The Mating Rite

Chapter One

Author's Note:

Hallo, Lieblinge, and thank you for giving this a chance. I really appreciate it. Feedback of all kinds is welcomed, and I reply to most all of the comments I get. If you have any questions, advice, or anything else you may want to say, comment or message me, and I'll get back to you. Votes are also appreciated, but comments are favored as I use them to improve my writing.

With all of that said, I hope you enjoy!

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One would think that being alive for several millennia and being around other people for so long would increase one's tolerance for them, but in truth, that presumption couldn't be more wrong. What actually happened was that one saw everything there was to see in the world, met all the different types of people there are, and then one saw the millions of repetitions of those same things. The wanderlust died, and one was left with the rude realization that nothing ever really changed. With that knowledge, one grew to feel either extreme frustration or outright apathy to most things and people, and the will to tolerate them died. Why put up with something that's bothering you when you can just kill it? logic said. It's not like you're stealing anything from the world. There are dozens more out there just like it, there have been hundreds in the past, and thousands more are still to come. The only difference is that now you're spared that irritation, at least for a while, until the next one comes along. That kind of logic made it difficult to control oneself at all, but then, for most who lived for thousands of years, patience came in abundance.

But still, no matter how long one lived, patience still had limits.

"(Y/N)," Lady Eckstein called, interrupting the instructions you were giving the gardener. The sound of your name reached your ears even across the distance between yourself and your Lady, though she didn't raise her volume at all, her voice unheard by anyone but yourself. Dutifully, you quickly excused yourself to the gardener and hurried back inside the manor, traversing the halls to the study. Knocking firmly three times on the door, you waited until you heard an order to enter before you pushed open the door and closed it behind yourself. Lady Seraphine Eckstein, your mistress until the contract was completed, sat behind her desk, her usual unpleasant expression on her aging features.

"Ja, meine Dame?" you asked. Yes, my Lady?

She responded in her nasally tone, "Haben Sie die Vorbereiten für unserer Reise fertig gemacht?" Have you finished the preparations for our trip?

If you hadn't interrupted, I would have, you allowed yourself to think. Aloud, you answered, "Fast, meine Dame. Ich werde der Belgeschaft Ihnene Befehle gegeben, und dann werden wir aufbruchsbereit sein." Almost, my Lady. I will give the staff their orders, and then we will be ready to go.

She waved a dismissive hand. "Pressieren Sie. Ich möchte das hinter mich bringen." Hurry. I want to get this over with.

"Natürilch, meine Dame." Of course, my Lady. You turned on your heel, your combat boots making a satisfying clomping sound as you walked away. You quickly made rounds, giving each member of your hand-picked staff their directions for your pending absence. Shortly thereafter, you returned to the study to inform the Lady of the household.

You had previously packed your luggage into the carriage, so as soon as the two of you were inside, the driver got the horses going, the other servants waving you off from the yard.

It took several days to get from Hamburg to London. After riding to the dock, you rented a hotel room for the night. Your ship set sail the next day, and once you reached England, you took a train to London. When you arrived there, you rented a driver to take you to the Phantomhive Estate.