Young Master, it is time for you to wake up.
You are not addressing me in the proper way.
Please forgive my insolence, Highness.
Your Majesty.
His Butler,
Iso
lated.
Ludlow Castle?
If I remember correctly, it should be undergoing reconstruction into a hotel.
This is a message from the site manager.
He wishes to discontinue construction and reverse the contract.
Good grief. What a good-for-nothing!
Laying down his work because he’s afraid of ghosts?
As if something like this could possibly…
Is something the matter?
Nothing at all.
Let us finish this quickly and head home.
As you wish.
I believe I have seen this painting before.
Could it be a replica?
You, there! Who gave you permission to enter?
Sebastian, do you have any idea why there’s a travelling entertainer here?
How rude.
I am Edward V, King of England!
What’s going on here?
It would seem that the painting is genuine.
Rumour has it that about 400 years ago,
Edward V, who was soon to receive the crown, and his younger brother, Richard, were confined in the Tower of London
where they were eventually assassinated by their own relatives, who sought the throne.
The brothers spent their childhood in this castle.
It is possible that they returned home as mere spirits.
Even though it was just for a few months, the fact is, he was a king.
We have no choice.
I understand.
What are you are talking about?
My Master, Earl Ciel Phantomhive, is at your service, Your Majesty.
Please excuse my improper demeanour.
I was not aware of Your Majesty’s presence.
Very well. I forgive you.
It is rare for me to receive a guest.
Even though Your Majesty calls me a guest,
this castle is the property of my company now.
So, you will be the new administrator, I presume?
No, Your Majesty.
Let me make this clear. I wish for Your Majesty to vacate this castle.
Are you telling a king and his brother, who have been living here for the past 400 years, to leave?
Needless to say, you will be compensated.
It is my intention to comply absolutely with Your Majesty’s will.
Let us discuss a way of reaching an agreement satisfactory to both sides.
Oh, it seems that my younger brother, Richard, has taken a liking to that servant.
This is my butler, Sebastian Michaelis.
Every day must be fun if you have a butler. Don’t you think so?
Indeed, and given he seems to be a rather extraordinary butler, this will undoubtedly become quite interesting.
If I win, this butler will be mine.
Should you win, you may do whatever you desire with the castle.
Do not regret that.
Let us play fairly.
It would be no fun otherwise.
I feel the same way.
I will keep my promise.
Of course you will.
Oh, that is checkmate.
Your Majesty! Did you lie when you spoke of playing fairly?
What did you just say?
Your Majesty?
I never lie!
I detest lies!
This is my chess piece.
I am just using my individual abilities to best effect.
It is not cheating!
Your Majesty, please allow me to speak.
You have my permission, Butler.
It looks as though my master is forgetting his very own credo.
What?
My master firmly believes
that a person who fails to fully utilise the pieces in his hand,
because he abides by some superficial rules, is a fool.
Oh. Well, there is no problem, then.
Now then, Richard.
It’s an order.
You are to serve them wholeheartedly until they are completely satisfied.
Are you sure?
It can’t be helped. I lost.
Yes, my Lord.
Good. Then, it is settled.
This butler will probably not die from some petty thing.
It seems he will be able to continue working for me forever.
I will give my best.
Phantomhive, I lack diversion.
Visit me, as a guest.
It would be an honour.
As you are ours now,
the first thing I’ll do is have you take off this unrefined, crow-like tailcoat.
I wonder what it is.
These are Indian tea leaves, discovered at the turn of the century,
Your Royal Highness.
Even the shoelaces are being ironed. I wonder why.
It is a treatment befitting the footwear of a person of rank.
I haven’t worried about that at all.
I never go outside, you know.
Lord Richard, will you be changing your attire for dinner?
Yes.
You can leave this in my keeping, then.
No!
But you cannot change when your hands are occupied.
This is a very, very important item.
To whom does it belong, I wonder?
I won’t tell you!
So, that is how it is.
Do you want to know?
Will you tell me?
I will not!
So, that is how it is.
Because it will feel sad if I hand it over.
So, that is how it is.
In the year 1483, the two princes disappeared from the Tower of London.
Some 200 years later, the corpses of two children were discovered.
Did they really belong to the princes?
Who was it that–
Who was it that killed them?
To call upon the dead themselves is, most likely, the only way to uncover the truth.
Unfortunately, I am not able to reply.
Your Majesty…
I do not recall anything about the day we were killed.
When I regained consciousness, I was dead and in this castle.
Your Majesty is very kind.
How so?
In my case, I will not forget, for all eternity
the ones who humiliated me.
Nonetheless, it has been 400 years.
The ones who killed us and those who tried to protect us are all long dead.
By now, I am not even able to recall that last sensation.
Pain fades away with the flow of time.
Still, I do not desire to be healed by time.
You are strong, Phantomhive.
What is that?
The preparations for dinner seem complete.
Ah, I see.
Time flies when I am talking to you.
I do not mind if you disregard the stiff etiquette.
Thank you.
Roasted wild rabbit served with red currant jelly and accompanied by local leeks.
He says it is Mr. Rabbit.
Were you able to discover anything?
Hey, Sebastian!
A guest should mind his manners.
The proper way to conduct a dinner
is to engage in pleasant conversation with the person seated next to you.
Next to me? What a…
There is no way pleasant conversation could occur with a person sitting that far away!
Why is the guest making such a racket?
I merely inquired as to whether my butler has made any careless mistakes.
Sebastian is our butler, though.
Ugh. That’s right.
This is Claret.
Well then, let us drink to a new friend and a new butler!
Cheers!
Is something the matter, Phantomhive?
No. Nothing at all.
Sebastian?
Really, you should at least be able to tie your shoelaces yourself.
Sebastian!
What of the princes?
Surely you didn’t come all the way here for the sole purpose of laughing at me?
Though your face, indescribably baffled by a single thin string,
was surely a sight to behold…
Be quiet!
I came because I was ordered to take good care of our guest.
Well then, good night.
This book is a fake,
which means there should be a secret door somewhere…
Can I help you?
What do you want?
Hey, Sebastian!
Is something the matter, dear guest?
Do you not wish to proceed inside?
I don’t recall giving you an order.
Why are you acting of your own free will?
I am the one to make decisions, at least until—
It is part of the service.
The key to satisfying a guest during his stay
is to foresee his wishes and act accordingly at all times.
It is only natural for a butler of His Royal Highness the King of England to be able to do this much.
I will kill you.
Well then, do you wish me to unlock the door?
Open it.
As you wish.
This is…
It seems to be a charnel house.
Please be careful.
It has been a long time since last a human being set foot in here.
Your Majesty, this room…
Originally, it was an underground prison.
Criminals who were not permitted a burial on the church grounds got thrown in here,
and were finally forgotten completely,
even by the Death Gods themselves.
Their souls are not able to open a path to Heaven.
At some point, I decided to create a memorial.
Please allow me to introduce my father.
My father is the king. The queen is my mother.
Perhaps a somewhat ordinary, uninspired role allocation.
Earl Rivers is a rook.
My uncle is a bishop.
The whole family is reunited as a bone parade.
A knight is missing.
This place is meant for Richard.
Are you not able to find him?
That is not the reason. The skull is here.
I had it sent here from the Tower of London some 200 years ago.
However, Richard is not willing to let go of it.
You know, Phantomhive,
I just want to see my little brother off
to the throne of God, where there is no pain and no suffering.
You mean Heaven?
Yes. My wish will be fulfilled if this memorial is perfected.
In other words, you will be satisfied if you acquire the skull?
You wish to have it in your possession
no matter the cost.
Yes. In that case, surely…
Sebastian.
Yes.
This is an order: reclaim that skull.
Yes, my Lord.
And move the chess board to the hall.
As you wish.
What are the two of you doing?
Fulfilling your wish
using the most expedient method.
Please stop!
Let me down, Sebastian!
I beg your pardon, Lord Richard.
What a shame. Here I was, hoping to see a fight between a demon and a ghost.
How boring.
Let go of me, Sebastian.
Brother! Brother!
Richard!
Can you not be a little gentler?
I really find it incomprehensible
that you left a problem of this degree unattended for 200 years.
But I never intended to make my little brother cry.
Don’t!
Richard!
See? We secured the item you desired.
Don’t! I told you, don’t…
Brother! My brother will…
Let Richard go!
This is my order as the king!
Brother!
Oh, I beg your pardon.
Nonetheless, Your Majesty really is a somewhat impotent King.
No!
Richard!
Stop it!
I said stop it, Phantomhive.
It was your wish to acquire it, no matter the cost.
If you go back on that now, it would be no better than the lies you detest.
Sebastian, obey my order!
You belong to me.
Regrettably,
I am bound by my contract exclusively to Earl Phantomhive.
The service I provided to you both was but a part of my work.
I was just faithfully abiding by the orders of my rightful master.
So, even you…
Even you betrayed me.
I was never on your side to begin with.
At all times, I belong to my master alone, with all my being.
Well, it looks like I am to play the role of chief mourner
when it comes to seeing you both off to heaven.
No! Brother… Brother will…
Everything will be all right, Richard.
I am always with you.
This way, everything will end.
So, let the burial ceremony begin.
Why? Why is nothing happening?
Lord Richard did not want His Majesty to find out about this. Am I right?
Yes. Because I was sure my brother would be sad.
Brother, I am sorry I lied to you.
Lied? You lied to me?
Listen, Brother. The truth is,
the skull belongs neither to you nor to me,
but to some unfortunate stranger.
That can’t be.
You forgot that our bones are long gone. Since that day…
You are right, Richard. Ever since that day…
The kind porter told us good night, as he always did.
However, he was the one who let the assassins in.
Even though he said, “It is safe here because I am protecting you”.
That is how I came to hate lies.
They killed me first. Then, it was my little brother’s turn.
I watched from the depth of my motionless body.
Forgive me, Richard.
It must have been terrifying.
But Brother,
the most frightening moment was when I thought
I would never see you again.
They cut our bodies into tiny pieces and dumped them in the Thames.
Devoured by the fish and buried in the mud,
both our flesh and bones vanished completely.
You are right, Richard.
How could I have forgotten that night,
when I failed to protect you?
Please don’t cry, Brother.
Phantomhive,
you were right.
Hatred and grief have ceaselessly been a part of me.
Pain fades away with the flow of time.
Still, I do not desire to be healed by time.
When you flee from pain, longing to forget,
the only thing that remains is stagnation.
You become incapable of moving on.
Ah, I understand now.
Even though I detest lies, the truth is, I have been constantly lying to myself.
Brother, we are sparkling.
This is…
The significance of a burial is that of a tool.
It is neither the skull nor the ceremony itself that holds the power to send a stray soul off.
Thank you for your help, Phantomhive.
Stay well forevermore.
I did not do much.
Ah, one last thing.
There is no need to worry about the castle.
I intend to leave it in its present state.
I am relieved to hear that.
Farewell, Sebastian. Thank you.
Have a safe journey.
Well then. The nuisance is finally gone.
In order to regain the time we lost, proceed at fever pitch!
You liar.
Both hatred and sadness are all yours.
You should turn them into strength and keep moving on.
Some scenes in the next Kuroshitsuji may cause problems if you are watching with your family.
This could result in a slightly awkward atmosphere at the dinner table.
Under such circumstances, clearing your throat is commonly believed to be particularly effective.
I strongly recommend you give this method a try.
Next time on Kuroshitsuji:
Preview
His Butler, Dedicated.
After all, I am one hell of a butler.