Chapter 43: Common Enemies
Ciel stared at the figure before him with a slack-jawed, raised-brows look – a perfect representation of disbelief. The person in front clearly screamed 'Estella Blancbaston' but was the person in front of him really…her?
Those dangerous-looking cold, red eyes.
Did those meant she was no longer…human?
Horror begun seeping into his eyes as he tried to process this stunning realization.
Did those meant he could never see those contradicting eyes that looked like ice and fire at the same time ever again?
Has he already lost her to whatever SIGMA had put into her?
Was that fiery, passionate girl who had made him realize that there was more to life than his revenge really…gone?
Did Estella Blancbaston even existed anymore?
Out of nowhere, Ciel felt a new kind of fear seize him, a sort of anxiety inside him threatening to take his breath away.
Ciel didn't know why he had so quickly spiraled down to such a conclusion the instant he saw the eyes that weren't hers. He knew he was being so unlike the Earl Ciel Phantomhive he was supposed to be by letting his emotions turn into such a mess but…he was afraid. He couldn't quite place a finger on what he was feeling afraid of, but it had something to do with the sight of those demonic eyes that did not sit right with him.
With a perplexed furrow between his brows, Ciel watched the girl before him leapt toward Brandon with a snide, "Sorry to keep you waiting, angel freak!" In a deeper voice which he noticed didn't sound like Estella's.
With a flutter in his stomach that was anything but comfortable, Ciel watched the redhead aimed a kick at Brandon and send the man flying again, through the main door to the outside.
….
Sebastian deftly knocked away the couples of knives and forks that came flying his way and returned them with his own silver ones. Not taking a minute's pause, he dashed forward, using the utensils he had thrown as an opening. Like Sebastian had expected, the golden-eyed demon deflected them with a similar ease he had performed himself earlier.
A cutting gleam flashed in Sebastian's red eyes as he reached into his tailcoat and swiftly pulled out another six utensils as he closed in on Claude. His arms were a pair of black blur as Sebastian pulled them back and plunged the silverwares between his fingers into the spider demon's chest.
Glancing down unblinkingly at the utensils protruding from his chest, Claude brought up an arm, ready to lash out at Sebastian with three of his own but missed when the raven demon leapt back in time to evade them.
Sebastian landed gracefully a few feet away and straightened his coat.
Claude plucked the utensils out of his chest one by one like they were toothpicks and tossed them aside with eyes narrowed in disdain. "How tasteless."
"Oh, I believe that's what you are." Sebastian smiled serenely, as if his words were intended to compliment, "To think that you'll be siding with these disgusting humans, it's clear that 'tasteless' describes you better than I."
Sebastian tilted his head, his smile turning to a mocking one. "Could this be one of your master's silly ideas as well?" He chuckled lightly, "No offense but I think your taste in souls is pretty…bad too."
Much to Sebastian's surprise, instead of any displays of unpleasant emotions or Claude's typical straight face, Claude threw back his head and laughed dryly. "Master? What master? That brat is dead."
Sebastian's eyes widened. "Dead?"
"Dead." Claude repeated in confirmation with a gleam of smugness in his golden eyes. "Eaten by me. But I have to admit," Claude nudged his spectacles up his nose, "My choice of soul wasn't right this time. Putting up with that boy but getting such an unsatisfying, disappointing soul in return made me rather upset. So this is why I'm going to make sure I claim this one for myself after I'm finished with you."
This one?
Sebastian narrowed his eyes dangerously at the other demon. "Going after someone else's prize? Like I said, tasteless." His eyes glowed a malicious crimson. All sort of mock pleasantry was wiped away. "You'll be disappointed. It's very unhealthy to be dreaming too big."
"We'll about see that." In blurred motions, Claude reached into his suit and flung six knives in Sebastian's direction.
Sebastian leapt away and was about to bring out his own when a distant loud crash stole his attention as well as his opponent's. Realizing that it came from below, Sebastian turned his gaze down and his eyebrows shot up.
"My, my…This is quite a surprise."
...
Glancing back at the statue he had crashed into and broke, Brandon turned his head back to the front and met the approaching girl with a grin. It was an unsettling grin, less than a flash of amusement than the gleam of a blade.
He had thought that this attack on the Phantomhive his boss had ordered wasn't going to be much. Invading peoples' home and creating chaos there weren't new to him and he had grown bored of watching destruction fall upon on his victims so easily.
So he was pleased, very pleased to find out that this mission was more eventful than he had expected, surprising too. First, he found out that Ciel Phantomhive had anticipated the attack and had an impressive army waiting for them in his manor, ready to retaliate.
And now...
A hum of excitement went through Brandon as he raised his eyes to meet the pair of demonic eyes glaring down at him.
It was this. Even better.
He took a whiff. Ah…that disgusting scent was here, alright. The scent of a demon. Reeking from that very figure before him.
"Good to see you, demon."
A smirk twisted his lips.
….
Ciel blinked numbly at the main door where the two had disappeared through.
"Young Master!" That snapped him to attention and turned to Meyrin who had a worried look on her face. "Are you alright?"
Ciel quickly strode over to the maid. "I'm fine." He swept a gaze down the maid and noticed that she was gripping onto her rifles almost too tightly. "What about you, Meyrin?"
"I'm fine too," Meyrin smiled thinly. "But…" A furrow formed between her brows as she gazed over to the door before turning back to him. "W-Was that my imagination or was that Estella who had saved me?"
"That's her." Ciel nodded and turned his head to the door with a furrow between his eyebrows.
Just a mention of the redhead, the fluttering in his stomach was back again. And he could feel the familiar ache pulsing in him. That almost tangible ache that was tugging him toward the door – to where he would find her behind. It had been a year since he had seen her and now his heart felt like it was swelling with overwhelmingly too much emotions, like water threatening to burst out.
The yearning to see her, to just be near her and with her was becoming unbearable.
"Meyrin," Meyrin who was in her own world of thoughts snapped her eyes to him in surprise. "Y-Yes, Young Master?"
"Get back to what you were assigned to." Ciel turned away to face the stairs. "I'll take a look outside."
Meyrin's eyes widened at the earl's back. "But it's danger-"
"I'll be fine."
Ciel shot her an unwavering glance over his shoulder and sprinted down the stairs without another word, followed by the maid's bewildered gaze.
….
Every bit of Valeria's enjoyment was shining through. The fists and kicks she threw out were accompanied by the dark amusement dancing in her red eyes and her loud cackles, completely unfazed by the fact that she was hitting air every time Brandon dodged them.
"Is this it, demon?" Brandon leapt away from her onslaught. "I'd expected better from you." The angel hybrid said lazily, landing lightly on his feet.
Another round of cackles escaped her. "There's no need to be so excited," Valeria rolled her eyes incredulously. "I was just warming up. And stop calling me 'demon' already, I have a name and it's Valeria."
Brandon let out a scoff at that. "Warm up time is over, demon!" He lunged forward.
However, Valeria was already prepared with a small ball of fire in hand so as soon as Brandon was inches away, she shot it forward, sending it flying toward his face. Valeria watched the angel hybrid jumped out of the way with a grimace. She could still feel the sting of the fire on the skin of her palm.
Human skin….How pitiful. Valeria looked down at the hand she used and saw that skin of its palm was slightly singed. I'd better heal this body afterward or else I'll never hear the end of it.
"Looks like it's time I start playing rough!"
Valeria snapped her head up to find four white feathers flying at a high speed toward her and snorted condescendingly. Raising both hands in front of her, tiny flames appeared on the tips of her fingers. "Let's see who can play rougher!" Valeria snarled, flinging the flames toward feathers which burned up instantly into nothing.
Seeing that the feathers were out of her way, Valeria kicked off the ground with a leap forward, diving toward Brandon with her demonic red eyes glowing maliciously.
….
Ciel watched, his eyes darting to wherever they took their fight to. It was not his first time watching a combat beyond humans' abilities, but whatever that was moving Estella's body with such unthinkable agility was a foreign sight to see. Even more foreign was the way 'Estella' could produce flames out of her hands. He was surprised she hasn't burn down his manor with all that.
On the other hand, the way Brandon could pull out feathers from nowhere and fling them with deadly accuracy reminded him of the way Sebastian could do the same with forks and knives. If the other party was a human, he or she would have been already dead.
With a smirk, Ciel felt a hum of satisfaction when the redhead kneed Brandon in the chest a couple of time before sending him into the iron fence by ending her knee strikes with a swift kick to his chest.
But when she threw back her head with a shrill laugh, the smirk on his face fell and the satisfaction he felt quickly changed into a sense of dread and a strange feeling of sadness.
The shrewd look Estella's facial features made chilled him to the bones.
...
"Finny! Finny!" Bard swore under his breath when he realized the gardener couldn't hear him. The said gardener was busy punching incoming assailants charging from the sides, sending them away from him with a crack of their skulls using his inhumane strength.
The entrance hall was a room of chaos. Bodies laid all over and people were still struggling against each other. There was so much noise that it was hard to tell what was what.
"FINNY!"
The gardener finally turned, blinking in puzzlement at Bard. "What?"
Raising the handgun in his hand, Bard fired at an assailant coming at distracted Finny from behind and looked back up at Finny when the threat fell back onto the floor. "The Young Master, where did he-"
A sudden loud boom that sounded almost like a firework came from the outside of the manor.
Bard and Finny shared a shock look at that.
"What was that-"
"THEY'RE FLEEING!" Someone from amidst the chaos shouted.
"What-"Bard and Finny glanced away from each other and their eyes sprang wide simultaneously at the sight around them. Surviving SIGMA henchmen were sprinting past them and out of the main door and the broken windows.
"They did this the last time too!" Finny and Bard looked around in bewilderment.
….
A rush of panic came at Ciel when the dark-cloaked figures burst out of his manor, through the main door and windows. Quickly, he moved to a distance safe enough from them. A sense of confusion filled him as he watched them dash toward the gate ahead.
So that light was…their signal to withdraw? But why?
He glanced over to where he last saw 'Estella' and Brandon before he was distracted to discover that Brandon was gone as well. 'Estella' was now standing alone, watching them sprint out of the compound in a lazy posture.
"Are you hurt anywhere, Young Master?"
Ciel jumped and spun around to see Sebastian looking him with a concerned frown. "Sebastian, don't scare me like this!" He snapped, glaring heatedly at the butler.
"I apologize."
But Sebastian didn't looked apologetic at all, only quietly amused at his master's laughable reaction.
Ciel glanced behind Sebastian and saw that the crowd fighting inside his manor were filing through the main door with similar sets of confused look. Then he raised his gaze to his manor's roof before turning back to Sebastian with a questioningly look. "Claude too…?"
"Gone with them like a coward." Sebastian nodded. "Hmm, tasteless indeed."
Snorting at his comment, Ciel glanced over to the redhead once more in time to see the distant figure crumble to the ground.
At that very moment, he felt anxiety closed around his heart like an trembling hand and his stomach clenching in fear.
...
Next day…
The single robin blue eye of the pensive young earl stared intensely at the figure lying under the thick blanket of the bed.
With that steady, measured look on his face, he gingerly reached out a hand to her face, inching closer and closer. His outstretched fingers that were almost close enough to brush against her cheek jerked to a halt when a sudden wisp of doubt crept into his mind.
Blinking down at the unconscious girl, Ciel's mouth tightened decisively. The young earl exhaled out a soft sigh through his nose and continued to do what he had intended to do, pushing away the strand of hair which had somehow got into her face as gently as he could manage.
Satisfied, Ciel pulled away his hand and stepped back with a cursory glance around the room he had subconsciously labelled 'hers' before looking back down at Estella's peaceful face. The warm sensation that felt like comfort settled in his stomach and nostalgia that filled his heart made his lips curl upward ever so slightly.
It was as if she had never left.
During the past one year of her absence in the manor, this room had grown to become a special place in the manor for him and it still was. Whenever he passed by this very room, he would feel unsettling tugs at his heart. At times, he would find himself visiting this room. Always with a hollow feeling at his chest when he did.
But now…
Warmth softened his gaze on Estella and the small curl of his lips widened. Somehow the room didn't feel so lonely anymore with her presence and he strangely felt soothed in her presence, feeling lighter than he had ever before. It amazed yet irked him that her presence or absence could leave such impacts on him.
A light knock on the door snapped Ciel out of his reverie. Traces of the warmth in his gaze and smile were completely erased as he crossed over to the door with a silent sigh.
The young earl pushed the door handle down and opened the door only to find himself staring at his three curious-looking servants wo were crowding outside the room. "What is it, you three?" Ciel's eye darted between them questioningly.
"How's Estella, Young Master?" Meyrin whispered in concern, pushing her round glasses up her nose.
"Has she come round?" Bard added.
Finny nodded vigorously to their questions. "Can we see her?"
Ciel eyed the three for a moment before looking over his shoulder at the girl on the bed. "No," He turned his attention back to them in time to watch their faces take on a crestfallen look. A small pang of guilt hit him at the sight of the expressions on their faces, but ignored it. "Leave her alone to rest."
Ciel casted one last glance over his shoulder and stepped out of the room, joining the servants in the hallway behind the door he had closed after himself.
….
"Words from the Queen has arrived."
Ciel raised his gaze sharply and fell onto the envelope in Sebastian's waiting hand. Accepting the document, he expertly tore through the flap of the envelope with a paper knife and slipped out the letter inside, his eye instantly scanning through the words on it.
"They've found out where SIGMA is hiding." Ciel placed the letter down with a scoff. "Took them long enough. We would have found SIGMA faster if they let you do it."
Sebastian chuckled behind a hand. "Even if they didn't allow me, you did."
Ciel snorted at his comment and took a long sip of tea from his cup, thinking about the night mission he had sent Sebastian on before he went to bed last night. This morning he was woken up by Sebastian who had entered his room with his breakfast and his report about SIGMA's whereabout.
From what Sebastian had deduced, SIGMA had a way to cover their tracks and stay hidden, even from his own enhanced senses. And he could find them last night because they came out of hiding.
Who would have guessed that they would be hiding in Trancy's Manor….Ciel eyed the copper liquid in his cup.
A flash of irritation shot through Ciel.
"It's too bad Alois Trancy isn't alive to see that what he's been caught doing the same thing he'd accused the Phantomhives of. Association with a demon?" His mouth twisted with annoyance. "Such a hypocrite."
Sebastian's lips curled into an amused smile. "He and that tactless spider certainly are hypocrites. But now that Alois Trancy is gone for good, all that's left are the imbecile and SIGMA."
"Until they are dealt with, you shall never betray me." Ciel raised his gaze to meet the butler's eyes. "You shall never leave my side. No matter what." The look in his gaze was as hard as glass.
Holding his master's gaze, Sebastian bowed at his waist.
"Yes, my lord."
….
Beckoned by light beyond her eyelids, Estella slowly eased her eyes open and winced almost immediately at the intruding touch of the soft light which met them. She rapidly blinked away the discomfort and found herself staring at a familiar ceiling when her vision cleared.
Was it her or did her room seem a lot bigger? She gazed around, dimly aware of the strange ache in her body. Her eyes ran down a wooden column that supported the panel above curiously. And since when did the Carlisle siblings owned poster beds?
She swept the room with a confused look. Why did this room remind her so much of her room back in the Phantomhive Manor?
A scowl appeared between her eyebrows as she tried to recall.
The memory of Brandon leaping toward Meyrin came and gone in a flash. The murderous gleam in his eyes. The horrified look on Meyrin's face…and the panic in Ciel Phantomhive's voice.
The scowl on her face faltered as she arrived to an understanding. With a long, heavy sigh, Estella slowly sat up and eased herself against the headboard of the bed behind. A pang of nostalgia hit her as she took another glance around. She could only assume that Valeria had done what she had told her to do since she was here.
To think she would be back here when she had vowed never to return…
Closing her eyes with a pained look, Estella pushed away the thick cover and stood from the bed before heading to the door.
Estella closed the door behind her and leaned lightly against it, turning her head from side to side. Nostalgia tugged at her heartstrings once more as her eyes explored the familiar usually airy, deserted hallway and paused on the set of double door at the far end of the hallway. A gleam of recognition and something else darker resided in her eyes, knowing whose room the set of doors guarded.
Pushing away the unpleasant feeling inside her, she glanced across the row of windows before her and strolled forward to gaze out of one of them, noting that it was already afternoon. She lightly pushed the window open and breathed in the fresh, cool winter air that greeted her the moment she did that. The chill that was carried by the light breeze was biting her skin mercilessly but thankfully, the warm rays from the afternoon sun were there to soothe the prickly discomfort.
In the silence and tranquility of the afternoon, her mind began to wander.
….
Unknown to the girl, the hallway was not exactly as deserted as she had seen and thought. Further down the hallway, Ciel was hiding behind a pillar. His heart felt like it wanted to fly out of his chest and it had been like this ever since she stepped out of her room.
Earlier in his study, he grew tired of the bothersome urge to see her. He found it difficult to focus on anything and decided to give in to the nagging longingness in him, knowing the chances of him completing any of the paperwork waiting for him was zero if he continued brushing off that feeling. He could still remember the surprise he felt when the door he was making his way toward suddenly opened. He wasn't sure why the first thing he did was hide, but he was aware that Estella Blancbaston was the reason why his heart was racing.
Against his chest, Ciel curled his fingers into his suit and clutched onto it as a perplexed frown formed between his eyebrows.
Though these strange sensations had already been happening for quite a while, they still scared him. Because of them, he had been somewhat unwillingly going against his own beliefs, spurring him to do things he never would have dreamt of doing.
Gingerly, he peeked out at the girl and watched her welcome a small breeze with a contented smile. The muscles between his eyebrows relaxed ever so slightly as he watched her ice blue eyes disappear behind her closing eyelids as the breeze played with her hair. That beautiful fiery red hair that he had grown to love.
A small smile of his own tugged his mouth.
But a flash of memory from the previous night - a vivid flashback of Estella Blancbaston with demonic red eyes and the deep menacing voice that did not sound anything like the Estella Blancbaston he knew- made the smile on his face short lived. And simultaneously brought about the familiar anxiety he had felt last night. That same uneasiness when he had thought of the possibility of losing her to whatever that had possessed her body last night.
The unsettling flutters in his stomach was back again and like they had some mysterious way to eliminate all kinds of reservation in him, he strode forward with a rush of anxiety and an almost palpable fear in his heart. A sudden aching need to reassure himself that she was still there. To reassure himself that she wouldn't cease from existence.
Ciel watched the redhead turn her head to the sound of his footsteps and caught the look of surprise on her face. "Oh it's you, Phantomhive…For a moment, I thought-"
"Don't leave me ever again…" Barely a whisper, he pulled her to his chest and closed his arms around her in a tight embrace, closing his visible eye in anguish. Under his fingertips, he could feel the comforting warmth radiating from her, as if it was reaching out to him to soothe him.
"I-I thought…" The image of that pair of demonic red eyes came back to him once more. "…you were gone for good. That thing from yesterday looked like you but it wasn't…you."
He felt her body tensed under his fingers, every muscle tightening. A sense of déjà vu hit him at that. "No," His jaws clenched just as he tightened his arms around her, "Don't you push me away again."
"I'm…I'm not going to." The redhead in his arms said in a small, shaky voice.
Estella could say nothing more. For her heart felt like it was ready to burst out from the overwhelming turmoil of emotions inside her.
For a reason she couldn't understand, her breath hitched in surprise when she found her vision wavering behind lens of tears. Unable to hold back her tears and the emotions inside her any longer, she buried herself deeper into the embrace and started sobbing uncontrollably.
Phantomhive…I missed you.
...
Estella pushed the kitchen door apart and her eyes instantly lit up when they landed on the three servants who was seated at the servants' table. "Guess who's back?" The surprise looks on their faces made her grin from ear to ear.
"Estella!"
Leaning against the frame of the kitchen door with arms crossed over his chest, Ciel watched the three ran over to the redhead and crowded around her. Finny was hugging her with teary eyes, Meyrin was dapping her eyes behind her round glasses with a handkerchief and Bard's blue eyes were wide and the gleam in them were dancing with happiness.
A tiny smile curled Ciel's lips at the sight of their reunion.
"My, my…Looks like everyone is back together again."
The smile on Ciel's lips dropped as the young earl glanced to his side to find Sebastian watching the small crowd in the kitchen as well.
"It's been such a long time, Sebastian!" Ciel turned his gaze back to the front and find Estella strolling over to them but with a bright gaze on Sebastian. "I'd missed you too!" She briefly wrapped her arms around the butler's torso and stepped back with the bright gaze that hadn't left her.
Sebastian mused. I beg to defer. A year was a long time? But he had said none of that aloud and instead, let out a chuckle along with the amusing smile he gave her in return. "I'm flattered."
"Blancbaston," All attention was turned to Ciel who had turned to Estella, "Up with me to my study." Ciel straightened and turned away from the small crowd. "Bring us tea, Sebastian." He ordered before stepping out of the kitchen.
"Of course." Sebastian bowed at his waist.
Blinking at Ciel's retreating back, Estella threw the servants a small smile. "Oh well, I guess I'll get going-"
"Wait, Estella!"
Estella turned back to find Meyrin jogging over to her. "What is it, Meyrin?" She tilted her head curiously at the maid.
"I…I just want to thank you for saving me last night." A grateful smile appeared on Meyrin's face. "If not for you, I would have been…"
"No problem, Meyrin!" Estella shook her head, trying to brush off the unpleasant memory which had surfaced instinctively to her words. "I'm glad you're safe. I just-"
"Blancbaston!"
"Alright, I'm coming!" Estella huffed in annoyance and gave the maid a grin before running to catch up with the young earl.
….
Up in the study, they sat across each other. Ciel in his chair behind the desk and Estella on the chair she had pulled over to the said desk. Nearly an hour into their conversation, they had caught up with each other. Mostly.
"…I mean, weren't they scared of Sebastian when you told them the truth about him?" Estella's eyes were wide with amazement and bewilderment. "I'm surprise they didn't lose it when they woke up this morning and saw that everything's been fixed."
Ever since she had found out about Sebastian's true identity, she had always wondered how the other servants would react if they found out too. And she would always arrive to the conclusion that they would be scared and wary of him. She thought she would be able to handle the truth better than anyone else (other than Ciel, of course) since she was already aware that demons weren't just a myth.
But it seemed what she had thought was wrong about them and herself. It turned out she didn't take it as well as they did.
"No, they were more amazed than scared." Ciel shrugged thoughtfully. "Especially Meyrin."
Estella laughed at the last part. "Oh yeah, she loves this sort of things. I bet she was psyched as hell when she learnt about Sebastian!"
The amused look on her face softened to fondness, "For them to be able to still work this well with Sebastian..." She raised her eyes to Ciel with a meaningful look. "You're lucky, Phantomhive, these people are the ones who are worthy enough to bear and protect the name of the Phantomhives. Truly worthy enough to be Phantomhive's…your private army."
This fact really amazed her. Their ties and feelings toward the young earl across her and Sebastian were so strong and unwavering that they could look past the fact Sebastian was a creature of 'myth' that was commonly feared and even an unwelcomed thought in the minds of humans. Those precious ties and feelings the servants have were admirable.
Ciel watched her lips curl into a small smile, her eyes soft because of, he assumed, pleasant thoughts going on behind them. This sight made him think about what she said again.
A hum of nostalgia and fondness ran through Estella as she relished the memories of her time in the manor before she left a year ago. But it wasn't long before she was broken out of her thoughts.
"So you say you're working for a seamstress now?"
"Yeah…" Estella blinked at the sudden change of subject, "I'm working and living with her and her siblings. They gave me the extra room in their shophouse they are staying in." Her gaze glazed over the many, small piles of paperwork on his desk absentmindedly, "The store is called 'The Golden Thread."
Ciel leaned forward and rested his arms on the desk, clasping his hands together. "Where…is that?"
"London. Somewhere along Northbridge Street."
She watched Ciel nod silently and watched his face take on a pensive look.
The sudden silence between them urged her to speak again. "So," Estella tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "How's Lady Elizabeth?"
"She's fine."
She nodded at his answer and glanced away, feeling another blanket of silence sweep over them. She looked out of the window behind Ciel and jolted straight with surprise in her chair, realizing that the day coming close to evening when her eyes were met with a sky of dull orange and a hint of dark blue.
Ciel seemed to have noticed the reaction she had made because he snapped his gaze up to her with a puzzled look. "What is it?"
"I should return to the tailor shop soon," Estella let out a sigh. "I've been gone for nearly two days. They must be worried about me." She said, beginning to stand from her chair.
Their eyes met for a while.
Ciel felt his stomach sank in disappointment and a brewing protest rising inside him but pushed them down and away. "…Alright." He closed his eye briefly and exhaled heavily before getting up himself.
….
It was this balcony, she could remember. This was the balcony where the dark-haired teenager beside her had stunned her with his words and a…kiss. When she left a year ago, she was so sure she wouldn't be standing on it even again or much less see it. They had somehow managed to end up standing on it while they were talking and walking down the hallway.
Presently, they were standing in a blanket of silence with their gazes fixed on the darkening sky above, though she could feel a nagging urge to look over at the pensive earl.
After minutes of internal struggle against the urge, Estella gave in.
The young earl beside her seemed to be lost in thoughts so as subtly as she could, she snuck a look at him who was leaning on the parapet of the balcony just like her. Admiring his side profile, she watched his dark hair sway to the soft breeze.
A year was enough to bring changes to them both. Ciel Phantomhive was a handsome, dark-haired young man. Of course, not that he wasn't last time…but the changes she saw was striking in her eyes. Maybe because she hadn't seen him for such a long time… she wasn't sure. Just by looking at him now, she could feel an intense shyness within her.
Sensing eyes on him, Ciel glanced to his side at Estella in time to catch her hastily averting her eyes away from him.
An amused smirk curled his lips as he turned to face the girl, "I was told by many that I was handsome." He don't know what was with this sudden urge to tease her but he couldn't help himself. Ever since she had returned, he felt better and oddly happier especially around her.
"But seriously, there isn't really a need to be sneaky about your attraction to me."
Eyes sprang wide, Estella spluttered at his words, not sure how to respond to them. She could feel her face heating up and urged the muscles between her eyebrows help her cover up her embarrassment with a scowl.
"Sneaky? Who's being sneaky?" Estella huffed and looked away with crossed arms, hoping the heat and any evidence of her embarrassment on her face would disappear soon enough. With her back to him, she failed to notice that Ciel had moved to stand right behind her, almost close enough for his chest to bump the back of her head.
Peering over her shoulders, the smirk on Ciel's face grew wider when he noticed the flushed look on her face. He could see her fighting to keep the incredulous scowl on her face and it made him even more amused. Yearning to bring out more of her reactions, he felt a feverish desire to tease her more. Like an itch that couldn't be quelled.
Keeping his gaze on Estella, he placed his arms on the either sides of her but did not make a move close up the small gap between them. He heard a hitch of breath from the girl who he had just caged between him and the parapet but remained behind her.
"The one who looks as red as a tomato right now." Ciel said in a lazy voice as if he was merely talking about the weather, but the amused smirk never left him. "Who else?"
Estella darted her gaze between the arms enclosed around her and squeezed her eyes closed. What's with him? Her heart were racing and her hands were trembling. She could feel herself reddening.
Dear god, she needed to calm down.
This is the time for me to roll my eyes and respond with a sarcastic remark, she thought. Or push his arms away. Okay, okay…Let's do the first one. She breathed in deeply and began to turn around.
"You know…" Estella heard him say in a quiet, unreadable voice as she gingerly turned her body, "…you scared me last night." She felt her heart skip a beat when she completed her turn and realized he was a lot closer to her than she had thought.
Raising her eyes, the look on Ciel sent through his gaze instantly made her take a step back. The intensity in his visible eye and a grim line his lips held seemed to have wiped off all of her aforethought. His words brought her back to the previous night and to the time she had requested for Valeria to take over her body and save Meyrin.
Estella bit her lip absentmindedly. "I had to." A scowl appeared between her eyebrows. "If I didn't, that bastard would have gotten Meyrin…!" She clenched her fist.
"Then why did you return…?" Ciel frowned curiously at her. "How did you know that SIGMA was here last night?"
"It was Valeria. Remember the demoness inside me? I mentioned it earlier." Estella eyed the surprised look on his face, but continued. "She sensed Brandon and when she informed me about that, I came rushing back here. I…"
Estella lowered her gaze. She could no longer look at him, knowing her voice was shaking.
"I…I was worried about…you. I couldn't help myself but I just did. When I found out that the bastard attacking the manor, I thought of what he had done to my family." She felt her throat tighten. "I was so…worried."
She needed to tell him. Tell him whatever she had told him the last time she was in the manor were lies. So badly. It has been something she buried so deeply in her heart, something she had wished she could reveal to him about when she was spending her time away with the Carlisle siblings' store, thinking that she would never be able to see him ever again.
Ciel watched her closely. He could feel a restrain on himself that he wasn't aware of until now beginning to crumble.
"Blancbaston…" He swallowed deeply, "Are you…still in love with Brandon?"
She swore she caught a glimpse of some kind of powerful emotion flashed in his visible eye when she raised her head to look at him again. It came and went fast but she knew it looked dark and strange. She could feel something in him coming undone.
Ciel stared at her, his face unreadable. He moved slightly, suddenly looming over her. "Tell me." He said slowly, his voice quiet. "Do you…?"
Her heart couldn't stop pounding.
"No," Estella gasped, full of words but not able to speak them. "No, I don't…!"
Ciel felt something violent loosen inside him. In one swift movement, he drew her to him and tilted her chin upward.
His lips descended on hers, warm, soft and comforting. Ciel wrapped his arms around her, circling the small of her back. Estella felt herself arch and meld into him as his arms caressed her. His breath was warm, and the heat emanating from him made her sigh.
Ciel felt electricity shoot through his spine when he felt her pressed more firmly against his lips. That action seemed to spur him on, and he boldly ran his tongue between her lips. He hummed an approval when he felt her body tremble at his boldness. He smirked against her lips and ran his tongue across her lower lip again, only to feel a thrill of pleasure up his spine when he heard Estella let out a whimper.
Oh god, why did I just make that sound?
She hated how the small, simple actions he just did could send so much pleasurable tingles between her thighs. She felt weak, the way his body crushed her smaller frame against his.
Her mind was wiped blank when she felt him slip his tongue inside her mouth. When his tongue reached hers, she felt herself arching higher and higher up against him, clinging onto his shoulders as if he was her lifeline.
She was drowning in his passion.
Meeting her tongue with his, his tongue swirled around hers, and he felt her respond in kind, demanding more. His mind was clouding over from the wave of passion rushing to his head, but he was still aware he should stop this before things got too heated between them.
Running his tongue through the roof of her mouth, his hands slid up to her shoulders and firmly pushed them apart. "T-That's enough." He said, his lips hovering over hers. His visible eye was fogged with desire and his cheeks were seared with a dark shade of red.
A gush of warm breath rushed out to mingle with hers as they panted heavily for air.
Estella stared at his hovering face, cheeks dusted with a dark shade of red, mirroring Ciel's. Her mind was racing behind the tumultuous-looking pair of ice blue eyes. The words she was unable to speak were still lingering on the tip of her tongue, waiting to be spoken. She needed to let out them. The strong urge to tell him what she truly feel, to make it clear to him that it was never Brandon.
"Y-You need to know this," She tried to calm her breathing. "Phantomhive, I-"
"It's Ciel."
Estella's eyes widened. "W-What…? C-C-Ciel?"
"Yes," Ciel met her eyes unwaveringly, "That when we're alone, and 'Phantomhive' when we're not."
"…Are you sure about this?"
Ciel nodded firmly in return.
Slowly, Estella took a step back, breaking out of his arms enclosed around her. "Before we come to this," She met his gaze stubbornly, "What exactly are we now? I'm no longer your servant and you my master. So tell me, what is it? What are we?" She crossed her arms.
"We're…"
Estella saw a flicker of conflict in his visible eye as the young earl turned quiet with a small furrow appearing between his eyebrows to accompany his sudden silence.
"You-"
"Our actions said it all, didn't they? Ciel interrupted with a long, steady look. "Words are meaningless compared to them. A label for us is quite unnecessary." She looked closely at him, trying to read his face. It was like a book written in foreign language.
Estella felt her heart tighten. "But-"
"I think you should go now." Ciel turned as if to go, but paused halfway to the balcony door. "They…The Carlisles you'd mentioned are probably really worried about you." She noticed that his open, expressive face has closed, his eye dark and unreadable. "Go…" His voice was even, "Go home."
Estella looked at him, lips part, eyes dark and wide. She felt her heart sink at the sudden change of his attitude and his curt dismissal. Squaring her shoulders, she closed her eyes in resignation. "Fine," She breathed in sharply and made her way forward, a foot ahead of another. "Good night, Phantomhive." She brushed past him, striding toward the waiting door ahead.
Just a few more steps away from the door, she suddenly felt herself tugged back by a hand closed around her left bicep and felt her breath knocked out of her when she felt it pull her into something warm and firm.
"But promise me this before you go," Ciel's lips were held in a grim line and his eye was dark with an intense gleam in it as he tucked her head under his chin and wrapped his arms around her, across the small of her back. "Don't go after them on your own." He said in a quiet voice, "SIGMA is extremely dangerous. If you wish to fight them, it should not be without me."
Her eyes widened at that and she could feel a protest ready to fly out of her mouth. She could feel a spark of annoyance at his words.
But the next thing he said extinguished it, "I wouldn't forgive myself if anything happened to you."
Estella said nothing. Her voice seemed to have fled.
She felt him release her from his embrace and she instantly shivered at the sudden loss of his warmth.
Still loss for words, she watched Ciel step away and return to his place at the railing, his head raised and gaze out at the sky. "Go," She started, her back jolting straight, "Sebastian has prepared your horse as I'd ordered earlier. I won't be seeing you out."
A curious sweep of gaze over the figure at the railing, Estella turned around with a soft sigh and walked toward the door, "Oh yeah, I nearly forgot," She stopped in her tracks, eyes not leaving the door ahead, "Come find me at the store when there's another meeting with the Queen. I'm sure there will be one soon, and I'm coming along."
She gave a pause.
"Remember, this is my fight as well." Not another word, she started walking again.
Ciel glanced over his shoulder to see her enter the manor through the door and watched her stride through the hallway through the windows. Closing his visible eye with a sigh, he turned back to the front and lifted a hand toward the eyepatch on his other eye as the memory of her question came back to him. The one that had been plaguing him ever since it was asked.
"What exactly are we now?"
He was aware of his own selfish nature but…he had suddenly come to a realization that things would be taken too far even for someone like him if he were to give their current relationship a clear definition.
As much as he would like to do that, he had realized that trying to do so would be pointless and temporary if he were to be devoured by Sebastian at the end. He knew giving their relationship a name would deepen the tie between them and make things worse for her if he was going to leave it anyway.
This was where he had to stop before they seriously get hurt, Ciel thought bitterly. Their relationship was already complicated enough for them to possibly get hurt, so the very least he could do was to make sure it doesn't get any further with an official status.
"Sorry…" Ciel ran his hand over the eyepatch, "I don't have long to live."
….
True enough, a letter from the Queen calling him for another meeting reached him days later.
He had given much thoughts about including Estella into the meeting while waiting for this day to arrive.
Mostly unpleasant thoughts that made him worried. But he ended up deciding it was her right to be part of this operation, though he was still wary of the danger and the possible intrigued government researchers if they ever learnt about her and the demon inside her.
Becoming a specimen again was the last thing he ever want her to land up as. Enough was enough.
So now here he was, standing before 'The Golden Thread' in the shuddering cold of Northbridge Street. London hadn't reached its coldest time of the season yet but he could already feel the slight chatters of his teeth and the goosebumps on his skin. The strong nipping wind wasn't making him any warmer, however thankfully the carriage behind him was sturdy against the fierce wind and huge enough to shield most of the wind.
Ciel gave the tailor store a quick study. The black double doors atop the small stairs making up the porch was the last feature his visible eye fell onto before he whipped around to Sebastian behind with an order, "There's no need for two to enter. I'll go."
Sebastian raised an eyebrow at his master, "Are you sure?"
"Of course," Ciel said impatiently, "What, you think I'll need someone to hold my hands as I do this?"
"Maybe?" Sebastian cocked his head amusingly.
That earned him a glare from his master.
"I'm not a child anymore."
This made Sebastian look even more amused.
"Wait here." Ciel snapped in annoyance. Shooting a brief irritated scowl at Sebastian, he turned away and strode to the stairs, keeping his gaze on the door on top as he climbed the steps.
Hesitating at the entrance for a moment, his breath came out in thin white wisps as he breathed out a heavy sigh. He could vaguely see the interior of the store through the small window panels on the door as he hovered outside the store.
Making a quick check at the OPEN sign showing through one of the window panel of the door, he pulled open the door and stepped into the warmth of the small store which greeted him along with the light tinkle of the bell at the door he just stepped through.
Colourful racks of dresses, coats and hats were the first thing he saw. He had assumed this store only made women's clothings until he spotted a few racks of suits further behind the aisle. He noticed a stairs at the back and another door at the back leading to somewhere he assumed was the living quarters of the residents here, like the stairs his visible eye just swept past.
So this is where she'd been staying? This cramped little room they call a store? He shivered inwardly. I guess a size like is considered big for common people…The stifling feeling of confinement the store gave him made him nauseated and it made him wonder if this was what people with claustrophobia felt.
"Hey, are you a pirate?" A curious childish voice asked out of nowhere, distracting Ciel from his discomfort. Where… His visible eye searched the area, his head whipping side to side for the source.
There was no one behind the cashier counter and no customers at the moment, as how he had noticed upon entering. The door at the back was still closed and the stairs near it was empty. He glanced behind him and only saw the main door.
Ciel turned his head back to the front, blinking in puzzlement. Odd…
"I'm here, stupid!"
He followed the sound of the voice and his gaze instantly landed on the rack of dresses nearest to him when he caught movements underneath the dresses. His eyebrows shot up when a little boy with shaggy brown hair crawled out from the rack, clumsily pushing through the dresses with a stubborn scowl on his face.
Ciel watched the little boy pick himself off the ground and approach him. Standing over him, the young earl dimly noticed that the little boy was barely at his chest despite his shaky tip-toeing.
"Why are you wearing an eyepatch?" The little boy tilted his head questioningly up at Ciel, his defiant baby blue eyes bright with curiosity.
Eying the little boy, Ciel raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "That's none of your business," He glanced around before looking back down at the boy. "Where are the adults?"
Ciel's raised eyebrow rose even higher when the little boy puffed out his cheeks unhappily and glared at him. "Not telling, stupid Patchy!" The boy stuck his tongue out at him.
"P-P-Patchy?" Ciel stared at the boy incredulously, "Who are you calling-"
"Who is it you're talking to, Evan?" Ciel glanced up in time to watch a young woman in a blue dress emerge from the door at the back with her gaze focused on a bunch of papers in her hands. Running through the papers in her hands, the woman stopped behind the cashier, "Didn't tell you not to…" Ciel saw a flash of surprise passed her features when she finally raised her head and met his gaze. "Oh my."
Nearly forgetting why he was even visiting the store at the first place (no thanks to the little boy and his ridiculous name for him), Ciel quickly snapped into action. "Sorry to intrude," He bowed his head politely at the woman, "I'm looking for-"
"You're Earl Ciel Phantomhive…Am I right?" The woman narrowed her eyes thoughtfully at him, tucking a loose strand of her brown hair behind her ear. "And you're here for Estella right?"
This time it was him who was surprised. "Yes," He nodded anyway. "How did you know?" His visible eye absentmindedly drifted down to the little boy who was glancing between them with curious eyes.
The woman chuckled lightly when she saw the surprised look on his face, "She told me to expect your visit."
Ciel's eyebrows shot up and he snapped his gaze back up to the woman.
"Estella!" The woman called out after throwing him a smile, "He's here!" Ciel followed her gaze to the door she came out from earlier. The door opened and a familiar redhead stepped out, her eyes instantly snapping over to his when she raised her head.
Her ice blue eyes bored smugly into his as she slowed down before him.
"Hey Phantomhive, it's about time you came."
A smirk curled her lips.
….
London. City of Westminster – Buckingham Palace.
In her life until now, she had never dreamt that she would be standing inside the Buckingham Palace. Even with her family status, the possibility of entering it had never crossed her mind. But the reason why she was for entering it today wasn't any ordinary sort of a reason.
Now outside the tall, heavy doors of the conference hall they were about to enter, she watched Ciel greet a middle aged man in an expensive suit with a curt nod. "She'll be joining us." He added upon seeing the man's puzzled gaze on her.
"Come on, it's starting soon." Ciel turned to her and Sebastian with a meaningful look before striding forward.
Trailing after them, Estella gulped nervously and glanced down at her dress again to make sure she looked decent enough to meet the Queen waiting beyond the doors. Anxiety was like a shaking fist in her guts as she watched a side of the double door pushed open for them by a butler.
Alongside Sebastian, they followed Ciel into the room and were instantly greeted by many eyes.
Estella had noticed how the cacophony of chatters had reduced into silence as they entered.
She could feel the overwhelming presences of important people that were seated in a semi-circle behind the flights of long tables as they walked to the front. The curious eyes especially on her were daunting. Somewhere behind the tables, she could easily spot the Queen overseeing the meeting on a higher platform above them with two white-haired men clad in white suits standing by her sides.
Shifting her gaze back to the front, Estella realized they had stopped on a podium. The young earl before them turned to face the hall so Sebastian and she followed suit.
Feeling a flicker of uneasiness, Ciel briefly glanced over at Estella. He was still doubtful about this, but there was no turning back since she was already here. Sucking in a breath, Ciel swept his gaze across the crowd before him and stepped forward as he laid his eye on the Queen who smiled gently in return.
"Your Majesty," Ciel began, "Before the meeting commence, I would like to introduce someone who wishes to participate in this war. I also believe she would be a great asset for us to win it." He was inwardly thankful to the silence, for he didn't need to raise his voice any louder than necessary, "And that someone is this girl over here." Estella straightened at his mention. "She's-"
"Hold on," Estella stepped beside Ciel with a stubborn glint in her eyes, "Let me do this on my own."
Ciel whispered in bewilderment. "Are you out of your mind-"
"Please."
A conflicted look took its place on Ciel's face.
"I have to do this." Estella insisted.
Ciel stared hard at her for a moment and glanced out to find them frowned upon by the audience. "…Alright." He let out a resigned sigh and shifted to give her space.
"Thanks."
She stepped forward with a sharp curt exhale of breath.
The unnerving anticipation that lingered in the hall was almost tangible enough to make her skin prickle and hair stand. She could feel the weight of the heavy gazes of the whole hall on her, their curiosity boring into her.
Taking in a deep breath, she slowly breathed out the last remnants of tension as she allowed herself for a short moment to think about the sufferings she had gone through because of SIGMA, the promise she had made to her family and lastly, the victims they had taken. Like she had hoped for, she felt her determination intensify, powered by the surge of hatred that came with those dark, unpleasant thoughts.
Feeling a wave of calmness wash away the nervousness she felt and the doubts lingering in her mind, they were replaced by only her resolve and her hatred for SIGMA.
Then her eyes snapped up to the Queen, her eyes blazing.
"Your Majesty," Estella curtsied briefly and raised her head, "I apologize for the interruption, but I wish to express my sincerity in wishing to help in this war against SIGMA by saying this myself."
She exhaled carefully.
"I'm Estella Blancbaston, the only child of the late Alexander Blancbaston and Lucia Blancbaston. Also, the heiress of the Blancbaston Empire."
Instantly, there were gasps from the whole hall and she saw faces light up in recognition.
"Blancbaston?"
"The missing daughter?"
"I thought they were all…"
"This is absurd!" A burly man in an uniform stood from his seat. "Where is your proof? How do we know whether you're really a Blancbaston?" His dark, thick eyebrows furrowed as he threw out a challenging look.
Estella let out a sigh. "You want proof?" She reached behind her neck and unclasped the necklace around it. "This ring here," She pointed at the silver accessory hanging from the necklace held high in mid-air, "was given to me by my mother. This is the ring of the Blancbaston. I am a Blancbaston.
"That ring…!"
"So she's really a Blancbaston…?"
Chatters in the room arose once again.
"…she does resemble them."
A condescending look appeared on the strong features of the burly man as he spoke again, "Maybe, but how-"
"Sit down, Commander, that's enough." A booming voice from the one of the Queen's butler rang out and the chatters reduced into a hush once more. The man huffed in annoyance and sat back down quietly. When the whole hall has quietened, Estella saw the butler give her a nod so she took it as the cue to continue.
"But as you know, they…the Blancbastons were massacred on the first day of September and I was the sole survivor, thanks to…" Estella gulped thickly when she suddenly felt her throat tightening with the presence of tears at the last memory of her mother which had abruptly surfaced in her mind. "…my mother, Lucia Blancbaston."
She cleared her throat.
"On that night, the only thing I didn't lose was my identity – the daughter of Alexander Blancbaston and Lucia Blancbaston, granddaughter of Winston Blancbaston and Karen Blancbaston." Estella clenched her fist, "And the one responsible was SIGMA."
"Your Majesty," Estella raised her gaze back up to the Queen."I assume Earl Phantomhive here had reported this piece of information to you..." She inquired meekly."Am I right?"
Estella eyed the Queen nervously as all heads turned behind for an answer. She could feel her heart racing and her palms growing sweaty.
The suspense was so thick that she could feel herself suffocating from it.
"Very well, he did." The Queen finally spoke, the sides of her eyes crinkled as she gave Estella an encouraging nod. "Please, go on."
Estella's stiffened shoulders fell in relief and returned a grateful smile before she spoke again.
"I don't think I can be counted lucky to be the only survivor that night because right after the incident, I was captured and experimented on by them, but I managed to break myself out after who knows how long from that hell."
"They murdered my family, ruined my life, experimented on me, tortured me…" She swept her gaze across the hall, meeting the eyes of the people around with a grim look. "They're my enemies. I will not rest until I see them destroyed."
Her mouth tightened as another surge of hatred filled her senses.
"So please," Estella raised her head.
The look in her eyes was steady, fierce and inside her held an intensity that left no room for even a flicker of uncertainty. "Allow me to join you in this war against SIGMA!"