“A birthday is surely not a break – especially not for her.”
HUNTER’S PREY ARC
Countryside, England, United Kingdom – April 1848
~Cedric~
In April, the weather had a tendency to change rather often. Today, the sun had shone in the morning, followed by rain just before lunch. Now, it was sunny again – how would the weather be when Maven von Brandt, the Viscount of Meinkot-Velpke, would come? If you asked Cedric Rossdale, he would undoubtedly say that it would be terrific if it started to snow the instance the Viscount stepped through the entrance of Phantomhive Manor.
“It has never crossed my mind that your excitement of meeting Maven von Brandt could surpass the excitement of a child on Christmas morning,” Cloudia Phantomhive remarked, entering the drawing room with incredible grace and confidence in a dark blue dress, her handmaiden Lisa Greene closely following her.
Cedric hadn’t seen Cloudia for a while now – some business of which she hadn’t told him any details had sent her elsewhere in the last few days. He was happy that she was now back – it hadn’t been very entertaining to solely spend time with his fellow Grim Reapers.
“I have never met one of your business partners,” Cedric said, turning away from the window he stood in front of, “of course, I am excited, Countess.”
“He is not my business partner – he is coming to apply for the job as Evil Nobleman.”
“It doesn’t matter if he’s just a potential colleague – I am still excited to meet him.”
“If he lives through the interview, you may see him more often.”
Cedric grinned. “Poor boy – why must you be so hard to everyone? Good that I didn’t have to do a job interview.”
Cloudia adjusted her dark gloves. “Don’t forget to behave like a decent person or the Viscount will run away before finishing his tea.”
“When am I not behaving like a decent person, Countess?”
“Ask Lisa this question and wait for your answer.”
There was a soft knock on the door. “The Viscount of Meinkot-Velpke has arrived, Lady Cloudia,” Alfred Newman announced from the doorsill, bowing. He stepped aside and revealed a man in his early thirties behind him. Maven von Brandt had dark blond hair and green eyes, and when he walked towards Cloudia, bowing in front of her and kissing the hand she held out to him, he had a charming smile on his face.
“Welcome, Lord von Brandt,” Cloudia greeted him. “How are you? How is your wife doing?”
“Manon and I are doing very well. Thank you,” Maven said when he was standing again, the smile not leaving his lips. “It is a pleasure to be able to meet you, Lady Phantomhive.” He turned to Cedric and briefly bowed towards him. “And you too, Your Grace. It is so rare to encounter the two of you at any festivities – you are ghosts among the guests.”
“But you did encounter my contact – Lady Cecelia Williams,” Cloudia replied. “But before we start our conversation properly – let us sit down. My cook surpassed himself with the preparation of our afternoon tea.” She gestured towards a small rectangular table around which they sat down – Cloudia at the front, Cedric right next to her, and Maven at the end.
Cloudia was right – Armstrong had put a lot of effort into our food. There was a cake with almonds covered in powdered sugar on top, a rhubarb cake with very thin slices of almonds lying on it, and small peach tarts with whipped cream. Beside the cakes, there was also a bowl of cherries, another one filled with apricots, and various nut biscuits – cashew, peanut, and almond biscuits to be exact. Along with the food, there was also Earl Grey tea.
It was rather challenging not to stuff myself with the food in front of Maven.
Cloudia took one of the peach tarts after Maven had taken one. For a short while, the three of them only ate in silence as Maven and Cedric waited for Cloudia to speak first, but, for some reason, she did not seem to want to hurry.
Maven put more sugar into his tea before drinking it, having already put a few teaspoons into it.
He seemed to have as much of a sweet tooth as I had. I preferred to drink my tea without sugar though. If Cloudia were to consult me whether or not to hire him, I would definitely speak in his favour.
“Lady Williams has already told me a few things about you,” Cloudia finally started, setting down her cup after taking a sip. “She said that you are interested in becoming one of the Earl of Phantomhive’s Aristocrats of Evil – and I am asking myself the question: How does it come that you know about this position, Lord von Brandt?”
“The Queen’s Watchdog is a legend,” Maven said, straightening his back. “If you prick your ears or are naturally observant, you can hear the murmurs – ‘there is a noble working for Her Majesty and watching over the Underworld.’ But it takes more than that to find out if these murmurs are of the truth, and if they are who said Noble is.”
He poured himself a new cup of tea and put sugar in it before taking a quick sip.
“I followed these mumbles, these legends to their roots and devoted many hours to research. I found out that said Watchdog surrounded himself with a group of Aristocrats who helped him with executing his duty, and I wondered – could I become one of them?”
“What a dreamer you are, Mylord,” Cloudia remarked, dipping a cashew biscuit in her tea and taking a bite. Cedric did not add anything to the conversation but listened intently while quietly working himself through the piles of cakes, fruits, and biscuits which were a little bit more sweet than usual.
“I would not designate myself as a ‘dreamer,’ Mylady,” Maven meant. “I am simply always striving to get the most out of something interesting.”
“This attitude of yours must surely benefit your company,” Cloudia said, and he smiled. “After all, it lets you spend hours over hours for private little projects and forget about your actual work.”
Maven’s smile fell, and Cloudia’s rose. Cedric suppressed a giggle.
“No reason to look so glum,” she said, “I am only teasing.”
The Viscount sighed in relief. “Of course, Lady Phantomhive.”
“Please continue – how exactly did your research lead you to Cecelia?”
“It didn’t – Lady Williams was the one to find me. She must have found out about what I was doing and approached me one day at a party.”
“She is a very observant woman – that’s why she became one of the Aristocrats of Evil.”
He nodded and rubbed his neck. “Yes, she is… very fine. Lady Williams informed me about the Earl – that he is the Watchdog of the Queen, but that I should not seek him but his fiancée.”
“My cousin is not very sociable,” Cloudia said. “I am his messenger – if you want to meet him, you need my permission, but can you earn it?”
“I hope I can.”
“No certainty?”
Maven cleared his throat. “I am certain that I can.”
“There’s one thing the Earl despises – arrogance. That’s one of the many reasons why he does not go out – the arrogance of people.”
He paled.
“I am teasing – that is part of the test, Lord von Brandt.”
“Oh.” Maven slightly rubbed his face. “Of course.”
“It’s fine – you are doing better than the others when they came to meet me.”
“I am?”
She smiled at him. “No.”
The Viscount’s expression darkened again, and Cloudia chuckled. “A tease, Mylord! His Grace had to go through the same procedure as you.”
“He did? He is one of the Aristocrats?”
“Why else should he be here?”
“Do not worry, Lord von Brandt,” Cedric said, “Lady Cloudia is a very irritating person, but with time you will get used to her.”
“I am rather certain of it,” Maven replied, and Cedric chortled. “You are? Because I am not. I have known her for over a year now, and I still did not get used to her.”
“Stop irritating him even further,” Cloudia told Cedric. She looked back at Maven and smiled sweetly. “I am sorry. I could not help myself. Let us continue – I have looked into you, and you are a remarkable man, Lord von Brandt. You could be an excellent addition to the Aristocrats.”
“You are giving me your permission?”
Cloudia took a sip. “Only if you can still walk.”
“I don’t understand, why shou…” Maven began but stopped when his arms suddenly started to spasm. Cedric stared at the scene in front of him, seeing Maven’s confused and pained expression and his attempts to control his arms which were in vain. He jumped up from his chair and hurried to Maven. Lisa and Newman who had silently stood in the background during the entire conversation seemingly did not even think to move. Cedric looked at Maven whose legs had also begun to spasm before looking at Cloudia who calmly finished her tea.
“Maven von Brandt – I am sorry to tell you this, but you seem to have been poisoned,” she said, putting down her cup. “But how? What could have poisoned you? If you can give me the correct answer, I will pardon you.”
I stared at Cloudia – what was she doing? What the hell was going on?
Maven fell backwards alongside his chair, his limbs moving uncontrollably and his face covered in sweat. Cedric had caught him before he hit the ground.
“No idea? That’s bad. It seems that we don’t have much time left – I have never thought that your stamina was so poor!” Cloudia exclaimed, ignoring him. “Could you do me a favour and hold on for a few minutes, Maven? So that you can hear the solution before you leave? Yes? Thank you.
“So… what could have poisoned you? One of the cakes? It is true that almonds can kill, but only if they are old and not properly prepared. And the rhubarb and the peach? Well, only the leaves of rhubarbs are poisonous! And so are the pits of peaches. However, there are neither rhubarb leaves nor peach pits around which means that that cannot be the solution, right?
“How about the biscuits? We have already established that almonds can kill, but they are not the reason you are in this state right now. How about the cashew and peanut biscuits then? Cashews are only harmful to humans when eaten raw, and peanuts only when you are allergic – are you allergic to peanuts, Maven? No, of course not. If you were, you would have expanded into a hot air balloon.
“Did you know that the first untethered manned flight with such a balloon had been done by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d’Arlandes on November 21, 1783, in Paris, France? And that said balloon had been crafted by the Montgolfier brothers – Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier? This is a lot of French, right? Did you know that my cook is French – the cakes, the peach tarts were lovingly baked after French recipes –, and that I am part French myself? My grandmother was one – Genevieve, not Hortense. Hortense does not like me.
“Oh, sorry for rambling. Where was I? Right – from cakes and tarts to biscuits to… the fruits.
“Have the cherries and, or the apricots done this to you? No, of course, they haven’t. They would have only ended your life if you had chewed on their pits like an idiot or an ignorant child – you are not a child, but are you an idiot? Are you an idiot, Maven?”
Cloudia poured herself another cup of tea before holding it up. “So, was it the tea?” She took a sip and put it down. “No, it wasn’t – just like it wasn’t any food. If I had gone and sprinkled poison on the food, would I have eaten anything? Would have let the Duke eat anything? Yes, I did not tell my plan to the Duke – his dumb folded expression is genuine. Hm… well, to be honest, I am not sure if I had stopped Duke from eating anything, would I have poisoned the food.
“But what in hell’s kitchen could have made you suffer this agony?” She took off her right glove and grinned. “Did I put poison on my glove which I let you kiss? Did I?” Maven twisted in Cedric’s arms.
“No, I didn’t,” Cloudia answered herself, putting the glove on again. “The amount you could have transferred from my glove to your lips wouldn’t have sufficed. But what else have I done, dearest Maven?” She cleared her throat.
“‘What are little boys made of / What are little boys made of / Snips and snails / And puppy-dogs’ tails / And such are little boys made of’ – do you know this rhyme? Do you know how it continues?
“‘What are young women made of / Sugar and spice and all things nice’ – and sugar and spice is what the poison is made of. Well, except the fact that it wasn’t sugar to begin with – at least not entirely.
“A white powder with a bitter taste whose source is the tree nux vomica and whose taste had to be concealed with bits of sugar.
“Most people don’t know it – but just like salt, sugar can dehydrate our body. The food – every single one of them except the apricots and cherries were slightly sweeter than usual. Normal people would not have noticed it, but I am sure that the Duke did – he has a very sweet tooth, you have to know.
“The added sugar was so subtle that you didn’t notice it, but it was still enough to make you dehydrate a bit faster. And what do you do when you dehydrate? Right, you drink – too bad that you have the habit of sweetening your tea. Is Earl Grey too dark for you, Maven? The Duke, however, while loving everything sweet likes his tea dark, and I knew better than to add any sugar.
“Another name for nux vomica, you ask? Strychnine tree.”
Cloudia’s gaze darkened. “Mavey, Mavey, Mavey – did you think you could make a fool out of me? The Viscount of Meinkot-Velpke – owner of Velpke Industries and various illegal brothels filled with underage, kidnapped girls and boys which are being raided while we talk with the help of my beloved Aristocrats of Evil. And do not think we would spare your darling wife Manon von Brandt – after all, we know very well that she was your partner-in-crime.
“There is no secret safe from me, Mavey – and as I know yours I will tell you mine. The nobleman, the source of the legend you have searched for so long? For so long that you have let your carefully woven cover moulder? But do not be afraid: You will not pass away without having met the mysterious Watchdog of the Queen – for she was right in front of you all along.
“I wonder, Mavey, if the boys and girls in your brothels felt as helpless and lost as you do right now when they were being ravished?
“Mavey – how does it feel not to be the master of your own body anymore?”
When Cloudia finished her tea and rose from her chair, rigour mortis had already befallen Maven von Brandt’s dead body. Cedric let him fall on the ground.
I didn’t want to touch this piece of shit any longer.
He looked up and saw Cloudia leaving the drawing room and Lisa and Newman following her. Cedric took out his Death Scythe and collected Maven’s soul.
I had wondered why I had not seen his name in the Death Book when I had gone through it, but as soon as the tip of my scythe touched him, I knew why.
Apparently, Maven’s real name was Meradinus Shallow, but he had kept introducing himself as “Maven Shallow” early on to escape his terrible first name. And after he had married Manon von Brandt, he had adopted, albeit not officially, her surname.
Cloudia must have found about this name charade when she had looked into his files.
Meradinus Shallow
Birth: December 13, 1816
Death: April 4, 1848
Cause of death: strychnine poisoning; exhaustion
When he was done, Cedric quickly left the drawing room to talk to Cloudia.
“Countess!” he called when he had caught up with her. “Why didn’t you tell me that Meradinus is Maven?”
“It would have been less convincing if I had,” Cloudia replied.
“And I thought that I had finally met one of the Aristocrats even if only a potential one.”
“That’s such a pity.”
“Wasn’t this even a bit too harsh for your standards, Countess?” Cedric said.
“Lisa asked me for it.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Miss Greene asked you for it?”
“Do not repeat my own words – if I had wanted a parrot, I would have bought me one,” Cloudia told him. “And yes, she did. Lisa holds a special grudge towards such men. I wanted to let him and his wife be assassinated in his sleep – fast, silent, and without real effort –, but then, Lisa came to me and proposed the idea with the food and the poison; she even told me which props to use. How could I possibly say ‘no’ to her? So we went with her idea. That’s the reason why Lisa was in the parlour in the first place – after all, there never was any reason for her to be there, right? She didn’t do anything, after all. She wanted to watch, wanted to see Maven die as pathetically as possible and hear what I would tell him.”
“Miss Greene knows about poisons?”
“What did you think? That I only employed her because of her talent in making dresses?”
“I actually believed that you employed her because she was the only person you’ve ever encountered who was a match for you in the ‘Who glares the best?’ competition,” Cedric said, and Cloudia punched him.
“Lisa’s mother was an herb witch and taught her all she knew.”
A few months ago, I would have asked her how she had met Miss Greene when I had the chance, but now, I couldn’t do it anymore. After all, we had already gone through Alfred’s story, and it surely hadn’t been a good one. I didn’t know if I would ever be ready for Miss Greene’s.
Cedric grinned at her, pushing his thought away. “I still cannot believe it that you had to put on such a show today just because it’s your last shenanigan before turning eighteen – ‘They would have only ended your life if you had chewed on their pits like an idiot or an ignorant child – you are not a child, but are you an idiot? Are you an idiot, Maven?’ Hi hi. You even recited a nursery rhyme!”
I hoped that she did not think that I had forgotten that tomorrow was April 5 – her birthday! I had even gone and got her a present. It had taken me days to find something nice, and I hoped that she would like it.
“I guess I’ve spent too much time with you.”
“Will your family come like last year?” he wanted to know. “It was so funny with them.”
“No, they won’t,” Cloudia answered. “They shouldn’t even have come last year – they simply came and sabotaged my plans. This year, however, I made sure that they would stay at home and not even get in the area of Phantomhive Manor.”
“What plans did you even have last year?”
“The same ones as this year.”
“Locking yourself in your bedroom with your birthday cake and tonnes of tea, not talking to anyone until the next day, and only reading every Dickens novel you possess in candlelight?”
Cedric’s words brought a little smile out of Cloudia. It was such a rare sight to see her genuinely smile – and every time, it warmed his heart.
I could listen to her laugh all day; I could look at her joyful face forever.
“I admit that it sounds great, but that’s not my plan,” she said, pushing open the door to her chambers.
“And what is it then?”
Cloudia let herself fall into an armchair in her anteroom, and Cedric laid down on a couch opposite from her.
“You don’t have to know because you are not part of it,” Cloudia meant, leaning back. “Actually, you aren’t even supposed to come tomorrow, like you weren’t last year.”
“Why? I have even got you a present!”
“You can give it to me the day after tomorrow.”
“You only don’t want to share your bir–”
The look in Cloudia’s eyes made him stop talking. “Please, Undertaker – I need this day to rest.”
I wanted to make a joke, to tease her, but I couldn’t. The way she had said these words – I had never heard her talking like that. It almost sounded like… like she was begging me.
Whatever was bothering her, whatever was there which I could not see was serious. And I could not bear to see her like that.
“All right,” Cedric said with a low voice. “Then, we will see each other in two days.”
Cloudia smiled faintly, and only now he noticed how exhausted she looked, and he wondered what he had missed. “We will see each other in two days, then.”
***
The next day, Cedric’s head hurt when he woke up. He rolled around in his bed for a while, wanting to get a few more minutes of sleep, but he couldn’t. Groaning, Cedric fell from his bed and stood up before stumbling towards his wardrobe.
Sometimes, I wished that I could bring Cloudia here – just like today. She would surely be amazed by all the things Grim Reapers possessed, but people from this time didn’t.
Absentmindedly, Cedric grabbed a fresh shirt and a pair of trousers. He quickly took off his nightgown and carelessly tossed it into the wardrobe.
She loved to talk about things she thought were important. She could fill hours talking about plants or the history of a place; and while I didn’t really care about these things, I greatly enjoyed the look on her face when she spoke about them. If she could unpack her knowledge, Cloudia always became immensely enthusiastic, and her face lit up, and she started to shine. Her whole expression and even the atmosphere around her would completely change. Usually, she was grumpy and stiff, but at these times a different part of her came out.
With the fresh clothes in his hands, Cedric walked into the bathroom, washed up, got dressed, and combed his hair after blow-drying it. Washing, drying, and combing his hair always took a lot of time, but he still didn’t want to cut it.
Cloudia was such a little dork sometimes ‒ she would definitely jump up and down at the sight of the advanced technology the Grim Reaper had like the futuristic furniture, the light clothing, the instant food, the television, the microwave, etc. Perhaps she would die out of joy when seeing the computers and the automatic library.
He grinned.
But no matter how excited she would be when seeing the automatic library and the e-book readers, she would never love them more than classical libraries and bound books. This part of her heart had already been filled and couldn’t be reclaimed.
Cedric collected his hair and grabbed a ribbon from his pile to fixate it.
She would surely have this look in her eyes which I loved so much if she could be here and explore all these things.
Cedric stopped in his movement when he realised what he had just thought. His arms fell to his sides and his hair loosely over his shoulders. He stared at his reflection in utter horror.
Had I just thought that I loved it when she was so enthusiastic? That I loved it when her eyes shone? That I loved her little talks?
I shook my head. This was… ridiculous. I hadn’t fallen in love with Cloudia. I wasn’t in love with her. I liked her because she could always find ways to make me laugh even though she hadn’t intended to. I liked her because it was nice to have her around – to have someone to talk to. To have someone to tease. To have someone by my side.
“What am I thinking?” Cedric said to his reflection and finished doing his hair. He walked back into his bedroom, took the Death Book from his bedside cabinet, and went to the living room.
Cedric let himself fall onto a couch and flipped through the pages to see what he had to do today.
Evangeline May
Birth: December 1, 1800
Death: April 5, 1848
Cause of death: fell down and was impaled
-
Lucas Warren
Birth: March 22, 1795
Death: April 5, 1848
Cause of death: run over by a carriage
-
Shade Haven
Birth: February 2, 1829
Death: April 5, 1848
Cause of death: stabbed to death
Wow. Only three souls to collect on my schedule.
Then, Cedric looked up what he would have to do tomorrow; and when he saw his workload for the next day, he could only stare at the page.
Thirty-five souls? Who even makes these unbalanced schedules? I thought.
I wouldn’t be able to meet Cloudia tomorrow like that. I touched the skull pendant I always wore around my neck, but it seemed that she wasn’t wearing hers. She always wore it and not even on her birthday Cloudia would sleep in. So – why wasn’t she wearing her necklace today of all days?
Cedric dropped his journal.
What… What if something had happened to her?
Panicking, Cedric stuffed the book into his pocket and vanished.
***
Cloudia Phantomhive’s anteroom was as tidy as always when Cedric appeared inside it. He stormed into her bedroom, but it was untouched, and no one was there.
“Countess?” he called with a voice whose shrillness was muffled in his ears. He hurried into her dressing room, and the familiar scent nearly let him vomit.
Without closing any door, Cedric left her chambers and ran through the corridor. “Countess?” There was no answer.
There were no servants around – why were no servants around?
With his heart beating too fast in his chest, Cedric opened and closed the doors of every room he was passing by. “Countess?” he asked when opening every door. And with every empty room, his hope decreased more and more. Without being able to do anything, old memories came back to him, and he didn’t find the strength to push them away again.
No, no, no… they couldn’t have left me alone.
Not again. Not again. I didn’t want to be alone again.
“Ced – I am sorry…”
“Countess?” Cedric said, too tired to shout anymore. “Alfred? Miss Greene?” He fell against a wall. “Where are you?”
Why? Why? Why? Why did it always have to happen to me?
Why Cloudia? Why Alfred, why Miss Greene? What had they done? What had happened – and why?
“Ced – I am sorry…”
“Ceddie – it is time to wake up!”
“Mr Cedric, are you all right?”
“I am sorry that we haven’t told you anything earlier, Cedric.”
“Have you heard what happened to Cedric Rossdale’s partner? He was…”
“What are you doing here, Undertaker?”
The voice made Cedric flinch out of his thoughts and look up. There she was – Cloudia Phantomhive, beautiful in her dark dress, beautiful with her braided hair, beautiful and well.
Cedric couldn’t remember that he had moved; he only knew that, in the next moment, he had his arms around Cloudia and hugged her tightly.
She was all right. Everything was fine, fine, fine…
“Undertaker? What is wrong?” she wanted to know, and he took a step back but did not withdraw his arms from her as if he wanted to make sure that she was really there and not going anywhere.
Cloudia looked at him with puzzlement in her face. Cedric needed a while to finally catch his voice again and speak. “I…”
“I was so worried that I had lost you. That I had gone and you were no more. That you had left me like all the others had.”
“I wanted to surprise you,” Cedric said and grinned. “Happy birthday, Countess.”
She glared at him, and his grin widened.
“By the way, where are the others? Alfred? Miss Greene? Armstrong, and the other servants?” he asked. “I walked around, searching for you, but I didn’t encounter anyone.”
“Lisa and Newman are outside,” she answered him. “They are preparing a carriage.”
Cedric frowned. “Carriage? Why?” Only now, his gaze wandered to her hand, and he saw that Cloudia was carrying a rather long suitcase made of dark wood.
“Are you going somewhere?”
She looked at the suitcase. “No. Well, yes, I do. But I won’t take this with me. I was just on my way to put this suitcase somewhere where I won’t have to see it anymore.”
“My, my – what is inside it that you don’t want to see it ever again?”
“A terrible birthday joke from Barrington,” Cloudia mumbled, and her grip around the suitcase tightened that her knuckles came out white.
“Who is Barrington?”
“Just the worst Aristocrat of Evil I have.”
Cedric’s face lit up. “And all this time, I’ve believed that you considered me to be the worst.”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” she replied and walked past him. Cedric followed her. “If you don’t like him, why don’t you fire him? Or do the same you did to Maven von Brandt?”
“Oh, I would love to do that, but Barrington’s part of my father’s inheritance – they were best friends and fellow Evil Noblemen. He has been with me for my entire life.”
She suddenly stopped and turned to Cedric. “I would prefer it if you left right away, but knowing you, you won’t. So, please, just wait in the anteroom. I have to put this away on my own.”
“What could be inside it that you don’t want me to see?” he said and jokingly reached out to it, but Cloudia quickly jumped back, and for a split second, he saw horror on her face before it was replaced by anger and, then, exhaustion.
She rubbed her temple. “Do that again, and I will make sure that you will die a second time.”
He stared at her, and her face softened. “I am sorry. I will be right back. Just wait for me, okay?” she said and left.
***
Why did it take her so long?
Cedric laid on the couch in the anteroom, staring at the ceiling. He had no idea how long he was waiting, but in the last minutes, he had nearly fallen asleep thrice.
She couldn’t have got lost in her own home, but she didn’t seem to feel very well today, so everything was possible. I should go and see after her.
He rolled from the couch and went to the door. Cedric opened it, took a step outside – and looked right into a pair of dark blue eyes.
He blinked – sharp dark blue eyes, pale skin, black hair, high cheekbones, soft lips. In front of him didn’t stand Cloudia but a boy who looked just like her.
“Countess? Is that you?” he said. “What happened? You are suddenly a boy – does it have to do with the content of the suitcase? Countess?”
“Ah… uh…” the boy – Cloudia? – stuttered and turned red. Cedric opened his mouth to say something, but then, he saw Cloudia at the end of the corridor. Her eyes widened when she saw Cedric and the boy – and the boy’s eyes lit up when he followed Cedric’s gaze and saw her. Cloudia walked towards the boy.
Who was he? Now, I was completely confused.
“Beth wyt ti’n gwneud yma?” Cedric could hear Cloudia whisper to the boy when she reached him, and it confused him even more. They kept on talking quite animatedly in this weirdly familiar sounding language until Cedric finally remembered where he had heard it before.
“You liar!” he yelled, and both Cloudia and the boy turned their attention to Cedric.
“When we were in Wales, you told me that you couldn’t speak Welsh! You pronounced ‘Bore da’ all wrong, and now, you are speaking it fluently with your male doppelganger?” Cedric stared at the boy who looked quite uneasy and averted his gaze.
“Don’t stare at him,” Cloudia told Cedric, her voice without any proper strength. “You are scaring him.”
“Wölkchen, yw bod Duke Kristopher Underwood?” the boy asked, and Cedric said, “You told him about me, but you told me nothing about him? Who is Doppelganger Boy Countess anyway?”
“Don’t call him that.”
“Why not? I have to call him something, right? And I don’t know his name, so…” Cedric paused when a small thought crept to the surface of his mind. “Oh – wait. Could it be that you don’t want me to call him ‘Doppelganger Boy Countess’ because not he but you are the doppelganger? Does that mean that, all along, there had been a real Earl of Phantomhive walking on Earth? I mean, you look so much alike – how can’t you be related?”
Cloudia closed her eyes. “Duke, please…”
To Cedric’s surprise, the boy stepped forward, his shoulders shaking slightly, and said, “I am not the Earl of Phantomhive. My name is Kamden Sainteclare, and I am Cloudia’s Almost Twin. We were born on the same day in the same year, only a few metres and a few minutes apart. We met by chance when she and Sir Barrington came to my bookstore.” He bowed in front of Cedric. “Cloudia told me a lot about you, Your Grace, and I am honoured to finally make your acquaintance after all the time you have worked with my sister.”
Dumbfounded, Cedric slowly nodded. “Uh… yes, it is also a pleasure to meet you, Mr Sainteclare.”
“Kamden,” he said. “I would never allow someone from a higher rank to address me in such a formal manner.” Kamden Sainteclare turned to Cloudia who looked at him and Cedric before saying, “Can you please head to the parlour? I will join you in a few minutes.”
***
I had no idea which day had been odder – yesterday or today. Undoubtedly, however, was that something was wrong with Cloudia – for a reason she kept for herself, she behaved so strangely. I wanted to know what was wrong with her; I wanted to help her to get better – she was looking more and more drained ever since she had returned from her trip. I wanted her to be fine again.
Why had it always bothered me so much so see her as weak as a kitten?
“Your Grace?” Kamden said and snapped Cedric out of his thoughts.
“Hm, yes?”
“May I… May I talk to you about Cloudia’s condition for a while until she joins us?”
Cedric blinked at him. “Yes, sure, go ahead.”
“Am I right in my assumption that she has never told you anything about her medical condition?” Kamden asked and paused for a minute. “Judging from the expression you are currently making; I would say that I am.
“I know that what I have just said evoked questions in your mind, but I am afraid that I cannot answer any of them to you. This is a very personal matter to Cloudia, and I am not in the position to give away this part of herself without her consent. I am terribly sorry, Your Grace.”
“It is fine, Kamden,” Cedric replied. “But if you cannot answer my questions, why are you telling me all this?”
Kamden clutched his hands together. “Some… some… something ha-happened one week ago, and now… and now, her condition is rapidly worsening. Have you noticed anything odd about her, Your Grace?”
“I have only seen her yesterday for the first time again; and yesterday, she behaved like always – or, well, at least, it seemed like she did. In fact, she… she exaggerated the show; she exaggerated herself. And in the next moment, she fell powerless into a chair,” Cedric said, and Kamden nodded.
“It is just like you have said – whenever she behaves normally, she puts on a show. But then, this raises the question what is actually her ‘normal behaviour.’ But we do not have time to deepen this part of the conversation.
“Cloudia’s mother, Dowager Countess Phantomhive, was an actress, and Cloudia always loved acting. She is acting right now to conceal the fact that she is feeling the worst in years. But no matter how good she is, she does not manage to hold the act anymore as she let it eat her from the inside for too long now and she started to crumble. Cloudia is a very strong person, but even the strongest persons have their shadows – and hers is currently chasing her faster than ever before.
“Cloudia is never feeling very well around this time of the year, but she keeps pushing herself because of me – because she feels like she cannot ruin another birthday to me. It was planned that she would visit me today, but I didn’t want her to travel in her condition. That’s why I came here instead. You have seen her earlier… usually, she wouldn’t let things go so easily; usually, she wouldn’t let anyone speak for her.”
Cedric gulped. “What happened one week ago? Where was she in the last days?”
Knowing Cloudia, it had to be something enormous. She would never get thrown off the lane because of something small. But what could it be?
Kamden hesitated. “I… I cannot tell you. I am sorry, Your Grace.”
“It’s all right. But again – why are you telling me all this when you shouldn’t be telling me all this?”
He stared onto the table and clutched his hands tighter. “Because she needs to talk to someone – but she neither wants to talk to me nor to Sir Barrington or anyone else. We rarely get to see her now; she does not allow us to meet her so often anymore. But… but… but…” Kamden clutched and unclutched his hands. “But the-then Clou-Cloudia told me… me a-about you. Tha-that you are her bus-business partner now, and that, thaaat you spend, spend a lot of ti-time together. And, and…”
“Take a deep breath, Kamden,” Cedric said rather concerned about the boy. He had only known him for a while now, but he still couldn’t help himself but feel solicitude for him. “When you do it, your belly has to rise; if only your chest rises, it won’t calm you down.”
Kamden closed his eyes and did what he was told before he opened them again and continued, “The manor is so empty right now because nobody can know about me – Cloudia does not want me to get dragged into her world because she is certain that if anyone finds out about me, they will use me against her. That’s why I cannot stay by her side all the time even though I want to – but you can go in and out and meet Cloudia all you like, so I hope that I am not bothering you, but I want you to look after her until she is feeling better.” Kamden wanted to say more, but the door to the drawing room opened, and Cloudia came in. She was carrying a tray, and immediately, Kamden jumped up and helped her with it. He looked at the things on the tray and, for a split second, incredible worry flashed in his eyes, but Cedric had still been able to see it.manor is so empty right now because nobody can know about me – Cloudia does not want me to get dragged into her world because she is certain that if anyone finds out about me, they will use me against her. That’s why I cannot stay by her side all the time even though I want to – but you can go in and out and meet Cloudia all you like, so I hope that I am not bothering you, but I want you to look after her until she is feeling better.” Kamden wanted to say more, but the door to the drawing room opened, and Cloudia came in. She was carrying a tray, and immediately, Kamden jumped up and helped her with it. He looked at the things on the tray and, for a split second, incredible worry flashed in his eyes, but Cedric had still been able to see it.
I wondered what was so worrisome about what was on the tray. It was only three cups, a teacup, and some biscuits and cucumber sandwiches – nothing out of the ordinary. Could he see something wrong about these things that I couldn’t?
Kamden put the tray on the table, and Cloudia asked, “What were you talking about? Kamden looked rather nervous when I came in. I mean, he usually looks nervous, but he looked especially nervy a minute ago.”
“I was trying to ask His Grace about his unusual clothes,” Kamden said, and only now, Cedric remembered that he was wearing his Grim Reaper clothes. They were a bit too big for him and all in black. The cut was none to be found in this time and age, and then, of course, there were his boots: They looked odd, were terribly long, and possessed far too many clasps.
In my hurry, I had not wasted a thought on to get changed. Whatever – I couldn’t stay for too long anyway. I had to collect my first soul of the day in less than two hours.
“The Duke has a terrible sense of fashion,” Cloudia said, sitting down. “If it weren’t for me, he would go around like this and make a fool out of himself.” She turned to Kamden. “What did Barrington give you this year? Barm brack again?”
He nodded. “A carriage full of it.”
Cloudia sighed and shook her head. “He always overdoes it.”
“And what did he get you?”
She grimaced. “A joke – the most terrible joke he has ever made.”
“What is up with this Barrington person?” Cedric wanted to know, quickly changing the topic.
“After we had found Kam, Barrington became his legal guardian,” Cloudia said. “And Barrington Weaselton is known to be a horrible gift giver. Ever since he did not fail at finding a suitable present, he gets Kamden a ridiculous amount of Barm brack every year. And before you ask – Barm brack is a Welsh sweet bread.”
“One day, he once gave me a cup from which you can impossibly drink,” Kamden said, causing Cloudia to smile a little bit.
“He once got me mismatched socks,” she joined in.
“Once, Sir Barrington got us all matching jumpers,” Kamden told Cedric, and Cloudia added, “But they were all in the same size! They were too big for Kam and me, and too small for Barrington.”
They weren’t related, but to me, it seemed they were.
“The Countess is not the best gift giver either,” Cedric said, grinning. “She gave me a hairbrush for my birthday last month.”
“You have very long hair, Duke,” Cloudia pointed out. “You need a hairbrush.”
“Yes, I have long hair – but a hairbrush is still a terrible birthday gift.”
“It is a thoughtful gift if the person you give it to is in dire need of one.”
“It isn’t a thoughtful gift if said receiving person knows very well about his hair length.”
“It is a thoughtful gift if this person may have hair so long that hairbrushes become unusable rather quickly.”
“It isn’t a thoughtful gift if this person has a cupboard full of hairbrushes because everyone keeps giving him one for his birthday and Christmas for decades.”
She scowled at him, and his grin widened while Kamden blinked at both of them.
“So… when can I meet Barrington Weaselton?” Cedric wanted to know.
“Never,” Cloudia said without hesitation, and Kamden hesitated to nod at her answer. “You are two persons who should definitely never end up in the same room.”
We talked about silly presents until I had to go, and I was happy that Kamden and I had managed to distract Cloudia from the something which was bothering her. Even at least for a while.