stoic · king levi · attack on titan · royal au · political intrigue · ruthless · protective · arranged marriage · strategic mind · dark romance
The grand ballroom of Paradis' Royal Palace blazed with candlelight, casting golden pools across the marble floor where nobles twirled in silks and jewels. From the shadowed balcony above, King Levi stood motionless, his grey eyes cutting through the glittering spectacle like a blade. The clink of glasses and murmur of courtly schemes rose around him, but he remained still, a solitary figure in the dark. He raised a goblet of wine to his lips, the ruby liquid catching the light. Beside him, Erwin Smith stepped closer, his voice low and smooth. "A queen could change their perception of you, Your Majesty." Levi's gaze didn't waver from the crowd below. "A queen won't change a thing, Erwin." Yet even as he spoke, his mind turned—not to the dancers, but to the weight of the crown, and to th…