At Your Service || 𝕝𝕖𝕧𝕚 𝕩 𝕡𝕝𝕦𝕤 𝕤𝕚𝕫𝕖 𝕙𝕚𝕤𝕡𝕒𝕟𝕚𝕔 𝕠𝕔

Chapter Twenty Six

I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact that my family is not from here.

A country, another far away place, called Arbastes was were my family was from. I wondered what it looked like, if the people looked like me. That must be the home language my father and Lolu were speaking, I could only assume.

Everything that made my family unique to the Eldians all began to make sense: our music, our dancing, our catchphrases, our hats and even how my father, grandfather and grandmother's voices sounded. Now come to think of it, they were accents.

I began to wonder why this other country was targeting us. In fact, I still couldn't understand why the Eldians or now Subjects of Ymir were targets.

Subjects of Ymir. That was a whole other mess but apparently they could turn into titans, connected through something called "paths". Every one of them.

Which included me and Emilio, considering my mother was also a Subject of Ymir.

All of it was a lot to take in. Thankfully, Hange and I spent quite a lot of time with each other since they became the commander. I too would serve them tea, just as I did with Erwin.

Hange would explain every detail, practicing their opening letter that they were to present to the commander-in-cheif and Queen Historia.

The morning before, Hange paced back and forth in their office, reciting their closing statements that they were to speak to the court. I sat in the same chair I always sat in when I was in the Commander's office, this time not so close to the desk.

It was still hard adjusting to Erwin's absence, but with everything that was revealed, it kept my mind busy for the time being.

As Hange spoke, I found myself drifting into my own thoughts. My grandfather knew so much yet he never spoke a word to me or Emilio. My father as well. He must have had his reasons to keep quiet. I just wish I could've got an explanation.

"How does that sound?" Hange spoke to me, breaking me from my empty stare

"Huh?" I turned to them then sighed "I'm sorry. I can't lie to you, I wasn't paying much attention"

"That's okay" Hange smiled, walking over to the desk and taking a seat "I feel like everyone is a little overwhelmed at this moment"

"You could say that again" I chuckled nervously, adjusting myself in the chair so my legs would hang over one of the chair arms, my back leaning against the other

"By the way-" Hange nodded as they poured themselves some more tea

I had left the tea pot on the desk, hoping it would have been empty by that point. It must have been terribly cold by the time Hange poured themselves a cup

"-Even with all the other information we have received, Levi and I have been trying to find more about your family. Your home country"

"Any luck?" I asked, hoping for just a glimmer of light at the end of this long tunnel

"Unfortunately, no" Hange looked down into their cup of now cold tea, not complaining one bit "Levi did send some scouts to the underground. Using Moblit's drawings of how you described your father, the scouts searched high and low"

Hange looked up at me and sighed, their exposed eye glassy and seeming almost hopeless. My eyes shifted to their patch, remembering that day they returned: only eight of them returning.

"We couldn't find your father or brother. Or the aunt and uncle you described"

"What about my twin cousins?" I muttered, leaning my cheek against the back of my chair "Luis and Lorenzo?"