Author's note: herro, please enjoy the third installment of Prince Levi! xoxo and thank you for the continued support! Also, remember...slightly OOC Levi...as he is a prince and well yeah.....ENJOY

Part Three

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The night air was cool and crisp to your lungs and the breeze kicked up a faint yet verdant scent while you meandered the Citadel's grounds. The sky was clear, the moonlight guiding your way through the garden. Back in Valen, the stars were visible but there was nothing quite like seeing the heavens above here in Serendair. You had never seen such a sight; there were so many stars and even the Milky Way galaxy was palpable.

It was relatively late, but as far as you knew, you had no particular curfew, as long as you were within the premises of the castle. You had needed some fresh air to clear your head; your first four days within these halls had been a whirlwind of high class confusion.

Your thoughts traveled back to your first night in the Citadel.

Upon arrival at the Throne Room with Levi, you met the king and queen of Serendair, and needless to say, it had been strange.

Your grip on Levi's arm had been tight, unbeknownst to yourself; you were incredibly nervous, as you were unsure what you were supposed to say, if anything at all. Once you lifted your anxious gaze up to the ornate thrones before you, you found yourself looking at two very regal beings.

Do kings and queens just sit around all day on their thrones and just laze around? you thought idly. A million questions came to mind. You had no idea what the day in a life of a ruler entailed but you had to really wonder if they did absolutely nothing and just wait for people to visit them like now. You knew, that obviously, they had a kingdom to rule but you weren't sure what you were expecting upon your first meeting.

The king was beaming as you both approached them; you found this as a surprise. The queen, however, did not make any attempt to hide her obvious disdain, for her frown was deep and her eyes were piercing. Her glare made you uncomfortable so you settled to keep your gaze on the king's pleasant smile instead.

Levi looked a lot like his father. They had the same facial structure; same eyes, jaw line, and nose. Levi's hair was darker though, as his father's was a lighter brown, which was greying at his temples. Levi must have gotten his hair and complexion from his mother. The king didn't look all that old, for someone who was dying of pancreatic cancer though, nor did he seem to care that was ill. The queen, however, looked nothing like the two. She was still relatively young looking, with her deep, red hair, pale skin, and her fierce blue eyes. She was stunning, in a way.

Once you were close enough to them, you and Levi both bowed deeply in respect. Once straightened, you felt Levi's hand at the small of your back and it took all of you not to snap at him for touching you there. It was one thing to guide you in with linked arms, but it was another thing entirely to have him place an arm around you in a relatively intimate way.

"Welcome, to our beautiful country, Serendair, Miss (L/n)," said the king warmly. "And it is not often we have such lovely young women join us here on the behalf of my son."

You smiled politely at him but weren't sure if you should reply. Levi quickly pinched you lightly in the side, hidden from the king and queen, and you flinched. Now you knew why he was touching you.

"Thank you very much for allowing me to spend my summer here, your highness. It truly is a stunning land to behold," you replied, lowering your head once more in reverence. You mustered up all the politeness you had. "I am indebted to your hospitality and I thank you for your compliment of my appearance. Prince Levi should take the credit for that though."

From the corner of your eye, you saw Levi smile very slightly, impressed by your word choice and respect for the rulers before you.

The queen scoffed and not very quietly, which caught you off guard. "Your civility is surprising, for a peasant." She had spoken with a great amount of apathy but it did not negate how incredibly rude it was. The king glanced at his queen, but remained quiet.

You felt a blow to your pride and anger bubbled internally. You had your hands clasped in front of you but it was hard to hide the fact that you were now slowly clenching them while you bit back your retort. But it did not stop you from thinking it.

And your manners don't match that of a queen, but you don't see me making a fuss over it.

The silence that ensued from the queen's pretentious statement was weighted with awkwardness as you desperately tried to keep your temper in check. You wished Levi would say something, but you knew full well he could not.

Now you could understand why there was a very heavy amount of contempt coming from Levi for his step-mother. You had expected her to maintain some sort of propriety, even if you were from a lower class than her but that was out the window with her first sentence.

"Straight to the point then," said the queen, as if completely unaware of the air surrounding the hall, "you're here because Levi has chosen you to be his bride, correct? Or, so I am informed."

Heat flushed your cheeks as you attempted to find words to deny the fact. That was definitely straight to the point.

"I never said-" Levi began to say but the queen completely ignored him.

"Well, I will be quite frank with you," she continued on over the prince. "Levi is already arranged to be married to my niece, Petra, despite you being chosen in The Giving of The Rose ceremony. So, there is really no need for you to be here. I would suggest you not waste your time attempting to play princess and return to your country."

You stood there, stunned, but well aware of the growing agitation in Levi beside you. His hand dropped from your side and you couldn't help but glance up at the king, to see if he was going to stop this argument before it started. The king's countenance was now forming into that of annoyance, but you weren't sure who it was directed towards.

"That has not yet been decided," said Levi, his tone leveled but still fierce. "Furthermore, I did not invite Miss (l/n) to the Citadel under the assumption of engagement. She agreed to come for her personal enjoyment, as I only extended the invitation as such."

The queen rolled her eyes, but smirked. "Do not put up a front, Levi," said the queen scathingly. "We are well aware of your true intentions, as I'm sure she is as well. Otherwise, you would have not given her the financial support in the manner that you have, which was rather superfluous. However, letting this poor girl hope and aspire to being your bride is altogether impetuous and irresponsible. You know marrying lower class is forbidden."

So many big words...you thought idly. By context, you knew what most of them meant but to carry on a conversation with such a vast array of vocabulary would tire anyone out. You wondered why nobility had to speak in such terms.

"It might be frowned upon, yes, but it is not illegal," shot back Levi. "You are well aware of that, your highness."

You were honestly shocked. You had not expected your initial meeting of the rulers would turn out this way, nor did you expect yourself to absolutely loathe the queen in less than five minutes. Even worse, you did not understand why the king had so little to say on the subject or even any desire to stop the growing tension between his wife and son. Although, you did notice the king held a fond expression whenever Levi spoke.

The queen turned her hard gaze to you because she obviously did not know what to say to Levi. You merely stared back defiantly. Of course, you were intimidated but you would not be made a fool just because this woman was higher in "status." Queen or not, she did not have to be as rude as she was.

"And you, little girl," the queen said with a snide tone, which made you want to punch her dead in the face, "do not assume we are ignorant to your lies."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," you replied innocently. "I beg of you, please elaborate on the 'lies' I have been telling so that I may politely correct you."

The queen's glare hardened, angered that you were challenging her, but you distinctly heard Levi quietly make an amused snort. "You cannot possibly claim that you have zero interest in marrying into nobility to save yourself from your underprivileged upbringing," she said, causing another spark of anger in you. "You are not here merely for the sake of your enjoyment. You are here to pursue marriage and power."

Levi glanced at you.

"Uhh, no," you said simply, rendering the hall speechless. "With all due respect, your highness, I am perfectly content with my 'underprivileged upbringing,' as you have unjustifiably coined it."

There was another wave of blank shock that passed over the other's faces because of your push back with the queen. Levi was genuinely surprised that you had enough courage to be so blunt.

"As Prince Levi said," you continued, "I am here because he persuaded me to come...as a friend. Initially, I refused the invitation but curiosity got the better of me. Furthermore, as I have said to him, his financial support, while appreciated greatly, is also superfluous, as you've said, because I am perfectly capable of providing for myself. Regardless, I am grateful for his help." You paused for a moment. "True, I understand there are underlying reasons Prince Levi holds to extend an invitation to reside here among royalty, but I can assure you, I have no intention of marrying him. I'm aware that I am not exactly fit to be a queen, nor do I have any ties to nobility. So, I would not worry about me attempting to depose your niece's chance to be queen."

Using so many uncommon words in conversation was exactly as you thought it was; tiring.

Again, the silence blanketed the hall after your little speech as the four of you stared at one another. The queen looked as if she had a few choice words to say but didn't know how to form any sort of coherent sentence while the king looked mildly amused at the entire situation. Levi had his usual stoic expression intact, but you, on the other hand, were internally seething. You were absolutely stunned by how insulting the queen was.

"Hold your tongue, Amara," said the king before the queen could muster up a nasty response to you. "I believe you've done enough damage for one day."

His tone was gentle and kind, though his gaze was stern when he had been looking at his wife. She gave a very indignant huff and remained quiet.

"Regardless of your reasons for joining us in the Citadel, Miss (l/n)," the king said, his smile returning, "you are welcomed indefinitely. Make use of the castle as your home for as long as you wish, as you are an honored guest of my son's. As for his intentions..."

The king paused to look meaningfully at Levi, who did not alter his expression even slightly.

"...I have not yet decided to impose a marriage to Petra Ral on him, as of yet," the king went on airily. "There is still time for him to choose his bride as he sees fit. For now, that is his choice to make, whoever it may be."

The queen did not look happy about this statement but the king shut her right up with another steely gaze. You wanted to laugh but you resolved to save your amusement for later.

"We shall take our leave, then," said Levi stiffly. When he bowed, you hastily did so yourself.

The king lowered his head slightly but the queen looked too put out to care either way. You had a feeling those two were about to have a very serious talk about what had just transpired in the Throne Room.

The prince turned on his heel without another word and gripped your hand tightly. You were surprised with this gesture but did not voice anything as he pulled you along at a quick pace. Perhaps he was angry with you for speaking so freely or maybe you embarrassed him.

The last thing you heard from the Throne Room was the queen hissing angrily to her husband. "Richard! How can you undermine me like....?" was all you heard before the giant doors were closed behind you.

The dinner you and Levi shared after that was painfully quiet and very awkward for you. Levi had looked so wrapped up in his thoughts that you were afraid to break him from them, even though you had no idea what fork you were supposed to use for each course of the meal. Thankfully, Cristoph had sensed your distress and helped you out.

After dinner, Levi abandoned you fairly quickly and you were left to confines of your room.

You never did find out what Levi was thinking after you met his parents, and you haven't seen him since that dinner. Cristoph had said Levi was very busy with meetings and plans and whatever else it is a prince does, since he had been away in Valen for a few days before bringing you to Serendair. You guessed Levi was trying to play catch up or something.

The next three days were spent visiting the city that the Citadel towered over, eating a lot of delicious food, and perusing through the massive library in the castle. You've been exploring a lot, because you still were not familiar with all the parts of the Citadel you were allowed in. You had wanted to drop by Levi's study yesterday evening when you passed it, but he looked so enthralled with his work that you were not sure you wanted to interrupt him.

Presently, you sat down at a ornate fountain, your gaze up at the stars above. You had only been here four days and you realized very quickly that this was a lifestyle completely different than your own. Of course, you knew that before, but every moment was just another reminder that you were not of this world. Just the mere fact that you had your own personal maid was strange, though Sasha made your stay here a little easier to adjust to. With you constant insistence, she treated you more as a friend than her superior.

Again, your mind wandered back to Levi. You wished you had more time to talk to him; you still had so many questions to ask him about his life. There was a deep desire to understand him. You wanted to know why he always held such a detached expression, or why he never spoke with much enthusiasm about anything. You weren't sure, because you knew so little of him, but there was a very lonely look in his eyes, one that you were sure very few people ever noticed.

"You'll catch a cold dressed like that," said a voice behind you. Surprisingly, you were not startled by the noise and you felt yourself smile up at the stars.

"Speak of the devil..." you whispered to yourself. You turned your head to find Levi coming out of the shadows of the shrubs that surrounded the courtyard you were in. "It's not that cold out."

Levi scoffed and draped his coat around you without even offering it. "You still shouldn't be out here this late."

You secretly rolled your eyes but pulled the black coat around you a little tighter. "I know," you said, feigning a grave tone. "All those bunnies in the garden are gonna give me rabies."

"Tch, shut up."

You chuckled under your breath as Levi sat down next to you. He didn't say anything but the silence wasn't awkward. Another slew of questions came to you while you sat together and stared at the stars but again, you weren't willing to pry into his thoughts just yet.

"I can see why you hate the queen," you said after a while. "Never seen someone with a stick so far up the ass-"

Levi stifled a laugh, obvious he didn't want to be seen amused at the queen's expense but you smiled. It was rare to ever see him laugh genuinely.

"You have a lot of nerve speaking to her so candidly, (f/n)," said Levi, a faint smile still in place. "I don't think anyone, save for the king and myself, have ever spoken to her like that."

You shrugged indifferently. "Well, maybe if she didn't call me a 'peasant' and 'little girl,' I would have been more polite," you replied in a haughty tone. "Queen or not, she didn't have to insult me like that."

Unbeknownst to you, there was a soft expression in Levi's eyes as he gazed at you but the second you turned to look at him, it was gone.

"But you are a little girl," said Levi, pinching your cheek.

"Ow! That hurts!" you cried, smacking his hand away from you. "And I am not!"

Levi just chuckled.

"Just saying," you said, rubbing your still stinging skin, "if I were queen, I would never treat anyone of lower class like that. It's ridiculous to think that just because you rule the country and have a ton of money gives you all the reason to behave like a complete bitch."

"My offer still stands," replied Levi in near deadpan, "to be the next queen."

You scoffed. "And my answer is still no. I'm not marrying you."

"Your honesty, while honorable, is rather callous and tactless," the prince said with a shake of his head. You narrowed your eyes at him but didn't reply. As much as you enjoyed bantering with him, you didn't want to keep talking about the marriage prospect. True, it was your condition upon coming to not hear anything of it, but you realized it would be hard now to avoid the topic as it was in the back of everyone's mind.

Levi rose to a stand and you gazed up at his silhouette from the moonlight for a moment. You realized that this was how you saw him in reality. You knew of him, but you did not know anything about him. Just as it is with his silhouette; you knew he was there but you could not make out any distinct features of his face or body.

There was so much mystery about Levi. It drew you in without much effort. He intrigued you.

"We should be turning in for the night." He broke through your thoughts while gazed up at the Citadel. "I'll walk you back to your room."

You nodded, knowing that would be at least a twenty minute walk from this far out into the grounds. Rising to a stand, you adjusted the coat around your arms and followed Levi out of the gardens.

"We're holding a charity ball tomorrow night," said Levi after a moment. "I assume you have not been informed."

You glanced at him. "I wasn't, though now I see why the main hall was being cleaned so thoroughly yesterday.... Charity for what?"

"Homeless within Serendair," he replied. "We have one of the lowest homeless rates in the world, as we provide a lot of housing and opportunities for them to find work."

"That's actually very impressive," you said genuinely.

Levi waved a dismissive hand. "We are getting off track," he sighed. "I did not bring up the charity ball to boast about our homelessness rates."

In effort to not laugh, you covered your lips with your hand that clutched his coat around you. He was weird in his own way.

"I want you to join me as my guest-"

"You mean your date, right?" you cut in with a teasing tone.

"Call it however you wish," Levi said curtly. "But I am asking you to attend with me."

You smiled to yourself. "Sounded more like a demand but okay..."

The pair of you continued to walk without much haste through the maze of shrubbery. Normally, the prince always seemed to be in a rush, as his pace was always abnormally quick. Now, however, he appeared to be no where in particular and you enjoyed the change.

"You're required to dance," mentioned Levi with a grave tone.

You sort of laughed humorlessly. "Sorry, but then I'm going to have to decline your invitation," you said apologetically. "You and I both know I carry all the grace of a farm animal. I can't dance."

Levi glanced at you with a cynical expression. "I beg to differ," he replied. "You merely require practice, as I do not think you without grace."

"Ah, I appreciate the attempt to sway me," you laughed, but it died out when you realized he was serious. "But I would think your image would be better protected by inviting someone else."

Levi rolled his eyes. "Such as...?"

You thought for a moment. "I dunno...Petra, I guess?" you offered.

He snorted at this. "Out of the question," he said with finality. "If I were to attend the charity ball with her, there would undoubtedly be questioning on who my bride will be. I'd rather avoid stoking the fire of rumors going around about her and I being engaged."

You retreated into your thoughts and sighed quietly. Of course, you were curious about this ball and wanted to attend but the idea of having to dance in front of so many people was nerve wracking. His insistence, while subtle to most, was easy to see for you. Of course, you didn't think he would ever outright ask or beg, as that would not be Levi's style. However, you wouldn't put it past him to start pestering you about it until you caved.

"Alright fine..." you groaned. "My humility doesn't seem to matter to you."

"It does, to some degree," Levi countered. Finally, you two were out of the gardens and approaching the Citadel. "If you were to make a fool of yourself at the ball, you're indirectly making a fool of me."

"Ouch."

Levi shrugged at your veiled way of conveying he stung your pride before he opened the door into the hall for you to head inside. "So, with that said, I'll have waltz lessons provided for you tomorrow before the ball. It'll help your confidence."

"Excuse me," you objected. "I thought this was my summer vacation, not some... princess bootcamp or whatever."

Another very brief chuckle escaped Levi's lips. "You didn't think an all expenses paid trip came without a catch, did you?"

His eyes held a mischievous sort of glint in them as you made your way up the stairs to the guest wing of the Citadel. You didn't know if you liked the way he was looking at you like that but you tore your gaze away to watch where your feet were stepping.

"Besides," he continued, "it's for your own benefit."

"You mean it's for yours," you countered with a bite. "Can't have a 'peasant' on your arm, now can you?"

"Peasant, no," he said wryly. "But a farm animal is much more my taste."

You narrowed your eyes at him again and he sort of smirked. "Not sure if you're flirting with me...or mocking me..."

"Oh please," he replied in a disparaging voice. "Flirting with you? You've gotten quite cocky since our first meeting."

"Whoa, whoa...wait a second!" you snapped. "You're the one who wants to marry me. It's not every day a prince comes along asking a normal girl to get hitched to him, so yeah, my ego might have expanded a little. So what? Don't get it twisted here."

"What am I twisting, exactly?" said Levi in deadpan. "Is that idiotic slang terminology?"

You ignored that jab. "You're the one who wants me. Not me who wants you."

Levi made a skeptical face again. "Well, if you put it so simplistically...yes. But flirting, I was not."

Your playful banter continued all the way back to your quarters. Most of it was spent arguing about what kind of dress you were going to wear. Levi said he already had something for you, but you had attempted to get him to let you pick something out on your own. He refused. He did, however, tell you that your dress was a royal blue.

You passed a few servants along the way, and you weren't sure just why they were giving you such strange expressions; it was as if they had seen some sort of ghost. Or maybe it was just the fact that Levi was teasing you to no end and they had never seen that before. You weren't sure but their furtive glances were making you uncomfortable.

Admittedly, every step closer to your room made your heart just a fraction more sad that you couldn't keep talking to the prince. As much as he harassed or mocked you, you knew there was no malevolence in his words. You didn't get to find out much about his life, but you had a feeling that was going to take time for him to trust you enough to open up. You wouldn't push things, at least not yet. Your friendship still had a long way to go before he would be that comfortable.

"And this is where I leave you," said Levi once you were close enough to your door. You glanced at him, finding his eyes a little less lifeless than they had been earlier. "Don't stay up too late."

You extended your hand abruptly and he eyed it. "You too, Levi," you replied. You really had no idea why you wanted a handshake, as it was not really the moment for one, but you did without thinking. You couldn't back down from it now, as it would make you look even more like an idiot so you resolved to keep it extended.

Levi took your hand in his but instead of shaking it, he bowed slightly and brought your fingers to his lips. Without breaking eye contact, he kissed your hand very lightly and instantly your body heat flared.

"Goodnight, princess..." he said in uncharacteristically sultry tone. Your stomach rolled painfully and you were sure you could vomit out butterflies at this point.

"U-um..." you stammered, trying to gather your wits, "goodnight Levi. Sleep well."

Levi released his hold on your hand before you could yank it from him. He left you standing there without even looking back at you, but you could tell he was feeling very smug.

You watched him down the hall for a moment before your mind stopped being a scrambled mess. He was definitely toying with you.

"Th-that was flirty as hell, by the way!" you called after him. Finally, he glanced at you with the widest smirk you've ever seen him wear.

"Good night, (f/n)," he said, making a lazy attempt to wave at you.

You shook your head and entered your room, a mixture of emotions coursing through your veins. You knew he did that on purpose, just to tease you but you didn't like how flustered you became because of it. You put a hand over lips in thought, before you burst out laughing; you weren't sure if it was because of nerves or confusion.

"Dammit, Levi..." you sighed. "I'm in trouble."