A/N: Once again, still looking for a Beta! Let me know if you're interested. Just need one for story flow advice really…
Rosalina sat in her bed, trying to figure out a plan. She really needed to get back into Hell, but that wasn't an option. Therefore, she needed to find someone with a connection. A couple of names came to mind, but she knew that it wouldn't be easy. She hoped that she only needed to ask one.
It was morning by then and she began to get ready for the day, just as she smelled the delicious cooking. Ah, pastry. It was her weakness. Sebastian knew that. Demons didn't need to eat, but, oh, did she love food.
"I'll be leaving for a while. I'm not sure how long, but no more than a couple of days," she said nonchalant, grabbing for another sticky bun.
Ciel, who sat across the table, hardly acknowledged her statement. Sebastian, however, asked, "You have an idea?"
"I'm not sure yet, but I need some information and only one person can get me that information without me providing any…payment."
"Payment?" inquired the boy, now paying attention.
"Souls," she answered.
"You pay in souls?"
"Of course. They're particularly invaluable to wanted demons." She noticed his questioning stare. "You see that symbol on your hand? It's not just to mark you as a demon. It's also a tracking tool, of sorts. Once it is connected by contract, it allows for demons of that particular skill to be able to hone in on your location. Makes it very difficult for a wanted demon to make any contract and complete it in time to feed. Demons of Sebastian's age really don't have much to worry about because their need to feed diminishes over time; however, some have a bigger thirst with that age, as well. I, on the other hand, can only survive for a few years before I must feed again. You are lucky in that regard; since you have not had your first taste, your demonic blood has not been…kick started." Rose explained as thoroughly as she could.
"I see. So, what information are you searching for?" he continued to question.
"I'm not sure exactly. I also need to get a message to someone in Hell who might be able to help, but I'm not sure if he will."
"Why wouldn't he?" Ciel sipped the last of his tea.
"Because he already paid his debt to me and he'd also be hunted for helping us, if he's caught." She rose from her seat. Eyeing the butler, who appeared so statuesque behind his master, she saw he was as cold as ever. "I suggest that you teach him while I'm gone. A little knowledge of how his very body works could be the difference between life and death." Quickly, she turned on her heel and left the room and, soon after, the manor.
"Was she always like that?" Ciel asked.
Sebastian stopped momentarily, glancing up at his master before adjusting his slippers into the perfect spot next to the bed. "Only in the presence of others, my Lord," he said.
"Is she that way with you?"
"On occasion," he answered simply, but, seeing his master's dissatisfaction, elaborated. "Rosalina knows that I know her too well. Therefore, she rarely can appear so indifferent to me, although she does try."
"Tell me about her," he said, commanding, yet boyishly curious.
The butler knew that Rosalina would not want this young demon knowing her past and the things that made her tick, but he couldn't very well not tell his master anything. So, with a certain restriction, he began with how he'd come to be her butler as he tucked the boy in for the night. Of course, he couldn't help but think about all those little intimate details he was purposefully going to leave out.
It had been a long week. Since the appearance of Anne Boleyn, Rosalina had decided to concoct a new plan. Sebastian told her all the information he had gathered about her and her family. A few things were interesting and she would use them to her full advantage.
She hadn't spoken to Henry in the days since and didn't plan to; she wondered if he even noticed. Rosalina hadn't slept hardly at all that night and, as she lie awake in her bed, she wondered if her butler was awake as well. She wondered what he did while she was sleeping. Does he sleep? she questioned herself.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the soft turn of the doorknob. She closed her eyes quickly, pretending to be asleep.
"You can't fool me, Mistress," he whispered next to her ear. His voice sent a shiver down her spine and she giggled. She couldn't help it. Today was one of those rare days where she happened to be in a playful mood. Sebastian went about his usual business of opening the drapes and pulling out her day clothes.
Rose squinted for a second with the sudden bright light, but slid from the bed and walked to the window. "Looks to be a rather nice morning for a ride. Don't you think so, Sebastian?"
"Of course, my Lady."
"You must join me," she said to him as she strained in her stretch.
"Of course, my Lady."
"Sebastian," she groaned, "How many times must I tell you to call me Rose while we're alone?"
"You need only say the word, my Lady," he stated in a lowered voice, a cunning smile plastered on his face.
She didn't. Instead, she sighed and allowed him to don her in riding clothes. It was a cool morning; though, the sun was shining brightly. The trees had been bare for many weeks now, but it seemed that the season had yet to catch up. Sebastian had readied two fine horses, her Black Overo and another Silver Dapple, which were her favorites.
It was a short ride around the grounds before the sun began to warm the air. Rosalina decided, "Coffee might be nice on the patio today." So, she sat in her usual chair at the small metal table while Sebastian poured her steamy brew. "Won't you join me for once?"
"I do not drink, my Lady," he said, putting the kettle onto the cart without a sound.
"That's it, Sebastian, will you please just call me Rose?!" She was getting highly annoyed with all the "my Lady"s and "mistress"s. The demon just smiled, his eyes gleamed with a dim, dark red. She realized that he, who seemed to also be in a playful mood, was purposefully trying to get her to command him. Why did he want that? she wondered for a moment before slumping her shoulders in defeat. "I order you to call me Rose while we are alone, Sebastian." A soft purple glow could be seen through the thick fabric of her dress. Yes, his demon's seal was planted there, right in the middle, though slightly underneath, her breasts. "Now, what say you?"
"I still do not drink…Rose," he muttered, that smile still planted firmly on his face. Rose let her head fall before she laughed and finished her coffee. He's lucky I'm in a good mood.
The day had gone as quickly as it had come. It was the first day in a long time that she had such a long ride and she had thoroughly enjoyed herself…and her company. Sebastian had made a nice picnic lunch that she ate by the lake, which sat towards the back of the estate. Dinner had also been lovely: a tender beef roast with peppers, onion, and mushrooms covered with a thickened aux jus. For dessert, there was a traditional bread pudding, a dish she sometimes couldn't get enough of.
The large metal tub had been filled with a hot bath. Her butler knelt before her, removing the belt from her riding coat. She let her jacket fall from her arms to the floor as he unlaced the closure for her riding pants.
Rosalina enjoyed wearing pants and found herself wearing them all day when she could, but there was only one problem. You see, it was easier with dresses; her skirts could just be unknotted and allowed to fall to the floor, but pants were a different ordeal. Her butler had to pull them down, his gloved fingers grazing her hips and the skin of her thighs. She felt her breath hitch and hoped the demon didn't notice. Putting her hands on his shoulders, she steadied herself as she took each foot from the pant legs. The next step was the worst. Sebastian popped every button down the front of her crisp white shirt.
Rose never wore anything to cover her breasts while she was riding so, when the shirt was unbuttoned, that small sliver of skin down received a cool breeze which brought out the goose bumps. Sebastian picked up the few clothes and walked behind her as she pulled the shirt away, along with a small pair of underwear, before she sunk into the water. He gathered the two garments and walked out, leaving her to relax.
He loved how modest she acted whilst he was around. In fact, he purposefully drew out the process just so that he could admire the pink that rose up in her cheeks every time he touched her skin. He'd heard that soft gasp and had wanted to hear more.
Rosalina was a definite beauty. Her soft pale skin was a great contrast with her black wavy hair and those green eyes shown bright emerald every time she looked at him. She wasn't a scrawny girl; she had some curves, which he found himself wanting…badly. His seal, being planted where it was, always drew his eye to her chest.
She always covered her breasts. If she only knew. It wasn't the usual parts of a female body that attracted him the most. It was her innocence itself. He was a demon after all. Besides that, it was the gentle curve of her hip, a bare shoulder, and especially the nook of her neck that drew him. If she only knew.
A/N: So, I hope you enjoyed this one. It's taking a lot of thought for me to get this story going to where I want it to go. However, I pretty much have the whole ending thought out.
I couldn't help but imagine Sebastian telling an eager Ciel a bedtime story…LOL. Also, I hope you all know that, though I have been incorporating the history of Henry the 8th, I have been compacting the timeframe from years into weeks, maybe months so this is, by no means, historically accurate!
*One beautiful picture of Sebastian. This is how I picture him lying in bed from the last chapter I wrote:
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