I own nothing but my OC.
That Butler, Capricious 2
For the purpose of this chapter, Chêne's fake British accent will be underlined whenever she speaks with it.
'thoughts'
"speech"
"Demonic speech"
[speech heard over telephone]
{setting/stage directions?}
*sound effect*
An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters.
=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift
Previously:
"N—! N—! Noooooooooo!" Ciel yelled as Madam Red and Sebastian stalked toward them, and he and Chêne huddled together, trapped in a corner.
"Do not raise your voices!" Sebastian scolded them.
"You have no waist!" Madam Red scolded Ciel.
*Whap!*
"You're seriously using that!" Chêne shouted incredulously as Sebastian cracked the riding crop at them.
{Later that evening, at the viscount's party...}
The ballroom was full of elegantly dressed ladies and gentlemen, who were enjoying each other's company and chatting politely amongst themselves... blissfully unaware of just how dangerous their host could be.
"This is rather grand, isn't it? I wonder if indeed tonight marks the end of the Season?" Madam Red said, sounding a little regretful. She did so enjoy a good party. Madam Red, true to her name, was wearing a brilliant red ball gown, a matching red hat, and a black beaded chocker that had a large, red jewel on it. She was also wearing a black feather boa and had a black lace fan as to complete the look.
"It would appear that this evening will be most delightful." Lau agreed. He was wearing a black tux instead of his usual Chinese garb.
"We're done if we arouse their suspicions. Listen up." Ciel said, crossing his arms. "We did not come here to amuse ourselves. Do not let your guard down!" he warned them seriously. Unfortunately for Ciel, the effect was totally ruined by his disguise... Ciel was a pigtailed wig that matched his natural hair color, a pink frilly dress with rose accents, a matching hat, and black gloves. He was adorable.
"I understaaaand~! Ohhh, my! You're just the cutest little thing, aren't you!?" Madam Red gushed as she glomped Ciel, much to his chagrin. "The pigtails were an excellent choice, Chêne!" She said, a gleam in her eye.
"They really suit him, don't they?" Chêne said, smiling proudly. Chêne was wearing a wig that matched Ciel's hair color, but she had a more mature hairstyle. She had curled her wig's hair and pulled it back. Loose tendrils of curly hair framed her face. Her dress, like Ciel's was rather frilly, but hers was made for a more mature young lady, and it was a pale blue. In order to hide her freckles, Chêne had decided to borrow some makeup from Madam Red, and thanks to the lipstick, she actually looked her age for once, despite her baby face.
"I must say, you clean up rather nicely, yourself! You should wear makeup more often." Madam Red told her, smiling.
"Thank you, but I just prefer to go natural most of the time. I used to have bad acne breakouts when I was Ciel's age, so I just got used to not wearing any." Chêne said, smiling. "Although... between this dress, the hair, and the red lips, I feel like I'm wearing a Snow White costume..." She said, smiling wryly. "The only thing I'm missing is seven vertically challenged men..."
"Haha, I'd like to see that~!" Lau said, amused.
"Let me go!! Why must I wear something like this—!?" Ciel yelled indignantly as he finally broke free from his aunt's vice-like grip.
"Eh? What's this? You don't like your muslin drenched French dress?" Madam Red asked, pouting. "It's the latest style and everything, you know? Just look at Chêne, she likes her dress."
"It's fun because the skirt is 'swishy'." Chêne said, smiling.
"How could I like this!?" Ciel yelled incredulously. He was a boy for crying out loud! They could've at least let him wear blue. Why did Chêne get a decent color while he was stuck with this pink monstrosity...!?
"Now, now. A lady never raises her voice." Sebastian scolded Ciel as he joined them. Sebastian was wearing glasses again, and he had traded his butler uniform for a nice suit that was the typical fashion worn by an upper class man.
"Sebastian... you bastard..." Ciel muttered darkly, vein mark throbbing on his forehead.
"He's riiiight, you hear? You have to follow the script..." Madam Red huffed. "Lau is my young lover." She said, launching into an explanation of the parts they would be playing.
"Lover reporting for duty!" Lau said, smiling.
"Ciel and Chêne are playing my nieces, who have come to London from the countryside." Madam Red continued. Ciel scowled at her, and Chêne smiled wryly. As funny as it was, she did feel a little sorry for Ciel. "And Sebastian is Ciel's tutor, and Chêne's fiancé." Chêne froze mid-smile. Eh...? What did she just say? Chêne glanced cautiously at Sebastian, wondering if he had anything to do with this. Sebastian smiled 'innocently' at her. Yep, he definitely had something to do with this arrangement. Chêne blushed as she furrowed her brow, pouted, and crossed her arms, avoiding his gaze. Ever since he had found out her feelings for him, Sebastian had been steadily increasing his harassment towards her, and purposefully creating misleading situations like this to mess with her. Chêne clenched her fist in frustration. If he kept playing with her feelings like this, Chêne just might be tempted to see how smug Sebastian was when sprinkled with holy water... though something gave her a feeling that it wouldn't do squat, being Sebastian and all.
"Oh, and Grell is my butler, per usual." Madam Red added carelessly.
"Madaaaam!" Grell cried, going blue with shock and disappointment. He had hoped to play an exciting role too.
"So...! Why must I be your 'niece'!?" Ciel demanded angrily, blushing out of embarrassment. They never did give him a real reason for it.
"Well, you see, I've always wanted a daughter. A charming girl who looks wonderful in frilly dresses! Kya-ha~!" Madam Red said frankly, smiling happily. Ciel was positively adorable! And Chêne, who was normally very cute and charming in her maid uniform, looked elegant and beautiful in her gown tonight, and she held herself with real grace and dignity. Chene was playing her part as a member of the upper class rather well. All she needed to do was adopt a British accent when she spoke to the other guests, instead of speaking in her natural American accent. She'd been living in England for two years now, but she still hadn't lost her charming southern accent, yet.
"That is your reason...!?" Ciel growled, furious. He looked so mad, Chêne wouldn't be surprised if he started breathing fire and fried Madam Red to a crisp.
"These will trouble me... until I get used to them." Sebastian said as he readjusted his glasses. They kept slipping out of place. He didn't seem at all concerned about Ciel's predicament.
"Give them here. My sister used to have the same problem with her glasses all the time, I'll adjust them for you." Chêne offered, holding her hand out to Sebastian for him to give her his glasses.
"Just don't break this pair." Sebastian told her, smirking. Ciel had tripped during his dance lesson, and somehow managed to knock Sebastian's glasses of his face. The lenses cracked when they hit the ground, so Sebastian had to switch to his back-up pair... why he even had them to begin with, Chêne had no clue. Madam Red leaned closer to Ciel as she answered his question.
"... It would be if I were only joking, but... were you to be exposed as a Phantomhive, it would be disastrous for us all, right?" Madam Red whispered.
"Um... please..." Grell begged weakly, still trying to get Madam Red to give him a better role.
"In any case!" Madam Red said, ignoring Grell, causing the dejected butler to enter his own little corner of woe. "If people were to see a one-eyed boy with a well-dressed butler, they would immediately know it was you on the spot! And Chêne is often with you too, so people would recognize her as well. Chêne actually has a small group of fans. So then, it follows that this is the best disguise."
"Fans...?" Chêne asked sweat dropping. Fans for what?
"Oh, you mean you didn't know? You're quite popular among the boys for being Ciel's 'adorable detective-girl sidekick'~!" Madam Red told her cheerfully. Chêne sweat dropped. The way she phrased that made it sound like her admirers were either younger boys who thought she was their age, or pedophiles... maybe both. Sebastian snickered, showing that his thoughts were along the same lines as hers. Chêne glared reproachfully at him. "And the Viscount of Druitt is said to love women of all ages, so it's better if you're dressed that way! 'Kay!?" Madam Red said, grinning.
"Wha...!?" Ciel shouted incredulously.
"Hahaha! Wouldn't it be a crime for him to lay a hand on the young earl?" Lau said, smiling.
"... So, in addition to being a serial killer, he's a pedophile too? Charming." Chêne said, sweat dropping. "Seriously, why hasn't this guy been arrested yet?"
"Were you not the one who said... 'Do whatever it takes'?" Sebastian taunted Ciel, smirking slightly.
"Grrr!" Ciel said, gritting his teeth in frustration. How dare Sebastian use his own words against him like that!? Sebastian grinned.
"Then, shall we go... my ladies?" Sebastian asked Ciel and Chêne suavely, offering them his hand.
'Damn it...' Chêne thought, blushing. He even looked good in glasses. It just wasn't fair.
=†=†=†=†=
"Now then... we must first locate the Viscount of Druitt." Sebastian said as they all wandered through the party.
"I wonder if the Viscount of Druitt is a handsome fellow? If that is the case, I would be more than willing to do my paaart!" Madam Red said a little too enthusiastically, with a predatory gleam in her eyes.
"Your eyes are glittering, Madam." Lau said, smiling.
"I bet he's the frivolous player type that you wouldn't normally take seriously, and he wears a ridiculous white suit... or he could be a total creep that looks like a hunchback." Chêne joked.
"I'm uncomfortable. It's heavy. This dress. They hurt. My feet. I want to go home." Ciel groaned. He was so over this.
"It hasn't even been ten minutes since we arrived." Chêne said, sweat dropping. "Well, maybe now you'll have a little appreciation for what women have to go through to look beautiful for the men they love. Lizzie wears stuff like this everyday." Ciel grimaced.
"I do not want Elizabeth (my fiancée) to ever see me like this..." Ciel said, paling at the thought of what Lizzie's reaction might be. She'd probably think it was cute, and might even try to make him wear more dresses...
"No, I suppose not." Sebastian said, smiling.
"She'd never leave you alone after that..." Chêne said, smiling wryly. "She'd probably say something like, 'Ciel—"
"—Kyah! Your dress is so cuuute~!" Lizzie's voice gushed.
"Wow, that sounded just like her, Chêne... It's like she's here in the room." Ciel said, sweat dropping.
"Uh... that wasn't me..." Chêne said, sweat dropping.
"That hat of yours is looovely~!" They heard Lizzie say cheerfully.
"Oh my, do you think so~?" The woman asked, flattered. Ciel, Sebastian, and Chêne all froze and whipped their heads around, making sure they weren't having some kind of group hallucination. Poor Ciel was blue with shock and dread.
"There are just sooo many ladies in the loveliest dresses, I can't stand it~! They're all sooo cute!" Lizzie gushed happily, exuding a sparkling 'lovely' aura. Good God—It was her!
"Isn't it way past her bedtime!?" Chêne whisper-yelled. "Does her mother know!?"
"Se—! Se-Se-Se-Se-Sebastian." Ciel stuttered, panicking.
"Young Mas—! My Lady, please calm down. Let us go over there for a moment." Sebastian whispered as he tried to steer Ciel and Chêne to safety.
"Ah~!" Lizzie said suddenly, causing them to flinch. "Those two girls over there are wearing awwwfully cute dresses~!" She said excitedly, pointing at Ciel and Chêne.
"!!" Ciel yelped.
"She's found us already...!!" Chêne whisper yelled, shocked. Why was it that Lizzie only seemed to be this sharp whenever they didn't want her to be...!?
"This will never do, my Ladies. This way!" Sebastian said guiding them away from the approaching Lizzie.
"Oh? Where did they go?" Lizzie wondered out loud, confused, as she glanced around the room, trying to find them. Luckily, she didn't notice that they had ducked behind a table that was displaying a huge cake on it. It was tiered, with different layers stacked on top, like a wedding cake.
"Why is Elizabeth here!? I must get ahold of Madam and the rest—!" Ciel whisper-yelled anxiously.
"Yeah... good luck with that, Ciel." Chêne said, sweat dropping as she nodded her head in the Madam's direction, subtly telling Ciel and Sebastian what direction to look in. Madam Red was lounging in a chair as Lau laughed and fanned her, and Grell stood by her side, fidgeting nervously. She appeared to be surrounded by admirers, who were offering her refreshments and flattery.
'She's utterly engrossed in the party!!' Ciel thought, chagrined.
"Wow... Ciel, your aunt is a real man-eater... It's like a reverse harem over there." Chêne said, sweat dropping.
"This is not good. I did not think your fiancée would be here." Sebastian said.
"Even though I am disguised... If she were to catch a glimpse of my face..." Ciel said nervously.
"... She'd recognize you right away. You're so loved, Ciel." Chêne said. Ciel blushed and shot her a look that said 'STFU!'
"If she finds out, it would spell the end of our investigation!!" Ciel said. He was starting to panic now. All the suffering he went through to get here would be for nothing.
"Moreover... everyone here would discover that my Lady is 'the Young Master.'" Sebastian added calmly.
"..." Ciel said, frozen, as all the color drained from his face. "If it became known that the head of the Phantomhive family had the gall to dress like this, we will be shamed for all eternity!! Uwaaaaah!!" Ciel cried, blushing furiously, as he shuddered and clenched the tablecloth in his hands. He was losing it. "I'd dare not show my face before her majesty ever again!"
"You are overreacting." Sebastian deadpanned.
"It's not like you're dressing up because it's your hobby. Can't you just explain that you were undercover if people found out?" Chêne said, sweat dropping.
"I would rather die than have that happen!" Ciel yelled, blushing out of embarrassment. "So she must never—"
"The Viscount of Druitt is as handsome as always! His platinum blond hair is like spun gold!" They heard one of the women standing near them tell her friend excitedly as the two women stared at a handsome blond man.
"... So he is the Viscount of Druitt...!!" Ciel said, spotting the man in question.
"I can't believe he's really wearing a white suit..." Chêne said, sweat dropping.
"He is quite young... We'll use a greeting as our front to get close to him. I will observe from here because the presence of another man may make him wary. Please behave like ladies, as I have taught you." Sebastian whispered to them.
"... Yes, yes! All right!" Ciel said, already fed up with the whole situation.
"Yes, mother." Chêne deadpanned.
"Remember to curtsy and smile, Ciel." Chêne whispered to him as they approached the viscount.
"G-Good evening..." Ciel nervously greeted the viscount, forcing a smile as he and Chêne curtsied. The viscount must not have heard Ciel, because he was still carrying on his previous conversation, instead of returning their greeting.
"Viscount Dru—" Chêne said a little louder.
"Ahhhhh!! Found yooou~!" Lizzie shouted cheerfully when she spotted them.
"!!" Ciel and Chêne said, flinching in surprise.
"Bloody hell!" Ciel yelled, ducking behind the viscount's back. The Viscount definitely heard Ciel that time, and he was slowly starting to turn around to see who it was.
"Come on!" Chêne said, pulling Ciel away before they could blow their cover.
"...?" The viscount said, confused when he didn't see anyone there.
=†=†=†=†=
"I was so close!" Ciel said.
"You over there, waaait!" Lizzie called after them.
"I'll distract her! She'll be less likely to recognize me." Chêne said, pushing Ciel away as she intercepted Lizzie.
"Oh, hello~!" Lizzie said, smiling happily when she realized she could finally talk to one of them.
"Good evening." Chêne greeted her in a posh British accent, smiling politely. Chêne was so glad she was good at imitating accents now. The change was so dramatic, that it made her sound like a completely different person, but at the same time it still sounded natural.
"Good evening~! I just had to tell you how cuuute your dress is!" Lizzie gushed.
"Why, thank you. Your dress is quite lovely as well." Chêne replied gracefully. Lizzie smiled brightly and blushed, happy that her compliment had been returned.
"Thank you~! Say, do you know that other girl in that lovely pink dress?" Lizzie asked excitedly, referring to Ciel.
"Yes, she is my younger sister, but I am afraid that she is rather shy." Chêne said, smiling apologetically.
"Eh!?" That's too bad!" Lizzie said, pouting slightly.
'Who would've thought Chêne was such a good actress...' Ciel thought, sweat dropping. Ciel had managed to flee from Lizzie, but he had been so surprised by Chêne's sudden change in demeanor, that Ciel had forgotten that he should be hiding. Someone grabbed his arm. Ciel was surprised, and he whipped his head around to see who it was. It was Sebastian.
"This way... my Lady." Sebastian said calmly as he led Ciel to safety.
"You know, you seem familiar somehow... Have we met before?" Lizzie asked Chêne curiously, tilting her head to the side.
"I am not certain, but it is possible..." Chêne said, smiling politely. 'Holy guacamole, Batman!? Someone get me out of here...!' Chêne thought, somehow managing not to let her inner turmoil show on her face. Sebastian noticed that Chêne seemed to be in a spot of trouble.
"You there. A lemonade for that blond young lady over yonder, if you please." Sebastian said to one of the waiters they passed.
"Yes, Sir!' The waiter said, smiling as he turned to offer Elizabeth a glass of refreshing lemonade. "Would you care for a lemonade?" He asked Elizabeth.
"Eh?" Lizzie said, surprised by the sudden interruption.
Chêne decided to take that as her cue to escape.
