Chapter 18

"He didn't inform you?" Estella frowned, glancing around in search for someone.

Ciel just stared at her. The worry and regret just seemed to disappear at a snap. Now, he's furious.

His jaw clenched, he shot her a heated glare. "What are you doing here in his manor? Didn't I make it clear enough for you to wait for me there?" He couldn't figure why he was feeling so angry. Despite himself, more continued flying out from his mouth. "I thought you were captured by them! Is it so difficult to follow an order?" He threw up his hands exasperatedly.

Estella stiffened at the accusation in his eye. Anger pulsing through her body at that, her eyes narrowed at him.

"Funny." She scoffed sardonically. Her voice steady despite the anger that was ready to lash out. "Shouldn't I be the one yelling?"

"What was that supposed to mean, Blancbaston?" Ciel asked icily. Sebastian from behind leaned forward and whispered something into his ears before straightening up again.

Tilting her head with a frown at them, she spoke to answer Ciel's question anyway. "Well, I was-"

"Shut up." The male interrupted her with a pointed look.

His words stung. "What?" She frowned incredulously at him.

But all he did was gave a quick flick of eye at her before turning his attention to something behind her. "Trancy."

As if on cue, an arm fell around her shoulder. "Oh." She turned to its owner to see it was Alois with an excited look on his face. "Ciel, you came!"

"Yes, and we're leaving now." Ciel snapped, turning towards the doors behind him. "Blancbaston, let's go."

"Luka's not leaving." He paused, narrowing his eye in annoyance at the door ahead. He whipped around with a glare to see 'Luka' shooting Alois behind her an annoyed frown. Her back held against the blonde, the arms around her waist tightened possessively as he shot back a dark look at him.

Luka…? His eye darted to and fro at the two.

The glare on his face faltered. "She's not Luka." Ciel deadpanned. He folded his arms across his chest impatiently. "What do you want, Trancy?" He drawled intolerably.

"Tea~" Alois chirped. An excited smile appeared on his face, he finally released Estella who was squirming the whole time.

Ciel grimaced. "No."

"Then Luka's not leaving~" Alois said with a lopsided smirk, resting an arm on Estella's shoulder which earned himself a glare from its owner.

Ciel shot an unimpressed raised eyebrow at him. He scoffed. "We shall see." Narrowing his eye at them, he finally spoke. "Sebastian. This is an order. Get-"

"Goddamn it! Let's just have that damn tea, okay?" Estella snapped. She pushed the arm off her shoulder and stepped away from Alois, ignoring the incredulous look shot over to her from Ciel. "Where are we having it?" She asked Alois.

Alois perked up excitedly. "The garden!" He chirped in delight, grabbing hold of her hand. "Follow me!" He turned, tugging her along.

"Claude, come." He said, striding past his butler who instantly gave a small bow.

Watching the three retreating backs, Ciel sighed irritably. "Blancbaston!" He yelled after them. His eyebrows furrowed into a frown when he realized that they have already exited the room.

"Young Master." He glanced over at Sebastian. "Shall I…?" Sebastian shot him a serene smile.

He shook his head. "Forget it." He waved his hand dismissively at his butler. "Let's just get over with this stupid tea party…" He said grudgingly, starting towards the door they disappeared through.

….

The jerks and bumps came from the carriage under them as it made its way out into the rather rocky road outside the Trancy estate. Sebastian glanced from his master seated beside him to Estella.

Claude's words came back to him.

"That Blancbaston servant smells rather interesting…"

Studying the red head, a tiny flare of pinkish red from his eyes, he opened himself to his surrounding and took a whiff.

Demonic essence hit at him like a slap. Stronger than ever before.

A frown marred the poker facade on his face, the frown instantly faltered into poker again when the female turned to him with a puzzled look. "What is it, Sebastian?"

"Nothing."

Estella shrugged. "Oh yeah, Sebastian. You always take the front. Why aren't you this time?"

He shook his head. "Not always."

A nod at him, she turned to Ciel who spoke. "Why didn't you wait like I told you to?" He started quietly. His eye hard on her. "You went with Trancy and stayed in his manor. How can I entrust you with more missions in the future if you're like this. I thought you were captured by SIGMA." He said icily.

Estella shot him an annoyed look. "Actually, I was nearly captured by SIGMA." The male perked up in his seat at that with a frown. She continued. "Alois Trancy saved me and brought me back to his manor. While that happened, you two were fucking talking to someone." She hissed.

"Language." Sebastian warned.

A grunt from her, her eyes stayed on Ciel who glared at her from her cussing. "That someone we talked to was so to retrieved information about SIGMA. I'm doing a favor for both of us." He said, folding his arms across his chest."And let me guess…you want me to write a 'thank you' letter over to Trancy?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Maybe you should." She leaned back on the seat, too folding her arms across her chest.

"Well, I don't think that's necessary. Tea was enough." Ciel said, glancing out to see that they were approaching towards his manor. He glanced back to her. "Give me a report on the mission later."

Estella stifled a yawn and nodded. "Right..."

….

Reigning over the laughter bubbling inside that was ready to burst out at any moment, was not an easy task. Her body shook to the soft snickers escaping from her mouth. A glare from Ciel had her snickering even harder, her eyes that held amusement, darted to and fro at the male and Sebastian.

Their bare foreheads which she never thought she'll get to see, stared back at her. They were so blindingly weird, a sight she's not used to.

An amused smirk crept across her face at how the two were standing there like soldiers, bodies rigid and upright. The smirk widened at the pained look on Ciel's face. She noted how Ciel followed the woman who was done inspecting him like a commander to a soldier, strolled over to Sebastian beside him with his eye. The butler glanced down at her with a strained smile.

Estella then glanced over to Elizabeth who was watching the situation with an awkward smile.

She could still so vividly remember the shocked look on Ciel's face the moment they stepped into the manor. The woman went straight into tugging their hair behind their ears and stuff. She quickly learned from Elizabeth that she was her mother. In other words, her master's aunt and soon to be mother-in-law.

The look of dread on Ciel's face from earlier had her bursting into another round of snickering.

Slapping a hand over her mouth when the woman suddenly whipped around with a sharp look.

"What's so funny, girl?" The woman stalked towards her with a glare.

"Nothing." Estella said sheepishly, suddenly feeling intimidated by the female in front of her. She gulped. Dislike was what she could see in the woman's eyes.

"What's your name?

"Estella Blancbaston." She replied meekly.

The woman straightened at that. "Blancbaston…? Why does that sound so familiar..?" She mumbled in thoughts to herself. She continued despite herself. "A maid, I see." She frowned at her. "Why aren't you dressed like one?" She eyed the shirt and pants on Estella, shaking her head disapprovingly at her. "Even worse, shirt and pants…? A female should be dressed like a female."

"Actually, I'm a maid and a bodyguard, my lady." Estella corrected politely. "I apologize for my current attire." She bowed.

The female gave her a head-to-toes glance with an incredulous look. "A bodyguard?" She asked dubiously.

Estella frowned. A shadow of annoyance crossed her face for being doubted. "I ensure that I will be able to do the job well."

A 'tsk' from Ciel had her glaring at him and his aunt raising an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, really? It seems that your master doesn't think so." She said with the raised eyebrow. "Shall I give you a test then?"

Her eyebrows furrowed into a determined frown, Estella replied fiercely. "Please do, my lady." She gave a small bow.

"Good."

...

Estella sat sprawled on the floor, staring wide eye and panting at the blade at her neck. She swallowed the lump in her throat before glancing at the towering woman. Frances, who she found out to be the woman's name, lowered the fencing sabre and passed it over to Sebastian who came over.

Frances shook her head at her. "I don't think so, Blancbaston."

Estella's body slackened dejectedly at that. Those words stung, disappointment sunk heavily on her.

She watched the woman turned to her silent nephew who stood against the wall. "I do not deem her fit as a bodyguard. She's not good enough; she's better off just being a maid."

The male pushed himself from the wall and strolled over to where she stood, glancing down at the said girl. "Hmm..." Ciel eyed her with a poker face. "Maybe you're right." Ciel shot her a pointed look, nodding to himself with a small thoughtful and seemingly mocking smile at her.

Estella went rigid at that.

Was he going to agree to that…? Calling him by 'Phantomhive' over and over again despite being told not to. Glaring at him, insulting him. The realization of a risk to being like what his aunt, no longer a bodyguard that would have been the better job than a maid for her revenge, had her ready to protest.

"However, Aunt." She about to protest, snapped her mouth closed when Ciel spoke. "I would like to determine my servants whether are deemed fit or not myself. Leave this matter to me, don't waste your time on a servant like her."

At that, she was relieved but yet, she- doesn't know why- winced at that last bit.

His aunt glanced down at her before glancing up at Ciel with a nod. "Alright. I'll leave her to you."

"When do we need to leave for that party?" Ciel asked.

Frances glanced over at her daughter who stood quietly against the wall before her. She glanced back down at her nephew. "Soon. I suggest that you prepare for it now. Elizabeth is prepared." She then turned to Sebastian. "Sebastian, go and help your master to find a good and appropriate suit for the party. People are eager to meet this couple, make sure that Earl Phantomhive and his fiance do not leave a bad impression."

A nod from Sebastian, she turned back to Ciel. "Don't bring her." She jutted her chin at Estella.

Ciel raised an eyebrow at her but still nodded. "Right."

The mentioned girl stared wide eye at him before glancing down on the floor with a sigh, feeling strangely disappointed and…betrayed.

"Blancbaston."

She glanced up to see Ciel staring stonily at her. "Get yourself cleaned up and proceed to do your chores."

She was taken aback by the violet-blue eye that stared down at her. No hints of nonchalance, no hints of annoyance when they always fought or anything. His attitude towards her was plainly, strictly….just servant and master. Of course, they were obviously just servant and master, but this felt different from before where there was some kind of friendliness between; it's like a big fat line has been drawn between them. There was no friendliness like the one before, just servant and…master.

"Blancbaston, you hear me?"

She scrambled to stand instantly at that, mumbling an apology.

Ciel watched her rose up to stand. A bow from her had him frowning at her, an unusual thing for her to do. He should be glad that she's finally being respectful to him. But strangely, he felt weird, seeing her bowing to him and he couldn't understand why he didn't like it.

"Yes, master. I shall take me leave then." Estella bowed stiffly at him, refusing to meet his eye. Without a word, she spun on her heels and strode towards the exit of the training room.

Staring after her with an unreadable look, Ciel watched her disappear behind the door.

Frances cocked an eyebrow at her nephew. Was it just her or was he…

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the door where the servant girl walked through. A tiny frown she noticed on her daughter's face had her frowning. A shrug of shoulders to herself, she prompted. "Alright, go and get prepared."

….

Estella pulled her legs in and rested her chin heavily on her knees before leaning back on the headboard of her bed behind. A heavy sigh escaped from her lips.

What the hell was that?

She shut her eyes tiredly. A muffled slam from downstairs had opening her eyes again. The puzzled frown at that slam faltered instantly she remembered about the party her master's aunt mentioned; they must have already left for the party. That, she realized, means there were only the four other servants and her left in the manor. A sigh, she climbed off the bed, heading off to join them.

Pulling the door opened, she froze. Her eyes widened at a whisper.

"Weak."