Choice [Levi X Reader] (Au!)

Chapter 25: Yearning

"What did you just say?" Frowning, Levi asked Krista, who was sorting some documents.

Taking her eyes off the papers to Levi, Krista nodded, "Yes, the young master went to Isabel's house for a sleepover."

When Levi came home from the office, the unusual quietness of the house seemed odd to him. It did not take him long to understand the two people who always make chaos was out of the house for some reason & that information was enough to cause Levi to panic.
Levi sighed in relief to know his son was in Isabel's home, but another question came to his mind. If (y/n) was not with Eren, then where was she? Though he knew the probable answers about her whereabouts, his mind filled with bitterness to remember those she could meet were none other than either Kenny or Ivan. At least Eren was with someone he could trust blindly was enough for him to ease some of his distress.

"If the place isn't Isabel's or Erwin's home, I'll make you bring Eren back right now. Next time, inform me before allowing him to go somewhere like this." Levi paused, thinking whether to ask about (y/n) or not, "Anyways, I'll have dinner at 9 p.m."

"Understood."

After working for Levi for almost six years, Krista knew only a handful of people from his inner friend circle; whom Levi trusted greatly. The number of enemies he & Kenny gained after their company's outstanding performance a few years ago made Levi more cautious about his son's safety. His arranged marriage & the child protection committee's action made him warier of people & so eight months before his wedding with (y/n), Levi appointed Krista to maintain the household.
Her precise working method made Levi believe that he could trust her to work for him secretly, to keep an eye on his wife. Whatever (y/n)'s intentions were, she never meant any harm to Eren, Krista was sure of, after watching (y/n) closely for a long time. Meanwhile, Krista also observed the gradual change in the couple's relationship from mistrust to care for each other. The couple might look odd from the outside, but Krista knew their bonding was far more profound than it seemed.

And when Levi hesitantly paused between the two sentences, Krista smiled knowingly, what Levi wanted to ask but could not. Before he left the room, Krista spoke, "Madam said she was going to meet one of her friends & would be late to come home."

The unexpected info made Levi stop in his track. Turning around to face Krista, he asked, "Did I ask you about her?"

Shaking her head side by side, Krista answered, "Certainly you did not, Sir. But it's my responsibility to inform you about everyone's whereabouts, so that's why I said that."

Closing his eyes, Levi sighed exasperatedly, "Sometimes you can stop working too meticulously for my sake, Krista. Am I clear about this?"

"I'll do as you instructed, sir."

----

After everyone in the household had their dinner & retired for the night, Krista went to the living room to wait for (y/n). Though she, Levi & (y/n) had separate spare keys, that day, (y/n) forgot to take her one in a hurry. As she stood before the fireplace in the living room, Krista's eyes went to the porcelain wall clock above the richly carved mantel.

'It's already 11:10 p.m. I wonder when Madam would come back home.'

To pass the time, Krista decided to read a novel she brought a week ago but could not read a single page due to her busy schedule. The story of star-crossed lovers against the backdrop of the civil war was popular among the readers. And when the second part of the trilogy came into the market, Krista brought it without wasting any time. Lost in the story, she did not notice the soft chimes of the clock when it struck midnight & then startled by the loud sound of the doorbell, causing her to drop the book from her hands. Jumping to her feet, she rushed to the entrance to open the door.
A look of puzzlement crossed her face to see (y/n) leaning against the door frame to support her body. In her hand were her white stilettos, and her other hand barely held her trench coat & satchel bag.