Chapter Text
The signs had always been there, right in front of her, yet she never paid attention. No, she just didn't want to believe them. Elizabeth clutched at her chest as she stared out the window of her carriage at the rapidly moving environment, willing her heart to calm. Normally, her visits to the Phantomhive manor were spontaneous and filled her with joy at the thought of seeing her fiancé and gifting him with a new attire. This time, however, she only brought a feeling of unease in the pit of her stomach. It was rare that she sent word ahead of her expected arrival, but for this visit, she needed to be sure that Ciel would be available to speak with her. Ciel. Even thinking the name created more butterflies that she certainly didn't need.
The blonde's breath caught in her throat as the manor finally came into view, causing her gloved hand to clench tighter on the relatively plain pink dress she wore. "Breathe..." The command was easier said than done as the carriage slowly came to a stop. She had mere seconds to force her wary expression into a polite smile before the carriage door was opened and an all too familiar voice invaded her ears.
"A pleasure to see you again, Miss Elizabeth." Sebastian smiled at the girl, white gloved hand outstretched to assist her from the carriage.
"Thank you, Sebastian."
As soon as she stepped out the carriage, her eyes landed on the single person she always looked forward to seeing. Every visit, she could be found running towards - and latching to - the dark blue haired teen with an almost suffocating enthusiasm. This day, she merely walked towards him with a small smile. "Good afternoon, Ciel."
She didn't miss the brief surprise that lit up his sole sapphire eye, nor the way said eye flickered to his butler with an almost questioning gaze. However, his attention went back to her regardless with a smile.
"Hello, Lizzie." There was a pause, as though he begun to say her full name, but changed at the last moment. It didn't help to quell the anxiety in her stomach. "Come - I had an area prepared for us in the gardens."
Elizabeth only continued smiling as she followed him to the table, surrounded by lovely white rose bushes, and murmured a soft 'thank you' when he pulled a chair out for her. Another 'thank you' was given when Sebastian served them tea with a slice of a yellow sponge cake she knew he'd prepared just before her arrival. Still, no matter how amazing the light snack smelled, it remained untouched. Instead, the teen waited for Ciel to dismiss his butler before speaking.
"Ciel..." she began cautiously, catching his single eye as he sipped his tea. "I'd like for you to answer my questions honestly. Will you do that for me?"
Ciel blinked, and as Elizabeth observed him with a closer eye than usual, she couldn't help but wonder if that was slight fear that she saw.
"Of course."
"Promise me. I need you to look in my eyes and promise that you will not lie in what I'm going to ask you."
There was confusion in that sapphire eye, as well as an edge of wariness as it stared into each of her green eyes. "I promise I will not lie, Lizzie."
The anxiety began bubbling up once more, and Elizabeth glanced down to her distorted expression in the dark cup of tea. Memories flowed into her mind - most prominent being the Campania tragedy and the Easter afterward. Her fingers intertwined and clenched together in her lap as she struggled to pull her thoughts together. There was one question she needed to ask, and it was so glaringly obvious, but it was another feat to actually give voice to it. All the signs were there, but if she put them out on the table, she would run the risk of ruining the fantasy that she was currently living.
"Lizzie?"
Her head snapped up to face the concerned expression of the person sitting opposite her. In the moment, she wouldn't have minded having to fight against more of those zombies from the Campania than go through what she was about to. But she needed this. She needed to hear a confirmation or denial of her suspicions. She needed it now before she regretted it later.
"Are you..." her voice wavered and she took a deep breath, steeling herself to the question she knew would change their relationship. "You're not really Ciel.. are you?" She watched as surprise overtook his expression and clenched her hands tighter together in an attempt to keep herself from trembling.
"I don't... what do you mean?"
"You know exactly what I mean." Her attempts at restraint proved to be in vain as a nervous chill ran down her spine. "You promised not to lie, so, please, tell me."
The hesitation only fueled the developing trembles in her body, and the sigh made her aware that she was holding her own breath in anticipation.
"...you're correct. I am not Ciel."
A soft sob escaped Elizabeth's lips. "Isabelle?" Receiving a nod in response, the blonde covered her mouth with her gloved hands, unable to stop the tears that welled up in her eyes. "So... Ciel..."
"I... I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, but you need to understand that this was necessary. As a female, I would not have been able to take over the Phantomhive household, oversee Funtom, or continue father's work as the Queen's guard dog. It would have had to be Ciel. As he...didn't survive, it was imperative that everyone else thought it was me who died instead. Everyone...including you."
Another sob escaped her lips as she stared at the stranger in front of her, looking at her with a guilty eye. "I knew it..." Elizabeth's tone was watery with emotion. "I knew something wasn't right..."
"... To be honest, I was sure it would have been you or Aunt Frances that found out first." Isabelle sighed, running a hand through her dark blue hair, careful not to rustle the eyepatch strings. "I'm not sure even Madam Red knew before she died."
"Mean..." Elizabeth mumbled. "This was too mean!" She dropped her hands from her mouth, shouting at the other teen, ignoring the tears streaming down her cheeks. For all the mental preparation she thought she had, hearing the revelation shattered her fantasy worse than she thought. She almost hoped that this was all a dream, and that the person staring at her now would erase the ashamed expression and smile and say that it was just a cruel joke. But the longer she stared at Ciel - no, Isabelle - the more she begun to accept that it wouldn't happen. "How could you do this? How could you lie to all of us?!"
"Please understand that I didn't do this to intentionally hurt you, Elizabeth." Said blonde cringed at her name. "However, I am curious as to how you finally figured it out."
Elizabeth shook her head, letting the memories from earlier replay themselves in her head. "The ship... When you started coughing badly... That was when I first really began to suspect... Then when you fell for the trick at Easter... That was the first time I made my own Easter egg..." Her watery eyes shot back up to Isabelle with an offended glare when the latter let out a faint chuckle.
"Clever," Isabelle nodded, leaning back in her chair. "Though we were born as twins, he was fortunate to not inherit mother's asthma. Actually, he had a much healthier body than mine. I was frequently sick and wasn't able to often join you two while you played." Her gaze drifted away to stare at a section of the rose bushes. "Unsurprisingly, you were closer with him than with me, aside from your betrothal."
"It's why I never needed to remind him to call me 'Lizzie'..." A flurry of emotions raged within the blonde, and she found herself becoming more agitated than dejected. "Speaking of which, how long did you intend to continue with our 'engagement'? Were you planning on remaining disguised as Ciel, even through our wedding?"
"No, I was not."
Elizabeth blinked, slightly taken aback at the sudden coldness in Isabelle's tone. Her expression turned unreadable, and the blonde wasn't sure how to exactly take that. "What does that mean? Had you ever planned on revealing this to me?" When there was no answer, she continued. "How long were you going to keep this hidden? Were you wanting to have me continue to be ignorant to the fact that I'm living a lie?" Still no answer, and the blonde began growing impatient and upset. "Answer me! Do.. do you hate me that much as to torture me like this?!"
That sparked a response. "No!" Isabelle snapped towards Elizabeth, reaching across the table in an attempt to grab the latter's hands, but missed as the blonde abruptly pulled out of reach. "I told you I never intended on hurting you! I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but I didn't believe you'd understand."
"I understand that you put your own feelings before anyone else." Elizabeth snapped, glaring at Isabelle. "Can you understand how it feels to stand at the funeral for someone you loved, believing that you would never see them again? Then to have them come back, and to be with them for three years before being told that the miracle you were so thankful for was just another lie?"
"I do know how it feels to lose someone--"
"No, you don't. Not twice. Not betrayed by someone that you thought you could trust - someone you believed in."
"Elizabeth. Lizzie. Please."
Elizabeth determinedly avoided Isabelle's pleading eyes as she used a napkin to dab at the tears that stained her cheeks. This was not the outcome she wanted, and that all too familiar tightening in her chest had returned. The signs were right - Ciel never came back. Whatever happened in that month after the fire stole him from her forever. The only thing she had left was his twin sister. The sister that impersonated him to apparently continue the work that her parents left behind.
Neatly setting the now damp napkin back down next to her forgotten snacks, Elizabeth stared at the last surviving Phantomhive. Isabelle, who was still leaned over the table from trying to grasp the blonde's hands, bore such a strong resemblance to Ciel that it was nearly impossible to tell them apart. Even now, knowing that it's really his sister, Elizabeth couldn't help but feel her breath catch in her throat. It would be so easy to just forget this conversation and only see Ciel. It would also be less pain. But it would mean continuing to live a lie. Still, what was her alternative? She swore her heart to Ciel years ago, and even knowing that she'll never have him back, she couldn't imagine herself with anyone else. Surely her parents and brother wouldn't blame her if she explained this all to them, but was that what she really wanted? Could she really walk away from this? She finally met Isabelle's gaze, and was struck with the sudden realisation that the other teen was waiting for the same answers. Everything that Isabelle had done the past few years could be ruined, depending on Elizabeth's reaction. Could she be the cause of that? Could she destroy the legacy of her beloved?
"... I suppose you're wanting me to keep this a secret and continue as though this never happened."
"I will greatly appreciate you keeping this secret, but I know I cannot ask you to forget what you learned." Elizabeth watched as Isabelle straightened up, seemingly relieved at the fact that she hadn't run off. "I know it is a lot to ask, and that it is selfish of me...but I need you to continue to act as.. 'Ciel's fiancée."
In a calmer voice than she expected, Elizabeth responded, "it was never an act."
"... I know."
There was a moment of silence before Elizabeth broke it again. "Am I to assume Sebastian is aware of this already?"
Isabelle nodded. "The whole staff is."
Elizabeth chose not to comment on the fact that the staff knew before she did. Instead, she released a sigh and stood up, prompting Isabelle to follow suit. "If it's so important, I will keep your secret. If mother hasn't noticed anything strange by now, it's possible she won't notice any time soon." Then again, there was also the possibility that her mother knew as well, and was keeping it secret. The thought filled Elizabeth with an odd dread, but she pushed it aside. Surely her own mother would have already spoken to her if that was the case.
"Thank you, Lizzie. Really."
The two slowly made their way to the front of the manor in silence, with Elizabeth staring straight ahead. The pain in her heart was still present, but died down to a dull throb. She would play along with this...for the sake of Ciel's memory, as well as her late aunt and uncle. It wasn't that she held any hatred for Isabelle - she didn't, really - but she couldn't bare to be the cause of any backlash that would come as a result of her revealing such a secret. The Phantomhives were still precious to her, and she remained determined to be a lady that was able to protect them..even if the head of the family was her deceased fiancé's sister.
"Well then."
Coming out of her thoughts, Elizabeth realised they'd made it to her carriage, with Isabelle holding her hand out. Taking the offered hand, the blonde climbed inside the carriage and sat down, staring at the other teen. "Thank you. For telling me, I mean."
Isabelle only offered a last smile before closing the door and stepping out the way. As the driver pulled off, Elizabeth watched until her view of the other female was obscured. The blonde leaned back against her seat and stared with an unfocused gaze out the window. Three years, it'd been. Three years of believing that Ciel had come back from the grave, only to find out that he never truly had. Three years of believing she had a future with her childhood friend, cousin, and betrothed. Three years, shattered in mere moments that left her with an overwhelming sickness in the pit of her stomach.
Unable to do anything else, Elizabeth buried her face in her hands and released the rivers of tears she'd been holding back.