What do you have planned for liars and soothsayers in regards to Ciel's revealed twin? Are you not going to follow the storyline that far and diverge with your own plot or keep the canon twin?
Iâve always written AKTMP with twin theory in mind before it was confirmed, so yes Iâm leaning toward twin theory for TLAS although I try to avoid dragging out for long with chapters. In my recent TLAS chapter, Yuri had a dream and she would continuously have some sort of precognition that will lead her to suspect that Ciel is not who he says he is and itâs likely that the twin will make his appearance quite early on. At this point, we are still learning more about the twin and yet-to-be-fully-revealed past so Iâm still studying as to how Iâm going to portray the real Ciel and his role in the story. But Iâll share my views on this later on :)Â
The Liars and Soothsayer chapter 2 (Previously known as âA Kiss To My Princeâ)
A Kiss to My Prince series (Unchanged): FF
Chapter I (Rewritten): Time-slip Yuri
                        Chapter II: Pathos
A/N: Rewritten chapters will be first uploaded on Tumblr before I make the changes on Fanfiction.net
As you have noticed, I have changed the storyâs title from âA Kiss to My Princeâ to âThe Liars and Soothsayer.â This is due to the change in the story plot/characterisation and direction.
The title hints at the relationship that will blossom between Sebastian, Ciel and Yuri as well as Alois and Claude.
Meaning of soothsayer:
Sooth = truth
Sooth + sayer = truth sayer or the âone who speak the truthâ.
As of today, the soothsayer is used to describe someone who is said to be able to predict the future. This stems from fortune-tellers who wanted deceive their patrons to believe what they said was true and would refer themselves as soothsayer thus the word underwent such changes. The title is a bit of a metaphor for the characters in the story.
âMy name is Yuri Park. There was an incident and I woke up in 1887. Am I mad, in a coma, or back in time? Whateverâs happened, itâs like Iâve landed on a different planet. Now, maybe if I can work- out the reason, I can get home.â
Yuri was taken to a room that resembled a living room where she guessed in this era the visitors would be shown. Her whole body was stiff with apprehension and she was actually surprised she managed to stand up and made it to this part of the mansion without fainting. His introduction as the butler of the household nearly went over her head. Her eyes were glued onto her nails where she nervously picked at her damaged skin surrounding it. She was tempted to take off her hoodie, too aware of the dampness coating her white sleeveless vest underneath it, but instead did a quick airing out by shaking her collar when the demon attended to the tea tray.
He readied the tea in meticulous and elegant fashion, not one speck of liquid was spilled even when he poured them from considerable height and placed the utensil and plates of delicious looking savouries. At the sight of such delicacy, she felt her mouth water but made no move to sip or taste anything simply watching the vapour evaporating from the hot tea.
âPlease help yourself.â He kindly mentioned, as if he knew she was waiting for some sort of permission.
Yuri managed a small but forced smile, âT-thank you.â
She brought the expensive teacup up with both her hands nervously afraid to drop them and rested upon her lip tilting the liquid into her mouth. Having underestimated its heat, the tea scolded her tongue and Yuri nearly ended up spewing it out onto the table.
âAre you alright? The tea is quite hotâŠâ He asked, having seen the pained look on her face and the way her palm shot up to wipe any spillage.
She quickly nodded, âYeah! I should have cooled it down. No worries.â Great, she lost her sense of taste. Normally, she would have put in lot of milk and sugar but in a situation like this, it seemed almost..rude so she accepted the tea just as it was served.
âPlease try some sweets as well; I have made them an hour earlier.â He encouraged with a smile.
âUm..sure..thanks.â Yuri gingerly picked up an expensive looking fork glided with gold and wondered just how much all this kitchenware would cost in modern world. She could see decorations of gold garnishing the room from the furniture to even the wall and couldnât help but wonder if it all were real.
She tentatively brought a small piece into her mouth and felt her eyes widen as its sweetness melted into her mouth. Yuri made a high pitched gasp in the back of her throat and wondered if this was what heaven tasted like.
âIâm glad it is to your taste.â
âWho wouldnât like this?!â Yuri unconsciously blurted out.
He gave her an appreciated smile, âThank you. Now that you have settled; I am afraid I shall have to take my leave as I need to attend to my master for a short moment. It shanât be long; please enjoy the rest of your tea whilst Iâm gone.â
Yuri nodded and wondered if she should stand up or not at his departure. She heaved herself up from the chair when he held a hand to stop her.
âPlease, sit. Thereâs no need to stand.â
Yuri nodded and sat back down, âThank you for the tea.â
âYouâre quite welcome.â
She didnât relax until the demon was out of the room, and only when the door was completely shut and waited for good five minutes did she slouch against the chair. Burying her face in her palms hoping everything was but a lucid dreaming stemmed from her over imaginative mind, she knew this was as it gets. Yuri took out her phone from her hoodieâs pocket and clicked the home button several times in futile hope that by some miracle itâll light up but what remained was a blank, inactive screen reflecting her despondent self.
Tears threatened to fall again but she couldnât cry, not when they were going to barge in anytime soon.
Why was she here? Why her? Why not Katie? Or Anna? Or Nikita? Why not anybody else but her?! What is happening back in her world? Did anyone notice she was missing? Did anybody even care? Would her parents called the police? Would they have told her parents she disappeared in the hospital? And would they be crying now, just wondering who snatched their baby away? How would her school react? Would they organise a morning assembly revealing that one member of the student went missing last night? Would they ask for the students prey for her safe return? Would she appear on the news? Would the reporters be showing one of her picture on the tv screenâs side corner and talking about how she was like as a daughter, a friend and a student?
Millions of thoughts ran inside her mind and she didnât hear the door opening with Sebastian walking in, only he was accompanied by someone else nor the chair across her sliding back and forward as someone took their seat.
Yuri glanced up, flinching as she came face to face with the main character of the manga â not a novel or a movie â but a manga that was adapted to anime as well. She didnât know about him that well â or the detailed manga story line, just vaguely remembered one of her friend going on about a 13 year old boy who had taken a path of revenge and her various conspiracy theories surrounding it. For once, she was thankful that she paid attention. Where did she say the chapter was up to now? The Blue Switch? The RedâŠwitch? It was something witch..
âWhich year in the future do you come from?â
She met his eyes now, having been brought out of her little mumbling world, âOh..uh..â She momentarily prepared what she was going to say, but there was a slight distrust in his eyes when he registered her pause and flusters.
â2017.â
â2017?â He echoed and his voice held a tone she couldnât quite decipher.
She nodded, âUmâŠOur Queen is Queen Elizabethâs II who recently surpassed Queen Victoriaâs record as reigning body andâŠDonald Trump became the U.S. presidentâŠI donât really have much to sayâŠâ
The two became noticeably quiet, perhaps allowing her words to sink in as well as weighing whether she was sane and telling the truth or should they have her institutionalised.
âI know itâs hard to believe; but itâs true. If this year is what you say it is, then I really did..travel to the 19th century. I mean, look, how will you explain the phone?â She rummaged through her bag, desperate to fish anything that was futuristic looking or too advance to exist in Victorian era; she took out everything she can on the table.
Jewelleries she has been looking for a long time with some that were not hersâ, gums, water bottle, receipts, planner, lip balm, chocolates, asthma pumps,, her wallet with her money and ID and.. she eyed the blue and green paper wraps her hand automatically brought up and before dropping it back in. No need to explain to them about period pads.
They eyed the objects they had already seen.
âI believe you.â Ciel said after a while, sipping his tea with one hand and another holding the plate beneath it, âPut it away.â He ordered, as if he was more bothered by the mess made on the table with the foods.
Yuri did so, her face red with embarrassment.
âDo you know who I am?â He asked, one eye scanning her as others were hidden by his trademark eye patch.
You have one chance, Yuri. Make sure you tell him the right answer. Her head did quick calculations on predicted outcome for either telling him yes or no. How will he act if I tell him heâs just a drawing? Come on, THINK!
ââŠNo.â
âI will warn you that I do not appreciate being lied to.â He sharply said, âWe shall try it again; do you know who I am?â
ââŠâ Yuri gulped, âI heard about you.â
He seemed satisfied with her new answer.
âWhere?â
âI know that youâre an EarlâŠand,â She turned to Sebastian, ââŠThat youâre a demon.â
The Earl calmly put the tea down onto the plate with a soft clink, âAnd how are you privy to that information?â
If she didnât know how he looked like, sheâd think from his choice of words and the way he seemed to carry himself, sheâd mistake him for a lot older person than he was.
Yuri clenched her eyes shut, how will she explain it?
â..Because youâre â I mean your world isâŠâ She couldnât say it, she felt sick now.
âMy world is what?â He sounded a little impatient, âTell me â now.â
âBecause youâre world is-is aâŠfiction.â
Everything seemed to hush and still, the air felt heavy and Yuri was sure she would have toppled to the ground if it werenât for the chair holding her up. She couldnât breathe and she didnât know if it were because she had her face down and holding her breath or if the entire oxygen molecule vanished with the exposure of this worldâs reality.
Humourless laughter left the Earlâs lip, his body went into a violent tremor as he hunched onto the table in unbefitting manner for someone who was so in control of himself and others around him.
âA fiction you say..â
Sebastian looked slightly worried for his master, he didnât seem, at all, so..amused as his master that the universe they were living in was fake and what she seemed to hint, a form of literature.
âHahâŠa fiction.â He puffed out the word like his airway was being constricted, âYouâre insinuatingâŠeverything Iâve experienced, every emotion I feltâŠis..a mere writing?â
She didnât confirm his question because she knew it wasnât a question he wanted her to verbally confirm once again.
Yuri hid for a cover that was her arms when his arm lashed out to swing the pricey dishes and cups from the table and pricey porcelains shattered into splinters on the table and the carpet.
âYoung masterââ Sebastian began as he saw Cielâs hand redden from the burn.
âI-it might not be true!â Yuri yelled in hope of calming him down but his glares sent shivers down her spine and the thought âAh, heâs going to kill meâ flashed passed her mind, âF-for some reason, someone sent me here; I donât know why, b-but now your world is now just as alive as mine!â
âYoung master, may I remind you that tonight, at seven, Mr. Damian are coming for supper and we should start the preparation.â
Ciel looked like he wanted to say â or shout â something, maybe about how the world wasnât real and everything that was going on wasnât real either.
âL-look,â Yuri quickly intervened and inhaled deeply; calm, calm, âI know it might seems like a cruel joke to realise the world you lived in â in my world â is not real, but Iâm here now. Maybe somethingâs changed and now this world is just as real as mine.â
âWhat do you know of this world, then?â He recovered quickly although his fist remained clenched on the table, âWhat will happen from now on? Tell me everything you know.â
âI donât the exact detail but I know youâre looking for your parentsâ killer, and that youâre the Queenâs Watchdog. The last time Iâve heard about your world; youâre close to finding out what happened that night.â
âYou will help.â It was an order, âYou shanât lie in my presence, nor betray my confidante. In return, I will bid you shelter, clothing, and food. Is the term and condition satisfactory?â
Yuri took the time to think about his offer. How weird she would often click or sign âI agree to the terms and condition stated aboveâ without ever actually reading them, but felt like she should ask for a written contract with all the legal clauses and lawyers to guide her through it instead. But beggars canât be choosers. In particular, a beggar lost in 19th century with nothing but the bag in her hand and few modern pound notes and coins other than the knowledge of future. She didnât have the mind or the talent to actually go away and start producing modern objects. She was just a normal eighteen year old girl with what the 19th century doctors would call overly creative imaginations.
She simply nodded.
Ciel stood up and she quickly followed the suit, intending to see to his departure. He didnât look at her, facing Sebastian who waited for his masterâs order.
âIntroduce her to the servants and show her to the guest chamber.â He said more harshly then needed.
âOf course.â Sebastian said, âBut should we not have the burn examined? I can call for the Doctor.â
âNo need.â He said, âClean this mess up.â
âYes, young master.â
Sebastian bent down to pick up the visible pieces of the porcelain and Yuri bent down to help him.
âMs. Park, it is quite alright. This is my job. Let me.â He gently said, prying the glasses from her fingers.
Yuri frantically shook her head, âItâs fine; let me help. Iâd appreciate the distraction.â
âBut as a guestâ.â
âI donât think Iâm an important enough of a guest to have people do things for me.â Yuri joked lightly, although uneasiness was evident in her voice, âIâm more of a reluctant guest you took in.â
âEven so, I insiââ
âPlease.â Yuri pleaded, meeting his gaze, âIt might sound weird but tasks like this are a good stress reliever for me. Just..please.â
Sebastian sighed, âVery well.â
After cleaning up the mess, with smaller fractions of the glasses swept properly, Sebastian gathered the familiar looking servants whom she remembering seeing briefly when Arianna was showing her the manga.
Mey-Rin, the maid; Finnian, the gardener; Baldroy, the chef and the house steward, Tanaka, all greeted her with respect and announcing she will be a stay-in guest for a while. Yuri introduced herself while approaching to offer her hand to shake. The action caused a bit of fluster amongst the servant and she remembered where she was. The oppressive social mores meant it wasnât appropriate her to acknowledge the servants in such ways. Still, even when she remembered she still waited for her empty hand to be filled.
âMey-Rin, is it not rude to keep our esteemed guest waiting?â Sebastian said, realising she wonât be backing down.
The maidâs face became as red as an apple and stuttered to make form a smooth sentence, âA-ah, yes! It is lovely to meet you, Miss. Park!â
Then she shook Finnianâs then Baldory then Tanakaâs.
âPlease just call me Yuri.â
Their faces, except Tanaka, seemed morph into something she identified as horror and shock.
âW-we cannotââ Mey-Rin began.
âPlease.â Yuri pleaded, âIt doesnât have to be in front of other people; just when weâre together, you can call me Yuri. I donât like being called so formally.â
âB-butâŠâ Finnian muttered.
âIf this is what Miss. Park wishes, we shall do so.â Sebastian said, âShe is not used to such formality. Since she is our guest, we should do our best to accommodate her needs.â
The three servants lowered their head in surrender before saying in unison, âYes, Mr. Michaelis.â
Sebastian turned to Yuri, âNow then, let me guide you to your room. I have taken the liberty to have your bag placed.â
âOh, thank you.â
The room she was given was just as elegant and luxurious as the living room she was recently in. It reminded her of the hotel suite room that would have cost her more than her parentâs wages for a night.
âThis is your room. If you have any problems or questions, please do not hesitate to ring the bell. Either I or Mey-Rin will come.â He said, pointing to the bell pull beside the bed, âMey-Rin will come at five to ready you for dinner.â
She nodded in thank even though their generosity was not so altruistic, â..Thank you for taking me in.â
Alone in the house, Yuri carefully sat on the edge of large King sized bed and stared at the mirror hung up on the fireplace. She sighed, afraid of things that will come.
âThe progression of East Indian jewel technology is really quite remarkableâ Damian pointed out, trying to steer into a more business orientated subject. It was obvious the manâs head wasnât in the game and only half-heartedly playing along as to appease Ciel, who was the benefactor with a deep pocket.
Yuri sat in the corner, silent, and wondering once again how she got here and if she could ever go back to her world. The two men barely acknowledged her other than their introduction to each other, Damian seemed a bit reluctant to let a woman in the room whilst they talked business but at Cielâs insistent, he was more than happy to bury her into oblivion and give all his focus and attention to the one that matter the most in this room.
âMany brilliant people have also been raised there â entranced by the eyes of the dead.â He continued.
âThatâs unlucky. Iâm out for one turn, eh?â Ciel hummed, ignoring the manâs diverging attempts.
âItâs an opportune time right now!â A gentle, promising smile appeared; hiding what lurks beneath, âI would like to continue to expand my companyâs business and secure larger workforceâ Ciel leaned back, quite obviously not interested in the discussion of investment.
âItâs your turn.â
Damian looked at his meagre number of chess pieces with miserably hidden boredom. His distractions and insouciance had cost him of his many pawns.
âOh yes. Well then, excuse me.â He threw the die, landing on certain card.
âYes, and five.â He moved the dice before he ventured, âAbout that, though. If I were to receive assistance in the form of another ÂŁ12,000 poundsâŠâ
âExcuse me,â Sebastian interrupted, âDinner is ready.â
They were led to the garden and the entrance hall sparkled and shined in binding light, almost like the one she fell into. Mr Damian awed in compliment as he looked around and even Ciel looked impressed by the decor. The sets of oak door were like a portal to another dimension that was entirely different from the one they were in now. The door seemed to have been a door to heaven as it opened with much more brighter light before it dimmed down into appropriate setting, revealing an enchanting Japanese stone garden filled with bloomed cherry blossoms as its petals feathered down like snow.
Main highlight of the evening was in the centre of the courtyard, a long and slender dinner table covered with clean white cloth as not to dull and bring the full attention to the Japanese table decorations. Seeing the sight of it had Yuriâs heart throbbing at the beauty; the work could not have been done by human hands and it was very true for the particular butler who prepared them.
Ciel and Mr Damian were seated at each opposite end of the table while Yuri was seated between the two in the middle. Sebastian walked smoothly to the table and placed the dishes in front of the household.
âDinner is served.â He announced, âOn the menu is our chef Baldroyâs Gyuu-tataki-don.â
âGyuu-tataki-don?â Ciel and the guest echoed in surprise.
âThis..is dinner?â The butler nodded and there were small amount of disappointment in Damianâs voice, âI was expecting a Kyoto-style course meal or something..â
Sebastian gave him a small smile of confident before bolting out, âMr. Damian, did you know.. donburi has been used in Japan from ancient times as a feast to express gratitude to labourers. A dish given as a treat to a person who has rendered great service..that is Donburi!â The older man and Ciel were clearly shocked and surprise at the knowledge he held.
Although Yuri wasnât so fond of raw fish in sushi or any dishes involving raw fish or meat, having not eaten anything since the bits of snacks she had late night, the sight of it seemed to awaken her forgotten hunger
âHouhan, a court dish for which the masses yearned, is said to be the origin of Donburi.â Sebastian continued, appeasing Damianâs mind toward the favour of the food that lied in front of him. âFurthermore, I thought you would be tired of elaborate dishes and planned this so you might eat the choicest of meat simply.â
Daze look glazed over at the older manâs eyes before laughing approvingly.
âCiel, this is great! You always surprise me!â He joyfully added, âA lot of the fellows in this business lack a sense of humour. But I think weâll continue to get on just fine from here on.â
The Earl smirked, satisfied, âIâm honoured to hear that.â
âWe did it!â Finny cheered, his arms shooting up in the air. âIt was a complete success!â
Mey-Rin hurried toward, pushing through Finnian and Baldroy.
âMove out of the way! Iâm up next, so let me do my job.â She marched speedily through the door, stopping in front of the cart holding the wine.
âI also selected an Italian wine to suit your taste, sir.â Sebastian informed, but there was an awkward silence between the pause and Sebastian motioned toward the still maid.
âMey-Rin!â
âYes?â
Sebastian moved closer to her ear and whispered, âStop standing there and pour the wine into the manâs glass.â
The flurry of blush spread across Mey-Rinâs cheeks like wildfire, his action having caused quite a panic at the proximity between them. She swivelled shakily to the guestâs side, holding the wine in her arm with a dazed look behind her glasses. The chef, knowing her clumsiness â particularly in untimely manner â noticed with hawk eyes.
â..Hey?â
âYes?â Finnian and Sebastian responded.
âIsnât there something wrong with the little lady?â
The trio trailed their eyes toward chefâs pointing finger and gasped ominously.
âMiss Mey-Rin!â The three yelled, attempting to correct â or if possible â stop her, âYouâre spilling the wine!â
Everyone other than Cielâs business colleague, who was entrenched by the garden, seemed to realise the trouble was brewing. Â Mey Rin, still star-struck from earlier on, still poured on the wine even if the liquid was gushing dangerously to the rim of the cup and began overflowing onto the white cloth when it was no longer possible for the cup to contain it.
Sebastian acted immediately with inhuman-like speed. His hands grasped the white table cloth and with a swift back pull of his arms, the red stained material smoothly glided off the table with only smallest amount of disturbance. The table wares, cup and plates rattled slightly as the only hint of such stunt he just pulled.
Damian, hearing the glass clink, turned away from the scenery to the table which was now bare.
âW-where did the tablecloth go?â The man swore there was a white cloth beneath their plates.
Ciel schooled his sudden burst of panicked expression before smoothing it down to a slight smirk, continuing to eat as if it was nothing.
âI had it taken away because there was a slight stain on it. Donât trouble yourself. Excuse us for our discourtesy. Please relax and enjoy your meal.â
Mr. Damian slightly titled his head, puzzled, before resuming back to eating. I savoured the food deliberately and slowly, it was absolutely delicious and five Michelin star worthy, but the bubbling anxiety and adrenaline was doing its best to dull my taste and did not notice Sebastian disappearing behind the door.
âSo Miss. Park,â Damian began, âFrom which exotic lands do you hails from?â
Yuri looked up from her food, surprised she was being addressed and prepared to answer his question, âIâm from Korea. But I donât think Korea is exotic.â There was nothing exotic about Korea, or Asia, or its people. It was her second home and a country she happened to be born in just like him who happened to be born in England as English.
âOh my, that is quite a distance. I hear Corea(1) still remains a mystery to this day with their strict isolationist policy. What made you travel so far?â As far as Damian knew of Corea, the country was dubbed âHermit Kingdomâ by frustrated Western conquistadors in days of yore.
Yuri shrugged, âI just wanted to travel.â
âAnd how did you come to be acquainted with Lord Phantomhive?â Yuri ignored the implication beneath his question.
âMr. Damian,â Ciel intervened much to her relief, âLetâs focus on the food.â
âO-of course, Lord Phantomhive.â
The night ended with the poor, scared man out of his wit running away shouting âMama Miaâ just as she remembered seeing. Yuri wondered whether the story will follow the original time scale or her being here meant it could change its course of directions.
âIs this what happened?â
Yuri looked up from the loveseat she was sitting on, âYeahâŠâ
âAnd what will happen tomorrow?â
She tried to dig every moments, scenes and chapters sheâs seen and read from every corner of her memory.
âUhâŠIâm sorry Iâm not sureâŠI canât remember it now..Iâll tell you when I do. Sorry.â
He didnât say anything after that.
For someone who realised their entire world and life has been a work of a fiction written by an author, he seemed calm and accepting as of now. But Yuri didnât know this Earl so much â nor how he worked. He was a child yet he seemed to have an adult way of dealing with things albeit perhaps more physically than an actual adult would but she didnât know how an adult would be able to compartmentalise such revelation either.
Ciel Phantomhive stared out the window, watching the winds drifting through leaves of the trees. The green foliage swayed in waltz like movement to singular direction as he repeated her words over and over again in his head. Fiction or not; real or not, he had the advantages. As the protagonist, like any other tragic novels, he would have his revenge and he would be dealt with as deserved. The Past uncertainties whether he will ever have his revenge seemed to vanish, soon replaced with portent. His eye travelled to the reflection on the window; a stiff figure staring at her hands in worry.
Terminology:
(1) Corea- "Koreaâ is the modern spelling of Corea, a name attested in English as early as 1614.  It is an exonym derived from Cauli, Marco Polo's transcriptionof the Chinese.
AUTHOR NOTE: This story in undergoing rewrite and has been written with the changes in mind.
While I was writing this story (along with Sebastian and Yuriâs spin-off), I listened to the song âHe is unworthyâ by Shi Shi (Will post link below). Itâs an OST for the Taiwanese drama âBehind His Smileâ and I absolutely love it. The drama is about a man called Zhao and his revenge against the person who took everything from him and targets the womanâs daughter, Lei. Lei returns home only to realise her motherâs company became bankrupt and are chased by angry mobs. Zhao helps Lei with ulterior motive, only to find himself falling in love with her.
The song, I think describes the relationship between Ciel, Sebastian and Yuri. In my re-written version, Ciel and Sebastian simply exploit Yuriâs vulnerability, kindness and love for the sake of their own gains and even though they may develop genuine feelings for her later on, their feelings are built on lies.
âHe isnât worthyâ talks about a woman who is in love with a man who is a liar and turned her love into a mockery and that she donât have to repent for a man like him who didnât do âenough of a troubleâ. The song describes how loving and giving love to a man isnât the problem, rather he is unworthy of that love. Itâs a Taiwanese song but Iâm addicted to it 24/7. Hereâs the music video with English sub: Shi Shi- He isnât worthy
Her world was different from his. No one was foolish enough to be so naĂŻve about it. She oozed of it; in her brazen way of speech, her insistent manner of dressing, her blatant disregard and transcendence of his social-etiquette norms â even the way she walked were that of obvious masculinity than the soft, dainty steps seen amongst the well-bred ladies. Heâd seen more elegance in the trudging of working class women.Â
Her ask for his permission to sleep in his bed was the height of her indecorous behaviour; ridiculous, flagrant, he thought, and he absolutely did not wanted a poor excuse of a doll anywhere near his dwellings. He had refused and forced her out of his room, until one day he had noticed the darkness under her eyes and sluggishness in her movement. It didnât take long for him to find out she was struggling to sleep in a manor âtoo big, too scary and too lonelyâ on her own.
She told him of her world, her parents she has left behind and her friends, whom she dearly missed. He wished he could sympathise with her plight, but he lacked the luxury to do so. It did not affect him and it was her problem she must deal with â it was something he could not help her with. She was his pawn, one of his chess piece placed on the board and she was sent here for a reason. Whether or not it was simply a pure random stroke of luck she ended up in his bed on that fateful morning, it is he who grabbed onto that chance and so had the every right to utilising her full potentials.
Heâs a liar â that he did not deny. He needed her knowledge of the future and he was willing to indulge in her whim so he allowed her to his bed and whatever she wanted, within reason of course. Much to his satisfaction, it didnât take so long for her to reveal what she knew of the world but was quickly replaced with irritation. There was little lead to go on and her answers remained on the vague side of it, but it will have to do. How annoying. What a useless girl.
Ciel stared at the black solider chess piece hanging between his fingertips, like other of his many pawns laid out across the board; heâll gladly use her to the best of his ability.
AUTHOR NOTE: This story in undergoing rewrite and has been written with the changes in mind.
âAre all demons soâŠbland?â Was the first question the human had asked.
Having found her body stuffed into a small suitcase, he had been the one told to bring her onto the bed and to keep an eye on her. Another insignificant human; a pawn to hurt the Phantomhive and that pathetic demon whom he learnt not long ago went by the name Sebastian Michaelis.
It wasnât long before Alois decided he could not wait any longer and decided to wake her up himself. The girl, momentarily confused and scared, seemed to recover quickly; asking for their names and introducing herself with forced calmness.
Their guest, his little contractor said, but even the girl knew she was but a prisoner and bait and hadnât been deluded by the false sense of freedom within the manor. It wasnât so difficult when he treated her no better than a servant â a plaything mistreated till broken.
She was usually found in the kitchen with the Twins, often indulging in baking something for herself and others. It seemed as if she wasnât aware most of them were demons and they didnât eat human food. So he was surprised when one day, when he saw her looking him with expression he could not identify.
âAre all demons soâŠbland?â
He felt his eyes slightly widen before he assumed his usual nonchalant countenance, âAh..youâre know.â
âOf course I know.â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
âYet you kept making food for âusâ.â
âI think itâs rude if I just made it for myself and Alois.â She said as she swallowed another piece of biscuit.
âItâs foolish to apply human sentiments to us demons.â
âWell, when in Rome do as the Romans do â itâs you whoâs in the human world, so you canât really expect me to follow the demonâs etiquettes. Besides, I can always eat them all.â
âWas it Sebastian Michaelis that told you of our existence?â
She smiled a smile that told him there was something more behind her awareness of the demonsâ existence.
âYou can say that.â
âClaude!â
He heard her shout his name, registering panic in the trembling tone of her voice as he calmly took his step toward her calling. He found her, in her room, on top of her bed as she shakily stared at something on the ground.
âYes?â
She pointed toward the ground, âIâm sorry to call you all the way out but can you take him away?â
He followed the line of her finger, to the mugged floor and upon it found a medium sized spider. He felt neither irritation nor derisive, after all, he was used to request much ridiculous than this. Claude bent down to pick the spider into the cup of his hand, glad that human spared the little arthropod than kill it. The animal was much part of the Trancy symbol and extension of his kind.
âIâm arachnophobic.â She told him, âBlame it on the movie Arachnophobia.â
âThe spiders are a useful animal; it rids pests in the household.â He defended.
âYes and people too.â She told him with a glint of humour in her eyes, âI once ran away from home when I found the spider in my room and it disappeared to somewhere when I turned around for a second.â
âThese are common spiders. Itâs harmless.â
âYouâre not.â
So she knows.
âYou know.â
âThat youâre a spider demon?â
âFor a human who have no contract with a demon, you seemed to be aware of many things you should not be.â
âI think thatâs what got me in this situation.â
He opened the window to her room and let the spider crawl out of his hand.
âBut no worry, my arachnophobia only extends to animal spiders.â She smiled as she appeared by his side to watch the spider crawl up the wall where it will inevitably find its way inside sooner or later.
âI wasnât.â
She let out an unattractive chocked snort, âYou demons are so awkward.â
ââŠâ
âIt isnât a bad thing.â She said, âItâs cute.â
He frowned, âCute? If I so wish, I can eat your soul and deny you the entry to heaven.â
âIâm sure my soul isnât that tasty.â She shrugged, âMy soul is too full of KFC and McDonald diet to even be considered a nice, homemade meal. I ate so much processed food, even my soul will probably be processed and the nutrition value wonât be that good.â
He blinked at her.
âIt means I ate lots of nasty food so my soul wonât be that tasty.â
âThe taste of a soul does not depend on oneâs diet.â
She burst out laughing, resting her hand on his arm, âSee? This is what I meant!â
âMeant what?â One of his brows twitched with rare pulse of irritation and shook his arm from her touch.
âAwkward!â She said, âI was joking! You demons have hard time understanding jokes and sarcasm! Beside you canât eat me, not unless Alois says so!â Then her eyes saddened, âBecause in the end, itâs going to be Aloisâ soul that youâre going to eat.â
âOne soul wonât satiate a demonâs hunger.â
âWell you better find someone else to eat because I need to get home to my family and I ainât gonna be an easy meal!â There was a slight tremble in her voice that she wasnât confident in her stand he wonât eat her soul.
Her soul wasnât that interesting for him to eat in any manner.
âYour soul is of low quality; in no aspect, are you worthy to be eaten.â
âThatâs good.â She sighed in relief.
âIf youâre making dinner soon, can I come and taste them? You canât taste them anyway, Iâll give you feedbacks.â
âI understand how human palate works; the food is to the high quality human standard and your presence is unnecessary.â
âI know you demons do human things perfectly except in humour section but me giving you a feedback is just an excuse to eat more delicious food you make. Iâm not good at giving feedbacks.â
Claude turned around, hearing her hurrying footsteps as she matched his pace.
âYou seemed to keep yourself close to us despite your fear of us.â
âThatâs because you keep saying youâre going to eat my soul!â
âThen keep your distance.â
âItâs a bit unfair for me to keep distance simply because youâre a demon! You can always stop making food so delicious, and then Iâll keep my distance.â
âPerhaps eating your soul would make things convenient for me.â
That stopped the human in her track, scent of fear leaking out of her pores, âYou demons need to learn to chillax.â
He sighed, gloved fingers twitching in urge to pierce his arm through her chest and end the incessant babysitting job heâs been cursed with. Even without the girl, there were many ways to strike the Phantomhivesâ.
A/N: Sorry for the late story update! I caught a cold thatâs lasting surprisingly a very long time and has 2x2750 words essay due on 16th Feb. After that, Iâll be free to focus on my stories!Â
Could you do a little preview for Yuri and Claude?
Of course! Iâm planning on doing more of Kuroshitsuji!!! Iâve been poorly for few days so as soon as I recover, Iâll get on it!! Iâve got several interesting/funny scenes I want to write about!