Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Black Butler! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every other Saturday!
—
In the days that followed, a new tension developed between Sebastian and Ciel.
Sebastian had never blatantly expressed an interest in his master outside of the terms of their contract and now that he had, Ciel seemed unsure of how to act around him.
Ciel was more reluctant to give Sebastian orders.
Ciel seemed hesitant about accepting Sebastian's help while she bathed and dressed.
Ciel was apprehensive….
Would Sebastian take the opportunity offered by the private moments they shared every day and attempt to seduce her into his bed himself?
Would Sebastian try to win her heart away from Earl Trancy so that her silent affection was given to him instead?
It was a difficult time for Ciel, because in her point of view, Sebastian admitting his feelings for her felt like a betrayal.
Sebastian was the one person with whom Ciel was completely comfortable.
Sebastian was the one person in which Ciel could confide anything.
Well, almost anything….
Ciel sorely doubted that Sebastian would care to hear about her feelings for Earl Trancy.
Regarding those feelings, Ciel never said anything, but she was becoming more and more depressed as each day passed and no news arrived from the blonde.
Ciel didn't know exactly what she was expecting…..
Maybe another invitation to Earl Trancy's estate for a meal or a ball?
…...Or just a friendly letter?
Some form of written word, some stated declaration of love, anything would have been…...reassuring.
But no such reassurance arrived.
Once a fortnight passed, Ciel was staring to accept what she thought had happened.
Alois must have been angry that Ciel had left after Sebastian had stepped in….
Ciel was certain that Alois had only wanted her for a specific purpose and once he discovered that Sebastian would not let Ciel fulfill that purpose for him, the blonde Earl had lost interest.
One afternoon, while Sebastian served Ciel tea in her study, Ciel mused over that thought.
"Sebastian?" Ciel asked.
"Yes, bocchan?" Sebastian replied with a purr, plating a biscuit and setting it in front of Ciel, beside her tea cup.
"...Thank you." Ciel mumbled bitterly.
Sebastian blinked in surprise.
Ciel Phantomhive was not one to lavish praise upon her servants and she certainly wasn't someone who was very familiar with the phrase "thank you".
"I beg your pardon, master?" Sebastian asked politely.
"Thank you for…..always standing beside me." Ciel replied cryptically.
Ciel said nothing outright but Sebastian smirked nonetheless.
He knew what Ciel was referring to…..but Sebastian also knew the truth.
Ciel had instructed Sebastian to never lie to her, and he hadn't.
Not specifically…...
Every day, a letter was delivered to the Phantomhive estate from Alois Trancy and every day, Sebastian promptly burned the letter before he presented the rest of the mail to his master.
Ciel never blatantly asked Sebastian if any letters had arrived from Alois.
Every day, Ciel took the mail from Sebastian without question, looked through it, and sat it aside with a disappointed scowl.
Sebastian always walked away grinning.
Sebastian hoped that Alois Trancy would eventually resign himself to the fact that Ciel wanted nothing more to do with him and then one day, the letters would stop.
Sebastian couldn't care less about his agreement with Claude.
Sebastian couldn't care less about Alois.
All Sebastian wanted was to keep Ciel all to himself~.
—
A week later, Sebastian smiled as he collected the morning's mail.
The day he had hoped for had finally arrived!
No pesky letter came from Alois Trancy!
Sebastian breathed a sigh of relief as he walked to Ciel's study.
Ciel, with a look of grim acceptance, flipped through the mail that Sebastian had placed on her desk and after three weeks of holding her tongue, she asked, "Is this all of today's mail, Sebastian?"
Sebastian beamed as he replied honestly, "Yes, young master, that is all of today's—-"
Sebastian was interrupted by a loud knock on the front door.
Sebastian's eyes widened.
Ciel blinked.
Sebastian and Ciel exchanged a glance.
Ciel wasn't expecting any visitors that day…
Elizabeth was abroad with her family in France…..
Who could that be?
Ciel felt her heart flutter at the possibility….
The loud knock came again and Sebastian smiled nervously at Ciel.
"Allow me, master." Sebastian said with a quick bow before he turned and fled from the room, racing to open the door.
Sebastian grit his teeth while he ran.
Blast it!
Sebastian had a sinking feeling that he knew exactly who was knocking on the door…
Couldn't that idiot take a hint?!
Sebastian growled as he wrechend the front door open and forced a polite smile on his face as he stared down at…..
Yes, Sebastian's assumption had been correct.
…..Alois Trancy.
That was no matter, Sebastian could end this quickly, although he couldn't help but narrow his eyes questioningly at the blonde.
Earl Trancy did not look well.
Standing there on the doorstep beside Claude, Alois looked thinner, frail, with dark bags under his eyes from nights of lost sleep.
The cheeky spark that Alois's ocean blue eyes normally held had faded away.
"Ciel hasn't answered any of my letters." Alois blurted out. "And I've come to find out why. Do you know why, Sebastian?"
Sebastian had vowed never to lie to Ciel, but he hadn't promised anything similar to Alois. "I'm afraid I have no idea, Earl Trancy. I'm terribly sorry, but my master is quite ill. I shall have to ask you to come calling another time."
Sebastian was just about to shut the door in Alois's face when Ciel called out from behind him.
"Alois?"
"Ciel!" Alois cried, the spark in his eyes instantly returning as he glimpsed his bluenette love standing in the hallway behind Sebastian.
Before Sebastian could stop him, Alois rushed past and ran to Ciel, embracing her as he started to sob pitifully.
"Why, Ciel?!" Alois cried.
Ciel didn't understand and she looked confused as the blonde clutched onto her.
"Why haven't you returned any of my letters?!" Alois cried dramatically, as if Ciel not writing to him had afflicted him with mortal wounds.
Ciel's sapphire eyes instantly narrowed as her signature scowl planted itself on her face.
Sebastian felt Ciel's gaze fall upon him accusingly before he ever looked over and once he did, he faced his angry master calmly.
"Sebastian," Ciel asked, her voice was calm, but Sebastian could hear the rage in its undertones. "What letters?"
Sebastian took a step towards Ciel and Claude stepped into the manor, adjusting his glasses at Sebastian, clearly displeased by the fact that Sebastian had so far failed to honor their agreement.
"Yes, Sebastian." Claude echoed mockingly while Alois still gripped onto Ciel desperately. "What letters, indeed?"