I don't own Black Butler. The only person in this story is Marianne and all those related to her.
This type of text is normal.
This is thoughts, dreams, and cinematic records.
This is demonic speech.
This is demonic speech in thoughts and dreams.
[This is functions for the start and end of cinematic records.]
I apologise for this, but I felt it necessary to explain changes in text style.
Chapter One
Butler, Able. Bride, Discovered
Fast forward nearly two years, and the trio were in the summer of 1888. Many things had to be sorted out before their new lives could be established…
Upon their arrival to the remains of Phantomhive Manor, Sebastian all but resurrected the building from the ashes to every detail. Marianne was admittedly impressed by the feat at the time, but would never say it. The manor itself was a stone's throw away from London, and served to be an excellent location for a home. Ciel had taken the head of the household quarters, while Sebastian was gifted with the head butler's rooms. Marianne was also given separate rooms from the rest of the servants, using the excuse that because she was to be working under Sebastian, she needed to be kept away from any other servants; it was very believable, all things considered. In fact, the very next morning after their escape, Sebastian cut Marianne's hair into a neater boy cut, along with higher quality bindings for compressing her 32DD breasts. The ones she had at the time were insufficient for their size. Sebastian even commented that it didn't speak well for the intelligence of humans that they couldn't see that she was a girl with how poorly she was bound at the time. Marianne only responded with that was the fact she was counting on, and not letting anyone get too close for a proper look.
As time went on though, Marianne knew her hair was getting longer, and by the time it begun to reach her shoulders, Sebastian provided her with a wig in a boy cut that matched her own hair colour. The girl had learned never to ask how he managed these feats, because he always responded with the same sentence.
"I am one hell of a butler."
It didn't help that every time he said it, it would make her blush the brightest red.
Back to the story, Marianne was tucked away in her bed, curled under the opulent covers of a beautiful four poster bed, safely enveloped up in her dream world. She didn't stir when Sebastian opened the door with his keys. The demon closed the door behind him. Without a word he glided over to the side of her bed, leaned his face close and spoke in his deep, seductive baritone.
"Marianne, it is time to wake up."
The girl groaned sleepily, blinking her dark blue eyes, and then stared up through blurry vision to see his pale, handsome face merely an inch away from hers. When her eyes focused, she let out an indignant shriek. Marianne bolted upright, clutched the covers to her chest, despite being completely dressed in a baggy white nightshirt.
"I've told you to stop getting so close when you wake me up!" she snapped.
He merely smirked.
"But I love your reactions. They never cease to amuse me."
She sighed and ran a hand through her errant hair.
"Our guest is coming today, isn't he?" she said. "Alright, let me get ready and I'll meet with you in the kitchen."
"I recommend you do not delay. We have much to get done."
Sebastian left the room after that, shutting the door behind him.
The girl ran a hand through her hair, tied in a messy plait, and swung her feet out of the bed, the floor cold under them. She walked over to her wardrobe and pulled out her clothes, a white button shirt, black trousers with attached black suspenders, black shoes and socks, a black tie, white gloves, and a black tailcoat. But first, Marianne had to wrap her bindings around her breasts. She started by holding one end of the bindings under her armpit while she wound it around her upper body until there was nothing left. Once she was sure they were tightly in place and didn't run the risk of coming undone, Marianne proceeded to get into her uniform. Looking at herself in her full-length mirror, she checked herself from all angles, untying her plait as she did so.
"There we go," she said. "Now, let's get this hair tucked away, shall we?"
In a corner of the room, there was a small dressing table, with a brush and a silver plated box on the top. Marianne ran the brush through her hair, falling straight to her shoulders, and then opened the box. Inside was the wig Sebastian had given her when he refused to continue cutting her hair. She didn't know why, but apparently he liked to see her look like a girl when he got the chance. Then again, she shared the same opinion every once in a while. However, it made things very hot when it was summertime. Combined with the binding, she was comparable to a walking human furnace. She could swear he did that on purpose…
Shaking her head, she piled her hair on top of her head and pulled the wig over the top, making sure to tuck in all the stray hairs that had escaped her hold. When she was done, the face she had known for nearly two years stared back at her.
"Time to be Edward Montague."
While she was a girl, when she was with Sebastian and Ciel, she was Marianne Blackmore. But when she was dressed like this, she took her father's name and her mother's maiden name, and became Edward Montague, apprentice butler to the Phantomhive family.
A smile spread across her face.
"Time to begin the day!"
Ciel lay surrounded by a sea of white feathers, bare save a length of red cloth hung over his waist. His eyes were blurred, dazed as he waited for someone, or something to speak within the emptiness that enveloped him. A voice then rang out, dark and deep and filled with alluring power.
"Think carefully," they said. "Should you reject the faith even once, the gates of Paradise will forever be out of your reach."
The boy glared out into the emptiness as his left eye came into focus.
"Do you think that someone who followed the faith so willingly, would ever go so far as to summon someone like you?" he asked.
In front of him sat a raven on a lone branch, red eyes staring back at him emotionlessly. A cruel chuckle entered the air.
"I shall ask you once more. Do you wish to form a contract with me?"
Ciel didn't hesitate to answer.
"I do! Stop asking your tedious questions! Let me know that we have a deal!"
The feathers floated up into the air, and one by one, turned completely black.
Sebastian entered Ciel's bedchamber, Marianne following behind him while wheeling a food trolley laden with tea, pastries, and a breakfast plate covered with a silver lid.
"Master, it is time to wake up." Sebastian said as he walked over to the large bed and leaned down to awaken the young boy.
Marianne left the trolley at his side and went over to the window to open the long curtains. The sun streamed into the room, and Ciel opened his eyes blearily, blinking them to adjust to the drastic change in light. The demon reached down and poured a steaming hot brew into an ornately decorated teacup, all the while listing off the things that needed to be done that day.
"Today, we have a lightly poached salmon, accompanied by a delicate mint salad. We also have toast, scones and pain de campagne. Which would you care for this morning?" he asked.
Ciel pushed his bed hair out of his eyes, and rubbed away the sleep that had built up during the night.
"Scone," he answered.
Marianne scowled from her place by the wardrobe, her hands on her hips.
"Don't forget to say please," she chastised.
He snorted in irritation, but complied with as much petulance as any twelve-year-old could when ordered about by his elder.
"Please."
Sebastian only smirked as he handed the boy his tea.
"Today you have a meeting with Mr Hughes, the authority on the history of the Roman empire," the demon continued, picking up a black eye patch from the bedside table. "And then this evening, you have a meeting with Mr Dumbiano of the Poseidon Company."
While the discussion of today's schedule continued. Marianne handed Sebastian the clothing she had selected from Ciel's wardrobe for the day, keeping her back turned to ensure the young master's privacy. She may have been dressed as a boy, but that didn't mean that she wanted to compromise either his, or hers for that matter, modesty.
"Is that the man in charge of my stuffed animals in India?" Ciel asked as Sebastian tied a blue ribbon to match his eyes around his neck.
"Yes, I am told he is Italian." Sebastian replied.
"They are known to drink more coffee than tea though, so the collection of tea available will be limited." Marianne chipped in.
"We will of course offer him all the hospitality the estate can provide," the demon concluded.
Ciel took a sip of his tea.
"I recognise this smell. Is this Earl Grey?" he asked.
"Yes, from Jackson's in Piccadilly." Sebastian replied.
"We thought it would be an excellent accompaniment with the salmon and mint," added Marianne.
The demon looked at his human apprentice and gestured to the door. The girl ducked her head and quickly walked out of the room, but not before bowing to her master. Sebastian then bowed to Ciel.
"We shall wait for you in the dining room."
He made to walk out the room after Marianne.
Ciel's uncovered eye flashed. His hand reached out for a small stand holding a collection of steel tipped darts. He threw one at the back of Sebastian's head. Without even looking, the demon caught the offending object between his index and middle finger. Marianne poked her head into the room to see what was taking so long, and saw Ciel's glare and the dart in Sebastian's hand. She sighed and shook her head. This battle of wills between them was something Sebastian enjoyed and Ciel loathed. No matter what she did to try and stop them, all her efforts proved fruitless.
"Well thrown, my lord." Sebastian smirked. He then glanced at the boy over his shoulder. "By even so, let's save the games for later."
And considering how well she knew the demon, it was clear there was a double meaning to his words.
In the dining room, while Ciel sat eating his breakfast. The other servants of the Phantomhive household had joined Sebastian and Marianne in their service to the young lord, who were currently elsewhere in the mansion. First, there was Bardroy, or Bard as he preferred to be called, who was one of the eldest men (if you didn't really count Sebastian's actual age), with dark blond hair, blue eyes, stubble and an American accent. He was the chef of the house, and almost always had a cigarette between his teeth. Next was MeyRin, a maid who was older than Marianne, dressed in the typical maid's uniform, with large glasses that almost covered her face, and her purple-red hair pulled into spiky pigtails. And the last was Finnian, affectionately going by Finny, a boy with strawberry blond hair whose fringe was held back with red hairpins, and green eyes. He was the appointed gardener, and dressed accordingly in red plaid shorts, brown gardener's boots, and a loose beige shirt with a straw hat hung over the back of his neck.
Ciel sat in his chair, and threw the dart he had tried on Sebastian, and watched it hit the back of Finny's head. Blood squirted out, causing the boy to cry out in pain, and immediately asked why the young master did such a thing.
"Nothing, I don't need to justify my actions," replied Ciel.
The other servants looked at him in awe.
Sebastian watched Marianne out of the corner of his eye, a small question nagged on the tip of his tongue.
"You promote good manners, and yet you do nothing when the young master does such things to the others." Sebastian stated. "I wonder why."
Marianne looked up at him, surprised that he had noticed such a thing.
"He doesn't do it maliciously, at least not to them. As a noble, good manners are important, but for anything else, I won't interfere in any way when it comes to you two. It was his choice to work with you, and I won't stop it one way or the other. I am just making his life as comfortable as possible before… that day."
Well, that was an interesting bit of information. Sebastian could say that he was intrigued by the little human, not the same way he was in Ciel, but rather he had a human ally who respected the boundaries between human and demon and their contract. If she hadn't, she would have already been dead. He rather enjoyed her company, and teasing her, and harassing her; it was really the only entertainment he got without having to do Ciel's dirty work. Ciel had ordered that he never cause harm to her, whether out of respect, or an affectionate attachment, he didn't know; but Sebastian didn't need to be ordered to do that. In fact, the very idea sent a sickening feeling to his stomach, it was abhorrent to him. He just didn't know why…
Sebastian fully intended to find the answer though.
But there were other things that needed to be dealt with first. The demon burst through the dining room doors.
"Finnian, have you finished weeding the gardens yet?" he asked.
He then turned to MeyRin, who was blushing.
"MeyRin, have you washed the bed linens?"
Then it was Bard.
"Bardroy, shouldn't you be preparing dinner?"
Marianne pitied the three of them, although she could never understand why he never pulled it with her unless her life was at risk. She figured it was because of Ciel's orders though, not that she was complaining of course.
Sebastian then turned to the last member of the Phantomhive staff, the eldery Tanaka, who suffered from a strange condition that left him in a state similar to a chibi most of the time. He was a traditional old man with grey hair and neatly trimmed moustache, circular glasses balanced on the bridge of his nose, and he was dressed in a style similar to a butler, perfectly natural as he was the head butler before Sebastian took over, and now served as the house steward. He was almost always sipping a cup of Japanese tea.
"And Tanaka," continued Sebastian. He watched the old man for a moment. "Well, I suppose you are alright as you are."
"Ho, ho, ho." Tanaka chortled, and then took another sup of his tea.
Sebastian turned back to the rest of the staff.
"Now, we don't have time for thumb-twiddling. So get to work!"
His demonic temper spurred the trio into action, making Marianne step away from the door to avoid their escape from his fury. She had learned that course of action the hard way, after being trampled on the first time it happened, and the times when she wasn't fast enough to get out the way.
After breakfast, Ciel was walking up the stairs in the main foyer, past the painting of his father and mother. He stopped, glanced up at it, and turned away in annoyance.
Marianne huffed and blew a strand of hair out of her face. She was on her hands and knees, scrubbing the floors desperately to make them shine. A bucket of soapy water sat beside her. Her gloves were off, and her sleeves were rolled up. The reason she was upstairs cleaning the floor instead of helping Sebastian downstairs with the silver, the tablecloth, the white roses, or the dinner preparations, was because the floor needed to be polished, and since she was the apprentice in their relationship, the task fell to her. Marianne hated the grunt work, but she liked the solitude, and it kept her out of the chaos that the trio could easily make. She shook her head and realised she had become distracted, so she set to work again.
Just then she heard footsteps coming towards her. The girl looked up and saw Sebastian walking towards her.
"Sebastian!" she called out.
The man looked down at her.
"Marianne, still working?"
"Yes. Are the preparations done?"
"Alas not. The young master has summoned me to his study."
Marianne giggled.
"His sweet tooth must be calling."
"Quite. But I refuse to allow it to interfere with his dinner."
She nodded her head.
"Okay, I'll continue here."
Sebastian glanced at the sparkling floor, pleased with what she had done so far. But there was still much more to get done.
"Keep up the good work," he complimented. "Make sure you are done in time for our guest's arrival."
He walked away after that.
"Don't mess up my lovely clean floor!" she snapped.
His dark laughter echoed after him.
He was still laughing by the time he stepped into Ciel's study. The boy furrowed his brow in question, wondering what could possibly make him laugh so much.
"What are you laughing about?" Ciel asked, his hands steeped under his chin.
Sebastian smirked.
"Just enjoying Marianne's reactions," he responded. "You summoned me, my Lord?"
Ciel nodded his head.
"I'm a bit hungry. I'd like something sweet to eat."
The demon shook his head.
"She did say it would be your sweet tooth bothering you. You shouldn't eat sweets now, you'll spoil your appetite for dinner this evening with your guest."
"I don't care about that. Make me a parfait."
"No."
"Fine then." Ciel snapped, getting out of his chair and walking to the window. "Oh, and that portrait in the foyer, take it down."
Sebastian's eyes widened for a brief moment before he regained his composure. He remained silent as his master continued to speak. Ciel ran his fingers over the blue diamond ring on his left thumb.
"I am Ciel Phantomhive, son of Vincent Phantomhive, and I am head of the house now."
A smirk spread across the demon's face at those words. He bowed, hand on where his cold black heart beat ever so slowly in his chest.
"Consider it done, my Lord."
Marianne wiped the sweat from her brow, the sparkling floor stared back at her with a perfect reflection. She smiled as she threw the cloth into the water bucket, which landed with a wet plop.
"Finally done!" she sighed in relief. "And not a disaster in sight."
Although she had clearly spoke too soon when she heard the idiotic trio, as she had privately nicknamed them, anyone would be called an idiot if they thought they could impress a demon through a mini catastrophe; it just meant that Sebastian had more work and she would be sweeping up behind him. The girl hung her head in disappointment, sweatdropping as she heard their shrieks of terror.
Let's see how much damage they've done this time.
She walked off in the direction of the kitchen, the most likely place for them all to congregate.
When she found them all, Sebastian loomed over them, living up to his true form, barely restraining his demonic temper behind what could only be described as a shit-eating smile. MeyRin, Bard, and Finny were cowering together, all three of their disasters obvious. Marianne's mouth dropped when she saw the sheer extent of it all, barely hearing Sebastian as he spoke.
"Now, how did this happen?"
The garden was completely dead…
"I thought things would go faster if I used extra-strength weed killer on the garden…" Finny explained.
All the china in the cabinet had been smashed to pieces…
"I tried to reach the tea set that we use for guests but I tripped and the cabinet fell…" MeyRin cried.
The food that was meant to be for dinner was the equivalent of charcoal…
"There was a lot of meat to be cooked for dinner and it would take a long time… So I used my flamethrower…" Bard mumbled, sporting an afro that only occurred when he was 'cooking' with explosives.
Marianne blinked, and then finally made her presence known.
"This… is not good," she said.
Sebastian sighed, ignoring the trio's cries, and clicked open his silver pocket watch.
The guest arrives at six, which means we have at least two hours left. He thought to himself. Not enough time to replace the tea set, or to find premium meats… What should I do…?
While he was lost in thought, Marianne spotted Tanaka, still sipping his green tea.
"Tanaka, can I have a cup of that, please?" she asked.
Because whatever's in it, I am in definite need of some. She added mentally.
The demon's eyes widened, snapped towards them. An idea formed in his mind, brilliant and efficient, perfect for the hospitality befitting of the Phantomhives. Marianne was given her cup of tea before Sebastian swiped it out of her hands.
"Everyone, listen closely and do as I say, understand? We must be quick about this. We might save this night yet," he told them.
The girl tried to reach for the cup, but considering the height difference between them, her being a petite five-foot six, and him a staggering six-foot one, it proved to be very difficult, especially as his other hand was restraining her from reaching any higher.
"Can I have that back, please?" she asked politely.
Sebastian glanced down at her out of the corner of his eye.
"Not yet. You can have it once your job is done."
She suddenly became fearful, because the smirk on his face suggested something a bit uncomfortable for her…
At exactly six that evening, a horse drawn carriage pulled up along the drive. Mr Dumbiano, a man with blue eyes, tanned skin and a neatly trimmed brown hair and beard stepped out, dressed in a tailored brown suit. Sebastian assisted him out of the carriage, smirking slightly as the man stared in awe at the garden, which had been landscaped into a Japanese stone garden. The sand covered the worst of the damage to the plants, and going around the rocks in swirling designs. The rest of the servants stood on a wooden boardwalk near the front door, who bowed and curtsied as was their custom for greeting guests.
"Predilioso! Wonderful!" Dumbiano complimented. "Truly an elegant garden."
The demon inclined his head.
"We thought it appropriate to serve dinner al fresco this evening," he explained. "Allow me to escort you inside while it is prepared."
Tanaka led their guest inside.
"What an excellent entrance, I wouldn't expect anything less of a Phantomhive. I cannot wait to see what the rest of the evening has in store."
Once the door was closed, the trio and Marianne sighed in relief.
"Wow! I can't believe we did it!" Bard smiled.
"Who knew that a dozen bags of gravel could be used to make this!" Finny exclaimed.
Sebastian made to step inside, but looked at them over his shoulder with a sly smile.
"Of course we were able to do this. We serve the Phantomhive family after all. There is still work to be done, let's get to it while the Master sees to our guest."
The other servants saluted and set off to work.
Marianne was dusting the corridor outside Ciel's study, dust flying through the air in grey plumes; she desperately fought the urge to sneeze. Vaguely she could hear Ciel and Dumbiano talking about the company, although the Master seemed to be more focused on their board game rather than the conversation, not that she blamed him, there was a sick feeling in her stomach that said the man was not to be trusted. Already he was asking for money to pay for expanding the company in India. She could imagine the look on Ciel's face being quite bored. A giggle nearly escaped when she caught onto Ciel's double meaning.
"I now lose everything."
The conversation continued until a certain topic was broached.
"Is there any way to get my leg back?" Dumbiano asked.
The air suddenly went cold, and a shiver ran up her spine when she heard Ciel's next words.
"I'm afraid that once something is truly lost, one can never get it back again."
Marianne knew he meant more than loss of essential limbs.
"And your body is burnt by raging flames."
She backed away slowly, deciding that it was probably best that she left. If she heard any more of their conversation, she didn't think she would be able to stop herself bursting into the room and tending to Ciel.
To the kitchen it is then. She thought to herself, walking away as quickly and quietly as she could.
When she entered the kitchen, she found Bard slicing into the meat, cigarette stuck between his teeth as he brought the cleaver down on the black meat, trimming it off to reveal the pink underneath.
"How's it going?" Sebastian asked.
Marianne almost had a heart attack when she heard his voice behind her. She was shocked to see he was barely an inch behind her.
"Dammit Sebastian! Don't sneak up on me like that!" she hissed.
The demon smirked down at her, but turned his attention back to the chef. Bard gritted his teeth.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm doing it like you said. Is this what you want?" he asked.
Sebastian nodded his head.
"Yes, that looks excellent."
Just then, they heard MeyRin cry out.
"Mr Sebastian! I found 'em!"
They looked down the corridor and saw the maid coming towards them with an armful of boxes piled to the ceiling. Marianne turned blue with fright.
She shouldn't be running with those! What is she thinking?!
Only moments later, MeyRin tripped and the boxes went flying.
With demonic speed, Sebastian managed to catch them all with one hand, except one that he balanced on his toe, and caught MeyRin in his free arm. Marianne felt like she couldn't breathe. That was far too close. What would they have done if she broke even more china before their guest had dinner? The demon however, remained perfectly composed.
"Oh honestly, how many times have I told you not to run inside the manor, MeyRin?" he chastised.
MeyRin leapt away, completely red in the face, and poor Marianne was the same. It was more than a little embarrassing to watch.
Something in the air around him was like an aphrodisiac for women, they were left in a state of perpetual attraction and, unfortunately, arousal. Sebastian knew the effect he had, but never acted on that vulnerability unless it was of some use to him. He teased Marianne mercilessly when they were in similar situations, she was more than a little uncomfortable at times, because she felt like she never wanted him to let her go. A spot on her back always seemed to ignite every time they touched, flooding through her veins and making her heart all but burst out of her chest. It was just too much…
Sebastian flicked the box on his foot up to the top of the pile of boxes in his hand.
"Splendid, these were the last items we needed. You can now leave the rest to me and relax for a while," he told them. "Edward, you will assist me."
Marianne snapped out of her trance.
"Y-Yes Sir."
"Now, I need you to do well, very well, at dinner tonight."
Bard whispered to Finny out of the corner of his mouth.
"He said it twice…"
"That's serious…"
The girl almost rolled her eyes at their words.
Of course it's serious! We don't need any more disasters! I'm the one who usually has to clean up your messes when there aren't miracles required to fix them!
She followed Sebastian as he walked away with the boxes in hand.
As soon as they were out of sight of the others, Sebastian handed Marianne the boxes.
"You know how to set these up, don't you? Get to it while I retrieve the Young Master and his guest for dinner," he ordered.
She nodded her head.
"Got it, Sebastian."
They parted and set about to their tasks.
Sebastian opened the study door.
"Pardon the interruption, but dinner is served," he said.
Dumbiano smiled from his seat.
"Dining out in that exquisite stone garden, how delightful." He turned to Ciel. "Shall we go, my Lord?"
Ciel smirked.
"Very well. We'll finish the game later."
"Oh, is there any need to finish? It's obvious that I'm going to lose."
The boy got up and begun to walk towards the door.
"I'm not in the habit of abandoning games halfway through."
The shift in the Italian's expression was shocking, his entire face seemed to darken as he muttered.
"How childish…"
Not the wisest words, because Ciel glared back at him out of his uncovered eye. Dumbiano started when he saw he had been heard.
"I mean it takes a child's eyes to see what's truly important. It's a true gift. Maybe that's what makes the Phantomhives the nation's foremost toymakers."
Unnoticed during the exchange, Sebastian glared at the man, his eyes almost glowing in their redness.
With Ciel and his guest seated outside, Sebastian stood with MeyRin at his side, holding a bottle of red wine.
"On tonight's menu is a dish of finely sliced raw beef Donburi, courtesy of our chef Bardroy."
The dish set before the diners was beautifully presented, set in a style identical to Japanese culture, but it was clear that the meat was raw. Dumbiano stared at the plate with a dumbfounded expression on his face.
"A pile of raw beef? This is dinner?"
Sebastian smiled a shit-eating smile.
"Why yes. Surely you have heard of it. This, good Sir, is a traditional Japanese delicacy, a dish offered as a sign of gratitude to someone who has accomplished important work. That is the wonder of Donburi!"
His explanation blindsided almost everyone. Marianne, who was watching the action from the bushes with Tanaka, Bard and Finny, wasn't sure whether he was telling the truth, or a complete, bald-faced lie. You could never really tell with demons, you see…
"This is a token from our Master, to show his thanks for all your hard work on the company's behalf. He wanted you to know that it was much appreciated." Sebastian concluded with a flourish.
Marianne listened to the men praise him, but she was still consumed by her pondering, trying to figure out if he was telling the truth or not. She completely missed Dumbiano paying his compliments to his illustrious host.
"…the great Phantomhive hospitality in action!"
Sebastian spoke up again.
"The wine tonight has been specially selected to perfectly accompany the sauce," he explained. "MeyRin, if you could pour?"
It was then Marianne was nudged out of her thoughts by Bard.
"Hey, don't you think MeyRin's acting a bit odd?" he whispered.
Her brow furrowed.
"You mean more than usual?"
They watched her dance and stumble around before reaching the glass, her hands were obviously shaking.
"Oh goddammit!" Marianne hissed. "It's happened again!"
What she was referring to was the state Sebastian was able to get the maid worked up into. She had a terrible crush on the demon, and whenever she thought he did something that warranted her blushes, this would happen. It never made things easy, and more often than not, something was about to go wrong…
And true to her word, it happened. MeyRin poured the wine, but it went straight onto the white linen tablecloth. Dumbiano was too distracted by his food to notice, but it sent the other servants into a panic.
"Sebastian, do something!" Marianne whispered.
Please do something! She cried out mentally.
Sebastian seemed to snap to attention. His eyes widened, and stared out at Marianne in the bushes. He watched her bottom lip tremble, her hands clasp together, and how her dark blue eyes seemed to glow in the darkness.
How is that possible…? He thought to himself.
It was obvious to him that she didn't know what she had done.
Without waiting another moment, he pulled the tablecloth off the table, catching the wine before it spilled into their guest's lap, and without disrupting any of the objects on the table. Not even the liquid in the glasses sloshed out of their confines. Everyone watched with wide eyes at the sheer elegance of the immaculate execution. Dumbiano lowered his bowl from his mouth and lowered at the bare wood in wonder.
"Where did the tablecloth go?" he asked.
Ciel smirked.
"A speck of dirt, most unsightly. I had the cloth removed so it won't distract us," he explained. Although he did look up at Sebastian, wondering what made him act so fast.
Sebastian bowed his head, the cloth folded over his arm.
"Accept my apologies, Sir. Do continue to enjoy the meal at your leisure."
The man opposite them stared at the pair, then laughed loudly.
"Oh, Lord Phantomhive, once again you have truly impressed me. What an able butler you have acquired."
The boy nodded his head, glancing at the demon out of the corner of his eye.
"Pay him no mind, he was only acting in a manner befitting of someone in my service."
Sebastian gave them all an enigmatic smile.
"My Master is quite right. Naturally, you see I am one hell of a butler."
His eyes flashed wickedly under the shadow of his black bangs.
After dinner, Ciel and Dumbiano returned to his study, seating themselves in red lined chairs. The Italian immediately went into talking about their contract, but Ciel shook his head.
"Before we discuss that, we must finish the game. As you said, children can be very demanding about our games. Surely you wouldn't want me to get upset, would you?"
Dumbiano shuddered at the coldness of his words, but did his best to retain his composure.
"Of course not… Would you mind terribly if I used your telephone…?"
Sebastian was bringing a tea trolley to the study when the door opened. Dumbiano looked at him for a moment as a smile touched the demon's lips.
"I've brought some tea for you and my Lord."
The man only grunted.
"I'll be right back."
He walked out of the room without another word. Sebastian's eyes narrowed as he pushed the trolley inside.
With his usual finesse, Sebastian served Ciel a cup of tea. Ciel only had to sniff it to be appalled by the scent.
"What is this? It's smells very weak," he complained.
"In consideration for our guest, I provided some Italian tea." Sebastian replied.
"Italian?"
"As Marianne mentioned this morning, Italians drink more coffee than tea, so the selection is indeed very limited, especially in terms of high quality." Sebastian frowned. "Is this selection not to your liking, Young Master?"
"No, it is not. I don't like it at all."
The demon bowed his head.
"I shall see to the dessert preparations."
"Good," said Ciel. "We must show him every possible hospitality. The Phantomhive family is known for its courtesy."
As Sebastian made to leave the room, Ciel called out to him.
"Oh, and Sebastian? Make sure you keep Marianne out the way. We wouldn't want her to see, would we?"
Sebastian's eyes glowed magenta, pupils narrowed into slits.
"Yes, my Young Lord."
Marianne was finishing up her chores before the end of the evening when she heard a voice coming from down the hall.
"I'm a tired of babysitting this child Earl! Yes… I've already sold off the factory. Now, all that's left is to pocket the extra cash. I'm busy trying to squeeze more out of the brat right now."
Her face darkened when she heard those words, her hands clenched into tight fists.
How dare he?! Insults I can take, but stealing and trying to manipulate money out of him? Oh, you are going to get it when I can my hands on you…
She considered going through the door. But all of a sudden, he turned to face her, not seeing her through the dark shadows. His face immediately went white, a look of panic spread over him.
The girl stepped back in fright, her back slamming into what felt like a brick wall. Marianne turned around and found herself to face to chest with Sebastian.
"S-Sebastian… What are you…?" she whispered.
"Why don't you go upstairs to your room? I've prepared a hot bath for you." He told her with a smile.
Her brow furrowed. He hardly ever did such things for her, so why was he doing it tonight? She then realised what was going on, he and Ciel wanted her out the way, because this man was going to get his just desserts… Taking a deep breath, she composed herself and looked him in the eye.
"Fine. Do what you have to do. Just don't get caught by the others."
"Oh Marianne, are you worried about me?"
"Just come up to my room so I know you're okay."
Sebastian smirked.
"I shall look forward to it."
When Dumbiano was finished with his phone call, he walked into the foyer and began to make his way up the stairs. The portrait of the former head of Phantomhive and his wife stared back at him. The man's face, shadowed by his hair, became a blank ghostly face with void-like eyes, black pits against a white pallor. It smiled at him. Dumbiano rubbed his eyes, blinked, and looked again. There was nothing.
"Impossible… I'm seeing things."
He continued up the stairs.
"Bewitched by the eyes of the dead."
Ciel's voice rang out in the empty corridor. Dumbiano shook his head and checked room after room, trying to find the drawing room.
"This is ridiculous! This house is a maze! I can't even find the right room!"
He walked a little further, and then Ciel's voice echoed around once more.
"Bewitched by the eyes of the dead."
The man looked up and saw someone walking towards him. It was the man in the portrait, right down to its featureless face.
"Stay away from me!" Dumbiano shouted, running in the opposite direction.
Back up the corridor, Bard and Finny were carrying the portrait in question. The gardener's brow furrowed.
"That's odd, was that our guest just now?" he asked the older man.
Bard shook his head and groaned.
"Hey, we need to move this before Sebastian starts yelling again!"
"Right!"
Down in the foyer, MeyRin was about to clean the floor. Her face then exploded into the reddest blush.
"Oh dear! I really messed up this time!" she chastised. "But at least I was able to get close to Sebastian… Oh what a shameful thought! What kind of lecherous maid am I?!"
She glanced down at her hand in her flustered state and saw that she had forgotten to fill the bucket with water.
Dumbiano was running down the corridor Marianne had cleaned; the floor was still slippery from its thorough polish.
"You lose one turn."
Ciel's voice was heard once again.
There was a resounding crash, followed by a deafening scream.
MeyRin found him at the bottom of the stairs. A gasp fell from her lips as she ran to help him, only to end up backing away in fear.
"Oh my! His right leg! It's completely twisted round! What happened to it?!"
His leg was facing the complete opposite way, bones grinding against one another unnaturally underneath the twisted skin. Dumbiano was barely able to hold in his screams of agony. It was like a burning sensation running up the whole of his leg. The sight of it was grotesque!
Bard and Finny soon arrived with the portrait in hand.
"Oi! What happened?" the cook asked.
MeyRin shrieked.
"Quick! Something awful has happened!"
Dumbiano glanced up through pained eyes and stared up at the man's face, only to see it become faceless once again with bottomless eyes.
"And now you lose a leg in the enchanted forest."
It spoke in Ciel's voice. Desperate to escape, he crawled away as quickly as he could on his hands and unbroken knee. He ignored the cries of the servants behind him in favour of hurrying down the nearby corridor.
His journey was put to a halt however, when he bumped into a pair of black trouser covered legs. Dumbiano hesitated to look up, and found himself staring up into the bright red eyes of Sebastian, who smirked down at him in unrestrained satisfaction.
"Surely you aren't leaving the manor yet, Sir?" he said. "We have not given you the full Phantomhive treatment yet. We still have to serve dessert."
The man backed away as quick as he could manage, and begun to crawl away. Sebastian merely followed after him as though he was an unruly child expending his energy.
"You've lost half a leg, remember? You can only move half the number of spaces."
His smirk only widened as the taste of fear on his tongue continued to grow.
"Why not relax for a while and make yourself at home?"
Dumbiano continued to crawl away, entered a room and shut the door behind him. He could hear the faint TAP, TAP, TAP of Sebastian's shoes against the wood floor. The man clambered backwards and felt his back hit something metal. Without much thought, he climbed inside, shutting the door behind him. When he heard the demon enter the room, his hand brushed against something sticky on the floor next to him. It was white, and had the slight scent of sugar. A chill ran down the length of his spine. Something wasn't right…
Only moments later, flames erupted all around him, and Sebastian opened a small window in the door he climbed in.
"What an impatient guest we have," he commented, acting as though he didn't find anything wrong with the situation. "You couldn't even restrain yourself to wait until dessert was out of the oven."
When Dumbiano realised where he was, he started banging and screaming for Sebastian to open the door, which was locked shut with a metal latch on the outside. The demon only watched from his kneeling position before getting to his feet.
"It would seem the Italians are unfamiliar with our customs. There's plum pudding, mincemeat pie… There are many traditional desserts in England that make use of meat. I personally find them all quite tasty."
He closed the window of the oven.
"Your body is burnt by raging flames."
Outside, Bard and Finny were stoked the heater. Both of them heard a scream.
Up in her room, safely enveloped in her hot bath brimming with rose scented bubbles, Marianne clenched her hands and closed her eyes. She blocked out the screams as best she could, and dunked herself beneath the water. But even under the water, she could still hear the screams…
Sebastian approached the two men outside, tea tray in hand.
"Thank you for your hard work today. As a reward, here's a slice of lemon meringue pie for each of you. The sugar will give you energy."
Bard and Finny were overjoyed. Nothing could beat Sebastian's desserts. They were incredible. Sebastian sighed at the exuberance of their thanks. As he made to go back inside the manor, he glanced back at them.
"Oh, and one more thing. Bard, a workman will be coming by in the morning, can you let him know that we need our oven thoroughly cleaned?"
The two servants looked at him in confusion.
"Why not get Edward to do it?" Bard asked, mouth half full of pie.
Sebastian shook his head.
"Edward will be assisting me, so will have no time to clean it. Make sure it's done, Bardroy."
The demon walked back inside, a small smile on his face.
Mr Dumbiano, I hope you enjoyed your stay, and the Phantomhive family hospitality…
Dumbiano limped away into the night, body crisp and charred…
All the way down to your bones.
In Ciel's study, the young Earl was laughing at the spectacle his guest was making.
"What an unattractive scream. It's almost like a pig taken off for slaughter. What presumption, selling the East India company without telling me, and then he dares to ask me for more money? Did he think to retain my trust?"
He moved his piece across the board, eventually landing on happy end. With a sigh, he toppled his own piece.
"I'm afraid once something is truly lost, one can never get it back again."
He then went on to stare out the window, his eyes blank and cold.
Sebastian was walking up the stairs to the main foyer, heading up to Marianne's room, like he had promised. He glanced at the empty space on the wall where the portrait once hung in all its splendour.
"Oh dear, it would seem we also need to put up new wallpaper as well," he sighed.
He then looked out to the floor. For a while, he watched what seemed to be an illusion of Ciel's life before his parents' death, laughing and playing like a child should. Sebastian snapped his fingers and the illusion faded away.
"The new head of the Phantomhive estate… He."
The demon then walked up the stairs.
Marianne, finished with her bath and wrapped up in a plush white towel, stood in front of her mirror, padding herself down from excess moisture. Her hair was still damp and sticking to her forehead. The towel became loose at the back, exposing her bare white back to the world behind her. She didn't hear Sebastian enter the room…
Sebastian had never seen Marianne wearing so little, she always made sure she was mostly covered when in his presence. The minimum he had seen her in was her nightshirt in the mornings, and that was long enough to cover most of her thighs, stopping just above her knees. Never had her bare back been on display, or the curve of her posterior…
He intended to call out to her, make her aware of his presence, but something on her back stopped him. His eyes glowed magenta, his fangs elongated… Staring back at him, set to the right at the base of her spine, was a black pentagram, identical to the one on his hand.
Mate… Mine. That explains it… This changes things.
The smile that spread across his face was enough to see that he was happy with this twist in the tale. The question of the matter was this, how was he going to tempt her into his world, and make her his?
He approached her silently. Her eyes were closed so she didn't see him coming. Removing the glove on his left hand with his teeth, he reached his black nailed fingers out and covered the mark on her back with the whole of his hand. The moan that fell from her lips sent fire through his blood and arousal to his loins. That sweet siren call was enough to almost make take her to her bed and have his way with her. But he restrained himself. It wouldn't do to seduce a woman of good breeding into a flurry of passion and quickness. No, he needed to court her, seduce her properly, and make her heart his completely.
Sebastian removed his hand, slipped his glove back on and stepped back. Marianne blinked, almost snapping out of a trance. She had been in a world of bliss, complete happiness and contentment, before being forced back to reality. She caught sight of Sebastian in the mirror, and let out a cry of surprise.
"Sebastian! Get out, you pervert!" she snapped.
He chuckled, he enjoyed her reactions too much to stop.
"My apologies. I did knock. You seemed lost in your own world to notice."
The girl shook her head, pulled her nightshirt on over her towel, and then removed the towel from underneath. She sat down and watched him, her cheeks red from embarrassment as she plaited her hair.
"The problem's solved then?" she asked, desperate to avoid him looking at her so much.
Sebastian glanced at her slender white legs folded beneath her, soft and elegant, with thighs barely covered, desperate to be grabbed and squeezed…
"All has been dealt with. I just came to reassure you that everything went smoothly, and it will be business as usual tomorrow," he explained, completely unruffled despite his… erotic thoughts.
Marianne nodded her head.
"Okay, well I'm glad," she smiled. "I'm going to go to bed now, goodnight Sebastian."
Sebastian went down on one knee and took her hand in his.
"Goodnight, my lady."
He kissed her knuckles, bowed and left the room without another word.
Marianne stared at the door as it closed with a slight click. Her blush had returned in full force while she climbed into her bed. As she tried to go to sleep, one thought kept coming to her mind.
If he keeps doing things like that, I'm going to fall in love with him even more than I am now…
She was asleep in minutes, her dreams filled with the red eyed demon.
I'm pleased with how this turned out. I knew it was going to be big, but I didn't expect it to be this big.
Any questions you have in concern to Marianne, I will be pleased to answer them.
Please read and review!
