Book of Murder

The day of the important dinner party finally arrived and all the servants were busy getting the finishing touches ready. They had known about the party for a while, but only Ciel, Sebastian, and Lilliana knew the true reason behind it. Ever since Ciel reported the details of the Noah's Ark Circus case and how everything went down, the Queen had lost some trust in him since she believed the children could have been saved, even if they wouldn't be the same ever again. In order to gain favor with her once again, she has charged Ciel with entertaining a German visitor by the name of Herr Georg von Siemens for a night. As much as Ciel didn't want to go through with this, he knew this would be an opportunity to repair his relationship with Her Majesty. Though, the way her two butlers, Charles Grey and Charles Phipps, delivered this message was less than desirable since they actually attacked the servants in the kitchen before Sebastian and Lilliana intervened to calm down the situation. Luckily, the servants could handle their own, but who knows who would have won. On top of that, Charles Grey said he would be attending the party to accurately report what happens to the Queen, not wanting to leave out any juicy details. One wrong move could mean the end of the Queen's Guard Dog.

Now, on the day, they prepared the guest rooms and any other rooms that would be in use of the guests. Sebastian made sure everything would be perfect, even if there was a last minute emergency. Though, the stormy weather might become a problem and even the all powerful Sebastian could only do so much about that. While the other servants were busy with their other duties, he went to check on Lilliana, who was a bit distant from not just him, but everyone, ever since the circus. He figured it was mainly because of all that happened to her, but assumed she would get over it quickly. However, knowing that her superior has lustful feelings toward her must be a lot for her to handle. Of course, Sebastian acted jealous thinking about it, though he would never admit it, but he could tell she was trying her best to move on, as hard as it was. She still had the usual smile around the servants, even if she was interacting with them less. They hoped that this dinner party would bring her spirits up and keep them there.

He found her making the bed in a guest room, but her head was in the clouds. Unlike Mey-Rin, she'll get her job done correctly even while distracted. Though, her senses aren't as strong as usual since it took Sebastian clearing his throat for her to notice he was there. She jumped at the sound and looked up to find him. "I told you not to scare me. I can get quite defensive."

"All I did was walk into the room," he said as he began to aid her in making the bed. She didn't want to say anything else and looked away from him. Though, he couldn't be silent any longer. "Something must be troubling you if you're letting your guard down like this. Though, I may know the reason why."

She looked up at him, but quickly looked away. It wasn't just William anymore; it's now Katia as well. She admitted her feelings to Lilliana and she pretended to reciprocate those feelings to relieve her from the spice. She couldn't help, but feel guilty about the whole situation and was not looking forward to seeing her when the assignment was done. Not to mention, her mind flooded with the circus they left behind and Eris, the bitch who changed her life forever. "It's not that. I'm just worried about that succubus still wandering about."

"Why would that trouble you? It's unlikely that we'll run into her ever again, even if she does stay in the area."

"Still," she said as they finished their chore. "Now that she's after someone, she might stick by, hoping she'll be able to trick . . . HIM again. She could even come here and trick you or the servants or anyone else we know."

"I highly doubt that a lowly succubus would waste her time pining after one meal that will never happen," he said as he walked up to her.

"It doesn't have to be him anymore. She knows where I work and the people I interact with. She could potentially wreck havoc here and only you wouldn't fall victim to her trickery," she said in a slight panic. Although she didn't truly care about the words she was saying, the panic she felt about her overwhelming situation was genuine, but she couldn't be honest for an obvious reason.

"It will be all right," he said as he put a hand on her shoulder. She put her hand on top of his as he continued, "I understand your concern, but you have to remember how demons behave. Being around Grim Reapers must have made you forget that."

"I guess," she said as she turned around and looked him in the eyes. "But not all demons behave the same. Otherwise, more demons would get along with each other."

He smirked. "Very true. Your brother is quite an oddity among our kind, but you would have been too if you stayed with him."

She looked down. "Right." However, their conversation was cut short as the sound of carriages from miles away caught their attention. "Well, I guess it's time for us to get to work. Who knows what could go wrong during this party," Lilliana said with a little sadistic smirk that relieved Sebastian. Luckily, she could act very well and pass off that nothing was amiss, even if she was at the point of a breakdown. He admired that, but he sensed that she could be lying about what her troubles were. Though, he didn't feel it was right to pry about it, especially if she didn't want to mention it. Still, he didn't like to be left in the dark and if she's still troubled, he might have to.

Soon, the guests started arriving, all greeted by Lilliana first before entering. She asked them to show their invitation and once they did, she let them through. She had a warm smile on her face, which only grew warmer with two guests in particular. One of them was Patrick Phelps, a trade division board member for a shipping company; the other was Arthur, who felt the most out of place in this line-up, since he viewed him as nothing more than a failed writer and a mediocre ophthalmologist. When Lilliana greeted him, she sensed his uneasiness and actually shook his hand to welcome him, as if he were an old friend. He was confused, but he entered just like the others. Among the guests included them, Lau and Ran-Mao, inseparable as always, Karl Woodley, who was the president of a prestigious diamond company, and Grimbsy Keane and Irene Diaz, a stage director and an opera singer respectively.

Soon, Lau and Ran-Mao made small talk with the nervous writer. "Please allow me to make our introductions. I am the lowly branch manager of a trading company. My name is Lau. And this lady is my sister, Ran-Mao. What is it you do, sir?"

"Oh, I'm an ophthalmologist and I do a little writing from time to time," he explained, trying to sound as calm as he could when he was nervous as hell.

"Oh, do excuse us! We shall have to call you 'Doctor' then."

"Oh, no, please don't, it's just ophthalmology. I've no idea what I'm doing at such a fancy party. Not at all."

Lau laughed. "One Can never tell without dear earl. He can be so finicky."

"Is he really that difficult to please?" Arthur said, feeling more nervous than before. "H-How else would you describe the earl? What sort of person would you say he is?"

"How would I describe him? He's extremely proud and his face seems to only display two emotions: anger and disdain. There must be a story behind the eye patch he wears, but I'm afraid I cannot tell it," Lau said, fully watching fear fill in Arthur's eyes and was fully enjoying it.

"I would appreciate it if you'd stop teasing my guests," Ciel said from the top of his grand staircase with Sebastian by his side.

"Er, he's so . . . young," Arthur said in shock.

"Surprising, isn't it, that a small child would bear such a large title," Lau said.

"We can do without the 'small', thank you," Ciel shouted before regaining his composure and greeted as he walked down the stairs, "Hello, and welcome. I would like to thank you all coming to my little party. I am the earl of this fine estate, Ciel Phantomhive. I know we shall have an excellent time. I look forward to greeting each of you once dinner begins, whether you are an acquaintance of long-standing or somebody I'm meeting for the first time." However, as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he looked confused as he looked back at his servants and said in a quieter voice. "I don't see our guest of honor."

"He has not yet arrived. It appears that the inclement weather has delayed him," Sebastian said.

"Well that's unfortunate. What do we do? I very well can't keep everyone waiting in the hall."

"Pardon me, master, but the guest of honor is here," Lilliana said as she opened the door to let Siemens and Charles Grey in the manor. They didn't even need to show an invitation.

"A pleasure to meet you, my lord," he said in an accent that didn't seem like he could speak English well, but his vocabulary would soon prove otherwise. "Georg von Siemens, at your service. Thank you for your kind invitation."

"Hello! All set for a capital party, eh?" Charles said with a playful smile.

"You've come a long way. I'm so happy you could make it. I am Ciel, Earl Phantomhive," he said as he shook his hand. "You must be hungry. We've prepared a feast for you. It's buffet style, for conversation. If you will accompany me this way." At those words, he guided the two new guests into the banquet hall, leaving Sebastian alone with the other guests.

"Pardon me. I will announce those who remain. As I do, please proceed to the dining hall." He proceeded to call each guest by name and title, but Arthur was a bit confused by this.

"We had to present our invitations before entering. Isn't this a bit redundant?" he said quietly to himself, but not quiet enough.

"Actually it's not," Lilliana said as she walked next to him, startling him. "Oh, sorry for speaking out of term."

"N-No, I should be apologizing for—,"

"It's fine. Relax a bit, sir," she said with a friendly smile. "But we do this so the guests here can know who the others are. It's not just the earl who will meet these people. You will as well."

"Oh, I guess you're right," he said with a nervous hand behind his head.

"I'm Lilliana Kiliamo, by the way. I may just be a servant, but I couldn't help but overhear that you were a writer, Doctor?"

"P-Please, you don't need to address me so formally."

"But I do. Like I said, I'm a servant and I must address you as such. If I couldn't do that, then what kind of a maid would I be?" she said with a smile.

"Well I suppose the best families have the best servants," he said, wanting the conversation to end. Even if he felt like he didn't belong, it didn't seem appropriate for him to converse with the servants, especially when these elite people were watching. Though, he had to admit that he would rather talk to her than anyone else here. Soon, Sebastian called Arthur's name and Lilliana pushed him a bit since he was still a bit reluctant to go.

When all the guests were in the banquet hall, Sebastian walked up to her and said, "I see you have made a new friend."

"I'm interested in his line of work. Writers were always fascinating for me. Besides, it feels a bit nostalgic to interact with one. I don't think I've ever told you this, but the very first soul I reaped was a writer's."

"Interesting. Let's just hope he doesn't share the same fate as him."

"We may never know," she said with a shrug as the two of them walked into the hall with the other guests.

Inside, the guest chatted among themselves and partaking in the delicious food the servants cooked for them. Not to mention, there was plenty of alcohol for everyone and some, like Siemens, enjoyed more than enough. Everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time, except for Arthur, who felt the most out of place. As much as he wanted to, he would be terrified to even walk up to one of these people and chat with them. However, he was interrupted when Ciel sat by him and started to speak to him like he was a normal guest . . . well, he WAS a normal guest.

Lilliana watched the two polar opposites react as the other servants served drinks and food to the guests. Though, Mey-Rin was unlucky as she was trapped by Siemens' "loving" embrace along with Ran-Mao, who felt no shame for being in his arms, which was expected. However, having them with him wasn't enough as he looked at Irene and started to touch her, much to her dismay. She even told him to stop as kindly as she could, but he just continued. Once she had enough, she shouted, "I told you to desist! I won't stand for this anymore. Keep your hands off me!"

"But my dear, just look how you're dressed! How is a man supposed to help himself, eh?" Siemens said as he tried to embrace her again, but she tried wiggling out of his grasp.

"Someone please stop him! He's out of control," Phelps yelled in a panic, even though he was close enough to do something.

Soon, Irene slapped his face and said, "You should be ashamed of yourself, you cur."

"How dare you speak to me like that, you strumpet!" Siemens yelled as he grabbed a glass of champagne and threw the liquid in her direction, only to have Ciel in the way, protecting her.

Everyone was afraid that the young lord would react harshly to Siemens, but he only calmly said, "Please, this is a party. For the sake of the other guests, I ask you both to step away and—,"

"You disgusting old codger! I'll teach you to touch what doesn't belong to you," Grimbsy yelled as he grabbed a full wine bottle and threw it towards the man, but Sebastian caught it in time and started to pour it on the glass tower that miraculously showed up out of nowhere. However, this time, Mey-Rin was nowhere in sight to avoid repeating what happened last time.

"Here, we have a rare vintage wine from the village of Purcari in southeast Moldova. We do hope you'll all enjoy a glass with us this evening," Sebastian said, as if this was planned from the start. Even Lilliana was impressed how smoothly this was going. All the guests were in awe, even Ciel, and the sweet smell of wine filled the surrounding area. Everyone started taking a glass, giving Sebastian and Lilliana enough time to chat with the young lord while he dried off with a towel she quickly retrieved, but they walked toward Arthur and she decided to separate from the duo.

"I hope you're enjoying yourself. Should I get you a glass of our wine?"

"Oh, no, it's not necessary. I'll get one on my own. I don't want to trouble you."

"It's no trouble at all," she said with the same friendly smile that slowly started to make him anxious. Why was she this happy to interact with him? He observed how she interacted with the other guests, expecting the same treatment, but her smile was less warm than when she spoke with him. However, Sebastian and Ciel started to speak French so Arthur couldn't understand what they were saying, or so they thought. Lilliana chuckled, though, at the comments made about Siemens and his apparent drinking problem. However, what surprised her was him chuckling as well, but once he saw that she noticed, he pretended to play the ignorant fool, which didn't work. "You speak French, monsieur?"

"A-A bit. Only conversational French. I have had to research certain French phrases for a novel."

"And you say you're nothing special. I secretly hoped you were a French native like me, but just knowing you can understand is still comforting for me."

"A French native? I would have never guessed. You don't have an accent."

"Well, I've been in England for such a long time that I picked up the accent and language. However, if I ever spoke French, you would hear it very prominently," she said as she started to walk away. What an odd servant, he thought. Very odd indeed.

As the night grew later, Siemens had fallen asleep in the banquet hall and the other guests were unsure what to do. They would have offered to take him back to his room, but they feared he would suddenly wake up and attack them if disturbed. It would take someone strong enough to deal with such an outburst and Ciel knew exactly who to take him. "Sebastian, Lilliana, help him. He'll be more comfortable in his room. And I shall be turning in shortly, as well."

"You're leaving us for the night already, my lord?" Lau asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. It is bedtime for children like me. Do please enjoy the party for as long as you'd like," Ciel said as he, Sebastian, with Siemens over his shoulder, and Lilliana on his other side, walked to their respective rooms, but not before she had some witty words for his master.

"You loathe being seen as a child until it's convenient."

"Shut it, you."

The night grew even later and most of the guest had separated into groups either playing billiards, chatting more in private rooms, or continued eating and drinking. Meanwhile, all of the servants stayed in their quarters, washing the dirty dishes and gathering any trash from the rooms and leaving them by the back door so they could dispose of it when the rain stopped. However, Mey-Rin was distracted as she kept saying, "I'm ruined! Who will marry me now?"

"What's the big deal? All he did was wrap his arms around you. How would that ruin something as trivial as marriage?" Lilliana asked out of curiosity, not just to know her opinion, but as a Grim Reaper who did not know everything about human behavior. Plus, since she was merely putting away clean dishes after Sebastian had cleaned them, this would provide some entertainment in the meantime.

"Marriage, trivial? Oh no! It's the most important day in a woman's life, yes it is! It's the day she finds her one true love and becomes one with him for eternity. Oh, it's so romantic, but now I'm impure!"

"You do realize couples get divorced, right?"

"They don't respect the sanctity of marriage! Marriage is a commitment to be devoted to each other for the rest of their lives. Even through the hard times, they are supposed to work together to work through them. It's the purest form of true love and the couple entering into such a sacred ceremony should be just as pure. Every woman wants to get married some day."

"I hate to burst your bubble, but not all women do," Lilliana said as she put away the last of the dishes.

"Impossible! Name one woman who doesn't dream of getting married!"

"Well, for starters, me."

"Besides you," Mey-Rin said, a little embarrassed and shocked by how fast she answered.

"Well, you remember Katia Vendoa, right?"

"Oh right. She was let go not too long ago. Never knew why," Baldroy said as he finished cleaning his dishes.

"Something about lying about who she was?" Finny asked as he carried a very large pile to Mey-Rin, who put them away. He made sure to be delicate when handling them.

"That would be correct," Sebastian said, trying to cut off this chat. He didn't like talking about Katia, especially since he learned she has some feelings toward Lilliana. On top of that, she lied to get the maid position and they may be noble of her to do, he still did not appreciate a lying Grim Reaper wandering about.

"Still, she doesn't want to get married either. I don't even think the idea crossed her mind," Lilliana said. Soon, the thought of their intimate night crossed her mind and it made her wonder if Katia really felt that way or if the spices were forcing her to say those things.

"Well have you given at least the thought of marriage a chance?" Mey-Rin said, not wanting to give up from this topic.

"I have and I just don't see myself devoting the rest of my life to one person, whoever they may be. It's just pointless," Lilliana said honestly. Sebastian chuckled quietly; if only these humans could understand the perspective of a deity. "It's more of a prison sentence than a devoted commitment."

"A prison sentence?! How could you say such a thing—," Mey-Rin was about to say before she was cut off by a bell, signaling their assistance in Siemens' room. As much as Lilliana was happy to be done with this conversation, they all dreaded going to his room, especially since they didn't want to deal with someone who could possibly have a hangover. Though, Mey-Rin dreaded it the most. In order to make things easier on everyone, they all decided to walk to the room together.

As Sebastian knocked on the door, he said, "Herr von Siemens? You rang for assistance?" However, they heard glass shattering

inside the room and him yelling and knew something wasn't right.

"Are you all right in there, sir? We heard a crash!" Mey-Rin yelled as she tried to open the door, but it was locked from the inside. She tried to get his attention by banging on the door, but gained the attention of the other guests instead.

"What are you doing to that door?" Charles said as he, Irene, and Grimbsy walked their way, followed by the others. "What's all the fuss about."

"Stand back, I'll handle this," Lilliana said as she kicked down the door, which was alarming to mostly everyone around them. Who knew she had that kind of strength. However, they couldn't calm down as they saw Siemens' lifeless body sitting on a chair near the burning fireplace. There was what appeared to be a bloodstain on his chest, indicating he was stabbed. However, something didn't seem right to Lilliana as she turned to Sebastian and whispered in his ear. He then pulled out his watch and they both observed the time.

"If I may," Arthur said as he walked up to the body and searched for a pulse, only to find none. Not even a glimpse of life in his eyes. "This man is dead."

"But how can that be?" Woodley exclaimed.

"How awful," Irene said as she hid near Grimbsy.

"I heard screaming. What's all the commotion about," Ciel said from behind the gathered group, only to see the same grimly sight they did.

"I would say the most likely cause of death is exsanguination," Arthur said, noting the chest wound.

"Er, we'd best not move anything until the Yard arrives," Grimbsy said, trying to stay calm, but it was a little difficult given the circumstances.

"Normally, yeah, but is it hot in here to anyone else?" Bard said as he fanned himself with his hand.

"I did warm the room in advance of his arrival. Perhaps even after that, he was feeling chill," Lilliana explained.

After a moment of silence, Bard said, "It may be indelicate to say so, but at this temperature, he'll decompose fast. Even if we out the fire out, it'll be warm by the hearth."

"Did he say 'decompose'?" Irene said in fear, but didn't seem to be heard or acknowledged.

"I agree. We ought to move him to a cool, dark place until an expert arrives to give him a thorough examination," Arthur requested.

"As you say," Sebastian responded. "The cellar is likely the best place for him, then. We shall move him there for the time being. Finny, fashion a stretcher."

"Yes sir!" he said with a cute salute as he rushed out of the room, thankful he didn't have to look at a dead body anymore. Despite his far from innocent past, especially after what happened to the circus performers not too long ago, he still didn't like to see dead bodies. Once he managed to find one, he brought it back to Siemen's room and put the body on the stretcher. Baldroy offered to carry the other half of it and Lilliana tagged along to help open the cellar door for them. They didn't speak much, but the two male servants noticed her confused face, but figured she was just freaked out about the dead body for some weird reason. Maybe she was pondering if this was a warning before an assassination attempt to Ciel, which they all had to be mindful of now.

Once they returned, they started to ponder what happened and who could have done it. Lau was the first to speak as he said, "I doubt we can expect the Yard to arrive anytime soon. The storm is still raging and we're cut off from the rest of the world for now. It seems likely that the murder is still inside the manor with us." The guests gasped at the realization, not wanting to believe it's true.

"It's only logical that one of us in this room is the perpetrator," Charles said, making the guests even more terrified.

"One of us? That's positively absurd!" Grimbsy exclaimed.

"What would be the motive though? Most of us have never even met before?" Arthur stated, trying to find an answer.

"And does it seems strange to anyone else that the door was still locked when we arrived here?" Irene thought out loud. "So, it seems to me that somebody entered the room through the window, bought time to escape by locking the door, and then quickly exited the same way they entered."

"True, but when there is rain, there's mud. An intruder would most likely leave footprints if they came in from outside. Besides, the windows appear to be locked." Charles pointed out.

"If that's the case, then the culprit locked the door from the hallway?" Grimbsy hypothesized.

"That would be impossible," Lilliana said. "None of the guest were ever actually supplied with the keys to their rooms. The doors were fitted with deadbolts, which allow each guest to lock his or her room from inside, but not out. No keys were distributed to anyone."

"You can see that it's broken now, indicating it was locked before I kicked the door down," Sebastian said nonchalantly, forgetting sometimes that not all humans are capable of swiftly kicking a door down like he can.

"So we have a locked room murder on our hands," Lau said in a tone feigning fright, but also wanting to mess with the other guests just a tad.

"That's preposterous! This isn't a mystery novel," Woodley exclaimed.

"And not a good one at that," Ciel said. "I have to imagine that the solution would be far too obvious for today's discerning reader. Would you not agree, Dr. Arthur?"

Arthur was confused, but soon realized what he was hinting at. "Indeed. That little needle and thread trick would explain it all. They fastened a threaded needle near the latch of the door and pass the thread underneath the door before exiting the room. Then, they closed the door and carefully pulled the thread to release the needle."

"It's so often used in mystery stories that it's become cliché. The killer isn't probably trying to copy a novel, but it's the only explanation that seems realistic in this case," Ciel continued.

"That explains the locked door, but it doesn't narrow our suspect pool. If it's that clichéd and simple, anyone could be responsible," Lau said.

"Well we certainly didn't do it! You'll have to look elsewhere!" Grimsby said as he pulled Irene close to him.

"Not at me, I hope," Woodley said. "After all, you're obviously the most likely suspect among us. You were fighting with him earlier, for goodness' sake."

"Oh, please, what does that have to do with anything? I wouldn't kill for such a trifle!"

"Gents, there's no need for shouting. Let's sit down and calmly sort our alibis, shall we?" Lau said. It was a bit suspicious that out of all the people in the room, he was the one trying to set things in order instead of causing panic. Then again, it could be the opiates calming his nerves a little too much. "The murder happened after Siemens retired to his room. To narrow it down further, we can say it was between then and when he rang for a servant and when they responded to his call. So where was everyone during that time?"

"Well, I know Irene and I were in the billiards room along with Charles Grey, Dr. Arthur and Mr. Phelps," Grimbsy said and they all confirmed the truth.

"None of us left the room," Arthur added on.

"Ran-Mao and I were drinking in the lounge, together with Mr. Woodley," Lau said and Ran-Mao confirmed with a nod.

"We were there until we heard shouting," Woodley added on.

"As for us servants, we were all together cleaning and talking about marriage and why it's important," Mey-Rin said.

"You have to bring up that topic even now?" Lilliana asked, a bit annoyed at this point. Even Sebastian noticed this, but couldn't say anything about it. He didn't want to be involved in this debate either.

"Of course! One day, you'll see, I promise," she said with hope in her voice and Lilliana only rolled her eyes.

"I hope you'll pardon the question, my lord, but where were you at the time?" Lau asked to the last remaining guest with no alibi.

Even though he knew he didn't, he knew that his reason would be the most auspicious out of everyone. "I was asleep in my bed."

"And can you prove that?"

"No."

"I suppose you've become our prime suspect, my lord," Charles said with a bit of a smirk. He had to be honest: the brat was not his favorite person, but for the Queen, he had to leave him alone. Though, times like this when the young lord was at a corner were ones that he enjoyed.

However, Sebastian was there to help his young master. "Now, before we make any rash decisions, I do suggest that we all get some rest and try to figure things out tomorrow with a clearer head. I do advise all guests to lock their doors and windows to prevent any other incidents from occurring."

"I suppose you're right. Besides, we don't have any evidence that proves he did do it," Arthur said.

"Even if that's the case, I'd rather not have him be able to move about freely and try to fake evidence to prove his supposed innocence," Woodley said. Even though the other guests found it harsh, they were thinking almost the same thing.

"I may have a solution then," Charles said as he went to his room and soon came with handcuffs with a long chain between them. "Since you seem to be the only one defending him, would you be so good as to chain yourself to the earl to prevent him moving about? I don't know about you, but I for one would feel ever so much safer," he said with a smile as he handed the handcuffs to him.

"W-Wait, wouldn't you give this task to one of his servants?" Arthur asked in shock.

"I'm afraid they would be too impartial to their master. If he ordered it, they may let him go," Charles explained. Arthur looked at the servants, hoping one of them would be willing, but they seemed to agree with him.

Arthur sighed and said, "All right, I guess. Anything to catch the true murderer."

"Good! I knew you were willing to do your civic duty!" After a bit of chat, everyone went to their rooms and went to bed for the night, or as much sleep as they could in these troubling times. Phelps, however, could not stay in the room next to Siemens and wanted to be moved. Ciel allowed him to sleep in his room and Lilliana guided him there.

"Please don't forget to lock your door, Mr. Phelps. Last thing we need is another murder," she said with a warm smile.

"The doors can't be unlocked from the outside, right?" Phelps asked in a scared tone, as if he was a child lost from his mother.

"Well, they can. Only the head servants have the keys, but you can trust us, I promise."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. No one is going to use the key to harm you. You have my word," she said with a bow. Phelps was still suspicious, but thanked her and closed the door. She soon lost her smile and started heading to Arthur's room.

"How did I end up here?" Arthur said to himself, but still audible for everyone in the room to hear.

"Honestly, look at what a ridiculous mess this has turned into. I must apologize, dear Doctor. It seems their baseless suspicions of me has troubled you and for that, I am most terribly sorry," Ciel said as Sebastian clasped the handcuff onto his wrist.

"Oh, it's all right," he said, forgetting that Ciel must feel worse about this situation than him. After all, he is being accused of murder at his young age. He may be a noble, but he is still a child and this event could traumatize him forever.

Soon, they heard a knock on the door. "Come in," Ciel said and Lilliana entered.

"Mr. Phelps made his way to the young master's room and is resting as best he can," she reported. "Though, he is weary of the head servants having keys to the rooms."

"Well, as long as you two are together and keep a good eye on the room keys, there shouldn't be an issue," he said as he sat on the bed.

"Lilliana, would you mind securing the other handcuff on Dr. Arthur," Sebastian said as he slid it underneath the bed to the other side to prevent him from even leaving the bed. She nodded as she picked up the handcuff and placed it around his wrist. However, he was surprised to feel how cold her hands were and visibly moved at the touch.

"Is something wrong? I do hope that you aren't nervous staying here," she said with a concerned face.

"N-No, your hands are so cold. Is it chilly for you?"

It took her a moment to realize this and nodded. Grim Reapers have been told that their skin is cold, mainly because they do not need to retain body heat like humans do and certain vital organs were not "functioning normally". She looked at Ciel and asked, "Speaking of chilly, should Sebastian and I make sure to not let any of the fires go out?"

"Yes. Their host may be absent, but our guests deserve the best hospitality."

"Understood, my lord," Sebastian said as both servants bowed.

"Shall we retire? It has been quite a night, hasn't it?" Ciel said as he rested his head on the pillow.

"Ah, right," Arthur said as he did the same.

"Well, I bid you both good night," Sebastian said as he blew out the candelabra and the two servants exited the room.

Soon, when they were some feet away, Sebastian grabbed a nearby candelabra and lit it with his demon powers. She grabbed the Death Scythe she hid in plain sight in the arms of a knight's armor. "It must be convenient to conjure up things whenever you want them," Lilliana said as she walked with him. "Meanwhile, I have to hide this from others or else I'd be the next suspect."

"It does come with its perks."

"I never got the chance to ask you what kind of a demon you were. Now that I'm reminded of the seven main categories of demons, I've been tying to pinpoint what you are."

"I'm beyond a label," he said as they headed for Siemen's room.

"Hmm, impressive. A demon who masters the powers of two or more categories are so powerful that they can forgo a label. Congrats."

"And your brother?"

"Same. Though, he had an unfair advantage compared to the other sons and daughter of Lucifer since he is considered one of his children without mastering any power. All the others at least mastered one and the most powerful master all of them."

"And those are the ones we should avoid confronting."

"I agree," she said as they reached the room.

However, Sebastian quickly checked his watch and asked, "You have other things to attend to, correct?"

"Oh, right," she said as she started heading down the hall, making sure to not make the Death Scythe visible if anyone was wandering about.

After a while, she returned to Siemen's room and Sebastian was trying to fix the lock for the next time guest would stay in this room in the future. "You finally arrive," he said with a bit of a snarky tone.

"I'm sorry that souls are not the quickest things to collect," she said as she shrugged her shoulders. Before coming back, she made sure to put her Death Scythe in their room to avoid suspicion. However, she smelled something in the air and her eyes turned red. "Sebastian, is that—?"

"I'm afraid so. Something came up and it's changed our plans. We'll need to make preparations for however long this storm lasts." Lilliana had a troubled look, but nodded. There was nothing she could do about it, but she didn't like to do extra work. "Don't worry. I have a plan in mind and will require your assistance."

"And that would be?"

How will the rest of the night go? What are Sebastian and Lilliana planning? Who ia the murderer? Reviews are appreciated!