Hey everyone! Welcome to a new chapter... heavy with emotions, I would say. There is not much action, to be honest, but I think a lower pace chapter is needed before the actual action begins. Plus, an original scene that Yana Toboso did not gift us... although, I still want to hope she will, even as a flashback.

Also, I want to thank a lot a Kuro-friend who asked me, why Sebastian suddenly called Selina "Miss Clark" instead of "Mrs Michaelis" last time. That question reminded me not to forget that my readers are not in my mind and sometimes every little detail needs to be made clear. Therefore, I added a little something on that. That's all, feel free to enjoy! 😊

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kuroshitsuji or its characters. I entirely own only my OCs, arcs and ideas/themes not mentioned in any form of the franchise (manga, anime, games, movies or musicals).

Chapter 52: The Tutor, Regrouping

The servants did not leave the carriage out of their eyes until it got lost in the dark night and rain, that had not stopped raging over the manor throughout the evening; a so horrible evening. They all felt so lost, or almost all, since Bard continued to be serious and calm and that confused Selina more.

The witch knew logic and everything she knew about master and demon, pointed to them finding a way to get out of this situation, for certain... but she was still afraid, still worried.

Her mind filled with questions, trying to figure out what she was supposed to do; for Sebastian to insist for her not to be arrested, meant he expected something of her, something to assist their situation. The first thing crossing her mind was he wanted her to kill the real Ciel... or rather to kill again, as she was convinced that despite the so grand display of reason and wit, the boy was still just a dead body pumped with blood to prevent it from decaying. But then again... simply killing the rightful heir would worsen things, as it would be too obvious that one of the real impostor's servants did it, leading all of them to prison. Then, he must want her to help them escape somehow... but how could she do it all alone without complicating things?

Her head was ready to burst, a headache hitting like a hammer at her temples, when Abberline's surprised cry forced her back to the present. It seemed that Grell and Othello had departed at some point without anyone noticing, and now the rest of the Yard squad still in the manor, ran out in search for these two strange guys, that "could not have gone far" as they believed. Selina could not help but smirk at this.

"Ciel... will you not first explain to us what is going on?" Lord Midford asked, still in a relative state of shock but quite a controlled one, as expected from a Marquees and Knight of the Crown; the rightful Earl agreed. "And Elizabeth... go home. Do you have any idea how worried we were for you?" The man went on reprimanding the rebellious girl, but worry and love were evident in his voice and pale features.

"I am sorry... father... Edward... but..." She mumbled.

"Lizzie... I am fine now. I am sure Aunt Francis is sick with worry over you." Her fiance told her with a smile and she finally complied.

She went down the rest of the stairs and joined her father and brother. She was still in a confused and shocked state, as if walking in her sleep with eyes staring in front of her without really seeing; she did not really react to her brother's arm protectively circling her shoulders. The girl seemed to become conscious of the world around her when a chill ran down her spine as a presence approached her. She lifted her eyes and saw Selina staring at her... and the tutor's beautiful blue eyes, almost as deep as Ciel's, now were like ice, a really sharp ice.

"Miss Elizabeth... I know you do not care for a servant's opinion, and I can only imagine how hurt and betrayed you feel right now... And you have every right to, but I wanted to let you know how... much you disappoint me... and my master!" The woman said to the girl and that seemed to shake her, as Elizabeth started trembling and her eyes seemed ready to flood with tears.

"You have no right to talk to her like that!" Lord Edward was fast to defend his sister. During the Phantom Five period he had come to respect both tutor and butler, their skills and ingenuity, but this was too much. "We are also disappointed by your master for playing such a cruel game to all of us and to Lizzie most of all! Ciel, the rightful and fit heir of the Phantomhive House, is back, alive and well and no one has any right to say otherwise!"

The emotionless mask of the woman did not break even when she smirked. "Alive and well... Is he really?" She whispered, staring at the blond girl; Elizabeth trembled harder and turned her eyes away.

Selina threw a cold apology, as Edward gently pushed his sister out of the manor, and then joined the other servants, who watched the exchange a little bit confused.

"Selina, what was that?" Mey-Rin asked her, never having seen such a cold and cruel side of her sweet, cheerful friend.

"Let's hope it was the slap she needed to wake up... Unless she chooses to keep... the veil over her eyes and remain blind." She responded quite enigmatically.

"Whatever, once the policemen clear the grounds and everyone leaves, we'll meet in the cellar and don't let Tanaka know... In the meantime, start packing." Bard whispered and his voice had gained an authoritative tone ordering them.

{~}

Fortunately, the policemen and inspector Abberline departed from the manor soon after and Lord Midford followed almost half an hour later, looking quite dazed and confused by Ciel's "explanations"... Selina could swear the boy explained things as he liked, as it was more convenient for him, since she found it highly unlikely that he talked about really dying, about his brother being saved thanks to a demon and himself returning to life through the Frankensteinian experiments of a lunatic Grim Reaper. Most probably, he said that Undertaker saved him from the brink of death, and since everyone among the Aristocrats of Evil knew him to be a weird figure, with a really weird fascination about life and death... that would be sufficient explanation and no one would ask further questions, as it seems.

"Okay, there is no way we'll allow young master to be taken to the Yard; it will be really hard to help if they're already in the center of the city." Bard said, when everyone had gathered in the cellar, after making sure no one had followed them. "Meaning we have to move fast, while they are on the way."

Mey-Rin, Finny and Snake agreed with great determination in their eyes. That left Selina quite speechless."Wait... Hold on. You guys mean that... you will... remain by young master's side and help him and Sebastian?" She asked with eyes wide open.

They stared at her quite confused. "Of course we will, won't you? Considering ya're married to Sebastian and all..." Bard said and everything about him showed that no thought of abandoning his lord ever crossed his mind; the same went for the others.

"Yes, yes, of course I will; no doubt about it... regardless of my marriage to Sebastian..." She looked at them one more time and saw deep loyalty and even love towards the boy mirrored in their eyes. She shook her head and smiled, laughing at herself for forgetting how they felt for the second chance the boy gave them, so it was only natural for them to remain loyal to the end. "I apologize for my foolishness; I guess I got confused by how you asked about your salary..."

It was Bard's turn to laugh. "That was the code!"

"The what?!" Selina asked surprised all over again.

"The code... My question meant "What do ya want us to do?" and Sebastian's response meant "Come and get us quickly." That simple." He shrugged his shoulders.

"So... Sebastian had predicted for this to happen?" Selina felt really confused... That could not be the case, she would have somehow realised it.

"Not exactly. When he hired us, told us that if things ever turn out badly and lose control of the manor, we were to retreat, regroup with him and young master and then... we will see, yes, we will!" Mey-Rin explained and seemed quite excited for the upcoming action.

"And he assigned Bard to be responsible for the retreat strategy, since he is an ex-soldier!" That was Finny with sparkling eyes.

The blond tutor looked at them again, almost not believing her eyes. It seemed all shock and horror caused by the recent revelations had disappeared from their eyes and they were back to their usual selves, ready to serve their master!

"That is amazing, but... why was I left out of it? Why didn't he tell me anything?" She asked but no one could give her a proper answer.

"You are not alone in this... says Keats." Snake seemed a little offended by also not being informed about this, remembering how he yelled at Bard about the money bit.

Bard lifted his hands in surrender. "Guys, discuss that with Sebastian himself, I have no idea why he didn't inform ya. Now, let's not lose any more time." The ex-soldier said in a serious manner. "The rain and fog must have delayed the carriage, plus the Yard people don't know the forest like we do. Finny, take Snake and his snakes and run to the narrowing the path does. I believe that a small 'hug' from our reptilian friends to the guard at the back of the transfer carriage and then a tree blocking the way will be enough... Sebastian will take care of the rest. And when you're done come back, we'll be at the back gate. Mey-Rin and Selina bring everyone's things in the stable, I'll prepare the wagon." He finished and clapped his hands to show they were done.

"The wagon? There won't be enough room for everything, young master's clothes-" Selina was saying, but got cut off by the chef.

"No clothes, not anything of that kind, only what each of us absolutely needs." He said and the woman understood. She nodded and followed the others as they ran to their assignments.

In less than half an hour, they were all climbing on the wagon, bringing only the really essential things; guns, rifles and a few explosives in case they needed. Selina strapped her blades and knives on the trousers and boots she wore under her skirts and the only things she carried was her witchcrafting kit and a black handbag. Bard made a grimace at the sight of the kit and bag, but the woman reassured him these were her essentials. Soon they were all covered under a tarp, except Bard who took the reins, and off to the forest surrounding the Phantomhive estate. The fog could hinder the driver, but he knew the terrain like the back of his hand, as any proper soldier should.

Mey-Rin had gotten a little sentimental for leaving the manor without knowing if they would return. She removed her glasses to wipe the tears from her eyes, and then heard a strange murmur, coming from Selina sitting across her. She looked at her friend and through the blurriness, could see the tutor drawing something with her fingers in the air while staring at the manor. The maid turned her gaze and was astounded to see a purple, almost transparent, dome covering the manor breaking in pieces and then evaporating in the air; a small surprised voice escaped her throat, as she wondered why she had never seen such a thing before around the manor. Mey-Rin put her glasses back on and looked at Selina, who was also looking at the maid a little surprised at first, like she had been caught doing something she should not, but then smiled and winked.

"Let's see how good of a butler Undertaker can be!" The tutor said with a finger on her lips, signalling the maid to keep for herself what she saw. Mey-Rin nodded, pleased she shared a secret with her friend... It did not bother her that in reality she had not quite understood what she saw; she would when the time was right.

"Mrs. Selina..." Finny was heard, as he sat beside Mey-Rin and his voice was filled with worry. "What the policemen said about increased deaths after the Funtom Music Hall began... is not true, is it?" His big doe eyes looked at her with the hope she would put his mind at ease.

Selina looked at him tenderly and sighed. "Okay, listen to me, all of you. We all know that young master's duty, given by the Queen, is very special and quite dangerous. His methods are usually unorthodox and can be considered cruel too, but know that he uses them only when there is no other way to solve the cases assigned to him. Up to now, he has never killed innocent people intentionally or for no reason and, in order to answer your question... Yes, the deaths increased but were committed by the Sphere Music Hall. They panicked, seeing the blood flow thinning, since more and more people visited the Funtom Music Hall, and kept taking blood by people even when at death's doorstep." She explained as best she could.

"The stock of blood in the manor must have been planted by that Blavat... says Oscar." Snake added, deep in thought.

"Correct. Young master doesn't know yet how Blavat did that or what exactly is going on with Undertaker and... his brother, but he needs time and our help to discover all these, so... will you continue supporting him like you do?" She asked meeting everyone's eyes and once again was surprised to see deep devotion in them. Even Snake, who had every right to doubt the boy and realise he too had been played, seemed to have chosen to faithfully stand by Smile's side.

A chuckle was heard from Bard's side. "Silly questions, of course we'll stay by master's side, we told you so. After all, he hired us for times like these." The chef said, chewing his cigarette. The others agreed with a smile.

"I only wish Mr. Tanaka had come with us... Why did he choose to stay with the other one? He is not nice... and very scary!" Finny said again, a shiver ran down his spine.

Selina smiled bitterly. "I feel the same, but a butler must remain loyal to the family he serves, no matter who the head is, so Mr. Tanaka's place is always by the Earl's side as the Phantomhive butler."

"Sebastian is a Phantomhive butler too, but he will always choose young master!" It really seemed so unnecessarily complicated to the gardener.

"That's a little different. Sebastian, as well as I and all of you, are primarily young master's servants and then of the family... besides, young master is a Phantomhive; that cannot change!" This explanation seemed to satisfy Finny and thus they remained silent for some time.

It was almost dawn when they got out of the forest and fog and Bard pulled the reigns to stop the wagon. "Hey there, you two!" He was heard saying, as he drew the smoke of his cigarette in through his teeth. "Just like we promised, we're here to pick up our wages!" He finished with a smile, winking and greeting with his cap the two people walking on the path.

As he talked, the others lifted the tarp and with bright smiles and eyes looked at their co-worker holding their master in his arms; they were obviously happy to be with them again. Selina did not lose a second, jumped out of the wagon and landed in front of the man and child; she anxiously asked the boy if he was alright, as she gently caressed his totally chilled cheeks and he just nodded with no word.

"My goodness..." Sebastian sighed and Selina was certain he was about to deliver a load of nonsense; it was written all over his face, smile and eyes. "Even though I believe I told you we would not have it ready right away. Only at times like these you are quick to do your jobs. Money-grubbers, the lot of you." He finished and the others laughed quite relieved they were both alright, despite the crash of the transfer carriage, caused by Snake and Finny.

As soon as he placed the boy in the wagon, the blond woman literally barged into him; her arms around him and her face buried in his chest. Her aura was flaring quite strongly, struggling to control her emotions, but her happiness and relief for seeing him again in one piece could not really be contained. He circled her waist with one arm and tenderly rubbed his cheek on hers as he whispered in her ear, asking her if she had been needlessly worried about him.

Selina's hand slipped to his chest and making a fist, lightly punched it. "Bastard, you left me out of action, again!" Her voice was trying to sound steady and angry.

The demon smirked pulling her closer. "You are here, are you not? From here on action starts." His lips brushed her temple and his finger slipped under her chin to make her look at him.

Her eyes were twinkling as if they were about to cry. "Why did you not tell about the code to me and Snake? We would know how to act..." She complaint, staring at his mahogany eyes; the teasing smile she saw in them infuriated her a little, because he obviously enjoyed the distress he caused her and Snake.

"Oh, but the reactions of both of you were perfect, exactly what we needed to persuade the police that the servants had no idea of what was going on!" He said casually.

"Right... And what about calling me "Miss Clark" out of the blue? Any idea how much that hurt?" The woman's eyebrows furrowed deeper.

"I do apologize for that, but I had to buy you some time. You think you would not be arrested if the police found out, right at that moment, that you were my wife... just because you are a woman?" Sebastian responded with a grin and cut Selina - ready to yell at him - off with a disarming kiss, making her blush and perhaps even temporarily forget why she was angry.

All the while, Mey-Rin and Finny were fussing over their master, trying to dry him off the rain water and humidity that seeped in his clothes after being exposed to it all night, and dress him with one change of clothes Selina had managed to sneak on the wagon in her handbag. The boy remained silent, leaving himself at his servants' hands, his eye kept staring at the empty space in front of them and his occasional nodding was the only sign that he listened to what they were telling him. When they finished, Sebastian announced they were to go to London and climbed in the wagon along with Selina pulling the tarp over them for the fugitives to hide.

{~}

"No, no way! I do not believe it!" Sieglinde shook her head in obvious denial.

"I do not want to believe it either, but I cannot doubt my eyes!" Soma said with a voice deep and hard, the look in his eyes was that of blood thirst.

Prince Soma had awakened at some point and found himself lying in a bed and Sieglinde's face leaning over him, telling him not to move so suddenly, he needed to rest. The boy asked about Agni, hoping the girl would prove his fear wrong, but when she could not, he broke out crying in a so heartbreaking way that Sieglinde failed to hold back her tears, chocking her ever since Selina spoke about the Indian butler, and even Wolfram clenched his teeth sharing the pain of the two children.

He and his lady had come to like that "gentle giant" very much; his kindness was quite disarming and his devotion unrivalled. Soon the tears of pain and loss gave place to wrath, fury and a burning desire for revenge in the prince's heart, as he swore he would make them pay dearly, but the strangest thing was the name that came out of his mouth when he said he saw the perpetrators clearly.

"Ciel would not do something like that! I may not know him as long as you do, but I cannot accept such an idea." The girl kept saying with fervour.

"Why not? Ever since I arrived, he never misses a chance to show me he does not want me to be here. That I am a nuisance and a burden."

"Yes, his ways can be quite harsh sometimes and he might seem rude but... I just cannot believe he would harm a friend."

Soma let a chuckle of doubt. "Friend... Was I ever? Or just a tool to use sometimes and now that I finished my job he decided to throw me away?"

Sieglinde could not believe her ears, she rubbed her forehead. "Just listen to yourself! What you say has no logic! You told me he used you long after he had accepted you as a friend, so why try to kill you now and not before?" She finally cried out, her small, round face red.

Soma opened wide eyes at that leaving a soft "Eh?"

"Prince, I think my lady is right..." Wolfram spoke for the first time for some minutes now; both children looked at him. "I mean that... if young master wanted to rid of you, he would have kicked you off... out right from the start."

"Exactly! He would not have allowed you to stay in the town-house, take care of it and all. You said he asked your help in the school, when he reached a dead end and I think Phantom Five were the same thing... He had no other choice in order to achieve his goal. Besides, why try to kill you now? Why not after the school case? And why kill Agni only and let you live? Why bring you here for me to treat and take care of you? He showed you his face, a face you undoubtedly would recognise, so why let a witness alive?" The girl was on fire, totally engrossed in defending her first and most important friend.

Prince Soma remained silent, wiped the tears from his eyes and got deep in thought as he fell back in the bed's pillows. What Sieglinde said were quite logical... but he was so sure of what he saw!

"The man with the knife... was he Sebastian?" Wolfram asked.

Soma shrugged his shoulders. "He was wearing a black hood and hid most of his face... Plus, Agni..." He paused to control the new wave of tears coming up as soon as the name left his lips. "He grabbed and pushed me to the basement quite quickly so I did not have the time to look at the man properly."

"But you said he followed you and kept stabbing Agni." The blond butler said and the prince agreed. "From what I have seen, Sebastian functions quite differently, faster and more effectively. What you describe is quite floppy for him." He felt very uncomfortable praising the unlikable butler, but could not deny the truth; the man was really talented.

"Sloppy, you mean." Sieglinde corrected him and he nodded.

"But... it was a draw when Ciel and I made them fight with swords. They were of equal skill."

"Maybe, but this time Agni was in a disadvantage!" Sieglinde's eyes were again on fire. "He was already wounded and focused on getting you to safety; if it was Sebastian, he had Agni with only one stab in a vital spot, like he did to Hilde!" Her admiration for the black haired butler was very obvious. "And that is not all. From what you say, he must have moved Agni away from the door, in order to check on you, quite effortlessly... so why not do the same earlier, in order to kill you?"

This question was the unshakable foundation of her reasoning and... Truth be told, she was quite right to insist, because there was no logical explanation for Soma being alive, if the murderer was truly Ciel. The boy fell silent again; Sieglinde announced she would call or send letter to Edward - since he must know what is going on and might have some news about Elizabeth too - and left the room, allowing Soma to rest.

He slept deeply, thanks to some painkillers the young scientist had given him, and at dawn woke up, due to feeling someone fumbling his wounded right hand. He opened his eyes and saw Sieglinde changing bandages and cleaning the wound. Her face was very serious and focused on her task, but the crease between her eyebrows and the look in her eyes showed her mind was elsewhere.

"You believe in him so strongly, right?" He said softly, his voice hoarse from sleep and crying. Sieglinde looked at him and nodded. "Why?" He asked, hoping her response to rekindle his own belief and faithfulness to the so serious boy, his brother.

Sieglinde thought for a while. "Well... You told me he helped you realise things for yourself and grow up, stop being so bratty, is that right? He did something similar for me too! He entered my life quite unexpectedly, brought down to ruins the world I knew since I remember my self, but opened my eyes and made me see how false my world was, how even my own mother tricked me and... turned me to a mass murderer, in a way. He destroyed the small world I knew but gifted me a whole new one! He gave me a choice, never before I was given one." She chuckled at the memory, only a couple of months ago. "Yes... he might have put the gun on my head, pushing me to choose whether I wanted to die or live, but I bet he was certain I would choose life!" She smiled.

Soma had opened his eyes wide at that last part. "And what if you chose otherwise? Would he kill you on the spot?"

Sieglinde shrugged her shoulders. "Perhaps, but I am a hundred percent sure he was bluffing, knowing what my choice would be. I have to live bearing the burden of creating a poison, a lethal weapon, but this burden makes me want to live and work on saving people from such poisons! And I believe he knew that, as I believe there must be another, very logical explanation for what happened to you and Agni. The Ciel we know never acts without logic and a reason and I will keep believing that until he proves me wrong!" She smiled with confidence.

Her words brought new tears to the wounded boy's eyes. "You are right... that is how the Ciel we know is... I have no idea who the Ciel with the gun pointed at me was, but I will find him, no matter what! I want to also keep believing in my brother!" He said utterly determined and the younger girl nodded agreeing.

Hopefully, Edward would call her soon and give some answers to that strange puzzle.

Guys... I really wanted to hug Soma during this scene... Sieglinde too, but Soma more. The manga scene where he wakes up, realizes once again what happened and breaks down in tears was so heartbreaking to me! I would have loved to see in the manga a similar scene, as I am pretty confident that Sieglinde may not turn against OCiel so easily... Yes, I'm totally biased since I ship them. Aside that, I think it somehow makes sense for her character and further down she gives more details about her thoughts and feelings on all this. Finally, since Yana Toboso has shown us so little about Prince Soma so far (I'm sure she'll slap us in the face with his return one day), I thought to try and fill in this important, in my opinion, gap.

That is all. Thank you all very much! Till next time! Bye! 😘