Hello, dear readers! A new arc is starting, an original one! To be honest... I haven't thought of a name for this arc (like I did with the Honeymoon Arc) but... I guess I would call it the Revelations arc... Decisionmaking... something like that. But I don't want to spoiler you more so... please enjoy! 😊
WARNING: I do realise that especially this chapter is packed with information of new, original lore, so it is expected to get confusing. I tried to present the information in as simple as possible way and a normal pace, like a discussion. Please, take your time to read it through as many times as you like, because what is said here is important. Also, I would be more than happy to answer any questions! Thank you all for your patience! 😙
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kuroshitsuji or its characters. I entirely own only my OCs, arcs and ideas/themes not mentioned in any form of the franchise (manga, anime, games, movies or musicals).
Chapter 36: The Tutor, A Witch's Fate
The big day of Sieglinde meeting the Queen came… and passed with great success! After so much effort, endless hours of hard lessons from Sebastian, starvation and a lot of nervousness and anxiety, Sieglinde met the Queen, talked with her and managed to get her support along with guarantee of her own freedom.
The girl followed Ciel's advice on giving the Queen the mustard gas formula but never speak a word about SuLIN. She did not need a lot to get convinced, as the night before the meeting, Ciel and Sebastian guided her mind to draw a very vivid picture of what the massive production of the chemical would mean to the world. Therefore, Lady Sullivan placed herself at the Queen's disposal, with the sole purpose of medically helping the world, and that seemed to greatly please the so powerful elder woman.
For this chapter to close permanently, Ciel ordered Sebastian to make the briefcase with the SuLIN samples disappear once and for all. The demon did so by diving into the sea and leaving the case sink into the deepest abyss where no man could ever reach.
The following day was very relaxing and Ciel told Sebastian to produce one of his finest deserts at dinner, as a reward to young Sieglinde for her efforts and success. Sebastian agreed eagerly, since he knew that a sweet desert would also cheer his master, who had woken up pretty shaken by a nightmare he refused to talk about and had been gloomy all day.
Soon, they were all in the kitchen cooking and baking; Agni was in charge of the soup, Sebastian had just placed the meat in the oven and proceeded to help Selina with the vanilla cake they made, dressing it with a flimsy layer of chocolate, before placing some more decorations and then write 'Welcome to England' with the very fluid raspberry syrup Sebastian had prepared. Mey-Rin had been summoned from the manor to help in refreshing the dinnerware they used in celebrations and parties. The maid was absentmindedly polishing the silverware, while fangirling over how good butler and tutor looked together and how they were working in perfect harmony.
The couple was too focused on their task, trying to ignore Mey-Rin whispering to Agni - whom of course she had rushed to inform about their new status - when the quick clacking of heels, very familiar to Selina, was heard. And then, a cheerful voice Selina was utterly surprised to hear at the moment and Sebastian was quite annoyed but relieved at the same time.
"Hello everyone! How have you been doing?" Miranda said as she suddenly appeared in the kitchen door.
"Hello, Miss..." Agni said with a discreet question in his voice, as he had not seen the woman before and was alarmed on how she entered the house.
His heavy voice seemed to surprise the red-haired intruder, who just then seemed to realise how few people were in the kitchen. She left a surprised sound as she brought her left hand shyly in front of her lips; she seemed to blush a little at seeing Agni. "Oh, I'm sorry. Where are the others?" She whispered.
"Miss Miranda. She is Selina's cousin that helped us when Selina and Sebastian went away for a week on young master's business." Mey-Rin was quick to inform Agni. "Miss Miranda, this is Agni, Prince Soma's butler! The others stayed in the manor; I came to assist in the small celebration young master will have today for welcoming Lady Sullivan... Ah! You will meet her too, along with Wolfram, if you stay long." Mey-Rin was proud for making the introductions properly and informing Miranda about everything important.
Greetings between the Indian butler and the newcomer were about to be exchanged, when Selina barged into Miranda, grabbed her left hand and literally shoved it in a white glove, surprising her in a not so pleasant way.
No one seemed to have heard a faint "Eeek!" in the background when Miranda appeared out of nowhere. No one saw the supernatural couple staring quite shocked and petrified at the angel, dressed in a light grey men's suit with slightly bell-bottom trousers, skipping vest and tie, the first two buttons of her shirt open and without gloves on her hands, brandishing permanently white nails and blue green contract seal at the back of her left hand for everyone to see. And of course, no one heard the low and stiff voice of the butler whispering to the tutor "Trousers, left pocket." guiding her to where she found the aforementioned gloves.
"Ouch! You don't have to be so harsh about it, you know. And why do I have to wear something of his?" The red headed angel said with an appalled look on her face.
"Because not even God would know where you dropped your brain." Selina responded sarcastically and started pushing Miranda out of the kitchen.
"Oh! I have the answers you seek. Finish up quickly and come find us." Miranda announced to Sebastian and then promised the other two she would be back later.
The Phantomhive town-house did not have a big back yard and no front one; therefore Selina pulled and pushed Miranda in the main house taking her to the music room, where she guessed they could talk in peace, since young master had no piano lessons today and Prince Soma had decided to take it upon himself to… teach young Sieglinde and Wolfram some more English language and culture in an upstairs room; needless to say, Sieglinde would end up be the one doing the actual teaching.
"Why do you have to push me that much? You did not even leave me to properly introduce myself to Agni… I mean what will he think of me? It was so rude. Is it the demon's influence?" Miranda went on unfazed by her cousin's harsh treatment.
Selina paused in the middle of the hall and looked at her furiously. "The demon's influence has nothing to do with you appearing out of the blue in front of simple humans dressed like that, and above all, forgetting to wear gloves; unnatural white nails and a contract seal all in the open, in an era where polishing your nails in white is not that common and tattoos on women is a really peculiar issue... Unless you plan to say you were a circus woman or something before becoming a maid."
"Oh… yeah… you're right. I indeed forgot about that... but I was really excited and impatient to tell you guys what I found!" Miranda said, firstly with eyes on the floor like a child caught doing something bad, but as she kept talking her face lightened up and smiled. "After almost a month of research I found all the information, facts…"
"And you could not spare a moment to create gloves even out of thin air? Why, is it a matter of life and death?" Selina asked mockingly and crossed arms on her chest.
"Well… it depends on what your demon will decide about your relationship after hearing what I have to say. Actually, how is your relationship? Are you still together, fighting a lot?" The question had a mixture of concern and curiosity.
"Yes, we fight sometimes."
"And?"
An impish glimmer appeared in Selina's eyes. "Well… you know what they say about couples fighting and then having the best make up s-"
"Oh my God! It can't be true!" Miranda said quite loudly with eyes wide open.
Selina nodded. "It is… and Sebastian is really…" She cleared her throat meaningfully.
"No, no, no, no! Stop!" The angel immediately covered her ears with her hands, shut her eyes and made the disgusted grimace teenagers do when they see 'old' people kissing. "I will do him the favor of not hunting him down for your sake, but I honestly do not need any details concerning his performance!" She sounded really terrified.
"And who said I would tell you something so personal?" Selina asked and when Miranda opened her eyes, saw a well known smirk on her cousin's face and realized that for once again she was being teased.
"Demon!" The angel yelled at the witch who started laughing with joy.
"Can I please know the reason of such a ruckus in my own house?" Ciel's angry voice was heard, and the two women turned to see the young Earl coming down from his office, obviously annoyed for being distracted from his work.
Both bowed and Selina apologized on Miranda's behalf too. "I am deeply sorry, young master. That was very irresponsible of me to talk so loudly. I have no excuse… I actually forgot myself but I assure you it will not happen again."
"I should really hope so… And to what do we owe the honour of visiting us so suddenly that made you forget about proper attire and manners, Miss Miranda?" The boy said calmly.
Miranda tried to think of something to say but Selina beat her to it once again. "Actually, my lord, Miranda came to give Sebastian and me some answers about why… we are so… attracted to each other." She actually started blushing saying that.
"Wait… he knows?" Miranda asked not believing it.
"Well… Sebastian kissed me... in public. Everybody knows." Selina whispered.
"Even Mey-Rin?" Miranda's eyes opened wider.
"She is our number one fan…"
The angel's jaw dropped for a moment, and then looked at the vacant space in front of her. "That sounds so wrong…"
"It sounds reasonable and expected for Sebastian to search for answers for something like that, as he is a heartless bastard with no feelings whatsoever; but for you, Miss Selina… I thought you just… liked him." The boy shrugged his shoulders obviously confused and embarrassed of such matters.
"I found that it is a little more complicated than that, my lord." Miranda said and that moment Sebastian came from the kitchen, putting his tailcoat on and looked at the gathering a little bit confused.
"Well… it is good you will finally know the reason behind all this… not that I care what you do between you; but since it is a matter affecting my household I would like to be present to your… discussion, if you both agree of course since it is a… matter of so personal nature." The young boy said with a red face and eye cast down but in an authoritative way, or at least he tried to look that way.
Selina was astonished to see the cold boy show interest about matters that concerned others, but then again he did say it could affect his household and he was right - in fact it could even affect his life - and so she agreed to him being present. Sebastian was amused at his master's embarrassment and surprised that perhaps he started becoming curious about adult matters of that nature; of course he agreed too, as he could not stop thinking how funny would be his reactions upon hearing them and how cute Selina would be while getting all shy and bashful talking about their relationship in front of a child.
{~}
In a few minutes they were all seated in the music room; Miranda and the young Earl on the piano's stool and across them Sebastian with Selina in two chairs, side by side. Selina could see how nervous her cousin was and once again felt surprised by how much of her humanity she had preserved as an angel; as many times before, Selina calmed Miranda, helping her to put her thoughts in order. Miranda took a deep breath and started talking.
"It might be difficult for living humans to realize, but our world is governed by the indisputable law of natural balance; both the darkest of evil - as in demons - and the purest of good - as in angels - must exist in order for humans to be tempted and trialed to find their way. However, there is the danger of demons losing themselves in an insatiable hunger and angels losing their sanity in their immense desire to help and save the world. For that balance to be maintained there is a creature that functions as a... stabilizer, let's say. It can keep an angel's madness and a demon's uncontrollable hunger at bay by being beside them forever... A creature that walks in the grey thin line between light and darkness." Miranda finished.
"So... a grey soul... a human with a grey soul." Selina said cautiously, already suspecting where this was going.
"Well, yes… and no." Miranda responded. "You see… since demons do not remember of being humans and believe to always exist as demons, creatures of another dimension…" That made Ciel open wide eye and listen even more carefully. "…they can never consider a human as an equal, and that stabilizer is the closest to how equal to demons one can be. That stabilizer is meant to be a… companion for life for the demon, so… not any grey soul of any ordinary human can do…"
"So, a soul, not entirely human but grey can do the trick; a soul that has something more elevating it. In short, a grey witch, capable of both good and evil but still human... is perfect." Ciel said in a matter of fact tone and watching his servants. Sebastian's unreadable expression gave nothing away, as always, whereas Selina looked something between sceptic, alarmed and... something more she did not dare to express openly.
"Absolutely correct, my lord." Miranda said to the boy with a smile.
A tense silence covered the room for a while, until Sebastian's voice was heard calm and deep in thought. "But if that is the case between Selina and me, I should not seek her… companionship and her body. What you describe is like the stabilizer should be able to tame and control us, but we demons hate to be controlled without having agreed, as it is in a contract."
"Correct. Normally you should want to kill her instead of-" A warning look from both butler and tutor made her rephrase, quite prudently. "Instead of wanting to act like a couple with her."
Ciel scoffed quite irritated. "You may pretend to be prude and all that, but it is not like I do not live in this house too. Whether I like it or not, I know what you two do at nights... especially when you are in your room and you are not exactly quiet all the time." He finished staring at the demon with an obvious murderous intention. The boy's room in the town-house was in a direct line above the butler's and floors seemed to be quite thin in the dead of night.
Selina's face had turned red as a tomato and she seemed ready to faint from embarrassment as she was mumbling "M-My lord!". Sebastian opened his eyes wide for a moment, as if he was shocked, but then smirked, really amused. Miranda was trying to stifle her chuckles, partly enjoying the interactions of the other three and partly admiring how authoritative the little boy could look even when commenting on such activities... despite how red his own cheeks had turned. The angel coughed to clear her throat and draw her audience's attention.
"As I was saying, yes, normally you should want to kill Selina, not seek her companionship, but that is because there is something more attracting the demon - or angel - to the companion. Aside the grey soul having magic, it also carries characteristics the demon or angel had met in another soul important to them when they were still human. Careful, I am not talking about reincarnation! Just that the grey magical soul shares traits with a previous soul, cherished by the human soul that after death got transformed to a demon or angel."
"And this trait... can it be anything?" Ciel asked quite disbelieving - as always towards the occult and supernatural - but intrigued, nevertheless.
"Correct. It can be a personality trait, perhaps the physical appearance and definitely the nature of the relationship the demon/angel had as a human with that soul and now it is... recreated with the grey magical soul. We cannot know for sure which of these is in effect in Sebastian's case, but that common trait creates all these positive feelings he experiences that make him wanting Selina alive and by his side... that is if he fully accepts and even welcomes these feelings."
"Wait... is there a chance that he doesn't?" Selina was finally heard quite surprised.
"Of course. As he said, demons hate to be controlled and the companions will literally tame them to some degree. Besides, it is extremely difficult for demons to recognize their companions, exactly because they have none of their human memories and the companion's trait can be so random. This whole 'companion for life' can be very confusing, create conflicting emotions to demons, make them decide in not wanting something like that in their life and then... end up killing the companion. Its ability to feed the demon through its magical aura is a way to win the demon over, but still nothing is certain, unless the demon makes a decision."
"So… we are… lovers now because I... somehow remind him of his lover when he was a human?" Selina asked again to be sure she understood correctly.
"You cannot remind me of something supposed to be erased from my memory and I have supposedly turned to a different creature." Sebastian said still dismissing the idea of him as a human.
"From the intensity of your relationship, I would say you are not just a lover… but his mate… for eternity." Miranda said to Selina leaving her speechless. "Sebastian, nothing is completely erased. There is always a faint trace, even in the unconscious part of the core of your existence, and will resurface only under the right circumstances. Becoming creatures that despise humans but having to feed from them, even obey them to get their souls, is part of your kind's punishment for whatever you did when human. So what kind of punishment would it be, if the last drop of humanity that can turn your current world upside down was wiped entirely away?"
That seemed to shut up the demon for a while, as he could not disagree with her reasoning; indeed, what she suggested could be the perfect, cruellest punishment for whatever atrocity demons did when they were still humans... if they ever were humans, of course. Ciel asked about the feeding thing since he had not heard it before, Miranda explained and Sebastian reassured him, with a sharp smile, that nothing changes in their contract.
"Do not worry yourself. I am no weakling even if I look like one. I decided I would give you my soul, once my revenge was done and I will. I would never slip away from a decision I made or from the consequences of my actions." The boy also reassured the demon coldly, and then blushed warmly when received a look from the two women full of pride for him and... strangely enough he thought he vaguely saw the same thing in the demon's smile.
Silence descended upon the four people once again, until Selina made a sound of disbelief. "Bah! A demon's mate… tail and ears will also sprout out of my body for no reason or will he have to mark me at some point?" She mumbled.
Miranda's body stiffened as if an electric jolt ran through her. "Hey, we are not talking about some lousy anime fanfiction with demons! You were the one reading them, not me!" She looked quite offended.
"Guilty pleasure… and it surely sounds like one." Selina said sheepishly, still trying to wrap her mind around everything she heard in the last forty minutes.
Miranda sighed, glaring at the blond witch. "Anyway, there are still a couple of things I would like to clarify to you, and then ask me whatever you want. First, there is no danger for the demon draining dry the companion's magical aura and lead it to death. The demon will feed on the companion only in times of great need - as in not consuming a soul for centuries or being gravely injured - and only partly. Human souls will continue to be the demon's main sustenance.
"Also, a witch's magical aura is practically a part of our excessive grey souls and what Selina gives to Sebastian can be replenished in a really short amount of time, like a few hours. Last but not least, for the relationship between demon and companion to work, both parties need to whole-heartedly accept the other one, both the positive and negative parts. Sebastian, aside Selina's bloodlust, or whatever attracts you, you need to accept her light, even if it breaks your nerves at times and you, Selina, need to accept Sebastian's darkness even if-. Hmm... I forgot. Selina always felt comfortable in the darkness, despite being the youngest of the three." The angel smiled proud of her cousin.
"The three? What three?" Ciel asked confused, the same time his butler glanced at the woman with a hint of smirk on his lips and the angel was pinning her with challenging eyes.
Selina sighed giving up. "Alright. Miranda was two years older than me, but I also had a sister, Deanna, seven years older. They could easily lose their way and composure when in absolute darkness, while I did not. Can I ask some questions now?" Miranda nodded and Selina went on. "If I understood correctly, reawakened feelings will be the main reason for a demon to be attracted to the companion, and not that it can serve as a free source of food... But that does not make any sense for the opportunistic nature of demons and absence of feelings they have. Plus, they would not sacrifice their freedom to toy with and manipulate humans for something like that."
"Well... it is more like a tug-of-war between attraction and repulsion." She thought a little and then snapped her fingers. "Think of it as how your relationship with Merlin was. One moment, lovingly cuddling with you, the next, biting, scratching and running away hissing." That example seemed to indeed help Selina understand better, as her eyes sparkled in adoration.
"Who is Merlin now?" Ciel asked quite annoyed. He rubbed his forehead fed up by the avalanche of information, blaming his sudden curiosity over the matter.
"My cat, my beautiful, fluffy kitty!" Selina actually cooed with hands on cheeks and sparkling eyes, quite lost in the memory of the obviously sadomasochistic feline. "Mix of Russian Blue and Chartreux so he had orange eyes and rich, soft, silky coat. He was such a sweetie! You would absolutely love him." Selina was saying to Sebastian, who looked almost like a blushing school boy, happily smiling just by imagining the cat.
Miranda shook her head watching the couple being silly over a cat from another time and place. Young master, beside her, sighed heavily with a deadpan look on his face, obviously lamenting his luck that brought him two cat-crazy creatures in his path. When Sebastian was ready to ask something about the creature - like that was their main discussion all this time - got cut off by his master, who justifiably decided to bring them back to order.
"We talked about the reasons a demon can be attracted to his companion, but what about the companion? I mean that, a grey witch might be more understanding towards demons than any other human would, but also knows the real nature of them, so why would they be attracted to such a dark and vile creature?" He asked crossing arms over his chest.
"Well… I guess that in the end, it's like any other love affair. The man feels attracted to the woman for certain reasons and feels that she fulfills certain emotional needs, and the same goes for the woman attracted to the man. That means only the interested parties themselves can know the actual reasons why they feel attracted to each other." The red headed woman said and looked at the couple before her.
Selina opened wide eyes for a moment and then fell silent as she got deep in thought. She was too preoccupied to see how apathetic and cold the demon at her side looked now. After a while, Sebastian took a deep breath and asked with light irony lacing his voice.
"You said that a companion, a mate in our case, is for life, for eternity… How can this be when humans are so frail and weak that can live only for a few decades? And I do not know that changing, whether the human is simply human or a witch."
"Well... Actually it does for us, natural born witches." Miranda said and saw three pairs of eyes widening in question; the angel thought for a while. "Hmm... Selina, do you remember Aunt Emily that visited often when we were young? How old do you think she was back then?" She went on when Selina nodded in response to her first question.
"Mm… Forty, forty five? Fifty? Sixty? Seventy? It can't be more!" Selina cried while Miranda kept signalling to guess higher.
"You do not have to count by decades…" She said and continued the upwards movement of her thumb.
Selina gasped. "A hundred? Two? No way three!"
"Three fifty two to be exact." The angel said and her words were met by gasps of surprise from Selina and Ciel; Sebastian simply arched his eyebrows intrigued. "It seems that natural born witches are humans - that doesn't change - but with the gift of longevity... Perhaps, due to our magic being part of our excessive soul... the existing literature was a little vague in that part. Anyway, what's important is that on our own we can live a couple of centuries, maybe more if we don't face many threats. The even more important is that our lifespan can be majorly affected by the choice of mate we make and the strength of our feelings towards that person."
"Come again?" Selina said totally confused.
"If our forever mate happens to be a human our life will be shortened, closer to that of a normal human, so that we won't outlive our mate significantly more; if it is a supernatural creature, our life extends to match that of the angel or demon we have fallen for." Selina was looking at Miranda and tried to utter something, but failed ending up looking a little like a fish opening and closing her mouth. Miranda explained further. "Our magical parents - your mother and my father - chose humans for their mates, therefore they would not live long after your father's and my mother's deaths. Your sister also chose a human so it would happen the same to her... If you choose Sebastian, and it's mutual, you'll live far longer than any of them would." She finished. Selina let out a puff of air she was obviously holding in.
"This is quite outrageous, I must say... Humans adjusting their lifespan according to their mate!" Ciel said in obvious disbelief.
"You are right, my lord, but... that is due to how deep our feelings for our mate are; if we can live without them for long or not. You do know that some couples prefer to even die together..." She left her words hanging as she knew he understood.
The image of his murdered parents lying on the floor... embraced, together even in death, jumped in front of his eyes for an instant, and he swallowed feeling his throat dry. "Yes, I know..." He murmured.
"We will eventually die of old age, and we can be killed if our bodies are crushed or burned or pierced with sharp objects, but we cannot get sick and die from an illness that easily." Miranda said in a matter of fact tone to draw the demon's attention back to the discussion, as she saw how his predatory eyes pierced the boy the few seconds he needed to collect himself.
"That can't be… It simply can't!" Selina murmured feeling completely lost. "Why mum or your father never told us about that? How we never read it in any of our books?" She could not believe that today was an actual day; she really thought she would suddenly wake up, only to find it to be a funny dream or else her mind would blow up from information overload.
"The family records showing our kind's lifespan are kept by the eldest member; that is Aunt Emily in our time. The rest of the family has various spell books or books on the general history of witches. As for why dad and aunt never told us… I guess they meant to do it when we would get older, not wanting to ruin our childhood and adolescence with such knowledge... perhaps they even thought we would find a human mate and our life would become more... normal, maybe." Miranda shrugged.
"Still, we should know! At least your father should have told us during training!" Selina said and her voice made obvious her not so great affection for her uncle.
"You're right. But I guess dad got scared to do it on his own after your mum died… and then there was not enough time with… Deanna's and my… death…" Miranda fell silent.
"Of course… how could he tell to Death herself she would live longer than anyone else? I totally get him." A bitter smile was drawn on Selina's lips and she cast her eyes on the floor, trying to avoid the piercing gaze of the demon and that of the young Earl.
The boy was sitting silent, wondering what this woman had gone through and how many people had she lost. But then, he frowned, scolding himself for allowing to show interest for one of his pawns... for allowing to be confused by how this pawn looked so much like-. The angel's strict voice brought him back to reality.
"Selina, please!" Miranda reprimanded her; she never liked when the blond witch, full of life, called herself Death. Selina just nodded, she did not mind anymore.
They sat silent for a time, everyone lost in thought, until the clock struck, dinner time was getting closer. They immediately got up, the butler murmuring he had to prepare everything and Selina offering her help as always. But Sebastian kindly refused and ordered her to take care of making Miranda presentable, if the angel intended to stay with them longer. Sellina accepted the task more than happy, trying to mask her worry as the usually emotionless voice of the demon sounded more distant to her ears.
"One last thing before we leave." Miranda announced. "For you two to decide how your relationship will evolve, you both need to spend time and think. Think of your feelings, how your life has changed since you met and if you prefer that rather than your previous one. Think hard and all sides of the matter; allow yourselves to feel and you will get your answers. Do not rash in killing each other or pledging love for eternity."
Both demon and witch nodded and started leaving the room but their master called them back.
"Miss Selina, I have really neglected getting some details on your person, mainly because I do not really like getting nosy and mess in other people's business, but-"
"I know, my lord. Actually I had come to the same conclusion. You need to know things about me and how I ended up here. I had decided to speak to you and Sebastian about my life, once we were through with lady Sieglinde's meeting with the Queen."
The boy nodded. "Acceptable. Tomorrow night, after dinner, in my office." Selina and Sebastian agreed and everyone dispersed to their respective tasks.
At dinner, Miranda was dressed with one of Selina's new clothes and some gloves the tutor had were thankfully covering her hands. Ciel presented the angel as a guest to his friends and both Soma and Sieglinde were very fascinated with her as Miranda was too, especially after talking with "the so cute little lady that is a perfect match for young master when they get older." That last comment made Ciel swallow his food wrongly and the boy ended up red-faced, coughing and Sebastian anxiously hitting his back lightly to help him dislodge the food choking him. Soma seemed quite amused by this notion and Sieglinde was obviously getting some perverted ideas.
"Can't you hold your tongue for once? We are lucky Lizzie is not here!" Selina growled at Miranda, who answered with a sorry and a grin showing she did not regret her comment, only the sudden way she said it… maybe.
{~}
"Young master, why so silent? What is bothering you, if I may?" Sebastian asked the moody boy when he dressed him for bed.
"N-Nothing in particular. It is just that today we got so many information, my mind needs time to process them properly." He sighed climbing in his bed. "Such a complicated riddle..." He mumbled to himself and his eyes sparkled a little, like when the Queen presented him with a case he had to solve.
Sebastian smirked seeing that. "That is true, such a riddle… But something tells me there is something more. Am I wrong, my lord?" The demon commented invading once again the boy's personal space by sticking his face almost to Ciel's.
"Aghh!" The young Earl cried and pushed the demon away with a hand on the intruding face. "Take your smug mug away!" He said angrily ignoring the demon's reprimanding comment about his language.
"All right, young master. Suit yourself… However, I am willing to answer any questions you might have, if I know the answer." Sebastian said casually while folding the boy's used clothes readying them for laundry.
Ciel remained silent for a while. "I did not quite understand if it is pre-decided that a demon will be attracted to a certain companion or if it is solely personal decision for both." He said looking quite curious.
"If I understood correctly, it is a little bit of both, my lord. Perhaps some demons are meant to have a companion in order to avoid wrecking havoc to the human world, due to uncontrollable hunger and insanity, but it is personal decision if we will actually get attracted to and accept the reins the specific companion will place on us. Depending on what we value more; our absolute freedom or how the companion makes us feel."
"Can I dare ask what you value more, if you even value something?"
The demon remained silent for a while. "If I was asked that a few years ago, I would choose freedom without a doubt… but after three years with a most disagreeable and incorrigible young master who has tried my patience again and again..." He caught the pillow the said disagreeable and incorrigible master threw him. "...and then a sword wielding witch coming along, affecting me and everyone else so strongly... even my cold-hearted master... I honestly cannot answer, my lord." A teasing glimmer in his eyes.
"Shut your mouth and get the hell out of here! I do not need any other answers from you and I do not care what you will do with Selina. But do not forget, I have ordered you not to kill her as long as I think of her useful to my plans." He announced and slipped fully under his covers.
"Of course, my lord." Sebastian said with a smirk and took the candelabra in hand ready to leave the room.
"Ironic, is it not?" The boy Earl muttered suddenly, making the demon pause.
"What is ironic, my lord?"
"A devil like you, centuries old, who has caused great pain and destruction to millions of people… has a chance of getting happy, or whatever you might feel that resembles happiness, by having a forever companion by your side… someone who truly will care for you no matter what… while I-" He fell silent again.
"Oh! Does my young master questions his decisions and doubts the path he has chosen?" Sebastian's voice was ironic. "Does he want a chance in happiness too?"
"Do not be absurd! I will never back down on my words. I am not here to live happily and what is lost will never be regained, I know all these… I am just stating some facts! I was only ten and never hurt anyone… but I was hurt and humiliated like no one else, while you…"
"Well… If we accept the theory that our demonic existence is our punishment and the idea that everyone deserves a second chance… I guess a thousand and seven hundred years of... constant hunger is enough punishment to gain me this second chance."
Ciel's eyes opened wide at hearing the demon revealing something that important, as his real age was, so suddenly and casually; however, he chose not to comment on it and look like he cared about the beast serving him. "But I guess you never considered your existence as punishment, because you really enjoy being a demon; therefore you do not know if you will take this chance or throw it away." He said in the end.
"How insightful my young master is! He knows his servants so well!" Sebastian answered with his signature fake smile that really annoyed Ciel when directed to him.
"I am not that fool to claim I know you, and honestly could not care less in getting to know you more, you or anyone else!" The boy said quite determined to hide he was actually interested in learning more about a certain tutor, and turned his back to his demon butler while pulling the covers up to his ear.
Sebastian smirked satisfied by how easy his master was in getting angry when he teased him like that, it was so fun. He left the bedroom, went on with his other duties and when the hour came that everyone else had gone to bed and his nightly security rounds were completed, he headed for the kitchen, to make preparations for breakfast and finally have a peace of mind allowing him to think matters over; unconsciously, his hand fisted his tailcoat's pocket where a small, seemingly insignificant and almost forgotten object rested.
Of course, his hopes for peace and quiet were shattered when he approached the kitchen and an insanely sweet odour invaded his nose.
"What do you want?" He said quite annoyed and fed up, once his gaze fell on the red headed angel waiting for him, sitting on a kitchen chair and munching on a biscuit.
"Selina was right. Just your cooking is enough evidence that you are a demon. Everything you make is sinfully delicious. Hard to believe three years ago you knew nothing about cooking." She said casually, enjoying the biscuit.
"What – do – you – want?" The demon repeated staring her quite murderously.
The angel swallowed and looked the demon innocently. "Just to help you in your thinking process, because I understand how difficult it is, since you have no clue about positive feelings and love above all. Don't get cocky, it's not for your sake-"
"But for Selina." He interrupted her. "I know and accept that, because I would get really bothered if an angel was interested in me, no thank you." He waved a hand dismissing even the idea. He could accept that opposites get attracted but Miranda was way too opposite for his taste.
"Good, I'm happy we cleared this up. Now-"
"However..." The demon interrupted her. "I seriously doubt you could help me in any way. To be honest, you found the answers I was looking for, you did your part." He smiled at her, sharp fangs peeking out of his lips, making him look quite threatening towards the angel.
Whether Miranda felt intimidated by that she managed not to show it. "Don't be so certain, you might be surprised. Even if I fail in actually helping you, I can give you some hints about Selina that might prove useful to the whole process."
"Oh, there you are... acting behind your beloved cousin's back again. You do know she eve-dropped on us last time, right?" He chuckled seeing surprise and a 'busted' look in the angel's eyes. "Yes, she did and made it quite clear to me how unhappy she was about it." For a moment, his face made a grimace of intense discomfort as he remembered the one he felt when Selina did not allow him even to touch her.
"I... I understand her anger, but it was necessary... For her own good. She was already quite attached to... your activities, I did not want her to be hurt finding out you pretended... as I was certain you did." Miranda really struggled to justify her train of thought.
It only made Sebastian chuckle a little more. "As a proper mother would do, wanting to protect her innocent, young daughter from being corrupted and defiled by a demon, correct?" Mockery was evident in his voice and laughing eyes.
Miranda's face turned red with anger. "I do not pretend to be her mother or anything, I just want to help and protect her because-"
"Selina has made clear as day to me she is a fully grown woman, perfectly capable of protecting herself. I assume that when you were both younger you would feel very protective of her, as she was the youngest, but that time seems to have passed years ago. Yes, she might exhibit a certain weakness in resisting me, but has also proven that will not be a problem if she has to act otherwise."
Miranda was left speechless and confused by the evident pride on the demon's face. At first, she thought it was due to how strongly his charms affected Selina, but it grew more when referring to the witch's strength and resolve. It seemed he was genuinely proud of her and of how... equal to him she was in his eyes. The angel had no idea what had transpired between the couple and when, but it seemed things were taking their course on their own... Perhaps Sebastian did not need as much help as she thought in deciphering his own unfamiliar feelings.
"In short, I believe your role in this is over, unless you have some actually useful information to add. Now, it is up to me and Selina to decide what follows. Besides, she would be the only one able to help me to overcome my inability to understand human emotions as she is a perfect human herself... not a disgustingly pure angel."
He was openly making fun of Miranda's state of being and the angelic creature fell easily into his trap. She clenched her teeth and fists, while her eyes sparkled dangerously and the pupils of her green eyes were elongated for a second, looking more like a demon's slits.
"You are so damn annoying in all aspects! I wonder what she finds in you... demon!" She finished with obvious disgust, before dissolving in a white mist and slipping out of the kitchen's door to wherever she went.
Sebastian congratulated himself for effectively angering and getting rid of the nosey angel, wanting to mess around everything. He could understand she was doing her best to tolerate his presence for Selina's sake because he did the same, but that did not mean he would let her be constantly in his and Selina's feet, however their relationship evolved.
With a sign he got ready to knead the dough for young master's croissants in his breakfast; soon both his hands and mind were hard at work. He did not need any angelic cousin to tell him that in order to make a serious decision, from which his and Selina's fate could depend, he needed to decipher not only the amazing blond witch - that turned out to be his mate and... stabilizer - and her emotions towards him, but also his own tangle of emotions directed to her.
"My lady, the task you have set before us both might be the hardest we have ever taken up, harder than the ones our bratty master orders us to." He said with a smile, like when holding Selina in his arms, talking to her with his silky voice.
Aaaand... this is what is really going on between these two and why the not-interested-in-humans demon has lost his mind over the so intriguing witch! 😁
At first, I wanted to avoid the whole "demon's mate" theme (I have read some... unbelievable versions), but as the story progressed I could see that I could not find some other way to explain Sebastian's attraction to Selina without making him look ridiculously out of character. I liked having neither of them knowing anything about it, because it made their attraction and relationship more realistic (I think, at least). They were attracted to each other like every other couple does and chose to be together (even if Selina thinks it's more of a "colleagues with benefits" situation) like every other couple does. Now, they have to choose whether they will follow the mutual road destiny points to or take separate ones... like every other couple does at some point.
Sebastian's age: Before you go crazy about it and start searching the internet to see whether there is after all any missed hint about it in the manga etc, I tell you that there isn't and this number is entirely my choice because... well... I need it for a... future project in the same Kuro-verse! I just hope I will manage to write it eventually! Please, keep your fingers crossed for that. 😉
Next week, we'll be taking a long awaited deep dive in Selina's background, so... prepare yourselves 😉. Till next time! Bye!