A/N: T_T I am so incredibly sorry for not updating for nearly a month. I could list off a bunch of excuses, but that's in the author's note for the latest addition in A Thousand Cranes. So… I hope you like it…. I really do! And thank for you still reading this even after the long and unintentional "break"!

Disclaimer: Code Geass is not my property.

Ch. 11

"It's… It's Cheslie, the new maid. She's the one making me feel like this."

The eavesdropping Cat stood in shock. Thoughts whirled around in her head, and her body seemed to freeze. Dropping the lid to the dessert platters, the clattering sound snapped her back to reality, and she hurriedly picked it up and placed it properly over the plate. She wiped her face clean of any emotions and brushed the skirt of her dress. Once she had made sure she was properly presentable as a servant, the emerald-haired woman straightened up and rolled the cart out to the balcony.

Upon seeing the maid, the prince sat up in his chair, a little nervous. He had heard the sound of something falling, and whoever it was, there was the possibility that they could've overheard their conversation. It certainly wasn't impossible that it had been Cheslie. As she kept her eyes cast low, refusing to meet his gaze, he kept his eyes glued on her as she cleared away the empty dinner plates and cutlery, replacing them with two covered dishes, along with two fine bone china cups, sugar bowl, creamer, and new silverware. She lifted the two lids, revealing its contents.

"Lemon myrtle soufflé glace, your Highnesses, with uva milk tea."

Princess Nunnally, who was looking very pretty in her lilac dress, looked over the rim of her teacup at the raven-haired man sitting across from her. When Cheslie had left after curtsying and closing the balcony doors behind her, she set down the cup with a delicate clink and said, "Your Highness."

"Y-yes?" he stuttered while turning to face his guest, tearing himself away from the retreating back of Cheslie.

"It has come to my attention that-"

"My princess, please excuse me for rudely interrupting you, but before you continue, I would just like to assure you that I probably am not falling in love with Cheslie. Our future engagement is in no danger whatsoever."

"O-oh. Well, I wasn't going to say anything regarding the maid, but that's very nice to have your word, your Highness. Shall we start on dessert?"

Cheshire glanced behind her and saw the prince and princess both enjoying their date. She wondered if she had only imagined the conversation; it didn't seem possible that he could possibly like her. Sighing heavily, she took away the cart. In the royal kitchen was Mao, who was sitting on a counter. Seeing the maid, he smiled and asked sweetly, "How have you been, Cheslie?"

She mumbled in reply, "I've been fine, sir." while stacking empty dishes into a sink. He hopped down and came close to her.

"I'm glad. We haven't been seeing each other much today, have we?"

"Her Heartness, the Queen's assignment has kept me occupied."

"Ah, yes, tending to her son, his Highness. Speaking of his Highness, allow me to ask you a question."

She only began to wash the dishes and the butler came even closer, if that were possible.

"Don't you think he's so incredibly handsome? His silk black hair, his deep purple eyes…. Good looking enough for even someone like you to fall in love with, don't you think? But you see, Cheslie…. The second I saw you, I knew. I knew that you were special, and I took a liking to you, believe it or not. Cheslie, sweetheart, you're mine and no one else's. Do you underst-"

As Mao had kept on talking, the Cat had grown increasingly uncomfortable, but moreover, angry. When he told her that she was his, which she was absolutely not, as the necklace from the Hatter proved, it was too much. Whipping around, she raised her hand and slapped the silver-haired man. Soap suds were left sliding down his cheek as he stared at her in shock. Pushing him away, the feline left the kitchen and went back to Pendragon Hall.

Quietly entering Lelouch's bedroom, she made sure that the date was going on nicely. She was expecting to see the two chatting amiably, when instead, she saw the princess standing up. The double French doors opened, and she heard the foreign sovereign say in a sweet voice, "No, you don't have to get up. I understand that you're not well. I'm grateful that you were still willing to meet me after your ordeal."

"Of course, princess."

"Please call me Nunnally."

"And I, Lelouch."

"Oh dear, that'll be a little difficult, suddenly transitioning into addressing each other by first names."

"Then we can take it slowly. Anything that would make you happy."

Apparently a strange expression had appeared on her face, and the raven-haired man inquired, "What's wrong?"

"Could I… Could I visit you tomorrow?"

"O-oh. Of course! How could I say no?"

Giggling with relief, the princess from Looking Glass Land took her coat from the arm of her chair and said, "Thank goodness. I thought you would say no."

"That's silly. Please come as often as possible. It's a little lonely being in bed all day long."

"As you wish, your Highness."

When the young woman was leaving after saying goodbye, she nearly ran into the Cat in the hall. The maid backpedaled hurriedly, curtsied, and told her in a quiet voice, "My apologies, your Highness."

"Oh, it was my fault. There's no need for an apology. Are you waiting for His Highness? We're finished now, Cheslie. I think he's waiting for you. You can go in now."

"Thank you, your Highness."

"Your welcome."

Humming, the dignitary walked away. The Cheshire opened the door into the chambers of the crown prince of Wonderland. Going around the room, she turned on the various lamps and then went to the balcony. The Hatter, or Lelouch, was still seated in his chair, completely relaxed. He had been looking out at the nighttime landscape of his country, when he heard the doors open.

"Cheslie."

"Your Highness." the emerald-haired woman replied while curtsying. He offered her a seat, but she politely declined, saying that it was improper for a servant to sit at the same table with someone of his Highness's rank. He insisted, in which she finally gave in. Cautiously sitting down, she crossed her ankles and folded her hands in her lap.

"You heard us, didn't you?"

"Sire?"

"Earlier, when the princess and I were speaking about…. About my emotions, I suppose."

"Um…. Yes." she answered.

"Well, as I have told…. Nunnally, I don't want you to misunderstand-"

"I beg your pardon for my intrusion, but… I wouldn't dare to think that that could be possible."

"No! No. I'm not trying to tell you that it's impossible. There is a chance that I could fall in love with you, and I realize this- Wait. Hold on. I…. I'm not saying that I am, I'm only stating that there's a possibility, and I'm telling you this so that another misunderstanding isn't created from a misunderstanding. Do you understand what I'm saying? I'm not quite sure I understand."

An involuntary chuckle escaped from Cheshire, who was amused by the Hatter's bumbling ways. That apparently hadn't changed. His face reddened and she gently questioned, "Your Highness?"

"Yes?"

"It has come to my attention that, despite what your Highness claims, you're not as… Eloquent as you state you are. Perhaps you should practice."

"With whom would I practice with? Who would be willing to have meaningless conversations with me?"

"I would."

"You would?" he was surprised.

"After all, it is my job."

His wonder was quieted with her answer. Clearing his throat, he said, "Of course, of course. When shall we start?"

"When would you like to begin?"

"Tonight." he replied.

"Tonight?"

"Yes. Let's start tonight. We have time, don't we? Oh, you must be tired. I'm sorry-"

"No, tonight is fine." Cheshire interrupted.

"Really?"

"Yes." she affirmed.

Smiling at the maid, he commented, "Lovely. Let me wash up, and then we'll begin. What do you think?"

"Perfect. I can clear the dishes while your Highness is taking… A bath or shower?"

"Let's settle with a bath. It's still a bit difficult for me to move."

"Yes, sire."

When Lelouch had a dip in the bathtub, and Cheshire had brought the tea set and dessert platters back to the kitchen and returned, they sat down on the large bed that the prince used by himself. She had taken her apron off, and he was in his nightwear, sitting across from each other. The lighting was dim, but the feline felt like the room was brightly lit.

"What would you like to converse about?" the emerald-haired woman inquired. A contemplative expression appeared, until he snapped his fingers and replied with, "How are you, Cheslie?"

"Sire?"

"Let's drop the formal addresses when we're practicing. I don't think I can do it comfortably then."

"Then what do I call you, your Highness?"

"Well…. Let's settle for my first name."

"Alright… Lel… Lelouch."

He smiled, relieved that she had been able to cross the boundary so abruptly. Folding his hands together, he straightened up and asked, "How old are you?"

"I'm 24. I think. I was… I'm an orphan. My parents died when I was 5, and I don't really remember much about anything that happened before their death, as with most people."

"I'm sorry to hear that." said the prince. He thought, 'Maybe this is what was making her sad all of the time?'

"It's okay. I've had a lot of time to finish my grieving for them, despite not knowing very well what type of people they were."

"Your mother must've been beautiful though for you to be like this." he murmured absentmindedly.

"I'm sorry?"

"N-nothing. I didn't say anything. But you're a year younger than I am. Isn't it nice how the age difference is so close?"

"It is."

The conversation faltered and the two were left in silence. Cheshire spoke up, fulfilling her promise. She told him, "It seems to me that you usually ask questions that have yes or no answers. You should try asking more open-ended ones. For practice, let's take turns asking each other something that requires an explanation or a story."

He requested for her to go first to give him an example, and the Cat became silent. What would she ask him? There was one in the corner of her mind, and she tried to silence it. It bit back though, saying that it refused to stay silent. An internal struggle began between her curiosity for the answer to the persistent question, and the possible danger it could bring.

"Do you like the princess?"

The raven-haired man was a little surprised. There had obviously been some searching in the maid's head, from the way her eyebrows had been furrowed slightly, but he had expected for something a little more… Probing.

"Yes."

She became silent, and strangely, the young man became worried that she had misunderstood yet again and he hurried to explain with, "Wait, Cheslie, when I said yes, I meant that I do like Nunnally as a person. She's a very patient and kind woman, with an excellent personality. But if I were to say that I liked her more than as an acquaintance or friend, I would be lying to you."

"I see."

"Actually, if you don't mind, could I continue on this subject?"

"What subject are we on?"

"Er…. Loving someone."

"Well….. Why not? What is it?"

"You're a 24 year old woman, who's very…. Who is one of the better people I've seen regarding physical appearance. And you also have an interesting personality. So, is there anyone in your life…..?"

"Anyone in my….. Oh. Um… There was."

"Really?"

"Yes. But he disappeared one day. Not too long ago, actually."

"Is that why you look so sad all of the time?"

"Sad? Do I really look sad all of the time?"

"I mean, I can't really say, since we've only met a week ago and briefly at that, but yes. From my experience. You must've really loved him, right?"

"I still do. We were even engaged."

"Engaged?!"

Reaching under the collar of her dress, she pulled out the necklace she always wore. The ring glittered brilliantly in the palms of her hands as they were cupped together. The silver band, which had a swirling design of white gold, had a soft glow as it played with the dim lighting of the room. The large diamond, which was flanked by two smaller amethysts, played with the light from nearby lamps and flashed rainbows in random places. Lelouch's head began to have a rhythmic, dull pain, but he ignored it.

"He must've been a very wealthy person." he commented.

"I never knew he was, because he always hid it from me and everyone else who knew him."

"A secretive man."

"No, he was very open with…. Well, now that I think about it, I suppose he is. He was."

There was a moment of silence, until the crown prince asked, "Speaking of secrets, I have one that you'd be surprised to hear. Would you like to?"

"If you don't mind."

"I feel as if I could trust you with my life, Cheslie, weirdly enough."

"I'm honored." she replied.

Scooting back, he reached towards the bedside table. Opening a drawer, he brought out a small wooden chest. Moving back to the emerald-haired woman, he put the box in his lap and said, "I was going through my pockets because I had to look for something, and I found this instead. I felt like no one should know about this; like it was a secret that Mother and Father would strongly disapprove of, so I put it aside in this box. It was really strange. But anyways, your ring reminded me of it. You can't tell anyone though. I have a feeling that if Mother were to find out, she would take it away from me, and for some reason, I have an attachment to this object."

"What is it?"

Opening it, he pulled out a thick silver band. On it was a wreath of white gold, just as the ring in Cheshire's hands. He said, "Isn't it curious? You would think that these rings were a matching pair, and if they were, according to your story, a matching pair of engagement rings."

"Y-yes."

"Cheslie, when you were a little girl, did you have any games you liked to play?"

"No, but one of my friends would love playing the game of pretend."

"I did too! What a coincidence. Could I see that for a second?"

Unclasping the necklace, she carefully handed it to him. Slipping the ring out from the slender chain, it fell into the palm of his right hand. He paused slightly, and he asked himself, 'What are you doing?' but shook it aside. Slowly, he put the thick band from his box around his ring finger on his left hand. Gently taking Cheslie's left hand, he slipped the more slender ring onto her ring finger. He didn't let her go though, and instead, intertwined his fingers with her's. She looked up at him.

"Lelouch, I-"

"No, don't say anything for a second."

She fell silent and he squeezed tighter. There was something so familiar about this that he was lost in his actions without any thought of any consequences.

"Why did you kiss me?" he asked suddenly.

"Why did you kiss back?" she replied with.

"I'm not sure."

"I'm not sure either."

"I know I told you earlier that I wasn't in love with you, but… What would you say if I asked you if I could kiss you?"

"Theoretically?"

"Yes, theoretically."

"That would really depend."

"On what?"

"Well, several things. Like your sincerity, and the setting, and…."

He took her chin and slowly raised it so that she was looking up at him again. She lost all train of thought. His eyelids were low, but she could see something in them that shocked her. Lelouch came so close to the point she could count his individual eyelashes.

"Sire, this is highly impro-"

"Ssssh, Cheslie. Let me figure something out for a second…"

He came closer, and whether it was from anticipation or fear, she closed her eyes. She could feel his warm breath on her face; it smelled just like lemon.

Suddenly, the door swung open and a voice called out, "Lelouch sweetheart?"

The Cat immediately jumped off of the bed, spun around, and curtsied. The Queen of Hearts stood with a frozen smile, her hand on the doorknob. She looked back and forth between her son and the wretched maid. Closing the door behind her, she questioned in a sugary voice, "Lelouch, why aren't you sleeping yet? It's late and you need rest."

"I was… I was just about to, Mother." he replied while slipping his hand under the duvet of his bed so that she wouldn't see the ring. Cheshire also hid her hand in the folds of her dress. It didn't escape the monarch's notice though, and in a suspicious voice, she asked, "What were you two doing?"

"We weren't doing anything, Mother."

"Yes you were. Actually, speaking of you two doing something, what were you two doing that Cheslie almost fell off of… Why was she on the bed?"

"She was just helping me."

"With what?"

"With Princess Nunnally."

"How?" the Queen continued to interrogate her son.

"She was helping me practice in conversing with…. With women, as silly as it sounds."

"…. Sweetheart, you haven't forgotten my message, have you?"

"What message?"

"That you are meant to fall in love exclusively with Princess Nunnally."

"Mother, I'm perfectly capable of controlling my emotions."

"…. We'll see. It's time for you to get some rest though, dear. I think it's enough… Lessons for today."

"Well, um, actually-"

"No. You need to sleep. Come, Cheslie. It's time for you to go back."

"Yes, your Heartness." said the Cat.

"No, wait, Cheslie, don't. Mother, we're almost done. Just give us a little more time."

"…. How much time?"

"Five…. Five, ten minutes."

"Alright then. I'll give you three minutes."

She sat down in a chair, and he asked her, "What are you doing?"

"I'm waiting for you. Your three minutes are ticking, dear."

"No, Mother, you can't sit there-"

"What is it that you two were doing that I can't watch?"

"Mother, you have to be seriously mistaken if you think that we can finish the lesson with you watching. That's so…. Awkward. And invading. I want some privacy, you must understand that."

"My son-"

"Please. Two minutes."

"…. Alright, alright."

Sighing, she stood and left the room. Once the door was closed behind her securely, he turned back to the maid and said, "Come here for a second."

She obeyed and he took her left hand. The two rings seemed to glow in the light and Lelouch was mesmerized; he could've sworn he had seen these exact two rings somewhere in his life, but he just couldn't remember where. He said, "Cheslie… I know we've only met officially today but… How do you feel about me?"

"Sire?"

"Do you like me?" the raven haired man elaborated.

"Yes, I do."

"But what kind of like?"

"Um…."

"This is a very mixed-up day. I keep going back and forth on my word, but perhaps that's what happens when one tries to discern their feelings and views about someone. I've said before that I don't like you as a… As a woman, but rather as an acquaintance and as a teacher, but just now… I realized I tried to kiss you, and even the princess told me that all of this probably meant that I had fallen in love with you, which I vehemently rejected at the time but now…. I'm not so sure anymore. This is all incredibly messed up. And I'm not supposed to be saying this", he nervously laughed at this point, "but what if I told you that I have, in fact, fallen in love with you?"

The prince took a deep breath and stared at Cheslie, who was completely taken aback for the second time that evening.

A/N: I know this one is a lot longer, especially the way I'm dragging the whole amnesia thing out, but please just stick with me. I have this aaaaaaall under control. So… Please. I'll just have to be under your good graces I hope you liked it.