March, 1888

In the billiard room at the Phantomhive manor, eight people were gathered for a meeting. The meeting had started in the late morning, and was sprawling into the afternoon as the members played a few rounds of pool.

The members there were part of an organization called Aristocrats of Evil. Each of them a noble or person of high standing who worked with the Phantomhive family in controlling the underworld as to ensure that illegal ventures did not disturb polite society.

The Phantomhive family was known as the Queen's Watchdogs for generations for a reason; their leadership in the Aristocrats of Evil was one of those reasons.

Closest to the door was a plump man by the name of Diedrich. He was a German noble and longtime friend of Vincent Phantomhive. He did not visit England very often, and when he did he always made sure to visit the Phantomhive family. Diedrich sat near the door, eating a sandwich that had been prepared for the members that afternoon.

Leaning next to him against the wall was a tall woman dressed head to toe in red. She was Angelina Dalles, although she preferred to be addressed as Madam Red. She was the sister of Ciel and Astre's late mother, Rachel Phantomhive. She had joined the Aristocrats of Evil shortly after obtaining her doctorates degree. Like Diedrich, she previously assisted Vincent Phantomhive and has continued to do so for Ciel.

Pacing angrily along the pool table was a bespectacled man with small brown eyes, dark gray hair, a mustache, and sideburns. He was Arthur Randall, Police Commissioner of Scotland Yard. Each Police Commissioner joined the Aristocrats of Evil as a way to work smoothly together.

After all, what the police could not handle was passed to the Phantomhive family to clean up. Although Arthur Randall was somewhat new to his position and resented that fact. He could not—and would not—go against the orders of Queen Victoria, and her majesty still had need for her watchdogs.

Standing restlessly at the end of the pool table was Azzurro Vanel, a shaggy blond Italian man with several piercings and a permanent scowl. He was in charge of the Italian Mafia, and was meant to act as a mediator between the Aristocrats of Evil and the Italian Mafia.

Lounging on a couch was a tall Chinese man with short black hair and dark brown eyes dressed in a blue changshan. He was Lau. Publicly he was a Chinese nobleman, the British branch manager of the Shanghai trading company "Kong Rong," and an operator of opium dens. Privately, he was the top official of a Chinese syndicate known as Qīng Bāng and the first Aristocrat of Evil that the new Phantomhive lord personally recruited. The current earl even entrusted with him administration of the Oriental quarter, the East End, and the black-market docks.

Seated in his lap was his personal assistant / assassin, Ran-Mao. She was a young Chinese woman with large golden eyes, long jet-black hair arranged in thin braids and twin buns shaped like cat ears. She often wore a short cheongsam with thick black stockings.

Bangs and shouts could be heard outside the billiard room as the servants of the Phantomhive manor scuttled about.

Arthur muttered, "Quite the commotion out there. It seems you have rats here as well."

Diedrich took a bite out of his sandwich. "How long do you intend to let those vermin run wild? They forage through our pantries and do nothing but spread disease."

"Run wild?" Lau mocked. "Isn't he simply leaving them at large to observe them?"

"Yes," agreed Angelina. "He always aims to settle things with one blow. Will you pass on this turn, too, Lord Phantomhive?"

The last two residents of the room were the young lord of Phantomhive, and his fiancée.

Ciel Phantomhive was a short, thin teenage boy with dark hair and peacock-blue eyes, although his right eye was covered in a black eye patch. He lounged in a large red armchair, leaning against the back of the girl on the arm of the chair with his right leg crossed over his left. He always wore black shorts, although his suit jacket and matching tie-ribbon would vary in colors; that day he wore maroon.

That thirteen-year-old boy was the leader of the Aristocrats of Evil, and the Queen's most vicious watchdog.

On the arm of the chair sat his fiancée, Eleanor Midford, a lean teenage girl with pale brown hair and lavender eyes. Her hair was in curled pigtails that day—Snake, her butler, put her hair in a different style every day of the week—and as always she was dressed in dark hues of purple with lavender mixed in.

"Pass," dismissed Ciel. "It's my policy not to hit balls I can't sink."

"Never mind the pompous talk," sighed Arthur. "When will you exterminate the vermin?"

"Anytime you like. The forbidden cheese with its rat bites... The key to the storehouse is in my hands," said Ciel airily.

Azzurro took a shot, the ball bouncing around and missing. "Tch."

"However," continued Ciel, "it will require a certain amount of effort to find the rats' nest and exterminate them. What say you prepare a suitable reward?"

"Vulture," grumbled Arthur.

"Sir Arthur, do you have the right to insult my family crest?"

"Heh foul. Mucked that one up," chuckled Azzurro. "What will you do, Earl?"

"Perhaps it's time to end this worthless game," said Ciel, standing up. Eleanor handed him his pool stick that she had been holding onto. "How soon can you prepare the reward?"

"By tonight," Arthur begrudgingly admitted.

Ciel glanced at Eleanor, holding a silent conversation between their gaze. Ciel sat on the pool table, positioning his stick as Eleanor said, "We'll send a carriage for you this evening, sir Arthur."

"Are you going to go after all the balls in this situation?" demanded Diedrich.

"Naturally," said Ciel haughtily.

"Greed will be your undoing," accused Arthur.

That made Ciel smirk as he took his shot, each ball sinking in.

(✹)

With the game concluded, some guests left while others reconvened in the tea room where Sebastian and Snake prepared a fresh pot of tea.

Lau, Ran-Mao, and Angelina always stayed after meetings, as they were the three closest to the Phantomhive lord after his childhood friend, Eleanor.

Lau took a sip of the tea Snake prepared. "It smells delicious. Is this a new set?"

"Lady Eleanor bought it last week," said Sebastian as he poured a cup of tea for Angelina.

"It's darling," said Angelina. "Which shop did you get it from?"

"Actually it was from a traveling merchant I met outside a funeral parlor," said Eleanor.

"A funeral parlor?" Angelina blinked in surprise.

"I've a friend who works at one," Eleanor explained with a smile. "I try to visit him once a month. We get some comedians together and have a good laugh."

"Oooh, that does sound nice," said Angelina, looking over at Sebastian and Snake. Her eyes roamed further back to the butler she had brought. "Grelle. Learn something from these two, won't you?"

Grelle? Eleanor thought, the name tugging at her memories. She looked over at the new butler. Wasn't that the name of that flamboyant reaper dressed in red?

The man who nervously stood at the door to the tearoom looked nothing like the reaper in Eleanor's memories. She remembered watching a lot of funny scenes with Grelle from the anime.

She found it hard to believe that Angelina's butler had the same name as the same Grelle Eleanor knew.

Could it be? Ah, that would explain the red.

It was possible that Angelina had her own relationship with Grelle. Eleanor wasn't especially close to Ciel's aunt, really only meeting with her at social gatherings or these illicit meetings. She was a charming young woman, so Eleanor wouldn't be surprised if she made friends with the eccentric reaper known as Grelle.

Why is Grelle posing as butler? Eleanor wondered. She felt... mm... was there something more to it aside from friendship?

She couldn't remember; it was literally lifetimes ago.

She knew Grelle showed up more often as a reaper than a butler, in fact she only ever remembered him as a reaper not a butler.

I'll find out eventually, I suppose, Eleanor dismissed.

It wasn't so strange she felt the need to point it out. She was kind-of (???) friends with a reaper, the Undertaker, and she didn't advertise the Undertaker's status because he was a fugitive. Grelle might have been in a similar position. What they and Angelina did was between them, so long as it didn't threaten Eleanor or her family.

Grelle looked down, their shoulders slumping. "Yes ma'am."

"And anyway—" Angelina reached over and rubbed Sebastian's butt. "You're a fine-looking man, aren't you?"

Snake noticed Sebastian shuddering and promptly stepped behind the chair Eleanor was seated in, pitying the demon.

"Quit serving in this silly country house and come to me," cooed Angelina.

Ciel cleared his throat. "Madam Red."

"Oh, goodness, I'm sorry! I just couldn't help but want to palpate him. Perhaps that's just how doctors are."

Lau let out a little heh at that. "You believe the drug trafficker was one of your guests today, my lord?"

"Something like that," said Ciel.

"You can just leave the extermination business to Lau," said Angelina. "A rat knows best where the rats' nest is, doesn't he?"

"I'm a tame guinea pig, actually," teased Lau, getting up from his couch to stand between the seats where Ciel and Eleanor sat. "If our lord and lady orders me not to, I won't do anything uncalled-for." He was about to place a hand on either of their heads, but Angelina rushed to pull Ciel out of his chair, and Snake literally slapped Lau's hand away from Eleanor.

"HEY!" Angelina shrieked. "Keep your filthy paws off my darling nephew."

"You wound me, madam, I wouldn't paw at him here in front of his own fiancée!"

"You mean you would elsewhere?! That's a problematic statement, you know!"

"Sorry, sorry," Lau teased, chuckling as Angelina grew increasingly more upset with him.

As Angelina and Lau erupted into a heated argument, Ciel took that opportunity to slink to the door. Sebastian opened the door for him, catching Eleanor's gaze.

Oh no you don't, she thought, her eyes narrowed as she followed behind Ciel.

"Done so soon?" asked Sebastian.

"I can't deal with them anymore; Elly, you can handle them," Ciel dismissed.

"Thanks," she said dryly.

"You're welcome," he sardonically returned.

She stuck her tongue out at his retreating back. Ciel knew Eleanor well enough to predict her action, and without looking back gave her a thumbs up in response.

With a sigh, Eleanor returned to the drawing room.

"And how is my darling niece today?" Angelina cooed.

"Charmed by your presence as always, Madam," Eleanor evenly responded. "It's such a lovely day outside—would anyone care for a ride?"

"Oooh how tempting," she said, eyes bright. "I don't fancy getting sweaty myself, but I'd adore to watch you, Eleanor."

"It is a nice day—be a shame to stay cooped up," Lau agreed.

Eleanor clapped her hands together once. "Excellent. Sebastian, would you kindly set up a table outside? Snake, please prepare my horse."

Snake and Sebastian bowed. Sebastian said, "Yes, my lady."

(✹)

Ciel Phantomhive was not in a good mood.

Things were going according to plan, but that didn't mean he enjoyed his plan. It was an efficient gamble, but it wasn't a very fun one.

Well.

Not fun for the moment.

Getting kidnapped was not something most people would even consider entertainment.

Ciel knew there would be an attempt at a kidnapping—and he considered it a possibility—but he thought his staff would be trained enough to prevent it from happening. He couldn't help but wonder if the wretched demon had a hand in allowing the kidnapping, if only for his own sick entertainment. Sebastian could be perverse like that, he enjoyed the game of cat-and-mouse even more than Ciel enjoyed chess.

He made himself a target by taunting about having the key to the storehouse.

One of two things would happen next.

One, there would be an attempt at kidnapping, but the Phantomhive servants would successfully prevent it. From there, Ciel would extract the location the kidnapper was supposed to take Ciel and then he'd send in Sebastian to clean them up.

Two, there would be a successful kidnapping and Ciel would be forced to put up with playing hostage until Sebastian bothered to come pick him up.

Ciel knew he wouldn't die—the demon would not let that happen—but that didn't mean he was in for a fun time.

What a bother, Ciel thought.

"Queen's guard dog," mocked Azzurro Vanel. The man had orchestrated Ciel's kidnapping, his men bringing Ciel to his mansion in London. "Just how many families have you crushed, Ciel Phantomhive?"

The men that brought Ciel hadn't been kind in their handling of him, roughing him up as they tied him up with leather restraints. He knew he'd be sore tomorrow.

Damn demon.

Ciel did not give the man a response, coolly glaring back at him.

Azzurro smirked. "Say, little boy, it's tough for the Italian Mafia in this country. All these Englishmen have tea-encrusted brains. People in the family business like us have to rack our brains to come up with smart ways to make money. That's what drugs are for."

"In the Pharmacy Act of 68 even opium was listed as restricted," cited Ciel. "The Queen has ordered me not to let the vermin or the drugs run wild anymore."

Azzurro groaned. "This is why I hate Englishmen. The Queen this, the Queen that. You're all a bunch of mama boys about your stupid Queen. You try to line your own pockets while you bind us with these rules. We're birds of a feather, aren't we? Let's get along."

"I've left orders for Lady Midford to give your storehouse key to the authorities if I don't come back," said Ciel. He smirked coldly. "Sorry, but I have no intention of making friends with a filthy rat."

Azzurro pulled out a gun, unlocking the safety and pointing it at Ciel. "Don't underestimate an adult, you damned brat. I already have my men waiting at your estate. Where's the key? Spit it out fast or I'll kill your damn girl."

At that, Ciel smiled serenely. "I highly doubt that."

Azzurro abruptly kicked Ciel's face, knocking him over. He whirled back around, picking up the phone he had left hanging. "Did you hear that? Negotiations broke down."

(✹)

Eleanor hopped off her horse, pulling off her helmet and handing it to Snake. "Phew. Always love the trail rides out here."

"My lady," said Snake. "Wilde found some people."

"Oh did he?" Eleanor asked. Wilde was one of the many, many snakes that Snake was raising up. Most of them he kept in his room, but a few he started to take out to accompany him and Eleanor. Whenever they stayed at the Phantomhive manor, he let them roam the grounds.

Wilde was a brown-spotted python that stretched out to over one and half meters in length (about five foot five inches).

Emily, a coral snake that liked to stay in Snake's front pocket, poked her head out and flicked her tongue.

"'They were suspicious,' Emily said," Snake told her.

"Then it's a wonderful job that Wilde found them—have they been restrained?"

"Yes," Snake said. "I tied them up. I was going to take them to Sebastian, but then you returned."

"I see," said Eleanor. "Don't let me keep you, then, I'll brush this mare down."

"Yes, my lady," said Snake, him and Emily bowing their heads.

I wonder what we'll have for dinner, pondered Eleanor.

People semi-regularly tried to kidnap / kill them since Ciel started to clean up the underworld. A lot of people thought the Phantomhive family lost power when Ciel took over as the new lord, so he and Eleanor had to demonstrate their power by doing... all sorts of things.

Finding someone on the grounds wasn't surprising in the slightest bit.

It was only if they actually got inside the house that Eleanor would bother to care.

And even then, there was a good chance they were allowed inside for Ciel and Sebastian's amusement.

Her sweet boy had grown up rather cruel when handling affairs of the underworld.

Not that I have much right to judge, Eleanor thought. Her hands were just as bloodied as his by that point.

Which was... something.

Not fine. It would never be fine. Eleanor did not enjoy taking lives. If she could avoid it, she did. If she couldn't... then that was that. A life taken could never be undone, and everyone was precious to someone. She always knew the people she killed were sons / daughters / children. Someone somewhere loved them. Someone somewhere would miss them.

In a fight to survive to adulthood, however, Eleanor would not relent.

She only had one goal; one drive for that life.

She would make sure she and Ciel lived a long, happy life.

No matter how many other lives she had to destroy to make that happen.

Us or them.

I choose us.

(✹)

Come evening, Ciel was not surprised to find Sebastian finally picking him up. It was a complete massacre of Azzurro's forces—and Azzurro himself, of course—which meant the whole place stank of blood and gore.

"You let them kidnap me," accused Ciel as Sebastian ripped off his bindings.

The demon only smiled in response as if to say I have no idea what you're talking about. He could not directly lie to Ciel, but he could still mock him.

Ciel scoffed, interpreting the smile. "If that were true, you'd be useless to me."

"Oh, how you wound me so, young master."

"Shut up and take me home. You better have an excellent meal prepared to compensate for your fun."

Sebastian's smile stretched. "Yes, my lord."

(✹)

Wiki uses nonbinary for Grelle so I will, too.

This'll be the shortest chapter in the story, since it literally only covers one episode / one chapter. I didn't see much reason to change a lot for this particular arc, as it's part of the world set-up and doesn't really change the overarching plot.

Answer: Finnian. It was a toss up between him or Snake. Snake 'cause is baby but I'd be a little concerned if one of his snakes decided to eat one of my cats. :') Or vice versa. Plus I know Finnian can do a superhero landing with me in his arms if we ever need to escape a dangerous situation. And that sounds awesome as heck.

Question: If you were an Aristocrat of Evil, what part of the underworld would you want to be in charge of? Drugs, weapons, human trafficking, police, politics, etc?

Reviews are love!