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When Levi climbed into the carriage, he fully expected Erwin to scold him for making a ruckus at the ball. They had been “graciously”, as per Erwin’s words, invited to attend and Erwin had seen it as a great opportunity to do some fundraising for the next expedition. But Levi had ended up calling a young nobble some truly unseemly words right in his face and in front of other people. It was all deserved, of course. But definitely not part of Erwin’s plan.
So yes, Levi fully expected Erwin to be very displeased with him. But Erwin seemed in a good mood when he climbed into the carriage after Levi. He held a relatively large bag, which he positioned in his lap.
The bag itself, red in colour and with intricate white lacework, was made from velvet. It looked expensive and therefore, very out of place in Erwin’s hands. When the carriage doors closed, Erwin’s lips curled in a smile. Levi was completely baffled.
“Good work tonight, Levi.” Erwin said. Levi felt like he’d been transported to a different world. “Try not to repeat it because we simply got lucky this time.”
Erwin must’ve noticed the lack of comprehension on Levi’s face. He untied the string of the bag and opened it widely for Levi to look inside. It was full with gold coins. Levi’s mouth dropped and Erwin laughed with delight.
“This will be enough for our next expedition. It’s more than I had hoped to get tonight!”
“How?” Levi was even more baffled now. And what did it have to do with him anyway?
“The young woman. The one, and I’m going to quote her mother here, “whose honor you so valiantly defended against that vile excuse of a man”, thought this would be a fitting reward. Her mother also told me that her late husband had been very opposed to the Survey Corps and that she’d take great pleasure in sponsoring us. I guess there was no love lost between them.”
“Marriage works so weird between those nobles.” Levi noted.
“I agree. While I can see the reasons behind it, I ultimately find it sad. But,” and Erwin smiled again. “we benefited from it this time. And I think you deserve a personal reward. How about some high quality tea?”
“Oh, won’t that encourage further bad behavior in me?” Levi teased.
“Why would it? You’re not a pet, nor a small child. You understand the consequences of your actions and that this time was a lucky exception. But we still got a huge donation because of you and it would be unfair not to reward you.”
Levi made a soft sound in approval and his lips curled into a tiny smile.