( prologue ! )
A lady should not gossip.
A lady should not make the first move.
A lady should not make crude jokes.
A lady should never call upon an unmarried man in his home.
A lady should never address a gentleman without an introduction.
A single lady should never walk out unchaperoned.
A lady should never look back at anyone on the street.
A lady should not have an interest in politics.
A lady's place in society is to marry, have children, and keep a nice household.
These are some of the many rules Leah abides by to be a proper woman in society, a role she has been groomed for since birth. To make it far as a woman, one mustn't stray from the rules built for them, even if they disagree. So why did her mother have to make her walls crumble down? Reset most of what she has learned. Was it greed? Selfishness? Or perhaps this is her way of caring for her daughter. Perhaps it was a mistake.
"Be who you please, but enough of a lady to be desirable."
"Marriage is not the best thing life has to offer."
"You are just as important in society as a man. A woman can do anything a man can."
The words of her mother had stuck right into her head, messing with the girl's mind beyond belief. For ten years of her life, Leah had always been told that she was lower compared to a man. The only thing expected of her was to marry and have children, so why must her mother confuse her? Something in her brain had reset, fixing itself into a mindset not many women in the 19th century could bring themselves to have.
This mindset of hers. It messes with her greatly. It makes her feel different and out of place, more so than she had felt before. The only person she could express these thoughts with was her mother, refusing to consult with friends out of fear of being judged. Maybe this is what her mother wanted all along. Make her own little girl who could be what she failed to be, and give her a chance at a future outside of the standard. If only it was that easy..
"This is quite a strange offer you are making, is it not?"
Lucius Barrett, a refined businessman known around Britain is seated at his desk, observing the young earl sitting across from him. The man's right brow is cocked, elbows on the table to rest his chin on his conjoined hands in the hopes of being able to deduce something about the boy who visited his home on such short notice. A butler clad in black stands not far behind him, an unnerving and permanent smile stuck to his face.
"I suppose it is, but I assure you that this is a serious offer."
A smirk settles itself onto the face of the young earl, a boy the ripe age of fourteen with the gall to ask a business partner for his daughter's hand. Ciel Phantomhive, such a stoic and arrogant boy who had broken off his engagement with Elizabeth Midford almost exactly four months ago. He had done it for both of their sakes, the boy knew he could not give Elizabeth the love she wanted and deserved which led to the harsh, but quick end to their engagement. In search of a new one, he recalled a beautiful girl he had seen at balls on occasion. Leah Fleur Vivienne Barrett.
People. Lots of them. The ballroom was far too crowded for Ciel's liking, sticking himself to a wall in the corner of the room. It has been a mere two months since the boy had broken off his engagement with Elizabeth, forcing himself to socialize for the sake of upholding his reputation. A man of honor would never end an engagement, as to spare the girl any discomfiture, but Ciel isn't exactly the most normal nobleman is he?
"You don't want to dance, young master?" Sebastian leaned down to whisper in Ciel's ear, attempting to coax the boy to socialize while simultaneously teasing him.
"You know I don't dance." Ciel's tone was a snappy one, sending a glare to the butler standing by his side. The young earl's words slowly trail off into silence, looking out into the crowd of people before his eyes settle on a particular form. What he saw across the room managed to bring him at a loss for words, recovering quickly but his gaze seemingly locked on its target.
Brown hair that goes down to her mid back, dull blue eyes, porcelain skin, and cherry-tinted lips. The epitome of beauty is an understatement of what the girl appeared to be, no one could deny that. Ciel could recognize the woman she was standing next to, the wife of one of his business partners, Lucius Barrett, a hearty man from the States who moved to England to expand his business.
Leah stood by her mother, practically attached at the hip while the older woman socialized with the other guests. Such a shy girl for her age, thirteen, and yet was scared to leave her mother's side. Making up for her beyond-shy demeanor, the young lady is quite observant, catching Ciel's eye with her own before a flush covered her face and quickly diverting her gaze. She wasn't the average age for courting just yet, a couple of years too young but that never stopped offers, though her parents never accepted.
A hum escapes the lips of the stoic boy, narrowing his eyes as he thinks to himself in deep thought. The way she carries herself, and her soft demeanor are practically the complete opposite of Elizabeth. Ciel needed a new wife, and Leah was who he chose to run after. Someone who would not get in his way, someone who wouldn't annoy him, someone who came from a good family, she was perfect.
Lucius narrows his eyes at the small boy sitting across from him, trying to read what he could be thinking to ask him such a question. It is not that he does not think Ciel is a good boy, from what the man has seen he would be a good fit for his daughter, but after the cancellation of his last engagement, it is a risky move to accept this.
"Don't think I don't know about you breaking off your engagement with that Midford girl. How do I know you won't do the same to my daughter?" Lucius, though this could be seen as harsh, is straight to the point. This proposal is being seen as a business matter between the two, so he will treat it like one.
"I can assure you that won't happen. Breaking off my engagement with Lady Elizabeth was a personal matter that I would prefer not to disclose at the moment, but it was what was best for the both of us." Ciel lets his voice falter but doesn't break his gaze, keeping up with his serious demeanor.
A silence falls over the two aristocrats, Ciel keeping his mouth shut and Lucius sitting in deep thought. The two had been discussing the subject of Ciel taking his daughter's hand in marriage for the past half hour, an overprotective father and a stubborn brat of a boy were not the two ideal souls to be having this conversation. Letting a sigh escape through his nose, Lucius stands from his seat and sticks his arm out from across the desk, giving Ciel the best firm and frightening look he can muster.
"I know you're a good man, I look forward to seeing you more, future son-in-law," Lucius sports a cheesy grin on his face, elated for his daughter over the idea of a fiancé. Despite seeming so reluctant moments ago, connecting like this with a company like Funtom and a boy as good as Ciel is almost too good to be true. "If you hurt my daughter, I will kill you."
"I assure you it won't ever come to that. I'm glad you accepted." Ciel lifts his hand before connecting it with the older man's, giving it a firm shake as he examines the smile that still sits on his face despite just threatening him. The earl got what he wanted, almost. Now it is a matter of being introduced, followed by a proper proposal which the teen is not looking forward to.
Standing on the other side of the door, Leah has her hand sitting on top of the handle to the door of her father's study. She cracked the door open just enough to see inside the room without being noticed, watching the two men shake hands and examine her new fiancé. The girl recognizes Ciel, just a little with the view of the eyepatch, she quickly closes the door and scurries away.
A stifled chuckle comes from Sebastian, seemingly the only person in the room to notice the girl peering in and hearing the sound of her steps running down the hall. She knows she's not supposed to eavesdrop on her father during his business meetings, but that never stopped her.
Running down the halls of her family manor, Leah scrambles about before approaching her mother in the sewing room. The girl's arms are flailing before stopping in front of her mother, Vivienne, voice turned up three octaves,
"Mama! Is father marrying me off to a pirate?!" Leah's voice is shrill and she practically whines to her mother, eyes closed and shaking her head and she runs about the sewing room.
"Of course not, dear! Your father would never do such a thing," Vivienne tries to reassure her daughter with a soft voice, a smile creeping onto her face at the girl's behavior, "Besides, pirates don't marry."
The flailing from the thirteen-year-old stops, an embarrassed and quiet 'oh..' making its way past her lips.
"Now what have you been told about peeking in on your father's meetings?"
Leah's sweat drops, pausing in her tracks as her cheeks heat up into a bright red. It had been a while since her last strike of peeking, well for getting caught at least, but now the girl has told on herself.
"Don't do it.." Hanging her head low to hide her red cheeks, Leah purses her lips as she recalls the numerous talks she's had with her parents about spying on her father in meetings. She can't help that she's so nosy, she has been doing it since childhood.
The brunette woman smiles at her daughter's behavior, suppressing a chuckle at the antics she's so used to seeing. Placing down her sewing materials, Vivienne hides her smirk when she catches a glimpse of her husband standing in the doorway with the Earl Phantomhive.
"Leah, dear. Come and meet one of my business partners.."
Turning her head at the sound of her father's voice, Leah observes them from over her shoulder for a moment before quickly turning her entire body to face the two men. The sound of her heels click against the floor as she takes a couple of steps closer, training her eyes on Ciel's face.
"Leah, this is Earl Ciel Phantomhive," Lucius begins by introducing his daughter to Ciel, smiling when she grips at her dress to curtesy, "Ciel, this is my daughter Leah Barrett."
"It is a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise.."
A silence falls over the two teens, Leah drawing her eyes to the ground in embarrassment when she is unsure of what else to say.
"Would you like to go for a walk in the garden?" Ciel asks, training his gaze into the girls eyes that cannot bring themselves to meet his own.
The young lady nods her head, stepping past the two and down the hall, looking back as she guides Ciel through the manor. Humming a silent tune to herself, Leah nods in acknowledgment to servants they pass before coming across the door to the manor's garden, pushing it open to allow the two of them outside and leading Ciel further out.
Staring up at the sky, Leah gets lost in the clouds, forgetting that the Phantomhive boy had been tagging along. The girl could stare forever, letting the breeze run through her hair and bring her to a peaceful state, though she's brought out of her head when she hears the sound of Ciel clearing his throat. Turning around to face the sound, Leah is stunned and a light pink makes its way to her face when she sees the boy kneeling before her, boxed ring in hand.
"Leah Barrett, will you marry me?" Ciel's words are dull, lacking emotion to such a special question.
"I assume this is something already arranged with my father?" Staring down at the boy, Leah is quick to conclude that this is what her father had been discussing with the boy, meaning regardless of her response, she won't have much of a say in the outcome.
"Your father has already agreed, yes."
Leah falls into silence, contemplating her future and staring mindlessly amid such an important moment in her life. She had always pictured marrying for love, finding a man she truly felt something for, not being a business deal between two men. The teen's gaze drops lower, eyeing the ring sitting in the open box. 'I could grow to love him..'
"Yes."
Sticking her hand out with closed eyes, Leah welcomes the feeling of Ciel sliding the diamond ring onto her finger. Admiring the stone, a shine reflects in her eyes as she feels a warmth settle in her chest, letting her head drift up to catch her parents hugging and smiling down at the pair from one the window. A subtle smile works its way onto her lips, squeezing her hand shut in determination.
"Follow me, we can get to know each other." Leah speaks timidly, beckoning Ciel closer.
Making her way down the paths of the garden, the two stop before a bench and seat themselves beside each other. Quiet and awkward words are exchanged between the new couple, doing their best to learn something about the other. It wouldn't be so hard if both of them weren't as quiet and shy, but the progress is there and they have plenty of time to get to know the other.
It seems the standard is what Leah will conform to, she is engaged now and just a few measly years away until she will be married. Or at least that's what she'll tell people.
It isn't a crime to make up her own rules, to pick and choose what she follows. She refuses to be a weak woman, wanting to be someone who can stand up for herself and others while maintaining her ladylike structure. She will strive to be two in one, a damsel but never in distress.
After all, what else could she do with all of her sword lessons. Ordained by her mother to become what looks like a fighting machine, keeping such acts from the eyes of society. A family such as the Barrett's, a prestigious name even after spending years in the Americas, no less it to be expected of her.
My name is Leah Barrett, and I am going to marry Ciel Phantomhive!