(Buckingham Palace, 1863)
"You do not approach that child or else our family will fall from the queen's grace." A countess once hissed to her daughter as she discretely pulled her away.
Not only her but the others who noticed the abnormality amongst them. They were all staring and observing the beautiful child, wearing a black dress to the Queen's Ball. She may look like she's grieving but others whisper to each other that it's been a year since her parents' death and just being rebellious.
"Long live the Queen." The child greeted to her grandmother who just nodded in acknowledgement. Once she did what she just have to do, Agatha boldly walked out of the hall leaving the nobles especially women lean to their friends to gossip about the ever mysterious granddaughter of Queen Victoria.
She is Agatha Tabitha Claudia Hesse-Darmstadt, the only child of the late Grand Duke and Duchess of Hesse in Germany. Although it was unfortunate that her mother died when she was three years old and her father two years ago, so it was no wonder that some had created a nickname for her whilst she is yet to be introduced to the society, 'The Cursed Child'.
There was a pair of mother and son watching that said child's every move. "Poor child." She said with her lips covered behind her fan.
The son took the initiative to follow the girl. There was no problem as the mother doesn't care for such rumors, her family is strong enough to disobey the queen for things such as these, and the fact that she, Claudia Phantomhive, is known to be the best friend of Agatha's mother, Alice, makes her worry about the girl.
Agatha, who got out of the hall, quickly paced towards the other hall where the portraits of the Queen's children are displayed. Her light blue eyes observed one painting after the other until she reached the third portrait, it was her mother's.
Her mother's brunette hair adorned with roses, the white dress with black lace to remember Agatha's maternal grandfather's death before her mother's wedding, she looked sophisticated and a beauty that could only be admired from afar.
"Mother, I've understood some of the words you've written in your letters for me." It was written in Latin and some of the words were said to be ancient that not even famous tutors could not decipher or translate.
A tear fell from her eyes, one after another, Agatha couldn't hold it back. She fell on her knee and covered her face, she sobbed.
"It seems like water got on your face, milady." Someone said near her.
Agatha looked up with her hands on her face, peeking through her gloved small fingers, "W-who are you?" A boy was kneeling beside her, offering a white handkerchief with embroidered letters 'V.P.'
He looked handsome as he smiled with his eyes closed and she saw a beauty mark under his left eye. "Forgive my impudence, princess. My name is Vincent, heir to the Phantomhive Earldom."
She knew that last name, it was the name that was said to be the 'Ruler of the Underworld'; the name that her mother would often tell a story about with soft words; and one of her middle name was taken from the Countess Phantomhive. "Dia." She muttered the nickname she would often hear from her mother.
Vincent raised a brow, confused at the words she muttered then he figured it out for a second, "I feel honored that the princess knows my mother who is the Countess Phantomhive."
Agatha blushed as she covered the lower half of her face with the handkerchief, "I-I just heard it from my mother."
"I heard from my mother that she and the princess are close friends."
They are, Agatha thought as she wiped her eyes and nose.
Vincent studied her facial structures and secretly glanced at the portrait she was looking at earlier, both of them have the same shape of the face and eyes, however other than that, there were no similarities between them although Agatha's eyes are on the lighter blue shade than the late Grand Duchess Alice's.
"What are you doing here?" Agatha mustered up the courage, even though he is a minor, a few years older than her, he has an aura of nobility and sophistication. "I thought this hall is strictly for the royal family."
He blushed before laughing it off, "Well, I have disregarded that rule to see if the princess would be needing a shoulder to lean on."
It was now Agatha's time to blush at his words and charming face, "I do not need it."
"Of course." The boy went along and observed the blushing girl further.
That was the first moment that the young heir to the Earldom of Phantomhive and the soon to be named heir to the Grand Duchy of Hesse met and exchanged words but it surely won't be the last.
...
(London, 1885)
It was a gloomy weather befitting the funeral of the Phantomhive family. Every noble who knew them gathered around to mourn their passing. There was an obvious odd group in front of their graves, standing while silently mourning for the loss of the charming Earl, his family and servants.
Diedrich, Vincent's 'German dog', had his eyes closed, resisting the urge to cry at his secretly considered brother from his school days. His arms support the woman's body beside him who is continuously sobbing with her right gloved hand holding her handkerchief while the other over her hurting, burning chest.
"That's enough, Agatha." He whispered to the woman. He could tell she was on the verge of fainting, everyone can though they couldn't see her face through the thick cloth of her mourning veil.
Surely, it would be a new topic for the gossipers around the nobility. They could watch the Grand Duchess' chest trembling from crying and the fact that she was being supported by a friend.
"Crocodile tears."
"Oh my, do not say that. The Grand Duchess isn't faking it but is only mourning for the late Earl. You remember how they were once engaged?"
"I see."
The gossipmongers whisper to one another while watching the events fold upon their eyes but not longer as it started to rain hard, making it impossible for the mourners to continue the funeral any longer. One by one, they left the family cemetery leaving the only close friends of the family.
A woman with distinct red hair beside the Italian man, a man with a scar on the left side of his face and a pair of Germans while a young man with checkered hat and a man with black robes and long silver hair, watching from a distance
"My poor Vincent. My poor Rachel." Agatha continued to sob until her voice became hoarse and it became harder for her to breath, she turned to her friend and gripped his coat, saying in desperate, raspy tone, "Richie! We have to find them. We have to find the children!" My godchildren!
"I know. We'll move as soon as we can. For now, we need shelter." Diedrich patiently said, letting go that Agatha called him in the nickname she mercifully proposed against the ones Vincent suggested.
Vincent, how could you leave us without saying goodbye?
...
Note:
I used Queen Victoria's real daughter as reference.
Story Line:
We will follow the manga and some small bits in anime and the second chapter starts after Madame Red's death.
My Own Character's Appearance:
Agatha Tabitha Claudia
(the female version of Viktor Nikiforov's Yuri On Ice)
coz he's beautiful