(Y/N) P.O.V.
The journey in the carriage was long and bumpy, as death had his implacable fingers coiled around our supple necks. The year is 1887 and unfortunately, we have been put in an all too familiar situation: Another family member has perished. I looked over at my older brother who was blankly staring at the floor. I leaned my head against the window and closed my eyes for a brief moment. I could hear the soft pitter-patter of rain hitting the roof of the carriage as we made our way into the town. It was quietly raining, yet loud enough for me to hear.
"Ciel, where exactly are we going?" I asked my brother. He quickly looked up at me, I must have pulled him out of deep thoughts. He sighed and gripped the golden handle of his cane tighter.
"Oh, my apologies, it slipped my mind that you have never been here. We are going to a funeral parlor run by...an acquaintance of mine?" He seemed to net be certain as to his relationship with this mysterious person.
"Would this acquaintance happen to be someone I know?" He shook his head and looked back at the floor, a sign that he no longer wished to continue the conversation. I accepted this fact and looked back out the window. We were now in an unfamiliar area of London. The refined shops were now dwindling to abandoned homes and alleyways filled with the poorest of children. The carriage came to a halt and Sebastian, our butler, opened the door to help Ciel and me out. By the way, his jacket hung by his side, I could tell that he had been soaked from the rain.
"I apologize, Sebastian. If I would have known it would rain I would have prompted you to bring an umbrella," I said to the butler who shook his head.
"There is no need, my lady. I appreciate your concern for my well-being, but I assure you that I am completely well. A little rain never hurt anyone," He chuckled to himself.
"You two, come along. We haven't all day to stand about and converse. You can do that to your heart's content once we return to the manor," Ciel instructed both of us to follow his lead. We walked down a seemingly abandoned alleyway. The poor who were lying on the ground were reaching for us, begging for just the smallest amount of money. It deeply troubled me to see that people in this great country still lived like this.
"My lady?" I looked up and saw Sebastian extend his hand to me. I took his hand and he helped me walk through the alley. Ciel stopped walking and turned to face a small shop. He signaled for Sebastian to come closer and he complied. As Sebastian opened the door for the both of us, I looked up at the sign that was loosely hung above the door. I could see that the screws that were supposed to support it were rusted and falling out. It seems like this sign has fallen a great many times. Undertaker? What an interesting choice for a shop. Granted, it is in fact a funeral parlor, but strange nonetheless. I tossed those thoughts away and focused on the present task. I walked through the door. The cold air from the inside hit my skin, sending shivers down my spine and rattling my bones. The shop's interior was dark, the only sources of light coming from various small and dimly lit candles around the room. There were coffins of various sizes and woods lined against the walls, some were even sitting in the middle of the room. I wonder if any bodies are inside?
"Undertaker, are you about?" Ciel shouted. When there was no answer I started to grow nervous.
"Maybe he is out at the moment-" I stopped when I heard the door shut behind me. I looked for Sebastian who was standing in front of us, he also seemed to be as confused as me. Ciel, however, seemed unfazed.
"My Lord, I was not expecting to see you so soon..." A voice said. Their voice echoed through the small parlor. I looked around, but I could not see anyone besides the three of us there. I felt a cold hand inch its way up my back and land on my shoulder and someone breath on the back of my neck. I yelped and jumped into the air, quickly running to my savior, Sebastian, and gripping onto his arm. I looked over at the mysterious figure and saw that it was a man. He had a confused look on his face, most likely from my frightful response. The odd thing was that his look suggested that he was somewhat hurt. His long silver hair almost managed to touch the floor in length and his eyes were covered by his bangs. I wonder what he looks like underneath his bangs?
"I see that you have brought someone along with you. Who is this lovely young lady?" The man asked Ciel. He sighed and reached his hand out to me. I looked up at Sebastian, a terrified look in my eyes. He gave me a reassuring smile and gently pulled my arm away from him but that only made me hold on tighter. His eyebrows furrowed and his seemingly soft smile turned to a slightly angered expression. Eventually, he managed to pry me away from him. I took a deep breath and walked over to the man. He looked down at me, a crazy smile on his face, and tilted his head to the side.
"Go on, don't be rude!" Ciel shouted at me. I extended my hand out to the man.
"My name is (Y/N) Phantomhive. It is a pleasure to meet you." The grin on his face only became wider, if that was even possible, and he took my hand.
"My lady..." He said as he kissed my knuckles. Not what I was aiming for but, I'm not going to complain.
"Undertaker, show her to us," Ciel said as he seemed to be growing rather impatient. The man called "Undertaker" giggled and walked past us.
"Please, follow me." He took us to the back of the shop and grabbed a set of keys off a hook on the wall. He flipped through the various keys until he found the one he was looking for. He shuffled over to a door and put the key into the keyhole. With a small click the door opened. He walked down the wooden stairs that led to a lower level of the parlor. I could only assume that this was his operating room, where he prepared his "Guests", as he liked to call them, for their long-awaited funerals. When we all were downstairs he took us to a silver table where a long brown coffin was lying. Written in gold lettering was the name Lillian Phantomhive: Our late grandmother.
"Open it, let me see her," Ciel demanded. Undertaker placed his hands on top of the coffin but paused.
"Are you certain that your sister wishes to see this? I could be devastating to her." I opened my mouth to speak but was rudely interrupted by Ciel.
"She can handle it. She is a Phantomhive after all." I looked over at Ciel who had a determined look on his face. Undertaker slowly nodded his hand and unlatched the coffin lifting the lip. Lying inside, surrounded by dozens of white lilies was my grandmother. She looked at peace with herself and almost alive but only hanging on by a thin thread. A tear escaped my eyes and roll down my cheek. A pair of arms wrapped around my waist as I was pulled into an embrace.
"Please don't cry, my dear. You must remember that she is off in a much better place, far away from this wretched world. I doubt that she would want to see you like this."
"You are right, Undertaker. Crying will get you nowhere." He wiped a tear from my cheek with his thumb. Sebastian pulled me away from him and looked down at me.
"My lady, are you all right?" He asked with a hint of concern laced in his soothing voice.
"Yes, I'm all right now." I looked over at Undertaker and gave him a small smile. I saw my brother staring at our deceased grandmother, his face was emotionless. He had a permanent hole in his heart, one that would never be filled no matter how hard I try. Undertaker latched the lid back onto the coffin and ushered us back to the main floor. Once we were back in the lobby I turned to look at Undertaker who was sitting at his desk with his feet propped on top.
"How much do you require?" I asked him whilst reaching my hand into my pocket in search of my coin purse.
"There is no need, my dear. Just meeting you today is enough payment." He said with a smile.
"If you say so..."
"My lord, we had best get going if we wish to return home before Lady Elizabeth arrives," Sebastian suggested as he handed Ciel his cane.
"Quite right, Sebastian. (Y/N), come we are leaving."
I followed Ciel to the door but stopped when I heard someone call my name.
"Miss Phantomhive?" I turned my head around and looked at Undertaker. "Whenever you happen to have a chance, I would greatly appreciate it if you stopped by. I happen to have an overwhelming amount of spare time on my hands."
"Oh, of course. I'd be more than happy to."
"My lady?" I heard Sebastian calling for me from outside the parlor.
"Coming Sebastian!" I waved goodbye to Undertaker and exited the parlor, closing the door behind me. Sebastian held the carriage door open and I stepped inside, sitting across from Ciel. Something about that man seemed so familiar. I feel like I should know him...but I simply don't know where or why for that matter. These thoughts persisted in my mind until a wave of dread overtook me.
"Those four better not have burned down the manor while we were away," Ciel said as he rubbed his temples. He was referring to the other servants who resided in the manor. Besides Sebastian, who was the head butler, there was Mey-Rin the maid, Finnian the gardener, Bardroy the cook, and Tanaka the assistant butler. With the four of them, disaster is always bound to strike. Whether it's our valued tea sets being shattered, the gardens plants being desecrated, or the kitchen is set ablaze something would always happen. As the manor came into view I saw the four of them standing outside waiting for us. We stopped and stepped out of the carriage. As soon as my foot touched the gavel I was bombarded with hugs.
"Welcome home master and mistress!" Finnian shouted.
"We missed you very much, yes we did," Mey-Rin said as she fixed her glasses.
"I'm glad to be home," I said as they all smiled. We all journeyed into the manor. Ciel went directly to his office, most likely to work on paperwork, Sebastian following behind him. I was left with the other servants.
"May I please assist you with your chores today?" I pleaded with them. At first, they were apprehensive but they eventually changed their minds. While I was out in the garden assisting Finny to prune the rose bushes I saw Ciel staring out his window. I wiped the sweat off my forehead and waved to him. While pruning my mind kept returning to the man I met today. Why can I not get him out of my head? And why do I wish to see him again?
Ciel's P.O.V.
"It would seem that lady (Y/N) is assisting the servants again today," Sebastian informed me as he placed my cup of tea on my desk.
"I don't intend to sound harsh, but I wish that she would learn to restrain herself from doing such things." Sebastian straightened and raised an eyebrow.
"Why, my lord?" I took a sip of my tea then placed it on the saucer.
"She is a noble, we are not meant to do such tedious tasks. Simple as that." Sebastian nodded his head, but I had a suspicion that he had a differing opinion. "I wish you would tell me what you really think." He tilted his head to the side and gave me a smile. I crossed my arms and sighed. I swear this demon is damn near impossible to be around!
"Just go and get (Y/N) ready. I'm certain that Elizabeth will be arriving any moment." He bowed his head and left my office. I saw him enter the garden and speak with my sister. She handed Finnian the pruners and walked side by side with Sebastian into the manor. I watched them both walk past my office and upstairs. I sighed and sat back down in my chair. I opened one of the drawers of my desk when I spotted a rather old-looking letter. I picked it up and flipped it over. The writing on the front was fading, but I could make out most of what it said. I gasped and my eyes widened. I then quickly opened the letter and removed its contents. I read through every page, each one more interesting and more shocking than the other. Once I finished reading it through, I placed it on top of my desk. This was a lot to process. I had already arranged for her to marry Earl Trancy. Granted, I do not care for him, but if our two families merged it might become the most powerful family in the whole of England. I suppose I'll have to ask the two of them to meet sooner than expected. I put the letter back into the envelope and placed it inside my desk. This is only a minor setback. Honestly, of all people in the world father, why did you have to choose him? There are far greater and far more suitable men in this land.
Sebastian's P.O.V.
As I walked with (Y/N) to her room, I kept on thinking about the way that Undertaker acted around her. Of course, his normal is not quite...normal, but this was different. It was the way he was looking at her, even if I couldn't see his eyes, I knew he was looking at her. I didn't like it, not one bit. She is my mistress and mine alone. I will not let anyone take her away from me. I will do everything in my power to make her mine...
314Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNIYNE3YNJd
