• the site
• the manga
• the mangaka

• the phantomhive household

ciel phantomhive

sebastian michaelis

the servants

elizabeth middleford

lord and lady phantomhive

• jack the ripper arc

  madam red

  grell sutcliff

  lau

• indian arc

  prince soma

  agni

• minor characters

• jack the ripper arc
• indian arc
• assorted period items
• tea & desserts
• miscellaneous

background: The Phantomhive family has, for years, been well known for making toys and sweets for small children. However, they are also the Queen's watchdogs; the Phantomhive family keeps an eye on black market dealings in ways that Scotland Yard isn't able to. Ciel Phantomhive is the heir to this legacy.

Until the age of 10, he lived a normal life, with his father, his mother, and the family dog. However, on his tenth birthday, the mansion caught on fire; his parents were killed, and he went missing for a month, only to return with his smile dimmed and his new butler, Sebastian Michaelis, in tow... and a demonic contract in his right eye binding Sebastian to obey his commands.

Ciel is engaged to his cousin, Elizabeth Middleford, and lives with his five servants. Despite his young age, he runs the family company, and as such is quite busy much of the time... though he still finds time to go out investigating dubious legal matters.

[highlight for spoilers] Ciel's parents were not, in fact, killed in a fire-- on Ciel's tenth birthday, he found his dog (named Sebastian) dead in a pool of blood, his parents killed the same way. When he found Tanaka, the man was attacked from behind with a knife, and Ciel was kidnapped and put up for auction. After being sold to a cult which branded him and kept him chained in a cage for a month, he was stabbed as a sacrifice to summon Sebastian-- who then made the contract with him. Ciel's first order was to kill the men who'd abused him.

As the series progresses, it does nothing to sway Ciel in the belief he gained at this time: that nobody really cares about him (as he says to Agni in the Indian Arc, they only act that way so long as it profits them). But his actions belie all that those words imply; not only does he put himself in danger to protect Lizzie, he stops Sebastian before he can kill Madam Red (who at that point is attempting to kill Ciel) simply because they were related. Sebastian's theory is that he is kind; Ciel claims that he didn't think she would kill a relative and that he could see hesitation in her eyes.

personality: At his tender age, the young earl is far more composed and mature than would be expected. He remains distant from others, aloof, preferring to spend his time on work for the company. Aside from his interest in (and incredible skill at) games, he's nigh untouchable. Or so he would have people think. Underneath that clever, bratty shell, underneath the protestations that he has no interest in childish things, Ciel is very much a hurt little boy. He's selfish, not able to fully empathize with people, and he's quite contrary to the point of pushing away things that he doesn't understand because he doesn't want to seem weak, but he cares more deeply about people than he will ever admit.