Imperial Affairs (Levi X Reader) AU

28. The Search

Reader's POV

"Do you think he heard me?" I asked Bertholdt as we walked on the path that led to the building where Mother and Christa were after abandoning Mikasa and Annie to sort it out themselves while I was sure that they went to the training grounds to fight it out.

Mikasa was strong and an Ackerman so in terms of strength, she had the upper hand but Annie, being from the house of war heroes, knew extremely complicated techniques that had been passed down in her house from generation to generation, was no easy opponent. The last time they fought, they had to be stopped because they were plenty bruised from each other's punches and kicks. I wondered who would be there to stop them this time.

"I don't think so," Bertholdt responded as I snapped out of my thoughts, "You were whispering the sensitive parts of the conversation. You were so quiet that even I barely heard you. And that means a lot coming from me."

"I hope that you're right," I sighed, "If he finds out who he is then he'll just find his family on his own and I won't get the deal I want."

"What do you want, anyway?"

"I want the company's support. If I have the Ackerman Trading Company's on my side then I will surely be the one to hold the crown," I smiled, "It's like a gem just fell into my hands."

"Knowing you, you would be celebrating," Bertholdt wondered, "Why are you not?"

"A lot of things happened," I explained as Bertholdt nodded in understanding, "I didn't get a chance to celebrate. But I'll celebrate as soon as I strike the deal."

"And do the others know this?" Bertholdt questioned as I shook my head.

"I haven't gotten a chance to properly talk with them about this opportunity yet."

"Alright. But what was that Ackerman's name?"

"Levi," I answered as I thought of what he would be doing now.

Levi's POV

What the hell?

What is this?

This is a room?

I looked around the prince's room (or chambers as they call it) that I had managed to sneak into and it was bigger than ten houses in the Underground combined.

It was sparkling clean as I wondered what skilled person cleaned this everyday. The walls were evenly painted in the colours the hallways walls were painted in. The room had a colossal bed that looked softer than cotton and I had the sudden urge to lay on it but I managed to restrain myself and complete my investigation that I had started to learn more about the prince. Learning more about the prince could help me live up to his expectations or learn of his weaknesses and exploit them. I also needed to know how he knew Isabel and knowing that was necessary in protecting her.

I thought about what Furlan originally planned. He never planned to follow the Empress, he planned to kill the prince and blackmail her. I decided to do the same except that it would be with the prince. I would pretend to serve him and find his weakness(es) to blackmail him and to make him suffer.

Because I still hated him.

Just because he treated me more humanly than the others in the Underground didn't mean I liked him. Just because he apologised to me once and let down his huge ego didn't mean I liked him. Just because he gave me two chances to join him didn't mean I liked him. Just because he had a better conversation with me than most people I had ever met didn't mean I liked him. Just because he chose to keep me out of the rain despite risking me learning of his weaknesses didn't mean I liked him. Just because he didn't treat me like dirt upon knowing that I was from the Underground didn't mean I liked him.