That Butler, New Face

That Butler, Laid to Rest

{Phantomhive Manor, Conservatory...}

"Well, now that the professor has gone home... I shall see to luncheon—" Sebastian started to say.

"Wait," said Ciel. "I kept silent because it seemed like you purposely didn't want to bring it up in front of him, but..."

"You haven't explained yet how Phelps's murder happened," Chêne finished.

"Ohh! Quite right!" Sebastian said, hitting his hand against his palm. "Actually, we had another visitor in the manor in addition to our invited guests."

"!?" Ciel and Chêne gasped.

"What!?" Ciel said.

"I see... I thought Phelps's death was strange," Chêne said, holding her chin. "Even if the attack was meant for Ciel, why suddenly change M.O.?"

"Indeed," Sebastian agreed, squatting down to pull a large crate that had been chained shut out from under the table. "As I was not expecting him, I showed him to these special accommodations here."

"Wha—!?" Ciel exclaimed, shocked to learn such a thing had been there all the time. "The killer is in here...!?"

"Yes," Sebastian replied calmly.

"There aren't any air holes," Chêne observed, sweat-dropping. She hoped there wasn't a corpse in there.

"... Let me see what's inside," Ciel said.

"Are you sure?" Sebastian asked.

"Don't put on airs. Open it!" Ciel ordered.

"Very well," Sebastian said. The chains jangled as he unwrapped them. As soon as Sebastian lifted the lid, two snakes shot out of it like rockets in Ciel and Chêne's direction.

"!!" they gasped. But Sebastian had already caught the snakes by the time they flinched, stopping them just inches away from Ciel's face. Ciel fell backwards and hit the floor with a thud. Chêne blinked and straightened up.

"You okay?" she asked Ciel.

"Wh—Wha—!?" Ciel exclaimed with his brow furrowed, sweating nervously.

"Heh! They seem to bear you plenty of ill will, Young Master," Sebastian said, smiling wryly. He switched to holding both snakes in one hand and helped Ciel up with the other. "Which is why I asked... 'Are you sure?'"

"———!" Ciel didn't know what to say to that, but a vein throbbed on his head.

"Oh, it's you!" Chêne said, making Ciel look back at the crate.

"!!" Ciel gasped. "Y-You're—!" He stared at the tied up and gagged young man with white hair and scaly skin who had snakes slithering all over him. "Snake!" Snake glared up at them.

"Mister Phelps's murderer... the fourteenth person really did exist," Sebastian said.

««« Rewind «««

Sebastian was preparing the food for the next few days after having been murdered. He perked up upon hearing a sound that was out of place in the manor. The sound of something sliding and slithering through the air ducts.

"It seems we have an uninvited guest," he observed.

=†=†=†=†=†=

Sebastian calmly popped open his pocket watch to check the time.

"UAAAAH...!!" Phelps screamed in agony with tears streaming down his face, which was contorted with pain, foaming at the mouth. "HELP MEEE...!!" He was crawling across the floor to get to Sebastian, desperate for help. "AAH...! Oh! Ugh..." Sebastian was busy staring at the snake that was already making its way back up the bell pull's cord to retreat through the vent. "Hel..." Phelps tried to call out weakly, but Sebastian dashed from the room, following the sound of the snake traveling through the vent.