Sebastian looked up upon hearing footsteps. Eleanora was entering the kitchen, looking tired and nervous.
"Hm? Oh, you're here. I thought that you were still in your room."
In fact, he was sure that she was still in her room; he could still faintly sense her presence up there…But clearly she wasn't up there as she was now down here. He turned away from her and tapped at a recipe in a cookbook.
"The young Lord requested this today; please assist me in making it."
Eleanora wordlessly began. Sebastian wondered if she was feeling well. Her skin was even paler and thinner than normal and her eyes had dark circles underneath them. Maybe she had a nightmare. She didn't wish him good morning as soon as she entered, the way that she normally did. Perhaps it slipped her mind. Well, no matter. It wasn't important.
He got out the pepper and accidentally sent a cloud of it up into the air, which he inhaled and then he sneezed.
"Bless—" Eleanora began automatically, then stopped and looked away. Sebastian turned to look at her; her lower lip seemed to be trembling.
"Miss Black?" he asked. "Are you alright?"
"F-Fine," she choked out. She raised an arm up and wiped her eyes but Sebastian wasn't focused on that.
"Miss Black, you're bleeding."
"Hm? Oh, no I'm not; I'm fine, really…"
"No, you're bleeding; let me look at it…" He stretched out and gently took her left arm and then she screamed and wrenched herself away from him, falling to the floor.
"Miss Black—" He moved to help her up but she flinched as he approached and he stopped. "Miss Black…"
"Don't…" she panted, staring up at him with wide, fearful eyes, "don't touch me…"
"Why, certainly, if you don't want me to, but Miss Black…"
Then the other servants entered and Eleanora rose up and continued with the breakfast preparations, as if nothing at all had happened.
But Sebastian kept on sneaking looks at her. There was a frightened, hunted look in her eyes and he wanted to know why.