The Queen's Viper (A Black Butler Fanfic)

~twenty two~

The next day, Hannah had quickly woken you up from your sleep, insisting that her master wanted to see you in the garden. Normally, you would've started cursing at whoever it was that had awoken you, but seeing Hannah as frantic as she was, you decided to keep your mouth shut for now.

Apparently, Alois had assigned Hannah as your 'maid' or 'guardian'. He basically told her that she would do anything that you had asked her to, or she would get punished severely. A shiver went up your spine as you listened in on their private conversation. That is, until Claude caught you, and you had to scram. He didn't say much—usually ever, but his cold glare was enough to make you leave.

You got up out of bed and Hannah got you dressed into a gorgeous blue and gold dress. You wanted to protest so badly. The outfits that he gave you seemed to be a little too extravagant, and it made you uncomfortable, but, 'I am simply following orders.' was all that Hannah ever said.

"You know, Hannah, you're very sweet." You said, catching the attention of the maid as she tied up your corset.

"... Whatever do you mean, Lady (Y/n)?" She asked.

"You never smile at me or talk to me most of the time, but I can tell that you love your master very much. So, I thank you for taking care of me. I will make sure to put a good word in to your master."

She perked up at the end of your statement. You would tell him how good she was being? Of course, she was required to do whatever Alois told her, but she still cared for him deeply. She looked up at you, to see a smile on your face as you peered down at hers.

In her heart, she knew. Luckily, Claude ran you off before you could hear anymore of the conversation between her and Alois. Her master had a plan, and her only job was to protect you and be selfless towards you. He would do the rest. But there was a part of her that felt guilty. You were being dragged into this game—his web. Once you were trapped, there would be no escaping. She hoped you would, but she knew never to wish otherwise.

She smiled back at you and continued to help you dress.

~~~~~~

"Alois?!" You shouted, hoping to find the boy soon.

'God. This mansion is huge.' You said to yourself as you walked through the halls. His was much bigger than yours, but you were glad that your house was not the size of—

Your house.

Home.

When would you return? Would you even come back at all? It was a question that you hadn't thought to yourself until just now, and it struck fear in your heart. You couldn't imagine not seeing Nina, Jin, or Jonny again. They were more than your servants—they were your friends. You hung your head low as you walked down the hallway, memories of your servants ringing in your head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"M-Mistress! I've made your some herbal tea to help you feel better!" Jonny said, shooting an exaggerated smile, hoping that you would accept his offer.

"Oh! Oh! My lady! I've run you a bath with your favorite fragrances!" Nina countered, earning a scowl from the chef.

"Well, I took time out of my busy day to wax the floors, dusted every surface in this building, and even fed our beloved snake, my mistress."

You raised an eyebrow at the three, suddenly curious as to their behavior.

"What's all of this for?" You asked, causing them to freeze up. Shortly after this question, Nina quickly piped up.

"We saw you walk in, and you just didn't seem like yourself, so we thought that we'd do some extra things, so that you wouldn't feel so bad!" She enthusiastically announced.

"... Or was it because you want to open your presents?" You asked, causing the three to blush in embarrassment.

"T-That too!" Jonny openly admitted, putting a grin on your face.

~~~~~~~

You weakly smiled at your remembrance of the Christmas 'party' that you had thrown with your servants. You recalled the delicious cookies that Jonny made, and how excited Jin was to have a cow onesie.

You looked up at the hall before you with a determined look. Finally, you could see a door to the outside, but before you opened them, you made a promise to yourself. A promise that you were going to keep—not for yourself—but for your family.

You were going to see them again. Not now, but you would. You couldn't let them be alone—at least without an explanation.

~~~~~~

You walked through a custom maze in the garden, still searching for the Earl.

'Honestly. if he wants to speak to me, he could just tell me where he is or meet me somewhere—'

As you turned another corner, a small, white object laying on the ground a little bit in front of you caught your eye. You quickly snapped out of your thoughts and approached the item. You knelt down and looked at it: It was a pure, white rose, it's thorns having been cut off.

You raised an eyebrow at the beautiful flower, but still carried it with you as you walked. You turned another corner to your right, and soon found a trail of the same spotless, white petals as there was on your flower. They led you further into the maze, but you continued to follow them. These weren't just blown away from a flower and ended up here. Someone put these down, and something told you that it was Alois's bidding. You pondered in your head, curious as to the occurrence for such a... romantic.. gesture, but you could find no reason for it.

You still followed it, until it reached an opening. You had finally made it to this 'supposed' garden. Though, you realized that the place was absolutely covered with roses. Every which way that you could see - the gazebo, the benches, the outdoor furniture - everything had either a rose, multiple roses, or rose petals laying on it. You gulped, not knowing what in the hell was happening around you.

'Maybe this was all just a big joke? A prank?'

Something told you that it wasn't quite that simple. This was intricate, and frankly, you didn't know how to react.

"Do you like it?"

You let out a squeak and quickly snapped your head around, coming face-to-face Alois's grinning face.

"I... do I what?"

"Claude worked on this for a while. I told him that it wasn't needed, but he wanted to make you feel more comfortable here."

You breathed out a sigh of relief after the boy spoke, comfort rushing through your veins.

"Yes. Yes, I feel much more comfortable now." You said, turning back around to look at 'Claude's' doing.

Alois smirked as you looked at the surrounding.

Of course, Claude actually did do this, but it was upon the request of his master. Alois had never really experienced 'love', so he didn't fret on getting caught up in his actions. He was determined to make you fall for him, but only so he could watch the Earl of Phantomhive break. He wanted to hear about the nights that he cried in his sleep because he couldn't wrap his arms around you, for that would be Alois's job. Trancy didn't love you, not in the slightest.

At least, not yet.