Into The Flames (Sebastian x Reader)

Secrets of Safety

The next morning, I stirred my porridge around the bowl, over and over, again, my scone and tea untouched beside my plate.

I had avoided Sebastian's gaze ever since entering the room, not really sure where things stood between us after last night, and not really sure I wanted to know.

"You usually attack your breakfast like a savage dog." I looked up from my bowl at the sound of Ciel Phantomhive's voice from across the table, regarding me with a brow raised, dark blue eye unreadable as he watched me. "You're unusually reserved this morning, and I find the sudden intake of manners quite refreshing from someone who's usually more animal than human."

I ignored his jibe, something I wouldn't have done any other day when I wasn't so distracted, so lost in my thoughts, and instead, dropped my eyes back to the untouched food before me, ever aware of Sebastian's silent presence behind his young master, as I replied quietly, "Just a lot on my mind."

"No return taunt? I'm impressed." The boy scoffed, taking a sip from his teacup delicately, still watching me with a cocky expression on his face. "Maybe being here really has taught you some manners."

Sebastian cleared his throat from behind the kid, and then I heard his voice, baritone, low, smooth, as he stepped forward and said calmly, "Young Lord, you said you had news of the contract we retrieved?"

"Ah yes." Ciel settled back into his chair, pulling out the contract we had given him the night before from the inside pocket of his suit coat, his eyes scanning the pages as he said, "I stayed up all night going over this. And I've come to the conclusion that we're close, so close in fact, that I know who the boss is."

My head jerked up at his confident statement, my spoon going still in my bowl, and I couldn't help the tone of skepticism in my voice as I asked incredulously, "Really? You figured all that out with just a contract of service?"

The boy sitting across the table from me shot me a slight glare at my lack of confidence in his abilities, and then handed the contract over his shoulder to Sebastian without looking at him, saying in a slightly bored tone, "I did. And if you doubt me...." He paused, glancing up at the tall form of the butler behind him. "Sebastian, please tell the lady what seal is present upon the last page of that contract."

The sound of papers rifling filled the brief silence that had settled over the room, and I watched as Sebastian glanced down at the last page as directed, his gaze barely flickering downward before he responded, his tone never changing, "The seal present is that of the House of Beauxgard, young master."

"Son of a bitch." I breathed, slumping back in my chair at the revelation. I glanced over at the kid, sitting, completely nonplussed, across from me, fingers steepled beneath his chin as he watched me smugly. "The family that advises the Queen herself?"

"Indeed." Ciel Phantomhive nodded, seeming to be lost in a thought of some kind, as he continued, eyes flickering past me and to the large wall of windows that graced one side of the dining room. "But the question is...who wants to frame them so badly that they made it this obvious?"

"It's most likely a ploy to get us where they want us. They knew we'd steal the contract." I mused, mostly to myself, eyes losing focus as I processed everything we had just learned.

"Obviously." The boy waved an uninterested hand in my direction, as if he had come to that conclusion ages ago. "But the only way to find out who wants to frame the Queen's advisors, and thus, find out the true boss behind this nasty business, is to play right into their trap. Make them think we believe them."

"And I'm going to make a wild guess here and say that you won't be the one playing into this trap, and subsequently, into the line of danger." I replied snarkily, regarding the face of the boy sitting across from me, as he shot me a glare, my lips curling up into a satisfied smirk at his obvious ire.