A/N: I know I've said this a lot before, but this chapter, I honestly feel like will be a huge flop and a turn-off for readers, but I just don't want to change it because... I put a lot of time into this one chapter. It's super long. And drawn out. And... I feel like I fail as an "author" with this chapter because... Because it's drawn out, and it's long, and most of it is just crap being repeated but like I said, I put in a lot of time in just WRITING this (consider the length of it) and... I should stop ranting. I would say I hope you enjoy, but I know that's not happening so... Yeah. That's an awkward note to end on. Ha... Ha... Hahaha... Ha.

Disclaimer: Code Geass and its affliates are not my property.

Ch. 10

"Up. Stand up, Cheslie. Tsk tsk, seems like we'll need to work on your obedience."

He prodded the struggling woman with the blunt tip of a sword. She fought to get up, but she just couldn't. Collapsing in a heap, the three trays full of several pots of tea spilled. The steaming liquid burned her, but she didn't care. She was exhausted from the several, consecutive of hard "training". Mao sighed and told her in a scolding tone, "You will never be able to be worthy enough to be His Highness's personal servant at this rate. Try again."

"No." she replied firmly. The task he had set before her was impossible. He had ordered her to carry three silver platters of a tea set, one in each hand and the third balancing on her head, and instructed her to carry them to the other side of the grounds. The Castle's land was a total of 20 acres, and with the strain that had been forced on her recently, she wasn't able to do it. The silver-haired butler disagreed however, and slapped her. He growled, "You will do it, you ungrateful little-"

"That's enough."

"Your Heartness!"

Backing away hurriedly, he bowed deeply. Straightening up, he lightly kicked the woman lying on the lawn, soaking wet with tea. She dragged herself up and curtsied, mumbling, "Your Heartness."

The Queen of Hearts ignored the Cat and said in an authoritative tone, "I don't want you to be too rough on her, Mao. If you break her before the real plan sets in, it'll be your head. Do you understand?"

"Of course, your Heartness. I deeply apologize for my errs. It's due to my shortcomings as-"

Bored with his flowery speech, she interrupted him, "I need Cheslie. Has the training been completed?"

"I'm afraid not. She's causing some probl-"

"Well, there's no more time for her. The punishment will begin starting with today."

"Your Heartness?"

"You. Follow me."

The feline was feeling conflicting emotions; she was glad to leave the sadistic butler, but it also meant she was going into the tiger's den. She said nothing, however, and only obediently trailed after the monarch. They arrived at Pendragon Hall in complete silence. Before they went in, the consort stopped before the entrance and asked in a cold voice, "You realize what you must do, and how you must act?"

"Yes, your Heartness." the emerald-haired woman replied.

"Good. Now prove to me that you do."

Swinging the doors open, she rushed in and said in a worried voice, "Lelouch, my sweetheart, how are you feeling today?"

"I'm fine, mother. Have you brought the Cheshire?"

"Silly boy. How many times must I tell you there is no such person as the Cheshire?"

"But I saw her in my dream. Well… I saw her, but I couldn't make out her face clearly. She was such a curious person; I wanted to ask her something. Are you sure there's no one named the Cheshire?"

"No, sweetheart. It's best to forget about it. It was only a dream; dreams aren't real, remember."

"I suppose…. It's so frustrating though. I could've sworn I'd met her somewhere before… If only I could've made out her face, I could've asked her my question."

"I know, it's a pity, isn't it?"

The Cat was standing out of sight from the son and mother. She was still in the hallway, just listening to their conversation; his cluelessness about her brought on a new wave of sorrow, as she could tell by his voice that he truly didn't know who she was. The royal family continued to talk to each other, but she wasn't listening until she heard the Queen say, "Cheslie, come and meet your master."

She replied, "I can't, your Heartness. I'll drip tea all over his Highness's carpets."

"Oh, it's fine. We were thinking about redecorating anyhow. Come in."

Nervously, she stepped inside. Keeping her head lowered, she could feel the prince's eyes on her. Glancing up from in between her long bangs, she could see him sitting up in his bed. He wasn't wearing a shirt, but there were cloth bandages wrapped around his torso. An amiable expression was plastered over his frail but handsome face and he said in a friendly voice, "Hello Cheslie. Are you the new maid?"

"Dear, this is your new assistant. She will help you with your relationship with Princess Nunnally."

"Oh mother, I don't need help. How embarrassing is this, for me to have assistance in courting someone? Don't you think so, Cheslie?"

"You do need advice. Exactly how many relationships have you been in, in your entire life?"

He twisted his face, thinking back into the strangely foggy past. He couldn't shake off a feeling that there was something, someone, important that he was forgetting. He had had the nagging sensation in his head for days on end, but even though he would sit for hours and try to recall what it was, he just couldn't recall what it was. Tossing aside the familiar emotion, he replied, "None. But it doesn't mean I need assis-"

"Sweetheart, I just want this to go as smoothly as possible for you. You like the princess, don't you?"

"She's a very kind and sweet person. And very cute too."

"There you have it! Now, the princess is coming in about…. Four hours for dinner. Since you're too injured to actually eat at the dining hall, dinner will be brought here for the two of you. You don't mind, do you?"

"Well no, but it's a little sudden." he answered in a slightly bewildered tone. His mother stood up and spoke to him.

"Cheslie will help you prepare yourself. I don't expect you to dress up fancily, but you do need to wash. And maybe air out the room. It's a bit stuffy in here, now that I think about it. I'm sure you can handle this?"

The question was directed to the woman who had been at the foot of the king-sized bed ever since she had been ordered inside. She nodded demurely and the Queen, pleased, left, closing the doors behind her. There was silence until the prince asked, "So Cheslie. Where do you come from? You're not from around here, are you?"

"No, your Highness."

The raven-haired man carefully inched his way to the edge of the luxurious mattress. Once his feet were flat on the thick carpet, he said, "Do you think you could help me up?"

"Of course, sire."

Walking to him, she put her arm around his chest and he wrapped his arm around her small shoulders. Moving slowly, he stood up gingerly, leaning heavily on the maid. He chuckled and commented, "Oh, you're a bit wet. Did you say it was from tea?"

"Yes, sire."

"Goodness, what did you do that caused for it to simply drench you in this fashion?"

She gave no reply. Actually, she didn't dare to look at him. Not because of the "training" or etiquette, but because she thought if she did, she would start crying. Sluggishly, they arrived at the personal bathroom of the prince. Unlike any other room in the Castle of Hearts, this room, along with his bedroom, showed no sign of any hearts. The feline, helping him sit down gently on a stool, began to draw a bath for him. As the large tub was filling with warm water, she looked out of the large window, purposely gazing in the opposite direction as the raven-haired man.

"Do you know anyone named the Cheshire?"

"Highness?"

"I'm sorry. I just… I swear, she's real. Call me mad, but I just can't shake the feeling that-"

"She…. She's very much real."

"What?"

"There really is someone named the Cheshire, your Highness." she replied.

"Could I meet her? Do you know her?"

"… I'm afraid she can't speak to you."

"Why is that?"

"She's a little sick at the moment. Overcome with something affecting her heart. She supposedly cries everyday."

"Oh, poor dear. Whatever happened for her to fall ill?"

"Desertion."

"Well that's not very nice." he frowned. The Cat finally met his stare and agreed, "No, it's not."

There was a strange silence; it wasn't awkward, nor was it foreign. It was more of a contemplative, and weirdly comfortable quiet. The crown prince shook his head, smiling at his silliness; he had met this person less than five minutes ago, and yet, he felt more at ease with her than with his own parents. It was all rather strange, but he didn't quite mind. There was almost nothing more he hated than awkwardness between people.

"I believe the bath is ready?" he asked in a helpful tone, after a substantial amount of time had passed.

"Oh, yes! I apologize, your Highness. I was just lost in my thou…."

"Why did you stop talking? Oh, is it because you're a maid and I'm the prince? You know, I really do think the idea of a hierarchy is mostly trash. You can call me Lelouch when we're alone."

"I couldn't."

"Then what would you prefer to call me? Your Highness is a bit of a mouthful, in my opinion."

"Um…."

"You have an idea, don't you? I can tell."

Cheshire stared; the Hatter always knew when she was considering something. No one else. Only the milliner. When she asked him about it, he had simply replied that it was just a knack that he had unintentionally gained after all of the years he had spent knowing her. Maybe his memories could be restored, despite what the Queen was attempting to imply.

"I know this is strange but… May I call you the Hatter?"

"The Hatter? Hmm…. A bit strange, but I don't mind. The Hatter, huh? Inter-"

A pain shot through his temple as if someone had taken an ax and tried to split his head in two. He gasped out loud from the abrupt agony and shut his eyes. He heard, "Hatter!" but he ignored it. His misery became greater and greater, until he finally managed to mumble, "Maybe we won't…. go through with… the Hatter. It seems…. My head hurts whenever you say…. That. I'm sorry Cheslie."

"No, no! It's perfectly fine, your Highness. It's my fault actually."

The torture eventually subsided and he was able to open his eyes again. He cleared his throat and said, "I'm sorry. It's so odd, but my head just… It decides to turn against me at the most random times."

"Did you hurt your head?"

"No…. Well, I might've. That explains the nagging feeling I always have."

"Nagging….?"

"Uh… Why don't I get into the bath first, and then we'll chat about this then?"

"Oh yes. Er…. Would you like some help? How should we go about this?"

"This is a bit awkward, isn't it?" he asked in a teasing tone, "Don't worry. I can undress myself. If you could help me to the bathtub, then I'll just get in myself."

Exactly like the way they had travelled when going from the bed to the bathroom, the injured man put most of his weight on the emerald-haired woman. She left the room momentarily to get a bathrobe for him while he took off his clothes, folded them neatly, and slid into the bubble bath. The water stung him where the stitches were, but he sat still. The woman in the plain pink dress returned soon and set down the fluffy robe on the edge of the spa. Sitting on the chair the patient had previously occupied, she asked, "Could you please tell me about your headaches?"

"The first time was when I met this strange lady. She had cat ears and a tail, and she was screaming absurdities until I came in. She saw me and simply hugged me. I wasn't quite sure what to do. When she left, that was the first ache. Then, a few days later, when mother and I were on an outing, we passed by this curious little cottage. It had the most inexplicably exotic garden, and I've never seen anything like it before, but weirdly, it was really familiar in a sense. And then, bam, another headache. Do you think I could be crazy?"

"I'm not sure…."

"And it's funny that you would call me the…. H word. In my dream, the same one with the Cheshire, people would call me the….. The H word. Isn't it the most coincidental thing ever?"

"Yes…."

"But like mother said, it was a dream so… I suppose it can't really mean anything. Maybe I was a milliner in my past life."

"Maybe so…."

The Cat chose not to say anything; seeing from his tales, whenever anything related to his life before the memory-erasing, particularly anything to do with being the Hatter, he felt agony. She wouldn't put him through it, especially when he was as hurt as he was.

"You're giving me that funny look again." the tall man said. Snapping out of her reverie, she apologized. When she questioned him on whether he wanted his hair washed or not, he replied that he did. She moved to wash it for him, and he told her, "I can do it myself."

"Excuse my impudence, but you cannot. Due to your injuries…."

"….. Oh, alright. But only this once."

"Of course, your Highness." but they both knew it wouldn't be the last time. His injury was great, and would take a long time to heal completely.

Pouring a small dollop of thick, orange shampoo onto the palm of her hand, she stood behind the sitting man. Sleeves rolled up and hair tied, she inquired, "Should I begin now?"

"Please do." was the answer she received as he sat in the warm water, calmly and patiently playing with the bubbles. She hesitantly put her hands on his head; not even when the Hatter and the Cheshire were in a relationship did he allow her to wash his hair, replying that he was a grown man and able to take care of himself.

His raven locks were already wet thankfully, as she massaged his head with soap. The tired prince closed his eyes and commented, "You should've become a hairdresser and not a maid. You'd have made an excellent one. Because you're very good at washing hair."

"Oh…. Thank you, highness."

He began to hum quietly, and slowly, she finally relaxed. Although she had bruises and cuts, and even small burns, she didn't care. She was spending time with the Hatter, albeit an amnesiac Hatter. When his black hair was sticking up in all directions covered in white suds, she picked up a small basin. Scooping up water, she bathed her hand and lightly covered his eyes. Tilting the man's head back slightly, she warned, "Close your eyes." and began to pour the contents all over his hair carefully. The Cat repeated the process until his black hair was stuck to his scalp and they were free of soap. Rarely were his bangs out of the way, but even when they were, he was still very good looking.

The prince caught her gazing at him and he asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, sire. Shall I assist you in washing your body?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Then what will you have me do?"

"Just…. Just sit down again."

He was a little confused as to why he had told her to simply sit, but he shrugged it aside. Lately, he had been doing and thinking a lot of things that had no explanation for him. Reaching for the bath sponge, he poured a small amount of soap on it and began to lather his arms. The Cheshire was thankful for the chair; she was exhausted. It wasn't in her nature to be submissive like this, but she knew if she were to make the Hatter comfortable, she would have to behave just like any other maid or butler or servant.

Lelouch, who had been busy with covering himself in soapsuds, looked up to ask the strange woman something, when he was caught off-guard. The sunlight from the window besides the large tub was streaming into the bathroom, showing her in such a way that he was astounded. The green-haired maid glanced up through her eyelashes, as she was staring into her lap, and he was left speechless.

"Is there something wrong, sire?"

Her question brought him back from mesmerization and he stammered, "Uh y-yes. Could you help me wash my back?"

"Of course, your Highness."

On the short trip to the tub however, the Cat tripped clumsily and fell into the warm water. Sputtering, she resurfaced. She wiped the water and hair away from her eyes and managed to gasp, "My apologies, sire. I was being careless and-"

"It's alright. You were drenched in tea anyways. You might as well take a bath with me."

He realized what he had just said and blushed. Scolding himself for his carelessness, he tried to backtrack and said, "Um, I didn't mean in that way, actually, I really meant that you might as well just wash off all of the tea while…."

She was smiling.

Not the happy expression that never reached her eyes, but truly smiling.

At him.

The raven-haired man's heart skipped a beat and he asked what was wrong with himself. He had known Cheslie for less than an hour or two, and yet, he had been astounded by her beauty, and felt so much curiosity for her, now here they were, in the bath together with her giggling, and him feeling funny because she was laughing and how pretty she looked when she laughed. He blurted out, "I think you're very beautiful."

Cheshire stopped, completely shocked. Staring at the prince with large eyes, she didn't say anything in reply. The Hatter had just called her beautiful. When he didn't even really know who she was, and what they were to each other. And even though he couldn't recall his past, she found herself smiling and saying, "Thank you."

"Y-you're welcome."

Lelouch didn't quite know why he was stuttering again. Nor did he know why he found himself just fascinated with the woman in front of him. But he could tell she was a kind person at heart, even though there seemed to be something that grieved her. It surprised him yet again to find himself promising to find out what made her so sorrowful, and to fix it. Even though he barely knew her.

"Would you….. Would you like to take a bath? Or at least a shower? I could call for a new uniform."

"I really couldn't, especially in the private bathroom of your High-"

"It's alright. Nobody has to know. We could just say you got wet helping me wash myself."

"No, it-"

"You know what? I think I will, even without your permission. I hate to pull rank like this, but I am the prince, aren't I?"

A small smile appeared on Cheslie's face, causing for him to reciprocate. Taking the sponge again, he began to wash his legs and told her, "Now, I'll just finish washing up, and when I'm done, I'll call for a new dress while you take a shower. Is that alright with you?"

"Well… As you're the crown prince, I don't really see how to refuse."

His laugh echoed in the large room and he said, "You never cease to surprise me. I know I've only known you for an hour or so, Cheslie, but it really feels like I met you years ago."

"I feel the same."

"I'm glad that I'm not the only one. If you're against the world, you may as well have someone next to you, don't you think? Even if it's only one person."

"How very true, sire."

. . .

The heir to the Wonderland throne was perched against the edge of the bathtub that he had been occupying. He was busy buttoning his cream dress shirt when there was a knock on the bathroom door. Without looking up, he said, "Come in."

Jackson entered, a pink dress folded neatly in his hands. Bowing, he asked, "Where should I put the dress, your Highness?"

"Just set it down next to me."

"Yes, sire."

The servant obediently placed it on a dry spot near his master. Glancing at him, he inquired, "Shall I help you with your cufflinks, sire? You always had-"

"No, it's okay. I have Cheslie anyways."

"Ches…. Lie?"

"The new maid. The dress is for her. She got a little wet, and I told her she could change. She's supposed to be my advisor on affairs concerning Princess Nunnally. Mother hired her."

"I see…"

"She's kind. I think. I'm not really sure, because I haven't known her for that long, but-"

"Your Highness?"

"Yes?"

Lelouch turned from the cuffs of his shirt to Jackson, his personal butler. The sandy haired man said with a grave expression, "The Queen, her Heartness, has ordered for me to deliver this message to you. She guessed who the dress was for, and she would like for you to know: the person you, your Highness, is to fall in love with is Princess Nunnally, and not the maid. So please refrain on doing any useless things that could mislead the woman."

"Oh. I wasn't planning on falling in love with anyone but… Please tell mother that I understand."

"Very good, sire."

"Now please leave. I have to prepare myself for the princess."

"Yes, your Highness."

The servant left the room just as one of the doors opened. The Cheshire stuck her head out and asked, "Could I please have my dress, your Highness?"

"Oh yes, of course…. Er…. I might have a little trouble giving it to you though….. Are you all dry?"

"Yes, sire."

"Why don't you come get it? If I were to, it would take an eternity. I promise not to look!"

As if to prove his word, he looked away. Choosing to trust him, the Cat, wrapped in a towel, snatched the uniform up and put it on. Once it had been zipped back up, she told him that she was dressed. The prince then requested for her to go to his closet and to pick a necktie that would look nice on him. She returned with 5 various ones hanging over her shoulder. There was a plain pink one, a dark green one with thin light green stripes, a baby blue tie with white polka dots, a wine purple one with black slanted stripes, and a horrendous grey paisley necktie.

"Whatever did you bring the paisley one for?"

"It looked interesting."

"Well, I agree with you; it certainly is interesting. But I'm not sure Princess Nunnally would concur with us."

She held each onto the chest of the raven-haired man. When they arrived at the purple one, he said, "I like the look of that one."

"This one? Purple does suit you rather well…. Would you like to go with this one?"

"What do you think? Would the princess like this necktie on me?"

"I doubt she'll be focusing on something so miniscule like a necktie, but if she were, I would guess that she would take to it."

"Excellent."

Without saying anything, she began to loop it around his neck. She was so used to it; the feline had always done the bowties and neckties for the Hatter to the point where it became natural. She thought nothing of it until she finished and found that he was staring at her.

"Oh… I'm sorry." she said.

"No it just surprised me, is all."

"Yes….."

The emerald-haired woman didn't quite know what to say, until the man in front of her said, "Let's see… I'm all dressed now. We just need to make our way to the balcony. Since that's where the dinner will be. Are you ready, Cheslie? I don't; I'm so nervous and I don't even know why!"

. . .

There was no need for his anxiety. The date was going very nicely; although she had been concerned over his health, the Princess from Looking Glass Land was getting exceptionally well with the crown prince of Wonderland. Cheshire was in the hall, making sure that the dessert arrived on time. When it came, she rolled the cart quietly through the bedroom of the Hatter and was going to balcony when she heard the amnesiac say, "I would like to apologize, princess."

The light brown-haired sweet girl asked for the reason, in which he replied with, "I realize that all of this is to arrange a marriage between the two of us, and I have absolutely no problems with it, save for one."

"What could it be that's worrying your Highness?"

"I'm actually not quite sure. Maybe the princess will know."

"Please tell me, and we'll find out."

The Cat could hear the two shifting in their seats and then whispering. After some time had passed, she listened to the foreign royalty giggle and told him in a normal speaking voice, "I know I shouldn't be laughing at this since we're supposed to be getting married in the future, but this is just…. Your Highness, I do believe that you're in love with her. Or at least in the process of falling in love."

"But I've barely met her-"

"But you said that your heart skipped, and when you looked at her, you were completely speechless, and you were happy when she was happy. Most of that points towards love. Now, I could be wrong."

"I hope it is wrong."

"Why? Is the person someone you shouldn't feel affection towards?"

"Well…. Not exactly." he answered.

"Not exactly?"

Cheshire could clearly hear the guilt in his voice as he confessed, "It's… It's Cheslie, the new maid. She's the one making me feel like this."

A/N: Please be on the look-out for the next chapter (if you still care about this story after reading this crap-tastic chapter. I know. I'm flaming my own story. But it's how I feel. I'm having conflicting emotions, argh!) Also, I would like to say: props to lxc, for sniffing out the troll (kinda). I was very impressed by your attention to small details. Actually, still can't get over it. Ha. But yeah, smashing job on sniffing it out. And I would like to add on top of that an apology. A lot of the readers are probably getting frustrated by how the Hatter isn't remembering, but you have to realize, in the actual anime, it took him a year, and that was only cause C2 and Kallen and the Black Knights actually went out to get the real Lelouch back... I can't tell you if he gets them back or not, cause that would spoil the fun, but I promise you, even if he doesn't, there'll be interesting (I hope you see them as interesting) developments.