Chapter Text
Ciel sighed, opening yet another mail, containing yet another long and boring message from one of his business partners, he lamented more when Sebastian returned with his arms loading new letters. The young count grumbled:
"To hell with this day..." As he glanced briefly at the letters brought back by Sebastian, One of them caught his attention, he stood up abruptly (much to his butler's surprise) and grabbed her. He fixed the coat of arms on the stamp and opened the letter at full speed, reading it just as quickly, a first time, then a second before stating with surprise:
"She's in London!" The demon looked at him, frowning, "Sebastian! We're going at Underteker! Right now!"
"Yes my Lord..." Sebastian sighed, the humans had the the particularity to surprise him sometimes.
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Arriving in front of the undertaker's sign, Count Phantomhive let go while opening the door:
"No matter who you see inside... YOU DON'T ATTACK ANYONE! Unless I give you the order!"
The funeral shop was much more lively than usual. In a corner of the room a young woman was reading a book, sitting on a dark leather suitcase, mechanically fiddling with her white braids, her face buried in a thick blood-red scarf. A little blonde woman dressed in a pink and white dress sat on the lap of a tall redhead sleeping soundly against the counter of the shop. The kid was happily clutching a stuffed animal whose head seemed to have been hastily stitched up. Underteker and a woman dressed in a purple tunic were bent over a heavy dusty grimoire, both appearing to be entirely absorbed in its contents. A graying teenage girl walked up to Ciel and Sebastian, and made a gracious bow:
"Count Phantomhive, It's a pleasure to see you again..."
"Countess Scarlette! How are you?"
"Only one Piece? Come on… What could he do if my Tower attacked you?"
"My Rider takes your Tower!"
"Fool fights back!"
"My Rider taking your Fool!"
"My Rider is advancing!"
"Mine blocks his way! echec!"
"My queen comes into play ... Checkmate! You pay for your lack of Piece ..." Ciel sighed " Before you said anything, I know the whole story about...!" She moved closer to him and touched the blindfold hiding her eye "This ..." She sighed thoughtfully.
"Did the trip go well?" Ciel asked her that a discussion of propriety had begun between them.
"Some passing rain and a lot of sunshine around the France ... But overall, it was very pleasant ..."
"Did you intend to stay with us?"
"Unfortunately, I have to reach Japan as soon as possible! I'm leaving tomorrow morning!"
"I see that Flandre is here...?"
Against all odds, the inhabitants of Gensokio had a beneficial effect on his behavior... She's much more stable than before ... Nevertheless, with Patchi and Sakuya here, I could not take the risk of leaving her alone at the manor!"
Having noticed it, little Blondie almost threw herself on Ciel who tensed, hugging him, she let go of him and placed herself in front of Sebastian.
"Who is him? It smells weird..." Did she grumble
"Flandre! Go back with Meiling to pack your things!"
"But..."
"Flandre does not oblige me to lock you up a hundred more years when we return!"
Her sister scolded, as the youngest walked by dragging her foot towards the redhead who was sleeping soundly. A few seconds later, she woke up abruptly after the purple-haired woman tripped over her trying to get closer to Ciel. The woman fell backwards and was caught by Underteker who began to laugh, a laugh that sounded to Sebastian's ear, as a little different from the usual laughter of the undertaker.
"Nothing broken little violet?" Asked the gray-haired man nonetheless, trying to look serious, the woman growled and stood up, stunting the redhead with her gaze.
"Patchouli-Sama think of your heart! Don't get upset!" The redhead whispered, spanking her hand. Growling again, Patchoulit moved closer to Ciel:
"Count Phanto..."
"Pantomhive... HI HI HI HI !" sneered Underteker:
"It is a pleasure to see yo..."
"All free information's today HA HA HA HA HA HA !!!!!"
Underteker, who couldn't seem like he can breathe because of his laugh, who not see a purplish mist appeared behind the woman who began to grind her teeth. Sebastian could only notice that the undertaker seemed to expend a special energy to annoy this woman. As if his young master suddenly remembered his existence, he hurriedly let go.
"Countess Scarlette this is Sebastian! My butler..." The Countess sighed
"Fate or not, Ciel ! You'll end up in hell if even the demons want to be on you side!" The butler looked at the girl and say, trying to appear as neutral as possible.
"Young master, I didn't know that you knew a vampire as famous as the scarlet devil!" The countess burst out laughing
"Well!... What are the lives I have taken next to the lives that mine and yours acquire every day?"
Ciel sighed, he had forgotten that Remillia had once explained him that demons and vampires do not like each other . He expected his butler to retaliate, but the butler was extremely silent.
"Countess, sorry to interrupt you but... You're not in London just to greet me if I'm not mistaken?" The Countess smiled mysteriously:
"No indeed ... We need to talk ..." she finished by staring at Underteker with her ruby red eyes "In private!"
Ciel approved, he suspected that if Countess Scarlette Moved in person rather than resorting to their usual epistolary exchanges, after several months of silence, it was because something serious had happened!
"You could have gone to the mansion in the first place instead of coming here!"
"I had to talk to Underteker, solve some administrative problems around my arrival in London, needless for me to remind you ,that some people do not want to see me ..."
Ciel smiled inwardly at the memory of that day when her furious father had entered the living room in which he was calmly playing with the Vampire. Learning that the latter had humiliated a noblewoman who had mocked her aunt's red hair and especially that she had terrorized one of the queen's ministers who had dared to call her maid a prostitute. Although warmly reprimanded by her Host, she had simply smiled and given a quick wink to Ciel making it clear that she regretted none of this. Ciel sighed:
"In all sincerity, it is almost sixteen o'clock and I doubt that leaving the other servants of my mansion alone for so long is a good idea...How about chatting over a cup of tea and a chessboard rather ..." He watched Underterker roll on the ground laughing and stretched Patchoulit to reprimand him with incomplete sentences and stutters "What to stay here..."
"I will indeed be happy to see Tanaka again after these six years away from London..."
Ciel turned to address Sebastian and understood the reason for his butler's silence. The latter's gaze was turned towards one end of the room. He stared at the white-haired young woman who seemed so absorbed in his reading that she had not noticed anything of the commotion aroused by the arrival of Ciel. Sebastian knew this book. He had already read it a long time ago, he could not remember what this book was about and the memories of its owner were blurred in his memory. Nothing but a hooded figure and an amused laugh. He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering the white snow falling all around, behind him, two strange deaths that were buried alongside others he hated. In front of him an ebony cape ... Suddenly a violent elbow and repeated call from his master brought him back to reality:
"Yes my Lord?" Ciel thunderstruck him with her eyes
"We're going..." Remilia sighed as if to mock the butler, before calling in turn:
"Sakuya!"
The white-haired young woman hurriedly raised her head and looked down on Ciel. Sebastian understood that despite her open eyes she was dozing off and had just been awakened by the call of the vampire. Totally panicking, she stood up and bowed in embarrassment:
"My lady!! ... I..."
"Get up Sakuya, you haven't done anything wrong as far as I know!" As if to relieve, she straightened up flexibly and tilted very slightly towards Ciel:
"Count Phantomhive ... "Sebastian couldn't help but look up, an unnecessary maid, he began to think as he noticed that she was wearing a maid outfit. He sighed in exasperation, still irritated by the Countess's mockery...
"Sakuya, let's go..."
The servant approved, she made her book disappear into the suitcase which she lifted as if it were empty. She grabbed an umbrella placed at her side, bowed to Underteker and the purple-haired woman and put a suitcase that was not "accidental" to the redhead who tried to take her in her arms. Walking as lightly as a feather, the maid walked towards them. Ciel asked The Countess of the Scarlet Manor:
"Do you want Sebastian to bring the ..." the Vampire put the right on his mouth
"I am old, but not to the point of being treated like a useless grandmother!" She smiled at her servant who remained frozen, her face devoid of any emotion, her eyes closed, staring at the ground in silence "Sakuya?"
"Yes my lady?" Remilia nodded to him and the two women walked towards the door. Sakuya came out of the undertaker's shop, opened the umbrella with a simple gesture, reached out to his mistress, helping him down the walk in front of the shop, holding the umbrella with a sure gesture and without the slightest trembling. She retrieved her suitcase from the floor and began to move forward, setting her pace to that of her mistress. Full of grace, she looked so little like a servant that it became almost unsettling:
"Come on, Ciel, do you let your guests languish?" Joked the vampire, Ciel shrugged, but he and Sebastian hurried when they saw Patchouli trying to strangle Underteker, more busy laughing than defending himself... Arriving in front of the carriage, Ciel helped Remilia to get inside (even if the latter seemed to get there more easily than him), The Countess beckoned to Sakuya, told him the silent order to sit by her side, she hesitated, but after a quick nod of Ciel, she complied, after ignoring Sebastian who wanted to help her put her suitcase on the roof of the car. She returned with her, hugging her as if refusing to let go:
"I didn't ask you for Sakuya," Ciel began, "are you better off than last time?
"If my lady's happy then, I am fine" although all the curtains of the cabin had been closed, Ciel see enough to notice that the maid seemed absent, fixing her hands in reply "thank you for your concerns Count Phantomhive ..."
"I think Mr. Tanaka will appreciate seeing you again!" Continued Ciel
"Likewise... Oh! I'm thinking about it! I shame my role as godmother, How are my little one?" Remilia asked.
"You just missed her, she's returned in Egypt last week..."
"Indeed, narrowly, I missed the opportunity ... I don't think I'll be back in London for a long time."
"Too bad you didn't stay, my aunt would have been happy to see you again!"
"I'm not leaving..." Sakuya muttered sadly, Ciel froze:
"Indeed Countess. There are things we need to talk about, it seems to me!"