"CIEEELL!" Elizabeth Midford ran to her fiancé and hugged him tightly. "Oh, I'm so excited! We're going to spend the whole week together!"

Ciel did not share her enthusiasm, not one bit. But he was good at acting and pretending. So he offered her a tight smile and peeled her arms off him. "Good morning, Elizabeth." And then braced himself as another voice screamed his name. He was forced to endure yet another round of hugging, this time by the Indian prince.

"We should get going." Ciel said, trying to get them to stop smothering him. He saw Lady Maria Hamilton, Soma's fiancé, standing by the carriage, smiling widely.

"Oh, yes, of course!" Elizabeth said and looped her arm around his, as Soma took his other side. Ciel gritted his teeth, but said nothing and let them lead him to the waiting carriage. There were two carriages, one for them and the other one for their personal servants, Agni, Paula, Lady Maria's maid whose name Ciel couldn't remember, and of course, Sebastian.

They got into the carriages and headed to the train station. Baldroy, Finny, Mey-Rin, Snake, and Tanaka waved at them and wished them safe journey. Ciel hoped that he'd still have a manor to come home to at the end of the week.

The carriage ride was fine. Ciel sat at the corner, staring out of the window as his companions chattered excitedly around him. He smiled and nodded appropriately, but he wasn't interested in their conversation.

Instead, he turned his attention inwards, reaching into the contract and the bond that he shared with his demon. He closed his eyes and let himself bask in the serenity of their bond. It was calming and comforting. A soft smile spread across his face without him even realizing it. It was nothing like the smile that he presented to the rest of the world. It was a genuine smile that was reserved for one person, one demon only.

"Ciel?"

Ciel opened his eyes, annoyed at having been disturbed, and noticed Elizabeth was looking at him. "What is it?"

"You look really happy." Elizabeth said, smiling widely.

"What are you talking about?" Ciel asked, his scowl was back in place now that he was back to reality.

"You were smiling so... contentedly." Elizabeth said. "Oh, I knew that this vacation is a good idea!"

Ciel let her believe that the vacation was the reason, but made a mental note to be more careful next time.

Elizabeth gave him a big smile, filled with love and affection. As good as Ciel was at pretending, he couldn't return it. He cared about her, he truly did. Just like he cared about Edward and his aunts. They were his family. But he could never return her feelings for he already belonged to someone else, heart, body, and soul.

They reached the train station and went inside. It was a fine day and the place was quite packed. They made their way across the station to the appropriate platform and boarded the train.

The train journey wasn't too long, only lasted for a little less than two hours. After that, they continued their journey by carriage, heading towards the Midford vacation home.

Once they arrived, much to Ciel's relief, they were shown to their rooms to freshen up, giving him a break from the rest of the party, and some alone time with his butler.

"This thing barely even started and I'm already exhausted." Ciel complained as he was being undressed to be changed out of his travelling attire. Now that he was about a head shorter than Sebastian, the demon didn't have to kneel to change his clothes.

Ciel wished he would grow taller, but alas, it looked like he had reached his maximum height and no amount of demon blood would be able to fix that. His features also remained the same, slim body with delicate, white, smooth, porcelain skin.

"Is there anything that I can do, my lord?" Sebastian asked, his eyes twinkling.

"Yes, come here..." Ciel pulled Sebastian close to kiss him, which the demon returned just as eagerly. After a while, they broke the kiss. "I suppose that will have to do for now..." The young earl said, licking his lips.

"I am glad to be of service, Young Master." Sebastian said with a smile. "Now, let us get you ready for lunch."

Fifteen minutes later, Ciel was ready and they went back downstairs to join the others.

"A ball?" Ciel asked in surprise. He wasn't told anything about any ball.

"Yes, it's going to be wonderful, Ciel!" Elizabeth said.

Ciel knew saying no was useless, so he said nothing. Maybe he could sneak out during the ball instead...

After lunch, they took a walk around the garden. Paula and Anna, Lady Maria's maid, followed them to act as chaperones.

"It's a beautiful garden, isn't it, Ciel?" Elizabeth asked.

"Quite." Ciel nodded. It was beautiful, as expected. The Midfords would accept no less than the best, after all.

"You know, maybe we should consider having a garden wedding reception." Elizabeth said and Ciel tensed up. "It's a new trend and is getting more and more popular. You don't have to worry about anything. I can take care of everything! The dress, the reception, oh, it's going to be so cute and wonderful!" She chattered on.

"I'm very busy, Elizabeth." Ciel said.

"I know you're busy, which is why we should get married soon. Then I can help you."

"Absolutely not." Ciel said.

"You know, mother thinks it would be best if we get married next year. You'll be eighteen then." Elizabeth said.

"Are you two getting married next year?!" Soma asked excitedly.

"No!" Ciel said at the same time that Elizabeth said "Yes!"

"That's so sweet!" Soma said. "It's about time too! You look so cute together! You are really a match made in heaven!"

"We're not getting married next year." Ciel said again.

"Don't be shy, little brother! It's normal to feel nervous, but there's no need for you to be nervous. You two love each other and that's the most important thing." Soma slung his arm around Ciel's shoulders.

Elizabeth blushed at Soma's words.

"Enough, Soma." Ciel said firmly.

"Oh, you're so shy..." Soma said teasingly.

Ciel huffed in annoyance and pushed the prince away.

They continued to walk and Ciel brooded. He really had to start focusing on this matter and break off the engagement soon.

"You are tense." Sebastian said when he bathed Ciel that evening, his hands were on Ciel's shoulders. "What is on your mind?"

Ciel frowned. "She brought up the wedding again."

"At the end of the day, she still cannot force you to marry her." Sebastian said.

"I know, but it won't stop her from trying." Ciel sighed as he felt his butler's fingers working on the stiff muscles. "Hm... That's nice."

"I aim to please, my lord." Sebastian said pleasantly.

"Is that part of your butler aesthetic?" Ciel asked. A smile spread across his face despite his bad mood.

"Yes, of course. What kind of butler would I be if I cannot help my master relax?"

Ciel rolled his eyes. "Really, Sebastian?" Then he turned serious. "Maybe I should just come out and say it. I don't want to marry her. That might work."

"It might, but Lady Elizabeth loves you dearly and she will not let you go without a fight. While she might behave like a child most of the times, she is not to be underestimated. Love is a very strong force and it can make people do the impossible." Sebastian said.

"Yes, I'm aware." Ciel said. He wasn't a stranger to the force called 'love'. If it could bring a demon and a human together, then it really was a force to be reckoned with. He used to think that he was above it, so he had underestimated it, until he found himself being entangled in its snare. "I know what love can do."

"And so do I now." The demon replied, his voice gentle.

As much as he wanted to turn around, Ciel didn't dare to, knowing that if he did, they wouldn't be able to stop and they were not in the safety and the privacy of the manor.

"For now, please try to relax and enjoy the holiday, my lord. You have been working too hard lately. It would do you some good to take a break." Sebastian said after a few seconds of silence.

"Very well then." Ciel said.

After his bath, Ciel was dressed in his pajamas and he climbed into bed to read as Sebastian tidied up in the bathroom.

"Do you require anything else, my lord?" Sebastian asked as he got ready to leave.

"No, that would be all." Ciel said and put his book on the nightstand.

"Then I will take my leave. Good night, Young Master." Sebastian said and started to walk away.

"Stay." Ciel said before he could stop himself.

Sebastian turned around. "Young Master, I cannot stay." He reminded him.

"Just for a minute." Ciel negotiated. "Sit with me for a minute."

"Very well." Sebastian sat down at the edge of the bed and Ciel moved to lean against him. He rested his head on the demon's shoulder and reached to take the gloved hand in his. They sat like that for a minute, their fingers intertwined together, before the butler eased him back into bed and tucked him in.

"Good night, my heaven." Sebastian murmured and placed a gentle kiss on Ciel's forehead. If it were any other person, Ciel would've cringed at the wordplay of his name, but coming from Sebastian, Ciel didn't mind. In fact, he cherished it.

Ciel smiled sleepily. "Good night." He watched as Sebastian leave, closing the door behind him.

The next day, after breakfast, they left to go to town. They walked around and looked at the various shops and displays.

"Oh, look! There's an event coming up in three days!" Soma said, pointing at the flyer.

"It's stargazing!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "I've never been to one before!"

"Neither have I." Soma said. "Living in London means there's no way to actually see them. The sky is too foggy. How about you, Ciel? Have you ever gone stargazing?"

"Yes." Ciel answered briefly. Sometimes, when the weather was good and the sky was clear, he and Sebastian would sit on the rooftop of the manor to look at the stars. Sebastian would point out different constellations and Ciel would find himself in awe at the magnificent display above them as he listened to his lover's rich voice. Unconsciously, he glanced back to look at his butler, who had a neutral expression across his face, but when their eyes met, Ciel knew he too, was thinking about those evenings.

'It's been a while. We're due for another one once we're back home...' Ciel thought. The weather had been quite cold lately and Sebastian was reluctant to let Ciel sit on the rooftop at night, not wanting him to get sick. Even until now, he still often got asthma attacks and he likely would still be getting them in the years to come. Hopefully, it would go away once he had had enough demon blood, but that remained to be seen.

"I guess living where you are would give you that kind of opportunity." Soma said. "I think we should go. I heard it's very romantic."

Ciel wouldn't argue with that point. It could be romantic, depending on the company.

"Oh, then we must!" Elizabeth said.

For lunch, they decided to eat at a restaurant, something that Ciel himself very rarely did. Why eat at a crowded restaurant when he already had the best food at home? But sometimes, it was unavoidable when he had a business meeting in the city.

After lunch, Elizabeth and Maria went shopping. When he spotted the bookstore, Ciel saw his chance to get away for a little while, knowing that the others weren't interested in books.

"I'm going to check out the bookstore." Ciel told them. "Come, Sebastian." He quickly made his escape before they could protest.

They wouldn't have any privacy or anything, but at least, Ciel would have some respite from Soma and Elizabeth. Sebastian held the door open and they went inside.

Ciel picked up a book, a mystery novel. He read the description and decided to get it. He took his time browsing, just enjoying a little peace and quiet. The others wouldn't follow them here.

"I need a holiday, an actual holiday, after this one. With the ball tomorrow and that stargazing thing, it doesn't feel like a holiday at all."

"Unfortunately, your schedule will be quite full for the next couple of weeks, but perhaps some time in the near future." Sebastian said. Some things had to be postponed and rearranged due to the holiday this week, so Ciel would be quite busy after this.

"Perhaps." Ciel said and put the book on top of the pile in Sebastian's arms.

They left the bookstore and walked around, in no hurry to find the rest of the group. But soon, they were found and Elizabeth started telling Ciel about the cute things that she saw and bought.

"And I also got us matching ribbon and cravat for the ball tomorrow, Ciel! Isn't that cute?!" Elizabeth asked, looping her arm around his.

Ciel shifted to put some distance between them. "I guess."

"I wanted matching outfits, but we don't have enough time." Elizabeth said sadly.

"That's okay." Ciel said. He certainly didn't want to wear matching outfits. His feelings aside, it was embarrassing to be seen in public like that.

They decided to go back to the house and end today's outing.