(Ciel's POV)
I wake up to cold sheets next to me. I open my eyes. _______ is gone. I jump up. I hastily tie on my eyepatch and pull on my shirt and pants. I dash out the room. If Claude so much as touched her hair... I stop at the middle of the stairs. _______ is sitting in the middle of the entryway. Her vividly red dress is flaired out around her. Her hair is curled around her face. And she is looking passionately... at Alois. She turns, startled by my sudden appearance. She's smiling at me.
"Come down, Earl Bedhead and play chess with me. Alois isn't enough of a challenge," she laughs.
Alois stands up.
"Well it's not fair that you win three times in a row!" He fake yells.
_______ extends her hand and Alois helps her up. She runs up the stairs to me and plants a kiss on my cheek.
"You might want to change before breakfast," she whispers flirtatiously into my ear.
"Oh, yeah right," I mumble as I blush.
"I'll send up Sebastian," she says as she walks back down to Alois and now Claude.
I walk back up to my room. As _______ said, Sebastian was in my room in no time flat. He helped me out of yesterday's outfit and into today's. I chose the blue-black suit that was _______'s favorite.

Even now, even after we pledged our love and are engaged, I have a twinge of fear. I must make sure Alois and _______ don't get any closer.

I must make sure she is mine at last.

"Sebastian, serve breakfast out in the garden, and no Mey-Rin, understand. Also, cater to _______'s favorites. Keep Alois away from this breakfast and try not to make it seem too pushy."

"Something the matter, my lord?"

"Nothing, nothing at all. Just please do it."

Sebastian nods and leaves. I turn to the lone mirror in my room. My contract mark shines unmistakably. I usually hide it around _______, but she says she prefers it uncovered. The shining purple contrasts greatly against the deep ocean blue. Even so, I cover it. I don't want to keep reminding her that I can't join her after death. She just reminds me that it was necessary to keep her alive; without Sebastian she would have been with Claude possibly still. That is the only reason I am glad to have this contract.

I tie my eyepatch behind my head as it's always been. I walk down stairs, but again I stop halfway. _______ is talking to Finny. She laughs at something Finny says and then Finny alerts her to my presence. She turns to face me. She back turns to Finny and tells him good-bye and half runs, half walks to me.
"You're wearing my favorite suit. What's the occasion?" she asks.
"Nothing, I just figured this was a day to wear it. Sebastian is serving breakfast in the garden."
"You are certainly a people pleaser today!" she exclaims and laughs.
I join with in with her until I realize something.

I'm the spitting image of my father. She's dressed in red.

My mind flashes back to the night my aunt was slaughtered by that...bastard. This is her experience backwards. My own Madame Red is being ripped from my hands.