Chapter 3
"So, care to explain?"
The three of them were situated in Madam Red's office within her estate. A gorgeous looking home, really, although Grell could improve on his gardening skills. The woman in question sat behind her desk with her fingers intertwined, staring intently at the strange woman whom her butler claims to be his 'friend'. She was not returning her gaze, but rather seemed to be looking beyond her, out of sorts.
The reaper leaned against his companion's chair nonchalantly. "This is Seir. I met her a century ago. She's a demon." Straight to the point.
"A demon?" she muttered. "Are you of any use to me?"
The redhead paused, waiting for a response. Grell snapped his fingers to grab her attention, and Seir blinked.
"Depends. What are you doing?"
The noblewoman's eyes narrowed at the reaper. "She doesn't know?"
"I know you're committing murders," the demon interjected. "But the reason is beyond me. Although I don't particularly care."
"All the better." Satisfied, knowing her butler wouldn't go out of his way to betray her, she leaned back into the cushion of her chair to decompress. "Do you have a cover story? I spent a fortune on that dress, so I'm inclined to have you wear it."
"Is family out of the question?" Seir inquired.
Madam Red pinched her nose. "Unfortunately. The one I'm most worried about questioning your origins is my nephew, Ciel Phantomhive."
"Sebby's his butler," Grell winked. "Sexiest thing on the planet."
"So I've heard."
"He would be suspicious if I claimed you were my niece," she continued. "Or even my cousin ten times removed. His butler is efficient to the wire - he'll see through it if my nephew believes he smells something amiss."
"Why exactly should your nephew care?" She asked, scratching her cheek.
At this, Madam Red grimaced. "He is the Queen's Watchdog. Deals with any underground or suspicious activity that she wants investigated." Pulling out a newspaper from a drawer in her desk, she displayed the headline describing the recent killings of 'Jack the Ripper'. Her silence insinuated the end of her explanation.
"...I see."
The trio (duo) basked in silence, deep in thought.
"What if," Seir proposed. "I claim relation to Grell?"
The noblewoman leaned her head on her fist, giving her full attention. "How so?"
"Simply that he is my brother. I married rich and I wish to reclaim my dear Grell who went into servitude to support his family from afar. I will pester you continuously until you give him back, presumably never."
"And your husband?"
"In America on business."
"What does he do?"
"Trade, perhaps?"
Back and forth they went in order to build a credible story.
They settled on her idea on the condition that she is not always present with them, lest she appear too suspicious (which suited her just fine). Her husband is away in America to settle some deals on the import of tobacco here in London. She would claim to be twenty two, and Grell would have left her family when she was sixteen. There Grell would write to her when he could, stating that he would work as a servant for a multitude of families before his last letter referencing Madam Red ("Angelina Dalles", she finally clarified). Then Seir would have traveled from her estate in Bakewell, which just left the problem of needing servants herself to solidify the evidence. As Madam Red stated, "No self-respecting noblewoman travels alone for so far."
Whatever that meant.
For this, the woman would hire new servants tomorrow to temporarily act as her own.
"...Alright, I think that will be sufficient." Standing up, the redhead stretched her arms, both weighed down by the new addition to her entourage but content that she has a new knight on her board. "I'm going to retire. Grell, show…"
Angelina blinked at her realization. "We should come up with a name for you."
At this, her reaper jumped up. "How about Reis?!"
Seir's nose scrunched up at the suggestion. "It's too obvious."
"We're working with the Queen's Watchdog," Madam Red stated after a long suffering sigh. "Lauren Bennett. That is your name."
"No arguments here."
"Then Grell, please show Lady Bennett to her chambers." She then muttered something about wine before letting herself out.
Grell pouted. "I liked it."
"How long did it take for you to come up with that one?"
"About ten minutes."
"...I'm going to sleep."
She wasn't sure what she expected when she woke up, but a frightful, lanky butler shaking her awake was not one of them.
"Wakey wake-"
"Holy shit!"
"Where's Grell?"
"I don't know," Seir shrugged as she settled into her dining chair. Putting on her new dress herself had been quite a feat, but she managed to do it… somehow. "Was I supposed to see him?"
Madam Red took a delicate sip of tea while a servant spread butter on a slice of toast. "I sent him to wake you up."
"Maybe you sent a different Grell?" A plate of hotcakes were laid in front of her, and she eagerly reached for the syrup.
"What do you m-"
The dining hall door slammed open, and a furious man stormed into the room. "Look what you did to my face!"
The noblewoman at the table gasped. "Grell, what happened to you?!"
"Grell?"
"Psycho-bitch has a killer right hook," he muttered, ignoring the shocked expressions of the other staff. "Didn't even get two words out before she knocked me out."
"Psycho-bitch?! You looked like a serial killer!"
Madam Red choked on her tea.
A nearby waiter fussed over her as she tried to wave him away. After a minute of desperate coughing, she took a deep breath to recollect herself.
"Staff, leave. Grell will say when breakfast is over."
Almost eagerly, all of them save for the trio at the table filed out of the dining room. Once of doors shut, Seir couldn't help but guffaw.
"Shut up!" the reaper exclaimed, nursing his wound. "This is your fault!"
"You look - haha - you look so fucking stupid!"
He growled again, bearing his teeth, but the giant bruise blossoming on the side of his face only made her laugh harder. Even Madam Red elicited a chuckle before catching herself.
"Anyway," she coughed. "We need to discuss something important, Lady Bennett."
The demon in question was wiping away her tears before realizing that she was being addressed. Clearing her throat, she composed herself. "Yes, Madam Red?"
The noblewoman's somber tone sobered the atmosphere. "My next victim is tonight. Mary Kelly."
Seir sliced her hotcakes after drowning them in liquid sugar. "What do I have to do?"
"First I will make a stop to my nephew's estate. It's best that you get acquainted, at the very least."
"Very well."
"Grell will get her ready for our return. Then, you will see how we do our work. You should familiarize yourself before I assign you to any tasks."
"Sounds good."
"Then we head out in two hours. Grell will help you prepare." The red haired woman delicately wiped her mouth and stood.
Seir stared at him from the corner of her eye as he whimpered in pain. "Right."
"Then excuse me."
With that, she left the room.
The demon turned to her companion. "So what should I expect from good ol' Sebby?"
At the mention of his name the reaper perked up, battle wound forgotten. "He's stoic, and so focused on his task of playing butler. He's handsome, but unobtainable. He's perfect."
Why did I bother asking? she wondered.
...Let's hope this just doesn't get ugly.
"Yeah, she's playing hooky with a reaper."
"Mm."
"Okay. What do I do?" Furfur shoved his hands in his pockets as he stared at the demon lounging on the couch, wholly focused on his novel. A short, curly mane of soft blue hair was still as stone as the man dared not move, less he lose his place in his tale. Curved horns wrapped around pointed ears, but more so than Furfur's, nearly coming to a full circle. His grey baggy sweatshirt enveloped the creature in a swaddle of warmth and comfort, further enticing him to remain where he was, as well as his most recent invention and companion to the sweatshirt - the sweatpants.
A dangerous invention indeed. Furfur might go out and buy a pair himself.
"Mn."
"Am I done then?"
"Mmn - no, wait." Begrudgingly he put his finger on the sentence he paused at and closed the book to save the page. As slow as he possibly could (perhaps in an attempt to annoy him, but Furfur doesn't really care), the demon turned to address him. "So you found her?"
He scratched the back of his head before putting his hand back in its pocket. "Yeah. Outskirts of London. House was hidden under some invisibility wards."
"I see. She ran, didn't she?"
"Yep."
"Lame." He rubbed his chin in thought. "Did you tell her - "
"Yeah. She got too far to hear me though."
"Damn. Well," he sighed. "Persuade her again. But if she tries to run, grab and bring her back here forcefully."
Furfur gave a small salute. "Aye aye, captain. But..."
He'd already turned back to his book and resumed reading.
"Mn."
"Can I get some of those?" he asked, gesturing to the other's newest innovation.
The King of Sloth waved to the boxes at the other side of the room without looking up. "Help yourself."
"Cool."
At least this day was starting to look up.
"You're so lucky," Grell pouted at the driver's seat as he navigated the horses to the Phantomhive estate. "You get to spend time with my Sebby while I have to prepare some dumb whore."
"I don't feel so lucky," Seir muttered, trying to ignore the desire to lean against the carriage wall and drift off. Every time they hit a rock or pothole, she went flying to the other side of the vehicle anyway. Her new butler was no help in keeping her secure - to be honest he seemed unfit to be a servant in the first place.
"Come on now, Lady Bennett," Angelina said with a smile. "We're going to see my precious nephew! And your butler Arthur will take good care of you, no?"
"Whatever," she groaned. The butler in question was too busy looking lost on what to do about the rocky carriage.
Madam Red's eyes grew stern. Her angry demeanor was nowhere near as amusing as Grell's growl.
She considered it for a moment. "Just give me back my brother," she muttered.
The noblewoman in front of her gave an exasperated sigh - for the theatrics or because she's being unpleasant, she wasn't sure.
"We're he-here," Grell stuttered, completely falling into his butler persona.
Madam Red sent one last imploring gaze at the demon, promising regret if she didn't play her role convincingly. She then smiled. "Wonderful!"
As they pulled up to the front door, she felt it. This aura, while she was also not entirely familiar with, was recognizable to the point where she could distinguish their power.
She wasn't in the presence on a King... she could tell them apart with ease. No, she was dealing with someone not quite as strong, but still greater than her - a Duke. Going by what Grell had told her, this demon was already established in the area. Hopefully that meant that they weren't actively pursuing her.
Bracing herself, she stepped out of the carriage.
Author's Note:
-She meets Sebby next chapter uwu
-As stated before this story will have chill demons, so it will probably be less dramatic than you're expecting.
-Also not sure if I'm doing pairings yet.