Kuroshitsuji: The Contract from Birth [Ciel Phantomhive]

[1] Her Butler, Tactful

The following morning was no better than the day before. As per usual, the twins began their morning by bickering over something minuscule, (which this morning was who would have the first batch of melon bread), and Yuki had to separate them by force. Luckily, Rodric had already planned for the trip off to the docks before I could develop another headache. A few days after Lau's visit, he had sent a telegram indicating that today was the day a full shipment of Pixie Dust was to be delivered, which was our signal to appear and end the pathetic sales.

"Madame, I have a feeling this will be a rather simple task," Rodric said once I was in the carriage, adjusting the hem of my dress so it would not get caught in the door, "Are you certain you wish to come along?"

I glared at him from the corner of my eye, a scowl threatening to appear upon my face, but I replaced it with a look of shock.

"Must I repeat myself, Rodric?" I asked, feigning concern. Lately, he had been tugging at my patience, and if he wanted to play, then the game would begin. After all, no one knew what cards I had under my sleeves besides myself. Sarcasm was one of my best defense mechanisms.

"Of course not, Countess. My apologies."

Rodric gave a bow with a faint smirk, his dark hair hiding the feature as soon as his head was below waist level. I ignored his reaction and waved my hand to indicate for him to shut the door. My word was law, and could not be overruled. What kind of Countess would I be if I couldn't keep my butler in place? The carriage bent over ever so slightly as Rodric climbed onto the driver's seat and I adjusted myself on the cushions, making myself comfortable for the two-hour-long ride. I reached my hand over to my left, expecting to find the rather tedious book I was in the middle of, but found nothing. Before I could call out to Rodric, the familiar yell of my servants rang out behind us.

"COUNTEEESSSS!"

I instantly unhooked the door and swung it open, quickly going outside to see what they could be screaming about. Salvador, Yuki, Eren, and Erin were sprinting towards us, each holding something high in their hands. I couldn't stop the smile that grew across my face as I lifted a hand to my cheek in satisfaction. Yuki was rushing towards me with a small platter held above her head, while the other hand held her dress to keep her from tripping. Eren and Erin held an umbrella, and Salvador held my book, each running as fast as their legs could carry. Not a moment later, all four were at my feet, panting and doubled over. The twins fell to their knees exhausted, leaning against each other for support as they weakly held up the umbrella.

Eren looked up at me and spoke in gasps. "You might..."

"...need it..." finished Erin, pointing a trembling finger towards the umbrella.

I took the umbrella and placed it inside the carriage, shaking my head. There was not a cloud in the sky, but the twins had a gift of some sort; they would always be right about a prediction, and it could be correct in several ways. Rodric was immediately behind them, pulling both to their feet with two tall glasses of water that he seemed to pull out of thin air.

"Condesa, se le olvido su libro1," Salvador added, panting slightly less than the twins, stretching his arms out to me with the book in hand, "You said you wanted to finish it today, verdad2?"

Just as I had with the umbrella, I took it with care and placed it inside, giving him a small nod of gratitude. Afterward, my glance turned to Yuki, who seemed to have not lost any breath. The only indication that proved she had made an extreme physical effort was the accumulating sweat across her forehead.

"You forgot your snacks, Madame Adelina." she scolded, handing the tray over to Rodric, "You know you get hungry around this time of the day."

Yuki was the only one that frequently called me by my first name. She acted somewhat as a parental figure, with limited rights. She was still the cook, but one that would reprimand me for not eating my vegetables --which I did quite often. Everything she did was for my best, and I could not ask for anyone better. Nevertheless, she sometimes aggravated me, but out of respect I stayed quiet and let her go on with her lectures. I glanced towards the silver platter and noticed that there was a variety of small pastel-colored sweets. Grinning, I looked at her and put a hand on my hip. She had prepared my favorite Japanese snacks.