Sophie had hoped to never feel that kind of cold again. An intense, bone-chilling air that penetrated her clothes and skin alike. Despite enduring so many harsh winters in Ehrmich, two years in Yormgen had been enough to soften her resilience.

She lifted her head and observed the clear night sky, populated by tiny, sparkling stars. For a moment, she forgot about where she was and what she was supposed to do there.

"Sophie?"

The whisper of her name surrounded her like that same icy breeze, making her shiver in response. She turned her head towards it, only to find Levi staring at her with a worried expression.

Sophie sighed, "Sorry." Adjusting the old, maroon shawl over her shoulders, she mumbled, "Do we really have to do this now? I'm pretty tired."

"Orders are orders," answered Levi, impassive as always.

"Right."

She was in no position to argue, no matter how long their trip to Stohess had been or how late at night it was. The sight of the grand, oak door in front of her became a harsher reminder of her actions than Levi's command. It was the entrance to the Central Building, where all the divisions, from the Military to the Government, met. And she sure wasn't expecting a banquet on the other side.

In every checkpoint on their way, Levi had instructed to notify the Commanders of their passage. As if her return wasn't controversial enough already, her late arrival had forced most of the upper echelons of Sheena out of their beds. But a rushed alert, as soon as she was back, had been their order in the first place.

And there she was. Back in that dignified, great building, built on the perseverance and duty of the Military and Government of the Walls, now known as Paradis. She didn't know how long Levi had waited for her gesture of approval to open that door, but there was no point in delaying the inevitable.

Sophie took a deep breath and nodded. In response, Levi grabbed the steel latches on each panel and pushed the door open.

She had expected the somber, elongated hallway she once knew, solely illuminated by torches. Instead, pendant ceiling lamps cast a bright, blue light on the marble tiles and columns inside the building. The contrast with the darkness outside, still visible through the arched windows on the walls, forced Sophie to wrinkle her eyes as she entered. She had visited that place countless times, but she still marveled at its design. But mostly, at the alluring, oddly familiar glow from the lamps.

Two staircases, one at each side of the entrance, led to the upper floors. Those hosted an almost endless number of offices, but only for minor deputies and bureaucrats. She was supposed to go to the room at the end of the hall, and she didn't need Levi to confirm it. That office was reserved for the biggest authorities: Commanders, Chiefs, Ministers, and Royals.

She used to be of them.

She had once walked those corridors with her head held up high, powerful, and untouchable; the clink of her heels against the spotless floor warning the entire building of her arrival. Now, despite not a single soul besides Levi being present, she lowered her head. Grouched, to ignore the shame and regrets hanging over her head. But even if she was no longer that respected, confident Chief, at least she wasn't walking through those corridors alone. That was all the strength she needed to place one foot over the other one, counting the square tiles she stepped on. Twenty-seven left before reaching the end of the hall.

Twenty-three.

There was no apparent reason to be nervous. They had only asked for her help, not to subject her to a second trial. And yet, she felt like she was heading into one, and not only from the Commanders. Every person in that building had once venerated and admired her for her righteousness. A deceit she had fed on for years. How was she supposed to face them?

Seventeen.

At least she could still hide behind the protection of those solitary hours of the night. It was a better option than performing that walk of shame in broad light, with everyone to watch. Especially Levi.

Twelve.

Sophie concentrated on his presence to continue moving forward. He walked next to her, almost supervising more than protecting her. But after so many years next to Asbel, she wasn't sure whether those terms were any different.

The creak of wood interrupted her counting. She lifted her head, but the door at the end of the hall had remained closed. The sound came from one of the adjacent offices, from where a man with the unicorn emblem on his jacket stepped out. Her instinct told her to look down and keep staring at the tiles on the floor. It ordered her to hide, but that was not what she had come to do.

Instead, she gulped and continued walking, focusing her sight on her destination. The footsteps from the Policeman were louder and faster than hers, but they suddenly stopped. She didn't.

Sophie stretched her hands and kept moving forward. He was just a late-night guard, doing his job. No reason to feel threatened by his still presence or examining gaze. Or at least, that's what she told herself as she approached him.

"Murderer," he whispered just as Sophie walked right past him. The MP concluded his curse by spitting on her feet. Then, he resumed his hasty stroll away from her.

In the cold ambiance of that building, that foul gesture had managed to finally freeze her. Unable to move, she could feel the door becoming further and further away from her, almost unreachable. Her heartbeat pounded in her head alongside that word: murderer.

From the corner of her eye, she distinguished Levi turning around. And just as she felt the air around her whirling with his motion, she grabbed his arm. But the force of her grip wasn't comparable to the tension of his biceps. Instead of facing him, she continued to stare at the door, numbed. Even if he had promised her protection, she wouldn't allow him to go against his duty. Or publicly sympathize with a murderer, for that matter. She could feel Levi slowly recovering his composure under her hand, so she slowly let go of his arm, lowering her gaze to focus on the floor again.

Five.

Why was it so hard to step on those last tiles? All those times she had entered her office with a trail of lies behind her, she had never hesitated. And now that she no longer needed to hide, she had never felt so much like a coward.

The sudden warmth of Levi's hand on her back reignited her commitment, melting away all the remaining frost around her stance. It gave her the courage to finally turn to him and meet his gray, gentle eyes, reminding her that she wasn't alone. He believed in her.

"Let's go," he whispered.

Sophie nodded, and she resumed her stepping on the remaining tiles, with Levi supporting her. Once they reached the entrance, she didn't wait for his instruction like at the main door. It was her call now, so she held her breath and knocked. Almost immediately, someone on the other side opened it.

Hange shyly appeared from behind the frame, and Sophie could distinguish at least four other figures inside the room. Pixis, Zachary, Nile, and damn Charles Bryant.

"Thank you, Captain," they said as they invited Sophie to enter. She followed, but before she could turn around and search for Levi's gaze one more time, Hange closed the door. They moved away from her right after, not even greeting her arrival.

Hange joined Charles and the other Commanders, sitting around the large, round table that centered the office. That room was also illuminated by that same intense, blue light from the corridor lamps, but it came from an elegant, silver chandelier instead. She knew every spot in there: The bookshelves archived the accounting books and reports. The soft, grey cushions over the antique chairs, set up to provide some comfort to the endless hours of administrative discussions. The dusty, stuffy air that enveloped the area. And most of all, she knew the people in front of her.

All the Commanders wore the long, green corporate coats with their respective emblems sewed on their chest. The tiredness and annoyance of such a late—or early—meeting were visible in all their faces. She took some extra time to examine Charles, looking for any sign of heavy stress on his expression, a proof of how unqualified he was to run Engineering. But there were no dark circles or wrinkles around his tiny brown eyes, hiding behind thin, round glasses. His olive skin was as lively as ever, and his cheeks were defined but not bony. The only difference in his aspect was his raven hair, shorter than the last time she had seen him. No trace of those wild curls he never cared to arrange, unlike that ridiculously long mustache. Instead of any official attire, he sported a simple, grey suit, and a noticeably crumpled white shirt. Careless and cheap. That was the new Chief of Engineering. Older than her, but definitely not wiser.

You know how things need to be handled.

Levi's words appeared in her mind like a whisper. Unlike Charles, she knew how things needed to be handled. She had worked tirelessly for a decade to prove it, and everyone in that room knew it.

Without the hosts' invitation, she sat at one of the chairs around the table. That's what she had to do to help Paradis: take back her throne. The sight of an unbothered Charles, despite ruining her division. The realization that she was finally going to return Engineering to its former glory, but without lies and corruption. All the signs were right in front of her. She was back to doing what she was best at, and that was enough fuel to lighten her pride. No cussing whispers on a corridor could prevent her from turning into what she had always been: the most powerful woman in that room. And if there was anything she had learned, it was to never show any weakness. Not to the Commanders, not to Asbel, and definitely not to Charles.

Pixis yawned, interrupting the quietness. He took out a flask from his jacket and offered it to Sophie. She declined.

He smiled, "Looking good, Lhant."

"Thank you," she gushed with a hint of bitterness. "I have to thank Commander Zachary's handpicked holiday resort for that."

Zachary crossed his arms and scoffed, "Then I expect that your little vacation was worthwhile."

"Of course," she smiled. "But when the Captain told me about the threats and dangers that Paradis was facing, I couldn't just walk away." Sophie paused to moist her lips before adding with a playful chant, "It wouldn't sit right with me, you know? I just hope that my skills can be of any use to the island."

"We hope so too," replied Zachary, impassive to her act. The other attendees remained silent, but she distinguished a smirk on Pixis's face.

As she had asserted her intents, she moved onto the next matter that worried her. Sophie lifted her hand and pointed at the chandelier. That blue glow still hadn't escaped her mind.

"How do they work?"

Hange frowned and replied, "You don't know?"

"Hm, I feel like I've seen that sort of light before…" she muttered, mostly to herself as she tapped her fingers on the board, recalling that familiar, icy brightness. "The Reiss Chapel, correct? Those gleaming crystals were all over the construction site."

Everyone wavered on their seats, switching their gazes between each other in silence. Charles cleared his throat and said, "Let's just focus on the matters at hand."

Sophie continued, unbothered by his command. "I wasn't allowed to study them, though. But Asbel told me that if I needed more to rebuild the altar, Reiss would get them for me." She looked at the lamp again. That bright light, so close to her instead of gatekept by Asbel, reignited her curiosity. She turned to Hange and frowned. "Did you run a chemical analysis?"

"Yes," they replied in a heartbeat. The same, enthusiastic response from whenever they were asked about their research. Sophie knew Hange's eagerness to share their discoveries all too well.

Zachary delivered a shutting look to them, but Sophie continued, "And?"

"It's confidential," said Charles, taking over.

Sophie scoffed, "Well, as the Chief of Engineering, I believe I have enough authority to—"

"You are not Chief anymore."

Being called a murderer had frozen her, but Charles's statement had shattered her. All doubts and questions populated her head, conflicting with Levi's discourse back at Yormgen.

"Excuse me? Why else would you—?"

Charles talked over her, "We need to move the Senior Engineers from Civil and Armory to other divisions. The Juniors will replace them."

"Wait, what other divisions? There are only two," she asked, nervously looking at the other Commanders. Despite the light shining above them, she could see nothing.

Zachary intervened without answering her question. "You will be Supervisor of both Armory and Civil, and you will respond directly to Chief Bryant and the Board."

Sophie opened her mouth as she processed all the information, but only soft babbles came out. Seeing the expectant faces of the Commanders, and especially Charles's, she forced herself to clear her mind.

"So I'm supposed to be in charge of both divisions? With Juniors?" She shook her head and grunted, "No, they are too inexperienced. They will only make mistakes."

"But you don't, do you?" said Charles, lifting an eyebrow. "No mistakes. That's what you used to preach."

Used to preach. He had purposely emphasized that tense. She finally saw the reality of their request; they wanted help, not control. Even if that was what she had wished for, she couldn't avoid feeling threatened by her lack of authority in that room.

"Is it too much for you, Lhant?" asked Zachary with a bitter smirk. "If you can't handle such responsibility—"

"I can," she interrupted. "I will."

"Very well." He made a gesture to Charles, who stood up to grab some files from one of the nearer bookshelves. Sophie turned to Hange, looking for some support hidden in their silence, but they simply looked away.

The loud bang of the heavy folders against the board forced her to switch her attention back to the meeting. She observed the tall stack of documents, frowning.

Charles placed his hand on the top. "This is all the information you will need. Current projects, technologies, and, of course, the new production protocols."

Sophie gulped, passing her fingertips over the edges of the papers, counting them. Too many. "How long do I have before I start?"

"Three days," said Charles. "Is that enough for you?"

"Yes," she answered before she had even considered the weight of his request.

"Good." He turned to Zachary and whispered, "Is my presence still required?"

"No. Thank you for your help, Bryant. You are dismissed."

Charles adjusted his jacket and headed for the door. Sophie observed him leaving the office, clenching her jaw as she questioned herself for the fifteenth time why they would ever leave such a laid-back snob in charge. Charles would never sacrifice an extra minute of his sleep for the sake of duty, not even when war was at stake.

"Now, onto the conditions of your return…," said Zachary.

Sophie turned her head in an instant. "Conditions?"

He cleared his throat and, once more, ignored her question. "For the time being, you will stay at the Police Brigade HQ."

"No," replied Sophie.

Nile scoffed, "Excuse me?"

"I said no."

"It's not an offer, Lhant. It's an order," he seethed, stretching his neck.

"Don't mistake me for a fool, Nile. I know what it's like to be held prisoner by the Police."

He placed his fists on the board as he attempted to get closer to her. She didn't flinch, but before he could say anything else, Zachary lifted a hand and shushed him.

"It's not like you have anywhere else to go," Zachary tempted her, adjusting his glasses.

"I do," she replied. "I want my Ehrmich manor back."

"No."

"I paid for that house before I married Asbel. It's mine."

"No. And you don't get to bargain."

Sophie leaned her back on the chair and crossed her arms. Every person in that room pointed a different weapon at her: Hange's indifference, Pixis's frivolity, Nile's hatred, and of course, Zachary's diminishment. But she always got to bargain, especially after being disrespected by the same people who had begged for her return. Her mind reeled through all the dirty secrets she could air to buy her freedom. Zachary's sick amusements, Nile's corrupt and greedy officers, or Hange's blabbermouth. If they dared to treat her like a devil, she wouldn't hesitate to do the same with them. There were no saints in Paradis.

But before she could even counter their attack, Hange turned to Zachary and growled, "It's just a fucking house, Zachary."

Despite Nile's furious gaze on her, Sophie was too busy trying to decipher those silent looks between Zachary and Hange. A concealed negotiation, which she hoped had her concerns as the utmost interest. She allowed herself to trust in Hange's prompt rescue, just as they had trusted her after Erwin's letter.

After a pause that seemed like ages, Zachary slowly nodded at Hange. Hange stood up and left the room with a hasty walk, ignoring Sophie on the way. Nile had finally given up on his judgmental looks, and Zachary and Pixis were still as statutes. But Sophie had never felt as tense.

Levi threw his head back, pressing his shoulder against one of the columns to avoid looking at that dreadful office door again. His muscles were so strained that not even fidgeting seemed like a plausible way to release the stress. Instead, he focused on the painted ceiling: a detailed scenery of a grass field, colored by the blue light from the lamps.

He had already seen that scrawny-looking guy with glasses leaving the office. But Hange and Sophie were still inside, and they had been there for far too long.

The door opened, and Levi held his breath as he adjusted his posture. Hange.

"Hey," they said, waving their hand as they approached him. Levi still didn't feel comfortable enough to relax his stance.

"Hey."

Hange crossed their arms and smiled, "So, how was your trip?"

"Long," he sighed. "You guys really sent her to the most far-off shithole."

"Don't look at me. That was Zachary's idea." They scoffed, "And it's not like this shithole is any better."

"Yeah."

After a brief pause, Hange adjusted their glasses. "So, uh, she came back after all. What did you tell her?"

"What we agreed on. And no dirty tricks." He crossed his arms and clicked his tongue. "Perhaps she is not the evil, calculating woman you think she is."

"Yeah, sure," Hange mocked. "You should've seen her in there, acting like a damn royal." Looking away, they whispered, "A royal pain in the ass, that's what she is."

Levi rolled his eyes. "She always does that."

"Do what?"

"She tries to make herself bigger when she is cornered," he sighed. "She did the same thing back in the Underground."

Hange grunted, "You two are adorable."

Levi ignored their comment and rubbed his eyes. Even he was getting tired of that useless waiting. "So, what now? Are we all having a sleepover party in Zachary's office?"

Hange redirected their gaze to the office door. "They are still discussing some terms."

"What kind of terms?" he asked, but Hange remained silent. "Oh, right. You can't tell me."

Levi leaned his back against the column, observing Hange's quiet, reticent presence from the corner of his eyes. Something was off about them, but he had become used to their secrecy.

With a swift move, Hange turned on their heels to face Levi again. "Listen, when the Commanders and I talked about the possibility of her return, we…" They paused to clear their throat, but Levi could feel that it was intentional.

"What?"

He frowned, evaluating the tense, formal expression on their face. He wasn't talking to Hange anymore. It was Commander Zoe in front of him.

Hange took a deep breath before continuing, "While we very much appreciate that she is back and willing to help, we are still not sure of whether she is trustworthy."

"Seriously, Hange?" he scoffed, stretching his back.

"Look, I'm sorry, but we revised her file and there are just too many things that don't add up. She knew about Asbel the whole time, but she waited until there was a new Government to come clean." As Hange swayed their head, Levi could sense how the scientist in them was about to drift into a monologue of hypothesis. "I mean, he admitted during his questioning that he didn't have the support from Reiss anymore, so he was planning on shutting down the Underground operations anyway. What if she just reached out to Erwin because Asbel was about to leave her?"

"He what?" Levi tried to remember whether Sophie had mentioned any of that, but he was too stunned by Hange's words. His questioning. They weren't supposed to disclose such information.

Levi attempted to call out their slip, but Hange continued, "And what about that damn letter? She did say that she copied other people's handwriting. Perhaps she just wrote it herself to save her ass after Erwin's death, in case there was no Plan B."

"No, that doesn't make sense."

"Nothing makes sense," they growled. "But there is something off about her."

"Why the hell do you keep doing this, Hange? You were the one who wanted her back."

"I know," they exasperated, shaking their hands. "And I know that she will do her job flawlessly like she always does. I do trust her on that, but the other Commanders are scared that if we give her enough authority, she will sell us off."

"To whom? The Reiss are gone, the Government is cleansed, and the Volunteers are locked up on this island. There is no one she can sell us off to."

"Yeah, you are right, but…" Hange paused and bit their lower lip. "The thing is, Zachary wants someone to watch over her and make sure that she doesn't go her own way."

Hange stared at Levi in silence. He wasn't going to let them get away with such cowardice.

"Go on," he commanded.

"I think you are close enough to her to do that."

"Are you asking me to spy on her?"

"Not spy, just…watch over," they faltered. "We only need you to tell us if you notice something weird about her, if she asks too many questions, or if she tries to contact the Volunteers."

"That's called spying."

"It's not spying if she doesn't do anything out of place," they noted. "But I know this will put you in a sensible position, so I'll understand if you don't want to do it."

Levi scoffed, "And then what? You'll assign some random MP to hide under her bed?"

"Probably, yeah." They shrugged and whispered, "She might even enjoy it."

Levi ignored their pitiful joke as he stomped towards them. "I made her a promise, Hange. I told her that there wouldn't be any more lies, and I intend to keep that promise."

"As I said, if you don't want to do it, that's fine," they whispered, lifting their hand as a sign for Levi to relax. "But we can't risk her trying to be in control of all the operations again."

"Why not? You said it yourself: she is flawless at it."

"Yes, and after everything that happened, that's the only reason why she is not in a cell right now. But she is… " They closed their eye and took a deep breath. Levi almost demanded them to finish that sentence, but Hange continued, "Believe it or not, I'm trying to protect her. Too many people want her behind bars, and I don't want them to have more reasons for it."

"Are you one of those people?" he asked, gritting his teeth.

"No," they replied with conviction. Hange fixed their gaze on Levi and gulped, "I keep thinking about what Sannes said. All the… stuff we did to him and the other MPs."

Sannes. The MP they had tortured during the coup. He could still hear the snap of his bones and nails in his nightmares. Levi crossed his arms and mumbled, "So you don't want her behind bars because you know that if she deserves to go to prison, so do we, right?"

Instead of replying, Hange walked towards the column and leaned against it with a sigh. That gesture was enough for him to know the kind of thoughts that went through their head. Guilt, concealed behind the title of Commander.

Levi looked at the door once more. It was expected that her return wouldn't come without some controversy, but he hoped that it wouldn't be more than meaningless gossip. He couldn't let such naivety guide his judgment again; if he didn't spy on her, someone else would. There was no guarantee that a random MP wouldn't be part of those that wanted to see her behind bars, just like the officer from the corridor. If he agreed, he could make sure that no one would set her up. But that wasn't the only reason why he was still considering Hange's offer, rather than appealing to the promise and declining.

He wanted—no, he needed—to know whether Hange's concerns about Sophie were justified. His instinct, the feelings from Yormgen, all told him to believe in her, but when Hange had a suspicion, it didn't arise without grounds. If he couldn't access her and Asbel's file, monitoring her would be the only way to clear that air of mistrust around Sophie. No matter what they said, he knew that she wasn't the woman that Asbel made her out to be. Or at least, he hoped so, just as he hoped that she would prove her commitment to Paradis.

He had to protect her from others, and perhaps from herself. That wasn't so different from his promise.

"I'll do it," he said, still staring at the door. "I'll… watch over her."

Hange silently approached him. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Great," they whispered. "I'll let Zachary know, and he will add it to the ratification."

Author's Note

Hello, hello

This chapter was supposed to be longer, but when I saw that it was getting too close to another 10k AGAIN, I decided to split it for better readability (but let me know if you prefer longer chapters!)

This one is a bit of a filler, but there's interesting stuff in the next one.

Also, Sophie probably had a portrait of Charles taped to a wall in her office so she could throw darts at it. We will learn more about why soon-ish.

And I promise that fluff is coming! Really!

See you in like, two weeks? One week? Something like that.