Waves In The Mirror【Kuroshitsuji】

『IX』

On that gloomy day,
Whose reflection did he saw,
By the window...?

Chapter 9
Those Voiceless Incertitudes

Ciel only stared at the book laid in front of him as his mind reeled back to that particular event once again. His feelings battled on and on for the past few hours, desiring to be named, only to be surpressed as soon as he got a hold of himself. However, being surrounded by cold silence didn't helped his situation. The little peace in it didn't ceased those irritable thoughts, and instead, patched it up temporarily until they could force themselves out again, intensifying the ache once more.

He remembered it so vividly.

The moment they stepped foot at the ground of his manor after returning back from the trip to his townhouse, the three of them suddenly felt shivers down their spines. It was more colder, more somber, and more unsettling; completely the opposite from the one they've had as they left the morning earlier.

Thus, their strides picked up to become gradually brisk, a need to figure out what was going on finally catching up to their breaths. Just above the staircase, in front of the main doors stood the old house steward, who wore a crestfallen expression on his wrinkled face.

"This way, my lord." Was all he said.

Afterwards, they arrived to a particular room, and even from outside, the familiar cries of his servants can be heard even as they were muffled by the wall that seperated them. Slamming the door open, the young earl was about to ask the origin of their predicaments, only to discover the subject of their sorrows with his own visible eye.

Then and there, time seemed to have slowed down.

"What... is the meaning of this?"

He suddenly felt nauseous.

"It appears that Miss Elvilya's heart had stopped beating."

And he doesn't even know where those emotions were coming from.

"We're so sorry, young master!"

Ciel felt like he was far away from them, their voices appeared to have been muted by a single emotion. There was a part of him that couldn't believe the words they've uttered because it almost seemed impossible to be true, knowing how the events have drastically come full circle in the span of a day or two. It was the sole reason why his mind refused to wrap around what had happened. It was that difficult for him to do so.

Even with the room enclosed as neither the door nor the windows were open, the seemingly freezing air went through his clothes and nipped the surface of his skin, subjecting his whole body into numbness whilst being reminded over and over of the bitter truth that he had witnessed on that moment. It was similar to the one he acquired on that fateful night about three years ago. The feeling of losing someone, of grief, and... failure.

A failure for what?

What was it that his heart lamented over?

Despite the lump that had formed at the back of his throat, Ciel glanced towards his loyal butler and muttered.

"Leave me be for a moment."

As a silent response, all of them took their exit except for him. The young earl remained inside the room, gazing at the woman's serene expression with his own aloof one to hide the painful twinge that was gradually blooming somewhere in his chest.