Lily looked around, frantically, to see if she could find the others. She ran into the living room and heard a scream. It was a woman's scream, and the only other woman in the house was her aunt. "Aunt Helen!" Lily called out in fear as she followed the sound.

Helen was under a burning bookcase. Lily tried lifting it, but the fire burnt her hands. Gritting her teeth, she tried to find something that would help lift it.

Suddenly, a grandfather clock which was also on fire fell in between them. Everything in the room was untouchable. Soon dread and helplessness replaced fear as she realized she couldn't save her aunt.

She couldn't, but Sebastian could.

"Seba-"

Lily began coughing. She couldn't finish her command. All she thought about was her aunt, Alois, and Claude. Were the males doomed, as well? She couldn't save them. She couldn't help any of them.

Lily fell to the floor on her stomach and saw her parents standing in front of her. She reached out to the mirage but was met with heat and blinding smoke.

This was the end.

I am being pulled out of the water. Up, up, up. I am too weak to open my eyes, but I can feel myself being dragged to the surface. At last, I feel dry land. All the water leaves the inside of my body. I sit up and cough and finally open my eyes. My vision is blurry, but I can see a tall figure in front of me. He speaks.

"Welcome back, my lady."

Lily woke up, screaming. The fire was consuming her. She couldn't breathe. She…

She was sitting up in bed. Her own bed. She was in her room, in her manor.

Lily couldn't stay; she had to get back to her aunt's home. She winced in pain as she got up. Looking at her hands, she saw that they were wrapped in bandages. She couldn't focus on that now. She raced out of the room.

Mey-Rin met her in the hallway and exclaimed, joyfully, "The young mistress is awa-"

Lily ran past her, which confused the maid. The teenage girl went down the staircase. Finny had just come in from being out in the garden, and Bard was moving something in the living room. They both saw her and tried to get her attention, but all she did was grab her coat and forcefully open the door.

Lily stopped in her tracks for a moment. If she hadn't, she would have run into Sebastian. He tilted his head a little. "Where are you going, my lady? You should be in bed."

"Move out of my way! I have to go back to Aunt Helen's!"

Sebastian frowned. Calmly, he stated, "My lady, I'm afraid her house is no more. She perished in the flames."

"And what of Alois and Claude?"

"They were not found. There is no reason for you to go back. You have my deepest condolences."

Lily was silent for a moment. Then quietly, she said, "My parents, my uncle, my aunt…they're all gone. Two are dead and the other two are missing."

"We're very sorry, Lady Lillith," said Finny, sorrowfully.

"It's a tragedy, yes, it is," agreed Mey-Rin.

Bard added, "If there's anything we can do for you, mistress, we'll do everything we can."

Lily looked at them. She wanted to show a happy and grateful expression, but she just couldn't force herself to. Instead, she simply said, "Thank you all. I appreciate your sympathy."

Suddenly, she started coughing, violently, and she leaned against the doorframe. The servants began to panic, but Sebastian was calm. "You have not yet recovered, my lady," he said. "Let's take you outside and have you breathe fresh air."

Lily tried walking out the door, but she stumbled. Sebastian picked her up and began walking toward the garden.

While in his arms, she felt more alert. She was feeling warm, but she wasn't sure if it was the weather…or something else.

Sebastian sat her down on a bench. "There, now. Take slow, deep breaths. You inhaled a lot of smoke, and you have suffered from burns, mostly on your hands."

"You saved me."

"Yes, my lady. It is my duty to keep you safe."

"I was going to have you save the others, but I couldn't call for you." Tears began to fill her eyes.

"There is nothing any of us could do, my lady. It was noble that you tried."

"Trying didn't help them! They're dead because of me!" Then, she coughed.

"Don't blame yourself. You did not cause the fire. Calm yourself or it will take you longer to recover."

Lily didn't want to cry, but she couldn't hold it in. She burst into tears.

Sebastian sighed. "Really, you must learn to control your emotions. Not doing so makes you…undignified."

"I don't give a damn about rules and pretending I'm someone I'm not! I will act the way I want!"

Sebastian smirked, which made the teenage girl angrier. "What is so funny?!"

"My lady, you are behaving like a child," the butler replied, amused.

"I am simply my own person, following my own path. I am not sorry to you or anyone for it. I will accomplish what I want to, and I shall die. Until then, you will have to deal with me, and I with you."

Sebastian bowed. "As I have said, I will follow you to the ends of the Earth. I will serve you until after you draw your final breath, and in return-"

"You will consume my soul. Yes, yes, we have discussed this a thousand times. This contract is simply that: a contract. Nothing more,…and nothing less."

"My lady, did you just now falter?"

"Pardon?"

"You paused before you said 'and nothing less'."

Lily looked him in the eyes. She could never read them. He was very good at hiding his emotions, or he didn't really have any. She was more sure it was the latter. She, on the other hand, was an open book. She wasn't good at hiding or pretending. Long ago, she had accepted this. It gave her the freedom to be her true self, but it also made her quite disliked among other aristocrats, which didn't bother her much.

Sebastian looked at his watch. "Mistress, it is almost time for dinner. We should go back inside. Would you like me to carry you again."

"Yes, please." She was feeling much better, but she wanted an excuse to be in his arms again.

Sebastian carried her with ease back to the manor. As he sat her down in her chair in the dining room, Lily could have sworn that she saw a slight smile cross his lips.