'And then, the Duchess of Gordina, stricken by grief and heartbreak, actually cast herself off a cliff into the foamy, dark currents below! '

It 's only when she 's engrossed in raving about whichever romance novel she 's recently been reading that Historia becomes this animated. You watch her small hands, excitedly gesturing at you as she talks.

You 're sitting on your balcony together, basking in the afternoon sun with a cup of that grassy-smelling tea in hand.

Below, you see soldiers pasturing by in the barren backyard, some pausing to give you two a small, annoyed look as you laugh and chatter, not caring about how your voices echo in the usually so dreary castle grounds.

It 's day six since you woke up. Luckily, Historia has visited you almost daily since she got the news that you 're awake. Discussions with her, while shallow and concerning mundane and frivolous things, do a lot to keep you sane and happy.

Whilst sitting on the balcony like this, on the wooden chairs Maid Springer was kind enough to provide you with so you can spend time outside, sipping on that grassy tea you 've only now started to get used to, you can almost feel normal.

'What did the Archduke do then? ' you ask and lean in earnestly. You hear Levi snort in the background where he 's leaning against the doorframe. His usual position. He firmly believes that romance novels are a waste of paper and that discussing them in such detail is a horribly boring pastime.

'He tried to follow, but Ms Hilde, the wet nurse of his child, stopped him! ' Historia grins. 'And so he spent the rest of his days looking after his son, forever pining for the only woman he ever loved. '

Both of you sigh dreamily at the absolute tragedy she described. From the corner of your eye, you see Levi give you a calm look, accustomed to your blatherings but none the less disgusted.

'Have you read anything lately? ' she asks. You give her suffering grin.

'Song of Steel. '

'Still? Do you intend to finish the whole book? ' she asks, taken aback.

'If I want to do any good as a

czarevna

, I need to be knowledgeable about the country I 'm a part of, ' you explain. Historia gives you a small smile.

'Not many could just pick up where they left off and keep going after being attacked like that. It 's impressive, ' she compliments. You shake your head.

'I have got no other choice, ' you admit. 'If I leave now, my father and the Czar 's negotiations will have been in vain. '

Historia turns thoughtful. She 's obviously a little apprehensive.

'May I ask? '

'What is it? '

'How do you feel about Eren? Your fianc '? He still hasn 't visited you, has he? '

You hum and lean back on your chair. You look at the bright sun. This Solar year has really pampered you with lots of sunshine.

It 's just Levi and Historia within earshot, so you might as well be honest.

'I do think it is rather callous of him to not as much as send me a letter when I have almost lost my life thanks to this marriage. I do not hate him nor do I really even mind marrying him ' I have been raised with the idea of marrying whomever my father chooses for me and as far as all possible candidates go, I 'm glad I get to marry someone who is around my age and not abusive. '

Historia nods knowingly. She offers you a sympathetic smile.

'I 'm sure Eren will come around. He just needs to get used to you, ' she offers words of empty encouragement.

You chuckle and shake your head.

'I do not think that will happen, but it is alright. I have come to terms with it. '

You meet Historia 's compassionate eyes calmly. She gives you a gentle smile.

'Well, no matter what, I will be your ally, Cora, ' she promises and extends her hand towards you. You press your palm against hers in a familiar gesture. You smile.

She 's right. Your fianc ' may not care, but you have others who do.

Hange and Armin barged in yesterday with the pretence of offering Levi a trivial upgrade he obviously didn 't need. They then ended up staying and spending a good hour just entertaining you. The story of how Hange first got into Alchemy and how her first ritual was turning her father 's prized bottle of wine into cheap juice, to the utmost horror and fury of her old man, still brings a smile to your face.

Maid Springer makes sure you eat and bathe every day. She fusses over you in a manner so mother-like that you can 't help but grow attached to her. Being torn away from your birth mother so violently, it 's only natural you feel drawn to the loving care.

And then there 's Levi. He hasn 't left your side since. Stoic and calm as always, he stays by you day and night. As you fall asleep each night, your heart is pounding just a little bit with the knowledge that he 's standing watch by the door, nothing but intimate darkness keeping you apart.

When you wake up with the first rays of sunshine, he 's exactly where he was when you drifted off. You don 't know when he sleeps, or if he does at all.

When you came here, you were alone and lost. Now, however, you have people who are on your side. You just need to stay reminded of that.

A knock on your door interrupts your pleasant conversation with Historia.

'Your grace! A letter! ' you hear a familiar voice from the corridor.

'Come in, ' you call to the door as you get on your feet and walk back to your chambers. Historia follows you.

The door cracks open, and Connie peeks his suspicious face in. Looking around, he soon lets out a long sigh of relief and walks inside.

'That scared of your mommy being here and reprimanding you for the mud stains on your ass? ' Sasha, who saunters in after Connie, teases him. You see the corner of Levi 's eye twitch at the crude language.

The unruliness of Sasha and Connie always puts him in a sour mood.

'You have no idea what I have endured with my ma, ' Connie whimpers and shudders. You look over his attire and indeed, it is obviously splotched and dirty.

'Did you traverse to Novaryn again? ' you ask. Both of them spring to you and salute in unison.

'Yes, ma 'am! We hereby bring you a letter with the royal seal! ' Sasha announces importantly. You draw up an eyebrow. They 're usually not this formal.

'We went through trials and tribulations to bring you this letter, your grace! ' Connie continues. He reaches for the brown leather pouch hanging at his hips and rummages for a moment until he finds the right letter.

Handing it to you, he smiles widely.

'Always a pleasure to serve, ma 'am! '

You blink at them and take the letter.

'Thank you, ' you offer. As you turn away to saunter to your desk for a letter knife, you feel their eyes keenly follow you. You ignore them and grab the knife.

You rip the letter open and take out the thick parchment.

'Did you have something else with her? ' you hear Levi 's sharp voice address the two messengers. You raise your gaze to see both of them slump a little.

'No, sir, ' they sigh, looking dejected all of a sudden. You frown at them as they start trudging towards the door.

Then, you suddenly understand and you can 't help the small grin that rises to your cheeks.

'Maid Springer was kind enough to bring me ripe plums this morning. I could not possibly eat all of them by myself, so would you care to-? '

'Yes, ma 'am! ' they both spring in front of you with excited expressions.

'The fruit you gave us the last time, it was... It was ' ' Sasha struggles to come up with an adjective grand enough.

'Heavenly! ' Connie cuts in.

'Ooh, that 's it! Heavenly! ' Sasha agrees with an eager nod. You look at their tomfoolery, a little taken aback but undeniably entertained.

You grab a few plums from the basket on your vanity and hand them over to the two.

'Thank you for the letter, ' you smile. They take the fruit with enchanted smiles.

'Plums! Real, imported plums! ' Connie rejoices. Sasha sniffles back moved tears.

You don 't get it. It 's just fruit. Then again, you don 't seem to understand a lot of the struggles local commoners go through.

'I thank you, your grace! ' Connie exclaims and kneels down to dramatically take your hand and kiss it, far too wetly to fit the etiquette. You have to stifle an amused giggle.

Levi 's had enough at this point. He marches to the two, grabs the backs of their military jackets and shoves them towards the door.

'You got what you came here for and you delivered the letter. Get out, ' he snaps. Historia presses her hand to her lips and chuckles a little as Connie and Sasha hurry to salute and run out with their prize.

'A lively couple, aren 't they? ' she remarks gently. She then turns for the door herself.

'The letter is probably from your family. I 'll leave you to it. I can visit again tomorrow if you 'd like? '

'Please, ' you answer. It gives you something to look forward to.

Historia nods and then excuses herself. Left alone in the room with Levi, you turn your attention to the letter.

'Do you have to humour them so much? They 're bound to turn insufferable if you keep spoiling them, ' Levi complains. Giving him a nonchalant hum, you unfold the letter.

'It is poor manners to waste food and I would not have eaten all of those plums either way, ' you reply as you start reading through the text.

Cora,

It has come to my attention that you have not written anyone in Novaryn in quite some time. Please, at least let us know you are faring alright.

I understand that you may feel angry about my last letter but try to understand my circumstances. We are walking a diplomatic tightrope with Varsiko.

Should it be of any consolation to you, I will keep an eye out for the woman you requested, and should she come my way and a suitable exchange of prisoners happen to be arranged, I can attempt to send her back to Varsiko.

This is all I can do. Please, let me know you are alright, Cora, I worry for my little sister.

Your mother is beside herself with worry as well.

Love always (always, please remember that),

Sirius

As you read over the worried words, you suddenly feel weak. It takes you a second to name the feeling, the pining dizziness in your brain, before you realise you 're homesick.

You clutch the letter to your chest and wobble just a little with the intense emotions. Any annoyance you may have felt towards him melts away, and all you 're left with is longing.

Oh, how you wish you could tell him everything. About the letters, about how cold your fianc ' is towards you, how the future Czar harasses you, how someone already attempted to take your life.

You want to pour it all out, you want to ask him to take you back home from here, to where it 's warm and safe. Back to the bright, ancient castle with countless hallways left unexplored, with absent-minded priests walking by and greeting you with a murmur of prayer, with children playing freely in the luscious gardens while their mothers watch while hiding under their parasols to shield their skin from the sun, with the fertile fields that produce such fragrant flowers and fruit that during the summer, you can smell it all the way to your room.

The ancient forests, stretching far beyond the horizon in the distance, the Twin Mountains you used to spend your nights watching, imagining the strangest of beasts that could potentially live deep within its caverns.

You miss it dearly. All of it.

With a deep, shaky breath, you try to smother the feeling. Before you can, however, you feel a familiar hand place on your hair. Observant as always, Levi has caught onto what you 're feeling.

'It 's okay to miss home, little miss, ' he tells you steadily. He pats the top of your head a couple of times.

You look up at him hopelessly and feel a familiar urge to leap against him and hug him tight. To raise your head, your eyes meeting his, your lips brushing together-

No.

You shove the thought aside. You keep your hands at bay and just allow yourself the fleeting moment of his comfort. When he pulls back, you don 't stop him.

'I will be alright, ' you promise both yourself and him. He nods.

You walk to the desk and sit down. As you take out a parchment and start writing, your hand doesn 't tremble.

Sirius,

Dearest brother (and mother, I know you will read this as well). I 'm sorry I have been so quiet lately. Truth be told, a lot of things have happened.

You can sense Levi tensing alertly as he reads the letter over your shoulder.

Every day is just filled with so many activities. Shopping in town for new and exciting dresses, going out to balls and parties with my beloved fianc ', discussing the newest romance novels with my sister-in-law ' I have been having so much fun that I simply forgot to write. Forgive me.

You pause and frown. You feel the tug in your chest to just tell the truth and let your brother handle things. He would arrange for your safe return should you just ask for it.

Biting your lip, you keep lying.

I 'm faring just fine here. In fact, life is quite enjoyable. There is no need to worry about me at all. Dearest brother and mother, I hope you are doing alright. I will try to remember to write home every week from now on.

Thank you for keeping an eye out for Belle Lindt, brother. I know it was selfish of me to request something like that and knowing that you are trying your best to accommodate me makes my heart sink with fondness.

I hope you are well. May the Creator bless you with His favour.

Love always,

Cora

You feel Levi 's eyes on you as you seal the letter and walk towards the balcony.

'You 're not allowed to use the hawk until your charges are cleared, ' Levi tells you. You pause and sigh. Figures. You 'll just have to ask Maid Springer to send the letter tomorrow, then.

'You 're a good liar. '

You turn to give him raised eyebrow.

'Is that a compliment? ' you ask, confused. Levi shrugs.

'In politics, the ability to lie convincingly is almost as important as intelligence and charisma. '

You sigh and slump down on your bed.

'I hate politics. '

'That makes two of us, ' Levi announces. You chuckle humourlessly and blink at the dull ceiling. Pushing down the traumatic memory it triggers, of the weight of the guard on top of you, the metallic smell of blood and his dead eyes honed on you, you instead turn your attention to Levi.

'So, how are we going to get to the bottom of these letters? ' you ask. The last few days, Levi has not brought it up and you 've been too tired to think of it.

'I have been keeping an ear out for letters during the nights, ' Levi tells you. 'Should one arrive one of these nights, I was planning on pursuing whoever sends the letter. '

'By yourself? ' you ask. Levi looks a bit frustrated.

'This is where my dilemma comes in. I 'm under orders to stay by your side at all times. I haven 't decided how to solve that problem yet. '

'I can sleep fully clothed, you can wake me up and we can pursue together? '

'Breaking your room arrest is against the protocol, I would be held liable, ' Levi protests. You sit up on the bed and cross your legs carelessly.

'You can leave me alone. I do not mind. '

'No. '

'Then, take me with you. '

'No. '

'What are you, a youngling throwing a temper tantrum? ' you huff. 'Those are your two options. Pick between them. Unless you want to wait until I 'm out of room arrest. '

'Once you 're out of room arrest, the person delivering the letters will have the opportunity to wait until your room is empty to deliver the letters. While you 're confined, he 'll have no choice but to try and deliver the letters undetected. '

'What if he will not deliver any while I 'm under arrest? '

'There 's always a chance of that happening. But should the opportunity arise to follow whoever delivers those letters, we should take it. '

'Then, what do you want to do? ' you ask. Levi thinks it over, clearly hating both the thought of leaving you unguarded and dragging you along for a stealth mission. Eventually, he groans.

'Fine. I 'll take you with me. '

'I will start sleeping in decent clothes, then, ' you decide.

'You can 't run around the hallways undetected in your normal attire, ' Levi points out. 'Your skirts and heels make noise, not to mention it 's impractical for running. '

You stand up and walk to your dresser. Opening the drawers, you start going through your clothes. Most of them are long dresses, but the outfit you wore to town should still be somewhere in there.

Finally, you find the bland-looking brown dress and ordinary boots. You show them to Levi.

'Would these fare better? '

He nods. You place the clothes on top of the drawer. Levi 's eyes pause on your neck and suddenly, he seems oddly content.

'What? ' you ask and tilt your head.

'The kiss mark is gone, ' he remarks. You instinctively touch the spot that Zeke sucked. The skin is still tender thanks to the bruises, now turning yellow and fading.

'Oh. That is good. '

Levi walks a bit closer, looking very pensive. As if the sight of your bruised neck reminds him of something. He gently grasps your chin to tilt your head up and double-check the skin where Zeke 's lips landed those days ago.

You feel a pleasant shudder go through you and suddenly, you 're a bit short of breath. You stay completely still as he leans closer, so close you can feel his nose softly bump against a tender bruise on your throat.

Your eyes widen at the sudden intimacy. You have no doubt he can feel your pulse, thundering under the skin his lips are now brushing against just a bit.

His name dies on your lips before you can say it out loud, afraid you 'll break whatever spell he seems to be under.

'When he did that, ' Levi murmurs, his low voice vibrating against your heated skin, 'I was angry. '

You tremble just a little as you feel his breath against the spot. So close, all he needs to do is lean in and place his lips on your skin, and you 'll throw your head back and surrender to him.

'Why? ' you ask, voice throaty and laboured.

Levi pauses for a long moment.

'Because you 're not his to touch, ' he finally replies and in his tone is heavy realisation. He pulls away and steps back. You look up to meet his conflicted eyes.

'Levi, ' you whisper. 'I do not care whose I officially am to touch. Who my heart belongs to, I shall decide on my own. '

Just please touch me. Love me. Because no one else has.

You reach a pining hand towards him, but before you can place it on his jaw, he swats it away. You look into the stormy grey of his eyes.

'You 're misunderstanding things, ' he tells you, forcing his face dull and void of emotion. You swallow, something cold trickling down your spine at his hostility. You know he 's not telling you the whole truth, but his words have awoken a side of you that you cannot stifle.

Unwanted

, it tells you.

By your father, by Novaryn, by Varsiko, by Eren and now even by the man of your affections.

You hide the hurt with that empty, impersonal smile.

'Alright, ' you accommodate him and pull your hand away. 'Forgive me. For stepping out of line. '

Levi grits his teeth, and he suddenly looks like he 's in pain.

You turn to walk away, but he pulls you in before you can. You fall into his embrace, his face pressing into the curls of your hair for the sweetest of moments.

'Little miss, ' his voice is oddly strangled and thin. 'Don 't give me that smile. It pains me. '

You nuzzle your nose against the coarse cotton of his cape. The scent of soap, fresh air and the hint of something metallic you can 't quite name.

'Why does it pain you? ' you ask, your hands resting against his chest with such ease. It feels natural and right. Like you belong here. Your heart hums in agreement.

Levi merely shakes his head to discard your question. His arms tighten around your waist just the smallest bit before he pulls away.

Eyes unreadable once more, he turns to go back to his post at the door.

'Don 't mind me, little miss. I 've just been feeling unlike myself lately, ' he deflates the tension. You watch him walk away, chest ringing with a light, dreamy feeling.

You allow him, but you don 't know how long it will be before these new, overwhelming feelings boil over and you can no longer keep yourself in check.

-

It 's almost a week later when Levi shakes you awake in the dead of night.

You moan sleepily. Sitting up, you rub your groggy eyes and fix them on Levi. He gestures for you to get up and follow him.

Immediately, you 're wide awake. Without a word, you pull on the boots waiting next to the bed and do as you 're told.

Levi has his ear against the door, listening. You try to do the same, but you don 't have his enhanced senses.

Levi listens intently for a few seconds and then turns to you.

'He just left, I can hear his footsteps receding. Keep quiet and stay behind me, ' he murmurs into your ear with a low voice. You shudder a bit when you feel his breath against the shell of your ear.

He noiselessly opens the door and slips outside. You keep a hand over your mouth to stifle any noises you might make and follow him.

The hallways are quiet and dark, with just a few scattered lanterns lighting up parts of it. You squint, but you can 't make up anything in the darkness as Levi quickly pulls you away from the light and starts leading you where he can see the person now moving.

Keeping you firmly in the shadows, Levi leads the way. Twice, you fall behind as you struggle to move through the dark hallways as quick as him, until he grabs your hand and places it on the back of his cape, signalling for you to hold onto him and let him pave the way.

You grasp his cape between your fingers and thanks to him clearing the path for you, you can scurry behind him without issues.

It feels like an eternity as you move without a word. Every now and then, Levi stops abruptly to either avoid detection or to locate the mysterious figure, concealed by the darkness, moving through the corridors.

Eventually, Levi stops for longer than usual. It 's so dark you can 't make out what 's around you, and you 're disoriented from all the sharp turns. Thus, you can 't tell which part of the castle you 're in.

'The person went inside that room, ' Levi leans to whisper in your ear and gestures towards something in the darkness.

You can 't make out which room it is, but Levi obviously can, because there 's something very unsettled in his voice.

'Let 's move in and eavesdrop what 's going on inside. Stay quiet. Don 't even breathe if you can help it, ' he tells you. You nod.

Levi leads you to the dark door and helps you lean your ear against it.

'It 's risky delivering the letters while she 's still under charges, '

you hear a muffled male voice.

'What if Levi saw her? '

'She can shrug pursuers. Not to mention it 's pitch black outside, '

another voice comments, this one female.

'Just how long is the Czar going to keep her confined anyway? '

'At this point, it 's obvious my old man is going to keep her under arrest to keep her from using hawks and telling her family about this until he can prove this was a singular case. Her mail is probably being monitored as well. '

'He sure is being overly cautious. '

'I still think you took it too far. I agreed to get rid of her, I didn 't agree to kill her, '

the male voice points out, obviously displeased.

'She ignored the letters. I 'm running out of time. I panicked, '

the female voice defends herself.

'She 's much tougher than she lets on. It 's starting to really unnerve me. '

'Do we have to kill her? '

'If she doesn 't break otherwise. '

'What 's her mental state like? '

'She 's started befriending people, by now she has a support network. Not to mention her guard practically living by her side. At this point, I 'm running out of ideas on how to handle this mess. '

'Anything I can do? '

'Unless you 're willing to be even nastier to her- '

'No. I told you, I 'm only doing this much because I know how much this means to you, '

the male voice cuts in. You hear the woman sigh deeply, clearly frustrated.

'If you could only put a little more pressure- '

'I 'm not going to do that, I already feel terrible as is. Forget it. '

he raises his voice a little. You just listen, gaping.

'Fine! If you 're not going to help me, then please leave! I have no use for you right now and I have a lot to do! '

you hear her snap.

A tense silence falls in the room.

'Alright, then.

' His voice sounds cold and closed off.

'Ah, no. I didn 't mean to say that. Wait!"

she immediately realises her mistake.

You hear footsteps come closer. Before you can even fathom the thought of reacting and hiding, Levi has grabbed you, covered your mouth and nose with his hand and dragged you away from the door. He swiftly walks you back until you arrive at a corner. He shoves you to hide behind it.

In unison, you peek as you hear a door crack open. In the darkness of the night, you 're only offered the light from inside the room.

You see a brown-haired boy march out with an annoyed frown on his face. Quietly following him is a girl in a red cape, face expressionless as always. The boy makes it just a few purposeful strides until someone follows him and wraps both arms tightly around his waist.

'Eren, ' the blonde woman begs. 'I 'm sorry, I didn 't mean that. Please don 't go. This has been stressful for me and I 'm not quite myself. '

Eren pauses. Were this you, he would without a doubt tear himself free and bark at you. Now, however, he turns with a sigh.

'Krista, I told you not to do this out in the open, ' he tells her, and you can read the gentle sheen in his eyes just fine.

'No one 's seeing this, ' she murmurs back as she hides her face in Eren 's shirt. Your eyes slide to Mikasa, who 's standing aside and watching quietly. You 're not sure if you 're imagining it, but you could swear she looks ' A little pained?

Historia clings to Eren tightly and when she finally pulls back from the hug, her eyes are glistening and vulnerable.

'Don 't go, ' she whispers. 'I don 't want to be alone tonight. '

Eren opens his mouth to respond but before he can get the word out, you accidentally tap the heel of your boot against the wooden corridor floor. The sound is barely audible, but despite that Mikasa immediately draws her sword.

Eren and Historia fall quiet as Mikasa starts moving towards the source of the noise. You feel Levi 's hand tighten over your mouth as he pulls you back just a little bit, against his chest as he leans against the hallway wall.

There 's no way you can move further back at this distance without her hearing. You just need to hope she doesn 't spot you.

She walks closer in the tense silence, keeping an eye out for anything and everything. You don 't even dare to breathe as you lean against Levi, eyes wide, not just with the adrenaline of almost being caught, but also with everything you 've witnessed so far.

Levi moves his free hand to the handle of his sword, ready to draw it should things go wrong. Mikasa gets closer. She passes you by and walks by the corner you 're hiding behind, continuing forward down the corridor instead, and for a precious second, you think you 're off the hook.

Then, she turns her head abruptly, as if sensing you 're there. It takes her eyes a few seconds to make out the darkness, even with her augmentations.

Her calm eyes meet yours where you 're standing, eyes wide and Levi 's hand covering your mouth. Your whole body tenses up. What if Levi and Mikasa start brawling here and your whole plan goes to waste? What will happen when Historia and Eren find out you know? Will they kill you? Will they kill Levi?

You hear your heart pounding in your chest. Levi 's tense and ready behind you.

Then, to your utter confusion, Mikasa presses her index finger against her lips, signalling for you to stay quiet. She gives Levi a small nod and turns to go back.

'Mikasa? Is someone there? ' Historia asks. Relaxed, Mikasa walks back to the two and shakes her head.

'No. False alarm. '

'Let 's get back inside either way, ' Eren decides. Historia grasps his arm and holds onto it tightly. The three of them retreat into the room. The door closes after them, leaving you in darkness again.

As the adrenaline wears off, your knees buckle. You take a deep breath.

The sting of betrayal is not instantaneous, but when it finally hits, it knocks the breath right out of your lungs. You feel dizzy, like someone punched you in the gut with an augmented fist.

You feel Levi 's worried hand on your back, rubbing between the shoulder blades as you take support from the wall.

It 's not the fact that Eren and Historia are obviously very personally acquainted. It 's not the fact that by the looks of it, Mikasa has been the one delivering the letters. It 's not the fact that Eren 's complete indifference towards you is a part of the plan.

It 's the fact that Historia, the first and closest friend you made in this castle, is behind this. 'As you struggle to breathe, you quickly count all the times she 's been in your room, looking you dead in the eye, worried, asking how you 're faring while secretly planning ways to be rid of you.

You imagine her going up to the guard and with her melodic voice and honeyed tongue, manipulating him into strangling you in your sleep.

You feel sick to your stomach. You feel like hurling. You look up at Levi in the darkness, and his compassionate yet completely unsurprised eyes tell you that he already suspected this but kept his mouth shut to protect your psyche. He didn 't want to say it out loud unless it was proven to be true because you liked Historia and leant on her.

Once again, you were the na 've, dumb little child who was the last to catch onto things. Like a fool, you trusted her.

You shake your head, dejected.

'Take me back, Levi, ' you murmur and loop your arms around his neck. Your legs don 't carry. Without a word, he picks you up and makes way back towards your chambers.

You press your face to his neck. You don 't know what else to do, so you just hold on and allow his warmth to engulf you.

As you enter your room, Levi gently places you down on your bed before going to fetch the letter from where Mikasa left it outside your door.

He opens and scans through the contents as you burrow under your blankets and curl up.

'Anything worth noting? ' you mutter into your knees.

'Torture, strangulation, death, next time you won 't be so lucky, it 's a standard death threat, ' he tells you dully. You wrap your arms around your legs and disappear completely under the covers.

Levi watches the lump under the blanket and finally gives in to the tug in his chest. He sits down on the edge of your bed and places a gentle hand on top of where he estimates your shoulder to be.

'We need a plan, ' he tells you. You murmur something incomprehensible.

'The czarevich 's guard knows we 're aware of their involvement. It was only a lucky whim of her mind that saved us there, ' he says.

'Then what do you suggest we do? ' You emerge from under the blankets to give him a tired look. 'Kill her? ' you offer with a dry chuckle.

Levi pauses for just a tad too long.

'Levi, we are not going to kill her. I refuse to stoop to their level, ' you tell him with an exasperated sigh.

'She 's a liability, ' he argues.

'And what if she already told Eren about this? She will have died for nothing. '

'It 's odds we probably should take, ' Levi says. You shake your head.

'No. We will not repay her for covering for us by killing her. '

'Fine. Whatever you say, little miss, ' Levi sighs and rolls his eyes. You watch him cross his arms and straighten his back where he 's sitting, one leg resting over the other.

You have a fleeting thought. You both now know that Eren wasn 't planning on being loyal to you from the start. So, according to all logic, you could now be disloyal to him in return without it being considered morally wrong.

'Then, what do you suggest we do? ' Levi asks. 'Do you want to confront the czarevich and czarevna? '

You think it over. You could just summon both of them to your chambers and demand to know what 's going on. But, it could easily backfire. Historia and Eren, ultimately, have not only the Czar and Zeke but the whole military behind them.

It 's you and Levi against the whole castle now, aside from a minuscule amount of acquaintances you have, most of which you want to keep out of this. The thought of involving Maid Springer or Connie in this makes you feel terrible. You want to protect their smiles.

'We do nothing, ' you finally decide. Levi jolts.

'What? '

You meet his scandalised eyes calmly. If Historia thinks she 's the only one who can put on a good show, she 's sorely mistaken.

'I want to keep both eyes open and get to the bottom of this undetected. Until then, we act as if we know nothing. If Mikasa tells Eren and Historia that we know, we shall deal with the aftermath then. But for now, we stay put. '

Levi weighs his options but ultimately decides not to fight you on this. Instead, he plops a familiar hand on your head.

'Going to pretend like you 're fine and dandy just as you always do? ' he asks, and only because you 've spent so much time with him can you salvage the small, buried nugget of fondness he 's trying to hide under his stoic mien. You nod and offer him a tired smile.

'I 'm a good liar, remember? '

The emotions are there. The hurt, the betrayal, the heartbreak, just aching to come out, but you stubbornly push all of it down.

Though, Levi sees right through you. With a sigh, he pulls you over and settles you on his lap.

'It 's okay, little miss. You don 't need to hide right now. It 's just me, ' he reminds you, his lips pressed against your hairline.

It 's just Levi. Your stoic, cold yet undeniably gentle and compassionate guard. The man who sends your heart racing and makes you feel light and soft when he 's near.

You close your eyes and inhale his comforting scent with a deep breath.

Immediately, the dam breaks. You press against him, and when the first sob tears from your mouth, followed by a series of sniffles and wails, all he does is hold you through it.