Was he…sniffling? Elizabeth resisted the urge to smack him upside the head, and instead flashed her award-winning smile, and enveloped her brother into a hug.
“You needn’t be upset, brother.” Look into her eyes, look in them. “I promise I will still be by your side, even when I get married. It’ll just be…less frequent.” A sympathetic tone, emerald orbs filled with both sincerity and love. “Please don’t be sad, you’ll make me sad.” Are you looking in her eyes yet?
Oh, no. He looked. Now he is crying. Less frequent?! She might not know it, but this destroyed him. Completely. He couldn’t let his little girl go, oh, he loved her so much! There was no way Ciel, that wouldn’t even give her attention, would take her away from him.
“I just can’t with this, Elizabeth!” He is yelling, taking a gentle grasp at her shoulders. Completely indignant. “Listen, we don’t have to move to Ireland! We can go anywhere you want! But I have other ideas too!” Unfortunately, for once she isn’t making him feel better at all. His despair is showing.
“I do listen to you. It’s just that sometimes, the words that come out of your mouth aren’t too…normal?”
“The fact that you’re still trying amazes me, brother dearest. Why don’t you go ask Ciel who my favourite princess is?”
“They are perfectly normal! I’m the only sane person at our household!”
“Ciel probably doesn’t even know your middle name, let alone your favourite princess! He doesn’t listen to a word of what you say! Forget it, I’ll just ask Paula.”
“I don’t care about where he came from. He gets the job done, doesn’t he? Isn’t that a butler’s purpose?" Ciel bristled, just a bit. Edward’s perseverance prompted him to grow annoyed. It was not his place to interrogate him about Sebastian, so why did he think it was? Moreover, why was he so concerned?
They had not impacted the school negatively, not really. With Ciel’s strategies and Sebastian’s aid, they won Blue House the cricket tournament. Perhaps inconvenient for the other Houses, but it benefited the school as a whole. They had also discovered what had happened to Derrick Arden and the others. So why was he being so forward?
"Why don’t you ask him yourself?” he retorted with a bored tone. Really, he was rather piqued by his questioning, but he wasn’t going to let on about it. Although, a degree of irritation had crept into his voice as he continued. “Besides, I said that I don’t know where he came from. He could have teaching experience from other sources. He has only been with me for three years, after all.”
After the return from the accident, Ciel had always had those little secrets, those things he would refuse to tell everyone. There was something off. The irritation at the voice tone on being questioned such trivial things like this too, was really off. This could have turned out to be an interesting conversation, but all that he felt at the given moment was a tension in the air.
His questioning came from concern, concern for his cousin, though mostly, concern for his sister, who was engaged to Ciel. But that marriage wasn’t happening, no way on Earth. Not allowing that anymore (as if he had ever had or intended to), as the Earl’s life was a secret, a secret even to those who loved him.
“Fine with me if you don’t want to tell me”, he huffed, grumpy. But you’re not marrying my sister, then. Not as I’d allow it if you told me either way. Although it could have helped. If Edward knew the truth, though, things would just be worst. But his concern was genuine. In his own way, he cared about the kid.
Perhaps she should actually get mother? You know, just in case her brother decides to lock her up in a suitcase and actually take her to Ireland.
“…I—what? Won’t forgive who? Brother, I’m lost.” Perhaps those were the wrong words to utter, but she could care less right now. “Please, get off of the floor, before you get your clothes dirty.” Oh no, now she sounded like the older one! “I’m afraid I cannot take you up on that offer, Edward. Shall we—” Time to distract him. Cuteness meter: Maximum level!
“Brother! How about we go have some tea, and then perhaps we can play a game! And then, maybe mother would allow us to venture into town for some shopping! What do you say?”
Elizabeth was a very cunning young lady.
“But it’s such a good offer… I don’t understand…” He is going to cry. Trying hard not to cry. Hold in. The blond couldn’t look at her, because if he did, he would fall in tears. Elizabeth, she was extraordinary in so many aspects. Beauty, kindness, strength, skills, she just had it all. So how, how could he ever let her go? His precious sister, she was the only girl he had eyes for. There was no way Edward could hand her to anyone. He knew, what was the best for her, even though everyone else was blind to the truth.
“I don’t know… I think that maybe I should just lay down. Life is pointless.” Had he ever even turned an offer of hers down? If he did, he couldn’t remember. It was hard to say ‘no’. Try not to look her in the eyes, or she is going to convince you.
♚;;”Ahem,” Ciel cleared his throat calmly and eyed him for a moment with a slight, forced smile. “I was asked to meet her today, has she lied to me?” He knew her brothers outrageous attempts of keep them apart. It was rather laughable to the young earl. He knew how to read the male, but deemed him “crazy” if he were to put it delicately. What he had not understood was the boys feelings for his own sister. They were far too protective and as much as he wanted to play as a tease, he didn’t.
“She must have forgotten it – you can’t blame her, you know, with so many things for her to do.”
Etiquette classes, dancing, fencing, English horse riding, music and the list went on. At this point, though, he was almost sure Elizabeth was only making herself even more beautiful for the cousin. Hopefully he would be able to shoo the boy away before she got ready. The idea of having those two holding hands was agonizing enough to make the other to go miles away from her.
“I don’t believe Elizabeth is available for the day. You can return next year.”
