A/N:Time for the next chapter.

Chapter 26

Jeremiah Gottwald was not a man of complicated values. His loyalty to Britannia was absolute and unwavering, and nothing would ever change that. He was always steadfast and loyal to the royals of Britannia because he himself was one of them and he knew better than to rebel against Britannia, though he had almost considered doing so when Lady Marianne and her children had "died."

Though now that Prince Lelouch was back, he would do everything in his power to protect him, no matter what happened to him. He was concerned about where his highness was at this precise moment. Why had he just taken off like that? It didn't make sense for him to be constantly absent like this.

Suddenly, Princess Cornelia came into the room, followed by Euphemia, and Lelouch. Relief flooded through the guard's mind upon seeing Lady Marianne's beloved son standing there, looking tired and a little bruised, but alive nonetheless, which was much better than having him be dead and never know what had happened.

"Your Highness, you're all right!" Jeremiah cried, bowing before Lelouch. "I'm so glad you're safe and sound. Your Highness, if something happened to you, I don't know what I'd do." His gaze fell on an amused Euphie. "My lady, I'm glad to see you're all right."

"The same to you as well, Lord Jeremiah," Euphemia said politely, and returned the gesture.

Lelouch just looked annoyed. "No need to be so formal around me, Gottwald. You know full well that I don't appreciate formalities and those sorts of things." But there was an amused look on his face as well, which may have indicated the opposite.

"My lord, it was all my fault, I wasn't able to find you!" Jeremiah cried out.

"Jeremiah Gottwald, you have no need to despair any longer. Lelouch and Euphemia are both safe and sound." Cornelia assured, though there was still a rough look in her eyes. "However, I am not so willing to lend a hand of forgiveness to you when you allowed Zero to escape with Kururugi."

"That was a while ago, sister! I hoped you were over that! Suzaku is not wrong!" Euphemia cried, jumping to the defense of her knight and best friend. She had never really had many people to call her best friend before. At her school, she had not been particularly close with anyone and had only been used by others just as she was now used as an adult.

Euphemia had a few friends, but not enough so that she would miss going to school. Here, in the palace, the deceit was not straightforward, but rather sneaky. People would pretend to like her when in reality, they wanted her dead over a silly thing like the royal throne.

She had never understood politics that well, and she knew her brothers and sisters found her naive because of this and assumed that she didn't know anything about the outside world. They were wrong, of course. She could hide so much that she knew by pretending to be flighty and stupid when in reality her mind was taking in everything around her, preparing to learn more.

Lelouch had taught her how to observe people when they were younger, and she had put it to good use for years. It was how she'd been able to thwart Cornelia's guards constantly, to escape to the arms of the outside world that wouldn't care whether she had royal blood coursing through her veins or not.

"Lelouch," She began, "Don't you believe Sir Gottwald to be innocent?"

A strange look flashed across Lelouch's face for a moment before his stoic mask was placed back on. "I'm not sure, Euphie. My sister usually is accurate about people who break the law. Helping Zero escape is a treason, isn't it, Sister?"

Cornelia smirked. "For a moment, I thought I was going to hear you defend Zero, since you are still so anti-Britannian, Lelouch. I'm glad that returning here has cleared you of that paranoia."

Lelouch's fists tightened, though his normal smile remained. "Yes, yes, I suppose that is right."

"Good," Cornelia said gently, though her gaze hardened as she turned to look at a scared Jeremiah, "I have no need to see traitors here, Gottwald. Resume your post and leave my sight."

"Sister!" Euphemia protested, but Lelouch placed his hand on her arm.

"Watch...this is how it works," He said softly as the man bowed and then slipped out, still as a shadow.

"Lelouch, we have a lot to talk about. Namely, now that I have placed a bandage over your eye, you are to tell me how your eye got that way and why." Cornelia said sternly.

"...I punctured it a long time ago and my eyesight has been getting worse ever since." Lelouch lied through his teeth.

"So why wasn't your eye bleeding then?" Cornelia challenged.

"Well, a lot of things happened to me before I was saved by Euphemia, sister. I lived with the Ashfords for a while before Zero captured me and tortured me. He also decided to physically torture me by stabbing my eye." Lelouch lied.

Cornelia looked sympathetic and then suspicious again. "This feels like a falsehood you are telling me, Lelouch vi Britannia. You must be truthful with me, for I am your sister."

Lelouch looked despondent upon hearing her. "I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you the simple and honest truth. It would hurt you more than words can ever say."

Euphemia said, "Lelouch, you should not say things like that. She's your sister and you have to be honest."

"Euphie, do you know something about Lelouch that you're not telling me?" Cornelia said sternly.

Both Lelouch and Euphie shifted their gazes.

"I hate this. It feels like my own siblings don't even trust me with things. Things that they should naturally go to their older sister for. Don't you remember what I told you nine years ago?" Cornelia said.

"Cornelia, Father won't tell me anything about Mother. He has to be responsible for her death, I know it!" Lelouch said, his fists tightening in rage. Nunnally was lying unconscious in her bed. Euphemia was crying as he said those things.

"No, Lelouch...Marianne's death was sad. But I won't lose you three. I refuse to lose anyone else close to me. My own mother has been dead for years. She died of an illness shortly after giving birth to Euphie, my sister. For a while, I resented her, but I realize how foolish I was."

"Why didn't you just leave the Empire? That's the best way I can think of to stop him!" Lelouch cried.

"Lelouch, that sounds to me like a foolhardy decision. I wouldn't go through with that. But remember this...you two are my family. No matter what happens, I never want to lose you."

All three of them cried together while Nunnally lay there, unconscious.

"Big Sister, it's Lelouch! He's been sent to Japan! He's gone!" Euphemia wailed, flinging herself into a shocked Cornelia's arms and sobbing hysterically.

"How could he have been so foolish?" Cornelia said.

The two of them had learned of their deaths a few months later and were devastated. At that time, it never even occurred to Cornelia that the announcement of their deaths could have been feigned.

She hugged Lelouch and Euphie. "Don't forget, I am always your older sister. So I am there for you always, forever and ever."

Euphie looked like she was about to cry. Lelouch was too shocked to speak.

"I know, you like to think you're so tough and proud, Lelouch. You never cry or show any emotion. But you have to let it out sometime. Now while I may not show my feelings to anyone outside my family, that doesn't mean I don't have them." She said softly.

"Cornelia, you're being embarrassing here." Lelouch said.

"We love you both. Don't leave us again, Lelouch. I won't lose you again. Remember that."