Chapter 8: Broken Family
Zeke didn't agree.
Crush Marley?
Was she kidding?
His grandparents' lives were still in Marley's hands.
So instead of answering Anna's request, he only silenced her lips with his own.
…
Thanks to his identity as Warrior Chief, Zeke still had some freedom of movement even after confirming his royal bloodline. Before leaving, he had passed his duties to Lara Tybur, who was temporarily acting in his place.
On the first day, he did nothing unusual—just completed handovers as expected. But soon after, he heard troubling news from Yelena: his grandfather's mental condition had suddenly deteriorated. He had begun hurting himself and was now kept under intensive care.
Zeke was advised not to visit. His presence might make things worse.
All of this… because he had reported his own parents.
They had been Restorationists, secretly working to rebuild the Eldian Empire. In Marley, that was unforgivable.
At age seven, Zeke learned that the higher-ups had discovered his parents' secret. To protect himself—and his grandparents—he betrayed them before Marley could act.
From then on, he earned Marley's trust. He became their "honorary Marleyan." Their "dog."
How could the king ever doubt him? He had turned in his own parents.
That betrayal kept him alive.
It kept his grandparents alive.
But it broke his family.
His grandfather never recovered.
He had once lost his daughter, mauled to death by Marleyan dogs, and endured it in silence. Then he lost his only son—branded a traitor—and it was his grandson who had exposed him.
So he went mad.
When in a good mood, he lived in memories before the sentencing. His son was still the respected Dr. Jaeger, his daughter-in-law kind, and his grandson bright and obedient. He would give Zeke candy, pat his head, and say, "Oh, Zeke, how you've grown!"
But when the darkness returned, he remembered. He would smash his head against walls, screaming in agony.
If he saw Zeke, he struck him, spitting curses—calling him a beast who had betrayed his own parents.
Each time, Zeke left silently at his grandmother's urging.
His grandparents had survived.
But he himself lived daily in the abyss.
The "home" he had preserved was already shattered.
Now, with word that his grandfather had "worsened" and "could not be visited," Zeke understood what that truly meant.
….\
At the same time, gossip spread quickly: King Marley was arranging his marriage with Princess Anna.
According to rumor, he had already spent the night in her chambers, wrestling with her until dawn. Poor Princess Anna supposedly couldn't leave her bed the next day.
"As expected of the Beast Titan! Is Titan stamina really that monstrous?"
Soldiers whispered and laughed.
Zeke normally wouldn't care, but Yelena's stare told him she had overheard—and misunderstood.
So he answered dryly:
"Yes. The rumors are true."
"Ehhhhh—!" Yelena froze, her expression comically horrified.
"Titan stamina is no joke," Zeke continued. "Their healing factor's absurd—regrow from just a head, after all. So of course their recovery in bed is quick."
"Ahhh—!"
Zeke slapped his forehead. What am I doing?
"Sorry, Yelena. I forgot—you're still underage. I shouldn't be saying this to you."
For a moment, he had mistaken her for the Yelena of his previous life, his confidant. Only one day separated his past life from now—his mind still slipped.
"Warrior Chief Zeke! Why are you getting close to Princess Anna? Have you forgotten our… our cause?" Yelena whispered furiously, face flushed.
The "cause" was the Anti-Marleyan Volunteers. To outsiders, they were Zeke's personal female guards. In truth, they were leaders of the secret faction working against Marley. In his past life, Zeke had used them to strengthen Paradis.
"No." Zeke shrugged.
"Then why sleep with Princess Anna?!" she hissed.
Helpless but unapologetic, he sighed: "I was forced."
"You gave in just because you were forced? That's not like you! You never even touched a woman before!"
The "before"…
Others thought it meant his past twenty years. But to Zeke, it meant his entire previous life.
In that life, he had died a virgin.
The Euthanasia Plan had begun with him.
And now, in this new life, the very first thing taken from him was that virginity.
Ah, fate…
"Life is like that," he muttered, slumping into a chair. His arms hung limp, eyes empty.
"Plans never keep up with change. We have to adapt."
"…Fine. But—you won't actually fall in love with Princess Anna, right?" Yelena pressed, nervous.
She feared their leader would betray the Volunteers and yield to Marley.
"No," Zeke said firmly. "Everything I've done is to erase the King's suspicions. It's all for one goal—landing on Paradis Island."
"You… sacrificed that much, just to set foot on Paradis? Why?" Yelena's voice trembled.
"I have a reason."
"What reason?"
"To save the world."
"Hey—hey hey hey—" Yelena's face twisted into another comical look.
Chūnibyō, her eyes accused.
But Zeke was serious.
Though, in truth, saving his brother mattered far more. The world's salvation would only be a byproduct.
[Zeke, you must stop Eren…]
Of course, he would stop him.
Cupping Yelena's cheeks, he pressed her face back into composure.
"Alright. Enough dramatics. Just promise me one thing while I'm on Paradis…"