I own nothing but my OC.


That Butler, Capricious 3


For the purpose of this chapter, Chêne's fake British accent and Ciel's 'girly voice' will be underlined whenever they speak with them.

'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:

"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.


"That was dangerously close." Sebastian said, once they were all on the balcony and out of sight.

"Geez, Ciel. You're so slow, Lizzie had time to almost recognize me." Chêne said, sweat dropping.

"It's because of these heels!" Ciel said indignantly. "Why do I always have to be the one suffe—" The sweet singing of violins could be heard as the musicians started playing the waltz.

"!" Chêne said, surprised. The room was suddenly filled with dancing couples, making it nearly impossible to move around them.

"Damn...!!" Ciel said, frustrated.

"The hall is swarming with dancers... you cannot approach the viscount now." Sebastian said. They were also trapped on the same side of the room as Lizzie now. She was sipping her lemonade and watching the dancers, finding the whole thing wonderful. She hadn't noticed them yet, thankfully.

"Normally when this happened at my high school's dances, I would just dance my way though, since most dancing styles don't require a partner where I'm from, but that would just look really strange here, and there's only three of us, so one of us will be stuck here..." Chêne said thoughtfully.

"... Very well." Sebastian said.

"Huh?" Chêne said.

"Let us employ the dance as a means of getting close to the viscount. You will be able to manage what you were taught, yes?" Sebastian said as he took Ciel's hand. Chêne and Ciel flinched in surprise.

"!?" They said.

'Did I just lose to a twelve-year-old boy in a contest of looks!?' Chêne wondered, turning slightly blue with shock.

"Are you telling me to dance here, in public!? With the likes of you!?" Ciel yelled incredulously. "Why don't you ask Chêne!?"

'That's what I'd like to know...' Chêne thought glumly.

"Although I must admit that Chêne would make an excellent dancing partner, I can only take one of you at the moment, and you are the one investigating the viscount for the queen, are you not?" Sebastian pointed out to Ciel. "Besides, have you forgotten? Since I am but your tutor, for the present... I am of a position to dance with you in public, my Lady. Not as your butler, but as your tutor, who also numbers among the upper classes. To others, it will simply appear as though I am merely chaperoning my student, the younger sister of my lovely fiancée."

"R... Right..." Ciel said, sweat dropping, as Chêne breathed a quiet sigh of relief, and she tried not to blush too much at the 'lovely fiancée' part.

"I shall lead in order to avoid colliding with the other couples. Let us take to the floor." Sebastian told Ciel.

"Right, and I'll try to find a dance partner, so I can cross over, too." Chêne said.

"No. It will be enough for you to simply wait here." Sebastian said, flashing her a blinding shit-eating grin. Chêne blinked, confused. What was his problem? Why did Sebastian seem a little angry to her...? Ciel wished that he could play the part of the wallflower.

"Now, concentrate on the music." Sebastian instructed Ciel as they left the confused Chêne on the balcony and took to the dance floor. "If you match your steps to its rhythm, I will take care of the rest."

"To think, I'm dancing as a girl!" Ciel grumbled, vein mark throbbing on his forehead. "I will never do this again, do you understand!?"

"Heh! Yes, tonight will be the first and the last time." Sebastian agreed, grinning. "Proceed forward, just like that. We shall cut across the hall." Sebastian whispered.

=†=†=†=†=

'We've made it at last...!!' Ciel thought as he fell onto his knees, wheezing slightly as he tried to catch his breath, too exhausted from dancing to even say it. His corset was too tight. Ciel was amazed that women could even breathe while wearing them.

"Really. How unsightly to be exhausted over such a trifle." Sebastian said in disapproval as he helped the wobbling Ciel up from the floor. "If it were Chêne—"

*Clap. Clap. Clap.*

Ciel and Sebastian looked up to see who was applauding such an awkward dance.

"Exquisite." The Viscount of Druitt said. Chêne was standing beside him, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped. How in the world had she managed that...!?

"Your younger sister is quite charming, as well, Miss Bluebird." Viscount Druitt told Chêne, smiling handsomely at her. "Your dance was as lovely as a robin taking wing... young lady." He praised Ciel.

"Yes, thank you very much for helping me find her, Viscount." Chêne said, smiling politely. "It seems we have managed to find my fiancé as well." She said, joining Sebastian by his side, and holding onto his arm, smiling affectionately at the demon butler. Sebastian didn't let it show, but he was slightly surprised Chêne had been so openly affectionate towards him, but the way she had emphasized fiancé implied that the viscount had made quite a few unwanted advances towards her already.

'The Viscount of Druitt! To think that he would approach me first...' Ciel thought. Thank goodness they had brought Chêne along.

"My Lady, we shall fetch you something to drink." Sebastian told Ciel, excusing himself and Chêne from their company. The viscount would certainly be more likely to act if Ciel's 'chaperones' weren't around.

"Yes, some lemonade sounds like a lovely idea, darling." Chêne said, smiling sweetly at Sebastian as they left together.

"You seem quite tense." Sebastian observed, once they had put some distance between themselves and Ciel and the viscount.

"That guy just gives me the creeps! He kept hitting on me, even after I told him I was 'engaged." Chêne said, shuddering at the memory of how the viscount had very subtly groped her after he kissed her hand. "When I get home, I'm dousing myself in some Industrial-strength cleaning fluid...!" She added, grimacing.

"I see, and that is why you behaved so affectionately, despite your initial reaction to finding out the role that had been assigned to you." Sebastian said, smirking. No permanent damage seemed to have been done, so Sebastian was of the opinion that whatever had happened to Chêne was a just punishment for disobeying him. Well, at least her disobedience had produced a better result than Ciel's previous attempt to get close to the viscount.

=†=†=†=†=

{Back with Ciel and Viscount Druitt...}

"Ah... umm... I am most honored by your compliment." Ciel said awkwardly, curtseying as he forced a smile. He had adopted the 'cutie-honey girl' voice, as Chêne had called it when she coached him. It was sickening, but as Chêne had said, 'you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.'

"Pray tell, with whom did you come this evening... other than that lovely elder sister of yours, Miss Robin?" The viscount asked, kissing Ciel's hand. Ciel shuddered, breaking out in goosebumps. This guy was such a creep!

"A-Auntie Angelina brought us here." Ciel said, smiling as he tried to discretely wipe his gloved hand off on his skirt.

"Madam Red? I see... are you enjoying yourself?" Viscount Druitt asked Ciel.

"I really am terribly impressed with this wonderful party." Ciel said. "... But... I have wanted nothing more than to talk to the viscount all this time."

"Ohh?" Viscount Druitt said, smirking. Ciel sighed and pouted slightly.

"I have had my fill of eating and dancing." Ciel said. The viscount grinned.

"A willful princess, aren't we... my little Robin?" Viscount Druitt said coyly, leaning close to Ciel.

"!" Ciel said. Did this man not know the meaning of 'personal space'...!?

"Do you long for yet more pleasurable amusement?" Viscount Druitt asked as he ran his hand up and down Ciel's side, caressing his waist. Ciel shivered in disgust. So he really does like all kinds of women.

'Bear with it! I must bear with it!!' Ciel thought, restraining himself from slapping the man. 'Only for this moment... was I subjected to this... and that!!' He thought, remembering how he'd been forced into different dress, and subjected to humiliating lessons on how to behave like a proper lady... the only consolation had been that he wasn't alone in his suffering, since they had targeted Chêne as well. "Y-Yes. Have you something more interesting in mind, Viscount?" Ciel asked, forcing a smile.

"Of course. Allow me to show you, my lovely Robin..." Viscount Druitt said seductively (?) as he leaned in closer.

'I say, man! That face is too close!!' Ciel thought, twitching slightly. Why did this creep insist on invading his personal space!? Viscount Druitt caressed Ciel's face. 'Guwaaah!! Once this has all ended, I will put this bastard in the ground myself!!' Ciel yelled in his mind, vein mark throbbing on his head. If this went on, Ciel might be the one committing a murder tonight! 'I must get it out of him before the dance ends...' Ciel thought. "What sort of things?" He asked, forcing a smile once again. Ciel glanced to the side. Lizzie was staring straight at him from across the ballroom. Apparently, she hadn't given up on chasing him yet. 'She's looking this way!!' Ciel thought, panicking.

"Would you like to know?" Viscount Druitt asked.

'It will be all for naught if Elizabeth approaches me here.' Ciel thought. "Oh, yes. I am... most curious." He said. 'Hurry...' Ciel silently urged the viscount. The song was going to end soon.

"But perhaps it is a little too soon for you?" Viscount Druitt said coyly.

'Hurry!!' Ciel thought anxiously. "I am a proper lady already." Ciel countered. The final note of the song rang through the air, bringing the dancing to an end for the moment. The audience began applauding the performance. "!" Ciel said, alarmed. 'The dance has ended!!' He thought, panicking, as Lizzie began to make her way towards him through the crowd.

"Can you keep a secret from the Madam?" Viscount asked Ciel.

'Don't be so pretentious!!' Ciel thought, vein throbbing on his head. "Of course! I certainly can!" Ciel said, managing to sound more confident than he felt. Lizzie was getting closer.

"You seem to be worried about something?" Viscount Druitt said, gently tilting Ciel's face up to look back at him.

"Oh!? Ah! No!" Ciel said nervously, flinching slightly in surprise at the other man's touch. 'Elizabeth!!' Ciel yelled internally, silently begging the girl not to come any closer. She was only a yard or two away now. 'My life will be over!!'

*Whaaam!*

Elizabeth was cut off in her pursuit of Ciel when a tall wooden cabinet was suddenly dropped in her path. A mysterious, masked, raven-haired man and a masked, dark blue-grey-haired girl in a blue dress accompanied the white cabinet. The man was kneeling beside the cabinet, and the girl was perched on top of it, smiling coyly at the audience.

'Sebastian!? Chêne!?' Ciel thought, surprised. Where the bloody hell did they find that thing!? Madam Red and Lau were also surprised by their dramatic appearance. The party guests murmured amongst themselves, intrigued. Sebastian smirked as he stood, and held his arms out to catch Chêne as she gracefully jumped down off of the cabinet, and caught her, spinning around once for show.

"Now that the party is at its height..." Chêne said charismatically, smiling flirtatiously at their audience.

"Allow my lovely assistant and me to present to the ladies and gentlemen here... an illusion that makes use of this closet." Sebastian finished, smiling mysteriously.

"Sir, if you please. Would you be so kind as to lend a hand?" Chêne asked Lau. She figured it would be best to ask someone they knew, since a friend would be more likely to be careful during the stunt they were about to pull.

"Me? Very well." Lau said, smiling knowingly. Thankfully, Lizzie looked really excited and curious about Sebastian and Chêne's act, and she had forgotten all about chasing Ciel, for the moment.

"And now, I shall enter... this plain and ordinary closet." Sebastian said, smirking slightly.

"As you can see, ladies and gentlemen, this closet has not been altered in any way!" Chêne said, smiling, as she opened the doors and gestured to different areas of the cabinet, demonstrating that there were no tricks. She looked just like a real magician's assistant. She was clearly having fun.

"I do not recall requesting a conjuror...?" Viscount Druitt said, slightly puzzled.

"Ha!" Ciel gasped softly. This was his chance—it was now or never! "My Lord, I have seen enough magic as well. So... 'kay?" Ciel said, laying on the cutesy act really thick. He even used Chêne's patented irresistible 'sad puppy' eyes. 'Ugh, somebody gag me...' Ciel thought, feeling totally idiotic.

"Oh dear! All right, my Robin." The viscount said, quite pleased with himself. He was such a lady-killer. Ciel was so appalled with his own behavior that he shuddered and nearly broke out in hives.

"Right this way." Viscount Druitt said, lifting a tapestry on the wall to reveal a hidden door.

"!" Ciel said, surprised. He clenched his fist, determined to get this over with, and followed the viscount into the secret passage.