27 Ciel's Departure

Ciel was staring intently at his reflection in the mirror. When he woke up this morning, he felt that something was amiss. He just finished taking his bath and was currently standing in front of the mirror with only a towel draped around his waist. His hair was still a bit wet. Using his hands, he combed it in place and stared at the mirror.

"Mmm, nothing seems to be wrong with my hair," Ciel muttered.

He then looked at his eyes. "Same as usual."

His gaze landed on his ears, and nose. Seeing no problem his gaze went towards his lips.

"Mmm? Are they a little swollen?" Ciel closely examined his lips. He used a finger to trace them and press on them softly. "The bottom one is a little swollen. I might have bitten it accidentally while I was sleeping."

Ciel didn't pay too much attention to his lips. The little swell was not easily noticed unless one observed it closely. He scoffed at the idea of someone paying close attention to his lips. Who in their right minds would do that?

"Achoo!" ←- (This is a certain cat.)

"Achoo!" ←- (This is a certain fox.)

[Achoo!] ←- (You already know who this is.)

After inspecting his body, Ciel didn't find anything strange. Since nothing was wrong then he might as well forget about it! He put on his clothes and tidied himself properly in front of the mirror. He was going to visit his Chess Mentor, and he would be away from the countryside for a few days.

Chloe had asked her mother to allow her to stay for a month in the countryside. Elizabeth reluctantly agreed. Claire didn't feel safe leaving her sister behind all alone, so she decided to stay as well.

Elizabeth felt that it would be better to allow her daughters to stay in the Belle Estate. Although she would miss them, she could always visit them on the weekends. Kate and Chloe had become good friends. She noticed that her daughter was very happy to have made a new friend. Because of this, Elizabeth was able to leave her daughters in the care of Andrea and her parents with peace of mind.

Since Chloe would be staying with them for a longer time period, Ciel decided to visit his mentor and tell him about Kate's prowess in chess. Although he would be gone for a few days, Chloe would not feel lonely because Kate would accompany her while he was gone.

He was doing some finishing touches when he heard a knock on his door.

"Who is it?"

"It's Kate."

"Big Brother, it's me."

"Come in," Ciel replied while buttoning his shirt.

The two girls entered the room and walked towards Ciel. Kate giggled when she saw Ciel's messy hair. She reached out to touch it and patted it in place. Chloe, on the other hand, softly pressed her palms over Ciel's chest. She was tidying the "imaginary" creases in his shirt. The two girls knew that they couldn't go too far so they let him off after a minute of skinship.

"Do you really have to go, Big Brother?" Chloe asked with a pout. "Can't I accompany you?"

Ciel smiled and lightly pinched Chloe's cheeks. "No. I'm not going there for fun. It is an important trip. Be good while I'm away ok?"

"Un. I will be good, Big Brother."

"Good girl."

Kate watched the two of them showing their PDA in front of her. Surprisingly, she didn't feel any envy or jealousy as Ciel pampered Chloe. After the two girls became partners in crime, they became as close as sisters.

(A/N: PDA = Public Display of Affection.)

Chloe noticed the slight swell in Ciel's lips and blushed when she recalled what happened last night. She got a bit forceful and accidentally bit Ciel's lips when she was kissing him.

The only saving grace was that she noticed it early and didn't injure her beloved Big Brother's lips. If that were to happen then Ciel would definitely wonder how he got injured. Once suspicion sprouted, it would make things complicated.

'I really have to do things in moderation.' Chloe bit her lip. 'I must not get too excited when kissing Big Brother.'

After Ciel finished making himself look presentable, he left the room with the girls to have breakfast with everyone. His grandparents, Arthur, and Alice, were already there, while Andrea, and Elizabeth, were sipping a cup of coffee when the three arrived in the dining room. Claire arrived a minute later.

"Come here, Ciel, let grandma give you a kiss," Alice cooed as she gestured for her beloved grandson to come closer.

Ciel hugged his grandma Alice and allowed her to kiss him. He gave her two kisses in return, one on each cheek. Alice was smiling ear to ear as she lightly pinched her grandson's ears.

"Make sure to come back as soon as you can," Alice said, lovingly.

"I will Grandma," Ciel replied. "At most, I will be gone for three days."

"Come back in two…"

"...I'll try."

"Good!" Alice nodded and gestured for Ciel to sit.

The two families had breakfast. There was light conversation during the meal. Today was also the day Elizabeth would be going back to the city. Ciel, and Heinz would join her for part of the journey.

Arthur asked Heinz to accompany his grandson to see his old friend, Charles, who was also Ciel's chess mentor. He also tasked him with passing the handwritten letter to his friend personally. There were some things that they couldn't discuss on the phone for fear of someone listening in on their conversation.

Although writing a letter was troublesome, it was the safest way to communicate. All they needed to do was burn the letter after reading it, so that no evidence would be left behind.

----

At the front gate of the Belle Estate...

"Make sure to eat on time."

"Yes, mother."

"Make sure to brush your teeth after eating!"

"You should tell that to yourself, Kate."

"Make sure to always think of me, Big Brother."

"I will, Chloe."

Elizabeth resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It had already been fifteen minutes since Ciel said his goodbyes, but Andrea, Kate, and Chloe, were preventing him from leaving. Although she was amused at first, she was slowly starting to lose her patience. As if Ciel understood his Aunt's mood, he smiled and gave the three girls parting kisses.

"I'll be leaving, Mother, Kate, Chloe. I'll return as soon as I can." Ciel entered the car. Elizabeth followed quickly. She was afraid that if she didn't move fast enough, they wouldn't be able to leave today. Finally, the car started its engine and drove out of the gate.

When the Belle Estate finally disappeared from view, Elizabeth was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

"You are well loved, Ciel."

"Yes. I am Aunt Eliza."

"How about we set a date for your wedding with my daughter Chloe?" Elizabeth proposed shamelessly. "You should take responsibility for taking my daughter's first kiss."

Sebas and Heinz--who were sitting in the front seats of the car--pretended not to hear anything. Deep inside they were curious about how Ciel would answer and waited for his reply.

Ciel merely smiled and didn't say anything. This was not the first time Eliza made such a proposal. He didn't dare to say anything because his Aunt might take it seriously. The safest option was to say nothing at all.

Elizabeth looked at Ciel with a smirk and asked a question. "Ciel is it true that you are engaged to a princess?"

Ciel frowned and raised his head to look at his Aunt. He could see that her gaze was serious, so he decided to give an honest answer.

"When I was younger, Grandpa used to joke that I was engaged to a princess," Ciel replied. "I asked Mother and Father about this but they just laughed when they heard it. Mother said that it was just one of Grandpa's jokes. Aunt Eliza, why did you ask me this question?"

"A bird told me. Of course, I didn't know if this was true or not," Eliza said offhandedly. "I was just curious so I asked."

"I'm not engaged to anyone. Even if I was, I am not interested in an arranged marriage."

"I see."

Elizabeth looked outside the window of the car. She just casually asked Ciel a random question so they could have a conversation. The Belle Family was an old family that had ties with royalty in the past. It wouldn't be strange if the connections they formed long ago were still in place. Back then arranged marriages were prevalent, especially among members of royalty.

"Ciel, please take good care of my daughter."

"I will, Aunt Eliza. I promise."

"Thank you."

The two didn't speak for the rest of the journey. Both of them were thinking about different things. Elizabeth was thinking about the company and her two daughters. Ciel was recalling the dream he had last night.

A dream where a little cat and a little fox took turns kissing his lips.

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