Music I listened to while writing : Ainsi Bas la Vida - VGMUSIC (Indila Cover)

Chapter 8: The Oath of Allegiance

The butler placed the silver candelabrum next to thepungion the nightstand and took out his pocket watch. It was almost midnight. Grell and his accomplice would show up any moment now. He turned toward his young master, who was still sitting on the bed, his fingers slightly clenched around the white satin sheets. His eyes remained fixed on the bedroom door, which had closed behind them just minutes earlier.

"Well, well," Sebastian said with a satisfied sigh, putting the watch back into his small vest pocket. "Everything is finally ready. By now, the servants should be finishing dispersing the incense. If everything goes according to plan, this will all be over before the night is through."

"Why did you include me in this plan?" Ciel asked, resting his head against the pillow, visibly exhausted by the events to come. He shivered. "I hate snakes! And those snakes in particular..."

"It's not as if you truly have anything to fear," Sebastian said with an indulgent smile. "I will be by your side until the danger has passed."

"During our last mission, you found it amusing to release the snakes before I was out of reach of their venomous fangs. If Freckles hadn't been there..."

Ciel felt his throat tighten, and his voice trailed off. The young girl had saved his life that night. Or at least, she had spared him unbearable suffering. He had seen Phelps's face, frozen in the agony he had endured until the poison flooded his heart. Sebastian had played a twisted game that night, taking advantage of a mistake in the orders given to spice up the situation. Ciel had forgotten that behind the man was a merciless demon. He couldn't expect mercy or leniency from him.

"I never make the same mistake twice, Young Master," Sebastian intervened, seeming to understand the thoughts tormenting his master, whose eyes had darkened with a faint glimmer of resentment. "Had I known you suffered from chronic asthma, I never would have tried to... spice up our game."

The young boy raised his cold gaze to his butler, scrutinizing him.

"I hope for your sake that's true, demon."

He then cast his eyes toward thepungi. He had heard Agni play it before. An instrument with a rather irritating sound, far from the sophisticated melodies he played on his violin. For a moment, Ciel imagined the dramatic opening notes ofBach's Chaconneechoing in his ears. He wished he could play it again. But of course, only thepungicould have an effect on the snakes.

"How do you plan to charm the snakes into leading you to Snake?" the boy asked absentmindedly.

"I won't really charm them, just hypnotize them to make them harmless," Sebastian explained with a casual shrug. "All I wanted was to keep the most combative guests occupied so I can deal with Grell Sutcliff without them getting in the way."

He nodded slightly toward the door, behind which waited the guests who were supposed to accompany him in hunting down the killer.

"Snake will be easy to find," he added, smiling. "I know every scent and sound that belongs to the Phantomhive estate. Nothing escapes my demonic ears or nose. The servants will find Grell for me."

Ciel shivered at the mention of that name. That persistent vermin was far too dangerous. He wondered what misfortune had led him to make such a powerful enemy. A god of death, capable of killing a demon... He really was unlucky.

Running his cold fingers over his aching eyelids, the boy wondered if things had ever felt so uncertain and elusive. He didn't have the assurance of an impending victory, and in this moment, Sebastian's presence no longer wrapped him in a sense of omnipotence.

For what the god of death truly wanted was to trample on Sebastian's bloodied corpse. Ciel felt fear grip his chest. Tonight, he could lose everything.

"I want you to win this fight," the boy said, his voice clear, his gaze lost in the void. "And I don't want you to die. I still need you."

He looked up at his butler and added firmly:

"That's an order, Sebastian!"

The butler gave a slight smile and, placing his hand on his heart, bowed before his young master.

"Do not worry, Young Master. I have no intention of dying or failing the pact. After tonight, everything will return to normal, and you will have nothing left to fear."

"Nothing left to fear..." Ciel shook his head at the absurdity of the thought.

What threats would still weigh upon him once the disaster of these long, gloomy nights had come to an end?

He sighed with exhaustion at the thought of the days ahead. There would still be the report to present to the Queen, to soften Lord Gray's suspicions, to silence the curious and keep away the nosy...

An image filled his mind, pushing away his pragmatic thoughts: the sight of a man kneeling on the floor, hand clenched over his heart, blood streaming from his face. He suddenly sat up and moved to the edge of the bed, his fingers gripping the polished wood frame. He noticed the thick crimson stains of dried blood on the floor, and nausea rose in his throat.

"What did you do to Arthur?" he asked abruptly.

His voice remained clear, but it was tinged with a hint of anxiety.

Sebastian didn't reply. He observed the young man from the corner of his eye, his eyes narrowing into two slits where a threatening pupil gleamed. Erasing a sneer of disdain, he approached the stained floor and concealed the blood traces beneath his polished shoes.

"I gave him a simple warning," he said patiently, though his face displayed an unusual coldness. "He knows far too much, which we were already aware of. But to make matters worse, he was... arrogant toward me. That was very unwise of him, and... I admit, I lost my temper. I struck him where his weakness lies: the heart."

Ciel sighed sharply at his butler's cynicism and turned away.

"It was premature, I didn't intend to act so harshly," Sebastian added in a soft voice, his eyes fixed on the boy, savoring each of his reactions and relishing every beat of his heart. "It would be reckless to kill him now. But I do intend to deal with him later. Perhaps a carriage accident on the way back..."

"No."

Sebastian fell silent. A silent fury tensed his body as his red irises burned with anger.

"Young Master?"

The boy, ashamed of a reaction he couldn't suppress, refused to look at his butler. He moved away, sliding to his knees at the head of the bed. Looking uncomfortable, he stretched his slender legs over the white satin, digging his heels into the fabric.

"Don't kill him," he finally murmured in a barely audible voice, as if he despised every word escaping his throat.

"And why not?"

Ciel straightened, fixing his butler with a haughty gaze. Sebastian stared back intensely, his look stubborn and merciless. But what surprised Ciel was the disdain curling at his lips.

"You're questioning my orders?"

"It is you who are questioning your own orders," Sebastian retorted in an unfamiliar, impassioned voice. "You told me to kill him if he became a nuisance."

"I've changed my mind."

"You've changed your mind..." Sebastian began to chuckle, but the laugh was dark and devoid of humor.

And those eyes... Ciel recognized that look. He had seen it before in encounters with humans Sebastian deemed unworthy. He never thought his butler would one day cast that look upon him.

"You've changed your mind," Sebastian repeated. "That's pathetic!"

"Excuse me?"

"I thought you would never hesitate! I thought you would crush anyone who stood in your way, even if they were family or are your own words! And now, you're letting a pathetic lover threaten you without reacting because the sight of his blood on the carpet frightens you."

"He isn't dangerous, he's just young and naive! An idealist, like Abberline."

"Foolish utopians," Sebastian scoffed, grimacing with disdain.

"Yes, as you say, fools! Men who still believe there's something more out there. That hatred and pain don't rule this world."

"By all the devils!" Sebastian spat, stepping away from the boy, disgusted. "Now you're starting to talk like them."

"Yes, and that's the problem!" Ciel exclaimed. "They're dangerous for you, not for me!"

An odd glint flashed in Sebastian's eyes, dark, sharp, and unsettling.

"What do you mean?"

"You're afraid!" Ciel continued, his voice full of contempt, ignoring Sebastian's threatening glare. "You're afraid he'll influence me, that I'll abandon my hatred and desire for revenge. And if that happens, you won't be able to complete the contract, and you'll never have my soul!"

"Yes, it's true!" Sebastian hissed, his voice filled with hatred as he abruptly moved toward the boy, who instinctively retreated on the bed. He leaned over him, casting his shadow upon him. "And for that very reason, they are dangerous to you. Because if I can't have your soul, I will kill you!"

Ciel froze, his breath caught. But Sebastian continued, standing tall again, his voice laced with venom unknown to Ciel:

"I almost died a few days ago. And tonight, I will face an enemy who is likely stronger than me. And for what? For the soul of a master who loses his ambition over some sweet lover's words? What a waste of time!"

He turned away, refusing to look at the young man.

Ciel had never felt so insulted. This wasn't sarcasm or simple cynical remarks. Sebastian's words caused a painful dissonance in his heart, which pounded angrily in his chest. A bitter taste filled his mouth—the taste of his own disappointment and the sadness of not being worthy of his demon.

Sebastian had his back turned, and Ciel felt empty. He wanted to scream at him to look at him, that he needed him. But under the pressure of his pride, he remained silent, clenching his fists, digging his nails into his skin.

"You regret the pact," Ciel finally murmured in a pale voice. "You would have preferred if I had died in that cage."

But before Sebastian could respond, he added,

"Don't answer. That's an order!"

He didn't want to know. Yet, a sudden panic washed over him, and he felt like he was trapped in the cage again, three years ago, waiting to be sacrificed. The cold enveloped him, and the stench of filth filled his nose as he remembered the grime of his prison. Instinctively, he wanted to pull his legs up to his chest and wrap his arms around them, a protective gesture against the horrors of the world, but he held back. No, he didn't want to return to that cage, to feel fear and helplessness again.

"I haven't changed!" he suddenly exclaimed, addressing the demon who still refused to look at him. "I still want revenge! You know very well that Arthur asked me to leave with him, and I refused. I told him I wouldn't follow him."

He felt despicable. His own words sounded cowardly to him. His revenge was all that defined his world, but only Sebastian could achieve it for him. He had no illusions now. Alone, he was still the boy imprisoned, at the mercy of stronger men, waiting to be killed.

"Of course, you won't follow him," the butler finally replied. "I would find you, wherever you went."

Ciel stifled a sigh and closed his eyes, savoring for a moment those words he had grown so accustomed to hearing, words the demon repeated endlessly to remind him that he belonged to him. This damnation felt comforting. Just as when Sebastian had returned to his side, he had reveled in the dark aura that enveloped him. His revenge was possible again.

But he was tired. Since the affair of the cursed circus, he had felt a part of him die. He didn't know if it was the sight of children being sacrificed without a word or resistance, or the lifeless eyes of Freckles that still stared at him when Sebastian killed her, but something had shattered.

Since Sebastian's arrival, corpses had piled up in his wake, the dead whose bloody hair he had trampled underfoot. Who would survive his revenge? Couldn't he save a few along the way?

"Then why kill him when it's pointless?" he murmured. "Nothing has changed."

"Oh, how magnanimous of you..." Sebastian's sneering tone was clear in his voice. He finally turned to face his master. "I'm curious to see what new emotion you'll develop after this ordeal. Love, perhaps? Pity? And why not compassion?"

Ah, that hostile, repugnant look again! Ciel felt rage welling up inside him in burning waves.

"What does it matter to you?" he shouted at the man who dared to defy him.

"You are mine!"

Ciel froze, his breath caught as the demon's voice echoed in his ear. A shiver coursed through his chest and chilled his heart. Sebastian stood before him, as upright as ever, but his breathing was rapid and uneven. His pupils had narrowed into two feline slits, tearing through glowing red irises. Slowly, he approached, menacingly. He placed one knee on the bed and leaned over him.

The young man couldn't help but retreat into the satin sheets, frightened by the unfamiliar passion that animated the demon's features. Sebastian raised a hand toward the Earl's face but didn't dare touch him. Still, Ciel could feel the warmth of his fingers, barely brushing against his skin. The demon's eyes devoured him.

"I'm hungry," he breathed with unveiled passion. "With every hesitation of yours, my hunger grows, and the hour of my feast is delayed. I can't take it anymore. I could hunt all the wandering souls that haunt this world to briefly ease this burning pain devouring my body. But it wouldn't matter, because I hunger for you!"

His fingers grazed Ciel's lips.

"No one will take you from me, not a god, not an angel… not a man."

Ciel shivered under the faint contact of his skin against his own as his thoughts darkened with memories. He closed his eyes as the fingers traced the outline of his lips, and he saw again in his mind the demon who had pulled him from a cage of iron, trembling and weak, to give him a new life.

That cage… those supernatural hands that had torn away the bars, the fingers that had lifted him and set him upright. He, the broken and sullied boy, and this demon dressed in black who had knelt before him, proclaiming him king.

That night, he had been reborn, carried into the world by a black angel who had never left his side.

Never again would he be imprisoned, never again would he be weak. Sebastian was all he needed, all he desired. A force beyond his own that he could still control. A power he could wield at will.

He opened his eyes again and reached out toward his demon as he had done that day, years ago, through iron bars. Sebastian took the offered hand and brought it to his lips. Without breaking eye contact with the Earl, he pressed a soft kiss to the trembling, delicate fingers in his gloved hand.

"Lie down," Ciel whispered.

The butler seemed surprised by his master's sudden request, but his surprise soon gave way to a smile when he saw the young Earl retreating onto the satin sheets. Sighing with understanding, he lay down on the bed, straight, his arms perfectly extended along his sides. The young boy timidly positioned himself beside him, studying the mortal form of his demon.

It was truly a beautiful vessel. Ciel had once asked why he had chosen this body, and the demon had replied that he hadn't chosen it at all, that it was his true human form.

Ciel gave a soft laugh as he examined the perfect features of the butler. Sebastian had no concept of beauty among humans. He couldn't possibly know how handsome he was. And the Earl would never fuel the demon's arrogance by telling him how desirable he truly was.

Hesitating, trembling, the young man moved closer to his demon and placed his hands on either side of his head, aligning his body with his.

"My knight,"he murmured,"and my executioner."

And as though in a dream both nightmarish and wondrous, he pressed his lips to the demon's.

A thread sewn to his heart stretched and twisted, filling him with exquisite pain as an unfamiliar warmth ignited every inch of his skin.

The demon's skin was soft and supple. What an illusion! It was as soft as that of a mortal man!

But already he regretted this gesture, and yet he wished it would last forever. Tears, which he hadn't dared shed in years, filled his eyes.

The forbidden, the supernatural of the lips on his—he felt the weight of an unforgivable, unnatural act. He felt all the afflictions of damnation because he was kissing the lips of his own death.

And he found it strangely sweet, this pleasure in being condemned and feeling such passion for his executioner.

He felt the man respond to his kiss, and the darkness that suited them so well enveloped them both. His fingers trembled as he caressed Sebastian's face, clumsy yet passionate.

And already he felt desire warming him. Stifling a moan against the full lips that returned his kiss, he ran his fingers through the black hair of his butler, deepening his touch when strong hands gripped his shoulders, forcing him to pull away.

Surprised, and somewhat hurt, the boy lost his usual composure and appeared uncertain. His cheeks flushed, his lips wet, and his heart trembling, he murmured,

"Why are you stopping me…?"

"It's useless," the demon interrupted.

The boy seemed not to understand for a moment and remained on edge.

What did he mean? Ciel didn't understand the meaning of these words or the sudden rejection from his butler. Useless? What he was doing, what he was feeling?

And a thought suddenly crossed his mind: it wasn't a man.

"You feel nothing," he said darkly.

"I do," Sebastian replied. "But I know what you desire. And that is not what I want from you."

Ciel slapped him. He didn't immediately know why. But quickly, he felt the heat of humiliation coloring his cheeks. He looked at the man lying on his bed, whose bruised cheek was already beginning to heal, the marks of his nails slowly fading from the supernatural skin.

A demon, a monster. He had almost forgotten.

What had he imagined getting from this being? That he would make love to him? Was that what his caresses had suggested?

How could he ask such a thing from a demon? It was grotesque, a sacrilege… And no doubt, Sebastian desired his soul more than he desired his body.

He turned away, ashamed that he had even desired such a perversion.

Sebastian laughed, a soft, indulgent laugh that Ciel had never heard from him.

"So sensitive…" the demon murmured, watching the boy consumed by remorse.

Furious, Ciel turned back toward him and tried to slap him again, but the demon caught his arm—a very bold move for the butler. Ciel was too surprised to resist, and Sebastian kissed him again before he could give the order to stop. Placing his powerful hands on his shoulders, he pushed him down onto the bed, covering him with his body, positioning himself between the young man's legs. The demon's kiss was strange, possessive, devouring.

Suddenly, Ciel was filled with fear, a terror mingled with passion, because the fingers brushing against him could reduce his bones to dust, and yet they were so gentle. The demon's breath caressed his skin. Ciel closed his eyes, surrendering.

Sebastian broke the kiss and pulled back to look at him. Removing one of his gloves, he began to lightly trace his cheek with his fingers, tapping and grazing the skin with his black nails without breaking it, while his thumb brushed over the Earl's lips, which parted in a soft sigh. Gently, he slipped his fingers under the eye patch, freeing the cursed eye.

Then the caresses stopped. Ciel opened his eyes and found his demon leaning over him, resting on his elbows on either side of his body. Motionless, Sebastian stared at him, devouring his face, his copper eyes piercing into Ciel's blue ones. Ciel couldn't hold the demon's gaze, too close, too intimate, and he turned his head away.

The butler smiled and leaned in, planting a tender kiss on Ciel's closed eyelid. His lips glided over his temple, lingered long on his cheeks, and then trailed down his neck, savoring every heartbeat resonating against his mouth and the soft sighs of his master responding to each of his caresses.

Ciel realized the demon wasn't touching him with his hands, but he could feel the erratic movements of Sebastian's fingers on the mattress, pulling at the sheets, clutching and twisting them, while his mouth continued to kiss the boy's cheeks.

Suddenly, Sebastian froze and then violently pulled away, pushing the boy aside.

Startled, Ciel sat up too, but before he could ask what had caught the demon's attention, Sebastian murmured,

"Snake."

Ciel stopped breathing, his eyes scanning the room as he strained his mortal ears, but he heard nothing. The demon continued, lifting his eyes toward the ceiling:

"There's a snake coming."

End of Chapter 8

For more chapters quickly (free!): 🔗 My P.a.t.r.e.o.n: TiffanyBrd

Author's Notes:

For once, the title has nothing to do with chess, because there is no attack or defense strategy in this chapter—just a glimpse into the relationship between the Knight and his King. So, the title relates to the feudal concept of the relationship between the king and his knights, and the oath of allegiance, which is essentially the vow to serve and protect the king.

This chapter is short but centered on Ciel and Sebastian. Yes, I know, some of you are probably thinking:

"Finally, she writes us a chapter about Ciel and Sebastian! Took her long enough!" I get it! This chapter should please those who were a bit disappointed with the previous one.

Don't worry, the fic is still focused on Ciel and Sebastian.

However, the relationship between Arthur and Ciel is essential to introduce the relationship between Ciel and Sebastian. I think the reason for this is fairly obvious, but if it's not, I'll explain: Sebastian is a demon. Ciel is a human. They can't have a romantic relationship in the traditional sense. Because their "love" (if you can even call it that—we can debate this, of course) is nothing like a normal human couple's love.

Moreover, both characters are emotionally handicapped!

I didn't think I was incapable of portraying their emotions authentically without getting lost. That's when Arthur showed up! A morbid romantic, a talented writer, and an idealistic doctor, who falls madly in love with Ciel. And it's perfect because he offers a point of comparison. He's the complete opposite of Sebastian.

Now, some clarifications:

When it comes to sex between a demon and a human… I'm convinced that demons don't see sex the same way humans do. A bit like vampires, for them, sex has a more spiritual dimension.

When Sebastian touches Ciel, he stays well above the waist. Even though he can feel excitement in a mortal body, he's not really interested in the pleasures of the flesh… for now.

Don't worry, we'll address that soon enough… Ciel is smart enough to get what he wants.

Oh, and I don't know if you remember, but Sebastian is obsessed with cat paw pads and could stroke them for eternity… and Yana Toboso said that, by a strange coincidence, Ciel's cheeks have the same texture as cat paw pads to the touch…

Which explains why, when he kisses them, Sebastian digs his nails into the sheets… like cats do when they purr and knead in pleasure...

Rest assured, Ciel will get what he wants—something more human. He's clever.

Now the action begins!