Disclaimer: I have no rights to Code Geass or out-of-this-world characters.
New Pendragon.
Palace of the Archprinces.
September 28, 2034 a.t.b.
The place where a once-crippled and completely reliant on the mercy of the environment and fate a girl, with long sandy-colored hair stayed alone, was too adequate for her present condition. Twilight was absolutely ubiquitous, throughout the throne room, and only very faint ceiling lamps were any source of light. In many ways, the disturbing and dark room resembled the former throne room in the imperial Pendragon Palace, but these were only appearances. In fact, the throne room, in which the Archduchess of the Britannian Principality stayed, was diametrically opposed to the now defunct room that was seen live by a very small group of people, despite its many years of history.
The new throne room was made of perfectly polished marble, which was in places decorated with golden decorations, paintings and sculptures, and the floor was made of black granite, and only the red carpet made the bottom a real abyss of impenetrable darkness.
The aforementioned red carpet ran all the way from the great door and finally led to a modest and wooden throne, and behind the throne was a flag hanging, and it extended from the ceiling to the ground. the cross of Saint George on a blue background, with a golden shield, the field of which was strongly dark blue, and in the field a lion and a serpent. The flag was an unmistakable proof that this place belonged to the Principality of Britannia, formed less than sixteen years earlier, built on the ruins of the Holy Britannian Empire which had collapsed at the moment when it seemed to be an unwavering and absolute hegemon on a global scale. It only took one man's chest to pierce another to end the Britannian dream of world domination forever.
The death of the Ninety-ninth Britannian Emperor , Lelouch vi Britannia, called the Demon Emperor by his enemies, seemed to be the moment when the last tyrant of mankind died. The death of this one man was to be the beginning of a wonderful new era of peace and prosperity, an era of universal prosperity. The beginning of a new world, devoid of all wars.
However, all hopes for eternal peace turned out to be in practice what they had been for a cool rationalist from the beginning, a dream detached from reality. For those who, in all their naivety, had fallen into this illusion, it was now only a bitter disappointment, reminding them that human nature and the world will never change. Even if there were a thousand bloody and cruel tyrants in one year who would rule in all the countries of the world and who would then be overthrown, human nature would never change.
At this point, it seemed undeniable, but for the sand-haired archduchess it was not, of course, those less than sixteen years ago, when her older brother naively sacrificed himself for wishful thinking, which ultimately turned out to be a vision of a softer world.
"The world of people is a really nasty place, full of death, poverty, decay and mutual hatred," said casually and with a heavy sigh, like the stone of Sisyphus, the archduchess, whose mood has deteriorated significantly over the last year, which has not been without impact on her health. Over the past five months or so, the thirty-year-old ruler of what was once the most powerful nation on earth has been increasingly plagued by sleeplessness, lack of concentration, and dizziness. It seemed that right now she was struck by a peculiar punishment of providence for all her mistakes committed in less than sixteen years, since she first took the throne of the Holy Britannian Empire, as the hundredth and so far the last empress of an empire that no longer existed, and then, just a few months after taking the throne, as the first Archprincesss of the Britannian Principality.
This woman, from the very beginning of her reign, struggled with a number of various problems. Ranging from the disgruntled ex-nobles, the supporters of imperial politics, and the so-called purists, or ex-servicemen, dissatisfied with Britannian's new direction, all because of decolonization. The decision on the accession of the Principality to the United Federation of Nations was also unpopular, as was the necessity to demilitarize the principality.
The requirement to disband the army made hundreds of thousands of people unemployed, which made them very often involved in political struggle, mainly on the side of the radicals. But now, month by month, no week by week, the situation in the entire principality was getting worse and worse.
The war reparations imposed on Britannia about ten years ago were an increasing burden on her already very modest budget, but it was not the greatest of the problems the principality faced at present. The biggest problem was the ubiquitous economic crisis in the country, caused by, among other things, burdensome reparations, but not only because, as if all this were not enough, the Britannian economy was also severely hit by a severe economic sanction by the rest of the UFN state, which nevertheless were in one block with Britannia, showed great hostility to the old empire, and a sincere desire for revenge for many years of abusing them.
Indeed, the motives of individual UFN countries were clearly petty and short-sighted. In the country - mainly in large urban agglomerations - hunger and organized crime were spreading, robberies were more frequent, especially in large cities. As a result of the crisis, many farms went bankrupt, which only worsened the tragic situation in the principality. As if all this was not enough, unemployment has soared to a level unseen since the Blood Emblem and the related civil war, which has not devastated Britannian's economy as much as the last decade of so-called peace. However, all these problems were just the tip of a mighty iceberg.
Perhaps the principality's greatest problem was its political fragmentation, best exemplified by the incessant scandals in the House of Commons, the principality's unicameral parliament. As a result of the crisis, dozens of political parties emerged, with their own program for the principality, often their members fought with each other, both verbally and physically, and often with fatal consequences.
There were five of the most important and powerful political parties in the principality: the Loyalist party, the Democratic party, the Marxist party, the Darwinist party, and the vi Britannia party.
A loyalist party that wields power in the principality and supports the Archprincess in her endeavors, but remains in power solely through electoral fraud, and is highly corrupt in itself.
Democratic party, seeking the complete abolition of the monarchy and demanding the total transfer of power to the people, but bursting at the seams with corrupt and depraved individuals.
The Marxist party - as well as the Democrats - striving to abolish the monarchy, nationalize the means of production, introduce collectivization of agriculture and introduce the dictatorship of the proletariat in the principality, its members often carried out terrorist attacks or kidnappings for ransom.
The Darwinist party, seeking to restore the former monarchy and noble system, was the most funded party of all, as its leadership was made up of wealthy ex-nobles who had not been removed by Emperor Lelouch's purges.
The last, and perhaps most popular among the masses, party vi Britannia, made up of both ordinary people and some ex-nobles who supported reforms in the empire during the time of Emperor Charles, this party had one and specific purpose, the restoration of the order that ruled under Emperor Lelouch. while supporting his illegitimate son, Alexander, to the throne.
All these parties constantly fought with each other for influence, unable to conclude a permanent agreement, and if you add the fact that, due to the disastrously carried out demilitarization, all these groups had their own militias, literally armed to the teeth, the outbreak of the civil war was only a matter of time.
It was clear that as soon as a major event occurred in the principality that would stir up society, it would only be a matter of time before the civil war broke out. However, there are still two questions pending. Namely, when and where the civil war will begin. Britannian, in its present state was like a powder keg that could explode at any moment.
The thirty-year-old archduchess sighed, after a few minutes of wandering and pondering all the problems of the present. Her head began to burst with pain, so she closed her eyes for a moment, trying to minimize the uncomfortable effect of the sleepless night. For about a few minutes, she considered her next steps. Reasonable long-term planning was worth its weight in gold in this situation. However, she couldn't shake the memories of a series of mistakes from her mind.
"You were so stupid and naive, Nunnally," she whispered her name, with obvious and infinite disgust, then opened her eyes, revealing her purple eyes, a pair of small balls that clearly showed all her toil, exhaustion and disappointment with the new world that was supposed to be softer .
"I need to walk and rest, I have no strength left to deal with the politics and management of this failing state," she said helplessly, then rose from her throne, and immediately started towards the gate. However, before that she had stopped, only to look at one of the mirrors, clothed in a gilded frame, what she saw terrified, as every day when she looked in the mirror. The once young and cheerful girl undoubtedly died like a god. What the Archprincess was observing now was a shadow of a once positive child, black eyes, weak and falling out hair, and finally her skin, pale as snow, are just some of the signs of her disastrous state of health.
The Archprincess drew closer, only capable of continuing to observe what was left of her after many years of overwork and constant stress.
She was about to move, but decided to turn back and head to her private chambers, only to avoid unnecessary attention. It was no secret that the archduchess had her own little garden. Intended for use by her and a narrow circle of her closest people. It had taken her more than five minutes to get there, all the time she had thought of nothing to avoid overexertion.
Nunnally vi Britannia, the first Archprincess of the Britannian Principality, entered her garden almost exhausted after a hard day's work. It was already dark, too late to admire the beauty of her own work. Perhaps she was busy with work, but in her free time she loved to take care of the garden, it was an ideal psychological medicine, effectively supporting her in her extremely difficult and constantly restless life. It was extremely relaxing to detach from reality and deal with flowers.
Even though it was night over the city and the hands of the New Pendragon clocks showed 11pm, the moonlight perfectly illuminated the unusually rich flower arrangement. Surprisingly diverse in terms of colors, surfinie were the best example of this, colors ranging from white through pink, red and purple, ending with fillet. The rose present in the garden also bloomed well this year, the aforementioned flowers were extremely numerous, there were also plenty of them, but the dominant ones were damask roses in yellow and red, and wild roses in white. Of course, these were not all the flowers present in the Archduchess' garden, but these were the most exposed and the most numerous.
Nunnally sat comfortably in the chair in one of the pavilions here. From here, she had a perfect view of the city streets, which, despite the late hour, were still flourishing with life. Probably a large part of these people were people who worked additional shifts to support themselves or their immediate family. Undoubtedly, they were people working beyond all their strength to make ends meet somehow, in these very difficult times for all. Nunnally sincerely wished she were practically cut off from the common people. Not without reason, because most of them sincerely hated her, for making their decisions that they live in a real hell on earth.
Her memories came back after a short moment to that fateful day, exactly sixteen years ago, her older brother died in what seemed to be a moment of his triumph, and a confirmation of his unimpaired domination over the world. Execution of the most important people from the UFN, the last point on the way to absolute power of the Demonic Emperor, at least apparently. However, it actually turned out to be part of a larger plan that ultimately failed in every way. The ruthless and brutal world cruelly verified the naivety of her brother's plan.
"At the beginning of my reign, I naively believed that after your death and the realization of Zero Requiem, the world would become a much more peaceful and friendly place. The United Federation of Nations then comprised over eighty percent of the world. However, the decolonization process effectively reduced this number, as not all liberating nations wanted to join the UFN, some even started to fight each other after some time." The Archprincess thought, frustrated at her helplessness in all of this. Perhaps her official power over Britannia was quite strong, the prime minister and government were accountable to her, but not elected. In practice, after all, the Archprincess was nothing more than an ornamental decoration meant to look pretty at best. The faction of the so-called loyalists, although apparently their ardent supporters, in practice, they only used it and its image. Despite all this, however, Archduchess Nunnally had a strong influence on the politics of the principality.
"There are countless problems, in the world and within the country, but that's not all," the Archprincess sighed as soon as her mind remembered a certain power that refused to join the FNZ. A power whose creation was obviously the grand plan of one of its half-brothers.
"European Empire," she whispered softly the name of her stepbrother's empire, but did so with some admiration. Once Prince Dracord di Britannia, initially tenth prince of the Britannian Empire , Grand Duke of Texas, Earl of Austin and hand of the Emperor, now someone else entirely. Dracan von Europe, the first emperor of Europe, also known as the Founder, or simply the Silver Dragon. "I wish you were in my position, Dracord, you were able to cope with governing in a reality where your empire was surrounded on all sides by enemies."
"If only I was like you," she sighed, then reached for the bottle of wine lying on the table, and next to it stood a glass, adequate to the type of drink.
The Archduchess poured out the substances to the point where it almost spilled, and then drank the entire contents of the glass, all in order to detach herself from reality even for a moment. Recently, indulging in intoxication became more frequent for the Archduchess. The moments of detachment from all the world's problems, although extremely fleeting, were extremely soothing, both for the heart and for the soul.
"Who is there?" Asked the Archduchess in surprise, as soon the door to her private garden opened.
Nunnally immediately set her glass down, refusing to reveal to a potential third party her weakness in relation to fine drinks. However, it soon became clear who had visited her that night.
"It's you William." Nunnally smiled slightly as she saw a fifteen-year-old, tall, slender young man with black hair and purple eyes approaching her. William li Britannia, the first Prince of Britain. The young man looked almost like a combination of his mother Kornela and father Gilbert. A proud and handsome crown prince, with hair down to his neck, wearing an unremarkable black suit. Unlike many people, he did not need fancy clothes to look intimidating, his proud and awe-inspiring demeanor was more than enough to embarrass many a war veteran or an extremely arrogant politician.
"Hello, Aunt," replied the young man, his tone of voice was clearly quite high, still marked by a mutation directly related to puberty. The teenager quickly noticed an open bottle of wine, and a dirty glass, he could only sigh. -I see that you are again trying to console yourself with a noble drink. However, is it really worth indulging into alcohol intoxication, gaining moments of respite from the burden of reality, but in exchange for your health?
While it was technically a question, it felt almost like an accusation in the end. It was impossible to deny the boy his perceptiveness and brilliant mind. Playing chess, he often showed obvious talent and tactical sense. You might think that he was exactly what was expected of a crown prince, but that's just an appearance. Despite all his talents, William was often quick-tempered and overconfident.
Nunnally couldn't hold back a sob because of her nephew's concern. She was the least deserving of it of all people, at least that was her opinion, though it was not unfounded. The one who betrayed her own brother at a crucial moment, standing on the side of his enemies and in opposition to his crazy plan, even if she was not aware to some extent of the futile pursuit of her older brother. Even though there were thousands of excuses for what she did then, such as wanting to keep Lelouch from using his powers, geass, she still couldn't forgive herself for this betrayal, even after so many years since those fateful days .
"It's really pathetic what you've been doing to yourself these past years," William continued his tirade about her alcoholism for about a minute longer, then turned down to another topic.
"Can I make a suggestion?" He asked, his expression making it clear that it wouldn't be anything to please Nunnally's ears. However, despite this, the former empress did not object, on the contrary, decided to listen to him from beginning to end and ordered him to speak.
"You began to feel overwhelmed by the loads of responsibilities and work, I began to notice it since I was eight and was relatively aware of the harsh and unpleasant reality surrounding me. But back then, I was just a little boy with a potential that was impossible to use usefully. Now, however, I am one step into adulthood. But you dear aunt, you are getting weaker and weaker, either by stress or by more and more responsibilities, the excess of which begins to overwhelm you and consume you completely. Simply put, please grant me the status of ducal regent so that I can effectively replace you, should the need arise, of course. And with your deteriorating health, a necessity is more than likely.
Nunnally was silent for a moment, considering his rather bold proposition, and a basically impudent proposition, nevertheless fully justified by the circumstances. It was all too clear that Archduchess Nunnally vi Britannia was severely weakened in all the years she had struggled to rule a decaying country. She herself was fully aware of this, and every moment of her existence only reminded us of it in a way that was too intrusive.
"Should I place such a great responsibility on the shoulders of a 15-year-old teenager who has his whole life ahead of him?" The question echoed in her mind, like the sound of a drop falling into the water that carries over the entire cave. The Archprincess thought about this for a moment longer. Right now, her nephew sometimes took care of some duties in the principality, which was sufficient for such a young person. However, his logic and arguments could not be dismissed.
"Why?" She asked briefly in her answer. The question was quite legitimate. Why should a fifteen-year-old who has not even finished high school take on such a great responsibility.
William smiled at her question. His expression was at least attractive and warm, but there was something very deceptive about it as well.
-Because it is my duty as Crown Prince to take on this great responsibility. - He replied with complete confidence. -It has been my destiny since I descended into the world. Taking responsibility for the fate of the entire country is my birth duty which I must fulfill, no matter what the cost. Even if it becomes necessary to lose my soul, I must do my duty.
-But otherwise. William continued, but now, his tone of voice and expression have become much sadder, more gloomy, undoubtedly full of sincere pity. -I can't let this burden destroy you, Auntie. You are one of the greatest people I have ever known, you do not deserve to be swallowed up by the burden of duty.
The Archprincess could not help but smile warmly at her nephew's reply. Undoubtedly, caring for her was one of his top priorities.
-Not now. Nunnally replied briefly and succinctly, leaving no room for any understatement. Then she put her hand on her nephew's shoulder, who was clearly disappointed in that answer, though he didn't seem particularly surprised. -William, you are still very young, at your age I did not bother to make such, partly because I had no influence on it. Nevertheless, your words make it clear to me that when the time is right, you will be a truly great Archduke, certainly better than I ever have been.
After these words, she struggled to get up from the chair and quickly walked over to her nephew. She knelt gracefully in front of him, then placed her right hand on his left cheek and smiled slightly, but warmly, putting her whole heart into that one smile.
"However, my beloved William, that day has not come yet, and it will not come soon," she continued, then decided to advise her nephew something. - Use your youth while you still can. During the reign of your grandfather, you would have been actively involved in political activities and a constant struggle for power and influence, the ultimate goal of which would be to secure the crown of the entire empire. The strongest, no, the most powerful and the best would be able to take the throne and take everything, while eliminating all competitors on the road. Let me put it straight, I want to end this tradition.
William listened patiently, was pleased with his aunt's willingness. Nevertheless, he was pained to be unable to lift even a tiny fraction of the weight off her shoulders. He could not get over this subtle fact, but nevertheless decided not to oppose her decision.
-I understand, aunt- accepted her decisions, despite everything and with great reluctance. But then, he remembered to mention a few more topics. "I need to discuss with you a few more issues directly related to the raison d'état of the principality and to international issues.
"Even though I have entrusted you with only a few problems to solve, you are doing far more than anyone could expect from you. -Nunnally rose from the ground. Then she sighed, partially dissatisfied with the fact that her heir was taking on so many responsibilities rather than enjoying life while he still could, but some part of her was genuinely proud of her nephew and crown prince.
"What exactly did you want to talk to me about?"
-The first and, in my opinion, the most important issue is the construction of sacuradite mines in Alaska, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Nevada. William began with a smile on his lips, bringing the good news. -In Texas and Alaska, they have been completed, they will start operating at the end of this year and it is estimated that tax revenues only from mines in these counties will be enough to start rebuilding the country, already now Minister of Development, Conrad White, plans to subsidize some key industries and allocating a portion of the proceeds to pay off war reparations.
There was nothing else to add to make Nunnally feel a little bit of relief in her heart. At least one of the problems consuming her country has become much smaller. Nevertheless, a few more issues remain.
-And what exactly did you want to talk to me about when you were talking about foreign issues? - She asked, she was genuinely curious about the topic her nephew would raise. Nevertheless, she sincerely hoped that only one issue, which had caused her a lot of pain so far, would not be raised.
-It's about the European Empire- William instantly completely changed his expression and tone of voice. It took a fraction of a second for the proud young man to become deadly serious. - Emperor Dracan the Founder, my uncle, began building the first-ever human space colony, moreover, recently Black Knights intelligence informed us about the latest information on the empire's newest Knightmare Frames, the TIE Stormtrooper, an eighth generation machine that could safely stop ninth generation machines if the unit is operated by a sufficiently competent pilot. Apparently, my uncle's empire produces such units en masse, their performance is reportedly enormous, and their price is low for a Knightmare Frames. There is no doubt that Emperor Dracan is striving for world domination, but no one is sure when this will happen.
The mere mention of the European Empire brings Nunnally to happy memories of her early childhood. The Archduchess recalled how one day Dracord had been forcibly disguised as a woman. However, unlike Lelouch - who had very feminine features - Dracord always had very angular and masculine features, which made him look grotesque when disguised as a woman.
"European Empire," Nunnally whispered, as if the name were utterly unnatural, her expression grew deadly serious. After that, the Archduchess got up from her chair and headed for the door leading to her private chambers. -Let's talk about it on the way to my office, Willi. Her tone of voice was overtly malicious, and her eyes were at least mischievous. All because of the nickname the Crown Prince received from one of his teachers and member of the Glinda Knights, Nonette Enneagram, a former Knight of the Round Table, very well known for her carefree and in some places even scandalous.
"Don't call me that," William growled, a little irritated, which amused Nunnally and broke the heavy mood that had lingered in the air for the last few moments, like fate over the damned. Nevertheless, despite his annoyance, the Crown Prince went after his aunt, tacitly agreeing to her proposals.
"Emperor Dracan, no, Dracord, has always been the biggest mystery to me in my life." Not only to me, he was always quite mysterious, his motivations and ultimate goal were a complete mystery to everyone, even until the last moments. Even on June 17, two thousand and seventeen, when Dracord crowned himself the first emperor of Europe and turned Euro Britain into the European Empire, changing his name to Dracan and his surname to von Europe, it was also unknown what he really intended - Nunnally, despite practically zero contact with one of her favorite stepbrothers and the sadness associated with it, she was able to speak it all quite freely. Pleasant memories and sincere love for my stepbrother definitely outweighed the sadness.
"Aunt," William said, tearing the Archduchess out of her memories. -Is Uncle Dracan the kind of monster and despot our media paints him?
The question that had to be said sooner or later was absolutely inevitable.
The question about Dracan was quite specific, as Nunnally was unable to find a simple answer to it. The crimes committed by Dracord and his soldiers have never been a secret. The infamous Moscow slaughter, numerous shootings of captured terrorists on Hokkaido. And the purges of the former and rebellious part of the nobility from Euro Britain. It was really a lot. There was no doubt that Dracan von Europe had blood on his hands.
There was a part of Nunnally who wanted to hate Dracan - despite the pleasant memories of her early childhood - but the other part of the archduchess could not hide her admiration for the man. Dracan may have committed a series of unforgivable crimes, but ultimately it is the man who built a powerful and brilliantly developed empire in just twenty years of his life, even the capital Draconia, located west of the Ural Mountains, was built from scratch.
Besides, the Archprincess had another reason why she couldn't hate the Silvery Dragon, as some called him. This reason was the admission to his country of a woman and her two children. The woman who bore her brother's children in her womb. A woman who fought with all her might for the right to life for her children, in a world that almost entirely denied them the right to life, all three of them. Her for having children with the Demonic Emperor, her child, just simple sin, having Emperor Lelouch's blood.
"I don't know," Nunnally replied shortly, not knowing exactly what kind of answer she should separate. Too many conflicting feelings to be able to make a definite opinion. She looked at her nephew. Both were looking straight into each other's eyes at that moment.
"I can't give you a definite answer to this question, William," she added after a moment, still tormented by conflicting emotions. "I know for sure that your uncle is certainly not as repugnant as everyone outside the European Empire would like to see him." It certainly doesn't kill millions for no good reason. In some respects, I am inclined to admire him, for he fully deserves the nickname "Founder," for it is not often a man with such determination that he has literally built his empire of his own free will and prior preparation. the world, well, actually it already does, but it does not dominate the world militarily, like my father and your grandfather, but economically and technologically. The construction of space colonies is the best example of this. Extracting sacuradite from under the Ural mountains also. I have no doubt that my stepbrother wants to do great things and is actively committed to it, even though he already has a guaranteed place in the history books.
"Not only are you inclined to admire him," William did not wait too long with his reply, he spoke with some puzzlement in his voice. - You sincerely admire him.
His last words would have sounded almost like an accusation, but they were absolutely true nonetheless. Nunnally, she had sincere admiration for her half-brother.
"It's hard for me not to admire him," she said, the smile decorating the face of the 30-year-old woman, was as sincere and genuine as possible. "Despite all his crimes, thanks to the power of fear and his own intelligence, he created a superpower consisting of the former lands: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Finland, the Baltic and Caucasian countries. Additionally, as I mentioned before, he was surrounded practically from the beginning by the enemies themselves, who were just waiting for his more serious mistake, but this never happened. Undoubtedly, he had been planning to build this empire for many years, otherwise he would not have been able to do it all. In fact, I wish he had become the next Emperor of Britannia, he would have been much better than me, given the true nature of this cruel world."
"Don't say that, Aunt," William spoke almost immediately. -You have done a lot, yes, you have made mistakes, but each of us makes hundreds of them throughout our lives, that's what makes us human. The tendency to make mistakes and correct them is very human.
"But he did not bring the country to ruin," she whispered, with obvious bitterness in the tone of her voice. However, she did it quietly enough that William didn't hear anything. After that, however, she did not say a word, and the rest of the walk passed in absolute silence. William didn't ask anything, but from his expression it was clear that something was bothering him.
As she headed for her destination, the Archprincess was silently grateful to Rakshata Glory, chief engineer of the Black Knights, for having successfully operated on her with implants and prostheses implanted in her body, allowing her to walk again.
"At least the new world has one advantage," thought the Archduchess with a sad smile on her lips. Perhaps the new world gave her something of itself, but many others have lost something.
After a minute or so, both Nunnally and William reached the former's office. When the lights were turned on, it became clear that the room was very well lit. The radiance betrayed the modesty of the office. Pillars, sparse ornaments and furniture, all of it essentially simple and devoid of unnecessary splendor, was all too stark contrast to a throne room dripping with splendor.
Nunnally immediately headed for the desk, and sat down on the simple armchair positioned just behind the piece of furniture. William, in turn, chose a seat opposite, a simple but comfortable black leather armchair.
"All the way I had an overwhelming impression that you were going to ask me something, but for some reason unknown to me, you paused-she started another conversation with her nephew, taking the opportunity to measure him with her eyes." You can ask if you absolutely want to, even if it is inconvenient for me.
The Crown Prince took a breath as if he were preparing to make some astronomical effort beyond the reach of the common man. It didn't bode well for me.
" I wanted to ask about your brother. '' He began with a slight but noticeable resistance in his voice, as if he was internally reluctant to ask this question, and he was quite right about it, because the topic of older brother Nunnally was basically a taboo subject about which you didn't talk. "I want to know who Emperor Lelouch really was?"
At first the Archprincess did not react to his question at all, only blinked once after a while, but the expression on her face was indifferent. William had no doubt that his aunt was facing a storm of emotion.
"Why are you asking this?" She asked, leaning back in her chair. She was genuinely curious as to her nephew's motives.
"Today, in the course of history lessons, I began to learn about the modern times," William began. Admittedly, from an early age he absorbed history and knowledge about it, including contemporary history. Nevertheless, he never dared to ask about this thorny subject, at least not his aunt, because of the sensitivity of the subject. "As you may have guessed, I had also been mentioned about the rule of the Demon Emperor. However, the lesson about him resembled more intrusive propaganda than attempts to objectively present the facts about his uncle."
"You don't need to say anything more, William, know that I understand you perfectly," she interrupted, previously raising her right hand and closing her eyes. "Do not be surprised that the lesson about my brother is, in fact, pushy propaganda. In fact, for years there has been an attempt in the principality to disgust this man completely, even by ascribing to him not his sins."
"So why didn't you do anything about it?" He asked, almost screaming and getting up from his seat. Sheer disbelief was painted on the young face of the Crown Prince. "You had the opportunity to force objective communication of the facts about this man. So why didn't you do anything about it? People have a right to know the truth."
"Because I have absolutely nothing to say on that one point," Nunnally almost sighed in sheer frustration, all out of necessity to explain herself to her nephew. The United Nations, and their propaganda machine, the aim of which is notoriously slander of the one who united the world first, under its strong and enlightened leadership. possible way wherever possible.
"I understand," was all William said after getting hold of his inner feelings, though it wasn't easy. Hearing that an allegedly acting for the good of the world, a supranational entity enforces the falsification of history, was something that caused the young prince to be pure furie. "So what was my uncle really like?"
There was silence in response, at least temporarily. Nunnally opened her eyes and looked at her nephew who wanted the truth. For a moment she hesitated, for she had two options: tell the truth or the convenient lie. Which of the two options is the lesser evil and which is the greater?
-You want to know the truth? She asked, but it was clear that it was nothing more than a rhetorical question. William nodded confidently, nevertheless, confirming his determination to know the truth.
"All right," the Archduchess spoke again after a while, satisfied with her nephew's attitude and ready to answer him, not necessarily truthfully. For a moment she felt a slight pain, at some points she had to either lie to her nephew or not tell the whole truth, which absolutely could not come out. Especially the truth about geass and that her brother was once a Zero. "Nevertheless, I'm not sure where to start when I'm talking about my brother."
"From the beginning," William said without hesitation, hungry to know someone who had been denied justice in the new world. -From the very beginning, because it is necessary for me to fully understand this man.
Nunnally smiled at his last words, fully pleased that at least one man in this world had not denied her humanity to her deceased brother.
"Okay then, I think it's best to start with our early childhood. My brother has always been overly considerate, ready to risk his own health if necessary, for my own sake alone. Once, even when I started to fall after climbing a tree, Lelouch, without hesitating, laid himself down to be okay, which ended up with a broken arm for him, and for me detention for a whole week and a whole tirade about caution from your mother . Besides, Lelouch was a fierce rival in the chess of your uncle, Dracan, and Schneizel, but he was practically always tied with the former and constantly losing against the latter, as was Dracan." Nunnally started her story with a sincere smile, she always enjoyed remembering this magical time, which unfortunately will never come back.
"Your brother was able to tie with Emperor Dracan?" William asked a little incredulously, for the Silver Dragon was very well known for his brilliant mind and chess talent. It wasn't surprising to hear that his older Scheizel el Britannia was able to beat him, but to hear that his younger Lelouch was able to draw with him was something really surprising. "Uncle Lelouch must have been really good at chess and had an extraordinary mind."
"He had," the Archduchess admitted impassively. "He was a brilliant kid, and although he and Dracan never faced each other in a major battle, I am sure they would be worthy opponents." Nevertheless, Dracan was always devoted to his studies, while Lelouch missed his lessons many times, considering them to be of little worth a waste of time, which irritated our mother tremendously.
"Empress Marianne vi Britannia was your mother, wasn't she?"
"In fact, formerly the daughter of one of the wealthier townspeople who lived in Pendragon, she later joined the military, where her talents and patronage from the Ashford family allowed her to become the sixth Knight of the Round Table, and eventually Emperor Consort. In any case, our childhood was fairly carefree and peaceful, apart from the notorious acts of hostility, on the part of some imperial spouses, who often came from powerful noble families, and other imperial princes and princesses."
"Your life has not been as easy and pleasant as probably most people thought about being a member of the imperial family. I am not particularly surprised by this, in feudal countries, or with a model similar to the feudal one, there were more than once bloody power struggles."
"That's true. As you probably know, members of the imperial family fought for power among themselves many times. At times, the rivalry among the imperial family was only a minor scuffle. Sometimes, it ended in skirmishes and the death of one of the fighters. And in still other cases, such as the Blood Emblem, it ended up with a real slaughter. However, the rivalry among imperial children and empresses grew much softer and subtle under my father, Charles zi Britannia."
"Nevertheless, our essentially peaceful life did not last long, because in 2009, our mother was attacked and she died as a result, and I was severely maimed. The result of the wounds sustained in the attack was my disability: lack of feeling in my legs and blindness. As if that were not enough, my father sent us to Japan as political hostages right after Lelouch demanded justice for our mother. Needless to say, this sending was basically an exile. "Nunnally spoke about these difficult and at the same time difficult moments for her and her brother, with sincere sadness, present both in her face, in her eyes, and in the tone of her voice."
William had no doubt that it was very difficult for her. All he could do in this situation was to look at his aunt with pity.
"So that's why Grandpa sent you two to this country into exile?" He asked, a bit intrigued by what a stay in that country could look like. However, on the other hand, William couldn't get over his sadness at knowing the fate of part of his family.
Nunnally just nodded, with sincere sadness, shedding a few tears as a result of the sadness.
"Unfortunately," was all she could breathe out before a stream of tears left her beautiful purple eyes. It wasn't long before she decided to cover her eyes to spare her nephew from seeing his aunt and archduchess in a state of utter depression.
William rose after a moment and immediately approached the Archduchess, embracing her with his young and full of strength arms. Nunnally returned the hug, with more tenderness than might be expected. Soon after, they both decided without a word to move to a nearby, quite elegant sofa.
"What happened next?" He asked, moment by moment more and more interested in what followed after the exile from Britannian Empire and their arrival in Japan.
"As father ordered, we went to the place of our exile. However, this exile was not as bad as it might appear." As soon as she began to remember those moments, her face seemed to brighten, like around the morning sky, under the strong pressure of the sun. "Lelouch expected that we would be accommodated with some noble family, meanwhile Prime Minister Kururugi himself welcomed us in his house. There we met his son, Suzaku."
"Then you met this traitor pf his own nation?" William asked, venom distinctly in his voice. He had no respect for this man for his notorious breach of his own ideals and the ideals of those whom he served.
"Yes, William," Nunnally confirmed, understanding her nephew's dislike of his uncle's best friend. "It was a really great time in our lives. You know, Suzaku and Lelouch genuinely hated each other at first, and they literally fought each other. However, where Suzaku was physically superior to my brother, Lelouch was able to make up almost anything with his intellect. Suz, as my brother and I began to call him, fortunately had a very intelligent cousin who successfully helped break the tense relationship between them. From that moment on, he and Lelouch became best friends."
"And then came the invasion of Japan and its transformation into Area Eleven."
"Yes, the time of relative peace and carefree is over. I don't know what exactly happened then, my brother and Suzaku didn't tell me everything. I have no doubt that they did not want to expose me to the cruelty of this world. My brother later told me that my father tried to kill us because the prime minister's house in which we were staying was bombed and completely destroyed."
William literally froze at her last words. The Crown Prince struggled to swallow his saliva, his dilated pupils best reflecting the shock that overwhelmed him. However, he didn't say a word as he waited for the rest of the story.
"However, taking into account the photos of: bombed cities, the bodies of civilians killed in mass executions, and the accounts of witnesses from those gloomy days. Anyway, after a while we managed to get in touch with the Ashford family and got help from them, but unfortunately we had to split up from Suzaku, and we didn't hear anything from him for a long time. That's basically all for our time in pre-war Japan and during the Britannian invasion."
"And what happened next?" William, despite asking the question, had already begun to guess what happened after the invasion and the transformation of Japan into a Britannian colony.
"The following years were basically quiet for us, even though the Japanese islands were far from fully stabilized. Nevertheless, the then ubiquitous terrorist attacks in the colonies carried out by Japanese terrorist cells did not affect our peaceful lifestyle. The Ashfords helped us a lot, their family started a school in the Tokyo Settlement, the Ashford Academy, which I and Lelouch started attending after we reached the right age, of course. In addition, the then head of the supporting family, Ruben Ashford, assigned us to a maid who quite unexpectedly turned out to be literally a Ninja, however ridiculous it might sound.
"What was that woman's name?" Asked the Crown Prince slightly doubtfully. "Or, if I'm still alive, of course. I must admit that I would like to meet this woman."
"Sayoko Shinozaki." Nunnally replied shortly. "You met a few times, though you probably don't remember it. She was our maid, she also looked after you until about the age of four. Right now, if I'm not mistaken, of course, he's doing some sort of mission for the Black Knights, scouting or infiltrating as well."
William nodded in response, then resolved to get the conversation back on track. "And what happened next? What exactly made your elder and loving brother become the Demon Emperor?" He asked twice.
"I have no idea. I can't tell you what exactly made my brother what he eventually became." She replied, releasing the lice previously on her feet. "Nevertheless, until the time of the SAS incident, the Black Rebellion and the first battle for the Tokyo Settlement, he remained what he was before: a loving, older brother, ready to do literally anything to ensure my safety and a dignified existence. Nevertheless, during the first Battle of Tokyo, something happened that made Lelouch lose his memory. I, in turn, was found by the imperial family, and sent straight to meet the emperor, but I don't want to talk about it, mainly because I'm not sure what actually happened then. All I know is that our friend Suzaku eventually became the seventh knight of the round."
For a moment, the room was deaf and unpleasant silence that was more eloquent than the scream of thousands of people, at one and the same moment. The Archduchess was clearly irritated and concerned about something at the same time.
William looked at his aunt, concerned about her mental state, but the Archduchess seemed to be reasonably well. Yet there was something clearly weighing on her heart.
"Anyway" Nunnally started after a moment as her expression became completely neutral. "Much later, shortly after the death of Governor Calares, I was appointed the new governor of the colony. I myself asked my father to assign me this position."
-"Emperor Charles allowed it?" Asked the Crown Prince incredulously, both in his voice and in his face.
Nunnally nodded in reply, then smiled again.
"Sounds unbelievable, doesn't it?" She asked, struggling to keep from bursting out laughing. "I, then a fifteen-year-old girl, disabled and completely unprepared to rule, asked for the management of a whole colony of the most powerful and terrifying man in the world."
"And yet there is a fact that, although absurd, still happened. William put in, and he didn't refuse a smile on his face either." Especially when we take into account the ideologies of social Darwinism, which was the basis of thinking both in the empire and, even more so, in the imperial family.
"Perhaps he wanted to give me a chance to prove my usefulness and devour a few weaker than me." Nunnally just shrugged. She giggled again, but this time because she imagined her father's expression when he heard her plead. For a moment she had the impression that at that moment his famous wig had almost fallen off his head. "Regardless of what motivated our father, the fact is that I was governor of Area Eleven. Although, as you may have already guessed, I was in fact only a puppet, in the hands of my advisers and members of the government."
Nunnally clenched her fists at sheer rage, a state induced by the mere mention of those nasty moments. William was a bit concerned about her condition, even terrified in fact. However, soon the Archduchess calmed down as soon as she realized that her nephew saw her like this.
"Regardless of all factors, I was the governor until the second battle for the Tokyo settlement. During which the F.L.E.I.J. was used. As a result, a large part of the settlement was literally annihilated, wiped off the face of the earth. I almost died myself, happily say the transport took me before it was too late."
"If my memory serves me right." The Crown Prince broke off. "It's the head that was used by the White Reaper, wasn't it?"
Nunnally shuddered as soon as she heard the nickname given to her friend by the soldiers of the United Europia. But still, she didn't say a word.
"Yes," was all that answered her nephew's question. "He fired this deadly weapon, killing millions of people. He did so in desperation, for in the course of the battle he was almost defeated by the ace of the Black Knights, Kallen Kōzuki."
"Mother of my cousins." He said softly, but not enough for Nunnally not to hear. Then he smiled slightly. "Your brother chose his victim really well, his animal drives and lusts."
Nunnally almost exploded as soon as she heard this innuendo about her brother. In addition, it was nothing more than a simple slander, invented by those who tried to rationally explain Kallen's pregnancy with Lelouch. However, it absolutely answered his simple question. Why a former Black Knight ace, she never terminated her pregnancy if she was raped. Some attributed it to the boundless love a mother has for her children, which was perfectly understandable.
"You can probably guess the rest by now, William." Nunnally almost snarled, but eventually he refrained from doing so.
"Yes." The Crown Prince replied, a sly smile on his lips. "During the battle, your brother regained his memories and decided to kill the emperor in order to seize the throne for himself. Eventually, thanks to his cleverness, intelligence and cunning, he managed to achieve his goal, after which he allied with the seventh knight of the round table and together they seized power over the empire. In the months that followed, they slaughtered the most important noble opponents who posed the greatest threat to their regime. They abolished the number system, turning all colonies into special zones, as well as destroyed the nobility system. Which ultimately leads us to the Battle of Mount Fuji, which was destroyed by the battle. Uncle managed to take control of Damocles, which gave him essentially unlimited power over the world. After the battle, he arrested all major Black Knights and those within his range. Probably also then, intoxicated with his immortal victory, he raped Miss Kōzuki, as a result of which his offspring were conceived. The only organized resistance was my mother and some Knights of Glinda who did not remain loyal to Marrybel mel Britannia. All of this leads us eventually to your brother's downfall, his death at the hands of Zero, who was supposed to die in the Second Battle of Tokyo, but apparently didn't. And so, your brother has finished his life, an end worthy of the tyrant he undoubtedly was."
"You are right William." Nunnally confirmed, which surprised the Crown Prince. "Lelouch was a tyrant, but in the ancient sense of the word. He came to unlimited power, destroying the nobility system, which was full of corrupt and depraved people. At the same time, my brother brought freedom and justice to millions who in the empire were constantly discriminated against and deprived of any future that might prove to be beneficial to them. Obtaining absolute power was necessary if the world as we knew it was to change in any way."
The Crown Prince listened to her praise with a slight disbelief, for someone who once stood for world peace and the peaceful resolution of conflicts now praised the greatest tyrant in the world. "You seem to completely ignore the fact that this man ordered your execution. In addition, millions of former noblemen lost their lives during his reign."
Nunnally nodded at him. "You are absolutely right, he ordered my execution as well as killed thousands of people who were completely removed from power. In hindsight, however, it was absolutely necessary if lasting peace was to be achieved in the world."
William watched the Archduchess in disbelief. He had expected to hear much in this conversation, but not the praise of the greatest tyrant in world history, or the praise of the many thousands of executions.
It was easy for Nunnally to see his expression, not at all surprised by his reaction. She could only sigh. After a short while, she glanced at a nearby clock, only to realize that it was already a few minutes after midnight.
"That's all for today, William." Her words marked the definitive end of the conversation, at least for the moment. "Return to your chambers in the palace, you must be well rested before tomorrow's lessons."
The Crown Prince said nothing, still shocked at her previous words. He merely rose from the sofa, bowed respectfully, and in the next few seconds left the office, leaving the Archprincess alone. She, in turn, decided to sit down at the desk again.
"To create a better world so that future generations can be free from my mistakes, I even have to lie to my own family." She whispered with a sad smile. "You promised me Lelouch that when I opened my eyes the world would be a softer place. Now it's nothing more than a unfulfilled promise."
After the last words, she decided to get ready for sleep, because from the morning she will have a lot of work, like every morning.
AN: Hello and best regards to my beloved readers.
In my humble work, I have introduced you to what I think and most likely would happen after the Zero Requiem. In introducing you to just a fraction of this world, I wanted it to be best portrayed from a purely logical perspective. Except for one item which is Dracan von Europe / Dracord di Britannia. It is an original character, created by me, initially for my deleted fic, under the title "Dragon Heart", but then, I used it while creating "Silvery Dragon", and he is the main character there. Let me put it straight, the story "Unfulfilled Promise" is a kind of continuation of the events of the SD, taking place in the same world. From what you may have read, Dracan managed to create his own empire, however why it was not absorbed by UFN, will be explained in other stories.
I hope you liked that not very optimistic presentation of the Code Geass world after Zero Requiem. I sincerely hope that you have not been wasted time reading this story. I encourage you to leave a comment and share your opinion, and to criticize if you did not like something, or if there is any mistake or inaccuracy in the story.
I wish you all the best and Give Up To My Venom.