Previously:
"First off, you don't even come close to deserving my sister's hand..." Edward started ranting. Lizzie smiled watching everyone, but then she took off her bunny ears. Her smile fell.
'Hey, Ciel,' she thought. 'We've celebrated Easter many times together. But… this was the first year… I made an Easter egg.' She watched him with a sad, worried expression on her face. 'Ciel.' She remembered how he had coughed before on the Campania and his surprised expression when she showed him the egg with the familiar flower pattern on it. 'What happened to you in the course of that one month…?'
"Lady Elizabeth, are you all right?" Chêne asked when she noticed that she seemed down. Lizzie put on a bright smile.
"Of course!" she said and hurried over to the buffet table before Grey ate it all.
"Ah! I almost forgot," Grey said after he had sat down and taken his first bite of food. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a letter from the queen. "Here. A love letter for you."
That Butler, At School
"Darn," Ciel said, running with a biscuit between his teeth. "I'm going to be late." He was dressed in a black three-piece suit with a striped blue tie, holding books under his arm and a top hat in his hand. His usual black eyepatch was replaced by a white medical patch. "P-Please wait!!" he shouted to the two people closing the gates. He dashed through with no time to spare. "I just made it…" he said, bent over and wheezing and panting. "Haah..." Ciel sighed, looking up at the impressive school building before him. He had arrived at Weston College, a school established on the bank of the River Thames. A prestigious public school and one of the best in all of England. Starting with the colossal, labyrinthine school building, its vast grounds also include… a solemn gothic chapel, and four storied dormitories, or houses. Upholding tradition and bound by the strictest discipline, the all male boarding school lifestyle and sophisticated education by way of an individualized curriculum yields true English gentlemen. Sparing no thought for the school's prohibitively expensive tuition, all aristocrats desire to have their sons matriculate to this school in order to obtain its vaunted status for themselves. 'I have to start off on the right foot. I must keep my focus,' Ciel thought, putting on his hat. The grass crunched under his feet. This action immediately resulted in an eruption of murmuring around him. Ciel froze.
"Look…!" one boy said.
"He just set foot on the lawn," another said.
"He's not even one of the P4. What's he thinking!?"
"…!?" Ciel said, confused.
"This is unbelievable," yet another boy said.
"He's got himself a 'Y' for sure," said another.
"I say!" the other boy agreed.
"What in the w—" Ciel was about to ask.
"Oh! Look!" a boy shouted. "There they are! The P4—the Prefect Four!" Ciel's attention was directed to a group of four older students. They were all good-looking young men. The one walking at the front of the group had his long platinum-blonde hair in tied in a loose ponytail with a red ribbon that draped over his shoulder, and his red waistcoat had a paisley pattern. He wore a red rose on his lapel. The boy directly behind him on his right had his blonde hair slicked back, and his waistcoat was a green plaid. He had holly on his lapel and carried a cricket bat. The boy directly behind the one in the red waistcoat had short, straight grey-blue hair with his bangs aligned to the right. His waistcoat was blue, and there were blue gentian flowers in his lapel. He was reading a book. Behind him was a boy with shoulder-length jet-black hair that had a few pieces bleached white. He had on black eyeshadow and black lipstick. He wore a black cloak over his uniform and a waistcoat with a violet and black harlequin pattern. On his lapel was a purple dahlia. The one with the ponytail noticed Ciel. He furrowed his brow and marched over to him.
"He's in for it now!" one of the boys watching said.
"Poor chap," said another.
"Serves him right," another said, snickering with his friend. Ciel was grabbed by his tie.
'Is he going to hit me…!?' Ciel wonder, squeezing his eyes shut, bracing for a hit that never came.
"Your tie is crooked," the older boy with the ponytail said, straightening it for him. There was a clamor from their audience. "What is your name?" he asked Ciel.
"Phantomhive," Ciel replied.
"I've never heard of you," the older boy said, holding his chin.
"The headmaster did mention a new boy would be entering the Blue House, but… would that happen to be you?" the boy in the green waistcoat asked.
"Article 48 of Weston College's school regulations—'only prefects and those given prior permission by the prefects may traverse the lawn.' You could at least memorize the school rules before you enroll," the boy in the blue vest said.
"I apologize for my—" Ciel tried to apologize.
"Let's hurry up and get inside," the boy in the purple vest said. "It's much too bright out." The boy in the red waistcoat poked Ciel gently on the forehead.
"Watch your step next time… Phantomhive," he said with a smile. Ciel stood there with a hand over his forehead while he watched them walk away.
"You've got all the luck! You walked on the lawn and got off without so much as a slap on the wrist!" another boy closer to Ciel's age, who wore small, round glasses and had freckles on the bridge of his nose, said, slapping him on the back.
"Wah!" Ciel exclaimed, surprised by the force behind it.
"I'm McMillan," the boy introduced himself, picking up Ciel's hat, which he had lost when the boy in the red vest grabbed him by his tie. "Here you go! I'm in first form and in Blue House, just like you!"
"O-Oh, I see. Thank you," Ciel said, accepting his hat back. "By the way, what on earth is this 'P4' and 'Y' business I keep hearing about?"
"A 'Y' is a penalty point," McMillan replied. "For each 'Y', you're made to write a latin poem a hundred times."
"And 'P4'?" Ciel asked.
"The group of four students you just saw were wearing colored waistcoats, right?" McMillan said with a smile. "At this school, only prefects may wear waistcoats tailored with the fabric of their choice."
"Prefects?" Ciel asked.
"They're what you might call house captains," McMillan replied. "The one with the red waistcoat is the prefect of 'Scarlet Fox House', where students of particularly noble status board. Edgar Redmond. The one with the green waistcoat is the prefect of 'Green Lion House', where students who excel in martial arts and sports board. Herman Greenhill. The one with the purple waistcoat is prefect of 'Violet Wolf House', where students accomplished in the arts board. Gregory Violet. The one with the blue waistcoat is prefect of 'Sapphire Owl House', where students who excel in academics board. Lawrence Bluewer. And there you have the for prefects of Weston College's four traditional houses… P4, for short!!" McMillan said, getting more excited as he talked. He was sparkling. "They're so positively graaand!"
"Uh, right..." Ciel said a little awkwardly. He didn't see what the big deal was.
"Ohhh… I sure do look up to them..." McMillan gushed. "I'd like to become a prefect too… just joking!!"
"But being unable to even cross the lawn? Those rules seem terribly silly," Ciel said.
"Haha! That's 'tradition' for you," McMillan said good-naturedly.
CLANNNG!
The school bell rang.
"Oh no! We'll be late for class. Let's hurry!" McMillan said, starting to run. "I don't want to get a 'Y'!"
"Let's," Ciel agreed, following him.
««« Flashback «««
The letter to Ciel from the queen read:
—To my dear boy.
The Campania incident was a frightful calamity. Have you already recovered? Are you enjoying your Easter? For my part, though Easter is here at long last, I find myself unable to wholeheartedly enjoy the holiday, as there is something that weighs upon my mind. I am worried about Derrick, the son of my cousin, Duke Clemens. Derrick is in the fifth form at Weston College. But for some reason, it seems he has not returned home since last summer. He used to write home every day, but his letters abruptly ceased as well… The anxious duchess has called at his house, but he refuses to return home and so on. If it was Derrick alone, we might just chalk it up to a rebellious phase. However, other students have also not returned home. I wonder what in the world could have brought about this behavior. Because his only son is acting thusly, Duke Clemens continues to lose heart… The whole affair has me very concerned indeed. I pray my loved ones can enjoy Easter in high, peaceful spirits as soon as possible…
—Victoria.
"—So in short, Her Majesty has charged you to investigate the reason… why students have failed to return home from Weston College," Sebastian said after Ciel finished reading the letter to him and Chêne.
"Public schools are independent institutions that refuse all government intervention, so it's hard to lay a finger on them… rather, those involved with the school don't want to publicize their internal circumstances by making waves," Ciel said, staring at the letter.
"Even though their priority should be the safety of the students..." Chêne said with a frown. "I'm sorry to say it doesn't surprise me though."
"Worrying about appearances even at a time like this…" Sebastian said with a sigh. "My, my. This is why humans are..."
"I'd like someone to infiltrate the school, but Weston usually only lets in the sons of aristocrats..." Ciel said. He picked up his teacup. "Those with titles are few, and I'm acquainted with most of them… If it comes down to sneaking in, a disguise would be dangerous." He sipped his tea.
"—Then you will go as yourself?" Sebastian asked.
"I have no choice," Ciel replied. "And I certainly wouldn't mind having the queen in my debt."
"True, you need as much brownie points as you can get," Chêne agreed. He may have passed the queen's test by how he handled being framed for murder, but she was sure the queen wouldn't forget what he did to those children from the circus case anytime soon.
"The problem lies in whether or not there's an open place at Weston..." Ciel said, looking pointedly at Sebastian.
"If there is none… you simply need to make one," Sebastian said slyly.
"Heh," Ciel said, smiling a little.
'Someone's life is about to be ruined...' Chêne thought, sweat-dropping.
"I'll handle the investigation within the school," Ciel said. "You'll have to support me without being discovered yourself. How you go about it is up to you," he told Sebastian.
"Yes, my lord," Sebastian said, bowing.
"What should I do?" Chêne asked.
"Do?" Ciel asked. It was already May, and she was showing a little more now. "You're going to look after this place." He could see she was unsatisfied with that answer. Chêne pouted a little.
"Being pregnant sucks," she said, crossing her arms.
"It's an important job," Sebastian said. "I would rather not return home to find the manor in ruins again. And Lacey is still settling in, is she not? Don't you want to help her with that?"
"You're being so reasonable, it's annoying," Chêne told him bluntly. Sebastian sweat-dropped. He wondered if this was another mood swing.
»»» End Flashback »»»
CLANNNG! CLANNNG!
The school bell rang. Ciel was in a classroom with McMillan.
"I never imagined classman Collett would suddenly withdraw from school," McMillan said, standing in front of Ciel's desk. "It must have been difficult for you, with your enrollment and house being decided at such a peculiar time, right?"
"I've been on the waiting list for quite a while," Ciel replied. "So I was glad to make the necessary arrangements." The door slammed open, revealing an upperclassman with short, black hair and glasses.
"Boy, up!" he commanded strongly. McMillan immediately dashed to line up along with the rest of the class.
"Eh?" Ciel said.
"The last one to gather when that command is issued is made to do the upperclassmen's chores!" McMillan told him.
"What!?" Ciel said. He quickly jumped out of his chair to join the others.
"The last to arrive… is the new fellow," the upperclassman said.
"Yes..." Ciel said. The upperclassman handed him a cloth.
"Return to the house as soon as you've finished polishing the prefects' shoes," he said. "Then we'll hold your welcome party.
=†=†=†=†=†=
{Sapphire Owl House (commonly called Blue House)…}
Ciel walked through the grand gate of the iron fence surrounding his new house and entered it.
'I don't need a welcome party...' he thought. 'What a bother...' Someone grabbed him from behind and clapped a hand over his mouth. "Nn!?"
"Congratulations on making it into the house, Phantomhive," his assailant, the upperclassman from before, said with a grin.
"Mmph! Mmrph!" Ciel said as more boys gathered around them.
"We've put this welcome together just for you… So we do hope you enjoy it fully," the upperclassman said. Pushing Ciel back onto a sheet that was being held by several students. "Heave-ho!!" he commanded, and the other students sent Ciel flying up into the air.
"UWAAAH!!?" Ciel yelled.
WHOOMP!
He coughed as they caught him, and he hit the sheet again.
"Well? How do you like the traditional welcome of our house?" the upperclassman asked.
"Heeeave-ho!" the other boys said and tossed Ciel into the air again.
"Uwaaaaah!" Ciel cried. They caught him, and he coughed.
"Devote yourself to your studies all the more as a member of the Sapphire Owl House, do you hear?" the upperclassman said. "Okay! Toss him higher next."
"St.. Koff!" Ciel tried to stop them, white as the sheet he was being tossed with.
"One, two…!" they started counting.
"What is the meaning of all this racket!?" a voice asked. "You are all in the running for a 'Y'!" The boys holding Ciel all jumped.
"Dash it all! It's the housemaster!!" one of them exclaimed.
"Wah!" Ciel said when they dropped him and quickly hid the sheet behind their backs.
"Clayton. Even an upperclassman like you has joined in this mayhem?" the housemaster asked, addressing the upperclassman who had been giving the orders.
"Well, er, this is… our house tradition, sir..." Clayton said, nervously adjusting his glasses.
"My, my… Tradition is well and good, but try not to overdo it," the housemaster said, approaching Ciel.
"Ugh..." Ciel groaned, pushing himself up into a kneeling position.
"So you are Phantomhive, the new boy," the housemaster said, offering him a gloved hand. Ciel looked up and saw a very familiar face. He was wearing the black robes of a schoolmaster, glasses, and had his hair parted to the side and combed back on the left, but Ciel recognized him at once. "Welcome to Sapphire Owl House," Sebastian said. "I am Housemaster Michaelis."
