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The night was young. New moon just appeared above the horizon of the ocean.
Inside the waiting room outside the Lady’s quarter of Castle Hange, Mistress Nanaba Zarachas, Lady Hange's lady-in-waiting, sat stoically on a chair facing directly at her husband Sir Miche. The tall knight was assigned to stand guard for tonight. But right now he could barely look his wife in the eyes, for the ongoing moans coming from Lady Zoë Hange's bedchamber made his face burn like a beetroot. Shifting uncomfortably on his feet, he nearly jumped as Lady Hange's begging stutters were suddenly replaced by a man's coarse grunts, followed by a solid sound of thud , as if something, or someone was knocked on the wooden headboard.
"Oh no! She bumped her head again." Beside Mistress Nanaba, Nifa, the young handmaiden of Lady Hange, whispered. Her words caused Brother Moblit, the monk apprentice sent by Erwin the Father Abbot, to caution Lady Hange and her husband about the harms of excessive nightly delight to bury his face in his hands. Such lack of poise earned them a deadly glare from Mistress Nanaba. The lady-in-waiting was about to scold the maid and monk apprentice but another cry from Lady Hange silenced them. This time it was even more lascivious than before, even Mistress Nanaba had to close her eyes.
Le...Levi…I can't! I'm gonna…I'm gonna...Ah! The Lady yelped as a crack of slap landed on her skin, followed by a harsh warning from her husband.
Stay still, Zoë. The man's cold, steady voice came through the wooden door like a splash of cold water, making everyone freeze on the spot, alerted.
When I told you to hold your legs, woman, you hold them. I'm not kidding. He demanded roughly. With another loud slap, Lady Hange's weak protest soon became incessant moans, chanting her husband's name like some holy litany.
Levi…Levi...nmmm…please…HAAH! Her cry pierced through the chilly night like a blade whizzing through the air, making the four people inside the waiting room cover their mouths, too embarrassed to look at one another. Through the closed door, they could tell the lady of the castle's voice became muffled, fainted cries replaced by wet noises and loud smacks from her four-poster bed banging on the wall.
Staring at the other three people under the flickering fire, Mistress Nanaba raised from her seat, leaning towards the door to the Lady's chamber. The loud banging continued as the Mistress' scowl grew deeper.
"I can't listen anymore. He's going to hurt her." She muttered, ready to push into the Lady's chamber, but was stopped by Sir Miche grabbing her by the arm. She gasped, furiously slapping the knight on the shoulder, caring nothing about saving her husband's face in public.
"Ouch! Nana!" Sir Miche hissed, barely keeping his voice down as Mistress Nanaba turned to push on the door. He was quick to stop her, pulling her away by the waist. But the act soon earned him a solid blow on the lower abdomen from the mistress' elbow.
Grunting in pain, the knight bit his lip as he tried to remain silent. This is why I shouldn't have married a swordmaster's daughter, Sir Miche thought. With a flex of his arms, he threw Mistress Nanaba over his shoulder, swiftly shoving her back into the chair. "Calm down, wife!" He hissed, refusing to flinch or back down as the Mistress raised her leg to kick him on the chin. "If you barge in now, the Lord will never forgive us. Men don't take humiliation like that lightly, especially a man from the Ackerman clan ."
"That sword for hire is not our Lord yet!" The Mistress spit, but Sir Miche immediately stopped her.
"He is bound to be when you stood in on behalf of Lady Hange for the nuptials to take place, my dear. Not to mention the marriage has clearly been consummated." Sir Miche shook his head, pointing at the shut door as he stretched his hurting leg to ease the pain his wife had inflicted.
"Let's not fool ourselves, Nana. The only thing keeping Ackerman from taking the title as our Lord is a formal acknowledgment from the King. With his uncle being King Uri's favourite, Abbot Erwin had said that the royal document is probably already on the way."
"Ugh!" Mistress Nanaba rolled her eyes. "I hate this!" She uttered, head falling into her palm to prevent herself from fainting as another weak moan from Lady Hange came through the closed door, followed by the Ackerman's hoarse snarl and a series of wet slapping noises.
Levi…Levi…slow down…please…my love…please… Lady Hange begged, but the slapping noises didn't seem to ease at all.
"O holy St. Monica…' The Mistress whined through her finger. "When our Lady asked me to be her stand-in at the wedding, I thought it was because she wanted to have the marriage annulled at some point, that she would find a way to get around it. She didn't want to marry him, you know? I never saw her so devastated when she sent me to her wedding. I told her to call it off if marrying Ackerman upset her so much. But she refused. We need the Ackerman troops to stand a chance fending off the winter raiders from the sea. She said, so I did what she asked, stood in her place and sealed her fate with that brute of a man…" Mistress Nanaba stopped, pinching between her eyebrows as another moan from the bedchamber demanded their attention, this time from both of them.
At the corner of the waiting room, Brother Moblit made a sign of the cross and started to mutter something in Latin. His small and weak prayers sounded exceptionally ridiculous compared to the blatant calls of coitus from the couple next door. Mistress Nanaba exchanged a look with Sir Miche, turning away from the pathetic monk apprentice. Next to Brother Moblit, Nifa the young handmaiden let out a yawn, bending down to reorganize the sheets and blankets inside the extra-large basket by her feet. She was bored as the Lord and Lady behind the closed door showed no sign to end their endeavour.
"Well, if I'm being honest, it's quite impressive," Sir Miche started, eyeing the chamber's hardwood door. Mistress Nanaba shot him a deadly glare.
"I mean…I can see why you're worried about our Lady, Nana. But..." Another desperate moan from Lady Hange escaped from behind the door. Sir Miche flinched, moving further away from the Lady's chamber. Thank God I only need to stand guard by the Lady's chamber once a month, Sir Miche thought to himself.
"I'm just saying that you worry too much, my dear. They are only married for two months. It's natural that they are still passionate with each other…"
"Sixty-five days." Mistress Nanaba interrupted. Sir Miche immediately looked down at her.
"Pardon?"
"I said they have been married for sixty-five days," the Mistress said, standing up once again to walk towards the Lady's chamber. Sir Miche immediately followed, afraid she'd tried to barge in again. But this time she only halted by the door, as the noises from the other side seemed to be quiet down.
"And apart from the first two weeks Lady Hange refused to see him, tonight is the exact fortieth night they have spent together." The Mistress said, letting out a sigh. "You know what that means, don't you?" She asked her husband. Sir Miche's jaw dropped, confused.
"Does…that mean anything other than they are madly in love?" the knight questioned, a remark echoed by another loud bang from the Lady's chamber, followed by Lady Hange’s weak, incoherent mumble.
"Ah, my sweet, darling fool of a knight." Mistress Nanaba tutted, shaking her head to resist the urge to pinch the bear-like man in front of her. "How could you still be so blind after siring my children is utterly beyond me. For forty days Ackerman has come to our Lady, sharing her bed without the hindrance of her monthly . You don't need to be wise like Abbot Erwin to figure it out, do you, my dear Sir?"
Sir Miche blinked, staring down at his wife's velvet truncated hennin. The dark brown color flickered like obsidian under the fire. He loved seeing his wife in headwear like this, with only a glimpse of her golden hairline showing on the brink of her forehead, demonstrating her beauty and her standing as the mistress of a knightly household. Sir Miche knew by heart, however, that Nanaba wasn't fond of any types of headdresses when she was a maid. She only became accustomed to the kind of simple headpiece when she was expecting their first child, as she constantly felt cold under the chilly breeze in spring.
"O my Lord in Heaven…" the knight breathed, eyes widening in disbelief. "Are you telling me that Lady Hange could be pregnant already? Is it why you're so anxious that they are still…oh dear…" Sir Miche stopped, staring at the door as a loud crack like a vase smashing to the floor escaped the Lady's chamber. “What is happening now?”
Mistress Nanaba and Sir Miche looked at each other, before turning to see Nifa and Brother Moblit. The four of them stared at the door, uncertain about what they should do next. Until Ackerman's voice raised in the Lady's room.
Zoë, I told you to stay back. He chided. Mistress Nanaba clenched her hands on his condescending tone.
But Levi…I just want to see… Lady Hange said hesitantly. Yet her husband didn't allow her to finish.
Stay back or I'll make you stay back, noble Lady. The man demanded.
"Seriously, who does he think he is?" Mistress Nanaba scowled. She was about to reach for the door but the handmaiden Nifa had already run up, intercepting her before punching on the door.
"My Lady? It's Nifa." She called, fist knocking heavily on the hardwood plank. "I heard something broken. Do you want me to clean it up?"
She stopped. No response from the couple inside.
"My Lady?" She asked again, but only a muffled voice raised this time.
"It's ominous to leave broken things overnight. I want to clean it up. Please, may I come in?"
No response. Nifa took a deep breath, looking up at Mistress Nanaba. The lady-in-waiting gestured to her to try again.
"My Lady? Do you hear me? Are you feeling alright? Waah!" Nifa didn't get to finish, as the door in front of her suddenly flew open. Startled, she jumped up, nearly crashing into the man ahead. Levi Ackerman stood at the door, disheveled and flushed, donning only a wrinkled tunic, staring glumly at the small crowd before him, clearly unimpressed.
"Master Ackerman," Nifa curtsied to him. "I asked my Lady's permission to clear the broken fragments…"
Without a word, Levi simply gazed at her.
"Master Ackerman, I need to - "
"Fine. You may come in." Stepping aside to let Nifa in, Levi huffed as he saw the large basket Nifa was carrying with her. "While you're at it, do change the bedsheet, too. And leave a clean nightgown on the table for Lady Hange, as you're so well prepared."
Nifa didn't say a word, hurrying inside to her tasks. Levi's attention turned to the mistress who was staring intently at him.
"What about you, Mistress Zacharias? Here to see if the Lady gets any new scratches again?" He smirked, and couldn't help to torment the mistress who was so hostile to him.
"What if she does?" Mistress Nanaba challenged, tilting her head to look down at him. Annoyed, Levi let out a sneer but was unmoved when the mistress pushed past him, running inside to see the Lady. He then began to look at the two men remaining outside.
"How about you two? Sir Miche, care to join your wife to tour around Lady Hange's bedchamber?" Levi asked, lips curling as Brother Moblit flinched at his question.
"No, I'm fine. No need to indulge me with your art of ridicule, Master Ackerman ." The knight chuckled, leaning forward to stand against the door frame, towering over the man who was set to be the Lord of the castle, smirking as the smaller man narrowed his gaze.
"Very well," Levi said flatly, unfazed as Sir Miche kept looking down at him. They stared at each other for quite a while, until Nifa began to carry the shards and changed bedsheets outside with Mistress Nanaba holding a ripped nightgown in her tow. As soon as the two women stepped out of the chamber, Levi swiftly shut the door, ignoring Mistress Nanaba's protest that he should go back to his own quarter so that the Lady could properly rest.
Turning to look inside, Levi found Lady Hange, still tucked in the armchair under the thick blankets he had wrapped her in before they were interrupted. Her beautiful brown eyes shone like stars under the flickering light, sparkling as she looked up at him. She smiled, blushed heavily as he approached and kissed her on the lips, face burning like a warm field under the midday sun.
"You need to talk to Mistress Zacharias, my love. Or she'll think that I'm torturing you every night." Levi murmured, licking slowly on the shell of her ear, causing her to throw her head back, overwhelmed by pleasure.
"Ah-hmmm…." The Lady moaned, breathing out slowly as Levi hoisted her up, cradling her in his arms to walk the bed.
"Quiet, Zoë." Levi hushed by her ear as he gently lay her down on the changed sheet. "Keep your voice down or your ladies will try to get in again. As much as I enjoy making them blush when I make love to you, it's getting a bit exhausting when people always blame me for corrupting you."
"Aha!" Hange chuckled, reaching out to pull her husband into her arms. "But you did corrupt me, Master Ackerman. If I am to tell Nanaba everything, I would have to start from the beginning, telling her that the reason I made her my stand-in at the wedding was because I fell madly in love with a stranger in the woods, and couldn't trust myself to say the vows at the altar. Can you imagine how she'd react if I told her that?"
"I refuse to imagine anything regarding Mistress Zacharias. But one thing for sure, no matter what you tell her, she'll probably blame me for everything and hate me even more. Then she'd have Sir Miche murder me and stage an accident." Levi laughed, sneaking his hands through the blankets to feel her warm, soft skin. Letting out a satisfied sigh as he breathed in her scent.
"No." Lady Hange shook her head, burying her face into his neck. "If I told her I had fallen in love, she'd figure everything out. She knows me well. She'd know it's impossible for me to love another so quickly after I broke it off. The only reason I could accept a husband I had been reluctant to marry so quickly, was because you were the stranger I fell in love with in the first place, Levi. The stranger who loved and left me, just like I loved and left him."
"And...she will certainly murder me for breaking your heart." Levi smiled at her, trying to joke. But he didn't see anything funny about it.
"Hmm..no." Hange shook her head again, whispering against his lips. "You didn't break my heart, Levi. I was the one who let it break . That was why I couldn't work up the courage to go to the wedding myself. Because I didn't want to face the consequences of my choice, even if I kept telling myself it was for the best, that I have a duty for my people and my family's legacy… " she tailed off, swallowing hard as she searched for the right words.
"Zoë…"
"Please let me finish. I…I've wanted to tell you this since I found out you were my husband," she muttered, pulling away to look at him in the dark.
"I'm grateful that I didn't go to the wedding that day. Because…if I had seen you at the altar, I wouldn't be brave enough to marry you as if nothing had happened. Not after I gave up on you in the woods. Then I might have lost you again. It…doesn't make any sense, doesn’t it?" She asked, fighting back tears. Levi felt his heart tighten.
"Zoë, don't cry. You know I can't bear to see you cry." He whispered to her, caressing her cheek with his finger. But Lady Hange didn't cease weeping, letting herself sink into the sadness of the day they were forced to be parted.
Levi didn't know what to do. All he could do was to stay close, holding her still, trying to find words to console her.
"If you must know, my love, the day of the wedding." Wiping her tears dry, Levi flipped them in the bed to press her back into his chest, kissing her shoulder as he began to recall that bitter day not so long ago.
"When I went to the monastery, I was ready to call it off, jilt the bride at the altar if I had to. Even if my uncle would definitely have my head for it." He snorted, feeling his wife turn in his arms to look at him.
"I arrived early to speak to Abbot Erwin. But as soon as I got there, he told me that Lady Hange had sent a knight's wife to be her stand-in without giving any explanation. It was quite a shock for them, really. Under normal circumstances, I should have felt insulted. But that morning, after I just bid you farewell the night before, I was…relieved to learn that the bride didn't care for the marriage as well. So I decided to go along with it. Because I knew such an arrangement was beneficial. The wife I was to marry wouldn't expect much from me. So I could find some peace. Does that make me a terrible man?"
"No, Levi." Hange shook her head. "I was expecting the same when I signed the marriage contract. We did what we were expected, tying the knot because it was mutually beneficial. That was just how it should work." She turned, snuggling in his arms, voice as weak as a kitten.
"That is why, I still can't quite believe how blessed I am, marrying my first and last love without knowing it. Nothing can explain it other than destiny. To have you again after I had given you up. It feels unreal. It’s terrifying. Sometimes when I wake up in the morning alone, I get scared thinking about how I may lose you again."
"I'm not going anywhere, Zoë," Levi murmured to her ear, rolling her over to straddle her naked body. Parting her thighs, he looked her in the eyes as he rubbed his hardening manhood against her core. "If I do, I'll come back to you, to this castle. No matter where I go, I will find a way back. That I promise." Hissing out the last words, Levi thrust forward into her warmth, rocking back and forth with everything he had, making her scream.
"Hmmmah! Aw! Levi…Oh! HAAH!" Lady Hange moaned as waves of pleasure slowly lapped her soft insides, drowning in all the senses.
"Husband…. please go slower…I'm gonna…um…AH!" She yelped, clawing his back, legs kicking as another spurt of orgasm rocked through her. Falling back onto the feather bed, Lady Hange blankly stared in the direction that was her husband, too dazed and drowsy to see anything. She reached up, feeling his firm grip on her hands, guiding them to rest by her ears as he set a steady pace thrusting into her.
"Levi…I'll lose it again…you need to take it easy or I…urgh!" She screamed, punching the bed helplessly, biting her lower lip. Leaning forward, Levi kissed and licked on her throat, sending another shiver down her spine.
"Don't hold back. Give it to me, Hange." He whispered in her ear, hips never stopped snapping. Immediately the noble Lady tensed up, her insides clenched and her legs spasmed, hooking around his waist to urge Levi go deeper.
"Levi…HAAH!" With a shaking cry she finally blacked out, reaching another peak, utterly spent and limp beneath him.
"I love you, Lady Zoë Hange." Probing his tongue through her lips, Levi shut his eyes, resisting his own release as he kept moving slowly inside his wife, muffling all the sweet nothings coming from her.
"I love you, Levi Ackerman." Still dizzy under the blissful haze, Lady Hange could only hum, feeling her husband's slow, tender moves. Through her half-closed eyes, she saw lights, shadows, from the fireplace and the small crack of her chamber door. Beyond Levi's husky groan, she could hear people outside her bedchamber talking, probably considering knocking her door again. For a brief moment, Hange felt sorry for them. Because by the penetrating gaze Levi cast onto her, it was clear that he intended to take full advantage of this long, autumn night.
Through the small window, Hange could see the moon hang low in the sky, far from reaching the dome. Stretching out her legs, she wiggled slightly to let the man inside her know that she needed to change position. A request he gladly complied, for they were far from done with each other. The night was still young.