Imperial Affairs (Levi X Reader) AU

59. Don't Leave Me

Reader's POV

"Furlan Church," I passed Erwin the name, feeling Lan tense behind me, "Can you find him?"

"Who is he, Your Highness?"

"A friend of Levi's," I answered.

"You will have to ask, ahem," Erwin coughed as a signal as he talked about that person, "Him, Your Highness. And I doubt he's going to be back anytime soon since he came over only the other day."

"Alright," I nodded as I left Erwin's office with Lan by my side.

"If I may be so bold to ask," Lan was nervous, "Who is Levi, Your Highness?"

"The one you took the place of," I answered truthfully because he had indeed taken Levi's place. After Levi was not able to do anything for so long, the Empress must have assumed that he had taken my side and sent someone to take the place he had left.

Lan gulped, "What...happened to him, Your Highness?"

"What's it to you?" I was suspicious.

"N-Nothing, Your Highness. I only wished to know how your assassins met their end."

"They either join me, are sent back to the Empress or executed if they actually made an attempt to kill me," I closed my eyes to relax them.

"Oh," Furlan paused and then, I could feel rage escaping him. I felt in him, a number of emotions.

"I told you I had a question, Lan," I opened one of my eyes to look at him, "Answer it."

"What is it, Your Highness?"

"Say, do you know anyone by the name of Isabel Magnolia?"

Lan's eyes widened as he shook. It was clear that he did.

"Your Highness- I-," Lan hesitated.

"I don't care for your lies. Now that I know the truth, tell me, is she...alive?"

Lan hesitated for a second before he shook his head and my heart sank.

"I should have expected this," I muttered and closed my eyes again. It didn't affect me as much as before, or to be completely honest, it didn't affect me at all. I had felt she was alive but I had known that she was not and I was one to choose my head over my heart.

I had been feeling better after Marlowe gave me a number of universal antidotes and medicines and I was forced to stroll around the palace by Erwin who knew that if I let my thoughts consume my mind for any longer, I would become a slave to my anger.

I decided that I would get Furlan Church out of the Underground for Levi because now I knew what it felt to be in his position. To have everything ripped away from you and to be forced to live up to someone else's impossible expectations. But I still wouldn't give him the other benefits he were to get if he did what he was asked to since if I did that, it was possible that he would stop trying to be better.

I stepped onto the little stepping stones in the healthy green grass placed in a particular pattern as I walked onto my destination. Instead of strolling around, I went to the table in the garden where I sat the day before yesterday and enjoyed the shade of the tree with the cool breeze. This breeze was the only good thing about summer.

I sat down and permitted Lan, who still had something off about him, to sit down too.

I closed my eyes and took a breath in before opening my eyes again. This weather reminded me of when I was younger, a specific event to be exact.

It was the day after Mother's funeral and I was still depressed about what happened and that was when Erwin talked to me and it was the first heart to heart conversation we ever had.