It was an odd quiet mid-afternoon in the Phantomhive household; the young earl had shut himself away within his study, burring himself within his paperwork for the Funtom company. He was thankful to have some peace after the typical morning ruckus his servants would cause. A light wrap sounded on the large wooden door; "Young Master," came a voice from the other side. The door opened and in walked the Phantomhive's faithful butler, carrying a silver tray with tea and some kind of desert. "It is time for your afternoon tea. Today we have Chai tea and a blue berry parfait for your snack."
Ciel looked up momentarily, taking in the sweet aroma of the beverage his butler was currently pouring. Once poured, Sebastian placed the cup and saucer in front of the boy and it was soon lifted with delicate hands up to his lips. The young lord took another deep breath, breathing in the scent again; "I take it it's to your liking, My Lord?" Ciel gave a nod; "It's quite relaxing I find and after this morning and this mound of work it's just what I needed." He replied as he continued to riffle through the papers on his desk.
"Very good, Young Master. Also" the butler turned on his heels and proceeded quickly into the hall and back again with yet another silver tray that had been piled up with envelopes; "your mail has arrived." he held on to the tray while Ciel turned his attention to the new addition to his paper clutter. One by one the dark haired earl opened his letters; which most were proposals for new toys for the Funtom company. Finally he whittled the pile down to one final letter, his blue eye widened as he saw the familiar wax seal; "Sebastian, why wasn't this on the top?" Hastily he picked up the Queen's letter into his hands and just before he pierced the side with the letter opener his expression seemed to have gone from urgency to a bit of worry.
"Young Master?" Sebastian questioned. He watched the boy closely and was surprised to see him hand him the envelope; "You open it, Sebastian." he said the a sigh. The butler obliged and skimmed its contents; "It appears Her Majesty is sending an indefinite house guest." The raven haired servant placed the letter in front of his master; "If I may ask My Lord, why does this trouble you?"
Another sigh escaped the teen's lips; "The seal is why it troubles me." Sebastian set his red gaze onto the wax seal. It was indeed the mark of Her Majesty, but the color was different. Instead of a rose color it was a dark purple, almost black. "What does this mean, Young Master?" It was the first time Sebastian had seen this and for Ciel it was the first time he had received it.
The Earl Phantomhive arose from his chair and gazed out the window. The sky had become overcast, casting the manor into slight darkness. The reflection of the boy in the window seemed to show that he himself felt it fitting for his situation; "It means Her Majesty is displeased with me; greatly displeased." Sebastian knew the queen had an odd means to show her displeasure, but not once had he seen his master concerned over a punishment; "Forgive me, My Lord, but I fail to see how this is a punishment, aside from someone occupying your space."
"When I was about 8 or so, my father got one of those letters. A man had come to stay with us for a few months and followed my father's every move." He paused, awaiting for his faithful butler to say something, instead what he heard was a chuckle. "What's so funny?"
Sebastian smirked; "The watchdog has a leash."
Ciel closed his eye and sighed once more; "Shut up."