Chapter IV:
"Game, Set, and Match."

The Phantomhive staff stood before the grand stairwell in the main hall, lined up against the wall as they waited anxiously for the master to speak to them. Each moment of silence was torturous. It was not often that Ciel Phantomhive requested personal audience with the household staff—and the fact that Sebastian was also present made the situation all the more terrifying. Despite all the incredible talents that had ensured their places in the Phantomhive household, the servants could not help but feel tense as the young boy and his demon butler eyed them meticulously.

"Ohhh, I simply can't stand it anymore, no, I can't!" shrieked Mey-Rin, the resident bumbling housemaid: clasping her hands to her face. For all her hyperactivity, fawning over Sebastian constantly, and her seeming 'far-sightedness', no one in their right mind would guess that she was, in actuality, an expert assassin with special eyes. "Tell us what you want or we'll go absolutely bleedin' mad, yes we will!"

"Why, there is no need to fret, Mey-Rin," Ciel returned in an unusually soft, saccharine tone. "I perfectly intend to tell you what is on my mind."

"Then, i' you don't mind me sayin', how about gettin' to the point already, y' know?" Bardroy, a retired soldier and self-proclaimed 'chef', began in slightly annoyed tones, to which Sebastian gave him a menacing glare.

Bardroy shrugged.

Ciel seemed to ignore this little outburst, and continued on: "It's quite simple, really. I must be off to London at once, and I leave the manor in your charge."

"You are going out again, young master?" Finni, the Phantomhive's adorable, timid, and eager-to-please gardener, asked sweetly: making sure not to touch anything with his super-strength endowed hand. "But, you just returned from a case. Shouldn't you rest awhile?"

"I am certain I do not need to tell you that the Queen's guard dog never sleeps," Ciel chided in response to Finni's concern, to which the servant hung his head in silence. "Though, as Fate would have it, the invitation I received this morning from Earl Alois Trancy to join him at his manor for a time has presented a singular opportunity. It not only affords me a relaxed environment in which to recover from my last assignment, but, also, it provides the perfect cover for silent, subtle, and thorough investigation." Lord Phantomhive chuckled almost inaudibly. He was quite the clever little devil, he had to admit. "But, alas, I get ahead of myself. As Sebastian and I shall be leaving presently for the Trancy estate, I fully expect each of you to keep up the manor befittingly in our absence," Ciel finished in his usual, monotone fashion: glancing downward as he nonchalantly tugged on his black, leather kid gloves. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Master!" they all replied in unison: saluting in an admittedly silly fashion.

At this reassurance, Ciel turned to his butler. "Sebastian, I trust you shall inform the staff of the tasks you've prepared for them, as you deem necessary?"

"Yes, my Lord," Sebastian returned submissively: bowing ever so slightly at the waist. He then brought a gloved hand up to his mouth and delicately cleared his throat, proceeding to astonish everyone with the speed and efficiency in which he gave out the following orders:

"Finni: trim the Japanese bushes along the entrance of the estate regularly, and make sure to weed the area around the greenhouse; I can see that you have been neglecting that lately, and it simply won't do."

"Aye-aye, Sebastian!" Finni returned timidly.

"—Mey-rin, darling: you really must attempt to be more careful when attending your daily chores," he chided in a gentle, sweet, yet firm tone: using endearments to ensure that he caught the infatuated young maid's attention. She blushed hot red when he referred to her as 'darling' in his oh-so-silky voice. "Understand? I shall not be here to assist you should you blunder in your usual fashion." He smiled charmingly as he said this, to which Mey-rin stammered like a mad fool: "Y—Yes, Sebastian!"

"And, finally…" Sebastian's tone grew much darker as he shifted his eyes towards Bardroy, who, all this time, had begun to close his eyes and started to fall asleep against the stairwell: "Bardroy, try not to blow anything up when we're gone. Neither I or my young master fancy the idea of returning to an estate that's been turned to embers."

"Right, fine, Sebastian. I'll do whatever the hell you want, y' know, but it won't be easy stayin' from my explosives. I'm a soldier through and through, after all—I can't seem to get used to peace and quiet," Bardroy returned: giving the cigarette in his mouth a hearty puff.

"Nothing worth anything is ever easy," Sebastian remarked, glancing an admiring look down at Ciel Phantomhive, whilst his mind wandered towards the prospect of winning the soul of re-incarnated Eve. He then swiftly turned to the final member of the household staff: the small, bespectacled elderly man who had been butler before Sebastian. "Tanaka I leave everything in your capable hands."

"Ho, ho, ho," Tanaka muttered cheerily into his tea cup: watching as the tea leaves stood on edge.

Sebastian cracked his rare but charming smile. "Very good, then," he returned: satisfied. "If I may, my Lord, I believe that we have nothing more to say here."

"Excellent," Ciel replied, turning to depart—his dark cape swirling dramatically behind him. "Come along, Sebastian. I'd very much like to make it to the Trancy estate before nightfall."

"Yes, my Lord."


Some hours later, the Phantomhive stagecoach went over an abrupt rut in the road, rousing the young lord from a sound slumber. The ride had proven to be quite boring: at first it had not been so tiresome, when farmlands had provided an idyllic view, but as soon as the countryside had been abandoned and the carriage had made its way into the city, Ciel had grown weary of staring at nothing but smoke and smog, and the heaviness of the air had lulled him into a deep sleep.

Ciel moaned softly as he adjusted himself, and when he awoke and looked upward, he was mortified to find that he had fallen asleep against his butler's chest.

Sebastian smirked down at him, clearly restraining a chuckle. "Why, you've awaken, my young lord. Such a shame—you were looking rather… 'adorable', as you humans would say."

Ciel recoiled at his butler's jest, and Sebastian looked ahead: letting that smirk develop into a playful smile.

"Do not use that word to refer to me again… do you understand, Sebastian?" Ciel ordered irritably: crossing his arms as he shifted ever so slightly away from his butler.

Sebastian feigned a look of disappointment, but yet another smirk surfaced in its place: tugging at the corners of his lips. "Yes, my lord, but you did not order me to. Unless you order me directly, I am at my liberty to label you so to my heart's content," he reminded him with a soft laugh.

"I order you, Sebastian… to never use that word again."

Sebastian scratched his chin for a moment. "Oh, dear. Now, that might be rather difficult. Seeing as the word plays a significant role in the English language when referring to things that are attractive or endearing, finding a way to navigate around using this word in fitting situations without sounding completely awkward might prove to be a challenge, even for me—"

"Sebastian, just what the hell are you playing at?" Ciel exclaimed in frustration.

"I merely noted that you seemed bored, my young master, and thought that this interactive banter might prove to be sufficient entertainment for the remainder of our journey," Michaelis replied with seeming innocence.

Lord Phantomhive scoffed, avoiding his butler's gaze as he leaned forward to look out of the window.

"Well, I suppose you have done your job adequately, Sebastian… as we appear to have arrived at the Trancy manor," he finished anti-climactically, reclining back into the lush, royal-purple, gold-fringed cushions of the stagecoach.


As the stage rolled to a halt, and Ciel Phantomhive alighted from the carriage with elegant grace, the cobblestones in the pathway to the Trancy estate crunched under the dense black heels of his shoes.

"For a person who loves fanfare, I'm fairly surprised that Earl Trancy did not prepare more elaborately for our arrival," Ciel remarked: scanning the surroundings with a skeptical air.

"Knowing the young earl, he may just surprise us yet, master," Sebastian remarked with a slight chuckle. "This is Alois Trancy we are speaking of, after all."

As if on cue, the blonde-haired child rushed out from the double-doors to the vast mansion, and charged towards Ciel.

"Oh, dear," Sebastian groaned: resting his face in his palms. "Master, would you care for me to intervene?"

"No, I'm certain I shall be fiiii—!" the boy's sentence ended in a terrified scream as the Trancy heir tackled him with great impact.

"Ciel!" he exclaimed, practically pouncing Lord Phantomhive. Ciel grunted at the impact, and backed away as soon as he could pry himself from Alois's tight grasp.

"Honestly, you're worse than Lizzie," Ciel mumbled under his breath: straightening out the new wrinkles in his coat.

"Oh, I'm so glad you could come and join us!" Alois squeaked, completely ignoring Ciel's jab. "You're the guest of honor, you know, so really, this whole party would have been an utter failure if you hadn't shown up."

"You neglected to mention that you were hosting a party in your invitation," Ciel returned, bemused, and slightly irritated. "Not to mention, one being held in my honor. Whatever for? As far as I am concerned we're straddling the line between annoying acquaintances and enemies."

"Now, now, that's not very nice," Alois pouted: pursing his lips as he came up behind Ciel: tugging at the corners of the young lord's lips. "Come, on! Smile for me, Ciel!"

"—Young master, if I may, you do seem to be stressing Lord Phantomhive," came the soft yet gently reproachful voice of Claude Faustus as he approached Alois from behind, and rested a gloved hand on his shoulder.

"It is not your place to tell me what I can and cannot do," Alois returned huffily, kicking Claude in the foot. The butler did not budge, however, and merely replied, with no note of pain in his voice: "A thousand apologies, your highness, but the number one priority of a Trancy butler is to ensure the comfort of the estate's guests."

"Well, I suppose you are right," Alois returned in an almost inaudible whisper: wriggling free. Clearing his throat, he then added: "And, in regards to your previous remark, Ciel, I did not inform you about the true nature of your visit, as I gathered you would not show up."

"For once, from that mouth comes logic and reason," Sebastian whispered into Ciel's ear, to which the latter donned a sarcastic smile.

"Well, it is of no consequence," Lord Phantomhive said in response to Alois. "We are here now, and I am certainly in no hurry to venture back through that smog anytime soon."

Alois clapped his hands in glee. "Oh, hooray!"

"If I may," Sebastian began, stepping forward and giving Claude a meaningful glance, which was not ignored: "evening will soon be upon us. Should we not venture indoors before chill sets in?"

"But of course," Claude bowed respectfully at the waist, stepping aside so Ciel might pass through, accompanied by a chatty Alois.

The two boys did not seem to notice it when the two butlers lagged behind. As the masters vanished out of sight and into the vast dining hall, the demons were left to themselves.

"I am glad that you took advantage of my offer," Claude returned in a flat and emotionless tone, made all the more eerie by the sickening smile that threated to dawn on his face.

"It was simply too delicious to ignore," Sebastian returned, smiling winsomely, bowing at the waist in a polite fashion. "Even I must admit that my senses have been tantalized by that enchanting scent… particularly more so, since you directed me towards its source."

"Do not mistake my offer as an invitation to share in the spoils," Claude was hasty to add.

"But of course not," Sebastian returned. "As always," he broke off, tugging his white kid gloves on tighter, with his teeth: "I am up for a challenge."

"A duel between butlers…."

"This shall be the battle of our spiritual age," Sebastian returned thoughtfully: scoffing with a smile as he turned to face the double-doors. "And our actions here may well set the world ablaze with chaos and fear. As we set up our pieces, and orchestrate them to our will, it's all up to us, the players, to see how this elaborate game of chess will play out."

"Chess?"

"But of course. It is the game my young master most fancies," Sebastian returned with a smirk. "So, I suppose, there's only one thing left to say." He paused for dramatic effect, finishing with a whisper as he disappeared into the manor, brushing past Faustus: "Game… set… and match."


This chapter is dedicated to my friend, supporter, and fellow FFN author, geminigrrl, who is not feeling well at the moment. Get well soon, my dear!

Also, I apologize for the lateness of this chapter, and hope that its length makes up for the wait. I've been super busy, but now that things are winding down, I should be able to update fast again.

Please, R&R! Let me know what you loved/would like to see more of. I promise, Eve's re-incarnation will be making her debut in the next chapter!

OF NOTE: Please visit my profile page and vote on the poll I created, which regards how updates should be posted on both "The Purest Soul" and my PotC story, "My Once in a Lifetime". Thank you for your time!

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Butler, though I do own my OC.