Author's note: Hi there. Yes, it's been over a year since I updated. Why am I bothering to update this at all? I don't know. I missed writing, even though I'm not particularly keen on writing for this series or book anymore. I like Levi still, but I'm just meh about SnK. But I wanted to write so badly again that I thought I would dust off my skills with this chapter. So with that being said, this chapter will probably suck since I haven't written anything in a long time. Life happens guys...I'm old. Well...I'm only 27, but I'm feeling pretty old lately.

I don't know when this will be updated again. I can't really guarantee that it will be but I wanted to cultivate my writing skills again and try to inspire myself. Thank you for those who have read this far and enjoyed. I appreciate all the support I've received. 

Again, I have not read the manga. I have not seen any of season 2 or 3. Yeah, I know. That's how much time I've got to myself these days. Levi is very OOC because I suck at writing right now and I can't quite keep him in character this far into the story. so call it...character development. I don't know. Also I could not be bothered to recap for y'all. sorryyy. Love you guys. xoxo

***

It had been two days since your date to the Sky Lantern Festival with Levi and just as you had assumed, you had not seen him since. It was to be expected; he was a busy man after all, but if you were honest with yourself, there was a small part of you that wished you had more opportunities to see him.

That night had been one of the most memorable nights with him, save for the first time you met him at the Peace Ball. In the overall little amount of time you've spent with him, you knew him only as an ill-mannered yet ambitious man with an amount of class you were unable to achieve yourself. However, the night of the festival, you were privy to a completely different side to him, one that you were sure not many were privileged to see.

Presently, you were relaxing out on one of the many balconies of the Citadel, scrolling through Twitter's trending page idly. You were unsurprised to find a trending hashtag that pertained to yours and Levi's date from the other night. It had already been two days since and the internet was still fascinated with you as a pair. In fact, a few of your friends from your home country had even linked you to various fan art of you and Levi on the ferris wheel. In a short span of time, you had become somewhat of an internet celebrity and you had no idea how to process it.

You let out a sharp exhale, pulling your eyes away from the various tweets questioning who you were to him among others that were declaring their support for your supposed future union to Prince Levi. Ever since the charity ball Serendair had hosted, you did your best to avoid any and all social media unless you were particularly bored. You had to put your Twitter and Instagram account on private because all the mentions and DMs prior to it were crashing your phone.

Standing up to stretch your legs, you let your eyes linger in the direction of the lake, though your mind trailed off to other things.

It turned out that Cristoph had sent military personnel to the festival that night to keep an eye on the prince. The butler himself accompanied them and once he had been aware of what Levi's intentions were, Cristoph had told you that he maintained a safe distance with the royal military police. While he had been a bit disappointed that you had not answered his calls, he knew that the prince's forceful personality probably hindered you to do so.

"His Highness seemed to have been enjoying himself," Cristoph had said to you privately the next day. He had stopped by your room, per your request so as to give Sasha a day to sleep in. "It did not have it in my heart to interrupt. It is not often he is able to have personal time."

You had smiled up at him, grateful that he had allowed you and Levi to a peaceful festival.

"...although, the king was not particularly happy to have learned that the Crown Prince had eluded his duties," the butler added offhandedly, "but there was little I could do. When Prince Levi wants something, he takes it, or in this case, does whatever he wishes."

A short laugh escaped you. "That is certainly true."

Cristoph shared a smile with you but after a moment, his face darkened a bit. Surprised by his shift in mood, you raised an eyebrow at him to silently question why.

"Miss (f/n), forgive my candor but I urge you to proceed with discretion and great caution from here on out. I truly would hate to see you caught up in this world's..." the butler hesitated for a moment, his expression solemn, "...dark underbelly of the aristocracy."

At this statement, you drew in your brows with confusion. There was a level of fear in his voice, although it was so subtle you nearly missed it. "I...I don't understand," you said. "What are you trying to say?"

Cristoph's signature tender smile returned and he gently pat you at the top of your head, much like an affectionate older brother would. "Be wary of the media," he replied, turning on his heel and towards the door. "Be wary of those with great power..."

He reached for the door handle, opening it with a swift move of his hand. He turned his head back in your direction. "...but most of all, please remember to always listen to your heart."

With that, the butler closed the door softly behind him, leaving you rooted to the spot in bewilderment. Cristoph had always been honest with you but for the first time, he showed you some type of emotion rather than be neutral at every given moment.

You snapped out of your thoughts, refocusing your eyes on the light that was dancing across the water of the lake.

Cristoph's warning was strange and out of the blue but you did not make light of it. You weren't entirely sure what he was warning you of or why he encouraged to follow your heart but you knew that he only had your best interests in mind.

A light knock occurred behind you, causing you to turn and see Petra standing by the door leading back into the castle. "You are a near impossible woman to track down," the slight woman said with a laugh.

You chuckled as Petra approached you. "Sorry. A lot on my mind, I guess."

"I see..." she said with a drop in her tone. "Is everything all right?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah. Everything is fine!" You waved a hand dismissively.

"Well, would you like to have lunch with me?" Petra asked. "I haven't seen you in a couple days. I thought maybe we could chat out in the gardens...perhaps it'll help you work through your thoughts if you have someone to talk to about it."

"Sure, sounds great," you replied with a smile. Petra returned the look and linked her arm with yours before pulling you along into the castle.

***

"Sire, I brought you some tea," a familiar voice said. Levi looked up from his pile of documents at his desk to his butler coming through the door with an ornate tray.

"Thank you," the prince replied blandly, already ducking his eyes back down to the documents in his hand. "Just leave it here."

He heard Cristoph moving around in the study quietly so as to not disturb the prince with his work. Levi, however, hadn't been able to find his concentration for the last few days since the night of the Sky Lantern Festival. While his drive and ethic helped him power through his daily duties, he found it increasingly difficult to maintain a steady level of concentration and he could not understand why. Or rather, he had a suspicion as to why but he was not quite ready to explore that reasoning yet.

Despite his efforts, Cristoph's movements were distracting. Levi was well aware that it was not the butler's fault but every little noise was disrupting his ability to focus. Annoyed, Levi set down the papers in his hand and gave a pointed stare at Cristoph, who had just approached the desk to set down the teacup. Upon realizing the prince was half-heartedly glaring at him, the butler took a step back after placing the cup.

"I am terribly sorry, Your Highness," he said with a deep bow. "I did not realize my movements were disturbing you. I shall take my leave."

With that, he quickly turned to leave.

"How is (f/n)?" Levi asked suddenly just as Cristoph had reached the door.

The butler turned a curious gaze to the prince, one that Levi did not understand why he was receiving. "She is doing well, sire. She keeps herself busy but often asks how you fare as well. I believe she is with Miss Petra right now for lunch."

"I see..." The prince trailed off, his eyes looking somewhat distant.

Cristoph gazed at the Crown Prince for a moment watching a mixture of emotions pass over his face. None of the expressions were discernable to the butler, but most of Levi's emotions were understated and it took a keen eye to catch it.

Levi shook his head, as if to refocus, before he exhaled heavily.

"Are you not feeling well, Prince Levi?" Cristoph asked after a moment, approaching the desk once more. "You seem to be rather troubled, as of late."

Levi, who had leaned his forehead into his hand, looked up in surprise at the question. "I'm fine," he replied with a mildly harsh tone. "There is...a lot on my mind right now. I'm finding it hard to concentrate...or sleep for that matter."

"If I may," began Cristoph, "you generally always have quite a bit of work on your hands. You have always excelled at multi-tasking and navigating through it without losing track of time or becoming overwhelmed. However, as you mentioned, I have observed that you have been struggling to concentrate on your tasks today, which is very unlike you."

The prince let out a dry laugh and stood up from his chair in an effort to get the blood flowing through his legs again. He idly walked over to the nearest bay window, one that overlooked the gardens. "You certainly pay attention far too much to everything I do, Cristoph."

"As is my duty to do so, Your Highness." The butler bowed his head slightly with reverence. "Your health is always my priority."

Levi leaned against the window sill, letting his gaze wander around aimlessly when his eyes caught sight of something that made his heart leap in his chest. The feeling caught him by surprise but he quickly pretended it had not happened and straightened up slightly to get a better look at what he saw.

Petra and (f/n) had just come into his line of view, their faint laughter reaching through the cracked window. They were approaching the sitting area in the gardens where a small feast lay before them. (F/n) and Petra seemed perfectly at ease with each other, much to Levi's surprise, as they continued laugh about whatever it is they were talking about. The fact that (F/n) had made some friends while here put his mind at ease; he had been worried she had been bored since he could not make much time for her, despite that he had asked her to stay here for the summer.

(F/n) turned her head to glance at her friend, her grin bright even from the second story window. Again, his heart seemed to misfire and skipped a beat, effectively making his breath catch for a moment. Truly, she had a beautiful smile and he hated to admit it, even to himself.

Cristoph noticed the prince's gaze had zeroed in on something and he went to Levi's side out of curiosity. The butler's own expression softened at the sight of the two women now sitting at the marble table.

The two women clinked their glasses of white wine together, announcing a toast that neither man could here from their vantage point.

Levi glanced at Cristoph, nonplussed to find his counterpart with such a gentle look in his eyes. "I am not stupid, you know," the prince said quietly while crossing his arms.

"I am well aware of that," his butler replied back, still looking down at the gardens. "You are one of the most intelligent men I've come to know."

The prince rolled his eyes but cracked a smile. "...well, if you knew that, then I would have expected you to keep your daily midnight rendezvous with Petra a better secret, hm?"

Cristoph immediately stiffened and tore his eyes away from the scene in the gardens. "I...I do not know what you speak of, Your Highness," he replied with an even tone.

For the first time, Levi could see a bit of animosity in Cristoph's expression. Levi wasn't sure if Cristoph was angry that he had been caught or if he was worried of what the prince's reaction would be. Either way, it was refreshing to see him like this.

"About damn time you show some kind of emotion. Your perpetual kindness always did piss me off a little bit," said Levi with a snort, watching the expression on his butler's face change subtly.

The tension in the air was palpable. Cristoph stood motionless and continued to stare at the prince with the slightest amount of aggression.

"No need to glare at me like that. I'm only telling you that I know because if you're attempting to keep it hidden, you're not doing a good job of it," said Levi dismissively, returning his gaze back to the girls below. "I don't care that you're in love with Petra. In fact, I'm relieved to know her interests don't lie with me. It makes my life a little easier."

"...she wants nothing to do with the throne, Levi."

The prince immediately looked at Cristoph, eyes widened by the sound of his name without the proper title in front of it. It did not bother him in the slightest but Levi had never heard Cristoph address him this way, nor with such leveled ferocity.

Levi glanced down, finding that Cristoph's hands were slowly clenching into fists. The silence refilled the air for a moment and Levi was entirely unsure what was going through Cristoph's head.

"There are very few things in this life that I would ever beg you for," the butler said quietly, "but I beg of you now, please find it in your heart to spare us by not revealing this to the queen. Petra fears the worst if the queen were to find out her niece has interests in a mere servant to the Crown Prince-"

Levi held up a hand, effectively cutting Cristoph off. "First, and foremost, do not call yourself a servant. I honestly hate that word," the prince said sternly. "You are my steward, butler, assistant, or whatever the hell you want to call it, but do not ever refer to yourself as a servant. If I were to truly be honest, I consider you as a friend. A wise and true friend. I value and respect your opinions greatly, hence why I ask for your advice on many things."

Cristoph was taken aback by this and merely blinked. Such a proclamation was completely unexpected.

"Second," continued Levi, "I shall reiterate, I do not care that you and Petra are together. Do you honestly fuckin' think that I would reveal any of this to Amara? When that bitch is trying to force Petra on me through marriage and god knows why? I actually am quite offended you would think that, Cristoph.

"And third, and this is the most important."

Levi paused so he could grip Cristoph's shoulder firmly.

"Love and marry whoever the fuck you want."

***

You glanced at the clock at your bedside table, biting your lip in thought.

11:06pm.

It was late and most of the castle had gone quiet as everyone was heading for bed. You, however, were wide awake. So awake, in fact, that you hadn't even gotten ready for bed.

You had been toying with the idea of visiting Levi, whom you could only assume was still working. A part of you knew you probably shouldn't, as you might disturb him but the other part of you wanted to see him. It had only been two days but truth be told, you sort of missed his presence.

After a few more minutes of going back in forth in your head, wondering if you should text him first, you decided that you would surprise him anyways. You doubt he would truly be angry with you for interrupting him; you tried to justify it by telling yourself he could do with a little break.

You shoved your feet in some shoes and quietly exited your room. You hurried down the maze of halls towards Levi's study, hoping that he hadn't gone off to bed. It was unlikely but if had, this whole mission would be a bust.

Even as you walked, you still were debating on whether or not if it was a good idea to be going to see him. After some thought, you realized that you hadn't cared this much the first few times you went to visit him unannounced at night, but now you were stressing over it. You wondered why.

Just as you rounded the corner, you collided into something. You made a noise of surprise mixed with pain when a hand caught you by the arm to steady you.

"And where are you running off to this late at night, princess?" asked Levi.

"Jeezus, you scared me!" you breathed, slapping him lightly on the chest. "What are you doing?"

"I just asked you the same thing," Levi replied with a snort. "Where were you going?"

"I was going to see you," you said with a huff. "You can't take a girl out on a date and just ghost her like that."

That was not where you expected yourself to go with the conversation but you rolled with it since you blurted out something so stupid.

Levi's eyebrow raised. "'Ghost' you?"

"Yes, ghost me! You know, where you just disappear and not even text me or call me or whatever," you explained. "Don't you think that's a little rude?"

You crossed your arms with a playful air and tried to make it seem like you were hurt over it. Levi chuckled, albeit a little dryly, and continued to let a faint smirk play at his lips.

"Well, I didn't realize I'd be getting a dating etiquette lesson at-" he glanced at his watch, "eleven thirty at night but I'm surprised you were that upset over it that you had to come tell me about it at this very moment."

"Oh hah hah..." you sneered. "What are you even doing on this side of the castle anyways?"

Levi let his smirk widen a little. "I came to see you, isn't that obvious?"

The faintest amount of heat rose over your cheeks and the back of your neck but you attempted to play it off. "So late at night? That's suspicious."

He flicked you across the forehead lightly and you yelped. "Get your mind out of the gutter, princess," said Levi before wrapping an arm around your shoulders to drag you off into another direction. "Still not interested in sexual relations with you yet."

"Y-yet!?" You attempted to push his arm off but he continued to pull you along. "What do you mean by 'yet?!"

Levi quickly covered your mouth with his free hand moved his face close to yours. You tried to back away from this but with no luck.

"Stop shouting," he said, looking a bit annoyed. "I had a long and trying day.... I was going to your room to kidnap you so we can go on another date. Since you're so upset that I 'ghosted you' or whatever."

The pair of you continued to bicker all the way to your destination, all while Levi held your hand and practically dragged you outside. You were elated to be with him, not that he would ever hear that from your mouth. The fact that he had come to see you too also warmed your heart so despite the playful arguing, you were already enjoying yourself immensely.

"Why are we at the stables?" you asked once you realized where you were.

Levi ignored you and went to slide open the door to the building. After having gotten it open, he told you to wait outside while he saddled up a horse.

A few minutes later of waiting patiently, Levi reemerged into the light of the near full moon, pulling a horse by the reins. You were surprised he only had one horse with him, but you assumed he probably would saddle up the second one after.

"Do you need help mounting again? I don't want you to fall like the last time we went riding," Levi said with a mirthful jab.

You immediately shot him a glare. "No, I don't," you replied, easily mounting the horse. "As you can see, I've been practicing, no thanks to you."

The prince slow clapped for you. "Wow, I'm impressed," he said while looking up at you with a smile. "Apparently, we can make a princess out of you."

You exhaled sharply before realizing he was about to mount the same horse. "Hey, hey, hey!" you cried as he already swung his leg over and sat comfortably behind you. "Why are we on the same horse?"

Levi's arms reached around your body to grab the reins, your back and his chest completely flush against each other. You felt your nerves skyrocket at this but tried to keep yourself calm to not look like an idiot. He was much too close.

"Why?" he asked right into your ear. "You don't like this?"

"Okay, can you not do that?" you said with a grumble. You leaned forward slightly to give yourself some space. "J-just go already!"

Levi leaned back with a short laugh. "Yes, ma'am."

The prince gently kicked the sides of the horse to get her into a trot. At first, the ride down the road was quiet and awkward; you were used to having men close to you like this, but not in a situation quite this unique.

Levi finally decided to make amiable conversation to help relieve the tension. He asked about your day and if you had a nice lunch with Petra. You, in turn, asked how he was doing with his workload and if he was taking care of himself so he wouldn't get sick.

While the conversations weren't particularly deep, you still felt a sense of peace while talking to him. He seemed much easier going than usual; you wondered why he was in such a good mood. Even his normal sarcastic jabs weren't as icy today.

After about a half hour trot, Levi stopped the horse around the familiar lake that you had visited the last time you had went riding with him. He hopped down from the horse and reached out to help you dismount as well.

You both went towards the edge of the water and sat down to look up at the star-filled sky behind the surrounding mountains. The view was truly breathtaking; how nature remained so untouched by humans here was a marvel. You could see yourself living here for the rest of your life if you truly wanted to.

An easy silence settled over you and Levi just before he decided to lie down in the grass with a hand behind his head. You, however, continued to keep gazing over the light reflecting across the water, lost in your awe for the world around you.

"Do you ever get tired of this?" you asked in a near whisper.

Levi took a moment to reply. "No...never," he replied thoughtfully. "I come out here when I can't fake the prince act anymore. I come here to get away from a lifestyle that is sometimes a huge burden more than a blessing..."

You felt your brows draw in together for a moment before you turned your gaze to Levi.

He glanced at you for a moment and let out another dry laugh. "Oh c'mon, princess," he said, "you knew from the moment you met me that I was not your average prince...full of propriety and etiquette."

It was your turn to laugh dryly. "Actually, I knew that upon our second meeting at the marriage interview," you corrected.

"Well, I can only act like an arrogant twat for so long," said Levi. "It gets a little tiring mentally trying to keep up a front like that."

"Oh, that's an act? I thought that was just your personality," you quipped back.

The prince laughed again. "Shut up."

The quiet returned once more, save for only the rustle of the surrounding trees and night wildlife around you. The crickets' chirps were soft, the breeze light. Everything was so pristine in Serendair; how this place managed to exist was beyond your imagination.

"Hey, look," said Levi suddenly, his arm outstretched and pointing. "Shooting stars."

You followed his arm and saw two quick streaks of light flash across the sky before quickly disappearing. "Whoa!" you exclaimed. "Did you make a wish?"

Levi rolled his eyes. "What is it with you and wishing on every frivolous minded thing on the planet?"

"This is coming from the same man who also wished on a floating lantern the other night," you replied quickly. "A wish wasted on something like 'I wish (f/n) will marry me so I can finally be king of Serendair' or whatever."

Levi winked at you accompanied by a slight clicking of his tongue but surprisingly did not reply. You turned your body completely, staring down at him in shock. "Wait did you actually wish for that!?"

Again, he said nothing for a moment, but allowed a smirk to form across his lips again. "Will you just shut up and lay down already? Good lord."

The prince tugged at your arm and you reluctantly took your place in the grass beside him. You were telling yourself that this was not a good idea to be laying so close to him, but your body moved on its own, despite your mind screaming at you. Levi, however, held little hesitation and promptly situated himself so that you were able to lay your head comfortably between his chest and arm at his shoulder.

You felt awkward as you stared up at the sky, aware of how close you had willingly let yourself be with him. His body was warm; you could feel it through his thin shirt. His heartbeat was strong, slow, yet rhythmic while yours pounded wildly in your chest.

Levi, on the other hand, seemed perfectly content with the idea of you both basically cuddling at this point. He has his arm was wrapped around your body while his free hand resting at his stomach, breathing peacefully into the silence.

"This...this is wrong..." you whispered finally, turning your head to look at his side profile. "We... shouldn't be doing this."

Levi snorted. "Then move if you don't like it."

Harsh, as usual.

You fell silent for a moment. "...I don't want to..." you murmured, suddenly shy. "You're comfortable."

For the umpteenth time, Levi rolled his eyes. "Okay be quiet then and enjoy the moment. You're ruining it with how much you're overthinking."

"How are you...so chill about this?" you asked, genuinely confused. "You know this has implications and now I have a million questions. Not just for you...but for myself and-"

"Holy shit, relax, princess," Levi groaned. "I didn't ask you to marry me. I asked you to lay down with me. Stop psychoanalyzing everything you're feeling."

He paused for a moment. "Just enjoy it...whatever you want to ask me, ask me tomorrow."

You did not reply but you felt your lips pull into a smile. After another moment, you readjusted yourself and moved in closer to Levi so that you were on your side and your body flushed with his. He moved his legs that they tangled with yours and you both settled in. You closed your eyes; listening to his even breathing calmed your frantic heartbeats. Just as he pulled you closer, Levi's other hand gripped yours that had been resting on his chest, as if to reassure you.

So this is what he meant.

This is what Cristoph must have meant...when he said follow your heart.

***

Loooool sorryyy guys. I know he is way out of character. But he is starting to like her so I wanted to make him a bit softer. Idk like I said I haven't written in ages so it might have sucked. Hope you enjoyed it. Catch you guys later! Finger hearts from author-nim!