Sebastian clapped his hands together, drawing the attention of the four other servants. "If I could have your attention, Adalina has something she wants you all to know."
Adalina stepped up next to him with a small smile. "I got my memories back."
There was silence in the room for a long time as the servants just stared at the head maid. Then they all rushed forward towards her in a frenzy.
"You just spoke, you did!" Mey-Rin exclaimed. "That's amazing!"
For the first time, the servants got to see her truly smile in front of them as she embraced them. Not her barely noticeable smile that she always gave them. A real smile that showed her beautiful white teeth.
"I can't believe you really talked!" Baldroy said with a laugh. "Didn't think I'd ever see that in my lifetime!"
"If I may, miss."
Adalina turned around at the sound of the elderly man's voice. Her eyes widened a little as she saw Tanaka restored to his full form, a rare sight for her indeed.
Tanaka approached her with a gentle smile. "You've earned this for your service to the Earl Phantomhive." He pinned a small button of the Phantomhive crest onto the cuff of her sleeve on her uniform. Such a pin was usually only reserved for the butler. Tanaka bowed a little. "No one is more deserving of your position here."
"Thank you so much, Tanaka. It means a lot to me that you think so." She looked over at the cook. "Bard, thank you for looking out for me these past few weeks while I was dealing with my memory loss."
"It's no big deal," Bard said, waving his hand dismissively. "Though if you don't mind my askin', what exactly had you so...troubled?"
Adalina let out a small laugh. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"All right, enough celebrations," Sebastian said. "You all have chores to finish. Mey-Rin, please mop the ballrooms and clean the rug in the foyer. Finny, remove the weeds from the gardens, and please do mind the weed-killer this time. Bard, begin preparations for dinner. And Tanaka...you're fine just as you are."
"Ho, ho, ho," the man laughed, having returned to his usual small form with his tea in hand.
"Meanwhile, Adalina and I shall attend to other matters."
"Yes, sir!" the servants chorused.
Adalina and Sebastian began to head out while the others went to their various stations.
"Adalina," Finnian called before he left, a small trace of a blush gracing his cheeks and moving up to his ears. "Your voice is really, really pretty."
Adalina smiled again which caused his blush to deepen. "Thank you, Finny."
For the first time in many, many years, Sebastian got to understand what it felt like to be full and well-fed. When he ate his first food as a human, he now understood why humans loved it so much. As a demon, he had not been able to appreciate all the many dishes and flavors because human food had no taste to him. Souls had varying tastes depending on the person. He had eaten some really good ones and some really bad ones, but there were endless limits to the incredible amounts of combinations it was possible to make with actual human food.
Baldroy's cooking truly was terrible.
After a while, the servants quickly realized that Sebastian and Adalina liked each other as more than fellow servants. The head servants had tried to keep it a secret from them per Ciel's indirect wishes, but it became increasingly difficult with each passing day. Had Tanaka been in his true form, he never would've approved being the traditional man he was. But fortunately for them, his true form had yet to appear. They would deal with that when the time came.
Mey-Rin was a bit disappointed since she had such an unrequited crush on Sebastian ever since he had hired her, but it was impossible for her to be mad. Sebastian had opened Adalina up again and got her to smile and speak once more. How could she possibly be angry at something like that?
Finnian also found himself a little disappointed, having developed a very small crush on Adalina in the more recent months. However, since his crush was far from the level of Mey-Rin's infatuation, it didn't take him long to get over it, especially when he saw how happy Adalina was with Sebastian.
After getting Ciel's permission to leave the manor for an hour, only after she had told him where she was going, Adalina headed to a place she had not been to in many years.
Her home.
She watched for a few moments as a mother and father played with their young child outside. Her eyes watered as she remembered when that girl used to be her before the rest of her childhood had been ripped away from her forever.
The family soon walked down the street leaving the house empty. Taking a shaky breath, Adalina approached the side of the house and placed a small rose from the Phantomhive garden against it.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered as she knelt down. "I know it took me far too long to come back. You'll be pleased to know that I went on to live a good life. It took a long time...and I didn't talk for a while. But now...I have so many people who care about me. I work hard as a head maid for a young earl who solves cases in London's underworld for the Queen. He's a very good master to me. I don't think I could ask for anyone better. He tries to give off the impression that he is unfeeling, but deep down, I know that he cares. He helped me get justice for you both. And...I found someone to love. You would both like him. Eventually. We would probably have to leave out a few details here and there. I don't think you would approve of his history. But he will protect me with his life, and I will protect him. That's what you really wanted for me."
Several tears ran down her face as she stood up again.
"I love you both. I always will."
She walked away from the house to return to the manor, finally getting closure about everything that had happened to her.
Sebastian was busy that night and still attempting to adjust to doing things as a human, so Adalina was the one to help Ciel prepare for bed.
The butler was slowly beginning to adjust his new life, but Adalina had seen him frustrated more times in the past few days than in her whole employment as a Phantomhive servant. She knew it was difficult for him to operate on the same level as the rest of them, but he would eventually get used to it. She would be there to help him.
"Sir?" she said quietly as she helped Ciel undress. "There's something I need to tell you."
"Is it anything like the last thing you had to tell me?"
Adalina smiled a little. "No. Um...when I got my memories back, I remembered some things that I had long since forgotten. I...I think I met your father before."
Ciel froze and looked at her in disbelief.
"It was winter," she recalled. "I had been living on the streets for a few months by then. Most people didn't look my way, especially nobles. I can count on one hand the number of nobles who even glanced at me."
Ciel felt a small pang of guilt, recalling that he had been one of those nobles who had dismissed her.
"But...one day in December...this man knelt down in front of me. He had the warmest voice and the kindest smile I had ever seen. He took off his coat and gave it to me to shield me from the cold since...well, you know, I didn't have proper attire. Then he gave me some food. It was the most I had eaten in a long time. He promised me that he would later find someone who could help me. I waited for days, but I never saw him again."
Ciel listened to her story with rapt attention. Helping out the less fortunate sounded like something his father would do.
To think that he and his head maid had actually met only a few years ago...
"I wasn't angry at him, though. I believed him when he said he would help me, so I figured that something must've happened to him. But you know, in a way, he did help me after all. He had you. And I thank you for that, my lord."
Adalina pulled the blankets up over his small body. Then she picked up the candelabra from the dresser.
"I just thought you deserved to know that."
"Adalina..." Ciel started. "I have to confess something. I don't usually think about my parents much, and I say that it's because that I'm the head of the household now but really...it's because it's too painful. And I don't want anyone to see me weak."
"Young master, if I may, no one would think you are weak for missing your family."
"I've spent so long trying to get other people I do business with to see me as more than a child. Showing that kind of weakness would not help my image."
"Even earls are allowed to mourn for those they loved."
Ciel lay down in bed and pulled the covers up. "I suppose."
Adalina politely curtseyed. "Good night then, my lord."
"Adalina...please stay. Just until I fall asleep."
Adalina smiled a little. "Of course, young master."
It was a regular day at the manor when the doors slammed open before Sebastian even knew someone was outside.
That was certainly something he was still attempting to get used to.
"CIEL!" Soma exclaimed bursting inside. "Are you here?!"
Sebastian and Adalina came into the foyer to greet their new unexpected guests. Agni quickly followed Soma into the manor with a polite bow to the two servants.
"Adalina! How are you feeling?" Soma asked energetically. "Have your memories returned yet?"
Adalina smiled broadly and nodded.
Soma's eyes widened. "You just smiled at me! I have never seen a smile like that from you before!"
Adalina laughed very lightly. "...I can do more than just smile for you now."
Soma and Agni were so shocked that actual words had left her mouth that they didn't even notice that she had technically not addressed him properly.
Then it happened. Both men started weeping hysterically.
"Oh, thank you, Kali!" Agni praised. "It is a miracle!"
Soma ran up to Adalina and hugged her tightly. She couldn't help but laugh at his excitement as she gently hugged him back. "You are speaking! You are finally smiling and speaking!"
Adalina nodded. "Yes. I am."
"What happened? Why now?"
The head maid glanced over at Sebastian for a moment. "I'm not afraid anymore."
When Soma looked over at Sebastian, he felt confused. He wasn't so...scary anymore. That strange aura he constantly gave off seemed to have disappeared. He couldn't explain why that was, but it was a bit of a relief. Maybe now he could stand within five feet of the butler without fearing for his life.
"To make up for coming unannounced, may I help with dinner preparations?" Agni asked Sebastian.
Sebastian smiled a little. "Very well. If you will follow me to the kitchen. Adalina, have Prince Soma help you with your chores." The butler sent a suave smile in the prince's direction. "I'm sure he won't have any qualms about that."
Adalina curtseyed and then turned to face Soma. "If you will follow me upstairs then, sir."
Soma went with Adalina while Agni went with Sebastian. Soma was eager to hear Adalina talk some more. Her voice and smile were so beautiful. They didn't hold a candle to Mina's. Of course, Adalina was better than Mina even when she didn't talk. Mina held a lot of darkness in her heart that he hadn't been aware of. He blamed himself for much of that, but even though Adalina had been through much darkness herself (what it was, he didn't know but he knew it was bad if she was afraid to talk), she didn't let it stop her from being kind and an overall wonderful person.
Now that she spoke, he realized how much more beautiful it made her overall. It seemed to him a crime that the world had been deprived of hearing her beautiful voice for so long.
While Soma helped Adalina with her chores well enough, he kept asking her question after question so she would keep talking. On more than one occasion, he stopped working just so he could listen to her voice.
It made Adalina smile. She liked smiling again.
Down in the kitchen, Sebastian and Agni flew across the room to make a meal worthy for the earl. Agni knew there was something different about Sebastian, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. He didn't look much different and he didn't act different, but he was just...different.
"I see you have gotten quite close with Miss Adalina," Agni finally said to break the silence.
"We are two servants who work together. As we are both the head servants of the household, it is only natural that we would become close."
"I understand. But I mean you have gotten very close." Agni smiled fondly. "I could see the way she looked at you when we arrived."
Sebastian chuckled. "We shall have to work on that."
"Is it a problem?"
"In this culture, it is considered inappropriate for two servants to be together romantically. The young master doesn't particularly care, but Adalina insisted on keeping the fact that we are involved a secret so as not to taint his name. She really does look out for him in more ways than one."
"Is that why you fell in love with her?"
"It's rather complicated how exactly I fell in love with her."
"Love is rarely logical."
"I could not agree more."
Agni smiled. That had to be why Sebastian was different. He was in love. There was no other explanation for it. "I think it is wonderful that the two of you have found each other. I know life has been hard for her since long before I met her. But I can honestly say that I have never seen her look happier than I did just now. You changed her."
Sebastian smiled. "We changed each other."
If only Agni knew just how true those words were...