The Final Curtain (Kuroshitsuji)

Chapter Eight: The New Case

The next morning began - as, presumably, all mornings would now begin - with Matilda's singing voice echoing through the whole of the servants' quarters. It seemed the new maid was an earlier riser than the rest.

Her singing voice was unremarkable but by no means unpleasant, and she seemed to have a full repertoire of lyrics at her disposal to accompany her morning activities. Matilda had risen early, washed, dressed, and begun her chores while the rest of the Phantomhive staff was still shaking cobwebs from their brains. When Sebastian - who, as per the usual, had not slept that night - entered the kitchen to begin preparing breakfast for the earl, he found Matilda adding the finishing touches to the young master's meal, and that she had taken the liberty of making a plain but substantial breakfast for all of the servants.

"Good morning, Mr. Sebastian," she piped cheerily as the astonished butler entered the kitchen. "Help yourself to breakfast." she gestured at the corner of the table, where Sebastian found nine plates of crispy bacon, fried eggs, and a slice of toast each, as well as a large teapot and nine steaming cups of tea. His jaw dropped momentarily in his surprise.

"We all need our strength to serve the young master as best we can, yes?" she asked the butler, seeming to read his surprise as insulting. "It's hard work, keeping up an estate like this. Don't worry though, I didn't lose any time over making us breakfast. I grew up on a farm, remember? I can do this in no time, even in my sleep. Oh, and I brought my own teapot and cups when I came here; I didn't use the master's set."

The rest of the servants, including Paula and Agni, began walking through the door to the kitchens, their eyes lighting up at the sight of the meal prepared for them. They ate hungrily from their respective plates, thanking Matilda for preparing the food, Tanaka even embracing his granddaughter as he complimented her skill. Sebastian recovered from his initial shock, taking several bites from his plate for the sake of manners and taste, then inquired, "I see there are two untouched plates of food. One is obviously yours; for whom is the other?"

"The Phantomhive footman, of course," Matilda replied, garnishing the breakfast trays she was preparing for the earl and his guests with a different flower for each person. "I met him this morning in the greenhouse; I daresay he's a new addition?" she picked up a tray with a white rose; apparently, the young master's breakfast tray. "Should I take this to the earl myself, or is that your job?" she asked Sebastian.

The butler came unacceptably close to stuttering before answering that he would take it up to the earl, Agni would take Prince Soma's tray, Paula would take Lady Elizabeth's tray, and Matilda could take the two trays to Lau and Ran Mao. Footman?, he thought to himself, his mind racing momentarily until he remembered Snake. The young master rarely made use of his footman, having only taken him on in the first place out of a fiercely-denied sense of guilt. The entire Phantonhive household had all but forgotten about Snake.

Sebastian quickly recovered and looked at the different flowers on each tray. "A white rose for the master, a pink peony for Lady Elizabeth, a marigold for Prince Soma, an orchid for Lau, and a camellia for Ran Mao. How very clever of you, Matilda. I must compliment you on your creativity."

Matilda beamed at him as she hurriedly consumed half of her breakfast and picked up Lau and Ran Mao's breakfast trays, and all but skipped out of the kitchens. Sebastian watched her and listened absently to the other servants babbling about how fortunate they were to have Matilda working alongside them. He himself was not quite convinced. There was something off about the new maid; he could smell it in her blood. The butler took a deep breath and made his way to the earl's bedroom. He could further investigate the Matilda situation later, but right now he had to remind the young master about Snake.