Kuroshitsuji: The Contract from Birth [Ciel Phantomhive]

[11] Her Butler, Tricked

Every morning, I am to be awoken by Rodric, dressed by Yuki and Erin, fed by Rodric, updated on any news by Eren and Erin, and escorted to the gardens by Salvador. There are, of course, a few exceptions. When I'm away for so long, Rodric carries out all these tasks, and obviously, the trip to the garden is postponed. Actually, I consider myself quick to adjusting and very versatile as long as Rodric is by my side. But when I'm awoken improperly, I do have a tendency to become irascible.

THUMP

CRASH

POP

"You can't go in and just wake her; this is one of the few nights she's slept well!!"

"Oh, but the princess must be with her husband now."

SLAP

"YOU LET HER GET MARRIED?!"

My eyes snapped open, and I slowly turned my head towards the door where the obnoxious sounds were emitting from. As I continued to hear several voices yell back and forth, eventually the words became incoherent, and I rolled under the blankets, covering my face. Not too long after, my left eye began to twitch and I heard my bedroom door swing open.

"Princess, time for you--"

I clenched the covers tighter in my fists, baring my teeth as bodies hit the floor and I heard my wardrobe tip over. Finally, I couldn't stand the noise any longer. Instantly I ripped off the blanket and sat up, my eyes narrowing at the ridiculous scene in front of me, or more so, below me. Yuki and Rodric were wrestling with Agni, pinning him to the ground as he struggled to stand back up, complaining that his prince wished to see me. Behind them, the twins were scrambling to pick up my dresses and robes that had flown out and scattered around my bedroom floor. Even Salvador--who wasn't one to do any labor that didn't have to do with the garden--was pushing my wooden wardrobe back up from where it had fallen.

"Why are you here, Agni?" I hissed lowly, my hair standing on its end as they continued to scuffle.

"Milady!" Erin gasped, running over with a brush. My hand instantly raised and I lifted my finger, shaking my head at her. I was not in the mood to be fretted over for my looks. She froze and turned to her brother, who shrugged as he also froze in place.

"Quién es este1?" Salvador spat, opening his arms to gesture at Agni. "He just barged into the manor, like a... like a--"

"Like a rotten nobody!" Yuki cried out, standing up from her spot on the floor and slamming a foot on Agni's back, making him wince. "What's this rubbish about marriage and a husband?!"

"It's a rather ridiculous story," Rodric said with a heavy sigh.

"You can bet your bottom dollar that it is!" Yuki screeched.

"These two are Ciel's problem, not mine," I said, shutting my eyes. "Eren, prepare the carriage. Erin, help me get dressed. Rodric and Yuki, please take Agni out to the parlor."

Immediately, everyone set off to completely their assigned tasks, bowing before exiting the room and closing the door behind them. Erin rushed off to pick out my dress for the day and she raised the brush again, timidly this time. I nodded and she relaxed, brushing my hair down like normal.

"Where are you going today, Miss?"

"We're all going to take him back to the Queen's oh-so-watchful Watchdog."

-

I raised my fist to slam down on the front doors, furious as Rodric stood amused besides me. Yuki, the twins, and Salvador were in awe, and even through my irate mood, I couldn't help but appreciate them. Without a second thought, all four of them had accompanied me to go and resolve this issue about my 'marriage', wanting to see who had dared to name me as their wife. Yuki was obviously the most vexed, mumbling under her breath the entire journey, silencing Agni with a single glare whenever he tried to speak up and explain himself.

"Welcome, Lady DelMare."

"Oh, don't play modest with me, Sebastian," I growled, stomping past him. I beckoned the rest to follow and Sebastian raised an eyebrow, closing the door behind him once everyone was inside the manor.

"I see you brought your estate, what a pleasure."

That voice. That high-and-mighty irritating voice.

"Ciel, your failure to keep your guests in line is rather pathetic," I stated through my teeth. "I'll have you know that you'll be paying for a wardrobe."

Ciel flinched at the mention of the undesirable visitors, shaking his head while he pointed at Sebastian with his cane. He himself seemed to be on the irked side this morning, and I could only guess that his wake-up call was just as pleasant as mine.

"See to it, Sebastian."

A gloved hand gripped Agni's shoulder and I smiled in relief, content.

"Yes, my Lord."

Rodric and Sebastian each took Agni's arm and made their way out towards the kitchen, and Ciel stepped down the staircase he was on top to greet me, glancing at my servants in the process.

"They're not my guests," He clarified. "I hadn't even noticed that Agni slipped away after he had woke me up."

"I hope that's your way of apologizing," Yuki said, crossing her arms and looking down at him. Ciel, unimpressed, glanced at her and then back to me, a bit bothered.

"These are your servants, are they not?"

Not wanting to seem rude to the ones who had raised me from birth, I nodded and extended my arm to them.

"The two identical looking ones are Erin and Eren, the twins," they each flashed a grin and I rolled my eyes. "Then there's the tall one with the mustache. That would be Salvador. And the one who likes to snap at people and has choppy black hair is Yuki."

Easily dodging her pinch, I smiled brightly at Ciel. He returned the minuscule sign of amusement and looked away. Then, just as quickly as his small smile had appeared, it was gone, and he slammed his cane down on the floor twice.

"Baldroy! Mey-Rin, Finny!"

A clash made me jump, and I saw Ciel's usual party rush out from wherever they had been, each wanting to reach their master first. Finny managed to win the race by tripping the other two, and enthusiastically saluted when he arrived, Mey-Rin and Baldroy scurrying right behind him.

"Hello!"

"Show the DelMare help around the manor," Ciel ordered them, closing his eyes. "And don't break anything."

"Yes, Sir!"

Yuki glanced at me questionably and I nodded, giving them my permission and approval. They were then swept away by the charismatic Phantomhive bunch and Ciel sighed in what seemed to be relief.

"Wonderful, now you can suffer with me."

"What on earth are you talking about?" I exclaimed, walking alongside him as he went back up the stairs.

"Your prince hasn't left me alone since his butler woke me," Ciel explained. "I have quite a busy day, and I'd rather be amused throughout it than be irritated."

Oh no. I had fallen right into his devilish trap.

Just as I expected, he opened up the parlor door, and my face fell. Prince Soma was impatiently waiting on the floor with some cards, seemingly close to passing out from boredom. As soon as he caught sight of me, however, his face lit up and he jumped up from the rug and rushed over to me, arms extended.

"Mera Pyaar2!"

My arm jerked back and I fell against Ciel, narrowly missing the Indian prince's embrace. Turning my head slightly, I caught sight of Ciel's infuriating smirk.

"Ciel, stop trying to romance Bengal's Princess!" Soma cried out in alarm, waving his forefinger at us childishly. Before I could stand up straight, Ciel let go of my sleeve, pushing me forward and off of him. Clumsily, I caught myself and sent him an angry glare.

"I'll get you for this, Phantomhive." I hissed, and he shrugged unconcernedly.

"Now we can all do whatever Ciel was practicing together!" Prince Soma happily announced. "He was playing that instrument over there very badly."

Ciel growled and I smirked slightly, turning to see to where Soma was pointing at. There was a violin resting on top of the desk and a music stand beside it, seemingly in the middle of a piece.

"Beethoven Rondo?" I asked, lifting up the sheets and flipping through them.

"You've heard of it?"

Not bothering to answer, I picked up the violin and tuned the strings before beginning to play, letting the sound of the instrument block out all the annoyances from the morning. I was naturally adept as music and any art that followed suit, so I wasn't surprised when Prince Soma began to fawn over how lovely I was playing. Even Ciel seemed to stop being the prideful brat he was and paused to listen, taking a seat in the corner of the room. While I was gifted with these talents, I was also deprived of having any skill relating to sports. Be that as it may, it didn't make much of a difference because a lady's place was to cheer and watch a game, not partake in it. I ended the piece smoothly, feeling as though even Yuki and Rodric would praise me for how well it went.

"My wife plays beautifully, doesn't she?!"

My eyebrow twitched and I chucked the bow at Prince Soma's plum head, the serenity that the violin had blanketed me in now gone.

"WE'RE NOT MARRIED!"

-

| R E F E R E N C E   P O I N T S |

1.) "Quién es este?" means Who is this (guy)? in Spanish
2.) "Mera Pyaar!" means My Love! in Hindi

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...My Countess orders, I obey; Anyone who dares interfere, will have Hell to pay...