*Ciel's POV*

For a moment, the Earl could only stare at the butler's outstretched hand, his mind screaming a hundred different things at him. This demon was.. the monster from the nightmare, and yet here he was to comfort Ciel from the very thing that had frightened him. It wasn't really Claude he was afraid of, he realized, it was—

No.

He pushed the thoughts forcefully away, taking Claude's hand and hopping out of the carriage without dwelling on it any further. For a moment, he just stood there, clutching the butler's hand harder than was necessary. A moment of silence passed between them before he finally let go, his voice quiet, "Lead the way then, Claude."

The demon nodded once, tilting his head curiously to the side without actually questioning the young master. One last glance, nearly concerned, and then he was turning away to do as he'd been instructed. Ciel followed him, footsteps swift in order to keep his thoughts at bay.

As they got to the front door, it opened, without either of them touching it, to reveal a maid. She curtsied when she spotted Ciel, purple lips curling into the tiniest of smiles as she greeted, "Ciel Phantomhive, I presume? Claude mentioned you'd be arriving soon."

Before Ciel could respond, Claude gestured towards the maid, "My lord, this is Hannah, the maid I mentioned earlier. Hannah, this is Lord Phantomhive."

There was something absolutely off about this woman. She had that same, distinct aura to her that Claude and Sebastian carried; that of a demon, to be exact. Narrowing his eyes, he looked from Hannah to Claude, then back as he greeted her, "It's a pleasure, I'm sure." He watched as Hannah stepped back to let them inside, following Claude's lead into the Manor as he nodded towards the butler, "A word, Claude."

"Yes, my lord," Claude's words were immediate, following the young master down the hallway until they were out of Hannah's ear-shot. "What is it?" he asked with a frown.

Ciel crossed his arms over his chest, something that had become quite the habit lately. Then he spoke, azure eyes narrowed, "She's a demon as well, then? And to what do I owe her?"

Claude waved the concern away with a simple, "She's in-debt to me, my lord, you owe her nothing."

The Earl looked at Claude for a long time before finally deciding that he believed the butler. "So long as there aren't any more surprises," Ciel allowed, "I suppose that's fine." His eyes flickered to the clock on the nearby wall, "It's already that late into the afternoon… well, show me around then, I ought to get my barrings on this Manor before the night's out…"

The rest of the day was spent on a tour of this new Manor. Time seemed to absolutely drag during these hours, but at last, it was time for the Earl to get some rest… Claude had left him to his room a few moments before, but Ciel still lay awake, starring at the dark ceiling above his bed. His thoughts had done a good job of keeping him awake so far, much to his displeasure. The words his mind had carried previously returned now, and he didn't try to stop them:

He wasn't afraid of Claude Faustus in the slightest…

But he was utterly horrified of living with Claude as Sebastian's replacement.

The two demons had their similarities, being their species had certain tendencies, but that didn't make them the same. They were much, much different. Where Claude was obsessive, Sebastian was possessive. It was a hard thing to keep separate, but not for Ciel; it didn't matter how many words Claude spoke against it, in the end it was painfully clear that this was all about devouring his soul. The boy had thought that was what he wanted, and yet… He missed the other demon's protective ways.

Tossing and turning in his bed, Ciel Phantomhive couldn't find rest with these thoughts plaguing him. He didn't understand why he couldn't just let Sebastian go. That's what the butler himself had said to do, after all. Just let it all go… But he couldn't, and he wouldn't, because he didn't want to do so in the first place. He wanted Sebastian Michaelis at his side again, and that wouldn't change no matter how long Claude tried to fill that void…