A week after Madam Red's funeral, the young duchess who wore a white dress and hair in twisted low pony tail, stood up beside her butler in front of her servants in her ruined garden with a smile and killing aura behind her. Made the servants trembled in fear.
"Now... My dear servants. Please tell me what happen with my beautiful garden while I'm having my breakfast earlier?" Asked Laura with a smile and killing aura behind her.
"We... We are sorry~!" Said all of the servants while crying and kneeled in front their mistress.
"Th-There's an intruders who wants to go inside the manor, my lady. So all of us chase them and capture them." Said Johaness, the gardener with a brown hair while scratched his head with a nervous smile, and the other servants nodded.
"And we decide to help Johaness to capture the intruders before they go inside!" Said Suzie and Susan in unison.
"By throwing the statues, destroy the fountain, using a gun to destroy a window glasses, and kill all of the plants with pesticide?" Asked Laura in killing aura.
"We... We thought if we scared them, they will leave." Said Caesar didn't have courage to look at his mistress.
Laura sighed, "now, is the intruders already captured?".
"Yes, my lady! This is the intruders!" Said Johaness while showed her the intruders which are mice, and cockroach, which made Laura bit shocked and Yvet who saw her just held his laugh.
Laura looked at the intruders for a while, and she sighed again. "I see, well... Please kill that 'intruders' and good job for capturing it." Said her smiling. All of the servants smiled happily with the compliment.
"BUT! Next time you destroyed something again... I will give you all punishment." Said Laura with a smile and killing aura, and the servants nodded bit scared. "Now, please... fix the garden and the window now. Don't disappoint me." Ordered Laura, and the servants saluted at her. "Yes my lady!" And they began to fixed the garden and the manor's window.
Laura nodded, and went inside her manor. Yvet who stood behind her chuckled. "What is it, Yvet? Is there something funny?" Asked Laura trembled because of some reason.
Yvet smirked at her, "Forgive me, my lady. But, your face looks funny when you saw the 'intruders'. Specially, when you saw 'that' insects." He said with a teased smile on his face while held his laugh. "Even you are strong woman, you are still have a weakness with something."
Laura stared at her butler, and death glared while still have goosebumps, "Don't you ever dare laughed. I'm a woman, so of course I have a weakness against insects! Especially 'that' insect!" Scolded her and sighed. "I need to do my job, Yvet help them fix the garden and do your job."
"Yes, my lady." Replied Yvet bowed to her, and Laura went to her study room.
In her study room, Laura sat behind her desk which full of pile of paper and document from her company. She sighed in tiredness and she saw a letter from The Queen on her desk. "Another day, another case..." Said her while opened the letter and read it.
When she read the letter, there a knocking sound from the outside made Laura back to the reality. "Come in." Said her allow the person outside to open the door.
The door opened and revealed Yvet, her butler with a frowned face. "My lady, I got a call from The Earl Phantomhive. He said he will come here for discuss about today's case before afternoon tea."
"I see, and why are you frowning?" Asked her confused.
"it's nothing, my lady. You don't have to worry about it." Answered the butler with a smile on his face. And Laura just shrugged.
"Well, you can prepare the tea and sweets for me and Ciel. And after that you can continue your job." Said her with gentle smile showed on her face. Yvet smiled at her and bowed before went outside the study room for continue his job.
Few moments later, Ciel with his butler who carried the luggage, and his servants arrived at Laura's manor. Yvet opened the door after Sebastian rang the bell, which made Yvet death glared at Ciel's butler and put a fake smile after that.
"Welcome Master Earl Phantomhive, we've been waiting for you." Said Yvet welcomed Ciel. "Please follow me. Lady Laura is waiting in her study room." Continued him.
After Suzie and Susan took the earl and Sebastian's coats, Ciel and Sebastian followed Yvet to Laura's study room, leaving his servants with Laura's servants. Yvet knocked the door, and heard a faint sound 'Come in' from the other side. And he opened the door revealed Laura who sat behind her desk with a warm smile. And then she stood up from the chair and walked toward Ciel and Sebastian
"Good afternoon Ciel, and Sebastian. And welcome to my manor." Said Laura curtsied to both of them.
" Good afternoon, Lady Laura. I amazed that you have a magnificent manor and beautiful garden." Said Ciel.
"Thank you for your compliment, Ciel. Please have a seat." Said Laura smiling and sat down on the couch across from Ciel. "Yvet, please prepare a tea and snack for both of us."
"Yes, my lady."Answered Yvet bowed and went to the kitchen.
"Sebastian, leave us both alone. Help her butler prepare a tea while we're talking." Ordered Ciel looked at Sebastian.
"Yes, my lord." Answered Sebastian bowed to him. He glanced at Laura, and smiled at her. Which made Laura bit blushed because of his smile, and he went to the kitchen leaving his master alone with the young Duchess.
"Lady Laura, do you know of Pastime called bear batting?" Asked the young Earl.
Laura nodded, "Yes, it's the popular activities in England until the activities was banned in 1835 under the cruelty to animal acts." Answered the young Duchess. "The bears are tied up, whipped, and have packs of wild dogs set upon them until they were finally killed." Continued her, and she felt disgust in that activities.
"Yes, you were right about that. But even it was said to be banned, a loophole remained. If the bullying dogs were not goaded, what would happen?"
"It would cause a case of one animal baiting another, we can say that as animal bullying." Replied Laura. "And our job is to stop those cruel activities, right Ciel?" She asked.
"Yes. There is a village where they do that, Houndsworth. It's famous for raising hunting dogs. However, beneath that, it has another side which makes Her Majesty's heart wrenched."
"I read her letter, and she asked us to investigate this village under the pretext of making it her resort, so people in this village won't get really suspicious about our true intention." Said her while tugged her hair to behind her ear. "And when will we go there then?"
"Tomorrow morning, because it will take a few days to get there." The Earl answered. "And I already send the letter to the leader of the village about our arrival."
"Okay, I agree with you about that and I hope the letter will be arrived before we get there." Said Laura smiling at him, which caused Ciel smiled too.
PRANG!
Laura and Ciel surprised because of the crashing sound, made Ciel confused and Laura just sighed. "I think one of my maids break something again. Forgive me about my servants act."
Ciel shook his head, "it's okay, Lady Laura. It seems some of your servants almost the same like mine. Always breaking things." He said, and Laura giggled before continue their talk about the case.
When they are talked about the strategy, a knock sound was heard, made Laura and Ciel stop their chat. "Come in." Said Laura in calm voice.
The door opened, and two butlers came inside the study's room. Yvet pushed the cart with a tea and cakes on it, while Sebastian closed the door and standing beside his master with a little smirk on his face.
"Forgive us for make you waiting. Today's afternoon tea is Earl Grey, and today's snack is strawberry sponge cake and vanilla macaroon with dark chocolate as the filling." Said Yvet, and he began poured a tea, and then gave the tea to his mistress and The Earl.
"Thank you, Yvet." Said Laura, and she began to sipped her tea with Ciel. "Ciel, I'm positive you will stay over here, right?" Asked her, and Ciel nodded as his answer. "I see. Then if you don't mind, Yvet will give you and your butler a tour around my manor after we're done with our snack ^^. You don't want to get lost my manor right~?"
Ciel just chuckled, and after they finished with their snack, Yvet began to gave the Earl and his butler a tour. Laura apologized to them, because she must done her company's papers so she can't joined them, and Ciel just nodded a bit before joined Yvet to went outside from the study's room.
- Few days later -
"Holiday~! Holiday~! We're going on a Holiday~!" Ciel's servants, Mey-rin the maid, Finny the gardener, and Bardroy or Bard the chef chanted in the whole carriage ride with Tanaka, Ciel's previous butler took the reins. Laura who sat in the same carriage with Ciel, Yvet, and Sebastian heard them, and she felt glad not to bring her servants, because it will become noisier if they were joined. Then, Laura began hummed a song to distracted her from their noisy sounds.
"You humming again, Lady Laura. What songs you hum today?" Said Ciel who heard her hummed, and Laura smiled at him.
"Well, it just a song called "woodpecker song". And Ciel, you and Sebastian can call me 'Laura' from now on ^^. We're friends right." She said with a wide smile, and Ciel chuckled.
"If you say so then, Laura." Said Ciel with a small smile. "If you don't mind, will you sing that song? It's good to hear another song than my servant's."
"Sure ^^." Answered her, and the duchess who wore a light brown long sleeves dress and the dutch braid low pony tail, began to sing a 'woodpecker' song.
One mischievous little woodpecker
Another day, pecking your holes
Ruining the woods, tree wrecker
The angry old forest god turned your poor beak into a poison knife
Poor little wood pecker
Your nesting holes are all tainted, your food with toxins rife
Touch your friends, and they all will die falling at your feet
Oh, sad little woodpecker
Poisonous tears, shining brightly, as they stream down your cheeks...
"Beautiful song and you have a beautiful voice, Laura. Your voice is like an angel." Said Sebastian who is took the reins with Yvet who sat beside him.
"Thank you for your compliment, Sebastian. I'm happy you love the song" Laura blushed and smiled at him.
"Hey, Sebastian... If you flirting my mistress one more time, I will kill you immediately in this place." Yvet death glared at Sebastian, and Sebastian smirked at him. "But, I think she doesn't mind about that, Yvet. And she deserves a compliment about her beautiful voice." Replied Sebastian.
The butlers glared each other with killing aura. Laura saw them with a confused face, while Ciel sighed at the butlers and began to chat with Laura.
Meanwhile, Ciel's servants chatted to each other happily about their 'vacation'.
"We're going to the Queen's health resort, how lovely~ oh yes." Said Mey rin, while the carriages reached to a sign with a named Houndsworth.
Behind the sign, a large wilted tree with dog collars hanging on the branches. The three servants stared at the tree with horror, while Laura and Ciel just silent.
"Hey, a villager. Tanaka, stop the carriage." Shouted Finny, and after Tanaka stopped the carriage, Finny went to help the villager who is an old woman pushing a baby carriage.
"Let me help you, granny." Said Finny with his hands on the baby carriage.
"No, you shouldn't do that Finny! If you not careful, the baby will-" Mey rin stop her talk and she with Bard stared in shock while Finny accidently threw the carriage.
"I...I'm so sorry!" Shouted Finny with his arms by his side.
"Is the baby alright?!" Freaked Mey rin.
But when they checked the carriage, there's no baby in there but inside the carriage is an animal skull wrapped with blanket.
"There is no baby here and there never was... And he had been eaten by "that"." Said the young lady and she pushed the baby carriage away while singing a tune. "The white dog is a good dog, a good dog good. The black dog is a bad dog, a bad dog bad. He'll eat your flesh down to bone, down to bone. The lullaby sun sets~." She sang as she disappeared into the fog.
"That's the reason why we are here. Apparently the population has been decreased into one third of its size due to villagers being violently killed or gone missing. And a part of our job is to find out why and put an end to the problem." Said Ciel, and they began move on again. As their went, a large beautiful lake shown from the distance.
"Oh, they have a beautiful lake." Said Laura smiling when she saw it. "Somehow it's starting to look like a resort." Continued her as she with the others entered the village. There are a lot of dogs barking and the surroundings are grey.
"Wow, I would pet him. Oh yes I would!" Said Mey rin when she saw a young man trained a dog.
Yvet looked at the trainer and then he looked around. "Such a peaceful village, even there's so many barks."
"Indeed, it is a peaceful village." Said Sebastian and he saw the dog trainer with the dog in disgust, "He warps its will with reward and punishment, and forces obedience. But the dog is not to blame. It fawns over human and welcomes the chain around its neck. Can't understand why?" Said Sebastian to himself.
"If you're trying to get something deeper. Just say it." Said CIel.
"Thank you, my lord. I love cats, but I'm not very fond with dogs... Or rather to be completely frank. I hate them." Answered Sebastian.
"But you don't hate Yvet right, Sebastian? Even my butler is a demon wolf" Asked Laura innocently. Ciel and Yvet who heard it just smirked.
Sebastian looked at Yvet, and then he looked back at Laura with a smile. "Of course I won't hate him. He is an exception, and I respect him." He said. "But he is still a rival to get your heart, my Lady." Thought Sebastian while glared at Yvet with a fake smile.
"Woof." Yvet barked with a mocked smile, and Ciel with Laura just chuckled.
They rode up to a large manor on top of a hill. A maid with bluish white hair and dark purple eyes came out from the manor and up to Ciel's and Laura's carriage.
"I presume, The Earl of Phantomhive and The Duchess of Hansford?" She asked in polite sound.
"Yes." Said Sebastian glared at her.
Laura looked at the bluish haired maid with a curious look. The maid has a fair skin and a petit figure which made her looks innocent, but too innocent. "Yvet..." Whispered The Duchess to her butler, "Do you feel anything wrong from her?"
"I apologize, but I don't feel anything from her... For now." Answered Yvet while he watched the maid.
"Welcome to Barrymore castle. My master awaits your arrival." Said the maid politely. Laura and Ciel with their butlers heard the others talked about how pretty she is. Laura looked at the servants and giggled with a low voice when she saw Finny stared at the maid with a blushed face. Laura came down from the carriage as Yvet helped her, and Ciel came down after her with Sebastian's help. They walked inside leaved the other servants outside to carried the luggage.
"This way." Said the maid as she opened the door.
Laura, Yvet, Sebastian, and Ciel gasped to saw all the animal heads hung on the wall. Suddenly there's a snap and a gasp which made the four turn their head to saw a man whipped the maid who on the floor on her knees and her arms blocking the strikes.
"Who the devils are this Chihuahua and Poodle! I told you to retrieve the Queen's messengers!" The man shouted in anger.
"Chihuahua...", "Poodle..." Said Sebastian and Yvet in unison, and Ciel's mouth dropped while Laura just poker face (like this "=_=").
"Can't you do a simple thing like that, Angela!" Shouted the man, and he whipped at the maid who is known as Angela. But the man's arm was grabbed by Sebastian, and Yvet helped Angela up. The man saw the butlers and got angrier.
"What are you doing, you filthy Dobermans?! Trying to bite my head off, are you?! Let me go! And don't help her!" He shouted at the butlers.
"You better stop your act, Lord Henry. They are acting at our orders." Said Laura.
"Who are you two?" The man known as Henry asked.
"By the sounds of it you got my letter. My name is The Earl Ciel Phantomhive. And beside me is The Duchess Laura Hansford." He replied.
"You mean a little toy poodles like you two are the Queen's messenger?!" Said Henry.
"You don't like small breeds, Lord Henry?" Laura asked, and after that they all went to Henry's study room. While Yvet helped Angela who stand by with Sebastian served the tea to the two lords and mistress, Ciel told Henry the messages from the Queen but Henry kept refusing, and that made Laura sighed lightly and put her hand on her face.
"And why is that, Lord Barrymore?" Laura stated.
"It's because of the curse." Henry replied and that caused Ciel and Laura to raised their eyebrows.
"The Curse?" Ciel asked.
"Yes, it's the curse that is placed on the village and the Barrymore's name for generations. And the one who dares to intrude will be cursed as well." He explained, but Ciel and Laura doesn't seem to be convinced by the explanation, and Laura is curious about the curse rather than fear. It's getting dark before the conversation is over, so they decided to stay a night and they are escorted to their rooms.
Laura already changed herself with nightgown, and she decided to read a book before went to bed. She thought about the curse and started to get headache.
"My lady, are you okay? Do you need something?" Asked Yvet who stand behind her with worried face.
"I'm fine Yvet. I just had too much to think about this case and the curse." Answered her with a warm smile.
"Please don't work too hard."
Laura giggled and smirked, "It's kind of weird to hear that from the demon who only cared about my soul. But thank you for worrying." Said her, and Yvet just stared at her with silent. And suddenly there's a loud howl sound, made Laura and Yvet surprised.
"Wha... What is that sound?!" Said Laura.
"Oh no! The demon hound is here!"
Laura and her butler heard Angela's voice from Ciel's room, and they immediately went there to saw the silhouette of a dog's head on the curtain.
"What is that!? Yvet!" Laura ordered almost in the same time as Ciel ordered his butler. Sebastian ran and yanked the curtains open. Yvet ran over to the window and looked outside. But the butlers saw nothing but a glowing green trail.
"Young master, Young mistress, look." Sebastian pointed out the glowing green trail and they immediately walked outside. Sebastian began to observed the substance and felt it through his finger. Yvet touched the substance too and sighed. "I hope this demon hound is a fake..." Muttered Yvet, and Sebastian heard it.
"What do you mean your highness?"
Yvet smirked, "You will know when the time's come, Sebastian. And beside this is your job as butler to search the answer." He answered and blow the substance out of his finger as a group of villagers came up to Angela and told her about the demon hound. Ciel's servants came out from the house still in their night clothes because of the commotions, and they followed their master and the others to saw a dead body of man which is covered in bite marks soaked in blood.
"That man..." Thought Laura and she recognized the man from earlier when they came into the village. When Lord Henry came to the scene and explained that the dead man known as James was the bad dog and broke the five dog rule, Laura came closer to her butler, "Yvet... After this commotion, please find the cause of the shadow, and search the demon hound. I've got the feeling this will get more interesting." Whispered her.
"Yes, my lady." Answered Yvet and he looked at his mistress, "Are you sure you can stay alone in this place without me? This is more dangerous than last time."
"It's okay. I can take care of myself. Beside there's Sebastian and the others with me." Replied her. "Now go, don't let them caught you. Inform me immediately after you done."
Yvet bowed and suddenly before he disappeared, he pecked Laura's cheek and made his young mistress surprised and blushed.
"Y-Yvet!?" Laura still shocked and tried to understand his act. Yvet smirked and he began to disappear without the villagers knowing, and Laura who's still surprised and blushed returned to her room with the others. "Wha-What did he do to me...? *Oh my word..." She thought while face palmed her face without knowing Ciel's butler saw her with jealousy.
"So... This is the way you want to play, Your Highness..."