Author's note: Aaannndd here it is!! I hope you enjoy it. I really do like the World's Apart series. It's been a lot of fun to write. Besides, Levi as a little shit head prince is pretty fun. Sorry it took forever and a day to update. thank you everyone for your patience.

Also this is sorta like...a filler chapter of WA because I have already predicted that this particular mini-series within the one shot series will be quite long. Sooo, forgive me if it's not as eventful as say other parts/stories.

Part Two
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You could not stop yourself from staring up in awe at the scenery that came into the view of the window; it was like a dream. It had to be. You just couldn't believe there were places in the world that were still so untouched by humanity. Your view was a vast, clear lake and what stood upon a high cliff was an enormous building, grand and sheltering a small city at its base. You'd venture to say the structure was the size of a castle or similar, especially since it was perched so high above the city beneath it like in the days of old. It was though it was protecting the city, caring for it in its own way.

Your thoughts wandered away as you continued to gaze blankly at the surrounding greenery from the back seat of a luxury car. How you managed to wind up invited to Serendair for your summer break seemed too surreal. Not just Serendair, but to the place where the royal family lived itself.

Three weeks prior, the prince of Serendair came back to Valen on business, just as Cristoph had said. The prince had spent only three days there but did manage to clear a half a day so he could invite you to lunch. You had been so nervous about seeing him again, especially now that you realized you held some feelings for him. You wouldn't call it love, that would be idiotic, but definitely a sense of fascination for him. There were a lot of things you wanted to say to him. However, more than anything, you wanted to know why he was so suddenly was financially supporting you in every way possible, especially since you hadn't seen him or even heard from him in over three months and only spent a single day with him. You wondered if financially supporting you was something the king allowed or if Levi acted completely on his own.

Cristoph came to retrieve you from your apartment for your lunch "date" like he had on the day of your marriage interview with Levi. He was the same as always, warm, polite, and almost serene. You had been happy to see him again, glad to find that the prince's butler was faring well. The ride back to Castle Michel was filled with amiable conversation between you two and you were grateful because it calmed your nerves significantly.

Upon arrival at the castle, you were greeted warmly by the staff, which caught you off guard. The last time, no one knew who you were but it seemed that word got around that Levi has taken an interest in you and now were treating you as if you were royalty yourself. It made you uncomfortable because you knew you were no different than they were but to be treated with such reverence was strange.

In regards to Levi's interests in you, to what extent of that interest, be it romantically or merely platonic, you had no clue. Perhaps that's why you were so nervous, seeing you had absolutely no idea what he could possibly want from you.

"Welcome back," Levi had said casually when he saw you walking up along the cobblestone path to the same gazebo you drank tea at before. Like the last time, he was dressed somewhat casually, wearing a simple, white button down, his signature cravat, and a black slacks. "...it's been quite some time, (f/n)."

He spoke in the same deadpan tone from the last time, if not cold, but you noticed his expression was a little softer than you had seen it. He rose to a stand, pulled out a chair for you and you noticed, that unlike last time, it was the chair closest to his. You hesitated for a second, warranting a slight look of confusion from the prince.

"Did you regress into a small child and forget how to use your words since we last spoke?" he said, eyebrows raising a fraction. "Or are you waiting for a formal invitation to sit down?"

Normally, that comment would have irritated you but your thoughts were everywhere with what you wanted to say. There were just so many questions you wanted to fire at him but you knew it would be prying into something you probably should leave alone. Without thinking, you bowed deeply. "How can I ever repay you for your generousity, your highness?" you said quickly. "I am sure it really isn't much to you, but I'm forever in your debt!"

There was a moment of silence that followed, one that was longer than you would have expected and it made you grow uncomfortable. Maybe you spoke out of turn? Or did you say something...offensive somehow? Why wasn't he saying anything?

"...can you not?" said Levi, sounding irritated. You lifted your gaze just slightly at him, confused. "Raise your head."

You did so obediently, finding him looking somewhat bothered by your sudden declaration.

"Sit," he said firmly. Again, you obeyed him, awkwardly sitting down and having him push your seat in for you.

The prince sat down beside you with a shake of his head, as though he was gathering his wits together, before turning a sharp stare at you. You being you, instead of cringing, however, you raised an eyebrow at him. You were not at all threatened by such looks and held your ground.

"I have already asked you once to not call me 'your highness.' It grates on my nerves, as I hear it everywhere I go," he said flatly. "Additionally, propriety and formality from you is also incredibly unnecessary and undesired."

"...right, sorry..." you replied warily. "I was just...I wanted to thank you for paying for my tuition. And my rent for apartment. I was...surprised."

Levi waved his hand dismissively and settled into his chair. "Maintaining your education is already difficult as it is without having to support yourself in the process," he replied nonchalantly. "As someone with a position of power, I can't neglect those who need the help, be it monetary or otherwise."

You blinked. "...that's... very honorable."

"Honor has nothing to do with it," said Levi with a disparaging tone. "It's what I know is right."

You hid your skeptical smile from him, wanting to explain that is exactly why it was honorable.

It fell silent between you two, the afternoon breeze sweeping through the gazebo and kicking up the scent of the surrounding flowers.

"...why me though?" You broke the silence after a minute with a soft voice. "I have nothing. I can give you nothing. How does one day we spent together as formality justify such kindness?"

The prince snorted. "Why do you need justification for what I choose to do?" he replied, bored. "And for the record, I wasn't looking for anything in return. Friends do not give to one another with expectations for returned favors."

"Friends...?" you said in surprise. "Are you saying you consider me as a friend?"

Levi turned his emotionless gaze to you for a moment before a slight smirk played across his lips. "Are you hard of hearing?"

You did not attempt to stifle the sharp breath that left your lips. "I see you're still a prick."

Levi chuckled, albeit dryly. "Things don't change so quickly, you know."

You rolled your eyes. "One could have hoped," you snapped. "...I have to admit though, my pride can't handle the idea of someone taking care of me like this."

You were surprised to see Levi's eyes soften a little at this, but as quick as you saw it, it was gone. In fact, you would wondered if maybe you imagined the look.

"Get use to it, princess."

At the name, you stiffened noticeably but purposefully ignored it. You didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing you were uncomfortable. "Well, there has to be something I can do to show my gratitude."

Levi adjusted his legs before replying. "There is, which is why I asked you here today."

You did not like the way he flashed a sly smile at you, or the way his mischievous tone settled in on your nerves. "I really hope you're not taking this in the direction I think you are..." you said warily. You leaned away from him subconsciously as he suddenly eyed you.

"What are you even going on about?" He scoffed in realization. "Oh, please. Don't flatter yourself in thinking I was referring to sexual favors."

Your face flared with heat in embarrassment but you scowled at him nonetheless. "It's not my fault you sounded so damn suggestive!"

Levi let his smirk widen. "Not in the slightest bit interested," he replied. Your ego took a surprising blow and it made you burn with anger. You did not like when someone injured your pride, even if you were relieved he wasn't interested in such things.

You sighed heavily to stop yourself from giving a nasty retort. "Well, then what do you want from me?"

"For you to spend your summer in Serendair. If expenses are a reason for you to decline, I've already taken care of your flights and housing. You'll be residing among royalty."

Your heart stopped for a second as a number of emotions and thoughts crashed over you.

"Okay, hold up a sec!" you cried, flustered. "Y-you can't just go and make plans for my life like that. What if I legitimately can't go?"

The prince frowned at you. "The crown prince of Serendair just invited you to stay, all expenses paid, in the Citadel, for your summer break. And you're telling me you cannot go?"

"I-I don't give a shit who you are, Levi!" you replied fiercely. "Common courtesy would be to ask first. Actually, just asking in general instead of commanding me would have been nice!"

"Tch." Levi held your gaze for a moment. "So difficult..."

"And another thing," you continued, unconcerned with the way he was beginning to give you a hard stare, "Why me? Why ask me, of all people? Why invite me at all? What's the motivating factor that's driving you to do all of this?"

He appeared to hesitate. "...I think you can guess why I would ask you to spend time in my country."

Levi's tone was ice cold, even riding on the edge of bitterness. You couldn't help but stare at him as he gazed out into the distance. He was so complex; more and more you could feel his near hatred for the world he lived in.

"The king hasn't made anything public yet but he is very sick. He was recently diagnosed with stage three pancreatic cancer, and even with all the money and treatment in the world, physicians doubt he will make it through as his condition is rapidly progressing into stage four. He will be terminal, no doubt within six to ten months," said the prince in deadpan. He turned his gaze to you before pressing on. "...I am the crown prince and part of my duties as such is to find a suitable bride who will make a good queen."

You could tell that there was little emotion in his words for his dying father or the idea that he has to succeed his father's throne. You understood why though; the fact that his father had been devoid from his life for so long would be make it difficult to build a relationship even after six years.

"Marriage among royalty is not about love, as it rarely ever is. It's merely a political contract," he continued. "Don't misunderstand me when I say I have considered you as my potential queen that it translates into that I hold feelings for you. I don't. I merely believe that you and I would get along amicably in a marriage and that you would fare well as a queen."

There were a lot of statements you could have said, especially since you did not believe in marrying for material or political gains. However, you settled to pose a simple question to quell your curiosity.

"How so?"

Levi's lips twitched in a smile. "Your stubborn pride is essential in completing the duties of a queen, and yet your are submissive enough to understand your place, partially due to your lower class," he explained. "A king and queen reign together in Serendair, which is rare in the United Commonwealth. In the other kingdoms, the king is the only one who has true power."

He paused for a moment. "Thus far, from the conversations we had last we met, you and I are similar in morality and what we value, so I assume that we would agree to the same policies. That aside, I respect your opinion and integrity."

You took all the information in with a deep breath, unsure on how to respond to such compliments, despite the coldness lining his words.

"...I really appreciate the sentiment, Levi. But I can't go along with you to Serendair if those are the reasons you invited me. I believe in marriage as two people uniting out of love. Not out of political gain. I just-"

"I wasn't inviting you for those reasons specifically," Levi cut in. "I invited you as a friend. True, there are underlying reasons; it is a bit of test to see if you could adapt to the life of an upper classed citizen and if my assumptions of you are correct. See it however you wish, but as of now it merely is a means for me to understand you better. In the end, you can always refuse at the end of your stay in Serendair. Visiting over the summer is not an ultimatum and does not mean marriage."

You gave him a skeptical expression and he chuckled.

"At the end of your life, do you honestly want to look back and regret that you never at least gave yourself the option?" He leaned forward and gave you a meaningful glance.

"At the end of my life, I don't want to look back and regret that I married a man I didn't love or even worse, a man who never loved me," you replied.

"You and I may learn to love one another in time," said Levi, tone void of emotion. You frowned at this. "Though I can't guarantee that."

You shook your head. "No one should ever have to learn to love someone," you said firmly. "It should just happen naturally. Forcing yourself to love someone isn't love at all."

Levi did not reply but continued to hold a very slight smirk at his lips. You didn't particularly like the way he was looking at you, so you turned your own gaze away to the roses around you.

"I cannot believe I'm even having this conversation."

Levi allowed himself to smirk a bit wider. "It appears to me that you cannot believe that you are actually considering the idea of accepting my invitation."

You had opened your mouth hastily in a fierce retort only to realize he was actually right and you quickly shut your lips. The fact that someone you barely knew could see right through you so easily bothered you on a level you could not describe...but that trait in him alone was somehow enough to allow yourself to trust him a little.

After a moment of hesitation, you spoke once more. "I...will go. Since you went through the trouble of taking care of all the accommodations already. But on one condition."

The prince sighed heavily. "What's that?"

"I don't want to hear any talk about prospective marriage. At all. To me or around me. I'm only going because I feel guilty," you explained.

"I think you're going more out of curiosity than guilt but I understand your conditions," he replied wryly. "I'll keep anything related to marriage behind closed doors. Although, I can't guarantee the king or queen won't say anything. I cannot control their words, as I'm sure the queen will have much to say."

It was not hard to miss the hard tone laced in his words. Your assumption on him not getting along with his step mother was correct based off of his veiled insinuations alone.

"Alright, that's fine."

Levi smiled very slightly at your agreement. "Well, since that's settled, let's have lunch."

The three weeks that followed ended up being ridiculously stressful. Between final exams and projects for school, packing, researching Serendair customs, and relaying to your family you wouldn't be home for the summer, you were mentally drained by the time you boarded the private jet plane to Serendair. The two hour flight was not relaxing in the slightest, seeing that Levi was quizzing you incessantly on his country's history. You couldn't be angry with him though for grilling you, since he paid for everything for you to visit, but he didn't let up until your flight landed. All you had wanted to do was get a little nap in but that definitely did not happen.

"Have you even heard anything I've said, (f/n)?" snapped an irritated voice next to you, presently. You continued to gaze out blankly at the greenery, barely registering that you were being spoken to. The view before you was breath taking and unlike anything you've seen before; Valen was beautiful but Serendair was simply stunning.

"...no..." you replied, distracted. There was an unmistakable click of a tongue of annoyance within the car you had been in for the last fifteen minutes.

The Prince of Serendair watched you for a moment, wondering just what was so interesting to you that you weren't paying any attention to him. With a heavy sigh, he spoke up.

"Syrill," he said flatly. "That's the name of the city and it's the capital of Serendair."

You made a noise of acknowledgement but didn't turn to face Levi, unable to tear your eyes away from the glistening water of the lake.

"And that's the Citadel," Levi continued, pointing at the large castle like building upon the high hill. You had already been under the assumption that you had been heading there but now that he named it, you were in shock that you would be spending your summer in such a place.

"This is insane," you breathed, finally looking at the prince beside you. "I can't believe I'm here."

Levi chuckled lightly before turning his own gaze out his window. It went quiet in the car and you met Cristoph's eyes through the rear view mirror. You smiled at him, to which he returned. You liked that he did; somehow his presence always seem to put you at ease and his smile was always gentle and genuine.

"This should be interesting..." said Levi quietly.

"Wait..." A sudden realization dawned on you for the first time. "I'm going to have to meet your paren-"

You ground to a halt when Levi shot you a nasty death glare at the word "parents" and you rushed to rephrase yourself.

"-meet the king and queen."

"That is correct. However, more than likely, you won't be seeing either of them very often once you've been introduced; they're busy people. Only speak when spoken to directly after you've made some comment about how you're grateful for their hospitality. The queen will scrutinize everything you do," explained Levi. "So I suggest you say little as possible in her presence. The king will be a little more gracious with you."

He paused. "Also, I forgot to mention something when we had lunch a few weeks ago. It's not illegal for a prince to marry a regular citizen but it's highly frowned upon. They know you are visiting for my ulterior motives but the queen will do everything in her power to sway you to leave as soon as possible. She has been trying to convince the king to arrange a marriage to her niece to me."

You noticed Cristoph stiffened slightly in the driver's seat. Through the rear view mirror, you saw his brows draw together for the first time, as if he was concerned or in deep thought. But before you could ask him anything, he noticed you looking and he flashed you a reassuring smile.

After a moment, you decided to reply to Levi instead.

"...this might come off as rude but I think you're forgetting the conditions of me coming with you," you said quietly, unsure if that was really something you should have brought up. You knew he was just trying to explain things for your sake, but at the same time, you really did not want to think about the real reason as to why you were whisked off to Serendair.

"My apologies," he replied in deadpan. "I realized that I had broke your condition as I started to explain myself but I wanted to make sure that you understood what you're about get into. The queen, as you can probably guess, is not fond of the idea of an 'illegitmate' son reigning, especially since she could not bear a child of her own. She and I...are as civil as a cat and dog."

"I see..."

You let your gaze fall back onto the scenery again, deep in thought at all the implications of what it was of being nobility. Like your night at the Peace Ball, it seemed only to be filled with political gains, ties, and talk, more than you could care to admit.

"So you're not for the idea of marrying the queen's niece then?" you said, more as a statement than a question.

"Not in the slightest."

"Why?" you pried innocently. "If you don't mind my asking..."

Levi flashed an annoyed glance at you. "I have no personal issue with her. She is amiable enough, I suppose, but I cannot imagine myself reigning this country with her," he replied. "You'll meet her as well, since she began living in the Citadel three months ago, per the queen's request for obvious reasons."

"You will like her, Miss (f/n)," chimed in Cristoph abruptly. "Petra is very kind hearted."

You smiled to yourself. "Oh, is that her name then? But, that's good. Maybe she and I will be able to become friends during my stay."

"I am sure you will," said the butler with a serene tone. "She hasn't made many friends here yet."

Levi scoffed quietly. "I'm not surprised. A woman with that much energy and personality would drain anyone after ten minutes."

Again, you saw a hard expression cross Cristoph's features but it went unnoticed by the prince who was checking his wristwatch for the time.

Some twenty minutes later, you were standing before the Citadel, jaw slacked. It was massive from across the lake but being right in front of it literally took your breath away. The spires that towered over you practically touched the clouds and you had to shake your head to come out of your reverie.

"This place is huge. I...I'm going to get lost!" you said to yourself before turning to the two men with you. "Is this even real? Or am I in some ridiculous fantasy book because jeezus, who needs a castle this big?!"

Both of them chuckled at your childlike awe.

"I can assure you, Miss (f/n), you are not in a book," said Cristoph calmly.

Levi checked his watch again. "I have a meeting with the king in a half hour. Let's get moving."

And with that, you left your baggage in the car and quietly tailed the two men into the Great Hall of the Citadel.

***********************

Per the prince's request, you received the most stately room within the guest quarters section of the castle. You were sure this room was meant to house visiting nobility of other countries, as it was unnecessarily spacious and luxuriously decorated. The bed itself was enormous for only a single person and the bathroom alone was nearly the size of your apartment back in Valen.

You had been brought here immediately upon arrival and asked to remain here until retrieved later. You had no idea when that would be but there were enough things to look at to pass the time.

Currently, you were sitting in a comfy chair out on the large balcony that overlooked the lake and land of Serendair, deep in thought about how you were going to spend nearly three months in this place. You wondered if you would be allowed to head into town or if you were confined solely to the castle and it's grounds. Or even worse, being confined to your room unless otherwise given permission.

The idea of you having to possibly have a chaperone wherever you go in the castle irked you slightly, but you could understand why that might be something to consider. The place was vast, you were bound to get lost and wander somewhere that was off limits to you. You made a mental note to ask either Levi or Cristoph about the matter.

There was a polite knock at the door and you turned your head curiously, having been gazing off over the lake aimlessly for who knew how long.

"Miss (f/n), may I come in?" you heard Cristoph's voice on the other side.

You rose to a stand and replied. "Of course! Please come in."

The door opened and you found Cristoph and a small, young woman dressed in maid-like attire standing there with an energetic smile on her face. Both came into the room, the girl a little less gracefully than her counterpart, and bowed politely at you. The action made you uncomfortable but you remained quiet on the subject.

"This is Sasha, your personal maid for the duration of your stay. Should you need anything, please ask her if you are unable to reach me for something," explained the butler. He extended a small paper to you. "This is Prince Levi's cell phone number and mine, as well. He wanted you to have them in case of emergencies. He asked me to have you call him as soon as you have the chance. You can text me as well so I can save your number. "

You took the paper. "Of course," you replied before extending your right hand to Sasha. "Please to meet you. I'm not of royal descent so please don't worry about being so formal with me. I'm just normal girl like you...with lucky circumstances."

Sasha hesitated and glanced at Cristoph for a moment, as if asking for permission. He nodded with a smile.

"I will allow you to behave as you wish, as long as it's respectful to the prince's guest and when you are not in the presence of others," he said. "Use discretion, Sasha."

You were not expecting her to fist pump the air with a very loud "whoo!" and practically bear hug you with a near suffocating grip.

"This is so exciting!!!" she cried. "I will do my best!"

She released you and you stumbled back, gasping for air. "S-such spirit," you laughed.

Cristoph spoke once more after Sasha reined in her enthusiasm.

"You are allowed in most places in the Citadel, save for the royal quarters or otherwise specified areas that I am currently unaware of," he said. "If you should desire a trip into the city, please inform Sasha, myself, or the prince and we will have someone take you. Prince Levi asked me to keep you under protective watch, as you are the guest of his house. He also wanted me to inform you that can make use of any recreational facilities as you see fit. With that, I will take my leave."

Looks like you would have a chaperone for certain times, but you were grateful for their help nonetheless.

"Sir, what about the...you know, the thing the prince said..." Sasha hastily asked. Cristoph paused at the door and you raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Oh, I had forgotten. My apologies," he replied, turning again to gaze directly at you. "You will be meeting the king and queen in an hour. The prince will come and retrieve you but Sasha will help you ready yourself, as you have been invited to dinner as well by the prince."

"Ready...myself?"

"Not to worry!" cried Sasha, shoving Cristoph towards the door. "Out, out, out. No men allowed while she dresses!"

The butler chuckled briefly as Sasha kept shoo-ing him and he left the room. You had absolutely no clue as to what was going on and attempted to ask Sasha about what Cristoph meant by "readying yourself." Sasha, however, did not give you much of an explanation and kept going on about how lucky you were to experience such lavish food. You, in all your confusion, were swept away in Sasha' enthusiasm as she practically stripped you down on the spot to your undies.

"Hold on a minute!" you snapped, gripping the nearest throw pillow to cover yourself. "This is so awkward!! Undressing me like that, jeeze! What the heck am I even going to wear?"

Sasha pressed your cell phone in your hand before prancing over to the wardrobe. "It's all been prepared for you, (f/n). The prince picked it out himself, or at least that's what Cristoph told me. I wonder if he has good taste.... Speaking of the prince, you should probably talk to him right now since he asked you to call him.. Also, I'm not supposed to know that number so don't tell anyone I dialed it for you, ok?"

"I am not going to talk to him now while I'm in my underwear. That's weird!" you said hastily, still holding your cell phone and pillow. "Can you just give me whatever he picked out. It's cold as hell in here."

"Uhm...I already dialed the number for you and started the call...sooo...." said Sasha apologetically, staring directly at you.

"W-wait what?!" You glanced down and saw that the call had gone through on the screen. With a yelp, you pressed the phone to your ear and crouched down into a fetal position. "Oh god, h-hello??"

"...In your underwear, huh?" said a deadpan voice on the other end. "If it's so cold in the room, put on some clothes."

You were positive that your blush was so intense that your face had to be the darkest shade of red possible. The heat radiating off your skin was noticable enough that it made your phone screen fog over slightly.

"I'm about to, okay!?" You were embarrassed to the point that you were angry that you were even in such a situation.

"What kind of woman calls a man while she undressing and then announces it anyways? Certainly a very strange woman..." he said, tone smoothly transitioning into amusement and possibly teasing. "I'm not easily seduced, you know, so you're going to have to try harder than that to earn my favor."

"Oh get over yourself!" you snapped. "It's not even like that and you know it!"

Levi's reply was skeptical and you had a feeling he was smirking to himself. "If you say so."

"You're so annoying. Good bye!"

Before you pushed the end call button, you heard him say something about coming to retrieve you in forty minutes but you hung up onn him mid sentence.

Sasha had laid out a lavish, ivory colored dress along the bed and you eyed it doubtfully. From the looks of it, it was a three-quarter sleeved evening gown, one that hugged most of of your figure and yet still maintained modesty by not revealing too much in the bust. The bust itself had pretty beading over it to keep the dress from being plain, and th sleeves were see-through with beading decorating the shoulders.

"What in the hell is this?" you demanded, unable to stop yourself from appearing mildly disgusted. "I have to wear this just to meet the king and queen??"

Sasha laughed. "Well, duh. You can't be going into the Throne Room looking like a hobo, now can you...?" she teased, grabbing a hold of your arm and leading you into the bathroom. "We should do your hair and face before you get into the dress though."

"Ridiculous..." you hissed to yourself. The idea that Levi was the one who chose the dress very specifically for you did not sit well with you, mostly because you felt guilty that he probably spent a good deal of money on it based off the intricate beading.

Sasha kept going on about how jealous she was of you getting to try food fit for royalty but you weren't paying much attention to her. You were more focused on the fact that you felt like she was piling on quite a bit of make up on your face, certainly more than you have ever been use to. It was hard not to snap at her; you felt silly for being annoyed but you did not like the fact that you had to be so done up just to be in the presence of royalty. For some reason, it made your stomach burn with irritation.

After ten minutes, you turned away from your almost unregonizable reflection and ungracefully trudged back to the awaiting dress. With a little help from Sasha, you slipped into the gown and she strapped on your heels. She led you over to the full length mirror and you found yourself inhaling sharply in surprise.

You were not expecting yourself to look as elegant as you did; it was strange to see yourself looking so feminine. Normally, you were in some beat up clothes or covered in flour from your job at the bakery. Never in your life did you think you would be this dressed up again after the Peace Ball. The dress was simple but it flattered your figure and did not bring attention to anything unwanted.

"Wow, it fits you like a glove, (f/n)!" said Sasha, circling you with an approving grin. "Very classy."

She smoothed over a part of the dress for a moment before checking a little closer to see if anything was amiss. "Did you happen to tell the prince your measurements?" she asked.

"Of course not," said a familiar voice. "I just pay attention to the finer details."

Automatically, you turned your eyes to the figure behind you through the mirror and scowled at him. You turned around fiercely.

"Oi, you can't be waltzing in a woman's room like that, all entitled and whatever," you spat, feeling a bit uncomfortable in such nice clothes and him staring at you with his same bored expression. "What if I was still undressed?"

Levi snorted. "Oh please, don't flatter yourself."

The noise you made was loud, as you were highly offended by his rude remarks. "I've never met someone so irritating before," you grumbled. "You are absolutely, the worst-"

"Thank you for helping her," cut in Levi over you, directing his words at Sasha. She stiffened at the sudden acknowledgement. "I'm afraid she would have been a lost cause if left alone."

"Excuse me!?" you cried, though completely ignored by both of them.

Sasha bowed deeply at the Prince of Serendair. "Of course, your highness. I was glad to have been able to assist her," said Sasha reverently.

Levi nodded before turning his empty gaze back you again. You felt yourself flare with heat after a moment of him heavily analyzing you. The silence in the air was thick with some strange tension and you finally couldn't handle it anymore.

"The least you can do is tell me I look nice," you snapped. "Even if you have to lie about it...god..."

Levi smirked very slightly. "....the dress flatters you," he said, deadpan. "I'm impressed."

You had a feeling that he just gave you a back handed compliment but you didn't voice your opinion for the sake of saving face. You didn't want to bicker too much in front of Sasha; you were concerned that she may come to see her crown prince in a different light since he was picking on you.

"The king and queen are waiting," he continued, turning towards the door. "We should get going."

You heaved a heavy sigh. You were not looking forward to this meeting with the parents. In fact the very idea made your stomach seize with apprehension and you almost wished you never came along on the trip. Surely your lower class would show just by how you carry yourself. You did not want to look like a fool in front of royalty but you guessed you had no choice since they were demanding to meet the prince's guest.

You followed Levi silently through the vast halls of the Citadel, your heels clicking and reverberating off the stone walls and ringing in your head. You wanted to remain as level-headed and calm as you could but the closer you got to the Throne Room, the more your heart started to pound.

Before you stood two enormous doors that were closed with two men standing before them, as if guarding them. You realized that you had made it to your destination when Levi presently stopped and looked at you squarely in the eyes.

"When I bow to them, bow as well. Only speak when spoken to, thank them for their hospitality, and smile like you mean it," explained Levi in a quiet tone. "Don't say anything stupid. Am I clear?"

You narrowed your eyes at him, not pleased by being put in such an awkward situation. "Crystal..." you replied with a bite of sarcasm. Levi gave you a wry smile and turned back towards the door and waved a hand for the men before it to open them.

And with a very deep breath, you took Levi's offered arm and he led you into the Throne Room to meet the King and Queen of Serendair.

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AN: sorry sorry it wasn't too eventful but I didn't feel like i should rush this particular series. I really have a lot of ideas I want to play with first. I probably should have made it its own little book but. What can I do? I can't please everyone.

Hope you enjoyed the filler chapter!! xoxo again, so sorry I took so long to update. I know it wasn't all that impressive but bear with me here.