Chapter 29

Sebastian shut the chest box close and glanced over at his master who he witnessed picking up a photo frame. The way his master's visible eye widened told him that his master had found something interesting.

"I see. So you found something in that photograph, Young Master." Sebastian approached the boy.

"Yeah. Sebastian, do you notice anything?"

Holding the frame in a steady gaze, Sebastian's interest piqued at the bald plump man who looked like he was in his sixties. "You are right." Ciel's eye went over to the man's ring Sebastian pointed at. "I have seen same hallmark as the one on this signet ring recently."

The boy's eyebrows rose in surprise at the ring he failed to notice. It was barely noticeable. "Signet ring? Hallmark? You can even see small things like that?"

"Yes, I am certain that this hallmark is…the same as the one at the base of Ms. Beast's prosthetic leg."

"This man has my attention." Ciel announced, placing the frame back to the shelf.

Sebastian gazed down at his pocket watch. "Young Master, it's almost time. This will be all for today."

"There's still Joker's tent. Since Blancbaston wasn't able to get out much yesterday night…" Ciel snatched the pocket watch from the butler's hand. "We're short on time, but we do have eight minutes." He took off in a run, tossing the pocket watch back to Sebastian. "When the encore is over, return here ahead of the troupe members and release the snakes! Alright?!"

Sebastian blinked in surprise as he watched Ciel disappear outside the tent.

"Yes, my lord."

….

The Earl rose at an eyebrow at the size of Joker's tent when he entered it, and head towards the trunk across him with a shrug of his shoulders. Lifting its lid up, he grimaced at the mess he found in the trunk. Pushing the pile of clothes aside, he peeled off a pair of socks that was lying on a letter which instantly caught his attention. Curiosity burned into that document as he picked it up.

Expensive… He noted as he ran his fingers across it.

Flipping the letter over, his gaze fell onto the words written on it.

'Tom, the Piper's son.'

Eye lingering on that, Ciel pulled out the paper sticking out of it. Two very familiar words struck him cold - 'Ciel Phantomhive'.

His eye widened as dread dawned upon him.

"Don't tell me my cover has been blown..." A whisper of horror escaped from his mouth.

….

Estella scowled at the little piece of crumpled paper in her hand as she read.

We're leaving now. Cover is blown. Meet us outside the circus, where we alighted from the carriage on the first day. At any cost, do NOT get caught!

-Phantomhive

Crushing the paper in her hand, she walked over to the cupboard her master and Freckles shared and threw its doors open.

Her shoulders slumped. "What the heck…?" She sighed at the empty spot Ciel's suitcase used to be in. This was no sick joke.

Shutting the furniture close, she dejectedly sat down on her bed. Stupid Phantomhive. Always putting me in crazy situations! How the hell am I going to get out of here without getting caught?

"Urghhh, it's now or never." Taking a deep breath, the redhead whipped around to face the doorway of the tent with a determined glare. "Okay, you can do this. Heh, escape is your middle name, isn't it? This is going to be peanuts! "

….

Estella kept her breathing as quietly as possible, her movements as silently as possible. However, all that didn't stop her from cussing at her master.

She crouched behind the few crates, peeking over them. Her eyes swept across the compound for movements, for crews.

Coast clear.

She sprinted across the compound to the next batch of crates and crouched down again. She looked ahead calculatedly only to be delighted to find herself a just few feet away from the gate.

She was close, so damn close! Maybe 'Escape' was indeed her middle name afterall.

Totally caught up in her excitement at the sight of the gate, she nearly walked out of her hiding spot without checking if not for a voice.

"Where've Joker gone to?"

Estella ducked, crouching so low that she was practically hugging the ground beneath. The surge of adrenaline coursing in her blood was driving her heart to pound like mad against her ribcage, trying to mute her raspy breathing was not easy.

"To Father. Regardin' the newcomers, I think. They're suspicious, 'specially those three…."

She froze.

"Black only. The kids seem fine."

"Yea, yea…He did everthin' very perfectly. Too good to be true, like many'll say."

Estella raised an eyebrow, silently agreeing with the speaker. Indeed, even she found Sebastian too perfect, and she couldn't sit well with that fact. He's too perfect, flawless.

She tuned in to their conversation.

"The first-tier is plannin' to do somethin' to them, it seems they…"

Estella perked up when she realized that their voices were getting further away.

Blinking owlishly at the direction the voices disappeared to, she uttered under her breath. "Looks like our cover are really blown."

Once she checked that the compound was clear again, she made a final dash towards the gate.

….

Sebastian watched boredly as his master continued to pace back and forth.

"Isn't she taking too long?" The boy glanced over at him with frustration clearly written on his face.

"Perhaps she was caught…?" Sebastian suggested calmly.

Sebastian's interest piqued when he witnessed how the scowl on his master's face faltered a little to a worried frown. However, it disappeared as quickly as it came.

He has always suspected that there was something between those two. "It is wise that we leave without her. Mission comes first afterall, don't you agree?"

The boy snapped his head over to him, jolting upright in shock. It seemed that his words have struck something. "I…"

Things couldn't be any more interesting than this.

The boy glanced back to the direction of the circus and back at him. He looked torn.

Silence lapsed between them as the boy's gaze swept across the forest behind him. A sigh, the boy glanced back at him. "Alright-"

"I'm here!" A flash of red burst out of the trees into the clearing and skidded to a stop behind the boy.

She made it… Sebastian mused.

He didn't fail to catch the relieved look which quickly turned to an indifferent one on his master's face.

"Took you long enough, Blancbaston."

Sebastian's eyes narrowed at the indifference in the boy's voice.

Humans…

"Let's get going. Into the carriage now." The cloak draped over his master's shoulders swished when he suddenly whipped around.

Sebastian watched the boy stalk past him. "Sebastian, to that manor."

"Yes, my lord."

….

On the quiet and deserted compound they stood on, a manor stood in the dull light that shone from the hovering full moon.

"This is his manor?" Ciel scowled at the building.

The manor was in total darkness, it looked abandoned. "I think it's empty…" Estella pointed out, sweeping her gaze across its windows for signs of life.

"Sebastian," Ciel waved his butler over, "Do you smell them?" He whispered, eying Estella who glanced over at them curiously.

"I do indeed." Sebastian's eyes narrowed at the manor."I cannot tell whether they are all here…but those present are still alive." He kept his voice low.

"Are we going in?" The two glanced over to see Estella glaring at them. "And stop whispering like that, it's getting on my nerve. What's up with you two anyway? What are you hiding?"

"Nothing. None of your-"

"We bid ye welcome to our home." All heads turned to watch the manor's doors swing open.

A figure was at the doors. "We have been waiting for you…Earl Phantomhive."

Then it stepped out.

"Joker!"

….

Estella followed them numbly into the next room. Images of hanging puppets from the entrance hall they just exited deeply etched in her memory and they chilled her to the bones.

She glanced over to Joker with a look of disbelief. She still couldn't believe he was involved in the disappearances of those children. Joker was too nice a man to do such of things.

"You've come at last…" Estella drew her attention away from him and to the other door of the dining hall they just entered."….Earl Phantomhive!" An almost full-bodied bandaged man emerged into the room on a wheelchair pushed by two kids at his sides.

Estella scowled at the man when she noticed how void and dull the kids looked. What on earth did this bastard do to them?

"Aahh…It is like a dream to have you so close to me!" She grimaced in disgust at how the man was staring at the male beside her. His visible eye was boring so hungrily and...excitedly into her master.

She turned to Ciel, making a gesture at her head. "Loony~"

Ciel raised an eyebrow at her, slightly amused at her antic. Ignoring the very intent stare from the man, he kept his cool. "…Are you Baron Kelvin, sir?"

"I am. I must say your formality is making feel self-conscious!" Pink dusted the man's cheeks. Then he suddenly perked up like a thought has struck him. "Anyway! I have prepared a feast for you."

He clapped and that was all that did the trick to have the set of giant doors he entered through to swing open.

….

What does this rat want to show me? Ciel frowned at the baron who was sitting a few seats away.

"There are more victims here than what the police records have stated, Phantomhive."

Ciel turned to the redhead who stood beside his seat and nodded. "I know."

"Welcome, Earl Phantomhive." The said boy turned his attention to the front to find himself staring at a stage similar to the circus. Joker bowed when his eye landed on him. "This evening we shall 'specially convey ye to a world of dazzling delights."

As in on cue, masked children dressed up in circus costumes walked onto the stage.

Ciel glanced over with an irked look to the baron who was clapping delightfully at their appearance.

"First, we have a tightrope walker." Joker pointed at the little girl standing on the top of a tightrope set-up.

All eyes averted to where he pointed.

Ciel watched blankly as the girl place her right foot on the thick rope.

"With no lifeline or anything, this is the real deal."

Then it happened.

Without warning, the girl fell off the rope.

She was like a puppet.

No emotions, no response.

There was no scream, no cry…nothing.

She was just dropping like that.

No response at all, even when she landed with a loud 'crack' or even when she was lying in her pool of blood.

"Wh… "Ciel jolted upright in his seat.

He averted his gaze away from the bloodied girl in disgust. He didn't fail to catch the pained look on Joker's face.

Laughter and applause from baron rendered him speechless. That man clearly thought that was entertaining and hilarious.

"Next is a wild animal tamer."

Ciel glanced back to the stage in horror to see a growling lion advancing a boy who stood unresponsively in the presence of a danger. Growling dangerously, the lion bared its fangs at the boy.

"A fierce lion will…"

The muscles of the lion's all four limbs clenched and that was the only warning before it leapt towards the boy.

His heart quickened its pace for the little boy.

Its wide-opened jaws were inching nearer and nearer to the boy's head as seconds passed.

Too caught up in horror, he failed to hear the gunshot that rang throughout the room.

The lion was only a hair away when it suddenly fell back as though it was pushed back by some invisible force. It landed beside the boy on its side. It gave out a weak growl and that was all before it slumped against the floor.

Ciel stared at the motionless beast on the stage in shock, trying to grasp the situation. Who killed…

His eye swiveled to the side and widened.

There stood his red-haired servant with a smoking gun raised up at the direction of the lion. She was glaring dangerously at the dead animal. If looks could kill, hers would be lethal.

"Blancbaston…"

Whipping her furious gaze over to the baron, he watched her stalk over to the man who returned her a dazed happy look.

"You sick, sick man."

….

"You sick, sick man." Estella hissed, roughly grabbing the baron by his collars.

She rose up the gun in her hand when she sensed Joker rushing forward. "Come any closer, and I'll shoot." She shot the approaching man a warning look.

"You eyes…"

Estella glanced back to the baron only to find him staring at her, her eyes, with an awed look. "What, you crazy old man?" She growled.

"A blue that's gentle and sharp at the same time. Just like…the color of ice. Cold and…beautiful."

She slapped away the hand he raised up towards her face. "Don't. Touch. Me."

Her glare went unnoticed when the man turned excitedly to Joker. "Joker, add her to my collection!"

Incredulity appeared on her face. "What the hell, you-"

"No, you won't, Baron Kelvin," Ciel with a dark look stepped in. "Vulgar, ugly, perverted. The lowest form of human life is what I, the Watchdog of the Queen, will get rid of!"

"E…Earl." The baron stared wide eye at him.

The look on her master face was so angry and dark that she swore he could just pierce through the baron with it. "Baron Kelvin. Where are the kidnapped children? Tell me or I'll have her to finish you." He placed a hand on Estella's shoulder as an emphasis.

Estella scowled when the baron gazed up at the boy excitedly. It was disgusting.

"You want to meet those children? They are in the basement. I can take you there right away."

….

The baron led them down a corridor, looking excited despite of the gun Estella pointed at his head. "To walk beside you is like a dream come true!"

"Don't waste your breath. Just lead me to where the children are quickly." Ciel ordered impatiently.

"Umm…I'm sorry." A smile crept across the baron's face. "But I'm glad. Since that day, I have always regretted it. Why couldn't I be at your side that day in that place…"

Estella glanced over at him with a weird look. This man is a serious loony. Why isn't he in the mental hospital yet?

Ciel turned to the baron with a frustrated scowl when they came to stop at a set of giant doors. "That day? My…side? What are you actually babbling about?"

"No matter how much I regretted it, time wouldn't turn back." As if Ciel didn't say anything, the baron continued dreamily. "But I realized. If I can't turn it back, then I should just do it once again."

The two kids who were pushing the wheelchair the baron was on, rushed towards the doors and pushed them apart.

"Look!" The baron gestured eagerly. "It took me four years to prepare this. Just like that day four years ago!"

Ciel swung his attention to the front only to find himself staring at the room of his nightmare.