When a sheepdog is told to "walk-up," they are supposed to approach the herd calmly and carefully, so that the sheep don't startle and run off.

Time went on.

It went on with the uneven pace of a foxtrot, some days slipping through his fingers like running water, other moments seeming to pause and invite him to drink deep from their still pools. Sebastian was used to the passage of time feeling stilted — at least when he was in his true form and could slither right out of time's grasp. Locked in an earthly body, as he was currently, a second was a second, a day was a day, and even if his age had reduced those measurements of time to something less significant, he still experienced them the way other earthbound creatures did.

But Sebastian had long ago learned that a second could give the illusion of a day and vice versa, depending on how it was he spent his time. He was feeling it now more than ever. The days when there was nothing to do but manage the household, cook this, repair that, and chasten those who couldn't cook this or repair that, were the days when time passed in a blink. It was the days when his schedule varied from its beaten path that time seemed to slow. More often than not, those days happened when Ciel required him for something.

Ciel was working hard. He had more on his to-do list than ever, but because these were things he enjoyed doing, he kept at them with diligence. He was in constant communication with Funtom's lead manager Mr. Cavendish, in person, by letter, and even occasionally over the phone. Funtom had never attempted such a hasty production before, though the circumstances were unique: they only needed to make enough Maharaja Bitter Rabbits to accommodate every attendee at the upcoming event, which meant a few hundred dolls would be produced as opposed to tens of thousands. Despite the rush, the doll needed to go through the entire line production, so that Ciel would be able to auction off all the concepts, diagrams, and prototypes that were part of every toys' development process.

On top of that, Ciel had taken up his dance instruction with Mrs. Mayell again ("The only thing worse than having to dance at a party is having to dance at a party without any recent practice") and even a bit of violin. For recreation, he read or rode his horses or helped Bard with Avalon. Once a week, he saw Elizabeth, whether at her manor or his. He was even able to meet with the Queen at the Ascot to at last discuss Hastings's racehorse operation and the child test subjects. Everything seemed nice and orderly again for the first time in months. But that orderliness only lasted a few weeks before getting dressed for Edward's graduation party brought tender feelings to the surface.

Ciel had grown again, this time in his shoulders, chest, and hips. The bones in his arms and legs had been stretching towards adulthood for some time, long as a fawn's, and now it seemed his torso was trying to play catch-up. This meant the black cherry waistcoat Nina had delivered in May, along with its matching tailcoat, no longer fit so gracefully. Sebastian sighed out his nose as he felt the buttons of the waistcoat straining slightly (only slightly) with more chest area to pull across. It was a pity that the wardrobe they purchased less than two months ago was already becoming obsolete. But for Ciel, the issue wasn't about wastefulness.

"It isn't fitting right," Ciel said, tugging at the vest's armholes, which may have been cutting into him a bit.

"I'm afraid not," Sebastian said, fastening the final button. "What a shame. And we only just— sir?"

Ciel had abruptly stepped away from Sebastian. He turned his back and ambled out of the dressing room, over to his bed. With a frustrated sigh, he settled onto it lengthwise and laid there with his arms folded into his stomach.

Sebastian's mouth opened slightly in surprise. He stood up from the single knee he had been leaning on. Otherwise, he was momentarily uncertain of how to proceed. He had not expected Ciel to be happy that his new clothing no longer fit comfortably, but he hadn't expected… well… whatever this was.

Yes… what was this? Sebastian wanted very much to know.

The butler paced over to the bedside. He stood by one of the posts. Ciel didn't look at him or speak, and Sebastian felt suddenly aware of his stature. His human form was tall, and it was even taller compared to a boy lying in bed. It occurred to him to do something rather daring. He thought about it for a moment, and then he did it. He sat down on the far end of the mattress.

Ciel had been glaring angrily in the direction of the window, but he eyed Sebastian in puzzlement when he felt the shift in pressure. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Sitting," said Sebastian. Then, because he really should account for the fact that this was rather a breach of etiquette, asked, "Would you prefer it if I stood up again?"

"..." Ciel turned his furrowed gaze back to the window. "Do whatever you want."

That seemed permission enough. Following another span of quiet, Sebastian said, "It appears you're very troubled that the fit of your clothing is no longer just right."

"Of course I'm troubled by it! Are you really surprised?!" Ciel snapped. He pulled his folded arms more tightly into his stomach. "None of the nice clothing I only just bought is going to fit me properly right now, and I have somewhere to be! So my only options are not to go, or to look like an idiot in front of my family's friends! People are going to see me and think I'm someone who doesn't know how to dress! I'll be a laughingstock!" He blinked rapidly against the frustration gathering in his eyes.

It had been a while since the sensitivity of adolescence had reared its head. Now, it was telling Ciel that a pinched vest and misaligned jacket shoulders meant he would look like a clown to all who saw him. Sebastian knew that was untrue. Humans, though capable of being petty, tended to be rather self-absorbed. A teenaged boy who had barely begun to outgrow his clothing hardly made for juicy gossip. But Ciel seemed to think everyone would be staring at him, jeering at him — a thing Ciel had never much worried about before these growth spurts started.

Sebastian knew he had to navigate carefully. "That's a lot of pressure to be under, young master."

"Oh, shut up!" Ciel shouted. "I don't need you making fun of me, too!"

"I don't mean to sound as though I'm making fun. Not a bit. All I meant was, I can see how much this is distressing you. I can see why it would make you feel like you'd rather not go."

"As if that helps anything!" Ciel curled into himself a bit more. "It won't make my clothes magically fit! It won't stop people from whispering about me behind my back! So who cares if it makes sense to you? I don't!"

Sebastian didn't respond to the taunting. He let Ciel seethe to himself, until the boy's anger was able to lose its edge. After a few moments, it did. Ciel's pose slackened somewhat. "Maybe I should tell them I was too sick to go," he said at last. His voice sounded taut. "I don't really even want to be there. It's going to be my uncle's side of the family and some of Edward's school friends, and I don't care about them. They don't care about me either, so what's the point? I don't want to be judged by strangers."

Sebastian lowered his chin. "I would be very surprised if you were. How many parties have you been to now in which you have noticed the way others' waistcoats fit them? I don't suppose you could name even one?"

Ciel refused to see his point. "I'm hardly an example of what most people do at parties. I don't care about how strangers conduct themselves, as long as they aren't trying to bother me or play the fool. But I just…" He sighed out his nose, eyebrows lowering. He slowly uncurled, sat up, glaring deeply at the surface of his comforter. "I don't know. I don't know what's wrong with me right now. I just really feel like I don't want anyone to see me. I mean, if this waistcoat doesn't fit, none of the others should. They're all based on the same measurements. Though I suppose different elasticity in fabrics explains why this is the first day I've had trouble with this batch of clothes…"

"Yes, I think one of your new poplin waistcoats should still fit," Sebastian reasoned. "Though, I must say that I believe your current waistcoat would scarcely raise an eyebrow either."

Ciel rubbed at his forehead. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I just had this idea in my head that everyone there is ready to laugh at me, and I can't let go of it. I know it's silly." Ciel paused. "I-I really don't know what's wrong with me. I don't know." He looked ashamed.

"I don't think anything is wrong with you, sir," Sebastian said. "You are growing up physically, and I should think that also means you are growing up mentally. You are changing in the way you perceive the world, just as well as in the way you want the world to perceive you."

That didn't wipe the sunken shame from Ciel's face. "But I'm being so bloody stupid right now…"

"Sensitive, I think, would be a more fitting word."

"Well, I don't think it would be," Ciel growled. He rubbed at his upper arm. Faced aside. "Sometimes I really think all of this… all of this growing-up nonsense… is actually turning me into an idiot. I don't see situations clearly like I used to. I get in my own way all the time. It doesn't make me feel like an adult at all. I was more of an adult when I was twelve than I am now."

Sebastian chuckled gently. "I disagree, sir. And so does your waistcoat."

He'd hoped to inspire some levity with that comment; there was no real rush, but if they wanted to show up for the party on time, they'd need to get back to preparing. And it would be best to clear up this foggy mood. Instead, Ciel hesitated for a long moment before barely saying aloud, "Shouldn't I… look even more grown by now, though?"

Sebastian's mind was suddenly transported back to the day Ciel locked himself in his bedroom, and Tanaka's words on the matter of adolescence came to him at once: "The late master, when he encroached on adulthood, was away at school with other boys his age… I'm sure he learned much from watching the upperclassman about what to anticipate, other young gentlemen to question when he was confused. But Ciel has no such privilege." Sebastian recognized very strongly in this moment how right Tanaka had been. Ciel's questions could well be answered by a close peer group. In them, he would surely see that young humans found their way to adulthood in their own good time, never all at once, and never all at the same age.

But the boy didn't have a close peer group. All he had was a demon.

"I couldn't tell you what it is you 'should' be," Sebastian began, "but I will say that, as many curiosities on Earth that I have seen, I don't think I will ever meet a fourteen-year-old in the body of a fully grown adult."

Ciel's face went through a short cascade of emotions: eyebrows lowering, jaw tightening, and presently, he pinkened with embarrassment. He jumped sharply to his feet. "This discussion is stupid. I'm over the waistcoat matter now, it was silly for me to even feel the way I did. I don't want to talk about this anymore. Let's forget this conversation even happened. Go get me something else to wear, hurry it. We're going to be late."

Sebastian paused. Ultimately, he decided it was better not to push the subject now. "... Very well, sir."

Maybe it wasn't just a matter of not pushing the subject now, he recognized as he strode back to the dressing room. Maybe it was better not to push it at all, at least in regards to discussions of Ciel's physical appearance. It was clearly a sensitive area for him, and perhaps one that would bring Ciel comfort to have full control over. So Sebastian said nothing else on the matter of clothing or growth spurts just then, other than to comment that Ciel looked "more at-ease" in the Bengal striped poplin waistcoat. Ciel only shrugged in response. The previous conversation, as per Ciel's wont, was not mentioned again. But Sebastian would not forget it.

He'd written to Nina that evening without Ciel's prompting to do so. Her response came the following afternoon, assuaging that if her emergency fee was paid, her assistants would be sure to create a host of general daywear and formalwear with size adjustments that aligned with Ciel's previous proportions yet allowed room for filling out. That, she hoped, would offer Lord Phantomhive enough summer options while they waited for this growth spurt to end. She'd done this before. It would be fine. Relax. "There's no need," she'd put it, "to fret at me like a mother hen. Though it is an improvement to your usual plain, stoic demeanor, hm?"

On the off chance of anyone ever finding it, Sebastian decided to burn her letter too.

Another half-week later marked the delivery of two more important letters: one from the amicable Lizzie, the other from the inconvenient Fairclough.

Ciel read Fairclough's first. "Good news," he said after finishing it, "we have a venue decided for the Funtom promotional event."

"Ah. That is good news," Sebastian said, trying to sound civil as he poured a cup of Ceylon tea infused with lemon peel. He still didn't care for Fairclough. He probably never would. But it wouldn't do any good to go about mentioning it every time the man's name came up in conversation.

Ciel nodded, putting the letter on the left side of his desk so that he could remember to respond to it. "Mm. Apparently, when I told Mr. Fairclough that I was scouting out a location in London to hold approximately two hundred people at once, he got in-contact with Lord Sedgemore, and Lord Sedgemore said his manor could be made available. Well, that certainly makes things easy. I shall have to thank Fairclough and the marquis alike very graciously for granting that."

"Indeed. Sedgemore House will be a most convenient location." Sebastian placed a slice of roly-poly jam pudding next to the tea saucer and then stood by for further instruction.

"As for this letter…" Ciel picked up Lizzie's envelope with a touch of hesitancy. "Lizzie promised me at Edward's party that, before the week was up, she'd have decided on what events for the Season I should attend with her. Let's see what she's gotten me into, then…"

It was quiet for a minute. Ciel then finished reading and announced with a sigh, "Lizzie's friend Jane Reubin seems more like a charity case than a companion."

"Oh?" Sebastian prompted.

"Jane was meant to throw a small party next week at her family's townhouse. A formal high tea with just her friends to celebrate the Season." Ciel folded his arms, leaning back in his armchair. "Well, her parents ended up being invited to an event that same evening and told Jane that she had to look after that little brother of hers, since no one else will be there to mind him. Jane was thinking of canceling the party, but Lizzie encouraged her to keep the date by inviting you and I along to… enliven it or something."

Sebastian raised his eyebrows. "Lady Elizabeth would like me to attend?"

"Yes. Apparently, the Reubin servants that came with them to London for the Season aren't much built for entertainment. Though I am loath to give you an opportunity to show off, especially after you nearly squandered my mission by challenging Hastings's chef," Ciel half-barked, then shrugged. "But I suppose if I have to go to this party, I'd rather you were there to make sure the atmosphere never goes completely stale. Maybe then I won't have to force a conversation."

"Well, hopefully you won't have to," Sebastian said pleasantly. "Perhaps it won't be so terrible. With luck, there may be circumstances in which you would like to talk with the others."

"Tuh! Right. And there really are fairies living on the moon," Ciel spat sarcastically. "You already know how I feel about Lizzie's lot. They're boring and they act like children. All their interests are so… frivolous. Who did this, who did that. What some actress was wearing to some party. Everything they talk about sounds like something you'd read in Town Topics.※ Even Lizzie acts more like her friends when she's around them. I would decline the invitation without a second thought if I hadn't promised her I'd go to three events she picked. At least it's still better than a damn masquerade ball, seems I missed one of those by the skin of my teeth. With luck, I'll be able to sit there and listen to everyone else prattle on without being bothered to participate."

Sebastian shook his head subtly. So stubborn, this one.

"That little brother of Jane's — Lyle, I think — is far too old to need minding," Ciel continued after a sip of tea. "If he's entering Weston as a first year, then he's thirteen or about to turn it, but he acts more like he's half that age. It's no wonder Jane is so embarrassed of him. Her parents shouldn't have left her to play nanny when she was trying to have an afternoon with her friends. But it's kind of Lizzie to support Jane without a second thought, especially after Lyle went and made a fuss at Lizzie's party back in February."

So, Lyle Reubin would cross paths with his young master again. Sebastian certainly wouldn't forget that boy any time soon. The "fuss" Lyle had created at the Shrove Tuesday party was a catalyst for Ciel's sudden mood swings and the incident with the wine. Sebastian understood now, at least, that Lyle's outburst wasn't really to blame for Ciel's behavior: that biology and chemistry were the true culprits behind such abrupt changes in his growing lord. Well… That, and a history of trauma.

Hmm. A history of trauma… Following that recollection, a thought began to crystallize in Sebastian's mind, leading him to say, "I do have to wonder if there's a reason for such behavior from Lyle."

"Boredom, probably," Ciel said. He picked up his pen and started playing with it between his fingers. "Boredom, and a constant need for attention."

"Perhaps." Sebastian put a hand to his jaw. "Though… He does seem like a bit of a sullen child. Not the sort to seek attention for attention's sake."

Ciel glared with suspicion. "What's your point?"

"His words to you at the Shrove Tuesday party were rather specific, were they not?" Sebastian said. Ciel found sudden interest in his teacup. "You told me that Lyle felt he was in some kind of danger when he was in school. And you said he sounded believable. I think it's possible that something has troubled Lyle very deeply, and that it continues to trouble him."

"… It's not our business, whatever it is," Ciel said at last. "That's for Lyle and his family to worry about."

Sebastian lowered his chin. "I suppose."

"Besides," Ciel went on, as if trying to convince himself of something, "it's been months since then. Lyle is going to attend Weston now. I'm sure whatever 'danger' he thought was after him has long been forgotten. It's more likely that he just has a naturally unruly disposition that doesn't allow him to be left to his own devices."

Sebastian brought the clarence※※ around to Elizabeth's house at three o'clock on the afternoon of Jane's party. Forty minutes later, they arrived at the Reubin's London townhouse early, as requested, and were greeted by quite a scene in the parlor: a sobbing Lyle Reubin, gripping tightly to his sister's waist; Jane, near to tears herself; and a maid doing her best to pry the siblings apart, but Lyle was proving utterly inconsolable.

"He's always like this now," Jane moaned to her shocked audience. "He's been like this for the past two weeks. If Mother and Father go out, he affixes himself to me, and there's nothing I can do about it. He won't even go with Hector, and Hector has worked for us since before I was born."

"Oh, dear." Elizabeth, ever the problem solver, bent down to look up at Lyle. "Lyle, won't you let poor Jane go? It's only going to be for the evening. Then your parents will come home and you can be with them again."

Lyle was nearly smothering himself in the ochre ruching of his sister's party dress. He ignored Lizzie.

"Young master Lyle, that's— oof— enough…!" the maid grunted. She pried at the youngest Reubin's fingers, which only sunk more deeply into Jane as soon as they regained their grip, causing Jane to cry out in alarm. "This is terrible behavior for a boy your age. Your parents will be so ashamed when they hear of it!"

"I don't care!" Lyle grumbled. "You can't make me leave!"

Jane looked at Elizabeth miserably. "I knew I should have canceled the party. What am I going to do? Everyone else will be showing up in twenty minutes. Lizzie, you have to help! You promised me it would be all right!"

Elizabeth wrung her hands, trying to think. "I know, dear, I know. Er…"

"Lyle. Listen to me."

All eyes turned when Ciel spoke. His tone was firm, but not angry. Somehow, it even made Lyle peek at him, albeit with an eyeful of wariness.

Ciel continued, "I want to make a deal with you. If you promise not to make a scene while your sister is entertaining, you can stay in the parlor with us. But you absolutely have to behave yourself. If you don't, you must leave at once. You can't argue it. Do you understand?"

Lyle turned the rest of his tear-stained face out of his sister's side. He nodded.

Ciel nodded back. "Good. Act like a gentleman, then. Or else you will have to go spend the evening with your domestics."

Jane gave a huge sigh of relief as her brother finally disentangled his fingers from her clothes. Now it was her turn to grab him, though: she gripped his shoulder with one hand and wagged a finger in his face with the other. "Lyle, you really had better be good, or my friends will never speak to me again," she scolded. "Don't you dare say a word to anyone unless spoken to. Just sit over by the sofas and move to the chair by the piano when my guests leave the table. And do not take any of the pastries until we're finished with them! Mother said those are especially for my guests! And please, don't grab me again! I'm a lady now, and you shouldn't be treating me like that!"

"All right," said Lyle, but he didn't really seem as though he was paying attention. He had been pacified by the thought that he didn't have to leave with the maid.

The maid herself had become thoroughly fed-up by the ordeal, her blonde hair askew, and she wasn't finished giving Lyle her own earful. "The poor mistress and master," she fumed. "What a rotten lad you've been since you dropped out of St. Augustine! What a little disgrace! Weston will surely have their hands full this autumn! I wouldn't be surprised if you wound up back home a second time, I wouldn't!"

Lyle wasn't granting her much mind either. His tears had dried up. He had gotten what he wanted and he was clearly feeling better about it. "I don't want to be in London anymore, and I don't want to go back to St. Augustine," he mumbled. "Anywhere else is fine."

Sebastian felt his eyebrows draw together. That was a curiously specific thing to say.

"You're only lucky the master has such a gentle heart," the maid went on, even as Lyle walked over to a sofa at the opposite end of the room and slouched on it. "The switching you'd have received from my father! You wouldn't sit right for weeks, I promise you that! You don't need to learn a lesson twice when it's being driven in by a hickory branch—"

"Um, Effie, why don't you go have the tea brought up? It should be ready about now," said Jane awkwardly.

Effie stomped out then, still muttering under her breath about sparing the rod and spoiling the child.

Jane looked about ready to wilt. "I'm so sorry… Effie has a wicked temper. She's a very hard worker, though, really."

Elizabeth raced to her friend's side. "She's horrible! We won't let her stay after she comes back with the tea!" She wrapped Jane up in the most comforting hug. "Never you fear, darling! We've brought Sebastian with us, and there's no one you'd rather have serving high tea. He'll be sure all of our friends are comfortable and fed and happy. He's a perfect butler, you can count on him for anything."

Sebastian bowed just so at the waist, hand to his chest. "Lady Elizabeth is always generous with her praise. Rest assured, I shall do my utmost to make your party the success it deserves to be, Miss Reubin."

The relief was clear in Jane's expression. "Thank you, all of you," she beamed. "You've really put my heart at ease. I'm not so terrified anymore." She glanced over at the couch, where only the top of Lyle's head was visible from this angle. "It's been so tiresome lately," Jane said in a half-whisper. "Lyle has been refusing to leave the house. He won't go anywhere, not even the threshold. And Mother and Father are cross all of the time. None of us know what to do with him. I'll be feeling truly better once Weston's new semester begins." Jane put a hand to her forehead. "But if Effie is right, and he's expelled from school again… Oh, I just don't know what we'll do."

"You said Lyle has been like this for the past two weeks," Ciel said. "What reason is there for that?"

"I haven't any idea," Jane answered, polite but without real concern. "We were out having a family stroll at St. James's Park, and all of a sudden it was like he lost his mind. He demanded to be taken home at once. When Father told Lyle to behave himself, he started screaming and crying, and he forced us all to leave… Oh, it was so embarrassing. I thought I would die of shame. But you saw how Lyle was back in February. He can't behave himself anymore. Something is wrong with him."

"I can hear you, you know," Lyle's voice traveled over to them.

"You're very fortunate that Ciel said you could stay! If it were up to me, you'd have gone off with Effie anyway!" Jane called back. "But I suppose it's better that he's here," she continued to her companions. "It does give me peace of mind to know exactly where he is. I prefer it over worrying throughout the entire party that he's going to run in and shackle himself to me in front of everyone."

Ciel studied the back of Lyle's head. He didn't say anything else, but found his place at the table next to Lizzie's, which was marked with a name card. Sebastian familiarized himself with the place settings and refreshments while he was at it, the tiered trays of French fancies, mazariners, and tartlets in a variety of fluted shapes, and heard Jane say, "There's one more thing I have to tell you, Lizzie. I've invited Patricia."

"Oh, Jane!" Lizzie immediately sounded concerned. "Why did you do that? Patricia isn't a nice girl."

"I know," Jane sighed, "but the other girls so love her, and I really need someone like Patricia to let me into her circle. I've got to be invited to all sorts of parties next Season. If I merely rely on my parents' introductions, I might end up marrying someone boring and old."

"Patricia's friends can't be any good either," Lizzie assuaged. "Your parents won't let you be unhappy with your marriage. And I won't either! You're my dear friend, Jane. Please, listen to me and don't share your time with unkind people anymore. You deserve much better than that!"

Ciel and Sebastian swapped a glance. Ciel's face seemed to say I just knew this was going to be dramatic. Sebastian offered a cordial smile in response. Now, now, it's only for a few hours. You can do this. Ciel snorted and rolled his eyes to look away.

Over the course of the next half hour, guests trickled in and found a place at the table. All of them were girls around Lizzie and Jane's age, and all of them seemed to find Ciel's presence there quite the novelty. "I didn't expect any boys to be at this party," said the potential villain Patricia. "Jane, why didn't you tell me you would be inviting a boy?"

"I-I didn't know it mattered," Jane said, her voice wavering as if worried she'd made some sort of faux pas. It was obvious that pleasing this particular guest was of the utmost importance. "I didn't know he would be arriving when I initially sent out the invitations. Lizzie was kind enough to invite him. The more, the merrier when it comes to games, after all!"

"It's so very remarkable that you already have a fiancé, Lizzie," a dark-haired girl named Louisa giggled shyly.

Another, Anna, nodded her agreement. "It's so sophisticated! I'm jealous!"

"Yes, I wish I had a fiancé, too!"

"Me, too!"

Lizzie beamed, pleased as punch to be fawned over like this. Ciel wasn't.

"There's nothing to be jealous of," he said straightforwardly. "It's not as though we're married. Until then, it's rather more like being very close friends. I'm sure you're already familiar with what it's like to be close friends with someone."

Clara tittered. "Yes, but not with a boy!"

Anna nodded. "Boys don't want to be friends with girls, not at our age."

Patricia had a surreptitious smile on her face. "I imagine it's rather different from being close friends at least some of the time. I mean, surely you've kissed by now?"

The other girls looked at Patricia with a shock that said they were secretly glad she'd been brave enough to ask.

Ciel wasn't having any of it. "I don't know why you believe that's your business," he said calmly. He didn't seem embarrassed, not like he had when Francis had told him he and Elizabeth needed to be chaperoned. Sebastian assumed it was because Ciel saw the girls as children and himself as an adult, even though all of them were older than he was. Ciel's philosophy seemed to be that if you acted like a child, you were a child and should be treated that way (it certainly applied towards Prince Soma). "I'm not some creature to be gawked over, I'm just a person, the same as you. If you ask me any more inappropriate questions, I'm simply going to ignore them."

Most of the girls seemed not to know what to do with that. They were used to boys their age being intimidated by them, frightened by them, on rare occasions entranced with them. Ciel's nonchalance was rather difficult to work with.

Sebastian imagined that Elizabeth usually would have been a little put-off by Ciel's unembellished description of their relationship. Today, she seemed more contented that Patricia was being put in her place. "That's right, it isn't anybody else's business," she said, sitting tall. "Ciel and I may be betrothed, but it isn't an opportunity for others to ask whatever they like about us."

But Patricia no longer found Ciel entertaining. "Well, Lizzie won't be the only one with a fiancé for much longer. Next year when I'm seventeen, I'll be presented in court, and obviously I'll have a betrothed by August. The rest of you will be coming out as well, yes?"※※※

"My parents have decided I can't come out until I'm eighteen," sighed Clara. "That means three more years of waiting for me."

Louisa nodded in empathy. "And I certainly won't be presented until my sister is engaged. It would be too embarrassing for her, if her little sister was married first. But she hasn't been doing well with suitors."

"I-I'll be coming out next Season," Jane piped up, looking meaningfully at Patricia when she said it.

"Sixteen is the perfect age to come out," said Anna. "Next year would have been just right. The sooner, the better, if you ask me; then, if you can't find someone early on, you can go into your second Season still feeling youthful and relevant, and everyone will know who you are by then. I wish my parents agreed. But they told me I'll have to wait at least two more Seasons."

"But you're still so young, all of you!" Lizzie marveled. "Aren't there so many things you want to do before you settle down? Isn't it grand, to have summers of picnics and field excursions and getaways to the countryside with your friends, still? Don't misunderstand me, I do love to play matchmaker, but there's still plenty of wonderful adventures to have in the meantime!"

Patricia fixed Lizzie with a cunning grin. "My, my. Are you having your cake and eating it too, Elizabeth? Even though you can sit comfortably while the rest of us worry about our futures, you believe you can tell us to be patient in the ways of love? I don't think that's very fair of you."

The other girls, minus Jane, nodded minutely with approval at this. Lizzie's face was pink, and she turned to Ciel with her mouth open, as if hoping he was just as affronted. Ciel looked away with a hand slightly raised, as if to say, This one is yours to fight; I want no part of it. Elizabeth lost some of her steam at that, but still pouted and muttered, "It's Lizzie."

Patricia held out her teacup to be refilled, and Sebastian abided, perhaps pouring a little bit less than he usually would. "I couldn't help but notice," Patricia continued, "that Ciel isn't the only boy at this party."

Now it was Jane's turn to blush. "Um, Lyle isn't really a guest. He… He just hates to be alone, so Mother and Father said I had to keep him company… But there's no need to pay him any mind. He's fine by himself, really."

Lyle was already peeking over the edge of the sofa upon hearing his name. The other girls laughed lightly at his curiosity. "Why not? Didn't you say the more, the merrier?" Jane tensed as Patricia gestured her little brother over with a finger. "Why don't you join us, then?"

Lyle did stand up, but he looked at Ciel for approval before coming any closer. Ciel closed his eyes and conceded. "You've minded yourself well. You can sit at the table." Then, to Patricia, "There's no need to heckle him, though. Just let him have some of the pastries and sit with us. That's all he really wants, anyway."

"Fine, fine," Patricia simpered as Lyle took the chair to her left. "I'm sure he'd love to join us when we play games, though. I brought something with me that I think will keep things lively. In fact, why don't I show you all right now?"

Ah, so that's what that basket was supposed to be. Sebastian glanced at the item on the console table in the room's northwest corner. He'd assumed till now that it was a gift, as it was a rare something belonging to a different part of the world: a lauhala woven basket, with a colorful kapa sheet tucked over whatever the basket's contents were. Sebastian was certain he was the only one present who could recognize these items by name. It was surprising to see them here. The Hawaiian people and the Americans who had built sugar plantations on Hawaiian soil were currently at serious odds with each other. Ciel predicted things would come to a head soon. There was talk of taxation and annexation, but England did not have much involvement in the matter.※※※※ It was likely that Patricia had relatives who had somehow acquired these as souvenirs for her.

What she intended to do with the basket's contents Sebastian wasn't certain. But that was about to be revealed. Patricia stood from her seat, pushed her plate to the side, and retrieved the basket, which she placed on the tabletop. "My uncle visited Hawaii recently to photograph the wild birds there for the Queen," she explained proudly, "and he came back with all sorts of treasures he purchased. So, instead of keeping them for myself, I thought I would share some with the rest of you." The girls began to croon and thank Patricia for her thoughtfulness. Patricia waited for the praise to die down somewhat before adding, "But: these gifts each come with a price tag. And that price is the revealing of a secret. You have to be willing to share a fine bit of gossip with the rest of us in order to win something."

Gifts with a price tag. Sebastian smirked subtly. That didn't sound very much like a gift anymore.

Patricia's hand shuffled past the kapa sheet and removed a mother-of-pearl comb, its surface shimmering with pale rainbows by the light of so many wall sconces and the afternoon sun still pouring in. "Well?" she mused. "Which of you is brave enough to start?"

It was quiet for a long moment. No girl wanted to go first. They all glanced around at each other, hopeful, hesitant.

Elizabeth was, perhaps surprisingly, perhaps not, the one to break the ice. "I have an interesting bit of a story," she said. "It isn't really mine to tell. But I can trust all of you not to share it, right?"

The other girls nodded, leaning in. Lyle took a too-big bite of a millefeuille and licked his fingers. Ciel cocked an eyebrow, looking a little wary about Lizzie's decision. He knew that a secret was rarely safe with a roomful of talkative, boisterous young girls constantly seeking to impress other talkative, boisterous young girls. But Patricia smiled that signature smile of hers once more and said, "All right. Go on, then, dear."

"I overheard a few of Edward's friends talking about this at his graduation party," Lizzie began. "There was a rumor going around that Weston's vice headmaster leaves his housing every night of the full moon and has a swim in the Thames, totally unclothed. Edward's friends sneaked out during their last week in the dormitories to check, and sure enough, it's true!"

That was first faced with a chorus of "ooohhs" followed by sheepish giggling and minor applause.

"Fine, then," said Jane with an air of indifference, handing off the comb across the table, "if the rest of you think that's good enough, I'll allow it."

Lizzie sat back down with her prize, smiling primly at the victory of her friends' approval. That got the ball rolling, and now the rest of the girls were sharing their own secrets, clamoring for something special to win: a painted bamboo pan flute, a cowrie shell the size of a cream bun.

Ciel was more preoccupied with Elizabeth. He gave her a look when she turned to show him her spoils. "You certainly were quick to throw your hat in the ring."

Lizzie whispered behind her hand, just low enough for Ciel to hear (and, unintentionally, Sebastian), "You mustn't tell the others, but I've only just made up that story now."

Ciel's other eyebrow raised to join the first. "You made that up?" he nearly mouthed. Lizzie nodded minutely. Ciel's cheek slowly lifted with a half-grin. "You made up a story about the vice headmaster of Weston swimming naked in the Thames?" Lizzie nodded again, blushing and grinning back and reminding Ciel to be quiet with a finger pressed to her lips. Ciel chuckled now, unable to help it. "All for a… a bloody comb you could have bought for yourself?" Lizzie ducked her chin and tried not to laugh; Ciel smiled wryly and stared at her, as if both surprised and amused at her insidious behavior. He shook his head, turning away. "What a show. See, now you are spending too much time with me. I've rubbed off on you."

Lizzie tugged at his sleeve. "Don't act put-off! You're still smiling, Ciel, I can tell!"

"That's not a smile. I'm very disappointed in you."

"It is a smile! It is!"

"You're only seeing things."

"IT'S NOT FAIR! "

Lyle's piercing shout halted all other conversation at once. Every head whipped in his direction. Even Patricia appeared more unnerved than she did curious.

Jane was the first one to respond to him. "Lyle, you promised you wouldn't make a scene!"

"But, but i-it isn't fair!" Lyle sputtered. He was pointing at the pale object Patricia held up, which was likely a large piece of pumice. "I have a really good secret, but I can't tell it, and if I could then I would win!"

"You don't have a secret! You're lying again!" Jane hissed.

"Yes I do! "

"Then tell it!"

"I can't! I can't, and it's not fair!" Lyle moaned. He started rocking his chair back and forth on its heavy legs, making an awful thumping noise. "It's not fair! It's not fair!"

"Lyle, why is it that you can't you share your secret?" Ciel asked firmly.

"Because I can't! " was Lyle's screaming reply.

Jane hopped to her feet and pointed at the door. "Lyle, you have to leave! You promised you wouldn't cause a scene! You're bothering my guests!"

The little Heathcliff abruptly halted his actions. "No, don't make me! I'm sorry!"

"It's too late for that! You've broken your promise and now you have to go!"

"I don't want to leave! Please don't make me leeeeave!" Lyle was near to sobbing again.

Jane was at the end of her rope. "Ciel, he listens to you! Please, tell him to go away!"

But Ciel was curiously transfixed on the boy throwing a tantrum right across the table from him. He didn't seem to remember how to speak. Jane was staring at Ciel, hoping he would help her, and the other girls were beginning to whisper nervously amongst themselves. Lizzie was looking back and forth at everyone, wondering what she could possibly do to alleviate the situation.

It was time to employ drastic measures.

He had seen the show only once, but once was enough for the spring-trap memory of a demon. Ciel had had Sebastian attend the event one afternoon at the very start of the Season, after Elizabeth had told Ciel it was the "most popular thing" in London right now. Ciel had even allowed Mey-Rin, Finny, and Bard to go along too. Bard hadn't understood the show's appeal, but Mey-Rin and Finny had ended up humming the songs for a week after while they flitted around at their chores. They finally abandoned it after Ciel threatened them with, "You can either stop that bloody singing, or I can cut off my ears. Which would you rather happen?" Clear hyperbole though it had been, Mey-Rin and Finny had immediately started repenting for driving their poor master to disfigurement, and Ciel had spent another week with his hair tucked behind his ears so they'd quit asking to see if he was in one piece.

Perhaps now Ciel wouldn't find that show so regrettable.

Sebastian sat at the piano. His fingers found the right notes with ease. And he began to play.

For a moment, only the melody filled the air. Then, with near-perfect synchronicity, all of the girls cried aloud, "The Starlight Four!" and rushed the piano as one, shrieking in merriment and singing along at the chorus.

Yes, the Starlight Four. It was a singing group that was very popular with young girls, considering the boys who made up the singing group were young themselves. A quartet of dropouts from Weston, they now made their living performing at the Empire Theatre of Varieties once a week. One could only imagine what the boys' parents thought of such a living: they were noble-born and never intended for a life in the performing arts. But the public adored them, and fortunately so did Lizzie's band of friends. Sebastian hoped the song would provide enough of a distraction here for Lyle's outburst to be forgotten.

The piano and the girls' singing wasn't quiet. Sebastian could still just hear Ciel above it, talking to the boy who had been sitting across the table from him. Sebastian strained his ears to listen.

"Here. You can have this," Ciel said, presumably referring to the pumice. "If Patricia says you can't, have her talk to me, and I'll reimburse her."

"Thanks…" said Lyle, in a preoccupied voice that implied he was very fascinated with his new prize and would rather leave the prior scene behind him.

Ciel didn't want to do that, though. "Lyle, why can't you share your secret with anybody else? What will happen if you do?"

Lyle didn't answer immediately. Only after he was prompted a second time did he mumble, "I can't tell you."

"Ah, right. If you do, you'll be in danger, is that it?" Ciel said.

Another pause from Lyle. "Do you believe that?"

"I believe that you believe that." It was Ciel's turn to pause. "I believe that someone threatened you. And that that frightened you very badly. Did someone threaten you?"

"Threatened is when someone says they'll hurt you unless you listen to them, right?"

"Yes. Is that what happened to you? A person told you they would hurt you if you didn't keep their secret?"

"Yeah. But no one believes me, because then I don't tell them what the secret is. You're really saying you believe me?"

Ciel's voice was resolute. "Yes, I believe you, Lyle."

"Good."

Lyle stopped talking there. Ciel tried to push him to speak more. "Was it an adult who threatened you?"

"Mhm."

"A man?"

"Mhm."

"… Did he hurt you already?"

"No. But I still know he'd do it, because he told me that he had a pistol and he knew other men with pistols, too."

Ciel exhaled slightly, perhaps with relief. "Lyle, listen to me. Sometimes strange adults tell children to keep secrets or else they'll be hurt, but those adults aren't being honest. I think the man who threatened you was lying, too. I think he wanted to make you feel frightened, but the truth is that he was frightened. He was frightened because you knew something that could get him in trouble. Is that correct?"

"He wasn't lying! He wasn't…" Lyle lost confidence in the middle of his sentence. Then it returned with a vengeance. "He would have hurt me!"

"Maybe he would have in the moment. But he isn't here right now, is he? He can't harm you anymore."

"He said he had spies!" Lyle shouted. Fortunately, the girls were still singing too loudly to notice.

Ciel didn't buy that either. "I think that man was lying to you. I think he was very scared of the trouble you could get him in and he said whatever he could to scare you. Who was this man anyway, Lyle? Can you tell me that much?"

"No."

"Was it a professor at your old school? St. Augustine, was it? Or a senior boy, maybe?"

"No."

"All right. Then… It doesn't have to do with Mr. Fairclough, does it?"

Sebastian was surprised to hear that name come up. He launched into another song to give Ciel more time with this conversation.

"Who's Mr. Fairclough?" Lyle asked.

"You've already forgotten who-? He's the gentleman who made it so you can attend Weston now. It would do you well to remember his name, since he did you that enormous favor… But it doesn't have to do with him, does it?"

"No," Lyle said huffily. "Why do you keep asking me questions about this? I don't want to talk to you about it. Or anybody."

"Because," said Ciel firmly, "I need you to know you're not actually in danger. This secret is making you miserable, and it's making your family miserable, too. I know they don't believe you. But you're not helping anything by keeping this to yourself either. You need to tell someone what it is. All right? So if you can't tell me, you have to promise you'll tell your mother or father."

"I'm never going to tell anyone for the rest of my life," Lyle said.

"No one is going to hurt you," Ciel emphasized. He was starting to lose his patience. "Come off it, Lyle. I know you're scared, but you have to trust me. I've met enough petty criminals to see that they'll say just about anything to children to keep them quiet. They're not nice people, but their bark is worse than their bite. And if it turns out that the man who threatened you is someone powerful, it's better that Scotland Yard knows who it is. They will make sure that nobody hurts you."

"I'm. Not. Gonna. Tell. Anybody," Lyle enunciated each word. "You're the only person who ever believed me. Nobody else does! Everyone else called me a liar! Well, too bad! They don't get to know my secret now!"

"But what if you shared your secret and everything was fine?" Ciel challenged. "Don't you want to be happy? Don't you want everyone to stop being angry with you?"

"But what if they don't stop being angry?" Lyle challenged back. "What if they hate me more than ever? What if they still call me a liar, or they still say something's wrong with my head? Then everything would keep being terrible! Or maybe even worse! So leave me alone! Y-You're just as bad as everybody else! Everyone is mean to me all the time, and I'm sick of it! They think I'm a bad person for not telling them my secret, but it's just because they don't know how much worse it would be if I did tell them!"

That was where the conversation ended. Sebastian's back was turned away; to twist around would catch the attention of his audience. He didn't get a chance to see the aftermath until the song was finished. When he finally did get a look, beyond the clapping and crowding of the excited girls, he saw that Lyle was sitting underneath the dining table, rotating the pumice between his fingertips, placated. Ciel had taken his own seat at the sofas. He stared at nothing. His face seemed to hold little emotion.

The girls, at least, had been united by the spell of music, and for the rest of the party, the air was free from animosity. Even Patricia had been converted from her antagonistic streak. They had Sebastian play as many Starlight Four songs as he knew (which was, in fact, four) and then had him play them again, this time while they conducted a game of musical chairs. Then someone remarked that Jane's table was perfect for deerstalker※※※※※, so Sebastian cleared away the food and they each took a turn at running lengths until they were exhausted. Even Lyle participated, and managed to win as the deer, lifting the blindfold from his face and breathing heavily, happily, as the girls congratulated him on his artful escape. But no matter how many times Elizabeth asked, Ciel said he was too tired to join in.

"I really can't thank you enough for coming!" Jane said, hugging Lizzie tightly after the other guests had started preparing to go home. "I don't know what I would have done without you, or Ciel… or especially you, Mr. Sebastian! You were incredible!"

Sebastian bowed and assured Miss Reubin that he had been happy to play, that such lively and spirited girls were always a pleasure to perform for. It was a polished bit of butler's dialogue he could produce without effort. He was too busy thinking of Ciel, who said next, "I'm sorry I didn't ask Lyle to leave earlier, even though I promised you I would. I wasn't feeling very well all of a sudden."

"Please, don't apologize!" Jane reassured him. "I'm sorry you're unwell! And really, I shouldn't have put you in charge of him, you're a guest. I was just so frustrated… b-but it ended up being completely fine anyway! I think Sebastian made everyone forget about what happened, and then Lyle started behaving himself after that." Still, she looked at her little brother across the room, countenance darkening. "Mother and Father will be very disappointed to hear of all the mischief he tried to cause."

"Don't… be too hard on him," Ciel said. "He's… I think he's doing the best he can right now."

"The best he can to be a troublemaker!" Jane insisted. "Honestly, he needs to work on his manners! He cannot be expelled from Weston, he just can't. It would be such a disgrace. He'd have to be tutored at home, I couldn't bear it if he went to a reformatory… Oh, Elizabeth, I need to be married next summer before he can ruin my reputation too!"

"It's going to be fine, dear Jane," Lizzie soothed, touching her arm. "Look at how well your party went today! I think Patricia shall keep you in her highest regards from here on. And you'll certainly always be in mine. Don't fret."

The carriage ride out of the city was longer than the one they took going in. Traffic had picked up: it was seven o'clock, the time when most festivities of the social season began, not finished. Ciel wasn't supposed to be done for the day either: after Jane's party, he was meant to join the Midfords for dinner. But now he wasn't feeling well. According to him, not unwell enough for Lizzie to worry. Just unwell enough that he needed to return home and rest. Lizzie was worrying regardless.

"Is it a fever? Is it your stomach?" she asked from inside the carriage. Sebastian could hear the conversation easily from his position at the reins, once they were back in the countryside especially. "Maybe the sweets were too heavy for you. Maybe you're just tired. Lie down for a bit in our drawing room and see if it helps. Then we can still have dinner together!"

"No, no. I have to go to bed. I'm not hungry. I didn't sleep very well last night. I think it's catching up to me. It's making me feel dizzy and out of sorts." The claim of poor sleep was a lie. A few days ago, a summer heatwave had finally broken. Ciel had said to Sebastian just this morning that it was, even days later, still a relief to sleep through an entire night in full, without waking up covered in sweat once or twice. "We've seen each other so much lately. If I can't attend this one dinner, I know we'll visit again on Saturday."

Lizzie was still disheartened. "I know, but… I love spending time with you, always! It makes me sad anytime we have to say goodbye."

"I-I know. I'm sorry." A pause. "I'm… sorry."

"Ciel? Oh, you are looking a little pale now… You poor thing. Do you need to close your eyes?"

"Um, maybe… If that's all right…"

"Of course it's all right! Oh no, that party must have been so much for you. The girls and I were being so loud. Why didn't you say something? We could have left early. It would have been fine to do that. Then maybe you could have been well enough to have dinner."

"I don't know about that, Lizzie, I'm… going to shut my eyes now…"

"Good. I'll stop talking then. Oh, I'm just so sorry."

"Please, don't apologize." Ciel's voice was dreary, distant.

"Oh, Ciel… Just rest. Poor thing."

Sebastian imagined it was difficult but Elizabeth kept her word: she didn't speak for most of the journey back to her household. When they pulled up to her lantern-lined front drive, Sebastian heard her say, "Please write to me tomorrow so that I know that you're feeling better. And if you aren't feeling better, have Sebastian write to me instead. It's scary when illness comes on so quickly."

"I really don't think I'm sick, Lizzie. I just need to sleep. Please, don't make Uncle Alexis work himself up too. I promise, I'm going to be fine."

Sebastian opened the cab door. Elizabeth was helped down the step a moment later and said, "You will take good care of him, won't you, Sebastian?"

"Of course, Lady Elizabeth." Sebastian took a brief glance inside the compartment, at Ciel slumped against the far side by the window. "Of course I will." Lizzie was already out of earshot, the front door ushered open for her by the Midford's most esteemed footman, Hammond. She disappeared into the yellow halo of the entrance hall. Sebastian clicked the horses off into the night.

An hour later, they were home. Sebastian put down the step and opened the door for his lord. Ciel nearly stormed out of the carriage and ascended the front stairs with the long, purposeful strides of a person who has been soundly humiliated and does not wish to meet the eyes of another. Sebastian let him go — but only for now, he assured himself. Only until the clarence had been returned to the carriage house, the cobs returned to their stalls, dinner prepared, the milk tea off the stove, and the bath drawn and drained again. Then, Sebastian would speak.

It was Lyle's unwillingness to share his secret that had rattled Ciel this time. It was Lyle's insistence that the secret, once shared, could separate him further from the ones who were supposed to love him. Ciel had many secrets like that. There was one secret in particular that he clutched more tightly in his fist than any other. It was the secret of that horrible month, and what happened then, and the ways in which Ciel was hurt, and the things that were taken from him — things that could not be reclaimed. Sebastian knew what happened without being told outright. He had always known. He knew a great deal about what humans could lust for and what some humans were capable of when they lusted. They were capable of being demons.

Sebastian thought about waiting for Ciel to bring up the matter himself. But Ciel didn't bring it up when Sebastian delivered a light supper of consommé aux quenelles frites※※※※※※ to his study, and he didn't when it was time for bedtime milk tea, and he didn't before the bath. And it couldn't wait until tomorrow. This was different from the outburst when Ciel's clothing didn't fit him. That topic wasn't an easy one, but it was ultimately innocent, inconsequential, if Ciel decided he wasn't ready to share all his feelings until another day. This was different. This was something that couldn't fall to the wayside. It needed to be talked about. Now.

"Young master."

It was after the bath. Ciel was laying in bed on his stomach with an open book beside him, a forgotten distraction. His expression was thoughtful, perturbed. His eyes had been fixed on the corner of his pillow, but he blinked his focus back when Sebastian spoke to him. "What is it?" he sort of mumbled out. He cleared his throat. "What?"

Sebastian took a breath. His shoulders fell somewhat. No turning back. "I wanted to commend you for speaking to young Lyle earlier, sir. I know it wasn't easy to do. But I think it was very helpful for him to hear that someone noticed and understood his plight."

Ciel looked at Sebastian oddly. "Why do you care about that?" Then, with bite, "And who gave you permission to eavesdrop? You must have been putting real effort into it, considering you were busy playing that ridiculously annoying song."

"Yes, I did put effort into listening," Sebastian said. "And I'm glad that I did. I think it ended up being rather important."

"… I don't know about important," Ciel huffed. He thumbed at the pages of the book as he talked. "I mean, I… definitely confirmed that the 'danger' that happened to Lyle was real. Someone frightened him, he wasn't making it up. But I still don't know what it was specifically that occurred. And I don't think I really changed Lyle's mind on what to do about it. I'm not sure if there is anything more I can do. His parents already know something is going on, and Lyle refuses to be completely honest with them. And I'm not convinced he's in danger any more. It's… It should be out of our hands."

"I don't know what the best thing for Lyle is either," Sebastian said. "At the moment, I'm more concerned with you, my lord."

Ciel's posture hunched slightly. "What about me?"

"It seemed to me that that was not an easy conversation for you to have, sir. For the rest of the party after that, you were subdued. You even told Lady Elizabeth that you felt too unwell to have dinner with her family."

"Well, sorry if I wasn't in much of a festive mood after talking with a young boy about an occurrence that deeply terrified him," Ciel growled.

"I wouldn't expect you to be, young master," Sebastian said. He was doing his best to stay collected in the face of Ciel's spines, which he felt were all pointed at him right now. He had to persevere, even if Ciel was determined to label him a foe. He had to. "But I don't want to dismiss that something more serious and personal is happening for you, too. I think you understood Lyle Reubin very well. I think you could relate to the feelings that come with keeping a dark secret."

"So what?" Ciel sat back on his heels. Making himself look bigger. A cornered animal.

Sebastian lowered his chin. "If you could, then I imagine it must speak to an inner turmoil you are facing on your own right now. Feelings regarding a time when you too were in terrible danger."

The boy's face flinched with disgust. "Why does that matter? Why do you even want to talk about that? W-Why… Why do you always want to talk about these things lately?! Is it some new, sick demon pleasure to, to make me think about unpleasant things instead of just letting me move past them? You couldn't let me forget about the last mission, and now you're… now you're bringing that horrible month into this?! Who was even talking about it?! What makes you think I was thinking about that at all?!" Ciel was breathing heavily, his eyes wide and enraged.

This had escalated quickly. Sebastian realized that meant he had been exactly right. Ciel was defending himself from the very edge, because he was scared that he had been found out so easily. "This reaction certainly gives me cause to believe you were thinking about it, sir," he explained softly. "I don't mention it because I want you to feel distress. But I simply… I could not let it go unspoken."

"Why not?!" Ciel yelled. "Why can't you?! I was going to! I wasn't going to mention it at all, because it's better that way!"

"I don't think it is, sir. I think it is better that we speak about this than for you to have to be alone with your sadness and grief."

"Go away!" Ciel's look was wildly affronted. "That's an order!"

Sebastian didn't go away. He could feel the pressure of their contract pushing him to, but for now, he was able to fight the command. Staying here was better for Ciel's well-being. It had to be. It was. He had to make the boy see that. "Young master, please. Don't turn me away. This is not the time for you to be alone. I know, you feel very upset, and that you hate to make yourself vulnerable. But the way to move on from your pain… It isn't to ignore it."

"What the hell would you know about that?!" Ciel snapped. "And why aren't you leaving?! I said to go! "

With great effort, Sebastian sank to one knee. It was the only way he could keep his legs from carrying him out of the room then and there. "I don't… want to… defy your orders," he said in a strained voice. "But I'm… I'm not going to leave yet. Please." Sebastian fought to keep his eyes on Ciel's. "Take back your command."

"Why?!" Ciel leapt out of bed and pointed sharply at the door. "Get out of this room! Get away from me! I said it's an order, and I meant it! Go already!"

It was like being bludgeoned by the waves of a hurricane right against the top of his skull. Such words from his contracted soul had the power to sweep Sebastian away. Ciel knew that well. The only reason the command hadn't fully worked its magic was because Sebastian was clinging desperately to the small possibility that this was the right thing to do.

But at the same time, Ciel looked so terribly frightened.

"If it has to be so… I will leave," said Sebastian, voice returning with the acceptance of the demand. "But… I believe you should consider your own advice. That you aren't in danger anymore. That keeping secrets is only making you miserable. And that sharing them may bring you more peace than you can imagine. I know that Lyle refuted that. I know you saw his point. That to share a secret with others is very scary; that it may not make you feel any better, in the end. I would like you to challenge that. For if you don't, this cycle of terror you've locked yourself in may only continue."

Turning his back to go relaxed the pressure that disobeying the order had built up. But there was a secondary, deeper relief that came from hearing the boy say, "Wait."

Pausing his exit was the easiest command to obey.

"Don't… Don't pretend like my situation isn't… different from Lyle's," Ciel said, words stilted with the difficulty of speaking them. "Everything about it is different. My family would be… devastated if I told them. It isn't just about me. It isn't just about my happiness or misery. It's about theirs. It's about protecting them."

"Perhaps it is, in part," said Sebastian, "but I think that isn't entirely true. I think you are trying to protect yourself — from the possibility that they might hate you."

Sebastian thought he heard a small intake of breath.

"Frankly, I think the possibility that they might hate anyone other than those who hurt you," Sebastian continued, "is none at all, sir."

The room was silent with the sound of contained emotion.

"I cannot tell you what to do. But I can tell you that what I feel when I consider your predicament is… sympathy."

And so it had been said. So it had to be said. For how could Sebastian continue to preach on the goodness of sharing secrets when he kept one of his own? And how strange, that the world did not fall apart at the mere mention of a demon's sympathy. It did not even pause a moment to recognize the gravity of those words for the demon who spoke them. And wasn't that, on its own, an incredible relief?

"You do?" said Ciel in the lightest voice.

"Yes," said Sebastian.

"Oh," said Ciel.

It was very, very quiet for a moment.

"So, I guess I've tricked you, too," the boy finally said.

Those words… Sebastian furrowed his brow. His initial, primal instinct was to panic. It was the thing he had feared all these months, and it was no new predicament. He had had masters try to trick him in the past into somehow escaping the contract with their souls untouched. None had succeeded, or even come close. But still, his thoughts followed the old grooves and assumed, for a moment, that Ciel was saying he had planned this after all. That a human had finally conned a demon into caring for him and was about to give his victory speech.

But no, that wasn't right. 'I've tricked you, too,' Ciel had said. And not happily, either. And… in response to being told that someone felt sadness for him.

'I've tricked you, too.' Was the boy admitting that he believed the only way anyone could care about him was if they had been fooled into doing so?

Sebastian turned around abruptly to face Ciel. Ciel startled and raised a hand to his face as if afraid it bore some emotion he did not want to be seen. Sebastian closed the distance between them, went to one knee. He put his hands on his charge's arms and made his expression firm. "Young master, you cannot accidentally manipulate people into feeling sorry for you. That isn't possible."

Ciel looked down at Sebastian with that same uncertainty and worry. He didn't say anything yet. He seemed to be letting Sebastian decide where the conversation would go; perhaps realizing how defenseless he felt and knowing that to open his mouth could mean revealing another secret fear.

That was all right. Sebastian could manage the discussion from here. "I am sorry for not leaving when you asked me to just now," he said, hands still steady on those young but strengthening arms. "It wasn't my intention to defy you or act domineering. I did it because I need you to understand that I won't go away just because things are hard. You are accustomed to being alone with your anger and sadness. I understand why. It is what life has taught you is best. But I think it is time for you to learn a different lesson. There is no need for us to repeat the events of February and March just to come to the same conclusion. Instead, I want you to try and tell me when you are upset. I know it won't be easy. So I give you my promise that I won't mock you. I won't endeavor to make you uncomfortable. And I wouldn't suggest it, unless I thought it might ease your burden. But I know if you continue to keep everything to yourself, it will only result in another explosion. Why not avoid that, if we can?"

Sebastian knew that if he'd delivered this speech when Ciel was feeling confident or cross, it would have gone badly. In this moment of vulnerability, there was an unexpected bravery. Ciel, while still afraid, hadn't interrupted Sebastian. He was reciprocating what he was saying. And though it was with notable reluctance, Ciel responded with a small nod.

Sebastian responded in kind with a small smile. "I'm glad to see you feel that way, sir. Thank you for listening to me." He let Ciel's arms go now. It wouldn't be right, to keep holding his master like that without a clear reason. But he did not stand or drop his gaze. "How are you feeling now?"

Ciel coughed. He turned away and draped an arm over his stomach. "Um… I'm feeling as though… I want to be alone."

So, it was still too much. Sebastian knew it was best to accept that their dialogue would end here. Truth be told, he had asked a lot of the boy. "That makes sense. It has been a very emotional day. I understand, if you need your space. But… I'm glad that you want to change the way we communicate, going forward."

"I guess." Ciel shrugged. He chewed on his lip. "Er… Sebastian?"

Maybe the dialogue wouldn't end here. "Yes, sir?"

The boy couldn't look anywhere but at the carpet. "I know I'll regret asking this later, but…" Ciel's eyes tightened. "Everything that… happened. Up to summoning you. That horrible month. You think that would be considered… forgivable?"

The answer came to Sebastian easily, as though he had rehearsed it many times. "It is not a thing that requires forgiveness. It was not your fault. Rather, I would say it is something I have no doubt would be met with acceptance."

Ciel's eyelids squeezed shut, and he spun away. He stood there, shoulders tightening, fists clenching and unclenching for half a minute. Finally, he said, "Better that it's you, to… to see me like this." He swallowed hard against his trembling voice. "Better that it's you. The one who can't leave me or lie to me. If the others… If anyone else… said what you said just now… I wouldn't believe them. Not a bit. I'm still not even fully convinced I should believe you. But then I remember the rules of our contract, and I know I can count on those. Sometimes it feels like the only thing that I can count on."

It was such a brilliant and telling speech, right from the boy's core. Sebastian opened his mouth to respond to it, but Ciel interrupted him intentionally. "I don't want to hear your thoughts. No more on this right now. I meant what I said, I want to be alone. You can come back at eight a.m. Until then, unless I call for you, leave me be. And, please… for goodness sake, actually go this time."

Sebastian's ears perked. How interesting… That last sentence was spoken with the same light exhaustion the young master might award the other servants, when they had done something wrong but Ciel knew they only meant well. Sebastian had never had that voice used towards himself. But maybe that was not a bad thing.

He bowed his head, features softening. "Yes, sir. I will take my leave then. And do rest well."

The door shut with the smallest click, enough to still be noticeable. And then, that was that. He had done it. He had spoken to the young master about sympathy and anger and sadness and hurt without it ending in complete disaster. There were so many chances for things to go wrong. But somehow, he had driven the rickety cart along its path and ended at the station without losing any cargo along the way.

Once, months ago in this very hallway, Sebastian had marveled at the notion of a demon guiding a human child through adolescence. How curious it was, then, that that human child would say to him now, in not so few words, "You are the only one who can be my guide." And it wasn't the first time, was it? When Sebastian reached to take that little hand nearly five years ago, he had not thought of it that way. Had not seen himself as the boy's savior. Had not seen the boy's request as one for a guardian.

But it had never been anything else. Then, now, across that span of seconds and years. And so Sebastian finally spoke his acceptance aloud for the walls and floors and the night to know.

"Yes, it is I. I am the one who will be your guide. Now, I am here."

※: Town Topics was a gossip magazine focused on high society, first published in 1885.

※※: A type of four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage.

※※※: In Victorian England, noble girls couldn't look for a husband until they had been presented in court, usually between the ages of 16 and 18. A girl would be accompanied by a reputable woman (typically her mother) to meet the Queen. The girl would dress up nicely, perform a full court curtsy, and kiss the Queen's hand. This changed the girl's status from one of a child to one of an adult in the eyes of society. A girl who has "come out" is one who has completed her court presentation.

※※※※: It would be another three years until the Hawaiian monarchy was illegally and unjustly overthrown by American business moguls and sugar planters.

※※※※※: Deerstalker was a parlor game involving two people, one playing the part of the deer and the other the stalker. Both are blindfolded and placed at opposite ends of a long table. Then players are allowed to move around the table's perimeter only. It's the job of the deer to try to get to the other side of the table without being caught by the stalker. Onlookers often shouted instructions to help either player win.

※※※※※※: Consommé aux quenelles frites is very similar to chicken-and-dumpling soup.

From here out in the story, we are going to see more Dadbastian, but we're also going to be exploring the themes of Ciel's trauma more deeply. I'd like to give a heads up about what that will mean, because while a story needs certain secrets and twists to remain interesting, I don't want to use a child's safety status as a cliffhanger for those who are feeling apprehensive. However, if you prefer remaining 100% spoiler-free and don't consider yourself someone who appreciates content warnings, feel free to skip this.

Spoilers in the form of content warnings ahead! Specific details will not be revealed, but general plot points will be.

Firstly, Lyle. Ciel is right: Lyle is safe. And he has not been physically harmed. But something has clearly frightened him, emotionally harmed him, and that something will remain a mystery until later on.

Next, Ciel. We know Ciel is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, and I have absolutely no intentions of putting him through anything like what he experienced in the cult. An adult will never touch Ciel in a sexual manner in this story. But similarly to the Circus Arc, we will see Ciel in situations where he has to contend with his past. That means there will be more discussions about CSA going forward.

I don't intend to write anything that is more shocking or explicit than the manga itself. If you can read the manga without feeling personally distressed, Coattails shouldn't be an issue for you either. There will never be any CSA scenes written in graphic detail, past or present, or any that are happening "on-screen" either, if that makes sense.