Chapter 15

A frustrated sigh blew out from her mouth as Estella glanced over at Ciel who was seated opposite her for the fourth time ever since the carriage drove out of the manor's gates and every time she did that, staring out of the window will be what she sees him do. It's a wonder how he can do that for the past twenty minutes without getting a neck ache.

Not a word from him ever since that 'Tch' he given her in return to her comment when he entered this carriage. Damn it. This silence's really getting on her nerve. Estella stifled a yawn before glancing out at the view outside. Only to be met with flashes of trees flying past and she was pretty sure it has been like that for quite a while.

She let out another sigh. That's it; she can't stand this any longer.

"Hey, Phantomhive."

Eye narrowing at the window, his lips pressed together into a frown line. A drawl laced with a tone of boredom came as a response. "It's Master, Blancbaston."

Estella scoffed. "Shouldn't I be addressing you by that since I'm supposed to be your cousin tonight?"

An unimpressed eyebrow shot up at her. "In case you don't know, let me inform you that the mission hasn't started. Yet." Ciel said, folding his arms across his chest. "Once we reach the manor, that will be the time when I'll allow you to address me with that. Tonight as an exception aside, I expect that you always address me as simply 'Master' or 'Master Phantomhive', know your place. Hear me?"

"Sureeee….." She rolled her eyes at him and shrugged.

Her eyebrows then furrowed in annoyance when she realized that he have gone quiet again. Oblivious to the incredulous look on her face, he continued staring at the outside.

Honestly, will it kill him to converse? She thought, eying the male irritably.

Then out of nowhere, a sudden urge to annoy him to hell came at her. "Wow." Estella started with a sardonic smile on her face. "Even though being a girl in disguised as a male, it's amazing that I can actually look better than you who is a real one."

Seeing that Ciel looked liked he's too caught up in his own world, she let out a soft sigh, figuring that her attempt to annoy him to hell would go unnoticed.

"No, you don't." Eyes wide-opened at that, she snapped her head up in surprise to see him with a deadpanned look. "Seriously, Blancbaston, take a look at yourself in a mirror. Just one glance, I can easily tell that you're a girl. You-"An abrupt turn of the carriage cut him in mid-sentence and in the meanwhile, had them lightly pressing up against the side of the carriage as it turned.

"Looks like that the mission's about to start." Estella glanced up at the male upon hearing his comment before turning to the window to realize he's right. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she watched the manor crept closer and closer. Unsettling feelings fluttered in her as she gazed out of the window with unconcealed anticipation.

Taking in a deep breath, she turned back to Ciel to only have a stab of surprise at her when she found him watching her. She shot him a raised eyebrow. "What?" Estella tilted her head in puzzlement, watching as he blinked blankly once, then twice at her.

His eye then lit up in realization. Tearing it away from her, Ciel cursed inwardly at himself. He was staring at her. He was freaking staring at her. Why in the world was he doing that?

Noticing the questioning raised eyebrow at him, Ciel huffed with a frown. "Nothing."

With eyebrows raised even higher, Estella gave a mere casual shrug of shoulders in return before turning back to the view outside. She sucked in a deep gulp of breath and released it as fast as she took it in as she thoughtlessly gazed out at the lawn of flowers that the carriage was moving through. "It's going to be a long night…." She mumbled. A grunt of agreement from the male was it before they fall into silence.

Soon enough when the carriage came to a stop with a slight jerk, their eyes met with a similar glint in them. It's time.

Nodding at Ciel, Estella said with a serious look. "Let's do this, Phantom-ah-Master."

Eying at her thoughtfully, he corrected. "Ciel. You can address me by just that."A stern frown appeared on his face."Well, of course, only for tonight, got it?" He said firmly.

"Yeah." Estella grunted, waving a hand dismissively at Ciel.

Watching the male expressionlessly as he pushed himself up from the seat and strolled past her towards the door, she was about to follow but paused when he suddenly stopped and turned his head back to her.

Narrowing her eyes at the smirk that was making its way across his face, her eyes flicked up to his face when he spoke. "Oh yeah…by the way, you do not look attractive as a male so…." The smirk on his face grew to be a smug one as he came to a brief pause."… Don't even think about comparing with me, Blancbaston."

"Huh….?"

Gaping with a dumbfounded look on her face, she blinked in puzzlement at his retreating back and watched him disappear through the door.

What was that about…?

Frowning at where Ciel disappeared out into, a stab of surprise came at her when his head suddenly popped into view. "How long are you planning to stay there? Get out of there already." He ordered before he disappeared from view again.

Nodding numbly, she stood up and was about to start towards the door when she paused with widened eyes.

Eyes alight with realization, her eyebrows shot up incredulously at the door.

"WHAT?"

….

A gentle breeze swept past her boyish short hair as Estella landed heavily on the cobblestone floor before reaching out to push the carriage's door shut. Lifting the same hand to her head to check that her wig is securely sitting on it, she watched Ciel walked towards her from the carriage's front which she assumed to give orders to Sebastian. With the soft whining of horses sounded from the front, the carriage beside her trudged away, allowing her the view of the huge lawns that it blocked. Giving a quick glance at the huge lawns, she turned back to see Ciel slowing down towards her.

"Adrian." His eyes flashed at her the moment he stopped in front of her.

Then he did something unexpected that made her grow rigid. "What the hell are you doing…?" She questioned irritably under her breath, growing uncomfortable with their close proximity as her eyes flicked over to the male who was leaning into her left shoulder.

She heard him hissed into her ear. "Just shut up and listen."

"W-What?" She said shakily, shuddering at the ticklish touch of his warm breath on her ear. Taking a deep breath, she muttered shakily. "F-Fine." She gulped, trying to retrain herself from shoving him away.

Inevitably noticing how they were so close to each other, his eyebrow furrowed in discomfort. "Okay…Take out your hand." He instructed softly. When he felt a prod at his stomach which he assumed it was her hand, Ciel hastily slid out an object from his coat and placed it on her hand.

"What…." She paused. "A pistol…?" A bewildered tone whispered into his ear.

"Hide that; don't let anyone see you with it." Still leaning in to keep it hidden from view as Estella fumbled around with the metallic weapon, Ciel sighed in relief when he saw that it was finally hidden from view. Moving himself away from her, he glanced around the premises, noting the incoming tide of carriages trudging towards them. "That will be yours to use in case of anything that might happen tonight. Keep it hidden until then." He muttered, warily flicking his visible eye about.

Her eyes widened in realization upon hearing his words.

This mission's…going to go underway in only a few minutes time, Estella realized with feelings of dread and fear churning in her stomach.

She was going to meet them again. The organization which held her as prisoner and made her their lab rat. The organization which had brutally murdered everyone that's precious to her. The organization which ruined her life. And now, they are probably even after her.

The thought of her needing to mingle with them in the same room made her feel sick; one wrong move and she will be in real danger. Glancing nervously at the male, she was about to speak when a voice interrupted her.

"Ciel~!"

Both froze at that.

…

Estella

...

I froze.

That high-pitched squeal. That name. Why the holy shit does that sound so much like Elizabeth…? A wave of dread came at me. Glancing up at Ciel when he let out a heavy sigh, I turned towards the source of the voice to only sigh in relief when my eyes landed on it. Lucky for us, well maybe for only me since Ciel looked kind of...depressed for whatever reason (NOT that I care anyway); it was not Elizabeth, thank god.

It was some long brown-haired girl in a scarlet red gown that looked about our age, running over towards us with an excited smile on her face. Noting how Ciel was slowly backing away from the fast-approaching girl, a small smirk couldn't help but make its way across my face. Backing away was proved to be pathetically futile as she lunged and grasped onto his arm as though it was gold.

"You're finally here!" She chirped delightfully, battling her eyelashes flirtatiously up at him.

The next thing that had me gaping was when Ciel who had looked like he badly wanted to be somewhere else a few seconds ago, shot a flirty smile back at her. I nearly wanted to go 'eww' out loud when he patted on her hand that was on his arm and replied in a disgustingly sweet gentlemanly voice. "Of course, your birthday is too important so I didn't want to miss it."

Whoa. That was uncalled for. I thought, raising an incredulous eyebrow at him.

"Ciel, who's that..?"

…..

Estella glanced over to the girl in surprise. She grew even more surprised when she noticed that the girl was glancing up at her with a…shy look. Blinking dumbly at the girl, a soft clearing of throat from Ciel had her snapping out of daze.

"Oh, right." She muttered under her breath.

Let's play the perfect gentleman, shall we?

Bending down since she was a lot taller now in her high-heeled boots, Estella gently pulled up her hand and gave a soft peck against her porcelain-looking skin.

An unnoticeable smirk stretched across her face when she caught Ciel gaping at her through the sides of her eyes.

Turning her attention back to the Van Rayden girl, she released the hand in hers and said with a gentlemanly smile on her face. "I am Adrian Blackwell, a cousin of Ciel. You can just address me by merely 'Adrian' if you wish to. A pleasure to meet you, my lady."

She nearly burst out laughing when the girl went stuttering over, trying to introduce herself. "Oh o-okay, I-I'm Alice Van Rayden. Pleased to meet you too, Adrian…" The girl curtsied.

Wow, Meirin's idea for this disguise's…genius. Estella inwardly awed at the effect of her disguise.

"Let's go in, follow me." The female said, detaching herself from Ciel's arm and ushered them to follow as she strolled towards the huge doors ahead. Glancing at her retreating back, Estella threw a mocking smirk at Ciel. "Ciel. So…what were you saying about being able to see that I'm a girl at one glance and how I don't look attractive, hmmm….? She taunted.

With an annoyed glare at her, Ciel growled irritably at her. "Oh, shut up."

"I-"

"Ciel! Adrian!"

Both heads snapped over to the female and shot similar gentlemanly smiles at her, speaking in unison. "Coming!" A faint red flush on her face they noticed before she turned away from them had both of them turning to each other with raised eyebrows.

"Let's follow." Ciel prompted, starting towards the waiting girl ahead.

"So… what was with that flirting , huh?" Estella questioned, leaning towards him the moment she caught up with him. "That was waayyyy weird from you, I didn't know you flirt." She eyed the male in disdain as they walked beside each other.

"That was just an act, Blancbaston." Ciel said dryly with a deadpanned look on his face before turning back to the front.

The next thing he did make him feel like strangling himself was when he suddenly turned back to Estella with a taunting smirk and blurted out. "Jealous, aren't you...?"

He froze. What the hell did I…..?

Giving himself a mental face-palm, he couldn't figure out what has gotten into him that made him say that ridiculous comment. Ciel Phantomhive was rendered speechless Rendered speechless by himself. That was, that was…idiotic.

"Ignore that." He ordered curtly, trying to hide his embarrassment.

Without a glance over at Estella, he quickened his pace towards the doors, shaking his head in bewilderment at himself.

…

The familiar scene of a ball played out in front of her as Estella watched quietly from the side of the room. People were strewn about the golden-ish marble floor, swirling away in different colors at the center of the huge room while the other far end of the room was bustled with well-dressed businessmen and ladies were where most the chatters could heard from.

Sweeping her gaze around the room, her eyes narrowed in disdain.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Four of them. Her eyes narrowed. Where was Victor?

That bastard leader of SIGMA was strangely absent. A quick glance around the room confirmed his absence. Taking another glance around, she simply couldn't figure the reason for the nagging unease at that absence.

SIGMA….

Noting the faces of contentment and joy that could be seen on almost of all dancers, she was simply amazed at how oblivious they can be to the danger among them. Fixating her eyes on a certain duo, she scoffed at the uncharacteristic smile on the male's face.

It was not hard for her to figure out why Ciel told her that trying to gather information will be difficult for him in this mission. That Alice Van Rayden girl reminds her too much of Elizabeth, in a way that her high-pitched voice and how she loves to stick with him. With her hogging him, trying to gather information will certainly be difficult.

Shaking her head at the duo, Estella jumped when a low voice came from somewhere behind. "Find someone to dance with or else you'll look suspicious." Turning towards the source, she merely nodded when she saw that it was Sebastian. Quickly spotting a female, she started forward to carry out her task.

…..

Estella was really impressed on how much her disguise can deceive. Glancing down at the Van Rayden girl in her arms, She couldn't help but watched in amusement as the girl chattered on. But how did she end up dancing with her? A request from the girl which had Estella taken aback and that's how they came to this conclusion.

Unfortunately, the only information she had gained from their dance so far was what kind of jeweleries this Van Rayden girl have in her drawer. Dancing with her was tortuously boring and fruitless.

Growing more annoyed as the useless droning continued, she let out a soft sigh.

That's it. Looks like I'll have to DIG it out from her.

Clearing her throat which had the girl shooting her a puzzled look, Estella was about to speak when a prick of discomfort, a horrible feeling of being watched ran down her spine. Still twirling with Alice who looked puzzled, a sudden strong nagging urge to look up won and made her comply with it.

Glancing about to locate its source, her eyebrows furrowed in an instant when her eyes elevated to the top of the grand stairs across them.

There stood a lone male adolescent with arms folded across his chest, gazing at their direction. No, seems more like particularly her. She knew she was right when her ice blue ones met with his amethyst ones.

A brief eye contact before twirling away from his direction, her eyes then widened when she faced the stairs again.

He was gone.

...

-End of Chapter-