That Butler, New Face

That Butler, Agitated 3

"... Now, then," Ciel said once he and his guests were seated at opposite ends of the dining table. Sebastian and Chêne were patiently waiting to serve Ciel and his guests. "As everyone has settled down, shall we move on to the main topic?" Ciel suggested.

"That's right. I never wanted to visit this sort of eerie doghouse," Lord Randall said grudgingly as he removed a sealed envelope from his jacket and handed it to Sebastian, who came to retrieve it for Ciel, while Chêne left to fetch the bottle of champagne that had been selected as a treat for their guests for the resolution of the hanging incidents.

"I see..." Ciel said as he took the envelope from Sebastian and opened it. "So this latest incident was worth this amount?"

"!?" Abberline gasped in shock when he realized the slip of paper Ciel that had just removed from the envelope was, in fact, a check. Why would the commissioner give the young earl something like that...!?

"?" Chêne said, blinking in confusion when she saw the agitated detective upon returning with the chilled champagne that she had nestled in a bucket of ice. He looked like Luke Skywalker after Darth Vader had revealed that he was actually the young jedi's father. She must have missed something good...

"That's––!?" Abberline shouted incredulously, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"The lord's successor doesn't know yet?" Ciel teased Abberline, smiling slyly. "The commissioner of the Yard has been used by the queen for ages. He purposefully brings the bait to the 'doghouse'. In general, the Phantomhives are a secret committee that carries out special duties. Because of that, the funds for their activities and their rewards cannot be included in the national budget. The fact of the matter is... the ones who raise this money for us, is the police," Ciel explained coolly as Lord Randall grit his teeth in anger and frustration. The commissioner was mortified he couldn't refute the veracity of Ciel's statement. "On paper, it could be called 'reward money'. It is the same as when purchasing a new 'police dog'," Ciel concluded nonchalantly. Chêne sweat-dropped. Ciel really was turning into a bully... why did he have to look so happy when mocking others? She eyed Sebastian suspiciously as he took the bottle of champagne from her. He raised an eyebrow and stared back innocently at her, as if silently saying, 'Who, me?' She narrowed her eyes slightly at him.

Yes, you!

He just responded to her silent accusation with a radiant shit-eating grin, amused. He found that Chêne was rather adorable when she was upset. There was always a certain fire in her eyes...

"Th-That can't be!!" Abberline shouted in disbelief, refusing to let his noble image of the British police be shattered so easily. "Isn't that as though it's bribe money––"

"It isn't 'as though'," Ciel calmly interrupted. "It's genuinely bribe money," the young earl stated matter-of-factly as he gave the naïve detective a slight, wry grin of dark humor at the irony behind an organization that was dedicated to 'justice' doing something as 'corrupt' as offering secret bribes. Abberline stared at Ciel, stunned. Lord Randall clenched his fist, unable to look at his subordinate's shocked and appalled face. Abberline might be a fool most of the time, but the bumbling detective at least had an admirable sense of honor and justice... to the point where he was almost too naïve for the job.

Chêne tilted her head slightly to the side in confusion as she watched. She didn't see what the big deal was... Why shouldn't Ciel receive compensation for all the work he did? Even if Ciel was rich, spending his own money on certain 'business expenses' for the queen would add up after a while. Let's be honest, who would want to do work that not only risked their life but lost them money? Especially when they could normally just relax and live the cushy life of an English noble? The least Queen Victoria could do was reimburse him for 'travel expenses' since Ciel never would've come to London otherwise. Besides, was it really that different from the reward money that the police would offer sometimes to the public in exchange for their cooperation to catch certain criminals? Chêne didn't think so. It was like having a hired consultant.