Chapter 3: Rings
Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin
Previously: Petra finds out what her uncle is plotting and convinces Levi to marry her. She donates money to the Survey Corps to leave a trail proving she and Levi are in 'love.' Levi asks Mike to buy an engagement ring on his behalf.
"It's beautiful." Petra held up and admired the fourteen-gold karat ring. The metal color was white and the diamond, flanked by smaller diamonds, was placed inside some twists. It was elegant and beautiful. "There's no way you chose this."
"No, I just wasted years of life savings on it," Levi grumbled under his breath. Petra put the ring on. It was a perfect fit. He relaxed and shook his head, having almost been expecting her to insist he put it on her finger.
Petra took off the ring and wore it around her neck, tucking it under her blouse. She fished out Levi's ring from her pocket. "This is for you." Much like her own, the ring was white metal but thicker with a square-shaped diamond in the middle.
Levi slipped it on absent-mindedly. Mike had gotten a huge discount on the ring since he told his uncle, in complete confidence, whom the ring was for. He was hoping once it got out where Humanity's Strongest Soldier bought the wedding ring for his blue blood lover, it would flock more customers to his shop. Thinking about Petra buying his ring at its proper price made his eyes widen. It was only then he began to realize exactly what kind of wealth he was going to be surrounded by. He quickly put the ring away. "So, when is this meeting going down?"
"Tomorrow." Petra grinned at the surprised look on Levi's face.
The time had flown by too fast for his liking.
It was an open room with large windows, filled with many cushy chairs and sofas, some bookcases off to one side and painting covering the opposite wall, just to add a little personality to room. Perfect for a small, comfortable, and impromptu family gathering. Petra smoothed out the non-existent wrinkles in her skirt, recalling her lessons and trying not to fidget. The door opened and her uncle walked in. She could practically feel his excitement and almost felt bad that she was going to squash him like an insignificant little bug. Almost.
Behind him came his family, his four children as well as the other members of the main family. Petra caught her Eris's eyes and gave her a slight nod. Her cousin's eyes narrowed before widening and she smirked. Petra waited patiently until the members of the branch family joined them. She went straight to the point. "Uncle Doros, why did you call this meeting all of a sudden?"
"It has come to my attention, dear niece, that you have been taking large amounts of money without telling anyone." The heavy-set man passed out the records. "I was having my son take a look at the accounts so he could see how we do record-keeping, and he found something peculiar."
Petra didn't bother looking through the ledger in front of her.
People began murmuring, discussing the findings amongst one another, all reaching the same conclusion.
"Is there something you'd like to tell us, Lady Petra?" Luna asked formally.
"C'mon, Mom." Eris rolled her eyes. "I'm sure Petra has her reasons. And what's with the formality?"
"So even you believe she is behind this," Doros' eldest daughter, Ambrosia, jumped in, her hazel eyes shining in triumph. They all knew Eris and Petra were best friends.
"It is an official meeting and we are to show proper respect to the head of the family," Luna ignored her niece and chided her daughter.
They all turned to Petra. Petra sighed. "This wasn't how I planned on breaking the news but, I suppose I might as well."
Most of them tensed in apprehension, some with delight that she was about to make an embarrassing blunder.
"It started a couple of months ago when I met a man." Petra tried not to laugh. She could practically hear the Oh sweet Sina here we go again. "At first glance, he wasn't much." Literally. "And I never planned on something happening but somehow, we fell in love." She brought her hand to her chest, a bright, excited smile on her face. "We've decided to get married." Short, sweet, and straight to the point.
Protests began immediately.
"Quiet," Leon ordered. "Let her finish." He had a feeling his niece was up to something. He shared a knowing glance with his twin sister Luna.
"Is he hot?" Eris shrugged off the dirty looks. "What? It's a legitimate question."
"Sorry, cousin, he's mine."
"Who exactly is this man?" Doros steered them back on track, eager for his niece to condemn herself.
"What he means is: Is he someone we can show off as a prize or do we lock him up and pretend he—"
"Actually," Petra interrupted before Eris's wisecracks turned to insults and started a shouting match, wouldn't be the first time. "He's here right now. I wasn't expecting the whole family to be here today," she admitted. "I'll go fetch him right now so you all can meet him."
"I knew it." Doros shook his head the moment Petra was out of earshot. "She's following her mother's shameful footsteps."
"Should we really be talking about Lady Petra that way?" Rhea asked her father delicately.
"Why not?" Her younger brother Priam sneered. "She's an embarrassment. It's because of her father's dirty blood."
"The only embarrassment here is you, you impudent brat." Alastor glared. "Don't speak on matters which you know nothing about." He did not need for people to see what kind of idiots his siblings were. It might damage his image through association.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with the Cold-Hearted One," Eris said. "We don't even know who Petra has chosen as her husband."
"Please." Ambrosia sneered, tossing a lock of ash-blonde hair over her shoulder. "She wouldn't try to hide the relationship if he weren't lowborn scum."
The bickering continued until they heard the sound of footsteps approaching.
Petra walked in with Levi.
"He's not even that hot."
"Are you ready?"
"No." Levi stood up. "Let's get this over with." He reluctantly took her hand. It was surprisingly cold.
"I'm just wondering, but, do you remember what I told you about the main family?"
Levi huffed, he had been annoyed at having to memorize her cousins and uncles and aunts. "Your parents were Daphne and Henry Ral. Your mother has three younger cousins: Doros, Luna, and Leon. Your eldest uncle has four children: Alastor, Ambrosia, Rhea, and Priam. Luna has a daughter, Eris. And Leon has two sons, Seth and Phelix."
"That's right." Petra beamed, squeezing his hand. "And remember not to lose your cool."
"I thought they'd be thrilled to have me join the family. Wasn't that the point of you marrying me?"
"I mean, they'll try to suck up to you."
"Figures."
"Except for Eris. Watch out for her. She loves pushing people's buttons. And Alastor is very sharp, so be careful around him. You won't see too much of him before we're married but I'd rather be cautious." Her cousin wouldn't be able to do much after she and Levi married. Still, she wasn't going to take any chances and give him an opportunity to strike.
They arrived after a minute of silence.
Levi tried to keep his face neutral as Petra's family gaped at him.
"He's not even that hot."
His eyes snapped momentarily to the redhead and the name "Eris" flashed through his head.
Petra grinned widely. "Everyone, this is my fiancé, Levi." She relished the way the blood drained out of Doros's face while the others looked on with delight. "Well? Anyone have anything to say? Not you Eris," she said quickly.
"Welcome, Corporal Levi," Luna greeted courteously. "I'm so glad you can join us."
The two sat next to each other, surrounded by her family. Levi felt a little trapped.
"I must say, this is a pleasant surprise," Stephan began. "The head of our family has decided to settle down."
"This is not a good thing, Dad." Eris pouted. "It means she'll be even more responsible and boring now."
"Does that mean you all approve?" Petra asked, already knowing the answer.
"Of course!"
"When is the date of the wedding?"
"There's so much shopping to do!"
"And there's all the work preparing and sending out invitations."
They couldn't wait till the news got out.
"Not too bad, is it?" Petra whispered to Levi.
"They haven't tried to talk to me yet, so no."
Then, of course, Doros spoke up. "When did you two meet?" His attempt at trying to be casual was obvious. He was in a panic. It was clear as day. Petra resisted the urge to shoot him a smug look.
"We ran into each other a couple of months ago." Was Levi's straightforward reply.
"Did you knock up Petra?" Eris asked, wagging her eyebrows. She fired off more questions before he had a chance to answer. "How many nieces or nephews should I expect? Do you have a hotter, taller cousin by any chance? Are you ticklish? What's your blood type?"
"Eris."
"Fine, here's an important one, which came first: the chicken or the egg?"
"Eris."
"Right: boxers or briefs?"
"ERIS!"
"What?" Eris leaned back, arms folded. "It's not like I asked him how many times he masturbates in a week."
Their family looked completely mortified and her parents glared daggers at her.
"They're not all like her, are they?" Levi whispered, wondering if it was too late to back out.
"Thankfully, no," Petra answered, cheeks tinted pink, trying very hard not to let her mind linger on her cousin's words. She cleared her throat loudly, stopping the argument that had broken out. "If anyone has any relevant questions, please do ask."
"What is it that first attracted you to my niece?" Stephan asked.
"To be honest, at first I thought she was a cow."
Petra tried not to laugh at the looks on their faces at his straightforward words.
Levi figured he should probably say a few things they were expecting him to. But romance was not his area of expertise and for one of the few times in his life, he was unsure how to handle the situation. Should've practiced this nonsense, dammit.
Before he could continue though, Petra spoke up, sensing his nerves. "Well, that was my fault. I did trick you."
"Trick?" Eris perked up.
Petra told them about a modified version of how they first met and he was grateful to be spared from having to talk too much, only agreeing and saying a few things here and there. "Levi has to head back soon, so I apologize but we'll have to end this meeting here," Petra said suddenly. "Unless anyone has anything else they want to say?"
"I do." Eris raised her hand. "Can I be the wedding planner?"
"No," Petra shot her down. "I'm putting your mom in charge."
"Can I be your personal bride escort?"
"I don't know what that means, but I guess."
"I should get going," Levi stood up, eager to leave these strangers. Although he ended up meeting and shaking hands with every person in the room before he could leave—and forgot many of their names almost immediately after.
"Hey, Erwin, check it out," Hange said, holding something up for display.
The commander smiled, reading the newspaper. They quickly took it to Levi. "Check out the headlines." Erwin held it up to him.
"Let me guess." Levi ignored the paper and continued to enjoy his tea, leaning back in his chair. "It says something along the lines of 'Humanity's Strongest Soldier Gets Hitched.'"
"Close. It's 'Humanity's Strongest Soldier to Tie the Knot with the Drakon Family Head.'"
"I just don't understand one thing," Hange said. "Isn't her last name Ral?"
"That's her father's name. Her family name is Drakon, isn't that right, Levi?" Erwin turned to the shorter man, who hummed in agreement.
"But wait, when she marries you, what's her name going to be then? Petra Ral Drakon Ackerman? Or would Drakon be—"
"Ackerman?" Levi finally looked up, confused. "Where did you hear that?"
"I read it in the article."
Erwin scanned the front page. "I'll read it to you: 'You heard it here first, folks! Survey Corps' Corporal Levi Ackerman, famously known as Humanity's Strongest Soldier, will be joined in holy matrimony with the head of the Drakon family, Lady Petra Ral.' That's the only place it states your full name. The rest is what you told me Lady Petra was going to have printed."
"I honestly have no idea where that came from," Levi said, frowning. Was it a printing error?
"So, when's the wedding?" Hange eagerly changed the topic to what she wanted to know, uninterested in the mistake. It would be simple to get that fixed.
"Four weeks," Levi answered grudgingly.
"You sure don't sound like a man about to marry his beloved."
Knowing he was in for some teasing, Levi stood up. "Speaking of my beloved, I'm meeting her today." It was late afternoon when he entered the manor. He walked past the servants without acknowledgment. Petra had told him not to do that because it "simply wasn't done" and it was mean, so he paused for a moment. "Where's Petra?"
"In the parlor, sir."
Just as I thought. Internally, he rolled his eyes. "Thank you."
He didn't even have a chance to get one word out before she was standing inches from him, eyes wide and lips pulled into a pout, almost causing him to shove her away, but he squashed the urge. "Why didn't you tell me your name was Levi Ackerman? The entire time I was itching to ask you but didn't want to offend you because I thought you were an orphan and you might not know!"
"Are you saying you had nothing to do with that?"
"What do you mean?" Petra said, puzzled. "I only told the servants to spread out what we discussed. I figured the reporters dug the rest up or got it from one of your friends."
Levi took the newspaper from her hands. "Maybe they made it up."
"It could be an angry suitor of yours."
"I don't have any suitors," he pointed out.
"Okay, so maybe it was one of my competitors." Petra shrugged. "I heard Ackermans used to be persecuted for some reason. They must be trying to tarnish your name."
"And?" Levi prompted.
"And what?"
"Are you going to back out? I wasn't exactly a good person. How do you think it'll look if people find out I'm nothing but Underground trash?" Levi felt some annoyance at her startled face. And he was just beginning to think she wouldn't be too bad to have as a wife. He couldn't deny the slight stinging in his chest. Not that I can blame her. It was his own fault for expecting someone raised aboveground and in wealth not to be disgusted by vermin who stole and was well-versed in the language of violence. She would never understand that desperation for survival.
Petra's face broke out into a smile, taking Levi by surprise. "You're telling me about your past!"
"That's what you took from it?" Levi said incredulously. Sometimes he really didn't understand her.
"If you mean about your history, I don't care." She waved her hand dismissively. "I'm marrying the present you. Make no mistake, if you were a bastard and a walking piece of human garbage I wouldn't have brought you my proposal. Besides, when you asked me for some time before you made up your mind, I lost an entire night's worth of sleep. There's no way I'm letting you get away so easily."
What a strange woman she was. Her acceptance left a pleasant feeling in his chest, though. Perhaps they could actually come to like each other's company as close acquaintances while keeping up their marriage charade, instead of two people simply honoring a business deal.
"Now," she said brightly, "come here. Let me show you one of the reasons I asked you here." Ushering him to take a seat, she opened up a large velvet box on the table.
Levi thought it was going to be a necklace. His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he saw them. There were four rings, all white platinum with a blue gem.
"If the family head is a woman, then the feminine version of the ring with the bigger gem is used. If it's a man, then the set with the bigger gem for the male ring is used. It's to show who the person in charge is. I didn't want you to buy wedding bands—"
"I have to wear this?" Levi tried not to stare. "This is ridiculous!"
Petra closed the box with a sharp snap. "These happen to be passed on through my family for generations, please keep that in mind before you decide to insult—"
"That's not what I meant," he said quickly.
Levi did not need her to get bitchy on him now that all eyes would be on them for the next few months. Erwin had been going on and on about how the Survey Corps' name tied to his would bring more attention to them as he was marrying a noble, and not just any noble but the head of the entire and relative influential family.
"I just meant it would be too dramatic to wear it around the Corps. The other Scouts aren't exactly used to seeing such wealth, frankly neither am I, and it would be very strange." It wasn't a lie. He may have thought about owning such pieces of jewelry while he lived with Farlan and Isabel but in reality, considering his occupation and the economic status of those around him, the thought of wearing such a gaudy ring left him feeling oddly self-conscious.
The icy expression faded and Petra smiled. "Nice save. You can wear it around your neck with the engagement ring."
Levi glanced at the ring on her hand, scowling. "What's the point of buying such a flashy ring if you're not even going to wear it? It seems like common sense to me that the wedding ring should be the expensive one. It's what you're going to wear for the rest of your life."
"I think parents often give their engagement rings to their children, so it's like a family heirloom. And if it makes you feel better, most of my family wears their engagement ring on their right ring finger and so will I."
"Is it some kind of tradition?"
"No, just something people do if they want. It's up to the individual. Speaking of tradition." Petra perked up. "There's a lot you have to learn."
"If I'm going to learn dumbass—"
Petra glared.
He mentally sighed. "If I'm going to be forced to learn these customs of yours," Levi amended, "then I'm going to need a stiff drink." Tea wouldn't cut it this time.
Petra rolled her eyes. "Way ahead of you," she gestured to the bottle on the table. "Just don't get drunk, there's a lot you have to remember."
"Relax." He poured himself a glass. "I always stop before I get drunk."
Levi shuffled the papers together. Finally, one stack's done. The satisfaction did not last long. With a sigh, he picked up the other one and began to read grudgingly, committing the most important facts to memory. Hange barged into his office. "Levi, you have to—what're you doing?"
"Homework."
"Forget about that for a minute, have you read this article?"
"Don't you remember? Petra and I already know what's going to show up in the paper before they even print it."
"Yeah, but I don't. You have to tell me everything," Hange demanded. "I need to know where this wedding is, what kind of decors they'll have, what's on the menu—"
"I don't know!" Levi relied in annoyance. "Petra put her aunt in charge so go bother her." He waved his hand. If Luna could handle Eris, then she could handle Hange.
"That doesn't help. I don't know the woman."
"Four-Eyes, just leave." Levi rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming.
Surprisingly, for once, she actually listened and let herself out with a dramatic sigh. Levi picked up the newspaper Hange had left behind. Her words had gotten to him.
I'm going to get married. He had about three weeks before the wedding. My wedding. Levi winced.
Ten minutes later, Hange barged in again and snatched the newspaper from his desk. "Never mind, I got my invitation. I need this back. I made notes in the margin. There's so much I have to do! This wedding's the biggest thing since, well, it's probably the wedding of the decade!" She skipped out, leaving a pale-faced Levi behind.
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