Silence

Chapter 12

After lots of sleep and lots of preventing Ciel from leaving his room, the young master was fully recovered and was able to get back to his business for the Queen.

"Adalina," Ciel said to the head maid as she served him tea in his study. "I'd like to thank you for tending to me when I fell ill. I know you were not previously aware of my condition, but you still handled it well."

Adalina nodded once to show she had heard him.

"I apologize for you seeing me in such a weak state. But thank you for staying by my side during that time."

Adalina nodded again but couldn't understand how he possibly apologized for having a panic attack after suffering from an awful nightmare. He was still just a child and he had been through so much already. It was only natural for him to have terrible nightmares after enduring such trauma. He didn't have to excuse it.

Of course, she was well aware she should be saying the same thing to herself.

"Once you are finished in here, prepare the carriage. Sebastian and I are heading to London to investigate. Various criminals have been turning up dead in rather gruesome ways. All of them have somehow escaped prison due to mistakes on Scotland Yard's part or they simply haven't been caught before. It appears we have a vigilante on our hands. I don't particularly care, but the Queen insists that London cannot have any vigilantes running about with their own sense of justice. We can't have the citizens losing faith in Scotland Yard's abilities, even though they are perfectly useless. Stay here and take care of the manor until we know what we're dealing with."

Adalina politely curtseyed and left the study with the tea tray. She then went outside and got the carriage ready for transport. Ciel and Sebastian stepped inside, and she watched as they headed off down the road into London.

While she was a bit disappointed that her young master hadn't brought her along, she could understand his hesitation. Things with Daniel had gone very well, but that was because he did not have any prior fighting knowledge. She needed a lot more training before she could go up against someone who actually knew what they were doing.

Sebastian, however, could handle absolutely anything and everything. She didn't need to worry about Ciel as long as Sebastian was with him. He was basically invincible.

Or at least, that's what she had thought before they returned.

Adalina wrote down orders for the servants to complete even though she was well aware that she and Sebastian would most likely have to clean up their messes later. Then she went about doing several daily chores of her own and later practiced the moves Sebastian had been teaching her.

When she heard the carriage returning, she quickly went to the door to prepare for her master's arrival. What she was not prepared for was Sebastian leaning onto the young boy for support as two very large gashes stretched across his chest and various deep cuts covered his arms.

Her eyes widened at the sight. She had never seen Sebastian so much as have a paper cut before. How had such a thing happened to him? Perhaps it was a good thing she had not come along with them. If Sebastian was this injured, she probably would've been killed.

"Adalina, see to him please," Ciel ordered. "Make sure he's all right and that he gets everything he needs."

Adalina quickly curtseyed and took Sebastian from Ciel's grasp. She made him put his arm around her shoulders so she could hold his weight better before she helped him walk to the butler's quarters.

She had never actually been inside Sebastian's room before. He had been in hers, but she had never been in his. The occasion never called for it, and it wasn't like Sebastian kept anything he needed in his room. All he really had in it were his clothes and maybe a few pieces of a paper and writing utensils.