"You look pathetic, Maltese." Lord Barrymore looked to the rather inconvenienced Ciel tied up in chains.
"I think you should let us go before the truth gets out, Lord Barrymore." the boy jeered the nobleman enticing his aggression.
"Tch, depending on what you say I'll let you go... You are to pull out of this village and advise Her Majesty to never touch it again!" he yelled at Ciel, clearly falling to delusions.
"You'd go that far to protect your tiny, little kingdom? You're the very dictionary definition of obsessive." Ciel poked further at man.
"You brat... Learn what happens to those who defy me!" Barrymore set the dogs loose with howls and cries.
In the crowd of villagers, Torio watched wishing he could help. While he knew Sebastian wouldn't let anything happen to Ciel, he instead was more concerned about the maid from the Barrymore house. He wasn't sure if that woman knew about him, but, he only hoped he had gone unnoticed.
As Torio watched the dogs setting off after Ciel, his jaw tightened before letting out a quiet command, "Kaoru,"
Something lightly tapped his shoulder. When he turned, he was rather relieved to see his maid. But, before Kaoru could interfere, something black fell from the sky, knocking back the mongrel dogs. From seemingly nowhere, Sebastian had appeared.
"You dare interfere, Garm?" he turned to the now recovered animals "Well, what're you waiting for?! Kill them!" Barrymore shouted causing his dogs to snarl and growl at the pair.
"Oh, what noisy, coarse voices. This is why I hate dogs." his eyes sharpened as a malicious and hateful light gleamed in his eyes. Briefly, his eyes turned from their usual brown to an other worldly red.
Suddenly their sneers and bared teeth turned to whines and wagging tales. They had completely shut down sending the Lord for a loop. Torio felt a great relief knowing that Sebastian would handle things from here. So, without hesitation, he slinked away into the crowd and returned to his inn. He had many things to consider, one of which was why the Queen's guard had traveled all the way to Houndsworth. Truth be told, he was not interested in the mystical demon hound, he had been following the white haired woman.
"I suppose that's a case closed then?" Torio sipped his tea as Ciel gazed out a window. The fire crackled and popped as warm flames licked at the brick and stone of the fireplace.
"Her Majesty will be pleased to know that the tyrannical Lord Barrymore is paying for his crimes, so yes, this is a closed case." he nodded as the rain began to fall from the heavy clouds looming in the dark sky.
"While it's all fine and dandy you've fulfilled the Queen's requests, I still believe there is still some danger here." Torio thought back to the white haired maid crying at the sight of the evening's events.
"Danger? I've disproved that this demon hound has existed, put a murderer away, and saved the decline of villagers. What else is left for me to fear?" Ciel turned to his ally raising a brow.
"While it may seem that way, there is still an evil that lurks. I simply urge you to tread cautiously with those who seem meek and petty for they are the ones who strike when all is peaceful." standing from his seat, he adjusted his cloak and jacket.
"You clearly know something I don't. What're you hiding from me?" the young Earl began to guard himself from the older boy.
"I'm afraid I can't reveal that bit of information, but, when the time is right I'll find you." placing his top hat on his head, he nodded at Ciel as he made his way for the door.
Kaoru patiently waited at the front of the estate gazing off into the night sky and the stars that occasionally peeked through the thick and heavy blankets of clouds. Despite how she had seen things come and go among her years, the stars always managed to remain albeit the ever changing world dominated by man. She had developed a slight appreciation for the twinkling lights in the sky as they always kept her company.
Although, her stargazing did not go unnoticed. From a distant window, Sebastian folded and packed laundry away as they were to leave soon. But, he couldn't help but notice the black haired girl standing alone at the doors of the house. She seemed to be deep in thought as her brown eyes stared off to the sky. Unaware, as he was oddly enticed by Kaoru, the butler had completely ignored his task. Instead he studied her peacoat and red dress underneath while noting how her tied back black tresses curled slightly at the tips.
And then, strangely enough, she smiled. Why would she smile? There was nothing interesting about this particular night, nothing special at all. So, why did she beam at the sight of the sky? The question replayed in his mind as he simply could not understand what reason she had to be happy. But, there was something to appreciate about a carefree smile.
Her thoughts were soon brought back to the world around her as she felt eyes burning at her back. Apprehensive of her surroundings, her eyes inspected the dead trees and withered brush in the nearby hills of green grass. As she did not see any threat from the ground she instead turned her attention to the windows of the manor. When her eyes met Sebastian's, a sensation of dread and anger rose from her stomach. What had once been a soft gaze had now turned to one of ice and vexation.
The two simply looked at one another, unsure of what the other could be thinking. Kaoru had suspicions that the butler wasn't satisfied with allowing her to take another breath. But, Sebastian again memorized her features still distracted by the demon before him. While he had seen plenty of pretty women, there was something about her cold stare drew his intrigue as he hadn't seen anything quite like it.
Without warning the clouds gave way to rain as thunder bellowed throughout the hills and reverberated through the dark night. As Kaoru stood under the roof of the manor, a startling premonition filled her thoughts that quickly gave way to a sense foreboding. Her eyes sharpened and ears scrutinized the slightest sound. Sebastian raised a brow as the maid began to examine her surroundings with a sort of worry.
When the maid finally discerned what had caused her so much anticipation she darted passed the doors and ran to reach her master.
"Young master," solace washed over her at the sight of Torio standing in the living room. He seemed rather confused by the sudden appearance of his maid.
As the sky rumbled and churned, a white and ominous streak painted the horizon as jagged bolts endlessly grew and tore away at the night sky. A sinister boom of thunder followed closely giving too late of a warning for imminent tempest. As the low and deep groan of thunder ended, a sharp scream followed.
Everyone in the manor rushed down to the basement to discover who had cried for help. Reaching the cobblestone floor, a noticeable draft brushed against them coming from the small dungeon on the left. Kaoru closely guarded her master, Torio as her intuition had proven to be true.
All were surprised to see the innocent maid, Angela pointing to the gaping hole in the stone wall that was newly painted in Lord Barrymore's blood.
