To say that Lelouch despised events like this would be an understatement; it was a waste of resources and time. However, Lelouch could admit that such events did have certain benefits, chief among them the ability to network with key figures. Balls such as these were also fountains of information. When the champagne starts to flow and tongues are loosened, as a result, it can be easy to find secrets to exploit.
Lelouch's musings were interrupted by the Limousine coming to an abrupt stop in front of the entrance to Pendragon's ballroom.
Pendragon was not one palace but a series of palaces and Villas connected to the Imperial Palace itself. It was a sign of Britannia's extravagant wealth that they could afford a ballroom that was practically a Villa in its own right.
A Chauffeur opened the door to the Limousine, and Lelouch exited the Limousine, followed by Euphy and Suzaku.
Lelouch sighed. "Yet another waste of resources," he said.
Euphemia rolled her eyes and looped her arm into his. "Oh hush, you grumpy puss, you're supposed to be celebrating our sister's accomplishments with us today, not sulking about a supposed financial inefficiency," Euphemia said.
Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "'Supposed'? The last time I checked, this ball was going to cost at least one million pounds in revenue to throw," he said.
Euphemia frowned. "Okay, so maybe it is a financial inefficiency, but neither you nor I have any real political power, so it's not like we could do anything about it,"m Euphemia said.
Lelouch scoffed. "The Prime Minister holds me in high regard, and the woman who this entire event is being thrown for is your sister; we could convince them to try and call it off," he said.
Suzaku cleared his throat from behind them. "My apologies, highness, but perhaps we could go inside? People are starting to stare," he asked.
Lelouch nodded. "Yes, that would be for the best," he said.
Euphemia nodded as well. "Well, are we going to the ball or not?" Euphemia asked rhetorically.
Lelouch snorted as he began to walk with Euphemia to the ball.
To call the ballroom, an extravagant chamber would be an understatement; It had high ceilings of gold and silver illuminated by several large diamond chandeliers, each one sparkling in the light of the setting sun; the floors had been polished to such a sheen that you could see your reflection, and of course, great tapestries had been hung about the room each bearing the Britannian coat of arms in gold and emerald thread.
Arranged around the halls were half a dozen tables and comfortable chintz armchairs along with several large silver tables covered in mountains of food sherbets of lemon, cherry, and blueberry, roasted duck served in horseradish sauce, steak and potatoes roast boar and lamb along with every wine and spirit imaginable.
Euphemia turned to him expectantly. "Well? Are we going to dance, or we going to continue to argue about the Imperial treasury's expenses?" Euphemia asked.
Lelouch rolled his eyes. "I'm assuming that that was a rhetorical question," he said.
Euphemia smirked as she dragged him onto the dancefloor. "Yes," Euphemia said.
"So are we going to converse while we dance or…?" Euphemia asked
Lelouch rolled his eyes. "Is that even a question? Conversing with my partners is the only thing that makes these kinds of activities bearable for me," he said.
Euphemia frowned. "You don't have to be so rude about it, Lulu," Euphemia said.
Lelouch scowled. "Don't call me that, especially in public," he said.
Euphemia pouted. "But Monica and Nonnette call you Lulu all the time," Euphemia said.
Lelouch fixed her with a blank look. "And I could not be happier about that," he said sarcastically.
Euphemia rolled her eyes. "Oh hush, it's a cute nickname; besides you call me Euphy all the time," Euphemia said.
"Euphy is a lot less embarrassing than Lulu," he said.
Euphemia raised an eyebrow. "How so?" Euphemia asked.
Lelouch raised an eyebrow in turn. "Euphy is merely a shortening of your name; meanwhile, Lulu was a nickname cooked up by Nonnette in an attempt to embarrass me," he said.
Euphemia looked unconvinced. "If you say so…" Euphemia said.
Lelouch sighed. "Can we talk about anything else?" he asked.
Euphemia rolled her eyes. "If you insist, I think I spotted Schneizel and Guinevere speaking with one another, and they seemed to be acting somewhat civil towards each other," Euphemia said.
Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "That's surprising; usually, their conversations consist of lightly veiled insults and attempts at humiliating each other, well the latter mostly comes from Guenivere's end," he said.
Euphemia giggled. "Yes, I'm glad that they are acting like siblings for once," Euphemia said.
Lelouch sighed. "Well, it's hard to have a familial bond with all of our half-siblings when we have so many," he said.
Euphemia smirked. "True, father is quite the rabbit, wouldn't you say?" Euphemia asked.
Lelouch laughed hard at that remark. "Good one," he said.
Euphemia smiled sweetly. "I try my best," Euphemia said.
"So it seems; anyway, I've heard rumors that terrorism in Area 11 has been intensifying," he said
Euphemia frowned. "I wish that Clovis would take care of that; it is his duty after all," Euphemia said.
Lelouch nodded. "Indeed, but at the same time, I can't say that I blame him for that. After all, it was General Bartley who was charged with putting down the rebels, and so far, he has floundered in his attempts to do so," he said.
Euphemia raised an eyebrow. "Isn't General Bartley a well-regarded officer? Why is he doing such a bad job at it?" Euphemia asked.
Lelouch sighed. "Most Britannian officers are used to fighting engagements on the open field; they are not used to fighting a guerilla war. Just look at our war in the EU; both sides have a strict code of honor that they follow in battle. While the Japanese resistance also have their sense of honor, they are not above using guerilla tactics," he explained.
Euphemia hummed to herself. "So, in short, the inability of General Bartley to defeat the Japanese rebels is mainly as a result of his inflexibility," Euphemia said.
Lelouch nodded. "Yes," he said as their dance ended.
Euphemia smiled. "I'm going to go talk to Cornelia, so why don't we part ways for now?" Euphemia asked.
"If you wish," Lelouch said.
After Euphemia left, Lelouch was interrupted by a certain Green haired mad-woman.
"Lulu! It's so good to see you!" Nonnette Enegram said.
Nonnette Enegram, the Knight of nine, attended Boston academy with Cornelia and her Knight Guildford and served in Marianne's royal guard alongside Cornelia, Guilford, and Jeremiah. She had been a constant fixture in his life for the past four years, much to his immense displeasure.
Lelouch scowled. "Do. Not. Call. Me. That" he growled.
Nonnette smirked. "But Lulu, the nickname, fits you so well," Nonnette said.
Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "I've been told that I'm very grumpy, so how exactly would an upbeat nickname like that suit me?" he asked.
Nonnette chuckled. "That's why it fits you so well!" Nonnette said.
Lelouch clenched his teeth. "I'm going to kill you one day," he said.
Nonnette laughed. "Ooooo, look at me; I'm Lelouch Vi Britannia; I'm so scary!" Nonnette said mockingly.
Every time he had a conversation with this woman, he got another reason to execute her when he became Emperor.
"I would like to ask you not to kill her; the Empire needs capable Knights of the Round," a silver-haired man said as he walked up to them.
Nonnette looped her arm into his. "Oh, Rai, how good to see you again, Lelouch, this is Rai, Rai, this is Lelouch," Nonnette said.
Nonnette was leaning in far too close to the Knight of Eleven than what would be considered acceptable, but Sir Hodges didn't seem to mind.
Lelouch regarded Rai Hodges; the man had silver hair, blue eyes, and a very feminine-looking face. He was also obviously half-Japanese, which made his position all the more baffling. He was two years older than him and was clad in the full uniform and cloak of the Knight of Eleven, which stood in sharp contrast to Nonnette's silver dress.
Lelouch offered his hand. "It's good to meet you, Sir Hodges," he said.
Rai took the hand with his off-hand and shook it. "It's good to meet you as well, your highness; Nonnette has told me many stories about you," Rai said.
Lelouch sighed. "They were embarrassing ones, I assume," he said
Nonnette grinned. "Of course" Nonnette said.
"Has his majesty arrived yet?" he asked.
Rai regarded him with an empty look. "His majesty prefers to arrive late," Rai said.
Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "You make it sound like you know my father personally," he said.
Rai nodded. "His majesty has graced me with his trust," Rai said vaguely.
Lelouch nearly scowled but quickly schooled his features, the Knight of eleven's loyalty to his father was one of the few things in life that genuinely perplexed him.
Lelouch hid his apprehension behind a false smile. "So, how did you two meet exactly? I've heard many rumors, but each rumor sounds more outlandish than the last," he said.
Nonnette shrugged. "Oh, I found him wandering around in the woods outside my family's estate," Nonnette said.
Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "Well, that's convenient," he said.
Nonnette grinned. "I know, right? Finding such a handsome boy in the woods outside my house, why it's every woman's dream," Nonnette said.
Rai, instead of blushing like Lelouch thought he would, simply sighed. He was used to the Green haired demon's antics.
They were interrupted by the Goddess of victory. "I would tell you that your behavior is unbecoming of a Knight of the round, Nonnette. But knowing you, that would seem more like a compliment than a rebuke," Cornelia said as she joined them, with her Loyal Knight Guilford and her advisor General Darlton following closely behind.
Cornelia had actually worn a dress for this occasion, which made sense since showing up in something as "drab" as a military uniform for the celebration dedicated to her would cause a scandal. It was… odd seeing Cornelia looking somewhat feminine; the only classically feminine things about her normally were her long hair and magenta lipstick.
Lelouch smiled warmly at her. "Chief general," he greeted.
He would've called her sister, but Cornelia has always stressed the importance of propriety when in public.
Cornelia smiled back. "Cadet," Cornelia said.
Nonnette was not nearly as reserved; she abandoned Rai and wrapped her arm around Cornelia's shoulders. "Nellie! How are you?" Nonnette asked.
The look on Cornelia's face seemed to be a mixture of annoyance, anger, and sheer terror; it was no secret that Nonnette was one of the only people that Cornelia actually feared...
Guilford, ever the loyal knight, attempted to save his Princess from the Knight of Nine. "Lady Enegram, I'd like to ask you to follow decorum when interacting with a member of royalty," Guilford said.
Nonnette laughed. "Oh Gilly, you and your lady are as uptight as ever; she and I are friends, so decorum shouldn't matter. Besides, calling her "chief general" every time I need to refer to her by name would be tedious," Nonnette said.
Lelouch could see General Darlton struggling to keep himself from laughing at the scene in front of him.
Cornelia finally managed to escape from the clutches of the Knight of nine. "As… interesting as that was, I would like to talk to my brother… alone, please," Cornelia said.
To his surprise, Nonnette actually acquiesced to that request. She waved them goodbye as she dragged the poor Knight of eleven away. Guilford and Darlton did not protest being dismissed either and left without complaint.
"Walk with me," Cornelia said.
If Lelouch were not used to it by now, he would've been offended by how she phrased it. But he followed her nonetheless. They eventually arrived at a balcony overlooking a garden.
"We can talk like actual siblings here," Cornelia said.
Lelouch scoffed. "We could talk like actual siblings anytime we wanted if you didn't insist on following decorum whenever we're in public," he said.
Cornelia put on what he liked to call her "lecturing face." "We've been over this before; we cannot afford to show weakness, especially to those Darwinistic vipers," Cornelia replied.
Lelouch laughed. "I could hardly care what those over-privileged parasites think of me," he said.
This time it was Cornelia's turn to scoff. "Then you're an arrogant fool. Do you seriously believe that our father's ass kissers are the true sum of the nobility? The truly competent nobles, similarly to us, have been raised with a Darwinistic mindset by their parents and their parents before them. Weaknesses of any kind are punished severely, and strength is rewarded. Do you honestly think that our nation would control one-third of the world if our nobles were all incompetent fools?" Cornelia said.
Lelouch gave her an unimpressed look. "Nice speech; it was very well put together. However, it was also wrong. Not all nobles are as incompetent as the ones who make their livings licking our father's boots. But most nobles are engaged in corruption. Not only that, but the ideology that our society holds so dear blinds them to the merits of the people they consider "below" them. Just look at my mother for an example; if Reuban and our father hadn't taken an interest in her, she wouldn't have been able to rise as high as she did. Think of how worse off the Empire would've been without "the Flash," he said.
Lelouch couldn't help but feel a little guilty about invoking her idol's name to win an argument, but it was the best way to make his point.
Cornelia sighed. "And I suppose that eleven of yours counts as one of these "talented individuals" that the nobles overlook?" Cornelia asked.
Lelouch narrowed his eyes. "He has a name, but yes. Even you cannot deny the talent for piloting Knightmares that he has shown in the mock battles, and while he isn't a good commander, I can easily cover that weakness of his," he said.
"But Knights of honor need to be decent officers; just look at Guilford; I often trust him to lead in my absence," Cornelia retorted.
Lelouch shrugged. "Suzaku can understand my plans adequately; while he wouldn't be very good at it, I'm sure he could lead troops in my absence without the command room instantly imploding. Besides, Jeremiah is practically a second Knight, so he could easily take over for me if the need arises, so it's not as if Suzaku needing to take command will be a common occurrence," he said.
Cornelia shook her head in exasperation. "Fine, if you want to be stubborn about this, then it's not my problem," Cornelia said.
Lelouch chuckled. "Sister, I don't think you of all people have the right to criticize someone else for being stubborn," he said.
Cornelia rolled her eyes. "It still doesn't change the fact that you are a stubborn brat little brother," Cornelia replied.
Lelouch put his hands over his heart as if her words hurt him. "How you wound me, dear sister, how will my heart ever recover from such hurtful words," he said in a dramatic tone.
Cornelia simply gave him an unimpressed look. "I apologize for breaking your heart, little brother," Cornelia said sarcastically.
Lelouch laughed before leaning over onto the balcony railing; the royal siblings were interrupted by General Darlton.
"Princess, Lord Bradford has been asking to see you," Darlton said.
Cornelia turned to look at her advisor with a severe expression on her face. "I assume he wants to discuss renewing the deal?" Cornelia asked.
Darlton simply nodded.
Cornelia sighed and turned to Lelouch. "I'm afraid we'll have to cut our conversation short little brother," Cornelia said.
Lelouch nodded. "Don't let me keep you," he said.
Cornelia nodded and left with Darlton.
Lelouch hummed thoughtfully. 'I wonder what I should do next? Perhaps I should go and find Suzaku?' he thought to himself.
It didn't take long for Lelouch to find Suzaku; he knew that Suzaku, when he wasn't guarding him, would usually hang around an unoccupied corner of a room where no one would bother him during events like this. He found Suzaku in a solitary corner on the left side of the ballroom, but he wasn't alone; to his surprise, Suzaku spoke with a very enthusiastic noble with Lavender hair.
"...For the last time, no, I won't be the devicer for your Knightmare Earl Asplund," he heard Suzaku say.
Ah, the Earl of pudding, that explained things. The man was a joke in the Knightmare production community. His first Knightmare prototype, the Gawain, couldn't converge the beams of its primary weapon, the Hadron canons, which made it useless as a KMF, and his other Knightmare prototypes were similarly busts. Still, Schneizel seemed to see potential in the man, and Lelouch knew that his brother was no fool.
Lelouch walked up to the scientist and his Knight-to-be and cleared his throat, alerting them to his presence.
Suzaku turned away from the scientist and nodded towards Lelouch. "Your highness," Suzaku said.
The Earl waved at him enthusiastically. "Ah, if it isn't the big bad Black Prince, would you like to weigh in on our discussion, your highness?" Asplund said.
Suzaku growled at Asplund. "Watch your tone when you're speaking to a Prince," Suzaku said.
Lloyd raised an eyebrow. "And what happens if I don't "watch my tone?" will you and your Lord complain to the Emperor? I don't claim to know his majesty very well, but I somehow doubt that he'd appreciate his children complaining to him about mere scientists hurting their feelings," Asplund said.
Suzaku's eye twitched in anger. "Why you…" Suzaku began to say.
Lelouch put a hand on his shoulder. "Calm yourself, Suzaku; Earl Asplund did not mean any offense. From what I've heard, this is just how he talks to people," he said.
Suzaku nodded. "Very well," Suzaku said.
Lelouch removed his hand from Suzaku's shoulder and regarded the eccentric noble. "I heard something about Suzaku being a devicer for an experimental Knightmare. Would you care to elaborate Earl Asplund?" he asked.
If it was possible, Earl Asplund seemed to become even more animated than he already was. "Of course you're highness, I am currently in the process of developing a prototype Knightmare known as the Gloucester Club, which in turn is a prototype for my future magnum opus, "the Lancelot ''. It should take a year to build since we are still developing some of the more experimental features, but I promise you that your soon-to-be Knight gaining a one-of-a-kind Knightmare will be worth the wait!" Asplund said.
Lelouch hummed thoughtfully, Earl Asplund's offer was an intriguing one, and he was glad that Suzaku was getting recognition for his talents. However, he knew that he would need to get certain assurances from Earl Asplund to mollify Suzaku.
"I will need some assurances first," he said.
Suzaku's right eye twitched in irritation; it was clear to Lelouch that Suzaku wanted to object to his decision but knew better than to argue with his Lord in a public setting like this.
Earl Asplund scoffed. "I can assure you that there will be no danger to your Knight. The problem with my Knightmares is that people have trouble moving them, not that they get crippled," Asplund said.
Lelouch nodded. "I am glad to hear that, but I'd also like a guarantee that your Knightmare will actually work," he said.
"Of course," Asplund said as he waved him off.
Lelouch turned to Suzaku, silently communicating to him that he awaits his answer.
Suzaku sighed and offered his hand to Earl Asplund. "I accept your offer Earl Asplund," Suzaku said.
Earl Asplund accepted the hand with a laugh. "I look forward to our partnership Suzaku Kururugi," Asplund said.
"I want to make it clear that Suzaku is my subordinate as well. Not yours and certainly not Schneizel's," he said.
Earl Asplund chuckled and waved him off before happily skipping away from them of all things.
Suzaku sighed, frustration evident in his posture. "That man annoys me," Suzaku stated simply.
Lelouch chuckled. "You say that about every remotely cheerful person you meet," he said.
Suzaku snorted. "The difference between you and me when it comes to that aspect is that you hide your grumpiness better," Suzaku said.
Lelouch raised an eyebrow, with a look that an unobservant bystander could be forgiven for mistaking as genuine confusion on his face. "I've been called a grump multiple times, Suzaku," he said.
Suzaku crossed his arms with an accompanying huff. "I hate it when you play dumb," Suzaku said irritably.
Lelouch sighed irritably. "Perhaps we shouldn't talk about that here," he warned, gesturing to the other party-goers as he did so.
Suzaku nodded in agreement. "Understood your high-"
Before he could finish speaking, a Blonde haired oaf wrapped his arm around the Honorary's shoulders. "How's it going, buddy?" Gino said.
Suzaku looked up at Gino. "Gino, I know you don't care about it very much, but can you try to respect my personal space more? Also, you're kind of heavy," Suzaku said.
Lelouch couldn't help but chuckle at the scene before him; watching his friends interact was always an amusing sight to behold.
Suzaku glared at him as Gino responded to Suzaku's inquiry. "Don't be like that, Suzaku, aren't we friends?" Gino asked.
"Sometimes I wish we weren't," Suzaku said.
'Wait, did Suzaku just imply that they are, in fact, friends?' Lelouch thought to himself, more surprised and amused than anything.
A look of pure joy flashed across Gino's face. "Are we friends?" Gino asked.
Suzaku looked to him for help, but Lelouch just shrugged. 'This is too hilarious to interfere with,' he thought to himself.
Suzaku mouthed the word "ass" to him before turning back to Gino. "Yes, we are friends," Suzaku said stiffly.
Gino let go of Suzaku, much to Suzaku's noticeable relief. Said relief was short-lived, however, as Gino brought him into a bear hug. "Aww, I knew you cared about me, buddy," Gino said.
By this point, it was taking an immense amount of self-control for Lelouch not to laugh himself to tears.
Lelouch noticed Monica approaching from the corner of his eye. He considered warning Gino of the ever uptight Monica coming to give him a tongue lashing for embarrassing their group but decided against it for the sake of his amusement.
Upon noticing Monica's impending arrival, Gino instantly froze for about 1.5 seconds and quickly let Suzaku go.
This failed to appease Monica. "Why do you always insist on embarrassing me?!" the blonde hissed.
"Heh..." Gino chuckled nervously.
Lelouch cleared his throat. "Monica, Perhaps making a scene would be ill-advised?" he commented.
Suzaku chuckled. "He has a point there, Monica," Suzaku said.
Pink dusted Monica's cheeks as she responded. "Maybe Gino should stop ditching me," Monica replied.
Gino shrugged. "I wanted to see how Suzaku and Lelouch were doing," Gino said.
Monica glared at him. "And to do that, you ran off when you and I were speaking with the duchess of my home province!" Monica scolded.
Suzaku looked at Gino like he was an idiot. "You actually did that? I'm not Britannian, and even I know that would be a serious insult," Suzaku said.
Lelouch massaged his temples. "Gino, did you snub the Duchess of New York province?" he asked.
Gino could only chuckle nervously.
Monica crossed her arms. "Not only that, but you are my date to this ball. Do you know how embarrassing your actions were for me!?" Monica yelled.
Gino scratched his neck as Monica continued to rant.
"Not only did you snub the Duchess of my province, but also my vassals! Do you know how humiliating it was for I, the countess of New York, to be walked out on in front of the lords and ladies that owe me their fealty!?" Monica ranted.
Lelouch decided to step in before Gino was murdered by an angry Monica. "Monica, perhaps you and Gino should find a more secluded place to conclude your argument?" he asked rhetorically as he gestured to the nobles who were staring at them.
Gino went as white as a sheet. "Please no…" Gino attempted to get out of this arrangement before Monica could agree to it.
Monica grabbed his shoulder and began to drag him away. "Come, Gino, it's time to conclude this conversation in privacy," Monica said sweetly.
"Monica, mercy! please have mercy!" Gino half whimpered, and half screamed.
Suzaku and Lelouch watched as they retreated from the ballroom, where Gino would likely be slapped into oblivion.
Lelouch breathed a sigh of relief. "Let's find Gottwald, shall we?" he said.
Suzaku bowed. "As you will, your highness," Suzaku said.
He didn't like it when Suzaku spoke to him in such a subservient manner, but it was necessary to avoid scrutiny considering the present company.
Lelouch wandered around the ballroom, greeting dignitaries as he went with Suzaku following behind him, before finally finding Villetta and Jeremiah drinking together on a balcony with files strewn around them. It was a very odd sight indeed.
Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "Am I interrupting something, Jeremiah?" he asked.
Jeremiah shook his head. "No, your highness, Villetta and I were merely brainstorming," Jeremiah said.
Lelouch raised an eyebrow, and he could practically hear the furrow of Suzaku's brow behind him. "What kind of brainstorming?" he asked.
"What the name of your royal guard should be, how big it should be, the name of your own personal militia, who should lead both organizations, which Knights should be the members of your own militia, etc," Villetta said.
In Britannia, a royal guard is a somewhat exclusive military unit of around 2000-4000 soldiers typically led by a colonel who is sworn to the royal in question.
Meanwhile, a Knight militia is a squad of Knights who have sworn to serve a royal, a noble, or a Knight of the round table. The benefactor in question typically funded and equipped them with his or her own money. A Prince's Knight of honor could also lead said squad in their stead.
"How did my siblings handle this?" he asked, he already vaguely knew the answer, but he wanted some examples visualized to streamline this process.
Jeremiah answered him. "The prime minister has a royal guard of 2000 soldiers called the Green dragons, the chief general has a royal guard of 4000 soldiers known as the Palatine host. The prime minister has a militia called the Knights of the Tudor rose, although it is widely accepted that the members of his Knights were chosen as political favors to his allies. You likely already know of the Glaston Knights," Jeremiah said.
Lelouch nodded; Jeremiah's information was indeed accurate. "Schneizel desires the throne, and our family claims dubious descent from Henry IX, so he named his militia after the Tudors as a way of reinforcing his claim," he added.
'Of course, Schneizel has admitted to me that this is likely hogwash, but styling himself as a descendent of the Tudor dynasty won him minor support from the Euro-Britannians,' he thought.
"As for Cornelia, she confessed to me that she really liked Roman history and named her Royal guard after the Palatine hills," he said.
Villetta blinked. "Really?" Villetta asked.
Lelouch nodded. "Even Cornelia has hobbies and interests outside of warfare," he said.
'This is turning into a massive tangent,' he thought to himself.
"Do you have candidates in mind for my future militia?" he asked.
Villetta nodded and handed him two files.
Lelouch opened up the first one and began to abridge the contents allowed. "Sir Ledo Offen, age: unknown, enlisted in the Britannian army when he was estimated to be around 14, he passed basic training with flying colours, after which he managed to get into the Knightmare corps. His top efficiency rating is in the 80th percentile. He's well known as one of the better Knightmare pilots in the army despite his humble birth." he summarized.
"A commoner orphan? Elevating him to such a high position should send a good message," Suzaku commented.
Lelouch nodded his head in agreement before taking the following file out. "Sir Schnee Hexenhaus, heir to the Duke of Idaho, Kimmel Hexenhaus. Age:16, enlisted in the army at 14 and became an actively serving Knightmare pilot at 15. His top efficiency rating is also in the 80th percentile. He's well known as one of the best Knightmare snipers in the army, and he is known for being an idealist," he summarized.
"Oh, Schnee? He's my Nephew," Jeremiah commented.
"Your Nephew?" Suzaku said, confused.
Jeremiah nodded. "Yes, he's the son of my eldest sister, Elga Hexenhaus nee Gottwald," Jeremiah explained.
Lelouch turned to Jeremiah. "What is the boy like?" he asked.
Jeremiah sighed. "A bit like me in my younger days, he isn't quite a purist, but that doesn't mean that he'd happily fight side by side with numbers and commoners either," Jeremiah answered.
Lelouch rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Would you recommend him for the position, Gottwald?" he asked.
Jeremiah nodded. "Yes, if nothing else, his skills would be useful, and if I can try to sway him over to the righteous path, then all the better," Jeremiah replied.
Before Lelouch could respond, he was interrupted by a commotion.
"His Majesty!"
"What's she doing here?!"
"I thought she had been disowned and exiled!"
"Prince Clovis and Princess Guinevere are with them..."
"They are surely behind this; there is no question."
Lelouch looked over towards the other party-goers. "What's going on in there?" he asked.
Suzaku, from his place closest to the ballroom, turned back to Lelouch with a worried expression marring his otherwise polite visage. "Lelouch, you might want to come and see this," Suzaku said.
Lelouch nodded and stepped back into the ballroom; after pushing his way past the courtiers, he came upon quite the sight.
Marrybell was kneeling before the Emperor, with Guinevere and Clovis standing on each side of her.
"Marrybell Mel Britannia," the Emperor began, "Do you swear to uphold the virtues of the Imperial Family and to act as is expected of a Princess of the realm, and you apologize for your past uncouth conduct towards me?" The Emperor questioned.
Marrybell kept her eyes to the ground. "I do, your Majesty," Marrybell answered.
The Emperor snorted. "Then arise, Marrybell Mel Britannia, eighty-eight princess of the Holy Britannian Empire," The Emperor said.
Marrybell stood, and with that action, her royal status had been restored.
Arthur's note:
I am very sorry for the long wait for this chapter, but for some reason, this particular chapter was a massive pain in the ass to write. I don't know if it was because of all the moving parts in this chapter, my fatigue from writing too much dialogue and intrigue with little to no action, or the fact that this chapter was mainly character-focused and didn't have much plot progression, with only the chance meeting with Lloyd, the "brainstorming" with Jerry and Villetta, and the ending with Marrybell driving the actual plot of the fic along.
I won't be answering the previous chapter's reviews this chapter, mostly because I think these Author's notes are too long, and because I just want to finish this f*cking chapter already. But I will answer some concerns you might have.
Marrybell's place in the succession: I know that some fans believe that Marrybell doesn't fit into the world due to being older than Euphemia but being placed far lower in the succession. My headcanon, which I will be using for this fic, is that Marrybell was the original third Princess of the Empire, with Euphemia initially being the fourth Princess. But when Marrybell was exiled, she lost her place in the succession, and Euphemia took her place as the third princess. When Marrybell returned to the family, she was given a far lower place in the succession, hence why she is the eighty-eight Princess. I'm not sure whether or not this explanation makes sense, and I'm sure some reviewers could poke holes in it, but in my defense, the royal numbering system has always made little to no sense in code geass.
Suzaku and Lloyd not getting along very well: This happened due to several converging factors. First, Suzaku is firmly in Lelouch's camp, so to have this eccentric scientist that is technically Schneizel's subordinate come up to him and offer him a job seems rather fishy to this version of Suzaku. Second, Suzaku isn't a desperate foot soldier with no other option but to accept Lloyd's offer like in canon, here, he is practically already Lulu's Knight of Honor, and the Military has reluctantly given him recognition for his talents because of this, so he doesn't have to say yes to have a shot at accomplishing his goals, unlike in canon. Third, Lloyd can be a bit difficult to get along with; Suzaku was able to put up with him in R1 because he was his sole benefactor for a long time, but here he has a bit of a chip on his shoulder due to living in the heart of Britannian Xenophobia for so long, so he's much more likely to snap at Lloyd when he speaks so flippantly to Lelouch and himself. (It also doesn't help that Cecile wasn't there at the time).
The Lancelot!?: Yes, Spinzaku is getting the Lancelot in this fic, although he'll be starting out with an inferior prototype model for now. The Lancelot will be created sometime around the start of canon, as I imagine that the Lancelot would take years to build, especially since Lloyd has a tendency to overdesign his favorite toys.
Knight Militias, and royal guards: Contrary to how they are portrayed in most Prince Lelouch fanfics, a Royal guard is a military unit of a few thousand men typically under the command of a colonel. This seems to be supported by what we see in R2, where Lelouch and Charles have thousands of Royal guards. However, Cornelia seems to have an elite squad of Knights with a fancy name and everything. Similarly, in the manga, Suzaku has an elite team of Knights called the Konoe Knights. In this fic, a "Knight Militia" is an elite squad of Knights sworn to a Royal/Lord/whatever that is personally funded by their benefactor.
Be sure to give me ideas for more members of Lelouch's Knight militia btw; it's surprisingly hard to find Britannian Knightmare pilots who aren't already sworn to or destined to be sworn to a liege lord. So far we have, Viletta, Schnee, and Ledo. Schnee and Ledo are from the Lancelot and Guren manga btw, they are Suzaku's subordinates in said manga.