Revelations part 2

Chapter 3

Garnet orbs sparkled as Sebastian motioned towards the door. "Well then, little lord." He teased, making Ciel roll his eyes. "Lead the way to your castle."

The Phantomhive Estate was a beautiful property with an expansive lawn of manicured grass that extended all the way to the thick woods that surrounded three quarters of the area. The ancient oaks and pines created a barrier from prying eyes as well as deterring petty burglars who had somehow managed to scale the high stone walls that lined the entire perimeter of the plot of land. Some might have thought this a little extreme; the amount of security that the Phantomhive family took, but the predecessors liked to take the 'better safe than sorry' approach when it came to protecting their loved ones. Yet, for all their careful planning, someone had been able to breach their defenses and that somebody now sat at the very edge of the forest; indigo eyes narrowing as they spied on the massive mansion's entrance.

Hannah sighed, running feminine fingers through long lavender hair and pulling the tips to her face to examine for split-ends. She hummed happily to herself, flipping the tresses back into place when she didn't find anything. Her mood had been greatly lifted from earlier and she smiled as she thought about the plan she had just put into action. It was a good plan; one that would solve all their problems.

Giggling with self-satisfaction, she thought about the conversation that had taken place only a little while ago with Claude. The golden eyed grduate had found her here; apparently after some searching, to give her a message from their General. The Major of defensive tactics had laughed heartily at the Lieutenant's obvious distaste at having been ordered to play messenger for Sebastian. Hannah hummed as she recalled the look on his face.

"Did you really think I would take such a threat seriously?" She had asked as Claude arched an eyebrow at her. Hannah sauntered over to the man, placing her hands on his chest and smiling. "Sebastian needs to lighten up a bit, don't you think? I was just having a little fun." She pouted, azure orbs feigning repentance.

"You shouldn't press your luck with him." Claude reminded, pushing the woman off his person and stepping away. "Just because he hasn't followed through with any of his castigations yet, doesn't mean you won't one day." He paused, giving her a serious and knowing look. "Trust me; you do not want to be on the receiving end of that."

"You're speaking from experience, I see." She teased, wiggling her eyebrows in an instigating manner. "What did he do to you Claude? Did he make you his bitch for the night? Hmm?" Hannah whispered, giggling as the man's expression darkened in affirmation. "I'm not scared of Michaelis." She scoffed, waving her hand nonchalantly in the air. "He can't touch me and he knows it."

"Oh really?" Claude disagreed, pursing his lips together. "Just because you're part of the Lord's family, that doesn't mean that you are immune to punishment. If Michaelis chose to, he could report you for insubordination and let Him deal with you when we return." Golden eyes peered over spectacles as if pleading for the woman to listen. Hannah leaned against a tree and huffed.

"Pfft! I am the Dark One's niece, remember? Therefore, as far as the rules of blood lineage are concerned I am superior to Sebastian." Chewing on the side of her cheek, she averted her eyes and complained. "If it weren't for the fact that He likes Michaelis so much and made him His General, we wouldn't even be having this discussion." Annoyance marred her pretty face as she dealt with the reality that Sebastian was only over her because of their king's favor. Shaking the irritating thoughts away, Hannah met Claude's gaze again. "Because of that, he can't dole out punishment on his own. So any threats he makes are useless." Arching a slim eyebrow, she smirked.

"However, you on the other hand, are completely at his mercy." The woman purred, pushing herself from the tree to close the distance between them once again. He watched her cautiously as she pressed herself close, wrapping an arm around the broad shoulders while fingers trailed up and down his blazer. "What little he has, that is; but it doesn't have to be that way." Hannah whispered softly while standing on her toes. "I could help you get out from under Sebastian's thumb. All you need to do is accept my offer." She breathed, flicking a pink tongue out to run along the shell of his ear enticingly. "It still stands open."