3:46 p.m., the loft

I'm so freaking tired. Honestly, the only reason I'm even writing right now is so that I won't conk out and end up late to this dumb Fancy Dinner that Sebastian has set up. It's a "practice" Fancy Dinner for me, so when I have to go eat with diplomats or something I'll know how to act. Apparently, if I use the wrong fork or tip the soup bowl the wrong way, I could disgrace the country of Cattalia for eons. Whatever.

It's going to be, like, three hours long, and Dad and Aunt An and, of course, Sebastian himself are all going to be there judging me. And it's not even the kind of dinner where there's dessert at the end. I mean, these snooty-ass "jelly wursts" and "cucumber trifles" and "muffle smoots" are NOT what I call real dessert. Just saying.

Thank god Headmaster Diedrich isn't invited. If he were, I think I would actually poison myself.

11:15 p.m., the loft

Okay. That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. That is to say, it was TERRIBLE, but considering my anxiety-ridden brain had been preparing me for some kind of Armageddon…well, it could have been a lot worse.

I could have died. And I didn't. So that's something.

Let's start with the food itself. The best stuff there were the breadsticks, but of course, when I took a second one I got totally SMACKED in the back of the head by Sebastian. And that guy hits HARD. Like, I literally saw stars. And, okay, so what if I want to grab my bread like a normal hungry person and go NOMNOMNOM? Is the future of European politics really going to go up in flames because one prince happens to be really into breadsticks? I say, if they want me not to take seconds, they should tell their chefs to stop making such damn amazing breadsticks.

Dessert was actually pretty good, too. It was this vanilla cake, all moist inside with strawberry filling and whipped cream and fruit on top…not to be straight up crude, but that cake made a certain part of my body do a certain thing it has only ever done during Lizzy's hugs. (But that's not because of Lizzy, of course, it's just because her hugs are so…warm. And I guess she smells good or whatever. What can I say, the kid's just really good at hugging. But anyway…)

So I'm eating this cake and Sebastian comes up behind me and leans down so his face is right by my ear (like, hello, personal space please?) and he's like, "Your Highness seems to be enjoying the cake I made."

It took all the strength in my mouth muscles not to do a spit take. So I swallowed and just said, "Sebastian, aren't you a butler? Nice try, but I know butlers don't bake." You see, I thought this was some weird kind of pop quiz, like he was seeing if I knew the roles of the various members of the royal staff.

But then Aunt An piped up and said, "Ciel, honey, has Sebastian not baked for you before? Oh, he is so cheeky sometimes!"

And my dad was like, "yes, Sebastian's a wonderful chef! He's been sending stuff over to us for years—he's made all your birthday cakes since you were six!"

Is it really weird that I could actually FEEL Sebastian smirking next to me, even though I was making a point not to look at him? Who am I kidding—my whole life is weird.

The conversation finally moved on, and for once in my life, I was actually relieved to hear my dad and aunt going crazy over my Grades and my Extracurriculars and my Social Life and what all that means for my Future. They literally have the same conversation in a loop every time they're together, so I could easily just tune them out.

It goes something like this:

Aunt An: "Vincent, I checked your local newspaper and found Ciel's name on the Honor Roll list again. You must be so proud of him!"

Dad: "Yes, even with his terrible maths skills, he was somehow able to pull through. It's his history and language grades that really save him—the boy just has a knack for the liberal arts! Such an intelligent, well-organized mind, just like his mother." (Cut the obligatory Misty-Eyed Gaze Into Nowhere.)

Aunt An: "I remember when he was little…well, littler at least, and always built those elaborate, impeccably planned-out cities and castles with his toy blocks. Completely brilliant!"

(Sebastian actually snorted at this.)

Dad: "And yes, he's still struggling with the depression and anxiety, but he's made some wonderful friends—a very nice young man by the name of Macmillan, and a budding scientist named Sieglinde, and Prince Soma Kadar from India, of course."

Aunt An: "And Darling Lizzy? I do hope he's still friends with Darling Lizzy? She's such a lovely girl!"

Dad: "Elizabeth? Of course, yes, she's always around! Practically attached at the hip, her and Ciel! They're such Good Friends."

(That "Good Friends" really punched me in the gut. I don't know why.)

I was actually kind of having fun with this—making it a game to see if I could guess what Dad or Aunt An was going to say next—when I realized everyone was staring at me. Apparently Aunt An had been saying my name over and over and I hadn't noticed. Sigh.

So I kind of jumped and was like "What?" And Sebastian pinched me HARD (did he used to be in the military or something?) and said "Your Highness, that is not how we address our elders. Do you not remember our lesson from this past Tuesday?"

Side note: I should ask Sebastian how he can smirk and talk at the same time. It seems to me that's a skill I could actually use to do some good in my life.

"Oh, it's all right, Sebastian!" Aunt An laughed, reaching over to grab his bottom. (!) "I was just suggesting that Ciel take Darling Lizzy to that dance coming up at his school! The Fall Flamenco or whatever it's called!"

My heart kind of went around in circles when she said that. The Flatfooted Fall Fandango is this big formal dance that happens every September 21st to mark the beginning of autumn. It's totally lame, which of course means Lizzy's OBSESSED with it and has been looking forward to it since, like, third grade. I think she had her dress picked out by the start of middle school. If I'm remembering right, it's seafoam blue—a perfect choice, since blue will set off her green eyes so well…I'm just saying.

Anyway, Dad totally burst out laughing and said "I hope she wears low-heeled shoes, then!"

I kind of seethed, because, yeah, Lizzy is like three inches taller than me. But that's just because girls grow faster than boys!

Sebastian stifled a laugh with his fist and replied, "or perhaps our young prince here should wear high heels."

OHMYGODIHATEHIMSOMUCH

Dad's coming in now. I -