Love Story (Levi x Aristocrat Reader)

Chapter 8: (F/n)

It had been a week since that terrible night. A week since you had broken down into tears on the grand staircase, in full view of the staff. A week since your father had ordered Levi to get out of your life.

A week since Levi had left.

You hadn't come out of your room since, except to beg your father to keep funding the Scouts, knowing they couldn't exist without his support. Nothing really appealed to you anymore. Even the magnificent garden below your balcony looked dull and grey. All you felt like doing was sleeping, and crying, and sleeping some more. You only ate on occasion because your maids looked so sincerely worried, but the food tasted like ash.

You had written a letter to him that first morning, when Commander Erwin arrived and you saw your opportunity. You'd entrusted it to Telly, and she had assured you she'd passed it off to the commander. You had no reason to think he wouldn't give the letter to Levi, so the only logical conclusion was that Levi had read your plea and ignored it.

Please come back.

You replayed every moment over and over. You didn't know if you were looking for a way things could've turned out differently, or if you were searching for absolution, or if you just missed him. Regardless, you agonized over every second, from the first time your eyes met, to the sound of the front door as it slammed shut behind him.

Levi loved you – or, at least, he had, before your father said those terrible things. Of course, you yourself had always known Levi's premature death was a possibility, but you didn't care. If he could be taken from you at any moment, that was only more incentive to enjoy whatever time you did have together, to not waste a single second. And although you sincerely hoped he wouldn't die by a titan's hand, if he did, and your heart was broken, you would rather that than to have never loved him at all.

You wanted to tell Levi all of this. But you never got the chance.

You had told your father, though. He had come to your room two days ago, his worry for you finally superseding his attempt to give you space. Apparently, he had been under the impression that you would get over Levi. He was wrong.

"My lady?" Telly's concerned voice murmured from outside the door a second before she poked her head in.

"Please go away, Telly," you whined, burying your face in your pillow.

However, Telly came inside anyway, locking the door behind her. "You'll want to read this," she stated as she crossed the room.

Instantly, you perked up, jolting onto your forearms to gape at her. She nodded once in confirmation, offering you an encouraging smile, before placing a white envelope atop your blanket. Its wax seal bore the Wings of Freedom.

You lunged for the envelope as if you were starving for it, tearing it open and unfolding the letter inside. There were only a few words on the page, yet they were undoubtedly written in Levi's neat hand. You would have recognized the meticulous style anywhere.

"Well?" Telly asked, trying hard to keep her curiosity under control. This whole time, she had been rooting for you and Levi, and she was hoping for a happy ending almost as much as you were.

"He wants to meet me in the rose garden on the outskirts of town in two hours," you explained, biting your lip while your eyes scanned the letter over and over, drinking it in.

"And?" Telly pressed.

You glanced up at her. "That's all."

She took a deep breath, as if collecting herself. Then, businesslike, she stated, "Alright, my lady. Time to get out of bed. We need to get you ready."