Sabrina Luthferd
The butler moved aside, giving me some space to enter the manor. I reluctantly stepped inside, my hands clutching on my dress.
"Mistress has been waiting for you, Julienne..." He trailed off. "And so have I."
I sent out a confused look. I do not get why he, the person who has aided in torturing me, would wait for me.
"Don't you remember me?" He solemnly asked. His eyes showed a hint of pain which made me more confused than I already am.
"Victor Gallaghad." I answered, my mouth dry upon mentioning his name.
"That is nothing but my name, my beloved." He sadly smiled, his gloved hand reaching for my cheek.
I quickly backed away. I'm obviously afraid of any skin ship to occur between him and I. He stopped his hand and let it fall to his side. His expression was hurt but he simply brushed it aside by adjusting his clothing.
"Follow me." He inquired as he started to walk ahead.
I did as I was told and followed him. Letting my mind wonder, I recalled the events that occurred yesterday.
I did not have the nerve to go back to the Phantomhive manor ever since the truth about my identity was revealed. I am now his sister. What right do I have to stay upon his property? I decided to stay the night in my old house. It was the right decision for me to not sell that house just yet. That night, all my forgotten memories were pieced together into a big completed puzzle. It all started to make sense. Amidst the memory came one goal that I needed to fulfill:
Find Juliana Phantomhive.
She has the answers to questions that I have not still answered.
I did not know how to find Julia until Jim came and offered I a little bit of help. I managed to attain from him information of a Julienne Greenmount who returned after a long while of missing. Her family died a week after her return, leaving her alone with her mysterious butler. She remained aloof from the noble society, never leaving her manor for the past years.
Julienne Greenmount. That is my real name. There is no way that someone can take my identify and fool my family unless it is her.
With this conclusion, I set out to go to the Greenmount estate which left me to this situation.
I said no word until we reached the grand staircase adorned with golden carpet which matched the gold interior design. It branches to the left and right after a few steps up. In the branching sat a lone lavish golden throne. And there sat a lady I'm very familiar with. She had his head propped by her right hand, her elbow supported by an arm of the throne that shows how bored she is currently.
She was wearing a golden dress, her accessories also gold, and even her cosmetics showed a glint of gold. I have no problem in determining what her favourite colour is. Her hair remained the colour of blonde and her eyes had the same hazel glow as mine. However, her orbs showed insanity which I do not recall that she used to have.
I stopped my walk, settling on the ground near the stairs. Her eyes shot up towards my demeanor as Victor stopped just behind the throne.
"Oh my, oh my!" She clapped as her eyes widened with surprise and joy. "If it isn't my beloved friend, Julienne!" Her voice was laced with honey coated sweetness as a cruel grin made its way to her lips.
"Explain." I ordered her. I should keep my mouth sealed or else I might say something inappropriate towards her.
"Oh! It seems like you came without fully restoring your memory!" She shook her head in an exaggerated manner. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Bad move, my dear friend!"
She giggled before leaning on her golden throne. "But worry not! I shall indulge your request for an explanation."
She pointed at Victor without sparing a glance at him. "Demon! Get me my tea!"
"Yes, Mistress." Victor gave a curt nod, following her direction quietly. A tray was already positioned behind the throne, making him access the ingredients to tea quite quickly.
I felt a soft tug on my chest as I watched his figure. How rude it is to call someone a demon. Yes, he is indeed a demon but he has a name.
"I still remember the time we used to play, Julienne! It was fun with you and Brother!" She exclaimed quite childishly, making my attention turn back to her. "I do not really favor Elizabeth. She is such a bitch!~"
"Anyway! Life can be quite harsh, though." She took the cup from her butler, sipping while her eyes still remained on me. "Everything turned shit when we were taken by that cult and when my parents died. They took us away from Brother. They ruined our lives. They corrupted us." Her eyes got darker.
"Brother promised to save us! To take us away from that hellhole!" She suddenly shouted, throwing the teacup on the ground. The porcelain shattered to pieces, the liquid oozing and staining the golden carpet. "But he didn't! We waited but he didn't come! He's a liar! I hate him! I hate him!"
"Then they... They touched me everywhere... It was horrible." She muttered in a hushed tone. She embraced herself as if she was recalling bad memories. "And they didn't touch you! I hate you! I hate you!" Her crazed eyes fixated back to me. It looked like she wanted to end my life here and now.
I gulped, unsure of what to do. She then smiled cheerfully, clapping her hands in a dismissive gesture.
"That is when I realized that Brother would not come save me!~" she concluded, her cheerful voice back. "I did not know how but a demon listened to my call one day! In exchange of my soul was his loyalty!~ Ah, that was really a beautiful day! Everyone was killed by a servant of mine! Their intestines and blood decorated the dark room and I sat there, elated and fulfilled." She sadistically laughed.
Juliana lifted her dress, revealing a black symbol engraved on her left leg. It resembles the symbol on Ciel's eye.
"But afterwards, I did not know what to do. I already got revenge a bit too early. Too boring, if you ask me." She said as she dismissed the first topic by dropping the hem of her dress to cover her legs once again.
"Then I thought, 'Oh wait! I still have not casted my revenge to my beloved Brother!~'. I decided not to come back as Juliana Phantomhive but as Julienne Greenmount! It was easy to fool Auntie and Uncle. I killed them a week after though. They started to get suspicious, that's why." She shrugged.
She killed my family and now she is revealing that to me as if she had tea for breakfast!?
She smiled at me innocently.
"And that is when you came in the picture! I looked for you everywhere! Jeez, that was so hard! You were about to be exported to the land of America to be a prostitute!~"
"It took time to erase your memories and fabricate them to resemble mine. Demon needed to strap you up to a chair and emerged you to a tub with hallucinating drug. It soon worked and now we have a dummy! I left you out in the streets and let things take their course."
"... Brother soon found you, fell in love with you, and he's now suffering." She cackled. "Isn't that a master plan? Oh yes, before I forget! I even killed the bitch for you! Of course there are surprising events such as the arrival of that blonde lunatic and that scary old silver haired man."
"But nonetheless, that only made my wait shorter!" She grinned. "Look! You are in front of I six years earlier than I expected!"
She then stood up from her throne and slowly descended down the stairs.
"Did you enjoy playing house and hide and seek with my beloved brother?" She curiously asked in pure mockery, her breath hitting my face. "I had fun watching you from afar, I admit!"
Is this only a game for her? Is ruining one's life just a game!?
With gritted teeth and clenched fists, I met up with her gaze. My hazel eyes burned with hate as I released all the frustration I was keeping in.
"How dare you do this to me!?" I exclaimed, pointing my index finger to her face that only showed glee. "It is not my fault that we have arrived at such misfortune! I do not deserve this pain! The pain of starving in the streets, having no one, being betrayed, falling in love with a relative just to satisfy your sick desires of having revenge!" Tears invaded my vision while Juliana remained passive, even bored.
"Do not take it too seriously, Julienne." She said, rolling her eyes. "This is just a game. No need to get so angry."
"... You don't want to look so frustrated in front of your beloved after all, am I right?"
I stopped. What does she mean?
Right at that moment, the doors opened followed by a voice that I can never forget who it belong to.
"Julienne!"
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(Bakamono: Three chapters left!
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