After you found out the truth about Historia, you cried deep into the night. Levi held you close as you let all of your feelings out and by the time you buried under the covers, exhausted, it was almost crack of dawn.

Now, the castle is awake and buzzing around Levi as he stands guard by the door. Eyes fixed ahead, he idly listens to the bustling outside. Chattering maids walking by, alchemists on their way to Wing of Science, people that he doesn 't deem a threat.

When the first moan sounds in the room, he thinks you 're having yet another nightmare. Not that he would blame you given the circumstances. His eyes flicker to you for just a moment, but after you remain quiet for a few seconds, he turns his gaze back ahead.

When the second moan comes, he looks at you longer. He 's heard you moan and sob in your sleep before. You tend to have nightmares as a result of everything that 's going on around you. This moan, however, carries a tint unknown to him.

He perks his ears, and when another soft moan tears from your throat and you turn over to your back in your sleep, he feels a rush go through him. If he didn 't know better, he 'd almost think you 're moaning in-

'Mmmmh. '

The way you arch your back a bit, the seductive softness of your purring voice, it 's obvious that you 're not moaning in distress, but in pleasure. You 're having an erotic dream. His eyes widen and another rush goes right through him.

He takes a deep breath, and thanks to his enhanced senses, he can faintly smell the arousal in the air. He can almost taste it, and suddenly it 's very difficult for him to keep himself in check.

Alert and tentative yet unable to stop himself, as if bewitched, he slowly walks to the bed where you 're lying, your arms resting above your head and your blankets kicked down to only cover you from hips down.

He sees the way you 've shifted enough in your sleep to have your nightgown move up, exposing a part of your stomach.

You moan again, your legs rubbing against each other just a bit. Levi groans, he feels a reaction in his body, one that he can 't control. He slowly sits down on the edge of the bed.

Another deep breath and he can smell the irresistible smell of your arousal. The scent is thick and alluring in the air, sweet as honey, and before Levi realises what he 's doing, he 's reached a hand towards you.

He wants to touch you. He wants to grab your arms, pin them down and nudge his nose against your neck where he can smell your odour the strongest, the floral-scented soap, soft cotton and the scent of something foreign and exotic, the scent of a faraway land. While new, the scent is also somehow oddly comforting to him, as if he 's smelt it somewhere before, even if it 's only in his pining dreams.

You 're still deep asleep as he places a feather-like hand on your hair. He leans in and it 's only when his lips are almost brushing against yours that he can stop himself.

'Little miss, ' he whispers, voice pained and raspy and so, so longing. 'If you only knew what you 're doing to me ' How much I just want to- '

He trails off and closes his eyes, trying to will his arousal to dispel.

'Levi. '

You 're not awake, but as if sensing his presence, you 're now wantonly calling for him. Levi freezes. And then, he cracks.

His pupils dilate, he surges forward with nothing but animal-like hunger. He needs to touch. To conquer. To press you down into the soft cushions and mark your neck, inhale your intoxicating scent and trail his hand up your smooth leg, to the source of your arousal-

The only thing that keeps him from doing exactly that is the door opening and closing. He turns abruptly and freezes.

His eyes lock with Maid Springer. Sharp-looking as always, she 's come in to wake you up and prepare you for the day.

With a new, wooden hairbrush in one hand that you requested to be brought in yesterday thanks to the bristles of the previous brush wearing out, she pauses and takes in the sight.

You, defenceless on the bed. Levi leaned over you, a longing hand extended towards you, frozen midway. Your nightgown pulled up and exposing some of your stomach.

She blinks.

Then, with surprising accuracy, she calmly hurls the brush across the room straight into Levi 's forehead.

It doesn 't exactly

hurt

since his skull is essentially metal, but it makes him jolt and quickly move off you with a look of annoyance.

'What the hell do you think you 're doing, woman? ' he barks as he gets on his feet.

'That 's what I should be asking you, sonny, ' she retorts and zooms across the room. 'Creeping on your princess while she 's sleeping, huh? Is that it? I thought you soldiers were supposed to be honourable folk but look at this! Beasts! Utter beasts! ' she nags, agitated, and repeatedly pokes Levi 's chest with each accusation.

'I was not creeping on her, ' Levi denies with a frustrated groan.

'And you expect me to believe that? I was not born yesterday, sonny! I know what you men are like with your everlasting appetite for young women! But to do that to a defenceless girl and a royal on top of that! Younglings these days, such a lack of respect ' '

The commotion makes you stir and open your eyes. You take a moment to gather your bearings before you sit up and scratch your unruly hair.

'Levi? Maid Springer? Whatever are you arguing about? ' you ask, confused and still a little disoriented from the sleep.

'Tell her and you 're dead, lady, ' Levi warns her with a low voice, but she 's not even humouring the idea of listening to him.

'Your guard is a boor, that 's what, ' she squawks angrily and keeps poking at Levi 's chest, to his absolute displeasure.

'A boor? ' you frown.

'And that 's being too kind! ' she adds for good measure. 'I walked in on him trying to touch you in your sleep! '

You turn to look at Levi, more surprised than disturbed. You look down, and when you realise your nightgown is not covering you properly, you quickly blush and move it back down.

'I was not touching her, ' Levi argues through gritted teeth. 'She was moaning in her sleep. She does that sometimes when she has nightmares, so I was going to do what I usually do. ' He 's lying, but you don 't need to know that.

'And what is that you usually do? ' Maid Springer crosses her arms.

'Comfort her, ' Levi breathes, irritated.

'By? ' she keeps pressing.

'By petting her hair and talking to her, ' Levi snaps, clearly feeling very awkward about it. 'You happy now, woman? '

Oh.

The knowledge makes you equal parts touched and confused. It sends your mood soaring, but also makes your heart flutter with sudden shyness.

'I don 't buy it, ' Maid Springer huffs and narrows her eyes at Levi.

'I don 't care if you do, all I care about is what the little miss thinks, ' Levi shoots back. 'No one asked you to be a busybody. '

'A busybody! The audacity of you, telling me I 'm in the wrong when I 'm looking out for my princess! Poor girl is recovering from a murder attempt, you should be happy there are two of us with her best interests at heart! A busybody! ' she keeps badgering while shaking her head. 'No respect for one 's elders these days! A busybody! I was alive when you weren 't even a thought in your father 's mind, sonny, you 're thirty years too young to be calling me names-! '

'Thank you, Maid Springer, ' you interrupt her with a fond smile. 'I appreciate your concern for me, but it is alright. I believe him. Perhaps you misunderstood his intentions. '

You 're grateful, you really are. In fact, you 're touched by her worry. But you don 't want her to concern herself with this.

She pauses, gives you a long look and when she catches the way your eyes shyly flicker towards Levi for just a moment and your cheeks flush, she ultimately lets it go and teeters to the door to go get your breakfast while muttering to herself.

You give Levi one, questioning look but when he shakes his head, clearly asking you to drop it, you obey and continue your morning routines as usual.

When Historia steps in a few hours later, you and Levi are prepared. You 're lying on your bed leisurely, browsing through

Song of Steel

, and as Levi admits Historia in, you raise a friendly hand to greet her.

'Hi! Just a second, I 'm in the middle of a chapter. Feel free to go to the balcony, I 'll be right there with you. Levi, call for Maid Springer and ask her to bring us some tea, ' you instruct him.

Nothing is off with Historia 's smile as she bustles inside. You inconspicuously glance at her a few times as she moves to the balcony. If Mikasa told her everything and she knew that you know of her misdoings, would she let you in on the fact?

As Levi opens the door to call for Maid Springer, you see a glimpse of Thomas Wagner, Historia 's guard, who 's standing outside. You wonder how much he knows. Last night, he was nowhere to be seen when you went snooping. Maybe he was away on an errand, or maybe he was inside the room, quietly watching the conspiracy unfold.

You wonder what Eren and Historia did last night after they went back inside. Did they engage in indecent intercourse? Did they cuddle? Hug and kiss perhaps?

As much as the thought should upset you, as Eren 's fianc 'e, you find yourself rather indifferent. You and Eren were never going to be romantically involved, anyway. At the most, you would consummate enough times to conceive a child in order to prove you 've done it.

You wait until Maid Springer has come in, poured both of you a steaming mug of tea and excused herself, with Levi back in your chambers, before you close the book, get on your feet and saunter to the balcony.

It 's early afternoon. The Solar year is still proving to be one of the warmest in recent Varsikovian history. You notice Historia is even getting a little tanned from the sunshine.

You sit down on the wooden chair, painted bright red, and reach for your mug on the table between you. You brush your fingertips over the warm, coarse clay, along the golden paint going around the rough surface.

You take a sip and roll the grassy taste on your tongue. Once you get used to it, it 's actually rather soothing. You glance at Historia and give her a convincing smile.

This is a contest between you now. Of who has the better straight face. You know she has a head start with her years of experience in politics, but you happen to be a natural talent. At least according to Levi.

'How are things? Read anything interesting since yesterday? ' you ask. Historia smiles as she looks into her tea mug.

'Nothing new I 'm afraid. I didn 't have time to start a new novel yesterday. '

Yeah, because she was busy clinging to your fianc '. Despite the thought, your smile never falters.

'You seem troubled, ' you remark. Historia snaps her head to the side to look at you, a little surprised.

'Troubled? Me? ' she asks and then chuckles. 'What makes you say that? '

'Call it a hunch. You read a lot, like me. I do it to distract myself, I just assumed you are the same way, ' you offer with an innocent shrug.

You could be imagining it, but for a split second, you think you see some vulnerability in Historia 's eyes. A deeply seated sadness that she 's keeping from you. It feels akin to the Historia you saw after she told you about her origins. When she told you she would marry Zeke because that 's what she needs to do to help her country.

You idly realise that the reason Historia wrote the letters to be so eerily similar to Zeke 's tastes is probably that she knew what Zeke is into and wanted to misdirect you to suspect him.

She almost succeeded. You wonder if Historia has witnessed those perverse preferences of Zeke 's first hand and for a second you could almost feel sorry for her. Almost. If she wasn 't trying to kill you.

'I 'm under a lot of stress, ' Historia admits easily but her carefully rehearsed act is back on as she turns to you. 'I always have to keep Nambalese interests at heart, even if at the moment I have no power. '

'Well, you are the future

Czarina

. You will wield power, even if only a little, ' you try to cheer her up. She gives you an eerily convincing blue smile.

'One can only hope. '

'When is the wedding? ' you suddenly ask. When you first came to the castle, the Czar said Historia and Zeke were to be wed in a few months ' time.

'You haven 't heard? The wedding is in three weeks, ' Historia replies. She sips on her tea and takes a deep breath.

'Oh, ' you utter. 'How do you feel about that? You can be honest. It is just me. '

'And your guard, ' she points out. You glance at Levi, who 's leaning against the doorframe to the balcony as per usual.

'I 'm rather sure Levi does not care. Do you, Levi? '

'My interest in your feminine tittle-tattling is so minuscule I haven 't even got the faintest clue what you 're on about because I wasn 't listening, ' Levi dully announces. You shrug sheepishly at Historia.

Historia glances over the railing, but when she sees no guards on the ground below, she dares to drop her smile for a while.

'I 'm nervous about it. I know I 'm expected to consummate the marriage right away to create a descendant to the throne. And Zeke- ' Historia shudders a little. 'I fear for what he 'll have me do to satiate him. '

You glance through the door to your chambers, at the desk where the letters are stored. If what she wrote in the letters is anything to go by, Zeke sure seems to have peculiar tastes. Enough so that you fully thought him capable of killing you even before the attempt-

Mid-thought, you get an idea.

You lean in, your expressive eyes on Historia, and you allow them to widen just a bit.

'What do you mean by that? ' you ask and glance noticeably at the desk. Historia catches it and latches onto it.

'He 's rather sadistic, ' she tells you, eyes searching through yours. 'I heard he likes ' He likes ' ' Historia trails off with a proper blush. She leans in to whisper the last details.

'Pain. Especially strangulation. I once saw a sketch of a collared maiden in his drawer, ' she fills you in with an embarrassed giggle. You lick your lips and look openly uneasy.

'Oh my, ' you whisper shakily and cover your mouth with your hand, pretending deep shock. You close your eyes and take a few breaths.

'Are you alright, Cora? ' Historia asks and tilts her head. She turns her gaze to Levi.

'She doesn 't seem to be doing fine. Maybe we should give her some rest. '

'I 'm alright, ' you deny weakly. 'Just ' Just a little disturbed, is all. You see, I have been receiving these letters ' '

You see Levi perk up in the background. Historia, however, keeps her attention solely on you.

'Letters? What kind of letters? '

'Threats, ' you murmur and hang your head. 'The contents are ' Kind of disturbing. Come, I will show you. '

Teetering to your desk, you take out the letters and show them to Historia. She takes them without a word and starts going through them.

You have to give it to her, she 's good. She lets out gasps at the right places, she looks appropriately disturbed and nauseated.

'And these ' These came in before the attempt? ' she asks with wide eyes. You nod and feign a troubled look.

'Why didn 't you tell anyone? '

'I did not know who to trust, ' you admit. 'But I trust you enough to let you know. I 'm beside myself with worry. The anxiety is killing me. The days I have spent here in isolation have been filled with anguish and paranoia. I just do not know what to do anymore. '

You breathe out shakily and slump down on your bed, eyes cloudy and defeated.

'Historia, I 'm scared. And what you just told me about Zeke ' What if it is Zeke behind this? What if he catches me next time? What can I do against a future Czar in his own country? '

You grasp your neck and swallow thickly.

Historia grasps your hand gently and gives you a compassionate smile.

'Cora, I say this as your friend; this is worrying. You can 't let this go unaddressed. '

'What can I do? The Czar is dying his hardest to pin this on the guard whom I killed. If I bring this to his attention, he will brush it under the carpet. '

Historia is quiet in false contemplation. She then grasps your shoulder.

'Then, perhaps you should seek help from your home country. There must be someone in your family who can help. '

You bite your lip, troubled.

'My brother would start campaigning for my return if I told him, but I do not want to sabotage the marriage, ' you murmur.

'Cora, your life is on the line. Maybe you should just ' Consider it at least. Going back that is. '

You give her a torn look and a joyless smile. You stay silent and convincingly mull things over in your head. Finally, you sigh.

'I shall think about it. '

'Please, do. I would hate it if something happened to you, ' she tells you earnestly. You could groan. Her act is really good.

When she leaves half an hour later, you let out a tired sigh and lay down on the bed.

'Hey. '

'What? ' you ask Levi.

'What did you do that for? '

'Do what? ' you play dumb with an idle smile on your face. He snorts and crosses his arms.

'Don 't play dumb, you know exactly what. Why did you tell her about the letters? '

You blink at the ceiling lazily and push aside the tug of anxiety that always reminds you of that horrible night.

'Yesterday, we saw that the

czarevich

is hesitant to kill me. Historia said she ordered me dead because she panicked since I was not cracking under pressure. So, I 'm going to seemingly crack under pressure and hopefully, she will conclude that I 'm about to break and refrain from future attempts on my life, ' you explain.

Levi is quiet for a while and then snorts, obviously amused.

'So, you want to challenge her head on for a liars ' match? ' he asks. You grin a little and sit up on the bed. You look at him where he 's standing by the door and tilt your head.

'Was my performance not up to par? ' you ask while innocently batting your eyelashes. He raises an eyebrow.

'It was a good performance. '

With a chuckle, you open

Song of Steel

back up and resume reading while Levi stands guard.

-

'Cora! '

As the door is slammed open and Hange pours in without as much as pausing to see if you 're decent, she 's instantly met with Levi 's sword to her throat.

Levi glares at her fiercely, but she doesn 't as much as blink as she casually waits for Levi to lower his weapon. Instead, she gives you a cheerful wave over Levi 's head, a fact that obviously pisses him off.

'Evening! ' she calls with a grin. You blink at her, sitting at your desk with a pen and paper. You were in the midst of sketching the basket of fruit Maid Springer brought you this morning, more out of boredom than inspiration. It 's been two days since you started your little mind game with Historia, and things have been slow since.

'I came to see how you 're doing! ' she announces as Levi reluctantly withdraws his weapon and admits her as you gesture for him to. She walks to the bed and sits down on it with zero regards to proper manners, immediately sighing dreamily.

'Such a soft mattress, ' she hums and bounces a bit. 'I swear ours are filled with rocks. Head of the Wing of Science and they can 't even give me a proper bed! '

You smile a little at her complaints. It 's not the first time she 's come to see you. You wonder if she 's come to see you as a friend, or if she 's here just to spy on Levi and see his augmentations.

'What brings you here? '

'Just needed a breather. It 's been rather hectic, we have a set of new recruits to overgo augmentations. The screaming gives me headaches, ' she sighs. The look you give her is only slightly scandalised. You 've come to expect words like this from Hange.

You glance at Levi, who 's stoically standing by the door. Hange was the person who augmented him. He was her first augmentation, in fact.

Suddenly, you recall the odd moment with Levi. The way he couldn 't tell you what Zeke meant when he said you are not the master that he 's loyal to. The gag and nausea he seemed to suffer from in response.

You look at Hange and wonder if she knows more. Let alone if she would be willing to let you in on it.

You glance at Levi again and suddenly, you want to find out. Hange, so far, has been exceptionally open with you about all things alchemy. Maybe she would tell you. It 's a slim chance, but you want to know.

'Levi, there is actually a book I would like to show her, ' you call to Levi. 'Would you care to fetch it for me from the library? '

Levi looks instantly suspicious. He crosses his arms and narrows his eyes.

'It is the elementary level alchemy book I tried to browse before the attempt, remember? The one that turned out to be too complicated for me to understand, ' you tell him. 'I was hoping she could explain a few things to me, but I cannot fetch the book myself thanks to the room arrest. You know where it is situated in the library, could you please go get it? If you are alright with explaining things to me, ' you add to Hange as an afterthought.

'Sure, I don 't mind, ' she easily agrees with a shrug.

There 's a long pause and finally, Levi moves for the door.

'Keep her safe while I 'm gone, ' he tells Hange, who snorts.

'I may be Wing of Science, but I still got basic training. This bad boy is all ready to go should the need arise, ' she says and taps the small gun hanging at her hips.

Levi gives you one last wary look and disappears out of the door. You leap to your feet and go to the door. Pressing your ear against it, you make sure you hear Levi 's footsteps receding in the direction of the library. You then turn to Hange and walk up to her.

'I needed to talk to you in private, ' you explain.

'I concluded, ' she says. Crossing one leg over the other, she looks relaxed and not at all surprised. 'So, what is it? '

'A few days ago, someone told me that I 'm not Levi 's

master

. When I asked Levi to explain what that means, he said he cannot. When I pressed the issue, he looked nauseous and started gagging. Do you know what that was about? ' you ask keenly.

Hange blinks at you.

'Oh. That. ' she chuckles, looking a bit uneasy, and rubs her neck. 'Yeah, I know what that 's about. '

'Can you share the information with me? '

Hange smiles sheepishly, considering it.

'Well, I 'm not exactly forbidden from telling you, but- '

'Please, ' you cut in. 'He is my guard and the only person I want to truly trust in this castle. I need to know what he cannot tell me to feel safe with him, ' you plead.

Hange watches you contemplatively for a moment longer before shrugging.

'It 's a little awkward, ' she admits. 'Since I 'm the person who put it there. It 's his loyalty chip. '

'Loyalty chip? ' You blink.

'When a person is augmented, a chip is inserted. That chip is programmed to make its bearers obey whoever it 's set to obey. As a result, the bearer can 't refuse a direct order from the

Beneficiary

of the chip. '

'Who is the Beneficiary? ' you ask.

'It depends on the carrier and it 's often reprogrammed as the augmented soldiers switch to work under different people. Levi 's Beneficiary is currently the Czar, it was set that way when he was appointed your guard. '

'So, you have the power to change the loyalty? ' you ask slowly. You try to wrap your head around the new information. You 're not as shocked as you probably should be, as the loyalty chip makes a lot of sense.

Why Levi was so intent on killing the old man. Why he stayed with you even when you told him to get out. Why he couldn 't tell you about this. And you wouldn 't put it beneath Varsikovians. They can mutilate and horribly alter their soldiers for an edge in the war, it 's not too far a stretch to practically make them slaves in addition.

'I do. It requires surgery, though. '

'Is the Czar the Beneficiary of all guards? '

'It 's usually whoever they 're guarding. In your case, however, it was deemed safer to have it be the Czar instead since you 're ' Well ' '

'An outsider, ' you easily fill in with a knowing smile. 'It is alright. I 'm aware. '

You 're just glad it 's the Czar since he seems to be sympathetic towards you. Even if he 's keeping you locked in here, and even if he ordered Levi to not tell you about the loyalty chip.

'Is there a way to get rid of the chip? '

'No. It 's embedded into his vital organs to make it effectively unremovable, ' she says.

'Why is it there in the first place? '

'Augmentation gives the soldiers superhuman strength. The first augmentations went horribly wrong, and as a result, the soldiers became aggressive, unpredictable and corrupted by the metals they were mended into. It was originally a safety precaution, and later the protocol wasn 't removed because they still fear the corruption of augmentations. '

'Plus, it is awfully convenient to have inhumanely strong soldiers unable to resist your commands, ' you can 't help but add. Hange smiles.

'Plus, it's awfully convenient to have inhumanely strong soldiers unable to resist your commands, ' she easily concedes.

'So, anyone with a chip cannot defy the orders of the Beneficiary, ' you sum up with a thoughtful sigh. 'Do the chips ever stop working? Wear out? ' you attempt. You don 't like the thought of Levi forever being chained to the will of someone else like this. In fact, the more you think about it, the more your chest tightens with dread.

'Well, there is this one urban legend about a soldier who fifty years ago caused her chip to malfunction when ordered to execute her own son for treason- '

'What do you think you 're doing? '

Immediately, a violent shudder runs through you as you hear the silky voice from behind you. You turn to see Levi, leaning against the door like he 's been there for ages, the book you requested lazily dangling from his hand. You didn 't hear him come in. He must 've sneaked because he knew you were up to something.

You can tell instantly; you 're in deep trouble.

He gives Hange a blood-chilling glare and moves away from the door.

'Out, ' he orders. Hange looks back and forth between you and finally gets on her feet with a shrug. She 's not intimidated by Levi, but she 's not immune to his ire, either.

'Don 't go too rough on her, Levi. She wanted to know because she wanted to trust you, ' she attempts to vouch for you but walks to the door nonetheless. Giving the book in Levi 's hand a glance, she gives you a sympathetic grin.

'I 'll teach you about alchemy next time. It 's a promise, ' she winks and then, she 's out. Levi closes the door.

You tense where you 're standing as he walks past you and places the book on the desk. Then, he turns to look at you.

He looks calm, but you can tell he 's angry.

'Explain. '

'You could not tell me, but I felt like it was important to know. So, I asked her. '

'You didn 't consult me first, ' he tells you. You swallow thickly.

'You would have declined, ' you say with a faint voice. You 're suddenly hyperaware that he 's a trained and enhanced soldier. He could kill you in a heartbeat. He could maul you and you would be powerless to stop it.

You look at him, your pulse speeding up. You can 't tell if it 's fear or your attraction rearing its head again.

'I could not rely on you fully if I did not know what you were keeping from me. I now know about the loyalty chip. '

Levi says nothing. He just stares at you, angry, for the longest time. Daring you to keep looking him in the eye with what you just did.

You break the eye contact and eventually, you can 't take the oppressive atmosphere any longer.

'I need to get ready for bed. Excuse me, ' you murmur and turn for the bathroom, but as you attempt to flee the situation, you feel a strong hand snatching your wrist.

With a swift movement, he reels you in.

'You 're not getting away with this like this, little miss, ' he tells you with narrowed eyes. 'You went behind my back, inquiring about my personal business. You had no right to do that. '

'I needed to know what you were forced to keep from me! I should not have gone behind your back, but it was vital that I know! ' you argue, now a little annoyed. You tug at your wrist, but he keeps a tight grip on it, glaring at you.

'Release me, ' you demand.

'No. '

'I am your princess, you have no right to handle me like this! ' you argue fiercely. A part of you is afraid, but there 's another, stronger part that refuses to back down. You still think you needed to know, even if your methods were unorthodox.

'I don 't, yet I 'm doing it anyway because you 're being a little shit, ' Levi shoots back. His hold tightens, and you wince.

'You are hurting me, ' you tell him and tug at your wrist again. He looks down, and when he sees your skin turn a little red under his fingertips, he immediately lets you go.

Before you can flee, he wraps a demanding arm around your waist instead and pulls you in. He 's not about to let you leave.

'Does this hurt? ' he asks as he cages you against his chest. While still obviously riled up, there 's an undercurrent of thoughtfulness in the way he looks at you, suddenly so close you can feel his breath against your cheek.

Your pulse is thundering in your ear, though it 's no longer fear. It 's longing.

'No, ' you find yourself breathing as you place a hand on his chest to steady yourself. A silence falls between you as if neither of you knows how to continue this conflict now that the tension has been broken.

'Levi, I had to know, ' you start after a long, charged silence. 'I did not go behind your back because I did not trust you, I ' '

'Then why did you go behind my back? ' he asks. Your eyes lock, and you 're enchanted by the sight. His eyes, betrayed and conflicted, are as stunning as they are heart-wrenching.

You pause to think about it. Why did you choose to seize the opportunity to learn without his knowledge? You didn 't as much as suggest this to him.

Hell, Levi tried to tell you when you first asked him, but he was physically unable to. Why did you assume he would go against your best interests when he 's given you no reason to distrust him? The longer you think about this, the more you realise that you made a mistake.

Your eyes turn apologetic, and you place a hand on his jaw. You suddenly understand why he 's so upset. It 's because he would have helped you had you just asked.

'I guess I did not trust you, after all, ' you admit. 'I thought you would not want me to know under any circumstances. I thought you would protest, and I would forever have to stay in the dark and only learn the truth when it blows up in my face. I 'm sorry, Levi. '

He sighs, his eyes soften, and he grasps your hand in his.

'I would have told you myself if I could. My order was to not tell you, not to keep you from finding out, ' he explains.

So, the orders have to be literal. You look into Levi 's conflicted eyes. You 're aware of how close you are. He is as well, but instead of letting you go, you feel his arm tighten around your waist.

'Little miss, ' he starts. 'I 'm trying to help you and keep you alive. If we want to work as a unit, we need to be able to trust each other. '

'Do you trust me? ' you ask carefully.

'I want to, ' he replies. 'And for the most part, I do. '

'Likewise, ' you answer, your tone just a touch breathy. You stare into his eyes, hopelessly attracted, and before you know it, the closeness, the anticipation between you becomes too much and your knees buckle.

Easily, Levi catches you and holds you up against his chest, steadying you.

'Careful, little miss, or you 'll fall, ' he tells you, voice low and laced with thinly veiled fondness. His eyes flicker to your lips, for just a moment, and your heart jolts.

'I have already fallen, ' you breathe before you can stop yourself. Levi 's eyes widen, you feel a shudder go down his spine as you see the heart-crushing pining in his eyes. He wants you, he wants you so bad he can no longer keep himself in check.

It 's all a flurry. Both of you lean in, you feel his frantic breath against your lips for a fleeting moment, and then you feel his mouth on yours. Hungry and demanding, he kisses you so hard you tilt back, your hand clutching the cape at his chest while the other lovingly holds his jaw.

A groan tears from his throat, a noise unlike you 've ever heard before from a living thing. A sound of pure want as he tilts his head and moves his mouth against yours like only your lips can quench his lifelong need. His hand slips into your hair, holding the back of your head as he claims your mouth, so hard you can 't even draw a breath in between his frantic movements.

You moan softly and return with equal force. You press against him with your full weight, your lips nip and lap on his, relish the taste of spring water and danger as you surrender to him.

You have never kissed anyone before. It makes you dizzy, makes you feel like you 're floating in the air, feather-light and above all worries.

There 's nothing in this world but you and Levi, and the spark that 's now been ignited between you.

It takes Levi no effort to lift you up, it wouldn 't even without his superhuman strength. He carries you the few steps to your bed, pushes you down and follows suit.

You feel his questing hands all over your body, his weight pressing you down into the mattress. His lips latch onto your neck with hunger and the clear desire to take you. Own you. To leave his mark there, for everyone to see that you 're

his

.

His hands roam. Sliding down the curve of your waist to your hips, up your hem along your thigh, grasping your neck, your hair, stroking your cheek.

He touches you in all the ways he 's secretly been longing to, during the idle hours of the night when you 're asleep and unaware of his turmoil.

All you can do is throw your head back and let him have you. To hell with Eren, to hell with everyone else. You want Levi. You want his hands on your bare body, you want his heated lips on your naked skin.

Perhaps, you would have gone through with it had it not been for the knock on the door, pulling you out of your sensuous haven and back to Earth.

Both of you pause. Your eyes open and for a moment, you just look at each other. You see his riled up, stormy eyes. Feel the way his heated breaths mingle with yours.

Levi obviously realises what he was well on his way to doing and how utterly forbidden and inappropriate it is. He gets off you, albeit slowly, and puts distance between you.

You sit up, confused and more than a little aroused. Another knock on the door and you realise you can 't just stay here.

Quickly, you arrange your hair back in place and call to the door.

'Come in. '

The door is opened, and a messenger walks in with a sealed envelope. Levi walks back to his usual post as the messenger hands you the letter.

'A message from the Czar, your grace, ' he tells you simply. If he senses something off, he doesn 't say it as he excuses himself immediately.

A heavy silence falls between you. You only now realise the true extent of your actions. Not only did you touch and kiss another man, but you were also going to lay with him.

What if you had? Not only that, what if you had and it resulted in something disastrous like a child?

You look up at Levi, eyes wide and confused. Despite knowing better, you still feel the tug. The ache. You want him.

'Please, say something, ' you tell him quietly. He looks down, clearly contemplative, and leans against the door in a familiar fashion.

'Things got out of control, ' he finally starts. 'I shouldn 't have done that. If anyone ever finds out, my life is forfeit. '

'Yes, ' you whisper thinly. Yet, you 're hesitant to disregard all this, even though you know you should. You should remain loyal to Eren and keep your eyes on what you 're trying to do; to retain the peace between Novaryn and Varsiko.

You open the letter, mostly to just distract yourself, and skim over the contents.

'I 'm relieved of all charges and no longer under room arrest, ' you tell him. 'They concluded that the guard was acting alone and that I killed him in justified self-defence. My hawk and horse are back at my disposal and the staff no longer holds the right to refuse to serve me. '

Levi nods, but you can see him closing off by the second. The sight scares you.

'Levi, listen to me, ' you start heavily. 'I need you to stay with me despite other guards now being forced to serve me. As much as you can, I need you here. No matter what just happened, you are the only person I can trust to help me with this. I need you not to pull away from me. I need

you

. So, do not abandon me, I 'm begging you. '

Levi releases a long breath. He thinks it over.

'This never happened, ' he lays his terms. 'We forget all about the last ten minutes. I 'm your guard, and you 're a royal promised to someone else. That 's all there is to it. '

You open your mouth to argue, but the words die in your throat. When you look at him, you realise he already knows all you want to say. That it 's too late. That you 're already off the deep end. That there is no burying your feelings now.

He wants to pretend. He wants to buy the lie because to admit the truth would be the start of a doomed relationship. If you give yourself to him, he will not be able to hand you over to anyone. Not Eren. Not Novaryn. Not the peace between your countries that you so dearly care about.

You swallow the protest and simply nod.

You can pretend like the sight of him doesn 't make your chest clench. Like the thought of your kiss doesn 't send a shiver down your spine. Like you don 't feel like you 'll slowly suffocate to death the rest of your days if you can never feel his touch again.

You give him a convincing smile.

You 're a good liar, after all.