As You Wish

Revelations

The light of the candles placed in front of you and Ciel Phantomhive cast flickering shadows against the silver stars in the sea of blue and gold that covered the walls. Your hands slightly trembled as you fought to conceal the twinge of fear that caused the hairs on the back of your neck to prickle, and the top of your lips twitch slightly. The contact urge to grin that usually seemed almost involuntary when you saw someone smile like the two individuals in front of you were briefly affected your dually fighting emotional responses: you sensed excitement within the unknown, macabre hope within the frightening scene unfolding before your eyes.

Still, you were able to control your expressions. You did nothing but strengthen your resolve and proceeded to stare blankly ahead, meeting at first the butler and then the young Earl's eyes with your own, but you could not keep it up for long. He'd have continued staring for ages, and your attention span was not up for that sort of challenge. At least not now.

You started towards your tea cup again, attempting again to steel yourself once more against the open-ended plausibilities that were to come. Your hand caused the cup to tremble delicately, but to your chagrin, as you moved the bone-china to your parted lips, no liquid spilled out to assist you. You had already drank all of the uniquely delicious tea in one panicked, impulsive gesture only moments before. Your eyes widened at the lack of any form of momentary comfort vanishing before you, and you moved the cup back onto its saucer, perhaps a bit too hard, as a hairline fracture appeared beside the handle. You swore under your breath, but, unfortunately, the butler- Sebastian- seemed to hear you anyway.

"There's no need to fret, [Y/N], we have plenty more of those teacups. It's not an uncommon mistake for people of your station to accidentally rupture such delicately crafted china. I can repair that one more likely than not anyhow."

Ciel Phantomhive's expression fell a small bit from the malevolent smirk that had just graced his lips into what seemed like a routine emotion, a face he put on when his butler carried out his necessary works. With another wave of his hand Sebastian moved from behind him and effortlessly yet gently moved the cracked cup from in front of you and swiftly departed from the room, leaving the two of you alone.

"Well, he'll be back soon enough." The Earl began again. "We shouldn't be waiting much longer for him to return. Why don't we talk business, Your Highness?"

"My Higness? What?" You involuntarily snorted and then embarrassed, covered your mouth with your left hand, as Ciel's eyes fell momentarily on the slim, silver ring decorating your finger.

"Is that a wedding ring?" He asked, almost impulsively.

You removed your hand from your lips and continued speaking, although you had certainly lost some of your formal composure. "What? No! It's-" you stopped short. You needn't tell Ciel Pahtomhive exactly what your ring meant to you. It really wasn't of any of his concern. "It's nothing. It's just a religious- thing." You couldn't find the proper word to describe it.

"Religious?" Ciel's expression returned to that same dark smirk it had before. "You're religious, then?'

"What does that matter to you?" You grew incensed. "And why did you call me 'Your Highness'? What did your butler mean by someone of 'my station' anyway? You both clearly know my family, and we're certainly not that sort of nobility."

"Well, then we've certainly got a lot to talk about, then haven't we?" Ciel leaned back in his chair and again placed his hands behind his head in an excessively casual way. You were there for business, weren't you?

"Ah. Sebastian." He spoke loudly, across the room, over the long table to the man opening the door and closing it softly behind him. "I take it you've mended the china."