( chapter one ! )
"It is time to get up, My Lady."
The curtains to the once-dark room are drawn open, hitting her face and causing her to shift in discomfort. Lifting a hand to her eyes, the teen sits up in her bed and gives the butler an annoyed look, the man's blonde hair sticking out through her tired and hazy view of the world.
"Thomas? Why are you here this morning? Where is Anna?" Leah reluctantly tears the plush blanket from her legs, eyeing her butler with a look of displeasure that he is the one to wake her.
"I am afraid Anna is busy with something this morning, I am here in her stead," Thomas bows apologetically, knowing how much the girl seems to dislike him, "Will you be skipping breakfast again, My Lady?"
A silent nod is the only response the butler gets from Leah, disregarding the cart to instead walk towards the teen's closet and pick out her outfit for the day. Pulling out a gentle blue dress adorned with ribbons and lace, Thomas sets it on the bed before fetching the accessories to match.
"I shall dress you, My Lady."
Scoffing, Leah crosses her arms and turns her head away, sticking up her nose with a dissatisfied noise.
"I am too old for that now! A man that is not my husband shouldn't see me in such a way!"
"I apologize, My Lady. I will blindfold myself and do it that way."
Thomas is quick to pull a blindfold out of his pocket, seemingly carrying it the entire time which causes the teen to look in dismay.
"Why do you just happen to be carrying a blindfold on you?!"
"That isn't important, My Lady. Now let's get you dressed."
Sighing with a kick of her feet, Leah stands from the bed and strips herself of her nightgown as Thomas blindfolds himself, covering his sharp blue eyes. How is he supposed to see what he's doing like that? However he'll manage, it isn't important to her as she settles the corset over her torso and turns around to allow the butler to tie it. As much as she dislikes Thomas, he does know just how tight she likes her corset to be.
Seating herself on the edge of her bed, the noble lady lets her butler slip her dress on, removing the blindfold to kneel and place her shoes on her feet.
"Today's agenda only consists of your visit to Lord Phantomhive's manor."
A nod and a hum come from Leah in response, standing from her bed and waltzing over to her mirror. The Barrett girl places her accessories on, wrapping the choker around her neck and putting her earrings on as she allows Thomas to simultaneously brush her hair and put it up. Leah has always strived to look good, perhaps a bit obsessed with her looks, and visiting Ciel certainly never helps. Nothing ever stops her from going above and beyond.
Now ready for the day, Leah bids Thomas goodbye before setting off down the hall in an excited manner. Visiting her betrothed is always something she enjoys, even if he never seems to be all that happy. Bumping into a firm back, the girl nearly stumbles back onto her bottom before she's grabbed by the arm.
"You shouldn't run indoors, Leah. It's bad manners."
Leah looks up at the sound of her older brother, Daniel's, voice, and a frown makes its way onto her face. When the girl gets overly excited or happy, she often forgets how to properly act and embarrasses herself or acts out of line.
"Sorry.." Leah mutters, looking down at the ground to avoid her brother's gaze as he towers over her, "But it isn't a crime to run in my own home."
Daniel doesn't seem to hear the second part of her sentence, just chuckling to himself before continuing down the hall to the manor's library. Waiting until her brother is out of view, Leah is quick to pick up her running again, giggling as she sees a maid standing outside the door. A clear signal that a carriage is ready to take her to Ciel's manor.
"Say hello to my future son-in-law for me!" Her father calls from the stairs, looking down at his daughter with a gushing smile. Beside the man is his wife, Vivienne bidding her daughter a silent goodbye with a small smile attached to her lips, giggling at her husband's behavior.
An unimpressed smile sits on Leah's face, swallowing her secondhand embarrassment and nodding to her father's wish. You'd think Ciel was HIS betrothed with how he acts about him.. Shaking her head one last time, Leah makes her way out the door and helps herself into the carriage, cheerfully kicking her feet once it sets off to the Phantomhive Manor.
Leah claps giddily as the carriage arrives at the Phantomhive Manor, horses slowly pulling it to a gentle stop. Swinging the door open, the girl helps herself out and speed walks up the steps and to the door, lifting her delicate hand to knock. Within just a few moments, the large double doors open and Sebastian is smiling down at her.
"Lady Leah? What a surprise! What brings you here today?" Sebastian wears a surprised look, eyes wider than usual as he looks down at the noblewoman standing before him.
"I came to visit Ciel, of course! Did you not get the letter I sent yesterday?" Leah's voice trails off in confusion, a pout beginning to form on her lips at the thought of her letter not being delivered.
"Oh. Your letter! How could I forget? Welcome back, M'lady."
Sebastian lies through his teeth to not upset the girl, though surely it would be better to have been honest. Now she will intrude on Ciel and his dinner later, and getting her to leave will be a chore.
"Is Ciel in his study?"
"Yes, as he always is, M'lady.."
Saying a quick thank you, Leah forces herself not to run through the halls, instead walking briskly towards the stoic boys' study. Humming a happy tune to herself, she lets a smile work its way onto her face the closer she gets to the door.
In the nearly three years since the teens had gotten engaged, Leah changed immensely. She had matured both physically and mentally, 'blooming' as her mother would say. The girl's shyness had died down, still there but quite dormant compared to before, replacing itself with a more blissful tone.
Ciel had certainly spoken too soon when he thought she wouldn't annoy him, though Leah isn't nearly as bad as Elizabeth, she still has her moments where she leaves Ciel mentally exhausted after a visit. Putting both girls together is like a tornado to the boy, somewhat glad that Leah isn't particularly fond of Elizabeth's personality.
Not that Leah was mean, though. Elizabeth would often agitate her, striking her nerves and draining her social battery beyond repair. As annoyed as she could get with the whiney girl, she could never bring herself to be rude to her, Elizabeth was never mean-spirited after all. Taking on the role of the girl's friend, Leah would spend time with Elizabeth — often reluctantly — to be nice and keep the girl satisfied. She does have her moments where she likes Elizabeth, even if some would say it may be awkward to be friends with your betrothed's past fiancé.
Knocking quietly on the door to Ciel's study, the young woman smiles to herself when she hears his soft 'Come in' from the other side. Opening the door, Leah bounds into the room with the dress of her skirt following in tow.
"Hello, Ciel!"
"Leah? What are you doing here?!"
Pausing in front of his desk, Leah stares blankly at her betrothed and takes in his startled tone. There's a wave of silence that follows, creeping its way through the air before it gets cut.
"I came to visit you! It's been two months since we've seen each other! I told you in my letter that I would be visiting today. Oh, and my father says hello." Leah nods along to her words, clasping her hands together as she looks down at Ciel's seated form.
"Letter? What letter?" Ciel's brows furrow as he tries to recall if he received any letter from Leah, face unchanging when he can't think of anything.
"You did get my letter, right? Sebastian says you did!" Tilting her head in confusion, yet another pout begins to form on Leah's face, leaning her hands onto the desk.
Ciel starts to slowly shake his head but stops in his tracks when he sees a face peering in through the door, dragging his eyes away from his fiancés's face and onto Sebastian. Squinting his eyes, he stares incredulously and his thoughts jumble as he tries to make sense of what the butler is signaling before focusing back on Leah.
"Ah, now I remember. I apologize, seems it slipped my mind with my work and such. How long do you plan on staying?" Ciel exhales through his nose in disappointment, realizing he'll have to spend some of his day keeping up with a lie. He can only hope she doesn't ask him anything about the contents of the letter.
"Trying to get rid of me already?," Leah smiles teasingly, admiring the face of her betrothed, "I'll be staying for dinner and leave shortly after!"
"I'm having a guest over for dinner. I hope you don't mind sitting in on business chatter."
"Oh, I don't mind! I'm here to spend time with you after all, it won't be much different than when you are just being unresponsive."
A deadpan look flashes upon the face of the earl, choosing to ignore her comment on his unresponsiveness.
"I'm afraid I don't know what to do to keep you entertained, I was planning on doing my work, I'm quite busy as you know."
Pursing her lips, the young lady puts her finger to her chin in thought and taps her heel against the floor. Ciel owns many board games but that doesn't seem to interest her before settling on an idea,
"We can play cards! I've been practicing just for you, I know how much you enjoy it!" Leaning forward, Leah claps joyfully with a wide smile spreads itself across her face. She had picked up many things that Ciel liked or enjoyed, wanting to find ways to bond with him and get him out of his shell.
"Practicing.. for me?" Ciel's words come out slow, stunned as he takes in the words of the girl standing across from him.
"Practicing, yes! In my free time away from my lessons I make my brother play with me," Nodding to herself, the noblewoman recalls the amount of effort it took to get the idea of how cards work into her brain, "Thankfully my brother tolerates me, I'm afraid if he didn't love me as much as he does, he would have killed me by now.."
An understanding hum leaves the sixteen-year-old, moving his head in acknowledgment and leaning his elbow onto the armrest of the chair.
"Your lessons, how are they going?"
"I'm so glad you asked, they are going swimmingly! I've finished most of my language courses, nearly done with dancing, and I am faring well with poetry though I can't say I enjoy it. What is the news of yours?"
Leah can't deny how happy she gets when Ciel asks about her, always excited to share new information with the boy and talk his ear off. Ciel isn't much of a talker so typically the conversation is left to be carried by her, so giving her an easy topic idea is always a help, and it makes her feel like her betrothed cares about her daily activities.
"Fencing is alright I suppose.. I can't say the same for dancing."
"Yes, you do have two left feet."
"WHAT?!"
Covering her mouth to avoid letting a giggle slip, Leah bites down on her lip and forces a closed-eye smile. Ciel has never been good with dancing, even he can admit it, yet whenever she calls him out about it he still tries to act as if no one has said it to him before.
"At the last ball we attended together you kept stepping on my toes! I had bruises on them for a week.." Looking down, the young girl sees flashes of her repeatedly saying 'Ouch!' and examining her feet when she arrived home, purple taking over her once pale skin. For someone as light as Ciel, you wouldn't think it would hurt so much if he stepped on your feet.
"Ug- I-," Ciel stammers for an explanation, a flush covering his cheeks in embarrassment when hearing his betrothed's words, "I'm not that bad!"
"If telling yourself that helps you sleep at night.."
There's a twitch in Ciel's eyes, taking a deep breath to distract from the fact that he was just inadvertently insulted. The Phantomhive forces the edges of his mouth to move themselves up, reaching into his desk to pull out a box of cards. Releasing the cards from their confinement, Ciel waves his hand as a signal for Leah to sit in the seat across from him, getting a delighted squeal in return.
An hour passes of the two talking and enjoying their game of cards, and Ciel has beaten Leah three times in a row. Despite all of her practice, Ciel is much more skilled than her and always seems to have a trick up his sleeve. Perhaps I should practice more? Losing doesn't upset the teenager, though it does discourage her from feeling like learning paid off. After all, she's always been much more book-smart than game-smart.
"You're too good at this, Ciel..," Leah sulks in her seat and stares down at the cards in her hand, "How do you always have the right cards?"
"Luck, I supp—," Before a prideful smirk could settle itself onto Ciel's face, the Earl is cut off by the sound of an explosion in the distance.
Turning around in her chair, Leah gives an incredulous look towards the door of her fiancé's study. Such a noise would strike alert in anybody, especially one as sudden as the pair have just heard.
"Oh my, what was that noise?" Leah glances back at Ciel, furrowing her brows at the deafening silence that now fills the room.
"I'm sure it is nothing to worry about," Ciel starts, trying to dismiss the girl's worry, "It is probably that no good chef of mine partaking in his usual shenanigans."
The ghost of a scowl can be seen on Ciel's face if you stare hard enough, the thought of his incompetent servants is one he prefers to not welcome into his mind.
"Bardroy? Is this a normal occurrence? Perhaps we should check on him to be sure he is alright!" Leah exclaims, a daunting feeling haunting her previously chipper mood.
"No need, I am sure Sebastian is on top of it," Placing a spade on the table, Ciel shows a lack of interest in the matter at hand, "You shouldn't worry yourself with what the help is doing."
Staring down at the set of cards in her hand, the Lady huffs to herself before reaching her hands down to take another card from the pile.
"I suppose so.."
Down in the servant's quarters of the Phantomhive Manor, smoke fills the kitchen, and coughing echos from all directions. With damaged hair and covered in ash, Bardroy smiles cheekily at the butler who appears far from impressed.
"All three of you have made a mess as usual. How did this happen?" Sebastian's voice is filled with nothing more than disappointment, having just seen the disaster Finnian and Mey-rin have caused themselves.
"There was a lot of meat to be cooked for dinner, and it was going to take a long time," A disgruntled pause rips itself through the chef's sentence, "I used me flamethrower.."
A sigh of irritation escapes Sebastian, trying to recollect his thoughts in such disarray. Despite this being such a common occurrence, it never makes it easier to accept the behavior.
"Must you all do this when we have the Lady Barrett and Sir Damian as guests this evening?" The servants huddle together and shudder at Sebastian's serious demeanor, ready for what feels like the hundredth scolding.
There is a prolonged silence as Sebastian creates a separate plan in his head, wondering how he can fix such mistakes this time. Glancing over toward Tanaka, a lightbulb practically lights up above his head.
"Everyone. Listen closely and do exactly as I say, understand? We must be quick about this. We might save this night yet," Moving around the counter, Sebastian prepares to set up what is needed, "And Bardroy, please lock away your flamethrower when the Lady is visiting. She has expressed a heavy distaste for loud and sudden noises. I'm sure you've startled her."
A look of guilt is sewn onto the chef's face, scratching the back of his head as he tries to form an indirect apology. Before any words can leave his mouth, Sebastian quickly ushers the servants to start working, cutting their 'fun' short.
Upon the arrival of Sir Damian, the young couple move themselves to the drawing room in preparation to entertain the guest. A board game Leah has never seen before is sprawled across the table the teens are sitting by, observing the odd nature of the game. 'Body is burnt by raging flames..? What kind of game is this?'
"Buona sera, Ciel! Are you well?"
The silence of the room is quickly filled by a powerful voice, that of Sir Damian making his entrance to the drawing room. Standing from her once seated position, Leah plasters a smile on her face to do her best at being welcoming. After all, this is a chance to show off her skill of entertaining guests, yet another thing to ensure that she is a perfect future wife for the Earl beside her.
"You came, Damian." Ciel's voice is rather unenthusiastic, the blank eyes of his unchanging.
The faintest bow comes from the young lady, enough out of respect but not enough to show she is of higher status, trying to be most hospitable despite the man being more Ciel's guest than hers.
"Ah, who is this fine lady?" Sir Damian approaches the two, arms outstretched in an attempt to hug the Earl, "A sight for sore eyes!"
With a flushed face, Leah clears her throat as her fiancé unwillingly takes the affection from the Italian. The shy personality of the girl may have relieved itself, but it never entirely left and she has always struggled with meeting new people.
"Leah Barrett, daughter of Marquess Barrett," Leah places a hand to her chest as she introduces herself, "Ciel's betrothed."
"Ciel never told me he is engaged! Why hide such a thing? The bride-to-be is certainly something worth flaunting." Sir Damian smirks to himself, nodding to the girl.
An unimpressed look is quick to be hidden on Leah's face, not appreciating being spoken of as nothing more than a pretty face, though making no objections to his words. In such a high-class society, even in the lower classes, women aren't held in much regard, something the girl has always despised.
"Perhaps I should go for a walk in the garden? I have never been one for board games." Leah forces a smile on her face, hoping to get out of the situation now that the factory manager has run his mouth.
"Stay." Ciel voices from his now seated position, staring up at his fiancé with a knowing look.
Pursing her lips, Leah gives Sir Damian one last forced smile before shuffling to seat herself once more. 'I should have left when Ciel mentioned a dinner guest..' Setting her hands in her lap, the girl examines the game board as she had been earlier, still off put by the horrific nature of the game.
Seating himself as well, Damian settles before taking a glance between the two youths.
"Are we to talk business with the Lady in the room? We wouldn't want to bore her!" Damian lets out a hearty laugh, finding his nonexistent joke funny.
"I don't mind, talk away." Leah takes her turn first, spinning the dice, moving five spaces, and leading her game piece to a safe spot.
"I see. Well, the progress we've been making with the East Indian Factory is quite astonishing. We already have the makings of a top-notch staff." Italian accent cutting through the air, Damian spits his lies before he is cut short by Ciel.
"Bewitched by the eyes of the dead. What terrible luck. It appears I lose a turn." The young earl's words are met with a faint chuckle, Sir Damian wanting to continue their discussion.
Leah sits idly, waiting for her turn and paying little mind to the two men who discuss business before her. She has seen her fair share of meetings between businessmen, courtesy of spying on her father, and this one has a lack of interest in her.
"Right now is the perfect time. We should begin expanding the company and building a strong labor force, it would-" Sir Damian is cut short once again by Ciel.
"Go on. It's your turn." Pressing his back against the chair, Ciel folds his hands together and keeps with his reserved manner.
Damian lets out a crisp breath of air when he is interrupted, holding back a look of irritation. The Italian man is not here to talk about the game, which Ciel and Leah are much more focused on.
"Oh, yes. I just spin this then," Spinning the dice, Sir Damian lands five like Leah had before him.
"Okay there, five spaces. Now, what I wanted to ask you. Perhaps you could contribute another twelve thousand pounds to support our expansion? I believe it will be quite a profitable venture for you, my Lord, and I would consider it an honor to help expand the Funtom Company.."
Twirling the dice in her manicured hand, Leah chews on her bottom lip and observes the two men seated beside her. Picking up her game piece, she moves it three spaces, 'burnt at the stake'. A low hum escapes her, only able to assume that's certainly not good.
"Lose a leg in the enchanted forest. And it's your turn again. I lost a turn, remember?" Damian is stunned for a few short moments when Ciel speaks, finding trouble focusing on the game.
"Oh, I see," Sir Damian leans forward in his chair, spinning the dice before it lands on its side. "Right, I move six."
"You don't. That's three." Ciel is quick to enforce the rules of the game.
"What exactly is the point of this game?" Leah mumbles under her breath, brows furrowed as she tries to figure out what the end goal is meant to be.
"What? But.."
"You lost a leg, if you recall. Now you only move half the number of spaces."
A nod comes from the quiet girl, her brain consuming the information as it is spoken.
"Yes, that would make sense.." Placing her chin on her hand, Leah pays little mind to Sir Damian who begins to chuckle at the board game's nature.
"Oh my, haha. This is a gruesome board game, isn't it? Is there no way for me to restore my leg, then?" The Italian appears amused, though Leah can't help but feel he's overcompensating.
"I'm afraid once something is truly lost, sir, that one can never get it back again," Ciel leans across the table, snatching Damian's piece out of his hand. "Your body is burnt by raging flames."
A quiet gasp escapes Sir Damian before he glances down at the board, eyes closing themselves into a smaller shape when he notes what part of the board his piece is sat upon. Burnt at the stake.
"Well, I don't suppose that is entirely true! I once lost my favorite stuffed animal, and couldn't find it for weeks before it was finally found and returned to me! I had almost lost all hope that I would never see Lord Ducky again.." Replacing the once cold atmosphere at Ciel's previous statement, Leah tries to uplift the feeling in the room with a ridiculous story from her childhood.
Staring at his fiancé with an incredulous look, Ciel can't find it in him to form a comment on her speaking of a toy after something with such a serious undertone. However, a loud laugh is quick to interrupt his train of thought and drive his gaze away from the more innocent girl, listening to Sir Damian make noise across from him.
In the kitchen, Bardroy cuts off the burnt piece of the meat with a cleaver, a content Finnian watching from the other side of the counter with a smile on his face.
"How is it going?" Sebastian walks into the doorway, observing the chef as he goes about his appointed job.
"I'm doin' it like you said to," Bard turns around, holding up the meat with the cut side to show the butler, "Is this really want you want?"
"Yes, that looks excellent." Sebastian praises, head turning to his left at the sound of a yell.
"Sebastian! Found 'em!" Meyrin comes running down the hallway, happily exclaiming with a high pile of boxes stacked in her hands. "Aah!"
The clumsy maid's happiness is quick to fall short though, tripping over her own feet and sending the boxes and herself flying into the air. Effortlessly catching the boxes with his feet and hands, Sebastian stares down at Meyrin who collides with his chest.
"Oh, honestly. How many times have I told you not to run inside the manor, Meyrin?" Sebastian gently scolds, observing the bright red face that looks up to meet his. "And again with the loud noises. Now what if I hadn't caught this and you startled the Lady Barrett?"
Squealing in embarrassment, Meyrin hastily retracts herself from Sebastian, scrambling back at having caught herself in such a manner.
"I'm so sorry, sir! My glasses cracked and I can't see a thing!" Meyrin apologizes loudly, face still flushed as she keeps a few feet distance between the butler and herself.
Kicking the last box up from his foot, the demon butler graciously catches it on the pile of the rest.
"These are the last items we needed for dinner." A smile sits upon Sebastian's face, turning his attention to Bardroy and Finnian who now watch the the doorway.
"Splendid work, everyone. And now I believe you can leave the rest of it to me and relax for a bit. But I need you to do well, very well, during dinner tonight." The closed-eyed smile continues to paint Sebastian's face, trying to get his point across to the usually incompetent servants.
"He said it twice.." Bard mumbles.
"Ooh, that's serious," Finnian responds, keeping his eyes on the butler from his spot safe in the doorway of the kitchen.
Back in the drawing room, Ciel and his two guests have continued their conversations and game. The three are then interrupted by Sebastian opening the door, allowing himself in.
"Pardon the interruption, but dinner is served." The demon butler announces, the previous smile on his face gone.
"Oh, dining out in that exquisite stone garden? Shall we go, my Lord?" Sir Damian begins to rise from his chair before halting his movements at Ciel's voice.
"Very well, we'll finish the game later," Ciel states, not bothering to glance up at the Italian.
"Oh, is there any real need to finish it? It's obvious I'm going to lose." Sir Damian puts a fake smile on his face, one that Leah can easily detect. She knows those looks from anywhere, the same ones she gives to Thomas when he is getting on her nerves.
"I'm not in the habit of abandoning games halfway through." Rising from his seat, Ciel takes a few steps forward.
"How childish." Sir Damian fails to conceal his voice to a quieter tone, finger to his eyebrow with a light glare towards the young Earl.
Facing his head around, Ciel looks at the Italian from the corner of his eye when he hears the words leave his mouth clear as day. Both Leah and her betrothed watch as Damian stumbles over his words, trying to excuse himself.
"Oh I, I mean that sometimes it takes a child's eyes to see what's really important. It's a true gift. Maybe that's what's made the Phantomhives the nation's foremost toy makers. If certainly impresses me!" Sir Damian follows suit in rising from his seat, the glare from Sebastian going unnoticed by him.
Stomach faintly grumbling, Leah glances around in embarrassment to make sure no one hears. Skipping breakfast, and now lunch has certainly taken its toll on her. Feeling hungry and exhausted, she wants to wait no longer.
"Please do wait to continue your business chatter at the dining table, I am feeling rather famished and would prefer to not be kept up in here much longer." Leah moves around the table, hand placed on her forehead theatrically. If there's one thing she's good at, it's getting out of conversations. That and being dramatic.
Lights circle the perimeter of a platform placed above raked sand, a long dining table sat square in the middle, with two chairs on the end and one in the middle. The group of three sit quietly and listen as Sebastian explains dinner, taken aback when they see it.
"On tonight's menu is a dish of finely sliced raw beef donburi courtesy of our chef Bardroy," Sebastian speaks, having the dishes placed in front of the dinner guests as they stare down with confused faces.
"A pile of raw beef. And this is dinner?" Sir Damian holds a shocked expression on his face, eyes wide open at such a foreign concept to him.
"Yes, but surely you have heard of it? This, good sir, is a traditional Japanese delicacy, a dish offered as a sign of gratitude to someone who has accomplished important work. That, sir, is the wonder of donburi!" Sebastian goes on a long spiel about the food, sending Damian into a winded state.
Staring from her side of the table, Leah glances at her bowl with an uneasy look. She didn't expect something so out of her usual comfort zone, a picky eater at heart that will be thoroughly disappointed if she doesn't enjoy the food.
"Is he always like this?" Leah turns her attention to Ciel, acknowledging the behavior from Sebastian that she finds rather unusual compared to the normal quiet she sees from the butler.
"No. This is just Sebastian doing more than he needs to." Ciel gives his butler an unimpressed look but doesn't comment any further, letting the demon speak for him.
"This is a token from our master, to show his thanks for all your hard work on the company's behalf. He wanted you to know that it's much appreciated." Returning to his normal self, Sebastian watches as Damian sinks into his seat with a bemused look.
On the sidelines, the servants admire from a bush amongst the garden, wearing headbands adorned with leaves in an attempt to blend in.
"Now that's our Sebastian for you!" Finnian's eyes sparkle at the sight.
"He saved the day." Baldroy's voice is lower than it typically is, a couple of inches behind Finnian.
"Ho ho ho.." Tanaka comments, a cup of steaming green tea sits in his hand.
"Excellent, what an inspired idea! The legendary Phantomhive hospitality in action!" Sir Damian exclaims, arms outstretched as Ciel and Leah already begin eating their meal.
Standing off to the side, Sebastian has Meyrin with a cart of wine, hand outstretched to her.
"The vintage we are pouring tonight was specially selected to compliment the flavor of soy sauce. Meyrin." A low hum leaves Sebastian when he notices the maid isn't moving, "Now Meyrin."
Leah watches from her seat at the table, carefully placing the meat in her mouth and chewing slowly to try and become used to the texture. The girl's head tilts when she notices that Meyrin's face turns a stark red, Sebastian leaning down to her ear, hand barely covering his moving lips.
"Why are you just standing there? Pour the man a glass of wine." Sebastian urges, brows furrowed at the maid's antics.
As Meyrin approaches the table with shaking hands, wine bottle clasped tightly between them, the servants in the bush watch the nervous woman's behavior with mumbled comments.
"Sebastian is watching me. I can't take it. Don't look at me that way!" Leaning her hands down, Meyrin miscalculates where the glass is due to the crack in her lenses, now spilling wine all over the tablecloth.
In the bush, the rest of the servants watch in horror at the scene.
"Meyrin, stop it! Can't you see you're spilling the wine?" Finnian's voice however is not loud enough to be heard.
Dining with a content aura surrounding her, Leah doesn't even notice the chaos beginning to form around her. When the tablecloth is ripped from under everyone's plates, she can't help but gasp at the clattering sounds of the dishes.
"Oh my!"
"Oh? Where did the tablecloth go?"
Finnian and Baldroy are quick to rush to the scene, grabbing Meyrin on both sides of her arms and starting to drag the dizzy maid out of sight.
"A speck of dirt, most unsightly. I had the cloth removed so it wouldn't distract us. Think nothing of it." Ciel speaks with a light smirk on his face, holding a piece of raw meat in between his chopsticks before swiftly taking a bite.
'That pair are so strange.' Leah thinks to herself, awkwardly continuing to eat her dinner and trying to not acknowledge the now missing cloth.
"Please accept my apologies, sir. Do continue. Enjoy the meal at your leisure." Sebastian bows from beside Ciel's chair.
"Oh, Oh my! Lord Phantomhive, once again you have truly impressed me. What an able butler you've acquired." Sir Damian chuckles when he observes the butler clad in black not far behind his master.
"Pay him no mind. He merely acts as befits one of my servants." Ciel smirks, proud though knowing he did none of the work.
"My master is quite correct about that. Naturally, you see, I am simply one hell of a butler." Glancing up at Damian, there's a strange look to Sebastian that Leah can't place her finger on.
Shifting his head with a begrudging 'humph.', Ciel puts his attention back onto his dinner and fiancé who has been oddly quiet the whole time. However, when he looks her way, a faint smile works its way onto his face when he sees her immersed in her food, resulting in her silent nature.
Returning to the drawing-room, the trio find themselves back in their original seats, staring at the untouched board game. With a glance out the window, Leah knows her time at the Phantomhive Manor is soon coming to an end, a puff to her cheeks at the thought.
"That was a thoroughly enjoyable dinner, my lord. Now then, about the contract.." Damian is quick to want to get back to discussing business, barely seated himself, and wants to go home soon.
"Before we discuss that, we must finish the game." Ciel sits down himself, keeping his gaze on Leah who flattens out her dress skirts in her chair.
"Ah, yes of course. I do have a pressing appointment, perhaps another ti-" Sir Damian is interrupted by Ciel once again.
"Children can be very demanding about their games. Surely you wouldn't want me or my betrothed to get upset." A sly smirk settles itself on Ciel's face, staring down the Italian across from him.
"No, no of course not. Perhaps you would permit me to use your telephone?"
The two teens watch the man walk out the door, catching a glimpse of Sebastian also allowing himself in. A comfortable silence sits over the engaged pair as they are served tea, though with their sips they don't appear all that delighted.
"What is this? It smells terribly weak." Ciel stares down at his cup with an unpleased expression.
"Out of consideration for our guest, I brought some Italian tea."
"Italian?"
Watching the butler and his master speak over the matters in which the tea is from, Leah quietly excuses herself to the restroom. Pushing the door to the drawing room back open, she does her best to recall the layout of the manor, though not without a struggle on her end.
The only sound Leah can hear is that of her shoes, pressing against the floor with each step she takes. Amid her maze-like troubles, she's completely unaware of what is truly happening in the manor tonight.
After her not-so-brief trip to the restroom, the noblewoman starts her way back to the drawing room. It had taken it an estimated ten minutes just to find the room, now it will take her another ten to find her way back.
'How embarrassing.. I can't find my way around my future manor. What kind of lady am I?!'
Going through numerous halls and multiple rooms, Leah wanders aimlessly without a staff in sight. A nearly permanent pout is etched onto her face, walking around with her dress skirts in tail.
Before long, she finds herself back in the hallway leading to the drawing room, though not feeling relieved as it all looks the same to her. Glancing inside numerous rooms, her ears twitch at the sound of a scream she can just barely make out, eyes widening and almost jumping out of her skin.
"What was that?!" Leah exclaims, flailing her arms around as she searches the rooms faster.
Finally coming across the drawing room, she holds herself back from slamming the door open and examines Ciel from her spot in the doorway.
"I heard a scream! Are you alright?" The worried fiancé asks, getting closer to the boy to inspect him.
Ciel sits up in his seat at the sudden intrusion, surprised to see Leah bursting through the door. He had almost forgotten she was here, she was taking so long in the restroom that it was almost as if she disappeared for a moment.
"I am quite alright. That scream wasn't me." Ciel reassures Leah, nodding along to his words.
A quiet breath of relief leaves the girl, shoulders dropping from their previously tense position. The worry she had just felt struck her like lightning, if her hair could stand up on its own, it would be doing so.
"That is good.." Leah smiles softly, brushing a stray piece of hair past her face, "Well, I suppose I should just bid my goodbye now. My parents will want me home soon."
"You aren't going to stay for dessert?" Ciel asks, tilting his head with an expectant look. Despite not wanting her there earlier, he appears slightly reluctant to let her go just yet.
Pausing in her spot, Leah taps the side of her face with one of her delicate fingers, thinking to herself. It wouldn't hurt to stay an extra half hour, would it?
"I suppose I can.. I don't have much to do tomorrow anyway. I'm sure my father will understand," Leah swiftly moves to return to her previous seat, "He does adore you, after all."
Letting out a held-back snort, Ciel smirks to himself at his fiancé's words, allowing her to finish up her remaining moves on the board game.
"Is Sir Damian not joining us for dessert?"