Kendall came down once again in a fresh change of clothes, this time a dark red dress with white lace and black ribbons and highlights here and there. That color actually looked rather good on her, in contrast to the pastel colors Kayla apparently liked to make her wear.

Ciel was sitting at the dining table, munching on a slice of fancy-looking cake. He glanced up at her as she came in, and he gestured to a seat at the end of the long, rectangular table.

Kendall looked about to sit down, but she frowned and moved over to a seat on the side next to Ciel. "I can hardly see you from over there, let alone have a decent conversation," she said, sitting herself down next to him with a cheery smile. Ciel raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything as he continued eating his cake.

Sebastian entered moments later, carrying an ornate china plate with hot chocolate and a neatly folded napkin. "That's a lovely color on you," he complimented, as was his job as a butler.

"Thank you," she said, looking a bit sheepish. "It's the last dry one I have left…all the others are completely soaked."

A sarcastic chuckle escaped Ciel's mouth as he looked at her in amusement. "What have you been doing to get all your dresses soaked?"

"Um, well, let's see…" Kendall began counting on her fingers. "I was out picking apples with Finny, but that was my nightgown, not a dress…I was exploring the garden, and Kayla caught me on that one…I fell off the balcony because the rain made the railing slippery…"

Sebastian didn't recall the garden-exploring incident. Perhaps Kayla was less incompetent than he'd thought, but be that as it may, Kendall had still managed to fall off a balcony to her (near) death or injury.

"You fell off a balcony?" Ciel asked, less with a concerned voice and more with a bemused one. "Someone caught you, I assume."

Kendall nodded. "Sebastian did." She took a sip of the hot chocolate, and her eyes widened. "This is the most delicious hot chocolate I've ever had!" she declared with a grin, taking another sip.

"Sebastian's sweets are the best." Ciel continued eating his cake.

Sebastian smiled and bowed, hand on his chest. "I'll leave you two to your conversation," he said, exiting the room swiftly.

"So, Ciel," Kendall said, sipping at her hot chocolate again, "what was that letter from the Queen about?"

"Just a series of mu"—He stopped himself, reddening a little when he realized he'd nearly given it away. Kendall was grinning that freaky Cheshire-Cat-esque grin again.

"Ah, I was so close," she teased.

"Nice try," he huffed. "I'm not empty-headed."

"I know that," she said, rolling her eyes. "A thirteen-year-old boy wouldn't be able to run a toy company if he were a moron, let alone buy one off a grown man." Bitterness was evident in her voice, but Ciel didn't seem to care; that is, if he'd even noticed it.

"You don't seem so stupid either," he said grudgingly, finishing his cake and setting down his fork.

"I read a lot," she said with a shrug. "It's a good source of entertainment and I learn things from it. At least I don't spend my time gushing over pretty dresses or obsessing over my appearance or shoe shopping for hours on end…I don't know how people can stand that."

Ciel had to smirk at the thought of Elizabeth, who had been perfectly but inadvertently described by Kendall. This Kendall girl was exactly what his fiancée was not; independent and much like a boy. It was very refreshing to have that kind of a girl around, even though she was a bit of a pain and way too curious for her own good, not to mention just plain strange. The interesting thing, though, was that Kendall didn't put up a façade of ladylike-ness when it was clear she wasn't ladylike at all. She was blunt, to the point, and completely honest about herself. As far as Ciel knew, anyway. The letter from the Queen was definitely something to consider. Knowing the secret suspicions the Queen had about her family, he couldn't judge Kendall until he knew the truth.

He blinked as a hand waved back and forth in front of his eyes. "Hellooo? Earth to Ciel?" Kendall asked, a bemused smile on her face. "You zoned out completely. What's on your mind?"

"Nothing," he said dismissively.

"I'm sure," she said skeptically, raising an eyebrow at him. "Trust me, I know when someone's thinking about something, and the gears in your head were turning rapidly just now."

"I wasn't thinking about anything," he replied swiftly, narrowing his eyes at her.

"All right, all right, I get it," she said, raising her hands in a mock-surrender pose. "You're still irritated because I stole your letter."

"That letter contained confidential information," he replied coldly. "It's very suspicious that you stole it."

"I didn't get to read any more of it than what I said out loud," she replied, hoping her lie wasn't evident. She wasn't the greatest liar, for sure. "I was just messing around."

"And you certainly could have made a mess of things if you'd read the letter." He sounded even more irritated.

"See, now you're making me curious as to what was on the letter."

"It's too late, I've burned it."

"How disappointing." She actually did sound disappointed.

"I'm sure." He whirled around to exit the dining room, gritting his teeth. This girl was infuriating—she didn't seem to take him seriously at all. She was treating him more like a kid than an adult, which he was more accustomed to.

By the way, thank you to all the readers who review/fave/alert this! I appreciate it, and it gives me encouragement. ^^ Any respectful critique you might have would be good too if there's anything you can think of (although I do adore getting compliments too x3).

~Areida