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Chapter 4 Surprisingly Expected
The Hotel Cheri near the Eiffel Tower is a luxury den. I gaze in awe at its sparkling hallway painted in ecru and rose. The crystal chandeliers and marble statues are a sight to behold, and I cannot even breathe freely as I take the gorgeous beauty with my fragile eyes.
“I want to share a room with Maxine. ” Alois clung tightly on my right arm and made a face, ruining the poetic moment of my existence. I tried hard not to remind him of his earlier slight at the café, him forcing me to flirt with someone and feigning innocence.
“after all, she’s the one who wanted me to come here, right?” he grinned as innocuous as he can, showing off his pearl white teeth and shimmering blue orbs.
“I’m afraid of the dark and I can’t sleep alone. If I sleep in Claude’s room, I bet I won’t see daylight.” A deadly aura surfaced from Claude at the mention of his name. “And Sebastian’s so boring!”
“is it okay, Maxine?” Sebastian sighed in frustration.
“it’s fine. I don’t mind it at all.” I smiled at my impatient, yet gracious boss.
“Are you going to sleep with Claude?” the blonde teased.
Before he melts Sebastian’s reserved self-control, I led the brat to my room and bolted the door.
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I fixed my bag to the closet silently as Trancy immersed himself in the Jacuzzi at the bathroom. I yawned lazily, but I can’t sleep early tonight. I need to squeeze a bit of information from the tiny demon, even if I need to take his booty shorts as a hostage.
“Kyaa!!! I feel soo fresh!” speaking of the demon, Trancy just stepped out of the bath, wiping his hair with a towel.
“I’m sleeping naked tonight Maxine. You wouldn’t do anything indecent to me, right?” his eyes twinkling with mischief. “Or do you have secret plans when you let me stay here?”
“Oh, don’t worry. I’m definitely not into younger men.” I fought his seducing gaze with a defiant one. Sebastian mentioned that demons are not necessarily evil. But this one is surely not the peaceful type.
“Oh, my. You’re quite brave, are you not, Norine?”
“You’re strong Alois,” I slightly pushed him away when his face came a little too close to mine. “I’m not easy to bully, though. Well at least not anymore. Sorry sweetheart.”
“Now you’re gaining my interest.” He let the towel covering his lower half fall on the floor. I’ve been noticing this earlier, his hips are quite too narrow for a boy, his body can be mistaken for a teenage girl from behind. I did not dare look at the disturbing lower half, I might get weird dreams tonight.
“I want to ask some questions.”
“And I’m not interested in answering.” He shot back.
I lay in bed as disinterested as him. “Well then, I’ll just sleep and leave you peaceful. I was about to tell a little something about Ciel and Boss Sebastian.”
He pretended to ignore me. But when I closed my eyes and already half-asleep, he shook me gently to wake me. “I’m bored.”
I raised a brow. “I thought you don’t want to talk.”
His golden brow furrowed. “you can be a little bitch sometimes...”
“Back at you?” I yawned my answer.
Trancy sneered. “you did a good job at the café earlier. Getting scolded by Faustus like a little kid.”
I shrugged. ”he’s not the boss of me.”
A haughty smile broke the frown on his face. He leaned closer to my ear and hissed. “I’ll tell you anything you want,” with a light touch, he draws a ticklish invisible line from my ear to my chin. Suddenly, Alois seized my chin and led me to face him eye to eye. Hazel and blue eyes trying to read each other’s thoughts. “But you must win a little game.”
This better be a decent one. The lusty look on his eyes isn’t making me any comfortable.
“If you can make the frozen Claude warm up to you within 3 days, I’ll answer any question. From my sex life to Ciel’s connection with me.”
“That’s sick, impossible, and pathetic.” I mumbled.
“is it?” the blue-eyed monster pursed his lips. “then you have no choice but to ask Michaelis. Not that he’ll say anything about it.” He snickered and hid beneath the covers. Good job annoying me little squirt.
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I woke up the next morning, feeling revitalized. After taking a long bath, I walked tiptoed to the closet in my towel. I pulled a light peach cotton dress and was about to put it on when I heard a knock on the door. I wore it faster than a cheetah, not wanting to be seen like that.
“Room service.” Alois rubbed his eyes and jumped cheerfully out of bed, still strutting in his birthday suit. He opened the door quickly, giving me no time to protest his nudity.
“It’s just you.” Alois moaned in irritation.
“is it much of a bother to at least put on some cover?” Claude’s voiced out his annoyance and entered the room.
“looks like you had a rough night.” Sebastian followed closely behind. He flashed a cute smile to me and I mumbled my’ good morning’.
Alois walked towards me and cuddled, intentionally brushing his warm, naked body against the thin fabric. “We had a great night together.” His enticing tone intended to give the wrong, indecent idea.
I awkwardly turned away. “But of course. Alois is the model of virtue.”
The conversation was cut short when my cellphone played my ringtone in perfect timing. I quickly answered the unexpected call. It’s René, the guy at the café.
“Bonjour,” his low voice greeted me in a thick, sexy, French accent.
“Hello.” I tried to keep it low, avoiding the other’s questioning look.
“I was wondering if you like to tour Paris? Louvre perhaps? I can be your free accompagnateur.” He sounded like a teenager asking a senior to the prom.
“gotta check my sched first. Call you later.” I hung up and face my companions’ odd scrutiny.
“It’s René; he’s asking me if I want to tour Paris with him.”
“The cute French guy you tried to hook up with?” Alois tauntingly winked.
I rolled my eyeballs. “If my memory is not lying, it was you who threatened to leave me at the café if I didn’t get his number.”
He stuck out his tongue childishly and my eyes caught a sight of a pentacle tattooed on his tongue. I was about to bombard him with questions when the chambermaid knocked discreetly at the door to deliver our breakfast.
The freckled brunette was flabbergasted when she saw Alois Trancy in his full bare glory but managed to regain her wide-eyed composure. She set the table with trembling hands and made a graceful exit.
“Will you go with him?” Claude cut the continuation of Alois vs. Maxine debate with an uninterested query.
“If we do not have anything scheduled, then I guess I’ll go.”
“It is your lucky day,” Sebastian declared. “We need to tour France to look for clues. You are allowed to go with him to avoid any suspicion from unwanted parties.”
I happily texted René that yes, I will go with him. Looks like Paris is the city of Love .
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After we toured Louvre museum (and got lost beneath the wide array of classical paintings), we decided to call it a day. My dashing date asked me if I want to have lunch at his apartment. Confident that I can take care of myself, I gladly consented.
We passed along a labyrinth of dark alleys and such. Places that look entirely the same but different. After three hours of walking together to his place, I got impatient and asked. “Where are we?”
His brown eyes blankly stared. “We are almost there.”
“Are we lost again?” I joked.
My date didn’t answer back. Instead he gripped my hand tightly and stopped walking.
“Is everything okay?” I discreetly tried to pull my hand but his hold was too tight even for me.
“Are you a virgin, Maxine?”
I pulled my hand roughly and was able to release myself from his hold. “You’re quite rude. Is that how French men treat women?”
I was frozen in fear when his thin mouth drew a macabre smile. He moved his lips in weird incantation, rolling his eyes upward. In that dark alley, my escort transformed before my eyes.
His slender back suddenly grew huge, bloody wings that spread widely before me. The brown pupils changed to black. The black engulfed his white irises, and with pure black orbs, he stared back, smiling dreadfully. An inverted cross marked his forehead. The tanned skin blushed like the damask rose. Before I found my strength to run, he pulled a long sword from his long sleeve, and pointed it directly at my neck.
Stumped like a moron (okay, I am a moron), I cannot move my body to run, or beg, or scream, or fight back, or use my demonic powers. Just when I thought I was going to die a virgin, a small knife appeared flying out of nowhere and was buried deeply into my captor’s head. The fiend bled green fluid and let out a treacherous howl. It cowered in pain, dropping the huge knife. By instinct, I ran to where the knife came from and felt someone grab my hand. A boy, about the same age as Alois tugged me forcefully to i-don’t-know-where. We ran together like deranged dogs, my mind fixed to just get the hell out of that place. My redeemer is fast and I thank divine fate for willing me to wear ballet flats. If I had gone with the pumps, I’d probably be lame now.
“Can’t you run any faster?” the hero complained. Before I knew it, he pushed me into a car and together, we sped off back to the busy streets of Paris.
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Inside the white Mercedes-Benz, I had the time to observe my rescuer. He has azure hair, almost black, that falls perfectly into place. He covers his right eye with his bangs, the other eye the color blue that outshines the rarest sapphires. He gives the impression of a stoic young man/boy. A very handsome lad.
“For rescuing me,” I gasped awkwardly. “Merci.”
“Tsk,” he scoffed. “next time you should be more wary of your dates. You were so close to being a sacrifice to Azazel.” My French proved unnecessary when he spoke in perfect English accent.
I gulped in terror upon remembering the incident. Is that why he’s asking me if I’m a virgin?
“Was that a- demon?”
The blue-haired young man tilted his head menacingly. “I would take that as an insult, considering the fact that you, miss, are being rescued by a demon.”
I hold my breath. It couldn’t be. Is he-“May I ask your name, savior?”
“Vladimir Bathory, and stop calling me your savior. I’m not Christ.”
I sighed in disappointment. So, he’s not Ciel. He couldn’t be. I let my eyes travel up and down Vladimir’s figure. His skin is ivory, paler than Sebastian himself. Though approximately 5’2, his built thin, his face reveals inner strength. I notice how skillfully he maneuvered the car through Paris’ complicated roads. The way he show independence. He couldn’t be Ciel. Grell pictured him to me as weak, fragile, whiny, helpless and dependent.

“Hey,” he broke the silence with his crystalline voice. “Where are you staying? I’d drop you off right now.”
“Hotel Cheri.” I focused my gaze outside, avoiding his eye. “would you mind staying for a cup of tea? A little token for you. I do owe you my life.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw him pout cutely. “Can you add cake to that? I am a little hungry.”
I nodded in agreement. Way nicer than Alois and his booty shorts.
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Gladly, Alois seemed to have taken a tour himself, so we are peacefully alone in the suite, sipping Earl Gray and eating blueberry cheesecake. It’s perfect time to inquire if he knows anything about Ciel.
“So, Mr. Bathory… You’re a demon right?” I started the conversation quite tactlessly.
Vladimir focused his beautiful gaze at me and smirked. “and your point?”
“I’m a demon myself. Well, a half that is.” Not really proud of my descent but I need to say it anyway.
“Are you sure about that, mademoiselle? You appear to be quite helpless back then.” He frankly commented.
“I’ll prove it to you.”
I fixed my gaze at the teacup he’s holding. I just learned this technique this morning. Boil… boil… boil…
The dark concoction bubbled and the smell of the Earl Gray floated in the air.
“Impressive,” he nodded. “You remind me of a particular demon. I think his name was-”
“Maxine! You came early!” Alois barged in unexpectedly, trotting cheerfully, hands full with shopping bags. The light blue eyes twinkled happily, and blonde wispy hair glistened under the synthetic light.
“Oh you got company?” he noticed Vladimir, who was sitting in front of me, back facing the other demon. “You naughty girl. You switched dates am I right?” he chirped. My new found acquaintance turned to greet Trancy but his jaw dropped in surprise. Like the guest, Alois looked equally shock, dropping his shopping bags on the floor. “Ciel?” the blonde gasped.
“T-Trancy?”
To my amusement, Alois ran the short distance and wrapped his arms around Vladimir. He smiled widely and spun the blue-haired demon around. “It’s you! Gosh.. It is you!”
My eyes widen in disbelief when the taller demon led Vladimir’s chin to his lips and kissed him deeply. It was a long, sweet, lingering smooch that lasted for three, uncomfortable minutes before he was pushed away by the perplexed visitor.
“What was that for?” his ivory cheeks flushed in embarrassment and dignifiedly pulled a handkerchief to wipe his throbbing lips.
“I miss you so much…” Alois ignored the question and instead, held his hand softly.
“I thought you were dead,” a more sympathetic tone from Vladimir.
“I thought I was dead too,” Alois smiled sadly.
“Hold on a second,” I interrupted the reminiscent pair to inquire my blissful ignorance. “You said your name is Vladimir Bathory. Right?”
His eyes turn askance to my direction. “That’s the name my master has given me.”
Alois pulled Ciel/Vladimir to a chair and forced him to sit. He, then perched on the other’s lap and wrapped an arm around his neck. He shot a glare at me, obviously jealous.
“Then why didn’t you contact Sebastian for a hundred years? Did you know that he’s been lonesome and that he’s the one who gathered us to look for you?”
Ciel avoided my eyes and rest a dainty hand on Alois’ hair. “It’s not that I’m hiding from him. I have responsibilities. You wouldn’t understand.”
“Is it true that you’ve been kidnapped by devils?” Alois looked up and stared at Ciel like a lost puppy.
He sighed. “My master’s soul was taken and I’m currently hunting the rascals. I just returned to Paris to try to look for one of their kind. Unfortunately, all that’s left are the dogs.”
“So Rene?”
“One of the dogs. But the real ones are out and about.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m so tired but I cannot stop. I am a butler, and it’s my duty to attend to my master.”
“If we can help you look for your master’s soul, can you promise not to disappear anymore?” I sounded like a school teacher scolding a prep student.
He rolled his eyes in disdain. “I do not need help.”
I leaned closer and met his eye, Alois looking daggers at me. “You’ve been around the world for a hundred years. It’s not about you. it’s about Sebastian. You are his master. Abandoning him like a doll is not a mature move. Besides, Alois is worried about you, too.”
The mentioned snuggled closely, burying his face into Ciel’s chest. “I don’t want you to go.”
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