~Ciel's POV~

"E-Elizabeth!" Ciel gasped as the beautiful girl wrapped her small arms around his skinny shoulders.

The girl, Elizabeth, hugged him even tighter. "Come oooon! I'm always telling you to call me Lizzie! AAAHN! You're soooo cuuute as always!"

Sebastian cleared his throat behind them. "Miss Elizabeth…"

Elizabeth let go of Ciel and curtseyed as the boy backed away trying to catch his breath. "Why… Good day, Sebastian!" She shouted in her perky voice.

"It has been quite some time since we saw you last, Miss."

"I've brought a present for you too!"

Sebastian's gleaming eyes widened as Elizabeth placed a pink, flowered bonnet on his head. Ciel had to look away, it didn't suit the butler at all, and he also felt bad. Elizabeth did this almost every time she came to the estate, and it was driving them insane. When he looked back, Sebastian was calmly thanking Elizabeth for her 'kindness'.

This time it was Ciel's turn to clear his throat, as Sebastian backed away in a similar manner. "By the way, Lizzie… Why are you here? Where is your mother?"

"I wanted to see you, so I came here without telling her!" She hugged him again, but not as tight as before.

"What?! What were you thinking…?"

~Sebastian's POV~

Sebastian watched in pure disgust as Ciel tried to reason with Lady Elizabeth. She was a nuisance, making extra work for him and the others. Also, she always managed to find some way to give Ciel a lot of stress. Sebastian longed to wrap his long and slender fingers around her neck until her perky voice failed her.

"Sebastian, who's the girl?" Baldroy asked him as Elizabeth rambled off about how cute Ciel was.

"Miss Elizabeth is the young master's… Betrothed."

Baldroy and the others stared at him in utter shock, taking in the words.

"Many British aristocrats are betrothed from birth," Sebastian continued. "The young master, Earl Phantomhive, is no exception. He too has a fiancée. An aristocrat's wife must be of noble birth as well. And Miss Elizabeth is the daughter of a marquess.

Ciel snuck over to Sebastian, shaking slightly after Elizabeth's embrace. "Her mother will be worried about her coming here without informing her. Sebastian, call—"

Elizabeth grabbed him from behind, pulling him into the salon. "CIEEEEEL! Come over heeeere! Look, look! I've made the salon cute too!"

Ciel stared at the room in shock as she continued. "Oh! I know! Saay, Ciel? Since the salon is all lovely now… Let's have a dance party today! My fiancé will escort me, and together, we'll dance the night away!"

"Wh—" Ciel started.

"Make sure you wear those clothes I chose for you, Ciel! They'll look really cute on yooou!"

"Hey, I never said I'd…"

"Dancing with Ciel, who'll be wearing the outfit I picked out. It'll be a dream come true! I have to dress up and look most stylish toooooo!"

"Listen up when people are talking to you…" Ciel said as Sebastian put his hand on his shoulder and guided him out of the room. "Hey! Elizabeth?! LISTEN TO MEEE!"

~Ciel's POV~

"Miss Elizabeth is the daughter of the Midford Marquessate, the family into which Lady Francis, the younger sister of the previous head of the family, married." Sebastian muttered as he poured Ciel some tea. "There is nothing to be done. You cannot brusquely turn your fiancée away."

"I didn't WANT to become her fiancé." Ciel mumbled with his head in his hands. "I was FORCED to."

"… Regardless… The best course for today would be to acquiesce to her fancy, and then ask her to leave. After all, you have yet to finish playing that game."

"Exactly. So just stuff some food in that mouth of hers and send her on her way. I have no time to deal with a little girl's whims."

"But Lady Elizabeth wishes to dance with you…"

Sebastian gave him a funny look, and Ciel looked away sheepishly. It wasn't his fault that he didn't know what to do in these situations with little girls… He had much more important things to worry about.

Like his job.

And thinking about Sebastian…

"Ciel."

"What is it?"

"I have never seen you do so myself… But you do know how to dance, sir?"

Ciel put down his tea, put a newspaper in front of his face, and spun around the chair so that his back was to Sebastian.

"… I see… That would explain why you are such a wallflower even when invited to parties."

"I'm busy with my work. I haven't the time to waste on such sport."

"I beg to differ, Ciel." Sebastian flipped the chair back around, and stared straight into his eyes. Ciel felt as though he was being hypnotized by his gaze. "Social dancing is called 'social' for a reason. It is a necessary skill at balls and banquets. A gentleman of the aristocracy must be able to dance. For if you were to refuse the daughter of a business acquaintance a dance, your reputation in social circles would plummet…"

"All right, fine! I'll just have to do it then. Call for a tutor!"

"We do not have the time to enlist one of the Madame's as your dance instructor, sir. A pretense of skill is enough for today, so let us have you master the waltz, a basic ballroom dance."

Ciel watched him carefully, emotions jumbled up inside him. "Who would you have teach me then? Any way you look at it, the residents here are out of the question…"

"Not to worry, sir." Sebastian placed his finger under Ciel's chin. "Brazen though it may be of me, please allow me to teach you how to dance."

"DON'T BE RIDICULOUS! I CAN'T DANCE WITH A TALL FELLOW LIKE YOU! YOU CAN'T DANCE THE WALTZ ANYWAY…"

"Permit me to teach you the Viennese waltz… As I have visited the Schonbrunn Palace in the past."

Sebastian extended his gloved hand to Ciel graciously. "Will you not grant me this dance…? Ciel?"

Ciel looked up at Sebastian, falling for him once more. And without much hesitation, he placed his small hand in Sebastian's and stood up, ready to dance.