Two Steps From Hell | Sebastian Michaelis

Her Butler, Protecting

They soon passed through the village and veered off down a separate path. They came across a creepy looking house that was much larger than the others in the village. As they approached it, a maid with short white hair and lilac coloured eyes came out to greet them. Her dress was purple and her apron was white. She looked up at Sebastian as he brought the carriage to a stop.

"I presume this is the Earl of Phantomhive," she said.
Sebastian looked down at her. "Yes," he answered simply.
The maid bowed. "Welcome to Barrymore Castle. My master awaits your arrival."

She stood straight again and offered a smile, however, Sebastian wasn't too keen on returning the gesture. The others in the other carriage were also looking at the beautiful maid.

Bard smiled. "Hey."
Mey-Rin gasped. "She's lovely, yes she is!"

Finny was just blushing with big eyes. Anyone would be blind not to see that he had an obvious crush on her. However, Ana instantly felt uneasy upon seeing the maid. She couldn't quite put her finger on it but there was something nagging at the back of her mind.

The maid soon took Ciel and Sebastian inside to meet the master of the castle whilst the others unloaded the carriage. Ana still had an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach but she tried to put the negative thoughts aside. Finny was still fawning over the maid, blushing deeply as he thought about her.

Bard carried a couple of the cases but stopped when he saw Finny. "Quit acting like a loon, Finny!" he yelled angrily. "We got bags to carry! Hurry it up!"

Mey-Rin looked back at Ana and saw her lost in her own world. She was just holding a case but she wasn't moving.

"Rose, what is it?" she asked in concern.
Ana blinked and turned to her. "Oh! N-nothing." She smiled. "I just can't wait to visit the lake so we can go swimming."
Bard grinned. "Haha! Yeah!"

Ana breathed a sigh of relief and continued helping them. Soon after things were sorted, the maid joined them again and showed them to the servant's area. For some reason, Ana felt as though she had to keep her distance from her even as they introduced themselves.

"My name is Angela," she said with a polite smile.
"I'm Bard. Nice to meet ya!"
Mey-Rin giggled. "I'm Mey-Rin!"
Finny was blushing shyly. "M-my name is F-Finny."

When it came to Ana's turn, she put on the friendliest smile she could muster.

"And I'm Rose," she said.
"It's nice to meet you, Rose," Angela smiled in return.
"Likewise..."

Angela took them to the kitchen. It was grey and dingey, just like the rest of the village. The plaster was coming off the walls, it felt cold and there were no decorations but nothing more could be expected for a place that only servants enter. They all sat around the table. Finny sat beside Angela whilst Ana sat between Mey-Rin and Bard. Angela had just finished telling them that she was the only servant there.

"Really? You're the only maid for this entire estate?" Bard asked in shock.
"That's amazing!" Mey-Rin exclaimed. "I don't know how you get everything done, Angela!"
Angela lowered her gaze shyly. "It's nothing that impressive. I promise you I'm a mess most of the time."
"Just let us know if there's something we can help you with," Bard offered. "After all we servants gotta stick together, right? Finny? Am I right?"
Finny smiled. "Mhm, of course!"
Angela returned the smile. "How kind of you to offer your help. Thank you all."

Ana then knew that she had to take her chance. She needed to know why Angela was making her feel so uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry, Angela," she said. "But have I seen you somewhere before?"
Angela blinked. "I shouldn't think so. Is this your first time to Houndsworth?"
"Yes, it is."
"Then I'm afraid it would be quite impossible. I have never left Houndsworth."
"Oh, my apologies," Ana smiled. "You just seem familiar. My mistake."
Angela smiled softly in return. "There's no need to apologise, Rose."