Honorary Scout

Chapter Seven

You know, people call him a bald Levi.

Evelyn's POV

I clamped a hand over my mouth to stifle the gasp that almost tumbled out of my lips, sweating nervously as those heavy footsteps continued to walk all around the room and even stepped onto the floorboard under which I'd been hidden.

"Sir, with all due respect."

I heard Mr. Braus speak in an uncharacteristically clipped tone.

"You do not have the right to barge into the home of an innocent citizen like this."

"I am here on official business as an officer of the Military Police, Mr. Braus."

The Military Police?! Why had an officer of the Military Police come looking for an ordinary little girl like me? Did it have something to do with the failure of the fifty-seventh expedition?

"And I would hardly call you innocent. Now, where is Evelyn Jaeger?"

"Who are you even talking about?!"

Mr. Braus demanded in a harsher voice.

"We don't know anyone named Evelyn Jaeger! The only Jaeger we've ever heard of is Eren and we've never even met him in person!"

Well, that part was true. They had really never met Eren in person. But what puzzled me was why they would lie about not knowing me when I had been living with them for the last three days, during which time they'd been so kind and considerate that they'd even tried to hide the newspaper talking about that fateful mission from me, though I'd eventually heard from the other villagers anyway.

"No need to play dumb, Mr. Braus."

The officer continued in his hard yet monotonous voice and terrifyingly stopped right on the floorboard under which I'd been hidden.

"Our intel clearly informs us that Mikasa Ackerman and your daughter, Sasha Braus, were last seen dropping a little girl here under your care a day before the fifty-seventh expedition commenced. And honestly, sir, I have much more experience with concealing people under the floorboards than you do."

He abruptly ripped up the floorboard and his cold brown eyes stared down at me; Mrs. Braus frantically shrieking in the background. But I still remained lying in my position within the cramped compartment under the floor and stared back at the officer with a steadfast gaze. My hands were quivering beneath my back but, unlike the other times I felt a sheer amount of fear, I refused to cry this time.

My family comprised of the Survey Corps and I was an honorary Scout myself. I refused to show weakness when I knew I had done nothing wrong.

The officer stared down at me for a few more seconds, keeping his own gaze intact as well, before a light suddenly flashed in his cold brown eyes, warming those cold brown eyes for a second, before he unexpectedly pushed the floorboard back down.

"I apologize, Mr. and Mrs. Braus."

I heard him say as he walked away from above me.

"The floorboards don't have anyone hidden either. But."

His voice turned ominously dark, even though I was still slightly perplexed about why he'd acted like I wasn't there when he'd seen me right in front of his eyes.

"The Prime and the Military Police had made their intentions very clear in the court case that had been conducted a month ago. If Eren Jaeger failed to lead the Scouts to victory in the fifty-seventh expedition, then he would be called back to the Capital to be executed."

What?! Executed?! But...didn't that mean death? Why had nobody told me about this?! And why did everybody want to kill the one perfect shot we had at reclaiming Wall Maria?