I have a week long holiday! Yipee! This means more updates :D
Enjoy :D
~ Previously ~
Both of them were told to keep a neutral outlook towards the two of them but Kayla knew that Siera would have a slightly favorable look over Claude. She instructed Kimi to keep a very close look on her actions and Kimi had been doing just that. She was marveled at how perfectly Kimi had managed to impersonate Siera. Had she not known otherwise it would seem like she had two daughters instead of one.
"What an incredible incident Samuel is missing" Kayla thought to herself as she watched her two daughters serve Sebastian and Claude.
"I hope this test goes the way I hope it would"
~ Currently ~
Sebastian's eyes moved over the two figures in front of him. Though he knew Kimi would be masquerading as Siera he didn't have the slightest idea on how perfectly Kimi would impersonate Siera. If this was the first time he had set eyes upon them he would've sworn they were twins.
Siera's eyes often subtly ran over to Claude hoping he would recognize her. She knew Kimi did exactly what she was doing and sure enough she noticed Kimi's eyes going over to Claude too. Siera didn't like this test one bit and knew her mother was being as harsh as always. She also knew Kayla had already figured out who was who. Kimi's impersonations were perfect and unless you really knew the person he was impersonating there was no way you could recognize one from the other.
"It should be easy for you right Claude…you're my meito after all…you should be able to feel me…" Siera thought to herself as she kept a stoic face while standing on the side with Kimi next to her.
Siera noticed that Sebastian had wanted seconds and moved to serve him. Sebastian locked eyes with her for a moment, before she quickly moved away.
Sebastian wondered why he felt a small part of him missing when she walked away. That's when he realized that he was served by the real Siera. A small smile graced his lips.
Claude was panicking as he didn't have the slightest idea on who the real Siera was. Their scents were abnormally similar and even the way they carried themselves was the same.
"How did Kayla manage to bring another demon who looks so much like Siera? Who is the imposter among them? It's been an hour and I still can't figure out who the real Siera is" Claude thought to himself keeping a straight face as he ate the food prepared.
"May I have an extra serving of the blueberry pie?" Sebastian's voice broke through Claude's thoughts.
"Of course" two cold voices replied.
The two of them looked at each other and Kimi moved to place the extra serving on Sebastian's plate. Kayla was seething but she managed to keep a straight face. Kimi kept the serving carefully on his plate as perfectly as Siera would've have, had she served him.
"I'd like an extra serving of the cream puffs" Claude said looking up trying to keep the panic out of his voice.
Siera nodded and moved immediately to serve him an extra serving of the cream puffs. Kimi stood next to Sebastian's side as Siera served Claude. Once she was done with serving Claude, Kimi moved to stand next to Siera. Kayla sighed as she ate the last of her food.
"May I ask who made the cream puffs?" Sebastian questioned his eyes contemplative.
"I did" Kimi answered his voice a perfect imitation of Siera's voice.
"I see…who made the blueberry pie, if I may ask again" Sebastian asked.
"I did" Siera answered.
Sebastian's smile widened as he finished the last of his extra serving, his suspicions confirmed by the answers he had received. Kayla noticed his smile but said nothing as she placed her fork down. Siera moved to take the used plates. Claude had finished after Sebastian and Siera waited patiently next to him till he finished before taking his plate.
"Now that lunch is over I want the two of you gathered in my room after the dishes are washed" Kayla ordered the two of them as she stood.
Sebastian and Claude stood after Kayla stood up. Siera and Kimi bowed once before taking the dirty dishes and leftover food to the kitchen.
"Follow me gentlemen" Kayla said as she started walking up the stairs.
-Half an hour later-
Siera and Kimi entered Kayla's room to find Sebastian standing by the doorway, alone in the room with Kayla. Kayla kept a straight face as she motioned the two of them to stand on either side of her. As the two of them crossed him to stand next to Kayla, Sebastian felt the vibes from Siera and smiled.
"Who is my daughter Sebastian?" Kayla asked as she looked at him.
"The one standing to your right Vankroff san… the one who made the blueberry pie" Sebastian said his usual smile present on his lips.
Siera was filled with shock while Kimi was filled with joy but neither showed their emotions with their expressions.
"How…how did he know it was me? Did Kimi give him a heads up?" Siera thought to herself.
"Do you have any explanations as to why you base your decision as such?" Kayla questioned raising an eyebrow.
"I believe the other person doesn't know how Siera cooks the cream puffs…she has an unbelievably sweet tongue and she always adds a little extra cream to the said dessert, often getting scolded by Ciel over it but the cream puff made today had the perfect amount of cream not to mention the blueberry pie had the exact sweet taste in the way she usually makes it" Sebastian said smiling.
Siera's heart pounded in her chest and she fought to keep the color rising in her cheeks.
"Aside from her cooking…I know she thinks it is Claude who is her Meito…while the other Siera managed to keep up with the real Siera's slightly biased outlook…while serving me Siera still maintained the perfect hospitality I had taught her to maintain…exactly the way I had taught her. No matter the perfection of the other person…that can't be learnt in a second. Besides…this may seem weird…but I felt her next to me when she was…and when she left my side, it felt like a part of me was missing" Sebastian said smiling.
"You did it Sebastian!" Kimi thought to himself almost giving in to his desire to smile broadly.
Kayla nodded not revealing any emotion. Siera looked confused,
"How did he feel me when he isn't my Meito…just what i-"
"Enter Claude" Kayla's commanding voice broke Siera out of her thoughts an she turned to look at Claude who had just entered.
Claude entered the room his stoic façade intact.
"Yes Vankroff san" he said extremely politely.
"Who is the real Siera among the two of them?" Kayla repeated her question.
Claude looked from Kimi to Siera to back to Kimi again. His expressions started to show the panic that he had tried to suppress. Siera looked at him expectantly her heart deluded that he had already recognized her. Claude still had absolutely no idea who the real Siera was between the two of them.
"The one on your left Vankroff san" Claude said betting on luck.
Siera's heart shattered when she heard Claude's conclusion. Her eyes went wide, tears threatening to form at the corner of her eyes.
"Do you have any explanations as to why you think this is the real Siera?" Kayla asked her voice level.
"I just know" Claude answered back.
Kayla stared at him long and hard for a minute before she let out a deep breath. She motioned Sebastian to stand next to Claude.
"Well then you both need to know who the actual Siera was" Kayla said snapping her fingers.
Kimi bowed and lifted the spell. Kayla was seated in the center with Siera to her right and Kimi to her left. Claude's eyes widened,
"Do you still think the person to my left was Siera, Claude?" Kayla questioned turning to him.
"I-I think I made a mistake while-"
"Don't complete your excuse. If you were truly her Meito you should've been able to feel and recognize her no matter how perfectly a copy was made to resemble her. The true reason behind the Ceremony is not just to give a fair chance to all demons, it is to figure who in the contenders have a connection with us. It is to find who is worthy of being in the Circle with us" Kayla said looking at him straight in the eye.
"All three of our children know this very well. Even if they should meet their destined mates, if their destined mates lose in the Ceremony they can't be with them. All of us in the Circle are connected to each other. Our Circle is not a joke. You now realize that you were never meant to be Siera's Meito, don't you? This isn't something that can be forced. You aren't her destined mate and you even lo-"
"Mama…" Kimi interrupted, shaking his head and motioning Kayla to not reveal anything more.
Kayla sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose before looking up, deciding not to reveal anything more in Siera's presence.
"Wh-What is going on here Second…what do you mean by saying he was never meant to be my Meito? What do you mean by saying it can't be forced?" Siera said her eyes going wide as she got more confused with every passing second.
Claude immediately stepped up and held Siera by her shoulders,
"Siera! Please believe me! I pointed to the wrong person because my senses were dulled by the poison Sebastian placed in my food! Please believe me Siera" Claude pleaded.
Sebastian was quick to move and he held Claude's shoulder,
"Oh fuck I messed up…" Claude thought to himself when he realized he wasn't alone with her.
"What did you just accuse me of? Do you think I'm a cheapskate like you?" he questioned his voice emitting rage, with his usual smirk disappearing from his lips.
"Get your hands off my Meito" Siera said stepping in between and freeing Claude from his grasp easily.
"Third…step back. I will not have an unfair accusation go unpunished" Kayla seethed.
Unable to overstep Kayla, Siera reluctantly moved back to stand next to Kimi. Kayla stepped next to Claude and slapped him. He fell to the floor his cheek red. Siera looked away, confusion and grief filling her eyes.
"I hadn't put even an ounce of my strength in that slap and you're already on the floor. A lowly, weak demon like you should know better than naming false accusations in front of me. You are no longer a contender for Siera's hand. You will address me as The Second henceforth and address the others with their appropriate title including Siera, is that understood?" Kayla said her eyes blazing with anger.
"Y-Yes…The Second" Claude said his voice shaking.
Siera was about to step in when Kimi held her hand and shook his head, his eyes revealing controlled rage. Siera looked over to Claude a distressed look on her face.
"Why are you falsely accusing Sebastian…it's your own fault you didn't recognize me Claude…why are you blaming it on Sebastian…why are you lying…you should've just said Sebastian had an advantage over you because I live here with him…" Siera thought to herself tightening her fist.
"Wait a minute…that's right! Sebastian does have an unfair advantage cause I live here with him!" Siera thought to herself her eyes going wide.
"Stop Second! Sebastian had an unfair advantage because I live here with him!" Siera claimed her eyes pleading.
"While that may be true, you forget that he is neither connected to you nor does he have the right to falsely accuse Sebastian. He does not feel your presence Siera. He is merely lusting to make your strength and beauty his" Kayla said her piercing stare directed at Siera.
"T-That is true…b-but Second-"
"If he truly was at a disadvantage he should've said that he was honestly but if he really was your Meito do you really think this excuse is a disadvantage? He doesn't exhibit the qualities required of a demon to join Our Circle Siera. Don't you remember what those qualities were? Do you wish to disappoint Samuel?" Kayla said her eyes flashing.
Siera was speechless as she stared at the floor, her eyes shaking wildly. Sebastian wrapped an arm around her shoulder,
"Are you alright?" Sebastian questioned gently.
Siera tried weakly to shake his arm off her shoulders but his firm grip didn't loosen. She was emotionally drained as she took in shallow breaths.
"Take her to her room Sebastian" Kayla commanded.
Sebastian nodded as he picked Siera up bridal style and left the room. Kayla turned to Kimi,
"Throw this scum out of the mansion. I will inform Samuel of today's events myself" she said and left the room to check on Kiki.
Kimi grinned widely as he picked Claude by the collar making him stand easily,
"You lost this round Claude and let me assure you on one thing: this won't be the last time you lose. Besides you never really won anything so far. Oh and don't forget to address me as The Fifth next time" Kimi said grinning as he escorted Claude out of the mansion.
"I have to think of a way to make her believe me…and fast" Claude thought to himself as he wiped the dust of his clothes.
-With Siera and Sebastian-
Sebastian carried Siera bridal style and gently placed her on the bed. She didn't resist his actions and looked up at the ceiling her heart broken into pieces. Sebastian noticed the rapid tears forming in her eyes and looked away his eyes clouded with both rage and angst.
"Why am I here with you…why didn't he recognize me…why don't I remember the Ceremony…what did The Second mean by saying this can't be forced…why did he lie…what the hell is going on" Siera murmured under her breath, a tear sliding down her cheek.
"Your memories have all the answers Siera" Sebastian said as he turned to look at her.
"What?" Siera questioned looking confused as she sat up.
Sebastian gently took her hand in his and clasped it gently. Siera looked at him and was surprised at seeing yearning and angst reflected in his eyes.
"You do realize that there are so many things that you don't remember right?" he said softly.
Siera nodded unable to look away as the angst in his eyes melted into love,
"All of us are trying our best to restore those memories of yours…and all the questions that you have will be answered by the restored memories…but till then…please trust us" he said as he pressed his lips on the back of her hand.
Unknown to herself a rosy color appeared on her cheeks as she looked at him and nodded as if under a spell. He moved closer and held the back of her head with his right hand and pulled her closer before kissing her forehead. A gasp escaped her lips and her eyes closed as she felt his lips on her forehead. Unknown to herself she leaned in but he stopped himself from kissing her.
He gripped her shoulders tight as he pulled back and she opened her eyes slowly. He smiled gently and made her lie down. He pulled the covers up to her neck and tucked her in carefully. He looked at her one last time as he stood by the door before he left the room closing the door behind him.
Siera held her thumping heart,
"He just kissed my forehead…so why is my heart thumping so hard…why did I lean in…did I want him to kiss me…when am I going to get my memories back…what answers do they hold…I can't just wait for them to come back…I'll just have to do it…"
I shall apologize for not updating for so long…but I hope the long chapter compensated for it ^^
Claude has messed up pretty bad and Siera seems to be falling for Sebastian all over again. What is going to happen now? What is Siera going to do? Keep reading to find out ^^
Until next time adios amigos :D