#kuroshitsuji paula | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

grelleswife · 1 year

Note

I feel like I'm treading dangerous territory but like, Yana drew Edward and Paula dancing at the end of the Weston College arc and they both were blushy and looked full of tension. Could they be a ship that's okay, or is there something wrong there?? I feel like Ed and Paula are around the same age, she may be Lizzie's servant but I think she's pretty young?

*bangs head against the wall, repeatedly and with extreme force*

Some people reach so far to justify shipping Kuro’s adult characters with minors that they’re at serious risk of tearing a muscle or damaging their tendons. 😑

Although I was unable to track down solid confirmation of Edward’s or Paula’s ages, we do know that Edward was attending Weston College, which Yana modeled after real British boarding schools, during Chapter 81 (when the dance that anon mentioned takes place). One such institution, Eton College, lists the age range of its pupils as 13-18, which is generally consistent with what we’ve seen of Weston’s student body. Thus, it’s unlikely that Ed is older than 18. Keeping in mind, however, that he was Herman Greenhill’s fag at the time, it’s possible that he was even younger (closer to 16 or 17) during the Weston arc.

While Paula certainly isn’t a shriveled old crone, she looks a bit more mature than Edward; my best estimate for her age would be early twenties? Even in these flashbacks from Chapter 129, where Paula reflects on her years of service to Lady Elizabeth (note how Lizzy appears younger in the rightmost panel), the maid has either already reached adulthood or is on the cusp of it. I also find it difficult to believe that Frances would hire a tween still wet behind the ears to care for her daughter!

Furthermore, the context of the scene in question isn’t necessarily a romantic one. As my friend and frequent collaborator @bapydemonprincess noted in this post, Mey Rin and Soma are also cheerfully dancing together, even though she’s in her mid-twenties and he’s in his teens—no ships sailing from that harbor! Instead, they bear a closer resemblance to a mother-son pair. Likewise, Frances is sharing a dance with Tanaka; unless Yana’s cooking up an unhinged plot twist in which the marchioness’s tastes in men secretly verge on the geriatric, I think it’s reasonable to assume that this interaction, too, is platonic in nature. So why jump to the conclusion that Edward must be in love with his sister’s maid because they’re participating in the same innocuous social activity?

A blush alone does not sexual tension make. The characters pictured here are in high spirits and physically exerting themselves—it’s perfectly natural for them to get a little flushed in the process. From what I recall, Edward takes after his mother in terms of his earnest, straightlaced nature, so he might also have grown awkward and flustered in such close proximity to a woman (Victorian morals and all that).

Shipping a rarepair with flimsy to nonexistent textual support is certainly no crime; I myself am guilty of that offense many times over. But warping harmlesss interactions between underage boys and grown women into something with sexual and/or romantic underpinnings? We don’t do that in this household. 😤

#kuro asks #kuroshitsuji #edward midford #paula #why are some of y’all LIKE this? 😭#my god #i’m so tired

28 notes · View notes

sunflowersformina · 8 months

Text

Day 2 <3

#black butler #kuroshitsuji #roblox #kuroshitpost #headcanon #she sobbed to Paula afterwards. Alois definitely scammed her #elizabeth midford

14 notes · View notes

natsuki208 · 29 days

Text

My Black Butler Modern AU - Occupations! (Pt. 2) 🖤

Here’s a part two for characters I left out of part one. For @yourneurodivergentlady

Alois - Ciel’s pen pal who lives in Spain, for his family business is located there. He didn’t had many friends before he visited England and met with Ciel and Lizzy, and since then he’s become more open and friendly.

Hannah and Claude - A married couple who are Alois’ guardians while both his father is absent and visiting London. With both being such polar opposites, people question how they’re married in the first place.

Pluto - An abandoned wolf dog who used to forage on the streets after being kicked out by the animal shelter. Eventually he found a good home with the Midford’s, for Lizzy loves him to bits.

Paula - The ‘maid’ of the Midford household, even though they’re not really that rich. I guess she’s been reading too much of those maid fantasy stories online and wants to be like one.

Doll/Freckles - A freshman in Ciel’s and Lizzy’s school, and although no one can tell where she originated from, she joked about ‘wanted to run away from the circus’ once before.

Lau and Ran Mao - Probably just Chinese meditating somewhere in the local park. Who really cares?

Undertaker - (I’m gonna wait until Halloween to fully discuss this one *wink*).

#black butler #kuroshitsuji #alois trancy #hannah annafellows #claude faustus #pluto anime #paula #doll black butler #lau #ran mao #undertaker black butler #modern au

6 notes · View notes

gearbox-doll · 1 year

Text

Okay but pop singer Lizzie is so good

#elizabeth midford #black butler #kuroshitsuji #I like to imagine the Sieglinde's on the guitar #I feel like Lizzie would have a mix of styles actually?#like she'd definitely do pop but I think she'd do some acoustic-type stuff like Penelope Scott #and maybe she'd go the Poppy route and do some heavier punk-style stuff #just a very versatile band #I think Mey-rin and Grell would be involved too #also Selena (that's a version I have of a canon character shhhh)#Paula could be their agent (the person who works with venues and stuff)!#or even be part of the band if she wanted to #but I get the feeling she likes putting together themes for the concerts #(like decorations color schemes general themes and outfits etc)#and such more than being in the spotlight

15 notes · View notes

eemoo1o-animoo · 1 year

Text

12 notes · View notes

yukashis · 2 years

Text

𝐵𝓁𝒶𝒸𝓀 𝐵𝓊𝓉𝓁𝑒𝓇 𝒫𝓇𝑜𝒻𝒾𝓁𝑒 𝒫𝒾𝒸𝓉𝓊𝓇𝑒𝓈

ᴘᴀʀᴛ 5

#black butler #kuroshitsuji #paula #edward midford #elizabeth midford

28 notes · View notes

manias-wordcount · 1 year

Text

Black Bulter Man from Leicester HCs (Paula)

𝗔/𝗡: 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲!! 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆 !! @annoyinglyshinycherryblossom

𝙒𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚? ⇒ 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

𝙟𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙧?

𝙗𝙪𝙮 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙚?

You had never been to London

But you love to hear about all of Paula’s stories whenever she comes to visit

The two of you met at a pub in Leicester

You offered to buy her a drink and when she declined stating that she had a young mistress she needed to tend to in the morning, you offered to buy her TWO drinks

You both hit it off from there

She comes and goes relatively often due to the wishes of her mistress but the two of you miss each other all the time

Of course, she writes you often

but it’s not the same as hearing her voice and seeing her face as she tells you all about the things she knows would amaze you

In Leicester, you have a job tending to the house of a relatively wealthy family for the area but you know it doesn’t compare to the life she lives

Despite being from two different worlds, you have so much in common with each other

that’s what makes her fall for you

Day in and day out, she has to do so much for the Midford House

That it’s finally nice to have this one thing for herself

You’re something different- something simple, and something she doesn’t have to serve or follow around or even tend to

You’re something that she had slowly began to realize that she couldn’t bare to live without <3

#black butler #black butler fanfiction #black butler fanfic #paula black butler #kuroshitsuji #kuroshitsuji fanfic #kuroshitsuji fanfiction #kuroshitsuji x reader #paula x reader #x reader #xreader #fanfic #fanfiction

17 notes · View notes

abybweisse · 2 years

Text

Jane has a Mother2 parallel

Earlier today, I said Jane might parallel a precursor to Li'l Ms. Marshmallow, and yes. She does.

@princess-adrienne reminded me I needed to look into Electra, Pokey Minch's maid while he's working as a consultant for Geldegarde Monotoli, and that's in Mother2, aka EarthBound. Technically, she's Monotoli's maid, working in Monotoli Building, in Fourside, but she serves Pokey whenever he's visiting.

Porky Minchi (Pokey Minch in the EarthBound localization) is "upgraded" to King Porky in Mother3, and Electra is the human precursor to Li'l Ms. Marshmallow. By the events of Mother3, Electra would have died, simply because so much time has passed. Porky doesn't die when he becomes King Porky, simply because the prototype of Dr. Andonuts' time machine keeps him alive, even though he's aged considerably due to a fault in the prototype. While he's "king", King Porky keeps a robot as a maid, and she seems to be based on Electra, possibly as a reminder of her to him.

So, Jane is Electra's parallel, as she's working as a soldier/maid for Chris Heathfield at Heathfield Manor, in Yorkshire. Electra is the human precursor to Li'l Ms. Marshmallow (a machine), while Jane is like a (presumably) human precursor to Layla (an advanced bizarre doll). When Jane's hair is down, you can see how she's an older looking version of Layla but with a shorter braid. Forget age; the shorter braid makes Jane a precursor, as an adversary, and we encounter Jane first anyway, so she's a precursor time-wise, too.

Annie (and to a lesser degree Ran-Mao) becomes the main parallel to Paula in this situation, even though I've already got other parallels to Paula in other Black Butler situations.

I have to choose Annie over Ran-Mao for Paula because Ran-Mao's drugs wear off quickly, whereas Annie has to be disconnected from the machinery and woken up.

According to the fandom wiki, Paula's weakness is paralysis.

That leaves Mey-Rin and Ran-Mao as the parallels to Ness and Jeff here, since they are the ones infiltrating the joint to set the maids free, just like Ness and Jeff set Paula free. Ness is generally going to be a stand-in for Lucas when it's a Mother2 parallel instead of Mother3, and whoever Ness is with is typically a stand-in for whoever is with Lucas at the time (which is usually Boney, the dog)... so Mey-Rin serves as a stand-in for our earl while Ran-Mao serves as a stand-in for Sebastian. Notice that Ran-Mao and Jeff Andonuts (Dr. Andonuts' son) have the same short, straight, shiny, and very evenly-cut bangs. (His sprites in the game show his hair to be shiny.)

This makes Geldegarde Monotoli (new mayor of Fourside) the parallel to Chris Heathfield (baron of Heathfield Manor), which makes perfect sense, because Monotoli keeps Paula as a hostage, just like Heathfield essentially keeps all those maids (particularly Annie) as hostages in his basement.

Here's Electra (for Jane), Monotoli (for Heathfield), and Paula (for Annie):

He's not a strong enemy to begin with, but when Monotoli is released from Giygas' influence, he's very physically weak, and that reminds me of Ran-Mao beating Heathfield up before she's added to the other maids plus all the released maids (minus Ran-Mao) beating him up again as soon as he shows up after their release. 😆

Afterwards, Monotoli relinquishes the town of Fourside back to the previous mayor and becomes a low-level worker again. Heathfield is still a baron, of course, but Polaris reports that the guy was arrested.

Jane gets one last major parallel to Electra because, as @princess-adrienne pointed out, Electra specifically says she doesn't really care about what Pokey Minch is doing -- she's not entirely swayed by his goals -- but she will fight on behalf of whichever side seems stronger. And that's very similar to Jane's approach to working for Heathfield and the Aurora Society's operations there, which she swears she doesn't know much about. Neither Electra nor Jane is especially loyal to her respective employer/master.

19 notes · View notes

justanemailpigeon · 1 year

Text

@pain-in-the-butler ¿Why is there no elizabug and paulabug?🤨🤨

#black butler #kuroshitsuji #elizabeth midford #black butler paula

5 notes · View notes

biby-24k · 1 year

Text

My first O!Cielizzy fanfic aaa >w<. Hello there! I've created numerous pieces of SmilexLizzy fan art, but I have never written anything about them before. I'm really excited! Please bear in mind that English is not my native language, and I use American English in my daily life, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes in my writing (i don't have betas ;w;). With that being said, I hope you enjoy my work!

Anime/Manga: Black Butler (Kuroshitsuji) Pairing: O!Ciel x Elizabeth Word Count: 2.225 Summary: On a beautiful sunny day, Lady Elizabeth unexpectedly arrived at Phantomhive Mansion to offer her fiancé a strawberry-flavored pastry tea. While reminiscing about old times, Lady Elizabeth lets slip something that should have been buried three meters under the ground.

Window

The warm rays of sun gently streamed through the window into Lady Elizabeth's chambers. When Paula, her maid, knocked on the door, Elizabeth was already awake.

"Good morning, Miss Elizabeth. The day is truly beautiful today, isn't it?" the maid asked.

"Good morning, Paula. You're right, it's a beautiful day," Elizabeth's beautiful blonde curls reflected the lovely sunlight, and as she looked out the window and clasped her hands together in a show of excitement, she said effusively, "Paula, I will go to visit Ciel for teatime, please make the preparations and bring a basket of sweets for the afternoon tea." The maid nodded, but as she made a farewell curtsy, Elizabeth added, "Ah! Don't forget to pack strawberry cake, it's Ciel's favourite." Paula smiled and left the room.

It was a peaceful afternoon at the Phantomhive mansion. The young master was playing a soft melody on the violin while Sebastian conducted the song.

Ever since he had returned to the mansion, he had learned to play the violin. An earl of high society must know how to play at least one instrument. The young master liked the duality of the violin, where such rigid strings produced a soft and beautiful sound. It was difficult to learn with Sebastian, his butler and teacher, as his hands turned red from so many missed notes, but today he considered himself an advanced student. He was at the peak of the melody when a loud knock on the door interrupted him.

"Young master!" the absent-minded maid cried out.

"Mey-Rin! These are not the ways to interrupt the young master's lessons," Sebastian snapped angrily.

"It's just that... ah... Lady Elizabeth is here," Sebastian opened his eyes a little and looked at his apprentice.

"It seems that we will have to suspend the lessons," he said. The young master lowered the instrument and let out a long sigh.

"Lizzy is always like this, I have told her she must announce herself before coming" he resignedly looked out the window where the carriage stopped. Sebastian also seemed disappointed; he would have to reorganize the scheduled activities for another day. However, he said, "I know it's an inconvenience, but a true gentleman must attend to his fiancée as he should," Sebastian said as he winked at him.

Lady Elizabeth was waiting for her fiancé in the hall with her maid. Mey-Rin had suggested waiting in the tearoom, but it had been some time since the young couple had seen each other, so Lady Elizabeth was eager to see the young master.

As she saw him descend the stairs, Elizabeth could not contain her excitement and ran effusively to meet him. She hugged him tenderly, trying to contain her emotions. She was no longer a child after all. Her fiancé couldn't help a slight blush on his cheeks at so much emotion. He caught a whiff of the sweet notes of her perfume, and it produced a slight tickling in his belly. Sebastian arched the corner of his lips slightly when he noticed the young master's most vulnerable part.

"Ciel! How happy I am to see you. I haven't seen you in so long," said Elizabeth as she separated from him. When she saw Sebastian by his side, she bowed. "Ah, Sebastian, a pleasure to see you again too, thank you for taking care of Ciel."

"Milady, it is a pleasure for us to receive you in the mansion," said the tall butler.

"L-Lizzy, I told you to let me know when you visit..." He must admit he was annoyed when Mey-Rin announced her, but when he saw her, his emotions changed.

"Forgive me, Ciel, I couldn't resist coming on such a beautiful day. Don't you think?" said the young lady. "I promise I'll give you advance notice next time, okay?" Elizabeth took the young master's hands gently, as a slight sign of apology. Her fiancé lowered his gaze to her hands; they were so soft. Only when he was with her did he allow himself to be in that vulnerable state. It angered him in a way, but on the other hand, he could not help himself.

"I brought cakes and sweets! Shall we go outside for tea while we talk about what has happened in these past weeks?"

The young master could not say no. He never said no to his fiancée, it was part of his duty as a count to make his future wife happy. He nodded his head and looked at Sebastian to take care of the preparations. Sebastian nodded.

"Young master, Lady Elizabeth, I invite you to wait in the parlour while the necessary preparations are made," he said, gesturing for them to go to the room.

It wasn't long after they had been in the room when Sebastian came to tell them to please go outside the mansion as the afternoon tea was ready. The young couple stepped out of the mansion and were temporarily blinded by the sun's rays. It was a warm spring day.

The place was perfect under the shade of a tree. A perfectly smooth white blanket was spread out on the lawn. On top of it were the cakes that Elizabeth had brought on a silver tray, as well as ceramic plates and silver cutlery for serving. The young master sat in one corner while his fiancée sat in the other. Paula was not far from them, contemplating the flowers, while Sebastian pulled out a violin to play a soft melody perfect for the occasion.

The young couple were silent. They hadn't seen each other in weeks and yet nothing came out of their mouths. Suddenly the teenager remembered when Edgar Redmond had asked him if he had already kissed his fiancée. He instinctively looked at her lips, soft and small. Elizabeth fixed her gaze on him, to which the count looked away and his cheeks took on a pale pink colour.

"Lizz-"

"Ciel-"

The two young people interrupted each other. Elizabeth began to laugh; she was more nervous than usual because they hadn't seen each other in so long. However, once she started asking Ciel about his adventures at Weston College, they didn't stop talking. The young man only told her about the superficial adventures of course, the prefects, the tournaments, and his discovery about his father's attendance. Trivial things he could tell his fiancée. She was amazed, so many adventures he had to tell. Her brother had told her some of them, but he didn't have the same perspective. Ciel is a much more interesting person than his brother. She knows he is not very social, so him making friends is a great surprise for her. They also talked about what Elizabeth had been doing. Her fencing classes and chess classes.

"This time I'm going to beat you, Ciel!" she said confidently. Her fiancé always beat her no matter how many times she tried. But she was better than her aunt Ann, so she had a chance.

Elizabeth gazed upon the tray still filled with strawberry cakes that she had brought for Ciel. The only ones missing were the chocolate ones. Something stirred in her mind, but she brushed it aside, as always. Suddenly, a memory shook her mind.

"Ciel, do you remember that spring day we spent here with Aunt Ann?" The young man looked into the distance, trying to hide his expression, knowing that he could be in trouble if he answered incorrectly or expressed his true feelings. Every time his fiancée reminded him, he tried to ignore the question for obvious reasons.

"Ah, of course, how could I forget?" he replied, avoiding her gaze, and trying to conceal the evasion in his voice.

"That day I baked cakes for you, but they turned out really bad, fufu," the young woman chuckled softly as she looked at her fiancé. "It was right here where you tasted them and said they were really bad." Her fiancé turned to look at her with a smile.

"Yes, and then Tanaka brought us some very delicious cakes for eat instead," Elizabeth was a little startled. That indeed happened.

"Exactly! Then mother scolded me because my stomach hurt from so many cakes we ate, haha," Elizabeth laughed softly, "it was a wonderful day."

He had not been with them in person of course, but he remembered that day because he always observed them from afar. Just behind his fiancée was the window through which he watched them play. As a child, he longed to play with his brother and his fiancée, but because of his weak body, he had to stay at home most of the time. He was just like his mother. But he was grateful to have watched them from the shadows of the mansion, so he could always imitate Ciel almost perfectly. Besides, his brother always told him what happened during the day, so he always ended up hearing all the details.

"Ah, and through that window he was watching us--" Elizabeth interrupted herself, then immediately regretted bringing up the topic. She knew she shouldn't have talked about him, but she missed him too. She wasn't going to marry him, but they still spent a lot of time together. Both of them easily beat Elizabeth at chess. He understood Ciel much better than she did. She was even a little jealous, but he was family, just like Aunt Ann, who had taught her so much. An uncomfortable silence fell. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." Elizabeth twisted her hands in the handkerchief on her lap and bit her tongue.

"My brother? I didn't know he was watching us," he lied.

"I-I'm so sorry, Ciel. I didn't mean to..." Elizabeth said, looking down.

"Don't worry, Elizabeth, he's not here anymore," the young man said, looking intently at her. "But I am," he said, placing his hand on his chest. "Ah, Lizzy, don’t cry" he noticed that a couple of tears were falling down her face. She hated herself for opening old wounds. She just wanted to create new memories with Ciel, not make him remember the bad ones.

He took out a handkerchief from his jacket and wiped his fingers on it while passing it over her face. She felt his fiancée's hand on her cheek, wiping away the tears.

"How do you remember that Lizzy?" the young man asked.

"I-I always saw him watching us through the window, even though he would hide every time I caught him spying," Elizabeth let out a small nervous laugh. The young man smiled. Perhaps it was one of the few stories they had together as kids, and the young master being, well, not Ciel.

Elizabeth ceased her sobbing.

"Forgive me for crying so much," the blonde said.

"Forgive me for making you cry," the young man replied.

"No, it's not your fault," she said while shaking his head in denial mode, then she smiled at him. "Thank you for sharing this day with me, Ciel," the young man smiled back. Sebastian witnessed the situation with curiosity. He learned something new about the young master, something that he could use to bother him later if needed.

"Should we get going, Milady?" Ciel said, noticing that a cold breeze was starting to blow.

"Ah, yes," the young man stood up first and then helped his fiancée to her feet. Sebastian headed to the spot to pick up the picnic things with Paula. On the way back to the mansion, Elizabeth stopped to look at the window where the younger brother used to watch them. Her fiancé was a little ahead when he noticed that Elizabeth had stayed behind. Turning around, he saw the young woman with a nostalgic and sad look. The Earl felt a strong heartbeat in his chest. Perhaps it was because he never thought she noticed him. She missed him. Really missed him. He felt a small emotion. But then he remembered where he was, he was no longer the replacement for his brother, he was his brother. He was Ciel, Ciel Phantomhive.

"Lizzy," he said. The young woman snapped out of her thoughts and ran to his side. As they reached the mansion's stairs, Lizzy made a small farewell bow, but before she could turn around, the Earl stopped her.

"Are you leaving so soon? I thought you intended to show me what you have learned in chess, did you not?" The young woman's face lit up and she joyfully hugged her fiancé.

"Gladly!" his future wife replied.

And so, they spent a wonderful afternoon at Phantomhive Manor. His fiancée left late, and she had drained all his energy to continue with his duties. Because only when he was with her did he relax to the point of exhaustion. While Sebastian changed his clothes, the young man brought his fingers to his lips, gently touching them. Sebastian noticed this and smiled.

"Thinking of someone special, young master?" The young man snapped out of his thoughts and blushed violently.

"W-what are you saying, Sebastian! Don't be insolent, finish quickly and let me rest." The black-clad butler couldn't help but chuckle.

"Ahh, this is so annoying." The Earl jumped onto the bed and covered himself up to his forehead. Sebastian didn't stop laughing until he closed the door to the young master's room. Deep down, he knew he had a good day.

Thanks for reading, you can find this work on AO3!

#black butler #kuroshitsuji #ciel phantomhive #ciel x lizzy #cielizzy #o!ciel #sebastian michaelis #black butler fanfiction #smilizzy #elizabeth midford

56 notes · View notes

blondeaxolotl · 1 month

Note

What do you think of the ship between Agni and Paula ?

I think it's neat, two normal and good hearted people together, yeah I think it would be pretty wholesome actually

#and its probably one of the few most normal and wholesome ships lmaoo #black butler #kuroshitsuji #black butler agni #black butler paula #mono ask

7 notes · View notes

thislittlekumquat · 1 year

Text

#kuroshitsuji #black butler #maids

6 notes · View notes

the-letter-horror-lover · 1 year

Text

(not) a failed gift

Cinerraria

Summary:

Lizzy is torn between two choices: a rare edition classic, or an antique painting that's only up for auction.

[#cielizzyweek day 4: Gifts]

Notes:

Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I'm just borrowing the characters, and don't get any material benefit from writing this fanfiction.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

Gifts are not always material, although most people often associate gifts with material things. Lizzy knew that, actually. His presence alone meant more than anything, just like Ciel had said just now. Lizzy's facial expressions and body gestures represent what she feels but cannot express. But usually he is always honest and open.

"Oh, Lizzy. I told you, it's okay. You didn't bring a gift. You know that? It's just symbolic stuff. The best gifts come from things you can't see."

"Yes, Ciel. I know." Lizzy took a bite of the macaron, then swallowed it in one gulp . He glanced at the corner of the room doubtfully. On the mahogany table was a mountain of gift boxes, various shapes and colors. The guests who came did not want to miss the opportunity for Ciel's birthday this time.

"It's just… it's like everyone cares for you, giving you the best gift, except for me, your fiancé."

Ciel finished munching on the lemon cake. He raised the teacup to his lips. Then he looked at Lizzy's gaze, which was still adamant and felt guilty.

"No one cares about me more than my fiancé," Ciel replied. "And the best gift is right here in front of me."

The young man flashed a smile, blinking a closed eye so as not to be seen.

"Ah..." Lizzy froze. He thought again. It was clear that Ciel had no problem with this, but instead he complicated it, as if he really needed to be reassured. In fact, Ciel should have received more special treatment.

"Okay," Lizzy said finally. "Thank you for understanding."

Lizzy was flattered. Hopefully this represents the best gift as Ciel envisioned.

"What about dancing?" Lizzy said after taking a sip of her tea.

" Excellent! Who can refuse the Lady's invitation?" Ciel answered, then called the waiter, "Sebastian, turn on the dance music."

Ciel took him down to the dance floor and they danced together.

Every now and then, Lizzy's mind was torn between dancing with Ciel and the 'failed gift' she didn't give.

For the past week, Lizzy has been torn between two choices: a rare edition of a classic, or an antique painting that can only be obtained at auction. Ciel has a high artistic aesthetic. He doesn't want to lose to the others: his colleagues from the Phantomhive family and the Funtom Group will surely compete to give the best, most luxurious and special gifts. Who doesn't want to win the crown prince's heart? So, Lizzy tried to find the best. He knew Ciel was eyeing the original Tobias and The Angel to add to the family gallery collection . For how many months had he been asking for the painting, as he had heard before. And Lizzy knew Ciel also wanted a copy of Jules Verne's book, an early 1870s printed version, which must have been very rare.

However, it seems that luck is slipping away from Lizzy's hands. Paula, who was entrusted with searching for the painting, has already managed to find it at auction on an e-bay site. Not a problem with the price. However, when Paula said that there were other bidders who dared (even competed) to risk the highest possible price, Lizzy was heartbroken when she saw the nominal listed. The 'gift' just went away. He failed to get it.

Then, this morning, Lawrence Bluerone of Ciel's old school friends, who had agreed to intercede for Jules Verne's book, canceled his appointment because he was still out of town and held back by sudden interests. Bluer had offered Lizzy to pick up the book tomorrow—the day after Ciel's birthday, however, Lizzy refused. It's too late to give gifts, then, he told Bluer over the phone. Finally, Lizzy decides to attend Ciel's party without bringing any gifts.

It was October twentieth afternoon, a week after Ciel's birthday. Lizzy came to visit.

They enjoyed afternoon tea in the room overlooking the garden. What made it unusual was when Lizzy felt something strange on the walls of the room. In the left corner of the room, five steps from this tea table position, Lizzy saw a painting that wasn't there before, hanging there. He was stunned, looked at the painting, then was shocked. It's a painting of Tobias and The Angel!

"Ciel? That painting…?" Pointing his finger at the painting, Lizzy stammered. "New?"

Ciel turned and his gaze followed where Lizzy was pointing, then nodded.

"You noticed it before. I was just about to tell you. Hey, what are you doing, Lizzy? Why is your face so pale?"

The young man frowned in surprise, looking at his fiancé, who now looked beautiful in a pastel green dress. Her blonde hair was in a neat bun with a cute bow tied around her head. When she was a teenager, Lizzy often appeared with this kind of make-upchanged from being happy to be tied up in twintails . Whatever her clothes and hairstyle, Lizzy is still just as beautiful.

"Ah, no. It's okay." Lizzy dodged. He shook his head hard. Then, leaning on the back of the chair again, hiding his clenched hands under the table, trying to act as if nothing had happened.

"I like the painting too," he continued. "I was just surprised to see that painting finally made it into your collection."

Lizzy hastily drank as much tea as possible, as a diversion for Ciel not to suspect anything.

"Is that so? You never said you liked him too? Well, the important thing is that I finally managed to bring Verrochio home. Buy it from e-bay, by the way. Sebastian says there's one antidote that's really hard to beat. Lucky Sebastian knows how to handle it."

Lizzy scratched her non-itchy cheek, then laughed blandly. Luckily, he didn't spit out the tea he was drinking. How could he not be surprised, knowing that he had just fought his own fiancé, in an auction that he had fought for her? It's so magical!

Lizzy remembered something. He immediately opened his bag. Take out a square-shaped object wrapped in cardboard with very neat folds.

Ciel, looked at the package curiously.

"To you, Ciel," Lizzy said with a smile, sweet and mysterious. "Think of it as ransom at last week's party."

Ciel received the box and immediately unwrapped the paper. He was stunned to see its contents: a book called 'Around The World in 80 Days'. After opening the inside cover and flipping through the pages, Ciel was sure it was Jules Verne's work he was after! This time, it was Ciel who was stunned. With a look of disbelief, he alternated between Lizzy and the book.

"This…? For me?"

The girl nodded. "No, for my fiancé," he answered, trying to joke.

Satisfied, Lizzy glanced out the window at the garden of violets blooming in the twilight. Her round green eyes sparkled again, very bright. He tilted his head, took another sip of tea, then returned Ciel's gaze with a smile.

"Thank you, I mean." Ciel corrected his words.

The young man was still turning the pages and stroking the book in his hand. In the midst of his nervousness, Ciel couldn't hide his joy at getting the prize he had been coveting for so long.

"With this we're even," Lizzy said. "Honestly, I should have given it to you at your birthday party yesterday. But it was delayed for a reason. And I hate it when my plans fail. So even if it's past, you should accept this gift."

Lizzy ended the topic by keeping a secret of the fact that involved her in fighting over the painting that had just inhabited the walls of this room.

Notes:

note: reference to Verrocchio's painting Tobias and The Angel and Jules Verne's book Around The World in 80 Days.

Series this work belongs to:

← Previous Work Part 4 of Cielizzy Week 2019 Next Work →

#black butler fanfiction

0 notes