Little Lady of Phantomhive Manor

Chapter 13

"Well, this is unfortunate, Master," Sebastian said after everyone had gathered back into the Barrymore Manor. "To think, all this happening after the case was closed. I'm sure you're a bit... annoyed?" He smirked in Ciel's direction.

"Are you quite finished?" Ciel asked from where he was sitting with Angelina in his arms. 

"Where is Angela?" Sebastian suddenly asked.

"We let her rest up in her bed for now," Mey-Rin said clasping her hands together in worry. "She seems tired, yes she does"

"Too pitiful to watch," Bard said looking off in thought. "The poor girl"

"This village isolated itself completely from the rest of society out of fear of the demon hound's curse" Ciel said before looking down at Angelina, who, thankfully, was playing with her push dog cheerfully. "I thought for certain the hound was an illusion created by Lord Barrymore, so he could more firmly rule the village. But with him dead..." Ciel paused as Angelina looked up at him in confusion of what was going on. "I need to rethink things."

"He was covered in bite wounds," Bard said placing his hand on the back of his neck. "Maybe the villagers are right. Maybe it really was the demon hound."

"Maybe he's upset being blamed for the lord's misdeeds" Mey-Rin said leaning forward.

"Yes, maybe," Sebastian said smirking at Ciel again. "For now, there's only one thing we know:...it wasn't human"

"The hound then" Bard said trying to reach a conclusion.

Nobody seemed sure of what was happening in this place. "It's quite late," Sebastian said. "Best we all turn in for the night." Everyone silently agreed and left the room, heading for their own.

Ciel was rather quiet as he walked back to his room with Sebastian trailing behind him. He continued not to say anything as he changed Angelina into her nightdress and laid her gently on the bed.

It wasn't until Sebastian was buttoning up his nightshirt that he decided to break the silence. "Is something the matter?" Sebastian asked in a teasing way.

"It's about what you said earlier; how you phrased it" Ciel said looking down at Sebastian with suspicion in his eyes. "What you said was: this wasn't human work. What if..." Ciel paused as he spared a glance at Angelina "...that bloody reaper has gotten himself involved with this?"

"It seems you're learning faster every day," Sebastian said standing up. "I'm so very proud of you, sir. But there is no need to worry. I believe May-Rin's thought was not wholly incorrect." Sebastian folded Ciel's clothes and placed them in the wardrobe. "A hound was after Lord Henry. I don't believe anyone else is in danger of becoming its victim."

"That's not enough information for me to close the case" Ciel said slightly annoyed.

"Such loyalty to your queen" Sebastian said with a small chuckle. "Quite touching, really"

"That's not it" Ciel said raising his voice ever so slightly. "Not all of it. You're usually so cold and steady...but this case seems to have you rattled. I'm curious about this issue you have with dogs."

"As I said, you learn faster every day" Sebastian said turning his head to look at Ciel. He then walked over to the bed and sat down. Angelina noticed and crawled over to him and pulled on his jacket. When he looked down at her she held out her plush dog to him. "I must admit," Sebastian said placing a hand on Angelina's head. "I can't help but think this trip has given me another reason to hate those creatures."

"Get her!" Ciel heard echoing in his mind accompanied by the sounds of growling and barking dogs and a baby's wailing. He closed his eyes as he took in a sharp breath. He opened them again to look at Angelina as she smiled and played with her plush dog. He hoped his prediction was wrong. The bloody reaper had already taken his aunt. He couldn't let him hurt this Angelina as well.

Ciel sat down on the opposite side of the bed, facing back-to-back with Sebastian. Angelina let out a happy giggle as she placed one hand on Ciel's and the other on Sebastian's and looked up at them. They both looked down at her, both trying to hold back the smallest smiles.