Kuroshitsuji: The Contract from Birth [Ciel Phantomhive]

[13] Her Butler, Retold

"At least now the match will be fair," I told Ciel with a smile, "Because all this is your fault, after all."

Ciel's eyebrow twitched and he turned to me, arms crossed. "How is it my fault?"

Rodric once again raised his arm to commence the duel, and I pulled Ciel back a few feet to keep our distance. He snatched his arm back and scowled. After a moment, I looked over to him and realized he was staring at me, obviously waiting for an answer.

"Well, you went and challenged the poor Prince in a game that isn't even practiced in his home country."

"But how is that my fault?" Ciel continued to press, not wanting to accept his mistake.

I sighed and walked up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder in order to have him face the right direction. Lifting my hand, I pointed to Agni and then to his own butler. "Naturally, his own extension would have to step in and avenge the would-be loss."

Prince Soma jumped up and down from the other side of the room, cupping his hands around his mouth to yell at us. "Stop whispering so closely to each other, they're about to start!"

Rolling our eyes, Ciel and I stepped away, sitting down on the seats Rodric had quickly brought over before going back to judge the match.

"Now then, please, go easy on me." Sebastian smugly told Agni. The foreign butler tensed his jaw and charged. As suspected, Sebastian easily dodged his attack, stepping sideways to avoid the foil. With the second he had to his advantage, the demon thrusted forward, aiming directly at Agni's legal target area. However, in a speed almost matching Sebastian's, Agni stepped backward with his arm outstretched. Both were inches away from being hit.

"Don't get too confident," I told Ciel as we continued to watch them spar, "Don't you recall their battle only a day ago? He leveled with your devil."

Ciel tensed beside me and his hand went to his chin.

Thrust. Dodge. Step.
Stab. Dodge. Duck.
Thrust. Spin. Dodge.

I crossed my ankles and sighed, looking away from the fight for a moment. The image of Ciel's hunting competition with the Marchioness came to mind and I felt a twinge of envy. What skill did I have that could be of entertainment or use? I'm sure even Elizabeth Midford had a talent that was worth a pence... after all, no one ordinary could be betrothed to the Queen's impressive Watchdog. And here I was, only stepping into his manor whenever I was deemed useful. Many times, I wished I could have a skill to use to my advantage. It irked me to have to rely on Rodric so often, but I knew no other way. My personal gains consisted of my name, looks, and fortune. And in retrospect, none of that actually even belonged to me. All I had was a demon that obeyed my every order, reoccurring nightmares and a destined death. It was true that I was the one who deemed us to be companions in our line of work, but who was actually fulfilling our duties?

The answer was obvious: Our devils. I'm sure even Ciel had noticed this by now.

...You're not worth a thing...

"Adelina?"

I glanced back up and saw that Ciel was watching me carefully, almost analytical. I shifted my expression and feigned confusion, raising an eyebrow. From an early age, I was taught to never rely on a single person when it came to inner emotions. If I felt like I wasn't proving my worth, moping around over it wouldn't better my case; after all, pity and fools went together. If I felt like I was being broken, then it was now my turn to find something to break.

"Yes, what is it? Is the match over--"

"Oh my, the swords were broken." Sebastian's voice announced, and I glanced over to see that indeed both foils had snapped in two. As I suspected, they had concluded with a draw.

"What a pity," I said, standing up. Ciel seemed to be in a state of shock and took more time to stand, his eyes flitting from butler to butler.

"Do you think he's another--?"

"No, he's entirely human," Rodric said softly behind us, and Ciel seemed to breathe in relief. However, that raised another question: What exactly was Agni?

"Wow, Ciel's khansama sure is strong!" Soma exclaimed, stretching his arms and approaching us. "Agni is the strongest fighter in my palace! This is the first time someone has tied with him!"

I held back my urge to roll my eyes forced a smile, just wanting to get an agreement in order. "Is that so?"

Soma nodded in excitement and continued to praise Sebastian, even excusing him in deference of his skill. Excusing him of what, I couldn't say. Ciel and I stayed behind, analyzing Agni until he finally caught sight of us and he stepped forward, clasping his hands to his chest.

"Lord Ciel," he said, looking down at him, "I apologize for my earlier actions... does your arm still hurt?"

My eyes flickered to his arm.

"N-No..." Ciel mumbled, looking up. Agni's worried expression instantly burst into a relieved smile, and I couldn't help but do the same. Rodric went up to speak with Agni and Sebastian took his place, seeming rather amused.

"What is he, Sebastian?" Ciel asked once he was close enough, continuing to stare at the odd butler. Closing my eyes, I took the pillow from the seat beside me and swung it at the back of Ciel's head, making him jump and glare angrily at me.

"What was that for?!"

"Stop staring, it's rude." I scolded lightly, before letting a small smile crack. Sebastian hid his chuckle behind his gloved hand and cleared his throat, turning to respond to his master.

"As Maldoris said, he's completely human," he said, glancing sideways towards Agni, "However, he holds powers... powers that we can't ever have."