Chapter 40 : Between convenience and remorse.

Leila and Esdeath were in an office, sitting facing each other. The blue stared impassively at the prisoner; she settled himself better in the chair, before starting to speak.

"Was the idea of torturing Lelouch yours?"

"No, about Ashley."

"I imagined ... Typical of that hot head. What did you hope to achieve with that barbarism? "

"Revenge our friends who died 4 years ago."

"We are at war, Leila. We need Lelouch to defeat the invaders. It must not be damaged, either physically or mentally, and you have tortured it. "

"I know ..." She admitted, looking down.

"You could be executed for this bravado, you know?"

"Yes."

"However the decision is up to the empress, and especially to Prince Lelouch."

"Knowing them I am certainly doomed."

"Certainly. But let's move on: why did you also target CC? "

"She is Lelouch's lover."

"Only for this?"

"Exact."

"Who else knew your intentions?"

"We proposed to Nina to take part in the punitive expedition, but she refused."

"I'll have to ask you a couple of questions. Do you have anything else to say? "

"Nothing."

"Very good ... Now you can go out."

"Yup."

"How did it go?" Harley asked, as soon as she saw her.

"I risk the death penalty. And you too."

"Lelouch has tyrannized humanity for years, and now he suddenly becomes the poor victim!" Ashley exclaimed, furious.

"Ashley ..."

"They should execute him, not us!"

"Lelouch is necessary to win the war, and being endowed with Code, it cannot die. We were wrong to let ourselves be dominated by revenge, and now we will have to pay the price."

"I wanted to avenge our friends, and you wanted it too!"

"They are dead, dammit! And they won't come back to life! Why don't we simply admit that we made a mistake? "

"Do it if you want. But I never, never! Lelouch is a poisonous snake! "

"And we lowered ourselves to his level, if not worse."

Irritated, the young man turned and entered the room for questioning.

"There's one thing you need to know about Euphemia." Lelouch suddenly stated.

"Tell me." Cornelia invited him.

"In private."

The empress snorted, and glanced at Shiho, Yaeko and Nina. The first two nodded and continued along the corridor, while the third exclaimed:

"If it is about Princess Euphemia I have the right to know too!"

"Right ... Follow me."

The boy led them to a nearby room, where Ayano, Yukiya and Ryo had once stayed, when they were guests in the fortress after their abduction of General Smilas.

"Now speak." The half-sister urged him.

"Do you remember the facts of the island of Kamine?"

"Suzaku told me about it. I know you and Euphemia have spent time together. "

"Exact. And that's when it happened. "

"What?"

"We had just had dinner, with what little we could find. At one point she kissed me. "

"Kissed?" Nina asked incredulously.

"Exact."

"And then?"

"We have been overwhelmed by passion."

"First you fucked her, then you killed her ... The classic throwaway, typical of you."

"I loved Euphie ..."

"Then why did you kill her in cold blood? Why did you force her to put that massacre through the geass? "

"The geass is a double-edged sword. The more time passes, the stronger it becomes, so that at some point it becomes impossible to control it. For this I wear colored lenses, to keep it in check. "

"And what does this have to do with it?"

"That day, during the inauguration of the Special Region, I said to joke that I could order her to kill all the Japanese. Unfortunately the geass is activated and is over as we know. "

Cornelia put her hand on her face.

"If only I had ordered her anything else now she would still be alive."

"I know ... Changing the subject, what will happen to my torturers?"

"They will be executed, of course."

"All?"

"Yes. Something against? "

"Save at least Leila, Ashley and Harley."

"Why should I?"

"Ashley is the commander of the knights of St. Francis. If we kill him they will rebel. Harley is his lover, if we kill her he will set off a revolt. Leila is the prime minister, and this post cannot remain vacant, however formal. Unless you have replacements on hand ..."

Cornelia thought about it.

"No, not currently."

"Then listen to me ... Sacrifice pedestrians, but don't waste the important pawns."

"As you want."

And then I can't blame them, since they lost their friends by my hand.

He thought.