Pendragon, Spring 2007 a.t.b.
It was a really irritating and tiring day for Emperor Charles. It was already approaching four in the afternoon and the problems only multiplied. First - first thing in the morning - he had to deal with the diplomatic crisis between his empire and the United Republic of Europia which broke out after the terrorist attack on the empire's embassy in Paris.
Normally, he would have entrusted this trivial matter to the Prime Minister, Grand Duke Wynn Ranald, and the owner of one of the country's largest arms companies, the Ranalad Arms. However, the scandal related to the attack was so blown by the press in the empire that the emperor's involvement in the case was so high.
The talks between the emperor and the prime minister with EU representatives lasted three hours. Those one hundred and eighty minutes, or just ten thousand eight hundred seconds, was probably the worst spent time in the coming months.
The whole conversation was essentially about expressing our deepest sympathy and making empty promises about the investigation. It became clear that EU authorities would not do anything serious about this incident. The entire government of this supranational association had much greater problems than dealing with a terrorist attack against a hostile power.
The political situation in the United Republic of Europia was becoming unstable, the government of the Federal Republic of Germany began - as it was more than half a century ago - to demand that it be granted more power, not to mention that the Polish government began to slowly distance itself from French and German influence.
This may mean another war for primacy within the EU, which this time may not end only with a positional war and a truce after a few years. Instead, another war may completely change the balance of power within the United Republic of Europia, or end up collapsing it altogether.
After the talks, Charles had to resolve the dispute that broke out between Anticlea eu Britannia and Wilhelmina el Britannia. Both spouses argued about who would win the throne after Charles. An extremely trivial issue, but arousing extreme emotions about both women, it was not the first time that both empresses fell into open conflict due to succession.
Nevertheless, this situation made the emperor aware of a lot, above all the fact that he was already fifty-two years old, and thus he was getting older. Already Charles' hair was almost entirely gray, basically from month to month the emperor was becoming an old man who had more than half of his life behind him.
A significant problem was also the fact that Ragnarök was still not finished, Charles and his first ally were not even halfway through it. Plus, Rhalli's death ten years ago had complicated things.
It is true that thanks to VV agents it was possible to eliminate people who began to conspire against his power, but there were still influential people who could not be eliminated and who were extremely dangerous, such people required more sophisticated methods. The most sensible thing to do would be to eliminate them, send killers who would do anything to make it look like an accident or a suicide.
In addition to the conflict between Anticlea and Wilhelmina, there were several problems related strictly to the empire and its functioning, but Charles decided to leave all these trifles in the hands of Wynn.
Currently, the emperor could finally rest for a while, he decided to spend this time with Marianne in a villa specially built for her, although it would be more appropriate to call this place a fortress, the conquest of which would be a really difficult undertaking, because the entire protection system was designed personally by the fifth empress.
It was not easy to create, but in the end Marianne managed to change her villa into one of the best protected buildings in the entire empire, in this aspect only the imperial palace could be competition.
"Sweetheart!" Nearby, there was - like the significant sound of a drop in the cave - a woman's voice as soon as Charles entered the mansion.
The emperor immediately looked at the stairs in the main hall, then he noticed his favorite spouse, she looked amazing - as always. Her long and jet black hair literally ran down on her shoulders and fell over her back, her purple eyes emanating calm and composure as always.
In addition, a dark blue dress with sleeves that she wore increased even more her perfect look. In the eyes of the emperor, she was not only one of the most important elements that enabled him to gain the throne. In fact, this woman was more than that to him, she was one of the few people who really understood him.
For a moment Charles thought as he looked at Marianne, unable to take his eyes off her. After a short while, however, he returned to reality, with a gesture of his hand he dismissed all the service and security. Then he approached the fifth empress who was waiting for him on the stairs with a sincere smile at the face.
"Good to see you again Marianne." The emperor announced with a warm smile. Usually when he smiled it didn't mean anything pleasant. Most often it would simply be associated with malicious irony.
However, this particular smile addressed to Marianne vi Britannia was completely different from the routine, it was sincere and warm. One could say that in the presence of the fifth empress emperor becames a human.
"You come here often and you said it as if we hadn't seen each other in months." Marianne replied maliciously, the smile on her face for a moment mischievous.
"How are Lelouch and Nunnally doing?" Charles asked, but that wasn't the only topic he wanted to ask about.
"Well." The Empress replied impassively, it was obvious to both the Emperor and the Fifth Empress. "Nunnally, she is active for her age, but Lelouch neglects exercise or any physical activity in general in favor of reading books and developing her intellectual skills. On the other hand, Lelouch inherited our intellect, there is no doubt about that. "
Charles just sighed at her words. He was perfectly aware that Lelouch hates anything that requires physical exertion, it was obvious that he was not made for that kind of thing. However, his son's intellectual abilities made Lelouch useful in his eyes, especially in bringing the Ragnarök connection to life.
Lelouch, Nunnally, Dracord and Phobos. Charles mentioned in his thoughts the four which in his eyes had a really great value, moreover, all four enjoyed something absolutely unique on his part, namely sincere fatherly love. I have many sons and daughters, but you are the best of all of them. You have great potential and you are the fruit of sincere love.
"I understand." Charles replied inconsolably, hoping that his only son would show a greater interest in physical activity after all. However, Marianne's children were not all he wanted to ask, and there was still the question of the two twins being the fruit of his and Rhalla's relationship. "How are Dracord and Phobos doing?"
"They exercise intensively, both the knightmare frame pilot and their bodies." Marianne replied, although the Di Britannia twins were not sons, she still liked them very much. Perhaps it was because they both looked very much like their mother. "Their intellectual skills are quite high as well, especially Dracord, sometimes I get the feeling that he and Lelouch are equal in this aspect."
She talks about it as if she and Rhalla are best friends. I always thought that they sincerely hate each other, I think I will arrange their meeting in world C, it would undoubtedly be fun.
Marianne hated each other with Rhalla, their mutual dislike was no secret, but they both respected each other in a way, Rhalla respected Marianne during her lifetime for her skills and the fact that she became empress despite her non-noble origin, Marianne always respected Rhalla for her composure, cunning and efficiency.
The twins di Britannia also deserved her respect, they were both hardworking and extremely persistent. Marianne treated them almost like her two adoptive sons.
"I am kind of grateful that you entrusted me with these two." The black-haired empress unexpectedly stated. "Thank you."
Her words made Charles raise his eyebrows, he was genuinely surprised by her words. He knew Marianne was fond of the two, but he never expected a fifth empress to thank him for it.
"Why do you thank me for ordering me to look after the children that arose from my relationship with the empress you hate?" The emperor was still genuinely surprised, his expression all too clearly revealed. "When I was taking them into your care, I was concerned that you would make their lives a real hell, but it didn't, and to be honest I'm a bit surprised."
Marianne just laughed at his question. This was one of the reasons Charles worshiped the Fifth Empress, she was carefree, nonchalant and extremely direct. While other empresses were stiff and too formal, Marianne often broke all protocols or conventions.
"Actually, I've always respected Rhalla." Marianne replied as soon as she stopped laughing. "She also respects her sons, they are both brave, calm and intelligent, they know when to let go. Besides, they are excellent students, and the Iron Knight has a similar opinion of them. "
"Bismarck is giving them decent lessons. Is not it?" Charles asked, but he knew that physical training alone was not enough. He has already planned their future. As soon as the twins di Britannia are fourteen, they will be sent to an officer's academy.
This fact was one of the reasons why they both ended up in Marianne's care here at Aries Villa. Marianne was one of the best soldiers in the entire empire, here the twins di Britannia could calmly prepare for their future career in the military. If they both became great commanders and fighters, they would certainly be extremely helpful in making the Ragnarök connection.
"Indeed." Marianne replied, but she knew that while with Phobos, Bismarck was the perfect teacher, not with his brother. "However, Dracord requires a different teacher when it comes to physical training, someone who puts more emphasis on dexterity than strength, and someone who can master firearms at the same time, would do well."
Charles frowned, he knew perfectly well that Dracord was definitely not as powerful as his twin brother in terms of physical strength, but nonetheless hoped that Bismarck would also be able to be his teacher. Fortunately, solving this problem was not difficult, and in fact, the solution appeared quite recently.
"So his teacher in terms of physical training will from now on be matched knight of nine, Nonette Enneagram." Charles stated that the choice was fully rational, as Nonette put more emphasis on dexterity and agility than strength in her fighting style. She was perfect as a teacher for Dracord. In addition, she could teach him impeccable handling of firearms.
"I promised his mother that he would not become like many of his siblings and I intend to keep my word." Charles said with a serious expression. "Moreover, it can be extremely useful to us, especially when you consider his inherited blood from his mother."
The Raven-haired Empress only smiled at his words. She did not wish the other son of the late Empress badly, especially as she saw how well Dracord got along with her son and daughter.
"Now, if you don't mind, let's not bother with the little things anymore." Marianne stated with the same mischievous expression on her face as usual. "We have some time for each other so we can spend it together so I just happened to find something interesting and I think you'll like it."
Charles just sighed, he already knew that his wife was going to spend the next hours with him watching the French series that she loved so much. The emperor was not thrilled about it, but he doesn't have much choice, not when Marianne demands it.
Daily training with knight of one was demanding. Intensive fencing training was just what filled a tenth of a day for the brothers di Britannia. Sir Bismarck was certainly a really demanding teacher, he did not allow his students even a moment of breath during the training fight.
"He will finish you, brother." A thin, purple-eyed boy with silvery hair, combed back, muttered playfully under his breath.
It was Dracord di Britannia, although he was only less than ten years old, he was really tall, his shoulders were wide and his body was slim. Although he was not slender thanks to the physical training, it can be said that his body was athletic. It was now located in a fairly large hall - on the outskirts of the city - which was specially adapted to fencing training.
Dracord watched with a soft smile on his lips as his older twin confronted Sir Bismarck. Phobos resembled Dracord in many ways, with the same angular features of face - inherited from his father - and purple eyes - also inherited from his father.
The difference between the two brothers, however, was that Phobos was much larger than Dracord. In addition, the older brother had sand-colored hair - the color inherited from his father. Dracord, unlike Phobos, had a thinner body that had no potential to be heavily muscled, so the younger brother had to put much more emphasis on dexterity, precision and technique in his physical training.
Meanwhile, Phobos did not give way to his teacher, perhaps the older of the brothers di Britannia was less than ten years old, perhaps he was still just a child, but this did not change the fact that his body was much larger than that of the average 10-year-old.
This was remarkable, especially considering the fact that in these lessons they used blunt and heavy swords, heavier than others of this type, as their weapons. Sir Bismarck and Phobos used long two-handed swords, and Dracord had a short one-handed sword.
Phobos repeatedly allowed Sir Bismarck to gain the initiative only to jump back at a crucial moment and then make an unexpected dash and proceed to a counterattack. This strategy, however, became predictable fairly quickly, and the knight of one defeated Phobos several times with little effort, especially since Phobos' attacks put more emphasis on his pure physical strength than technique.
"Enough, you focus too much on using your strength while neglecting technique and precision." He announced in a strong and austere voice, Sir Bismarck, right after he defeated Phobos once again. "Dracord, it's your turn."
The younger of the brothers di Britannia just smiled as they watch his twin brother go to sit down on one of the benches. After a moment, Dracord rose majestically - dressed in protective clothing - then put on his mask, grabbed a blunt and short one-handed sword, then went to the board to face the best knight in the entire empire.
Dracord quickly took a position and assumed a pose that gave him the ability to make a quick attack, in response Sir Bismarck took a stance that allowed him to take defensive actions. It became clear who the initiative would belong to, at least initially.
The fight began after about ten seconds. Dracord attacked in an extremely aggressive, yet fluid and precise manner, forcing Sir Bismarck to use ranged defense.
It was really amazing considering the fact that Dracord was less than ten years old it was something that beyond all doubt can be considered unnatural and somewhat difficult to explain logically. Especially considering his slim and fragile body.
Knight of one only smiled under the hood, he was pleased with how his apprentice, despite his little physical strength, took the initiative and did not let go, even for a short while. Dracord's movements were fluid, you could even get the impression that every single attack was part of a larger symphony.
In this particular case it was nothing more than a symphony of great fencing. Although Dracord wielded a blunt one-handed sword, he fought it as if he had a saber or rapier in his hand.
However, there was one element that works to the advantage of the knight of one, that one element is the Dracord's rather low durability. This element makes the silvery-haired young man cannot afford to fight for a long time and must defeat his opponent as quickly as possible, before his strength runs out.
Sir Bismarck found himself almost on the edge of the board, realizing he could no longer retreat, so he made a surprise thrust that forced Dracord to spring back. Sir Bismarck, on the other hand, launched an attack, thereby seizing the initiative and continuing his attack for a few seconds.
Dracord started to step back and used distance defense and Sir Bismarck kept pushing, but in the end the silvery-haired young man jumped back quite a distance and decided to finish everything with one and precise thrust.
Sir Bismarck foresaw this, however, and slashed his long sword into the shoulder of Dracord. The silvery-haired young man released his sword from his hands and fell to the ground. After a while, he realized that his adrenaline had dropped, he realized that he was seriously tired and that he was no longer able to continue training.
Fortunately for him, his and Phobos' daily exercises were nearing the end. Dracord looked at the clock located on one of the walls and saw that it was already four in the afternoon.
The knight of one aimed the blade at him, the winner emphasizing his victory with this insignificant gesture. Dracord, however, analyzed the whole fight calmly, understood that he wanted to end everything as quickly as possible before his strength ran out.
However, his focus on the attack and trying to end everything with one move made him predictable and easy to eliminate.
"You haven't forgotten that you will always be more prone to fatigue, your decision to focus entirely on quick attacks was actually a reasonable one." Bismarck stated, although Dracord had been defeated by him, the knight of one was still pleased.
He was really pleased with his two students, treating both of them almost like adoptive sons. "But you forgot that victory is achieved gradually, through good strategy and its implementation, but not by one move."
Sir Bismarck's voice grew stern. "You have to remember that, otherwise making the same mistake over and over could cost you a win, or at worst your life."
Hearing him, Dracord nodded his head, looking him straight in the eye with a determined look. His teacher's words from a moment ago cut deeply into his consciousness. "I won't forget, I swear."
Knight of one smiled at his answer, his student's determination gave him a lot of strength. For ten years he had watched both twins grow up, and now he saw both twins slowly becoming men. However, they still had a lot to learn.
"So pick up your sword and face me!" Bismarck ordered, then took the appropriate position.
The twins di Britannia were surprised to hear the order of their teacher, Dracord, knowing that in this case he had no choice, simply picked up his training sword from the ground, stood proudly and majestically.
"Isn't that an exaggeration?" Phobos asked with obvious concern, both in his face and in his voice. As always, he was worried about his younger and weaker twin. They were inseparable from the cradle. They always support and complement each other, together they are unstoppable.
"If he does not exercise his physical condition intensively, he will never let go of the limitations that his body imposes on him at that moment. "Announced Sir Bismarck, his voice and eyes firmer. At that moment, he stared at Dracord like a hawk at his prey. "Now stand up for a fight, silver-haired prince!"
Hearing his words and his nickname, Dracord took the appropriate posture and then tensed his muscles. He was able to fully focus despite being exhausted.
There was complete silence for about fifteen seconds. Both Dracord and Sir Bismarck studied each other, they were both completely focused, they were involved in this stage before the fight completely.
For a moment, Sir Bismarck lowered his guard slightly. For a moment, Dracord saw his opponent's weakness immediately and immediately launched an intense attack. However, the apparent weakness was just a trick on the part of the knight of one.
Sir Bismarck quickly jumped back and then launched his attack, his attacks really hard and fast. Dracord, however, was able to either avoid them or block them.
The fight between the youngest di Britannia twins was really fierce and lasted many minutes, once Sir Bismarck had the initiative and pushed Dracord to the edge of the board, and other times Dracord did it with the knight of one. However, each minute of the fight made it harder for Dracord, minute by minute his body found it harder and harder to allow him to continue the fight.
"Damn it." Dracord muttered to himself, he was still focused on the fight, but the increasing loss of strength made it very difficult for him. After about another minute, he was on the verge of strength. In fact, he only stayed on his feet because of the great strength of his own will.
However, Sir Bismarck did not look too well either. Knight of one was already tired, which was best evidenced by his deep and heavy breathing. The fight, despite the fact that it lasted many minutes, did not bring the resolution.
Both Bismarck and Dracord were at their limit but still focused on their fight. For a moment, however, the duel was suspended, although Sir Bismarck did not order the fight to be stopped, they both stood opposite each other at a distance of two meters and only looked at each other.
Both the master and the apprentice tried to find in the opponent some weakness through careful and careful observation, the use of which could give them an advantage over the opponent. However, they did not find her, neither of them.
Following this, Dracord gritted his teeth, took the appropriate position and then tensed his muscles, thus making the necessary preparations to restart the confrontation between him and the knight of one, Sir Bismarck did likewise, and after a while they were both ready to resume training.
They were so focused on the fight that they didn't realize they were being watched. Not by Phobos but by some siblings, siblings hiding behind several boxes and consisting of a seven-year-old boy with jet black hair and dark purple eyes, and a five-year-old girl with sandy hair and purple eyes.
There were siblings from the vi lineage Britannia, Lelouch and Nunnally. Dracord and Phobos lived with them at Aries Villa. The siblings vi Britannia and di Britannia were practically inseparable. Phobos got along very well with Nunnally and always felt the need to protect his younger half sister, a sister who got into trouble many times and from whom Phobos had to pull her out many times. Along with another half-sister, Cornelia li Britannia.
In turn, Dracord and Lelouch were rivals to each other, including in chess. The rivalry between the two was not something based on mutual hatred and resentment resulting from mutual resentment, it can even be called an honorary or even friendly rivalry.
However, the two half-brothers had one thing in common, the inability to beat the other prince in chess. They both tried to beat Schneizel in check many times, talked and thought together many times, trying to develop the most effective strategy or set of strategies that would enable them to defeat their mentor and rival at the same time.
Both -Lelouch and Nunnally- had been watching for several minutes with undisguised admiration as their stepbrother tried to defeat Sir Bismarck, the man considered to be the best knight in the empire.
"Big brother Dracord is great." Nunnally said with delight in her voice. "His stamina is modest compared to Phobos, but despite all this he doesn't give up and tries to resist."
Lelouch didn't answer right away, he was too focused on observing Dracord and Sir Bismarck to pay attention to his sister's words. In the younger brother, di Britannia, he always saw someone equal to him, but at the same time different, something that Lelouch himself never had.
Perhaps it was dragon fire in Dracord's heart, or perhaps it was something else entirely. There is no doubt, however, that Dracord and Phobos were close to the hearts of both Nunnally and Lelouch.
"Is it not like that, brother?" She asked Nunnally and turned to Lelouch with a smile on her lips, a smile that made her look like her mother.
Her twin brother only blinked at first, broke out of his thoughts and realized that his sister had asked him a question about Dracord and expected an answer.
"Indeed, Nunnally. The older brother is certainly incredibly persistent and patient. " Lelouch replied without looking away from Dracord and Sir Bismarck who started the fight again. "Still, I doubt if Dracord will beat the knight of one."
His doubts were fully justified, because he knew perfectly well about the strengths and weaknesses of his older half-brother. Dracord didn't hide anything about himself from him, just as Lelouch didn't have any secrets from his older half-brother.
It was another element of their relationship, they had no secrets from them. If any of them had any secrets from the others, sooner or later they would inform themselves about them. Both did not trust so much in anyone else, not even their immediate siblings.
"I'm sure my big brother can handle it." Nunnally smiled. Lelouch was genuinely surprised by her enormous confidence and looked at her.
"After all, a dragon can burn anything in its path and defeat any opponent." She added after a short moment.
"Indeed." Lelouch said after a short moment, and they both focused on watching the training fight.
After a few dozen seconds, Dracord launched his attack with an arrogant smile on Sir Bismarck and it seemed that the younger of the di Britannia brothers would try to make a powerful swing after getting close enough. Knight of one only smiled at his desperate and futile attempt, he was sure he would win easily and too tired to see his true intentions.
Sir Bismarck immediately made a powerful swing with his sword from behind his back to knock Dracord down with one powerful attack, but was surprised when his sword met the ground and Dracord aimed his training sword at his chest.
Now the knight of one realized that Dracord's intention was to attack him, instead the younger brother of the di Britannia planned from the outset to force him to use the rest of his strength in an attempt to win with one move.
Sir Bismarck looked up at Dracord who was looking at him with a smile full of satisfaction at defeating him.
"Sir Bismarck, I am disappointed." Dracord di Britannia started and his tone clearly indicated that he was satisfied. "You forgot that victory is achieved gradually."
Knight of one grinned at his utterly brazen words and laughed. "You're right." Initially, Bismarck wanted to punish him for being insolent and overconfident but eventually chose not to. For Dracord had won and deserved the opportunity to savor it.
"You were great, big brother!" There was a screech of a girl in the training room, followed by applause, but everyone present had no doubt who the voice belonged to.
Dracord, Phobos, and Sir Bismarck turned to see siblings vi Britannia, a raven-haired boy with dark purple eyes and a sandy-haired girl with purple eyes, genuinely delighted to see what their older brother had done.
"Nunnally is right." Lelouch stated a little calmer, but also did not hide his joy and pride in his older brother. "Even in a training fight, beating the best knight in the empire at the age of ten is a great achievement."
"Almost ten years." Dracord corrected it. "It's not my tenth birthday yet, so I'm still only nine."
"You are too modest for yourself, my apprentice." Sir Bismarck said, then placed his hand on Dracord's right shoulder. "But modesty is also a great asset, I'm proud of you."
His words stunned everyone in the room, except maybe the knight of one himself. Sir Bismarck has had several students so far, but has never praised any of them until now. It was common knowledge that the knight of one was a very strict teacher.
"That's it for today." Sir Bismarck said, and headed for the locker room.
"A great achievement indeed." He stated another voice well known to the siblings di i vi Britannia.
Both siblings instantly turned towards the main entrance to the training room. There stood a well-known seventeen-year-old sibling, a beautiful and tall girl with dark purple hair and lavender-purple eyes. She was the recently appointed commander of the Personal Guard of Empress Marianne vi Britannia, Cornelia li Britannia.
"Big Sister Cornelia!" Lelouch and Nunnally shouted at the same time, fear in their voice. They were clearly surprised by the presence of an older half-sister who was standing with a tall man with turquoise hair and orange eyes to her right.
Dracord and Phobos looked at each other in surprise. They were both convinced that their younger siblings had come here with the consent of the Empress Marianne, or at least with the consent of Corneli.
"Is that what I'm thinking about now?" Dracord asked, his question being directed at his older twin brother.
"It looks." Phobos replied slightly smiling and worried. He and Dracord did not need to say anything, they understood each other perfectly without words, and the current situation leaves no trace of doubt.
"Did you think I wouldn't find out that you decided to watch Phobos and Dracord's fencing practice daily?" Cornelia asked, her expression showing obvious irritation. It was all too obvious that this was due to the presence of the vi Britannia siblings in the place.
Hearing this question, both -Nunnally and Lelouch- nodded negative. "No, big sister." They both replied at the same time.
Moments later, Cornela was approached by a six-year-old girl with pink hair, blue-purple eyes and a white dress. It was Euphemia li Britannia, younger sister of Corneli and younger half-sister of siblings of vi Britannia and di Britannia.
"Is that your doing, Eupha? Asked irritated - but still calm - Lelouch. "I asked you not to tell anyone about this, especially our older sister."
Cornelia gave him a crushing-yet still protective-look, then asked with a stern voice. "You thought my little sister could lie to my eyes?"
Euphemia looked at him with the same shy and pitying expression in her eyes. "Forgive me, Lelouch." She said after a short silence. "But Cornelia was really worried, it was close, and the big sister would panic, and neither would Jeremiah, so I had to tell them. Besides, I was worried about you too. "
Dracord, hearing her words, just sighed and smiled. "You shouldn't worry." He started with the younger of the di Britannia siblings. "Instead, you should have realized that when we're around, nothing will happen to them." Then he clenched his right fist and then placed it over his heart. "You have my word, I will never let any of our younger siblings get hurt."
Cornelia and Jeremiah, along with Euphemia, looked at Dracord with undisguised surprise, a surprise evoked, of course, by his bold declaration. However, all three knew that although Dracord is only less than ten years old, he would do anything to keep his word, no matter how unfavorable the circumstances were.
"I don't doubt you take your words seriously." Cornelia announced after a short and silent moment. "But take into account the fact that as a human you are subject to certain limitations and you will not always be able to protect those you care about, so do not make promises that you potentially cannot keep."
Dracod frowned, and his expression became somewhat dark. "In that case, I will do everything I can to get rid of these limitations." He announced with eyes full of determination coming straight from his heart.
Cornelia gave up and just sighed deeply, realized that no matter what her little stepbrother said, she wouldn't just change her mind. "He's stubborn and so is Lelouch." Cornelia thought resignedly. The only thing that could really change his opinion were logical and solid arguments, apparently the content of her words is not logical and solid.
Then Cornelia looked again at the jet black siblings vi Britannia. "And now we're back to Aries villa." She announced in a stern tone. Lelouch was about to say something, probably to protest, but Cornelia did not give him such an opportunity. "We're coming back without discussion."
"Can you wait a moment?" Dracord asked suddenly and unexpectedly. "Me and Phobos just finished training today so why not come back together?"
"Let it be as you suggest." Smiling Cornelia decided, she had no intention of opposing this suggestion, especially considering the fact that she had a great weakness for Dracord.
"Jeremiah, inform the chauffeur that we will be back soon!" She ordered after a while.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The man with turquoise hair who had been standing silently until now, a few steps behind the princess replied, then turned on his heel and set off to do his task.
At the same time, Dracord and Phobos went first to the shower and then to the locker room to put on their everyday clothes which consisted of extravagant suits which in terms of color resembled silver and matched their hair perfectly.
They left the building they had been staying in about fifteen minutes later. This facility was literally on the outskirts of Pendragon, from there it was roughly twenty minutes to Aries villa.
All three siblings rode to the villa in the same limousine. Cornelia sat with Euphemia on her right and Nunnally on her left, and the male royalty sat opposite.
Lelouch opposite Euphemia, Phobos opposite Nunnally and Dracord opposite Corneli. For about three minutes, the limousine was silent, which had just been broken by Cornelie.
"So what was your training today?" The beauty with dark purple hair asked.
"Intense and heavy, just like always." Dracord started with a firm voice and everyone looked at him. "But it's good, it literally feels like he is getting better from fight to fight."
All of the siblings Vi and Li Britannia smiled as soon as they heard his words. Cornelia felt a real pride in her younger half-brother, she subconsciously felt that this man could become a great warrior and commander, just like most men of the dragon line.
Nunnally was just pleased with her older half brother's progress, as were Lelouch and Euphemia. For the rest of the ride, they talked about other things, Eufemia, Nunnally and Lelouch talked about what they would do when they returned to the villa, and Cornelia talked to Dracord and Phobos about the latest world events.
At one point, the silver-haired prince looked outside the limo window. This spring in Pendragon has been really beautiful, at least so far. On the sidewalks, Dracord noticed a variety of people, from ordinary workers to clearly better off people, and ending with a few nobles who strolled through the streets.
The capital of the great empire was - for the person who stays there for the first time - a really wonderful place, the city architecture repeatedly referred to the Renaissance and Baroque epochs.
However, for someone who had spent some time here and was interested in the current events of Pendragon, it was becoming clear that this was one great city of sin, almost straight out of the Bible.
Conspiracies, killings, assassinations, intrigues, these words best describe the Pendragon in a nutshell.
When the silver-haired young man for the first time realized what city he was living in all this time, he was genuinely desperate. He was almost seized with the desire to cut himself off from the reality he faced. However, this urge soon abandoned him, and instead he began to secretly despise the city and its inhabitants.
This city best reflects how degenerated humanity has always been. Dracord thought, his facial expressions beginning to express all his disdain for the Pendragon, but there was actually a certain regret underneath it all. Regret that the world in which I live is so imperfect. I can not help it. This is real human nature. We can deny that we are more than, for example, dogs or lions, we can deny that we are largely emotionally driven, we can deny our true nature in many different ways. However, the history of mankind, our history has repeatedly proved to us that in fact, despite having the mind and will, we are really just animals, and nothing will change it, I have no illusions about it.
After a while, however, he turned and saw that everyone was looking at him. Doubtless they saw all his contempt, all his true face. They were undoubtedly horrified by the dark expression on their brother's face.
"Has something happened to Dracord?" Cornelia asked worriedly, with a sincere expression of concern in both her voice and expression as well as in the expression in her eyes. The care that the second princess had for the entire imperial family made everyone generally like her.
The silvery-haired young man blinked twice, then his disdainful expression faded away and a gentle smile appeared in his place. "Nothing which would be worth to mentioning."
"What do you mean" nothing which would be worth to mentioning "?" Lelouch asked embarrassed, Dracord's words undoubtedly did not deter him from asking his brother questions. In fact, Dracod knew very well that Lelouch would ask further, he was always much more inquisitive than the rest of his siblings.
The silver-haired prince merely smiled in response and said, "Just a little thought about the Pendragon, nothing to worry about.
The step-siblings here only nodded in response. After that, no one asked him anymore and the road to Areis villa was quiet.
It took them a little longer than expected to reach the villa due to a massive accident that happened at one of the intersections. After about half an hour, however, they finally reached Aries villa.
"We're finally here!" Nunnally screamed pleased as she left the limo and started running towards the gardens, Eufemia and Lelouch running right after her. Meanwhile, Cornelia and the brothers di Britannia quietly left the limousine and walked calmly towards the gardens as well.
Earlier, however, they noticed something that disturbed them a bit, a limousine, a black car with numerous gold ornaments and a huge empire flag on the hood, surrounded by a gold frame. It became evident that the emperor himself was now in the Aries villa.
Cornelia, Dracord and Phobos felt the same feeling in an instant, a feeling of anxiety. Because they knew their father perfectly well, they knew that he was a man more busy with ruling the country than with raising children.
It was understandable to Dracord, Cornela, Phobos and most of the imperial family, Charles zi Britannia ruled a third of the world, so even with the ministers and many local governors in mind, the emperor still had a lot to do every day.
In addition to managing the country, the Holy Britannian Empire had to mitigate or settle disputes between nobles or other internal conflicts that were considered important enough to take them before his face, an important part of the emperor's work was also overseeing the house of lords, the state budget, managing the army or intelligence, and yes, that's not all.
The emperor was certainly a busy man, the amount of duties that fell on him was, beyond any doubt, enormous. However, sometimes even he could get a long time off, in which case the emperor usually left the palace and went to one of his wives.
Most often, however, he went to the Aries villa to surrender himself to the arms of his favorite wife, the fifth empress, Marianne vi Britannia, the fifth empress of the Holy Britannian Empire, formerly the sixth knight of the round. Called the empress whore by enemies from the court or simply a French whore because of her origin.
Nobody really knew why the emperor spent the most time with Empress Marianne, some malicious people claimed that Empress Marianne mastered the tricks that made the sexual experience much more enjoyable than normal.
Dracod and Cornelia were always curious about why the Emperor was most often with the Fifth Empress, and discussed a great deal about it, but came to no binding conclusions. They knew, however, that the reason for this could not be love or any feelings, given the emperor's cold nature. Perhaps it was related to the knightmare frames project that has not yet entered mass use. It was highly probable considering the fact that the present emperor perfectly remembered the civil war and perhaps he had high hopes for innovative solutions.
At the same time, Lelouch, along with Euphemia and Nunnally, had already started playing in the gardens when Dracord and Phobos joined them. From Cornela's perspective, the scene was an idyllic interaction of her beloved siblings.
"I got you!" Dracord shouted, his voice full of excitement and energy as he grabbed Nunnally's hand, perhaps he wasn't the most powerful in terms of physical strength, but he made up for it all with agility, precision and speed.
"It's not fair." Nunnally irritated. "You have always been faster than us and you must always use it to your advantage."
Dracor merely shrugged in response and, with a mocking smile on his lips, replied, "As our lord father says, people are not equal. "
Nunnally just rolled her eyes in response, it became clear to Dracord that she had never really taken all of her father's words seriously. The silver-haired young man, although he did not like to see this type of attitude, understood that Nunnally is only less than four years old.
She is too young and innocent to fully understand the seriousness and meaning of these words. Dracord sighed, his expression was disappointed with how much his younger siblings were focused on themselves and not on the world around them and his corruption. Lelouch and Eufemia the same. Each of them is too young and too busy enjoying their childhood to be able to perceive certain facts.
Moments later, Nunnally along with Euphemia, Phobos and Lelouch continued their fun. They had a really good time and enjoyed every moment together as usual. Nunnally was full of life and energy as usual, and so was Eufemia, it can be said that the girls vi and li Britannia were remarkably similar in this respect.
Phobos was also full of energy, but he, unlike his half-sisters, was a bit more careful, always watching his sisters more carefully to come in and help them if needed. His older twin brother always cared for his younger half-siblings, it was just his habit.
Lelouch, on the other hand, liked to play with his siblings. However, unlike the rest of his siblings, he did not have as much energy as the others. As you can easily guess, it was directly related to his fragile body structure and a small amount of energy that could be put into physical effort.
Lelouch and Dracord were very similar in this particular aspect, they always liked intellectual effort much more than physical effort, but the differences between them could be seen with the naked eye due to the fact that Lelouch in comparison with Dracord did not present himself in terms of physical qualities, even satisfactorily. .
Seeing that his siblings were having a good time, Dracord headed towards the villa, he did not want to disturb them. Immediately after entering inside, he headed for the library which was located on the second floor.
He got there in a few minutes or so, and all the while he was able to admire the corridors of the Aries villa. While the exterior of the villa was impressive, everything inside was modest, but it did not mean that the interior was terrible.
Dracord knew perfectly well what the Fifth Empress and his mentor had when she designed this place, above all the decor was to be a clear contrast to the sumptuous palaces of other empresses or the filthy rich nobility.
Empress of the People, a nickname that was to remind my mentor of where she came from and where she belongs. Recalling this, Dracord smiled broadly, for he knew the effect of giving Marianne the nickname of the Empress of the People. However, the empress cleverly used the whole situation. She began to talk about herself and even emphasize the fact that she comes from the lower classes, not only did she not hide it and did not try to heal her complexes, but she also made it her calling card. Thanks to this, he is guaranteed respect from ordinary people.
Dracord sincerely admired his mentor, she was undoubtedly a wonderful and extraordinary person who did a lot in her life. From the daughter of a middle class citizen to the knight of the round, the mistress and later the wife of the emperor and the mother of imperial princes.
It was an unimaginable social advancement that did not appeal to everyone, it is all too obvious. But it didn't matter to Dracord, much of it in the eyes of the silvery-haired youth was simply a worthless and deeply complex mob. Needless to say, Dracord despised these types of people.
After a while, however, the mind of the silver-haired prince began to enter into political topics, this morning it learned of the recent attack on the Britanni embassy in the EU. He was aware that this incident would not entail major consequences, maybe a few diplomatic notes and public regret over the situation, but nothing more.
Our army, although powerful, is not yet fully ready to carry out a retaliatory invasion of the EU. Not to mention the fact that for the states themselves, which participate in this creation beyond the state, it is not a primary issue, especially since the terrorists who committed this… disgusting act, most likely did it with the approval and support of the EU council.
Although Dracord was prepared for a career in the army, he was acquainted with politics and economics at least in a basic way. In addition to the terrorist attack on the EU embassy, Dracord's head was preoccupied with the issue of Japan, or to be precise, the question of her recent actions drove him almost mad.
Such insolence towards our great empire? It is at least a damn thing, if the Japanese government does not withdraw its embargoes on sakuradit, my lord father will soon have no choice but to invade the islands to secure the deposits of valuable raw material.
Dracord's predictions were most plausible, as the empire in the past repeatedly invaded and destroyed nations that tried to play with him. Japan, with its insolence and pride, will be no exception, but now the stakes were greater than it might seem at first glance.
Japan is humiliating Britanna in front of the world. Those who rule there probably think that the sakuradite is a guarantee of their inviolability. Thinking about this, Dracord smiled gently but mockingly. The object of his mockery was undoubtedly the attitude of the proud and island nation. That fool, Genbu Kururugi, probably thinks so, he and the entire Japanese elite. These fools do not realize how wrong they are.
As he moved through the corridors, Aries villa suddenly saw that one of the doors was open, the concrete ones leading to a room that, according to his mentor and mentor, belonged to one of the servants. Moreover, Marianne repeatedly instructed him and other children and the guards not to enter this particular room.
Anyway, even if they wanted to, they could not because the door inside was usually locked, so getting inside for younger residents of the villa was almost a miracle.
But Dracord had his own conviction about it. I have always wondered why any of the servants would receive conditions similar to those of the householders themselves? Unless this room belongs to someone under the protection of the empress. Perhaps it is someone chased by the state but belonging to the empress's friends, or perhaps it is her associate.
He also realized that there was some conversation going on inside, the walls, however, effectively prevented Dracord from hearing it, moreover, the conversation stopped after a short while.
One more thing caught his attention, it was the smell of fresh and hot pizza rising everywhere and entering the nostrils of the silvery-haired prince. It surprised him. Yes, pizza was an extremely popular dish among nobles and commoners alike, but any servant managed to order it for the villa and go unnoticed.
I don't know whether to find it absurd or disturbing. However, I have no doubts that not many things in the villa happen without the empress's knowledge. Besides, it's none of my business. The last thing I need is to expose myself to the Empress's wrath.
He was about to move on to the library, but at the same moment he noticed through the ajar door that there was a young girl inside. From her appearance, Dracord was able to tell that the woman was not more than twenty years old. She had long, almost waist-length, loose and green hair, but the silver-haired prince was not sure if it was the natural color of her hair or if it was dyed.
AN: Hello dear readers, finally, after more than a month, another chapter. I am shure that many of you are disappointed with this time frame that is necessary for me to releasing the next chapter, especially as some of you reading this are probably also waiting for the Emperor of Blood next chapter.
Let me tell you straight, Emperor of Blood is temporarily suspended due to lack of motivation to work. Lack of motivation also was the reason why I write so long next chapter of Silvery Dragon.
I have nothing to defend myself, I will not hide that I am a lazy man. However, I hope that I will be able to write the next chapter as soon as this will be possible. Especially when taken into account cliffhanger at the end of this chapter.
Also I want to inform all of you that next few chapters (probably four) will be about Dracord childhood and his relationship with twin brother and step-siblings from the vi and li Britannia line.
That's all for now, See you soon and Give Up To My Venom.
King's Snake.