There she was, sitting under the bright blue sky.

It sounded like the song lyrics of a cheesy love song.

But, in all honesty, it sort of was.

Next to Ciel laid Soma, the Indian prince. And, oh, was he talkative. Even now, in such a peaceful, quiet environment, he would attempt to converse with her. Truly, she just wanted to relax, and she could do that if Soma would just shut up. She could tolerate his presence.

It wasn't always that way, of course. There were times when she couldn't stand to even be near him. They had their fights, their arguments, though most of them were incited by the prince's childishness and immaturity. He would buy her expensive gifts, thinking that would garner her heart. All it did was anger her, since he seemed to think she could be won over by material items. He had even attempted to bribe Sebastian into getting them alone together. He denied the offer immediately, but the moment she turned her back, she couldn't help but think that something had happened. From their matching creepy smiles to the look in their eyes, despite status difference, they both

He had even attempted to bribe Sebastian into getting them alone together. He denied the offer immediately, but the moment she turned her back, she couldn't help but think that something had happened. From their matching creepy smiles to the look in their eyes, they both looked up to something.

Which was why her growing suspicion (paranoia, really) seemed more reasonable than ever.

It was all too convenient how they got there. First, Sebastian had gone to run some errands, then Agni claimed he had work to do. Finally, the servants, including Sebastian, insisted she get some fresh air outside, coincidentally, where Soma was.

That's when they got here. The gardens. The weather was perfect, the grass greener than she'd ever seen, and Soma's smiles seemed to be brighter.

"Ciel, what do you think?"

She startled, "Oh, uhhhh..."

The prince's smile widened, "Oh, I knew you would marry me one day!" he pulled her closer, "You can live with me in my castle, and you can bring your servants, and when Mina comes back you two will be good friends, and when we have many beautiful children, we-"

"Get off!" Ciel shoved the teen off her, "I will not be having children anytime soon! And certainly not with the likes of you!

When the servants heard their young mistress yelling, they couldn't help but think that something in their plan had gone wrong. It was a volume their young master often found to be useless, so to find that she had used such a voice could only mean trouble.

"Young Mistress," Sebastian said, "you have a visitor requesting your presence."

She muttered under her breath, "A visitor? At this time of day?"

The sun was barely peeking over the horizon. Everyone knew that was the worst time to visit, since the host would feel compelled to entertain their guest. Since many outdoor activities would be unavailable, they'd have to find something to do inside. It worked out with her preferences, but that also meant the servants were more likely to get in the way.

Lifting herself from the cushioned seat, she headed out the door. As soon as she stepped into the entrance area, she knew something was amiss. It smelled strongly of flowers, and the chandelier was already lit. Ciel sighed internally, but continued on, knowing she couldn't avoid the oncoming disaster.

The girl stepped down the stairs with as much poise as possible. Her loyal butler followed behind, and she could practically feel his smile.

Denying herself the right to look anywhere near where she suspected her guest stood, her slow walk continued until, "Do English women normally walk this slow? Perhaps it is the corsets. They do not bind feet here, right, Agni?"

Ciel's blood boiled, but she maintained her neutral facial expression. She would never admit it, but she sped up just a bit upon hearing that comment. She took this time to examine the setup. The designer had clearly aimed for the "romantic" vibe, but it had turned out as more of an allergies festival.

"Soma," she said as she reached the last step.

She couldn't get another word in before she was bombarded with compliments, "Your beauty has me stupefied. I don't know how I ever saw without you as my light. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on. Your figure is-"

Sebastian had covered his mouth, playing it off as simply introducing her to the guest. It was completely unnecessary, seeing as she already knew what they were up to.

"Sebastian," Ciel said, "Cut it out." she turned to the prince, "and you, Soma... Stop. Everything. Too much."

Her now limp updo swished as she whipped around. Ciel could feel the weight of the stares on her back.

"I said the word right, why doesn't she like me? Do English women not like compliments?" She hesitated in her next step, debating turning back to deliver a much needed message, but decided against it. "Perhaps I could..." from there, she was out of hearing range.

I don't know why, but this took me so long to write. Soma's character is so hard to write. I'm pretty sure I still messed him up, but I'm just not good at such a bright, clueless personality since I'm the exact opposite. The struggles of a writer.

Also, I noticed that I was using very complex/compund sentences, so I tried to change that near the end when writing, but I'll definitely try to be more aware of that next chapter (if there is one. These are really just one-shots, but I sort of want to make an ending for these two).

Anyways, thanks for reading.

~ClaritaNox