Disclaimer: I don't own black butler or any of its characters, I only own April Forger, my OC

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Chapter Three: His Master, Plotting

Ciel Phantomhive watched as April left the room, more than intrigued by her. She was definitely something else. He was keenly interested in her employer and his plans, and he wondered if she knew more than she let on. Sebastian seemed to have a knack for hiring the most interesting servants.

Sebastian entered a few seconds later. He put a hand to his chest and bowed to the young earl. "My lord, what do you think of her?"

Ciel folded his hands together and leaned forward on his desk. "She seems shy. A meek little woman with extraordinary luck in the matter of how she looks. You told me she can do magic?"

He was still skeptical about the magic bit. When Sebastian had told him of their encounter last night, he could barely keep himself from laughing at the ridiculous prospect of "magic". The young lord took a measured breath and looked the tall butler in the eyes. "Explain to me how she can do what you call 'magic.'"

Sebastian smirked smugly. "My lord, I thought you didn't believe in magic?"

"I don't. I will allow you to debunk this belief for now. I want to know why hired what appears to be a normal girl." Ciel stared him down, as though he were challenging a panther to a fight.

"My lord, you are unaware as to how vast this world really is. Allow me to enlighten you. April Forger is, in short, a witch."

Ciel couldn't help but feel the demon was playing a joke on him. He grimaced. "You're joking."

"I am not, my lord. I would never lie to you. Do you not trust me?" Sebastian feigning being offended.

"I know you can't lie to me. Fine. Explain how she can be a witch." Ciel leaned back in his chair and folded his slim arms.

"Witches are not quite what they are depicted as. For example, there can be male witches. Their powers have limits, but generally they can perform spells if sufficiently educated. April has had no training magically whatsoever, meaning her natural raw power is exceptional. A witch's raw magic power is hinged on who their demon parent is." Sebastian explained, as though he were reading from a boring textbook.

"Demon parent?" Ciel asked in surprise. That seemed an interesting fact.

"Yes, my young master. All witches are born of a human and a demon. She's half-demon."

Ciel raised an eyebrow. He hadn't heard of demons with reproductive capabilities. "How is that even possible?"

"Well, my lord, when a demon loves a human very much-"

"Don't start with that! I understand that well enough. I meant, how would that be possible if humans and demons are two completely different things?" Ciel tried hiding the fact that he was blushing.

"Demons are able to have human bodies, my lord. A human body can produce human fluids." Sebastian seemed to be enjoying the fact that he was embarrassing his master. Ciel felt his face redden and grow warmer. He wasn't enjoying this particular discussion. "Any child of a demon can use magic to some extent, but a child of an archdemon would be especially powerful. It is safe to assume April's demon parent is a very powerful demon."

"So the real question we should be asking about her is, who is her demon parent?"

"Yes, my lord. It is possible that she could be the child of a very powerful demon who is looking to take your soul from my grasp. That does happen from time-to-time. She may have been sent to actually kill me. If anyone could destroy my physical form, she could."

Ciel mulled this information over, wondering if the shy maiden that had stood before him was a demon-killing witch. She looked like a weak, skinny young lady that couldn't lift a sack of flour, but according t o Sebastian, she not only could keep up with the demon, but even harm him. She was a skilled fighter and an agile thief, besides her powerful magical brought her capability into question was the fact that she had been so easily dominated by her previous master.

"Sebastian, answer me this, how is it she was so easily enslaved?" Ciel was hoping to catch the smug butler off-guard.

"She's only sixteen, my lord. A scared child. If you were under the thumb of the cultists who kidnapped you for a majority of your life, would you be eager to stand up to them?" Sebastian countered.

"Good point." Ciel sighed and unfolded his arms. "Very well, we can keep her on staff. However, I expect you to be responsible for her."

Sebastian looked mildly mouth opened to say something, but he closed it when he couldn't think of a response. "Yes, my lord, of course. I will train her myself."

Ciel nodded. "Good. Bring me my tea."

Sebastian bowed and exited the study. Ciel was left alone with his thoughts. The young earl swiveled his chair around to look out the window. Finny was in the garden, throwing large boulders around to construct a retainer wall. Ciel couldn't help but feel like Finny would somehow ruin the project. The other servants were inept at the simplest tasks, and it irked Ciel to see them fail at something so simple. He was glad to have the extra bodyguards, but they were not up to par as servants. There was part of him that hoped April would be a suitable maid.

The young earl brushed his bangs back and gently touched his eyepatch, contemplating the day he had made his contract with Sebastian.

That day had been the darkest day of his life. He had been prepared to die, and yet there had been apart of him that couldn't accept that. A small part of him wanted to set things right, to bring suffering to his tormentors,to wreak vengeance upon his parents' killers. That part of him had called out to the one being who could make his wishes come true. The demon had come, his voice silky yet reverberating with power, "Well, aren't you a very young master. You have summoned me. This fact will not change for all eternity. What has been sacrificed will never be returned. Now... choose."

So Ciel chose. He chose to sacrifice his soul in order to bring his parent's killers to justice. He was going to achieve his goals and be consumed by the hungry demon that served him. Sebastian was loyal, and he would never lie to his young master, and that was all Ciel really wanted from him. Those traits alone could help him reach his goals.

For now, however, his goals would have to wait. There was something suspicious about this whole business with Buffalo Bill Cody. It seemed odd to him that his lands had been targeted specifically.

There were plenty of other nobles with undeveloped lands, why choose his? Perhaps he thought that a child would be easier to steal from. Though that seemed a weak reason. The only logical reason for stealing from the Phantomhive estate would be if there was something there that no other nobles would have. Buffalo Bill Cody knew something about the Phantomhives that no one else knew. That fact disturbed Ciel more than he cared to admit.

Perhaps it would be wise to think of a way to put Buffalo Bill Cody out of business. April would be most useful in that respect.