"Yes the Duke and I had an affair but we broke ago a week ago" Julie said.
She was a pretty woman. Her blond hair was tied up into a high ponytail and her large blue eyes were wide and innocent. She was short but curvy and had a sexy smile which practically drew men to her.
"So why did you two break up?" Ciel asked.
"I got a call from the Duchess a week ago. She told me to stay away from her husband and that he was a murderer. It sounded like she was drunk. At first I thought she was just jealous and that it was normal for her to tell me to back off her husband. I told the Duke about it and he seemed rather upset about it. Then I decided not to put myself into problems and broke it off"
"So you broke off amicably?" Alois asked.
"Yes he was fine with it" Julie replied.
Ciel nodded and then looked around the bookshelves. There were various books of different areas of finance and then she spotted a green colored spine in the midst of all that large tomes.
"What work do you do?" Ciel asked suddenly.
"I'm a financial investments advisor" Julie replied.
"Then why is a book on botany in your shelf?" Ciel stood and pulled out the book.
"That isn't mine. It must be the Duke's" Julie said.
"But didn't you return all the gifts that the Duke gave you? Then why leave this book?"
"He never gave a book as a gift. He must have left it somewhere the last time he was over. My maid must have just kept it back on the shelf. I should return it" Julie said.
"Don't worry ma'am, we'll return it to him" Ciel said and then tucked the book into her bag.
They returned home and Ciel began reading the book.
"So the Duchess was lying. She had been drinking during those two weeks but privately. But then why phone Julie and tell her that the Duke was a murderer?" Alois asked.
"How did he become chess champion?" Ciel asked keeping her eyes on the book.
"He wasn't the chess champion last year. There was an American named Kevin who had the title. He apparently died during the final match because of a heart attack which made the Duke become champion" Claude replied.
"Kevin died the same way as the Duchess" Alois pointed.
"And this is how he did it" Ciel stood and held out the open page she had been reading.
"What plant is that?" Alois asked.
"Apparently called Oriandor, this plant's flower's nectar makes a deadly poison which gives the victim a heart attack and soon enough death after a few minutes" Ciel replied.
"I saw that plant at the Duke's mansion" Sebastian said.
"So the Duke killed Kevin first. Somehow the Duchess found out about it and now she's dead. Why kill his wife?" Alois asked.
"We don't have proof that he killed Kevin" Ciel pointed out.
"Unless he confesses himself" Claude said.
"I think it's time to give the Duke a visit. Alone" Ciel said closing the book.
"Alone? Ciel, I don't think that's such a good idea" Alois said.
"He wants a game? I'll give him a game" Ciel declared.
"You don't even know how to play chess!" Alois exclaimed.
"I don't, but Ciel does" Ciel replied tapping her head.
Sebastian smirked and so did Claude.
"Lady Ciel, time for bed" Hannah said with a curtsie as she came in. Alois turned bright red in an instant.
"Let's go, Hannah. Tomorrow night I'll pay the Duke a little visit. You'll listen to my plan in the morning" Ciel said.
She walked off and Hannah tucked her into bed. The next morning Ciel began making her plan. At night, Sebastian drove Ciel to the mansion.
"You have to be careful" Sebastian said.
"I know he thinks two steps ahead of his opponent. Don't worry about me. Grandfather Ciel will help me along the way" Ciel said and then got out of the car.
She was dressed in casual jeans and a blue tee shirt. She knocked on the door of the mansion and it was opened by Harry.
"Welcome back Countess Phantomhive. The master has been expecting you" Harry said with a bow.
Ciel nodded and followed Harry inside. The Duke was seated in his study with a newly assembled chess board in front of him. The Duke was seated behind the black pieces. Ciel smirked as she realized he was letting her make the first move.
"Are you here to take me up on my offer of a game?" The Duke asked.
"No, I have no interest of playing a game with you" Ciel replied with a smile.
"After so long I have found an opponent worthy of playing a game with. You should be happy, Countess, because I find you worthy of this game" The Duke said.
"I have no interest in playing a superficial game. I prefer playing in the real world like this. Just like you" Ciel replied.
"But you can't beat me. Even Kevin tried but died in the process"
"Kevin and your wife's death are related. But I can't prove it" Ciel said.
"You're giving up so easily? The Queen's Guard Dog is giving up? I had great expectations from you" The Duke said with a smirk.
"Have you ever seen a lion chase deer before? Sometimes the lion catches the deer and sometimes the deer is so fast that the lion stops the chase. You know why? Because the lion knows when to stop and in this jungle there are lots of other deer. In this city there are lots of other criminals for me to catch" Ciel replied.
"I like your thinking. Let's start the game over a drink. I've ordered the most expensive champagne just for you"
The Duke stood and went over to the mini fridge. He pulled two champagne flutes and poured out the wine. He turned to return the bottle and Ciel pulled out a small packet of powder. She opened it silently and poured it into a glass. She stood innocently as the Duke turned around.
The Duke then reached out and grabbed Ciel's glass. Ciel stared at him in confusion.
"You should learn by now, Countess. I always think two steps ahead of my opponent. Putting something in another person's drink is a rather old trick" The Duke drained his glass of wine and sat back down on his chair.
Ciel leaned against the empty chair opposite the Duke just as the smile fell off his face. The glass fell from the Duke's hand as he began to shiver uncontrollably.
"You put something in your own glass. You knew that I would switch the glasses and take yours. What did you put in there?" The Duke asked.
"Exactly the same thing you put in Kevin and the Duchess's glass. Oriandor powder. In just a few minutes you will have a heart attack and then die. No one will suspect me" Ciel replied.
"You can't do this!"
"I know. I'm not like you so I'm giving you a chance. Confess what you did and I'll give you the antidote" Ciel said.
There was no answer from the Duke.
"Okay then, goodbye" Ciel turned to leave. "Wait!"
She turned back to see the Duke staring at her with hatred.
"I killed Kevin because I couldn't beat him. I couldn't become number one without beating him. So the day of the match I mixed the powder in his water bottle. He drank some water during the match and then got a heart attack. No one suspected me for anything since they though he died by natural reasons"
Ciel sat down and continued listening.
"It was our wedding anniversary and I drank a lot in celebration. I was drunk and I confessed to Alfreda that I had killed Kevin. She began pushing me away and not even talking to me. She stared drinking uncontrollably. Then I met Julie. When Alfreda found out about Julie, she called Julie and in her drunken state told her about me being a murderer. I realized that when she was drunk Alfreda could tell anyone about my crime"
The Duke took in large gasps of air and his chest constricted.
"Then what?" Ciel asked.
"I mixed the powder in Alfreda's alcohol stash she hid under her bed. Then I left for Wales and she died with a heart attack. When I returned I threw away her stash to remove suspicion from me. Please give me the antidote" The Duke replied.
"I didn't mix Oriandor powder in your drink" Ciel said and the Duke stared at her in shock.
"I mixed in something that would give a strong case of acidity. You thought you had a heart attack because your chest was constricting. Drink this" Ciel tossed a glass bottle at the Duke.
The Duke began to laugh.
"Acidity? This means I never confessed and I never did anything wrong. You can't prove anything now" He said.
"I've learnt from you that you should think two steps ahead. This had taken down your confession" Ciel pulled out her phone. "My butler has been sent this confession via Bluetooth. Even if you take me down, you can't do anything to my butler".
The Duke stared at the phone which Ciel tucked into her jeans. She stood and leaned over the chess board. She smiled when she pushed the black King down with her finger. The sound of the chess piece falling echoed around the room.
"Checkmate"
