I own nothing but my OC.


That Butler, Competition


≤speech in Indian language≥

'thoughts'

"speech"

"Demonic speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters.

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift


Previously:

"That's already quite a bit, if you ask me." Ciel deadpanned at her, before turning to Sebastian. "You'd better not be lying, you know." Ciel told his butler as he picked up his spoon.

"Of course. I have never told a lie." Sebastian said, smirking. "I shall obtain the Royal Warrant for Funtom Corporation. I stake my title as butler to the Phantomhive household upon it!" Sebastian said confidently.


"Wh-What can I do to help?" Soma asked, hoping he wouldn't have to suffer too much...

"Nothing." Sebastian said bluntly, causing soma to stare at him blankly, stunned, as an idiot hair popped out on the prince's head. Ciel and Chêne sweat dropped. Just when Soma was finally making an effort to be useful... "Now that I have successfully created a 'divine' curry of my own, I will no longer need Prince Soma's assistance, however... I would appreciate Chêne's continued assistance as my taste tester, as she is the one who gave me the idea in the first place." Sebastian said, giving her and Ciel a brilliant shit-eating grin.

"Like I said... when did I give you this brilliant idea?" Chêne asked, sweat dropping. "I mean, I'll help, but what am I helping you with...?"

"I don't care what you do with Chêne—you can boil her, fry her, or bake her—just be sure that you are the one doing all of the cooking." Ciel said. An idiot hair popped out on Chêne's head as she gaped at Ciel, shocked.

"Yes, my Lord." Sebastian said, smirking, as he bowed. "Come along, Chêne." Sebastian said, pulling the poor maid out of her chair before had a chance to recover from her shock.

"I-Is she going to be all right...?" Soma asked, sweat dropping. He wondered if he should start making preparations for the poor girl's funeral...

"My, the Earl really is such a bully~!" Lau said, smiling like a Cheshire cat. It's not like Chêne meant to spoil the boys fun by accidentally inspiring Sebastian...

"Shut up. She'll be fine." Ciel said, vein mark throbbing on his forehead. "... I think." Chêne had been in shock for quite some time now, she should have reacted by no—

"What the heck do you mean by 'you don't care what he does to me'!?" They suddenly heard Chêne shout incredulously at the top of her lungs from down the hall in a super delayed reaction to Ciel's words. "Are you trying to get me killed, Ciel! If you give him an inch, he'll take a mil—!?" Chêne was suddenly cut off before she could finish her sentence.

"..." Ciel, Lau, and Soma said as the three of them sat in silence for a moment. What on earth just happened to her...!?

"... Anyone fancy a game of chess?" Ciel asked.

"I'm game~!" Lau said, smiling.

"That's your reaction—!?" Soma yelled incredulously. Sebastian had just silenced Chêne in such a suspicious way, and they were going to just pretend it didn't happen!?

=†=†=†=†=

{The day of the curry contest—at the Crystal Palace}

"Uwaaah~!!" Finni said excitedly as they walked through magnificent cast-iron and plate-glass building. Chêne smiled as she looked around. The Crystal Palace was beautiful, like a large, elegant green house. It had been built to house the Great Exhibition of 1851, and was, at the moment, the largest amount of glass ever seen in a building. It astonished visitors with its clear walls and ceilings that didn't require interior lights, thus leading them to call it a 'Crystal Palace'. After the Great Exhibition, Victoria had it moved here, to its current location at Sydenham Hill. Chêne never would've thought she'd be able to see the real thing, since it had been destroyed by a fire in her world, but her she was... walking in the Crystal Palace with Ciel, Sebastian, Soma, and her other fellow servants. They were all gussied up in their casual clothes (except Sebastian, of course). Chêne was wearing the green dress and bonnet her mother had made her, and she was ready to have some fun and see some interesting exhibits from India!

"What is that great big creature~!?" Finni asked excitedly, pointing to the live elephant they had set up in a pen with an attendant to supervise its care and interaction with passersby.

"That's an Elephant, Finni." Chêne said, smiling as she watched the elephant balance a top hat on the tip of its trunk before tossing the hat back into the air so his handler could catch it, much to the amusement of the small audience that had gathered around its pen.

"Yes, it is a sacred animal." Soma said, happy to see such familiar sights. "We keep some at my palace too. About ten of them."

"Woooow..." Finni said, amazed.

"That's crazy!!" Bard shouted in disbelief, flinching in shock. Just how big was this palace!? "As pets!?"

"Do you really keep those huge things in your house, do you!?" Mei-Rin asked, also flinching in shock.

"Please do not wander off, you lot." Sebastian said, sighing boredly. It was like watching a group of children with incredibly short attention spans.

"What is that, what!?" Mei-Rin asked excitedly, pointing at a man who was playing some kind of musical instrument next to a snake.

"That's a snake charmer." Soma told her.

"Look, ya'll~! I just bought this great sari~!" Chêne said, smiling brightly as she held up the colorful cloth she had just snuck off to buy.

"..." Ciel and Sebastian said. This was right after he had just told them to stay put, too...

"Hi there, Lord Earl." Lau said from behind them. The three of them turned around to see Lau sitting on a bench with Ran-Mao in his lap, still just as scantily clad as before, despite being out in a public place. "The show is finally about to begin~!" Lau said, smiling innocently (?) as he waved at them.

"Well, aren't you bold, womanizing in front of your client, like that." Ciel said as he and Chêne sweat dropped, chagrined.

"Come, come~! Ran-Mao is my little sister! Just my little sister~!" Lau said, smiling as he poked her playfully on her cheek. "Though we're not related by blood." He mumbled. "She's adorable, isn't she~?" He asked.

"Since when do brothers hold their sisters in such suggestive positions?" Chêne deadpanned sarcastically. "Ran-Mao, Blink twice if you want me to slap him for you." She told Lau's 'sister', smiling brightly at her. Ran-Mao blinked once out of surprise. That's not how people usually reacted, especially women... They either pretended she wasn't there, leered at her, or made derogatory comments. They never said anything that nice to her before... though Ran-Mao didn't really need Chêne to hit Lau for her, so she didn't blink again. Chêne shrugged.

"Well, if you're okay with it, then I guess I'll let it go this time." Chêne said, smiling wryly, as she sweat dropped.

"Ahaha! It seems I've been spared~! I hear the spectators will get to sample the competing curries at the fair, and I was thinking I'd give this little one the chance to try some too!" Lau said, smiling.

"Right them." Ciel deadpanned, not buying it, as he turned away from Lau and Ran-Mao.

"Anyway, is the prince's butler lad really serious?" Lau asked as he stood up and followed them. Chêne glanced over at the others. Soma was busy explaining a diorama of India to the three stooges.

"He betrayed the master he regards as a god. What else would he be if not serious?" Ciel said solemnly.

"However... I think that West's promise to return the girl once the plan has been carried out is... nothing more than a blatant lie." Chêne said, closing her eyes as she frowned.

"Pretty much. Ciel agreed calmly. "The likely hood of West's evil deeds being exposed will increase significantly if he relinquishes his hold on Agni after all is said and done, sought after Royal Warrant in hand or not. If I were in his shoes, I'd..."

"Kill him?" Lau asked ominously.

"..." Chêne said as she stared at Lau, suddenly feeling like she never wanted to find herself alone with him in a dark alley. She slowed her pace a little, falling back next to Sebastian, who looked slightly amused by her reaction. She was like a kitten that had just sensed a threat and flattened her ears nervously as she hid from a bigger cat.

"Haaah... You can't go around killing people off one by one over such trivialities, you know." Ciel said, sighing wearily, and sweat dropping. Just how long was the list of bodies left behind by Lau...?

"Ehhh? If it were up to me, he'd be as good as dead." Lau said, smiling innocently (?).

"I suddenly feel like I've been living a lot more dangerously than I realized... threatening and even hitting someone who can say something like that with a smile..." Chêne said, sweat dropping.

"Hahaha... That aside..." Lau said, smiling and laughing lightly at Chêne's comment, as though it were no big deal. "... What really has me concerned is Master Butler's strategy for today." Sebastian hadn't told anyone but Chêne what his plan was, and Chêne hadn't told anyone because Sebastian had said he wanted it to be a 'surprise' for today.

"That's—" Sebastian started to say when he was rather rudely interrupted.

"Well, well~! Why, if it isn't Earl Phantomhive~!" West called out cheerfully when he spotted them.

"... Yes, hello... Mister West." Ciel said unenthusiastically. Chêne raised an eyebrow. Why was West purposefully going out of his way to greet them...? Did he know?

"It has been quite some time, my Lord! Not since last year's London season, I believe." West said jovially, seemingly oblivious to Ciel's lack of joy at his arrival. "I am most honored to make your acquaintance once more!"

"Yes, it has been quite a while, hasn't it? I do hope you have fixed that nasty habit of yours..." Chêne said, flashing him a shit-eating grin while Ciel glanced at Soma, checking to see that the prince was out of sight while Chêne distracted West. Soma had wrapped his scarf around his head, like a hood, and was stealthily (?) peeking out from behind a palm tree to watch them.

"M-Miss M-Maid!? You were here, as well...?" West asked nervously, paling slightly as he took a step back. Sebastian glanced at Chêne curiously. That must have been quite a glare she gave him last time if he was still this wary of her, even after a year... well done.

"A-As usual, you're sporting a finely tailored coat, I see!" West said to Ciel nervously, avoiding Chêne's gaze, trying to change the subject. "Which brand might such a distinguished individual as an earl wear, if I may ask?"

"Well, you see, I leave my clothing to my butler and have less than a passing interest in brands, so..." Ciel said carelessly. He really could care less what brand a product was. It was the quality that mattered, not the name on its label.

"Come, come! Really now!" West said, laughing in disbelief. "Come to think of it, I've heard that your company is taking part in today's festivities as well?" He said, smirking.

"Yes... I am considering an expansion into foodstuffs at present." Ciel said calmly.

"I was terribly surprised to learn of your participation in the curry festival! Did you recruit yourself a skilled chef or something?" West asked.

"Is something... wrong, is it?" Mei-Rin asked Soma, concerned, as she approached the hiding prince, who was spying on West from afar.

"My company doesn't intend to lose either! We've hired a remarkable chef of our own." West bragged.

"Is that a fact..." Ciel said. Of course, they already knew all about Agni. Soma furrowed his brow slightly as he listened, hoping to hear more about how his khansama was doing.

"Just between us, it would seem a spy from a rival company stole into my house the other day. My one-of-a-kind Galle lamp smashed to pieces! And my General Trading chest wrecked! The horror, I tell you!" West whispered urgently as he leaned closer to Ciel conspiratorially. West shivered as an image of Sebastian in the deer head flashed through his mind. "Just remembering the incident gives me a fright!" West said, paling slightly as he hugged himself, sweating nervously. "I did at least manage to defend my secret curry, but... just knowing the culprit may be skulking around these fairgrounds chills me to the bone!" West said, grimacing.

"Ha ha ha..." Sebastian, Ciel, and Chêne laughed monotonously, trying to keep the smirks off of their faces, knowing the culprit (Sebastian) was standing right there.

"That aside, I overheard that the queen will be in attendance today..." West said excitedly, fidgeting nervously.

"Who's to say...? Since Prince Albert's passing, Her Majesty hasn't appeared in public much." Ciel said.

"As I'll be taking that Royal Warrant, I really would like Her Majesty to taste my company's superior curry in front of the audience." West said matter-of-factly, sighing.

"..." Ciel said as he stared emotionlessly at West, and Chêne furrowed her brow slightly in irritation.

"Well, I'll be! I've nattered on for far too long! We shall talk later!" West said, excusing himself, as he checked his pocket watch, realizing that the competition was going to begin soon.

"'As I'll be taking the Royal Warrant'... eh?" Chêne said sarcastically, raising an eyebrow as they watched West walk away.

"He is utterly convinced of his victory." Sebastian said sardonically. As Soma and the others snuck back over to them, now that West was gone.

"When it comes to his sort, the real fun lies in seeing their faces as they taste defeat." Ciel said calmly, smirking slightly. Chêne sweat dropped.

"As you wish, Sir." Sebastian said, mirroring Ciel's expression.

"Although I'm really starting to worry about Ciel's personality... I agree this time. Give 'em hell, Sebastian!" Chêne cheered, grinning as she made a 'V' for victory sign with her hand.

"Then I shall make my way to the staging area for the festival participants." Sebastian said, smirking in amusement at Chêne's choice of words, as he made his way to the designated area.


Author's note:

I'm very sorry everyone, but due to some extremely personal problems and mental health issues, I won't be able to work on this story or update it until at the end of December, at the soonest... I'm extremely sorry for the inconvenience (v_v;)