"That's the Queen's Guard Dog! You found who the culprit was! I'm rather impressed." The shaggy auburn headed Inspector, Fred Abberline, cheered as we all stood outside of Scotland Yard together underneath the faint dewy drizzle that misted onto London. 

"Yes, well her Majesty can now rest peacefully knowing that those children, and women are now free." Ciel spoke, drawing his hand towards his forehead because of Fred, who seemed to be a bit more gallant, and loud for the Earl's taste. 

"Though in this case I did receive some help." Ciel added, gazing over at me with a look of mischief, and amusement.

"Oh, so you helped the young Earl then? I'm Fred Abberline, pleased to meet you!" The gawky blue eyed man spoke, bounding over to me, and shaking my hand. A wide smile plastered across his small, coffee hued mustache. 

"I'm Elsbeth Knight, and are all of those victims going to be alright?" 

"Oh, yes. Her Majesty is going to make sure that those women, and children all have a safe place to go," Fred answered, dispelling my anxiety over the matter. "Though may I be so bold as to ask how you know Ciel here?" 

"Lady Elsbeth is like an aunt to my dear master, and she is a guest staying at his manor. In truth she was quite a wreck when my Lord so generously allowed her to stay. You might even say that despite becoming like an aunt like figure to my master's life that she is also like a stray kitten without a home." Sebastian snidely chimed in with his sarcastic comment, making my eyes narrow. 

"Well, I don't think you're one hundred percent correct with that, mere butler who shouldn't be speaking for others without permission, for I am not in need of a home. However far better to be a stray kitten with no place to go then to be a pet crow for a Guard Dog." I snapped back. 

"My, my. You two seem to be rather good with mocking each other. It's comical to hear you two interlace in a good banter." The Inspector noted, thinking our sizzling remarks to each other were a mere game instead of what it truly was, a severe battle of who got to have the last word.

Ciel cleared his throat, and drummed his fingers against the golden handle of his walking stick in a vexed nature. 

"Forgive them, Mr. Abberline. It seems that they have momentarily forgotten their place. But, now that the case of the disappearing prostitutes, and children has been swiftly taken care of please do inform Arthur Randall that it was mere child's play solving the case. And, that it apparently does seem that a child is needed otherwise his adult self would still be at a loss, bumbling over how to properly start the investigation." 

Arthur then suddenly walked over, receiving the tail-end of what the Earl had scorned. 

"So, you solved the conundrum, Guard Dog. It appears as though a congratulations is called for. Though I'm sure her Majesty will give you a nice rawhide bone for your efforts anyway. You're rather good at playing fetch for her." 

Ciel's one showing iris deepened, but instead of engaging in another war of sassy comebacks he twisted around on his heels, and faced the other direction. 

"Well, I've had enough useless chatter. Sebastian, bring the carriage over." 

"Yes, my Lord." 

While waiting for Sebastian to retrieve the carriage I noticed Arthur staring over at me rather earnestly, and keenly. As if he was trying to solve a puzzle, but was lacking the final piece. 

"Phantomhive, may I ask what you did with the creature that we had kept locked up?" 

"I disposed of it, obviously," Ciel responded, not daunted at all by his sudden analyzing inquiry. The boy knowing full well that if Arthur were to detect any uneasiness, fidgeting, or shaky words that all indicated a lie, that the cover would be blown. "Her Majesty wished that that monster fable would be destroyed so that it wouldn't upset her people."

"So, what was that creature then?" Arthur interrogated, his gloved hand slowly threading through his dark beard. "A ghost? Vampire? Demon?" 

"I do believe that you've let your delusions get the best of you, Mr. Randall," Ciel countered. "It was no supernatural being that you locked up contrary to your belief. It would be best if you just forgot about that matter."  

Sebastian arrived back with the carriage, but Arthur was still hellbent on figuring me out. Trying to connect all of the dots together ceaselessly, not wanting the topic to drift off onto something else until he had finished deducing, and calculating in his head. 

"You're a rather mysterious woman, aren't you? Ms. Knight. Ciel claims that you're like an aunt to him, and yet you just appeared out of no where as if from thin air." 

"Oh, dear. I do hope that you aren't suspecting a prominent guest at the Phantomhive manor as actually being that thing you locked up, and tortured?" Sebastian barbed, his aura around him seeping further into his more devious, and sneering Demon self. 

"No, butler. I am merely saying that the resemblance is quite familiar. You, Ms. Knight, look just like how that monster looked when I first found it. Before I ordered for it to be tortured since no matter what I did that female creature wouldn't obey." Arthur stated, snapping a cord in Sebastian's patience, and perfect respectful butler facade that he never failed to keep up, until now anyway. 

Arthur's words made Sebastian's more dark, smirking expression simmer, and his iris's sparked to life. 

"Oh, so you were the one in charge of the torturing, and suffering that that female had to endure?" Sebastian spoke, his venom filled words slithering out of his mouth with power, and in a cruel, frightening tone that was enough to make the chief Inspector tremble. 

Before Sebastian lost anymore of his temper which was worsening by the second Ciel walked over, and slapped the butler straight across his face. The boy taking action before Sebastian went full on Demon mode on Randall. 

"I apologize for my uncouth butler, he appears to have forgotten who exactly he is at the moment. Let's go, Sebastian." Ciel ordered, stepping into the carriage first with Sebastian, and I following quietly behind. 

Once the carriage was in motion, and the horses hooves were galloping across the mud-ridden stone grounds, their legs kicking up grime, and dingy puddle water as they rode on. Ciel was free to release some much needed anger. 

"You almost blew your cover, you bloody imbecile. If I hadn't of slapped you when I did, returning you back to your rightful senses, what would of happened? Why did you have to even ask him what you did!?! He's liable to be even more suspicious of Elsbeth now!" Ciel condemned, his voice laced with intolerance, and fury. 

"I do apologize, my Lord. I seemed to have let my anger get the best of me for a moment there. It won't happen again." The butler rendered, and I just listened to their conversation, a bit entertained by the show I had just witnessed. 

I stayed quiet for the duration of the carriage ride back to the rustic rural's of England's countryside, Ciel doing the same, and with a scowl he stayed as silent as the grave as well. 

Ignoring both the peeved off Earl, and mute butler I stared out at the mossy emerald hilltops that rolled by me at a quick pace, and gazed upward at the dusty gray clouds which loomed in the late afternoon sky. The damp chartreuse moors which sunk deep, and rose high in uneven trails were covered with ivy, and barren trees that were without their leaves. Their frail cracked branches covered with peeling brown bark, rustled together, their wooden limbs tangled in knots. 

As soon as we arrived in front of the mansion Ciel took off with great haste, bounding up the stairs to the large oak door, vanishing within the many corridors of the grand manor, eager to release off some steam. 

I, however retreated towards the back courtyard, past the large stone fountain, and I went into the spacious greenhouse. 

Inside the dimly lit arboretum was an abundant amount of red roses, yet nothing else. There wasn't a variety of greenery, no exotic flowers, no truly dazzling foreign blooms, and it was rather plain. 

Only a mere white bistro set sat in the middle of the glasshouse. 

Though the big crimson roses that were flourishing were completely spotless. With no visible signs of bruises, or flaws in anyway, and each individual maroon petal looked like soft velvet. 

Taking a seat down onto one of the ivory shaded metal chairs I crossed one leg over the other, and peered out of the fogged up windows that traveled all the way up to the ceiling. 

The faded mauve sunset reflected against the blurred transparent glass, casting a hazy lavender glow inside the greenhouse, dappling the roses with a diminishing highlight of sun. 

Reclining against the back of the chair I shut my eyes, but only for a moment until I heard the sound of the double French doors opening, and I saw Sebastian enter. 

He was balancing a polished silver tray on top of his gloved palm, and he placed it down on top of the small table beside me. 

On the tray I saw a cup of tea, and some honeyed biscuits, making me arch a brow. 

"My master ordered me to fetch you something to eat, and drink, and I couldn't argue with his command even though you can no longer taste anything, but blood." Sebastian spoke, and I gazed down at my caramel hued reflection within the teacup. 

"Yes, I have long since forgotten what tea, biscuits, or anything else like that tastes like. But, anyway. That was a rather interesting show at Scotland Yard today," I began. "I didn't think that that chief Inspector would be so nosy, but then again I suppose his job is to inspect things. But, what I really didn't expect was for you to be so taken aback by that Mr. Randall's words. Ciel had to physically stop you from going all Demon mode on him." 

I peered over at the butler with a curious glint in my eyes. 

"I wonder... Did it make you mad to learn that he was the one who captured me, and was the one behind me being tortured for a whole entire year? That he alone was the sole reason that I was suffering? Did it irritate you to be so close to him knowing full well what he did to me?" 

Sebastian remained silent, his red eyes merely narrowing slightly, but his posture stayed firm like a statue. Unbreakable, unreadable. 

And, I just stayed on my high horse, infuriating him further. 

"I don't see why it should of effected you so much though. After all you're the one who left me alone to fend for myself anyway. Before you left you should of thought about the consequences. Like maybe in your absence I would be in pain, agony, sorrow, and living a horrible life. Which all happened by the way." 

"I never desired for you to have to suffer once I left." Sebastian countered. 

"Well, I did," I snapped, reminiscing about the bitter life I led once I was alone. Thinking back on every painful, depressing detail. "Being beside you was all I knew how to do. I remember everyday hoping that you'd come back to me, but you never did." 

Sebastian's scarlet iris's widened slightly at my comment, and his statuesque stature visibly broke.

Though I merely stood up abruptly, the thin metal legs of the bistro chair screeching across the stone floor. 

"But, no need to burden you with what you did to me. I'm sure it doesn't concern you much anyway." I coldly remarked, stepping towards the double glass doors, not wanting him to see my crystallized eyes which were currently fighting back the sting of tears. 

"It does concern me, Elsbeth..." I heard Sebastian say in a sweet, lovely voice that almost sounded genuine, but I couldn't believe it. 

I couldn't lower my guard, and be placed under a spell by his absent words again. I refused to be weak, and lower the walls that I had carefully built up around my heart.

So, I just walked ahead anyway, leaving without looking back.