Behind and Underneath the Audience

by Lux Sumomo

A sketch of the behind-the-scene actions and under-the-surface thoughts of a father and other key players before and during child Lelouch's fateful audience with the Emperor of Britannia that drastically changes the trajectory of the young vi Britannias' future.

The year is 2009 a.t.b., and the world is dominated by three world powers: the Europia United or the EU, a democratic federal republic comprising of the entirety of the continents of Europe and Africa, as well as a significant portion of north Asia; the Chinese Federation, the most populous federal constitutional monarchy that spans across East, Central and Southeast Asia, run by a group of eight High Eunuchs; and the Holy Britannian Empire, an absolute monarchy formed after Napoleon had emerged victorious from the Battle of Trafalgar and resulted in the 'Humiliation of Edinburgh', and Sir Ricardo von Britannia, the Duke of Britannia, rescued Queen Elizabeth III to flee the British Isles and reestablished themselves in the Americas.

The morphed Britannic nation in the Americas, while protected by the vast Atlantic Ocean from further advances of the continental Europeans, suffered quite significantly due to non-stop infighting for the throne. Nevertheless, after 11 years of leadership under Charles zi Britannia, the 98th and current Emperor of the realm, the Holy Britannian Empire has finally got past the horribly bloody 'Emblem of Blood' era and moved back on track to become the world's foremost power by virtue of its advantageous geographical location, its supreme military might and the secret power of Geass as it started to conquer foreign lands and establish overseas colonies known as 'Areas'.

Everything seems going well for this fledging reinvented empire, but as the old saying goes, there is often a storm that comes after the calm. It is a dark and quiet night, a usual and expected scenery inside the Britannian Imperial Palace, the beating heart of the massive Holy Britannian Empire. However, the happenings at the Aries Villa, one of the residences within the Britannian Imperial Palace, is bound to change the course of history in due course.

'…since the beginning of time, it's always been the woman who's led the man astray,' a blond, small boy with out-of-proportion long hair, standing at the bottom of the grand staircase inside the Aries Villa, says with an innocent smile.

'…!' a beautiful woman with bright, blue eyes and long, wavy black hair in a long, orange dress, whom the blond boy is talking to, does not seem to be assured by the said boy's smile. Rather, she is alerted by his smile and his words.

A few breaths after, sounds of flying bullets punching through the glasses were heard for quite some time, before everything dies down to the usual silence of the centre of the Holy Britannian Empire again.

Leo Villa, Britannian Imperial Palace, Pendragon

An old, aging yet nevertheless energetic man with several rolls of long, white hair rested on the back of his head is getting ready to call it a day after reading the big pile of papers on his desk. It is Charles zi Britannia, the 98th and current Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire.

'People… are liars. All of them,' Charles sighs in his mind as he takes off his reading glasses and rubs it with a piece of cleaning cloth, 'even when I sit atop everybody else, this vast nation known as Britannia never changes.'

'…Darling,' suddenly, an unfamiliar voice of a young girl flows into Charles' ear.

'…' Charles immediately turns his head to the source of voice, and he sees a small girl with pink hair standing right in front of his desk. Although Charles is stunned by the sudden appearance of the girl, his prolonged survival experience in the Imperial Court has hardened his facial expression to a point where none of the surprise that fills his mind now shows – only the usual calm, stoic and emotionless 'Emperor Face' can be seen.

'…Geass?' the discerning Emperor immediately spots the redness surrounding the young girl's pupils. 'I have not seen this girl at the Geass facility before. Is she a new girl recruited by Big Brother? Wait… she is that girl sent to the Aries Villa from the Alstreim family…'

'…It's me, Marianne,' the small, pink-haired girl seems to read the Emperor's mind quite well despite the lack of emotion on the Emperor's face, and quickly discloses her identity for the avoidance of further doubt, 'I've just had my Geass activated for the first time before my death, transferring my soul to this Anya Alstreim, who was sent to my house earlier this week to be schooled in etiquette.'

'…Your death? How?' Charles, while shocked at the news that Marianne is dead, quickly suppresses his astonishment and grasps who this girl in front of him really is. The no-nonsense and straight-to-the-point way of saying things, and how the way she calls him 'Darling' from the bottom of her heart… this is Marianne vi Britannia, the 'Flash' of the Empire and his darling wife no doubt.

The question, now, is how can the strongest Knight of the Round be slain just like that? This is a woman warrior that even Bismarck Waldstein, the Knight of One, cannot defeat in-person or in-Knightmare Frame!

'I was ambushed by V.V.,' the pink-haired girl quickly sense the doubts Charles has and answers succinctly, 'he asked me to meet him to talk about the Sword of Akasha at the hall of Aries Villa moments ago, only to shoot me to death with a submachine gun when I turned my back and scolded two bumbling butler off.'

'What?' Charles, for the first time in a while, can't believe his ears. Did Marianne just tell him that V.V., his big brother who had protected him from the bloodsheds and the curse of immortality since so many years ago, killed the one wife out of the many that Charles actually truly loves? 'It can't be! Big Brother…'

'Darling, we need to do something about C.C.,' in contrast to Charles' astonishment, Marianne is quick to bring the focus back to what she wants to speak with Charles, 'we must not let this hiccup caused by that brother of yours to upset our plan to complete the Sword of Akasha.'

'…' upset and shocked as he may be, Charles, having been the Emperor of Britannia for a good number of years, quickly calms himself down and carefully considers his wife's words. '…I see. You're right, Marianne. Regardless of what has happened, we must see to the success of the Ragnarök Connection. What do you suggest our next steps be, then?'

'First, you need to erase the memories of this girl in regards to what has just happened,' Marianne says, 'she was there when V.V. shot me down.'

'…I will do that right away,' Charles, while quickly agreeing to his wife's first suggestion, is still unwilling to believe that his beloved and respected Big Brother would do such a horrid thing to him and his one true love. Why would he do that?

'Second, we need to get C.C. to reaffirm her commitment to our plan,' Marianne quickly points out, 'with such a drastic change in circumstance, god knows what that unpredictable woman will do.'

'Right…' Charles quickly assesses the situation. According to the original plan, only V.V.'s Code is needed to commence the Ragnarök Connection. However, as research progress, it was found that two Codes are needed to ensure the success of the plan. This means that the Code owns by C.C., the mysterious woman who somehow befriended and contracted with his beloved wife, is also needed for the plan, and her confidence and support is essential to their success in bringing about the biggest change to mankind.

'C.C. is an unpredictable woman, and it would be futile to play tricks before her experienced eyes. I suggest you to speak with her frankly and directly,' Charles suggests after a moment of silence.

'As expected from my dearest darling,' the pink-haired young girl smiles with joy and pride, happy to see the decisiveness of the man she loves.

'And while we're at it, we need to deal with Lelouch and Nunnally as well,' Charles adds, 'I still can't believe it, but… if what you've said is true, then it is no longer safe for them to stay within the borders of Britannia.'

'Oh yes! Them too,' Marianne exclaims upon the mentioning of her children's name by her dearest husband, as if they did not cross her mind until now. She then recalls something she heard just before she died on the staircase in Aries Villa, 'now that you've mentioned it, I recall V.V. had mentioned that he is going to use Nunnally as the false witness of this "shooting incident". You will need to rewrite her memories in such a way that she would not be suspected of having any knowledge about the incident… how about shutting her eyes for reasons of psychosomatic shock? That should keep V.V. at bay and won't further harm her.'

'…' what Marianne mentions shocks Charles mentally again. Logically, Charles can understand how appropriate it is for V.V., assuming that he is indeed the culprit, to plant a false witness at the scene to do a cover up; mentally, however, Charles still cannot believe that V.V., the big brother that Charles has respected for all his life, would do such horrid things to his one true love and their daughter. In fact, the little young boy with sandy brown hair that resides in the heart if the 98th Emperor of Britannia is screaming helplessly and loudly in disbelief and despair; it's just that such scream is dampened and covered by his astute Emperor mask, thickened throughout the years of bloodshed and insidious treachery that he had went through on his towards the throne.

'…Schneizel will handle your coffin and your body,' Charles finally decides, 'he will make sure that your body will be well protected and preserved somewhere safe. I will deal with Nunnally separately.'

'You can't get over my wonderful body, can you?' Marianne, in the form of Anya, winks mischievously to her beloved husband, 'no worries, this body may be subpar, but in a few years, I'm sure…'

'Nothing compares to the real you,' Charles interjects, 'you are my one and only Marianne.'

'Oh, darling…!' the pink-haired girl jumps into the towering Emperor's embrace upon hearing those words. That is exactly why she loves him in the first place: not because of his occupation, not because of his wealth, and not because of his power, but because of his pure, genuine and irresistible love to her!

Contrary to his wife's pure happiness, Charles is having an emotional melting pot in his troubled mind: he is aghast that his elder brother allegedly killed his beloved wife; he's happy that his wife has activated his Geass and survives the assassination attempt; he is unsure about what to expect from the mysterious and unpredictable C.C.; he is worried about the preservation of Marianne's original body; and he is concerned about the safety of Lelouch and Nunnally.

But first, Charles must have a word with his Big Brother to find out the truth behind him killing Marianne.

(The next day)

Aries Villa, Britannian Imperial Palace, Pendragon

All hell breaks loose in the Britannian Imperial Palace when the news about the murder of the 5th Imperial Consort of Britannia breaks out the next morning, let alone the Consort in question is considered to be the invincible Valkyrie of the Empire, untouchable even by the Knight of One, officially the strongest knight of the Empire.

'No… no way…' a young boy with raven hair and purple eyes stands atop of the staircase of Aries Villa is stunned by what he sees at the bottom of the staircase: his equally stunned younger sister covered by the dead body of their mother, the illustrious Marianne vi Britannia. 'How… how could this be…? Mother… Nunnally…'

'Hurry! Send Princess Nunnally to the hospital!' a servant is quick to react and immediately direct her colleagues to arrange the injured princess to receive medical treatment.

Nevertheless, Lelouch is still in complete shock. 'No way… mother and Nunnally are…' he murmurs as he stares at the dead body of his beloved mother being swiftly but carefully removed from atop of Nunnally, who is then quickly placed onto a stretcher and rushed to the Imperial Medical Complex, the designated place for Members of the Britannian Imperial Family to receive medical treatment. As cool and smart of a kid Lelouch has always been, he is still a kid who is well protected by his mother and the Imperial guards, and he is just as unprepared for such a drastic change in life as any other kid.

'Your Highness, we need to evacuate from here as soon as possible!' a guardsman hurries to Lelouch and pleads to him.

'But… mother and Nunnally…' Lelouch is still reeling from the shock of his mother was killed and his sister was shot at her legs.

'We will do everything we can to help Princess Nunnally and to find out the culprit who assassinated Lady Marianne!' the guardsman says as he desperately tries to convince Lelouch, 'so please, Prince Lelouch, we need to ensure your safety first, for you are the one in charge of the vi Britannia house from now on!'

'To find out the culprit who assassinated mother…' Lelouch seemingly repeats the words of the guardsman emptily as he keeps staring at the bottom of the staircase.

'…forgive me, Your Highness!' seeing that Lelouch is still paralyzed by the death of his mother and his heavily injured sister, the guardsman makes a swift decision to lift the small prince up and hurries to the exit of the Aries Villa to ensure the prince's safety. What he doesn't notice is how Lelouch's facial expression gradually turns from a shocked one to a determined one as he regurgitates the guardsman's words – 'to find out the culprit who assassinated Lady Marianne'. And who is in a better capacity than his father, who has the supreme authority of the land, to demand for the truth?

The young boy will confront his father directly for the truth behind the egregious fate that has befallen his dearest mother and younger sister.

Capricorn Villa

The news that Marianne vi Britannia, the 5th Consort to the Emperor and formerly the most accomplished Knightmare Frame pilot known as 'the Flash' before giving up her military career, was assassinated spreads like wildfire across all the houses of the imperial family. Some, such as the eu Britannia House, the li Britannia House and the la Britannia House, are just as shocked as Lelouch to hear that Marianne was assassinated and Nunnally was severely injured; some, such as the ne Britannia House, is exhilarated to see that their largest rival to gaining favour from the Emperor is gone; some, such as the do Britannia House, is indifferent to the death of Marianne, but nonetheless has deep concerns about the security of the palace and therefore their own safety. Whatever the reaction is, though, none is going to make a move until further announcement has been made by the Emperor himself. Apparently, no one wants to attract unwanted attention at this juncture of time that might place them at an undesirable disadvantage as the power balance within the Britannian Imperial Family is about to change immensely.

That is, with one secret exception.

'Your Highness,' a feminine but unmistakable male voice comes into the room inside the Capricorn Villa in a rather urgent manner, 'have you heard the news that…'

'Yes, Kanon, I have,' a tall, blond man with exception facial features, though still relatively young when compared to his demeanor, stands up and walks out of the room as he responds, 'in fact, I have just received orders from His Majesty to arrange for Her Highness' body to be secretly taken out from the coffin for preservation.'

'Preservation? But Your Highness, that…' Kanon is taken by surprise as he chases the footsteps of Prince Schneizel el Britannia, Kanon's tall, blond liege, but then the loyal confidante of the blond prince finds a suitably good reason for the Emperor to give such an order, 'I see… it seems that His Majesty is truly in love with Her Highness to the point where a proper funeral may not be the result that would most please His Majesty.'

'Regardless of what his true motives are, this is certainly something that the Emperor is paying close attention to,' Schneizel keeps walking down the corridor in a rather rushed manner, 'clear my schedule for next week. I will need to focus myself on this particular task His Majesty has entrusted me with.'

'Yes, Your Highness,' Kanon replies respectfully before continuing, 'however it still shocks me that assassins would be able to penetrate through the security, especially when the head of the security forces is Princess Cornelia.'

'Not exactly,' the blond prince says, 'according to my sources, the security detail of Aries Villa was removed last night.'

'What?' Kanon is surprised. Aries Villa's security was removed last night? But it is well-known that Cornelia volunteered to be the head of the security forces of Aries Villa because she admires Marianne, and there is no logical explanation to why Cornelia would suddenly remove the security forces protecting Marianne and her children. Then, a terrible thought suddenly comes to Kanon's mind. 'Your Highness, it couldn't be that His Majesty actually wanted to…?'

'Not at all,' Schneizel says, 'according to Cornelia, it was Lady Marianne who ordered the security forces be removed that night.'

'Lady Marianne ordered it?' Kanon is aghast. Why would she order the security that protect her and her family to withdraw? 'That's impossible! There is simply no logical explanation to such thing! Could it be… could it be Princess Cornelia not telling the truth?'

'This is what troubles me,' Schenziel signs, 'I can't think of any reason for Lady Marianne to order the withdrawal of her security detail that has ultimately led to her demise and severe injury to Nunnally, but then it is equally difficult to imagine Cornelia to not tell the truth not only because she does not have a reason to do so, but also because lying is in direct conflict with her own interest. After all, she is in charge of the security of Aries Villa, so any untoward happenings there will be a direct responsibility of hers and a blot on her otherwise distinguished record.'

'But to say that Lady Marianne ordered her to withdraw the security detail is simply preposterous,' Kanon advises, 'it would be more probable to say that Princess Cornelia might not have told the whole truth due to some other reasons, such as negligence.'

Surprisingly, Schneizel simply shakes his head after hearing Kanon's very logical deduction. 'If it were for other people, I would probably reach the same conclusion as you, Kanon. However, we are talking about Cornelia here – rigid, stubborn, an unwavering sense of duty, and the inability to lie convincingly. Her version, while seemingly implausible at first sight, should be something that is true from her perspective.'

'True from her perspective?' Kanon is quick to catch the phrase utters by his liege, 'do you mean Her Highness was deceived by someone as well?'

'My dear sister, while highly capable and intelligent, is not immune to deception,' Schneizel says in his usual calm tone, 'given how improbable it is for Lady Marianne to make such an order to her, it seems the most likely explanation is that Cornelia was somehow deceived by someone who is smart and trustworthy enough to do so.'

'But that would mean His Majesty…' Kanon once again turns his suspicion to the 98th Emperor. In Kanon's view, the only people who are smart and trustworthy enough to deceive Cornelia would be Schneizel, Lelouch, Marianne and Charles. Out of the four, Lelouch and Marianne, being the victims of this assassination attempt, have no motive to deceive Cornelia, while Schneizel took no part in the assassination of Marianne. Hence, by the method of elimination, the Emperor is the most possible culprit behind the death of Marianne. However…

'However, if that's the case, it makes little sense to have Lady Marianne's body to be secretly taken away from the funeral,' Kanon says unsurely, 'if His Majesty truly wants to take out Lady Marianne and to cover it up, he could have gone ahead with the state funeral and put an end to the whole matter. What is the point to secretly transfer Lady Marianne's body away if it was his intention to take her out in the first place?'

'Good question, Kanon,' Schneizel replies, 'that is the most frustrating part, actually. Things do not seem to add up. I'm afraid the truth has been masterfully buried, we may not be able to find it without exerting a bit more effort in doing so.'

'Should I send people to dig deeper on this?' Kanon asks.

'No, tell our men to stop the investigation,' Schneizel says to his most trusted right-hand man, 'His Majesty is apparently very keen in burying the truth, so it would be counterproductive for us to go against his will. All we need to know is that Lady Marianne has been assassinated by some rouge terrorists last night, and the security of the Palace is in question. Nothing more, nothing less. Well, at least for the time being.'

'Understood,' Kanon replies before adding, 'and about Prince Lelouch and Princess Nunnally…'

'It is most regretful, but there is nothing I can do for them other than to pray for their well-being,' Schneizel sighs with his usual calm tone and demeanor, 'it is our father's mercy that they shall now place their hope in. Let's hope that Lelouch's wit would keep him from making any wrong and impulsive move, but according to what I know about his character…'

Geass facility, somewhere in the Chinese Federation

V.V. and Charles are standing at the edge of a cliff, gazing at the numerous children under the cliff, all prepared to go through some Geass experiments. Right after his conversation with Marianne (in the form of Anya), he rewrote Anya's memory as suggested by his wife, and he has arranged Schneizel, his second and arguably most capable son, to see to the transferal and preservation of Marianne's body from what is, in essence, a 'smokescreen funeral'. However, Charles is still in disbelief of his Big Brother actually shooting his beloved wife to death, and he still has reservations about sending Lelouch and Nunnally away from Britannia despite what logic and instinct have told him loud and clear when Marianne informed him of what had happened at Aries Villa. Charles ultimately decides to first ask V.V. in an indirect way before making any further move: why does his brother desire the death of Marianne?

'I heard the news,' V.V. replies with a sad yet calm tone, 'Tragic. Sorry to hear that. I shall miss Marianne.'

Contrary to his usual majestic and calm facial expression, Charles is noticeably upset with V.V.'s answer: he tightens his fists and grits his teeth upon hearing his Big Brother's answer that suggests he is not the culprit of Marianne's death.

'My Big Brother… lied to me!' the outwardly aging but factually younger of the two brothers hisses in his mind, 'Even though we had vowed to create a world without lies! How could he do that to me?'

The observant V.V., while not looking into Charles directly but keeps gazing at the numerous children under the cliff, knows exactly how Charles feels at this very moment. In fact, the small, blond boy has so much confidence in his cover-up of what had actually happened, the thing that worries him the most at this moment is not whether Charles would discover it was V.V.'s doing that Marianne died, but Charles' resolve to fulfill their vow made so many years ago, after the zi Britannia's own mother was assassinated. 'Charles, you have been led astray by Marianne ever since you met her. She has made you to forget how sickening and frustrating this world that killed our mother could be, and if this goes on, our contract will never be fulfilled, and I'll be left alone… this is for your own good. We must focus on creating a world without lies. And don't you worry, you will be able to see Marianne again once the Ragnarök Connection is complete,' V.V. muses as he keeps gazing at the numerous children under the cliff.

Unfortunately, however observant V.V. might be, that doesn't enable him to see something that his blind confidence has blocked from his vision: Charles has been informed by his wife that V.V. was the culprit, and V.V.'s answer is essentially based on a lie, something that both have vowed to the other that they will never tell such a thing to each other. The once unbreakable bond between the two brothers has shattered.

'…it is tragic, Big Brother,' Charles speaks slowly, 'but our only focus shall be the success of our plan to rid the lies and bring the truth to the whole world. I will now go to ensure that the fallout of this incident does not affect the preparation for the Ragnarök Connection.'

'Very well,' V.V. nods while still staring at the numerous children down the cliff.

Having asked the question he wanted to ask and said what he needed to say, Charles then turns and leaves. While V.V. thinks that he is successful in getting rid of the largest distraction to the completion of his vow with his dearest brother, he is unaware that his dearest brother has finally lost faith in him, and their once unbreakable relationship is now irreparably broken. What's worst, Charles has already decided that V.V., who murdered Marianne, exploited Nunnally and, the worst of all, lied to him and broke their vow, is a threat to the safety to Lelouch, Nunnally and even the Ragnarök Connection itself that he must be eliminated.

But that's for the further future. The first order of business now is to rewrite Nunnally's memory and to find a way to get both her and Lelouch out of Britannia. For as much as logic tells him that Lelouch and Nunnally's preservation is immaterial as long as the Ragnarök Connection is successful, Charles' own fatherly instinct still wants to see both of them to be preserved, for they are his children with the only woman he truly loves.

Immigration checkpoint, somewhere in Britannia

A woman with long, lime-coloured hair in business attire is walking alone towards the border checkpoint with her luggage.

'Hold on, C.C., I didn't expect you to leave after I have told you what happened!' Marianne's voice rings in the lime-haired woman's mind, 'we still need you to help with our plan to make the world a better place!'

'Our contract is broken. I have no reason to stay,' C.C. replies. However, since Marianne is communicating through telepathy, it looks like C.C. is talking to herself.

'I didn't break our contract myself! It was V.V. who did that to me!' Marianne quickly pleads, 'I have every intention to fulfill our contract because that would help with the plan me and Charles have as well. I cannot be faulted for this mishap, can I?'

'Same thing to me. Whether it was V.V.'s fault or your fault, the fact of the matter is that you can no longer fulfill our contract,' C.C. is unmoved by Marianne's plead, 'Marianne, you are all shiny when you were discussing your dream with Charles, and that's why I have agreed to take part in it. But that is really just a side project for me – my main goal remains to find someone who could fulfill my contract and would make my one wish come true.'

'What about the Geass Directorate?' Marianne knows that she cannot persuade C.C. on the grounds that the plan should go on because that is of little importance to this unpredictable lime-haired woman, 'all those researchers who have followed you for years, spending their effort in researching the secret of the Geass power. They may come up with something that would grant your wish very soon. Who knows?'

'I have already passed the directorate to V.V.,' C.C. says nonchalantly.

'But he killed me!' Marianne protests, 'why would you entrust those loyal followers of yours to them?'

'That is irrelevant to whether V.V. is a good leader of the directorate,' C.C. calmly responds, 'in fact, he is an observant and detail-oriented boy. The researchers will be in good hands under his leadership. In fact, my followers may actually find something about Geass faster under his guidance – after all, I am just a slave girl who just so happens to have accumulated too much experience, which compares palely with V.V. – he is a well-educated prince with a smart brain, after all.'

'But wouldn't he turn against you once he has placed the Directorate under his complete control? Don't tell me you actually trust him!' Marianne quickly switches ground to how V.V. would be a threat to C.C., seeing that C.C. doesn't seem to care about the fact that V.V. has killed her.

'No big deal, I have already made sure that V.V. would be quite busy for at least the next few days,' C.C. smirks as she continues to fend off Marianne's plead.

'…' Marianne is out of ammo of persuasion. C.C. is actually right on this one: with the competent V.V. guiding the Geass directorate researchers, they can keep moving at their current pace, or even at a quicker pace, to find out the secret of the Geass power. With the burden of leading the directorate shifted away, C.C. can focus her effort in finding her next contractor. Then, regardless of which side bears the fruit first, C.C. will be able to realize her wish.

'…you're one difficult woman to deal with, aren't you?' Marianne says resignedly as she now understands that she has no way to persuade C.C. to stay in Britannia to help her and Charles with their plan.

'You're the one to talk,' C.C. shots back as she smirks again.

'So, where are you going? I should think that Britannia is the most secured place on Earth now,' Marianne asks curiously, 'after all, it's us who conquered others and not the other way around.'

'Japan,' C.C. answers, knowing that giving a non-answer will only incite more questions from the persistent raven-haired woman who has been her latest contractor for some of the more enjoyable times in her long life.

'Japan?' Marianne is surprised. She thought C.C. would have chosen to go to either the E.U., where she can blend in easily; or the Chinese Federation, where C.C. can utilize her experience with the Britannian Imperial Court to seek a similar place within the Chinese Imperial Court. 'Why Japan? Isn't that a small island nation sandwiched between us and the Chinese Federation? Not to mention that it's a chiefly mono-ethnic country. How are you going to blend into it or at least not get passively rejected by the local population?'

'I have my way to do that,' C.C. casually replies as she is reminiscing her last journey in the island nation – in fact, it was during that journey that she had crossed paths with Claire li Britannia, the ancestor of an entire group of people that would become the modern Britannian Imperial Family.

Just as C.C. is reminiscing her time in Japan a few hundred years ago, Marianne is thinking something completely different. 'Japan… the nation rich in Sakuradite. Most likely our next target to conquer since we need some good fuels for our Knightmare Frames. Darling said that it will no longer be safe for Lelouch and Nunnally to stay in Britannia, so if C.C. is going to Japan…'

'Hey,' Marianne interrupts C.C.'s reminiscing of one of her old journeys, 'how about I propose you a new deal?'

'What do you mean?' C.C. frowns, 'haven't you just broken our contract?'

'That's why I am proposing you a new deal,' Marianne explains, 'and my offer to you is a new contractor.'

'Do you think I will stay in Britannia just because you said that?' C.C. is not amused, 'what if this contractor you are mentioning is subpar? I'd trust my own pick more than someone else's.'

'Don't jump to conclusion too quickly,' Marianne explains, 'in fact, you have met this new contractor quite a few times already.'

'Huh?' C.C. is perplexed, 'you don't mean Charles, right? He's already got his Geass, and V.V. is not going to let him to sign a contract with me, seeing what he had just done to you earlier.'

'I'm talking about Lelouch,' Marianne finally reveals her pick for C.C.

'Lelouch…?' C.C. is both surprised that Marianne would offer her son to C.C. as a new contractor, but at the same time not surprised by it. After all, Marianne is a woman so full of herself, she can only think from her own perspective and no one else.

'Yes, Lelouch. Smart, young and dashing. I can be your mother-in-law too if you so desire,' Marianne says with joy and a tint of mischief.

'Oh shut up, you foul woman,' C.C. hisses, 'you are trying to stuff me with your little brat? I'm above and beyond that, you know. He's not going to make me change my mind of leaving Britannia for Japan.'

'I'm not trying to change your mind of leaving Britannia for Japan,' Marianne says, 'in fact, you should go ahead with your plan. Now that V.V. has taken over the helm of the Geass Directorate, it's actually better for you to leave Britannia, at least for the time being.'

C.C. is surprised by what Marianne has just said, but quickly gets her real intention. 'Marianne, you're not going to…'

'Charles said it's not safe for Lelouch and Nunnally to stay in Britannia as V.V. may further eliminate them because he fears that they would discover the truth. I think I now know where to send them to,' the now dead 5th Imperial Consort of Britannia continues.

'Marianne, you…'C.C. is frustrated. So Marianne wants her to babysit her two children now? How self-centred this woman can be? 'I may have been your lady-in-waiting, but that's just my disguise and I have no intention to babysit your children…'

'They will be sent to Japan as political hostages,' Marianne clarifies, 'you don't need to care for them directly. You don't even need to protect them. All I ask is that you observe them from faraway. Then you can decide on your own accord whether to take my offer and have Lelouch as your next contractor, and if so, when.'

C.C. thinks for a moment about what Marianne has just said. If that's the case, then C.C. does not need to worry or burden herself with some tedious childcare work, and she actually gets two free choices to be her contractors right off the bat. Worst comes to worst, she can simply abandon them if neither turns out to be suitable of closing a contract with her. Simply put, there is nothing for C.C. to lose in such proposal.

'…fine, I'll take your bait,' C.C. says finally.

'Wise choice,' Marianne smiles brightly, as always.

An infirmary room, the Imperial Medical Complex, Pendragon

A wheeled stretcher is being hurried into an intensive care unit with a small, brown-haired girl on it. The girl's legs were severely wounded by some bullets shot through them, and the girl is crying not only because of the pain, but also a sense of hopelessness after being taken by some strangers out of her room and placed her under a seemingly fainted and bleeding Marianne, the girl's loving mother, before shooting through the young girl's legs for unknown reasons. It is Nunnally vi Britannia, Charles and Marianne's only daughter and a princess of the Holy Britannian Empire.

'Hurry! Get the gauze sponge and infection control equipment!' the attending lead doctor, a viscountess, instructs her team of nurses, 'we need to make sure there is no additional infection to Her Highness' wound!'

'Yes, my lady!' the nurses respond succinctly as they hurry to get the equipment as requested by the lead attending doctor in order.

'Doctor, please, help my mother…' Nunnally pleads the doctor weakly with a worried face. While the young princess is suffering herself, she is still worried about her mother.

'Your Highness, please rest assured that we will do everything within our power to help,' the lead attending doctor quickly reassures the fragile princess.

'…thank you,' Nunnally smiles weakly as she gives her thanks to the doctor.

The doctor shows a reassuring smile to the princess in return, but internally she is struggling impatiently with how to heal the severely wounded princess. 'Her femurs have been shot through by the bullets, and the adjacent neural structures have been completely destroyed. Even though the femurs can be replaced by metallic bars with joint sockets, there is no way I can reconstruct or revive the dead neural cells. Unless I can enlist the help of Dr Rakshata Chawla and see if the results of her research on medical cybernetics can be of any help… but under the current national policy, to use something created by non-Britannians on a member of the Britannian Imperial Family is nothing more than a political suicide. However, if I do nothing, then the Emperor may punish me for not being able to cure Her Highness, and my family will likely suffer from the repercussions of it. And even if using a non-Britannian's invention on Her Highness is somehow acceptable, there is no guarantee that Dr Chawla's research results could work. What should I do…?'

'How is my daughter?' suddenly, a bass, majestic voice came from the frantically pondering doctor's back, causing her to jolt and turn back. It is the Emperor of Britannia, the father of the suffering Princess currently lying on the wheeled stretcher.

'Your… Your Majesty!' the doctor quickly tenses up as she realizes who is talking to her, 'Prin… Princess Nunnally… is, uhm, persevering! I… we are doing our utmost to heal her from her wound, so…'

'That would be troubling,' Charles interjects with a low yet calm tone.

'In… indeed! But please be assured, Your Majesty, with our superb technology, we would be able to get Her Highness back on her feet… huh?' the doctor is still trying to frantically reassure that she is going to cure Nunnally, but then she notices something's wrong: the Emperor is looking into her eyes when two red sigils start to emerge on his eyes.

'Princess Nunnally was sent here with her legs wounded by terrorists, and she is now blind and has amnesia because of some sort of psychosomatic trauma, seeing her mother died right in front of her when trying to shield her from the incoming bullets. Seeing this, I am disappointed because I could not get any useful information out of Nunnally, and I leave this place with frustration. Regardless, you will try your utmost to heal the Princess after I have left here,' Charles speaks slowly.

'Huh…? But, Your Majesty…' the doctor is utterly confused. What is the Emperor talking about? The Princess may have her legs wounded, but she is perfectly fine with her vision.

'Charles zi Britannia engraves into you false memories and false symptoms observed on the patient,' the Emperor finishes his Geass order as he sends two red sigils into the doctor's eyes, 'now, if you would excuse me to have a few words with my daughter.'

'…Yes, Your Majesty,' the doctor replies as the Geass sigils sink into her mind and twist her memory. She then stands away obediently and quietly to give way to the Emperor to approach his daughter.

'Father, what did you…' Nunnally is both confused and scared by what she has just seen her father doing to her doctor. Why is her father inventing what had actually happened to her?

'Nunnally, this is for your own good,' Charles says to her daughter with a rare fatherly tone.

'But father, mother didn't die because she was trying to shield me from the bullets… she was dead already before I was being brought to the staircase by some unknown people who then shot through my legs. Also, I can still see…' Nunnally tries to tell her father what has happened back then, thinking that her father might have heard another story from somewhere else.

'Nunnally, you were with your mother on the staircase last night,' Charles ignores Nunnally's words and begins with the two red sigils in his eyes fired up again as he stares into Nunnally's eyes, 'some terrorists broke into Aries Villa and started shooting, and your mother quickly shields you from the attack and was shot dead. Sadly, some bullets still went through and shot your legs. You were traumatized by the incident, and you shut your eyes forever due to psychosomatic reasons. Besides, I have never visited you in the hospital today.'

'Father…!' Nunnally tries to plead to her father for the last time, but in vain.

'Sleep well, Nunnally,' Charles ignores Nunnally's plead and finishes his Geass spell, with the two red sigils flies straight into Nunnally's eyes and twist her memory. The young princess' eyes then shut as she falls asleep upon Charles' Geass command.

Charles gazes at his daughter for a short moment with no emotion displayed on his face before he turns back and walks away.

'Nunnally, I will tell you what have happened when everything's completed,' the 98th Emperor of Britannia leaves those words to her sleeping daughter before he leaves and goes back to the Imperial Palace, getting ready for the audience requested by Lelouch, his son.

Geass facility, somewhere in the Chinese Federation

'Director V.V.,' a cult-like man comes before a small boy with extremely long blond hair, who is sitting on a throne situated right in front of a giant rock gate with a strange sigil carved on each half of the gate.

The boy does not respond to the cult-like man. Rather, he is focusing on the stack of papers he is holding, trying to read as effective as he can with a pissed expression on his face.

'Director V.V.,' the cult-like man tries again.

'Talk,' the annoyed boy says without looking at the cult-like man, still staring on the stack of papers he is holding, 'I am all ears.'

'…understood,' the cult-like man says with a second of hesitation before starting to report what he has for the new leader of the Geass Directorate, 'our men has returned and said that His Majesty the Emperor had secretly ordered Prince Schneizel to remove Lady Marianne's body from the coffin for preservation.'

The cult-like man's report clearly captures V.V.'s attention: the boy immediately pulls his eyes from the stack of paper; he narrows his purple eyes and glares at the cult-like man with apparent surprise and suspicion.

'You said Charles secretly ordered Schneizel to remove Marianne's body from the coffin for preservation? A secret even to us?' V.V. questions the cult-like man, as if the cult-like man has made some mistake.

'Yes,' the cult-like man says as he bows slightly, 'and we did not receive any official communications from His Majesty about this arrangement… unless, of course, His Majesty has already informed you privately on this matter.'

However, his answer only makes V.V.'s face even more frustrated. Charles has not privately informed V.V. about having Schneizel to secretly preserve Marianne's body!

'If our plan succeeds, we would be able to communicate with the dead. Charles would be able to see his beloved consort once again. What's the point for him to secretly preserve her body?' V.V. quickly thinks through the implications of his cult-like underling's report, 'and whatever his reasons are, why do you keep secrets from me, Charles? Had we not sworn to create a world without lies? To be totally frank to each other…?'

'Director V.V.!' Just as the blond boy is trying to work out the reason for Charles to do such extraordinary things to him, another cult-like underling rushes in, 'my apologies for interjecting, but we have just found out that there are significant errors in our schedule for conducting Geass ability tests on our subjects for the next six months! Also, it seems that our payroll system has messed up as well, and we would not be able to pay our researchers and security team as scheduled! What should we do?'

'Grrr…' V.V. is annoyed by the snowballing of new responsibilities since C.C. suddenly throws the leadership of the Geass Directorate to him, which he gladly accepts but pissed by the timing of it and how C.C. handed it over to him. 'I still have to go through this stack of messed up records C.C. has left to me to fully grasp the situation within the Directorate, and now Charles suddenly drops such an untimely bomb to me… the world is cursed!'

'Director V.V., your orders?' the second cult-like man asks once again, seeing no response from their new leader on matters that are no doubt urgent.

'…postpone all Geass ability tests to be conducted in the next 24 hours,' the frustrated V.V. finally makes up his mind, 'I will conduct a full review on the schedule and rearrange them. Also, let our research team to take a day off since they won't be able to do anything productive at all before I can sort out the test schedule. As for our security team, let them come in shifts and take half-day off work for the next three days. Tell them we have encountered some slight problems with our payroll system, but assure them that they will get paid within the next three days.'

'And what about Lady C.C.? Should we send someone to... uhm… welcome her back here?' the cult-like man asks hesitantly.

'We don't even have a full security team here, so we won't be able to do that. Let her take some time off as well,' V.V. says sarcastically, 'after all, she's worked quite hard in various ways while being here.'

'Understood,' the cult-like underling responds and rushes out to carry out V.V.'s orders

'Are you sure, Director V.V.?' the first cult-like man asks in a worried tone, 'our schedule for Geass test is packed, and any postponement will further messed up the timing of any subsequent tests…'

'I need time to digest the documents C.C. had left to me,' V.V. says, 'I can't ensure things to run smoothly and precisely according to our needs if I don't have the full picture in mind, can I?'

'…understood,' the cult-like underling responds.

'Now, back to your report,' V.V. brings the topic back to the initial report about Charles' perplexing secret orders, 'as you can see, I have to prioritize with understanding the in-and-outs of the Geass Directorate, and it's not a good time to have conflict with Charles, so I will let go of this secret act of his this one time. However, tell our men to pay close attention to how he will deal with Lelouch and Nunnally, and report back to me as soon as their fate is sealed.'

'About that… our men reported that His Majesty had visited Princess Nunnally at the Imperial Medical Complex, but left the Complex with slight frustration,' the cult-like man reports.

'Slight frustration…?' V.V. says as he ponders, 'did Charles learn the truth from Nunnally?' 'And how is my dear niece now?' V.V. asks in a tone that is completely void of familial attachment, as if he doesn't really care about the well-being of Nunnally, his niece.

'It seems that she has suffered from some sort of psychosomatic trauma and has suffered from amnesia. The lead attending doctor has confirmed that and said that the Emperor is disappointed of not getting anything useful from the Princess.'

'Huh…' V.V. is gratified to learn that Charles did not learn a thing from Nunnally, the only bit of good news in a day full of bad ones. At the same time, he is also a bit surprised as he raises his eyebrows, 'I thought Marianne's daughter would be more a bit strong-minded than that… what a weak soul.'

'Should we eliminate Princess Nunnally?' the cult-like underling enquires.

'No, there is no need to do that,' V.V. says, 'she does not pose any danger to us now, and eliminating her would actually act against our interest by raising the alarm amongst the Imperial Court. Let her be.'

'Understood,' the cult-like man answers.

'What about Lelouch? Did Charles do anything to him?' V.V. enquires. Now that Nunnally is out of the equation, Lelouch would be the one variable to how things would work out for V.V. in forging his pledge with Charles to create a world without lies.

'No, His Majesty hasn't really done anything to Prince Lelouch yet, but…' the cult-like underling duly reports.

'But?' V.V. pursues.

'…Prince Lelouch himself has asked for an audience with His Majesty,' the cult-like underling finishes his sentence.

'Oh?' V.V. is amused, 'so the strong mind of hers was inherited by Lelouch instead…'

'Your orders?' the cult-like underling asks.

'…keep an eye on how Charles will deal with Lelouch. Inform me as soon as something the audience has been concluded,' V.V. instructs the cult-like underling.

'Understood,' the cult-like man answers as he goes on to carry out the blond boy's order.

After the cult-like men have left, V.V. places his focus back to the stack of papers he is holding. 'Darn, C.C. is such a messy old hag when it comes to keeping records… or should I say, well done in dragging my feet to buy some time for you to flee from me,' V.V. spites at the immortal witch internally before narrowing his eyes and shifting his focus on his younger brother, '…Charles, I shall overlook your mischief this one time. However, you know perfectly what it means should our plan succeeds, and what our priorities before the success of our plan should be. Show me that you are still committed to the plan and our pledge by doing the right thing. Otherwise…'

Britannian Imperial Palace, Pendragon

'Announcing Prince Lelouch vi Britannia, the 17th heir to the Britannian Imperial Throne!' the doorman loudly announcing the presence of Lelouch to the Imperial Court as the gate of the Imperial Palace opened, revealing a young Lelouch with a stern and angry look on his face as he strode through the hall and walked towards Charles zi Britannia, the man sitting on the throne who is his father and the 98th and current Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire.

'I heard that Consort Marianne was killed inside the Palace,' one nobleman whispers to his peers.

'There is no way terrorists could have got into the Palace to begin with,' another nobleman whispers.

'Which means that the real assassins must have been…'

'Frightful thoughts… I don't even dare to think about this.'

Just as the noblemen are whispering, Charles sits on his throne as he gazes at his approaching son and the whispering nobles.

'The world lies,' Charles muses with a stern expression on his face, 'everyone present here knows that no terrorists could have infiltrated the Palace, but everyone pretends that to be the case because it is the most convenient way to go by.'

'Hail, Your Majesty,' Lelouch finally reached in front of his father and greeted him before continuing, 'My mother, the imperial consort, is dead.'

'Old news. What of it?' Charles asks in a bored tone.

'Thou shall not commit murder. Thou shall not bear false witness. All are lies. Mere illusion and nothing more.'

Lelouch is shocked. '"What of it", you say?' the young prince cannot believe his father's nonchalant attitude to his mother's death. What is his father thinking?

'Did you seek an audience with the Emperor of Britannia for such trivial matters?' Charles says to his astonished son before he turns his head to the guardsman next to him, 'send in the next person. I have no time to play with children.'

'Father!' Lelouch ran up the steps to the throne, only to be blocked by the two guardsmen standing right next to his father. The slightly reassuring part is that his father was quick to signal the guardsmen to stand down, which means he is still willing to listen to the young prince.

'Yes, Your Majesty!' the guardsmen answer in unison and stand down upon seeing the signal.

'Why didn't you protect my mother?' Lelouch demands in fury, 'You are the Emperor, right? The greatest person in this nation, right?'

'The weak are endeavouring to protect themselves…'

'…you should at least show your face and see Nunnally…' Lelouch continues, urging his father to at least go visit Nunnally, now that his mother is now dead and nothing can be done to bring her back to life. However, the young prince is abruptly interjected by his father.

'…I have no use for weaklings,' Charles says to his son calmly but also coldly.

'Weaklings…?' Lelouch cannot believe his ears. Is the Emperor calling him and Nunnally weaklings?

'That's what it means to be members of the Imperial Family,' Charles states plainly as he thinks back how his own mother was assassinated when he was a mere child.

'…but the first truth is that it is always the strong that devour the weak.'

Lelouch is infuriated by his father's cold and tone deaf response. How can his father be so indifferent to what had happened to his wife and daughter? The young prince's body starts to tremble in fury as he explodes and drops a bomb at the Imperial Court, '…then I don't need such a thing as the right to inherit the throne! Whether it was being your successor or to be drawn into conflicts and chaos because of that, I have had enough of them already!'

'…you are dead,' Charles' low and simmering voice interjects, sharply contrasted with Lelouch's demeanor. It serves as a bucket of ice water that pours on Lelouch's head, leaving him appalled once more.

'Do you have things that you are willing to bet your life on? How about the clothes you wear and the place you live? The food you eat and your right to inherit the throne?' the Emperor gradually raises his voice as he thinks back how he himself struggled against all odds to rise to the top ever since his own mother was killed and his relatives were all plotting against each other when jockeying for the throne, 'they are all given to you by me. You simply are not alive. Lelouch!'

The Emperor stands up from his throne with his voice booming across the Imperial Court, and his intimidating stature forces Lelouch to fall down on his back in fear, like how a lion cub would be subject to abject fear when the lion king roars at it in full force.

'You are dead and you are entitled to no rights. I am sending you and Nunnally to Japan,' Charles lays down his decision to the entire Imperial Court as he recalls how Marianne informed him that C.C. is heading to Japan and how this could work in their favour by placing Lelouch and Nunnally out of Britannia, 'as prince and princess, you would both serve well as bargaining chips.'

Lelouch is startled. Absolutely startled. So not only his father cares nothing about his mother's death and his sister's misfortunes at all, but he is actually throwing them out of Britannia?

'I recall the son of the Japanese Prime Minister is around the same age as you – win him over, Lelouch!' the 98th Emperor of Britannia orders his son, 'there are responsibilities that only members of the Imperial Family can bear. Go and build the Empire's foundation there with Nunnally. If you fail, you should know that there is no place for you on Earth!'

'We of Britannia shall feast upon the raw flesh of the world itself… we must crush the deception and bring forth the truth.'

Lelouch has nothing to say. His mind is still hard-hit by what his father has just told him as the two guardsmen step forth and carry each side of the paralyzed prince's arms, removing him from the palace.

'…and these lies and deceptions shall have no place on Earth because this world only needs one person. If there is only one person, then no more tragedies of this sort shall happen ever again,' Charles muses under his perfect Emperor mask as he sees off his son being carried out of the palace by the guardsmen, '…therefore, Lelouch, I shall send you and Nunnally far away from Britannia while I complete the Ragnarök Connection to bring forth the gentle world that we all desire to be in.'

-Happy Father's Day!-