That Butler, New Face

That Butler, Agitated

"... Let me get this straight, now," Chêne said as she placed some scones in the oven to bake while Sebastian prepared Ciel's morning tea. Ciel had insisted on returning to the manor house after they left the Crystal Palace, since he had run out of patience for the bustling city of London, so Chêne had prepared some guest rooms for them while Sebastian tucked Ciel in for the night. "While I was getting Prince Soma and Mister Agni settled in last night, you and Ciel took a closer look at that card the queen gave him, and you found a letter with orders for a new investigation tucked inside of it...?"

"Yes. Apparently, someone has been targeting couples on their wedding days, and several brides have already been murdered. However, since the incidents have all taken place in the countryside, and they have been hushed up by the local authorities so as not to create a panic, the unfortunate incidents have not been made public in the London newspapers yet. These incidents do not seem to involve the underworld, but Her Majesty wishes for the young master to solve this case before Christmas Day, so that her citizens will not be cowering in fear on such a 'joyful' occasion. The local police seem to be utterly hopeless and unreliable on this matter, so she is making an exception this time," Sebastian explained.

"I see... I can't believe they managed to keep something like that quiet... how many victims are there, and how long has this been going on? Where is this happening? What's the M.O.?" Chêne asked, furrowing her brow slightly in concern. To be killed on what was supposed to be one of the happiest days of your life... how terrible. It was on a whole new level of 'suck'.

"It seems there have been four victims so far. In most cases, the bride was shot by an unseen gunman, who seems to have come and gone completely unnoticed on every occasion. However, there was one instance where one of the grooms was killed as well, when he tried to shield his new wife. The killer seems to be consistently targeting young brides who are petite, brunette, and Catholic. It seems they were all 'rushed weddings' as well. These events have all taken place in the neighboring county. They have occurred over time from the first victim, at the end of this September, until the most recent one, which occurred just the day before yesterday," Sebastian stated calmly. "I will explain everything in more detail once the young master has finished his business with Lord Randall, but for now, you have been given the task of taking care of most of the arrangements for the ceremony."

"What ceremony?" Chêne asked, confused. Sebastian turned to face her, giving her a positively radiant shit-eating grin. She sweat-dropped. That was never a good sign...

"Why, our wedding ceremony, of course," Sebastian stated matter-of-factly, beaming with all the blinding brilliance of the sun itself. Chêne gaped at him, completely dumbstruck.

"... Huh...?" she asked, not believing what she had just heard. She must still be asleep in her bed, or something... there was just no way Sebastian would say something like that in real li—

"As time is of the essence, and a detailed investigation would take far too long, it has been decided that you and I shall hold a wedding ceremony that meets the same requirements as all of the previous victims in order to catch the culprit in the act, and therefore, allow us to close this case within the next three days, or so," Sebastian said practically.

"O-Oh... So that's what you meant..." Chêne said, exhaling the breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding in. So they were going to have a pretend wedding... That made sense, and Chêne knew she would probably be an ideal victim since she pretty much fit the description of all the killer's previous victims. It was a little disappointing that it was just pretend, but at the same time, Chêne was relieved because she definitely wasn't ready to make that kind of commitment yet, I mean, she was only nineteen. She wasn't even old enough to legally drink yet in her original world! "I know how things work in my world, but I'm pretty sure some of the customs are different here..." she said hesitantly.