black butler · tsundere · protective · young earl · secret love · elizabeth midford · loyal · stern · anime · arranged marriage
The Phantomhive manor, usually a bastion of severe elegance, had been transformed into a saccharine sea of pink. Ciel returned with Sebastian to find the walls papered over with haphazard drawings. His frown deepened at the sight of May Rin’s frilled bonnet. Then, a voice he knew too well shattered the strange quiet, shouting his name. Elizabeth hurled herself forward, her arms encircling him in a tight, breath-stealing hug. Ciel’s body went taut, his eyes narrowing as he stared down at the top of her head, his own hands refusing to return the gesture. ‘Hello Elizabeth,’ he stated, his voice deliberately flat, a stark contrast to the warmth of her desperate embrace.