Chosen (Omega Levi x Monarch Reader)

Chapter 6: Levi

Three days passed before the results of the second round were announced. Again – much to Levi's shock – he was chosen to stay. So were Armin, Katarina, Liliana, and Juliana. The rest of his group was sent home.

When the remaining participants gathered for dinner that night, Levi realized how odd it was to have five people left in his group. The others had less – or else they'd been completely eliminated. In total, there were forty omegas still in the running.

The remaining coordinators had the idea of combining groups at mealtimes, so no one would be sitting alone. A blonde girl named Annie joined their table and sat next to Armin. They seemed to know each other, yet neither of them spoke much, and Armin remained glued to his book. Her coordinator joined as well – a beta named Moblit – though he spent more time corralling Hanji than his omega charge.

Levi hardly interacted with any of the others – except Hanji, who didn't give him much of a choice. He steered clear of the three female omegas in his group, not in the mood for whatever petty drama they'd try to start with him. Armin seemed decent, and Levi had exchanged a few words with him here and there, on the off chance the boy didn't have his face stuck in a book.

But in fact, the more Levi watched Armin devour enormous books one after another, the more an idea nagged at his brain. Twice now, he'd nearly been humiliated by his lack of literacy. While he'd managed to skirt by, there was no guarantee he'd be able to do so in the future, and the longer he stayed here, the more he'd risk embarrassment. Not that he cared what the queen or her staff thought of him – not really – but he'd be damned if he looked like a fool in front of anyone.

That's where Armin came in. Asking the boy for help would require swallowing his pride, but Levi couldn't see any way around it. At least Armin didn't seem like the type to hold his ignorance against him.

So the next day, when he saw Armin reading beneath one of the trees in the courtyard, he sat down next to him and asked, "Could you teach me how to get better at that?"

Armin looked up, blinking in confusion as his brows furrowed. "Better at what?"

"Reading."

Birds chirped in the branches above them, and a fountain burbled nearby. Across the yard, a pair of high-pitched giggles cut the air – Liliana and Juliana, likely twittering about their usual gossip. Meanwhile, Katarina was holding court several yards away. Despite their similar (prissy) personalities, it seemed she didn't get along with the other two females in their group.

"Oh," Armin murmured, subconsciously scratching his cheek. His blue gaze turned thoughtful as he continued slowly, "Well...you seem to already know the basics, so there's not much more I can teach you, per se. Reading is really something you get better at by doing. It's like physical exercise, in that way. The more you do it, the better your body gets at it. Same with your brain and reading."

His words began to tumble out faster and faster the longer he spoke. Levi had noticed this was a habit of his. The boy was too shy to speak most of the time, but if one managed to get him going on a subject he was versed in, he'd talk for days.

"When you come across words you don't know, you can look them up in a dictionary, and that's how you expand your vocabulary," Armin continued. "I suppose I could help you find books on your current level, so you don't have to interrupt your reading to use the dictionary too frequently."

Levi tried not to be offended by the remark about his "level". Coming from anyone else, it would've sounded condescending. but despite Armin's own genius intellect, he made it seem as if Levi's state were perfectly normal. Nothing to be ashamed of.

Levi picked at the blades of grass between them, which felt soft despite the dryness and heat of the summer air. The palace staff must've watered all the greenery on a frequent basis. "Sure," he grumbled. "Whatever you think is best."