Black Butler: Book About the Unknown

      It’s still warm outside, which is quite strange. I decided to look around. What I saw surprised me. A forest. An autumn forest. Incredibly beautiful, and no snow. But how on earth?! It’s winter now, and there are colorful leaves everywhere, which is very strange.       After hesitating, I decided to walk a bit. Where did this forest near my city come from? No idea. The leaves rustled under my feet. There were no tracks around. No human, no animal. Just a bunch of leaves. I wonder, where am I? Could someone have found me on the street and decided to take me to the forest? And then… do away with me? Although, why?.. I only have food and clothes with me, nothing valuable.       Walking a bit further, I noticed a roof, an alien object embedded in the landscape. When I got closer, I saw an incredibly beautiful building. No less incredible was the fact that there could be a mansion in the forest, in such a wilderness.       It was well-maintained, and smoke was coming out of the chimneys. — Strange way to heat up, it’s nice to know there’s at least someone here…        I didn’t hesitate to take out my phone from my bag, which had died yesterday. I tried to turn it on. It turned on. It must have died from the cold yesterday. The time was five in the morning. I decided to inspect the mansion from the outside. I started walking around when I heard strange sounds.        — What’s that? — I followed the sound. It led me to the back of the mansion. — Kittens! Yes, I just love cats. — Whose are you? No collars, so you live on the street? Are you at least fed? Aren’t you cold? — I picked one up in my arms. — God, how can you be born so cute?        I started petting one, and it purred in response. Cute. Eventually, I sat down. The kittens weren’t afraid of me, on the contrary, they approached. — Maybe you do live here after all? Ha-ha! You’re rich! I would have continued to pet and cuddle the cats, but I clearly heard footsteps behind me. They were getting closer and closer. I froze, and the kitten jumped out of my hands. — Do you like cats? — the footsteps stopped. “What? English? But I’m not in an English-speaking country. Without turning, I decided to answer in English too. It’s not for nothing that I’m studying to be a translator.” — Yes, I do, — I answered quietly without raising my head, but then this person sat down next to me and poured food for the cats into a dish. Finally, curiosity got the better of me. And I looked up at the man. My first impression — handsome. You’d have to look hard to find someone like him.        But then he turned and looked at me in return. I saw something familiar in his gaze. It took me a minute to realize who was sitting in front of me. And now I was in shock. No, not the usual shock, I felt like I was dreaming. His hair was real, his face seemed real too. His eyes were brown, shimmering with red. Amazing. And I was shocked because this person reminded me of Sebastian. Yes, that very Sebastian Michaelis. But that’s madness, nonsense! Is it possible that this is just a perfect cosplay? — Is something wrong? — he asked. And now I was convinced for the hundredth time. The voice was the same. I stood up abruptly and stepped back.       He looked at me and… it seemed he caught me when I fainted. Apparently, I didn’t even realize how cold I was. When I woke up, I realized I was lying in a bed, it was soft and very comfortable. Much more comfortable than my bed at home. I could compare this bed to a cloud and…       — Oh, you’re awake?        Out of surprise, I pulled the blanket and swung it to cover the potential killer and run. But I froze, because it wasn’t a very wise choice. — Oh, take it easy. I’m not going to harm you.       I tried to find the right words. I had some problems with the language barrier. I needed to overcome it… The person I covered with the blanket turned out to be Sebastian. And I started to think about how he could so easily free himself from the blanket’s captivity. — I… I… — I couldn’t find the right words. “How can I start a conversation properly? I need to think very carefully before I say anything.” — My master has kindly allowed you to rest here. — The butler said, and in response, I just gripped the blanket tighter. — Let me know when you feel better — the butler was about to leave.        — May I speak to the owner of… umm… this castle? — “Castle? Oh, God! Castle? I forgot how to say mansion… Alright, pull yourself together. If you want to explain the situation properly and stay here for at least another day, you need to speak normally. Prepare your sentences in advance.” Sebastian smiled. — Of course, but he is very busy right now. — Y-yes… O-okay, thank you. — He had already left, but I stopped him again. — What happened? — I asked. — It got colder outside, and as I understand it, you were outside for a very long time… — And I froze… — Correct, and now if you’ll excuse me. Sebastian left the ro om. Silence fell.       Oh, God, I asked to meet Ciel. What if it’s not Ciel anymore, but his children? Maybe he’s already old? Or grown up? And, what am I even thinking? Maybe I’m dreaming? Or I died and ended up in another world? No, it’s probably a dream. After all, I don’t believe in reincarnation. Okay, Lera , calm down! Everything will be fine. But if I’m not dreaming, and when I get better, they’ll send me to Ciel, and I won’t make a good first impression.       My English accent is far from perfect. If I assume I’m in an anime, then my clothes are totally out of place for the time Ciel lives in. My anxious thoughts continued for about an hour. No longer, because I fell asleep again. Soon it was morning, eleven o’clock. Now this is what I call a proper waking time. I got out of bed, my head wasn’t spinning, and it was warm. I turned my head toward the fireplace, apparently, the rooms had been heated while I slept. I slowly put my feet on the floor, still not feeling dizzy. Approaching the window, I touched the clean glass. — Cold… — the window was very cold, despite being a single-pane window. — The space between the two panes is quite modern.        Must have been invented recently, probably warmer than just one pane in a window. I walked toward the wardrobe, which stood opposite the bed. I opened it. Inside it was empty, except for a pair of shoes. — Strange, although… — there is only one girl in this house, I mean the maid. Of course, if everything I’m seeing isn’t staged. Turning around, I looked at the bed; it’s impossible not to be amazed by such a beautiful interior. — Ah! — I ran and jumped onto the bed. It’s already eleven, so if I fell asleep here, it’s definitely not a dream? I know there are exceptions like “a dream within a dream,” so, if I’m not dreaming? Then… when can I talk to Ciel and… what do I even say?       Okay, I need to think. If I say that I know everything about him, he’ll definitely kill me, since his contract with Sebastian is top secret… Maybe I should mention something about his identity? For example, that he’s the Earl and the Queen’s Watchdog. But that information isn’t so secret, although not everyone knows who exactly the Watchdog is. If they did, they’d definitely want to kill him. If I talk about his brother, then… no, not an option, he’d definitely kill me for that. — Argh! Why is everything so complicated?! Why do I even think I need to prove something to him? What if he asks about me? What will I say to him? — I said all this out loud, no, really, what should I do? — Don’t worry about that, I’m sure everything will be fine. “Huh? What?” I turned my head and saw Sebastian. — Have you been standing here the whole time?! And what did you hear? — I asked anxiously. — Hmm… at least all your worries… — Don’t do that again! What if I decided to change here? — I apologise, next time I’ll definitely… — he looked at me… — knock…