The year was eighteen ninety one, I had just turned eighteen and I was preparing to honor my engagement to Elizabeth Midford. I was generally happy with affairs in my life, however it was hard to openly be so as all of Europe was in high tensions. Particularly around France and Germany with as much bad history as they share. To make matters worse, a series of bombings erupted from the pressure affecting the neighboring nations: Austria, Italy, Spain, and we Britons are just some of many examples. The politics surrounding these events point many to anarchists or nationalist parties.

But, as expected, the Mistress of Mysteries, Lilith Welhiem had a different mindset from any woman or man out there. Lilith is much a mystery herself, one even she can not solve. Some say she's a madwoman and ought to be kept in an asylum, others say she's a genius and should be highly remarked for whatever she does. I still say she is a perfect mixture of both. It took me several years of knowing her to come to realize all of this.

When I was young, even before I was born, Phantomhive's have served the Queen as a kind of underground police force. After the tragic death of both my parents and several years of recovery with my Aunt. At thirteen I decided to take on the role as the Queen's guard dog, doing what she asked with little question. At that young age I believed that I would one day see the man who took my parents from me, brought to justice. I was desperate for revenge but of course Lily, my choice nickname for Lilith, changed my point of view entirely.

It was rumors of a Mafia in Milan that planed to destroy the British monarchy that brought us at cross roads. She only came as a guest for a chess tournament, which revealed to be run by the Mafia that indeed plot against Britain. She had suspicions of the event before I had even gave it a second thought. With all that conspired, and admittedly there was a dangerous look in her eye when we parted paths my last day in Milan, I wrote her majesty of her perception in high remarks.

Since then we have worked together on our missions for the Crown, but I always knew it was far more than that to Lily. It's always something more. Nothing what it seemed. Thus came Lilith's suspicion in that of the bombings.

Another had just been announced in Strasbourg, announced to be Anarchists as a young dirty blonde boy walked down Stratton. He quickly exchanged packages with a cloaked figure, keeping the sealed box close to his person.

This boy, you should know, is Charity Higgins. While his origins are questionable, he has brought himself to be a well-off lad with help from a dear friend. Lilith had known him from before he rose to his comfortable position and seems to favor him, although it is rather clear that he is a fickle fellow. Knowing Lilith as I do, I had always questioned what she saw in him and I still question her now. 

The young miss was greeting patrons of the passing market, spying the boy though her guise. It was a long, straight, black haired wig, braided in a ponytail that dropped down midway on her dull blue kimono.

"A perfect Asian doll!"

People would muse. She would grin with a proper Japanese bow as she excused herself a moment, slipping a handful of rice and cocoa beans from a passing stall into the dress. She trailed the lad lightly, her woven sandals not making a sound as she came next to him with her recognizable giggle, distracting him enough to slip a loaf of bread for his package. She then trailed to the other side of him, holding his arm like his lover. He looked puzzled a moment, before seeing the switch, giving the loaf a sneer and Lilith a playful glare.

"Now, when did you start working for the Post?"

She asked casually with a smirk, Charity returning it with a small and obviously fake grin.

"Oh, so that was you back there! It's such a shame these events have landed you to higher prostitution."

He seethed, somehow both loathing and adoring her company for the time being. Lily felt the make of the package with vacant curiosity that hid her perception ingeniously.

"Rather strange gift...To whom is it intended?"

It was both a ploy and a tease and he knew it. He knew Lilith's ways but he always had something to throw back.

"Why don't we discuss this over dinner?"

He gave her both a fake and genuine smile that hid his intentions but exposed his emotions as he would always for her. She read him like a novel as she mimicked the sincerity in her consideration.

"I'm free for lunch..."

She trailed with hints of interest for the affaire. Charity gave a slight pout.

"It seems I'm not...How about the Sequoia at...perhaps Eight o' clock?"

He suggested looking for her agreement on the ideal.

"Seems reasonable."

She concluded as the continued down the way.

"Will you be coming as yourself or must I interview every lovely young lady I see?"

He teased as she rolled her eyes.

"Most likely, I will be Me."

Of course their dialogue was interrupted by her sudden pull behind a hay wagon on the side of the market streets.

"Three men have been following you for the past half mile and their intentions seem highly unsavory."

She whispered in a hush, voice eyeing the three buff, rough and tumble, gentlemen that strolled down the way, only mildly suspicious unless you saw the slight perturbing edges in their breeches and coats. All seen by Lily at first glance. Charity seemed to curse under his breath as he continued down the commonplace till they reached an ally, only unpopulated of its intended patrons, horses as to be tied up till their master's return. They were to head down the alley but were stopped by a gruff looking man in common tweed coat, white shirt with fades of yellow stains from the grime of his work, and a unique billiard hat which at this moment was tilted to the right to covered the sides eye. Charity halted with a small jolt before turning to Lily with a look of pity as he held her hand a moment.

"Oh, and by the way their escorting me, not pursuing me and instead to of three there seems to be..."

He trailed, leaning to look behind her as the three from before came to them from behind.

"...four."

He concluded with a chirpy grin as he gave Lily the loaf from before in exchange for the package. He began to step away but paused a moment looking at his guards.

"Now be careful with the face boy's, we do have a dinner date this evening!"

He leaned to kiss her cheek, parting with yet another pause.

"Don't fill up on bread."

He teased with a wink as he walked out of the alley, leaving Lily in a slight daze but returning quickly to the situation at hand. She eyed the men with a hint of curiosity, as the one in front began to whistle. They smiled at her ignorance, believing they over-estimated this mistress of mystery. But the tune seemed to strike a cord as she too whistled the tune of 'It's a Small World' with the leader as the three stooges began to pluck apart her facade. Her wing slipped to the ground letting her long wavy blonde locks roll down to her lower back, along with realistic face shapers that narrowed her eyes that was attached to the wig to let her wider eyes be shown. Just as the tune was to end she turned to leave.

"I've forgotten the rest-"

She began, but was caught by her neck and thrown to the post of the horse stall, thankfully no horses were in the stalls at the time to make a fuss. The assailant held her up to the column with intentions of suffocating her.

"Oh, it's coming back now."

She commented leaving the goonies a bit confused a moment enough to leave them even more dazed, as she kicked her choker in the genitals causing him to stagger back with a good two sharpened nails in the eyes to boot. A thug on her left tried to move in but, was bombarded by rice causing him to flinch, believing it was much worse. The leader tried to sweep a punch to her right as a return but overestimated her height when she ducked, eyeing a goon to her right preparing to go at her.

She threw the cocoa beans at him, his head turning to eye the motion of the beans but only a moment before he came at her, causing her to kick him down roughly.  The man from her left grabbed her shoulders and attempted to put her in a choke hold and, just as the leader was to knock her lights out, she slipped through his arms causing the left man to get hit, dazing him.

The right returned, Lily throwing rice blinding him but not by much as both the leader and the right man came at her. She forced both back, balancing hits between the two until they were far off.

The left man came back to her from the front trying to tackle her down. She jumped, making him grab her ankles for a moment before breaking into the horse stalls as she rolled off his back and to her feet where the two assailants waited for her come at her from two sides. She fought back well but she soon succumbed to their numbers. They held her arms were held to the slats and legs bound by the man in the stall.

The leader was about to hit her with a nearby crate, but she slowed the momentum by spitting cocoa beans in his face, finally getting a good look at it. One of his eyes was grey, like he was blind in that eye, she recalled. She was still hit and was dazed at the injury as the leader once again at her by the neck on the post. She managed to kick away the man from the stalls to the open ally, as things hazed in and out of her mind. The stall man glanced to the neighboring ally, where bobbies were walking down on patrol.

"Hatters!"

He hissed as the three pushed her away from them, letting her drop to her knees as they acted like they were passing by. She seemed thoughtless as she looked at the ground, breathing swiftly as the leader threw money at her feet. They bobbies walked along down their way as the leader began to whistle again, Lily staying perfectly still.

They all exchanged glances a moment before the leader singled them to end it now. In a fraction of a moment, Lily understood what was to occur. The left man would have a knuckled knife, the right man would have spiked knuckle brasses, the man from the stalls would have a baton and the leader a pistol. The knife would try first, acting alongside the slicked brass, which she could easily work. The baton would try his hand next, him being the lightest and the most malnourished, she could break his neck and the leader, well who brings a gun to a wits fight? As she would think.

She looked to see the leader throw up an apple announcing to begin and quickly things proved to go her way. She used the knife the stab the brass man removing it only to stab the knife man. Next to come was the baton and true she broke his neck swiftly by kicking his neck. The leader stepped out to use his gun and in a swift movement she took it for herself standing where he once stood and caught his apple, tossing it back to him. He looked at her with worry and curiosity as she unloaded the gun and handed it back to him. He stared at his hands before looking up at her. She jolted causing him to flinch proving he was terrified of her as she walked away. She had more pressing matters.

Charity walked into The Charlottes Gift silently slipping into the auctions audience next to Dr. Michelis, a well known medical professor, who greeted the boy with a bright smile.

"Ah, Charity! Good to see you."

The boy reflected his exuberance as he sat next to him. Handing him the package.

"Here is your payment, Doctor! She sends her regards."

He gave a curt nod as he removed a letter from his pocket and handed it to the boy.

"She's expecting this. Relay that it was written for his brother."

He nodded as well as he got up to leave but was stopped by the Doctor as he unwrapped to package to reveal a wooden box.

"Please stay while I check to contents..."

He suggested.

"I was told full payment would be there."

Charity insisted as well as sighed. He tried once more to escape, eyeing the half open box with slight alarm.

"Well you can hardly tell if she's a trustworthy woman without seeing her. Have you met her in person?"

He looked down once again as he began to open the box again.

"Or are you like me-"

Just as he removed the lid, a trap mechanism activated and was stopped by an auctioning sign and none other than Lilith Welhiem.

"Hold it, Hold it, Hold it, Hold it, don't even move it. Judging from its size and weight, you should know it wasn't the payment you were expecting but instead something more...incendiary."

She explained, Charity looking away for most of her talk only taking a glance to see she had bruises everywhere and a black eye forming.

"What is this?!"

The doctor hiss at Charity who looked to the side once again with shrugs and mumbled non-sense. Lily turned her attention on the lad with fake bright eyes as she kissed his lips, a thought that personally makes me ill. She took the letter from his loosened grasp. Just as she pocketed the note, the doctor removed the fake currency cover of the bomb activating it once again.

"I told you not to move it!"

She groaned, as Charity got up to leave.

"Cupcake, I do request your help in the removal of this utensil."

She chided as she sat him back down with just her eyes. Moments pass as Lily eyed the room.

"Well, good luck with that."

Charity sighed. He once again tried to leave but paused as Lily stood up right.

"ONE MILLION POUNDS!"

Everyone to to her attention in shock as she smelt the fabric behind her burning from the cigarette she left.

"OH AND BY THE WAY, FIRE."

She finished as a panic started and the auction hall was emptied. Charity was fuming at her by this point as he confronted the Mistress.

"Don't be late for dinner, I expect my schedule will be very tight due to today's escapade."

He hissed at her, fixing his jacket and tie as she grinned, seething satisfaction.

"Never been late a day in my life. Only early."

She smiled as he pulled her in for another kiss, another image I'd rather not put much thought on, reaching for her thighs pocket. She pulled away with a sneer as she pocketed the item.

"So confident, even with your tail between your legs."

She giggled as he huffed, walking out of the hall. She disposed of the bomb in a tomb to be sold, walking out calmly as it did no damage while in the tomb. She walked down the street looking for any traces of the Doctor outside. She found him, slumped outside a bookshop not two stores down from the auction hall. She checked his pulse. Dead. She looked him over finding a small dart on his inner thigh. Taking the dart and pocketing that as well, she muttered a few curses before asking a carriage to take her back to her manor. The Phantomhive manor.

Now more recognizable, minus the bruises and black eye, she sat at a table for two in the Sequoia at ten till nine looking around for the thousandth  time before sighing and taking her napkin to her lap.

She tells me this was sometime ago. At least six months and she had yet had any leads to whatever happened to Charity.

She told me more about him. They come from the same place relatively speaking. He had no family, abandoned as a baby and taken in by orphanages. He was what some considered lucky as he was born with anxiety and frequently suffered panic attacks and got help via charity money. Thus he was named Charity.

He got out of the system of orphanages with help from her. The woman who sent the bomb. She demanded Charity pay her back in work, having the full power to cut off his income. He regrets choosing her as Lily also offered to help but choose her for a reason unknown to this day.

Lily had always been concerned for him, but loathed his choice. I think about her emotions in times like these. For sometime I didn't believe she had any, that it was all for face, but I see what she feels more clearly now as I reflect on they day she told me these things.