Like Edna predicted, Daniel was furious when we eventually arrived back at the townhouse, Christine being extremely worried as well. He chewed us out, me in particular, that it was improper for us to be out so late at night and that he was close to calling a search party. Edna, calmly and without raising her voice, explained to him that I was having a severe headache and we weren't able to get back until now. She left out any mentions of our trip to the cemetery, but I decided to just let her do all the talking. Eventually, Daniel let out a heavy sigh and dropped the subject, advising all of us to retire for the night. Edna agreed and went upstairs, Christine following to help her undress, and before I could retire myself, Daniel stopped me.

"Sebastian, we need to talk, now that Lady Edna has gone off to bed."

I met his gaze and crossed my arms.

"Look, what our lady said was true. I got a really bad headache and she did what she could to help it. I apologize for keeping her out so late, but there was little I could do about it."

My voice came out harsher then I intended it to be, but I refused to make up for it. Daniel narrowed his eyes.

"...You seem to get these headaches often," he said. "Do you wish to see a doctor about it? We can't have it affect the safety of our lady."

I clutched onto the handle of my bag very tightly, to the point I could feel my fingernails poke into my skin.

"Even if I were to see a doctor, what good would it do?" I snapped. "Medicine can only do so much for the head injuries I had. And it isn't like they are going to vanish just because I'm taking something for them."

I turned my back on him, walking away slowly just so I don't lose control over my anger.

"...I can see you are still mad about earlier," Daniel said quietly. "You are not good at hiding your emotions."

I stopped in my tracks. There was a short silence, as I took the time to come up with a reply.

"...Tell me, Daniel, why do you hate me?"

I slowly turned to face him.

"Since we've met, you've never been too fond of me, always giving me strange looks and making certain comments."

I narrowed his eyes.

"I'm not an idiot, and it won't be long before Lady Edna and the others notice. And the last thing our dear lady needs is for her servants to be at each others' throats."

It took a moment before Denial replied.

"...You would not understand," he finally said coldly. "And even if you could, it would change nothing."

He reluctantly made eye contact with me.

"Perhaps I am in the wrong, as you have been through much with your memory loss. But the more you seem to heal, the more you become everything that I despise. And I cannot help the prejudice I feel."

I approached him.

"So, explain it to me," I replied without removing eye contact. "Keeping your emotions boiling inside is only going to prolong this conflict."

I glanced around the dimly lit room.

"It is just the two of us at the moment. What better time to settle things then now?"

Daniel's muscles tensed up slightly. Taking a deep breath, he took a few steps away from me, making sure there was a good distance between us.

"Very well. As butler, it is my duty to make sure there is peace for Lady Edna, whether it is at the manor or here at the townhouse."

There was a small pause. Whatever was on Daniel's mind, it has been there for a long time. I admit, though I was still furious about earlier, I was slightly curious about what is making his soul so tensed and defensive. Perhaps even fearful?

"Before I begin to explain, I implore you to hear me out completely before you come up with any conclusion," he said. "I had hoped that I wouldn't have to explain this, but apparently I have little choice seeing how things are going..."

Daniel cleared his throat as he prepared to tell his story.

"As a boy, I grew up in a very religious background. Both of my parents were very active in the church and held its teachings very highly. Naturally, they taught me and my brothers everything there was to teach about the Bible and the word of God, trying to pass down their unbreakable faith down to us."

I raised an eyebrow.

"So...you're a very religious person?"

Can't say I'm surprised there, seeing how uptight he was.

"I'm not as zealous as my parents, or even some of my brothers," Daniel answered honestly, "but yes, I do highly uphold my faith. However, my reasons for being...cold to you is much more complex than just religious beliefs."

He continued.

"With that said, you can imagine my religious tolerance as a younger man was not very good, especially when it comes to having a lifestyle that is against it..."

There was another small pause, and at this point, I wondered if he just liked to draw out his sentences for dramatic purposes.

"...While I was in school, I had a classmate who had one of these...different lifestyles. He, and I'll put this bluntly, was a homosexual and was unfortunate to have feelings for me. In many ways, he was very similar to you. Flamboyant, extremely opened minded, and could be flirty if he could get away with it. I was extremely disgusted with him, and my hatred for him grew once his feelings for me became more obvious. And he was persistent too, doing all he could to make me love him while I did all I could to get away from him. However, the moment we graduated from school we went our separate ways and I haven't heard from him since. At least he had the decency not to stalk me. But my experience of him not only tightened my distaste for...that horrid lifestyle, but made me feel somewhat paranoid that another man could be attracted to me."

He met my gaze.

"As I mentioned before, you remind me so much of that boy I knew, and while I tried to keep my personal feelings out of my job, it is hard for me to do so. Do I hate you personally? No, but I do feel defensive to a certain degree, in case you were to have...that same lifestyle."

I blinked, the anger I once felt slowly fading away. The disgusted look Daniel had when he mentioned that boy he knew, it was a look that I felt I knew far too well.

Was I too, a homosexual? I admit, I had felt some attraction towards Daniel, with his pure black hair, pale skin, and capturing dark brown eyes... But my attraction to him has never felt as strong as the attraction I felt for Edna, a woman who every time I saw I couldn't think straight. Was it possible that I was, and perhaps still am, attracted to both men and women? In truth, I felt more confused at the moment than anything else.

"...While I will admit, I do see you as a handsome man, Daniel," I finally said, saying what I truly felt, "you would not be someone I would personally go after. You are just too boring for me, so why bother?"

I gave a small smile, hoping to lighten the mood, though Daniel's stiff facial expression did not change. In fact, he seemed to have stiffen more from my comment. Awkwardly, I glanced over towards the nearby window, staring into the darkness.

"...It is possible that maybe I did find men attractive before I lost my memory, judging how I had looked before," I continued, "but as of right now, I am not sure. There are still so many things about myself that I don't understand and I'm still trying to figure it out."

I turned to face him again.

"I can respect your feelings towards the subject, however I do not appreciate being insulted about it like you did today at the store. Don't insult me and I won't offend you."

Daniel nodded.

"Fair enough. Now that is settled, if you would excuse me."

He then turned his back on me and went down to where his bedroom was. Letting out a tired sigh, I went to my bedroom as well, feeling like I was going to drop dead at any second.

What a night it has been!