“And how very chivalrous of you, ya black vulture.” She cooed so softly in response, absolutely spurious. In her eyes, he was very much like a vulture, the way he stalked her grandson ; always present, rarely ever foot away. Many did not see fault in this, of course! He is just an attentive and caring man, staying to the side of the young master Phantomhive and keeping him safe like any loyal, dedicated servant would. Perhaps something almost like a father in their eyes, something like a parent for a child left without any. He was the very model of what every butler should be, after all —- and even Queen Elizabeth appeared to recognize that.
.. But in ways Claudia nauseated him, Sebastian had the very same affect on her, for different reasons of the same genre. He didn’t fit, despite being so perfect. He came out of nowhere, you see, curled around her grandson’s waist like a snake. A stranger completely. An invader.
Like Ciel played chess against the very world, these two seemed to play behind his back, more quiet as to not disrupt their young charge .. yet.
Fluttering chilled fingers to the sky, the turtledove is shaken from its ball and immediately taking flight to the furthest tree in the garden, allowing the Countess to lax her arms in her seat’s rest and pay full attention Sebastian. “Well, seeing as I haven’t got to be checkin’ my silverware for signs’a impendin’ death, I wouldn’t mind a bit of somethin’ to eat.” And yet, she too had some reliance on him. Where she now lacked Tanaka and Cedric for support, the only viable option for the ailed noble was Him. Damn the irony. “Somethin’ sweet. How about it, butler? I’ll even let you ferry me inside. ~”
“It would be an honor, Madame.” The very notion of touching the former Watchdog made the demon want to recoil in revulsion, but a butler must not allow himself to be thrown off by such trivial inconveniences. Endure the wench with her icy touch and icier gaze, her insults that didn’t merit so much as the bat of an eye. (No matter how deeply they may have dug under his skin; did she not realize she was just a weak, pitiful human he could easily break?!) Endure it; this was merely a passing moment to his lifespan. Soon enough he would have his prize, and he could fondly bid farewell to the Countess.
Ciel was resolute that he had cut all ties, that he no longer had an attachment to this world other than the vengeance that drove him. Yet Sebastian could all too easily see the cracks in the young Earl’s armor. Madame Red. Elizabeth. Claudia Phantomhive.
Well, Madame Red was no longer an issue, and Ciel would certainly leave Lizzie with no qualms so long as Sebastian guaranteed her safety after the fact. Claudia was the problem, the fly in the ointment. Ciel did not seek her council, but when she offered it he heeded it more than Sebastian’s. The mere mention of Claudia’s name, when being reminded of all he would be leaving behind, made Ciel hesitate, every time. It was, of course, normal for a young boy to have affection for his dearest grandmother, but not when it interfered with a demon’s plans.
“I was preparing a Victoria Sponge Cake for the Young Master’s dessert this evening. It should be ready by now, if Bard hasn’t gotten his flames on it. If that is to your liking, milady.”