Imperial Affairs (Levi X Reader) AU

74. To Choose You

Levi's POV

"Your Majesty," The prince had finished his food, "May I excuse myself for a moment?"

"You may," The Emperor carelessly waved his hand.

I backed away from the prince's seat, giving him room to get up. He quickly stood and I followed him out of the room. I glanced at Marcel who looked worried and guilty.

The moment I closed the door behind me after exiting the room with the prince before me, he stumbled.

"Your Highness?" I held him up, powering through my pain, focusing on him instead, "Are you alright?!"

"I'll...be fine," The stubborn prince tried to walk on his own and was successful to some degree but the problem was that he was very slow. Wherever he was trying to go, he couldn't reach there by himself in this state until he finally keeled over. I didn't know how he kept such a stable composure in the dining room seconds ago.

"Where are you going?"

"Anywhere...no one will see me. Most of the servants are dismissed for the day and the guards are guarding the palace walls for tonight so it's empty but there are still people around.... Take me away."

The prince finally gave up on his ego and leaned on me for support as I led him through the halls. I didn't know where I was going and the prince didn't seem focused enough to lead the way. He was breathing heavily. Tears rolled down his cheeks and he made futile attempts to wipe them off before I could see them, still attempting to preserve his honour.

Once we were far enough from the dining room, I laid him down on the carpeted floor. He coughed. The sound of his coughs proved that leave him long enough and it will soon be his blood spilling out of his mouth.

"Why did you do it?" I tried my best to keep calm. I tried to undo the first few buttons of his shirt to help him breathe but he stopped me, "Even in this situation, you are worried about your image?"

"It's not...no. No. I...it hurts," He cried and I could hear cracking in his voice and it started sounding a bit...different.

"Let me help you!" I shouted at him, "Let's just go to the Emperor and let him see if he can help you!"

"Anything to help me...?" His gaze at me was unfocused but he tried his best to make his sentences coherent as possible while bearing the pain, "Yes. Yes. I-I have an antidote! I brought the antidote! Wh-where-where did I put it?"

"Prince-"

"It's alright," He stopped me from talking, realising that he didn't have it, realising that he forgot it, "Go to Marcel. Give him that slip of paper. I...signalled him to leave after me. Give it to him now or...or you will never be able to again."

"But...what about you?"

"I'm a lost cause," He didn't let me wipe his tears with my hands, "Even if I live, which I won't without the antidote, I won't see him again for a while. Don't...don't risk Isabel."

"Stop talking," I made him sit up straight, "Can you vomit?"

"It's too late," He removed my hand on him, "The poison, it's already in my blood. It acts quick. I can't do anything without the antidote."

"Don't you have some sort of resistance?!"

"A little bit," He confessed, "I'm still alive because of the resistance but it's not going to repeal its strength. All it does is buy me some time. Just...go save Isabel. Don't waste time. Don't waste time on me. It didn't take more than a moment for me to accept my fate without the antidote. Do the same."