Won't You Stay This Time?

Beacon Butler (Part 1)

~~Claire's POV~~

"A ball~! A ball~! We're going to a ball~! A costume ball tonight~! We're going to a ball~!!", Finny sang from the front of the carriage where he, Bard, and Mey-Rin were siting as we made our way to the Trancy estate. I watched the scenery outside the window to try and ease my nerves with little luck and continued to listen to the three.

"I'm so excited!", Mey-Rin exclaimed.

"Yeah, and even us servants are allowed to come too, as long as we wear costumes!", Bard added. "That's a nice fellow. Uh... now, what was that bloke's name again? Uh... Tr... Trumpet or something?"

"No, it was 'Lord Trancy'!", Mey-Rin corrected him. They described Alois as a 'nice fellow', but if only they knew how far that was from the truth. Inside the carriage, the atmosphere was close to tense while being completely serious.

"Alois Trancy, eh?", Ciel asked Sebastian. "And the previous Earl Trancy you said he died questionably three years ago, is that right?"

"Yes", Sebastian replied.

"Three years ago...", Ciel mumbled as he developed a distant look in his eyes. He was most likely thinking about the burning of his estate three years ago, in which he lost his parents and everything else. I took Ciel's hand in mine and he seemed to come out of his thoughts. "Alois' mother committed suicide. He was kidnapped when he was very young. But then he returned home shortly before his father passed away, along with a mysterious new butler... Is that the whole of it?"

A very familiar story.

"Yes. His story seems familiar somehow", Sebastian replied. Ciel looked towards the window.

"Indeed. It's a common one", he said. It didn't take us much longer to arrive at the dreaded mansion and Sebastian was the first to get out, followed by Ciel who helped me out last.

"Right. We servants gotta go come in through the back entrance", Bard said.

"See you this evening, master!", Mey-Rin waved.

"We've got some brilliant costumes! Wait 'til you see them, sir!", Finny exclaimed as Bard drove the carriage away. We faced the menacing mansion as they pulled away. While it looked nice and was lightly colored, it still had an air about it that made it feel threatening. Especially to me, who knew what was just beyond the doors. We approached the door and Sebastian lifted his hand to knock. However, the door opened before his knuckle could make contact with the wooden surface. Ciel's eyes widened just a bit, but knew Claude had most likely been waiting for us.

"The Right Honorable Earl Ciel Phantomhive and his betrothed Lady Claire Toraburu. We've been expecting you", Claude said with a small bow. His eyes pierced through me it seemed, as if he was waiting for the perfect time to strike for leaving and siding with Sebastian. "Claude Faustus, the butler of this estate." Ciel and Sebastian looked at him with bored looks before he stepped aside. "Please come in." Ciel didn't hesitate to walk forward, pulling me along with him since our arms were interlocked. However, I was almost shaking at having to step foot into this mansion again and face what dwelled here. Sebastian took one step before stopping and looking up above the door. Ciel stopped and we followed his gaze. I was glad for the delay. What we saw was a spiderweb.

"What's that?", Ciel asked. Claude followed our gazes.

"Ah, yes", he said once he saw the web, spider in its center. "The Trancy coat of arms bears a spider, so out of respect we preserve their lives."

"But of course", Sebastian replied. "Besides when it comes to spiders, the harder you try to kill them the faster they cling." Sebastian smirked, but Claude did what he could to ignore him and moved aside again.