FACADE - eren yeager

three

"Are you even listening to me?" Zeke's voice echoed in the dining hall as he pushed his glasses a tad further on the bridge of his nose, a glass of wine in one hand and a dissatisfied frown pulling at his features.

"I am. I just don't care," Eren replied frankly, leaning back against his chair as he signalled the server to fill his wine glass further. Quickly, she hurried to Eren's side, her delicate footsteps resonating against the marble floor. She held the bottle carefully with both hands and slightly tilted it, proceeding to pour the alcohol inside Eren's glass whilst he stared ahead, visibly indifferent. Strands of hair hung messily over his forehead while half of the rest of his hair was loosely tied into a bun that seemed to want to fall at any given second. The skin under his eyes was tinted with fatigue, further irritating Zeke, who has been telling him to correct his sleep for years.

The atmosphere was silent to the point of any noise ranging from the clicking of silverware to Zeke clearing his throat engulfing the air. Perhaps the room was too empty, just like the rest of this forsaken castle. The void made any and all noise painfully deafening.

Their palace spread on many acres of land, all carefully furnished and decorated to fit the highest standards, yet, the space felt empty. It seemed to be raining even on sunny days– at least, that is what it felt like to Eren. The walls seemed to be enclosing him as the days passed, and eventually, he'd ostensibly stopped caring. Was there even a point in attempting to defy a life that had been pre-fabricated? Over time, he realized it was futile.

"I can't do this alone, Eren. You know that," Zeke sighed, placing the silver utensils he was holding into his now empty plate.

Eren simply stood up and dug his hands in his pocket, his features calm and his eyes as empty as any other room in this castle, "I never asked you to."

The sound of his footsteps faded away into the hallway connecting to the dining hall, leaving Zeke sitting by himself at the long table with vacant seats, "Eren, wait," Zeke started, only he followed with a sigh instead of other words, deciding against further wasting his breath.

They had diverging priorities and interests; their views had never aligned, which became even more apparent when their parents passed. Zeke was much more focused on duty; he had come to accept the life given to him and had somewhat learned to embrace it. Some people are perhaps more fit to rule over a nation, and Eren wasn't. He had never been, even when his parents were alive. He had little to no interest in titles or executive powers. And perhaps, over the years, the lack of freedom and ties to the outside world is what had turned him stone cold.

Zeke's main priority at this moment was to both marry someone into royalty. He firmly believed it was the only way to get their Empire back on its feet, even though Eren felt otherwise.

Eren had always known he would probably end up forced into an alliance that held no profundity or sentiment, but it came sooner than he expected. Love never had anything to do with it. He couldn't care less about such useless and blinding emotions. Neither he nor Zeke believed in its existence anyway. And if it did exist, it wasn't meant for people like them. In their world, love was simply a matter of status and another partnership to make the kingdom's influence and power grow. Hence, long ago, they had buried their hopes of ever being able to experience the life they desired. Those hopes were dead. The light inside their eyes faded away until all that was left behind was a blank, vacant gaze. Zeke let it die without much resistance; Eren tried to keep the flame alive until it was forced out of him.

Zeke sighed and stood up from the table, defeated, leaving the room to bathe in the loneliness of yet another pointless evening.

He knew damn well it was foolish, but regardless, he hoped Eren would cooperate for the sake of their kingdom.