Chapter Text
Upon entering the dining room, four servants appeared in front of Amelia. A teenage boy with wheat–colored hair and bright turquoise innocent eyes. The maid is an Asian woman in her 20s, with crimson hair, and large, round glasses that covered her eyes. Apparently, this is Meirin, whose nightgown she was given before. A tall man in a chef's suit. He had a similar hair color as the boy, but more blond. His green eyes were scrutinizing Amelia, and he was holding a cigar in his mouth.
The elder Fantomhive looked at him accusingly. She didn't like the smell of smoking, and it was bad for her younger brother.
She recognized the last person immediately.
– Grandfather! - Amelia ran up to Tanaka and hugged him, – I'm so glad you're alive. – tears appeared in her eyes again.
– I'm glad to see you alive too, little lady, – Tanaka hugged the girl with one hand, and with the other began stroking her head, soothing her, – Although it would be more correct to call you big lady already. The hoarse laughter of the old butler rang out, which was mixed with the light giggles of the girl.
"Madam, may I introduce the other servants: our gardener Finnian, the cook Bard, and the maid Meirin. Sebastian said, pointing at each of the servants.
"Glad to meet you,– the trio said in unison. Finnian and Meirin bowed, while the Bard simply nodded his head, for which they received a reproachful look from Sebastian.
– I'm glad to meet you all too! Amelia smiled gently, at which Finney beamed, and Meirin blushed slightly, only one Bard grimaced.
***
Amelia and Ciel were sitting at the table. A plate of warm chicken soup was placed in front of the girl, the same kind was in front of Ciel, according to Sebastian: "It won't be nice if you eat steak, while the lady will have to choke on soup." Although the younger Fantomhive didn't really like it, but for the sake of moral support for his He did not raise any sisters. As Sebastian put it, Amelia didn't have to "choke on the soup", as it was very tasty. Basically, after that hell, any food would have seemed Divine, but this soup clearly surpassed the highest level.
While eating, Amelia had the opportunity to consider how much Ciel had grown. His face stretched out and acquired noble and graceful features. A neat and straight nose, expressive eyes like two precious stones, either sapphires or topazes. But there were still childish features: delicate cheeks, and soft pink lips that created a contrast with pale, almost white skin. The fingers with which he held the stem devices were very thin. There was a corn on the middle finger of his right hand, from frequent use of the pen.
He had excellent manners that Amelia could envy. Although she used to be a beautiful lady, but looking at how clumsily the girl uses the devices now, she felt ashamed.
"It will be necessary to start etiquette classes and catch up on all the missed opportunities," the elder Fantomhive made a mental note to herself.
***
Three servants were sitting in the kitchen discussing their new mistress.
– She's so beautiful! It's like a princess from a fairy tale! But her whole body is in bandages, she must have been in so much pain! – Changing her intonation from cheerful to sad, Meirin babbled.
– Yes, the lady has a very beautiful and sweet smile! – Finney was happily spinning around the red–haired girl, - How good that Mr. and Mr. Sebastian saved her! Now we can protect her and no one else will harm her!
– I wouldn't trust her. The Bard, who was leaning against the wall with a cigarette in his mouth, interrupted Amelia's chanting.
"What are you talking about, Bard?" asked Finney.
– The lady is very beautiful and sweet, especially since she is the elder sister of the master! Marin exclaimed.
"That's right, she's the older sister. And this means that she has the right to the title of countess, which she can take for herself if she wishes. The cook muttered.
– But do women have the right to inherit the title? Marin asked.
– In rare cases, yes. The boy is only 13 years old, she can easily put pressure on this and become a countess, or even kill him altogether, then she will remain the only contender.
"But how can a lady do that?" The master is her younger brother! Finnian yelled at the protesters.
– In pursuit of money, people are ready to stab even the closest people in the back. – The Bard sighed, - I have heard about such cases more than once. And it's very easy for a nice lady, with her smile, to ingratiate herself into other people's trust, so that she can then plot behind their backs. That's why I'd rather trust Lady Frances than a lady with a pretty smile. And I don't advise you to open up to her either. God knows what's in her head.
"I don't know what God knows, but I know that you're shirking work again," Sebastian appeared out of nowhere. He rolled up his shirt sleeves and put on an apron. – And you, Bard, I'll ask you to watch your language. It doesn't matter what the lady has in mind, but the young master recognized her as the rightful mistress of the house, just like him. Therefore, despite our opinions, we must serve her...
***
Amelia was sitting on the sofa in Ciel's office, while the count himself was sitting at his desk, which was littered with documents.
"We will need to reintroduce you to Queen Victoria," Ciel said, taking the first piece of paper from the stack and reading it, "I understand that you need time to recover, but we cannot postpone this for a long time.
– I understand. I should restore my knowledge of etiquette so as not to lose face in front of Her Majesty. - Amelia carefully examined the stacks of sheets, – There are so many of them... You must be very tired.
– It's okay, I'm not a child, and this is my direct responsibility. Ciel replied, signing one document and taking the next one.
–No,– Amelia Snapped.
– What is not? The Count raised his head and looked at his sister.
"You're still a kid, Ciel! - Amelia got up from the sofa and went to her brother, – And I'm really sorry that all this fell on your shoulders, – She hugged him, gently pressing her head to her chest, – I'm so sorry that I couldn't cope with the role of an older sister! You shouldn't have gone through all this alone! I was supposed to be your support! I should have taken all your pain on myself! I'm so sorry that I wasn't there to do it...
Amelia felt tears running down her face. She was ashamed in front of Ciel for her weakness, for not being able to help him when she needed him most.
Lifting his head, she saw that Ciel's eyes were also wet. The girl gently stroked his cheeks, brushing away the tears that came.
– Don't you dare say that! The Count's voice was slightly strained. – It's not your fault! You needed help yourself! You couldn't have done anything! You were as helpless as I was!
– Yes, I'm sorry. I'm really too weak.
- No! You're one of the strongest girls I've ever seen. And I'm very glad that you're alive, and that you're safe now. Ciel averted his eyes and snuggled up to Amelia.
"I'm glad you're okay, too." Now that I'm here, I'll try to improve and become the support you needed...
***
When Sebastian entered the office to serve tea, he saw a picture in which Amelia was sitting on a chair next to Ciel and helping him sort out papers. Both people's eyes were red and swollen. Amelia's dress was wet in some places, from crying. All this was accompanied by awkward silence from the guys.
– Ahem, – Sebastian coughed into his fist, attracting attention, – Sir, lady, dinner will be ready soon, but in the meantime I have prepared Earl Grey tea for you.
Sebastian carefully poured the hot drink into two cups, and served them first to Ciel and then to Amelia. When the girl's hand accidentally came into contact with the butler's hand, goosebumps ran down her back. Even in that second, she felt how cold his hands were. Or is it because of the fabric of the gloves?
– Sebastian, are you feeling all right? Amelia glanced at Sebastian, who looked slightly surprised, "Your hands are cold.
"Don't worry, lady, I'm fine," the man smiled, "As the butler of the Fantomhive family, I'm always healthy and ready to serve.
– But still, all of us people can get sick, and if this happens, then immediately report it. It's not worth hiding. Amelia gently took one of Sebastian's hands, and I held it between my palms. In this position, their size difference was very noticeable. The man's fingers were almost completely visible, and were not hidden by Amelia's hands. Compared to him, her palm could be mistaken for a child's. It also visually became smaller due to the short nails.
The butler made a mental note to sign the lady up for a manicure.
Sebastian looked confused, but quickly regained his composure and smiled again...
The man was interrupted by Ciel, who pulled Sebastian's palm out of Amelia's hands – He always has cold palms, don't pay attention! And if he gets sick, I'll give him the day off. Ciel's voice was displeased and a hint of anger seeped out, "Now, if you don't have anything else to do, get out of my office. The Count glared at Sebastian.
Looking from Ciel to Amelia, the butler quickly realized what was going on. With a sly grin, he bowed and left. Amelia looked questioningly at her younger brother, but he pretended not to notice her gaze and continued to work on the documents.
***
Dinner was held in silence. Again, Amelia was served a light portion of salad, which did not cause abdominal pain, but helped to cope with hunger. Ciel was given the same plate of salad. For dessert, there was a light cake with strawberries and whipped cream. It was very tender and just melted in my mouth!
While eating it, tears almost appeared in the girl's eyes, she had not eaten delicious food for so long. But she did not allow herself to cry again in front of her brother. She needs to be strong! At least with Ciel.
Despite the fact that the dinner was quite pleasant, the girl did not feel the strange look that belonged to the Bard. He scanned her with his eyes, still holding the cigar in his mouth.
Amelia felt a strong discomfort, and the beginning of panic. She hated it when men started looking at her. The girl immediately recalled those hungry and vile glances with which those creatures regarded her like a commodity. Although, at that time, she really was just a commodity.
The Bard's gaze was different from the ones she knew. There was no hunger in him, but still, he was uncomfortable. Therefore, as soon as dinner was over, Amelia hurried to leave the room and get away from the cook.
***
It was finally bedtime. The first night at home. It sounds kind of weird, but it's true. A white nightgown covered the girl's body. The hem, the edges of the long arms, the shoulders and the neck were all trimmed with lace. A long strip of white buttons ran down from the front. How did Nina manage to sew this beautiful thing so quickly? Only she knows.
The room was warm because of the fireplace that Sebastian had lit before saying good night and leaving.
Yes, the night is calm....
Do not look at the soft bed, warm blanket and fire, Amelia was cold.
The dark shadows in the corners turned into scary silhouettes, making her melt at every glance. She was scared. What if it's just a dream? What if she falls asleep now and wakes up in that place again?
The wind was raging outside the window, causing the branches to sway from side to side, banging against each other, creating a rustle of leaves.
The girl completely crawled under the blanket, trying to somehow escape from the terrible shadows and sounds. At times like this, she didn't like being out in the open. She would have liked to hide, to snuggle into a corner, but unfortunately, the bed was in the middle, equally distant from the two walls. Therefore, the only thing left for Amelia to do was, like a little girl, hide her head under the blanket and curl up in a ball.
Strong emotions and fatigue for the whole day came over the girl in a huge wave. Tears were streaming down her eyes.
"Well, I'm crying again."
The eyelids began to stick together on their own, and so, the girl fell asleep.