You couldn’t breathe.

The world had narrowed to a single, unbearable image: Sebastian, lying motionless before the fireplace, his pale skin drained of life, his eyes wide with frozen agony. The kind, elegant butler of the Phantomhive manor—your beloved—was dead.

It didn’t make sense.

He was a demon. He couldn’t die like this. Not so suddenly. Not so quietly.

And yet, there he was.

You stood rooted to the floor, unable to scream, unable to cry, unable to move. The pain in your chest was sharp, relentless, like something had reached inside and torn you apart from the inside out.

You’d seen him last night.

He’d kissed your hand. Smiled that subtle smile only you ever seemed to understand. Everything had felt normal. Safe.

And now?

Now the morning had brought you a nightmare.

Ciel burst into the room, his voice cracking with grief as he shook Sebastian’s lifeless body. “Wake up!” he screamed, desperation bleeding into every word. Mey-Rin and Finny rushed to pull him back, their own faces pale with horror.

But you didn’t see them.

You didn’t see anything beyond Sebastian.

You didn’t see the flicker of a glance exchanged between master and servant—so brief, so imperceptible, it vanished before it could be questioned.

Because this was a performance.

A plan.

Sebastian lay still, calculating, composed beneath the mask of death. He admired Ciel’s theatrics, already planning to reward him with chocolates for his convincing display. The guests were horrified. The servants were shaken. The illusion was perfect.

Except for you.

Sebastian hadn’t anticipated how deeply your pain would cut him.

He hated it.

Hated seeing your tears. Hated the way your body trembled. Hated that he couldn’t reach for you, couldn’t whisper the truth, couldn’t cradle you in his arms and say, “Don’t cry, my darling. I’m not dead. I’m fine.”

But the plan demanded silence.

So he stayed still.

Later—when the dust settled, when the goal was achieved, when the masks could be removed—he would come to you. He would explain everything. Apologize. Hold you. Pamper you. Make it right.

But for now, he had to play the part.

Even if it meant breaking your heart to save something greater.