✓ Blood Lust (Levi Ackerman - Attack on Titan) #wattys2021

Chapter Twenty

Cath pokes me in the hip, the hundredth prick that it can't be an accident anymore.

"I'm just going to be married in a bag, Cath," I whine, going to step off the table, only to be pricked by Leigha this time. I glare at her. "Is this because I kissed your husband four years ago?"

"Stop whining, Eliora. It's a Science, not an Art," she says, pinning my breast area quickly, nicking me. "At least you aren't a bleeder and ruining all this fabric."

"Lucky me," I say sarcastically. It's a few more hours before I'm able to get dressed again, then the three of us sew the piece together for the next six hours, as we have to be meticulous and the material is slick. Then finally, I'm able to try it on again to make sure nothing else needs done to it.

"Absolutely stunning," Cath breathes out, staring at the dress at me. I stare down at the garment, impressed at what we were able to bust out in such a short time. I was just going to get married in my dress, but Cath and Leigha stepped up. Now seeing the finished product, I'm thankful.

"Go get sleep, bride. You get married tomorrow," Leigha says, helping me out of the dress.

"You're right. I'll see you in the morning."

I find my father getting dressed in his room. Forest loaned him his dress suit, and it actually fits pretty well.

"Am I supposed to see your dress before the wedding?" he asks, looking at my white dress, raising a thick eyebrow.

"I think you're okay. I just have some questions, regarding tonight."

The color drains from his face immediately. "I love you, you're my daughter, but I do not want to have this conversation—"

"Stop," I hold my hand up. "No, not about that. Well, technically." I pull out my mother's herb book, opening the page to the tea. "I was wondering about using this. I know you and mom had a lot of trouble having more kids. I want to know if it was due to this and I want to weigh the risks with that."

He takes the book from my hand, sitting onto the edge of the bed slowly and shakily. "Women in the village started using the tea to get rid of their pregnancies. Young girls, women with husbands in the Scout regiment. When they went to have children later on, they couldn't. We couldn't prove it, even with asking Dr. Jaeger's help to prove it, but we were pretty sure. Your mother was devastated. She blamed herself, probably until the day she died, for the loss of our children after you. We were so young when we had you, that she wanted to put an age gap between all of you. I didn't care. I would've been fine with ten of you, a year apart," he says, grinning at me. "I loved your mother all the same. We had you still, and with becoming Commander, it was probably for the best."

"So the three day guide doesn't matter?" I ask slowly. "If you decide later to not have a baby, you can still use it?" I try to choose my words carefully, but with the way his eyes became thunderous, I still said the wrong thing. The herb book hits the wall in his anger, and he stands up, looking at me. I take a few steps back. My father had never lost his composure like this, and it is scaring me.

"Erwin, calm down," Levi says, walking into the room.

"I will not. She's talking about terminating a pregnancy," he says the last word with acid.

Levi looks at me, his eyes wide, his gaze flicking down to my flat stomach. "Are you pregnant?"

I shake my head. "No. I was asking him about the tea. He told me that it can be used to end a baby." There's a quiet sigh of relief, and I can't tell if it's from the fact I'm not pregnant, or that I'm not ending a pregnancy.