Two Steps From Hell | Sebastian Michaelis

Her Butler, Rescuing

They travelled to the lake via carriage and Angela was accompanying them. Ana sat in the back carriage with the rest of servants whilst Sebastian drove the carriage at the front with Ciel. Usually Angela gave Ana a slightly odd vibe but currently, Ana wasn't bothered by her as she was busy speaking to the other three. On the way there, Ana kept shooting glares at Sebastian because of the insinuation he made, which caused the others to believe that they had kissed. However, he just kept an innocent smile on her face, which only made her more annoyed.

She soon spotted a stone on the floor of the carriage she was in and smiled to herself. Picking it up, she closed one eye and aimed. Taking into account the wind strength, the trajectory and the way the carriage was moving, she threw the stone. Just as it was about to hit her target, Sebastian swiftly leaned to the right causing the stone to completely miss.

Ana's eyes widened out of frustration that she had missed. 'That lucky so-and-so!' She pouted slightly and just then, Sebastian glanced back at her over his shoulder with a soft frown. She quickly looked away and acted innocent, slyly watching him from the corner of her eye. Turning away again, a smile formed across Sebastian's lips. 'Odd woman.'

When Sebastian looked away from her, Ana also smiled a little to herself. However, her smile didn't go unnoticed by Angela, who had been watching her the whole time.

Once they made it to the lake, Ana helped Sebastian to set up the picnic area for Ciel whilst Bard and Finny switched to their swimming costumes. Ciel sat on his chair and began reading his book before Ana went to the blanket Angela and Tanaka were sitting on. They could hear Bard and Finny enjoying themselves and Mey-Rin was still getting ready. As Ana sat down on the edge of the blanket, Angela looked at her.

"Are you not going to swim, Rose?" she asked with a polite smile.

As an automatic reaction, Ana looked at Angela but the moment they made eye contact, Ana felt a chill through her spine. Sebastian caught the expression on Ana's face, as if she had just been caught stealing. However, Angela was simply smiling at her. Ana forced herself to remain composed and put on a smile.

"N-no. I'm not really a swimmer," she replied before holding out a plate. "Sandwich?"
Angela smiled and took one. "Thank you."

To keep herself distracted, Ana watched the others playing in the water. Mey-Rin was so nervous to come out of the changing booth but when she did, Ana couldn't believe how wonderful she looked. Even Bard, Finny and Tanaka thought so too as they splashed around in the water. But it made Ana a little sad that she couldn't join in. It wasn't that she didn't want to. It's just that she felt embarrassed about her body and she looked up to Mey-Rin for being so brave. She couldn't help but smile as she watched them play.

Sebastian stood to the side near Ciel but his focus was on Ana, wondering why she was so hesitant around Angela. As far as he knew, there was no reason for Ana to be scared of her. Yet it seemed she was. Still, he couldn't allow himself to become too distracted by her.

"Don't you care to bathe with them, young master?" Sebastian asked as he stood there with a towel draped over his arm. However, Ciel was reading his book. "Oh, I see," Sebastian smiled. "Is that the problem? The master can't-"
"I don't see why they're making such a fuss about this little pond," Ciel said to cut him off. "Just because you can bathe doesn't make it a resort."
"You still intend to make this place into a resort then?"
Ciel closed his eyes. "Naturally."
"But what about this great demon hound?"
"Surely you know as well as I by now. This demon hound is no dog." He looked at Sebastian. "Shall we discuss it further?"

Ana remained silent, simply enjoying the weather and trying hard not to focus on Angela's presence. However, as she glanced over at Sebastian, he saw Ciel whispering something in his ear before he began walking away. She didn't know where Ciel was sending him but she suddenly felt alone and vulnerable.