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tothelasthoursofmylife · 5 years

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Intermission/Bridge: The Reaper, Hosting a Party

“It is time to fill a few gaps.”

Somewhere, England, United Kingdom – June 1848

~Cedric~

Weeks passed without neither Cloudia nor I reaching out to each other. I supposed she must still be recovering, and I didn’t want to bother her during that time. Also, the things I had learned from Cecelia and Barrington kept bothering me – and to distract myself, I threw myself into work. I diligently collected every soul I had to collect and even offered others to do their shifts for them.

And then, after over a month of neither seeing nor talking to Cloudia, she called me to her manor.

***

Countryside, England, United Kingdom – June 1848

Cedric knocked against the manor door, and a while later, Newman opened. “Welcome, Your Grace,” he greeted Cedric with a short bow. “Lady Cloudia and Marchioness Williams are waiting for you in the pavilion.”

“Thank you for telling me, Alfred,” Cedric said, stepping inside. Newman closed the door behind him.

“How are you?” Cedric asked on their way through the manor to the garden.

“I am doing well,” said Newman. “I greatly appreciate your concern. How have you been faring, Your Grace?”

“I’ve been fine as well,” Cedric said, craning his head to look at Newman, huge as he was. “Uh, is something bothering you, Alfred?” he asked after seeing the butler’s expression. “You seem to want to say something: Just go ahead; I’m sure it will be fine.”

Newman bent down his head. “I do not intend to appear to be prying; however, I cannot help but wonder if something strained your relationship with Lady Cloudia? Your visits have become very sporadic over the last few months, and I was afraid that something might have occurred between you and Lady Cloudia – especially, considering that you have not at all visited or written to her in the last month…” he said, visibly uneasy.

Cedric smiled at him. “You don’t have to worry about us, Alfred: It’s just that the Countess was still recovering from the events in the Witch’s Castle, and I didn’t want to disturb her during that time. I also was quite busy myself and couldn’t find the time to come.”

“This is indeed a relief,” said Newman, leading him out of the manor and through the garden. “Lady Cloudia seems to thoroughly enjoy your presence – and you seem to enjoy hers as well.” He lowered his voice. “Lately, she is rather inconsolable for reasons she does not want to disclose to anyone. Your Grace, I do not have the intention to decide what you wish to do and what not, but, taking into account the circumstance that Lady Cloudia appears to be significantly more cheerful after a meeting with you…”

“I understand; I will do my best,” Cedric cut him off when they got too close to the pavilion. “And I am sorry for interrupting you, Alfred,” added Cedric, lowering his voice.

“I understand why you did so,” Newman said, glimpsing at the pavilion. “Lady Cloudia, Marchioness Williams – His Grace has arrived.”

“Thank you for bringing him here, Newman,” said Cloudia. “You are dismissed.”

Newman bowed before he returned to the manor, and Cedric walked up the stairs to join Cloudia and Cecelia at the table.

“How are you, Countess?” he asked, sitting down and taking a piece of raspberry cake from the tray.

“I am fine,” Cloudia said. To his dismay, she didn’t even bother to try to expand the conversation; instead, she just poured herself more tea and continued eating her cake. She looked normal again, but there was something worryingly lethargic about her.

Something was indeed wrong with her. I had to get to the bottom of this.

Cedric opened his mouth to say something, but Cecelia spoke first, cutting him off. “Not-Kristopher, did Cloudia tell you why you are here today?”

“No, she didn’t tell me anything – do I have to be afraid?”

She laughed. “Maybe. So, do you remember when you became a Duke?”

“Sometime last year? In January?” said Cedric.

“Exactly: You have been a Duke for about one and a half year now and you still haven’t done something every proper noble does all the time. For quite a while now, people are wondering why you still haven’t done anything, Not-Kristopher.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I am, of course, talking about throwing a party!” Cecelia said, shaking her head. “Cloudia, he sure is a bit slow.”

His eyes widened. “I should throw a party?”

“Exactly, Bright Spark, dear.”

“I cannot possibly throw a party. I…” …do not even have a place where I could host one! Cedric had wanted to continue but stopped himself in the last second. And right afterwards, he heard Cloudia’s voice in his head.

Don’t worry. You have a place where you can host a party: Wallace Underwood was an actual person, do you remember? An actual person with an actual manor house – a manor which I secretly purchased one year ago. You owe me a lot of money, Undertaker.

Cedric brushed over his skull pendant as secretly as possible. Now, I know why I don’t get paid!

“I don’t even know how to organise one,” he finished his sentence.

Cecelia rolled with her eyes. “Not-Kristopher, do you honestly believe that we do not know this? I am here for the very reason to help you with the party! I love hosting parties – all the things you can find out at one! However, it is extraordinarily annoying to make sure that nobody goes into rooms they aren’t supposed to enter. And the clean-up afterwards! Gruesome!”

“And why doesn’t the Countess help me?” Cedric wanted to know, looking at Cloudia who ignored him.

“Cloudia is busy,” Cecelia said and patted his hand. “Not-Kristopher, it will be marvellous! I’ve already sent out the invitations; we have today and tomorrow to plan and arrange everything.”

Cedric withdrew his hand and stared at her. “You have already sent out the invitations, and we have one and a half day to finish everything?! Are you insane?! Who did you even invite?!”

“Well, if you excuse me, I have work to do,” Cloudia said, standing up and leaving the pavilion.

“What? No!” Cedric exclaimed. He wanted to follow her, but Cecelia held him back. “Wait, Countess! Don’t leave me alone with her!” he called after her, but Cloudia just kept walking to the manor.

Why, Cloudia, why?

Sighing in defeat, Cedric fell back into his chair. “So, where do we start?”

***

The last days had passed in a blur; I had no recollection of them beyond “Cecelia dragged me from one place to another and occasionally made me pick stuff.” Now, I was standing in the ballroom of a castle-like manor house which I had never seen before, while I was surrounded by people who I had never seen before. And again, I had absolutely no idea how I got here. Did Cecelia drug me and throw me into the next best hansom cab she could find? Was this how I got here? Was this how Cloudia felt? Speaking of Cloudia – I had greeted hundreds of people, had smiled at them, had briefly conversed with them, but, so far, I had not seen anyone I actually knew. Did Cecelia even invite anyone I knew? Did she invite Cloudia?

And if she did – where in the world was Cloudia? Would she appear if I promised that I would never abandon her again whenever she dragged me to a party?

“Duke Underwood?” said someone next to Cedric and gently touched his arm. Surprised, Cedric turned around and looked right into the gently smiling, familiar face of Countess Cathleen Milne. She was just like he remembered her: petite, lovely, and emitting radiance. It had always irritated him a bit that such a person was related to Cloudia.

“You look lost, are you all right?” Cathleen asked.

“I am so glad to see you here,” blurted it out of Cedric.

She chuckled softly. “I am also very glad to meet you again, Duke Underwood. It has been such a long time. How are you?”

“I am fine,” he said. “I cannot believe that it has been over a year since we last saw each other, Coun… uh… Lady Cathleen.”

I already called Cloudia “Countess,” and, of course, she and Cathleen held the same title, but it was still odd to refer to Cathleen as such as well.

“Please, just call me Cathleen,” she said.

“Well, then, please call me Kristopher,” Cedric said. “What I’ve been meaning to ask was: How were you doing in the time we have not seen each other? How are you doing?”

“Thank you for asking. August and I have been doing just fine in the last year, and I wished I could say that about now as well. You have to know that August is rather passionate when it comes to hunting, and he rides out with his friends fairly often; but the last time he went out, he injured himself – which is the reason why I came here all on my own. August is terribly sorry that he cannot come and asked me to congratulate you on your first hosted party in his stead.” She looked around. “You did a splendid job, Kristopher.”

“I had a helping hand,” Cedric admitted.

Cathleen smiled. “I know, but that does not mean that you did nothing and that I cannot compliment you. Furthermore, I have seen how you are presenting yourself as the host so far, and I truly think that you are doing wonderfully. You cannot imagine how nervous I was when I hosted my first party as August’s wife – even if he was always by my side. You, however, manage to do all this masterfully even without Cloudia at your side. I am in awe.”

“You really do not have to flatter me that much.”

“I am not flattering you – I am solely stating the truth,” she said, and Cedric couldn’t help but smile while shaking his head.

“Speaking of the Countess – have you seen her? Is she here?” he asked.

“I am afraid she cannot come; she is incredibly busy right now,” Cathleen told him sorrowfully. “I know that Cloudia would have loved to come to support you.”

“You think so? Because I don’t. The Countess doesn’t want to speak to me for some reason. I don’t even know what I did to upset her. I couldn’t even try talking to her because she made me host this party. And even if she wasn’t mad at me, she wouldn’t have come anyway because she hates social gatherings and only attends as few as possible.”

“Kristopher, you are mistaken: Cloudia is not mad at you. Work is currently occupying her – and so does something else which she refuses to entrust to anyone. Whatever it is, it has nothing to do with you or anything you did or did not do. And I know that she would have loved to come if the circumstances were different because we were talking about the party yesterday.

“Kristopher, if I dare to say so, I am rather adept when it comes to detecting lies. I have a younger sister and fourteen cousins. Growing up, it was always I who ended conflicts and separated the lies from the truth to come to fair conclusions when one party accused the other to have done something. I know when people are lying – especially when my sister or cousins are lying. And when Cloudia talked about how she would never want to come to your party to support you because she does not care, I knew that she was lying. Cloudia’s Aristocrats of Evil taught her how to conceal her more prominent tell-tale signs when she is lying, but I can still detect if she is telling the truth or not. And this time, because she is so focused on her work and because something else occupies her mind, she even forgot to properly conceal one of her tell-tale signs.” Cathleen smiled at him. “I am certain that she would want to be here with you in this very moment instead of at Phantomhive Manor working.

“You do not look particularly convinced: Don’t you believe me?”

“Of course, I do. It’s just… uh…” Cedric looked down. “What is the Countess’ tell-tale sign when she lies?”

Cathleen chuckled. “This is your question?”

“My question to my most desired answer.”

“Good evening, Lady Cathleen, may I borrow your companion?” Cecelia asked, suddenly appearing in front of them before Cathleen could reply.

“Good evening, Lady Cecelia,” said Cathleen, not surprised at all about Cecelia’s appearance. “I do not mind, but perhaps Kristopher does.”

Before Cedric could say “I do,” Cecelia grabbed his arm and said, “He surely does not! The dances are going to start soon, and Cloudia’s stories about his legendary dance skills made me curious.” She looked up at him, smiling widely. “Cloudia also said that he never denies a request for dancing.”

Something told me that I could protest all I wanted, I would never get out of this situation.

“Lady Cathleen, are you going to join us on the dance floor? And do you want to dance with the Duke yourself?” Cecelia asked.

“Thank you for asking, Lady Cecelia, but I have to negate both questions. I do not feel like dancing today. However, I may watch it from afar.”

Cecelia grinned. “Oh, please, do! You will be witnessing a spectacle, won’t she, Your Grace?”

“She surely will,” Cedric mumbled.

“Well, then, Lady Cathleen – the Duke and I will take our leave now; I already hear the music! If we join any later, we may cause a bit of chaos among the participants.”

“I hope you will have fun,” said Cathleen. Right before Cedric could be dragged away by Cecelia, Cathleen took his arm and leaned forward to speak into his ear: “Please, do not forget that Cloudia does indeed like you even if she does not explicitly show it at all times. And please be so kind not to tell her that I told you that she bites her bottom lip when she lies or feels particularly uncomfortable.”

And with these words, Cedric was taken away to the dance floor. Cathleen waved him goodbye.

***

“Your footwork is just as lousy as Cloudia told me it is, Not-Kristopher,” Cecelia remarked while they whirled over the dance floor.

“What did I do to you that you are doing this to me?” asked Cedric, doing his absolute best not to step on her feet.

“I think you are misunderstanding something, dear Not-Kristopher: I do not despise you; you are not my enemy but my ally. All I do is tease you. And isn’t teasing fun? Cloudia told me that you liked having fun and doing funny things and that you could not care less about what others think of you – so, why are you not like this now?”

“If I am your ally and you treat me as such, I really do not want to know what you would do to your enemies.”

“You did not answer my question.”

“I could not care less if people started gossiping about my ‘dance skills’ – but the Countess does. Besides, I would not exactly call dancing fun, but rather torture,” Cedric replied.

“Well, if you want to make a good impression and dancing easier, less stressful for you, I think you should stop focusing so stiffly on yourself: It only makes you anxious and more inclined to make mistakes,” Cecelia advised him.

“On what else should I focus then?”

“Me; everywhere else, of course.”

“And this works?”

“Sometimes,” she said, and with a sigh, Cedric looked up, playing through the steps he had to make in his mind while focusing his eyes on the other dancers and the crowd around the dance floor. Again, he searched for people he knew. Most in the crowd looked completely unfamiliar to him – but then, in the distance, Cedric recognised Baron Milton Salisbury who stood at a wall all by himself, staring absentmindedly into the distance. The joy of seeing a familiar face broke Cedric’s concentration and he stepped on Cecelia’s foot.

“Apparently, you are a hopeless case in this regard as well, Not-Kristopher,” Cecelia said, scowling at him.

“Well, the Countess did warn you.”

“I am afraid she may have downplayed your lack of talent – but then, it certainly cannot be put into words how awful at dancing you are! What distracted you anyway?”

“I saw Milton,” Cedric told her.

She raised an eyebrow. “So, the Baron did come after all? He accepted the invitation and wrote that he would come, but I have not seen him throughout the evening. It is always so hard to spot him! So, where is the good Baron Salisbury?”

“Over there by the wall,” he said, nodding into Milton’s general direction.

They whirled around, and Cecelia craned her head to look. “I do not see him. Where did you say he is standing?”

“Just there,” he said, nodding again into the Baron’s direction; and again, Cecelia looked.

“I am still not seeing him – I am not as tall as you and it is too crowded; that must be the reason why I cannot see him. But then, all I wanted to know was if he was here or not; and apparently, he is, so I’m satisfied. I do not have anything to say to him anyway. Not now at least.”

“I think I am going to go and talk to him,” Cedric stated when the song was finally over and the dance as well. Before Cecelia could hold him back, Cedric let go of her and vanished in the crowd.

I did not think I could survive one more dance.

“Baron! Long-time no see,” said Cedric when he arrived by Milton who turned to whoever had spoken and smiled when he saw Cedric.

“Duke Underwood! It has indeed been a long time,” Milton said in the same joyful way Cedric remembered. “How are you?”

“I am fine. But how are you? The last time I saw you your villa was destroyed. I’ve wondered: Was it already rebuilt?”

“I am well. The villa was not rebuilt; I let it be completely demolished and sold the building area. I think something is currently built there, but I honestly cannot remember what.”

Cedric frowned. “You did not try to repair it? It was not hopelessly damaged after all – and wasn’t it in your family’s possession for many, many years?”

“I assure you, Your Grace, that the villa was more damaged than it appeared it was,” said Milton. “Whatever is built in its stead now will be of better use than a villa which is inhabited less than twice a year anyway.”

“If you say so?” Cedric said, raising an eyebrow. “And please call me Kristopher; there’s no need to be overly formal.”

Milton’s smile widened. “Then, please just call me Milton. By the way, Kristopher, the party is wonderful; you did well organising everything.”

“I had help,” Cedric said. “Anyway, what do you mean the Salisbury Villa was only inhabited less than twice a year? Where were you living if not there?”

“Everywhere else, basically: I travel a lot because of my work and only return to England if I absolutely have to. Or if it is time to fulfil my social duties and attend a couple of gatherings here. And if I am even in England, I have a nice flat in London where I reside.”

“Wait – where you even in England since the bombing?”

“Not at all.”

“You were away for one year and a half?!”

“I was away for longer periods of time before, but yes.” Milton smiled shyly. “Is it very odd?”

“No, I don’t think so. Where were you even if not in England?”

“Uh, in all sorts of places.”

“You were on the road for one year and a half?!”

“I cannot afford not to travel constantly,” Milton said bashfully.

“And you have still returned to attend my party? I’m feeling honoured,” said Cedric.

Milton clenched and unclenched his hands. Before, they had hung restlessly to his sides as if he didn’t know what to do with them. “Well, you did attend my party, so I thought that it would be appropriate to attend yours as well…”

“There’s no need to be nervous around me, Milton.” Cedric leaned forward. “Would you be less nervous if Lady Cloudia Phantomhive was here?”

In this one point, I had to agree with Cecelia: Teasing was surely a lot of fun even if I felt sorry for Milton.

Milton’s cheeks slightly turned red. “Huh? Oh, I cannot say, Lady Cloudia is not here after all.”

“The last time you weren’t nervous and she was here, so I would say that you wouldn’t be nervous if she was here.”

“Uh, no, you are mistaken, Kristopher, I am always nervous. I…”

Cedric laughed. “I am sorry, Milton. I didn’t mean to upset you; I was just teasing.”

“Oh, sure, it’s all right…” he said, smiling faintly.

“Allow me this one final remark regarding Lady Cloudia: I am surprised that you still have not required about her, asked if she was even here at all.”

Instantly, Milton’s smile vanished and, instead, puzzlement laid itself over his face. “Huh? Well, I know that she is busy right now and could not come because of that. But don’t you know, Kristopher? Wanting to attend your party is only one of the reasons why I have returned to…”

“May I intrude for a second?” said a man and stepped to Cedric and Milton.

“Oh, of course,” Cedric replied, irritated. “Is it fine for you as well, Mil–” he began to say, turning back to Milton who had somehow managed to escape the scene. Bewildered, Cedric turned back to the man who had light brown hair and a friendly face.

“Excuse me if I ask, but who are you again?” said Cedric.

“Oh, how rude of me not to introduce myself!” The man extended his hand. “Lord George Midford – very honoured to meet you, Your Grace.”

Cedric took his hand and shook it. “Likewise.”

George Midford withdrew his hand and started to search for something in his jacket pockets. “I do not want to occupy too much of your time, Your Grace. You must be busy after all as you are hosting this party – a very nice party, I have to say. If I have to organise my first own party, I want to do as well as you did, Your Grace.” He took a parcel out of his jacket. “I have only come to give my greetings and to give you this little present from my uncle who, sadly, couldn’t come himself. He is very sorry because of that.”

“I hope your uncle’s doing well, at least. Someone else couldn’t come because he injured himself while hunting,” said Cedric, taking the parcel.

George’s green eyes widened. “Oh, that is awful! I hope he is doing better – but my uncle is doing very well, thank you, Your Grace. He is simply busy.”

“I am hearing this quite often lately. Lord George, who is your uncle anyway?” Cedric asked at the same time as George said, “It was very nice to meet you. I hope we will see each other another time, Your Grace,” and vanished in the crowd.

What was going on with everyone? Was there some kind of attraction I forgot? Was everyone going there?

Cedric looked down at the parcel in his hands.

Aside from George, I knew no other Midford. So – who was his uncle? And why did he want his nephew to give me this? What was inside? Should I open it now or later? I really wanted to open it now, but parties were not the safest places to open mysterious parcels, so I just pocketed it for later.

And what now?

I looked around, and my eyes fell to the buffet. After all these troubles, I had surely earned a piece of cake.

With sure steps, Cedric headed to the cake table – and to his delight, he spotted Cathleen there.

“Cathleen! There we meet again,” he said when he stepped next to her and eyed the cakes, pies, muffins, and biscuits.

“I should have known that I would meet you here – Cloudia always speaks about how much you love sweets,” Cathleen said, amused. “That’s one of the reasons why she sent me here in the first place.”

“Because she can’t be here and she needed someone else to make sure that I don’t throw myself at the sweets table?”

She laughed. “No – it is because she thought that we would get along very well as I have a sweet tooth just like you.”

His face lit up. “Really?” Cedric asked, taking a plate and putting as many muffins on it as possible.

“Yes. I hope you know that Cloudia likes to bake? Or, at least, to make cakes? I always make sure to spend as much time with each of my cousins as possible; and because I cannot spend time with Cloudia when she is out investigating, I am always willing and ready to taste-test the cakes she makes. And as she is a perfectionist, there is always plenty of cake for me.” Cathleen leaned forward a bit to Cedric. “Still, you have to promise me never to steal this position from me.”

“Hah, as if the Countess would even allow me to eat anything she makes, but I promise you this anyway,” he said. “And August? Does he like sweet things just like you?”

“Not at all. He and I are very different in many regards; still, we resonate perfectly. Or, perhaps, because of this we fit so well together? I cannot say! All I can say is that August hates sweet things and is more than happy if I eat his portion,” Cathleen told him. “Now, say, Kristopher, how was your dance with Lady Cecelia?”

“Equal times irritating and exhausting. At least, I saw Milton and got an excuse to retreat so that she couldn’t force me to accept another dance.”

“You have spoken to Baron Salisbury? He was here a few minutes ago; he only wanted to pass by, but he did so in quite a hurry and accidentally knocked over a few things on the table. I assisted him a bit with the clean-up.”

Cedric frowned. “He was in a hurry?”

“Yes, but it is nothing unusual. Baron Salisbury seems to be always in a hurry, always restless and nervous. He is the only person I know who dislikes social gatherings even more than Cloudia. And you know how much she dislikes them.”

“This makes me remember that Milton told me that he wasn’t in England in over a year! I don’t think he just dislikes socialising; I guess he outright hates it.”

Cathleen shook her head. “I would not say that he hates it. If you talk to him, he is always very nice and polite. And if he is at a smaller social gathering, he is slightly more relaxed than usual. I suppose what Baron Salisbury actually dislikes are crowds.”

“Hm, I see. Milton also said that he had a reason why he returned to England just now – another one than simply attending this party. Do you happen to know anything about it, Cathleen? He vanished before he could tell me, and I am curious.”

“Huh? I cannot believe that Cloudia did not tell you anything! Kristopher, Baron Salisbury is here because…”

“I apologise for intruding again,” said Cecelia while she walked to them. “But I have made it my holy task to make His Grace live up to his address. Or do you want to dance so sloppily at Cloudia’s wedding to Baron Salisbury as well?”

“At the what?” Cedric exclaimed, and Cecelia took advantage of his shocked state to take the plate from his hand and to grab his arm.

“Didn’t you know? You were too late, dear. Cloudia will be a married woman in a fortnight! That’s why our dear Baron Salisbury is here.”

“Stop teasing him, Lady Cecelia,” said Cathleen. “This is not the reason why Baron Salisbury is here. We should tell him because Cloudia seems to have forgotten.”

Good grief. I thought that, for a moment, I got even older than I already was.

“I wanted to see His Grace’s face upon receiving news about an apparent wedding of Cloudia’s!” said Cecelia, and grinning, she held up Cedric’s arm to which she was still tightly holding on. “Of course, this was also part of my scheme. I hope you enjoy the rest of the party, Lady Cathleen!” Cecelia waved at Cathleen before taking Cedric back with her to the dance floor.

“Why is Milton here now?” Cedric asked while he danced, once again, with Cecelia. “I want to know!”

“Doesn’t everyone want something? Don’t think about it too much, Not-Kristopher, and rather focus on dancing. It is better if you directly ask Cloudia anyway.”

***

It had taken me a day to recover from the party, or more specifically, it had taken a day until I could feel my legs again. Cecelia could surely be adamant.

At least, this nonsense was finally over and I was fine again which meant that nothing could hinder me from talking to Cloudia. And so, as soon as I had finished working, I got changed and went to Phantomhive Manor. This time, however, I did not bother to come through the main entrance and announce myself; no, this time, I just made myself appear in Cloudia’s antechamber so that she would not have the time to escape or to find an excuse to dismiss me.

Expectant, I threw myself on the sofa and waited.

“I have awai–” started Cedric when the door finally opened half an hour later, but he was harshly cut off by Cloudia who pressed the dagger against his throat.

“Oh, it’s just you,” she said, withdrawing and pocketing the dagger.

“I hope you did not forget that I can still die,” said Cedric, sitting up.

Cloudia went to close the door. “Of course, I didn’t. Now, tell me, why are you here, Undertaker? And please keep it short, I don’t have time for one of your rambles.”

“That’s exactly why I am here: You are busy all the time and I have no idea why. And you are avoiding me. Usually, you are busy, but you don’t avoid me; you only tell me to go away for a few hours. Something is bothering you, and I want to know what it is. Is it something I did or didn’t do? Cathleen told me that it has nothing to do with me, and I believe her – at the same time, however, I cannot help myself but think that she may be wrong and I am indeed somehow responsible for whatever is wrong.” He stood up. “I would rather stay than returning to my old life, but if you, for whatever reason, decided not to want to have me around anymore, I will go. But if I go, I want at least a reason why I should.”

With a sigh, Cloudia sat down on an armchair. “Do not be so dramatic, Undertaker. This has absolutely nothing to do with you. It’s just that I don’t really want to talk about, don’t want to be reminded of it, and you are oftentimes as obstinate as a grass stain on clothes.”

“I just want to help you,” said Cedric and bit on his tongue so that the rest of his thoughts could not escape out of his mouth: because it is always so awfully bleak when you are unhappy, and I cannot stand it.

“I doubt that you can.”

“Well, let me try at least.”

Cloudia clenched her hands together. “Fine. I’ll tell you: When I was brought to the Witch’s Castle two months ago, all I had with me was taken away from me: the skull pendant necklace, the dagger, the Phantomhive ring. I got the dagger and necklace back, but not the ring. The entire place was searched and searched, but it could not be found. I have honestly managed to lose the most important object my family possesses.” She sank back in her chair. “And since it’s gone, I feel miserable. I hate that I feel like that, but I just cannot help myself.”

“You have lost your blue ring in the Witch’s Castle?” Cedric asked; her words had stirred something in his mind.

“Yes. And to make it worse: It was in the dining room when I was there; I just had to go and pick it up – instead, I chose the necklace and reached out to you, and now, the ring is gone, and there is no way for me to find out where it went.”

Dining room?

Uh… oh!

“I think I can help you,” said Cedric, searching through his pockets.

“Undertaker, I am not in the mood for your biscuits.”

“For once, that’s not what I mean.” His fingers curled around something in his trouser pocket, and with a smile, Cedric stepped forward and theatrically knelt down and took his hand out of his pocket, holding it out to Cloudia.

“I also do not want your rubbish,” she said.

“Countess, I assure you: This will certainly lift your spirits.” Cedric opened his hand, the blue Phantomhive ring glowing in his palm.

Cloudia’s eyes widened and she took the ring from him. “You had it all the time?”

“Yes, but I have forgotten that I had it until now. I picked it up in the dining room when I was searching for you in the Witch’s Castle, but everything was so hectic and chaotic back then, I completely forgot about the ring.”

“I cannot believe that you had it all the time and made me go through this misery! And made me believe that the ring was lost forever.”

“I did it not intentionally! I simply forgot about it. I’m sorry; I didn’t know. But then, I would have known about your misery sooner if you had not avoided me for the past two months.”

Ignoring him, Cloudia put the ring on and a smile appeared on her face, and in this very moment, Cedric could not care less that she was ignoring his words.

“There you are: happy again,” he said, mirroring her.

She raised her head to grin at him, but when their eyes met, her smile faltered and ultimately vanished.

“Is something wrong?” asked Cedric.

“Undertaker, were you seriously carrying the ring for two months? In the same pair of pants? Did we not have lengthy conversations about hygiene?”

“But you don’t wash pants as often as other pieces of clothes!”

Cloudia grimaced. “But you wore this particular pair in that filthy castle! And you sat on my furniture! You will not touch anything in this house until you have changed! And not me as well!”

“Well, I’ve touched the ring,” he reminded her.

Horrified, Cloudia glanced down at her hand, Cedric laughed, and the door flew open.

“I wanted to visit Cloudia and came here,” said Cecelia when she stepped into the antechamber. “And, at the door, what do I hear? Hysteria! And, now here, what do I see? Not-Kristopher all alone in a room with Cloudia! What were you trying, you wretch?”

“I didn’t try or do anything!” Cedric exclaimed. “I’ve just given the Countess the ring back.”

A bright grin appeared on Cecelia’s lips. “So you were giving her a ring while kneeling down in front of her? You must have started to panic and decided to hurry up after I said that Cloudia was going to marry Baron Salisbury!” She chuckled. “But, apparently, you have failed dramatically, Not-Kristopher, considering the hysteria I’ve heard.”

“Wait – what? No!” Cedric stood up again. “I was just giving her the blue Phantomhive family ring!”

“You proposed to her with her own ring? What a cheapskate you are, Not-Kristopher!”

“I wasn’t proposing to her!”

“Yes, he was not,” Cloudia said, standing up. “Otherwise, he would be dead by now. How could I ever marry someone who does not even wash his trousers once in the course of two months? Especially after walking through dirt and filth and blood in them? And where does this nonsense about me marrying Milton come from?”

“It was just a transparent lie I told to tease him at the party! Which was grandiose, of course. You should have been there, Cloudia! But what has already happened cannot be undone…” Cecelia stepped out of the room. “Anyway, Cloudia, I will wait for you in the parlour until you have finished your business with Mr Gross-Pants!” And with these words and a little wave, she left.

Cloudia turned to Cedric. “You honestly thought for even a second that I was going to marry Milton?”

“Yes,” he admitted. “He’s nice, he likes you, and don’t you people marry when you are, well, your age? Cathleen is only two years older than you and already married.”

“Cathleen won the suitor lottery when she was fifteen. Of course, she and August waited a few years until they got married. I, however, have no intention to marry anytime soon. Also, even if I wanted to, it would be rather difficult to find anyone who could and would even marry me. After all, my potential husband would have to fulfil quite a few requirements like being willing to give up their own name and all they have built. But let’s not talk about this anymore.” Cloudia walked into the corridor, and Cedric followed her.

“Do you have anything else to tell me? I wasn’t lying when I said that I was busy.”

“Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask you something about Milton – but it does not have to do with weddings and marriage, I assure you.”

“Well, then, just ask. Why are you so hesitant? Have you finally bought a portion of tact at the black market?”

“Ugh, never. Anyway, Milton was there at the party and we talked a bit. He told me that he was not in England since his villa was destroyed – that he is generally very seldom in England. He also said that he had two reasons to return now: to attend my party which was very nice of him because I needed more people I knew there or I would have died again. But before Milton could tell me his second reason, we were interrupted, he vanished, and I didn’t see him again. I’ve asked Cecelia and Cathleen about it, and they said that you know too why Milton’s here – so, why is Milton here?”

Cloudia chuckled. “You were at a party with Cecelia, Cathleen, and Milton; you talked to all of them, and you still don’t know? Remind me that I can never let you interrogate anyone because, apparently, the only person you drill with questions is me.”

“And why is he here now?”

“I’ve told Cecelia that she should inform you about it: Ask her.”

“Countess!”

“Calm down. I’m going to tell you, don’t worry,” she said while they walked through the corridors. “Milton is here because I’ve asked him for a favour. Do you remember that he’s the head of a company?”

“Yes. Flavian Hunt tried to kill him because he was jealous that Milton’s company was more successful than his own.”

“Exactly. Specifically, Milton owns a trading company. One aspect that makes him stand out is the fact that his ships are faster than regular passenger ships. Furthermore, as he is constantly travelling, he knows the fastest, the best travelling routes. And because Milton is friendly to everyone – we are talking about a person who invited his business rivals to his party despite the fact that some of them are quite hostile as we have seen – Milton knows quite a lot of people almost everywhere in the world. People who are happy to help him to get from place to place. Of course, they are only an unofficial addition to all his employees and business partners who are in charge of and who help him transporting his goods everywhere.”

“And this has to do with the favour because…?”

“This has to do with the favour because we are going to travel and need assistance to get where we need to go; it has to be fast, efficient, and, at least, somewhat undercover – and Milton is the best contact when it comes to such things,” Cloudia told him.

“I’ve thought that you cannot leave the United Kingdom because of your Watchdog duties,” Cedric pointed out.

“That’s correct, but I can also leave the isle if it is because of my Watchdog duties.” She beamed. “And that’s exactly what this is: a business trip to the continent!”

“Who is going? Just you and Milton?”

“Don’t be ridiculous; of course, more people will come. You, for example.”

He raised his eyebrows. “I?”

“Well, I’ve been talking about how ‘we’ are going to travel to the continent. Of course, you can only come if you manage to apply for leave for this time.”

“And when are we going?”

“On Tuesday,” Cloudia said and continued walking while Cedric stopped.

“Tuesday?! But that is only two days away! Less than two days!”

“Then, you should hurry up with the application.”

Cedric scowled. “Good that I am always the first one to learn about things,” he mumbled, and then, he said louder: “Where are we even going, Countess?”

“To France!” Cloudia called back to him, walked down the stairs, and vanished from his view.

***

London, England, United Kingdom – January 1847

~Cloudia~

On the day Cloudia Phantomhive had been out to kill Ronan Parrish, she had been tired – tired, bored, and wishing to be somewhere else.

But that was nothing unusual for her. For she had been feeling like this for quite a while now. The fact that she was currently staying at the Phantomhive townhouse had, however, amplified her ordeal.

But now, many hours after she had woken from a terrible, restless sleep, and only one hour after she had finished her job to get rid of Parrish, things were very, very different.

For the first time in months, Cloudia Phantomhive felt truly and fully awake.

It had not been the killing that had re-energised her though; it had been the strange encounter and conversation that she had afterwards. Exactly this wondrous encounter and conversation was all that she had in mind on her way back to the townhouse – and she wondered if this event would be all that filled her when she arrived too and if it would continue to do so for days and months and perhaps even years.

“Very well. So the deal is done, Cedric K. Rossdale.”

“Very well, the deal is done, Cloudia Phantomhive.”

Did this really happen?

However, even though this event completely occupied her mind, Cloudia could still not fully process it and the odd feeling that came with it. And when the carriage finally arrived at the townhouse, she stepped out and walked back inside as if she was in trance. It was such a strange feeling: She felt electrified, awake and ready to conquer everything, but at the same time, she was reserved and full of questions. It was a bit as if her mind had finally awoken from a long sleep – only for something to want to force it back to sleep.

Still, even in this very conflicting state, Cloudia did not forget to head to the library first before getting out of her bloody clothes and going to bed. After all, she had promised Oscar that she would meet him there.

“Mylady, I have asked for you to meet me, but it can certainly wait until tomorrow: You look tired; you should go to sleep,” said Oscar when Cloudia walked into the library.

“I may look tired, but my mind is very much awake; I doubt that I could fall asleep easily now,” she replied, sitting down on a seat opposite Oscar’s.

“You indeed look excited; you did not look as spirited as you do now in quite a while now,” Oscar remarked.

“Mylady, you do not only look tired and spirited at once – you look like you have just seen a ghost,” he continued, and his beautiful blue eyes shone with a light she had never seen before in them when he took a better look at her. “No, let me correct myself: What you have seen and encountered was not a ghost, but a Grim Reaper.”

Cloudia’s eyes widened and she could only stare at him while Oscar put a bookmark into his book and laid it on the side table next to him.

“Mylady, I think we have to talk.”

#Watchdog of the Queen #bonus chapters #i finally managed to finish this^^#fanfiction #kuroshitsuji #undertaker #cloudia phantomhive

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