Present Day


A Phantomhive Head must never to be made a fool. Ciel wasn't all that narrowed-sighted.

Since their very first few weeks together, he had seen how generously Sebastian treated Elizabeth on her given appearances.

Not that it mattered to him really—it just happened to steal his awareness again the prior night, when Elizabeth had yet again insisted on dressing the demon in something pink and bulking yellow streamers. And Sebastian simply conformed in the deed without complaint. Even the other servants grumbled behind her back, knowing how utterly preposterous the butler looked.

"Say, Sebastian...," the young Earl initiated, as he watched his morning tea being prepared for him. "What is Elizabeth to you?"

Sebastian paused in mid-pour, his dark strands curtaining his features. Though in short, he said, "She is your fiancé, is she not? That is what I know her as, Master."

"Yes—" Ciel sensed he was being blunt with reason. "But you don't seem to speak poorly of her on any level, in or out of her presence— I mean, you even build up the nerve to tease me from time to time. I'm merely curious what makes my fiancé so special in the eyes of a demon. Surely, a beast of your status does not think that highly of a mortal outside of a contract."

Sebastian merely passed Ciel a plate with a scone placed upon it and listened to Ciel's opinions. He cast the boy a stern expression. "Is it an order for me to reply?"

Ceil thought it over while taking a bite of his breakfast. He swallowed. "No, I suppose that's not quite necessary."

"Well then, in that case," the demon concluded with a clearing of his throat, "I should advise the Master to not ask questions he isn't ready to hear the truth to."

The Earl honestly was not anticipating a daring answer like that. He stared at his butler then, displaying that he was slightly taken aback involuntarily. And the demon solely left their words where they lay, added nothing more to the conversation. He bowed to him as usual, nevertheless, and slowly departed from the room pushing out trolley cart along with him.

After a few minutes of being alone, Ciel ultimately whirled his office chair to face the pair of tall windows behind him, reflecting on Sebastian's unexpected peculiar behavior.

Not ready to hear the truth? What detail had he possibly overlooked? And regrettably his supposed harmless curiosity, only lead him to feel a horrid shift on the horizon.

Things evidently were more complex than they appeared.

Ciel's visible eye lifted to gaze down the long vacant driveway on pure habit. "Elizabeth..."