The Queen had many servants, including the royal cooks, maids, stewards, and guards. In addition, she also had three butlers, two of which were codenamed together as 'Double Charles'. But of the many servants the Queen had, not one of them was like you. She called you her little kitty, but that wasn't quite right.

You followed her orders, be it causing mischief, taking her place at social events, performing an assassination... Simply put, you were the Queen's personal 'jack-of-all-trades'. For any gap that was not filled by other servants, you were there to cross it.

But what was strange was that you were seldom allowed to be seen by other servants; more than half of them had no idea you existed at all. And the only servants you had actually held a conversation with were the three butlers closest to the Queen: the Charles duo and John Brown. Of these three, your favorite was Phipps, for the simple reason that he'd been the most friendly.

But one day, the two of you found yourselves in a very different situation from your day to day routine.

<><><>

"What would you like me to do next, your majesty?" you questioned after you had finished correcting small mistakes a newer servant had made in making that day's dinner. The Queen smiled as she signed the letter she had been writing and looked back at you.

"Oh, done already, my little kitty? As expected of my best servant! Well, since I have just finished my letter, would you please take it to the address? The other three are very busy." You nodded, solemnly taking the letter, catching a glimpse of the place it was supposed to go.

"I shall make haste," you replied, already walking out of the room. You mounted your black stallion after you had reached the royal stables, quickly telling him to go before the kindly man who managed the stables awoke.

The scenery flashed by, from pavement to cobblestones, urban to rural, buildings to trees. Remembering that your horse would almost be at his limit, you stopped for a few minutes at a nearby stream, meanwhile climbing a tree to see how far you were.

In the distance was a faint light, meaning that you were near the place you were meant to go. You carefully climbed back down, rinsing your hands in the stream. "Ready to go, H/N?" you questioned your horse. His intelligent eyes blinked at you once, and you knew in that instant he was waiting for you to remount. You smiled. "Only a little longer until we reach the Phantomhive Estate, don't you worry."

<><><>

You were about to knock on the manor door once when you decided against it. One, you did not want to disturb any important discussions being held inside, and two, you wanted to stay invisible as the Queen wished. You left the envelope on the doorstep, about to walk away, when suddenly:

"Huh? A late night guest?" You furtively glanced behind you to see a boy with strawberry-blond hair wearing a straw hat. You rapidly mounted H/N again and began ushering him to move, but it seemed he was frozen in place. "Hey, wait!" the boy called, even as you kept trying to make H/N start running. Instead, he reared, and you fell off your horse. H/N then proceeded to run into the woods. That was strange; the last time H/N had been that frightened, it was when a stranger in black had come to the palace. "Oh, are you alright?" the boy asked, offering to help you up, but you stood up on your own, tempted to bolt like your horse, but something kept you where you were.

"Would you like to come in, miss?" a much deeper voice broke in, and you glanced back to see a butler had seeming materialized on the front step of the manor, the envelope between two fingers.

"I would prefer not to," you finally spoke, brushing the dirt from your black clothing.

"The night air is bad for you!" the boy interjected, seeming honestly worried.

"And the night is quite dangerous. Please, I insist that you stay until morning," the butler added, smiling. Suddenly, you recognized the butler. He was the one who had frightened your horse so badly. You narrowed your eyes at him.

"For what reason other than my safety do you want me to stay here?" you interrogated.

"Well, I have not been informed of her majesty having a female mail carrier." You released a slight groan. This was one of those incredibly rare times when it was inconvenient to be a well-kept secret.

"Fine; do as you like," you grumbled, walking towards the door, which the butler smiled and opened, allowing you into the rather beautiful manor.

"My lord is in the study; you should meet with him first." You sullenly nodded, following the butler as he directed. He soon opened a door, revealing a boy of about thirteen years making pyramids out of playing cards. He glanced at you.

"Have a seat," he spoke. "My butler tells me you were dropping off a letter from the Queen." You nodded, hesitantly taking the seat opposite of the Earl. "I would like some evidence that you are in fact the Queen's servant."

"That is not possible," you murmured.

"Why?" You gave the boy a long look.

"Any more information I give would be considered treason to her majesty. I have not been given permission to disclose much more than this. I was ordered to deliver that letter, and that is what I have done. Now that my task has been completed, I would like to retrieve my horse and return." You silently glared at the butler, though he was simply smiling.

"I see," the boy said, resting his head on the table he'd made of his hands. "So there is nothing you have that would prove you are a servant to the Queen." You stiffly nodded as the boy sighed. "Sebastian."

"Yes, my lord." You were suddenly taken by the arm and shoved against the wall.

"Earl Phantomhive, is everything alright?" you heard a voice ask, and your heart lifted before sinking again. It would be stupid of Phipps to show even a hint that he knew you; he would be endangering his own position. But contrary to your thought process, he just so happened to look your way. "Lady F/N? What are you doing here?"

"Do you know her?" the Earl questioned, playing with the remaining card of the deck, a king. Phipps continued to stare at you, as if trying to figure out the answer to his question by looking at your soul through your eyes.

"I do," Phipps finally replied after an awkward silence.

"Sebastian, let her go. I am sorry, F/N, was it? I can never be too careful." You rubbed your arm where the butler named Sebastian had grasped. You felt as if he had bruised the flesh, but you did not see any indicator that it would bruise.

"Can I fetch my horse now?" you grumbled, folding your arms.

"Lady F/N, please stay," Phipps surprisingly interjected. "I believe you deserve the night off." You glanced at Phipps. You thought for a bit, pondering if you should deny, but at the moment, he was a higher authority. You curtsied to the white-haired butler, undoubtedly surprising him.

"I comply with your wishes, Earl Phipps."

<><><>

"Can I please at least tie up my horse somewhere? He's sure to be wandering off somewhere I can't get to him," you requested of Phipps while the two butlers were accompanying you to your room.

"The black stallion?" Sebastian questioned, and you looked at him out of the corner of your eye, nodding. "After my master confirmed that you were known by the Queen, I found him and left him in our stables. Is that satisfactory, my lady?"

"When exactly?" you asked. "I never saw you leave. Forgive me for not trusting the one who frightened him away." Sebastian chuckled.

"Just after I let you go. I suppose that was what that glare was for."

"You seem to care a lot about that horse, Lady F/N," Phipps commented, and you turned your head.

"Yes. H/N was one of the few gifts I've received." Phipps smiled slightly, surprising you. It was rare of Phipps to smile at all. Before you knew it, you were already at the room you would be staying in.

"Well then, my lady, if you need anything, simply call," Sebastian said with a bow as he opened the door. You nodded and then smiled.

"Then I would like something to eat. Anything edible will do."

"Very well then." Sebastian replied dutifully and proceeded to walk presumably to the kitchens. Before you closed the door to your room, you could swear you saw Phipps walking after him, but you dismissed it as him simply taking the same route to go to a different place. Sighing to yourself, you sat on the bed and attempted to take a nap.

<><><>

"My lady," Sebastian's voice came with a knock. Sighing, you stood and opened the door, watching as he rolled in a silver cart, surprisingly laden with F/F. Did he know it was your favorite? And if so, how? In addition to F/F, also on the cart was chamomile tea, something that, 7 times out of 10, helped you sleep.

"Thank you," you murmured, taking the plate and barely restraining yourself as you realized how hungry you were. When you glanced past Sebastian, you saw Phipps looking at you with a smile, and you suddenly understood; it must have been Phipps who told Sebastian about your favorite food and your insomnia. Why he had done this for you was a mystery, but you smiled at him, and he suddenly turned his head and quickly walked away.

Mentally shrugging, you replaced the empty cup of tea and plate on the cart as Sebastian asked, "Was it to your liking, my lady?" You nodded, and Sebastian smiled. "Is that so? I am glad, then." He then left the room, and you wandered back to your bed, wondering if you would be able to fall asleep.

You laid down and closed your eyes. You tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable. But no matter how you tried to empty your mind and just lie still, you felt alert as if it was morning.

When your door opened again, you suppressed the urge to bolt upright in alarm. With your eyes closed, you heard the chair being pulled from the corner of your room. You almost flinched as a warm hand settled on your cheek. And then you heard singing. Beautiful singing that made your eyes feel heavy and your mouth unconsciously curve upward.

As you felt the hand that was massaging the back of your head, you heard the words, "Goodnight, Lady F/N." And that's when you finally fell asleep.

<><><>

"Dammit!" you almost yelled, shooting out of bed. Judging by the position of the sun, it was at least midday. Her majesty would not be happy about this. You practically slammed the door open and took the steps five at a time before you were stopped, surprisingly by the Earl Phantomhive.

"Why the hurry, Lady F/N?" he asked curiously, leaning on his cane.

"I must get back to her majesty," you replied tersely.

"I suppose you have not seen the contents of her letter, then?"

"Why would I look?" you asked, faintly irritated, though the boy kept a calm demeanor.

"I think you should, then." With that, the Earl took out the opened letter and offered it to you. For at least a full minute, you stood there, conflicted. But finally deciding it would be stupid to ignore the Earl, you took the letter at last and opened it.

To my dear little boy,

I am sending you this letter because of one of my most diligent servants. She works so hard, and I rarely see the poor thing smile. The last I recall her being happy enough to laugh was when she was talking with Phipps, so here is my request: please allow the pair to stay the night and see what happens. And if it is not any trouble, allow them to stay as long as a few days. I would be very happy if the two returned to me with grins rather than their permanent scowls.

Victoria

You stared at the letter for a few moments before you chuckled, shaking your head.

"Your majesty, you are truly something," you said, folding the letter into its original state and handing it back to the Earl even as a certain someone met you in the foyer.

"Did you sleep well, Lady F/N?" You smiled at Phipps.

"Better than I have in months, Earl Phipps. Thank you for ensuring it."

With a noticeable nervous twitch, he said, "I didn't do anything; thank Sebastian."

"Did her majesty never tell you I can tell when you're lying, Earl Phipps? I seldom speak to people, you are aware. Only you or Lord Brown would remember that I suffer from insomnia, and you are the only one of the two present." Phipps looked away again, though this time, you caught him blushing. "So I'll say it again, Charles Phipps; thank you for caring."