Imperial Affairs (Levi X Reader) AU

58. To Fall Down A Bottomless Pit

Reader's POV

"Talk to me," Erwin held my hands in his like a caring parent would once they'd sensed something was wrong, "Tell me, why did you do that?"

"I don't know," I couldn't meet his eyes.

"I know you. You always do something for a reason. There is a reason for your actions. What is it?"

"I never said that there wasn't a reason. I just don't know it. All I knew, all I felt was that I had to stop that test."

"Why?" Erwin questioned, not using honorifics for the first time in a long while but I daren't ruin the moment, "What did you feel? What is in your blood that you feel like hiding it? Have you been taking drugs?"

"Alcohol is a drug," Marlowe pointed out, comfortably sitting in my chamber's couch as we had the meeting of the nine without the two nobles and the two who were in the North.

"Besides that."

"Tobacco from cigars? Maybe cigarettes if I want something lighter?" I questioned, "But you already know that."

"I did not."

"Oh."

"Did you just rat yourself out?" Ymir raised an eyebrow, "And here I was think that you were smart."

"But it doesn't matter. Erwin, you can't stop me from using them."

"We'll have that discussion later. But I need to know right now, is there anything else?"

"No?"

"Do you not know?"

"I mean, I'm sure I haven't taken another drug."

"Then why?"

"I told you, I don't know."

"Then what should we do about your condition? It isn't getting better and you keep getting another fever every five minutes. Your temperature is only increasing and you are feeling worse and worse every time."

"I can handle it."

"If only she'd eat something," Niccolo rolled his eyes, "She'd be back to normal in no time."

"If only she wouldn't set fire to the room every time we tried to test her blood," Marlowe rolled his eyes.

"Hey! What's with the sarcasm? I'm the victim here!"

"But we need to know what happened," Armin brought up the issue, "Your Highness got sick in the North-"

"No honorifics," I warned.

"Right, my apologies," Armin started talking again, "You got sick in the North, got sick on the way, had too much to drink and then drank more again and you took that poison for immunity but even so, all that shouldn't cause you multiple fevers throughout these days. Your older fevers should have been cured by now and you have already built a considerable amount of immunity to that poison so why?"

"I don't know."

"Did...did the assassin do something?" Armin's eyes widened as everyone in the room looked at him and then me.

"No!" I defended the innocent Lan, "No, he didn't."

I mean, he did try to kill me but I'd rather not be scolded anymore than I already have been because I slightly let my guard down.

"Alright now, it's time to take your temperature," Marlowe walked toward me with a thermometer in his hand.

"I told you before, I'm not putting it in my mouth."