A Thousand Words

Day 996

Suffocating.

That was one word to describe what Lubelle was feeling. She was stuck in a hell hole of a prison away from her family and her friends, because of a murder.

A murder she did not commit.

A murder that someone framed her for.

And everybody believes it.

Lulu's long wavy dark locks draped over her shoulders like curtains, her now long fringe covering her expressionless red eyes.

She sat on the ground of a well-kept cell, long chains bound to her wrists and ankles. Every time she moved, the chains would jangle with loudness, echoing around the walls. A guard would then peer into the cell to check on her, making sure she was not doing anything suspicious.

An inaudible sigh escaped her dry lips as she stood up, walking to the window. She could see outside, but she saw nothing but dirt paths and leafless trees.

How she wished she was outside.

How she wished she could continue being an actress.

Her dark eyes cast downwards as her hand gripped onto the vertical bar that was her window. She could see her knuckles become white as she clenched harder, before releasing.

Her dark eyes narrowed as she remembered that day 996 days ago, when she was convicted on false charges.

She turned to the wall next to the window, seeing horribly drawn lines grouped in 4 with a slash through them. They were grouped to be a sign of 5 days, one stroke for each day she had stayed in the forsaken prison. There were 199 of those, all lined up, with a single line, a stray, which was today.

Her hand fell to her side, hitting against her thigh.

That day, 996 days ago, the judge had slammed the hammer down with force as his voice boomed.

"Murder is inexcusable! Lubelle Donovan will be sentenced to execution in 1000 days!"

Lubelle Donovan was a famous actress. She's acted on various stage plays and was touted as one of the best in the industry. She was young, popular and rookies aspired to be her.

That all ended on one showcase, where she was performing with the other lead, Samuel Fosterne.

He was an international star, popular beyond belief. He was wanted by everyone in the industry. A good man, he showcased his talent graciously with the equally talented Lulu, capturing the mass audiences.

With great popularity, comes great jealousy. The secondary female lead, Katherine Barns, was green with envy as the 2 overshadowed her success. She did not like Sam with Lulu. Kate was known to have hated working with Lubelle, as well as fancying Samuel. The idea of working with them as a pair was revolting to her.

In that showcase, Samuel was murdered. It was in a romantic scene where Lubelle was to drink wine with Samuel, their arms entwined together, giving each other their drinks. However, that was the end for Samuel. A couple of minutes after drinking the wine, he had collapsed. It was not a part of the script. He was pronounced dead at the scene due to poisoning.

Being the one that made him drink it, Lulu was immediately the prime suspect, arrested and testified against. The court ruled not in her favour.

That was the gist of it. The issue blew up high and dry, leaving Lubelle low and weak. She was shunned and talked about, with the worst words.

"Who was...it...?" Lubelle's feminine voice was soft and clear. She barely uttered a word after what had happened. That was the result of no one listening to her.

She knew she didn't do it. Why did they persecute her? It was because of 1 piece of evidence they found on her costume at the time, which was a tiny vial filled with clear liquid. After testing, it was confirmed to be the poison used to kill Samuel.

She didn't understand how it got there. She understood nothing at that moment; her mind was a blank page, unscripted and unwritten.

She distinctively remembered that she did NOT, absolutely NOT, owned anything of the sort, nor had any intention or malicious thoughts about killing Samuel.

The court had thought otherwise; they believed she had the intention to kill him because he was becoming more popular than her.

Throughout her days in the lonely cell, Lubelle had thought and thought, racking her brain for all the possibilities that could have happened, as well as if there were any other clues that showed she was not the culprit. But that thinking was in vain. She couldn't remember all there was at the time, nor could she remember everything that happened.

It was useless.

She gave up trying.

She couldn't do anything.

As those words drowned in Lubelle's sorrowful mood, she didn't hear nor pay attention to the visitors of her cell, who had come in quietly, now standing outside of her cell.

A guard standing outside faced the girl, his expression serious. "You have visitors, Donovan." His words were on edge and he seemed almost angry, spitting out her surname as if it was distasteful.

Lubelle didn't turn to look. Her deep red eyes was still steadily gazing outside the window, at the vast plains of dry and dead vegetation.

The guard grunted and unlocked the cell, letting the visitors in.

"She may look innocent, but she's a murderer. Be careful, Earl." The guard warned. There it was again. That angry, spiteful tone that Lubelle so very hated.

"Heh." The voice was not recognisable. It was a mild voice full of confidence and authority, but yet at the same time, it was the voice of a growing male child.

This prompted Lulu to turn slowly. She met the eyes of her visitors, noticing that there were 2 of them. They were both well dressed, clean and tidy. There was a tall, dark haired handsome one, whose eyes were a lighter shade of red to Lubelle's. He was wearing a swallowtail suit and standing slightly behind a smaller person, who seemed to be a boy, around the age of 12. He wore an eyepatch and had big blue eyes and similar shaded hair.

Lubelle was silent. What were they here for? Surely, since they are well dressed and had an air of authority around them, they had to be important.

"My name is Ciel Phantomhive and this is my butler, Sebastian." That unfamiliar voice spoke again, from the younger boy. The butler was the tall man and he bowed slightly to greet Lulu upon his name being said. He had a small smile on his face.

Lubelle didn't say anything but tilted her head slightly to an angle. When the guard said 'Earl', she had thought it referred to the taller man. She was wrong.

"Lubelle Donovan. A famous actress convicted for the cold blooded murder of another famous actor, Samuel Fosterne." Ciel started, his big blue hues were staring directly at Lulu, unwavering and strong. "I know all about you. How you think you have been wrongly accused even when the odds were completely against you, how you always stood by a non-guilty verdict." The young boy took a pause, his blues slightly narrowing, "And how your execution is in 4 days."

The last words made Lulu sigh deeply, her gaze drifting to the floor.

So what of it? It's not like she can stop the execution. What was the point in coming now? She was going to die in a couple if days' time, so why bother?

The young Earl watched the older female, seeing that she had grown thin and pale. Her once vibrant look and personality had been replaced with vacant looks of helplessness and she seemed to have given up.

Sebastian and Ciel exchanged looks. The butler nodded. Ciel turned to face the young woman again.

"We have special permission to permit you to leave this cell until your execution date." Ciel's words drove straight into Lulu's mind, where it repeated itself over and over.

With widened red eyes, Lubelle looked up. She could feel an emotion that she thought had long left her, one that pulsed through her veins as if to say, 'Let me leave this forsaken hell hole.' She felt herself reanimated again, fueled by the prospect of being able to go outside. It thrilled her more than she thought.

"…What?" Her voice came out shrill, a mixture of shock and surprise evident in it.

"You're permitted to leave this cell until your execution date." Ciel rearranged his words. He stared her down, patiently waiting for her answer, her reply.

"Why…why would you do something like that?" She was astonished.

"Do you or do you not want to?" Ciel's voice was demanding. He wanted to seek out an answer now. "I'll explain when you come with me."

An ounce of fear hitched itself into Lubelle as she thought of what would happen next. Would she be able to go out? She felt herself dreading it, hearing the voices of people insulting her and throwing accusations and lies in her face.

Sebastian noticed her hesitation and took a small step forward, the usual charming smile on his face as his velvety voice spoke, "It would be best to follow the young master. There is something that must be discussed. I think it will suit your best interests."

The tall butler's red eyes met the Donovan's red hues. The demon's eyes were hollow but beautiful, staring into Lubelle's soul as if it were a glass mirror. Sebastian was pleased to see that she was considering it.

"I don't have all day." Ciel said impatiently.

"I…will…" Lulu's voice was weak. She wanted to go outside, but the paranoia of being mistreated and not listened to remained in her mind like a ticking bomb. She may break down again, just like she did before.

"Good." Ciel's lips curled upwards into a small smirk, before he turned on his heel. "Let's go."

Lubelle followed her saviour, her shoes tapping against the hard floor lightly as she was led through the various dimly lit stone corridors with a guard as their guide. Once they reached outside, the former actress noticed a carriage outside.

The young Earl climbed into the carriage after Sebastian opened the door. Taking Lubelle's hand in his, Sebastian helped the younger woman up onto the carriage before shutting the door and jumping into the driver's seat, whipping the horse to move to their next destination, the Phantomhive mansion.

"The Queen gave us permission to let you out before 1000 days." Ciel crossed his legs on his expensive and comfortable chair, leaning his arm elbow on the armrest as he supported his cheek with a fist.

They were in one of the rooms of the Phantomhive mansion, arriving an hour later after leaving the prison. Lubelle was nervous the whole time and wasn't surprised when she saw the mansion for the first time. It was magnificent to say and it supported the title of Earl.

The long haired female had then been introduced to the 4 servants of the house, including the previous head butler, Tanaka. Meirin, Bard and Finny were very kind and she felt warm inside, not having felt that happy in a long time.

After being ushered out of the carriage, she was changed into something more presentable. She was washed and dressed by Meirin before she appeared out in a light dress with a floral design.

She was now seated opposite of the young Earl, her hands scrunched up into nervous fists on her lap as she stared at the expensive coffee table between them.

"The Queen?" Lubelle looked up, puzzled. She had certainly not expected the Queen to release her from jail in the last days of life she had left.

The door opened and Sebastian came in pushing a tray of desserts and treats. He had tea with him as well. The butler began to place them on the table, making sure to make the least amount of noise possible.

"She thinks that there is something wrong with the case you were convicted on." Ciel was handed a cup of hot tea. He took a small sip from it, before placing it down with a light clink on the glass.

"Something wrong…?" Lubelle could barely hear herself talk.

She couldn't believe her ears. The Queen had thought that something was wrong with the case? Wasn't that a good thing? That would mean that the Queen casts a doubtful eye to it, therefore meaning that Lubelle could overturn the conviction.

"'Reinvestigate this case', was what she said." Ciel looked up, his long eyelashes making the movement graceful. "We've looked through the files to find flaws, but there doesn't seem to be any." Ciel took a brief pause. "Sebastian."

The butler nodded, placing a hand over his chest and bowing slightly before letting it fall back to his side. "There was nothing wrong with the report. It was too perfect. I did a little…digging, and it seems that the reports have been tampered with, young master."

A ghost of a smile was on the young Phantomhive's face. His blue eyes met Lubelle's red ones, holding them in his captive stare, "There you have it. Somebody in Scotland Yard may have tampered with the document. We might be dealing with corruption." There was a hint of amusement in his young voice.

"Another thing, young master." Sebastian caught his attention. Ciel cast his eyes to his butler to tell him to continue. "I found the original documents inside a locked safe of a relative of a witness, who happens to be part of Scotland Yard."

Lulu's red eyes nearly popped out of her head when she realised that he had broken into somebody's home and stolen something from their house. Was he even allowed to do that?

"A relative of a witness?" Ciel asked, his interest piquing.

"The witness is the actress, Katherine Barns' uncle, Gilford Barns. He's a commissioner of Scotland Yard, the highest rank. I believe he may have been the one to alter the documents." Sebastian replied. He took out 2 files from inside his suit and handed them to Ciel.

In the moment of silence that followed, Ciel flipped through the papers, scanning the original and the modified files.

Lulu played with her fingers, fidgeting. Once Sebastian said that name, she instantly felt like she was stabbed in the abdomen. Katherine and she never did have a good relationship. Her name was brought up so early – Lulu thought she was only involved as a witness. But what did this mean?

"There seems to have been quite a number of changes." The young Earl noted, staring at both files in his hands side to side.

His handsome butler nodded in agreement. He glanced at the former actress with the side of his eyes, seeing her with an expression of shock. He smirked, "This was found inside Gilford Barn's office at the Scotland Yard office. It was concealed quite cleverly underneath a rug." Sebastian gave Lubelle a charming smile.

Lulu gulped, feeling that what they were doing was illegal. It wasn't at someone's home, but someone's office! They can't just break into the office of a police officer from Scotland Yard and take their things!

"Isn't this…isn't this illegal?" Her voice squeaked.

Ciel and Sebastian blinked their eyes at her with surprise, before they let out a low chuckle which resonated on the walls of the room. It unnerved Lubelle.

With a knowing smirk, Ciel's blue eyes glistened. She didn't get an answer, but only an action. Sebastian had a dangerously cunning smile on his face. He placed a finger to his lip to signal her to keep it a secret.

Lubelle was stunned. They knew what they were doing was illegal, but they still did it! What was going on? She felt her head hurt from all the thinking she was doing.

She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by the young Earl.

"If you're going to say that it's illegal…I'll say this once: this is for you. Whether the means is illegal or not, I will find out the truth of that case." Ciel's eyes were steady and strong, showing resolve.

Lubelle felt her breath leave her. She didn't know whether or not to feel flattered, or if she should be offended because they were using illegal methods. The woman was silent, her hands on her lap as she twiddled her thumbs.

"Do you…do this all the time?" She asked, purposely avoiding their eyes.

Ciel hummed. He gave the documents back to Sebastian. "Make a copy of these and make it quick. Put them back where they belong."

"As you wish, my Lord."

Lubelle's question was avoided. Sebastian left the room, closing the door quietly behind him. It was just Ciel and Lulu now.

"When Sebastian comes back, we'll go see the Undertaker. Samuel's body might have passed by that place." Ciel broke the silence, taking the teacup into his fingers. He took a sip, watching Lulu's reaction.

"The Undertaker…?" She questioned. She'd heard that name before. There was only one of them in the city, a person whose job was to prepare dead bodies and make arrangements for funerals.

The Earl nodded. "If the case is what I think it is…then he will help us."

Lulu repeated, "He?"

His long – very long – gray hair with a single braid puddled on a coffin he sat on with his legs crossed. His hair covered half his face, only showing his nose and mouth, along with noticeable scar across his face. On his lips was a mysterious smile. Fully dressed in black, he was the Undertaker.

"What brings you here, Earl?" The Undertaker giggled creepily, making a shiver climb up Lubelle's spine. "And who is that?" He turned his head to her, tilting his head in confusion. It was as if a light bulb went off. The Undertaker lifted his cloaked arm and waved it carelessly at the female, making her take a step back.

"You're that famous actress, Lubelle Donovan!" His smile creeped her. She flinched at her name being said.

With an insecure nod, Lubelle looked to Ciel and Sebastian for guidance. They didn't look at her, staring straight ahead to the long haired man.

"Have you come across Samuel Fosterne's body?" Ciel got straight to the point, impatiently stamping his cane down onto the ground.

The Undertaker only giggled, drawing out his vowels, "And what if I did?" He made funny gestures with his cloaked arms.

"Tell us." Ciel demanded.

Lubelle stared at him with shock. Why was the kid acting like that?

"You'll have to entertain me first." The gray haired man giggled eerily. He pointed to Ciel, "Will you?" he redirected it to Lulu, "Or you…? Or…" He finally pointed to Sebastian.

Lubelle noticed that his fingers were very long, with painted black nails the size of a nail. She titled her head slightly.

Why does he have such long nails?

Sebastian took a step forward, pulling at the hem of his white gloves. "I will do it." He turned to his master and guest, "Please wait outside. Do not look in."

After a short while of waiting outside, the Phantomhive and Donovan were called back in.

Ciel clicked his tongue, seeing the dull haired Undertaker laughing with drool coming from his mouth. "Took you long enough, Sebastian."

"My apologies, young master."

What was the point of making him laugh? Lulu thought with curiosity.

Her red irises watched the creepy man. He had stopped laughing, a smile on his face as a long fingernail tapped the coffin lid. "That was good…very funny."

"And? Sam Fosterne?" Ciel pressed.

"Mister Fosterne's body…did come by."

Lubelle's eyes went huge. What did this mean?

Sebastian glanced at Ciel. "It seems your assumption was correct."

"Oh?" The Undertaker made an 'o' with his mouth. He giggled, tapping his fingers repeatedly against the coffin. "He was a decent lad…but poisoned very badly. His insides were all burned."

The female cringed at the detail. An image of her giving the glass to Sam flashed through her mind and she pressed a hand to her mouth.

"Who sent him in?" Ciel watched the Undertaker intently.

"Gilford Barns!" The long nailed man crossed his fingers and supported his chin on the back of his hand.

Katherine's uncle?! Lubelle's eyes widened. Was he in on this too?

"Thought so." Ciel mumbled. Sebastian whispered a few words to the young master.

"Thank you, Undertaker. You have been very helpful." The handsome butler gave a mysterious smile to the long haired man. He turned to Lulu and his master, "We should take our leave."

"Where are we heading?" Lubelle asked, following behind them like a lost puppy. She nodded towards the Undertaker's direction in thanks as he waved with his cloaked arm.

"I hope you catch them!" The Undertaker said in a sing-song voice.

The ex-actress's red eyes widened. How did he know that she wasn't the true killer? Not a word was spoken to have expressed that significant detail.

She caught some yellow and green from under all his hair. The Undertaker's demeanour had shifted to one of ominous, making a shiver go up the female's spine.

"Do try to make it back alive."

"That's enough for today." Ciel plopped onto the large armchair in one of the many rooms of the Phantomhive household and loosened his tie, exhaling deeply. He stared at the documents, both real and forged, on the mahogany table.

Sebastian quietly opened the door, holding a silver plate with freshly brewed tea. "I have brought tea."

"Earl Gray?"

"Yes."

Sebastian set the cup down for his master. He glanced at the documents that Ciel had been reading, seeing a picture of the Scotland Yard Commissioner.

"Investigating Gilford Barns?" Sebastian quizzed.

Ciel sipped his tea. His big blue eyes glanced at the documents before his butler. "Why wouldn't I?"

Sebastian chuckled lightly and stood tall, checking the watch in his front pocket. It was just past 11.

"How is Lubelle?" The young Earl questioned, setting down his tea. His legs crossed and he leaned his cheek on his fist against the arm of the chair.

"She's asleep." Sebastian responded.

The Phantomhive was silent for a brief moment. "It's more troublesome than I had thought."

Sebastian blinked and raised an eyebrow. Surely his master wasn't talking about the case? "Is it the reports, young master?"

"Heh." Ciel shook his head and stared down at the table of documents. "Not at all. It's the case. Her Majesty truly knows how to pick up something difficult."

"Fitting for the Queen's Watchdog, don't you think?" Sebastian sneered.

Ciel shot him a glare, a frown pulling his lips downwards. He ignored his impudent butler and leaned forward, uncrossing his legs to take the documents. He handed Gilford Barns' document to him.

The demon took the document and skimmed through it. His deep red eyes arched in amusement.

"Interesting."