Three Days Earlier

Mey-Rin held the broom tightly in her hands. A little bit of sweat was falling down the side of her face as she did her best to concentrate on her actions, eyes squinting as she tried to see properly.

Do as Sebastian said. Do as Sebastian said. Don't screw up.

She kept chanting this in her mind, hoping to God that she would not break something doing such a simple task. Yet, the closer she got to the vase perched up on a small pillar, the more afraid she got. What if she didn't see the distance properly and ended up being closer than she thought, knocking it over?

She could take her glasses off. There was no one there at the moment. But then she wouldn't be the maid. And right now, the maid was who she was supposed to be.

Shaking, she slowed down her sweeping, trying her best not to push the pillar over. Knowing Ciel Phantomhive, that vase was priceless – more expensive than this entire manor. That very thought only scared her more, and she bit down hard.

That is, until she felt the sticks of the broom stick to something. Confused, Mey-Rin paused her cleaning, tilting her head to the side as she wondered what she had done wrong now. This had never happened before. She turned the broom around to check it, but she had to admit, she couldn't quite see anything there.

Instead, she crouched down to get a closer look at the floor. Sometimes, being only a nose-length away from the object made it possible for her to see better.

A strange smell entered her nose as she got so close, and she wrinkled her nose in disgust. It smelled almost like wet iron mixed in with a strange, salty smell that made her nose hurt and her head spin.

What was she looking at…?

.

.

.

Outside in the garden, Mrs Thompson and Eleanora were overseeing the four daughters running around. Finny had been tasked with checking that the greenhouse was closed up and locked tight. Apparently, Sebastian had found out a storm was coming, and seeing as the Earl was currently in a meeting with Earl Thompson, Sebastian had to stay indoors in case Ciel needed him.

Hence, Finny had been tasked with this duty. Though Sebastian had pointed a gloved finger at him, so it was clear this entire job was not something he should do with a light heart. It was important. And so, Finny was walking towards the greenhouse with his chest puffed out.

He could do this.

It was late, and so Eleanora was running around trying to catch the daughters. It caught Finny's attention, and he smiled when he noticed neither Mrs Thompson nor Eleanora was being harsh. They were enjoying the game of trying to catch the mischievous little girls.

Finny imagined this was what parenting looked like. It brought warmth to his heart.

Moving over to the greenhouse, Finny checked the doors. They were unlocked, so he dug down into his pocket to find the right key. However, as he did, he noticed something in his peripheral view. It was inside of the greenhouse.

Due to the sun going down, the lighting was a little bad. Though when he stepped inside, gravel crunching under his wellies, he saw what it was immediately.

And he let out a scream.

.

.

.

"It would be quite the deal if you could make such a thing happen, my lord." Mr Thompson, not even sparing Sebastian a glance, chuckled as he picked up his newly poured cup of tea.

They had moved to a sitting room after dinner, whilst the women were coaxed to their own sitting room for some tea. They hadn't stayed very long in there though, and Sebastian had had to close the window in order for the children's laughter not to interfere with what had become a business meeting.

"I'm quite good with deals," replied Ciel simply, his blue eye flickering over to Sebastian who payed his master's comment no heed. After all, he didn't like to praise the young master too much, but Ciel had been rather good in making a good deal with Sebastian – one that contained him and ensured Sebastian could not get Ciel's soul before Ciel was ready.

Clever.

Taking a sip, Mr Thompson let out a grunt in reply to Ciel's words. "You have made quite the name of the Phantomhives. All on your own. My, what I wouldn't give for an heir such as yourself. Such vigour. Strength. It can only be found in boys, you know. Hence why they are given the title of heir."

What on earth was Ciel supposed to reply to that? The pressure of finding some good reply caused him to miss what meaning was behind Mr Thompson's words, as well as the faint scowl that had appeared on his face.

Sebastian had not. He would put Ciel's attention to it later.

"You give me too much praise," replied Ciel simply.

Before the conversation could continue, Mey-Rin's cries for Sebastian were heard coming closer, along with the sound of her boots hitting the wooden floor out in the hallway.

"What is the meaning of this ruckus?" asked Mr Thompson, anger causing him to clench his jaw.

The sound of a crash followed by a thud was heard, and Sebastian cringed, beginning to move towards the door. Though before he could even open it, Mey-Rin crashed through, arms flailing and her face slightly pale – almost green.

"Mr Sebastian, sir! Mr Sebastian, sir!"

"Mey-Rin!" exclaimed Sebastian, his voice filled with authority and anger. "Calm yourself and step right outside. This is quite indecent of you-"

"Mr Sebastian!" This was not the flailing and hyperventilating Mey-Rin though. Instead, it was the sound of Finny's voice. He appeared only seconds later, Eleanora holding onto the boy with an empathetic look on her face. Her eyes flashed purple as she saw Sebastian, but she did not scowl. Instead, she offered a worried look.

And this was what made Sebastian quieten and glanced between the two servants, prepared to be indecent if it meant he could get some answers right then and there. He wasn't too sure what part of himself had made him suddenly trust Eleanora… but if a devil was worried about something, then this must be important. "What is going on?"

Mr Thompson was quite annoyed by the fact the butler had decided to take on this matter right there whilst him and Ciel were speaking. It was rude of servants to be anything but in the background. Though, Ciel didn't mind. He simply watched and waited, ignoring Mr Thompson's glare.

Eleanora's fingers brushed through Finny's hair, and Sebastian couldn't help but narrow his eyes at this gesture. The way her arms was sneaking around Finny, holding him close to her in what seemed to be a way to calm him down, was annoying him. Those arms belonged to a demon who wrapped herself around souls in such a way as well, before devouring them. And he couldn't help but find himself not wanting her to touch Finnian.

At least, he assumed that was what he felt…

"There were dead mice!" exclaimed Finny. "Those poor little things…"

"I saw some too! There was a heap of them in the hallway!" exclaimed Mey-Rin, placing a hand against her forehead. "They looked awful…"

"Dead mice?" asked Sebastian with a frown.

"Oh, for the love of…" Mr Thompson stood up and pointed a finger at the servants.

Eleanora flinched.

And Sebastian noticed.

"I don't care how you deal with your rodent problems! This is beneath us! Go talk about it somewhere else!" the plump earl ordered.

Ciel remained quiet.

"But-But they were dead! They were killed!"

"Finny," reprimanded Sebastian. "Do not talk back to the Earl. He is our guest." He raised his arms and began guiding the lot out of the room, when Bard appeared in the doorway.

"Mr Sebastian, sir, you will never guess what I just found in the kitchen…"

Eleanora and Sebastian shared a look. They could guess...