Risorgimento

Risorgimento: Rising Again

Couldn't resist naming the chapter something like that- this is the second Rising of Italy, in a way.

If you just skipped to the most recent chapter, I'll warn you that this chapter is part of a double update- make sure to read the former first, just FYI.

Before Lelouch had event set foot in the plaza where the incident had taken place, he had gotten a rough idea of what happened from conversations on the street. Almost certainly a biased, improper understanding of what had occurred, but enough to know that this wasn't going to be the sort of thing that just blew over. It would seem like the Britannians had started causing trouble the instant they set foot on Italy's shores- and that would inflame people, certainly.

Still, it was even more important that he didn't loose control of things, even as they speed towards revolution- these moments would be the foundation of the nation. Righteous defense against foreign aggression was the sort of ethos that he wanted, but it would probably be… less good if Italy's (hopefully) illustrious history began with the wholesale slaughter of ten thousand Britannian soldiers.

It would be good to start off a potential war decisively though- immediately starting with a healthy collection of prisoners for ransom would be good. Of course, holding several thousand men prisoner was no small feat, even if (hopefully) an upcoming war with Britannia wouldn't require much fighting on the ground. If their navy could win the day at sea (which was still a little doubtful, Lelouch could admit) then most of their forces could devoted to keeping an eye on their Britannian prisoners… and the northern borders.

Hopefully, displays of force on the border and Britannia's relative diplomatic isolation would keep the other powers off their backs- if invaders started pouring in from either direction, they'd really be in trouble, even if Lelouch had a few ideas about how to spook the Danubians and French a bit- how had the Art of War put it? To appear strong when you are weak? Hopefully, the appearance of military strength, paired with an international desire to see Britannia taken down a peg, would secure the north.

Maybe he could… slip the Danubians a little extra for the trouble? He was already paying them, just a little on top from the money saved by not paying tribute to Emperor Charles might sway them. At least they would have a bit of extra spending money going into this war- they were probably going to need it. Maybe he could send a bit of it Lloyd's way, see if he cooked up anything interesting? A decisive technological advantage would be pretty nice to have, even if it would probably take a while. Lloyd's benefits could take a while to pay off- hopefully, they could make do with what they had now.

Fighting Britannia would be different from Lelouch's previous escapades in France and Northern Africa- there was very little chance of him marching into London to make demands of the Emperor. Instead, Lelouch's goal was simple: show his father that keeping Italy would be more trouble than it was worth.

Of course, stubbornness was a part of the Britannian national character, and they wouldn't be willing to give up what they saw as theirs without a fight, but Lelouch knew his father. Emperor Charles was intelligent and pragmatic- hopefully, intelligent enough to realize when to cut his losses. Still, this war would require splendid victories on Lelouch's part: the Empire could throw more men at the problem then he could, but they still had limits. They needed to garrison foreign stations in order to keep their other colonies in check, and they needed to maintain armies to keep any potential foes at bay- all Lelouch needed to was give them a butcher's bill so astounding they couldn't bring themselves to fight any longer.

Lelouch was uncomfortably reminded of the ancient general Hannibal and his battles against Rome- his brilliance and genius let him outmatch the Romans again and again, delivering eye-watering casualties at battles like Cannae… but the Romans kept on coming, hammering away until Carthage gave way. Fundamentally, it was a war of attrition- the question was if Lelouch could bleed the Empire to the point where they decided to give in.

Of course, there was also the problem of a particular Britannian royal who was a lot closer to home- or rather, who lived in his home. Cornelia. Honestly, he could probably orchestrate circumstances where he could arrest her- he had an army after all, and while Cornelia's personal soldiers were skilled, they were also vastly outnumbered. However, Lelouch was loathe to betray his sister's trust unless absolutely necessary- or loose such a valuable military asset.

Of course, he would have to take a few obvious steps- Lelouch couldn't imagine that his own soldiers would be too happy with their Britannian fellows. Well, they probably wouldn't be fellows for much longer, all things considered, so it would be best to keep the groups apart, just so no fights broke out… while keeping the Britannians close enough to catch, of course.

He gave things a bit of time to heat up- he would have to head down to Rome eventually, since he couldn't exactly start his revolt against Britannia without senatorial approval, but he wanted to wait a bit, let people get irritated. Maybe there would be some sort of hyperbolic name for the incident by the time he reached Rome.

There was another reason he wanted to delay a bit- Milan was obviously going to be an epicenter for anti Britannian sentiment, and this would eventually...

A knocking at the door- good. "Come in."

Sure enough, it was Cornelia, and she looked… quite upset. "Lelouch."

"Yes, Cornelia? Do you want a Zante currant? We received a shipment of them from Ionia- they're raisins." He gestured to a small container of them- they honestly weren't that bad, even if he was just using them to look nonchalant and unbothered.

"Lelouch!" Cornelia growled. "There's rampant revolutionary sentiment in your Viceroyalty, and you're here, just letting it happen!"

Lelouch popped a raisin into his mouth. "And what if that's the plan?"

Cornelia froze. "You mean to say that-"

"What has the Empire ever done for us, Cornelia?" Before Cornelia could respond, Lelouch kept on pushing. "Wouldn't both of us be happier if the Empire never was? If you didn't have to drag Euphemia around the world to protect her from the royal court?" Lelouch stood up from his chair. "If Nunnally could stand up at all? "

"It's treason, Lelouch."

"Perhaps it is." Lelouch said. "Cornelia, you remember my reason for invading Italy in the first place, don't you? For Nunnally's sake. Victory against Britannia would give me all the power I need to keep her safe."

"If you win, that is."

"You know, back when I was first planning this whole thing, I had this idea of sending Nunnally up north- to the Alps. Give Jeremiah and a few guards some funds, and just let them disappear with Nunnally into Switzerland, a house in Geneva or Bern, or some little Alpine vale where Britannia would never find her. Of course, she would probably object… but it was something I seriously considered."

"But you're willing to risk her now? To go against the might of the Empire? She could die. You could die, Lelouch!"

"Oh, I've considered what would happen if I lost many times- do you think they'll burn me in effigy next to Guy Fawkes on Bonfire Night?" Lelouch laughed. "Maybe, if I'm lucky, I'd get the dignity of a proper, non-guillotine beheading, or perhaps I'll just give the court a rousing performance of the hemp fandango?"

"Lelouch!" Cornelia hissed, her expression stormy. Of course, Lelouch casually mentioning his potential execution wasn't helping her mood, but that was his plan in the first place. Planting the idea of a grisly execution would shake her- like the 'hemp fandango', a nickname for the sort of jerking dance performed in the death throes of a hung man, as they desperately searched for purchase.

"Victory is never assured, I know that. It would be even less likely without you helping."

"I would never-"

"If you value the Empire over your family, then the answer's simple." Lelouch rounded his desk to stand directly in front of Cornelia, spreading his arms wide. "I'm right here, aren't I? And you've got that sword… it would certainly save the Empire the trouble."

"I would never." Cornelia's voice was certain now, and Lelouch did hist best not to smile… just a bit more pushing. Suddenly, her voice was shockingly gentle. "Lelouch, I would never… do you really think I would…"

"I don't think you would, but you might as well if you're going to join the Empire and fight against Italy."

Cornelia sighed, falling into a chair and putting her head in her hands. "Really, Lelouch- why do you have to make things so difficult?" She groaned. "I can't believe I'm even contemplating this..."

Cautiously, Lelouch put a comforting hand on her shoulder, and after a moment Cornelia looked up at him. "You better have a damned good plan, Lelouch. I won't have you risking our sister's lives on some hare-brained scheme."

Having Cornelia on his side was certainly a start, but there were few other Britannian soldiers he could try to sway. Well, Lelouch was fairly certain that Jeremiah would fall in line (although Lelouch would be certain to bring Cornelia to that particular meeting) but he wasn't sure about Cornelia's men. He was certain that Cornelia inspired powerful loyalty in her men- but did that supersede their love of country?

Proposing treason wasn't exactly the sort of thing you dropped casually, and certainly not among the sorts of men who formed Cornelia's retinue. Lelouch was fairly certainly that his army was in large composed of people who were more loyal to the ideal of "Italy" than Britannia- he had picked up thousands of men by calling for the Risorgimento, this was just going to be a natural extension of that process.

There were a number of people Lelouch wanted thoroughly within his camp before he sprung this whole thing, and while Cornelia was one of them, she certainly wasn't the only one… at the very least Jeremiah needed to know, as did his sisters. And of course, there was the matter of the senate… it was high time they started off in the direction of Rome.

Jeremiah had known that he was destined for the military from quite a young age- he wasn't a first son, and his father made it very clear that he would be receiving no appanage of land to cover his expenses in the inheritance. Perhaps he could have become a steward or found some other role for himself, but of course, he went into the military.

He did well for himself- the Royal Guards in London were the cream of the imperial crop, for rather obvious reasons: you didn't want anyone but the best guarding the Emperor and his rather significant family. It was a good posting, quite prestigious, but in hindsight, the most important thing about it was who he was assigned to guard.

Marianne. He had fallen into her sphere of influence and never managed to escape, even after her passing. At first, it was probably just physical admiration: he was glad that the woman he was assigned to guard was unusually beautiful and vivacious, even by the frankly ridiculous standards of the Emperor's harem. Of course, he wasn't fool enough to go chasing that particular forbidden fruit, but he grew to admire her martial talent on top of her beauty.

In some ways, she like a mother lioness, a fierce and vicious protector of her children, who she cared for dearly. Marianne just seemed to stand out from the rest of the Emperor's wives, a larger than life personality in a largely static, sycophantic court. There was a magnetism to her personality, although Jeremiah never regretted being drawn in.

By the time he was made a guard, the Empress had already given birth to her children, children she was so passionate about it almost ached. Lelouch, her eldest, the boy with the keen violet eyes and a remarkable mind, and Nunnally, the little princess who was oh-so-fond of the flowers in the Villa…

Sometimes, when he patrolled the courtyard, the children would interact with him. Jeremiah remembered his first game of chess with Lelouch quite distinctly- Marianne was watching with a smile, and Jeremiah almost considered throwing the game, so he wouldn't upset the young Prince, only to find out that young prince needed no handicaps to handily trounce him.

Jeremiah would never any win rematches, even when repeated losses had worn his pride away to the point where he was willing to accept increasingly unfair handicaps. At some point it was no longer a matter of trying to win, but more of an excuse to "redirect" his patrols in the direction of the garden whenever Marianne and her children were around.

Of course, time spent with Prince Lelouch inevitably meant time spent with his sisters- Nunnally, mainly, but occasionally Euphemia or Cornelia. Despite how strange the Imperial family's situation was, Jeremiah could still see hints of normalcy in there- he had doted on (and been doted upon by) his siblings, wasn't this just the same? Happy children, a loving mother, their security guards- well, not quite normal.

Eventually, he was served a harsh reminder that life in the imperial court would never be normal, in spite of all the brief glimpses of normalcy he had received. Seeing the woman you had pined for, the woman you admired, bleeding out on the steps of the Villa, the one you were supposed to guard…

An assassin blew his life apart. Any chance of getting a respectable station elsewhere was out after that particular fiasco, not that Jeremiah would ever dream of abandoning his Prince and Princess. The assassin, whoever they were, had done them much worse. They had made Marianne a corpse, Nunnally a cripple… and Lelouch? Well, he was never quite the same.

Then… Sicily. Perhaps in other circumstances he would found it fitting- a backwater station for a failure of a guard, but he had other priorities. Jeremiah liked to think he was, in part at least, responsible for the sort of person Lelouch had become. But that was the rub, wasn't it? Lelouch had become someone to surpass Marianne- just not necessarily someone Britannian.

Undeniably, his Prince was Italian in more than just heredity, and now it seemed that he was choosing to throw himself in fully with them, as opposed to the Empire. Perhaps a more patriotic man than Jeremiah would have been torn up, stuck at a crossroads between Empire and his loyalty to Marianne and her children.

Thinking about it, it seemed like Jeremiah was not a very patriotic man. When Lelouch called, he would answer- it was as simple as that.

Rumors were spreading through the camp. Rumors of potential war, not with the Empire of the Danube or the French, but a potential revolution against Britannia. At least among the Italians, there was an intense excitement in the air. However, there was still a bit of hesitation there as well.

"Can… can we do this?" Pietro spoke to Alberto, who was sitting down next to him. "I mean, beat Britannia- they're… well, they're Britannia!"

"The race is not to the swift, or the battle to the strong."

"Where's that from?"

"That's not important right now. What matters is that we're all subject to the whims of chance- just because Britannia is an empire with vast territories, doesn't mean we're destined to loose. We have a defensive position- we know the land."

"Didn't Washington and his fellows know the land?"

"You're really making this revolution thing seem a lot less exciting, Pietro."

"Oh, I'm all for a free Italy- I just can't say the same about a big, bloody war."

"But you're a soldier, aren't you?"

"Sure, but that doesn't mean I want to fight for a futile cause."

"Well, if everyone thought the same way as you- we wouldn't have a chance at all."

"Hey- I never said I wasn't going to fight!"

Bonaparte was one of the first people to hear news from Italy- well perhaps some of the countries directly north of them got news sooner, but he got a fair share of news from the larger state relatively quickly. So of course, he heard all about that kerfuffle in Milan- and he eventually got a letter from Lelouch, some days later.

It was short, to the point, and didn't tell him much he didn't already know, other than one fact: there was growing anti-Britannian sentiment around Milan. Perhaps he was reading into it too much, but Bonaparte also knew that Lelouch wouldn't just write a letter idly- he needed to put the entire thing through a cipher. Not to say that every word was some purposeful masterstroke of hidden meaning… just that Lelouch thought that unrest in Lombardy was pertinent.

Perhaps this was his sign? It would probably be good for him to check on what passed for the Corsican army- considering the way things were looking, it was possible that he would need them soon. He needed to move with haste when things began in earnest, however things went- he would not be left behind in the dustbin of history.

Soon enough, Lelouch and Cornelia found themselves sitting down for another dinner with Nunnally and Euphemia- and they definitely had some big news to discuss. After they had exchanged their usual pleasantries and talked about their days, Lelouch cleared his throat.

"Considering the… recent events in Milan, Cornelia and I had a discussion. And, well…" Lelouch signed. While there were a number of ways he could probably soften the blow, he wanted to be honest here. His sisters deserved nothing less. "We're considering declaring independence from Britannia."

Euphemia gaped, and Nunnally dropped her fork. Out of instinct, Lelouch stood up to grab another one before either of his sisters could formulate a response, but he stopped himself before leaving the table. The meal could probably wait, all things considered.

"I… you're really planning on doing this?" Euphemia questioned, her voice shaking. "But it's the Empire! It's father!"

"That's a risk Cornelia and I are willing to take, if it means being completely out of his control."

"But- I mean, is that worth condemning thousands of people to death for?"

"You'll have to excuse me if I hold a bit of a grudge." Lelouch chuckled, "And while I admit keeping you two out of his claws is a major reason… I also don't want to lose Italy. Eventually, I was going to be forced to choose between Italy and Britannia… and of course, you know who I'd chose."

"I can understand that," Nunnally said before turning her glance in Cornelia's direction. "But how did he convince you, Cornelia?"

"I couldn't imagine fighting against Lelouch- and I knew that if Lelouch won… well, it's about as safe from Britannia as we could get." She sent a glance Euphemia's way. "As you could get."

"You shouldn't be starting a war just for our sakes, you know." Euphemia replied.

"Too bad, we are." Lelouch and Cornelia shot back, nearly talking in sync.

Cornelia cleared her throat. "I'll admit that it's my main reason- I'm sure Lelouch could fill your heads with all sorts of nationalistic tripe."

"Tripe? You wound me, Cornelia." Lelouch held his hand over his heart, acting as if he had been struck- although his smile made it a little less convincing. He turned to look at Euphemia and Nunnally as the smile slid off his face. "We just wanted to be honest with you- I know that both of us have been… less than transparent in regards to our military campaigns, and we don't want any more secrets."

Lelouch cleared this throat. "Not to mention that I'd appreciate it if you helped run the government while Cornelia and I focus on military affairs."

Admittedly, Lelouch couldn't always bet on the Senate- they were a bunch of people with their own separate goals, even if they were nominally united for Italy's sake. Perfidious was too strong of a word- unpredictable might be a better one. He could give speeches or make well founded arguments. But at the end of the day he would have to leave some things in their hands or risk looking a tyrant.

So he was left with more… gentle methods of persuasion in order to get the senate to push for independence- that is, if they didn't already want it already. That was another thing he couldn't be fully confident about: he knew that not all of the population would be against fighting Britannia, but he had to wonder how the Senators would feel about it. They would probably be a bit more socially conscious than the average man on the streets, a bit more likely to believe that Italy deserved to stand alone… but they also weren't stupid.

No one was stupid enough to voice their dissent in front of the Emperor's son, so Lelouch would probably have to egg them on- it would just be rather embarrassing if gave some grand flowery speech about how the Italians needed to stand up to their oppressors… only to receive no support. So he decided to arrange a quick meeting or two…

Lelouch found himself sharing a room with the Sicilian representatives to the Senate, who seemed more than a little awkward- there was quite a big difference between sharing a nice big senatorial room with royalty and a comparatively small room like they were in now.

"Your highness? Is there something you needed from us?" The senator was glancing around the room, as if searching for a potential threat… Good grief, did they think Lelouch was going to arrest them or something? "We've been supporting your legislation, your highness- the worker protection laws."

Oh, this was going to be like pulling teeth, wasn't it? Lelouch had picked the Sicilians first out of an apparently vain hope that they would be more comfortable with him thanks to their shared heritage. Would it actually be possible to get them to admit anything at all? If the Senators thought that he was trying to trick them into confessing treason as part of some plot to secure Italy…

"I must ask- what do you think of Britannia?"

"They're… as fine a suzerain as any country could ask for, your highness."

"And I presume you've heard of that incident in Milan?" Lelouch was met with a few silent nods. "What would you think about… cutting ties, so to speak?"

For a moment the room was deathly silent. "Your highness, I would never-"

"You may not believe me, but this isn't some scheme to make you confess treason or anything. I'm not sure if any amount of assurances would convince you…" Lelouch crossed his legs, stretching back in his chair. "Why don't I tell you a little story, about my time in the imperial court?"

Of course, Lelouch was unloading his childhood trauma onto the senators for a particular reason- there was no emotional dam that had burst, no outpouring of emotion, at least from his perspective. He could put on a fairly decent act, and he could admit that some of the emotion there wasn't completely faked- he made sure to let his disdain for his father leak through, but there was an end goal. Hopefully, they would see it as a rare expression of trust from the otherwise distant prince, and a sign that he wasn't as pro-Britannia as his blood might lead them to believe.

It occurred to Lelouch that perhaps the Sicilians were some of the worst people to test out his ideas on- they had spent years under the Britannian thumb, and while Italy had a chance of standing up to Britannia's might, the same could not be said for brave Sicily, at least not alone. Some of that mindset may have stayed with them- made them less willing to even contemplate the idea of treason.

So Lelouch's next target were the Lombard representatives- not only did they have a close connection to those most hurt by the recent accident in Milan, they were a more recent acquisition, to put it one way. They hadn't had nearly as much time to grow used to Britannia breathing down their necks… Hopefully the more urban ones would be downright radical, or at least a little more willing to break with Britannia- the French revolution's epicenter was in Paris, after all. The city and the country bred different sorts of men, after all.

The senators were undeniably a different breed than the average Italian, though- widespread support (or if he was really lucky, a unanimous vote) would be nice, but it wasn't popular support. He would have to lay on the nationalist propaganda pretty thick to get something like that. Maybe he could try something the French levee en masse, and create a shared sense of national struggle by urging every Italian to contribute something to the war?

Not to mention the fact that he would probably need every advantage they could get- portions of their funds would definitely be going to expanding the army. Thankfully, their problem with officers wasn't quite as bad anymore, but Lelouch didn't think he could manage a truly massive national levy- it would strain their logistics and hit their economy…

The ideal would be international support, but he couldn't bet on it. Countries like France or Spain would have many reasons to be hesitant- they had already seen how pouring money and resources into rebellions against Britannia could backfire or at least turn out to be pointless (oh, poor Washington) and they would be obviously uncomfortable with a more liberal state bounding onto the world stage, upsetting the balance of power.

Still, Belgium had done it, which was certainly something- he would just have to balance monarchism and republicanism carefully, leaning into traditional symbols of power while also encouraging liberalism. Easy.

There was also the matter of the Peat Gatherers- the Britannian volunteers. Lelouch had to wonder if he could attract more people like that- not necessarily more Britannians, as they would be a surefire way to let saboteurs worm their way in… but surely, there were others like them in other countries? Men who would lay down their lives for a freer future… Maybe, with the right bait, they would come…

Lelouch shook himself. He had senators to convince to his side before he could even begin forming foreign regiments or anything of that sort. Maybe he could bring Cornelia along next time? Hopefully, having one of the Empire's most renowned generals egging them on towards treason would convince them it wasn't a trick- or perhaps Cornelia would scare them into submission.

Lelouch had a bit more luck with some of the other representatives, especially once he managed to get them one on one. He could really press them there, at the very least getting them to admit they had issues with how Britannia was running the place. Lelouch also had a surprising amount of support (or at least admissions that Britannia was sub-optimal) from a lot of the more rural senators- at least it was surprising until he realized how hard the embargo must have hit their constituents.

Funnily enough, Lelouch found himself awfully thankful for his father's embargo- it would provide an economic reason for the split on top of the Milan incident. There was a sort of irony to that, Lelouch supposed, like the eagle struck by an arrow fletched with it's own feathers- Britannia had given Lelouch the means to destroy her hold over the Mediterranean.

However, while Britannia had given him the circumstances he needed, Lelouch would have to take the initiative to strike by himself, and if he missed or fell short… No. For Nunnally's sake, for Euphemia, for Italy… failure was unacceptable.

The moment Lelouch stepped up in front of the Senate and gave a speech decrying the Empire, he would be left with only two paths- victory or death. It was like crossing the Rubicon, he supposed- although that term felt a little stranger to say when actually crossing the real river was only a few day's ride away. Of course, it was a major risk for a major reward- nearly the whole of Italy, from the Piave to Calabria… that was a prize worth fighting for- many already had, in fact.

He couldn't help himself from grinning as he prepared to address the senate- this was certainly a bit more than the usual fit of teenage rebellion, he supposed. A few of the senators seemed a little antsy, especially the ones he had talked to earlier. Some of them seemed downright terrified- as if they were waiting for some inflammatory speech about treason- but a few seemed almost… hopeful?

"Gentlemen of the senate- it pleases me to see you all gathered here today. I'm sure you're all aware that recent times have been turbulent, to say the least. The shootings in Milan, of course, but the embargo on top of that… these are tests of our strength as a state."

"I do not think it is an overstatement to say we are one of the last great bastions of republicanism in Europe, other than small holdouts like San Marino. The ideals upon which this very senate is built are under siege- by Russian Tsar, by Danubian Kaiser, by French Roi, by Spanish Rey…" Lelouch's voice rose as he went down the list, reaching a crescendo… "by Britannian Emperor."

The Senate broke out into general muttering- the die was cast, but Lelouch carried on, unwilling to loose momentum. "We even receive maltreatment from above, from the very Emperor who is supposed to protect us! We pay his exorbitant taxes and follow his radical demands, and how are we rewarded? A massacre in Milan!"

"Across every corner of the world, people suffer the same indignities, if not worse, at the hands of my father and his viceroys- they are trod underfoot, taxed relentlessly, conscripted into brutal wars, denied even the most basic forms of self governance- and I say no more!"

"If we do not stand up against Britannia- against my father, Emperor Charles, will they ever stop? Will we see all the world brought under that dread absolutism? Shall we tolerate continued indignities and slights until we are no even longer recognizable as Italians?"

"I say no more!" Lelouch was practically shouting now, and every man in the room was staring at him, "I forsake my Britannian identity and my father- Lelouch vi Britannia is dead, but Lelouch Lamperouge lives, and so does Italy! A united Italy! A free Italy!"

For a single, dreadful moment there was silence, and then one of the Sicilians started clapping, and soon it spread like a wave, until there was nearly defeaning applause and proud shouts of "Viva l'Italia!" Lelouch almost wanted to sag with relief, but he kept his composure and let the applause wash over him. He could even seen Jeremiah clapping- Lelouch wondered if he had won him over with the Lamperouge comment.

The vote for declaring independence was unanimous, and several other decisions were made relatively quickly. Lelouch would get custody of all the funds that would have been otherwise sent to Britannia, to be used in the war effort, and the Senate would take steps to get the nation into what might be called a war footing- encouraging militia drills, buying up food for the army, all that.

Before Lelouch left, he gave them his own little suggestion about what their new flag might look like. A mix of old and new: a tricolor in the revolutionary fashion colored green, white, and red, but with the Iron Crown of Lombardy as its charge. Perhaps the pairing was a little incongruous, but Italy would carve a path that made both fitting, he hoped.

Almost immediately after, Lelouch was at dinner with his sisters, and Cornelia spoke. "So… it's Lelouch Lamperouge now?"

"That's the part of the speech you focus on?" Lelouch sighed, "It was just a rhetorical device-"

Euphemia laughed. "You've always had such a flair for the dramatic, Lelouch- I do have to wonder what last name Cornelia and I will be using now…"

"I suppose you could take the name Lamperouge- it's not like anyone would stop us."

Euphemia gave him a wry smile. "So I suppose it's your majesty now? King of Italy?"

"Please don't call me that, at least not in private." Lelouch groaned. "I suppose I'll have to arrange a coronation eventually- I suppose you're all invited, whenever I get around to it. We're all going to be very busy soon-" Lelouch turned to Euphemia, "I'd like you and Nunnally to keep an eye on things in the Senate and domestic affairs in general."

"Alright, I suppose- you and Cornelia will be off fighting?"

"I'm sorry."

"Just come back, alright?"

Lelouch was sitting across from Seamus Collins, the leader of the Peat Gatherers- and the man was clearly uncomfortable.

"Your… highness? Your majesty? Is that what I should call you now?"

"That's fine- hopefully, I'll still be royalty at the end of all this."

"Heh." Collins looked Lelouch in the eyes. "I must ask- what do you want me to do? What do you want the Peat Gatherers to do? I presume you've called me here for a reason…"

"You are aware that we have a number of Britannian-looking uniforms, and Britannian boats with the correct flags- courtesy of the Empire's reinforcements?"

"Of course, but I don't see how that's relevant to us, your highness…"

"You and the Peat Gatherers certainly look Britannian, don't you?"

"Of course we are- we're Britannian…" his voice petered off into silence as his eyes widened. "You don't mean?"

"If you're willing to risk it- I will not deny that this plan his some… inherent safety issues."

"Travelling to Italy was an inherent safety issue, your majesty- I'll see if any of the boys are interested in taking a return trip."

Next Time on Lelouch of the Risorgimento: The Prince at Malta! Or something like that. Serious Lelouch mischief incoming. I do hope you enjoyed the double feature- I kind of wanted to separate this one. If these last two chapters read weirdly or anything, they were written at the same time, so they might interlink a little more than the average chapter.

The flag design I mentioned is what I imagine the Italian flag to be going forward: the modern flag, but with the Iron Crown dead center. It's just a really cool crown, I must admit.

Cornelia's love of family is one of her key traits- if anything will sway her to abandon her country is family. It's a very admirable trait which makes her character likable.

And the obligatory: LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOO