Chapter 1
Revelations

This accursed manor had always been oppressive, but it had never felt so… gloomy to Alois before, even when his accommodations had been down in the "cellars."

For three years now, the members of the Trancy household had been clear as to their roles respective of one another, or at least, an illusion of them. But the breaking of Alois' contract with Claude had shattered that thin veneer of a normal hierarchy, leaving all of them seemingly uncertain as to their relationships with everyone else.

Claude had suddenly become very hands off. Physically present, but no longer performing most of the tasks he usually did. Alois couldn't blame him; the demon no longer had any incentive to serve him, though the knowledge was devastating. Alois' heart ached at seeing for himself what he already knew to be true: that Claude was only interested in consuming his soul, and nothing else.

Most of the work, then, had been taken up entirely by the creepy triplets, which was not a proposition Alois was thrilled with. The fact that they had done so with seemingly no benefit to themselves unnerved him further. What were they up to?

Hannah… Hannah was perhaps the most changed of all, as she had grown… more certain, perhaps. Eyeing him as if she knew everything about him, while he still knew nothing about her. Every time she looked at him now her gaze unnerved him further, and he finally snapped during breakfast one morning just after she had brought him his eggs.

"Stop looking at me like that, like you know so much more than me! Maids should know their place," he spat. All he could feel was anger, and almost before he knew what he was doing, he'd stabbed two of his fingers into her eye socket. Blood oozed out, slick and oddly lukewarm.

Yet another stark reminder that she wasn't human.

At the commotion, Claude barged into the room immediately. At the sight of him, Alois beamed. Taking in the scene and giving Alois an unreadable expression, Claude told the triplets, "Clean this up at once."

It hadn't solely been to get Claude's attention, Alois swore. He couldn't stand Hannah, experiencing an indescribably anxious feeling whenever he so much as looked at her. But he'd be a liar if he said that hadn't also been what he wanted. Pulling out a handkerchief, Claude began cleaning the blood from the boy's fingers in a gesture that could only be described as quietly exasperated.

Hannah, meanwhile, knelt on the floor, both hands gripping at and covering her injured eye. She didn't look at Alois.

Twisting his mouth into a grimace, the teenage earl placed his hands flat on the table as soon as Claude was done, stood, and left the room in a huff.

He hated them. He hated them so much.

He wanted them to look at him like he was the only thing in the world.

That evening, a low rumbling on the horizon foretold a coming storm. By the time night fell, the winds had risen, blowing the ominous storm clouds ever closer.

So it was incredibly unexpected when a knock came on the door. Claude heard it, of course. He would have heard it even if he had been on the other side of the sizable mansion, but it just so happened that he was close by. Impassable as always, a slight frown and furrow of his brow betrayed the demon's confusion as he went to investigate.

Standing at the door was a bedraggled boy draped in a ragged brown cloak. He appeared about Alois' age, perhaps a bit younger. Strands of reddish-brown hair stuck out from under the hood.

"Please sir, a storm's blowing in. Can I trouble you for shelter for the night?"

Claude eyed him without expression. "This is the estate of the honorable Earl Trancy. You do not have leave to be here without permission."

"Eh, I'll give my permission," a cheerful voice piped up from behind the menacing demon clad in black. Alois poked out into view, smiling but watching the newcomer in surprise.

Claude, clearly unamused, said nothing.

Alois ignored him. "Why don't you come in? Claude, prepare a meal and room for our guest."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth he held his breath, his chest seizing up in anticipation. He'd forgotten in that moment that Claude was no longer contracted to him. Would his butler follow his order, would he quietly ignore it, or would he rebuke Alois right in front of this stranger?

To his immense relief, Claude did not challenge him. "Very well," the demon said.

Alois looked at the other boy, who would not look at him in turn.

The meal Claude put together quickly to serve their guest consisted of some of the remaining salmon that had not been cooked for that night's earlier dinner, a delicious brown sauce, some sauteed vegetables, and a small glass of brilliant red wine.

"Claude's cooking is brilliant," Alois was saying as he took the plate right out of Claude's hands and offered it to their guest. "I'm sure you'll love it."

The boy didn't stop to nod or say thank you – he simply picked up his fork and began shoveling the food into his mouth as if he hadn't eaten in days.

Alois leaned back and blinked a couple of times as he watched the boy eat.

"What's your name?" asked Alois.

The boy averted his eyes. "Arthur," he finally said.

Alois smiled. "Well, Arthur, I look forward to having you as my guest."

They chatted for a little while longer, though it was more of a one-sided conversation with Alois chattering on about whatever came to mind and Arthur continuing to scarf down his food. When the boy was done and had sat there a few minutes, he expressed his desire to get some sleep for the evening.

Not wanting to push his luck and give Claude another order, Alois picked one of the guest rooms at random in his head, knowing they were all kept presentable in case they needed to be used at a moment's notice, like what was occurring now. He then led Arthur to that room, commenting on a few more mundane things but quieting down as the nagging feeling he'd had since he first saw Arthur grew even stronger. I've seen him before, I'm sure of it.

"I hope these accommodations will prove suitable for you?" Alois said politely as he led Arthur into the room in question.

"Oh, of course," Arthur responded, his expression giving away the fact that this was likely the nicest room he'd ever had the chance to sleep in.

Alois milled about near the door as Arthur settled in, removing his cloak and boots. Judging from the boy's stench, everything in this room would need to be cleaned thoroughly afterwards. A few seconds later Hannah, her eye now bandaged, came in, saying, "I… brought some water for our guest," in her usual submissive manner.

"Don't insult our guest with your presence, you stupid tart," Alois snapped, whirling on her, shoving her back towards the door, and giving her a solid kick for good measure.

She let out a soft grunt at the impact before bowing quickly and hurrying out of the room.

"Please accept my apologies for her," Alois said to Arthur. "I never have any idea what she's thinking." He paused, a melancholy look coming over his face. "Actually, I never know what anyone is thinking." Brightening again, he asked, "So, what's your story? Why are you here?"

Arthur's eyes focused on a spot on the carpet with intensity. "I know who you really are."

Oh, so that's what this is about. But what he said was, "Whatever do you mean?"

The boy laughed, a short, bitter laugh. "Of course you've forgotten all about me, about all of us, now that you're on top."

Alois' expression hardened. "Of course I haven't forgotten."

Arthur glanced up, now looking him directly in the eye. "What I want to know is why you let us go. Any one of us could reveal that you aren't the real Earl Trancy. Falsely claiming a noble title is a crime, after all."

"So I was just supposed to slaughter all of you to keep you quiet instead? No. I'm not like that."

Arthur's mouth tightened into a hard line. "Regardless, I have nowhere else to go. I don't want to resort to anything, but if you force my hand… I just need a job, and somewhere to stay."

He should have said no, consequences be damned. There was just too much else going on in this house right now to add such another complication. But he couldn't.

"You can stay if you want," he said nonchalantly with a little shrug. "You might be getting more than you bargained for, though."

Arthur eyed him curiously but with that cryptic remark Alois took his leave.

He was surprised to find Hannah still there, waiting out in the hallway. Her icy blue eyes were focused on him with such intensity that he almost recoiled. Instead, he straightened, glaring back at her. "What do you want?"

Her eyes darted to the closed door behind him, and then down the hall, as if checking to see if they were truly alone. "Master," she said slowly, as if not sure where to begin. But there was something in her eyes, in her demeanor. Something had changed, and there was a determination there Alois hadn't seen before. Or perhaps he had just never noticed.

He crossed his arms. "This had better be good, Hannah."

"Do not make another contract with Claude."

That was not what he had been expecting. "Why the hell shouldn't I?" he snapped. "And why the hell do you care?"

"Because Claude doesn't care for you one bit. Not like I do. And… I know that's all you really want."

Alois' gaze hardened into iron. "How dare you presume to know what I feel?"

"Jim Macken," she said, cutting him off and rendering him speechless. How did she know that name?

Sorrow spread across her face, replacing the sharpness that had been there just a moment before. "Sebastian Michaelis was not the demon who made a contract with your brother and took his soul. I did."

Alois just stared at her in complete and utter shock, his ability to speak forgotten, not that he would have known what to say even had he been able to form words.

"He came to me, his only wish to make you happy. As I watched him he became… dear to me, and I would have given him anything he wanted no matter what. He's the reason I'm here now. His soul is inside me, yearning for your happiness and to be with you again. Don't make another contract with Claude. Make one with me instead. I'll give you anything you want, and at the end you can be with your brother again, forever."

The look in her eyes, the way her voice sounded when she said it.

For the briefest moment, Alois wanted to believe her. He wanted to embrace what she had just told him, give himself over to it. End this wretched, lonely existence by becoming a part of something greater than himself. To get to be with his brother again, in truth.

Taking a deep breath, his voice shaking with such intense emotion he thought he might break, he said, "Luka is inside of you, he lives on in you, and because of that you love me too. And if I agree to make a contract with you, I can join him, and we can all live happily together, forever?"

"Yes, that's right," she said, her voice so gentle, so sweet.

He made a motion to lean in and hug her, an action she mirrored. They were so close, almost touching. Time seemed to stand still for the briefest of moments.

Then he said sharply and clearly, "You unimaginable bitch."

Hannah froze, confused. She looked at him, searching for answers.

"You were the one who did it. You killed my brother," he said, his voice as cold and sharp as freshly-sharpened steel.

Her shock was plainly evident on her face. "It was the only thing I could do for him—"

"I don't care!" he shouted. "You killed him! He was just a child, he probably hardly knew what he was doing. How could you take advantage of him like that? And why weren't you upfront with me sooner? You've been here for over a year!"

"Claude had your contract, and there was nothing I could do about that. I was biding my time until the right moment—"

"I don't want to hear anymore," Alois cut her off, his voice filled with venom. "Just stay away from me!" he shouted.

Wanting nothing more than to get away, he retreated down the hall. He faltered for a moment, just the barest moment, before straightening his spine again.

Upon returning to his room, the emotions overwhelmed him and he cried for longer and harder than he had the night before.

Author's Note: Apologies for how long it's been without an update. Real life is incredibly busy and updates to this fic will be sporadic at best, but rest assured I fully intend to keep working at it until it's completed. Thanks for your patience!