the order in which layer to wear first before covering up the remaining scars. Truthfully, to go for such lengths was a pain in the ass.

Then why not heal the scars, you may ask?

Personally, as a testament to my strength, it would be an insult to my character to so casually dismiss it. And although the lick of a tongue would assuage my worries, as a respect to my past struggles, I'd decided to scorn romance so as to not worry about appearance. Not that I ever had a chance to begin with.

Either way, the end result was me stiffly sitting on a chair, learning how to breathe. Breathe, goddamnit. Of all the things I'd have to worry about.

Currently, I learned that I had to breathe up and down, rather than outwards, to avoid aggravating the already organ-crushing pain. I can handle pain, yes. Break an arm, getting impaled by a sword, easy stuff.

But unnecessary pain that persists longer than a few minutes? Maybe I'm just bitching. Either way, I was already annoyed. On top of that, I'd be doing more training for this upcoming ball event.

Hurray.

Over the week, my life settled into a sort of schedule that somehow revolved around assimilating into Victorian society, playing with the twins, and then socializing with the adults. There was no room for privacy here.

Any time I tried to distance myself, the opportunity arose to prevent that exact goal and somehow, I constantly found myself surrounded by people. It was both bewildering, startling, and stressful. It made it hard to not care so much, especially for the twins.

Anytime I was with the twins, it was either reading the dragon series, playing chess, or horsing around. Rough housing was apparently unheard of.

In tandem with the adults, Madame Red or Lady Rachel found ways to peek into my life. I found that creative evasions were mandatory.

Lastly, the training. Even if it wasn't required, I still read up on the political and socioeconomic events taking place. There was nothing worse than listening and believing to the bias of ignorant idiots who only saw their perspective.

Madame Red and Lady Rachel were main players in my training being Victorian noblemen's wives, but occasionally, Undertaker would pop up as a stress reliever if he thought I was working too hard. Which ironically led to me working harder the more he appeared.

But lately, I noticed the family actively trying to involve me in their get-togethers. At first, it was little things like conversations by the fireplace.

~~~~~RELIGION DISCUSSION~~~~~

"Say, Elle, do you conform to any religious teachings?" Madame Red suspiciously looked nonchalant, but I had no grounds with which to base this accusation.

Everyone, even Diedrich and Zero, had been invited for some socialization save the twins due to their bedtime curfew. However, the room had been made to look cozy which immediately put me on guard.

Everyone had tea and some little accompanying snack and were seated on couches or standing, in Undertaker's case. I, however, had been coaxed to sit with the ladies despite not being nobility.

It took a while for the irony to pass before I decided to answer. "I wouldn't exactly say conform. My behavior nor lifestyle are by no means exemplary, but I do study the Bible sometimes."

Zero snorted but ducked his head behind Diedrich's bulk whom he was seated next to when my eyes rolled in his direction.

"As in, you do read it?" Vincent's face wasn't the only one with palpable confusion on it.

"If you're asking if I'm Catholic, then no. Christian would be the more fitting term, but I don't consider myself one."

Lady Rachel hummed. "I must wonder, then, what, or who, inspired such a fascination for you to go to such lengths." She smiled kindly in my direction, as though appraising the effort despite not following it.

I shrugged. "People."

I allowed the silence to linger for a moment before deciding to elaborate. Although it was supposed to be a cue for another topic to begin, it seemed no one was interested to.

I sighed. "Well, the first time I was introduced to it was no positive influence. I was forced to read it." That, or endure punishment. But, that had to be filtered out. "But, the reason why I still bother was because of someone's kindness towards me. I couldn't understand it, so I wanted to break it down. Analyze it and find some fault in it. That person directed it to his faith.

"Of course, I had no care about it, but I read it anyway. The Bible, that is." My attention got drawn to the fire, and for whatever reason, the image of Esmerelda dancing and Frollo singing about his boner popped into my brain, and I had to suppress a snort. "I'm no Bible scholar, but having read some of it, it's a very complex book. I still don't understand it to this day. However, the one thing I do admire is that you can challenge it."

Madame Red quirked an eyebrow. "Challenge it? Are we not to 'believe by faith'?"

My eyebrow quirked. "And that is how sheeple are made. Really, is it believable for someone to accept everything without having at least challenged it once? And there are people like that out there in the world which is how ignorance is born. But, the more you try to challenge something you believe, the more believable it is, isn't it?"

Everyone was suddenly staring at me like I'd transcended to another dimension, and recalling the conversation later on, I'd probably realize that I did. But I hadn't yet made my point.

"See, for something to exist, it must prove its worth, right? I've found that the Bible proves me wrong on multiple occasions, which is something I enjoy."

Diedrich snorted. "So you read the Bible for the sole purpose of being proven wrong?"

My eye twitched out of the barest restraint to not roll my eyes. Leave it to a guy to miss the point entirely. "No, but rather, it's a pleasant surprise to not always be right. Because if I were always right, then what's the point in living?"

I must've come off suicidal because now everyone was looking at me a bit worriedly.

I sighed, facepalming. I reiterated the question Madame Red asked. "You asked me if I conformed to a religion, right?"

Madame Red nodded uncertainly, as if wondering if it was the right thing to have asked in retrospect.

I planted my chin in my hand. "Well, to summarize my nonsensical schpiel, it's not that I conform to a religion, but rather I respect it. Christianity, in particular. Simply because it makes sense. But if you asked me if I believe in it, then no. I do believe that there is a God, but I have no relationship with Him. Does that make sense?"

At this point, I might as well have been begging everyone to not think I was crazy.

Vincent chuckled, however. "That's a rather roundabout way to put it, but I believe I can understand it. Personally, I would think that God simply couldn't keep track of everybody in the world, given the amount of people."

"Ah, but then that begs the question: Can God create a rock that is too heavy for Him to lift?"

Vincent's brow quirked in amusement.

I held out my hands. "See what I mean?"

Undertaker's giggle punctuated my point. "Ah~ I see now! Hihi, you are a skeptic by nature, and so, you like to challenge everything~ And here I was thinking my cute assistant were a devout Christian! Hihihi~!"

Somehow, hearing Undertaker's perspective of my hobby pissed me off more than anything that I wouldn't be surprised if the throbbing in my temple were a visible tick mark.

Zero made no effort to hide his amusement, and somehow, everyone took this as consent to relax.

I closed my eyes if only to conceal me rolling my eyes before getting up. I'd noted that even Tanaka couldn't help a small smile and decided it was time to depart. I stood up, and Undertaker immediately smirked.

"Oh deary, I was only joking~ Hihihi!"

I had already made it to the door before turning slowly, facing him eye to… bangs before unapologetically stating, "Shut up" and promptly left.

Even through the door, I could hear everyone's amusement.

~~~~~ END RELIGIOUS DISCUSSION ~~~~~

And so commenced Operation: Invite Rachel for Small Talk within the Phantomhive Family. It was a sort of tangible duty that some unknowingly shared, but obviously, I felt the burden of its effects.

What frustrated me wasn't that they weren't being aggressive or forceful about it nor the fact that they were interested enough in me to do so, but that they cared to. They wanted to know more about me.

Even if it meant asking stupid questions such as who inspired my hobby of challenging the Bible or why my name sounded so similar to Rashael: a guy's name.

No, what annoyed me was that they bothered to.

So, I found ways around it… somewhat. Sometimes curtailing the subject completely by suggesting we review a previous lesson or learn a new one. Of course, it only worked depending on - get this - the Earl's cooperation.

"Ne, Ellie~ Why don't you tell us a little about your full name~?" Madame Red's voice crooned over my shoulder and my face blanked.

"So, about etiquette, how about you explain more about that, Earl?"

"Ne ne, do you happen to be ticklish anywhere~?" Undertaker, this time, happened to pop up on the other side and was already prodding me for weak spots.

"Social etiquette? Anyone?!"

Don't get me wrong. They were good people. The Earl… questionably so. But their crafty just-barely-nosiness was beginning to wear me down. Although, it'd be in my best interest to specify that it was usually only Madame Red and Undertaker who flitted about me. The Earl had his duties, same with his wife with her children who were also occupied with their studies. Diedrich sometimes joined if needed - usually for the dancing part - but otherwise stayed away.

However, as of late, I'd learned to premeditate my escape when everyone least expected it. One such successful event preceded like so:

"Ne, Ellie~ Are you sure you can read? The fireplace offers some good lighting?" Madame Red was peering at me curiously over to where I was standing away from the company and near a small table that was closer to the door.

I looked up before shaking my head. "I'm fine. I just want to finish up a chapter before joining y'all."

Her eyes narrowed over the fan used to cover the bottom half of her face before shrugging. "If you say so~ Just thought it'd be a shame for a lady as young as you to ruin your eyesight from reading in the dark~"

I stared blankly at her before giving her a shit-eating smile. "But of course." I pretended to get back to reading, but monitored all of them as they settled in.

Eventually, they fell into conversation, and as soon as I confirmed they were preoccupied, I made my escape.

I silently slipped out the door before making my way to the library, making sure to keep my presence hidden. Wouldn't do to have Undertaker notice me gone.

As soon as I reached the library, I immediately started looking at the rows, craning my head to the side to make it easier to read the spines. My fingers trailed behind as I skimmed multiple titles before finding Les Miserables.

I blinked, remembering I saw the same title in Undertaker's shop but never getting round to it. I'd just pulled it out of its shelf when Undertaker's voice popped out of nowhere.

"Hi hi, why is it that I always find you here anytime you run away?~"

I hadn't even sensed him.

I remained silent, only the slight turn of my head as acknowledgement of his question before opening the cover of the book.

"My dear, they might find it offensive that you take off so quickly anytime they invite you to socialize~"

I hadn't told him yet of my plan. I was too scared. I couldn't tell him why I can't get close to the Phantomhives… won't. He would get suspicious and start asking questions, and I'm not so sure how well my lying would get past him.

I started to move away but he surprised me by catching my wrist in a firm hold. My eyes immediately searched for his only to find them still blanketed by his bangs.

"Tell me." The command was firm but soft.

How do I respond? Although his aura exuded gentle coaxing and no judgement, I was sure the information I concealed would heavily change that. I could only stare back at him confused and conflicted, trying to come up with an excuse as he waited patiently when my saving grace came in the unexpected from of the Earl's entrance.

The door suddenly opening grabbed my attention and the Earl's good-natured smile had me doubting Undertaker's comment of their taking offense on me leaving. He must've covered for me, then.

The stab of guilt was swift.

"Ah, right where he said you'd be. Did you find the book you were looking for?"

My eyes flitted to Undertaker who had a vague smile on his face before holding up the book. "Um, yes, I suppose."

I mean, it was part of my goal. The other unspoken half of it was to stay here, and judging by the slight smirk on Undertaker's face, he seemed to know that as well.

"Ah, just in time then. Your associate has introduced us to a rather peculiar card game. He says you are quite the expert at it…"

I blanked. Card game? "There's lots of card games that I know, but you'll have to elaborate."

Vincent crossed his arms in mock seriousness. "Well, it contains rules which require similarity in color and/or number. He claims that it's a rather enjoyable sport between the two of you and requests you "absolutely must join", as were his exact words."

I blinked.

"So, shall we?" Without waiting for a response, he headed back and I could feel Undertaker's hand settle on my back and lead me along.

I had little doubt that that hand meant more to dissuade me from escaping than it was to accompany me.

And so, I ended up with a deck of uno cards in one hand, a voluntold participant in a game of Uno as we walked everyone through a couple of rounds.

Undertaker intentionally placed himself next to me and seated on the outside so that if I tried to escape, it would mean getting past him. No doubt a terrific deterrent.

It goes without saying that I'm completely trapped until today's social event concluded.

"Alright, since y'all are first-timers, we'll go easy on you. For the basics, simply choose a card of a corresponding color or number in order to end your turn or you'll have to draw cards." Zero had set down the extra remaining cards and patted it for everyone's benefit.

"And you said this game was popular, yes?" Madame Red looked slyly at me then back to Zero with a knowing look.

"Yup!" Zero chirped.

"So, tell me again, how you managed to obtain this card game. If it were as enjoyable as you claim it to be, this would've been quite popular on the market."

Zero froze, obviously not having thought that far ahead.

I sighed through my nose. "That's because we're still in a testing phase. Think of this as a trial run before officially opening it to the public."

Madame Red smirked. "Ah~ Well then, I'm honored to be one of the select few."

I huffed, amused. "Zero, will we be incorporating jump-ins, 7s, and 0s? Also, the stacking."

Zero pursed his lip, glanced at everyone else, then shook his head. "Nah, too confusing, we'll wait til they understand the basics."

"Wait, there's more?! Honestly, how is this not in the market already?"

I stifled a smirk at Madame Red's excitement. "Partly because of people like you."

She frowned, affronted. "Whatever is that supposed to mean?"

I smiled blankly. "However you want it to mean."

"Alright, let's start!" Zero laid down a red four, and from there, we proceeded, gradually adding the special rules until we'd integrated the usual round of UNO that would spice up the game.

Of course, everyone aimed to have the least amount of cards in order to have the victory, but my aim was to torture Zero as much as possible.

"Hey, Rachel."

"Mm-hmm." I didn't look up at Zero since having put down a seven card.

"You should definitely pick the Earl and not me." Zero was currently holding two cards while Vincent had about ten.

I stared long enough at Zero to make him think I would pick him but spoke to the Earl. "Earl, let's switch."

Zero audibly sighed in relief, but Vincent blinked in surprise. "Are you sure? I believed the goal of the game was to have no cards."

"Yup, but that's not my goal."

Zero suddenly stared at me with fear and betrayal.

I stared back innocently. "What?"

"You better not."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Currently, it was in my favor that Zero was after me unless if he decided to change the direction with the switch card.

Undertaker was snickering, likely having figured out my plan. However, that meant Undertaker could foil my plan should he use the skip card to skip my turn.

Fortunately, I had enough 2+ and 4+ cards to allay any attempts Undertaker would use against me and pass it to Zero. All that was left was execution.

"Remind me again, I can use a 4+ card to change the color I don't have?" Lady Rachel's eyes flickered back and forth between her deck and the pile on the table.

"Yes."

"And the person after me can challenge it?"

"Correct, my Lady."

"Alright, here goes then…" She laid down said card, announced the color switch to green, and the Earl happened to be next.

"You said I could challenge, yes?" Vincent was smirking a bit.

"You could."

A brow lifted. "So it is an option if I don't want to accept it."

I nodded.

He graciously accepted the four cards and Undertaker was next, laying down a 2+ of the corresponding color. Automatically, I laid down a 2+ of red, a color I knew he didn't have.

"Rachel! Why is it red!"

"Well, why can't it be red?"

His jaw clenched in annoyance when he realized he'd have to accept four cards. "God- Fine. I'll get back at you for this!"

"We'll see." I smirked.

Somewhere down the line, after countless efforts to annoy Zero to everyone's amusement, both Zero and Lady Rachel had one card.

Assess.

Now, if I played my cards right - pun intended - I could skip Zero's turn and have Lady Rachel win since I'd encountered the same card she had some turns ago.

"Ara, is it milady's lucky day today?~" He put down a 4+ card with a grin, one with a color I did have.

I smiled coldly. "Let's see…" I immediately used the same card and Zero snorted.

Plan.

"I know you have that color."

"Oh, I know, but you still draw four cards."

The smile dropped, and his brows shot to his hairline. "What the-!"

Madame Red smirked. "Not so fast, sister dear!" She put down a switch card to make it Zero's turn, and he grinned.

"Hah, your plan failed!" He played a blue four, considering I still had two, but I chuckled.

Action.

"Watch and learn." I laid down a color change card, the same one I knew Lady Rachel had.

And as expected, her eyebrows jumped and she looked down excitedly at hers.

"You can put it down, my Lady."

"Oh my! You still remember this card?"

I shrugged. "I distracted Zero enough to make him forget about it."

At that, his head whipped around to glare at me.

Of course, I stared straight ahead at Lady Rachel, smiling at her and completely ignoring.

"Well, that's quite the exciting game~ A bit of a gamble, if I may say so myself." Madame Red closed her eyes before a determined light showed through. "But before Saturday comes, I'll make sure to claim my victory!"

"Oh Ann, that'll surely take some time knowing Miss Rachel and Zero's expertise in this game," Lady Rachel chided.

Vincent chuckled. "You never know, perhaps Miss Rachel may find it in herself to aid either of us."

Undertaker frowned mightily before hanging on me. "Why didn't you help me win~" He whined loudly.

I merely rolled my eyes and looked away.

Zero snorted. "She helps anyone on a fancy if it means seeing me lose."

I shrugged. "Oh, you never know. You've sometimes won out of pure luck."

He smirked. "Of which you lack the most."

I deadpanned.

Undertaker giggled. "My my, how unfortunate, my dear~"

"Oh, shut up. I don't need to hear it from you." I tried shoving him away to no success.

"Ah, but look at the time," the Earl interceded. "About time for us to get to bed. Next time, we should have Diedrich play, as well."

"Hihi, good plan, milord~"

"Very well, then. I bid good night to you all. My dear, shall we go?" He held a hand out to his wife who accepted it gracefully, and bidding us good night, they made their way out with Tanaka accompanying them.

Madame Red turned to me with renewed vigor. "So, shall we go another round?"

I blanked. "Ah, sorry, I'm feeling pretty tired. Perhaps tomorrow."

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, but then she glanced to Undertaker who had yet to remove himself from my person and somehow got the message that he wanted to talk to me privately. "Oh, alright, but next time, you won't escape so easily."

I smiled uneasily. "I'll take your word for it."

She smiled, patting my shoulder before making her way out.

"Welp, I'll leave you two to it, then." Zero stood up and stretched, getting ready to go.

I stared up at him. "Really?"

He must've understood my hidden innuendo because he leaned forward and nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, really. Night!" And with that he made his escape.

Ass.

I both dreaded but wanted to go to bed early, but having to face Undertaker who so patiently waited until we were alone made me hesitant. I was sweating bullets at this point.

"Sooo," he drawled, chest vibrating against mine. "Mind continuing where we left off earlier~" A sharp giggle and the slight tightening of his arm were obvious taunts.

"I mean, unless if you'd like to wait til tomorrow…"

His talons poked a bit harder.

I sighed. "What?"

He giggled and plopped his chin on my shoulder. "Why the runaway, hm~?" His nails played with strands of my hair as he waited.

I looked straight ahead, not wanting to be distracted. "Well, people like me shouldn't associate at all with people like them."

"Is that right?"

I huffed. "Shouldn't it?"

He smiled. "You can trust them, you know~ So long as you don't cross the Earl, that is~" He murmured softly, a lulling persuasion.

I rolled my eyes. Obviously. "Are you speaking from experience or camaraderie?"

He giggled. "Wouldn't you like to know~"

Suddenly wary with what that meant, I glanced to the side at him to find he had a bone-chilling smile on his face. Uh-oh.

"I would like to spar with you just before the event~"

I must've been silent too long because his grin suddenly sharpened. "What?"

"You said you wanted to practice with a stronger opponent, yes~"

I nodded. Dammit, he was right. I can't believe I forgot about that.

"Hihi, very well, then I'd like to warm up with you early in the morning. I'll let you know where~"

After that, he was silent, combing my hair with his talons as he allowed me time to process his words. However, after a while, it was obvious he had nothing left to say, but he was still playing with my hair.

"Um, shouldn't we get sleep?"

He chuckled, the vibration sending a thrill down my spine for whatever reason. "My sleeping schedule is erratic at best~ Bear with me, love~" With that, he proceeded to braid my hair.

Okay. Odd but not unusual.

I guess he wanted company, but only with myself? Maybe Zero irritated him enough that he needed some salve.

Whatever the case, I was a bit nervous of the sudden topic of sparring with him. Was it punishment for not getting close to the Phantomhives? Or was he planning to obtain information through that?

Neither wasn't implausible. But it wouldn't be escapable either. I shivered.

"Are you cold, dear?"

"No. Why do you ask?" I paused.

Oh.

I sighed and his irritating giggle informed me he knew of my dread for the upcoming spar.

Ah, whatever. Either way, the upcoming case was still shrouded in mystery. I had no idea who we were up against besides the fact that all the victims looked like me. Whether it was coincidence or intentional, the fact he'd gotten away with it so successfully made me suspicious that he had outside help.

But the moment Vincent allowed me one picture to glimpse at the victim, I could already tell. What was it that Vincent had planned?

Although it's odd to finally worry over such when I had only two days away, I suppose its best if I just stick to the plan. The moment I feel something's off, I'll act.

"Dearie~ Myyyy turn!" My hair, which was heavier now that it was braided, landed on my back before being tugged.

I turned around to face his back and gathered some strands. "What kind of braid do you want?"

He hummed, tapping his lip a while as I combed through it some before holding it together. "Whatever your heart desires~"

My brow twitched. It took him that long to come up with that?

I decided to settle on a French braid, having remembered a sketch Yana did for his hair. There was a sketch for a singular braid and two braids, but I liked the former better. It seemed more elegant and less girly in my opinion.

"So tell me, dear, where does this fear of trust originate from~"

I sighed. "So we're playing 20 Questions, are we?"

"Hihi, is that what it's called nowadays?" His head moved to glance at me, but I straightened it using his hair. Gentle tugs, I promise.

I shrugged. "Either way, me having trust issues isn't the issue here. Ironically."

His shoulders twitched. "Is that what you think~ Because you staying up aaaaall night for the first two weeks you lived with me says otherwise, love~"

I rolled my eyes, aggravated. "Of course, I was suspicious. I was injured, in a different timeline, and I didn't know anyone. How was I supposed to relax?"

He giggled, patting my knee. "Now now~ You've recovered exceedingly well! Even for my expectations, hihi~"

My brows knit. "What do you mean?"

He turned around to grin at me knowingly. "I would've expected some sort of breakdown from you, and yet, here you are still up and going~!"

I deadpanned. "People have different coping methods, I hope you know that."

His grin widened. "Does that include religious reasons?~"

I really, really, really wanted to smack him. Could I?

"I knew this would happen," I muttered, straightening his head back with little patience. I continued braiding in hopes it would distract me.

"Aww~ But surely, that passion in your eyes couldn't have been playing tricks in me mind~"

I could already feel my temple pulsing from how annoying he was, but then I remembered he had shit eyesight and I snorted instead.

"Hm~?"

"Nothing." Now that I was done braiding his hair, we were now seated on the couch in a blanket of silence.

It was odd that despite Undertaker's impromptu interview of me knowing his nature, he'd yet to press about me knowing the future. Supposedly.

I sweatdropped. Let's also not forget the few times he exposed his face to me. I hadn't expected him to do it so soon, but I'm guessing he was trying to use his unpredictability to make me react.

Ha, well, good luck with that!

"So, what now?"

"Hm, well, you still haven't answered my question~ Surely, there must've been more than just someone inspiring you to read the Bible~" He pouted.

I sighed through my nose. "You really wanna know, don't you?"

He leaned in real close with a leering grin as if though we were sharing secrets. "Either that or confess your worries~ Pick your poison, m'dear~"

I leaned away with a side glare before shifting a bit to get more comfortable. Well, as comfortable one can get when dealing with a clingy boss.

I sighed again. "Well, I was just wondering if I happened to the know culprit."

His grin became lopsided. "And you choose now to get all worried? Hi hi hi~!"

I frowned. "That's not what I meant. Merely that it's too coincidental that it's become suspicious. Maybe it's a bit of both intention and coincidence. The killer knows me and was lucky enough to stumble across someone who probably has some affinity to killing women who look like me?" I shrugged.

"Hm, very interesting~ So you believe there to be an accomplice~"

"Well, much like Zero's situation, so I wouldn't be surprised."

"Touche~ My, seems the culprit is of formidable intellect~"

My brow quirked. "Well, if he happens to share brawn, that makes for a daunting duo."

His smile quirked. "You do not think excess of one is more dangerous?"

I shrugged. "I mean, there is compromise in dealing with a bulky opponent who's an idiot compared to outwitting a genius with little strength. I mean, some things you just can't prevent."

He giggled. "Such as?"

I pursed my lips. "An asteroid, for example. A rock doesn't have a brain, but it doesn't mean crashing into the Earth won't wipe us all out."

He actually laughed at that. Not the whole building-shaking-sign-falling-down kind of laugh, but yeah, a laugh.

"Hi hi~ You always come up with such amusing things~" He wiped away a tear from under his fringe as I stared back.

I was suddenly overcome with such curiosity that my hand shot out to touch his fringe. Of course, it only brushed the bangs, but he still acted as though I punched him through the way he completely stilled, laugh cut short. He was analyzing, no, scrutinizing me. Deeply.

I waited to see if he'd do anything to remove my hand, but after a couple of seconds, I took it as confirmation that he was waiting for me to do it. Allowing me.

With a gentleness unbeknownst to me, I used the tips of my fingers to brush back some strands to expose his eyes. And of course, brilliant acid green stared back.

Undertaker's beauty was a daunting thing. If it weren't for the scar, I would've been completely unsettled with what would've been seamless perfection. But the scars seemed to make him more human.

Call me fucked up, but that's the way I saw it, personally.

After studying his eyes, fully conscious of him watching me as I did so, I made my attention deviate to his "eyebrows". In the manga, Yana depicted him having no eyebrows, and just to confirm, I wanted to see for myself. And voila, no eyebrows.

"Like what you see~" He even had the slight smirk, confirmation that he had the same smugness any confident guy would have. But, if you compared it to Sebastian's personality, his cockiness was nothing. Undertaker was humble but with a bit of arrogance that was just barely tolerable, fortunately for him.

I didn't care to respond but merely removed my finger and faced away from him.

He pouted and poked my cheek.

"What?"

"What was that about~"

"Just making sure."

"About what?"

"That you had no eyebrows."

He snickered, full blown smirking. "That's all you cared about~ Hihihi!"

I shrugged.

He shook his head. "Maybe it's about time you went to bed."

"About time." I got up, but he surprised me again by grabbing my arm.

"Whatever you're hiding in that little head of yours, m'dear~ I'll find out. All I need is time~" He smiled.

And for the life of me, I couldn't decide if it was predatory or comforting.

September 12, 1885 - Saturday

Evening

"Are you ready, m'dear~"

This was it. Cliche as it was, this was what it all boiled down to. All that training, corset-enduring, stack-as-many-books-on-Rachel's-head-as-possible, within an anxiety-driven environment has led to this.

But ironically, I was incredibly calm. Too collected.

Probably had to do with my spar with Undertaker, and let me just say: I had never realized that Undertaker could inspire so much fear in me. I'm not sure how much of it I contributed because of my perception of him, but not only the gap in skill but also in experience made me realize just how advanced he was.

The whole experience with practicing against Undertaker was the endless ringing of Othello's words to Grell in my mind. You don't really think you can beat him one-on-one, do you?

That was probably the main derivative for my dwindling confidence. If Undertaker noticed, he didn't say, but immediately pulling out his scythe was certainly unexpected.

A tap on my arm brought me to the present, and I looked to the side to find Undertaker grinning at me.

We were already dressed for the event, Un in a black dress suit and a matching tie for my lilac gown. Apparently, Undertaker had shared my measurements in order for a gown to be pre-made via the Phantomhive's usual tailor: the Hopkins shop.

Glad to know that I wouldn't have to worry about dealing with Nina's excitement just yet.

Fortunately, I was able to procure contact lenses from Zero so that we could reveal our eye color; mine because it was silver and Undertaker's due to the double iris. And since he'd have to expose his face, I took extra care to conceal the scar with some makeup. Otherwise, I ended up with purple lenses and his a frosty blue. It still threw me off, however, anytime I looked up at him, but at least it would make me remember our fake names.

"You remember the aliases, yes~?"

I sighed. "Yeah. You're the fiancé, I'm Madame Red's protege, etc. I just don't know why she waited so long to tell me she'd be accompanying us?"

"Hi hi~ Perhaps she wanted to see her hard work in action~"

"Hm, we'll see."

"And my name, dearest?"

"James Hughes and I'm Lena Williams." I crinkled my nose. "Such white names."

His hand squeezed my shoulder comfortingly. "Here we are~"

The carriage that was on the way to the event pulled up to a lavish manor where our suspected culprit is supposed to attend. Madame Red and co. were in the next carriage after us.

As proper decorum would have it, Undertaker got off first before offering a hand to help me down. And like a proper lady, I tucked my hand into his arm as he led us inside the party.

Immediately, I covertly scanned the faces for any suspicious persons and activity. For now, everyone was not-so-secretly staring at us, so I'd have to wait patiently for the kidnapper to reveal themselves to me.

Eventually, the attention should die down, but if I truly looked like the victims, the suspect should eventually make themselves known to me. At least, theoretically.

Undertaker's arm nudged me as the host made their way to us.

"Ah, James, glad you could make it with your fiancé. Ms. Williams, a pleasure to meet you." He took my hand and kissed it after shaking Undertaker's hand, and I was incredibly glad to be wearing gloves.

"The pleasure is mine."

"Ah, Madame Red. So this is the protege you mentioned in your invitation."

Madame Red smiled charmingly as she joined us from behind. And, as expected, Vincent, Diedrich, and Tanaka were already blending in to the crowd. The plan was coming along nicely, so far.

"But of course. She seemed promising for my career, so of course I invited her under my wing from America."

Our host, Carter Wright, looked at me with surprised eagerness, brows almost to his hairline. "From America, you say? My, quite the lucky lady, aren't you?"

I smiled. "I simply took advantage of an open opportunity."

"Ah, and for how long have you been with us."

"About a couple or so months."

"Ah, enough time for a good catch, eh?" He smirked at Undertaker.

Of course, Un chuckled, but embracing his persona as James, smiled down fondly at me before his arm wrapped around my waist to complete the picture of a lovely couple. "Well, after my first meeting with this lovely lady, who would say no to another chance meeting?"

"Call it love at first sight." I smiled back fondly, but inwardly, I was both dying and cringing. One, dying of laughter that the fucking Undertaker was being romantic, and second, cringing because we were the complete picture of happiness. All I needed was to glue googly eyes on my face and we'd be set.

Our host smiled benignly, as though the idea were naive, but shrugged. "As the lady insists. Well, do excuse me, but please make yourselves at home and enjoy the evening." With that, he resumed greeting more of the guests that entered during our conversation.

Unfortunately, I could hear Madame Red snickering behind her fan that she used to shield her face with. But considering we were in a populated area, I couldn't risk blowing our cover.

I tugged Undertaker's arm to lead him to a more discreet location, feeling the burn of humiliation on the tips of my ears. Even Undertaker couldn't hide his amusement with all his snickering.

"Oh, shut up, already," I grumbled quietly, knowing full well he could hear me clearly.

"Hehe, I knew you were capable, but 'love at first sight'?" His shoulders shook.

I sighed.

We reached a corner of the room that was less populated but made it easier for us to see anyone who entered at least once. My first instinct would've been to smell any scent of blood, but considering the amount of people here, it would be hard to distinguish.

Plus, I still believed that whoever was here wasn't the one to kill them. The suspect likely drew the target away before the accomplice killed them, making it hard for the kidnapper to be accused if it were a two-man crime.

"Dearest~"

"What?"

"Any suspects so far?"

I sighed. "None."

He tapped my nose. "Not even with this little button?"

I swatted his hand away with my fan. "I tried, but with all the scents and perfumes, it's too confusing. Almost gave me a headache."

He hummed. Just then, the orchestra started playing and a smile flitted onto his lips. "For the meanwhile, why don't we dance? Perhaps he hasn't seen you yet, and it's a great way to expose yourself."

I looked at him slightly pained but concurred. I could only hope I don't make a fool of myself.

Undertaker held out a hand, grinning mockingly as he knew how much I hated dancing. I only raised an eyebrow as I accepted only to be led to the dance floor. Assuming the proper position, we melded with the crowd of swaying fabric and twirling feet.

"So, about earlier…" Undertaker's hands squeezed mine.

Oh great, here we go.

"Do you really believe in love at first sight?"

I snorted. "Of course not. Lust? Sure. But love? I can understand general love or kindness to care about someone else at a friendly level, but to believe you're intimate with someone you barely know much less their name and call that love? I consider that more of an attraction than anything else."

"Oh? And what of those who claim they fell in love at first sight and stay together?"

"Then they're just lucky. You have no idea how liberally that phrase is coined only to end in divorce or breakup and a new relationship started. Love is more of doing than simply liking someone."

He hummed, but let the topic end. As we danced on in companionable silence, I found it was less awkward now that I didn't find myself stepping on his feet.

However, it didn't distract that I felt one stare that hadn't relented.

"Un. We got a winner."

His smile widened a bit. "About time."

07/02/2020

Bit of a cliffie, but our current arc will conclude in the next update.

Until next time! Thank you for your patience!