I heaved a heavy sigh, leaning back in my oak wood chair and tapping my fingers on the arm rest. For the first time in my life, I was horribly confused. How could I, the head of the Phantomhive family, be confused? Everything in my life was in order: a large estate, wealthy income, expanding business, loyal servants, a flawless butler, a beautiful wife…

Pausing in my thoughts, I couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh, so that's what's bothering me," I whispered to myself. Pushing myself from the chair, I stood at the window staring out to the back gardens, where Elizabeth was sitting at a simple white wood table sipping tea. At her side was Mey-Rin, who every once in a while said something which made the blonde woman laugh. The glass was cold against my fingertips as I gently pressed my hand to the window, gazing down at the calm scene playing out below me. Elizabeth must have felt me watching her, for she turned to look up at me and smiled. I timidly waved, warmth flushing over my face.

Could it be… that I've actually fallen for that silly girl?

"Young Master, are you troubled?"

From the corner of my eye, I saw Sebastian enter, a tray of letters and invitations resting delicately on his gloved palm. "Quite the opposite, actually," I replied, turning back around and plopping back in my chair, resting my elbows on my desk. "It feels so… calm and tranquil around here. Have you noticed, Sebastian?"

The black haired butler lowered his head slightly, a grin on his pale face. "It seems that ever since Ms. Elizabeth moved into the manor that the young master has seemed quite at peace."

My brow furrowed slightly. "Sebastian, Lizzy hasn't been a 'miss' for a little while now," I corrected in a low tone.

Sebastian paused as he set the tray on my desk, a troubled glint in his crimson eyes. "I see," he said gently, "I always forget. How long have you two been married now?"

"Two years," I answered. "Though," I added, glancing back to the scene of my wife sitting on the patio, "it really seems as if nothing has changed since we were kids."

In a way, it was true. Elizabeth and I were married two years ago, at the age of sixteen. By then, she had lost her fascination with toys and meaningless things, but at the same time, she took up gossiping with friend and foe alike. However, she had definitely matured in a way that didn't drive me to the edge like it did all those times in the years past. She was a beautiful and developed woman of the higher class whom I was proud to call my wife.

I was startled when Sebastian gently patted my head, his gloved hand roughing up my black hair. "You have grown so much, Master, and yet you are as innocent as ever," he said.

"Shut up," I mumbled, pushing away his hand. "If I were truly innocent, I would not have you at my side. I have seen enough death and destruction to last me a lifetime."

Sebastian nodded with a sigh. "True, and yet you still manage to act naïve."

My brow arched high, my eyes narrowed. "Come again?" I asked in a serious tone.

The demon bowed slightly, his hand over his chest. "Pardon me, I spoke out of line," he apologized.

Turning around to look outside again, I breathed, "No, you're right. I mean… I know how to manage a successful business, uphold the Phantomhive name… but when it comes to girls, I'm lost."

"Oh?" Sebastian said with a curious twist to his tone.

"It seems…" I began slowly, "that whenever I'm with Lizzy, I feel almost nervous, as if I'm afraid I'm going to mess up or something. But I'm at peace with her. Heh, it's hard to have that same feeling with you, since I know one day I'm fated to be devoured by you. But, for the first time in a long while, I'm happy. Genuinely… happy… I might have actually fallen in love with her after all."

"… I'm glad for you, Master…"

"Hm?"

When I turned back towards Sebastian, he had already gone, closing the door quietly behind him. I sat in silence for a short while, bewildered at my butler's sudden change in behavior. "Tch, what's gotten into him?" I huffed after the silence had passed, reaching for the letters and opening them one by one.

Honestly, though, the married life was a little more than burdensome. Though we had been married for two years now, we had yet to become… intimate… It's not that I couldn't perform, but rather the thought of sex never crossed our minds. I was too busy for work, and Lizzy had her own things to do. Sure, we talked about it before, but we had decided that when we were older was best. Still, there were times that I caught her staring longingly to me before blushing and looking away. I'm guessing Sebastian noticed this as well since he suddenly became very distant.

So, even in this time of tranquility, there was still a dark presence hovering over the manor.

"Ciel! Have you been locked inside your office all day?"

The sudden voice echoed through my ears, causing my pen to slip across the page. With a frustrated sigh, I set my papers and pen down and looked up to see Elizabeth standing at the door way, her face filled with worry. "It's okay," I said with a small smile, "I've been very busy today. Did you enjoy your time outside?"

Elizabeth pushed away a blonde strand of hair from her face, saying, "I did, in fact, though I would have enjoyed it more with you. You haven't been there with me, lately."

My breath caught in my throat. "Lizzy, you know how busy I am," I sighed, straightening my desk and smoothing out my vest. "If you want, we can go to the lake this weekend."

The woman looked to her shoes, nervously fidgeting with the ruffles of her white and baby blue dress. "Ciel… I miss you. I… I can't wait until this weekend to be with you," she said, a pink hue coming to her cheeks.

"O-oh," I muttered. Looking down to the plethora of papers stacked on my desk, I finally set my work aside, pushing back my chair and holding out my hand to her. "Lizzy, would you like to dine with me tonight? Out in the garden?" I asked.

Elizabeth's green eyes widened, her red lips gaping with surprise. "But… Ciel, what about your work?"

I chuckled lightly, saying, "It can wait; tonight is your night."

Never before had I seen Elizabeth so happy; her face lit up like a ray of sun penetrating dark clouds and her bright lips curved into a wide smile. Her small hand wrapped itself around mine, squeezing my fingers lightly. "Ciel…"

Hesitantly, I leaned down to brush away her golden bangs and gently kiss her forehead. "I love you, Lizzy." Then turning towards the door, I called for Sebastian, who immediately entered.

"Yes, Master?" he asked, bowing slightly.

"Tell the others to prepare dinner in the gardens tonight," I ordered with a smile, "and make it a meal befitting the Phantomhive name."

Sebastian quickly took notice of Lizzy's hand clasped around mine, a curious wrinkle in his brow and tightening of his lips. Then he glanced back to me with sincere crimson eyes, saying, "Yes, My Lord."

Within about an hour or so, Sebastian appeared at my office door again, saying, "Master, dinner is ready. Tonight's menu is Chateaubriand with Sauvignon Blanc sauce and balsamic glazed mushrooms stuffed with spinach and zucchini. For dessert, I have prepared a Cherry Clafoutis. "

I looked up from my letter to the Duke of Wellington, my brow raised. "What's with all the French foods? It sounds like you're trying to outdo yourself, Sebastian."

The demon butler merely smiled, tilting his head to the side and answering, "You did say to make it a meal befitting the Phantomhive name, correct?"

"Yes…?" I replied, confused as to where Sebastian was going with this.

"I figured a 'Night in Paris' would be the best theme, since the Lady Elizabeth had her more enjoyable memories in Paris," Sebastian continued, "plus, your best customers just so happen to be French."

With a smirk, I pushed away my letter and took up my skull-head cane, taking slow and even steps towards the butler. "You never cease to amaze me, Sebastian. I just hope you can keep up with Lizzy's demands, as well as mine," I stated, brushing by him.

Out of the corner of my visible eye, I saw Sebastian gaze down at me with his narrow crimson ones, a sly smile spreading his lips thin. "What good is the Phantomhive butler if he is not able to do even the simplest of tasks?" he asked.

I paused, shoulder to shoulder with the taller man. "You know, Lizzy's known you for six years now. She will get suspicious when she finds that you never age while she and I will begin to fade back to dust," I muttered in a low tone.

Sebastian lowered his head, his brow raised as he closed his eyes. "What will you have me do, should that time come and we have yet to complete the contract?" he inquired.

"… I would ask you to leave until our contract is fulfilled," I replied before continuing on.

The demon was silent for a few still moments, but then he turned and bowed, his hand over his chest. "Yes… my Lord."

I could feel Sebastian's eyes following me as I turned the corner and made my way down the hall. He could feel I was pulling away, and at the same time, I could feel him wanting to come close again. The past is the past; now that Lizzy is a permanent figure in my life, I had to push Sebastian further and further away. I missed having him at my side, but I had my duties now as a husband; my butler couldn't come between us… could he?

The evening had ended just as it did every day; after the special dinner, Lizzy and I retired to our chambers, while she sat at the mirror removing her trinkets and other accessories while I laid back against the pillows and scanned through the invitations. "It seems that the Viscount wants us to attend a masquerade at his manor," I stated quietly, folding the letter and setting it on the side table.

Lizzy delicately removed her rings, save for the gold band around her right ring finger. "Really? Do you think he's trying to make up for his attempt to buy out your company?"

I sighed, "More than likely."

My wife stood, pulling out the bands holding her hair up and letting the golden waves fall across her shoulders and down her back. "Do you plan on attending?" she asked as she hid behind the room divider and reached for her nightgown.

"Of course I plan on going; what better way to play the guilt card than to attend and remind him that a teenager beat him at his own game?"

Lizzy chuckled from behind the wooden divider. "Ciel, you have the strangest sense of humor."

"… it wasn't meant to be humorous…"

The bed shifted as Lizzy crawled to my side; it was still a foreign sensation to me, having a woman sleeping by my side every night. I liked having the company, even if we didn't say much during the night. Just having someone there breathing beside me was enough to put me to sleep. I guess it was because I had distant memories of my mother falling to sleep while holding my small form to her chest, her heartbeat and breaths echoing in my ears.

"Good night, Lizzy," I whispered, turning on my side and pulling the sheets up over my chilled body.

A breeze swept over my body as the sheets were suddenly pulled down, my toes curling in the cold. "Oi, Lizzy-" I started, rolling back over on my back.

"Ciel…"

My breath caught in my throat as Lizzy leaned over me, her thighs straddling my hips and her fingers resting on my chest. She wore a lacy white night gown which rested delicately across her shoulders and ivory form. Frozen with shock, I could only stutter, "L-lizzy… what are you doing…?"

Lizzy leaned in closer, her golden hair cascading down her shoulders. "I wanted to thank you for giving me such a delightful evening. It's been a while since we ate a meal without discussion of work and whatnot. Now it's my turn to repay the favor," she said before gently kissing my cheek.

"But… Lizzy… we talked about this," I said, trying to back away.

My wife's fingers gently stroked my face, tracing swirling designs across my nose and cheeks before coming to rest on my gaping lips. "We did talk about this… on our wedding night two years ago. We are older, Ciel. The other women… Gracia, Katherina, Mary… they all have children, and they're a year younger… If I don't have a child soon, the Phantomhive name will be tarnished as the barren couple… you don't want that… do you?"

For a while, I didn't say anything; instead, I remained paralyzed as Lizzy's soft lips gently pressed against mine. Hesitantly, I placed one hand around her thin waist and brushed back her hair with the other, pulling her closer. Her skin was so smooth and warm, it nearly melted the coolness of my hands. A shocked gasp escaped my throat as I pulled away only for my wife to claim my lips again, her tongue forcing my mouth open. Our tongues met briefly, the heat of her mouth filling my own. Pulling away slowly, my wife sat up straight on my lap, her face flush. "Ciel… won't you touch me…?" she breathed as she let the thin straps of her gown slide from her narrow shoulders.

My eyes widened at the sight of my wife's pale skin, the curves of her waist, the perfect shape of her breasts, and yet I couldn't bring myself to hold her. Something… something was holding me back; this whole thing was so new, so foreign to me… I was shaking, not from excitement, but from fear. "Lizzy… I'm not ready for this," I breathed.

Lizzy's fingers moved down my chest and stomach, stopping at the buttons of my night trousers. "I'm ready, Ciel. I'm your wife, and I can't be ignored any longer. I want you to touch me, to be intimate with me… everything a husband should be for his wife."

The moment her fingers undid the first couple of buttons and slipped down my pants, I immediately pushed her away, holding her at arms-reach. "I'm sorry… Lizzy…" I gasped, lowering my head in shame. "I can't… do this…"

"Ciel…"

I looked up to see that my wife's emerald eyes had filled with tears, her lower lip quivering. My heart nearly tore in two, seeing Lizzy cry at my doing. With a heavy sigh, I pulled my legs over the side of the bed and held my face in my hands. "Lizzy… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

"Do… do you not love me?" she asked in a quivering tone.

My voice choked. "I do love you, Lizzy! It's just… I… I don't… I don't know how to love you… I'm still new at this…"

Lizzy sat beside me, her hand timidly resting on mine. "It's okay, Ciel… let's… let's just forget this ever happened and go to sleep, okay?" she breathed sadly, resting her head on my shoulder.

"… okay…"

I wished I could forget the disappointment in her eyes, the tenseness which suddenly grew between us; I wish I could forget my fears and do everything a husband is meant to do. But I couldn't forget. That whole night, my thoughts lingered on every millisecond which had passed. Closing my eyes to block the tears, I came to realize that Sebastian was right:

I am naïve and innocent after all…