That Butler: Caring?

Chapter 17.

The day had finally arrived for the charity gala ball Lord Phantomhive had been invited to attend. It was a fundraiser for one of London's biggest orphanages, and as a well known figure the Earl knew full well if he refused the invitation his standing in high society would plummet as a result.

"Why did this have to be a masquerade ball? Could they not have just provided food and drink and be done with it?"

Ciel said grumpily, staring out of the window of the carriage as the trees went by. Sebastian merely chuckled at his master's foul mood.

"Ah, try to lighten up a little, Ciel. It is almost Halloween after all."

It had been decided that, as it was so close to the end of October and that most horrifying of holidays, the ball would have a Halloween theme. The young Earl was most unhappy about this but his butler seemed to be in his element.

Ciel was dressed in a mainly black suit with crop length trousers and tall, laced boots that had raised heels. His shirt was charcoal grey, and his waistcoat was black at the front and scarlet at the back, trimmed with bright red taffeta and gilt buttons. The jacket he wore had a flamboyant collar that was slightly raised with scarlet trim and thick, ruffed cuffs. His dress hat was decorated with scarlet ribbon and black ravens formed from pinched silk, while his mask was pure black and plain.

Sebastian, however, had only a simple white mask with red patterns and wore his usual tailcoat. Though with his pale skin, raven locks and crimson eyes he could almost be mistaken for a genuine vampire.

"Hmph. I suppose the only upside will be the sweets."

Sebastian chuckled again and shook his head slightly.

"My, you really are in a bad mood tonight. What is it you were saying to me just a week ago? I must have something I enjoy, was it? Maybe you should just try to relax and enjoy the party. I know social occasions are hardly your forte but, even so, one can learn to make the best of things."

The boy rolled his eyes and remained silent, just eager for the evening to be over so he could return home. His butler decided it would be best to leave him in peace for now and dropped the subject.

*****

The rest of the carriage ride was spent in silence, and as the horses slowed to a halt outside the hall Sebastian exited the carriage to open the door for Ciel. The Earl stepped out and onto the gravel, followed as ever by his faithful butler. He was greeted by bows at the door and smiles as he entered the hall, which he returned without fail. To all his sweet smile seemed to be flawless and genuine, but only Sebastian knew it was the façade of enthusiasm he put on for such events.

"Ah, Lord Phantomhive! Welcome, welcome."

The Earl was ushered in by a rather portly man wearing a black and green mask fashioned in the likeness of a cat.

"Lord Fairburn. It's been a while."

The Earl took his hand and shook it, smiling politely.

"Too long, if you ask me. Come in! The music has just begun, and there is food and wine aplenty. We are glad you could attend."

The jolly old man gestured towards the tables and the open dancefloor. With a gracious tilt of his head Ciel made his way towards the food table, planning to mingle with the other guests as little as possible. Sebastian followed just a step behind his young master.

"My Lord? Would you perhaps like a drink?"

He asked, and the boy nodded.

"Some wine would be nice."

He replied with a wave of his hand, and the butler immediately moved towards one of the servants to collect a drink for his master. He returned with a small glass of white wine to find Ciel stood beside an empty row of chairs, leaning lightly against the wall.

"Your wine, Master."

He said with a bow, and the Earl took his glass and sipped at it.

"Hmph. They all look all ridiculous, smiling like idiots. I wonder if anyone realises just how stupid they look frolicking about like that."

The demon chuckled quietly as he stood beside his master.

"I doubt it, My Lord. Perhaps you should join them; there is a lovely young lady just down the hall who seems to have her eye on you."

He teased. Following his butler's gaze, Ciel's azure eye alighted upon a girl no older than him, with soft, waist length brown hair and sparkling hazel eyes. He quickly looked away before she could notice he was looking at her.

"Tch. I'm engaged to Elizabeth, and I-"

He cut himself off before he could let slip any embarrassing details in public.

"Well at any rate I'm certainly not going to make a point of going over there and asking her to dance."

The demon gave his master a satisfied smile and remained silent, secretly pleased his reluctance meant he probably wouldn't be dancing with anyone tonight. He never liked the prospect of having to share his master.

*****

The party was nothing more than a tedious task to Ciel, who only spoke when spoken to. Eventually he was sat on a chair with his arm resting on the back, sipping a small glass of port as yet another dance began. The unassuming, gentle expression on his face betrayed nothing of his desire to leave that instant and go home.
Although, as the music's tempo changed somewhat Sebastian suddenly stiffened. His eyes narrowed to slits behind his mask as he scanned the crowd of dancers. Ciel noticed the change and glanced up at him.

"What on earth is the matter with you?"

The butler didn't answer, so his master discreetly reached over and tugged at his sleeve to get his attention.

"Sebastian. I asked you what's wrong."

He said lowly, trying not to make the fact he was conversing with his servant too obvious. It took another minute or so for the demon to finally speak.

"There is another demon here, My Lord... And a free one at that."

His voice was no more than a whisper but it was still loud enough for Ciel to hear.

"So he's not in a contract with anyone? Where?"

The Earl replied just as quietly, shifting his gaze to the crowd. Within seconds he spotted the one Sebastian had been staring at. His hair was pitch black and hung down to below his shoulders. He wore a dog like black mask with golden trim, while his suit was of a similar design. Intense yellow eyes stared out from behind the mask, focused on his dance partner for now.

"Have you ever seen him before?"

"Yes... His name is Fino Trevisani, if I remember correctly. A lover of the Italian Greyhound and most other dogs."

He shivered at the word, burning hatred obvious in his crimson eyes. The demon continued without giving his master a chance to reply.

"I have had the misfortune of meeting him once before. Let's just say we don't get on well... And it's likely he's come for you, My Lord."

"Me? What would he want with me?"

Ciel asked the question even though he already knew the answer.

"Your soul can be smelt miles away. Any demon in the area is unlikely to be able to resist the temptation... But they aren't going to come anywhere near you. That I swear."

Sebastian's voice became a sibilant hiss as he reached the end of his sentence, his eyes glowing pink for a moment as he glared at the other demon through the crowd.

"Well don't worry yourself about it now. The ball is almost over; we'll be leaving soon."

The butler ignored him but nonetheless he stayed put, though he was just waiting for a chance to rip out that hideous rogue's throat with his bare hands.