Alex, Claude, Sebastian and Rin are out preparing for the gala. At first Rin thinks that she's going to end up watching Sebastian and Claude make deals, only she realizes she's about to see a whole new side of Alex. As Rin fallows Alex and watches how she interacts Rin realizes that she honestly doesn't know Alex at all.

Sebastian and Claude manage to find the wine, however they are surprised to see that the owner is very ill, even if she doesn't show it. The pair fallow Alex through out the day however Sebastian see's Alex's depressed expression and decides to take her some where special.

What does Rin see in Alex?

Why does Alex act so docile at times?

Where is Sebastian taking her and what does it have to do with Cinderella?

I hope you enjoy,

~The Dark Ringmaster

I do not own Kuroshitsuji.

Chapter 32: Cinderella's Confidence

Sebastian stopped in front of the press and Rin was confused, "There's no way the printing is done now," she said. Alex smiled as she slipped out of the back, Claude was holding the door. Rin fallowed and looked up, "Phoenix Printing?" she asked curiously. Alex checked her cell phone and replied, "He's done, in fact he just finished them." Sebastian snickered, Rin's face was priceless. In truth after her premier under Artistry with the massive poster for Intrigue, there wasn't a single person in the industry which questioned her abilities, which meant when she needed something it was done in record time. Alex walked over to the front door and Rin was about to hit the intercom when the doors unlocked, she didn't even have to announce that she was there. It was as if she owned the place, which made Rin feel even more uneasy. She looked over her shoulder and noticed Claude and Sebastian had left. "They aren't coming?" she asked and Alex looked over at her. "They're going to look for a particular wine," replied Alex. She was even more confused, she didn't remember them saying anything to Alex, it was as if she knew what they were thinking.

Rin's lips parted and she was about to say something only for a beautiful blond to walk into the reception area. She had emerald green eyes and golden blond hair, "Welcome," she chimed and smile brightly. Rin's honey eyes opened wider as he stared at the tall blond, her figure was perfect and she had spider like long legs, "Hey Kate," said Alex, she wasn't very happy simply because the woman had just managed to wrap her arms around Alex and was squeezing her. "Kate, you're squeezing me too tight," Alex panted and Kate backed off, she smiled and commented, "You always did hate being touched." Alex sighed and shook her head; Katherine Elizabeth Milford was the great grand daughter of Elizabeth Milford, a young woman who had been engaged to marry Earl Ciel Phantomhive. Unfortunately he went missing one day along with the butler clad in black, yet there was black present left at the door. After that she married Charles Rudford, a Duke from Oxford. From what Alex understood Kate looked just like Elizabeth, oddly Sebastian managed to secure a contract with them through unconventional means, which was all he ever replied when Alex asked.

"Well they're finished, as are the other goods you asked for," said Kate brightly. Alex nodded and commented, "You're work is always perfect, how's business?" Phoenix Press was Kate's hobby, in reality her family owned a larger press in London which was the largest press in Europe. It was so large in fact that if the Milfords' desired they could purchase both Fitch and Waldon books and still come out with profit. "It's great, people like you are keeping me hopping, ever since designers found out that this press printed all your work the orders haven't stopped," she said proudly. Rin was silent the pair spoke so casually yet it was all about business, "Well your quality is far superior when compared to the work of a number of other presses in London," Alex said smoothly. Kate snickered and opened the door to one of the meeting rooms, the walls were covered with various prints which had been produced there. Rin looked at the walls, there images of products, people and even landscapes. She spotted a large poster of a pair of crimson eyes pearing out of the dark and stared, "Wow," she whispered. A bottle of Cologne was under them and Kate noticed how drawn in she was.

"Al isn't that the previous poster you did for Sterling? Um what was that cologne called," she said, her eyes narrowed and she looked as though she was searching her memory for an answer. Alex looked at the poster Rin was staring at and remembered it well, "Yes, for Azure," she replied and Kate nodded as she opened the boxes. Rin turned around to find Alex and Kate looking at the cards. Her eyes were locked on Alex's fingers which held one of the cards, she watched her thumb travel over the surface and Alex commented, "The embossing is superb," she commented, Kate was silent and had another card in her fingers. "You changed the weight of the cardstock," said Alex and she looked at Kate, Rin slowly picked up one of the cards and was impressed. She honestly didn't even realize that the weight had been changed, "We decided for your design that this weight would stand up to the embossing better," said Kate. Rin noticed how nervous Kate suddenly got, it was as if she was afraid Alex would have her head.

Alex held the card so that she could admire the ink and she noticed how well the silver had been layered, "I see, I was using something far too thin," she said, "you're right the leafing wouldn't have gone on as smoothly." Kate looked relieved and Alex commented, "You don't have to get so nervous, we've been working together so long I trust your judgment when it comes to printing." Kate stared at her and Rin realized that the face Alex used with business was one which Sebastian had taught her, it was intimidating, smooth and beautiful. She was much stronger than she appeared, "Thank you," said Kate she was smiling happily and Rin could tell that compliments with Alex were a rare thing. "Wonderful we'll take them," said Alex as she placed the card back in the box. "Send the invoice to accounting okay?" asked Alex, Kate responded with a nod. She was still wrapped up in the fact that she had just been complimented. "Now let's take a look at the other items on the order," said Alex and Kate nodded.

Sebastian and Claude arrived at the wine cellar and slowly got out of the car. It had been a long time since they had gone to this particular cellar, the building was small and made of glass. Claude had shown Sebastian this place years ago and ever wince the pair always went there when they were looking for something particular. They entered to find a stout Italian woman standing behind the counter. "Welcome," she said sweetly, "My it's been such a long time." Her voice was a little rough and the pair nodded, "Time hasn't been very kind to me, however it's been wonderful for the stock," she commented as she walked out from behind the counter. She had a slight limp and Claude noticed how the whites of her eyes had yellowed and the swelling in her fingers. "So what are you looking for?" she asked after a moment and Sebastian held out a piece of paper with the wine on it and the year. She hummed and looked up at them, "This is a very rare wine, most of it has been opened," she said. Claude and Sebastian were well aware and began to wonder how much this was going to cost them. "I'm not even sure how many cases I have, come down stairs and I'll check the logs," she said as she motioned to the door. The store was perhaps the most misleading thing about this particular cellar. In reality the only thing which happened upstairs was pick-up and basic meet and greets, everything else was down stairs. Claude and Sebastian fallowed the owner down the stairs and looked at the rows and rows of shelves. Under that small building was one of the largest collections in Europe, in fact it was the place to go looking for rare wines.

Under the ground for about two thirds of a kilometer there was nothing but shelves and bottles. The woman walked into her office and returned with a store log. The pages had yellowed and the binding was traditional leather. Most places kept a digital log of their entire inventory, which she did, however this book wasn't simply just wine. It contained every transaction for the past 50 years. She heaved the book open and skimmed the pages until she found it, "Ah, here it is," she said as her finger stopped at the middle of the page. Claude and Sebastian looked down, "I have 56 cases, you're in luck that's just enough for a party," she commented before closing the book. Claude and Sebastian looked at one another and pulled out a longer list. "So this is the full order?" she asked, Claude nodded and Sebastian replied, "I'm aware it's short notice however we need the wine by tomorrow evening."

The woman clicked her tongue and sighed, at first she looked irritated until they watched a smile form on her lips. Her deep set wrinkles moved and she commented, "You boys have been our best customers since we opened over 100 years ago now. I think we can get this together." Claude and Sebastian watched as a group of 20 people walked over, they were a variety of ages and both men and women were standing there. Sebastian smiled, there were members from each generation of the family, and even their teenage sons were before them. "After all this is our business," she said firmly and gave a stiff nod. Claude and Sebastian smiled and replied, "Thank you." In moments she had the list divvied up and they were off to getting it together. "Alright, I see the address of the event is on the bottom, thank you," she said with a smile. Claude and Sebastian nodded and were quick to make their way up the stairs. "She really has aged well hasn't she," commented Sebastian, Claude nodded. "She doesn't have much longer though, her liver is shot," he said. Sebastian sighed, he had seen the symptoms as well, "As long as she's lived and enjoyable life," he said.

Alex and Rin finished at the press and walked out to find the two men standing there leaning on the car. "Did you find it?" asked Alex and Sebastian smirked, "Is that even a question?" he asked. Alex giggled, it was quite clear they had managed to find it. Rin slipped into the back of the car and was in shock as they spent the rest of the day handling various issues, however never once did Sebastian or Claude step in, they advised her however they never intervened. "Why don't you two ever say anything when she's working with clients?" asked Rin and Sebastian looked at her. He had been watching how Alex was handling the contract with the chef with Claude's assistance. "She can handle it," he said simply, "She has to do this when I'm not around when she works with designers and other firms." Rin was impressed, she had to work with numerous people however it never flowed this smoothly, in fact it was usually filled with issues, she didn't expect things to go this smoothly. "Why does she act to shy and powerless?" asked Rin unconsciously. Sebastian looked down at her and she immediately regretted those words. "She doesn't realize that she is actually stronger than most people, she's convinced that she's defective," he whispered. Rin felt as though she had just been stabbed with a knife, her eyes didn't leave Alex as she shook the chef's hand. "Does she even realize that's she's beautiful?" she asked quietly. Sebastian shook his head and she noticed how upset he looked, "No." Rin smiled sadly and was about to ask him another question when Alex walked over, "We have out chef now all I need to do is see the Pastry chef and then check the China," she said confidently.

Rin watched as she pulled out her cell phone and noted the message on it, "It looks like the LSO is willing to send a chamber and there are five Jazz musician's who would like to attend and a Japanese pianist named Uzu would liked to play as well," she said as she looked through her emails. Rin stood there silently, when they had first met she was under the impression that she would have to do most of the work, yet all she had done so far was offer her opinion and do things which Alex was unaccustomed to. It was nice to work with someone who was so sure of what she wanted. Rin found herself getting pulled into the pace which Alex, Sebastian and Claude had set. It was quick, punctual and they were constantly working to get even better. She sighed and smiled a little, she really was caught up in the world Alex was creating and she didn't even realize it.

Rin's eyes floated to Alex's side and she sighed, she could still remember the feeling of Alex's soft skin under her shirt, that beautiful figure which she had been hiding and the taste of her lips. Rin unconsciously touched her lips with the tips of her fingers, she desperately wanted to touch them again, she felt a chill run down her spine and she snapped out of it. Alex had proven to be much more attractive than the others. "What do you think of this pattern?" Alex asked cautiously and Rin noticed how unsure she was. She looked at the selection and then began to wonder why she had asked, "It's perfect, it works with the scheme and I think it's very elegant," said Rin with a hint of confusion. Alex let out a sigh of relief as she asked, "And the crystal?" Rin slowly picked up one of the wine glasses and looked at the pattern, it was conservative but elegant. It suited the China she had selected and worked with the theme. "I see no issue," she said and looked at Alex who really was uncomfortable. "Alex have you ever been in one of these stores before?" asked Rin slowly. Alex laughed nervously and shook her head, "You can tell?" she asked.

It was as if Alex was mentally calling herself an idiot and Rin saw that shy and indecisive personality appear before her eyes again. She placed the glass back on the table and said, "The key to planning parties and things isn't to be as quick as possible or under budget by a specific amount, it's about fallowing your gut and what you see." Alex relaxed a little and Rin continued, "When I plan parties and select China I think about what I see in them, the China you chose appears conservative on first glance, however it's anything but." She picked up one of the plates and gestured to the pattern, "It's an intricate and delicate patter which comes off simple at first and then complex, just like them," she said, her finger traced the pattern on the rim. "Ah okay," she said and pulled out a pair of readers, Rin caught a waft of her shampoo and felt as though she had been stunned as Alex leaned in closer to take a look at the pattern, "I thought the color was perfect, to be honest I didn't really look at the pattern," she said sheepishly. Rin looked over and saw the pitch-black frames of her rectangular readers. "Ah there is a pattern!" she said with a hint of surprise, Rin snickered. Alex turned to her with an inquisitive expression on her face. She was inches away and yet Rin realized that she was eons away. "I think these will do," said Rin coolly as she placed the plate down.

Alex was confused for a moment and was about to ask about what had occurred until Claude and Sebastian walked in. Sebastian was smirking and Alex noticed the look of confidence in his eyes. "Where did you two go?" asked Rin and Alex looked over the rims of her glasses, they had grown accustomed to this. "Shopping," said Claude plainly and Sebastian leaned on Claude's shoulder. He was grinning and his eyes were locked on Alex, as she stared at them in confusion. Rin bounced and asked, "What did you buy?" Sebastian smirked and replied, "Dresses for you and a certain Graphic Designer who is turning four shades red." Rin turned and noticed the expression of embarrassment mixed with terror. It was an interesting combination which made her snicker with amusement. "Wait you bought me a dress?" asked Alex, she sounded furious and Claude shrugged. "Well you can't walk around in a suit it isn't that kind of ball," he said Sebastian nodded and added, "You also can't walk around naked or so I've been reminded." Alex's face was an even brighter red and Rin's mouth fell open.

Sebastian was smirking and Claude shook his head, "And people think I'm the pervert," he commented. Sebastian looked at him and whispered, "Oh you are, just I'm the only one which you're allowed to do." Claude snickered and Rin asked, "What's the dress look like?" There was a hint of doubt in her voice which clearly irritated Claude, "It's black and red," he said as graciously as possible. Sebastian sighed and replied, "Don't worry it's not one of Intrigue's however it's fashionable." His eyes looked over to Alex who had taken her readers off and seemed to be upset, however it wasn't anger. Sebastian whispered something to Claude and then walked over to Alex, leaving him to deal with the bouncy Party Coordinator.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly, Alex looked at him she was trembling a little. "Nothing," she replied quickly and glanced to Rin. Sebastian noticed the look on her face and realized instantly what she was thinking about. He gently grabbed her hand and pulled her along behind him, "We need to talk," he whispered. Rin caught them out of the corner of her eye and asked, "Where are you going?" Sebastian looked over his shoulder and replied, "Shoes." Alex was confused and Rin said, "Oh I want to join!" Claude cleared his throat and pushed his glasses further up his nose. "I need your assistance with a contract, the pastry chef is being difficult," he said. His golden eyes locked onto her honey colored ones and she nodded. Sebastian pulled Alex out of the store and he whispered, "Thank Claude later." Alex nodded and fallowed him; he was still dragging her behind him. Oddly it was a secure feeling, to be lead by the man she admired. His long strides gradually became closer and Alex found herself walking beside him. Her hand was still in his larger warm one and she noticed how calm he seemed. The rounded the corner, Alex thought it was ingenious that he lied however she had no idea where he was taking her.

They rounded the corner again and Alex stared as they walked up to a cobbler's shop. He really was taking her to buy shoes, "Why?" she asked and Sebastian simply held a finger to his lips. "You'll see," he whispered as he opened the door and gestured for her to enter. The room smelled of leather and saddle soap, it was warm and oddly soothing as she took a seat on a bench. An elderly man came out of the back and looked at Sebastian, "You must be here for the slippers," he said softly. A smile swept across his face and Sebastian nodded. The cobbler wandered into the back and Alex stared at him in confusion. "Slippers?" she asked, however Sebastian seemed to ignore her as the cobbler handed him a white box. The man knelt on the floor and slowly opened the box, nestled in tissue paper was a pair of silver shoes; they had a slight heel and were covered in elegant embroidery work. The heel was clear and Alex stared as the cobbler began to untie her shoes. Once he had managed to untie the knot he slipped the sneaker off her foot and then removed one of her purple striped socks. She stared as she watched weathered hands which cradled the slipper so delicately slip it on. It was a perfect fit, "I feel like Cinderella," she muttered. The cobbler looked up and laughed, "Princess I'm flattered however I'm a very old man," he said. Alex laughed and looked up at Sebastian who was smiling again; it was a tender and reassuring look. The cobbler slowly rose and said, "A very special pair of shoes for a special woman." Alex was confused and realized that there was no way for shoes to be made for her without her measurements. "No matter what scars we bear, we will always be beautiful," said the cobbler, "because it isn't the skin or the hair or even the feet which makes us that way but our heart." Alex paused and began to wonder why he was saying this until the cobbler turned to Sebastian, "They're gorgeous, I haven't seen your designs in a while." Sebastian sighed and looked at the shoes which were now on her feet. "I haven't had anyone special enough to fill them in a while," he said. The cobbler hummed and looked at Alex, "No matter how rough the diamond, when polished it will sparkle brighter than any other," he commented. Alex was taken back as she watched Sebastian attempt to pay him however the cobbler held up his hand. "You saved my wife and I from that fire," he said, "We're even." Sebastian nodded and looked back at Alex. The cobbler hobbled back into his work room and Alex asked, "These are your design?" Sebastian nodded and Alex looked down at her foot, it was a beautiful silver shoe, "Don't worry it will look wonderful with the dress," he said.

Alex nodded and watched as he slipped the shoe off and placed it in the box. Before he could put her sock on Alex was doing it her self. "How did you know?" she asked after a moment. Sebastian looked up and smiled, "I'm one hell of a guardian," he said proudly. Alex snickered and looked at him, "You really are an interesting one," she said. Sebastian watched as she smiled brightly, her eyes glistened and her lips parted, Sebastian smiled tenderly again. It was as if he was watching a child, and then it occurred to Alex what he said, "Guardian?" she whispered. Sebastian nodded and gave her a hug, "Claude and I want to be your Guardians," he whispered. Alex's eyes were wide and he watched a tear trail down her cheek. "Does that upset you?" he asked in a panic and Alex shook her head. "No, it's just a nice feeling to be needed," she said happily. Sebastian sighed and gave her a little squeeze. He held her there for a moment and she remembered the warmth of the beach in Rio. "So this is where that warmth came from," she whispered. Sebastian hummed and slowly pulled away. "We better get back," he said. Alex nodded and watched as he carried the shoes under his arm.