The Condition
Chapter 1, The Condition
He knew it.
Of course, the demons and the Undertaker would not agree with just letting him go without a price. When they do something, they make sure that they get something out of it. That is why they are called demons. They never have anything good in their hearts. And he was currently their little playmate once again.
Ciel Phantomhive was not a person who liked being made to wait. As the two men stood there, facing and staring at each other like having some kind of a duel, Ciel grew more and more anxious every second. Sebastian was staring down at him with that blasted smirk on his face again. He narrowed his red eyes. He was now just waiting for words to come out of the butler's…
"You, my Lord, have a mission."
The 16-year old boy narrowed his big red eyes a little more. So, there was a challenge. How lovely.
"And what is it?" He asked Sebastian who chuckled ever so mysteriously, not breaking their staring contest.
Finally, with grace and speed, Sebastian turned away from his master and went on to preparing his signature tea on his food cart. With his back facing the boy, he answered him, "If I may I ask you, the people you… knew, do you still care for them?"
Ciel was taken aback by this. The people he knew? What did he mean by that? There were a lot of people he knew three years back. But he had a feeling…
"Of course you do, Young Master," Sebastian interrupted him before he could even say reply. His cool voice had an itch of a smirk laced up in it and Ciel couldn't help but be bothered by it. "A boy of thirteen cannot have lived without…friends."
Ciel's eyebrows formed a letter 'V' at this. Once again, the memory of the hostility of his life resurfaced on his face. "I don't have friends," he said, his voice almost becoming a deep and dark whisper. His fists clenched and his teeth clasped together involuntarily.
Once again, Sebastian Michaelis chuckled. The boy was starting to find this very annoying.
"Is that so, Young Master?" He asked Ciel, taunting him. Finally finishing the tea, he poured it into the cup. After that, he placed it on a saucer and walked toward the tense slate-haired former demon. "It would be much more comfortable for you to have your morning tea if you sit down, Sir."
Becoming very annoyed with his butler, Ciel let it out by slapping the cup and saucer out of the man's gloved hands and yelled, "Just get to the point already, Sebastian! What are you talking about?"
Sebastian, being the patient butler that he was, only looked at the cup and saucer as they flew out of his hands and broke into pieces on the carpeted floor. He looked Ciel in the eyes with his still calm composure, "You always do show them that you are this closed, cold man that they should not dare speak upon without permission. But… I believe your servants were important to you, too, Young Master. Although, you somehow relish your time with them by treating them quite… rudely."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Why, I believe you are not in the position right now to beg such a thing, Sir."
Ciel shook his head and decided to let the 'Friends' issue go for a while. There has got to be more to the catch.
"Alright," he started. "What do I have to do with them?"
"You have to save them, My Lord," Sebastian answered with a tone of matter-of-fact. Ciel raised an eyebrow to this statement.
"Save them?"
"Yes, save them," he reiterated. "You know who they are. All you have to do is save them."
"And just what do you mean by saving them? They don't seem to have a problem if they were staying in this manor," Ciel said, becoming a little confused. Sebastian had a lot to explain.
Sebastian turned away once again to grab a small brush and dustpan from under the cart. He crouched down on the floor to gather those bits and pieces of glass and resumed talking. "Yes… But the question is: Are they really here?"
That made Ciel think. So, who took care of the manor while he and Sebastian were not here anymore? Could it be that Lizzy made them leave? In the last letter that he left on his desk that was specifically for her, it stated that she could do anything with the manor now that he already gave it to her. She loved servants. She could not possibly do that to them. But she somehow… she did.
"But-" Ciel started but was again interrupted.
"Sir," Sebastian paused and made a motion for him to follow him. "Please follow me." He then proceeded to walk out of the room.
Ciel realized he was still wearing his sleeping attire. Something that he did not want other people to see him in. He paused for a while, looking at Sebastian weirdly. Seeing this, Sebastian also paused his walking and turned to look at the young adult who still stood there, unmoving. He sighed before explaining, "Do not worry, Young Master. Nobody else is in here. Nobody will see you in your nightclothes."
With that, Ciel started to go after the butler who went ahead to going where he wanted to take him. But Ciel still kept his distance. Somehow, he was not so sure of Sebastian anymore.
Ciel looked around, taking in the fact that he was back inside his home again. The Phantomhive manor. He would have never thought that it was nice to be back even though it was not the original one. And he would never admit it to anyone else.
Soon after, he found himself being led to his study. Or rather his old study. No one would have believed that it was the room that he least liked. It somehow took away all the life in his…life. It kept people from going to him in attempt to leave him undisturbed and it kept him from interacting with them. But that was the way he wanted it then. Now, he realized that it was inhuman to himself. Finnian and Bard surely did not have any reason to come inside and Mey-rin was told to try to clean the whole house except this room. They were only let inside if he had a…special…task for them. Like when he wanted a picture of Sebastian back when he was still twelve years of age.
They now passed the different rooms of the mansion. He took a glimpse of the function room where the grand piano was situated. Where, in the original one, his mother played beautiful music. He also remembered taking fencing lessons in the room.
When they finally got into the study, his eyes directly reverted his attention to his desk. There, the letter he wrote for his fiancé—cousin—was still there. The envelope was still neatly closed and sealed and it did not seem to have been touched even by the slightest wind. The whole room seemed to have been untouched before he went inside.
So, if the letter was still there, not all people would have thought him dead all those years. And Lizzy would have looked for him.
He felt a pang of guilt when he thought of that. The first room that Lizzy would have gone to was probably the study. So, why didn't she read the letter that was clearly addressed to her? That is quite strange.
He shook his head and went back to the task required of him to do. To save them.
He rounded his desk to slowly caress the comfortable chair that had held him during work time before. And apparently, work time is a lot a time for him. He slowly sat on it and instantly regained concentration to the situation at hand. He clasped his hands together, resting his elbows on the desk. Who were they exactly? He knew the three morons—servants—were included. Namely, Mey-rin, Finnian and Bardroy. Oh, yes. There was also old Tanaka. He made that a mental note. He then thought about people more. This is quite rare.
Aha!
Prince Soma? Would he be needing help? Again, he made that a mental note to do so. Who else…?
Would Lau be needing any help? What would his problem be? It would have probably been that the spies—wantons—he was always with left him.
Who else…?
"Young Master?"
What a way to interrupt his thoughts. Ciel looked up to see Sebastian just in front of the closed door holding a tray that held what looked like cards. The demon carefully walked towards his master. The boy raised his eyebrow at this.
"What are those for, Sebastian?" He demanded. As Sebastian laid the deck in front of the boy on the desk, he smiled politely and proceeded to stand back up with his elegant poise.
"You are not given an unlimited amount of time to complete your task, Sir," he said, again, intriguing Ciel. He kept his poise and polite face as he faced the, again, distraught boy.
Of course. Why would he be shocked anyway? Where was the challenge if there was no time limit? Ciel recovered from his shock again and went back to concentrating. He motioned the butler to go on while saying, "Carry on."
Sebastian placed his right hand on his chest and bowed slightly before continuing on to speak. "There is a specific number of days when you can…fulfill your task in. It depends on the card you are going to pick randomly. If you luckily get a King, you get a hundred days. If you get a queen, you have ninety days. If you get a jack, you get eighty days for completion. A one means you only have one week. Two means two weeks and so on until ten."
Ciel paused to think. There were equal probabilities in whatever number or kind of card that one picks. This could be exciting. But he was anxious. Quite the opposite. Yet again. A thought smashed to his mind. "And what if I get a joker?"
The demonic butler chuckled slightly before answering, "Can't you remember, Young Master? You only get one…day."
Ciel was taken aback by this. One day. All in one day. Was that even possible?
He was a Phantomhive. Nothing was impossible.
So, there were two jokers in the deck. Big deal. Two out of fifty six. He narrowed his eyes at the butler and asked the question that defied what he just said about being the Phantomhive that he was, "And what if I do not finish in time?"
Sebastian let go of the polite smile and replaced it with a devilish one. His eyes twinkled scarlet now. Ciel felt his heart pound in nervousness. What if he loses?
"Then it is dinner for me again, Sir."