Chapter 2: Suprises
The next day brought surprises in the morning. Charlotte watched the weakened hustle and bustle in the entrance hall spellbound. Where yesterday many employees rushed to meet the high demands of the Lord, today's number was hardly to be mentioned. Still, she wondered where these people had gone to. Did they give up on the first day? Were Sebastian's orders too difficult for you to follow?
Lost in her own world of thought, the graceful figure leaned against the stone terrain, the rustic washing machine in both hands. Tilting her head slightly, she tried to come up with a solution, but just thinking about it gave her a headache. She let out a sigh and decided - for now - not to investigate any further. So she shook her head a little to get rid of these tormenting thoughts and wanted to resume her assigned work, so tightened her grip on the mop and then turned around her own axis so that she could reach the top of the steps . However, she was interrupted in her work when the person in front of her noticed who had received a terrifying reputation among the employees: Sebastian Michaelis. It was probably the biggest secret this villa had to offer. He and the figure of the gentleman under whose name they all served here.
Her eyes widened in shock and she swallowed hard. Had he caught her giving in to her thoughts and therefore not starting to work? If so, it would mean a lot of trouble. Although she tried to read his thoughts from that pale face, she was unable to see his head. A quality that made him an impressive man.

There was that innocent smile on his lips, his eyes kept closed. He was standing on the upper steps, which gave him an even more distinctive height difference. His eyelids pushed up a little, revealing the red of his pupils. He looked down at his prey like a hunter, but when he saw the piercing attention of the others present, he lifted his head a little so that he could see the field behind the woman. They startled at the sudden contact and pursued their work again.
"S-Sebastian, I was just about to get to work.", Charlotte tried to protect herself from future problems, glancing uncertainly at the wooden handle and back at the black-haired man. In his mute pleasure of throwing people off track, he raised his eyebrows and then ran his finger, which was surrounded by the white fabric of the glove, over the railing. However, his expression twisted when he saw the gray layer on the otherwise meticulously clean fibers. "You two over there!", He seemed to ignore the brown-haired woman, didn't even notice her many apologies, but directed his eyes to passing employees who immediately left everything so that they could take a tight position while they were standing the fear of anger written on the face."Take care of it. Our Lord is expecting an important guest this afternoon, so everything has to meet our usual standard.", He explained, calmly as usual, and clapped his hands briefly, resulting in a dull noise. The two workers took this as a sign that they shouldn't waste another second.
After they tore themselves out of the rigidity, he turned back to the impatiently waiting woman. "The young gentleman wishes you to be present.", He announced the order briefly before turning around to go back up the stairs. He didn't even wait to be followed.
Nonetheless, Charlotte put down her cleaning utensils, leaning it against the solid background so that she could follow Sebastian. After all, this was her chance to finally see the Lord in person, to face him. The feeling of nervousness spread in her, which is why she pressed her palms against the part of her stomach in the hope that it would get better, but it wasn't. Her steps grew more uncertain with every meter, but she started down the carpeted path.
Finally the two arrived at the largest wooden door in the corridor, which was opened by the butler in black. He stepped aside so she could step through and waited until she was completely in the room, then he did the same, closed the gate behind him as quietly as he could, until the barely audible click of the bolt falling into the lock became audible.

Her knees felt weak, but she moved to the inviting seat - an old-looking chair that was extremely comfortable once she sat down. The seat across from her was empty, with a chessboard between the two chairs. Established was the perfect and correct positioning of the various figures ready to be used. With a fascinated look she looked over the chess board, which was made from the finest woods. Only when she heard footsteps did she startle and turn her head to the left, where her host and master stood. However, it did not look like what you imagined. Not a handsome middle-aged man, not an old man - no, it was a boy, he was definitely younger than her. One of his eyes was covered with a black eye patch, the expression rigid and cold, almost listless. Without saying a single word, he sat down in the open space across from her, leaning against one side with elegant movements.
A few seconds passed in silence, Charlotte kept her gaze lowered, because it was forbidden for an employee to look her master and employer in the eyes. The gentle push of the little chess piece pulled it back into reality. After the first farmer found his designated position, Ciel Phantomhive sat back, waiting for their move.
Reluctantly, she waited with her reaction, then leaned forward a little so that she could move her figure in pure white as well.Hungry red eyes watched a game of strategy that harbored tension for a change. From the very first day, the young gentleman was constantly selecting individual, selected workers who were to compete with him in this game. Until now, all have been subject to him, which is why these souls were intended for the mere consumption of both demons.
"Check ... mate.", The brown-haired figure managed in disbelief at her victory. Again and again she looked at the current situation of all the pieces, but there was no doubt she had won.
However, she doubted it was good news. After all, it was her boss, whom she had just defeated in a game he had chosen. "Lord?" She asked carefully, wanting to see a reaction. The person addressed showed a short, but for her visible smile and rose from the armchair. He hadn't expected that, but he seemed to have finally found what he had been looking for. Years of searching seemed to be over. This boredom that graced his life as a devil seemed to be coming to an end. Then he could put his plan into action.
"Sebastian!", He caught the attention of his most loyal servant and turned to the cleaned window, looked at what was happening outside, but found no interest in it. Sighing, he turned his back on this view and fixed his butler. "It looks like we have someone among our employees who deserves to be treated better. So make sure that she doesn't have to hang around with the other idiots." He gave his order and earned a deep bow from Sebastian. Charlotte looked back and forth between the two males, perplexed, unable to find a rhyme for the conversation.

Eventually both were released so that the final preparations could be made for the important guest. Contrary to her expectations, she was not assigned to the crockery service or other cleaning work. Her new job was less stressful and less manual labor. Charlotte was sent to the beautiful rose garden for the flower arrangement to look for suitable flowers to decorate the table. It took a bit of getting used to, but she wanted to do this job conscientiously. She needed the money, after all she had an apartment and her grandmother's medicines to pay for.
After suitable plants had been found and tied into a street, she returned to the dining room that would be the center for tonight. With careful movements, she handed what she had put together to the butler of the house. Sebastian examined the selection critically, red eyes looked into hers. It had been a long time since he had seen someone who had such warmth in his eyes. "White roses?" He asked shortly and stared again at the pure blossoms, waiting for her comment on this surprising selection she had made. "It's simple, but because of that and because it looks so elegant, I think it fits in well here."was her answer and she cleverly placed flower by flower, so that the overall picture of the already set table was completed.
"White ... Interesting.", He muttered, only audible to himself, and set off, the final preparations wanted to be made.

As evening fell, loud knocking drew attention to the front gate. Sebastian walked up to it with quick steps, opened it for the two guests, but somehow there was an unpleasant smell in the air. A smell that was very familiar to him.
After a good chunk of it was already open, his demonic eyes also recognized the reason for the emerging stench - Claude Faustus. That he was alive, something the devilishly good butler hadn't expected, especially since he had seen death with his own eyes. Outwardly, however, he showed nothing of the brief surprise. A charming smile graced his lips and he greeted his guests with an honorable bow. Sophia Joefield had won particular interest from Funtom, so today's meal was used for possible ideas.
She entered the villa in the elegant evening dress, briefly her attention slipped to the servant, also dressed in black, who looked very much like hers. At least externally. The two entered and were led straight to the dining room. Her high heels echoed in the huge room, where a lot of effort was put into making sure every detail was right - just as it should be for the Phantomhive household. Even before the important guest could go to his assigned seat, quick steps followed, which made the attractive woman turn on her own axis.
"Charlie?" She escaped in disbelief when she recognized her old friend, despite that expensive dress that was around her body. It has been a long time since this bond of friendship was cultivated.