Heyo peeps,

Welcome back to a new chapter which is very long. I just kept typing until I found a good cliff hanger and didn't even realize the length of this chapter. Sorry if you don't like long chapters lol. THE ENDING IS WORTH IT THOUGH, Y'ALL HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS FOREVER. Not to mention, this is the 50TH CHAPTER. We've come a long way, thank you for staying with me. This chapter ending is extra special for you guys.

I think I have 1-2 chapters more on this arc because of the whole Sebastian and mission reveal for Arthur. There probably won't be much Rina input during those times besides her thoughts. This murder arc felt long, am I the only one? It's not my favorite arc, I just like Charles and Arthur lmao. But yeah, hope you enjoy this chapter.

Thank you guys for your support and wishes of good luck in the reviews. I really appreciate it. I tried my best in this chapter, this arc is hard to write in my opinion. OMG YOU GUYS, THE ENDING OF THIS CHAPTER THOUGH, I KNOW YALL GONNA FREAK.

Okay, anyways, do you guys have any ideas for a fun extra chapter when this arc finishes. I have one idea already in mind, I need another one. Let me know in the comments if you do.

Recap of the last chapter:

I nod, agreeing with his point. It's impossible almost. "Wouldn't your 'unlikely' become likely with the existence of a thirteenth person?" Lau challenges.

I stare at him, noting how that is very likely to happen. I forget how smart Lau can be sometimes. "How foolish! There's definitely no chance of that happening!" Mr. Woodley argues.

"Definitely?" Lau questions his response. "The one thing that doesn't exist in this world is 'definite'. If you reverse the 'definite' then anything could be lurking in this castle. If he's lying in wait for a chance to attack, aiming for our lives...he might not be that far off anymore." he explains theoretically. "This thirteenth person who shouldn't exist."

"And what if they appeared?" I ask him. "What will we do then?"

Lau smirks at me, "We'll know when the time comes, little lady."

I blink at him but jump slightly when I hear a bang. What was that? That did not sound like thunder...

o0o0o0o

The distant bang which is barely covered by the pounding rain outside catches my attention. I can hear the servants shuffling about in a hurry. However, it's hard to understand what they are saying. I peer at the door curiously. Should I go to investigate? I don't hear anything for a while until multiple footsteps pound down the hallway. I can guess it's the servants as they rush to where we are all located. The door bursts open abruptly, and I jump in my seat a little. The door smacks against the wall loudly as Bard and Finnian appear in the doorway.

"Young master!" Bard and Finnian shout in sync. "We got some suspicious-looking guy!"

I stand from my seat in surprise. He appeared so fast, almost like a coincidence. I glance at Ciel curious to his reaction; he is rooted in shock as well. "Come on, get in already!" Bard shouts behind him. Mey-Rin pushes a dark figure forward and his appearance is shown through the candlelit room. I examine the man quickly, finding him to be oddly familiar. I tilt my head in confusion, assessing his attire. He wears a plain black suit, nothing fancy. I notice my gaze drift higher and find the man's face to be quite older. There are some wrinkles, but he is very gaunt in the cheeks.

While I don't know why he feels familiar, it is not until I look into his eyes do I freeze in my spot. I stretch my senses out more and find it is Sebastian who is before me. I feel my eyes blink rapidly, not believing that this person in front of me is Sebastian. I'm so used to his regular appearance; I can't fathom that this is the same person. It's all quite disorientating. His eyes find mine, but he does not keep the gaze for long. I barely noticed the rope which encircles his chest. It pins his arms down to his sides.

"Huh?" I hear Irene gasp in shock.

"Wha—He was real?! Where on Earth was he hiding?!" Charles exclaims. I narrow my eyes at him, he sounds genuine. He must not have anticipated this.

"You're—" Ciel starts and I feel my eyes bulge. Did he not know this is Sebastian!? What the hell is going on?

"So, you mean this is the killer?!" Mr. Woodley cries. I can't keep track of all that is happening. There's too much, someone pulls the brakes for me, please!

I watch as Lau stands with a 'pft' falling from his lips. "To think the thirteenth person would show up this soon...even I am a little surprised," Lau admits. He walks over to the 'stranger' with a smirk. He grabs Sebastian's shoulder, "So, you're you again?" he asks.

I facepalm immediately, Lau is so stupid sometimes. I clearly keep forgetting things. "This again?!" Ciel growls as tiny tick marks pulse against his temple.

"My name?" Sebastian mentions with a side smirk. I notice Ciel sweat drops and stares at Sebastian. "It's been a while...Jeremy." Ciel acknowledges.

"Do we know this old guy, Ciel?" I ask, restraining a smirk from forming across my lips at the sight of an offended look cross Jeremy's face (A/N: I am going to refer to Sebastian as Jermey until he is discovered in the dialogue tags).

"Old guy?" Jeremy repeats with a small glare directed at me. "Y...Yeah, well I do anyway," he replies, almost awkwardly. I look at him suspiciously, deducing he knows this is Sebastian. Damn, he almost fooled me. "This man is Jeremy Rathbone." he introduces the man to us, gesturing to his figure. "He's a popular advisor to the local church and somewhat a famous person."

Sebastian smiles coyly, and I deadpan at his looks. It's so unfamiliar, I feel a bit disturbed. I want the original face back. "Please call me Jeremy." he corrects my brother.

"A...father." Arthur mutters. I almost scoff at the thought of who he is impersonating as. Really comical of him, I'll give him that.

"Like I'd trust a suspicious-looking guy like you!" Mr. Woodley booms out of nowhere. I glare at him with irritation. "The only one who could have committed the murders is the thirteenth person without an alibi. No matter how you look at it, it has to be this guy!"

I mean, for once, Mr. Woodley has a point. But, with the way he acts, I find him very suspicious too. To put blame on someone so quickly, it sounds rather as if he is the guilty one. Someone who is panicking because of it. How many murderers are there exactly? I doubt Ciel would make Sebastian instantly guilty. I wouldn't put it past Sebastian to have an alibi at the ready. The smirk that appears on Sebastian's lips already tells me that this may be the case.

"Actually, your reasoning is utter nonsense, mister Woodley." Sebastian points out.

Mr. Woodley's face morphs into one of shock, "H-How did you know my name?!" he asks.

Sebastian's smirk stretches slightly, his eyes gaining a glowering effect to them. Sebastian leans forward, invading Mr. Woodley's personal space. "Looking at your ring, it's actually quite obvious." Sebastian observes, staring at it. "The only place you'd be able to mine a large diamond-like that would be South Africa. Furthermore, the only way you'd be able to get the special round brilliant-cut this diamond has is with the latest polishing machinery recently developed by the Woodley company. I've also heard that the London jeweler Danel Anderson has been holding sales talks with women, saying it's a rare item that hasn't really appeared on the market yet."

I simply stare at the demon, his words going in and out of my ears. I can hardly keep up with one sentence he says. "If you consider that one of the people invited to the earl's evening party is wearing such a rare ring, it is most likely the director of the Woodley company," Sebastian concludes. "In other words, you, mister. Am I wrong?"

Mr. Woodley is not the only one stunned into silence. He neither accepts nor denies the claim made toward him. "More importantly, how in the world...no, why and since when have you been here?" Arthur questions Sebastian.

"Sheesh, nothing but questions." Sebastian sighs. He looks over at Bard suddenly, I didn't even notice the bag in his hands. "Hey, you, would you mind opening my bag?" he asks.

Bard glances down at it and opens it slowly. Once the clasp on it opens, he opens it further. I walk toward him, curious about what is inside. "The owl?" I question out loud. Mey-Rin gasps next to us, "That is Mr. Sebastian's owl! Is it dead?"

"No, but since it resisted, I put it to sleep for a while with some medicine. It will wake up soon." Sebastian informs. "Please look at the letter on its claw."

Ciel strolls over to where we are standing and takes the paper off the owl's foot. He unrolls it and his eye roams over the contents. "Young master! What did Mr. Sebastian say!?" Mey-Rin asks nervously.

A moment of silence lingers in the air until Ciel looks at Sebastian. "It seems anticipated that he would be killed and sent a letter to Jeremy." Ciel explains, fisting the letter in his hand afterward.

"Oh my...Mr. Sebastian..." Mey-Rin mumbles in horror.

"But you can't prove he isn't the killer with just a piece of paper!" Grimsby objects. "If he came from outside, he could just as well commit the last night's murder!"

"Actually," Sebastian counters swiftly. "I have a simple solution to your lack of confidence. In my coat pocket." he suggests and looks down at his coat. Finnian creeps closer and stuffs his hand inside Sebastian's pocket. He rummages around for a couple of seconds until his eyes widen, "Huh?" Finnian voices his confusion. He pulls his arm back, and in-between his fingers a ticket. "A ticket...is it? For a play..." he mutters.

"What's the date?" I ask curiously, though I know the answer already. "Yesterday...it's for the evening show on March 12th. The place and program are, um, the...L.A.D..." Finnian tries to read but struggles near the end. "The Lady of the Lake at the Lyceum theatre!" he reads aloud finally after sounding it out in his head.

"The Lady of the Lake is indeed playing at the Lyceum Theatre at the moment." Irene comments.

Sebastian nods, "Indeed, I went to the Lyceum Theatre in London last night." Sebastian states. "The play ended after 10 p.m. Even if I took a Hansom cab and threw him a sovereign it would still take over two hours to get here. Furthermore, in this rain the road would become so muddy it'd take at least twice as long as usual."

"A Hansom cab in this rain?" Irene questions.

"In this rain, the river along the road would flood, there's no way you'd get over the bridge in a horse-drawn carriage!" Bard says.

"Of course, there are countless other ways of getting here. Walking...or swimming though those aren't really ways I'd recommend for normal human beings. There are always as many ways of getting a result as one can count the stars. But there is only one truth." Sebastian debunks Bard's claim. I stare in awe, feeling as if I really am in a mystery novel right now. I'm pretty much speechless.

"In other words," Arthur begins, his gaze hot on Sebastian. "you mean that you cannot be involved in the killings because you were in London last night...am I right?" he deduces with an uncertain look.

Sebastian gives him a side smirk, "As expected of a master novelist, thank you for speeding up the conversation."

"Huh?!" Arthur cries.

Sebastian leans in Arthur's direction, getting rather close to him. "You can find out a lot about people's jobs and the like from examining their looks and habits, you know this." he smirks. "First of all, you have a large callus on your right middle finger. It's different in shape from people who paint or draw...so you must be writing a lot. Next, there are blue stains on your sleeve. This can happen when you wash things with dyed ink on them. Furthermore, you wrote several pieces of material you thought of on the inside of your cuffs with a pencil, so you won't forget them." Sebastian remarks and peeks inside Arthur's sleeve, "Pearl, India, locked room, sign; you have to be a novelist to do something like this, right?"

"Amazing...he's like my teacher, Professor Bell. He also liked people watching." Arthur utters in awe. I peer up at Sebastian, very stupefied by him. "Your Professor was that cool?" I ask Arthur but keep my attention on Sebastian.

"Yes."

I smile and glance away before Sebastian can meet my curious gaze. "Sherlock Holmes..." I mutter under my breath.

"Eh? Who is that?" Arthur questions. I clamp my mouth shut; I did not mean for him to hear that. "Er...just a name is all." I laugh awkwardly.

Sebastian clears his throat and catches everyone's attention once more. "Well, now that your doubts should have lifted, would you mind getting this rope off me? It seems that the air around this mansion is heavy with the smell of a crime that will rid me of my boredom." Sebastian chimes in, moving around in his binds. I cover the snort from leaving my nose at something he says. There's more than just crime in this mansion.

Charles comes up to Jeremy and takes his sword out. He slices the rope off Sebastian and wanders back to the couch. We all settle back down, but all the seats are taken; so, I decided to sit on the arm of Ciel's chair without complaint. I've never seen Sebastian sit down in the mansion, what a weird sight. Arthur and the rest of the guests fill Sebastian in on what happened before he arrived. I almost fall asleep sitting here, not sure from boredom or overall exhaustion.

Sebastian's clap wakes me up though. I bet he did it on purpose, honestly. "This is very interesting, hm." Sebastian murmurs in thought. "Could I first see the bodies? They will eloquently tell me nothing but the truth."

"Well then, let's go the wine cellar together." Arthur offers and stands from his seat.

"Stop!" Sebastian shouts abruptly. Arthur freezes mid-way, his knees bent awkwardly, "Huh?"

Sebastian raises his pointer finger up, "I would like you to move each of the bodies to a separate room."

"But why?"

"The scent might be a clue. If we put the bodies together their scents will interfere with each other." Sebastian explains. "Also, the wine cellar will have a particularly strong scent of wine. On that note, can you lend me three rooms, earl?"

"That would be fine I guess." Ciel agrees to his request. He looks at the servants next, "You guys, divide the bodies over three rooms."

"Certainly." Finnian accepts and the other servant's nod.

"Earl, will you allow me to change my clothes in the meantime?" Sebastian asks. Ciel peers up at him, I catch a knowing look in his eye. This is something that is planned, I'm sure. "Sure...the clothes of my predecessor might be a little too small, I'll lend you some clothes of the dead butler. I'll take you there."

I stare at him my brother in exasperation, this is too weird for my liking. It's almost making me uncomfortable. The servants take their leave first. Ciel and Sebastian are next to go and I sit down on the couch. I pull at my fingers in thought. There are far too many questions in the air. I have a hard time understanding what is truly happening. One minute it's this, another is that. I may be clever, but I can't catch onto everything. I miss the smaller things sometimes. This is kind of exciting though, and just as frustrating. It's not every day my brother puts on an act so well. But even I can tell there are some loopholes.

Someone sits down next to me which pulls me out of my thoughts. I find it is Arthur who also to be lost in his own mind. The only way I could tell is the distant look he gives the wall across the room. I smirk at that, wondering if he will base Sebastian as Sherlock Holmes when he writes that series. It is almost a given at this point. I'm a little mad, but not wholeheartedly. Sebastian is one hell of a person, that I know very well.

"Penny for your thoughts?" I ask and lean back against the couch. Arthur turns his head toward me, seeming to be slightly confused. "Pardon?" he says.

"Ah, I forgot currency differences. Er, make that pound for your thoughts." I correct myself with a laugh. He smiles then, and I beam at it. He hasn't smiled for quite a bit since all this began. "There is too much to question, please forgive me if I seem in a daze." he responds.

I nod and glance up at the ceiling, "Don't forget to breathe and give your mind a short break. Getting a headache won't help anyone." I advise.

He stares at me for a short while before he sighs, his shoulder deflating in the process. "I suppose you are right on that."

Before I could comment more on the subject, Ciel and Sebastian come back. I stare at his outfit, trying to make myself look sad. Not sure if it worked or not, Sebastian hardly spared me a glance. It makes me feel a little lonely. Like I'm being ignored, and I'm not sure if I like the feeling too much. I frown, becoming sad all on my own. I miss his light teases and domineering behavior. Never thought I would think that ever. "Young master, we finished transferring the bodies!" Bard calls out through the doorway.

"Ok." Ciel replies.

I stand from my seat and so does Arthur. "Well then," Sebastian says and claps his hands together once more. "I'd like you to show me the bodies in the order that they were killed."

"We'll start from lord Siemens then," Arthur says with a voice full of determination. I think we are all ready to catch the killer.

"I'll come along too! ~" Charles pipes up with a hand raised. I scowl at him, and step forward with a smile, "I might as well also."

Sebastian nods at the both of us. Bard takes the lead and we follow him to the room Mr. Siemens rests. It isn't too far; the trek is short. Bard stops at one door instead of opening it when we arrive. Ciel points down the hallway which grabs Sebastian's attention. "Over here, the bodies of Siemens, Phelps, and Sebastian have been placed in order on this side of the hallway." Ciel informs everyone.

"That'll save some trouble." Sebastian comments with a smirk. After that, Bard decides to open the door for Mr. Siemen's room. Ciel goes inside first and Sebastian tags along. I step inside and immediately plug my nose. I rather not try to gag in front of everyone. It smells, how can no one notice that? Even Sebastian appears calm. Maybe he is used to it, but I don't know how. I notice Charles come by my side; his gaze hard as he stares down at Siemens.

Seriously, this guy really has some nerve. I doubt he will be caught, honestly. It's the queen's guard for Heaven's sake. I watch as Sebastian kneels next to the body, his face serious as ever even with the face mask in place. I briefly wonder again what Sebastian truly looks like. How demonic can a demon look like? I am inquisitive about him. He says he's grotesque, but for some reason, I feel he is overdramatic. Or perhaps, I am doubtful.

"Hmm," Sebastian hums in thought. He pulls back Siemens jacket, and I keep my eyes trained on Sebastian's hands. He has long nails, right? I glance down at my own and hold it in front of me. 'Their fingers felt like velvet, and their nails were a bit sharp if I had to say anything about it.' I remember that particular moment from that old dream of mine. I flex my fingers in interest, still able to feel his hand against my own. I curl my fingers into a tight fist not long after, feeling more frustrated and lost. Just what exactly is Sebastian to me?

He was in my life before I even met him. Nothing in this damn world makes sense. Even if only it was a dream, I can still feel that it is Sebastian. I don't know any other person who could appear as so. Not that I really got to see much of him back then. A lot of black and overwhelming actions at that time. I didn't mean to zone out and I realize I have. I shake my head before anyone notices but I find Charles staring at me in the corner of my eye. I take a slight peek at him, and he continues to stare. I can't describe the emotion behind such a gaze, but it feels as if he is observing something.

I toss him a fake smile and walk forward, not wanting to linger in his presence much longer. "There is a faint smell of the sea..." Sebastian murmurs with his eyes closed. I tilt my head in question as I stare at Siemen's body. I've gotten used to the smell by now.

"The sea?" Arthur and I repeat at the same time.

"That's right, doctor and lady," Sebastian confirms. "Doctor, do you happen to have a handkerchief?"

"Ah, yes," Arthur replies and begins to rummage through his trouser pockets. He produces the item and hands it to Sebastian, "Here you are."

Sebastian takes it and immediately stuffs it down Mr. Siemen's agape mouth. I feel my face pale when he does. What the hell is he doing? Arthur yelps in surprise, not expecting that either. Sebastian hums in thought again while staring at Siemens before taking the piece of fabric out of his mouth. He sniffs at it attentively before standing back up. He gives it back to Arthur who jumps in shock.

"Thank you very much." Sebastian tells him. "Eh?!" Arthur shouts again. Sebastian turns around and heads toward the door to leave. "Well then, next was Mr. Phelps, right?" Sebastian asks all of us. Arthur and I exchange an uncertain look before following my brother and Sebastian to the next room. Once inside, we all gather around Mr. Phelps's body. I gaze at it in wonder, did he die by a snake? If so, why was there a snake to begin with?

"He was the only one killed by different means from the other two. I thought it likely from the wounds on his neck that poison might have been injected." Arthur speculates. Sebastian crouches and examines Mr. Phelps. He pushes the collar of Mr. Phelps shirt away from his neck and assesses the wound. I want a closer look at it too, to make sure I am right in my assumption. I squat next to Sebastian to inspect the wound with him. "At the time of the murder, the only exits and entrances were locked, making it a perfect locked room situation."

"I see," Sebastian says, his eyes narrowing on the wound. I reach out to get a closer look at it, however, Sebastian's hand encloses around my wrist before I could. My eyes blink rapidly as I did not expect him to do that. He tosses me a fake smile, "Lady Rina, please refrain from touching evidence." he instructs.

I stare at him incredulously, wondering what the hell that meant. "Okay..." I drawl out, not sure how to answer that. He lets go quickly and stands again. He turns to my brother, "Can you show me the room he died in?"

"Yes, I'll take you there." Ciel nods.

We exit the room and proceed to the stairs, back to the bedroom where Mr. Phelps was found. Arthur leads us there. I walk behind my brother and I turn my head around when I feel Sebastian disappear. Where did he go? I dismiss it, figuring something happened. "Mr. Jeremy is sharp-eyed, so if we show it to him, he might notice things we missed." Arthur comments randomly.

"He's quite an incredible sleuth." I contribute to the conversation. "It almost makes me want to write a story about him." I hint loudly.

Ciel turns his head to stare at me, appearing dumbfounded. I clear my throat, trying to ignore him. "Huh?" I hear Charles say behind me. "That old guy's not following you know."

We all stop mid-step and look for Sebastian. I peer over the railing and everyone follows in the example. "Jeremy?" Ciel calls out.

I notice Sebastian coming up the stairs not long after. He dabs a handkerchief to his neck, looking out of breath. "Coming, coming," he repeats and eventually catches up to us with a plastered grin on his face. "I'm sorry for being late. Let's go."

"This is why old guys are—Let's get it over with already." Charles complains.

"Must suck to be old." I chime in sarcastically. I watch as an irritated fake smile settles upon Sebastian's lips. I snicker inwardly and continue to move up the stairs as Arthur begins leading again. We come to the doors of where we found Mr. Phelps. I sweatdrop at the state they are in from Charles slicing them with his sword.

"Oh, look, it's where I almost got my head chopped off," I recall with a sour tone. Charles rolls his eyes next to me, "You're fine."

I feel a tick mark pulse against my temple suddenly. "Listen, you—" my voice rises but Sebastian interrupts me. "Alright, here we go."

He saunters through the door and heads toward my brother's bedroom. I follow inside reluctantly, muttering curses under my breath. Charles, Ciel, and Arthur trail in behind me. Sebastian whips out a magnifying glass and starts to inspect the bed where Mr. Phelps slept. He hovers the magnifying glass over the pillow and releases a loud hum as he examines it. "It seems there are several killers in this crime." Sebastian announces with a frown.

I'm not that surprised, I mean, it's kind of obvious. That or someone is being set up. It's possible there are both true as well. "So, there were multiple killers after all." Ciel murmurs.

"It will be simple to catch Siemens killer, but it will be quite troublesome to catch Phelps killer. In order to avoid any further victims, it'll be better if we make sure to catch this criminal soon." Sebastian offers while cupping his chin in deep thought. "No human will be able to get out in this storm anyway."

"What do you mean?" Arthur asks.

"In order to catch Phelps' killer, there are two requirements," Sebastian informs. "One is to wait for nightfall, the second is...your cooperation earl."

"My cooperation?" Ciel questions, I can tell he is a bit unsure about this. "Yes, yours," Sebastian confirms with a smirk. "I'll tell you everything when night has fallen."

"Well, next up is the butler, right?" Charles reminds us. "Let's go back."

We leave the bedroom and head back downstairs to where Sebastian lies in a separate room. I couldn't help but wonder how Sebastian plans to be Jeremy and the dead body at the same time. I wonder what they thought of to plan for this. Arthur brings us to Sebastian's door and Sebastian opens it. I stare inside with a small sigh. We gather around Sebastian's body and I pretend to look at it sadly. "Poor Sebastian..." I mutter with a deep frown. I'm really trying my hardest to not gag either. The smell of the body is just so strong to me. However, who the hell's body is it?

I notice Sebastian who stands across from me, gives me a weird look. But I dismiss it quickly, knowing I am not supposed to be affected by it. "I believe you told me that the butler was stabbed to death after being hit," Sebastian recalls and leans down to remove the sheet over the body. "Well then, excuse me..." he says and lifts the blanket all the way.

Ciel grabs my arm and covers his mouth, producing a gagging sound. I stare at him in surprise and I turn my head away from the body. "Earl!?" Arthur shouts in concern. "What's wrong?! Are you feeling—"

"Hm?" I hear Charles hum. Ciel leans his forehead against my arm, appearing worn out. "I'm sorry. After seeing Sebastian's corpse so many times..." Ciel apologizes. "...it's too much for me."

Arthur steps closer to us and I stare at him with wavering eyes. Got to make it look like I'm troubled too, right? "Are you guys alright? Why don't you take a break outside?"

"Thank you, Mr. Wordsmith." Ciel says. I glance at Charles briefly to find him giving us a deadpan look. "Whaat? Weren't you fine when you stripped the butler's corpse a while ago?" Charles questions, not believing our reactions.

I hear the sheet rustle and I ignore Charles' jab. The sheet is back over 'Sebastian's' body. "I see..." Sebastian mutters. "It seems the butler was actually killed very simply!"

Charles turns to look at Sebastian with a straight face, "What? You're done already?"

"Yes, I've seen enough."

Charles does not seem to care, acting very nonchalant. "It's almost dinner time, I'm hungry," he says with a puff sound. "What's on the menu?"

"Who knows? Shall I ask the servants?" Ciel tells him.

"Nah, it's fine. I'll be looking forward to it. I'm heading back." he replies and saunters toward the door.

We follow along, ready to exit the bedroom. I want to get out of there because the smell is so strong. It hurts my head a bit. "Well, why don't we head back too?" Sebastian offers. "I have some preparations to look over for tonight so please go ahead."

"Yes." Ciel nods.

We split off separately, and I give Sebastian a suspicious glance which he notices. He simply smirked at me before he disappeared around a corner. I follow Ciel and Arthur back to the drawing-room. Sebastian is acting too perfect, it's almost alarming. Everything is clearly a setup. Of course, no one knows that because the murders are quite distracting. But really it is quite simple because how on Earth do you know when you will die? That is the real question, and it stands very well out on its own. The fact the guests are not more suspicious proves how low their intellect is. Or rather, their critical thinking skills are not on par with my brother's or myself.

When we get back to the drawing-room, there is not much to do besides sit and wait for dinner. So, that's what I did with the rest of the people in this room.

0o0o0o0o

The skies have turned darker, and the rain has hardly stopped. Seriously, this is one hell of a storm. I don't think I've seen rain last this long. The dinner that had been served consisted of Hamburg steak, which was a bit odd at first, but ultimately not too bad. However, I only nibbled on it. My appetite is almost nonexistent. I hear a plate clang and I find Charles stacking another plate on his second tower of them. I gawk at him, wondering if this man is a beast. How much does he spend on food alone?!

"I'll full. ~ It was delicious." he hums with a satisfied smile. "Today's Hamburg steak meat wasn't greasy at all; I could've gone on eating forever. As to be expected, the meat used by the Phantomhive's is something else." Charles praises.

"Thank you." Ciel says.

"Well then, now that we're all full, why don't you finally let us in on the truth of these incidents?" Lau asks Sebastian while dabbing his mouth with a napkin.

"Well let's not be hasty now," Sebastian says and dabs his mouth as well. I briefly wonder how he was able to eat such food. I know he finds it absolutely disgusting. "There are still some things I want to prepare before that. Will you lend me your assistance, earl?"

"...yes, what is it?" Ciel asks wearingly. I take a sip of out of my water as I listen, slightly intrigued. Hearing Sebastian says he needs my brother's help is something remarkable. "Well then, earl," he says and pauses briefly, letting the tension build-up. "...take off your clothes," he instructs seriously.

I choke on my water mid-way and start coughing harshly. "WHAT?!" Ciel shouts, his face blooming red. I continue to cough, and Arthur taps my back. I wipe the corner my mouth with the back of my hand. What kind of perverted demon is this?! Sebastian smirks at me as if something were funny. Oh my, what are we about to do?

0o0o0o0o

I crouch in the corner of Ciel's bedroom. The area is completely dark beside the occasional lightning flash through the curtains. Sebastian is to my left and Arthur is to my right. Charles sits poised by Arthur with his sword out. Ran Mao lies in my brother's bed, wearing his jacket. I don't understand who we are trying to catch, but surely the murderer won't be tempted by a skimpily dressed woman. We all sit patiently, and I can feel my knees going numb from sitting still.

Sebastian said not to speak or move. I rather take his advice on this matter when it comes to a killer in the midst. Suddenly, I hear something hiss lowly near the bedroom door. I feel my face pale, knowing my guess was right. There is a snake in the manor! I don't really have a problem with them. But I don't like the idea of being bitten. I can hear it slither past the door and it starts to get closer somehow. I glance around the room, trying to find it. Eventually, I see something come out of the vent on the floor. It slithers rather slowly toward Ciel's bed. It's hissing becomes louder as it slides up the covers.

I feel the itch to move, to do something before it strikes. "Now! Step aside!" Sebastian shouts. Ran Mao springs up from the bed, kicking the sheets away. She tosses the sheets onto the ground beside her. Charles rushes forward, his sword drawn and ready to kill. He jumps in the air, heading for the sheets. However, metal clang sounds throughout the bedroom. I notice Sebastian somehow deflected the attack with his own defensive one with a poker. He uses another poker in his other hand to detain the assailant in the sheets.

"Wha—" Charles says in surprise. Sebastian gives him a side glare, but it is not intense in the least. "It's an important witness. We'd be in trouble if you killed them!" Sebastian reprimands.

Arthur lights a candle and is it then that I remember not everyone can see in the dark. I'm kind of used to it now, no matter how weird it is. Arthur shines the light on the sheets, and he gasps at what we all see. "Th-This is the killer?!" he cries.

I cross my arms, smirking at my deducing skills. "I knew it! Way to go me!" I say with a grin. Arthur swivels his head toward me, disbelief clouding his eyes. "You knew?!"

I nod and peer at the snake. I wonder what kind of poisonous family it belongs to. "I had a hunch." I correct. I head toward the bedroom door and open it. Tanaka waits outside it, and he looks at me. I smile, "We got it. Please go inform the others we'll be on our way." I tell him.

He nods, a smile creeping up on his lips too. He places his hand on his chest and bows his head, "Yes, lady Rina."

I watch as he leaves to do as I said. I turn back toward everyone but jump when Sebastian holds the snake in his hands. "Eek!" I cry. "Why are you holding it?!"

Sebastian gives me a fake smile and ties it into a knot next, but it's not a tight one. "It is evidence." he says.

"What if you get a bit?" I ask, staring it wearingly. He chuckles lightly, "Do not worry, I have it detained."

I sweatdrop and take a step into the hallway. "Well, keep it that way." I reply.

I travel back to the drawing-room and everyone else follows me back. When I arrive at the said room, I knock on the door. Arthur decides he does not want to wait any longer and swings the door open not long after. "We brought the killer along," Charles mentions with a serious look.

Irene flinches back in fear, releasing a scared sound. Sebasti"A...A snake!?" Ciel shouts in walks forward with a smile, holding the snake out for everyone to see. "'This' is the killer." he reveals.

I hum in thought; my brother seems genuinely surprised. So, he didn't know there was a snake wandering about. How lovely, good to know it could have struck me as well. Arthur scratches his neck, appearing very stressed, "I know it's hard to believe but it really came for the young lady wearing the earl's clothes."

Sebastian nods and peers down at the snake wriggling around in his hands. "To compensate for their lack of sight, snakes have a highly developed sense of smell and hearing." Sebastian informs. "That is why they are able to find their prey in the dark through sound vibrations and smell. In other words, the snake most likely trained by being fed right after it was exposed to the earl's scent. If one uses a snake, it doesn't matter if they have a key or an alibi."

Sebastian sticks out his pointer finger and directs it at the snake's scales. "This is a 'Black Mamba' they inhabit South Africa and possess a strong neurotoxin." he continues to explain. "The victim will inevitably die within one hour of being bitten. Finally, it possesses special characteristics such as the world's fastest movement and excellence climbing trees. It's the perfect snake to use for murder."

With this new information, I take a couple of steps back from Sebastian. Uh, I take back what I said about snakes, I meant the non-poisonous/famous ones. Sebastian watches me with an amused look, "...but, a snake is still a snake. It didn't know whether the person bit was the earl or not." he finishes. If I think it about, Sebastian should work for Wild Geography or something. Clearly, he knows almost everything. I wouldn't put it past him to know everything about Earth. I wonder if he knows more about Earth currently than the people of this time period.

Arthur's voice brings me out of my thoughts. He had his notebook and pen in his hand, writing down something quickly. "I see...for the criminal it was an unexpected development that the earl was sleeping elsewhere." he thinks out loud.

"And the one who slept my bed that night was Patrick Phelps!" Ciel adds on.

"I figured it would show up again when it got hungry, so we stood guard and it appeared as expected. We were lucky to have this young lady that could wear the earl's clothes and take his place." Sebastian refers to Ran Mao with a smirk. "In an emergency situation, the earl wouldn't have been able to avoid the attack, right?"

"If the earl died, we'd be in trouble, right, Ran Mao?" Lau asks with a smile. Ran Mao abruptly hugs Ciel from behind. "Glad you're safe." she tells Ciel.

"Aww.~" I gush and skip to Ciel. He struggles in her grasp, obviously not wanting the hug. "Wha! Wa—" Ciel sputters as his face flames red. "At least put something on!" he cries in embarrassment.

I giggle at his torture and rush forward; I pick him up and hug him tightly. He gasps and I twirl us around a few times. "You're such an adorable pain my ass. ~" I coo at him. I let him down and he stands there with a pissed off glare directed at me. "Don't just pick me up without my permission!" he shouts at me.

I stick my tongue out at him, "I can do what I want, lil' bro. Plus, you didn't struggl—"

He sneers at me which makes me stop talking. I can't take him seriously with such a red face. He clears his throat and turns away from me, trying to calm down. "In any case! I was made to wear the butlers coat to hide my body odor?" Ciel asks Sebastian.

The smirk on Sebastian's lips spreads a little more at the question, "Isn't it great how it hid your entire body?

"The dress is cute, Ciel," I comment with a snicker. "You look like a frumpy runway model—"

"Shut it! You two really don't know when to stop talking, do you!?" he scowls with a tick mark.

I point to my mouth obliviously, "Well, mouths are meant to move, right?"

His tick mark gets bigger and he glowers at me. I can feel the irritation and anger rolling off him in waves. I laugh awkwardly, realizing I should probably stop teasing him; no matter how fun that is. Arthur clears his throat next with a sweat drop directed at us, "Back to what we were discussing, I used to be a doctor on a boat that sailed the African sea course as a part-time job. The luggage was checked quite strictly. However, it is illegal to transport poisonous snakes on trading ships."

"Which means it was smuggled." Lau dumbs it down while holding his chin in thought. "Bribing a privately managed freight ship is probably the easiest."

I glance at Mr. Woodley suspiciously, knowing something was up with him. "So, what we are saying is that someone who has connections with African products could have brought the snake, correct?" I ask the question for everyone.

We slowly all turn our heads to Mr. Woodley's direction. He stares at us for a moment before throwing his hands up defensively. "N-No, it wasn't me!" he responds quickly. "T-Trading is Kun Lun's thing, isn't it!"

I hold myself back from laughing. It's funny to watch this pig finally squeal. I pause for a second, realizing I sound like my brother. Well...that's not particularly bad. I shake my head to get rid of my thoughts, focusing back on reality. "Aww...too bad." Lau shrugs. "We don't do business dealings with African companies." he smiles.

"Well, it really is a bit much to be deciding the killer based on the snake being from Africa alone." Charles points out calmly.

"T-That's right! And what about when Siemens was killed?! I have an alibi!" Mr. Woodley counteracts. The man did have a point. But is it really that worth—

"That alibi might not be worth all that much." Sebastian states abruptly with another smirk. I stare at him in shock, not expecting him to continue my line of thought.

"What?" Mr. Woodley mutters.

"What do you mean?" Grimsby asks with wide eyes. Sebastian's smirk grows, his eyes gaining predatory glaze. "What if the corpse the butler and others found wasn't a corpse?" he suggests.

I feel my eyes widen at the implication. I did not think of that at all. The idea is absurd itself. "What?!" almost everyone shouts at thought of it being possible. My breath is stolen from my lungs, the possibility of it happening to be astounding to me. The fact Sebastian can deduce such a thing; he is more incredible than I thought.

I watch as Arthur goes from dumbfounded to doubtful in a matter of seconds. "But he didn't have a pulse and there was blood on his chest." he argues.

"Did you thoroughly inspect the wound?" Sebastian tosses back in challenge.

Arthur glances down at the floor in thought, "That's...it was quite dark, so I wasn't able to..."

"Does everyone know of the potion Juliet drank in 'Romeo and Juliet'?" Sebastian adds in out of nowhere. I tilt my head in thought, wondering what he means by this.

"You mean to go into the state of apparent death but come back to life?" Irene guesses. I feel a light has been turned on in my head. I can feel a new type of awe befall on me. Does that really exist? Holy shit.

"You mean..." I utter breathlessly.

"That's right! It actually exists." Sebastian boasts. "A poison that would induce this state!"

Mr. Woodley gawks, not believing what he is hearing I assume. "Wha—!" he voices.

"There is a substance called Tetrodotoxin that was recently discovered and is being studied." Sebastian interrupts him. "It seems that if you refine it in a certain way you will be able to achieve a state of apparent death much like Juliet's."

"Woah," I mutter in disbelief, "amazing."

Sebastian smirks at me briefly before Arthur catches his attention again when he takes a step forward. "Tetrodotoxin is the poison pufferfish and octopuses carry, isn't it?" he asks Sebastian. "As expected, you have the latest information, doctor." Sebastian compliments. "When I investigated lord Siemen's body, I noticed a faint scent of the sea. Perhaps, that was the scent of the poison made using pufferfish."

"But that doesn't make any sense." I think out loud and everyone looks at me. "I mean, why would he have been stabbed then?" I ask, my curiosity going over the brim of normal.

Sebastian gives me a knowing look as if he is proud of me for once. I smile internally at the thought even if it is false. "It was a setup?" Ciel questions.

"Indeed. He himself drank the poison, got rid of the bottle and pretended to be dead. Then it wouldn't matter what room he was in." Sebastian affirms. "He probably figured out that people without specific medical knowledge wouldn't examine the wound closely, hence it would work as a temporary deception at least."

Arthur sighs, seeming defeated, "I should have looked at it more carefully..."

"But when I checked the body just now, he was certainly stabbed to death."

"What?" Arthur says.

"So, what was supposed to be a fake turned out to be a real murder?" Lau asks.

"If we look at the situation, the killer might have wanted to lure the earl into a trap." Arthur suggests. I frown at the thought. I'm not sure if that is the reason. But it is possible as well. I was thinking more of the murderer, in this case, Charles was trying to silence the other from speaking about their alliance in this.

"Me?" Ciel asks. "It's impossible to know whether lord Siemens was an accomplice though. Because he seemed quite out of bounds once he had some alcohol in him. The killer might have invited him to 'give everyone a good scare' or something. But the lord and I had never met before. There is no reason for him to want to lure me into a trap. We can just look at him as being used and then silenced by being killed."

I nod, "I agree with what my brother says."

I hear Arthur sigh heavily, "How sad..." he murmurs. "There would be plenty of chances to talk to him during the buffet party." Sebastian offers.

"If so, anyone could have egged him on! I don't have that kind of alibi!" Mr. Woodley shouts suddenly in anger.

"We could inquire as to what everyone talked about with lord Siemens but..." Sebastian trails off, holding his chin in thought with a distant gaze. He shrugs with a side smirk abruptly, "Let's not. Humans are lying creatures."

I narrow my eyes at Sebastian but feign sadness quickly. I forgot I was supposed to act for a few minutes there. Not sure if he even notices, but it's good to be cautious. Because that line he said, is something very Sebastian-like. I glance at Charles, knowing a very well about how much of a liar he is. It's practically written all over his stupid face. "That's right, in fact, you could be lying as well." Charles states nonchalantly. "If he drank the poison, where did the bottle go?"

"That's easy. He got rid of it in a place no one could examine right away. In the fire for example." Ciel points out. "That's right. There was a ridiculous amount of wood in the fire back then." Bard chimes in.

I watch as Arthur flips through some of the pages in his notebook. He stops at one and scans it. "We definitely wouldn't find it there," Arthur notes. "And if he collected it once the afterglow had died out..." he trails off in thought.

"However," Ciel begins and stares across the room, lost in his mind somewhere. "that wasn't possible. Because of Sebastian."

Arthur gasps loudly and I blink in wonder. This is all adding up piece by piece. "That's right! Before he could destroy the evidence, the butler had already come to collect the ashes!" Arthur recalls.

"Tha-That's nonsense!" Mr. Woodley declares. "If he had found the proof of a set-up, his precious alibi would go up in smoke. He acted quickly and immediately killed Sebastian. Next, he recovered the evidence and returned to his room..." Arthur summarizes what he thinks is true.

"Th-Then the one who has it is the killer! I don't have any such thing! You searched us, right?!" Mr. Woodley denies and asks without a breath to spare.

"That's right," Ciel confirms with a sinister smirk. "Outside the hearth that is." he states afterward. I cross my arms, wondering what is running across his mind right now. He's framing Mr. Woodley for some reason. What did the man do to him? I wonder. A pause fills the air, all of us waiting for the man to expose himself. Poor guy, he shouldn't have messed with my brother. "Isn't this the perfect hiding place? It's not like we would come to search the room again. If you recovered and destroyed it after we were done searching, it'd be perfect." Ciel accuses him.

"Th-That's...a false accusation!" Mr. Woodley protests as a fearful look dawns across his face. "There's nothing like that here!"

"Then show us!" Grimsby shouts suddenly, appearing fed up. He marches over to the fireplace and grabs the poker. He begins to search through it, the smoke enters the room making everyone cough. "Let's see if it's here or not!"

When the smoke clears out more, Grimsby gasps while looking into the fireplace. "Glass shards!" he cries. "Wha?!" Mr. Woodley shouts, frozen in shock. I wave a hand in front of my face; the fog is making my eyes sting. I notice Sebastian walk to the fireplace and so does Arthur.

"But it's not like we can tell what it was like this..." Arthur says, coughing some more afterward. Sebastian bends down next to the fireplace and reaches forward, "It'll be fine if we pick it back up and put it back together."

"What?!" Arthur booms. "That's impossible! It's been reduced to bits!"

I watch as Sebastian's arms move, all I can see is his back from this angle. "Nonsense," Sebastian says. "It's like a puzzle without the picture." he refers as he continues piecing it back together. Leave it to Sebastian to work his demon advanced abilities. I don't think personally it would be so easy to piece broken glass back together in the form of a bottle. Sebastian hums before stopping his movements, "It's done." he announces.

Arthur looks over his shoulder, very impressed by looks of it, "W-Wow..." he utters. "Looks like an ampule for medicine." Sebastian observes. "T-To find this here means..." Arthur trails off, not wanting to finish the sentence. We all know what is to come now.

Grimsby points a finger at Mr. Woodley directly after, "You're the killer after all! You murderer!"

Mr. Woodley raises his arms in defense, the sweat on his brow becoming more prominent. "I-I have no idea what this is!" he rebukes.

"To want to trap a child...why on Earth would you do that?" Arthur mutters in disappointment.

I must refrain myself from snorting at his downtrodden question. There are too many people who wish to end the Phantomhive's. Including the ones who ruined the family. Just thinking about it pisses me off and fills me with bad memories.

"I—!" Mr. Woodley begins but someone else raises their voice above his. "Diamonds." Ciel states randomly.

"H-Huh?" Arthur says in confusion. Ciel frowns and stares at Mr. Woodley, "There was a top-secret plan for a major company in the diamond industry. Rose and my own company that possesses the world's leading technology to cooperate and take off in the jewelry industry. But a few days ago, the autocratic president, Mr. Rose, was murdered and the plan was out. However, if the plan was put into motion again. The Woodley company, that boasts of having the latest technology, would certainly receive some damage." Ciel explains. "That's why you thought you'd kill me now, right? It was a careless thought anyway."

I glare at Mr. Woodley; not sure how true this is. But I honestly wouldn't put it past the man. I never liked him anyway, so I feel no pity for what he is about to endure. It didn't take him long to point an accusatory finger at my brother, "I didn't do it, please believe me!" Mr. Woodley shouts with a quaking voice. "I'm being set up here! By this kid, the queen's watch—"

I was too busy listening to him whine to notice Charles move so damn fast. He ended up behind Mr. Woodley with his sword right against his neck. "Shut up," Charles mutters darkly, his face is quite scary. It makes me want to hide behind Sebastian, but I know I can't. "I don't need your explanation. I'll listen to your stories in jail."

"I-I didn't," Mr. Woodley denies once more. Charles presses the sword even deeper into his neck. Blood trickles down from the sword, it wasn't a lot. "I didn't do it!" he cries again.

"If you don't want to be killed, I suggest you keep quiet." Charles threatens him. "I'm really in a bad mood right now."

"Earl Grey," Ciel calls out and Charles looks over at him, his eyes wide. "I have quite a fitting item here. How about we use it?"

I don't know where Ciel grabbed the chains from but decide to ignore it for now. I notice the passing look between Charles and my brother. Ciel gives him the chains with a heavy gaze which Charles meets head-on. Charles grabs them and turns back around to chain Mr. Woodley up. He leads Mr. Woodley out of the room, walking behind him and leaving us to linger. "Let's leave the rest to the police." Arthur says.

"Agreed." I nod.

"We solved the case with this too," Ciel adds on. "I'm so relieved." I hear Irene comment and Grimsby agrees with her also.

"Come to think of it, what was that dark red liquid then?" Finnian asks out of nowhere. "F-Finny, there's no need for that anymore!" Mey-Rin exclaims, becoming nervous.

Sebastian hits his fist into the palm of his hand, "Ah that's right, I haven't discussed that yet."

"Dark red liquid?" Ciel and I question in sync.

"The maid seemed to have found a dark red liquid in Ms. Irene's room. She wondered if the always young and beautiful looking Ms. Irene was a vampire." Sebastian explains.

I let out a soft 'pft', "Seriously, Mey-Rin a vampire?"

She sweat drops, appearing embarrassed. "Please don't tease me, lady Rina!"

Our small powwow is finished before it can go anywhere by a triggered Grimsby. "What's up with that?! Are you questioning Irene?!" he shouts at Sebastian.

"Grimsby, please wait..." Irene attempts to calm him down. Sebastian smirks and pulls out a leaf, "I dare say the contents of the bottle were this, right?"

I tilt my head curiously, wondering where he got that from exactly. "A leaf?" I hear Mey-Rin's question. "Ah, that's a red Perilla!" Finnian names it.

"The red Perilla has an anti-aging effect. The extract that is taken from its boiled down leaves is the origin of your beauty...is it not?" Sebastian asks.

"T-That's right. I'm sorry, I never thought it'd turn into something like this." she apologizes with a small blush. "I take it because I want to remain young forever with him." she laughs and hugs Grimsby's arm.

I blush at the scene, feeling a little envious of such thoughts. Must be nice to fawn over the one you like and make such comments. Sebastian smiles and holds up the bottle containing the Perilla extract, "This can also restore fatigue. I tried to make some. So, upon that notion, why don't we celebrate the solving of the crime with a toast of this?" he offers.

He starts to pour out individual glasses for everyone. I take one and taste it. It's not bad, very...leafy. Soon enough though, I did feel energized. I smile at the effect; this is nothing compared to a Red Bull my mom would scold me for drinking. Ah, what an age that was, I remanence as I take another sip. Ciel hits his glass with a silver spoon, a small smile stretched upon his lips. "To celebrate solving the crime...a toast!" he shouts and raises his glass. We all cheer and raise our own, happy that this case is over and done with.

0o0o0o0o

It was late into the night, the rain continued to pour heavily. Who knew rain could last so long? It's like we're living in the damn Amazon or something of the sort. This rain happened to make me sleepy but that did not stop my attempt at raiding the kitchen for a midnight snack. The candle is lit behind me on the island as I rummage around the cabinets. The shortage of food surprises me more than anything. Did we really eat that much? We're a bunch of fatasses it seems.

So far, I have no found anything good. Just a bunch of stuff for ingredients. I come to the last top cabinet, all the way at the top. I climb onto the counter and reach upward. I pull it open and it seems God decides to bless me with good luck for once in this cruel world. I find a whole cake sitting a glass table, covered by a matching glass cover. I feel tears well in my eyes at the sight and reach for it. I carefully take it down and set it beside me. I hop off the counter and grab it again. I snatch a china plate and fork before carrying all of this to the dining room.

No one is inside and there are candles still lit inside. Lucky me, I won't be blind and carrying this damn thing. I set the cake back down and pull at chair out for myself. Sitting down in it, I scoot in and place my silverware and plate down in front of me. I lick my lips at the sight of Sebastian's chocolate cake. I did not know he would have time to make this for cooperating earlier. I could not be more grateful. Sebastian still hasn't revealed himself yet. That's okay though, it means the longer I don't have to see his attractive face and daydream about him.

I take the cover off the cake and I smell my favorite scent in the world: chocolate. My mouth waters as I take a piece of the cake as it is pre-sliced. I set it in on my plate and stare at it. I'm a bit touched he did make this. I thought he wasn't being serious at the time. I dip my fork into it and eat a piece. I moan loudly at the flavor; it tastes more amazing than usual. Maybe it's because I didn't eat much of the dinner we had earlier. I'm quite hungry.

"Is it good?" I hear someone say. I jump in my seat but leave the fork in my hand and mouth. I whip my head toward the voice and find Sebastian still disguised as Jeremy in the threshold of the dining-room door. I slide the fork slowly out my mouth, "If you're asking for a piece, the answer will be no. Just sayin'." I tell him, pretending to think he is Jeremy.

He strolls forward until he sits down next to me. "Why not? I do not think you can eat that whole cake to yourself." he mentions and points at it.

I grab the cake stand and bring it closer to me. I'm not letting him take it away, I don't care if he made it in the first place. I lightly glare at him and stab my cake with my fork. "I can try," I mutter before eating another piece. I feel another grin blossom across my lips, but I suppress another moan from resurfacing. "Who made it? The chef?" he asks innocently.

I almost choke on the piece that slides down my throat. Somehow, I manage to swallow it without difficulty. I turn towards him with a saddened look, "No...the butler did." I mutter. I look back at my cake and begin to move around the crumbs on my plate.

"Ah, I see. I noticed how much everyone seemed to care about him."

I smile sadly, ready to steal the show. Wonder how he will feel about this. No, actually, I wonder how he will react. Let's see how real my acting gets. Even though the things I'm about to say are the utter truth. I sigh heavily, and lay my fork down on the table, "Caring is nice, no?" I question rhetorically, staring at the wall across the room.

He hums, "For some people, yes."

"I think I cared too much." I mutter, feeling tears spring up in my eyes. How I wish these were fake. He shifts next to me, but I don't dare look in his direction. I don't have the guts to. "Why do you say that?" he asks.

I swallow thickly and grab the tablecloth tightly. "There are some things you can't control. So, you should accept them, right?"

"That is responsible, I would say. A mature way to look at it."

I bow my head; my hair falls around my face like a curtain. I fist the tablecloth even tighter; I can feel my body tremble. It must be now or never. I need to do it now so I can pull it off later. "So—" I start off but my voice cracks. "So, I should accept my feelings even though they are something that should be forbidden, correct?" I ask.

All I hear is silence on his part until suddenly I feel his hand on my shoulder. He pulls it back, trying to get me to turn. I do as he wants, already feeling too vulnerable for the fact I'm about to do this. How many times have I envisioned this? Too many to count. I dare meet his eyes which shine something akin to concern, I think. My heart speeds up and I can hear it in my ears. It's so damn loud; way louder than my thoughts are right now.

"What is troubling you?" he asks in a low voice. It sounds so warm though. I feel a tear slide down my cheek. His eyes watch it until it drips off my chin.

"I-I," I start and suck in a stuttering breath, "I loved him a lot!"

I look away from him and I feel more tears slide down my cheeks. I hiccup and then do I place the palm of my hand over my mouth. I can't believe I finally said it. I feel so...relieved but also so very sad. My neck makes my whole body warm; it feels like a hot flash almost. My heart stutters in rhythm many times. I take a deep breath, trying to calm down all my nerves. I smile finally, lowering my hand after a few minutes. I look up at him again and find him staring at me with wide eyes. I feel my own eyes do so, but I need to play this off.

"Mr. Jeremy?" I call out innocently. He blinks suddenly until a large smirk spreads across his lips. "I see, so then, what will you do about it?" he asks.

I rub at my eyes, clearing away my tears. He sounds a lot like Sebastian now and not his cover-up named Jeremy. His eyes remind me of a cat playing with a mouse. "U-Um," I fumble for a solution. "Keep doing what I do now?"

"Which is?"

I glance away with a truly depressing look; I find my eyes land on the cake. "Well, since he's dead now, I guess I got no choice but to mourn him to the day I die or when my feelings die out."