Conspicuous Gallantry

By Lord Raa

Disclaim-me-do: Seeing arrogant people getting hoofed in the spuds will never not be satisfying.

Chapter 3

Villetta Nu had been called into the office of her superior, Jeremiah Gottwald, to explain her report on the previous night's mission. The pair of them had failed to recover the stolen item and capture most of the rebels, but those failures were not what the Margrave wanted to talk about.

"Your report, Villetta…" the orange-eyed man drawled. "Are you sure about this?"

"I… Well… It's… It's like this," Villetta said. "If you saw Lelouch, you'd think he was the Emperor's son. Add in that his sister is called Nunnally and would be about the same age as the missing princess, what other conclusion could I have reached?"

Jeremiah looked at the accompanying photo that had been taken from the gun camera of Villetta's Knightmare Frame. The resolution wasn't great, but there seemed like there could be some resemblance between him and a young Charles zi Britannia.

Had she found the missing children? It certainly looked like that, but the siblings had denied being Britannian royalty and the Elevens were a tricky bunch. Could they have taken steps to erase the memory of the children?

"If you're wrong, then Princess Cornelia will punish you for getting her hopes up."

"I know, but… I mean, he's got this aura about him, it's like the Emperor."

The senior officer considered his subordinate's words. He'd met several members of the Imperial Family, and Cornelia, Schneizel, Empress Marianne and the Emperor himself all did have an aura. Given that Villetta had met Princess Cornelia several times, it was certain that she knew what she was talking about.

Jeremiah took a deep breath as he considered the best course of action. The chance that the missing children could be found far outweighed the inconvenience of investigating a few people. Especially if they didn't notify the Viceroy or his half-sister until they were more certain of the identity of these two Britannians.

"Investigate the Lamperouge siblings, find out what you can and report back to me. Do not tell anyone who you are looking for. Is that clear?"

"Crystal, sir," Villetta said, snapping to attention and saluting.

"Good. You have three days before I reassign you. Dismissed."

"Sir."

Sayoko had quickly and silently fled the scene, her heart racing as the image of Lelouch Lamperouge standing before her in all his glory was replayed in her mind. She knew she was crossing lines with her peeping on the young master and trying to touch him in the bath. Had it been someone peeping on Nunnally, she would have used force to punish them.

But this was Lelouch. He wasn't a helpless young girl who exemplified the concept of "moé". Lelouch was a man.

A young man, yes, but definitely a man. The kind of man who would go far in Britannian society, what with his good looks, physical prowess and keen intellect.

Before she knew it, Sayoko had found herself in the drawing room. Nunnally was sitting there quietly embroidering. The young Britannian had a serene look on her face.

"Would you like some tea?" the maid asked.

"Yes please. If Lelouch is finished in the shower, he'll want tea, too," Nunnally smiled. She turned her attention back to the image she was embroidering, a stylised image of her brother dressed in a suit of medieval plate armour.

"Yes, he should be down soon," Sayoko nodded. Again, the image of Lelouch stepping out of the shower, water dripping from his well-muscled frame replayed in the maid's mind.

The doorbell chimed, and the maid announced that she would get that before attending to the tea.

"Oh, Lulu…" Nunnally sighed. She loved her brother and the way he could carry her with so little effort. He was so strong, so handsome. She was sure that he could snap a man in half, and would happily do so to protect her.

Not that any of the boys in school interested her in the slightest.

Officially, Nunnally agreed with her brother that she was too young to date anyone. Unofficially, she wanted someone like Lelouch.

The young Britannian let out another sigh, this time it was in the realisation that there wasn't anyone else like Lelouch. She thought about the girls at school, how he could have his pick of them and yet, he didn't bother with dating anyone. Not that most of the girls at Ashford were worthy of her brother.

Sure, most of them were noble or at least from well-to-do families, but having money or a title didn't mean you were good enough for her Lelouch.

He was selfless, almost to a fault. In fact several of the students had commented that he treated her like a princess, and Nunnally had occasionally let herself be spoiled by Lelouch's doting.

Still, it would do him good to put himself first for a while.

Sayoko returned with Milly Ashford in tow.

"Please take a seat, Miss Ashford. I will return with some tea shortly."

"Thank you, Sayoko," the blonde smiled as she took a seat next to Nunnally. When they were alone, Milly spoke again. "So, about the school festival…"

"Obviously, we're happy to help out in any way we can, but I'm not sure that I'm comfortable having Lelouch as the prize in a lottery," the brunette replied.

"I'm not talking about pimping him out," Milly insisted. She knew that they could make an absolute fortune if they were to offer the elder Lamperouge sibling as a prize. "It's more like we are offering him to a sports team for a short while."

"Oh, hi there, Milly," a deep male voice said from the doorway.

"Ah, Lulu, you're out of the shower. Sayoko is making tea," Nunnally smiled. "We were discussing the festival."

"Yeah, I gathered," Lelouch said as he took a seat opposite the girls. "There has to be a better option than offering a date with me as a grand prize."

"I can't do it, I've got an arrange…" Milly trailed off as she realised what she was saying. She wasn't entirely against the idea of an arranged marriage, but she wanted to have a little bit of fun first.

Ideally, that fun would be with Lelouch. The blonde could imagine his strong hands gripping her and pulling her onto his hard cock, its girth stretching her to her limits. Milly had been one of the two female Ashford Academy students to actually see Lelouch naked and so she knew just how big he was.

During a sleepover a year ago, Milly had "accidentally" walked in on Lelouch while he showered after a workout, the memory of his body all lathered up had kept the blonde company ever since.

"An arranged marriage?" Lelouch asked, a look of concern marring his dashing looks.

"It… Well, it's…" Milly fumbled for the right words. She cast him a look that showed how troublesome this conversation was becoming.

"I see," the elder brother nodded. He knew that the Ashfords had made many sacrifices to protect him and Nunnally, and that to secure the family's future, she would likely have to be married off to the son of a noble. He was well aware of the politics that could surround an arranged marriage and that interfering could make things much worse, but that didn't mean he was prepared to see a friend suffer at the hands of a bad husband. Lelouch knew that he had to make it up to Milly, especially after his lewd thoughts about her. This raffle would be a good place to start.

"Have you sold any tickets yet?"

"No, we were waiting to get you on board before we made any announcements," Milly explained. "But there was some interest already."

Lelouch took a deep breath, hoping that he wasn't making a terrible mistake. "I'll help you out. I'll be a prize if you really think it'll help."

"You will?" the blonde asked, her eyes opening wide with a mixture of surprise and excitement. 'If Lulu is a prize, I can double, no triple the price!'

"Yeah," the muscular youth nodded. "I'll be available to the winner of that particular draw and do what they want for up to five hours."

"He'd be mine for five hours…" Sayoko repeated with a whisper, her heart racing as she thought about the things she could do with Lelouch at her beck and call. She could introduce him to the Japanese style of bathing. She could tie him down and ride him for most of those five hours.

"Ah, tea's here," Lelouch said, breaking the maid from her reverie.

"Yes," Sayoko nodded. She placed the tray down and began pouring the drinks. She wanted to ask more about this prize draw; who the tickets were available to and what the limitations were on what Lelouch was available for, but to do so now would be improper.

Instead, the Japanese woman stepped away from the room, but kept an ear out for more pertinent details.

"Just so we're clear, you're willing to do what the winner wants for five hours?"

"As long as it's legal," Lelouch clarified. "And remember, I'm still only 17."

"Of course, I wouldn't let anyone drag you into aiding and abetting a criminal enterprise," Milly smiled. 'There goes the plan to sell nudes of him…'

There had been much discussion about Lelouch Lamperouge and his lack of dates. He was a good person, putting his sister's happiness ahead of his own. He was handsome, smart and had a physique that wouldn't look out of place on Greek god.

In short, he was an idol to the students of Ashford Academy.

So why wouldn't he date anyone?

The reason he gave for remaining single was that he needed to look after his sister. To Lelouch, Nunnally was the most precious thing in his life and he would do anything to protect her, even to the detriment of his own life.

Nunnally was well aware of this and was making a token effort to convince her doting brother that she didn't need quite as much looking after as he thought, but he just wasn't all that interested in spending time alone with others.

Lelouch had resented having to take part in an extracurricular club, but they were compulsory for all Ashford Academy students. All of the sporting clubs had begged him to join them, each of their presidents imagining the prestige and kudos that having such an athlete would bring them, but Lelouch had refused them all.

The more cerebral clubs had also tried to get him to join them, but they had similarly failed to garner more than a polite refusal. In fact, the only after school activity that hadn't been met with either indifference or disdain was the Student Council.

Milly Ashford had thanked her lucky stars that Lelouch had agreed to help organise things. She could motivate most of the male students (and some of the female ones, if truth be told), but it was Lelouch's intimidating presence that enabled her and the Council to get things done.

People joked that he was her enforcer, and that if they didn't do as she asked, Lelouch would come over and "have a little chat" with them.

But Lelouch, for all his imposing physicality, was not a violent person. He knew that he was not a dainty man, that he would never be a surgeon or watchmaker, but he was no unthinking brute, either. He might have been in possession of meaty fists that could smash down doors and break bones, but he also liked to indulge in thought experiments and often discussed complex hypothetical situations with his teachers and peers.

The latest Student Council meeting had mainly been about the budget for the upcoming festival. There had been some concern that there would be a shortfall and some of the planned activities would have to be scaled back or even cancelled.

"I'm going to increase the price of the raffle tickets, but the extra money from that will cover the shortfall and then some," Milly explained.

"We don't have many prizes," Rivalz Cardemonde said, worried that the President had gotten carried away.

"We have the ultimate prize," the blonde smirked. "Lelouch has offered himself as a prize!"

Shirley Fenette sat bolt upright at that news. Lelouch was indeed a prize, only this time, it was literally the case. "We would own Lulu?"

"No, I mean, I'd be willing to do what you want for up to five hours at a time of your choosing," Lelouch clarified. "That means I could be brought into a sports team or to help with some homework."

"Could… Could we make you go on a date?" the orange-haired girl asked, her heart racing with excitement.

"I… I guess," the muscular Britannian shrugged. "I mean, if that's what you wanted me for."

Shirley could feel her panties flood as she considered the date she'd have with Lelouch. A light lunch; a walk in the park, outside tops; walk to somewhere more secluded, inside tops and fingers. If they'd be able to find somewhere suitable, oral or doggy as he fucked her from behind followed by him carrying her to a love hotel for another good fucking before it ended with them having another meal.

Milly looked at the expression on Shirley's face and nodded in understanding. If she was to win this lottery, she would totally make Lelouch hers for the afternoon.

'Heh, "if" I win…' the President smirked as she thought about ways to fix the result of the prize draw in her favour.

Rivalz thought it was out of character for Lelouch to volunteer for something like this. Lelouch would help most people who asked him for minor assistance if he could, but a personal favour was one thing, committing his time was another matter entirely.

'He must owe someone… But he never gambles,' the blue-haired boy mused. He cast a glance over at his friend, but saw nothing that would indicate what had caused this change of heart.

Lelouch let out a yawn. "Sorry, the lack of air in here is making me sleepy."

"Well, Rivalz will sort out the prize tiers and I'll work on the wording of the rules of the draw."

"I will?" Rivalz asked. His resolve crumbled when Milly winked at him. "I mean, I will."

"So it's settled, we can adjourn the meeting," Milly smiled.

Lelouch was taking a walk through a local park to clear his head. He'd begun to have second thoughts about volunteering for this raffle, but rationalised his decision with the debt he felt he owed Milly and her family. His attention began to wander from the school festival and towards less wholesome matters. Subconsciously, the muscular young man had found himself walking in the direction of the Viceroy's palace.

"Clovis…" Lelouch whispered.

The exiled prince knew that he shouldn't have been able to talk his way out of the situation with the soldiers so easily. That indicated that his "contract" with that mysterious C.C. woman had given him a power that he could use to further his goals. It was a gamble, and Lelouch was not one for gambling, but what was his alternative? Sit and wait for someone else to find out the truth for him?

No, Lelouch had had enough of waiting around. He needed to take charge of this situation and since he was here at the Palace, now was a good time to interrogate the Viceroy.

As Third Prince, Clovis la Britannia would have had more knowledge about the comings and goings of the Imperial Court. The idea that the Viceroy would know more about the intrigue and who might want to kill Marianne vi Britannia spurred Lelouch into action as he began to pick up the pace and prepare to interrogate his half-brother.

It would be challenging to gain access to the palace, but once inside, Lelouch was certain that he would be able to get the answers he needed from Clovis.

It hadn't taken much effort to scale the wall, but avoiding being seen was much more challenging for Lelouch. Darting from cover to cover, he managed to get to a glass door without the alert being sounded. Realising that the door would be alarmed, he looked around for another way to gain access to the palace. It was then that he saw someone on the other side of the door.

"Crap…"

Inside the palace, a young Britannian guard was making his rounds. The previous day had seen some unexpected rebel activity and the Viceroy's guard had ordered increased patrols until things had "been resolved".

Geoffrey Thompson was not a particularly physically impressive man, barely making the grade for the Britannian army. He wasn't brave or blessed with motivation and initiative. However, he was not a foolish man.

The sight of a large man at the patio door took Thompson by surprise and it took him a long moment for before he realised he should call for help. As he reached for his radio, the man spoke.

"Consider the following. I am looking for a particular person and I'm angry enough to break through this door. If I have to break through this door, your head is going to go through another one. But if you let me in and look the other way, I will take my anger out on a someone who isn't you. You do want to end your shift without being hurt, right?"

"…"

"Think about it. You can end your shift without a serious head injury."

"… One moment please," the guard said as he fumbled with the lock.

"Thank you," the taller man smiled as he stepped into the palace. He placed a hand on the guard's shoulder. "Oh, I don't suppose that I could borrow your gun, could I?"

"W-who are you going to use…" the question died on Thompson's lips as he saw that this man was losing patience and realised that sometimes, it was better to not know the details. He handed over his pistol. "Please don't hurt me."

Lelouch took the firearm and smiled. "I have no reason to hurt you. Now, which way to the Viceroy?"

"That way, take the fourth door on your left. Then his audience room is the second room on the right."

"Thank you."

Lelouch attempted something resembling stealth as he made his way to where Clovis was.

Thompson turned to look the other way, hoping that he hadn't signed his own death warrant for treason.

A few minutes later, a fellow guard approached him.

"Thompson, what's going on here?"

"Corporal… I…. Well… The lock on the door was malfunctioning and I needed to guard it."

"Needed to guard it? Did you not see the big man running down the corridor?"

"I… Well…"

"And where's your sidearm, Thompson?"

"I… The big man asked for it."

"You armed the intruder!?" The Corporal was livid.

It suddenly occurred to Thompson that the Corporal who was in the process of chewing him out had the perfect opportunity to stop the intruder. "You saw him and you're carrying a gun, sir. Why didn't you shoot him?"

"Well… I… You saw how big he was. I was afraid I might upset him if I shot him."

The two soldiers suddenly realised that they were both in big, big trouble.

"So, this lock, sir, I think it's malfunctioning," Thompson said.

"Indeed. I think we should take a look at it before we call for maintenance. We wouldn't want to waste their time on something we can fix ourselves," the Corporal nodded as he moved in to inspect the lock.

"Exactly what I was thinking, sir."

The guard's directions had been accurate and Lelouch found the Viceroy's audience room. He opened the doors dramatically and strode up to the throne where Clovis la Britannia sat.

"Who's that?" the blond man demanded. "What news have you brought me, Bartley?"

"It's not Bartley, Clovis…" the figure corrected as it approached.

"Then who… Father?" the blond man asked, squinting at his visitor.

"No, not Father, Clovis. Just someone who wants answers," the tall figure replied finally stepping into the light and pointing his gun at the seated prince.

Clovis blinked in surprise. "Lelouch? Is that you? You're alive? When did you get so… big?"

"Yes," Lelouch answered in a neutral tone. "I will ask the questions and you will answer my questions. Consider the following: Being anything less than 100 percent truthful will result in a painful death for you."

"O-of course… What do you want to know?"

"Who killed my mother?"

"I… I don't know! I swear," Clovis insisted. "Cornelia was in charge of Marianne's security! She would know more about what happened than I did!"

"How do I know you're not lying to me, Clovis?"

"I always liked your mother! I never wanted any harm to come to her. Why would I lie to you?"

"Because you think it will save your life," Lelouch answered. He cocked the hammer on the pistol. "But nothing will save your life."

"I swear, I'm not lying! I would have done anything for her! I thought she was a real MILF! Cornelia and Schneizel know more about your mother's death than I ever will!"

Lelouch lowered the pistol as he processed his half-brother's confession. A second later, it was aimed back at Clovis' head. "You are not wrong. Goodbye, dear brother," he said in the most sarcastic tone he could muster.

The pistol fired once, putting a round through Clovis la Britannia's head; blood, bone and brain erupting from the back of the skull and onto the throne's headrest.

That was it. There was no turning back now. By executing his half-brother, Lelouch had started his plans for revenge. It was a course of action that would throw the entire Britannian Empire into turmoil.

To be continued…