Ciel watched silently as the carriage pulled down the pathway and disappeared into the distance. He could hear the faint sniffs of his staff behind him and he told himself he wouldn't face them for the sake of keeping his own composure.

"Should I prepare tea, young master?" The butler asked, looking down at the boy as he watched the carriage pull into the distance. He turned and entered the house.

"Yes." He answered as he passed his butler. Once Hannah had been dismissed into the hands of Her Majesty's butler, Ciel made sure business at the Phantomhive Manor resumed as usual. He gave Mey-Rin, Bard, Finny, and Tanaka their afternoon assignments and the Earl retired to his study, leaving the raven-haired butler to tend to the house.

"Now," said the butler as he entered the kitchen, "it's time to prepare the afternoon tea."

Sebastian stood at the kitchen counter preparing the pot of tea, and as he did he remembered the parting words of his divine counterpart. Our paths will cross again. As an angel, and one of high status, it was not an invalid assumption that Hannah could be aware of information that was presently unknown to the demon. He placed the tea pot, a bowl of sugar cubes, and a platter of freshly baked cookies onto a dessert cart. He grinned. Never before had Sebastian imagined that he would be at a point like this during his time on Earth. As a demon, existence is usually dull. A life of chasing and devouring meaningless souls and granting petty requests and wishes. Now, after thousands of years of roaming, he was witnessing a truly rare event that was being unveiled before him, and it filled him with excitement.

xxxx

"Is this your Queen's palace?" Hannah asked, straining her eyes to see the view out of the carriage's back window. The man sitting across from her smiled.

"No, my lady. This is one of the Queen's guest homes."

"A guest home? I believe I was told that I was going to the palace?" She asked.

"You will, in due time, my lady. As the ruler and overseer of this entire region, the Queen of England is terribly busy. However, when her schedule allows it she will call for you."

"Of course." She hung her head pensively. His response made her unsure of the reason why her leaving the Phantomhive house had been so sudden. The door of the carriage opened and she stepped out into afternoon sun. She observed her surroundings as the wind blew around her. The sapphire blue gown that had been made for her by Nina moved softly with the wind. Her eyes searched the sky. The first time she had been away from the only people she had known for her entire life; the thought scrambled her mind. She exhaled deeply.

The two entered the house and the man led Hannah down what seemed like a never ending hallway; though the outwardly appearance of the house did not look so vast. He hadn't spoken much during the carriage ride except to tell Hannah that she was called to be the Queen's guest and that Her Majesty was looking forward to meeting her. Ciel had told her the same thing and had said that when she was introduced it was proper to reply with, it is an honor.

When she had first heard from Ciel that the Queen of the land had called for her she was confused. There was no foreseeable reason to her as to why the Queen of England would want her to live with one of her nobles just to call her to her side. However, as Ciel explained, it was customary to acknowledge and obey a request from the Queen because it was an honor. Though she had thought long about this on her ride from the Phantomhive manor she could not deny that now, as she walked the royal grounds, excitement was building up inside her. She had ever only been accustomed to the Phantomhive estate, with an occasional visit into town with the Phantomhive servants when the Earl had guests. Seeing a new place was definitely interesting.

"There are other guests that are here in this house that I would like to quickly introduce you to. Is this ok, Madame?" The man asked after Hannah had been silent for a moment. She had been so engrossed in her thoughts that she hadn't heard much of what the man was saying.

"Yes, thank you." She hummed. "Oh, I never got your name."

"Of course, my deepest apologies, my lady." The man turned and bowed to the woman. "My name, is Ash." Hannah hummed. The name rang a suspiciously familiar bell in the young woman's head. Ash Landers?

xxxx

The butler walked swiftly down the hall towards his master's study with the cart of tea. When he approached the door he knocked softly and announced his presence before entering.

"Young master, your tea." The young Earl, who was still dressed in the lavish outfit he had worn that morning, was looking pensively out of the study's window down the path the carriage had left. Sebastian began to pour him a cup of tea. "Would you like your tea, young master?" Sebastian asked again when the boy didn't acknowledge his entrance. Ciel spun around in his chair and faced his butler.

"That's fine." He quickly directed his attention to the pile of papers that were stacked on his desk.

"And would you like to change out of that outfit? There's no need to wear it all day." Ciel scoffed and glanced down at what he was wearing.

"It's fine." He said starkly. "I don't mind wearing it."

"Ah." Sebastian said with a slight grin. "Very well then. I will leave you now." Ciel sent him off with a wave of his hand and Sebastian bowed humbly before exiting the study. Taking a sip of his tea, he redirected his gaze again to the window. His mind was racing. There was something that was still unsettling him.