That Butler, New Face

That Butler, Eccentric

"I was killed that night," Sebastian said. "By the queen's butler—Earl Charles Grey—"

««« Rewind «««

Sebastian watched in the reflection on the small bottle in his hand as Grey snuck up on him from behind and swung the fire poker straight down on his head.

WHACK!

"!" Sebastian exclaimed. Grey whipped around and attacked again without wasting a second, driving the fire poker through his back, impaling him. "Gah!"

THUD.

Sebastian's body hit the floor, seemingly dead.

"How dull!" Grey said, disappointed. He squatted down and stared at the butler with his brow furrowed in annoyance. "I was so hoping to bully that bloody brat some more. I never thought I'd get found out so quickly." He reached out and recovered the shards of the bottle and ampoule from the floor by the butler's hand. "And all because a lousy servant got in my way..."

CHAK. SHAAA.

He opened the french windows and threw the evidence outside in the torrential rain.

"... Why, my plan is totally ruined!!" he shouted to the roaring downpour. He slammed the window shut again. "Moreover, Siemens is down below!?" he grumbled. "Urgggh! Having to go to the cellar alone... could it get any worse!?" Sebastian waited until he was sure Grey was gone before he picked himself up off the floor.

"He attacked me in rapid succession, quick as a flash," the butler observed. "One could expect no less from the butler to the queen."

»»» Fast Forward »»»

"I then proceeded to beat Earl Grey to the wine cellar... where Lord Siemens had been carried."

««« Rewind «««

"Dear me," Sebastian said, looking down at Siemens, who was asleep on the floor with a flushed face and a wine bottle in his hand. "He even got into the wine that was set aside to age... He truly is a hopeless man." Sebastian leaned down to remove the wine bottle, when he heard someone coming.

CREAK.

The door opened to reveal a nervous Earl Grey. Grey walked right into the cellar, never noticing that Sebastian was clinging to the ceiling.

"Nnoh?" Siemens said, stirring at the sound of Grey's footsteps. "Ohh! Earl Grey!" He lit up when he saw his partner in crime. "Our little prank seems to have gone well! Was everyone quite shocked? Upon my waking, I discovered some wine just here, and... was getting a bit of the hair of the dog in me, you see—"

SHNK.

Grey thrust his blade through the rambling man's chest, right at the center of the red stain on his shirt.

"Eh...?" Siemens said dumbly as blood spurted from the wound and rolled down his chin.

"Quiet, you! Don't talk so loud," Grey said coldly. He kneeled down a little to look Siemens in the eye, pushing his sword in deeper. "The very sight of you is frightfully offensive. Dim-witted Germany will catch up to Great Britain, you say?" He narrowed his eyes at Siemens. "It's ten years too soon for that."

FWAP.

"Well... it really will take only ten years, though," Grey said, laying the cloth that had been covering Siemens back on top of his corpse. He turned to leave. Sebastian was gone from his hiding spot. As soon as the door was shut, the butler landed lightly on the cellar's floor.