I witnessed Frederick curiously following Sebastian with his eyes to the door.

"My butler really loves cats," I explained to him with a chuckle.

"Ah," he forced out a laugh, appearing to be lost in his own thoughts. Then, snapping out of them, said, "Oh, Y/N, I remember Alex mentioning that you like cherry wine, so I acquired some especially for today," he motioned to his servant who brought out a bottle and poured us each a glass of the dark red liquid.

"Wow," I said in amazement, "you and Alexander were certainly close. It's strange, but I don't remember him ever mentioning you."

"Yes," he was zoned out, his mind somewhere at his distant memories, "we didn't always see eye to eye, Alex and I. Especially lately, the last months before... the accident... but I always considered him a friend," Frederick suddenly looked back up and cheerfulness returned to his face, "but we shouldn't dwell on the past. A toast," Frederick held up his glass and I did the same, "a toast to new beginnings."

"To new beginnings," I repeated and took a long sip of the wine in unison with Frederick.

Swallowing, I scrunched my nose at the taste as it was completely off.

"Is it not to your liking?" Asked Frederick.

"Oh, no, it's quite good, just a bit strong," I lied out of politeness and took another sip of the drink to support my words.

Definitely off. It made my throat itch a little.

"Before I forget," Frederick began saying, standing up from his seat, "I have something of Alexander's that I would like you to have. If you'd please come upstairs with me," he motioned towards the tall stairs in invitation.

It felt awkward to have to stay one on one with Frederick, whom I've just met, regardless of his politeness and hostility. I threw a glance at the closed doors, hoping Sebastian would be back already, but he wasn't.

You're overthinking things again. There's nothing to worry about.

"Sure," I told the awaiting man and followed him up the steps.

We walked in silence for a bit and I took the time to note all the different kinds of mounted animal heads that decorated the walls of the second floor. I never understood how a poor creature's remains could possibly be considered a trophy worthy of hanging up as a decoration. The heads seemed to be following me with their eyes as we walked down the corridor, making my skin crawl.

"Just through here," Frederick held open the door for me.

The room was a lot simpler than I expected it to be in such a wealthy house. Other than the bed and the bookshelf, the only thing worthy of catching my eye was the foreign looking carpet.

I was going to comment on it when I suddenly felt a wave of light headedness wash over me. My vision darkened and I had to lean against the wall to keep from fainting.

The feeling left as quickly as it had arrived.

Strange.

Frederick didn't seem to notice my sudden indisposition.

"You have the most curious butler," the man said, "I almost thought that he might not even be human, but that would be absurd," he laughed, not suspecting how close to the truth be actually was. Frederick picked up a long box from the bookshelf before continuing, "he was so glued to your side, I was afraid he'd never leave, but I'm glad that I got the chance to have this moment alone with you."

I tensed at his words, as a seed of skepticism sprouted in my mind.

"This was a gift from Alexander," Frederick slid the cover off the box he was holding to reveal a polished silver dagger. He picked it up into his hand and let the light play on the reflective blade. "I want you to have it."

I thanked Frederick for the gift and reluctantly took it from his outstretched hands, amazed by the weapon's lightness. The hilt truly was a work of art, designs embedded with small gems decorating its length.

"It's beautiful isn't it," he said and I nodded in agreement, "but nowhere as beautiful as you."

What.

A pit formed in my stomach.

I didn't know his intentions and didn't want to assume bad things, but the way he spoke the words, low and gravelly, made me eye the door across the room. It was the only exit and if I ran for it now I could probably make it.

Frederick must have uncovered my intentions, as he casually sauntered to the door, locking it in an instant.

Trigger warning: sexual abuse (I'm not making it graphic, but please skip the rest of the chapter if you need to)

I gulped, backing away from him.

"There's nothing to be afraid of," said Frederick. His melodic voice from earlier was completely changed to a low and gruff one, and all cheerfulness was erased from his face only leaving behind the sharp, beady eyes.

The man strode towards me like a spider towards a prey caught in its nets.

I had to do something, quick.

Damn it.

"Sebastian," I called out into the empty room, my shaky voice reverberating against the smooth walls.

"He won't hear you," Frederick said darkly, "these chambers are on the far side of the manor, you are separated by dozens of rooms and halls. It's just you and me here, sweetness."

Panic rushed through me.

I tightened my grip on the dagger in my hands and, pointing it in his direction, ordered, "don't come closer."

Frederick ignored my threat. He began unbuttoning his suit with his clumsy sausage fingers, staring me down with the eyes of a starving animal.

"Alexander talked so much about you," he said, "every time he came over, he wouldn't stop saying how wonderful you are and how much he loved you. He made me realize that even though I had never met you, I also cared for you; I truly care for you, Y/N."

His senseless words repulsed me, and as he took another step towards me, the only thing I could think of was the door and what separated me from it.

Frederick continued saying, "I knew it then that you are the one thing I truly want, my dream. But I respected Alex and would never get in the way of you two, but now... I can finally make my dream come true. When I finally saw you at the funeral, I knew I had to have you even if it's the last thing I did."

A large, sadistic smile drew itself over his face.

"Don't fight this, Y/N. Even if you don't love me now, you'll learn to love me. You'll discover that I can care well for you. I can treat you well; better then Alex ever treated you. You will thank me for this later."

He took another step in my direction; I let him come. My heart pounded in my ears like a war drum at the brink of a battle.

"You're deranged, Frederick," I spoke low, shaking with rage and hatred, "I'll never love you, and I'll never let you close to me."

At that, I launched myself at him like an arrow released from a bow, aiming the silver dagger right for the center of his large chest.

Don't underestimate Phantomhives.

But to my astonishment, my movements turned out a lot slower and weaker than I intended them to be, as if I was moving through water.

Out of nowhere, dizziness coated my mind; my ears began rinind.

The dagger, completely missing its mark, slipped out of my hand and hit the floor with a dull thud.

I brought my hands to my spinning head but couldn't tell if they were my own.

"What..." the word barely left my suddenly numb tongue.

The wine.

I suddenly realized.

I knew there was something off about it. He set everything up.

A smiling face towered over me, dark eyes digging through my very soul. Large hands grabbed my waist tightly; my skin crawled with repulse under them.

I wanted to fight; to defend myself from this man, but my members wouldn't listen to me. They dragged me down, suddenly seeming to weigh a ton each. I wanted to scream from the helplessness and the frustration.

The darkness in my eyes grew heavier.

Suddenly, the world spun around me and I felt myself falling.

"Sebastian," I no longer knew if I screamed the word or simply thought it; I just wished with all the might that I had left that he would hear.

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