Chapter 32

In Vein of Promise

"So the New Year would be the closest national holiday that the Japanese people celebrate," Euphemia said, "and the Empire has its own official celebrations planned already. That makes it perfect as a sort of mutual experience that both sides can enjoy."

"The actual celebrations for the Empire are on the eve though, not the day," Milly pointed out. "The day is mostly spent sleeping off the massive hangover most Britannians get celebrating the night before."

"I presume that's not you speaking from personal experience?" Euphemia said.

"Well, not me, no, but my dad does enjoy his whiskey. Grandfather at least recognizes he's getting on in the years, so moderates his celebrations."

"And what about your mother?"

Milly blew a raspberry. "My mother's just like me, alcohol gets flushed out of our system so quickly it barely affects us. Same with caffeine, which is why I don't bother with coffee."

"That's, rather impressive a constitution," Euphemia said. "I suppose that'll make socializing when you're older much easier?"

"What do you mean when I'm older?" Milly said with a smirk. "Do you know how many girls ended up passing out or throwing up trying to keep up with the rate Lelouch was downing champagne during his debut ball in Japan?"

Euphemia's eyes widened. "Lelouch is that heavy a drinker?"

"He's got a liver of steel as far as I can tell," Milly responded. "He was also still completely sober as far by the time the ball was over."

"Well, even so, I'm not sure I entirely approve," Euphemia pursed her lips.

"I honestly wouldn't be too worried about it," Milly said. "I think he was just feeling a bit annoyed by all the girls trying to make a pass at him that night."

That elicited a giggle. "And yet the only one to hold his attention was you."

"Oh, that's not entirely true," Milly said. "Kallen was also there, and she chatted him up a bit"

"Really?" Euphemia said, her curiosity clearly piqued.

"They didn't dance though," Milly continued, "which surprised me at the time. But she and Lelouch did manage to reach a certain rapport, seeing how she ended up joining Eden Vital."

Thinking back, Euphemia frowned slightly. "Milly, do you know about Kallen's extra, well, duties?"

"The one where she's actually authorized to walk around school with a concealed gun?" Milly said. "And that she's here to protect you, me, and Kaguya? Who do you think Lelouch had to convince to get that permission?"

"Your grandfather?" Euphemia said with a slight smile.

"Not just him," Milly returned the expression.

Euphemia giggled again, then her expression assumed a more serious look. "So Kallen actually does know how to fight. And that was her in that video, when Lelouch saved Kaguya."

Milly nodded. "And Lelouch trusts her enough to have her protect some of the most important people in his life."

Euphemia looked down at the table. "I wonder, how she earned that kind of trust."

"If you asked, Kallen would probably tell you," Milly said. "But it's really something she should explain herself, not something you should hear secondhand."

To that Euphemia gave a firm nod. "Alright. I'll try. Though, I don't think she's on campus this weekend? That fancy car of hers is gone."

Milly gave a snort. "Yeah, that's actually Lelouch's fancy car, Kallen is just borrowing it."

"Wait, what? Lelouch has a Lamborghini? Where did he get that!? And why is Kallen borrowing it?"

"Apparently," Milly began with the second question, "your brother has a tendency to take the car out for joyrides to get away from work, usually without telling any of his attendants. When Kallen asked for a ride back from the viceroy's palace, one of those attendants decided that the car would be put to better use for her semi-regular commute instead."

Euphemia's mouth now formed an open ring.

"Kallen of course insists that the moment Lelouch asks, she'll hand the keys right back. But so far he hasn't asked, and Kallen hasn't bothered to return it on her own, so the car remains something of a fixture whenever it's parked on campus and bolstering Kallen's popularity even higher than it was before."

"Lelouch runs out on his attendants?" Euphemia's focus was of course on her brother's antics.

"So Sancia has informed me," Milly said. "Though indications are he's so swamped with work these days he hasn't had the time to try, beyond that one time he wanted to show the car off to me. That was when he discovered Kallen had pinched it."

"Oh dear," Euphemia said, the edge of her lips showing renewed humor.

"Kallen still won't tell me exactly how he got back at her for that," Milly said, "her eyes just sort of glaze over whenever I try asking."

"Oh dear," Euphemia repeated, then seemingly forgetting about her first question, inquired about something perhaps more important. "Umm, is he?"

"What, courting Kallen? No. So you don't need to worry about your brother two-timing or anything."

Euphemia pursed her lips. "Then, what about Kaguya?"

That saw an eyebrow quirk upward.

"There might be a lot of things I don't know, Milly, but even I can tell Kaguya's smitten with Lelouch."

"Yeah, she's not being particularly subtle about it," Milly said with a sigh. "At the same time, she's not trying to get Lelouch to break up with me or anything. Kaguya seems to think Lelouch could have an arrangement similar to His Majesty and his wives."

Euphemia cocked her head aside. "Why would she think that?"

"Because she's not Britannian, and so never actually realized just close how all of your moms were even before they married His Majesty. From her perspective, the Emperor Charles' marriages were all political in nature, instead of being a multilateral union between people that genuinely loved each other."

"So she thought she might be able to bring another set of political advantages to Lelouch," Euphemia said. "I'm surprised she'd think in that way at her age."

"Kaguya's arguably been forced to grow up quickly," Milly said. "Remember, she lost both her parents before the invasion, and while she does have a guardian, she's technically the head of the House of Sumeragi. And as a member of the Numbers Administration Council, even as a minor, she's been steeped in the business of trying to smooth the integration of the Japanese, getting her people back on their feet all the while the previous viceroyalty administrations were pretty much making that as hard as possible."

None of this was necessarily new information for Euphemia, but the girl might not have previously viewed it in that context.

"That makes sense," the girl said. "So, has someone actually explained to her what His Majesty's situation is with the mothers?"

It said a great deal about how close the various imperial households were, that the children would as naturally call Mother their own biological mother as the mothers of their half-siblings. And the level of intimacy one needed to aspire to if the familial situation of the imperial family was to be replicated.

"Yes," Milly said. "And it hasn't dissuaded her in the least. All knowing about the truth did was see her change tact and add me to the list of people she's trying to woo, alongside Lelouch."

Euphemia was now frowning. "That seems a bit, presumptuous."

"Well, that may be more my fault than Lelouch's," Milly said. "Kaguya, she tries to put on a strong front, but she's actually very lonely. Lelouch might have saved Kaguya's life, but I was the one that sung her to sleep with lullabies."

The widened eyes returned as Euphemia gaped at Milly.

"And let's be frank here, it's not like I can't foresee Kaguya becoming as close to me as your mothers are with each other. Deep down, Kaguya has a kind heart and a strong will. If I was interested in girls, she'd certainly be in the running."

Despite Milly's forthrightness, Euphemia was capable of some of that herself.

"You're not into girls?"

Milly reeled back a bit. "What? Why would you ever think that?"

"I mean, you're always getting all touchy-feely with Shirley," the princess pointed out.

"Well, okay, put it that way, I'm probably a bit more appreciative of the female form than some other girls, but I can't recall ever actually being interested in a girl."

"I see," Euphemia said, glancing aside for a moment before looking at Milly. "So, do you think there's an actual chance of Kaguya getting together with you and Lelouch?"

Milly's lips thinned. "That's, actually not up to us, anymore."

"What?"

The girl's expression tightened as she considered just how much she could or should tell Euphemia. Or how she should go about it at all.

"You know better than most just how sincere the feelings are between His Majesty and his wives," the Ashford heiress finally began. "But that doesn't mean there weren't political considerations behind the marriages as well. By marrying those specific noble daughters, the Emperor Charles solidified a set of alliances that to this day underpin his rule. And if politics can qualify certain persons to marry, then it can also disqualify them."

Euphemia frowned. "Surely Lelouch wouldn't hold Kaguya's heritage against her like that, or let others hold it against her."

Milly shook her head. "It's not Lelouch. Or rather, it's both of them. Lelouch has certain responsibilities and obligations as a cardinal of Eden Vital. As a Lamperouge, really. And Kaguya also has certain responsibilities as a Sumeragi, responsibilities that produce a very severe conflict of interest on Lelouch's part. Lelouch can't allow himself to be compromised like that, he just flat-out can't. But Kaguya, well, she actually has a choice here. If she declines to assume those specific responsibilities, the conflict of interest goes away, and the three of us can then think about the logistics of any relationship. But if Kaguya decides that assuming those responsibilities is more important, well, that sort of settles the matter then and there."

"But, what kind of responsibilities would cause that kind of complication?" Euphemia asked, sounding genuinely flabbergasted.

"That's not for me to say," Milly said with another shake of her head. "And it's also not either of our places to try to convince the two of them one way or another, not for this. This has to be a choice that they themselves make. Or rather, a choice that Kaguya has to make, Lelouch has already made his. The most I can do is to be there once she does make that choice, to either contemplate what the future might hold for us together, or to offer solace for the future that was denied."

"I don't like this at all," Euphemia pursed her lips. "If whatever is at the root of this can cause such anguish and turmoil, could it possibly be worth all the trouble?"

"It can, and it is," Milly stated firmly, causing Euphemia to be taken aback. "Lelouch and Kaguya both move at a level where their decisions can impact countless millions of lives. If their own personal satisfaction comes at the expense of those millions, how much worse a place would the world be?"

Euphemia grimaced. "But is the world so much better when it's so hard to find reasons to smile? Or am I just a bad person for thinking that way."

"Not bad," Milly said with a slight smile. "You're in a lot of ways very lucky to be able to see things like that. Or privileged, if we want to be a bit more pragmatic. You and I, we both have never really known need. The things that might be denied us, are more often than not things we want instead. But there's nothing wrong with wanting happiness, for both yourself and those you love. You just have to be careful about who you might tread upon in the process of obtaining it."

"You say you and I are similar, and yet I have so much more trouble imagining how the pursuit happiness can end up hurting others."

"Well, what if your father hadn't been in a position to marry all those wives, even though they all loved each other dearly? What if he had to choose instead? The one chosen might be happy, but what about the others?"

Euphemia blinked as a modicum of understanding flowered within.

"And then there's the thing with Kaguya," Milly continued. "Kaguya's actually willing to, well, share Lelouch, as it were. But what if she hadn't been? Or I wasn't? If Lelouch had to choose, who should get to be happy, and who should be the one getting hurt? In a lot of ways, even when no one is at fault, or they're not at fault for anything beyond trying to make themselves happy, they can end up hurting others in the process. And there's nothing wrong with that per se, that's just life as a whole. But that's only on the individual level. When one's actions can cause reactions that ripple out to so many others, well, you have to be even more careful. Because then you're not hurting just one or two people, you might end up hurting tens, or hundreds, or thousands. And the hurt might be more physical than emotion, people's lives could be hanging in the balance. So sometimes, one has to sacrifice one's happiness for the greater good."

"But if that's the case, where does it end?" Euphemia said. "How often does that sacrifice need to be made? How can any one person hold up under such hurt?"

Or how could Lelouch, was the girl's real concern. Milly gave a gentle smile.

"That's what I'm here for, Euphie. I'm here to help provide Lelouch what measure of happiness I can, and to help soothe his hurt when he needs it. Just as he does for me."

Euphemia inhaled sharply as the realization finally dawned upon her.

"He's not alone," she whispered.

Milly nodded. "And he never has been. It might feel like he's alone to you because of how distant the two of you are right now, but Lelouch has lots and lots of people at his back."

The princess' eyes flickered again, something that did not go unnoticed by the older girl.

"Euphie, what have we been working on this whole time?" Milly said. "Yes, you and Lelouch aren't as close as you used to be right now, but that's right now. There's no reason why you can't become close again, not if you don't give up. And you're not alone either. You've got me, remember?"

A palpable relief washed over Euphemia's face at the reassurance Milly offered. She even managed a slight smile.

"I must sound so silly, worrying about all this," Euphemia said.

"Nah, that just goes to show how much you care," Milly stated. "And there's nothing silly about that."

"By November of 1951, the Soviet Union had conquered a significant portion of Europe, having advanced as far west as the Elbe River in the north and the Alps in the south."

In reflection of that state of affairs, the map the teacher projected showed significant chunks of Europe colored a bright red.

"Having completed their conquest of Berlin in time to present the city as a birthday gift to Stalin, the Red Army paused its advance to regroup and make good its losses after the past few months of fighting, not least from the effort to actually seize the German capital."

It perhaps said something about Soviet military priorities that such a consideration drove them to push so hard to capture Berlin. Symbolically the city's fall was useful, yes, but as Mr. Taylor hinted at, the losses incurred had ended up stalling their entire westward advance. The amount of time that gave the remaining European nations to call up and arm more soldiers almost certainly was what then allowed them to survive the following year of fighting, long enough for Britannia to join the war.

"Back in the Empire, public alarm had been steadily growing as the Soviets so swiftly overcame resistance. While some isolationists stridently continued to insist that the war was a European problem and that Britannia should not intervene, more and more voices were sounding the alarm about how a Soviet victory might even threaten the Britannian homeland. The Europeans were especially encouraging of those voices, with the British in particular evoking ancestral ties in their pleas for help. The upswell in public sentiment was harnessed by Prince Ulysses, when he convinced Parliament to pass numerous acts to not only begin a build-up of the Britannian Armed forces, but also to authorize the leasing of substantial amounts of military hardware to the beleaguered Europeans.

"The necessity of this leasing was made more urgent as the Europeans were rapidly running out of money to pay for everything they needed to buy. Many of them had never managed to finish paying off the debt they incurred during the European War of 1914, and every inch of territory lost to the Soviets meant more farms and factories that were no longer able to produce for the Allies. Combined with all of the manpower that was drafted to fill their armies, and the Allies simply could not both produce everything they needed and still have enough troops to do the fighting. As such, even before Britannia formally entered the war, the Allied European armies were making more and more use of Britannian weapons and equipment. From trucks, to guns, to even tanks and planes, the arsenal that matched the Soviets was increasingly Britannian in nature.

"The immediate consequence of this was of course an upsurge in Britannian economic activity, as the Empire's factories churned out weapons and our farms produced the harvests needed to make good the shortfall Europe was already suffering. This increase in economic health also significantly bolstered the sentiment of the general public, helping finally overcome the lingering trauma from the Great Depression. This renewed confidence helped further sway the populace to believing they needed to do something to combat the Red Menace, and soon enough most believed that it was only a matter of time before Britannia joined the war.

"Now, before we proceed any further in the timeline, let's see how many of you did the assigned readings," Mr. Taylor said with a playful smile. "Mr. Cardemonde. Name one of the political parties that remained steadfastly opposed to the war, even after it was declared."

"The Labor party," was Rivalz's immediate answer.

"The tried-and-true response," Mr. Taylor said. "Might you elucidate us as to why they opposed the war?"

"Well, there was that whole bit about them being a left-wing political party," Rivalz began, perhaps not very eloquently. "A lot of people suspected they were more sympathetic than they should have been to the communists. And back then they had an official pacifist clause in their charter too. They didn't think wars were ever justified."

Hard to imagine that a Britannian political party would ever hold such stances, considering the Empire's imperialistic pedigree. Then again, that was probably the main reason the Labor party came a very distant fourth in parliamentary elections, just barely winning enough votes to actually get representation in the Commons.

"Interesting, is it not," Mr. Taylor remarked. "How left-leaning factions are so quick to lavish praise upon autocracies that espouse similar ideology, while decrying those autocracies that do not? Though I'll leave further exploration of that dichotomy to your civics course, I'm sure you'd all appreciate not having to go through philosophical mental gyrations in yet another class."

The requisite chuckles and murmurs sounded in response before the teacher continued.

"Now, even before the Empire formally joined the war, its armed forces were already exchanging fire with the Soviets in the Battle of the Atlantic. Once the war started, the Soviets deployed a large fleet of submarines to try to blockade continental Europe from receiving supplies from Britannia. This was a stratagem employed by Germany in the European War of 1914, and once again proved similarly effective. Again however, some of the ships lost, and that of the crew aboard them, were Britannian, which increased pressure on the government to do something to protect its subjects and commercial interests. The government's response was to start deploying the navy to escort convoys to ever increasing distances from Britannian territorial waters, eventually extending their support almost to European territorial waters. This naturally saw Britannian warships exchange fire with Soviet submarines, to the point where the Empire and the USSR were in a defacto state of war in the Atlantic.

"Even with the increased friction and the ever-escalating fighting, the Empire had yet to commit to direct intervention in what was still a mostly European conflict. As inevitable as that result was deemed by many, there was still enough opposition to it that no one was entirely sure when the tipping point would be reached. Perhaps because of this, the Soviets sought to bring a quick end to the war before the Empire could formally join, and to that end deployed their secret weapon, an atomic bomb, on the city of Brussels. Tens of thousands of people were killed, with much of the city itself in ruins. The resultant disruption to the Allied supply lines allowed for a major surge by Soviet forces, and within a month they were pushing through northern France.

"The worst ultimately did not come however, as a counterattack launched by the German Army cut the Soviet supply line supporting their French advance, forcing the Soviets to withdraw. Even more fortuitously, it became evident that the Soviets had only the one bomb, and others were at minimum months away from completion. What this then demonstrated was that the Allies had a window, a slim one, but a window nonetheless, to try and turn the tide and prevent their complete annihilation. Perhaps the most important development of all however was how the shock of the destruction the USSR was capable of, and willing to inflict, galvanized the rest of the world. Princess Ulysses utilized that sentiment to finally bring Britannia into the conflict on the Allied side. And on the other side of the world, the Japanese Empire also declared war, creating a second front against the Soviets. The conflict was now a world war."

"As we previously covered, democracy as an institution has both advantages and disadvantages," Mr. DuBois said. "While we have gone over some of the more problematical aspects of democracy, we have yet to delve into certain intrinsic advantages. The condition of mass quality education, while an advantage, is arguably not one reliant on democracy to induce, nor does possession of a democracy guarantee the economic circumstances that make it affordable. In that regard, democracy is more the reward a successful society can claim than the means to achieving that success. And as a reward then, democracy must merit the effort and resources required to obtain it. Can anyone here suggest one such merit?"

Dead silence at that one, as the majority of the students just stared blankly back at their instructor. The few exceptions like Milly still seemed inclined to keep their mouths shut, obliging Mr. DuBois to choose amongst them. Before he could however, the door to the classroom opened, accompanied by a firm voice.

"Democracies provide an institutionalized way of peaceably removing officeholders without having to resort to force of arms," Lelouch stated as he entered. "That is one indisputable advantage they have over almost every other form of government, including that of Britannia's."

Eyes went wide, not excepting Milly's as the class recognized just who had stepped into their classroom. To his credit, Mr. DuBois at least managed to affect a measured reaction as he turned to face the cardinal.

"Your Eminence, this is a most unexpected surprise. While your answer is entirely correct, might I ask how you came to be around to provide it?"

Lelouch cracked a slight smirk. "Apologies for interrupting your lecture, Mr. DuBois. I am visiting Ashford to check on the progress of the Japanese language and literature program being trialed here, and happened to pass your classroom when I heard a most intriguing question."

Now that Lelouch was through the door, everyone inside could see that not only the cardinal and his attendants, but also Ruben was present. The marquess exchanged a wry smile with his old friend the colonel, and then a more mischievous one with a stunned looking Milly. His granddaughter had clearly not been informed that Lelouch would be dropping by today. A reminder, that Milly did come to her love for spontaneity honestly.

"If this is the caliber of instruction in Ashford's civics course, I daresay it shan't be too long before the school earns full accreditation as a royal academy."

Within Britannia's educational system, schools were generally divided into three categories. The first were the publicly funded schools that everyone could, and indeed were obliged, to attend. The second were the private schools that received no government funding, but which still needed to meet standards set by the government, and charged tuition to the families of their students. As one might expect, the private schools were fairly expensive, but arguably offered higher quality instruction. That was not to say public education in Britannia was substandard, indeed the Empire invested quite a bit in ensuring a decent standard for its public schools, but there were always ways in which more money could help.

The last category were also technically private schools, but which served a more specialized role within the Empire's educational establishment. These were the royally accredited academies, which as part of their accreditation were required to provide the obligatory civics courses that all noble heirs needed to pass to qualify for their titles. This not surprisingly resulted in the entirety of the Britannian nobility being alumni of these schools. Still, it was not as if the commoner proportion was small either. In addition to well-to-do families, the government made an explicit effort to offer scholarships and financial aid to especially promising students of lesser financial means to allow them to attend these academies. The rational was arguably less about fostering diversity or the like and more to identify and nurture talent that might be of future use to the Empire, but the result was that the accredited academies ended up being a bit more inclusive than their mere private counterparts.

At the very pinnacle of these accredited schools were the formal royal academies, a status that required the school to have successfully graduated someone in the line of imperial succession. Only half a dozen academies in the entire Empire could lay claim to such an achievement. The Pendleton Royal Academy where Maribelle and until recently Oldrin attended was one such school, as was Jenis Royal Academy, Euphemia's previous school. And if Euphemia did indeed complete her secondary education here at Ashford, that would be sufficient to earn the school the title of Ashford Royal Academy, an absolutely astronomical rise considering the school was only established after the Empire's invasion of Japan.

"My thanks, Your Eminence," Mr. DuBois said. "Is this to be the extent of your observation of this class, or would you care partake further?"

"Seeing as I am here, and so long as my presence is not too intrusive, I think I would like to see where this discussion leads," Lelouch said, glancing over at Ruben.

The Ashford patriarch gave a nod and made to settle down himself. When Lelouch met Milly's eyes however, the Ashford heiress stuck her tongue out in her usual display of irreverence. For some reason that managed to puncture the budding tension in the room, as more than one student failed to suppress a chuckle at Milly's antics.

"Now, picking up from where we were," Mr. DuBois continued. "As His Eminence so astutely noted, one of democracy's innate merits is that it provides a mechanism to remove officeholders peacefully. The value of such a mechanism should not be underestimated, as once force of arms is resorted to, we are but one step away from escalation into an outright civil war. And civil wars, ladies and gentlemen, constitute some of the most bitter conflicts fought by man. The few laws of war that offer some measure of protection for noncombatants, and which at least try to ensure the humane treatment even of combatants, are often ignored in such conflicts, resulting in a vicious cycle of reprisals, counter-reprisals, and general butchery that can result in the total collapse of the nation in which the war erupted."

A most emphatic condemnation of such conflicts, made all the more remarkable considering the current emperor was on the throne explicitly because he resorted to such force of arms. And whose son was seated in this very classroom, along with one of the peers that fought in that helped precipitate Charles' coup. For that matter, when he was a much junior officer, DuBois had himself fought at Pendragon as one of Charles' partisans. As such one could just as easily accuse DuBois of hypocrisy as praise his frank honesty. Those who were tempted by the former however would miss a most important lesson in closing their minds like so. A hand rose.

"Yes, Naomi?"

"But did not the Emperor Charles take power using force?" the Japanese girl asked.

A tense hush settled upon the room, as the students snuck glances between their instructor, the marquess, and the cardinal. None of the three seemed especially perturbed by the boldness of the question, indeed Mr. DuBois even seemed pleased to be asked it.

"Indeed he did," the teacher said gravely. "Would there have been another way, we would not have needed to risk plunging Britannia into such strife. But there were, and are, no mechanisms by which to remove an unfit sovereign from the throne, he must either abdicate of his own free will, or die to clear the way."

An answer that might have been, but from Naomi's grimace, hardly a satisfactory one.

"If resorting to arms carries with it such great risk, then isn't that an argument for adding in the mechanisms to make it unnecessary?"

In other words, shouldn't the Empire seriously consider adopting democratic principles? An even more daring question, even if asked implicitly. Instead of answering directly however, Mr. DuBois began another of his circuitous, but still informative, rejoinders.

"We began this unit with a discussion of the conditions required for a functional democracy to emerge, namely a highly informed electorate capable of identifying which decisions better serve society. We have touched upon the not trifling advantages a democratic society offers, from sowing the seeds of its own economic prosperity to ensuring a measure of stability with an institutionalized, and peaceable, succession process. What we will cover now is the greatest weakness inherent within a democracy, that of polarized factionalism, and the manner in which democracy can amplify the effects."

And which in the minds of the Britannian political orthodoxy, constituted such a grave threat that they would rather risk outright civil war than employ methods that, however great their utility, carried with them such deficiencies.

"The issue of factionalism is certainly not something unique to democracies. Britannia after all is rife with them, from the political parties in Parliament to the divisions within the imperial court to even the various social cliques here at Ashford. Wheresoever a group of people may gather, a difference of interests will inevitably arise, and those whose interests most closely align will naturally flock together to pursue them. There is arguably nothing wrong with such conflicts of interest, for the competition it engenders is the means by which humanity as a whole is given impetus to improve and advance. The danger lies in when pursuance of these factional interests overtakes the collective pursuance of the common good. And democracies are vulnerable in a uniquely problematic manner to this tendency." Mr. DuBois scanned the class. "Can anyone, aside from His Eminence and His Lordship, postulate as to why that is the case?"

Blank stares all around, even from Milly. The Ashford heiress might be one of the most astute students in the class, but she was still taking the class to learn, so naturally there would still be things beyond her knowledge. And while Lelouch did know the answer, he had been explicitly excluded from answering. On the other hand, the attendants accompanying him were not so named. The cardinal shot a knowing look towards Sancia, and thanks to where he was seated, the attention of everyone else in the class soon followed.

"Well, young lady," Mr. DuBois said with a wry smile. "Might you toss the class a lifeline?"

Sancia took but a moment to contemplate and formulate her response.

"The issue principally stems from the manner in which legitimacy is established in a democracy combined with the binary nature of voting results. Decisions put to a vote are invariably the result of opposing factions seeking to advance their own interests. The side that wins the vote obtains the freedom to pursue their interest within the societal framework inhabited by the democracy, but aside from whatever institutional safeguards are in place, the losing side has no recourse to what amounts to, from their perspective, an imposition of circumstances they are opposed to. No substantive incentive exists for the winning side to seek compromise or otherwise moderate their selected course of action, while the losing side is given every reason to orchestrate the downfall of the winning side come the next vote so that they in turn would be in the position of authority to impose their own preferred policies."

The woman's explanation might have been a bit denser than the usual verbiage Mr. DuBois employed, but after a few moments to parse Sancia's response, the students broadly understood what she meant. That and Mr. DuBois was also there to expand on the main points.

"Indeed," the teacher picked up where Sancia had left off. "We previously discussed how a functional democracy required a sufficiently educated populace. But education is not a means of ensuring conformity of thought or interests, as much as I'm sure some of the powers that be might wish otherwise."

That self-deprecating remark was enough to get the class to loosen up again and share a chuckle or two.

"To say an educated citizen is better informed about the matters relating to a vote is also to say that he or she has a greater awareness of how their own interests are impacted. In other words, to which faction the voter in question belongs to. As such, even in a fully functional and prosperous democracy, the natural tendency is still for people to congregate in factions. As democracy on the first order seeks to extend participation in governance to as much of a society's populace as possible, the proportion of that populace that becomes divided into factions, and effectively set against each other in competition, becomes all the greater. And because of the, as the young lady so artfully put it, binary nature of legitimacy in democratic societies, there is little room to find compromise, meaning few factions bother to either seek or offer it. The lack of moderation that results inevitably leads to the extremis, wherein efforts to obtain legitimacy for oneself becomes an exercise to deny legitimacy to others. And eventually this denial extends even to those that achieve that legitimacy through entirely democratic means, so long as they are of the other and not of the self. In other words, a losing faction refusing to acknowledge its loss and attempting to disrupt the process by which power is peaceably transferred. Now, what sort of conflict does that sound like to all of you?"

A civil war. Roundabout as Mr. DuBois' lecture was, he did tend to guide his students to the most pertinent lessons in the end. Democracy, when its structures worked, worked well. But when they failed, it was no more graceful an end than that faced by any other government, including Britannia's own. And the magnitude of the coup that the Emperor Charles kicked off was that of a potential end to Britannia as a whole, a point in a society's lifecycle at which democracy would have offered little in the way of viable alternatives. Still, there remained as yet a few unanswered questions, such as whether democracy tended towards an end more or less quickly compared to other forms of government. They would have to wait however as the bell rang, signaling the end of class.

"You know, you could have warned me about you dropping by the school to observe," Milly grossed as she walked with Lelouch to her family estate, situated right next to the campus proper.

The school day had ended, and despite the lack of cellphones amongst the student body, at least while on campus, news of the cardinal's presence had spread like wildfire. Even now a few people were trying to surreptitiously glance at Lelouch, or maybe they were more interested in the attendants accompanying him. The breakdown of interested students seemed rather evenly split between girls and boys, after all.

"I thought you enjoyed a good dose of spontaneity," Lelouch responded nonchalantly. "Or is that only when you're the one springing the surprise?"

"I may be self-assured, Lelouch, but I'm not a hypocrite," Milly shot back.

"Apologies, milady, I did not intend to imply anything of the sort."

Milly gave a snort. "So why are you so early, anyway? I thought we were just scheduled for dinner here tonight."

"I was being entirely earnest when I said I dropped by to take a look at how the Japanese language and literature program was progressing," Lelouch said. "That we were to dine together simply made today a more convenient time to do so. Besides, I believe there was something else you wished to show me."

"And your schedule opened up an entire afternoon to let you slip away like that?" Milly glanced over at Sancia.

"I am perfectly capable of managing my own time, thank you very much," Lelouch said. "What Sancia does is to ensure others adhere properly to a schedule so that they make the best use of the time I happen to allot them."

"How gracious of you," Milly drawled.

By now, Lelouch was a regular enough visitor to the Ashford estate that the servants skipped the more formal welcomes and simply treated him as one of the family. Considering the trajectory that his and Milly's relationship was on, that was probably a safe enough assumption to make.

"Welcome back, milady, Your Eminence," Sayoko greeted. "Lady Euphemia is already in the den."

"Thanks, Sayoko," Milly said. "C'mon, since you're here, we might as well get the show on the road."

Lelouch quirked an eyebrow up but did not press for an explanation. That would probably come soon enough anyway. The two followed after Sayoko, who was carrying the tray of tea that would also be served them. When they came to the den, Euphemia beamed a bright, albeit somewhat tense, smile at her brother.

"Hello, Lelouch."

"Euphemia."

Still her full name instead of her nickname. And today's discussion was not likely to put him in the mood to change that any faster. When all three were settled in, Sebastian hopped onto the sofa to lay his head on Milly's lap.

"It is my understanding you had something you wished to discuss with me," Lelouch said to his sister.

Euphemia nodded and took a deep breath. "I would like to make my social debut at the upcoming New Year's Eve celebration. I believe doing so here would be, beneficial, to providing for a sense of normality, and progress, for Japan."

Lelouch stared at Euphemia for a few moments, then glanced over at Milly.

"Did you put her up to this?"

"I am my own person, Lelouch," Euphemia however spoke up. "I do not need anyone to tell me what to do."

Lelouch looked back at his sister, his expression indicating he was far from convinced.

"Then what precipitated your decision here?"

"I've thought about how things are for quite a bit," Euphemia began. "I know Mother and Cornelia have kept me hidden from public view for my protection, but doing so also means I'm not carrying my weight as a royal. And when so many of my brothers and sisters are shouldering such responsibilities for the Empire's sake, I can't just sit around and not do my part."

"No offense to your desire to help, Euphemia, but do you truly believe there to be something that you could do to help?"

A not unfair question to ask, seeing as Euphemia had so little experience partaking in royal duties compared to even some of her siblings at a similar age. But it was not an unexpected question, for Euphemia had had some help imagining those very ways, as well as the doubts that might be elicited.

"By virtue of simply being a royal, I can draw attention to matters and causes of my choosing," Euphemia responded. "And one of the most impactful ways of drawing that attention is with my debut. If I show that the imperial family thinks Japan safe enough to allow me to publicly reveal myself here, would that not do wonders for morale?"

"This presumes the imperial family actually does think Japan to be safe enough, and they most certainly do not," Lelouch stated bluntly. "If I let you make your debut here, Cornelia is liable to want my head, and Victoria not too far behind."

Euphemia gave her brother a patient look. "Mother is not going to overreact like that."

Lelouch snorted. "And Cornelia?"

That actually saw Euphemia avert her gaze for a moment, a motion that was not lost upon her brother.

"I believe the necessary people can be convinced," Euphemia finally stated, "if the proper arguments are put before them."

It looked like even Euphemia understood just how difficult that would be with her older sister, considering how roundabout she was being. Still, even setting Cornelia aside, there were issues aplenty.

"You making your social debut is not merely a decision you yourself can make," Lelouch stated. "You would need to request His Majesty to provision for the budget your royal guard will require, and you will also need to find candidates that can be trusted to swear to your person. All of this takes time, and it is highly doubtful it could be completed in time for the New Year."

"And not all of it has to be," Euphemia said. "The lack of a fully organized royal guard simply obliges me to limit my movement to those places where other security measures are already adequate to ensure my protection, of which Ashford Academy is one such example. My participation in other social events and the like can similarly be done in conjunction with those already possessed of a security screen, with my own serving as an augment until it is fully stood up."

Lelouch shot another silent, accusatory glance at Milly before looking back at Euphemia.

"And what makes you think such effort is even warranted right now?" Lelouch asked. "While I do not dispute that your public show of support for Japan's integration would be impactful, there is arguably not an absolute need for it, certainly not to the extent that arranging for your debut specifically in Japan is automatically justified."

"But it is," Euphemia declared firmly. "And for the very reason that you and Cornelia are having so much trouble working together."

Lelouch blinked. "Oh?"

"My sister, though I love her dearly, does not believe in the speedy integration of the Japanese people into the Empire," Euphemia stated rather frankly. "She has her own beliefs, prejudices even, which she thinks are entirely justified. For these reasons, it's pretty evident that though Cornelia is not impeding your work, she's not cooperating to the degree that would actually make your job easier, at least on the civil side of things. But that's where I can come in. I can serve as a visible indication that the imperial family does indeed stand behind you, or at least parts of it does. And if that part happens to be of the same household as Cornelia, well, that might help moderate our sister a bit."

"It's just as liable to make her feel isolated and driven into a corner," Lelouch groused, then sighed. "Fine, I could see ways in which your open presence as a royal would be immensely helpful."

Euphemia beamed a wide smile at her brother.

"But," Lelouch followed up. "As I said earlier, I'm not the only one you need to convince. You get to inform Their Majesties about this, and you need to arrange for the budget for your royal guard. If and only if you are able to obtain their consent, I can help in the selection of trusted armsmen. But if you go down this path, Euphemia, there will be no putting the genie back into the bottle. You will need to be accompanied by an armsman at all times, including on school grounds. You will no longer be able to simply disappear from the public sight, and all of your actions will face intense public scrutiny. Are you actually ready for that?"

Euphemia took a deep breath. "The moment I was born into the imperial family, such a fate awaited me. It is not something that can be avoided, especially not when so much of the rest of family already carries that burden. But much like the rest of our duty, it is something that can be borne, because we are not alone in doing so. It is something we bear together."

Lelouch regarded his little sister silently for a few moments, though in the background Sancia could be seen doing something on her tablet. After what seemed a mild eternity, or at least long enough for Milly to get a bit antsy, another of Lelouch's attendants entered the room and placed before Euphemia a stack of printed pages. Euphemia looked down at the packet, then up at Lelouch again.

"That is a copy of the current draft of the Special Administration Act of Japan that His Highness the Prince Schneizel is working to pass through parliament," Lelouch said. "It will likely take a few more months yet, and the draft will almost certainly see further amendments, but it captures the salient points about what form Japan's formal integration will take. If you are indeed to throw your public support behind that integration, it would behoove you to be familiar with the act."

Even before Euphemia's debut was confirmed, Lelouch was already assigning his little sister some homework. But from the way Euphemia smiled so widely, the girl had no problems whatsoever with some supplemental reading.

"I'll get started on this tonight," she declared.

End of Chapter 32

No, that's not a typo in the chapter title.

There were way too many scenes this chapter that were a complete and utter pain in the ass to write. The civics lecture especially went through way more drafts than I normally bother with, since I actually had to make it coherent and understandable. Political theory and philosophy can be damn complicated to convey in simple to understand manners. There's at least one more scene that'll serve as a sort of capstone to this exploration of democracy, which will also serve to explain why Britannia explicitly rejects it for its own governance.

I have a 3000+ word scene that serves as a sort of culmination of Kaguya's character arc, and it was actually the first thing I finished after the previous chapter was released. It got bumped to next chapter at least because there were too many other scenes that needed to come before it, including the opening and closing scenes of this chapter. And as should be evident, no reviewer was able to correctly guess what the actual, big impediment to a Kaguya and Lelouch pairing would be. Which, to be frank, surprised me a bit. It frankly feels like there continues to be a fairly narrow focus on the personal, individual circumstances of the characters, despite my continued insistence that the geopolitical context of the world carries far greater weight in the decisions the characters have to make.

I've had more than one reader who seem to think that going all-in on some sort of grand assault on Britannia is a viable option. That position has always puzzled me a bit, since it's not clear to me on what grounds a reader thinks such an approach could work. A blanket nuclear exchange is just going to glass the entire planet, there wouldn't be anyone left over to "win." Yes, I have explicitly stated in the past that Britannia, and the other major powers, possess nukes. This isn't the canon verse where they somehow have, and can compactly power, advanced particle accelerator weaponry without ever figuring out how to perform nuclear fission. And don't bother suggesting that Britannia's opponents would be able to get a working anti-ballistic missile defense system up that'd be more capable than whatever Britannia itself could come up with and have deployed much sooner than their rivals, the economic and technological imbalance precludes that. ABMs are expensive to develop and deploy, so if they did exist, it would be to the Empire's advantage in any nuclear exchange, such as it is.

A biological or chemical weapon? Well, we've seen how devastating an entirely natural pandemic can be, so assuming someone did possess the knowhow to come up with a synthetic one, that could be very effective. But all of the major powers are signatories to the treaties that ban both chemical and biological weapons, and even if enforcement mechanisms are far from stringent, they all have reasons to not want to go down that path. Why? Because both chemical and biological weapons are considered weapons of mass destruction, and the only WMD not explicitly banned from use are nuclear weapons. And with the principle of reciprocity, usage of a WMD against an enemy will earn you a response by a WMD if they themselves possess one. In this case, using chemical or biological weapons isn't going to allow you to quickly achieve victory or the like, it'll just result in Britannia breaking out the nukes in response.

There also seem to be a genuine misconception as to where the various polities stand in this conflict. The Holy See is not acting alone in its negotiations. Whatever position it is taking, it is doing so with the blessing and support of its sponsor, the European Union. The same applies for Eden Vital, its negotiating position has tacit consent from Britannia. As such, any agreement the Vatican reaches with Eden Vital is implicitly also an agreement between the EU and Britannia. One step removed, perhaps, but still close enough that it removes one of the two remaining superpowers from consideration as potential opposition to Eden Vital and Britannia in any sort of open conflict. And with the Middle East a Britannian domain at this point, that leaves China and the Jokhang (plus heretics) diplomatically isolated. And China, by herself, is in no way strong enough to directly confront Britannia.

There are a few other factors at play, but the above basically summarizes the point we're at in the story. Future developments will reveal more.

Another batch of completed drawings. Yes, the artist is finishing them faster than I do my chapters. I don't think I've ever worked with any artist that had this fast turnaround before. Usual rules apply, replace dots and slashes as needed.

deviantart dot com slash z98 slash art slash Dalque-the-Huntress-870500657

deviantart dot com slash z98 slash art slash Anya-the-Mordred-870500889

deviantart dot com slash z98 slash art slash Oldrin-the-Phantom-870501195

Are there more imagines incoming? Yes, but at least one of them constitutes a pretty major spoiler, and so will be withheld until we get to that point.