REGALLY BLOND. armin arlert

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AGAINST
ALL ODDS

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A WEEK LATER, YOU had arrived in the tropical country of Vanderheim. It was quite windy, though, so even if you were wrapped up like a cocoon with your clothes, you found yourself still able to breath anyway.

As of the moment, you were standing meters behind Armin, who was seated in front of you in a round table with the king of Vanderheim, Dot Pixis, and a few other royals. You paid close attention to every moment in the room, at the ready to pull a gun from your coat. This was what you had been doing for the past two days. Today would be the third, and even if it did bore you out, it was your job to protect Prince Armin, especially since you were in unfamiliar grounds. Every drink and food he was to eat you had to inspect first, which he didn't seem to mind, although he would tease you about it, calling you a 'mother.' When you would repeatedly remind him what your job was, he would just nod his head.

Whatever Armin and the other royals were taking about, you found yourself having a hard time catching up. On the plus side, you were able to know more about your blond crush, such as him having a diploma in International Relations, thus Diplomacy was very easy for him, and maybe the fact that he was allergic to pets. (What was the connection?)

Unfortunately, King Pixis had a variety of them, a few had managed to sneak into the room past all the guards, or maybe it was just like that in the palace of Vanderheim. Back in Eldia, any kind of pet was not allowed to loiter the palace premises, for Princess Historia and Queen Nanaba were very sensitive to animal fur and allergens. You concluded that Armin was the same the moment he started sniffling after a cat had sat on his lap. Poor boy was distraught and had become stiff the entire time. It was funny, and honestly you would probably laugh.

At the end of the six hour meeting, it was already seven-thirty in the evening. There was a royal banquet, which Armin forced you to join. You were seated beside him, providing him a pack of tissue paper and an anti-histamine to stop him from swelling and sneezing ceaselessly. It worked like magic and his allergies stopped around twenty minutes later.

As you were inspecting his food, he was babbling about the private beach resort King Pixis owned. "It's magnificent!" he whispered as you were squinting at his plate of medium rare steak. "I saw photos from King Pixis's boomer cellphone and he's asking if we want to head down there tomorrow. What do you think?"

You nodded your head, not really paying attention, although you got the gist of what he was saying. Putting his plate back down, you motioned for him to begin eating. "That's nice, although you sound so much like you haven't been to the beach."

"I haven't," he shyly admitted, dropping his gaze to his steak. You gaped, blinking your eyes in incredulity. "Yeah... Zeke and I were supposed to go to the beach after that day. I never forced myself to go there ever since, even if the royal family would go to the beach often."

"But why?" you asked, giving him a side eye.

He shrugged. "I just... wanted to go to the beach with someone special, I guess." Then he glanced at you sideways. "So, would you like to go to the beach?"

"That's your decision, to be honest. Wherever you go, I am to follow, as your bodyguard—"

By now, he had fully turned his head to you, with his eyebrows narrowing slightly. "I'm asking you not as a bodyguard but as you, yourself, Miss Y/N L/N. Go to the beach with me!"