Chapter Thirty-One
Butler, Imprisoned. Bride, Lady of the House
On a typical London night, fog hung heavily over the River Thames. There was nothing to be seen within feet of one another, it was so thick. An old man sat in a boat, rowing alongside a young boy. The boat was filled with pieces of junk they had collected along the river, from toys to pieces of junk carelessly tossed into the water. The old man scratched his grey head and spoke to the boy in a gravelly voice.
"Believe it or not, not so long ago, you could bathe in this here River. Might as well be a sewer now though, what with all the filth London has poured into it…"
The boy, using his pole, dug around in the waters and looked over his shoulder to see a large boat coming up behind them.
"Mr Havick, look there!" he cried. "What's that?"
Mr Havick looked behind him and saw the ship.
"Aye, that there is the Cutty Sark. They say she was built to import tea from China for the nobles and such like who could afford it," he explained.
"Is she faster than a steam ship?" the boy asked.
"Heh, if you listened to the crew what sails her, with stout winds she could beat anything that floats!"
"Why is she the Cutty Sark?"
The old man laughed.
"Ol' Bobby Burns tells of a witch by that name, boy. Says if you stare at her too long, she'll have ya by the tail!"
The boy stared up at the ship with wide, pale blue eyes.
"She could take me away from here, to someplace nobody's ever heard of."
The man nodded.
"Could be. But that new canal in Egypt has clipped her wings a bit. Put her out of the tea trade for good, so I hear," he sighed. "The age of the clippers is over, I'm afraid. It's the beginning of a new era now."
As they talked, the crescent moon peeked out from behind the clouds. The boy turned towards the light, and saw the silhouette of Ran Mao leaping through the air across the rooftops.
"That's her… The Cutty Sark!" he cried.
He made to go after her, but his pole was tangled in something. Yanking it hard, he found out what had caused it to stick. The body of a man was floating in the water. The boy let out a scream.
"What is it, boy?" the old man asked.
He looked over and saw the bobbing corpse.
The following morning, people were gathered around where the body had been hauled out of the water. It was covered with a sheet. Inspector Aberline peeked underneath it to examine the corpse.
"We haven't been able to find anyone who could identify him, Inspector." Sir Randall explained.
"I see…"
"A simple robbery then? He was murdered elsewhere and the dropped here. Not much left for us to do."
Aberline shook his head, his blue eyes turning up to his superior.
"But see here, the victim was killed by a single, well-placed blow. That seems a bit neat for a commonplace criminal in my opinion, Sir."
Randall shrugged his shoulders.
"Perhaps there's some mafia in-fighting going on then. Who knows what the Italians and Chinese are up to?" he said, his glasses shining in the light. "I've heard tales of a new drug on the market that could cause some territory dispute."
The inspector got to his feet, a frown still present on his face.
"Doesn't matter. We won't know anything until he is identified."
Just then, a voice spoke out from the crowd.
"That won't be necessary."
The men turned and saw Ciel standing before them, Sebastian and Marianne at his side.
"We know his identity." Ciel continued. "His name is John Stanley. Sebastian has the rest of his particulars for you."
Sebastian stepped forward and handed over a folder. Randall grabbed it and leafed through the papers inside.
"And what's your interest in this?" he asked.
"Doing my civic duty and co-operating with the police. Isn't that what you've always told me to do, Sir Arthur?" Ciel retorted.
Randall huffed.
"Spare me the noble protestations. What is it you want with this case? Out with it, Phantomhive!"
The boy's blank expression didn't falter.
"A bit gauche if you prefer it that way. But I'm happy to oblige," he said. "I need to see any possessions left on the victim."
"Well… actually, there were none." Aberline said. "Not even any identification papers."
Out of the corner of his eye, Sebastian caught sight of the boy trawler. The boy ran away as quickly as possible. Marianne looked up at the demon with a curious expression on her face.
"In that case, I'm glad to be of service." Ciel said. "Thank you, Inspector Aberline."
He turned to Sebastian and Marianne.
"Sebastian, Edward."
"Yes, Sir."
As they walked away, Randall snarled under his breath.
"Nosy brat! Never understand why Her Majesty puts her trust in him!"
Aberline stared after them with a sorrowful expression.
"Because he's her Guard Dog, Sir."
In the Phantomhive carriage, Ciel stared down at his hands. Marianne sat beside him and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Is something wrong, Ciel?" she asked.
"You seem even more taciturn than usual this afternoon." Sebastian agreed.
Ciel pouted.
"And I should look pleasant while investigating a murder?" he retorted.
Sebastian chuckled.
"You're far too modest, Ciel. You misheard me. I would never say you don't look pleasant."
The boy bit his lip for a moment before speaking.
"This case just makes me a bit uneasy. Clearly we don't have all the information."
He thought back to the meeting with Ash earlier that day…
Gathered in the parlour, Ash sat in an armchair. Ciel sat beside him with a meal before him. Sebastian and Marianne stood in the background, the girl kept her head bowed low.
"This morning, a body washed up at the Regent's Canal Dock. The man's name was John Stanley. By profession, he was a merchant in the shipping business." Ash explained.
"And?" Ciel inquired, not taking his eye off the file presented to him.
The white butler took a large sip of tea.
"He was an operative in the criminal underworld on top secret assignment for Her Majesty. Not unlike you, Lord Phantomhive."
The boy glared at him over the papers. Ash continued to speak.
"Her Majesty wished me to convey this."
He produced a letter from Ciel.
"Find the thing he carried on his person and destroy it. That is all. Think you're up to it?"
Ciel arched a brow.
"And his killer? Should I get rid of him too?" he asked.
Ash shook his head.
"No. You've been given your orders. Find this object, and dispose of it."
The boy sighed heavily.
"Fine. Just tell me what I should be looking for."
"Oh no. That's a secret." Ash denied.
Marianne gave Ciel a letter opener, which he used to open the letter.
"Then how on Earth am I supposed to find it?" he asked.
He started when Ash's knife clanked loudly against his plate after he sliced through his food. There was silence for a moment before the Queen's butler spoke.
"You are a loyal dog. Even so, Her Majesty hesitates to share this information with you. And who are we to question any decision of hers?"
He took a slice with his fork and smiled at Ciel.
"I suggest you do not attempt a closer examination of the item in question."
His words made a shudder run down Marianne's spine.
Ciel was brought back to the present when Marianne placed a hand on his shoulder.
"First, we need a better understanding of the situation," he said.
Sebastian arched a brow.
"Meaning what precisely, Ciel?" he asked.
"We need to know why Stanley was murdered, obviously. Was it simply that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time?" Ciel pondered.
"Or was he killed because of his work for the Queen?" Marianne said.
The demon nodded his head.
"Alright then, how do we go about finding witnesses then? Assuming there are any."
"We will leave that part to the Yard for now." Ciel said, turning his gaze out the window. "If you want to know about Rome, you ask a Roman. We know whose territory the murder occurred."
Their destination led them down a flight of stairs and into a room filled with sweet smelling smoke. An opium den. The overpowering aroma caused Marianne to cover her nose with a handkerchief while Ciel covered his mouth with his hand. Many men were sprawled out on loungers, smoking pipes filled with the addictive substance.
"This place is foul." Ciel muttered.
The girl nodded her head in agreement, and wondered how Sebastian was able to cope with the smell, since his senses were more superior than a human's. But then his constitution was probably incredible as well, so he wouldn't have been affected.
As their footsteps echoed upon the stone floor, a voice laughed lightly at their arrival.
"Ah, I see you've finally found your way to my humble place of business."
Through the smoke, they saw Lau sat before them, a hookah between his fingers.
"It feels so strange that we should meet under such questionable circumstances, My Young Lord. And yet inevitable, don't you think? I must say, I always knew some day it would come to this."
The smoke cleared and revealed the Asian man, with several young ladies in revealing clothing sprawled out all over him. A vein throbbed on Ciel's forehead at the sight.
"It might come to what?!" he demanded.
Lau smiled.
"Welcome to my humble house of pleasures, darling Earl!"
"If you're trying to push your wares, forget it." Ciel scowled. "The only thing you have that I want is information."
Lau laughed and placed a hand on Ran Mao's hip.
"You are so impatient for such a young man. If you think I know something that you think would make it worth your while to venture so bravely into my den of sin…" A smirk touched his lips. "Then you're quite right."
The boy arched a brow.
"So, you already know what happened then?" he asked. "I thought as much. But what should I expect from the head of the English branch of the Chinese Trading Company, Kong-Rong, much less from an officer of the Shanghai mafia's Qing Bang."
The Asian man merely smiled.
"Oh dear. I never have cared for fancy titles such as that one. They're so stiff and formal," he said, reaching up and cupping Ran Mao's cheek. "Don't you agree, Ran Mao?"
Ciel was growing impatient, his cane lightly tapping against the floor.
"I left you in charge of the dealings in this area for a reason. So, I assumed you stayed informed about any disputes that occurred in your territory."
"Naturally. As per your original instructions, My Lord." Lau said. "I could hardly forget about the protection fee I pay in order for me to conduct my business."
The Earl frowned.
"Well then?"
"More importantly." Lau continued. "I have something to ask you."
There was a pause before he asked his question.
"What exactly are you talking about?"
Marianne facepalmed.
Oh boy…
Ciel sweatdropped.
"Dammit Lau!" he swore.
Sebastian shook his head.
"The man is just talking through his hat again, it would seem. How droll," he said.
Lau only laughed.
"What do you say we go upstairs for our little chat? It's a little bit stuffy in here, don't you agree?"
The girl arched a brow.
"Maybe you could find another source of income? This cannot be good for anyone's health," she retorted.
The man only walked away. As he walked, he muttered something under his breath.
"One night, Zhuang Zhou dreamt he was a butterfly. A happy, fluttering butterfly…" He looked over his shoulder. "You know the rest. There are people in this world, Lord Phantomhive, who find reality a bitter and unforgiving place to live, if you can believe it. I merely sell them dreams of a less painful existence."
Marianne shook her head, and kept her eyes low.
Is it truly less painful though? Or is it only making the gap between dreams and reality even worse?
Meanwhile, Aberline was scouring the streets of the East End, picture of Stanley in hand as he talked to person after person.
"You know I'd help you if I could, dearie, but I'm afraid I've never seen that fellow before in my life. God rest his soul," an old woman said.
The two of them were standing in a shop. The woman cleaned the counter as he noted things down in his notebook.
"Now, enough about business! How are you and Maria these days?" she asked.
Aberline smiled gently at her.
"Oh… Well, ma'am, actually…" he went over and whispered into her ear.
The woman jumped for joy.
"Goodness! Aren't you a quick one?" She embraced him. "Congratulations! Putting that horse a bit before the cart, but I understand. Not everyone will, mind you, being an Inspector and all. Just make an honest woman of her soon."
He nodded his head.
"Yes, ma'am, I've already proposed."
"And she said?"
A small blush spread across his cheeks.
"Wonderful news! You'll finally have a family, after all those years as an orphan with no kin to call your own. It makes me overjoyed."
Aberline smiled.
"Thank you, ma'am, and you're right. That has affected my life. That's why I'm determined to make the world safe for children everywhere."
Those words brought tears to the woman's eyes.
"Oh enough! You'll make me cry. Now run along. I'll let you know if I hear anything new, I promise."
"Thank you, ma'am. I would appreciate it."
He left soon after that.
All the while, they hadn't noticed a man listening in. Under the table he was sat at, he handed a palm full of gold coins over to a man beside him. In return, he received two candies wrapped in pink foil.
In Lau's office, Ciel and Marianne sat opposite Lau and Ran Mao.
"Let's see, nowadays I suppose all the gang fights in the area have been about drugs." Lau explained. "There's a new drug that's appeared on the market. Someone's been spreading it around town quite liberally for a while now. Frankly, it's been becoming a bit of an inconvenience for me."
Ciel arched a brow.
"A new product?" he asked.
"Yes. Apparently, it is cheaper, more effective and far easier to transport than common opium. It goes by the name of Lady Blanc."
Marianne gasped.
"The White Lady…" She bit her lip before asking her question. "Do you know why it was given that name?"
Lau tilted his head in confusion.
"Is it important?" he asked.
"No." Ciel answered firmly.
"What's the name of the man they found at Regent's Canal Dock? Perhaps I will have heard of him?"
Sebastian stepped forward and handed Lau a picture of the deceased.
"It was John Stanley," the demon said. "I'm afraid it's likely that was an alias however."
Lau looked at the picture and sighed.
"He doesn't look familiar to me. And to think I flattered myself I knew all the small-time drug pushers in the area." He offered the picture to Ran Mao. "What about you? You recognise him?"
Ran Mao shook her head.
"Well, there you have it." Lau said as he handed back the picture.
Ciel's gaze was unwavering.
"I'm looking for something this man was supposed to have had that he was carrying on his person," he told him.
"Just something?" Lau asked.
"Yes. And it's possible that this something was the reason he was killed in cold blood. Which is why there is something I would like you to do for me."
"And what is that, my dear Earl?"
Ciel scowled as he explained.
"I want you to spread a rumour about me. Let it be known I am in possession of something valuable I took from the man who was murdered."
Lau laughed.
"Darling, that couldn't be easier!" he said. "And may I be permitted to know why?"
"If we spread that rumour far enough, the killer is sure to hear it. And he'll have to doubt the authenticity of the article he stole from John Stanley. Then he'll be forced to come after me for the real thing."
The man nodded his head in understanding.
"Oh, I see! You're using yourself as bait, you clever thing you! A courageous act indeed from the Queen's loyal Guard Dog."
Ciel said nothing in response.
"Speaking of which, my Lord, I've always wanted to inquire about something. How is it that you remain so loyal to your Lord and Master? It seems to me she makes unreasonable demands of you."
Ciel looked away.
"I doubt you could ever understand it. You left your country for another. If you never put down roots, you couldn't possibly comprehend the depths of mine, Lau."
Lau leant back in his seat, and allowed Ran Mao to wrap her arms around his shoulders.
"You've got me there," he laughed.
He watched the trio leave in their carriage, and disappear down the street. With a smile, he spoke to his butler.
"Now that's done, let's do as the Earl requested, shall we, and dangle a few rumours about him? So, it seems he obtained a document from the dead man they found at the Regent's Canal Dock."
"A document, Sir?" asked the butler.
Lau turned back to the window.
"My dear Earl, of all the lovely games we've played together over the years, this one may just prove to be the most entertaining."
Aberline stood in front of a shop window, looking at the rings on display. The little gems sparkled before his eyes, but the frown pulling at the corners of his mouth persisted.
He didn't notice the boy from the canal barge watching him. The boy pulled nervously on his cap, glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, and gasped when he saw Aberline walking in the opposite direction. He made to run after the Inspector, but was cut off by a man dressed in white; Ash.
"Hello there, young man." Ash greeted him with a smile, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "Just now, I was talking to my good friend, Mr Havick, and he said you were collecting rubbish from the canal this morning and you saw something odd."
The boy backed away from him a step.
"Yeah…" he stammered.
"Why don't you tell me? I love a good story." Ash asked. "Especially one about witches. Did you really see the Cutty Sark?"
The boy's blue eyes went wide.
Meanwhile, Bard was sat in the driver's seat of the second Phantomhive carriage reading the newspaper while MeyRin and Finny were picking up some packages from the shop.
"Here we go." Finny said with a smile.
"Alright, I think that will do us!" MeyRin said to the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper, a pretty woman with brown hair and grey eyes, nodded her head.
"Perfect, I've got it," she said. "Oh MeyRin, I've been meaning to ask, you work at the Phantomhive Manor, right?"
MeyRin blinked.
"Yes, I do."
The shopkeeper leant forward.
"Do you… think you can get me some?" she whispered.
"Some what?"
Back at the mansion, Ciel sat in the parlour with Marianne at his side while Sebastian poured tea for them.
"Lady Blanc…" Ciel pondered. "Father, do you think the drug is named after the woman in white from the last case?"
Sebastian chuckled.
"You're quite like a little lost puppy sometimes. You know that, don't you?"
Ciel scowled while Marianne shook her head.
"You are rather fond of your animal comparisons, aren't you? You compare me to a kitten more often than not," the girl sighed.
"Because I cannot resist seeing how your cheeks flush so beautifully." Sebastian teased. He sighed when he saw Ciel was unmoving in his desire for an answer. "I may be one Hell of a good playing piece to manoeuvre, but I'm still a pawn in your game. Would you ask a pawn for advice on strategy?"
Ciel held onto Marianne's hand as he spoke.
"I'm still alive, or still human as the case may be. That means my wish is still unfulfilled, and our contract is in full effect."
Sebastian bowed his head and knelt before the boy.
"Yes, it is. It is good that I made the amendments to it when I did, or I would have had to fulfil our prior terms, whether I wanted to or not."
Ciel nodded his head.
"In the meanwhile, I will play the Guard Dog like the Queen requests, as so many have before. As the Phantomhive heir, it is my duty to follow in the footsteps of my ancestors…" he sighed heavily. "Yes, just as it has always been. Nothing has changed at all, except us… But also, this feeling…"
Just then, they heard a scream. They turned their heads and ran out the room towards the source. What they found was Pluto in his human form on top of a blushing MeyRin.
"Bad dog!" the maid screamed. "No! Get off me!"
Bard was doing his best to drag the Demon Hound off her, but to no avail.
"Stupid mutt! Let her go!" he shouted.
Finny was screaming at Pluto to stop.
"Pluto, you bad boy!"
"Let go, you rabid cur!"
A vein mark throbbed on Ciel's forehead. Marianne turned her head into Sebastian's chest and shuddered.
"Please tell me he has clothes on…" she whimpered.
"It looks like it this time." Sebastian told her.
She turned around and sighed.
"At least he's learned that lesson."
Ciel rolled his eyes and gave his order.
"Sebastian, do something about that horrid creature."
"Certainly." Sebastian replied.
He stepped forward, and allowed his demonic aura to leach out.
"Pluto. Kennel." The demon ordered.
Pluto whimpered at the sight of him and scurried off with his metaphorical tail between his legs. Marianne arched a brow.
"Can anyone explain what that was all about?" she asked.
Bard shook his head.
"Can't be certain, but maybe he's frightened."
MeyRin got to her feet, her face flushed a brilliant red underneath her glasses. Sebastian arched a brow.
"Was it me, or did he seem to be concentrating rather intensely on something MeyRin has in her pocket?" he commented.
The maid gasped and reached into her pocket. She pulled out a couple of pink-wrapped candies. Bard nodded his head as though he realised something.
"That's it. You got one of them Funtom candies on ya."
"Forgot about this. The nice lady gave it to me, yes, she did. Said they'd be becoming the rage all over London." MeyRin said.
Finny smiled as he pulled out his own candies.
"When we said we'd never tried them, she insisted. She was a really nice lady, right, MeyRin? She said to try one for ourselves. Apparently, they're so good, even the adults can't get enough. And they make you feel wonderful all over!" he cried.
"She says they're addictive!" MeyRin agreed.
The trio looked at one another suspiciously.
As Bard made to try and take one of the sweets out of MeyRin's hand, Tanaka shouted out, having grown to his full size.
"Stop just a minute!"
He snatched the candy away from them and brought it up to his discerning eye. His glasses glinted in the light.
"Lord Phantomhive," he said, looking to Ciel. "I think it's fairly safe to say that this is not made by the Funtom Company."
"It wasn't?" Ciel asked.
Sat in Tanaka's open palm was an opened candy wrapper, with a lump of white inside it.
"The wrapper is genuine, but our quality control is not so lax as to permit a shipment of candies so un-shapely. I can guarantee you that, My Lord."
The old steward picked up the white substance and licked it.
"This is-!"
He ran out of steam after that.
"O-oh…" MeyRin muttered.
"He ran out of time!" Finny cried.
The lump fell to the floor, and Sebastian picked it up. He sniffed it for a moment.
"Some kind of narcotic," he said. "I believe it is derived from opium. Perhaps further refined, however. I assume this is the new drug Mr Lau spoke of."
Ciel pursed his lips.
"We found Lady Blanc."
Marianne shook her head.
"You have to wonder how this could have happened though. Under our own noses. Something is definitely wrong here."
That night, under the crescent moon, Randall was surprised to be intruded upon at so late an hour.
"A visitor? To see me?" he asked.
He opened the door of his study, and found Ash sitting in his chair with his back turned to him. Ash had a smirk on his face, his violet eyes glittering unseen.
"You there! Get up!" Randall bellowed, stomping over to the white butler. "What are you doing in my chair, Sir?!"
His fists slammed on the surface of the desk standing between them.
"This is the outside of enough! That desk is reserved for the Commissioner of Scotland Yard!"
Ash chuckled, a grating, patronising laugh that made Randall's teeth stand on edge.
"It's quite comfortable, Sir Arthur." Ash said as he turned around. "I see why you guard it."
Randall stepped back, his mouth gaping slightly.
"It's you!" he snapped. "What are you doing here?"
Ash smiled.
"I bear you a message from Her Majesty. It's… quite delicate to say the least."
That night, Marianne stood on the steps of the mansion as she watched Sebastian climb into the driver's seat of the Phantomhive carriage. Ciel was already tucked away in the compartment. She hurried over and looked at him through the window.
"Why won't you let me come with you?" she asked.
Ciel looked at her.
"Because I need you to stay here. In case something happens, Mother. Please."
She sighed heavily and pressed her lips to his forehead.
"Alright… Be safe. Take care, my precious boy."
As she moved away, she found herself walking to Sebastian. The demon leant down and kissed her softly.
"He will be fine, my darling mate. You have no need to worry," he said.
Marianne smiled at him.
"I still worry anyway. It is what parents do," she said. "You be careful, alright? Promise me?"
Sebastian ran his thumb over her cheek.
"I promise you."
He drew away and snapped the reins. The carriage drove off into the night.
Ciel sat in the carriage seat and bellowed his order.
"Get me to the sweets factory! And quickly!"
Sebastian snapped on the reins, and urged the horses to go faster. They ran alongside the Thames. Inside the carriage, Ciel clenched his fist.
Damn! He thought. What are those drugs doing in my product? And the orders from the Queen… How is this all connected to the dead man at the docks? Where's the link?
His eye became steely with determination.
We're missing something here. Some vital piece of the puzzle.
Lau smiled as he read a letter by flickering candlelight. Ran Mao stood looking out the window of his office.
"Ran Mao," he called out. "Tell me, which do you think is worse? To be unable to wake yourself from a dream, or to be unable to dream of anything at all?"
Ran Mao glanced at him out of the corner of her amber eye, before turning it back to the street, and the masses of police officers below.
"But of course, all things that seem eternal, whether waking or sleeping, all someday come to an end."
Lau blew out the candle. Ran Mao turned towards him.
"She Dagu."
The Dog.
The officers burst through the doors, milling in with pistols drawn. Ran Mao attacked with her two chui, otherwise called her meteor weapons, and proceeded to bludgeon them all to death in a rain of scarlet splatter.
Sebastian snapped the reins again, urging the horses faster. But just then, Aberline ran out into the middle of the street, his arms stretched as though to stop the moving carriage. The demon pulled on the brake, and the vehicle came to a screeching halt in front of the Inspector.
"You are a reckless man." Sebastian said. "Had anyone else been driving, you'd have been trampled."
Aberline looked up at him with a crooked smile and a wrinkled brow.
"I knew full well who you were. That's why you were stopped!" he retorted.
Soon enough, they were surrounded by police officers. Ciel opened the carriage door.
"What goes on out there, Sebastian?" he called out.
"I have stopped you, Lord Phantomhive," said Aberline. "Please step down. You are under arrest in the name of Her Majesty for violating the Pharmacy Act."
Sebastian scowled and went over to the carriage door.
"Allow me, Master."
He opened it and allowed Ciel to step out into the open air. Ciel glared down at them out of his blazing blue eye.
"So, you would dare to detain me? Do you have any idea of the magnitude of the insult you offer to the house of my family?" His gaze turned to Aberline. "And you, an untitled police inspector no less."
Aberline visibly steeled himself.
"That's correct, Ciel. You are suspected of collaboration with that drug-pusher, Lau. We know that you have been distributing a new form of narcotic."
Ciel snorted.
"With Lau? That's just ridiculous! I'll admit that I've been using him as a pawn for quite some time, but Randall knew full well he was running an opium den, and he's never said a word," he explained. "If that's a problem, then arrest Lau. He knows that I would never protect him. Lau runs his business at his own risk, by his own hand."
As they spoke, a shadowed figure slowly approached them.
Seeing their conversation was going nowhere, the Inspector turned to another topic.
"You own a warehouse, yes? Located down by the docks?" he asked.
"Yes." Ciel answered.
"That's where we found it. A large, hidden stash of the opiate known as Lady Blanc."
The boy gasped, but Aberline pressed on.
"Far too great an amount for you to claim recreational use. Some of it already inside Funtom sweet wrappers."
Ciel's brow furrowed.
"And Lau?"
"He's on the run." Aberline sighed. "The team we sent after him suffered great casualties. Practically an admission of guilt."
Sebastian turned to the boy.
"What would you have me do, My Lord?" he asked.
Ciel pondered options in silence.
Should I let them take me in for now? Or not?
"Sebastian," he said. "My order is…"
"Shut your mouth now, you brat!"
A voice bellowed out.
They all turned to see Randall striding towards them, gun aimed at Ciel.
"Aberline, I thought I told you to separate the boy Earl from his butler."
Ciel glared at the man.
"Randall. I wonder that you would choose to point a gun at me, knowing what it means to do so."
Randall merely smirked.
"Well, now, if you would like to resist, then please be my guest, Sir! But I assure you, that will be the end of the Phantomhive family name. Sullied as it is by now, perhaps that is for the best."
"You would dare?"
"My orders come directly from the Queen's representative. He made Her Majesty's intent quite clear."
Randall remembered his meeting with the man in white…
"Only the criminal responsible would have known what the Queen was seeking. The rumour we heard spoke of a document, you see. And so, we knew." Ash said, smiling. "Therefore, please detain Lau, and his benefactor, Phantomhive. Oh, and don't worry about having to conceal the charges. We'll find a suitable pretext."
Randall nodded his head.
"Right. And what shall I do with them after the arrest?" he asked.
Ash's smile only grew wider.
"Ciel Phantomhive, you are under arrest!" Randall shouted. "In Her Majesty's name! And I do hereby suspend all of your privileges and authority! If you defy the law in this matter, you shall be stripped of your title for high treason!"
Ciel gritted his teeth silently as he listened, while Sebastian remained completely impassive.
"Furthermore, the man known to the state as Lau, opium smuggler and head to the English branch of Kong-Rong shall be summarily executed for his crimes against the Crown." The man continued. "Lord Phantomhive, will you confess to knowledge of Lau's whereabouts, or the whereabouts of the letter we know you have concealed?"
The boy didn't even blink when he gave his answer.
"I'm afraid… I can tell you nothing."
Letter… That must be the missing piece.
Randall smirked.
"Ha! I should very much like to push you on that bit of evasion, but sadly, Her Majesty forbids torturing a peer of the realm."
His eyes slowly turned to Sebastian.
"However, there are no such rules about butlers…"
A girl dressed in a cream nightgown before a chess table, and moved the white queen diagonally to take a black knight. She picked up the dark piece between her pale fingers, her silvery grey tumbling in loose waves around her shoulders. Angela sat behind her, a smile twisting at the corners of her mouth as she ran her fingers over the girl's shoulder.
At the Tower of London, Sebastian was led down the stone stairs, locked in metal handcuffs. He offered no expression to his escort. His red eyes focused forward as he remembered the moments when he was separated from Ciel…
"Offer no resistance. When the time is right, I will call for you." Ciel whispered to him.
The boy was being led away in similar handcuffs, the two of them going in opposing directions.
"And then, we'll show them what becomes of those who humiliate me. Do you understand?"
Yes, Ciel.
Sebastian's thoughts drifted to Marianne, and how he could feel her anxiousness rippling through him. Oh, his poor darling, how he despised being separated from her, but he had no choice. As their bond was growing stronger, he knew she would be able to feel what was happening to him. He flexed his fingers silently, wishing they were threaded through her soft brown tresses as he devoured her lips with his own. He clung to the melodiousness of her voice as though she was beside him, whispering her love into his ear.
We shall be reunited soon, my beloved. These chains will never be able to hold me in my desire to get to you. I only ask you be strong as you are forced to share this experience with me. I'm sorry you must suffer this…
Sebastian and his escort entered a torture chamber, an iron maiden sat by a wall, spikes shining in the candlelight. A cauldron of oil boiled in the hearth, and the rack loomed with its ropes and levers. Miscellaneous torture instruments hung from the walls, spikes and knives and whips. The demon didn't even flinch when the metal doors slammed behind them.
This episode has always interested me, because I have wondered how Lau and Ran Mao would react to Marianne, and now I am left with my little family separated from one another, and wondering how I'm going to incorporate Aberline into this. His character intrigues me, especially the anime version of him, and I'm looking forward to working with him in the next chapter.
Marianne is going to be very angry when we next see her…
Should you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.
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