Author's Note: Welp, you guys voted and WA was the winner. Well, at least it was when I started writing. Now Scout Design is actually the winner but I will update that one next. Uhm, slight OOC Levi for my own enjoyment (he always is in this series, whoops). This chapter is relatively slow going but I didn't want to make it super long (it's 6000 words as it is). I probably should have just made this into its own book. I'm sorry it's boring, please don't hurt me. Also, I did a quick (crappy) recap for you guys so you remember what's been going on since the last time I updated this series has been a while. Anyways, enjoy Price Levi being annoying lol kthanksbai
Part One: You are just a normal, middle-class college student who, by some miracle, was invited to attend a lavish ball that the world's top 1% attended. Wealth, beauty, refinement, and pretentious aristocracy surrounded you and you instantly realized that this world was not like your own. By a strange twist of fate, you were very abruptly invited to a marriage interview with Prince Levi of Serendair, the emotionless prince. Your personality intrigued him; you were not like the other women he had met before because you simply were not interested in marrying someone you didn't know or for material gain. Even still, you two bonded over your day long "interview," and you realized there is much more than meets the eye with the prince. However, after that day, three months roll by without so much as a word from him and you assumed that he had forgotten all about you. You were wrong; one informative phone call later, you found out he paid for the rest of your college and your living expenses in an act of kindness and had plans to see you again.
Part Two: True to his word, you meet Levi again, earnestly thanking him for taking care of your financial struggles. You wanted to somehow return the favor, in any way possible, aside from marrying him. Prince Levi divulges that his father, the king, is dying of cancer and the prince needed to find a suitable bride quickly. He believes you would be a good fit, as you both share the same morals and value many of the similar things. Levi makes it clear to you, however, that he holds no feelings for you, despite an offer of marriage. He extends a surprising invitation; join him in his kingdom for your summer break so that you may get to know each other better. At first, you want to refuse but curiosity gets the better of you. How could you refuse an all expenses paid trip to such a beautiful country? And stunning it was. The Citadel was vast and that of fantasy books; you could hardly believe you'd be spending all summer among royalty.
Part Three:Upon arrival, you were whisked off almost immediately to meet Prince Levi's father and stepmother. You had no idea what to expect, as you've never dealt with royalty before. The king was kindly and regal. The queen, however, made it clear that she did not like you and wanted you out of her castle. The Queen of Serendair, as you found out, was attempting to force an engagement of her niece, Petra, on the prince. You are unsure as to what the queen's motivations are for this, but you assume there are several factors hidden from your knowledge. However, Levi is not fond of this idea, for various reasons. Unable to control your temper, you push back against the queen as she insults you. The absurdity of her callous and rude personality angered you and you defended yourself as politely as you could. After this meeting though, Levi avoids you for a few days and you don't know why. As you wonder why out in the courtyard, he appears. He was impressed with your bravery against his stepmother and invites you to a charity ball the next day.
And so, your journey among the wealthy continues...
Part Four
***
"One, two, three. One two three-" Cristoph's pleasant voice stopped just as you tripped over his feet for the fourth time. "Again, Miss (F/n)."
You let out a heavy sigh and released your hold on the prince's butler. "I can't do this," you said while wiping some beading sweat from your forehead. "There is no way I'm going to learn this in time!"
You were stressed, to say the least. Tonight's charity ball was less than five hours away, and you had been sentenced to waltzing hell by Prince Levi himself. This morning, Sasha had hastily woken you up for breakfast. After that, you were whisked off to the recreational facility with a dance hall. For the last three hours, with only one fifteen minute break, you have been learning how to master the Viennese Waltz and the Slow Waltz.
It was not as though you did not understand why this was necessary; if you didn't master at least one of the dances, you would not only humiliate yourself, but Levi as well. You did not want to incur the prince's wrath for bumbling around like a giraffe on skates but you there was simply no way to learn all the steps in time to either dance. That was not even mentioning the fact that both dances required a substantial amount of grace and arm strength. You had no idea that keeping your arms up and completely leveled for a long duration would be so tiring; your shoulders were going to hate you tomorrow.
"C'mooon, (F/n)," said Sasha as she came up to give you a drink of water. "You're going to be the world's biggest fool if you don't learn something."
"Sasha," warned Cristoph just as you stuck your tongue out playfully at your friend. Sasha laughed sheepishly while the butler turned to you with a soft expression.
You held up a hand. "Please don't try to placate me, Cristoph."
A gentle smile crossed his features. "I understand your frustration," he said. "But you are doing quite well for someone who has never taken a formal dance class before. I expected to be reviewing the most basic steps more frequently than I have been. I must insist that you give yourself more credit."
You scoffed, despite his kind words, and took a giant gulp of cool water. "How am I going to manage this in a ball gown?" you asked desperately. "I guarantee I'm gonna trip over it."
"That'd be hilarious," laughed Sasha. Again, Cristoph shot her a warning look but the young girl missed it since she had been facing the other way.
"His Highness made sure that your gown would be easy to dance in," he said to ease your worry. "It would actually be classified as an evening gown more than ball gown."
"I've seen it," chimed in Sasha. "It's stunning. Better than the other one you had on when you met the king and queen."
Cristoph nodded in agreement. "Indeed, it is a beautiful dress. I am sure you will pleased with it," he said. "However, the gown aside, we must continue practicing. I can only help you for the next two and half hours before I need to make my own preparations for the ball."
You groaned while you were absently rotating your ankles. Cristoph insisted that you learn the dance in heels similar to what you would be wearing that night. Of course, you saw the logic behind it, but that did not negate the fact that your feet were practically whining at you for mercy.
"Fine," you said after a long moment. "Let's do this."
Cristoph turned to Sasha, waving an up pointed finger in a circular motion. "Slow waltz. Please take it from the top."
Sasha nodded and promptly pressed play on the audio system she was sitting at, pleasant waltzing music reverberating throughout the hall. Cristoph approached you and held out his hands so that you may take them. With a roll of your eyes, you placed your right hand in his and your left at his shoulder.
"Level your arm, miss," the butler said, tapping your left arm. You obeyed him and bent your arm properly before you outstretched the other to light clasp his hand.
Waltzing required such long strides, which was difficult when Cristoph had long legs to begin with. Trying not to tangle yours with his while you both moved across the floor was the most challenging. In truth, you picked up the most basic steps quickly enough, and even learned a few of the more intermediate steps, but the aspect of grace became a more pressing concern. Cristoph kept nitpicking about how stiff your movements appeared, but you pushed through it.
"Remember to keep your gaze fixed on one thing in particular when doing several turns to prevent yourself getting sick and lean back a little into my arm," he said before glancing at his watch. "I don't have much time left so we will have to skip the Viennese waltzing. I believe you have learned enough of the dance to do perform adequately in the event that His Highness wants to dance this form."
You eyed him in confusion, having not a clue what he said; you were far too tired to focus on anything in particular. Sasha gave you another cool glass of water to help keep you hydrated and Cristoph patiently waited for you to finish it before speaking again.
"The last thing I have time to teach you is what is called a dip."
"A what?" Two hours later and you barely "mastered" matching Cristoph's footwork with your own, among other arm movements and the like. You were not pleased that he was trying to force down one more thing on you.
He smiled. "A dip," he repeated. "You will have to lean fairly far back into my arm with your leg extended and the other used as a base. I will use my own strength and weight to keep you steady."
You thought for a moment before realizing what he was trying to explain. "My head will be upside down, in a sense?"
"Yes, so to speak," he said. "You will only be in the dip briefly before you come back up again. It is a quick movement."
With a exhausted nod, you clasped hands again with the butler. You were too physically drained to even make a curt remark, as you had already mentally checked out an hour ago. At the start the music, you went through all the routine that Cristoph had taught you, focusing more on elegance now that your muscle memory of the steps was clearly intact.
"One and two, three - and right here is where you will dip," he said, pausing to show where you would be executing the move. "Try not to throw your weight too much into it, however. Otherwise, you and your partner will both be on the floor."
"Alright."
"When coming back up from your dip, roll your body from the chest, neck, and then head," he explained. "It appears very stiff if you just come back up with all of your body rigid."
Again, you nodded, taking in his tips mentally. The pair of you ran through the steps, this time implementing the dip into the dancing.
You were grateful that Cristoph was the one teaching you the waltz. If it had been anyone else, you were positive you would not have been able to learn any of it as easily as you did. The butler had a certain gentle way of speaking. He was both encouraging and patient, which were perfect for instructing someone in dancing or similar. If it were Levi teaching you, you would have walked out in less than fifteen minutes with the way he constantly teases you.
You were doing some spins, concentrating on your footwork and the grace of your arms mentally as your thoughts trailed to later tonight. Admittedly, you were more nervous than you were at the Peace Ball. No one knew you then. You were just a regular girl in an extraordinary circumstance.
Not anymore. Sasha had informed you that the gossip that has been traveling fast among the servants and the nobility alike. Levi was notorious for his previous lack of interest in any of his prior potential brides. It had gotten to a point that he was beginning to offend others because he flat out refused to see some women. For him to suddenly change his tune made waves among his kind. Everyone was interested in the kind of girl he was pursuing since it was known you were not among the aristocracy.
Presently, Cristoph was counting in time with the tempo of the music, but you had since long stopped paying attention to it. You were on the last few steps of your routine, coming out of a twirl and back into more long strides along the floor.
Finally, you came to the dip and you executed it as best you could. Once you came back up, making sure to keep your body limber, you heard a round of clapping to your left where the main entrance was. Turning your head, you found Levi standing there with a slightly smirk and applauding you lazily. You automatically dropped your hands from Cristoph and half-heartedly glared at the prince.
"Bravo, bravo," he said. "I must admit, I'm surprised with the amount of progress you've made."
You ignored his backhanded compliment and promptly collapsed to the floor. Groaning, you pulled off your heels to massage the soles of your feet and internally debated with yourself on whether or not you had enough energy or desire to say anything to Levi. It was his fault you were in this present mess in the first place. He could have warned you about this ball earlier and it would have given you much more time to practice waltzing. Alternatively, just asked someone else to be his guest or go alone.
"You have no quip for me today?" he asked while approaching you, feigning disappointment. "That is unlike you, (F/n)."
Finally, you snapped your gaze up to him, a warning look shading your tired eyes. "Are you here to annoy the shit out of me? Because you're doing a good job."
Levi chuckled briefly, albeit humorlessly. "Ah, there you are. I was worried you were going soft on me."
"Miss (F/n) has been working exceptionally hard today, sire," cut in Cristoph before you could spit out your retort. "She is quite drained."
It was clear that Cristoph was attempting to defend you in the most roundabout way possible but you were grateful nonetheless. There was a silence that blanketed the halls and you caught Sasha raising an eyebrow at you. Without any idea why she was giving you the look, you shrugged her off.
Levi made a quick tch! of his tongue, before addressing his butler formally.
"There are servants seeking your aid," said the prince. "I would suggest you clean yourself up and proceed to the Great Hall to deal with whatever it is that is they need."
His personal butler lowered his head in understanding. "Of course, sir," he replied, his tone similar to his master's. "Will you be needing my assistance in readying yourself tonight?"
"I do not. However, if you wish to check in on me, I would not object." Levi turned a heavy gaze to Sasha, who stiffened on the spot. "You, what was your name again?"
"Sasha Braus, sir!" your friend replied, bowing her head deeply in respect.
Levi responded with a noise of acknowledgement before seizing your upper arm abruptly. You let out a yelp in surprise as he hoisted you to your feet in the most ungraceful manner.
"Soak her feet before tonight's events," said the prince, relaxing his grip a little. "And give her some time to relax."
"Of course," the maid replied. "I will tend to her diligently."
Levi nodded and looked at you. You didn't like how close in proximity he was to you and took half a step back, staring at him blankly.
"The charity ball doesn't start until six tonight but I won't be showing up until about six thirty or so," he explained, far less formally than to the other two. "That should give you enough to unwind before making your appearance as my guest-"
"Date," you said on impulse.
Levi scoffed. "Whatever, princess. Consider this a reward for working so hard."
"Ooo, how kind of you," you replied with a sarcastic bite. "Who's going soft now?"
The prince ignored you but there was an unmistakable smirk forming at his lips when turned to face Sasha again. "Braus, one other thing," he said, swiftly gripping you by the chin. "You see this?"
Your friend nodded, stunned with the prince's behavior while you glared hard at the man beside you who pointing at your face. He had some nerve to keep putting his hands on you like that.
"Keep it natural. No lipstick like the last time," said Levi, his cool fingers squeezing your face together. "Understand?"
"Will you stop touching me?" you snapped, hastily pushing his hand off you.
Again, he ignored you. "Cristoph and I shall take our leave now," said the prince, heading for the door. He called out to you without turning to look. "Be ready before six thirty."
You opened your mouth to attempt to make some kind of comeback but you realize you had nothing to say and he was already long gone. You grumbled to yourself, catching a strange expression from the butler near you. He looked both confused and pleased but you could not figure out which one dominated his face more. Either way, you were growing uncomfortable.
"What?" you asked innocently. Cristoph's visage softened, his ever gentle smile reappearing after a moment.
"It is nothing," he replied. "I must leave. I suggest you rest, as you have a big night ahead of you."
You eyed him as he walked towards the exit. "Sure thing."
It fell quiet again in the hall now that the men had left. Sasha, who was rooted to the spot near the sound system, was also staring blankly at you.
"What?" you repeated out of aggravation. "What is it?"
Sasha suddenly broke out in a wry grin. "The prince so has a thing for you."
"Shut it," you warned, picking up your shoes. "Why would you even think that?"
"Because I've seen how he acts with you and how he is with literally everyone else. Trust me," she replied without missing a beat. You shook your head dismissively. "You don't believe me?"
You exhaled. "Even if I wanted to believe you, I don't."
Levi had said it himself. Although he extended an offer of marriage, albeit ambiguously, he made it clear that he held no feelings for you in that regard. He only saw your marriage as a political gain and although you had a slow growing infatuation that stemmed purely from curiosity, you knew that he would never return your feelings. You both were far too different in class and as people for it to ever work and you could not imagine the stone cold prince would ever allow himself to feel affection for someone.
It would be a strange day if you ever heard any sort of confession from the Prince of Serendair.
Sasha linked arms with you but your hardly noticed as you were staring off into the expanse before you. She waited for a moment to see if you would come out of your reverie but you did not.
"Earth to (f/n)!" she said, tapping your forehead lightly. "Let's go soak your feet, alright?"
Sasha saw your eyes come back into focus and she flashed you a reassuring smile before you both set off to your room.
***
The reflection before your eyes was both familiar and foreign. You knew this was you, of course, but your appearance was unlike anything you've ever seen it. This strange human being of elegance, class, and dignity. It was almost as if this was your alter ego coming out, as you normally never held your shoulders back and head high as you were now. Perhaps it was the attire that made you do so, because it certainly wasn't confidence.
"Damn, the prince sure does know how to pick a dress," said Sasha, smoothing over the evening gown at your legs. "You look...wow. Just wow."
Heat fanned over your cheeks and you turned your eyes away from yourself to Sasha kneeling at your feet to adjust the hem. "Shut up."
Sasha glanced up at you for a moment with a broad smile. "I'm serious. I said this the last time, but this fits your perfectly. He knows exactly what would look good on your figure."
"It's way too revealing," you whined, looking over the neckline with a vague sense of horror.
The dress itself was simple enough; sheer long sleeves that let your skin peak through the fabric, and it was floor-length. There were flowery lace accents along the hem of the dress, at the end of the sleeves, and the neckline following into the midsection. However, as simple as it was, you were showing quite of bit skin. The dress was completely backless, the edging made of lace and flowing into the tail section, while the neckline was a deep V, which showed more of your chest than you ever would have expected.
Your eyes traveled back up to your face. Sasha, as promised, kept your make up relatively natural, using earth toned eyeshadows and only slightly filling in your eyebrows. She pinned up your (H/c) hair into a relaxed French twist, your bangs framing your face loosely. Admittedly, you felt beautiful but you also felt very insecure about low the neckline was.
"I don't know how I feel about this." You sighed to yourself. "Do other woman of the court dress like this?"
Sasha chuckled briefly as she stood up once more. "Of course they do!" she exclaimed, surprised you even asked. "What, did you think they're running around in white wigs, petticoats, and corsets?"
You had to laugh at this. "Obviously not. I just expected something more..." you hesitated, "modest."
"Look at all those celebrities in the world," said Sasha, who now was heading over to the writing desk in the room. "Do you know where they get their fashion sense? From these rich ass ladies right here because they want to be them."
"True." It made sense that top fashion designers would give to the aristocracy first before anyone else. And when there was anyone that wealthy, there were bound to be others trying to emulate them.
Your friend picked up some of the bread that Levi sent up to your room to curb your appetite before the ball. You stifled another chuckle; Sasha had been begging you since you've arrived to let her try some of the kitchen food that they made for the royals and she was not disappointed. Of course, she had to be discrete about it, otherwise she'd be in serious amount of trouble.
You loved that about her though. Sasha loved food purely because it made her happy. She didn't just eat to survive but she truly found so much enjoyment in life's simple pleasures. It was the most basic need in life but she loved every second of it.
With yet another quiet sigh, you returned your gaze to your reflection, eyeballing the dress and internally trying to build your confidence. There was just a bit too much cleavage showing and it put you far out of comfort zone. At the Peace Ball, Prince Armin had you in a very elaborate ball gown and even then, you felt awkward.
You absently pulled up the hem of your dress to look at your heels. The soak you let your feet have did them wonders but you were not pleased to be back in such uncomfortable shoes again. The thought of having to waltz in this dress and heels made you sick to your stomach. You weren't entirely sure you wouldn't trip over something, be it Levi's feet or your own or the dress itself.
"Think the prince will pop a boner when he sees you?" Sasha asked suddenly. You whipped your head around to her again in absolute shock.
"What!?" you had practically shrieked. Your friend burst out laughing at your reaction, holding her stomach by her arms. Why she found it so hilarious was beyond your comprehension but your face was flushing with heat nonetheless.
"Sorry, sorry," said Sasha once she reined in her amusement. "I just wanted to see how you were going to react and it was exactly how I thought you would."
"I am not here for your entertainment!" You huffed, trying to gather your wits and not think about Levi and his "boner." "And no, I don't think he would, to answer your ridiculous question."
Sasha agreed. "If anything, he'll probably just make some kind of insult dressed up as a compliment."
You thought of it for a second; she was right, of course. You simply could not imagine Levi outright complimenting you for any circumstance. It was just no in his nature to be that kind unless he was lying but even then, you doubted Levi was much of a liar. You glanced at the clock on the wall. It was fifteen minutes past six PM. Levi would be here soon to come and retrieve you.
Forcing yourself to inhale deeply, you diverted your thoughts away from the impending ball that was coming. You were unsure how this all was going to pan out tonight. You were going to be under heavy scrutiny, as everyone was very curious about the kind of woman Levi was pursuing. Not just you, but him as well. You knew the king and queen would be in attendance, as the charity program this ball funded was headed by the queen herself.
The queen would be, without a doubt, watching your every move tonight. One slip up and it could send you packing and that would be awful. You still had so much to learn about Levi.
"Is there any alcohol in here...?" you asked, exasperated now. "I think a drink will calm my nerves."
There was an unmistakable and deep chuckling at the door and it wasn't a female voice. There was an uncomfortable sensation that happened in the pit of your stomach as you turned around.
"There is wine, if you are truly that nervous."
Levi was standing by the door with his expected self-satisfied smirk. He was dressed to match you; his attire was the highest ranking officer of the Royal Air Force, complete with a vast array of patches and a sash but surprisingly without his usual cravat. His uniform was royal blue to match the color of your dress and you found yourself gawking at him without thought. He certainly looked handsome.
"Can you stop coming into my room unannounced?" you griped finally, avoiding his piercing gaze. "It's rude."
Levi, yet again, ignored your complaints and focused a gaze on your personal maid. "You may go now," he said. "I appreciate the help you extended in readying herself."
Sasha bowed politely. "It was my pleasure and my duty, your highness."
With that, she turned to leave, not before secretly winking at you behind Levi's back. You glared at her for a half a moment before turning your attention to the prince.
"Where's the wine?" you asked without any hesitation. You didn't care what his opinion was on this matter, you needed some kind of drink to soothe your anxiety.
Levi chuckled and went to a specific cabinet. Upon opening it, you saw a small array of red and white wines laying on their sides. He picked up once absently and set on the desk.
A tense and silent minute passed as he proceeded to open a bottle of red wine and poured into the crystal glasses he had pulled from the cabinet. You were surprised he hadn't teased you anymore about the idea of a shared drink before the ball but you weren't going to press the matter. You were grateful for the one time he decided to say nothing.
Once poured, he handed you a glass and extended his to you. "A toast?" he asked.
"To what?" You frowned, holding the glass delicately as Levi appeared to be in thought. There was nothing you could think of that was worth toasting at the moment.
"To the night that's still young."
You did not understand exactly what that meant but you clinked your glass against his anyway, the crystal ringing pleasantly before you both took sips of your wine. The bitter taste of alcohol and fruit hit your tongue and you did your best not to scrunch your face up.
"Why are you nervous?" asked Levi, casually leaning up against the desk.
You averted your gaze, holding the glass to your lips in thought. "You know why."
"Tch."
Levi took another sip of his wine but said nothing more for the time being. You wished he would say something, anything to help you calm down.
"You look beautiful, by the way."
You were completely caught off guard and nearly choked on your second sip of wine. Levi's tone was relatively indifferent but the very fact that he said it was what shocked you. You had been sure he would never be so forthright.
"Thanks," you said warily. "Although, you could have picked a dress that was a little more coverage."
You gestured to your chest with an irritated expression. Levi's eyes lowered for a prolonged moment and his smirk returned. This only caused you to grow embarrassed under his gaze.
"Watch the eyes," you warned.
"Well, I had to give myself something nice to look at," he replied in a breezy tone. Your eyes widened at his honesty and you had half a mind to punch him. "I'm jesting. Calm down."
Annoyed and self-conscious, you took a gulp of the wine to distract yourself. Unbeknownst to you, Levi was gazing at you with a much softer expression that you would normally see. You, however, were more concentrated on controlling your fiercely beating heart.
"I will admit, I did choose the dress to ensure my date looked better than the rest," he said, idly swirling his wine in his glass. "I like to show off every now and then."
You glanced at him again. He used the word "date" for the first time; it caught you off guard because he had continuously called you his "guest."
"So, it really is all about you then?" you said with a slight teasing tone. You wanted to try to lift the mood before your doomed appearance.
Levi gave you that smirk that you secretly liked. "It always is, princess."
It went quiet again but you found yourself gazing at Levi. He was staring off into the expanse of your quarters, lost in thought. There was a strange emotion in his eyes, one that you couldn't place. It wasn't necessarily sad, but it was certainly not stoic as he normally appeared. You wondered what he could be thinking about. The fact that he was showing any real emotion at all in front of you was a sign he was growing more comfortable around you.
The thought cause you to smile to yourself.
"Well, no matter what you dress me up in, I'll always be a peasant to your kind." You chuckled in mild derision to yourself but missed the frown that the prince suddenly had.
"Give yourself some credit, (F/n)," said Levi after a moment of watching you. "You will easily outshine the rest of the women tonight. 'Peasant' or not, social standing don't negate honest beauty."
Your heart skipped a beat. "You don't have to flatter me, Levi," you said somewhat harshly.
"I was flirting."
You cast him a blank stare. Levi casually sipped on his wine, never taking his eyes off yours. You had no idea what you were supposed to say, let alone if he was just teasing you or not. You recalled your conversation with him last night, when he had kissed your hand and told him he was being too flirty. Whatever the reason, you resolved to assume he was just poking fun at your expense, as he usually did, and brushed it off.
"Flirting, my ass," you sighed. "Anyways, shouldn't we be going now?"
Levi smiled to himself, aware of you diverting the subject to avoid anymore embarrassment. He finished off the wine and took your empty glass from your hand.
"We should."
Levi set the glasses down on the desk and offered up his arm for you to take. With some hesitation, you linked your arm with his and you proceeded to make your way to the Great Hall.
As you walked quietly through the halls, the noise of the grand party slowly started filling the air. The further you walked, the harder it was to calm down. You did not know what you were to expect, let alone if you were supposed to say anything at all. Levi didn't preface anything in regards to this ball, such as if you were going to make rounds as his guest like you had with Prince Armin at the Peace Ball, or how often you were expected to dance, or even if you were supposed to make some kind of speech.
Thinking upon all of it though, you didn't want to appear weak. Not in front of such pretentious nobility. You had to be able to hold your ground, even though you didn't belong in this world. You wanted to prove to them that just because you were not brought up with a silver spoon in your mouth did not mean you were "less than." You were as intelligent, as worthy, as human as they all were.
Right now, it wasn't just for you either. This was for Levi's sake too; he had just as much to prove as you did. You didn't want to humiliate him in front of his kind and especially not in front his stepmother who despised you. The more you sank into the depths of your mind, the more you realized that there was a small part of you that wanted to belong in this world. That you wanted to belong at the side of this aggravating, stone cold prince. Not out of love or even fascination for him, but more out of spite to the aristocracy he lived in. He was being judged as much as you were. There were plenty of people watching his every move, waiting for him to fail, like they were waiting for you to fail. He was an illegitimate child of the king yet he was the crown prince and that was simply unheard of. And yet, he was going out on a limb by appearing with your as his guest, despite what that could say about his reputation among the nobles.
No one was illegitimate in your eyes. Levi had all the rights and abilities to lead this kingdom; you knew that from what little you've discovered.
You had not a clue what was going to be expected of you tonight, but you were going to make Levi proud. You were going to make yourself proud. The anxiety you had over this was justified, but you were not going to let that stop you from proving them all wrong.
You belonged here.
"You look determined," noted Levi beside you.
You held your head a little higher than you had all day and flashed a smile at him. "I will not be made a fool," you replied, a surge of confidence filling your veins. "And I will not make you a fool either."
Levi hid a slight smile from you. "As to be expected, from my potential bride."