Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 4

Feliciano still held Matthew's hand as he opened the door to the dining room. Matthew wondered how long Feliciano intended to hold his hand, or if he even realised that he was still holding it. Still, it didn't feel… uncomfortable, or bad. Feliciano's hand in his felt pleasant, and Matthew was tempted to squeeze Feliciano's hand. He couldn't do it, though.

Even though he felt comfortable with Feliciano, Matthew couldn't forget that Feliciano was still a stranger. He couldn't be too comfortable with him.

The moment they entered the dining room, Matthew immediately stopped and his jaw dropped. It had been a stormy night when Matthew was last in the dining room. Now, it was a clear, sunny day.

"H-how?" Matthew asked.

"I told you," Feliciano said. "The clock struck thirteen. When that happens, the house gets a mind of its own. Time and space become distorted. We can be in the same room as someone else and not know it. It's better if you stayed with me."

Matthew looked at the light streaming in through the windows. He was starting to think that there might have been some truth to the stories about this house.

"Is that why you said that you'd take me?" Matthew said.

"Yes," Feliciano said. "I understand the strangeness of this house. I can navigate the house. You don't know how to. I don't want you getting lost, or worse, running into someone else. There are dangerous people in this house. There's a murderer somewhere here. I don't want you getting hurt. Especially if a loop begins."

"A loop?"

"Yes. It sometimes happens that the house relives that horrible night. If that happens… then you could get very hurt."

"…Have you experienced the loop before?"

"…A few times. It's… not a pleasant experience."

Something was nagging at Matthew. He knew that there was something wrong, but he couldn't quite identify what the problem might have been. It was all too much to take in. Houses being alive, and sunlight streaming in the middle of the night, and loops where they got to relive a murder.

"Come on," Feliciano whispered, tugging Matthew's hand. "Let's get you back to your room. It's the safest place in the entire house. You'll be fine there."

"Are you sure?" Matthew asked.

"I promise you, no one is going to harm you. You have my word."

When Matthew looked towards Feliciano, he could see no trace of a lie. And there was definitely something else there that made Matthew felt as though Feliciano was speaking the truth.

"I trust you," Matthew said.

Feliciano smiled, before he started to tug Matthew towards the next door. And this time, Matthew knew that there was something seriously wrong with the place.

…

"So, where can we find Lovino?" Alfred asked.

"He's sometimes in his study," Marcello said. "He's the oldest, so my father decided that he would take over all of his business ventures. Lovino has his own study, but I think that, even when we were still alive, he liked to hide in there under the pretence that he was busy."

"Why would he need to hide?" Jason asked.

Marcello looked uncomfortable for a moment before he shrugged.

"I guess he just felt a lot of pressure," Marcello said. "So… Shall we go find him?"

Jason narrowed his eyes. There was something that Marcello didn't tell them, and he didn't like it. But he didn't know how to call out Marcello at this point in time. And so he dropped it, for now.

"How exactly do we find him?" Jason asked.

"We need to have a clear intent," Marcello said. "The house can lead you astray, but if you have a clear image of where you need to go, then you can find the place where you need to go."

"But… we don't know the house," Alfred said.

"And that's why it would be a good idea for you to stay with me," Marcello said. "No matter what, you can't be away from me. I know I'm not the one that killed the servant, and I want to find the truth. You'll be safer with me."

"Safer?" Jason repeated.

"Like I said, some of the others… they can be dangerous towards others. Especially the living. Not all of the others that came here were killed by Feliciano. And then there's another murderer in this house, aside from Feliciano. And we don't know who that one might be, or what he might do if he sees your other brother."

"Mattie?" Alfred asked. "Why would he do something to Mattie?"

"Well… Because he's with Feliciano. And the killer would have a grudge against Feliciano, who killed the rest of the people in this house."

Jason narrowed his eyes, but there was at least some truth to the statement.

"Then lead the way," Jason said.

Marcello nodded, and he walked over towards the door. He waited for Alfred and Jason to join him before he opened the door.

…

The floor and the ceiling have switched places. Matthew looked at the chandelier that somehow ignored the laws of gravity. The flames were flickering downward. Matthew looked around at the strange room. It wasn't the way they were supposed to go, but he was sure that it was the right door.

"What's going on?" Matthew asked.

"The house will do things like that," Feliciano said. "The rooms will turn and rearrange themselves, and sometimes the doors don't lead to the same room. We're in the banquet hall."

"Wait. There's a dining room and a banquet hall?"

"Yes. One was for our everyday use, the other was for when there was company. And the ballroom was for parties. The night when everything happened, the ballroom was used."

"Because there was a party. This… This is still so strange. It's like… Like I stepped into a ghost story."

Feliciano chuckled.

"I guess that's a good way to look at it, yes," he said. His hand squeezed Matthew's for a moment. "Now, then, which way are we going?"

For a moment, Matthew was worried that Feliciano had forgotten that they were supposed to go to Matthew's room. But then he realised that Feliciano was seriously considering the question. The banquet hall wasn't supposed to be like that, and it wasn't supposed to be there. Feliciano was probably trying to figure out which way they needed to go.

"Maybe we should go back to the dining room and try again," Matthew suggested.

He took a step back, before he cried out in pain. Feliciano turned towards him as Matthew crumpled to the floor. His feet…

Matthew looked down at his feet. Before he had left his room, he'd put his shoes on again. He hadn't felt comfortable walking around in a strange house with his feet bare. But now he needed to get the shoes off. It felt as though…

"Glass?" Matthew whispered, shaking out his socks as the shards of glass tumbled out. "H-how did that…?"

Feliciano looked between the bloody shards and Mathew's feet, which were lacerated, far worse than they should have been from this brief moment. Feliciano's face was dark, anger burning behind the amber eyes.

"Is this what happened?" Feliciano whispered. "What they did to you?"

"What?" Matthew asked.

"Let's get you back in the dining room, where we can sit down. And then we can get this tended to."

Matthew could only nod. There was something about the change in Feliciano that worried him. But he needed help. The cuts were numerous and deep. He couldn't take care of them on his own.

Feliciano helped Matthew to his feet, and the two returned to the dining room, which was thankfully normal. Feliciano guided Matthew towards the nearest chair, and he went towards the fireplace.

"I can't leave you alone," Feliciano said as he rang a bell. "Let's just hope that whoever responds is going to be helpful."

"What do you mean?" Matthew asked.

"I hope to find out myself."

Before Matthew could ask anything further, the door to the kitchen opened. Yao stepped in, before he stopped, his eyes darting between Feliciano and Matthew.

"I need you to bring the medical supplies," Feliciano said, his voice icy. "Matteo's feet are cut up. There was glass in his shoes."

Yao took a step back and nodded.

"I-I'll bring it right…" he said before he was cut off.

Matthew didn't see how Feliciano managed to close the distance, but Feliciano was suddenly in front of Yao, his hand circled around Yao's wrist. Yao flinched but didn't pull away.

"What. Happened?" Feliciano hissed.

"The others…" Yao said. "I didn't. I promise. I wouldn't…"

"Feliciano?" Matthew called out. "What's going on?"

Feliciano released Yao's wrist. Yao took a step back and lowered his head. He looked pale.

"I will return with the supplies," Yao said. "And then I'll…"

"You will then leave us alone, and I'll take care of Matteo," Feliciano said.

"…Of course. Understood."

Yao gave a short bow, before he left the dining room. Feliciano stood there for a few seconds before he turned back to Matthew, the anger from before gone.

"How are you feeling?" Feliciano asked, moving closer.

"Um, it's starting to feel better," Matthew said. "What was that about? Why… Why did you look so mad at Yao?"

"…How do you know his name?"

"I met him earlier, when I went for a glass of water."

Feliciano nodded. He didn't ask more as he examined Matthew's foot.

"Why were you so mad at him?" Matthew asked again.

"…I think you've experienced an echo," Feliciano said. "Not quite a loop. But you… I think what happened to you just now… it happened to him so long ago."

"…Do you mean the servant that was murdered?"

Feliciano nodded. He glared at the door when it opened again, and Yao hesitated, carrying a case. Yao lowered his head and brought the case over towards them.

"Do you want me to…?" Yao asked.

"Leave," Feliciano said. "I'll handle this."

Yao nodded, before he fled the room. Matthew watched him leave, before he hissed as something stung his foot.

"Sorry," Feliciano said. "We need to get this disinfected first."

Matthew nodded. He watched as Feliciano used a piece of gauze to wipe against the lacerations. Matthew tensed and winced at one point, and Feliciano retrieved a small shard of glass from one of the cuts. The sunlight streaming through the dining room windows were replaced by dark clouds.

"What makes you think that this is an echo of what happened before?" Matthew asked.

"Can you think of a reason why there would be shards of glass in your shoes?" Feliciano asked.

"…Not really. But… Why me? Why would it happen to me?"

"Because you're alive. Only the living can experience things like that."

Matthew was silent for a moment as he contemplated the next question.

"Feliciano," he said at last, "are… are you alive?"

Feliciano's hands paused, and Matthew felt his stomach drop. Under normal circumstances, if one asked something like that, then the person who was asked would immediately respond, stating 'of course' or 'obviously', and wanting to know if the asker was right in the head. That wasn't happening. Feliciano sighed and looked up.

"I haven't been alive in over one hundred years," Feliciano said.

…

"What the hell happened with this hallway?" Jason asked.

"Time and space become distorted," Marcello said. "Some places can be upside down, or sideways, or backwards. Doors that should have led to one place lead to another place. And you can go from one room that's a summer's day into a room that's a winter's night."

"Man, this place is confusing," Alfred said.

"That's why I said it's hard to navigate, and that you need to stay with me. Okay. So, the door that will lead us to Lovino's study…"

"Hey, you stopped glowing!" Jason exclaimed.

"Oh, I proved my point," Marcello said. "No need to do that anymore. Now, let's see…"

Marcello was silent for a moment as his head went back and forth. Finally, he went right and stopped in front of a door. Alfred and Jason followed him.

"This is it," Marcello said. "Stay close to me."

Alfred wanted to ask how Marcello knew that it was the right door if everything was topsy-turvy, but Marcello opened the door. He motioned for them to go inside, and they quickly scrambled in. Marcello followed them in and closed the door.

The room looked ordinary enough. Books lined the walls, and there was a large sofa in the centre of the room in front of a coffee table. But Alfred's eyes quickly went to the large desk, and the figure behind the desk with his fingers buried in his hair.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" Lovino asked, not even bothering to look up.

"Fratello, they're going to help us," Marcello said.

Lovino looked up, his eyes narrowing.

"You really think that these two are going to help?" Lovino scoffed. "They should have left when they had the chance. It's only a matter of time before someone else picks them off."

Alfred gasped and pointed.

"You did it!" he exclaimed.

"…What?" Lovino deadpanned.

"Yeah! You tried to get us out of here, and now you're mocking us. It has to be you!"

Lovino stared at Alfred for a long moment before he turned to Jason.

"Please tell me that this idiot doesn't have a career in law enforcement," Lovino said. "I feel sorry for all the innocent people that would be wrongfully convicted with someone like him in charge."

Alfred huffed. While he had considered a career in law enforcement, he wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to be yet. And to hear Lovino insult him like that…

"Al, you've got to admit, that was pretty weak," Jason said.

"Fine then," Alfred said. "What about this: You hated that Feliciano was hurting the family name, and you decided to take care of the problem. There's a motive right there."

"Better," Lovino said. "But it wasn't me. First, I knew about Feliciano's relationship with the servant months before everything went to hell. I said nothing about it."

"Wait," Marcello said. "You knew about it? And you kept it quiet? Why? I-I mean… That's not…"

"It's not what you would expect from me."

Marcello looked uncomfortable.

"Father was trying to arrange a marriage for Feliciano," Lovino said. "He would have done the same for you eventually. He already did the same for me. I thought Feliciano might appreciate some time with someone he actually liked before he was tied down."

"Hold on a moment," Jason said. "You said you died a hundred years ago, right? Did they even still do arranged marriages back then?"

"There were a few families that still clung to the more… traditional ways. And unfortunately, ours was one of them. These arrangements are nothing more than business deals for my father and his associates. A way to strengthen the bonds between them."

"That's messed up," Alfred said. "So… you're saying that because you wanted Feli to get some extra time to be happy, you didn't do anything about it?"

"Essentially," Lovino sighed. "And secondly… Because my father already had a solution to the… problem. It's one of the reasons for the party. He wanted to get all his business associates together, and the party was a cover for what happened."

"Oh no…" Marcello whispered. "You don't mean…"

"What?" Alfred asked. "What happened? Why did they hold the party?"

"…It was to cover an auction," Lovino said. "He wanted to make it seem natural that his business associates were here, and a brief business discussion before returning to the festivities. It wasn't the first time that they did something like that. And as the first-born and the heir to the business… I had to sit in and watch."

"Wait, auction?" Alfred repeated. "But… couldn't your dad have just fired him? Why did he have to… was he selling him into slavery? Dude, that's sick!"

Marcello and Lovino flinched. Lovino took a deep breath and buried his face in his hands.

"You don't get it," Lovino said. "He wasn't being sold into slavery. He was already a slave."

"What?" Jason asked, looking between the two brothers. "Okay, I may not be the best in school, but… wasn't slavery illegal back then?"

Neither Lovino nor Marcello answered. Alfred felt himself growing cold.

"You're kidding me," Alfred said. "You guys took part in something illegal? What else did you do?"

"Our father took part in it," Lovino said. "And we… benefitted from it."

"Did Feli know that his lover was actually a slave?" Jason asked.

"Of course he knew," Marcello said. "Most of our servants are actually slaves."

"…What do you mean?"

"We called them servants to avoid legal repercussions," Lovino said. "But that still doesn't change the fact that we bought them, they didn't get an income, and they had nowhere to go. I'm not proud of it, but… we couldn't exactly go against our father."

"Why, because he's your dad?" Alfred scoffed. "Dudes, you took part in one of the most evil things in history."

"Don't you think we knew that?!" Lovino snapped. "We couldn't go against him because he didn't tolerate it!"

"I told you what he did when he found out about Feliciano's affair with the servant," Marcello said.

Alfred's anger cooled a little at their explanations. Alfred had his own problems with his father, but his father wasn't evil enough to keep slaves. For all he knew, Lovino and Marcello had more than enough reason to be afraid of their father.

"Fine then," Alfred said. "Did you finish that auction?" Lovino nodded. "Then maybe we can talk to the person who won. He might have more information for us. Did he leave with the servant?"

"Yes," Lovino said.

"Then we need to talk to him, and get answers out of him. Where can we find him?"

"He and his daughter, along with his two servants, like to stay in the parlour. His name is Francis Bonnefoy."