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Chapter 24

As promised!

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Hanji arrived to take Illyria out of class the next morning to go shopping. Though physical training had been cancelled due to the meeting, Erwin had seen to it that a classroom session was prepared as a substitute. Illyria was thankful to get out of it, she hated theory work more than anything else.

Hanji rode with Illyria to a particularly well off part of town, mentioning the ‘undercover mission’ in passing once the horses were secured.

“It’s a brilliant plan if successfully pulled off. I’m proud of you for agreeing to it, Illyria.” Illyria smiled, thankful that Hanji was no longer cross at her over her apparent ‘theft’. She liked Hanji, sure she was crazy and hyper a lot of the time, but she had a kind heart.

“Yeah I just hope it’s not all for nothing.” She mumbled, lowering her head. She really wasn’t confident that she could pull this off. She wasn’t exactly comfortable with the idea of flirting with a stranger, she wasn’t sure if she was confident flirting in general. Hanji chuckled and smacked her arm.

“You got this! Trust me! Come on, let’s try this store first!”

The first dress Illyria tried on, was an above the knee, very short figure hugging black number, with a halter neck and a plunging neckline. Now she really did feel like a whore. She shuffled in the changing room uncomfortably, pulling the dress down to make sure it covered her ass, frowning in distaste when this, in turn, revealed far too much cleavage.

“Hanji I’m not coming out in this! I look like a damn fool!” a loud laugh from the other side of the curtain only fuelled her rage.

“I’ll be the judge of that! Why do you think I’m here? Let me see!” Illyria rolled her eyes, swiping the curtain open and showing Hanji her awful choice.

Hanji's jaw dropped and she chuckled.

“Well it would definitely get his attention. But you’re right, it’s too obvious. Okay, now this one.” She said, thrusting another dress forwards and into her arms.

Illyria lost count of the amount of dresses she tried on for Hanji’s approval. She lost count of the amount of shops they went in to. Illyria was frustrated. She was hot and sweaty from constantly changing her clothes. The small, cramped and smelly rooms made her feel sick, coupled with her own sweaty body relentlessly tugging on dresses, squeezing into some of them and becoming frustrated with the fastenings on others, it had only added to her distaste for the whole thing.

It was important apparently, that she looked eye catching, sexy, something Illyria was certainly not used to. And most certainly not used to going through such an effort to try to seduce a man she had no intention of sleeping with. Though she understood it was all part of the plan, it didn’t mean she had to like it.

Hours passed. Hanji sighed as she entered another shop, immediately browsing through. Illyria glanced around awkwardly, opting to flick through the longer dresses. Hanji always went straight for the more revealing ones, though nothing had been as short as the first dress she had tried on. Illyria’s eyes stopped on a particularly beautiful but plain emerald green dress, pulling it out for further inspection. Hanji appeared at her side, her nose crinkling slightly.

“Green, really? It hardly screams 'fuck me' does it?” Illyria tutted, nudging her playfully.

“It is pretty though... we’ll try it.” She announced to herself, dropping it on top of a pile she had accumulated herself and thrusting them into Illyria’s arms.

After trying on several of Hanji’s dresses, each one being met with a resounding ‘no', Illyria picked up the green one that had caught her eye. She slipped it on, tying the two thin straps around the back of her neck and another two around her back. The dress itself, was made of silk, backless, coming to a sharp point right at the base of her spine. The front of the dress had a plunging neckline, though nowhere near as crass as the previous ones, covering her breasts nicely but leaving enough on display to be more than tempting. It was a perfect fit, accentuating all of her curves in all the right places while still leaving enough room to be able to walk without fear of ripping the material, with a long slit up one side which ended just a couple of inches below her hips, right at the top of her thigh. The colour made her stand out, highlighting her own eyes and contrasting sharply with her read hair.

Despite herself, Illyria found she actually liked this one, though she would never have reason to wear something so beautiful ever again. She opened up the curtain for Hanji’s inspection. The spectacled woman froze, jaw dropping and eyes widening as she got to her feet and let her eyes rake over ever inch of the dress. She was speechless for several reasons. Whoever thought green could be such a nice colour, whoever thought Illyria had such a nice figure, and whoever thought they would find the perfect dress in such a cheap store!

“Oh my god that is stunning! Yes! That’s the one! Take it off! We need to find shoes and accessories to match!” Illyria rolled her eyes, pulling the curtain closed. She was hoping they would be done for the day.

Hours later and they arrived back at the castle, just in time for dinner. They had shoes, a couple of pieces of simple jewellery and Hanji had even managed to get her hands on a silk shawl that matched the colour of her dress perfectly. Hanji had taken all of the things up to her room, claiming that on the day, it was her job to make sure Illyria looked perfect, while Illyria had headed straight to her friends table.

Eren smiled at her, his brows furrowing a little.

“Where have you been all day?” he asked as Illyria began attacking the plate of food in front of her. She was starving.

“Shopping with Hanji, don’t ask.” She replied, taking a large drink of water. Today had been exhausting in a way she really hadn’t expected. Eren's confusion grew but he didn’t push further.

“How did it go with the captain last night?” he asked, causing Illyria to choke on her water in surprise. Once she righted herself, she nodded, realising that Eren’s question had been completely innocent and there was no way he could possibly know what had happened.

“Stable duty for four months.” The brunette winced, feeling her pain, but Illyria’s mind was elsewhere.

She didn’t feel at all prepared for her mission that was due to take place in a couple of days time. She was a confident girl when it came to most things. Strength, fighting ability, logistics... but her sexual prowess was something she had never really needed to pay mind to. The art of seduction, was not something she had ever had to experiment with, she had always done what just felt right, natural, but that wouldn’t help her this time, because there was nothing right and natural about it.

She wanted to ask her friends for help and advice, but she wasn’t even sure if she was permitted to tell any body about her task.

She was pulled from her thoughts when Hanji appeared at her side.

“Hey, Illyria, come and sit with us, the commander wants to talk.” Everyone at the table looked on, confused and Illyria nodded uncomfortably, picking up her tray and following Hanji silently to the commanders table. She took a seat next to Hanji, who perched herself next to Miche. The commander sat opposite and directly in front of her was Levi.

She shifted uncomfortably at the table even when Erwin offered her a kind smile. Levi, didn’t even acknowledge her presence, spooning the half eaten soup in front of him. Illyria felt her heart flutter slightly at being so close to him in the presence of everybody else. It was the first time she had seen him since last night, and he seemed to have the usual air of indifference about him that he usually did.

“So, Hanji tells me that the trip was a success?” Erwin asked, taking a sip of water. Illyria nodded, forcing a smile.

“Yes sir.”

“That’s good, hopefully the rest of the plan will work out just as well.” He commented. Levi scoffed.

“Please. This plan is ridiculous at best. You shouldn’t have such high hopes.” He spat, shaking his head, seemingly unimpressed with the entire idea. Illyria blinked, confused. Erwin rubbed his forehead.

“Yes, Levi, you have made your opinion on the matter quite known.” He retorted. Illyria’s blood suddenly ran cold. Was Levi against this idea? In the whirlwind she had just found herself swept up in to she hadn’t once thought to pause and think about what he would think about her part in this plan.

Was he mad? That couldn’t possibly be the case. He had no reason to be. After all, as he had said, he was her superior first and foremost, and she his soldier, just as she was Erwin’s. If Erwin wanted her to do something she would do it, just as he had had to on occasions, despite whether he had wanted to or not. Was he jealous? That couldn’t be it either. Surely Erwin would have filled them in on the plan and made it known that she wasn’t actually going to sleep with Nile. What did he have to be jealous about? Did he doubt her ability? Think that she wasn’t good enough to be able to catch his attention?

That thought hurt.

The thought that maybe the reason why he was so against it was because he saw it as a waste of time, because Nile just wouldn’t be interested in her.

“Don’t worry Levi! Illyria has got this! Trust me! With the dress we found today she will have Nile and countless others eating out of the palm of her hand!” Hanji announced, wrapping an arm around Illyria and jostling her in a playful way.

Levi’s eyes finally lifted, glancing briefly from Illyria, to Hanji and then back to Illyria. He did not look amused. Illyria swallowed sharply. Levi shook his head and stood, leaving the table without another word. Hanji tutted.

“Well that was rude! Just ignore him Illyria, we all know you can do it.” She patted her shoulder again, Erwin offering a consolidating smile before everyone returned to their meals.
Illyria’s appetite had suddenly vanished.

When the mess hall began emptying, Illyria left, throwing away most of her uneaten food and heading towards Levi’s quarters. She knew she was probably taking a risk here, she would probably regret the decision to visit him later on tonight, but she had to try and talk to him. It was quite obvious to her that he was unhappy with the plan Erwin had concocted, and she wanted to know why. Was it really because he thought it was stupid? Was it because he thought she was inadequate? She had to know why he thought this plan would fail, even if it hurt her feelings.

She knocked on the door firmly, trying to not be put off by her own thoughts. He hadn’t asked her to come here, he could very well just tell her to get lost. But she was determined to at least try.

“Come in.” Illyria blinked, not expecting him to just allow entry, he usually liked to ask who was disturbing him. Regardless, she twisted the handle and pushed the door open, closing it behind her. Levi regarded her with a slightly surprised expression before his eyes darkened into an annoyed stare. He sighed.

“What do you want, Light?” he snapped, continuing his previous work at his desk, eyes avoiding hers. She gave a small sigh and walked closer, moving to sit opposite him. He glanced at her audacity, dropping his pen with a touch of force and leaning back in his chair, glaring at her heatedly.

“I didn’t call you here, so why are you here?” he asked, folding his arms across his chest. He looked the perfect picture of annoyance. It was written all over his face that he was irritated, giving her a cold, hard glare for a reason Illyria did not understand. She shrugged.

“I know you didn’t, but I wanted to talk to you.” He arched an eyebrow, scoffing indignantly.

“Oh really? I’m touched.” He spat, venom dripping from his voice, sarcasm ever present. Illyria shook her head.

“Stop it Levi. Just talk to me. Tell me why you’re mad at me.” The captain faltered, sighing and turning his head away from Illyria, unable to find words. Illyria pressed.

“Why do you think Erwin’s plan won’t work?” she asked softly, not wanting to anger him by bringing it up, but this is why she was here in the first place. She needed to know.

“Because it won't.” He replied curtly, still avoiding her glances. Her forehead crinkled slightly, his dismissive response angering her slightly.

“But why not?” she asked again, hoping to force a decent response out of him this time.

“Because it won’t.”

“But why, Levi?” Illyria’s voice grew louder, her obvious frustration coming through in her tone. Why was he being so secretive? He never usually had a problem telling people how stupid they were being, how useless and pathetic they were, why was he holding back this time? Levi’s composure seemed to slip away, his own voice becoming almost deafening as he slammed his fist down hard against the desk, bolting to his feet, causing Illyria to jump from alarm.

“Because it won’t damn it! The plan is downright stupid! And he shouldn’t be dragging you into these sorts of affairs!” Illyria was incensed, brought to life by Levi’s outburst she got to her feet, her angry eyes piercing into his as she put her hands on the table and leaned across to him. Levi was not threatened. He did not move an inch.

“Is it because you think I’m not good enough? That the plan won’t work because Nile couldn’t possibly be interested in me?” she shouted back, refusing to allow her voice to crack from hurt as she shouted at him. He pulled a face of total disgust, rearing back and shaking his head, looking away from her.

“Of course not, don’t be stupid.” He hissed eyes finding hers again when he had successfully created some distance between them.

“Then what is it, Levi?” Her voice did not lose momentum, if anything her power grew, volume and intensity heightening with every word she spoke. Levi snapped, pulling the fingers that were dragging roughly through his hair out as he locked eyes with the woman in front of him again.

“Christ Illyria did you really think I would be thrilled at the idea of you being whored out for the night?” Silence followed. All that could be heard was light breathing as both of them fought themselves to keep their composure. Illyria grit her teeth.

“I am not being whored out for the night, Levi. You know that.” Her voice was quieter now, though still held the same intensity that her previous shouts had. She knew she was right, Erwin would have made it very clear in the meeting that Illyria was to entice, but not engage with Nile. Levi shook his head.

“I know that Erwin gave you the option to say no, and you didn’t. He should not be putting you in danger like this. This is his problem, not yours. Funding, is his problem. The man has lost his damn mind...” he sighed, breaking eye contact again and clenching his jaw, as if swallowing the words that threatened to spill from his mouth. Illyria licked her lips, quiet for a moment. Was Levi worried about her? About her involvement? Her safety?

“And I’m not exactly looking forward to sitting around all night watching Nile put his filthy hands all over you either.” Illyria blinked. That was something she wasn’t expecting. Her eyes cautiously lifted to meet Levi’s, his gaze was serious, anger ever present along with something else Illyria couldn’t detect. Illyria shifted uncomfortably. Was Levi jealous? Of Nile? Seriously? She sighed.

“I’m not exactly looking forward to it either...”

“Probably should have thought about that before you agreed to be his plaything for the night.” Levi replied sardonically, pure poison coating his words. Illyria frowned a little.

“I am not going to...”

“Save it. Get out.” Illyria froze, thrown off guard by his sudden command. She didn’t know anymore whether he was worried or jealous, the only thing that was clear, was that he was pissed. He sat back down at his desk, resuming his previous task to complete his paperwork, ignoring her presence completely. Illyria sighed, shaking her head. Would he be this mad if someone else had agreed to the plan? A part of her thought that maybe he was jealous, she couldn’t imagine him getting this worked up if the commander had asked another girl. But maybe that was just wishful thinking.

She turned, not bothering to try and talk to him further. She knew now he was mad at her for agreeing to the plan, she knew the reasons why he didn’t approve, and surprisingly it had nothing to do with her ability. Though the depths of his reasons were still unclear, she knew that this would be the best she would get out of him at the moment. He was too riled up. She slowly opened the door, biting her lip nervously.

“You shouldn’t be this worried about Nile you know...” she spoke softly, turning back to glance at him, taking note of his fingers tightening around the pen as he stopped writing, his jaw clenching in annoyance at the mere mention of the man’s name.

“You should already know I’m yours.” She finished, watching as his brows furrowed slightly, eyes lifting to meet hers for a second before she turned and left the room, not giving him a chance to respond.

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