Author's Note: Ayooo, what's up. Ignore the fact the picture says happy birthday lol Here it is, the next installment of Levi being Prince Asshat of Asshatville. haha jk I will eventually finish up Phantoms and Angels...I've just had zero motivation to do so. Uhh, surprisingly, Levi isn't the center point of this chapter, sorry. THIS REALLY SHOULD HAVE BEEN A SHORT BOOK LOL Anyway, as a constant reminder for WA, OOC Levi. I'm so tired. Idk what is this crap? So yeah, don't forget to vote, comment, review, and what not. 

Also sorry, I'm too lazy to recap everything, so I'll just recap last chapter. Don't kill me. kthanksbai

Part Four: Levi invited you to be his date to a charity ball, but in order for you to go, you have to waltz. Unfortunately, you don't know how to waltz, so you were forced to take waltzing lessons provided by Cristoph, his butler. You kinda, sorta master it...as best you can in like six hours. Then you get dressed, you look hot, and Levi comes to pick you up from your room. Btw, he said you were beautiful. You think he is lying. (He was flirting).

Part Five

***

"Breathe, princess..." you heard Levi whisper beside you.

You exhaled noiselessly in your realization that you had been holding your breath for quite some time. There were so many lights, so much noise. Everywhere you looked were blinding, flashes in your eyes and you were doing your best to not squint down into mass of reporters and charity goers. You felt more like a celebrity than the marriage prospect of a prince. Neither appealed to you.

As if to encourage you, you felt Levi pull you a little closer to his side. You moved your shoulder back and lifted your chin in an effort to appear as regal as he did.

Levi and you had entered the Great Hall at the top of the stairs, arms linked and heads high, about thirty minutes after the charity ball had officially started. Your heart was pounding wildly inside your chest, desperately praying to any higher power that you would not make yourself a fool tonight, or worse, Levi a fool. Despite your surge of confidence ten minutes prior, you were no longer feeling very sure of yourself in the face of so many upperclassmen.

Within seconds, you could feel the weight of their judgement and scrutiny. You had been a nobody before you met Levi and yet now, you were under a spotlight from the media. One of the most eligible bachelors of the world, who was known to brush off any romantic interests or marriage prospects, was now sporting you proudly on his arm...all because of chance. Of course you would be under close examination now.

Upon your entrance, there was a great clamor of noise. Between the applause and chatter, you could only focus on descending the stairs carefully. Tearing your dress or falling, or both, would be humiliating for you and the royal family. 

"This is...terrifying," you said. You had spoken just above the din but still kept a perfect smile intact to hide your fear. You glanced over at Levi and saw him smirk just slightly at your statement.

"I already told you, you look beautiful," he replied tonelessly as you continued to descend the stairs. "Own it."

You couldn't help but quietly scoff. "Easy for you say, prince."

He chuckled humorlessly.

"By the way, the first thing we are required to do is dance," said Levi. Your heart lurched in your chest upon hearing the news. You truly had little courage at this point, not with all the blatant and angry staring at you from all the ladies of the court.

Your eyes fell onto those of the queen's; she was the easiest to pick out among the crowd because her glaring at you was fierce just as you reached the bottom of the stairs. As you were about to duck your gaze, you stopped to look at the young woman at the queen's side.

The woman was beaming at you; she was quite stunning, the more you beheld her. Her honey-blonde hair was done up in an elegant up-do and laced with jewels, her amber eyes bright with what appeared to be excitement, and her intricate, red dress fit her form perfectly. You noticed she could not have been much older than yourself.

To you, she was a true lady of the court, in all her grace and aura that she possessed.

"Is that...?" you trailed. The sprite-like woman flashed you a grin, throwing you off completely. You had not been expecting that.

Levi glanced over at the woman in question and tugged you in the opposite direction. "That's Petra, yes," he replied, guiding you through the throng of people. "Don't think about that right now, though. I need you to focus."

You remained silent, returning your gaze forward while trying to ignore the continuous flashing lights of cameras around you. Your heart could not take much more of this.

"Now that our guests of honor have arrived," you heard a familiar voice call out over the hall, which caused the crowd to quiet immediately, "we may proceed with our customary charity waltz."

Your stomach lurched at the king's announcement, the hall bursting to applause.

"Good lord," you whispered to yourself.

It was strange how everyone seemed to clear the way for you, bowing their heads respectfully as you both passed. You knew it was solely for Prince Levi, but it was never a sight you ever expected to experience. After a moment, you found yourself in the middle of a large clearing of people surrounding an oak wood floor. You could only assume that this was the dancing floor for the evening, as the rest of the hall was marble. Your eyes fell onto a string quartet sitting patiently across from you, waiting for the signal to begin playing music.

Levi left your side to approach his father at the opposite side of the floor near the musicians. You wished he hadn't, because now that he no longer had his arm linked with yours, you were a thousand times more aware of the judgmental stares and the hissing amongst the crowd. You felt as though you were now a show dog with everyone eyeing you with heavy disdain, surprise, or even pity. You hated how this much attention made your confidence waver in its place, the way it made your nerves quiver and shake.

The prince lowered his head respectfully to the king before saying something too quiet for you to hear in his father's ear. It had only been a minute, but it felt like eternity having so many pairs of eyes on you, so many cameras and video recorders trained on your every move. It was becoming extremely hard to breathe, let alone trying to keep your legs from shaking from your nervousness.

You quickly ran through the waltzing steps that you had learned only hours ago in your head. If you were to forget a step, it would be disastrous.

Finally, Levi returned his attention to you and you froze.

"What did you say?" you hissed when he was within an arm's length.

Levi shook his head. "To instruct the quartet to play the song you learned to waltz to," he replied just as quietly.

You blinked in surprise but before you could reply, he turned his head to nod towards the musicians. Once he faced you again, he bowed. You hastened to curtsy just as the beautiful melody provided by a violin filled the air.

The prince offered his hand and you took it while trying to quell the anxiety building within you. It wasn't until your bodies were close and your hands were in their proper places, he spoke in your ear.

"If you do not trust in your own feet, than trust in mine," he whispered. "Just relax."

A flush of heat graced your cheeks, attempting not to meet any of the nobility's eyes behind him. He had spoken so gently.

"Okay," you breathed.

Once you relinquished your worries to the air, you allowed yourself to focus on the music and less on the timing of the dance. Levi was comparably shorter than his butler, Cristoph, so following his smaller steps were easier for you. You realized that your uncertainty and fear had gotten the better of you. You should have just trusted that Levi would not fail you as long as you were putting in the effort to follow his lead.

You were lost in the waltz and soft chords of the stringed instruments. At moments, you would find yourself glancing at your partner, his stoic expression rarely breaking while you both seemed to glide across the floor effortlessly. You had no idea what anyone thought of your dancing skills, but in that moment, you hardly cared. The only thing that mattered was to focus on Levi.

There was something liberating about spinning across the floor with Prince Levi as your lead. For as abrasive as he was with his words, his movements were elegant and smooth. Instead of the weight of your anxiety crushing you, you felt more freedom than you have since the day you arrived.

"Dip." You hardly had a moment to register his warning before your body responded to his arms, allowing your body to roll back automatically. You were surprised that you muscle memory had retained so much, as you hadn't even thought of it before you reacted.

The final note of the song rang out as you came up from your executed dip; the relief you felt in that moment was nothing you've ever felt prior. You had finished the waltz without any problems and Levi hadn't insulted you about your skills.

You lifted your eyes up to the gray ones staring back at you.

All at once, your hearing seemed to pick up the spike in noise, as another round of applause occurred for you and Levi's dance.

The corner of the prince's lips twitched into a smile and again, you began to blush under his gaze. Being this close to him, you couldn't ignore just how handsome he was. After a brief moment, he took your hand and turned to the audience of nobility to bow.

After you finished your graceful curtsy, you studied the profile of the man beside you for a moment. His world was bizarre to you. A required waltz for a charity ball wasn't entirely strange but you still were unfamiliar with any customs of this world.

And in gazing upon his visage, you already knew. There hadn't been much time you had spent with this man beside you; you were only beginning to uncover who he was behind the walls he hid behind.

Yet...you were finally aware of just how much you enjoyed being at his side, just like this, in the face of those who disapproved of his choice in a bride. You could hardly imagine being married to him or living as royalty, but you knew that you wanted to belong here now...and you didn't know why. The moments he smiled were the moments that made you the happiest. You knew nothing of Levi, at least very little. And yet, you were drawn to him, despite his normally caustic way with words. There was something about him that intrigued you endlessly.

It had nothing to do with his status, his financial background, or his title, but it had everything to do with who Levi really was underneath those masks and grandeur.

You gripped his hand a little tighter.

And he laced his fingers between yours.

Two hours later, you were downright exhausted. You did your best not to appear so, but your feet were aching in your heels, you were bored with all the "meet and greets" you were required to do, and you were starving. Unfortunately, you chose to not eat much of the beautiful array of appetizers making their rounds in the hall by servants in an effort to not become bloated.

Small talk was bland. Everyone was very curious as to your life prior to meeting Levi. Answering their questions was awkward and felt degrading because they continuously took pity on you for such an underprivileged lifestyle. Every woman and nearly every man you met were simply horrified upon hearing you lived in a studio apartment and had to work to stay afloat while in college. It hardly mattered to you; you knew the majority of the people Levi introduced you to hadn't worked a day in their life and were living off their parents' wealth and status.

You avoided media at all cost; having your face on television already made you queasy, but the idea of being pestered with invasive questions made the feeling worse. You were sure you would get a slew of phone calls and text messages later on about it from your friends and relatives back home or from Valen.

Finally, you had a moment alone, away from all the nobility when you excused yourself to the restroom. You had lied about your need to "freshen up." In reality, you were attempting to escape paying anymore respects to such haughty upperclassmen and politicians.

"(F/n)!" called a voice just as you entered the powder room. Several noble ladies who were in there furrowed their brows at the noise.

Turning, you found Sasha prancing up to you with a grin. "Hey..." you breathed, relieved to see a friendly face. You quickly gripped her upper arm and pulled her away from the women, ignoring their snide comments about you "fraternizing with servants."

"How's it going out there?" Sasha asked. "I'm going to fix your make up."

You rolled your eyes as your friend began to carefully fix some strands of your hair. "Shoot me," you said flatly. "Honestly, these people are so damn pretentious and ignorant."

Sasha laughed. "Ooh, look at you with your fancy words."

You chuckled. "Shut up."

The servant girl pulled out make up from the small bag she was carrying and brushed a light powder over you face. "Cristoph let me see you dance with Prince Levi," she said, sweeping the brush over your forehead.

"Yeah?" You sneezed, the powder tickling your nose. "Sorry about that...but how did I look? Like an ungraceful monkey, I'm sure."

Sasha paused as she put away the brush and make-up compact. "...actually, I was impressed. I didn't think you were going to do that well..."

"Thanks for your vote of confidence there, Sasha," you said sarcastically.

"Whaaaat?" she whined, an apologetic expression forming. "I thought you'd be too nervous to remember everything. You did really well for only a day of practice. Seriously."

You smiled at her. Her honesty, while tactless, was appreciated. "Thanks."

Sasha glanced behind you, noticing some women were still whispering about the pair of you. "Well, I better go," she said, lowering her voice. "Don't want these bitches starting rumors about you. Good luck! I'll make sure to have a bath ready for you at the end of the night."

"You are literally the best."

With that, the servant girl left you, not without hissing, "Swipe me some food, yeah?"

Shaking your head, you turned to leave the powder room. Steeling your resolve to face more pompous nobility, you took in a deep breath to calm your spiking nerves again.

Once you returned to the hall, you searched for Levi. You were not about to try and converse with these people without some sort of support but you were unable to find him among the mass. Everyone you passed seemed to stare at you longer than necessary, but you ignored it all so you wouldn't have to think about what they were thinking of you.

Ten minutes passed of you wandering the Great Hall and there was no sign of him. You were beginning to grow irritate; if it weren't for the fact that you were still required to be a part of the charity ball, you would have already went back to your room.

"Excuse me," said a voice behind you politely.

You had just passed by an open door that led out to the grounds. Upon turning, you found Petra coming through the archway, smiling at you.

Automatically, you threw up your defensives. She was your rival, technically. Not that you were set on marrying Levi, but Petra was still supposedly the ideal bride for him. Still, despite your wary disposition, you smiled cordially.

"I've been meaning to speak with you all evening," she said, half-curtseying to you.

You did the same. "Really?" you replied without thinking. "I-I mean, well...I've been meaning to meet you as well. Cristoph did say that you and I would be good friends."

Petra giggled. "Cristoph always thinks of others before himself, as is the nature of his profession," she explained. "I'm sure he wanted to make sure you would not be isolated and lonely during your stay here in the Citadel, since you do not know anyone other than the prince."

"This is true," you said. "I've made a friend though."

The smaller woman smiled gently. "Would you mind joining me for a walk? It's quite nice outside," she said. "It is also away from the commotion in here."

You glanced back, wondering if you'd see Levi. You didn't. Petra seemed harmless enough so you didn't see a reason why not.

"Sure, that'd be nice."

"Wonderful!" Petra quickly linked her arm with yours, taking you aback by the gesture. She was certainly very friendly.

It was silent between the two of you for a while you meandered the perimeter of the grounds. The air was warmer than it had been in the last couple days, but the breeze was cool and crisp. You loved being on the grounds at night; it was your place to think about things.

Petra was clinging to your arm, her warm skin seeping into yours through the sheer fabric of your sleeves. You glanced at her, finding her smiling idly to herself, without a care in the world.

You on the other hand, were beginning to feel awkward the more time passed. Your mind raced to figure out her motives, to understand her and what she wanted from you.

"For the record, I have no desire to marry Prince Levi," she said quietly. As if on cue.

Slowing your pace to a complete stop, you turned to look her directly. "...okay...what?"

The slight woman put a hand over her lips and laughed lightly. "I am sure that information came as a shock," she said. "But please believe me, (F/n), when I say that I do not want to marry him."

You couldn't find words to speak and attempted to gather your thoughts together. You had not been expecting to hear that from her. In fact, you thought you'd hear quite the opposite.

"Why?" you asked curiously. "Doesn't the queen want you to marry him?"

Petra sighed heavily, looking out over the grounds bathed in moonlight. It took her a moment to reply. "My aunt is doing all she can to arrange a marriage between me and the prince," she said. "I have several reasons as to why I am opposed to the idea. However, I am not at liberty to express that as it is not my place."

"Yes it is!" you blurted out. "It's your life!"

She returned her gaze to you, though it was a fraction darker than it had been a minute earlier. "A woman's life is truly not her own in this world, (F/n)," she said firmly. "It is in the discretion of men, or women with power."

You bit your tongue, as your response contained a curse word. You didn't want to offend her in any way.

"Allow me to be frank with you as to why I am opposed to an arranged marriage," she continued. "Although I am not blood related to Prince Levi, we still are nonetheless related. It's a strange dynamic that royalty and nobility practice often, but I personally find it distasteful."

You agreed.

"Please do not misunderstand my opposition as dislike," she said, shifting herself into the shadows of the tree you both stood by. "Prince Levi is honorable and will make a wonderful king in the future. I truly believe that he rule this country well."

She paused in thought.

"I respect him greatly. Prince Levi deals with more than any other crown prince within the United Commonwealth. He is under constant scrutiny because of his illegitimate birth and most of nobility do not agree with the king's decision to crown him as the heir. He has worked incredibly hard to have the approval he does among us and he is deserving of all the respect in the world. That aside, I am sure he will be a truly magnificent husband to whoever he takes on a wife."

You let your mind wander away with that for a moment.

"And if I were to be honest, I am simply not interested in becoming queen," she said flatly. "Of any country."

You blinked in surprise. "I was under the assumption that it was every woman's dream among the aristocracy to want to be queen."

Petra laughed. "Goodness, no!" she exclaimed, playfully hitting your arm. "At least, I do not desire that at all."

"Why?"

She made another thoughtful expression. "I suppose this could be rather appalling to hear, but I do not want that kind of responsibility on my shoulders," she replied. "You know that Serendair is the only country among the United Commonwealth that allows the queen and king to rule alongside each other. No other country allows that. The queen is just a figurehead of sorts."

"More like the means to an heir."

"That is precisely what I meant," said Petra. "Truth be told, I enjoy my lifestyle now. I have servants waiting on me at every moment. I have the wealth of my parents to provide for me for the rest of my days, if I wanted. I can travel wherever I please, desire what I want without any issue."

"...at least, you're honest," you said, a bite in your tone. "But you'd still have that as a queen."

"But I would lose all of my freedom if I were to ascend the throne here in Serendair. I do not wish to rule any country, nor do I desire to have the peoples' problems weighing on my shoulders. I am not made for that kind of lifestyle of stress. In all honesty, my parents never expected me to have such prospects before, so I was never bred to be a queen. I have formal education, but nothing beyond the basics such as knowing about economy or the military or money management."

It went silent because Petra fell into her thoughts once more. You couldn't help but eye her; you were appreciative of her blunt honesty. However, her blatant selfishness and disregard for responsibility was rather disheartening to hear. Of course, you didn't blame her. To have grown up your whole life with a silver spoon in your mouth, to suddenly being forced to have to carry the weight of millions of people...it would be intimidating to anyone.

"However, I also know that you have all the capability to rule this country," said Petra after a long moment. "I do not know you, other than your background of growing up rather poor."

"I was never poor," you interjected, irritated at her jab. "I have always been middle class."

"The working class," she corrected, which made you more aggravated. "Either way, (F/n), you are much better suited for being a queen than I. You have the abilities, the education, the ambition, and the drive to rule well alongside Prince Levi."

You did not agree with her statement but didn't voice your opinion on the matter.

"You are interested him romantically as it is, right?" she pressed.

A swooping sensation hit your stomach and yet again, your face began to flare up with heat. "We are friends, if anything," you replied hastily. "I wouldn't say I like Levi."

Petra's eyes widened a bit. "Levi...?" she said in surprise. "You clearly are friends if you refer to him so familiarly."

You averted your gaze once more and shifted in your place. Now you understood why she took the time to talk to you. Petra wanted you to take her place indefinitely, so that she did not have to worry about the possibility of an arranged marriage.

She was trying to encourage you to consider the idea of marrying Levi.

"I'm also..." Petra hesitated. "...in love with someone already."

The mood turned somber within a minute as you quietly gazed upon her small figure. For someone in love with a man already, she did not seem pleased about it. In fact, it almost looked to have upset her just thinking on it.

"I see," you said to cut the tension.

Even in the shadows, you could see her topaz eyes begin to water with bleakness. You grew uncomfortable, unable to find words to comfort her. The situation escalated quickly and you were desperately trying to find a way to get out of the rest of this conversation.

"It would truly kill him if I were to be forced to marry Prince Levi," she said, her voice cracking. "To see me every day at the arm of another man and knowing that we could do nothing but keep our love a secret."

"I-I'm so sorry, Petra," you replied, awkwardly putting a hand on her shoulder. The tears never fell, but her eyes were glassy.

"He is so kind...he would never say anything. He would never once complain about the prince or how I would be married to him," she continued, to your dismay. "He is loyal, so loyal it's nearly a fault. He would not become angry, he wouldn't lose his temper."

She gripped your hand in earnest. "That's why I pray that you and the prince will choose to marry so that I may not suffer such horrible consequences."

You were backed in a corner. You did not want to be married right now, but you had no idea what she was expecting you to say. There was no chance of you promising that you would marry Levi, not when you didn't even understand what you were feeling about him anyway. A part of you wanted to promise her that you would merely so she would stop crying, but that still seemed too ridiculous to even say.

"Plotting my demise out here?" said a deep voice to your right. You knew that voice and were immediately relieved to hear it. He was saving you. You were being rescued from an awkward conversation.

"Something like that," you said jokingly.

"Of course not!" Petra had said at the same time.

Levi snorted and approached you both. "I apologize Petra, but (F/n) is in fact my date for the night," he said, putting an arm around your waist. You froze on the spot, heat flaring over the back of your neck. "I would like to have her back now."

"Excuse me, I'm not an object!" you said but you went ignored.

Petra sniffled, beating back the tears she never shed and grinned up at Levi. "Of course, your highness," she replied good-naturedly. "I was swept away by how lovely your future bride is."

You shot her an incredulous expression; you never promised her that you were marrying him, and in turn, saving her.

Levi looked at you for a moment and you laughed sheepishly. "I have no idea what she is talking about," you said quickly, your cheeks tinted pink. "I'm still not marrying you."

"You say that now," said the prince, "but I doubt that will be the case much longer."

"And why is that!" you demanded, eyebrows drawn in.

The prince allowed himself to smirk and disregarded your question. He reached over and tipped your chin up with his finger, eyeing you. You, however, did not like that he was brazen in touching you like this, especially in front of others.

"She would make a very beautiful bride, wouldn't she?" Levi said to Petra.

The smaller woman smiled brighter. "And an even better queen, I'd imagine."

"Oh now you're both just mocking me," you spat.

Levi scoffed. "If I were mocking you, princess, it'd be much more cruel than that," he said. "I'd rather mock you on your atrocious abilities on how you walk in heels."

"H-hey!" You shot him a death glare. "My feet are killing me right now, you asshole. You're the one who made me go through waltzing hell all day, and this whole charity event."

Levi shrugged nonchalantly and began to walk away. In your anger for him insulting you, you tailed after him. "Hey, are you even listening to me?"

"I never listened to you, princess," he sighed. "Get used to it."

"You're so annoying!"

Petra giggled, enjoying the playful banter you and Levi shared. She had known Levi for a few years now, and she had never seen him smile and be so open like he was with you. No one ever has interested the prince enough to even get him talk for more than a minute, and yet here he was bickering with you constantly. Cristoph had been right all along, it seemed. Perhaps you and Levi both were not aware of growing fondness you held for one another. It was rather endearing.

It was obvious in you. She saw it written all over your face during your waltz with him. Your expression had shown that you wanted to belong there with him, that you were happy at his side...that the life of royalty wasn't for just the rich. It could be yours too, if you wanted it badly enough...if you allowed yourself to.

Petra hoped that you would realize it soon. That you were always meant to be his queen.