"I'm going to-" Eren shifted uncomfortably, "I'll think about it."

YOU'LL WHAT?

"-But don't expect me to like you."

that's more in character

"I never asked you to."

"I'm going now," Eren stood up nodding at Levi before quickly leaving.

well-

"Your turn," Levi sighed, running a hand through his hair.

YOU'RE SERIOUSLY THINKING ABOUT HIS ATTENDANTS NOW ??

DON'T ACT LIKE YOU WEREN'T ALSO A PROBLEM IN THAT CONVERSATION

WHAT DID YOU AGREE TO??

"You have some explaining to do," I frowned, brushing off his comment.

you don't get let off the hook just because eren looks like he might change

"Right," Levi's tone hardened, "let's go somewhere more private."

alright

"Hey, Levi?" I asked, moving to leave the room with him.

"Yes?"

"Whatever this is- it's not something I'm going to hate you for right? Because if that's the case you should start thinking of a good lie right now."

"It's stupid don't worry about it," he squeezed my hand in reassurance, leading the way to his office.

you're making me worry about it

i'm going to pass away from stress at this rate

:///

"Don't laugh," Levi grumbled, shutting the door behind us.

what would i even have to laugh about??

it sounds serious

whatever it is

"Alright?"

"When I was-" he frowned, thinking, "eight? My parents discussed marriage with the royal family."

oh

"With the first princess?"

"Right- they were close to finalizing that marriage when they died," he muttered.

"So the reason why she thinks you belong to her is because of a deal nearly a decade old that never actually went through?"

"I assume so."

"This is all because of a decade-old contract and you never told me?"

YOU DON'T EVEN NEED TO BE WORRIED ABOUT ME LAUGHING

"Well-"

"All the times I asked you why she was doing this and you never thought to let me know?"

"I didn't even-"

"You're an idiot Levi Ackerman."

you're so unbelievably stupid

"In my defense, I had no clue she was holding onto that."

OF COURSE, SHE WOULD HOLD ONTO THAT

"She has no right to try and change our lives over it but it makes perfect sense why that would matter to her."

neither her nor eren has any right to be upset with me

nor do they have the right to act like they own levi

but if-

"I'm sick and tired of contracts."

our contract

i haven't thought about it in a long time- not since the two of us opened up about our feelings for each other.

it was a lifeline

i don't need it anymore-

but i know how much a contract can matter

think about it

what annie said forever ago about considering the first princess's side-

"The First Princess- has probably been pressured by her family from a very young age to get married. Naturally, she always thought it was going to be you, I can't think of a single person who expected you to get married to someone else." I paused, "whatever marriage that was being discussed, arranged or not, probably meant a lot to her."

i don't think she knows you

"That doesn't give her a single excuse for any of the awful things she's done but-" I reached for Levi's hand, "I can't say I don't understand not wanting to let go of something good."

i would have a hard time letting you go

"I won't forgive her," Levi said after a moment of silence.

right- this is mostly speculation anyway

"The first princess and that asshole prince don't deserve a second of your time, I don't care if they have some tragic backstory- the marriage discussions were over a decade ago," Levi frowned, anger lacing his tone.

that might be the only funny part of all this

"Are you-" his eyes drifted down to our hands. "Are you upset with me?"

a little

"Upset that you didn't tell me this earlier? Yes." I met his gaze, "but I don't hate you- I just wish I could've had any kind of explanation for all of this."

i believe that you weren't aware of this

"I didn't remember the shitty marriage discussions until Eren brought it up- but none of that changes anything for me. It happened a decade ago- it doesn't excuse any of the shit they've done."

i don't know how im supposed to feel

"I don't feel an ounce of sympathy for either of them," Levi repeated.

"She probably-"

"You don't know what her real motives were, and even if it is as you're suggesting and you do have something in common, it doesn't change the fact that you did nothing to her."

you're right

The beginnings of tears began to form in my eyes- stemming from some indescribable emotion. Love? Hate? Relief? Confusion?

"You did nothing to her Y/N- you don't have to forgive her and you don't have to search for a reason to like her."

it's easier if she has a good reason-

it's easier for me to rationalize

all of it

"I don't forgive her- I just-"

"She's done hundreds of shitty things to you over an agreement that was never made. Nothing that you have done is comparable. Nothing changes the fact that all you were trying to do was get out of a shit situation." Levi paused, visibly irritated. "Don't even begin to compare the two."

"But then what? If she doesn't have a good reason she just hates me?"

"It's not you she hates- it could be anyone- as long as it isn't her she's going to be upset."

"And if what I said is true?"

"If it's true it doesn't make her any less of a villain."

"I love you," the tears I had been just barely holding onto began to fall.

"Laugh for me," Levi hummed, pulling me into his embrace.

"That would be breaking our promise," I met his gaze, smiling slightly.

"Since when have you cared about that?"

"Never."

______________________

REREADING THIS IDK IF IT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE BUT I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND WHY Y/N IS THINKING LIKE THIS <3 she just really craves an explanation for why someone would put her through something like this- not that it would excuse anything but it's just easier to wrestle with

also uhh that isn't a confirmation of the first princess's motivations- only speculation

N E WAYS - hope u enjoyed n tht i was able to communicate tht .

- ami