With the windows and doors sealed, for the time being, he didn’t have to worry about the reaper hovering over Belle. Lucas left her room to go to the other adjacent rooms that were next to her, placing the line of salt by every window and door before he finally went on his way to continue the work.

He doubted that the grim wouldn’t be taking her soul right away as the first person’s soul he would be picking was the maid Marie.

When the time of night arrived where everyone went to their beds to sleep, Lucas took hold of the lantern in his hand and made rounds around the mansion. Going to every window and door that was closed to place the line of salt in front of it. The salt was used as an element to keep grim reapers away, it was something he had picked when he had gone to pick a lady’s soul who was stubborn enough to insist that she would not be dying.

In the end, he had blown the salt to get inside and take her soul away. With the windows closed, there was no way for wind to appear.

Though Belle was not in the list of souls to be taken, the fourth card of Grim enjoyed breaking rules and he never got caught, it was because he had the ability to infect a person with a disease or any kind of illness where it could not be pointed that it was his doing. The disease would take either a few hours or days before the vessel would suffer and die.

Lucas didn’t know where the reaper was but he doubted he would be entering any of the rooms for today unless someone would purposefully open the window to let someone in.

And as if to follow his train of thought, he heard the sound of the window hit against the wall to let him know that there was indeed a window left open and he smiled. It was because the window was ten steps behind him.

Turning around, he walked towards the window with the lantern in his hand that glowed brightly.

The window continued to bang until he reached for it and closed it with a latch. How strange, thought Lucas to himself, he was sure he had locked it, the thin line of salt had been blown away on the ground.

“Stupid human,” came the whisper behind him. The fourth reaper stood right behind him as it had entered through this window, “Did you think I wouldn’t be able to come in here. Wonder how many souls have been left untouched until now. I will be able to take many of them when I leave this placeee,” there was a slur in its voice as it said this.

Lucas who looked outside the window didn’t react to the grim’s words. The fourth card was a notorious one and he was going to enjoy this night playing with it. It had been a while since he had an actual company in the time of night.

On the far end, the clock struck twelve. Softly dinging to echo its sound through the corridors.

“The first person I will be taking you for calling me a chipmunk!” the reaper said following Lucas who had started to walk away with the lantern in his hand.

Lucas wanted to remind the reaper that he had also called him garbage that needed to eat from the garbage can that was left behind in the dark alley but without reminding it, he continued to walk.

“This place smells strange,” said the reaper without waiting for a response from the butler, “A very familiar yet unfamiliar scent in the wind. Did you know your mistress noticed me? I thought no living creature could but she did. Her souls must be delicious. They always are. I shall make an exception. One eaten soul in front of ten’s of souls being brought back shouldn’t matter.”

Lucas continued to walk and the creature continued to follow him like a phantom of a ghost behind him.

“Hmm,” the reaper whispered in the air, “It doesn’t look like there wasn’t a grim here. Let me go find the maid first. I will deal with you later,” chuckling softly, the reaper left his side and Lucas continued to walk through the many corridors as if he had heard nothing.

Belle’s soul was delicious? He didn’t understand why the creatures of his world took her soul to be delicious. Even the scavengers had been eating her soul like it was something very precious. He doubted the reason could be because she was part of the alignment of stars. An alignment of stars took place only after the defect took place to appear only when their abilities couldn’t keep still in dark anymore.

Lucas couldn’t do anything for the maid. If he saved one soul he would have to save every other soul and it wasn’t like he had grown an attachment to the maid whose soul was going to be taken by the reaper.

The fourth card floated through to reach the quarters of the servants where the low lives slept in there.

Its bony fingers and skeleton hand reached for the knob and it turned the knob of the door to step inside the room where the maid slept soundly. The creature went up closer to place its hand on the maid’s forehead where it could see the hidden light moving around her forehead to show the nerves and blood flowing through her body. Once it had infected her enough, it closed the door but didn’t bother locking the door.

Now it was time to devour the girl’s soul, thought the fourth card of Grim and it made its way to her room to see the butler who sat next to her room with his back leaning against the wall and his legs outstretched. The butler had his eyes closed as if he were taking a quick nap.

The creature sat down so that it could look at the butler.

“A butler who slacks, it never gets old. How much do they pay, huh? I am sure it is in nickels and penny’s, let me help you relieve yourself from your work. Once you die you will be free, free like me,” the reaper whispered to place its hand on the butler’s shoulder who was fast asleep, “Poor you.”

“You speak a lot.”

The butler’s eyes snapped open to look at the reaper in his eye and the reaper suddenly let go of the butler’s shoulder.

“You can see me,” the reaper whispered in confusion.

“If I didn’t speak you would have bled my ears to death,” Lucas replied back to the reaper who was trying to wrap its boney head around on how this human could see him.

Lucas stood up from where he was seated and he asked, “What’s the matter, Barron? You look like you saw a ghost,” he turned the word ghost to a whisper, a smile creeping upon his lips and his eyes lazily looking at the reaper.

The reaper didn’t give out a shocked expression as it couldn’t but its jaws hung open. It quickly pulled out its scythe, “And you are?” it asked.

“I?” Lucas tilted his head and placed a hand on his chest. He then gave the reaper a polite smile, “I am a nobody.”

The reaper didn’t buy it. This butler didn’t appear to be normal, no living person could see a reaper not unless their time was near. Maybe he was supposed to reap this man, thought the reaper named Barron.

“Looks like your time is near…” the reaper smiled, its jaw pulling back as if it were smiling.

“It is?”

“Yes, of course, but how do you know my name?” did the gates and the higher-ups of their realm decide that these lowly creatures of the living would know the names of their reapers? Barron pulled out its pocket watch which was similar to what Lucas possessed with him, flipping it open, it chuckled, “Look at that, your time is up,” it raised its head and said, “Any last wishes?”

“I would like to reap the reaper.”

Barron glared down at the butler and it started to laugh. The laugh echoing through the corridor, “You cannot fucking reap a reaper you lowly piece of shit. I guess you don’t have anything more to say,” saying this, the reaper got closer to the butler and placed its hand back on his shoulder, “Ready to leave…”

When nothing happened as Barron was expecting. The reaper gripped on the butler’s shoulder hoping to get the soul infected but he couldn’t see anything.

Lucas said, “I don’t think I am ready yet. I will be staying here a bit longer. Do you mind?” he placed his own gloved hand on the reaper’s bond arm.