The next morning Sebastian made his way to the master bedroom. Knocking softly, he pushed the door open.

"Young master, it's time to—" He stopped his call when he saw that Ciel was already awake. The boy sat upright on the edge of the bed and had been waiting for his butler's arrival. Sebastian grinned. "Oh? Eager to get up this morning, are we?" Ciel waved off his butler's statement.

"Enough talk. What have you prepared for us to wear today?" Sebastian retrieved the costumes from the boy's closet. He fitted a brown wig on Ciel's head, it had a classic bang that was long enough to cover his right eye. Then he fitted the boy in an elaborate suit of maroon and gold, tying a belt around his waist and a tie around his neck. Ciel looked at himself in the mirror after his butler has dressed him. "I look like a Spaniard, Sebastian." He said, placing his hands on his hips.

"Indeed." The butler said. "You are a proud English noble. The best way to have you blend is and not be yourself is to dress you as a non-English noble." Ciel let out a sigh.

"I can't help but think that today will be a tiresome day." Sebastian proceeded to put on his own costume, a brown cloak with golden trim and buttons, black gloves, and a pair of reading glasses. He walked over to the door of the bedroom and opened it for the Earl.

"It is as you say, young master."

A carriage awaited Ciel and Sebastian outside of the manor. The butler opened the carriage door and allowed the Earl to settle in before he did the same. The two sat across from the woman, who was wearing an orange sundress and a matching sun hat that covered her face.

"Good morning, Lady Hannah." Ciel said formally. She smiled in acknowledgement of the Earl's greeting.

"Good morning." She hummed in response.

"Her Majesty has informed me that you will be my aid today. I am honored." The Earl continued.

Sebastian looked out of the carriage window at the passing landscape that was swiftly flashing by. He glanced down at his master who was also looking out of the window avoiding eye contact with Hannah. He grinned. His young master acted like a young school boy who had a crush on a girl. He looked again at the woman seated in front, but something about her dress caught his eye.

xxxx

Hannah pulled up to the Phantomhive Manor, this time in a carriage. She wore the orange sundress and matching sunhat she had been given by the Queen. She knocked on the front door and it slowly creaked open. Tanaka stood at the door.

"I'm terribly sorry," he began, "but I'm afraid the master of the house is out on business today, and will not be able to meet with you."

"Tanaka, it's me, Hannah." She said with a smile. The man opened his eyes.

"Oh, my word. Lady Hannah, do come in." Tanaka opened the door fully for the woman to enter and upon stepping one foot through the door, she heard a sudden barrage of footsteps.

"Miss Hannah!" A collection of voices yelled. Suddenly she was bombarded by the three Phantomhive servants. She couldn't help but laugh.

"Hello, everyone!" She said with a smile.

"Miss Hannah we've missed you!" Finny exclaimed.

"The house has been so lonely without you here, yes." Mey-Rin said.

"Yea it's nice seeing you again, kid." Bard said with a smile.

"But Miss Hannah?" Finny asked. "Why are you back so soon?" Hannah looked at the boy slightly confused.

"Yes, you only left with the young master and Mr. Sebastian almost twenty minutes ago." Mey-Rin added. Hannah shook her head.

"I didn't go anywhere with Ciel or Sebastian?" She said. "What do you mean." Finny began to scratch his head.

"Well, we saw you in the carriage that came to pick up the young master earlier. You were wearing an orange dress – like that one. And an orange hat – like that one. Oh, and you had purple hair – like yours…" Finny explained. Hannah shook her head again.

"This is the first time I've been here today." She said.

"Then who's with the young master and Mr. Sebastian?" Mey-Rin asked.

xxxx

"I'm sure Her Majesty the Queen informed you that I requested going on this assignment with you?" Hannah asked with a smile. Sebastian raised an eyebrow. The Earl faced her again.

"Yes, she did." He responded. "Now, about this assignment. To ensure that my identity as the Earl Phantomhive, Watchdog to the Queen of England, goes without recognition, I am to play the son of a loving Duke and Duchess visiting from Spain. That will be the role of you and Sebastian."

"Sebastian…" She mumbled. The tone in her voice filled the demon with a twinge of disgust and his eyes began to glow. He reached across the carriage, snatching the hat off the head of the woman, revealing Cheri Merlot. Ciel recoiled.

"What is this? Where is Hannah?" He demanded. Sebastian stared at the girl. Something about her was off. Her eyes were big, bulging even, and bloodshot, and she had a twisted grin that ran from one of her ears to the other.

"My master asked you a question." Sebastian said sternly. Ciel stared at the girl for a moment.

"I know who you are." he said. "You are Cheri Merlot, the younger sister of Her Majesty's Owl, Duchess Gwendolyn Merlot." Ciel remembered meeting the Owl and her team once before he himself was inaugurated as an Earl. The girl began to reach under the fabric of her skirt.

"Leave my sister out of this, you, you worthless scum!" The girl spat. She swung the sword which she had hidden under the skirt of her dress up to the Earl's neck. Sebastian immediately blocked the attack. The carriage shook. The contorted smile never left the girl's face. Her eyes were dark, as if she was empty on the inside. "You have caused my master great pain." She said. "You and this, abomination." She pointed to sword to Sebastian.

"You are making a grave mistake, Lady Merlot." Ciel asserted. The girl began to burst into laughter which quickly turned to tears.

"My master prays for your demise, but it never seems to come." She continued through her hysterical tears. "So he entrusted me with seeing it through. Not Antony. Not Howard. Not even the Owl, but me! I had to bear torture and pain just so I could fulfil the wish I was blessed to receive!" A look of disgust spread across the demon's face. "Snuff out the useless! Snuff out the barren! Snuff out the unclean!" Sebastian scooped the boy in his arms as Cheri lifted the sword to strike again.

"Pardon me, young master." He said as he kicked the carriage door open and leaped out, holding the Earl securely. The carriage sped onward and Cheri poked her head out of the doorway as it continued down the street. Sebastian allowed Ciel to stand and tidied up his appearance. "I am sorry, young master, but I could not protect you properly in such a confined space." Ciel brushed his shoulder.

"What was the meaning of that?" He asked, boiling with anger.

"It seems you've been targeted." Sebastian replied.

"By who?!" The Earl inquired. "Who would dare go against the Queen and use her name?"

"I do not know." Sebastian answered. He thought about the two intruders who had tried to kidnap the Earl a few nights ago. "But for now, let us return to the estate, we can draw conclusions there." Ciel nodded. If the meeting with Hannah and the bandit attack in London East had all been a ploy, how many other things had Ciel not received the truth about? Sebastian went to find a carriage that could take them back to the outskirts of town. Ciel stood in the middle of the sidewalk. The streets were busy, but he could still keep an eye on his butler who was only a few feet in front of him. Out of the corner of his eye though, he saw a cloaked figure watching him from a distance. He directed his attention to the cloaked figure and upon looking at it he saw a faint purple glimmer coming from the figure's covered face.

Hannah? He thought unconsciously. He began to walk through the crowd towards the individual. The figure beckoned to him. It turned and walked away as Ciel came closer. He continued pursued it. It turned the street corner and made its way down an alley. When the Earl had finally cleared the crowd and turned into the alley the figure had, it was nowhere to be found. It was a dead end.