In Love with a Devil

Chapter 31 - Rumors and Stipulation

You had awakened in a bed with your uniform taken off and replaced with a white nightgown. You sit up and watch as the door opens, Hange cheerily smiling as they bring you a tray with food.

"I'm glad you're awake. That airship raid really took its toll on us, huh?" they say, trying to sound optimistic about the whole situation. You nod as you look down at your food, your stomach turning as you take a small bite. "Is something wrong?" they ask.

"I... I don't know." you reply, your eyes welling with tears. Hange hugs you tightly as you cry into their shoulder, remembering the last few moments from the airship before you fainted. "I got Sasha killed..." you whisper.

"No, that girl who snuck on board did. You shouldn't blame yourself-" Hange starts.

"Sasha pushed me out of the way!! She took the hit for me and now she's dead!!! All because she thought i was possibly pregnant and-" you say, quickly stopping as you hold your hand to your mouth.

"You... you're pregnant?" Hange asks, their eyes widening and their voice hushed.

"I don't know... she said I smelled like it... but I honestly just don't know." you cry, wiping your tears away.

"May i?..." Hange asks, motioning to your stomach. You give them a slight nod and they adjust your body, having you lay on your back with your knees bent and your head slightly elevated. They start just above your navel and press down slightly, only trying to feel for any type of gaps. They start repeating the process, making their way from the top to the bottom of your belly button and sighing as they wipe their hands with a cloth.

"It could still be early... but, I want you to assume that you could be. At least 8 to 12 weeks... I want you to take it easy until more signs start to arise." they say, half smiling.

You nod as you rub your stomach slightly, looking back at your food. You start eating and finish without any issues, your nausea almost nonexistent. Hange leaves to let you eat and change then to meet back with them to head out with Levi on his next assignment. You get dressed and go into the bathroom to rinse your face. You looked slightly more pale than usual, and oddly bloated in your lower abdomen. You took a deep breath and walked out, trying to shift your focus back to your mission.

This has to be a mistake... I can't be pregnant at the beginning of a possible world war. The timing couldn't be more horrid... and what would Levi think- oh fuck... what would he think?? He would sideline me and force me to stay in hiding... and he would do everything he could to make sure we, if there is a we, were safe... damn it... damn it all.. What am I supposed to do?...

~

Hange cleared you to return back to duty, thankfully keeping quiet about your situation, especially to Levi. You did your best to mask any possible symptoms as well as take precautions on what you ate. You helped load the supply wagons to take Zeke to a remote location with a handful of scouts. It was a secondary measure to ensure that no one, not even Eren, was plotting to betray Paradis. Though, you had some comments about what specific supplies were actually essential. The soldiers selected to come with Levi and his squad had practically begged him to bring the specialty Marleyan wine. Levi was opposed to the idea, since he himself doesn't drink wine, but he allowed it just to get everyone off his back about it. Zeke was put inside a carriage with Levi, the rest of the group surrounding it as they prepared to take off.

"Everyone is ready, Captain. We'll arrive just after dusk." you say, saluting your beloved as you feel Zeke's eyes on you.

"Good. Let's get a move on then, Lieutenant." Levi says, not breaking eye contact with Zeke.

You nod and close the carriage door, mounting the seat attached to the top and flicking the horse's reins and leading everyone out of the walls.

"I thought I was supposed to be staying in a fine Paradis hotel?" Zeke said, watching you as you walked outside of the carriage.

"Trust me. We're going to one of the island's best. One that's as far away from Eren as possible." Levi retorts.

"That's some wife of yours, Levi. I hope it's not too rude of me to say, but she's quite lovely." Zeke says, his back upright and his body stiff.

"I thought I told you to keep your filthy eyes off of her. If need be, I can always gouge them out, since you can just regenerate them anyway." Levi spits as he crosses his arms.

"I apologize... I just never imagined a man of your stature would even be capable of having a loved one. Let alone one who rides alongside you into battle."

"Keep talking about my wife, I'll kill you and ship your dismembered corpse back to Marley," Levi said, his tone unwavering. Zeke's lips turned into a fine line, looking out the window of the carriage.

~meanwhile~

The streets of Paradis started to fill with whispers and disarray. Somehow the news of Eren's imprisonment had been spread throughout the walls, and Shiganshina once again was forced to retreat inside. The hardships of being the Commander of the scouts started to take its toll on Hange, their once bright smile now stoic and emotionless. The ones who relayed the news to the public were 4 members of the scouts, one of them being Floch, a veteran from when the scouts reclaimed Wall Maria. When they were questioned as to why they leaked the information, Floch only replied that Eren did what was necessary, and shouldn't be imprisoned for fighting back against the enemy. Hange arrested the four for leaking confidential information, and continued with their investigation.

With Pyxis' help, he found out that Yelena had met with Eren 10 months prior to the attack on Liberio, and had kept it secret. Pyxis had followed the leads from Floch and the other recruits' leaking intel all the way back to when Eren had started disobeying orders and going off on his own. Yelena went on to tell Pyxis that she had Eldia's best interest at heart, and never told anyone else, but she did lie for her own personal reason as well: to simply meet Zeke's half-brother in person. Hange met with Onyonkopone to have a similar chat, but he claimed he had no idea that Yelena had met with Eren in secret. He also explained that Yelena had gone to drastic means to prove her loyalty to Zeke and his followers many times in the past.

Just as soon as the investigation started connecting the dots as to who all was involved in the betrayal, the Premier Zachary was blown up in his own office and Eren had escaped from his cell. All troops were sent out to search for him, along with the soldiers who sided with him which they called 'Jaegerists'. If there's one thing that's for certain, it's that Eren intends to meet with Zeke, and utilize the Founding Titan with Zeke's royal blood.