The manor was quite peaceful in the mornings and Sebastian valued them deeply. There were no idiots running a muck, setting things to ashes or to shards of broken glass; no master to be waited on hand and foot. In short, it was the calm before the storm. Gripping the perfectly polished doorknob, he opened Ciel's bedroom door quietly so as not to startle him and walked in. He set the tray of the boy's morning tea on a nice oak table by the window and drew the curtains open, letting the refreshing sunlight spill into the room and cast nearly everything in a golden glow.

"Young Master, it's time to wake up."

Ciel was sleeping restlessly, curled into a small ball barely the size of a pillow. He jerked awake as Sebastian's voice entered his dreams and blinked his dewy eyes.

"Mmm? Sebastian? Morning already…" Ciel rolled over so that he was facing away from Sebastian and pulled the blanket over his head childishly. Sebastian raised one of his thin, black eyebrows at Ciel disapprovingly. He pulled a few other lilac drapes open, forcing the sunlight in, and started preparing the boy's tea.

"There's no room laziness today, my lord," he said firmly.

Ciel scowled perfectly and sat up in bed. "Fine. What does my schedule look like today?" Ciel's eyes were still only half-closed, and he appeared no older than ten coupled with the far-too-big nightshirt. The teacup clanked against the matching saucer quietly as Sebastian set it down, extending his long arm to hand it to Ciel.

"It's not as busy as it could be on a Friday. You have a history lesson with Ms. Bright and then a few papers to work on in your study." He smiled at Ciel calmly. "You might actually get some leisure time in for once."

Ciel perked up at this as he took a sip of the fragrant tea.

"Well, I can handle paperwork and history. This doesn't sound so bad. I'd like to be dressed now."

Sebastian nodded and walked Ciel to his dressing room. He sat the earl down on a comfortable periwinkle couch and started unbuttoning his nightshirt.

"Perhaps you can do some reading in he library after your schedule is complete. I would suggest a calming evening walk, but the weather isn't looking to be all too pleasant today. Pity."

Ciel shivered as the cool air hit his exposed skin.

"I don't feel like reading. How about a game of chess?" The young earl smirked, taking immense faith in his own capabilities.

For a second, the butler was uncertain of himself. Of course he could beat Ciel in chess -though his skills were remarkable considering his age- but would that be the right thing to do? Letting him win would give him a little ego boost. He reached into one of the drawers and took out a long-sleeved light blue shirt. Draping it around Ciel's shoulders and dressing him in it, he knew he would have to reply.

"Thank you, my lord. I would be honored."

Ciel found himself in a rare good mood due to his clear day and the promise of a chess game.

"Excellent. I'll see you for lunch and at six o'clock this evening for our game."

A small sigh of relief left the demon's lips. He would have quite some time to figure out whether or not to beat Ciel. He slid a pair of long shorts onto Ciel's thin legs and buttoned them up, smiling. "It's a date."

Ciel blushed ruby red.

"Don't say things like that." The young boy stalked off toward his study, pausing only to grab his eyepatch.