King of Rosy Thorns (Black Butler)

Her son, The investigator

Once we arrived at the chapel, Mary helped me out of the carriage and I knocked on the door. A woman in nun attire opened the door "hello, I am Devat Phantomhive and I have come to ask you a few questions about your missing girl" I say, the nun seemed slightly surprised but she nodded "oh, yes! Please, come in" she says, opening the door wider to allow us entry. We step inside and she leads us down a long corridor. Children of all ages run around, taking no notice of us as other nuns usher them elsewhere. We arrive at an office and the woman knocks "Priestess Lily, you have visitors from London. They are here to ask about Briar" she says, it's silent for a moment before I hear a voice from inside, telling us to enter. The nun opens the door for us and we walk in. The office was like a usual study with a desk and bookshelves, a woman with long light blonde hair and baby blue eyes sits at the desk, she was scribbling things down on some papers before she set the quill in it's ink bottle and looked up at us "ah! Welcome Earl Phantomhive. Please make yourself comfortable" she says, gesturing to the armchair infront of her desk. I sit down as Mary stands in the corner to quietly observe. Lily turns her soft gaze to the Nun that had lead us inside "sister Anna, please tell the other sisters to begin preparing lunch for the children, could you also bring us some tea?" She asks, the nun I now knew asks Anna nods "yes, I would be happy to" she says before leaving the room.

Once the door is shut I turn my attention to Lily asks so she smiles "I assume your here to talk about our missing child?" She says and I nod "yes, the queen is worried and has asked me to look into this situation and stop whoever is behind this. Do you mind telling me a bit about this place before we get into the topic of the children?" I explain. The blonde haired priestess nods "this chapel has been here since Darington was first founded. Originally it was a place for worship and religion but it was converted into an Orphanage about sixty-seven years ago. I became a nun here about twenty-five years ago before becoming the Priestess about twelve years ago. Here we take in children who have been abandoned, given up, or have nowhere else to go. We educate them as best we can and provide food, clothes, books, toys, and other things to keep them happy and healthy" She begins to explain as Anna returns with the tea. I take the cup of tea offered to me and take a drink as Anna leaves once again and Lily continues. "We have about a total of thirty-five children at the moment, ages ranging from one to fourteen. People sometimes stop by to adopt or offer the older boys and girls jobs. We love our children and care for them all equally, and no child without a home or family is turned away. We also have a staff of fifteen sisters who work hard. The church has three large rooms where the children sleep, the girls in one, the boys in the second, and the younger children in the third, the sisters and I have our own room as well. With all of this you can gather that we are like a family, so you can imagine our pain when Briar disappeared." She finishes, taking a sip of her own tea. I nod, taking in this information "I read Briar's file and it says her father died of illness while her mother disappeared and was pronounced dead, correct?" I ask, the woman nods "that is what I was told, yes" she confirms. I set my tea cup down and leaned back in the chair as Mary is quiet "can you tell me a bit about her?" I ask and I notice how Lily's expression turns to one of gentle love. I guess Lily had a special connection to Briar? I listen curiously as she begins "Briar was...easily frightened. She was shy and timid, never liking to be alone. She was selfless, sweet, and innocent. She always cheered up anyone who was sad and was special to the older kids. She was well mannered and behaved, smart and creative, but the only thing we found strange, for a girl like her, was her inability to make friends. The other children loved her and considered her a sibling or friend but she would always say she didn't have any friends. No one knew why but we didn't do anything about it since she still interacted with the other kids and seemed to enjoy helping them" the Priestess explains which makes me even more curious "I see. You seem to care a lot for the child, do you mind explaining why?" I ask, tilting my head only slightly. She giggles "of course. When Briar was brought to the church I was the one who answered the door. I was also the one to show her around and help her to settle in. After that Briar rarely left my side unless she was with the other kids, eating, or sleeping. She seemed to see me as a mother, but she wasn't the only child who had grown attached. Other children had also showed love to me or a specific staff member, but Briar showed more than the others. I guess you could say I thought of her as my own, which is why I beg of you to bring her back safely" she tells me and I straighten in my seat.

My bright blue eyes meet her pale ones "that's what I plan to do, no matter what" I say confidently. After a few more questions we leave, settling into the carriage before it begins to move. Mary looks at me with her neon green eyes as I smirk "what is it, master?" She asks, my blue orbs continue to stare out the window as I speak "10 missing children, ages four to eight. Our first child is four, the second is five, and the third is six, the fourth is seven, and the fifth is eight. How old are the children six through ten?" I say, asking a rhetorical question. Mary nods in understanding "there also all female...did you figure it out?" She asks and I chuckle "Mary. we'll be going to a ball tomorrow night" I grin darkly.

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