( chapter twenty ! )
"You are awfully quiet this morning."
Rain pours down on a cloudy morning once again, forming droplets on the window and casting a gloomy feeling over Phantomhive Manor. The death of Georg Von Siemens still hangs heavy on everyone's shoulders. But for Leah, she hardly feels affected and remains firm with her idea of his death. 'Perverts deserve what's coming to them.'
She sits before a intricately carved vanity, littered with different items for her essential morning routine. Behind her, Anna delicately runs a brush through Leah's hair as she forms a waterfall braid. The brown locks try to sit in their natural subtle waves, but the lady's maid seems steadfast in straightening the hair.
Leah shakes her head with a small frown on her lips. "There is nothing to say."
The brush gently snags on small knots in Leah's hair, pulling her head closer to Anna with every run-through. What is typically comfortable silence feels strained. Neither are sure what they are meant to say.
"I thought you would want to speak about last night," Anna's voice is low when she notices the frown. Upsetting her master before noon is always a terrible idea.
Leah's face hardens. "I am choosing to believe that was all a dream," her voice is laced with denial.
Hand movements stuttering, Anna tightens her grip on the brush. "You can't just ignore all of the problems in your life, Mistress. That is how you cause—"
"Enough!" Leah's voice rings out through their ears, threatening to spill into the halls.
Anna's eyes can't help but soften, despite her urge to be quiet. "Mistress—"
"Anna, I said enough!" yells Leah, her chest heaving under the corset she wears.
Both women are overcome by a stunned silence. Leah appears agitated while Anna is frozen in place, neither bold enough to make the next move. The sound of the teenager's voice rings throughout their ears. It was loud, coming from her chest to get her point across.
Just before Leah can part her lips to begin scolding the maid, a sharp scream sounds through the manor. Unlike most who would be startled or frightened by the sudden sound, the Barrett groans and kicks her feet in the manner of a child. 'Not again..'
Forcefully rising from her seat, Leah stomps away from the vanity and towards the door, the wind of her movements blowing the sheer curtains covering the windows. Her huffs echo in her head the closer she gets to the room, hearing the faint noises of sniffling and crying.
If only she prepared herself for the sight rather than throwing an internal fit, for the view of Sebastian lying dead on the floor now plagues her mind. His blood splatters the floor and himself, even trickling down his mouth due to the poker sticking out of his chest that allows blood to pool on his uniform. But the worst sight is his lifeless eyes. Wide pupils staring off at the wall that send a shiver down Leah's spine.
'I guess I was wrong? Demons cannot die, can they?'
Leah's eyes drift over to the Phantomhive servants — primarily Meyrin and Finnian — who have tears staining their cheeks, clearly mourning the loss of a close peer. For the first time in a while, she feels a sense of remorse. However, it is quickly overcome by the discomfort of the room atmosphere. Two murders? This is much too strange, even for her.
No one in the room seems to notice as time passes them by until the sound of Ciel and Arthur's feet slapping against the floor can be heard, pulling them from their stupor.
"Wh—What do we tell.. the young master..?" asks Meyrin in between sobs, her face buried in her hands.
Beside her, Finnian hangs his head low. Tears flow down his red cheeks and a bead of snot drops from his nose, shoulders shaking. However, Bardroy doesn't allow a tear to drop from his eyes. Pride? Perhaps. But he immediately focuses in on Ciel appearing in the doorway.
"Young.. Master," he says.
Puffs of air leave Ciel's mouth, his eyes wide and devoid of emotion when he comes face to face with Sebastian's body that lays on the floor. His typical black eyepatch is replaced with a medical one, hiding his other eye. However, many could guess his other would appear just as distraught if it was uncovered.
His eyes lock onto Sebastian's dead ones. "Seba.. s.. tian?" Ciel asks, his voice breaking.
When he goes to take a step closer, Meyrin stops him by grabbing him from behind, wrapping her arms tightly around his torso.
"Y.. You can't!" she yells. "Young Master, you shouldn't go closer!"
The sound of Ciel's protests fills the room, even as Finnian approaches to join with Meyrin to keep the boy from approaching the body. This doesn't blow over well though, as their master pushes them back with a slap and a scolding. Even the guests show a hint of surprise, but the high tension is to blame for their emotions coming first.
Stepping over, Ciel stands directly beside Sebastian's body. "Sebastian.. stop fooling around. Sleeping on the floor doesn't look all that comfortable to me," his voice lacks emotion this time around.
Leah leans her head over to whisper to Anna. "Does he not see that he is dead..?" she raises a brow, beginning to think that Ciel is purely insane or simple.
"Exactly how long are you planning on pretending to be asleep?" asks Ciel, his eyes staring down harshly at the body. He even ignores Bardoy's calls to stomp a foot onto the chest of his butler. "Didn't you hear me, Sebastian? I said get up."
Sending an unsure glance to her maid, Leah is met with a small slap on the arm in response. Now is not the time for Leah's typical antics, even if Ciel isn't reacting rationally. This doesn't stop her from looking around as though she is missing something. 'Saying get up as if his chest is not impaled is insane.. Am I marrying an insane man? That makes us even I suppose.'
Ciel grinds his teeth when he receives no response. "Why you.." taking his right hand, he pulls the poker out of Sebastian's chest and tosses it to the side.
"Earl!" screams Arthur.
"Sebastian! Wake up this instant! That's an order!" Ciel roars, tightly grasping the butler's coat as he collapses onto his chest. But once again, there is no response. "Didn't you hear my order?!" he shouts and strikes the side of Sebastian's face.
All of the guests collectively give wary looks. Realistically, Ciel is being over the top with his acting but no one dares to say that out loud. Some don't take kindly to the repeated slaps that happen before them though.
Shifting closer toward her lady's maid, Leah brings her face in close. "Anna.. perhaps we should pack my bags..?" she whispers, noting how she wants to go home.
Sadly for the spoiled girl, she is shut down once again when she is shushed. But this time around, Leah pouts heavily and crosses her arms. She is far too accustomed to getting what she wants and lacks empathy for those around her, shown in her missing display of emotions for both deaths to occur within one night.
So caught up with her mini fit, she doesn't even notice anything is happening until she hears the cries of Ciel being pulled away from Sebastian so his body can be moved. 'I didn't think he could show this type of emotion..' she thinks to herself. She hardly sees anything other than a straight face from her fiancé, so seeing the tears leaves a slight pang in her heart.
"Go comfort him!" Anna speaks up with a loud whisper, ushering Leah in Ciel's direction.
Against these urges, Leah shakes her head quickly. "I am bad at comforting people, you know that!" she objects.
As much as she cares for Ciel deep down, comforting people has never been a thing for Leah. She can hardly handle her own emotions. To try and deal with another person is like torture. What are you even meant to say if someone cries? The most she can give is empty consoling words and pats on the back.
Despite the Barrett not wanting to, Anna doesn't back down and forcefully sends Leah right in the direction of her fiancé. Though she knows to prepare for a slap that is to come later in the day for this.
Leah stops before Ciel and is quick to plaster an out-of-character smile on her face, showing off her pearly teeth. "Perhaps you can put on some trousers and we can talk about this?" she stammers, the smile not reaching her eyes as she avoids looking at the boy in his nightshirt.
Ciel's brow raises uncertainly. "Why do you look like that..?"
"Look like what?" Leah is quick with her words, the corners of her mouth twitching from a pain in her cheek.
"Your face," he speaks slowly.
Shaking her head, Leah glances towards Finnian with wide eyes. "What is wrong with my face? Finny, is there something wrong with my face?"
"N—No, My Lady!" the gardener stumbles over his words, dry tears still staining his red cheeks.
She gestures over to Finnian as a 'see?' to validate her point, regardless that she knows she is acting strange. Leah has never done well around people crying and her fiancé is not even close to an exception. The Phantomhive doesn't even have the chance to retaliate when Arthur speaks up from beside Sebastian's body.
"..There were multiple culprits," it's almost as if a lightbulb shines above his head.
"What?!" Meyrin and Finnian scream, Leah and Ciel perking up as well.
"For example, one of them came from up front and started chatting to attract his attention," explains Arthur, envisioning the scene in his head. "Meanwhile, the other one snuck up behind him and hit him over the head. Then, in a flash, the one up front gave him the final blow by stabbing him."
Lau begins to nod. "Well, no matter how, it's certain that this killer didn't feel any mercy or hesitation. To have killed even that butler, this culprit must be extremely—"
"Stop it already!" Finnian screams with his arms tightly secured around Ciel's form. "Why are you having this conversation in front of the young master?! Please think of his feelings!"
"Finny!" Meyrin calls out his outburst. "P—Please excuse him!" she turns to bow at the guests.
Scratching the back of his head, Charles glances over towards the wall. "Well certainly instead of standing around the corpse like this, why don't we temporarily move this thing to the basement? We can discuss who did it and such later over some food," he appears all too comfortable for the situation at hand.
Both Leah and Woodley give a strange look, but the man is the only one to speak. "Isn't that just a little too easygoing.."
"Indeed.. There's no point in being hasty," Lau smiles.
"It's decided then. So you guys are in charge of cleaning that up," says Charles, and he heads for the door with his hands behind his head. "Oh, and the preparations for breakfast also. I'm going ahead to the dining hall, I'm starving."
Everyone's expressions appear downcast or conflicted, mixed with a discomfit for how laidback Charles seems. Even Leah feels strange. To outmatch her in not caring for a serious situation is quite a feat.
Grimsby and Irene also exit the room after Charles, leaving Leah and Ciel with their respective servants. Naturally, the Phantomhive servants appear sad in their mourning for Sebastian but Anna simply purses her lips.
"Shall we finish you up?" she asks, referring to finishing Leah's morning routine.
Brows furrowing, Leah lightly pouts. "What else is there to do?"
"Your hair," says Anna, grabbing ahold of her wrist to begin walking out of the door.
Unbeknownst to Leah, her lady's maid actually wants to prepare her for breakfast, knowing that she hasn't eaten at all. Turning back to look at Ciel, Leah flashes him a more sincere smile this time around, allowing herself to be dragged. A very bad start to the morning and the day isn't even near over.
The rain remains relentless in its mission to pour down upon Phantomhive Manor, faint sounds of the natural occurrence can be heard even from the dining hall where the guests now sit. Naturally, Ciel — who now wears actual clothes instead of a nightshirt — is at the head of the table with the remaining individuals filing down.
Sitting beside him, Leah aimlessly kicks her feet beneath the table as she quietly sips on a glass of water. Unlike Ran Mao who stares at her food in mild interest, the Barrett avoids looking at the plate. Her natural appetite is low — or perhaps she wants to avoid eating —, but the deaths also play a role in her reluctance to eat, stomach faintly churning.
"He really saved us by preparing all this properly," Ciel drones with an expressionless face, laying a cloth down on his lap.
Across from Leah, Charles enthusiastically holds his utensils in his hands with a bright smile plastered on his face. "This smells good! I'm gonna dig in! I'm really hungry since I didn't get to eat this morning."
The white-haired man manages to devour the food on his plate in a matter of seconds, earning a faint look of disgust from the teenager across from him. 'Eating like a pig..' she fights back a grimace.
Grimsby hums lowly. "What's wrong Irene? You haven't even touched your food," he glances down at her plate with knitted brows.
Patting her mouth with a cloth, Irene hides a faint bead of sweat dripping down her cheek with closed eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm not very hungry."
Hearing those words, Ciel brings his attention to Leah who also hasn't touched her plate. In fact, she hasn't even attempted to pick up her utensils.
"You aren't eating.." he whispers. Ciel can recall the time Thomas ratted her out for her distaste of eating in fear of getting big, feeling a sense of discomfort.
Leah takes another sip of her water, feeling Anna's eyes that bore into the back of her head. "I don't want it," she speaks firmly even though she can feel a slight pang of hunger in her stomach.
Before Ciel has a chance to reply, their focus is drawn towards the current topic of the table. An empty seat.
Charles points a fork in the direction of her side. "The one next to you."
"Oh my.. Indeed, there's one too many," Irene looks down to her left. "Perhaps the chef got the numbers wrong."
Ciel's face hardens at the sight of yet another untouched plate. "The one who prepared breakfast was Sebastian. He wouldn't mix up the numbers," he states confidently.
"Huh? Then whose is it?"
"We're all.. ah! Mr. Phelps isn't here, is he."
"Ah, since he's always so inconspicuous, I didn't notice."
"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen him all morning."
Releasing a laugh, Woodley smiles it off. "Looks like he overslept a little too much."
Despite a motion that was meant to make the room feel more upbeat, it remains quiet. Tensions are too high for the guests to be freely joking or sharing laughs, though it stops no one from trying. It isn't until Arthur shoves himself up from his seat does Woodley's laughter die down.
"Excuse me!" his face is overcast. "Should we go have a look in the Earl's bedroom?"
Ciel is the first to perk up, followed by the other guests at Arthur's question. To realize that another person is missing could only mean one thing, as it has been hours since anyone was awoken. Phelps couldn't possibly sleep that much.
Placing his cloth to the side, Ciel also takes a stand. "I'll take you there."
Calm is almost immediately thrown out of the window in favor of the males beginning to sprint for Ciel's bedroom. They shoot down the halls and up the stairs, followed by a curious Leah who struggles to keep up without severely losing her breath.
Their loud footsteps pound against the floor, creating what sounds like a stampede. Compared to the men, Leah hardly makes a noise. Though it may be because she has slowed down a significant amount to try and breathe.
"It's over there, to the right!" Ciel calls out from a few feet behind Arthur.
Turning a sharp corner, Arthur immediately runs up to the bedroom door and begins pounding on it. "Mr. Phelps! Mr. Phelps, if you are in there, please answer me!" he yells, his voice traveling through the hallways.
He frantically turns the doorknob only to realize that the door is locked, his eyes uncomfortably wide. "Earl! Where's the key?"
"I don't know," Ciel answers with a shake of his head in worry, not noticing Leah approaching his side.
Arthur's face pales. "What?!" he shouts.
"Sebastian took care of the key to my room. No one else knows where he kept it except for him," explains Ciel. "Since he's dead, even I don't know where.."
Stepping up to the situation, Finnian pushes both Leah and Ciel aside with a determined look on his face. "Please get back, Young Master! I'll—"
"Get out of the way."
Thrown out of the way, Finnian clutches onto the teens when numerous slashes barely dodge their heads. The movements are loud as they slice through the wood doors, but effectively startling the four individuals that are closest to it.
"Whoa!"
With a plate of food and a sword in his hand, Charles looks disinterested at the scene. "We need to be quick, seeing as there's still dessert."
'Does this man only think about food?'
Leah hardly had a moment to register her thoughts before the group runs once again, through the cleanly cut door to the Ciel's bedroom. Should she be there? Most likely not. But does she continue anyway? Absolutely.
"Mr. Phelps!" Arthur calls out.
His gaze is set ahead of him but when he feels a squish beneath his shoe, he is compelled to look down. There, lying on the carpet is the dead body of Patrick Phelps. With wide eyes and drool leaking from his mouth, his lifeless hands are stuck in the position of tightly clenching the carpet, earning an uncomfortable and low groan from Leah.
"Mr. Phelps!"