I'm finally back after a long time...so I hope you'll not be mad at me...ANyways, thanks for all the positive feedback for this story! Keep reading and enjoying, and there's nothing more to say than, Azalea's back for some action!

Chapter 8: Their Mistress; Contemplating

"Fire away."

I had rushed upstairs with both Sebastian and Claude, ignoring the whole party. There wasn't much they could counter when I infamously said 'who's the servant?'

So now, I sat with my legs crossed under my skirt pretzel-style upon the mattress of my bed, with Sebastian grinning from the opposite end of the room, while Claude stood near me, stoic as ever.

"Claude, if I am not mistaken…'not so depraved as to compete with a human and lose'?"Sebastian cocked his head to one side as he looked at the stoic butler. The latter made no visible movement other than his golden irises, which slid from me to the direction of the raven-demon.

"Well, let's just say you wouldn't dare to compete against our talented lady here." Sebastian glanced at me fondly. Claude looked like he couldn't care less. "Besides, we all know who won."

"Shut your hole and answer me." I snapped.

"Of course, my Lady," Sebastian replied, bowing down low in my direction. "It's not like what the spider butler says can affect me in any way. It just shows how miserably desperate he is to prove himself."

"Can we stop talking about the useless spider butler who fell prey to a human's charm and continue?" I add, winking at Sebastian who smirked widely. Claude's eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly.

"But, then again, enchanting as you are, my lady, we can't really blame him for falling prey to your charm…" Sebastian slyly cast a glance at Claude, before winking back at me.

I crossed my legs and twirled my curls like a drama-queen. "That's true~!"

Sebastian chuckled. "Oh, and before I forget, that was quite some sincerity you showed for Joseph Frederickson…it was absolutely precious," he said cunningly, a finger on his chin in thought. Claude raised an eyebrow in my direction.

I lay back on my bed in laughter, to which Claude raised both his eyebrows and his lips slid to one side, while Sebastian looked significantly amused.

I sat up, coughing over laughing so hard. "That was all just one of my ingenious ploys to make him do what I want."

I told them about the whole monopoly thing, and about the daughter of Wellington Campbell being Joseph's fiancée. Sebastian and Claude both looked impressed.

"And here I was, thinking that people knew better than to trust you." Claude said, sitting in the chair opposite to the bed,

"Oh, what can I say?" I smirked at the golden-eyed demon. "But...people just can't help but believe in a beautiful, as Sebastian said, enchanting woman's concern-clad glassy eyes. And sugar-coated words concealing malice but coming from a temptress' carnation lips can gain greater faith than the desperate truth a saint preaches."

"Very true, your Highness," Claude said, putting a knuckle to his chin.

Sebastian pulled out his white silk handkerchief from his breast pocket, and with a swish in midair, he transformed it to a lovely red rose in full bloom. I clapped lightly, and he handed it to me.

"You have brought faith in a demon through those words…" Sebastian smirked smugly, bowing. "What more can I say?"

I stood up and started removing my shoes. I couldn't stand being in this ridiculous pile of fabric anymore.

Claude stood up and walked over to help me with the strings holding up my top.

"You see, our mistress here is very political minded." Sebastian walked forward, helping me take off the jewellery I was wearing. "I don't think she even revealed an inkling of her ulterior motives to poor Mr. Frederickson throughout the extensive conversation." He looked up at my face from his kneel (where he was working to remove my garters), to see my smirk grow even more evident.

Claude turned up the corner of his lips as he pulled off the crystal clips clasped onto my curls to set them in place. "That she didn't. She made it seem like she wanted him to have a happy, prosperous life."

"And the man was taken by it." Sebastian said, tugging at the bow of my skirt behind me.

"It is indeed amazing, how easily humans fall for beauty. Be it even in other humans." Claude said, pulling off my shoes and stockings, as I sat down.

"That it is." Sebastian smirked as he pulled off my ball-skirt. "But then again, our mistress here is accomplished in sectors other than beauty as well."

"When you two are done having the conversation like I'm not here…" I growled through gritted teeth.

"Of course, my Lady…" Sebastian smiled with closed eyes.

"We meant no disrespect." Claude bowed low.

When I was finally dressed in a thin, chiffon nightgown, I sat down on my bed and crossed my legs.

"So, Sebastian," I looked up at the smirking demon. "Bring out all you've got."

"Very, well, my Lady."

FIVE HOURS BACK; Time - 5:47 pm:

"The ships should be approaching the dock by now…" Sebastian thought, hidden behind four or five oil barrels left on the dock. He caught sight of about seven ships, all heading towards this very dock.

Soon, they had docked, and their bridges lowered down ashore. Men in groups of fives and tens rushed down with heavy boxes, crates and barrels, and made way towards their respective warehouses. All the warehouses here were owned by Draconia & Frederickson's.

Within an hour and a half, the men were done unloading the ships. The warehouses were locked up by supervisors while the rest of the men headed back towards the ships.

"Well, well, well…" Sebastian smirked. "Each ship came with random numbers of people, but each goes back with one man less?"

Yes. He counted precisely how many men walked down and how many went back for each ship.

Time – 8:15 pm:

After the supervisors had packed up and left, Sebastian entered warehouse 17 (there are just 7 warehouses at the dock, but they are numbered out of the total at each port owned by the company) by jumping onto the roof and entering through the window (it was open, but it was five storey high). The roof had no anchorage, so this feat would be close to impossible for most humans.

He sneaked down the stairways soundlessly and looked around every floor like a wild cat on the prowl for its prey.

Before long, he saw a silhouette appear out of a crate. He navigated towards the room, all the while staying in the shadows, and with his first move, the man was on the floor, under his foot.

The man screamed.

"And who might you be?" Sebastian smirked. "Were you left behind by your crew?"

"…Y-ye-yes, sir!" The man gasped. "I…I was la-late in keeping my crate, so they left me…"

Sebastian's smirk disappeared, as he lifted the man clear off the ground by the collar.

"Humans are such liars," Sebastian pondered aloud. "Let's see what the case really is, shall we?"

A deadly smirk came onto his face. The close-eyed smile that was anything but serene.

Time – 8:30 pm:

Sebastian had rounded up all seven men, from each warehouse, and had them tied up together and gagged.

They sat, tied back to back, in a circle on the floor of warehouse 18.

Now Sebastian ripped the gag off one of the men.

"I want the numbers of all the crates which you have brought into the warehouses today."

"We don't have them," The man replied immediately.

"Really?" Sebastian asked, amused. "Or are you just trying to hide something from me? Let me tell you…" He pulled off his left glove with his teeth, "That I remember all the numbers of the crates very well. If you would let me get back to my mistress as quickly as possible, I would respect your cooperation, and request my mistress to order me to treat you like living beings. So…hand me the numbers."

Another man muffled against the gag. Sebastian ripped it.

"He's not lying! We really do not have it!" He sputtered.

"Ah well… Sebastian re-gagged the two. "I'll just have to do it myself."

And he dashed off like a cougar and made way to the roof of the warehouse 17. Out of the window.

"Ooo da hell isshh hee?" One man asked the other. The other simply shrugged, a terrified look crossing his eyes.

Time – 8:45 pm:

The man looked horrified to see Sebastian calmly walk up the stairs to the top floor (where they were sitting) of warehouse 18, carrying twelve crates, six per arm.

"Get up, all of you," he said with a dangerous tone. They stood up immediately. "We have somewhere to get to, so make haste."

"So, what did you find?" I enquired curiously.

Sebastian went out of the room and entered shortly, with twelve crates. He opened a crate and fished out a small transparent packet containing a white powder.

"No way…" I immediately sprang up and grabbed the packet from him. Tearing it open with a single nail, I sniffed it.

"Just as I expected…" I growled. "It's opium."

A/N: R&R! Wonder what Azalea's going to do now?