Narrator's POV

Elizabeth Midford smiled as she walked out of the fencing room, Paula had just told her that the twins had come for a surprise visit!

Rushing to her bedroom, she changed out of her fencing clothes and hurried into a cute pistachio green dress that had pastel pink detailing.

Making sure her shoes were as flat as could be to minimize her height difference compared to her short cousins, she left the room and quickly made her way to the drawing room.

Opening the door, she saw the Phantomhive Twins sitting on a loveseat.

Her parents had already left, so the three teens were alone.

"Hi Ciel! Hi Astre!" She happily greeted, tackling them in a hug

"Hi Lizzy." They both gasped out, being hugged so tightly that it was hard to breathe

"I missed you both so much!" The blonde cheerfully exclaimed

"We missed you too." They replied

With that, she freed them from her hug and sat across from them.

As she sat down, she immediately noticed Ciel's left hand possessively rest on Astre's right thigh.

Lizzy knew in her fiancé's heart, she was second place and she accepted that.

Ciel deeply deeply deeply loved Astre, to the point most would call it unhealthy.

But she understood Ciel's love towards Astre, she felt the same way —though not quite to the same extent.

Astre was so sweet and everything was perfect since he had made the right choice.

She remembered waiting to make her entrance that day a week ago to help accuse Astre of the music hall's crimes, but Undertaker had come to her last moment and told her how plans had changed.

So, instead of accusing Astre, they had pointed their fingers to Sebastian instead.

Lizzy bit her tongue, her closed lips maintaining her pleasant smile, she hoped she could have a conversation alone with Ciel soon.

During their time together at the music hall, they had talked for hours and hours, but the majority of their conversations were always about Astre.

But, they had thought at the time that Astre would choose his servants over them, so their talks had been about how they would punish the younger twin for a little bit before welcoming him back with open arms.

Obviously, Astre had subverted their expectations and not made the decision they thought he would.

So what would they be doing now?

***

A few minutes later, she got just that.

The engaged couple went for a walk in the manor's garden while Astre went to the room he and Ciel would be staying in to do Funtom paperwork.

So, holding onto her fiancé's arm with their fingers laced together, Lizzy smiled as they walked through the gravel path in the garden.

After a minute or so of pleasant silence between them, she spoke.

"What is the plan now, Ciel?" Lizzy asked

"Nothing has changed, we just have to skip ahead past the humiliation straight to the welcoming back." Ciel cheerfully replied, "Astre was so smart and brave turning against Sebastian so it is only fair for us to smother him with our love."

"And how will we do that?" The blonde asked

"By making sweet Astre love us, of course." The undead Earl answered

Lizzy's eyebrow rose, "B-But he already love us? Doesn't he? Is that not why he chose you over Sebastian?"

"Astre loves us with familial love. What I want is for him to love us as we love each other." Ciel explained

Her emerald eyes widened a bit, "B-But he is y-your-"

Lizzy nearly squealed in pain as Ciel squeezed his nails into her palm, stopping her from finishing her sentence.

"Is my future wife disagreeing with me?" The blunette asked

She shook her head, "Never."

"Good." Ciel smiled, lacing their fingers back together, "Did you love Astre when you thought he was me?"

"Yes." She confirmed, he had already asked her this before

"And as I told you before, I am not mad about that. In fact, I want you to love him like that again." He continued, "It is my dream for us to all be married together. But since the world is stupid and hates our love, the two of us would be legally married but treat Astre as if he were married to us."

Lizzy nodded, that sounded like a good idea.

***

The room was silent save for the occasion rustle of paper and the scratching of the quill as Astre did his paperwork.

Before long, he was already halfway through his stack.

His attention was taken from his work when he heard the door to the bedroom open.

At first, the blunette thought it was his twin returning from his walk with Elizabeth but —much to his surprise— it was Undertaker.

"You are a lot like her, little lord." Undertaker softly said in a tone the blunette had never heard the reaper use before, "The same stubbornness, the same heart, you have her smile."

"Smile?" The teen questioned, he had not smiled in front of the reaper since before that month

"Not a conventional smile, it is in your eye. When you are pleased your eyes crinkle and your mouth barely hints at a smile."

"What are you hoping to accomplish?"

"In the short term or long? Or do you refer to me coming to speak to you?"

"All of it."

"As you have recently become aware of, I am your grandfather." The reaper began

"Does anyone know that besides Ciel and I?"

"Lizzy is aware as well, but no one else. Claudia and I planned to keep it a secret, not even your father knew. I asked Elizabeth to not tell her brother or parents what she knows and I would appreciate it if you did not either."

Astre nodded.

"I came to talk with you because I have seldom had the opportunity to see you these past few years. All of our conversations before were all 'business' related."

"I see. What of your other goals?"

"In the short term, I only wish to free you from the monster plaguing you as well as return Ciel fully to life." The reaper explained, "In the long term, I hope to find a way to reverse the deaths of the rest of our family: your parents, your grandmother."

"What of my aunt?"

The Undertaker was silent for a moment, "Ah, you still do not know."

"Know what?"

"You will know soon." Undertaker smiled, leaving the room while also leaving Astre with more questions than answers...