"My lady," I offered my hand to Levi, hiding my smirk from everyone else.

"You're awf-"

"You know I love it when you play hard to get," I raised my voice, helping him out of the carriage.

"You're awful," Levi muttered through a forced smile.

"And you're no fun," I grumbled, glancing around.

it's a really pretty place

"Your house is nice," I paused, "too bad you're going to be stuck in the shittiest wing of the mansion because of your own hatred."

"Oh? I thought we were pretending to be in love," Levi squeezed my hand, hard.

OW

"What the he-"

"Get moving," he began marching us towards the large double doors.

FINE

The Ackerman estate- if you could call it that- was better described as a palace.

it rivals the imperial palace

to think i've avoided this place for all 20 years of my life only to be dragged into it by a body snatcher

i would've preferred to march in here after winning it from levi in a duel to the death

The palace was separated from the large town that surrounded it by a long bridge and seemingly endless lake. In the still of early evening the lake reflected the pinks and oranges of sunset like a mirror.

pretty

"Are you done gawking?"

"Well excuse me for enjoying nature."

"My mother is waiting."

"Alright," I sighed, passing through the large doors.

WHAT THE HELL THIS SHOULD BE MY HOUSE

The main entry hall shone brightly from the light of large chandeliers that hung from an impossibly high ceiling. Upon closer inspection the light from the chandeliers wasn't coming from hundreds of candles but something that shone much brighter.

"Are those-" I muttered unconsciously, "those are magical aren't they?"

"I'm surprised you noticed," Levi scoffed, his gaze softening a little despite the rude comment. "They were a gift from the royal family."

i assumed- very few aristocratic families have access to magical items

"Of course I noticed, what heir to the L/N family wouldn't be able to tell the difference between magical light and candlelight?"

i learned about that before my father fell ill

"I guess it isn't anything new to you," Levi seemed slightly disappointed that he wasn't able to teach me about it.

he probably just wants to gloat

but what if-

what if he's also learned about magical items

Most people had no need to learn about magical items, the few who were genuinely interested found their way to the L/N territory to pursue their studies closer to the magical forest.

once upon a time more people were interested for the sake of learning about something new

several generations prior the forest itself was more accessible- the chandeliers that hung from the ceiling of the Ackerman estate were probably from that era

at some point research into magic transitioned from being purely about small household gadgets and other things that would improve the quality of life of those who used it and more about creating weapons

it was at that point that the rose guard was formed and the l/n family was put in charge of restricting access to the woods

i understand the need to maintain balance and prevent anything within the forest from hurting anyone but-

i can't help but wonder if there's a way to continue using magic for the benefit of the people

or are we destined to exploit it no matter the intent of our goals?

"What are you thinking about?" Levi frowned slightly at me, "the chandeliers?"

"No I-" I shook my head, clearing my thoughts, "I was thinking about some of the magical items we have at home."

not entirely a lie

"You have more?" Levi seemed genuinely interested, his face lit up for the first time since- ever?

"Of course we do, wouldn't it be stranger if we didn't? There are plenty of lights like these ones, even a couple swords, I think my father's office has a couple tools that help with organization."

those are relics of the past

people who have the skill to craft things like that with the raw materials retrieved from the forest are few and far between

and my father has never been particularly eager about adding to his collection

"Do you think that-" Levi appeared to hesitate.

"Stop acting shy- I don't like the idea of you getting flustered by me."

gives me shivers

"Shut the fuck up- I was not getting shy."

"So then say what you were going to say????"

"Could I see them? When we travel to your territory," he turned away from me, hiding his expression.

well-

"I'll have to thi-"

"Levi!" An older female voice cut me off before I could finish my sentence, followed by the sound of heels clicking against the marble floors.

is that-

"You're back early," her voice which had called out enthusiastically was full of concern now, "and you didn't send a letter, I would've greeted you at the door." I hardly had any time to speak before I was pulled into a warm embrace.

this must be his mom

i guess i won't be an asshole

if i was an asshole it would be justified

"I'm sorry but I'm not your son," I murmured, awkwardly staring at Levi in my body.

he looks-

"What do you mean?" The woman, presumably Duchess Ackerman, let go of me, allowing me to get a good look at her face. Her long black hair was pushed back by a pair of reading glasses, giving the impression that she had been doing work before she rushed down to greet her son.

she seems like a nice person

how did she raise such an awful son

i have question about her parenting-

"It's kind of a long story but-"

"I'm here," Levi spoke up, clearing his throat loudly.

you know i have a serious issue with becoming comfortable with the idea that my body is now his

The look in Levi's eyes as he watched Kuchel embrace me was strange, a feeling almost akin to jealousy clouded his features.

ah

"Lady Y/N?" Kuchel looked between the two of us, her expression suddenly weary.

am i that bad of an omen in this household?

"Farlan you're telling me that my son and Lady Y/N swapped bodies after he rescued the young lady from a pond?" The four of us had moved into a more private location, what I assumed was the Duchess's study.

"That's correct."

"Then-" she paused, frowning, "are you alright?" She addressed the comment to Levi, her eyes glancing rapidly between the two of us.

"Your son's body is perfectly fine."

i made his aide slap him but it didn't bruise or anything

"I would prefer not to be in this body but I'm fine."

"Thank goodness," she breathed a sigh of relief. "The two of you seem to be getting along just fine."

WE ARE NOT

"Not at all."

"Fuck no."

"To think that the young lady my son was rushing home to introduce me to was none other than my son," she shook her head. "I'll make sure that a room is prepared for you," the Duchess nodded towards Levi.

you know im kinda honored that levi had a special room prepared just for me <3

good to know that i torment him even when we're apart

he's obsessed with me fr

"I'm sure the two of you need to do some catching up," I stood up abruptly from my seat, "have fun I don't want to interrupt."

consider this me being kind to you levi

it's really just an opportunity to snoop around

(:

"Farlan follow her," Levi grumbled, rolling his eyes at me.

there go my plans

As Farlan and I stepped out of the office I could hear Duchess Ackerman fussing over her son.

WHAT THE FUCK HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE HATED BY EVERYONE ):<

IT'S NOT FAIR IF HIS PARENTS LOVE HIM

calm down y/n you don't hate him that much

but what if i do...

you do not

you're right

i don't

"Farlan," I turned to him, "if you deposit me in Levi's study I will sit really still and not touch anything."

"I don't believe you."

"No fun."

"I suppose you should learn where it is if you're staying here for awhile," he grinned at me, "this way."

I KNEW I LOVED YOU FARLAN

"You're the best, have I told you that?"

"Thank you."

"I would pay you so much more than Levi if you just-"

"I'm not interested."

"You're way too loyal."

everyone likes levi too much- i'm beginning to think that there's something wrong with me

"We're here," Farlan finished leading me down the large winding halls to a small mahogany door.

oh wow it's just levi's size

"Promise not to touch anything."

"Of course, I'm not evil."

that's a lie i 100% am

"Farlan there you are!" A loud excited voice called from down the hall, followed by an even louder gasp, "IS THAT BI-" before she could finish I was shoved into the office.

"Oh no-" I heard Farlan murmur under his breath, "Y/N don't touch anything." The door slammed behind him leaving me alone in the office.

WHAT WAS THAT

WHOEVER JUST SCREAMED DOWN THE HALL IS MY GUARDIAN ANGEL

FREE REIGN OVER LEVI'S OFFICE

"There has got to be good blackmail material in here," I glanced around the dimly lit room.

hold on-

As I started moving around the room the light grew brighter, fully illuminating the room.

more magical light?

that must've been difficult to acquire

that's kinda cool

I continued to look around, my gaze landing on a large globe in the corner of the room that seemed to hover in midair.

more magical items?

Everywhere I turned I saw new magical items, a quill similar to the one my father had that never ran out of ink, an inkwell full of ink that turned invisible until held up to the light, and other less practical objects like a cloak that appeared to billow at will.

is he interested in this stuff?

Some of the objects sat on a separate table next to a large notebook.

his diary? that would be great blackmail

I flipped the book open only to see page upon page of detailed notes about each magical object in the room.

come to think of it

this is an impressive collection

it would be difficult for even the heir to the duchy to gather all of these

he must've gone to great lengths

maybe-

don't say it

maybe we have something in common?

"What are you doing looking through my things," Levi's harsh tone broke through my enthusiasm.

"I was just-" my mind faltered too busy thinking about Levi's interest in magic to begin coming up with a snarky retort. "Hey Levi."

"Let go of that book," he stomped over to me.

"I'll let you see my family's magical items."

"You'll what?"

___________

back home! but break is ending soon )):

- amiii