"Somehow, there seems to be a rat in here too." Azzuro Vener spoke, before hitting a ball with his cue stick.

"How long do you intend to let that harmful animal that scavenges for food and spreads disease around do as it pleases?" said a fat nobleman, munching on a sandwich.

"Shall we let it do as it pleases? Or shall we let it swim?" added another person, Lau, a Chinese. He then hit a ball with his own cue stick.

"Yes, he always aims for the nine-ball. Will you pass again, Count Phantomhive?" asked a woman this time, with short red hair. Well, everything about her was red. So I guess you all know who she is and for those who don't, it's Madame Red.

The said Count smirked before leaning on his seat, "Pass. The ball that can't help hitting is an un-hit principle."

"That's good judgment. When will the rat be exterminated?" Arthur Randall spoke as Azzuro took another shot at the ball.

The young earl replied, "Soon, I've already received the ingredients from Clause. We will eradicate the rat that finds its nest after we break a few of its bones. When can I receive the compensation for it?"

Arthur stood in silence and glared at him for a second then, "You vulture…"

Ciel looked at him darkly and frowned, "Do you possess the right to insult our crest? You, a bloodhound that can't even catch one rat?" The older guy grimaced at his statement.

"Too bad, it's a fall. Billiard's hard…" Lau said, complaining, sighing deeply as Azzuro turned to the young earl, "Next is the Count. What will you do? Will you put an end to this waiting game?" Ciel stood from his seat, walking past Arthur.

"When will you be able to prepare the compensation?" he repeated his question, this time, his voice sounding a bit more menacing than before, making Arthur stutter out his answer. "Th-this evening…"

Ciel got into position, "That's fine. Afterwards, a carriage will come to pick you up. Please wait for high tea to be prepared."

Arthur clenched his teeth in anger, both at his self and the young earl's cockiness, and he left one last message to the young boy. "'Greed' will destroy your body… Ciel!"

The young earl remained a straight face before hitting the ball, eventually hitting the nine-ball.

"Greed… you say?" he mumbled.


It has been a few months since Amelia has been staying in the Phantomhive mansion. She got settled in, and it was much easier for her to remember where and for what the rooms are for, and all the things a Phantomhive servant must know since all she needed was a little reminiscing and reviewing.

The brunette had also received her pay, and she grinned, saying it was her first time again in a long time to have money on her hands, with Sebastian commenting that he didn't even need those. Amelia didn't bother and just nodded, acknowledging the fact that Sebastian wasn't some worldly man.

Of course, being the new addition to the dynamic household, she eventually found out how much destruction the other three servants could make.

Also, she found out how Sebastian and Bardroy would sometimes argue, with Sebastian being the winner. Mey-rin, Finnian and Amelia would just watch them.

'Well... thinking about it, those were more like a routine already, honestly.' She thought as she made her way around the manor. There are times that Amelia would just leave the room out of annoyance and roam around and do other things like play a few notes on the piano, or sketch, which then would lead to Sebastian getting mad at her too.

Ciel would sometimes complain about the noise and the ruckus, but to no avail, which was kind of expecte. She would only sigh at this. Sometimes she'd help the others but Sebastian would end up scolding her. Again.

'I mean, what's wrong with helping them? It lessens the mess too. Tanaka would sit there; sip his tea and say, "Ho-ho-ho!" and now, I wonder if Santa Claus had already possessed him.'

She thought back on the events during the stay she's had in the Phantomhive mansion. Amelia turned on the doorknob, carrying with her some wires and supplies. Lately, rats had been infesting London and now, the pests had reached them too.

'Damn those rats! Of all places to infest, why the manor?!' she sighed warily; ever since those damn rats have been paying them a visit, well, things went slightly worse.

While organizing stuff in the kitchen, placing them in their rightful places, Amelia heard a high-pitched voice, followed by the sound of crashing things, which resounded through the manor. She sweat-dropped, "Ah, when will they learn?" she shook her head in disappointment, running a hand through her hair and went to where they probably were.

On the way, she heard a few meows and purrs too. "Where did those cats even come from? Those three are…"

The brunette wondered aloud, pinching the bridge of her nose to at least try and relieve the stress building up in her. She neared them and heard Tanaka's great 'ho-ho-ho'-ing as well.

"What is with all the ruckus? Are you not aware that we will be having guests?" Amelia placed her hands on her waist, voice reprimanding. The noise was giving her a headache, and that meant her temper was a bit shorter than usual.

She waited for them to stop and to see if they even listened but no. They won't even listen to her since they're too engrossed to rat catching.

"What are all of you doing?" a male's voice said this time, who was owned by Sebastian, and was loud enough for them to hear. Amelia had thought of yelling at them, but after weighing the differences, she found that it would be too stressful and it won't lessen the noise and it'll make them scared of her. Almost instantly, she began to feel pity for them.

"'What' you say? We've decided to capture the rats!" Bardroy replied to the butler angrily. But even after all that, they never even caught a single rat. Sebastian was going to say something but was stopped when Ciel called for him to give an order, which was to escort Duke Randall by carriage back home to his own mansion.

"Understood. Then, when I finish the preparations for the carriage, I will bring up some afternoon tea to your room. I have prepared apple and raisin dip pie for today's snack. I will bring it to you when it's baked, so please just wait a bit." replied Sebastian with a small smile and a hand over his chest.

Amelia involuntarily licked her lips at the mention of the snack. She admits that she sometimes envy Ciel since he gets to eat all the yummy treats made by Sebastian. One thing she missed, Amelia realized, was the free treats. Probably because of it, she would regret running away.

One time, she dipped her finger on the mix, when Sebastian made chocolate cake, and it was so delicious she couldn't stop.

But as expected, the butler caught her in the act and was forced to "help" him make another one.

Back to the current timeline, the demon turned to his subordinates. Amelia looked down, seeing three nasty rats going her way. Quickly, she bent and caught them by their tails. When she stood straight, she saw Sebastian putting three other rats in the net Tanaka held.

Finding the old guy cute—who wouldn't—the brunette walked over to the house steward and put the rats she caught in the net too.

Amelia spoke before Sebastian did. "Seriously, must you make too much of a fuss when all you had to do was to catch these rats? And look at those," she pointed at the pieces of what once to be a whole statue of some sort, probably coming from the garden, "Try not to break too much, alright? Now clean it up."

She rarely got this serious about things, but then, Amelia thought this was her limit. Her eyes met Sebastian's for a brief moment, and once again, the housekeeper was fascinated at his temper. She had wished and chose to remain positive that they weren't going to be this hopeless.

Ciel suddenly walked back to where they were, "Ah, Mia. Come with me for a while."

Bowing her head, obeying her cousin's orders, Amelia followed behind him after sparing the other servants one last look.

"Now, please do your work without playing around. As what Mia has said, we will be having guests tonight."

Amelia heard Sebastian's voice, which to her, seemed quite scary. 'Poor fellows, having to undergo the butler's frightening side…'

Ciel and his cousin were walking down the hallway to his study. "So, how are you doing lately?" he began, making the brunette smile as she tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. "I'm doing just fine, thank you for asking. It's not everyday that I encounter something too big of a problem, except, well, them," she emphasized.

"But apart from that fact, I still am grateful to you for taking me in. I never imagined I would be able to experience such comfort again in my life."

Ciel nodded, and though he doesn't show it, he was pleased upon hearing this. Amelia kept talking, "But I think those three are… are really, quite… a handful."

Even if they're master-and-servant now, Ciel still treats her as his cousin and they talk to each other casually when it's just the two of them. Ciel hummed, agreeing with what Amelia said, "Well, that's good to hear from you. I've been meaning to ask you something, if you have noticed anything strange about Sebastian?"

Amelia opened his door for him, thinking, 'Sebastian? Strange?'

"He is strange; in a way that he's too good at his job, and well, the way that his eyes are a of a peculiar shade of red. Is it alright if I asked you for the reason behind your inquiry?"

Ciel shook his head, realizing his mistake, as he made his way near his leather seat and decided that he had to change the topic.

"How can this house's servants always be so peaceful?" the young earl murmured loud enough for Amelia to hear, earning a chuckle from the lady. And she understood, choosing to ignore the earl's words. The brunette had closed the door and was making her way near Ciel, when she replied, "Sarcastic, aren't you? You do realize, I am a servant as we—?!"

The housekeeper was cut off as two strong hands grabbed her from behind, covering both her mouth and nose with a handkerchief. Amelia looked to the side and saw Ciel being dragged away, a handkerchief covering his mouth and nose too. 'Wh-what's thi—?' she gasped in her head as a strange smell entered her nose.

Amelia tried not to breathe and held her breath but it was useless and too late. The smell had begun to spread through her head, making Amelia feel dizzy. 'It's… Oh no, Ciel! I'm sorry... D-damn… it...' her green eyes were welcomed by darkness as they slowly closed.


A/N: I'd like to apologize for quite the short chapter. The next one would be a bit longer, most probably. This fanfic would be based more off the manga, but I will combine it with the anime for sure. I have it all laid out in a corner of my brain, the only thing that's left is to deliver it well! Quite frustrating but I love what I'm doing anyway. I shan't keep you long; 'til next time!