~~Ciel's POV~~
It was still early in the morning. I was in my study doing my work when Sebastian came in. He was holding an envelope.
Don't tell me...
"You have a letter, young master", Sebastian said. He placed it down in front of me on my desk and I picked it up. It had the Queen's seal on it and my suspicions were confirmed.
Her Majesty has another anxiety that needs to be taken care of.
I unfolded the letter and it was a command from the Queen. It read: "You will secure Houndsworth. The village is controlled by a nobleman by the name of Henry Barrymore. He has been informed of your coming and requests that you send a number of how many people you will be bringing, yourself included, in advance."
I sighed as I sat the letter down. Sebastian handed me a cup of tea.
All I have to do is secure the village, but I don't want to return to a destroyed manor. I will have to bring my servants as well. Me and Sebastian...2...plus Bard, Finny, Mey-Rin, and Tanaka...that's 6...plus Claire...that's a total of 7 then.
I turned to Sebastian. "Send a letter to Henry Barrymore of Houndsworth. Inform him that I will be bringing five other servants with me when I come. Include me in the total number. Get it mailed quickly. We leave tomorrow", I said. Sebastian opened his eyes in shock. I sipped my tea.
"A trip, in this season?", he asked. I looked at him calmly and lowered my cup.
"Sebastian, are you familiar with the leisure activity known as bear-baiting?", I asked him.
"The word seems entertaining and quite attractive to me, but I'm afraid not", he said.
"They tied a bear to a fence with a rope or cord, and fighting dogs surrounded it, bit at it, and killed it", I explained. He smiled brightly.
"My, that sounds very human-like", he said.
"It was banned by the Cruelty to Animals Act of 1835, but there was a loophole: the law didn't apply to the attack dogs. What do you think happened then?", I asked. Sebastian looked into space with a hand on his chin in thought.
"I imagine they began having the dogs attack their own kind. Perhaps you would call it 'dog-baiting'?", Sebastian said.
"There's a village doing just that: Houndsworth. The place was originally famous for rearing hunting dogs, but behind closed doors, they...", I said and looked down at the letter. "She is heartsick. We'll secure that village under the pretext of making it a health resort. That's the goal of this journey."
"A village full of dogs, eh?", Sebastian said. I looked up.
"What is it?", I asked. He bowed his head slightly.
"Merely that securing a construction site seems like a quite trifling job for you to be concerned with", Sebastian said.
"There is a reason. A reason why I, why the house of Phantomhive, must go to Houndsworth in person", I said. Sebastian finally gave in.
"Yes, my lord", he said and left the room. Before he closed the door, I saw Claire in the hallway. I couldn't stop myself from calling out.
"Claire!", I called. She jumped slightly, as always, and turned in my direction. She quickly entered the room.
"Yes, Ciel?", she asked. I smiled when she said my name and she smiled in return.
"I thought I would inform you that we will be leaving for Houndsworth tomorrow. Inform the other servants as well and pack a bag", I said. She smiled happily and nodded. However, her smile seemed forced almost.
YOU ARE READING
You Can't Hide Forever
Fanfiction[CIEL × OC] Book 1 (of 3 currently) Claire was a young girl when a tragic event changed her life forever. She is put through many things that scar her for life, inside and out. While running from those things, she comes to the Phantomhive manor and...