"Yuck!" Prince Soma shouted out. It was breakfast time in the Phantomhive Town House and Prince Soma had been tasked with tasting one of Sebastian's latest creations. Sebastian, Ceil, Lau and Y/N turned to look at the Prince's disgusted expression.
"Was it not to your taste?" Asked the demon butler. Soma exclaimed something incoherent when he realized he might have just insulted Sebastian. The Prince was still (and would always be) terrified of the butler who had put him in his place.
"I-It's not that... It's just very different from the curry that I always eat in India, so well..." Soma was having trouble coming up with an excuse for his outburst. Though his 'yuck' was rude, at least he was attempting to apologize. "And this is good in its own way... Um..."
"It is fine." Sebastian assured him. "Please, continue."
Soma sighed in relief before he began to give a review that would make Gordon Ramsey proud. "First, the flavor is weak, and it has no aroma. Not to mention it's gritty, so the texture is rough on the tongue. This doesn't count as curry." Y/N had tried some of the curry and it was pretty good, even if Sebastian had used curry powder. She tried to imagine how good his curry would taste once he started using 'real' spices.
"How odd. Even after I used the best curry powder available..." Sebastian held a hand up to his chin as he began to plot his next recipe alteration.
"Wow, if you used the best powder and Soma thinks it can still be improved, we're in for a real treat once you nail this curry thing." Y/N said as she took another bite of the curry. Now that Soma had pointed out the flaws of the taste and texture Y/N could tell they were there.
"Curry powder? What is that?" Asked the Prince.
"In the current era, curry, which Anglo-Indians brought back to their homeland upon their return, had taken firm root in British cuisine. But as the blending of spices was difficult for an amateur, the spices were ground and blended together, and sold as prepackaged curry powder." Sebastian explained. Naturally the demon had found the best powder he could and used it in his curry to avoid having to sort through the spices. "Yes, 'curry' of the kind that employed curry powder was peculiar to the cuisine of Great Britain alone."
"I've never seen anything like that in India, and Agni didn't use it either. At least as far as I know..." Soma claimed. Y/N knew it was true, Agni mixed all his spices by hand. "Yes, spices determine the color and heat of curry, but what is most important is their flavor. When they aren't freshly ground, their aroma evaporates." Soma explained to them. Y/N had taken a Culinary Arts class once and knew that what the Prince was saying was true. Spices, if not stored properly, could lose their flavor and aroma relatively quickly. "At my palace, I have Masalchi dedicated to that task alone."
"So in other words, using something like curry powder, in which the spices have been ground up prior to being packaged and sold, is out of the question." Sebastian sighed, he was going to have to find new spices and ground them himself.
"Yes. And depending on what he put into it, the soup of Agni's curry would look and taste different."
"Well that makes sense, he would want to complement the flavors of the ingredients he was already using." Y/N said as she ate another spoonful of the curry. Even if she could now feel the slightly gritty texture and the lack of aroma, she was still going to enjoy her breakfast.
"Then we must first track down fresh spices of the best quality," Ciel stated. He was determined to win the royal warrant against West.
"Well then West is at an advantage, his business is imports from India. While the Funtom Corporation is a very successful business, you don't import Indian spices. Looks like our best hope is buying some from the market." Y/N pointed out. "But even then, West also controls the distribution of the spices. That means he can hoard the best for himself and Agni to use at the competition."
"Exactly," Ciel sighed. "Which poses a problem."
"Yes, my Lord, it does, and I fear we are running short on time. Let us find ourselves some traders." Sebastian, Ciel, Y/N and Soma all turned to look at Lau, who was oblivious as always.
"Lau, my favorite dealer of all things legal, illegal and otherwise." Y/N said as she stood up and walked over to him. The woman put a hand on his shoulder as she bent down to his level. "You are about to do us a huge favor."
It only had taken Lau two days to get his hands on the spices that Soma had listed off to him. All of them had even been high quality and plentiful... And probably illegally acquired... But that's beside the point and irrelevant to the plot. "Amazing!" Soma gasped as he held some of the spices in his hands. "I've seen all of these back home in my country!" Sebastian, Finny, Bard and Y/N hauled bags of spices around the Prince as he inspected them. Finny had five spice bags, Sebastian had two and both Bard and Y/N carried one. Bard was struggling to hold his one bag of tightly packed powder while Y/N lifted her bag with relative ease. She had played it smart and picked a bag that was filled with dried out, hollow beans while Bard tried to impress her by lifting a heavy bag filled with sand-like spice that was heavier than he intended.
"Wooow!! So this stuff aaaaall goes into curry?" Finny asked as he passed by some open barrels of spices.
"Each one has such a beguiling perfume." Sebastian noted as he picked up a handful of dried leaves and smelled them. Y/N set her bag of beans down and leaned over to Sebastian who held out his hand. The leaves had a pleasant aroma and Y/N couldn't wait to know what they tasted like. "These spices are indeed the finest money can buy."
"Then why do I get the feeling Lau didn't pay for any of these with money?" Y/N whispered to her demon friend. Sebastian just smirked as he placed the leaves back in the barrel.
"Oh, the trouble I had to go through to get these!" Lau commented as if to confirm Y/N's suspicion of his shady methods. "To have me collect this all in the span of a day... What a slave-driver you are, Lord Earl. Spices are outside our area of expertise, you know."
"Yeah, now that I think of it, I've never heard of a spice you can snort or smoke." Y/N muttered, it seemed Ciel heard her this time and he snickered.
"I suppose even you have your uses in times like these." The young Earl said as the servants picked up more spice bags.
"Well, having the Funtom Corporation and the Lady both owe me one is hardly a bad thing," Lau assured them.
"Mmm, don't hold your breath. Ciel might be rich but I'm not even a legal citizen here. I don't have so much as a piece of dirt to my name." Y/N said as she plopped down another bag. Finny passed by her carrying three bags over his head with a bright smile on his face.
"Well, you could always repay me in another sort of way." Lau raised his eyebrows and smirked at Y/N.
"I would literally rather die, thanks." Y/N pointed finger guns at the dealer. "I don't do men who own Opium dens, run gangs, partake in related illegal activities and other things of the sort. Just not my type."
"Oh? Then just what is your type? Seeing as that eliminates almost everyone here." Lau asked out of curiosity.
"Women."
"..."
"And the occasional white haired man."
"..."
"I can actually respect that," Lau said. Despite the fact that lesbians, bisexuals, pansexuals and other women loving women were not generally well received in the late 1800s, Lau was taking it well. Y/N actually felt some respect forming towards him.
"You know, Agni has white-"
"I am painfully aware, thank you Prince." Y/N interrupted Soma. Y/n had to admit, Agni was precious to her in every way shape and form and she doubted a more perfect man could exist. He was also single... And handsome... And adorable...
"Well then. Without further delay, let us prepare a curry with these." Sebastian interrupted Y/N and her thought process. "Prince Soma. As only you know the taste of Mister Agni's godly curry... May I depend on your guidance as to flavor and so forth?"
"That's fine with me, but... Can you Englishmen manage to use all these spices?" The Prince didn't hide his doubt in the Englishmen's ability to cook. Y/N knew that spicy or really flavored dishes weren't exactly common in England (sorry to all my English readers but I've seen your food and it makes my Hispanic Nana, Mama and myself howl in pain). "Ah! No, I mean... I'm not making fun of you!" Soma ducked behind Ciel and Y/N, using them as human shields from Sebastian. "Just... It must be hard since you're not used to them..."
"I am much obliged by your concern. I think I shall need some time, but let us go about this steadily and see where it takes us." Sebastian closed his eyes and smiled, placing a hand over his 'heart'. "I beg your patience until the curry is complete."
"Will he really be okay?" Soma wondered.
"We'll have to wait and see." Ciel let out a yawn, "Maybe this calls for an afternoon nap."
"As wonderful as that sounds, I'm going to help Sebastian with the curry." Y/N nodded to the demon who looked a little worried by her offer. "Oh come on! I'm not as bad as Bard when it comes to fire!"
"My apologies for having kept you waiting." Sebastian set down a bowl of curry before the Indian prince. "I present you with a curry of tender chicken stewed with spices and the savor of onions. I topped it off simply with some coriander and yogurt." Sebastian and Y/N had worked together to create this latest curry. And by 'worked together' I mean Sebastian ordered Y/N around having her get him supplies and ingredients while he did most of the work. Though the demon did have to admit, Y/N was more helpful than Bard or Mey-Rin.
"Lau, I win with that card." Ciel said dismissively, not even paying attention to Sebastian and Y/N.
"Ehhhh, I've been had!" Lau was paying just as much attention as the young Earl.
"You're already done? It's only been about an hour and a half since you two began!" Soma shouted in amazement at Sebastian and Y/N's speed.
"I'm tired of Old Maid," Ciel continued to ignore everyone.
"Then shall we play Old Man?" Lau making the dad joke of the century.
"Yes, it unfortunately took us almost two full hours. Please forgive us for forcing you to wait so long." Y/N wanted to kick Sebastian in the shins. Which was normal but when he made comments like this it made the urge stronger.
"How in the world... And in such a short time..." Soma was almost speechless at the combined powers of Y/N and Sebastian. Though the demon was the one who did most of the work, Y/N had also helped and saved him about a half hour of prep time and work.
"It was simple," Smirked the demon. "I just sampled all of the spices." Y/N thought back to when she had walked into the kitchen to see Sebastian tasting all the spices, he had been moving at such a speed that he looked like he had sprouted four other arms.
"Each and every one of them?" Soma was in disbelief. There had been barrels and bags full to the brim with different spices. If Sebastian hadn't been a demon it would've taken both him and Y/N almost an hour to try them all, let alone decide which ones went well together. "The whole lot?"
"Yes. To return to the point at hand, I then blended the spices to match the fragrance of the curry Mister Agni cooked for breakfast the other day as closely as possible. Miss Y/N helped of course." Y/N had really just gotten Sebastian whatever he needed and served as the original taste tester to make sure the curry's taste was actually something close to Agni's. Sebastian had never eaten any at breakfast the other day so it was up to Y/N to make sure it wouldn't be an assault on the Prince's taste buds.
"That was all it took to recreate the aroma?" Soma was still unsure if he could trust the demon and anomaly's curry.
"My sense of smell is a tad better than that of most humans." Wonder why.
"Come, come, your highness," Lau interjected. "'It is better to get down to work than to worry about it,' as they say. Why not have a bite first?"
"Y-Yes, all right." Soma took his seat once more as Y/N placed two platters in front of Lau and Ciel.
"Time to eat! Let's get staaarted!" At least Lau had faith in Sebastian and Y/N's curry. "This aroma is very different from the last. The spices present an extraordinary bouquet." Suddenly everyone is Gordon Ramsey. Lau took a bite and Y/N swore she almost saw his eyes open. "My, this is... Delicious! The flavor of the freshly ground spices whets your appetite, and the stewed chicken is so tender it practically melts in your mouth."
"What is this? Hell's Kitchen?" Y/N muttered sarcastically. If Sebastian heard her, he didn't say anything and asked the Prince for his opinion on the latest batch of curry.
"This won't do. The aroma is well and good, but... the taste is a whole other story." Soma lightly shook his head. At least he didn't recoil in disgust this time.
"Is that so? Then let us try a spice blend that has a similar aroma but will create a different taste." Y/N nodded in agreement with her friend and pulled out a written list Sebastian had her create of the spices and their tastes. If she was being honest, the list made absolutely no sense to her. Most of the words she wrote down she didn't even know, but it made sense to Sebastian so who was Y/N to question a demon and his cooking methods? "Though the fact that he compared them to the tastes of souls is a little concerning..."
"If only there was one thing I knew about the way Agni prepares his curry..." Sighed the Prince, completely downcast. "But I, utterly ignorant as I am... Can not do anything for you, no matter how much I should like. And once again, here I am, having to depend on you lot. Someone like me should just-"
"Please do not berate yourself so." Sebastian placed a hand on the Prince's shoulder. Y/N watched Soma flinch in fear and she quickly took his other side. Her presence was a little less frightening. "There are yet things that only Prince Soma can do." Sebastian flashed the Prince one of his signature close-eyed, probably fake, smiles.
"Here, we have made a selection of curries that have a similar aroma but differ in flavor. Please sample them and choose the one that tastes most like Mister Agni's curry." Soma's jaw hit the floor as he saw the rows of curries that Sebastian and Y/N had concocted. Y/N had long since ditched her little remaining dignity and was wearing only her corset and pants. The kitchen had felt like it was set ablaze when they had to fire up all of the stoves and Sebastian had eventually allowed her to discard her button up rather than pass out and die of a heat stroke.
"You made them all?! By yourselves?!" Prince Soma was shouting, his disbelief was immeasurable.
"Yes." Sebastian smiled once more and Y/N swore she could see sparkles float around him. "Fucking demon," Y/N mentally grumbled. While Y/N had almost gotten boiled alive in the kitchen, Sebastian didn't even break a sweat. "I am the butler of the Phantomhive family. Wherever would we be if I was unable to manage something as simple as this?" If the demon hadn't been pouring Soma a ladle of curry, Y/N would've punched him. She helped too! "And of course, Miss Y/N assisted me."
"Much better," Y/N beamed as she placed her hands on her hips.
"B-But... I don't think I can eat all of this by myself..." It was a lot of curry.
"Prince Soma. Your cooperation is necessary so that we may create a divine curry as soon as possible," Sebastian urged Soma.
"You're the only one who can do this job for us, Soma." Y/N said as she made four additional platters of curry for the servants and herself. If only one person ate the curry it would really be a waste.
"Urgh... V-Very well! I shall eat as much curry as necessary if my eating curry is of use to you!"
Apparently not everyone had a stomach as strong as Y/N and Finny, not even his royal Highness. Y/N had been starving all morning since she had to do all kinds of cooking with only tiny bites of curry being her rewards. Now that she was getting to enjoy whole servings of their creations, she could've probably eaten it all by herself. Finny's appetite was chalked up to his young age and indestructible body. Soma's head laid on the table in defeat, the curry had won this battle. "I think I am full up to the gills with curry," He murmured, barely able to move.
"Come, the next curry awaits." Sebastian brought yet another platter to the Prince. Y/N dug into her own plate knowing this was the one. This curry was the one that would send the Prince into a food-induced hallucination. "I added Cardamom and Garlic." The Prince's head shot off the table at just the smell of the curry sitting next to him.
"Th-This curry is different from all the others I've had today..." Soma hadn't even needed to taste it to know. He quickly plucked a piece of meat out the curry and placed it in his mouth. Y/N halted her eating to carefully watch the Prince's reaction. Although she couldn't see Prince Soma's palace vision, she could definitely tell he was in awe. Y/N set her platter down and walked over to Soma's side when he stopped moving and his mouth just sat open.
"Prince Soma?" Y/N asked as Sebastian leaned over to pour the Prince a cup of tea.
"Agni...? Mina...?" Soma whispered. Sebastian was hardly caught off guard but Y/N almost fell over. In the manga Soma was only supposed to get 'Ag' out before his vision snapped, did he really view Y/N in such a way it would make his hallucination last longer?
"Prince Soma?" Y/N placed a hand on his shoulder and looked in his eyes. The Prince looked at her like he never had before. It looked like a young boy seeing his mother again after she had left for work. Y/N was sure the Prince's eyes were going to spill over with tears the longer he looked at her.
"This... This curry..." Soma finally managed to form words after he broke his gaze away from Y/N. "It tastes very much like the curry I used to always eat... Like Agni's curry!"
"You did iiiit, Mister Sebastian and Miss Y/N!" Finny threw his hands up at the butler's success.
"That's our butler and Y/N for ya!" Bard proclaimed as he placed his arms around their shoulders.
"Still, we had to go through so much to achieve that level of authenticity of Mister Agni's original curry..." Y/N muttered. She already knew Sebastian was going to beat Agni, but she still had to keep up the facade of being clueless to the competition's outcome.
"But it's still not quite right," Soma sighed.
"Eh?" Bard let go of the two 'non-humans'.
"I mean no disrespect," Soma put his arms up. Getting decked by Bard was not on his bucket list. "The taste, the aroma, the heat... Are indeed the same as Agni's. However... Something is still missing!"
"And that 'something' would be?" Even a demon like Sebastian was going to need a little more detail.
"Hrrrrrrn... To answer your question... Hm, how should I put it? Maybe that the savouriness and flavor of Agni's curry are more profound..." Soma put himself into deep thought. The Prince's brow furrowed as he tried to come up with the right word for what he was describing. "Yes, that's it!" He shouted suddenly. "The body! This curry lacks body!"
"Body?" Sebastian leaned over Soma, his aura was a little demeaning.
"Y-Yes." Soma stood his ground a little more this time against the demon. Sebastian slowly straightened back up and plunged into deep thought. Y/N mimicked her friend, pretending she didn't know exactly what he was going to do. The two spent a couple more minutes in thought before they were interrupted.
"In a spot of trouble, are we?" The teal haired Earl leaned on the doorway to the kitchen. "How goes it?" The smug look on his face was irritating to say the least. Though Y/N knew the Earl had work to do, working with Sebastian in a kitchen was a different level of 'physical labor and pain'.
"Young Master."
"Kid."
"The kitchen is no place for you," Sebastian urged him.
"Three days until the curry fair, hm?" The Earl stuck a finger into the curry and tasted it. The smug glare he sent Y/N and Sebastian was something to behold. "Do the best you can and keep at your research."
"Will do. It's not like I would literally rather do anything else with my time." Y/N shot back. Her glare wasn't as smug as Ciel's but it conveyed just as much sass.
"Such a shame, really. You could be doing so much more with your life, I'm sure." Ciel waved to Y/N as he turned to leave. "Aah, yes, that reminds me. I would like Gâteau au Chocolate for my afternoon snack. Bring it to me later," the Earl commanded.
"Very good, sir." Sebastian bowed before his master. Y/N resisted the urge to flick him off.
Not long after Ciel left the kitchen did Sebastian start ordering Y/N around again. "I'm starting to think he's just making me do this for fun." It wasn't much of a stretch, he'd been looking at a chance to get back at her for a while. While Y/N had been helping Sebastian prepare the dessert, she heard snippets of the conversation between the servants and Prince Soma. Bard had suggested going out and exercising to help them digest all the curry they had eaten. Finny then offered to show the garden to Prince Soma and Mey-Rin was trying to get back to the laundry. Y/N smiled as she thought about how far she had come; only months ago was she a nameless woman in the streets, now she was the Lion working alongside the Watchdog. Y/N beamed down into the pot she was stirring that had the latest batch of curry. Y/N didn't realize she had zoned out until she heard the collective groaning and complaining of the servants and the Prince as Sebastian announced the next curry would soon be ready. "Last one, I promise!" Y/N assured them as she poured them all bowls.
"Y/NNNNN!" Mey-Rin whined as Y/N placed the curry down in front of her. "I thought we were friends, yes I did!"
"Simply friends? How you wound me!" Y/N giggled as she placed a platter down in front of Bard. "I thought we had something, Miss Maid!"
"Huuuuh?" Bard managed to pick his head off the table to look back and forth from Y/N and Mey-Rin.
"You wouldn't understand, Bard." Y/N jokingly huffed as she gave Soma his platter of curry. "Now eat up!"
The groaning in pain echoed throughout the kitchen as Y/N picked up the discarded dishes from the last batch of curry. Everyone but her, Tanaka and Sebastian seemed to be suffering from severe heartburn. Unlike the Prince and servants, Y/N had made sure to pace herself when she ate her share of the curry. Y/N noticed the look of dismay and annoyance on Sebastian's face when she added the dishes to the already existing mountain by the sink. "Sorry!" She muttered to her friend.
"It is not your fault, Lady Y/N," Sebastian assured her. Y/N noticed the look of concentration on the demon's face and she could practically see the cogs turning in his head.
"Oh, I know that look. What 'cha thinkin', Sebastian?"
"What was that? You've created a divine curry?" Soma was in disbelief that Sebastian and Y/N could've cracked the code behind the perfect curry in such a short time. "In just one night, you've found a way to give it that kind of body?"
"You'd be surprised what Sebastian can get done under pressure," Y/N assured the Prince as her demon friend smirked.
"Please, have a taste," the demon urged the young Prince. Sebastian removed the covering off of the silver platter and offered it up to Prince Soma. Soma reluctantly picked a piece of the meat covered in curry out of the dish and placed it in his mouth. Y/N watched in anticipation as the Prince tasted Sebastian's latest creation. Soma's eyes went wide and his mouth hung open. The Prince was in a shocked daze as he stared at the two 'chefs'. Y/N knew the Prince was experiencing a hallucination, but it was still a bit unnerving how he didn't even blink. Y/N was so focused on watching and gauging the Prince's reaction that she almost didn't notice Sebastian offering her a platter of the curry as well. "Even if you didn't help with this batch, you were still of great use yesterday. Consider it a small reward for your assistance."
"Thank you." Y/N nodded as she took the plate. She placed a bite of curry in her own mouth and was blown away. The Prince had been right: there was something missing in yesterday's final effort at the perfect curry. Y/N wouldn't have noticed it, as she did not eat Agni's curry everyday, but now that she had tasted something with 'body', she could tell the huge difference. Y/N managed to pace herself and only took disgracefully large bites of the curry when she was sure no one was watching her. The young woman gave up on watching the Prince's dreamy expression and focused more on her own breakfast.
"What do you think?" Y/N heard the butler ask Soma.
"This isn't Agni's divine curry, but the complex savoriness created by the spices in Indian curry remains the same..." The Prince was giving a review that sounded as if he was a judge on a cooking show. Again. "While flavoring that only an Englishman could devise brings out a whole new kind of body in the dish. This curry is worthy of being called divine in its own right. It was delicious, Khansama."
"I agree with his Highness," Y/N beamed. Looks like her hard work helping Sebastian out in the kitchen yesterday had paid off.
"And I thank you, Lady Y/N, for your assistance in the cooking yesterday. But I must know, how did you manage to get it right in the span of an evening?" The Prince wondered.
"With this," said Sebastian as he pulled a Funtom chocolate bar out of his coat pocket. The others seemed shocked and at a loss for words, but Y/N just sent her friend an encouraging smile. Of course she had known that Sebastian would use chocolate in his curry because cacao was a legitimate ingredient in curry. Though even the Prince seemed to have forgotten about it for a moment.
"Cacao is a real ingredient in curry! I think I remember reading something about that yesterday in a cookbook." It was probably a lie, Y/N had no recollection of reading anything about the bean in a cookbook.
"The Lady is correct, the cacao of which chocolate is composed was originally used as a spice due to its uniquely aromatic and savory flavor. Along with cacao, fats and oils, milk and sugar are masterfully blended to create chocolate which in turn contributes a rich body to the curry." The butler went on to explain the high quality of Funtom chocolate and how Ciel had been the inspiration behind his idea of using cacao in the curry. Rather than be impressed with his butler, Ciel looked aggravated that he actually was part of the inspiration of the latest batch of curry.
"Amazing, Ciel! Your Khansama and Y/N have caught up to divine curry in just one week! Maybe they can win against Agni-" Soma's face fell when he said his butler's name. He was still sore over losing his best friend to West. Y/N got up from her seat and walked over to the Prince, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sure he misses you as much as you miss him. Agni seems like the kind of person who would do whatever it takes to make his loved ones happy." Y/N tried to comfort the young Prince who just nodded to her. Truthfully, Y/N found herself missing Agni as well. She hadn't known him in 'real life' for very long, but he had always been one of her favorite characters and he was always incredibly kind to her.
"I hate to interrupt whatever you two are up to and break it to you, but this won't be enough to beat them." Ciel said from across the table. Head in hand, the Earl began to explain what he meant. "'Catching up' and 'winning' are two different things entirely. You've only just gotten where you can compete equally with Agni and his curry of the Gods. Right, Sebastian?"
"Just so, sir. That is currently where we stand." Y/N noticed how the butler placed emphasis on the word 'currently'. Y/N already knew Sebastian would win with his 'curry buns', but sometimes his ego could be a little suffocating. Though, his use of 'we' instead of 'I' didn't go unnoticed either. Perhaps he didn't view Y/N as obsolete as she had thought.
"That face..." Lau broke Y/N's train of thought. "Have you two aces up your sleeves, do you, Master Butler and 'Chef' Y/N?"
"Indeed we do," Y/N smirked. If by 'aces' Lau meant knives from the kitchen, you would find that both Sebastian and Y/N also had those tucked in their sleeves as well.
"You'd better not be lying, you know?" Ciel warned the duo.
"Of course, you know the Lady wouldn't lie to you, my Lord." The demon smirked towards his master. Though it made a little bit of guilt fester in Y/N's stomach when Ciel nodded in agreement with the butler. She hadn't been totally, 100 percent, good, clean and honest with them about her home. She had avoided the subject of her origin like a vampire avoided sunlight, especially her birth year. Y/N knew Sebastian could practically smell a lie so she always insisted it was 'rude to ask a lady her age' and immediately changed the subject.
"With that said, we shall obtain the Royal Warrant for Funtom Corporation. I stake my title as butler to the Phantomhive household on it!"
"All this 'we' talk, you do realize Lady Y/N won't be able to assist you during the actual competition, don't you, Master Butler?" Lau asked him.
"Of course, but I cannot deny what a help the young Lady has been thus far in the development and cooking of the curries. I doubt even I could have performed such a task as quickly without the Lady's assistance."
"Thank you, Sebastian." Y/N beamed to the demon. "Anything for a friend."