tidal (Levi x Reader)

132. rondeletia

"Father," I addressed Erwin, "before I answer you could the prince tell us what exactly he saw. Surely if it's as horrible as he's making it out to be he remembers some details."

i'm sure anyone with half a brain can tell that i'm trying to lead eren somewhere but

i don't think that the king will refuse my request

and eren is predictably extreme

"You may," he turned to Eren. "Tell us what you saw."

"Of course," Eren grinned confidently, "I was worried for the Duke so I took it upon myself to look into their relationship while I was there- I found a contract on her desk."

ok so he definitely has no clue about our actual contract

"And what did the contract say?" I pressed.

hurry up

"You're awfully confident," Eren frowned at me. "It clearly said that in exchange for being in a relationship with you, you would refrain from publishing a secret of the Duchy. Levi only accepted because he was looking out for his people- I can't believe you would manipulate him in that manner!"

oh so scary

"Is that all?" Levi muttered incredulously.

"No- there was a section in it that detailed what activities the Duke could participate in and how his money could be spent," Eren paused for dramatic effect, the crowd eagerly bought it. "She's controlling his every move."

"It all makes sense now," the first princess broke her silence, "when I invited Levi to this event he insisted on checking with that woman first."

suddenly kind and considerate things are being used against us

"She's my wife," Levi sighed wearily. "I assure you the Duchy is not so weak to be manipulated by one secret."

i mean clearly- i've been trying to wield your vampirism against you for what seems like an entire book and it hasn't worked

"Duke Ackerman-" Erwin muttered gravely, "if this accusation is true the kingdom will always have your back."

he's being careful to not take either side

but inevitably in this crowd

it will only be read one way

"I thought there was something suspicious about it-"

"-I mean she hasn't hosted any events-"

"-she was probably worried that her lie would be discovered."

"Thank god the prince and princess care greatly about the Duke and brought this to light.

"You're right- I can't imagine the stress they must've been under."

"Are you going to believe what they said without any concrete evidence?" Historia spoke up, "I apologize for interrupting everyone but we can't believe one testimony."

"Search their home! It's an important contract, they probably brought it along with them!" Eren called out, smiling smugly.

oh

"They planted something," I cursed under my breath for Levi to hear.

"Don't worry about it," he grabbed my hand reassuringly, before raising his voice to address the crowd. "You aren't wrong, we did bring an important contract with us."

this was the worst option

but it might have the best results

might

"Unfortunately for my brother and sister I carry important life changing documents on my person," I turned towards them, smiling confidently. "But as my husband said, you aren't wrong about there being a contract."

i'm sorry historia this might throw a wrench in your plans

"What are you talking about?" Eren asked frantically.

"I'm insulted that you two believe I would ever agree to a deal that I don't benefit from," Levi scoffed, pulling a familiar piece of paper from his inner jacket. "This is the real contract that Y/N and I signed before our marriage."
"So she did do something to him!"

"I knew none of it added up."

"Silence!" Erwin commanded, "bring that here."

no complaints from us

"You'll find father, that this contract doesn't match at all the description Eren gave," I made a big show of explaining this to the crowd. "Not only that but it's signed with both mine and Levi's seals."

"Then what about the contract the prince mentioned?" Annie asked, grinning at the two of us.

well-

"You can go ahead and search our estate- you'll probably find the contract that he described-" Levi paused chuckling dryly. "I'm aware that the Duchy and the royal family have historically had a positive relationship but that gives you no right to plant slanderous material within our possessions."

"You're the victim-" the first princess cried out. "In no way does this hurt the Duchy."

"I think you've forgotten," Levi shook his head, "she's my wife, Duchess Ackerman, respect her title."

"This doesn't change the fact that you lied to everyone about the circumstances of your relationship," she pleaded. "You walked around playing pretend- fooling everyone into believing that you were in love- you used that to hurt my reputation."

oh no

you hurt your reputation

neither of us would've gone to the extent that we did if it wasn't for you

"Levi," I turned to him, cupping his head in my hands. "If the contract didn't exist would you still love me?"

"I'm not a fan of public confessions," he grumbled loudly. "Of course I would, you don't need to ask."

well then

"Despite the fact that our relationship started because of a contract no where in there does it say that we need to act like a happy married couple, in fact I even added a clause that allowed either of us to back out at any moment."

i specifically added it in case one of us developed unreciprocated feelings

"I don't see what the problem is in that case," Historia spoke up, seconds ago she had been standing with the king whispering over the contract. "Despite where their relationship began they're clearly at a different place now."

thank you for not being too surprised

"Father!" The first princess yelled loudly, "how are you going to believe them-"

"From all accounts their story lines up clearly unless you can prove to me that Levi is being manipulated I have no reason to believe what you're saying." He shook his head, frowning. "The Duke would have killed her if she really had something against him, and this contract-" he paused sighing. "It reads like any other arranged marriage, if anything I'm pleased that they enjoy each other."

that's a really weird way of puting it

"Do you feel like killing me now?" I whispered to Levi, the tension slowly leaving my body.

"I don't know, do you?"

"I mostly feel like kissing you."

"Oh the horror," he exclaimed dryly.

"You all look so disappointed," Annie hummed, scanning the crowd. "Were you expecting to watch a noble fall from grace?" Murmurs of horror and disagreement scattered through the crowd.

"Father if I may?" Historia spoke up, shooting Levi and I an excited look.

"What is it now?"

"I believe that the first prince and princess should be punished for their actions!"

_________________

MWAH MWAH MWAH MWAH

- ami