The morning sun had barely risen when a commotion broke out outside Princess Anna's chamber. Whispered voices rushed back and forth, nervous and urgent, until finally, a court eunuch entered, his expression grave.
"Princess…" he asked cautiously, "were you with the Warrior Captain all last night?"
Zeke's eyes flickered. Beneath the sheets, his fingers brushed the hidden ring, pressing lightly against the sharp inner barbs. To anyone else, he looked drowsy, as though stirred from deep sleep, but in truth, he was fully awake, every muscle ready to shift into his Titan form.
Killing the entire Tybur family had been dangerous, but not fatal. The Tyburs were nobles, yes, yet nothing compared to the value of Eldian royalty. Marley would never simply execute him; they would keep him on a leash, control him, and strip away his freedom. If he wished to survive on his own terms, every precaution mattered.
Whether or not suspicion would fall on him now depended entirely on Anna.
"Well, of course," the princess said without hesitation. She yawned lightly, stretching in languid grace. "We've been together all night."
Her collar slipped as she moved, revealing faint marks scattered across her pale skin. The eunuch's eyes widened. At once, comprehension dawned on his face. He bowed, murmured a hurried apology, and withdrew, leaving behind only silence. The whispers outside died down almost immediately.
Zeke exhaled, slowly closing the ring's barbs again.
But just as relief began to settle, Anna's voice broke the quiet.
"Zeke," she said softly, "what kind of scenery would you see if you stood on the shoulders of a Titan?"
His heart skipped. For an instant, guilt flashed through him. Did she suspect something?
He turned, studying her carefully. Anna was seated before the mirror, gently combing out her tangled hair. Their eyes met in the reflection. She smiled faintly, and something in Zeke's chest tightened.
It had been years since he had felt this way—the hollow, nervous flutter of being caught, of vulnerability. He had long since stopped blushing at wrongdoing, stopped caring about right or wrong. But under Anna's gaze, his calm faltered.
"…You can see far," Zeke finally answered, forcing his tone to remain casual. "Very far. The scenery… is beautiful."
Anna's lips curved. "I want to stand on the shoulders of a Titan one day, to see it with my own eyes."
"When I return," Zeke promised, "I'll transform and carry you. You'll see the world from above."
She only smiled again, saying nothing more.
…
By noon, preparations for departure were complete. The ship to Paradis Island rocked gently in the harbor, its sails ready to catch the wind.
A crowd had gathered to see them off.
"You must return safely!" Zeke's grandfather clutched his hand tightly, his old eyes wet.
"Yes," Zeke said firmly. He embraced his grandparents, holding their frail bodies close.
No matter what happens, I will bring Father and Eren back. That much I swear.
The problem would be avoiding Marley's surveillance when the time came. But somehow, he would find a way.
When the farewell ended, Zeke turned, and his gaze met Anna's.
"This is…" his grandmother began, blinking at the young woman. Her sharp instincts caught something unspoken in the way they looked at each other.
"I am Zeke's fiancée," Anna declared openly, smiling with confidence.
The words struck like thunder. His grandmother gasped, her eyes widening in shock. "Marleyan…?"
Intermarriage between Eldians and Marleyans was unthinkable. To acknowledge such a bond, knowing exactly who Zeke was—it was beyond belief.
Grandmother's mind spun. Was this reality, or had her husband's madness infected her?
"Don't you know?" Zeke added, feigning mild surprise. "His Majesty himself arranged it. When I return, the wedding will be held."
"Princess… princess?" Grandfather and grandmother both stammered, their jaws hanging open.
Zeke scratched the back of his neck, looking almost sheepish. "Yes. It's no secret. Many people know. I assumed you had heard as well."
He knew, of course, that they had not. At the time news spread through Marley, his grandparents had been under heavy watch by the government. Cut off from the world, they could not have known.
"Oh… oh my heavens…" Grandmother's eyes brimmed with tears. She folded her hands, trembling with emotion. "The King of Marley gave his own daughter to our Zeke…! Such honor! Such grace! This must mean Marley has finally accepted us, finally acknowledged us Eldians as equals!"
She closed her eyes, face lifted in reverence, and whispered fervently, "Thank you, King Marley… thank you…"
Zeke watched her quietly, his expression unreadable. On his lips, the faintest curl of sarcasm appeared.
Thank him?
Had she already forgotten that it was the same king who ordered her son and daughter-in-law to their deaths?