The Student Council

August 25th, Ashford Academy, 8:02 A.M.

Rivalz Cardemonde

Rival was currently in his dorm room, still reeling from the hotel incident. School was cancelled for today due to recent events, which would make him happy, but he couldn't find the effort to smile. He may have been a happy go lucky person, but, when it concerns his friends, he'd jump in front of a bullet for them. Which is why he was so worried about what that terrorist girl said to him last night.

{We're just gonna ask his majesty a few questions.}

'Why would they be interested in Lelouch?'

Everyone was entitled to their secrets, no doubt. He never told Lelouch that he had a crush on ~Well, it doesn't matter, secrets were secrets for a reason. He could also understand whatever reasons Lelouch should keep his secrets, well, secret. However, Rival was having a rare moment: he was getting serious.

'If those 'Black Knights' have blackmailed my best friend, I need to know what he was hiding so I can help him.'

He wasn't an idiot, though. If he was going to try to get information about Lelouch, he would need help.

'Milly and Nunnally are a no go. They'll more likely warn Lelouch that I'm searching. Euphie and Cornelia as well. Nina would be good, but, if Milly or Cornelia ask what we're doing, she'll cave in a matter of seconds. Kallen would be good, but she's often not around school due to her illness. Actually, that could be beneficial~NO, I'm not gonna take advantage of a sick girl just to get information. Which leaves just…' Rival pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

"Hey, Rivalz."

"Shirley, I need some help."

"Sure, what do you need?"

"Not here. You know the mall we frequent. Meet me there."

"Oookay. Rival, what's this about?"

"Let's just say it concerns what happened last."

"Okay. When can we meet?"

"How soon can you leave?"

"I think I can leave around eleven...As long as I can get there without any reporters spotting me. Your usual place?"

"Yeah, I'll see you then."

12:03 P.M.

Rival usually enjoyed playing at the arcade, but the situation seemed to suck the joy out of him, leaving him a boy terrified for his friend. Still, he put on a smile so others wouldn't question it.

"Rivalz!" A voice called out to him. He turned, seeing Shirley waving to him at the arcade's entrance. He abandoned his game, and ran to her.

"Little late," he verbally jabbed at her, "Don't you think."

"Sorry," Shirley replied as the two found a bench to sit down, "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"I know this might seem weird, but...how much do you know about Lelouch?"

Shirley gave him a confused look.

"Rival, how does this involve last~"

"Just...humor me."

Shirley was worried. It was rare to see Rival take something seriously. She placed a hand on her chin.

"Not much, actually. I don't think Lelouch ever talked about his life before we all met him at Ashford. Actually, come to think of it, neither did his cousins."

"Yeah, which is kinda freaky."

"Rival, I'm gonna stop you right there. Do you really think Lulu will like us digging up whatever secrets he has?"

"Normally, I'd agree with you. But Lelouch might be in big trouble."

Shirley had a concerned look. "What do you mean?"

"Back at the hotel last night, I hung back to talk to one of the...Black Knights, I think is what they called themselves."

"You actually talked to one of them."

"It was only to tell them that Lelouch was taken somewhere else, I swear! However, they said they already got him, and that he'd be returned to us after the situation calmed down."

"So that's why he wasn't in the life rafts. But, why would they want Lelouch?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out. When I pressed on the subject, the woman said 'Don't worry. We're just asking his majesty a few questions'."

"His majesty?" Shirley replied, getting more confused with each passing minute.

"Yeah. If Lelouch was with us on the rafts, I wouldn't have paid it any attention. But he wasn't, which means the Knights found some dirt on Lelouch, not only is he in trouble~"

"But, by extension, Nunnally."

"Exactly. We need to find out Lelouch's past so we can understand what those guys have on him. We can't exactly ask him, as he'd no doubt dodge the questions."

"I guess," Shirley replied, still unsure of doing this behind Lelouch's back, "What if it's simply related to all the gambling you and Lulu do?"

'She's grasping at straws, but that is a good question.'

"If that was the case, why would they bring him back unharmed. You saw Lelouch after the incident. He didn't have any injuries, besides that head wound. If he was in trouble because of his gambling, you'd think they'd bang him up a little as a warning."

"You got a point."

"Shirley, please. You're the only one that can help. Kallen's too sick, Euphie and Milly would more likely tell Lelouch, and Nina would cave if Milly or Cornelia asked what we were doing."

"(Sigh) Alright. I'm in."

"Thanks. Now, tomorrow, we should search for any big time nobility in the past decade."

"Got it."

August 28th, Ashford Academy, 11:17 A.M.

Shirley Fenette

'Okay, this is starting to freak me out.' Shirley said as she logged out of the school computer.

After two days of searching, she found very little. However, the most surprising info was Milly's family. Or rather, the lack of information. Everything about her family's history since they came to Area 11 was there, but it was surprisingly vague before that. Too vague.

'Ashford Academy is the most prestigious school in all of Area 11. So why does her family have so little information?'

"Shirley!" Milly called out as she entered the room.

"Eep!"

"Oooh," Milly exclaimed as she yanked an arm around Shirley's neck, "What were you looking up?"

"Oh, I was just working on the project Mr. Bosch gave us." She hated lying, but, if Lelouch's safety is at risk, she'll suck it up.

"Shirley, you know school's been postponed for the next few days, right? The teachers said any projects would be due only when school was back in session."

"Yeah, but Rival insisted on it."

"Let me guess: Rival is having a hard time, and he asked you to help."

"...Yeeeess?"

"(Sigh) I'll have a talk with him later. Some of us, I.E. Nina, still need time to relax after Lake Kawaguchi."

"That would be appreciated, but it's okay."

"If you say so." Milly's phone then buzzed. She picked it up, and frowned. "I need to take this. You need any help later?"

"No, I think we'll be good."

"'Kay, chao!" With that, Milly left, leaving Shirley once more alone in her search. She pulled out her own phone, and dialled Rival's number.

"Yo."

"Hey, Rival, it's me. You got anything?"

"Gaaaah, no! It's weird. You could write an essay on Ashford's first year in Area 11, but couldn't fit one paragraph on the decade before they got here."

"Yeah, same on my end."

"Okay, call me a conspiracy nutcase, but is that intentional?"

"What?"

"Hear me out. The Ashfords obviously built the Academy. If Lelouch wanted to keep his past hidden, wouldn't it stand to reason he helped decide what information was taught."

"Rival, that's ridiculous."

"When was the last time we had an assignment that focused on current events?"

"Since Mrs. Ruff."

"Which was three years ago."

Shirley paused, considering his words. The more and more she thought about it, the more terrified she became.

'Dear God, here I am thinking that Lelouch was slacking off with his gambling, yet he was running this school for years!' "Dear God, Rival, what have we stumbled upon?"

"All the more reason for me to keep going. At this point, I wouldn't blame you for backing out. I feel like I'm destroying all the feelings you have for him."

"No. I don't think I could sleep if I gave up now. However, it's clear we can't trust the Ashford computers."

"Same. My parents won't be in Tokyo for another two weeks, so I can't borrow theirs. How about you."

"My mom has a work computer, only used for documents related to her job. My dad's laptop might work, but he won't be back for a few days."

"A lot quicker than two weeks. We'll keep working, but once your dad gets back, we'll ask to borrow his."

"I don't know. Dad's been really focused on his work ever since all this started. I wouldn't want to interrupt him."

"Then we get as much information as we can before then. Then use his laptop to get the last details. We'd only need it for ten minutes, at most, if we can connect enough dots. How does that sound?"

"...I guess that could work."

"Alright. Same time tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

August 30th, 1:07 P.M.

Rivalz

"GAAAAAH," Rival exclaimed as he threw his arms over his head, "This is ridiculous." Nearly a week into their search, and all they could find was that Lelouch, Nunnally, as well as their cousins lived in Pendragon at some point, but they already knew that! The two were currently in one of the school's computer class rooms, Business class, I think.

"I have to admit," Shirley depressingly remarked as she closed one of the tabs, "That this lack of progress is really starting to give me a headache. Dad will be back Friday, and we've barely found anything. Luckily, because Zero and his knights have been dealing with criminals, his work was shortened, so he could get back early."

"This is harder than when I tried piloting the Ganymede last year. How does Milly pull that off so easily?"

"Well, her family did build it, so that makes sense."

'Yeah...Wait, Milly's family used to be nobles, so why aren't they now? Also, if they designed a Knightmare, wouldn't there have been people who tested and/or purchased it.' "Shirley, look up famous people who've used the Ganymede."

"Huh?"

"A hunce."

"Okay." Shirley began searching for Ganymede pilots. There were several noblemen who used the Ganymede.

"Well, we've narrowed our search down. Maybe we can~"

"Woah! Milly's family worked alongside the Imperial Family!"

Shirley did a double take. Sure enough, a member of the Family did use the Ganymede. An Empress called Marianne.

"How did they go from being supporting an Empress in the Homeland to running a school?"

"Corporate Cannibalism?"

"HUH!"

"Something Lelouch told me. Not even sure if that's the exact words he used. It's premise is that, when a business collapses, other businesses quickly move in and seize assets."

"How does that relate to this."

"Look at Empress Marianne's info."

Shirley looked back at the info panel, and her eyes widened. "She died in 2009."

"Shortly before Milly's family came to Area 11. Lelouch once told me that Pendragon was like a pit of vipers. Show any sign of weakness, and they'll tear you apart. Pretty sure the Empress you're supporting dying counts as showing weakness."

"God, Milly," Shirley replied in shock, "To have to go through that."

"Why do you think I enjoy taking Lelouch out whenever he gambles against noblemen? Alright. Now we've gotten some leads. We'll spend the next few days looking over the nobles that they worked with."

"Right."

September 1st, 4:59 P.M.

Rivalz

'Okay, now Lelouch's power reach is actually scaring me.' Rival thought as he slammed his head to his dorm room desk.

Rival and Shirley had been looking over the nobles that Ashford dealt with at Pendragon, with little results. With nothing else to find on his end, Rival decided to check up on their dealings with Empress Marianne. What he found, or, rather, what he didn't find, frightened him.

'There's so much information about most of the Imperial Family, yet nearly nothing on one of the most recent Empresses? Especially one that died recently?' His phone buzzed, and he saw it was Shirley. "You get anything?"

"You're not gonna believe this. I'm sending a link to your computer." Sure enough, a file was sent, though, all it contained was a web link address. Upon clicking it, he was surprised at the website.

"Camlann Military Academy? That's the most popular military school in all of Britannia."

"Yeah? Scroll down." He did as she asked, and nearly fell over his seat at the result.

On the page was a photo, looks like a graduation group with about ten people. He only recognized one of them.

Standing next to a woman with light green hair, was Cornelia.

"Is that?"

"Yep. Before you ask, each person has first and last names listed, however, Miss Levett only has her first name listed. Although, I thought that her hair was black."

"We knew she dyed her hair, but we thought the purple was the highlights, not the natural."

"Would that make Euphie's violet highlights actually her normal hair?"

"I... guess so. Nicely done, Shirley. We've found our fish. Later, we'll go to your house and borrow your dad's laptop. This hunt ends today…..Wow, I said that a little too sinister like, didn't I?"

"Yes," She replied dryly, "Yes you did."

Fenette Residence, 6:11 P.M.

Rivalz was pacing in Shirley's old room. It was pretty bare bones since she moved to the Ashford Dormitories, but it did contain several memorable pieces.

'I've never worked this seriously in anything in my life! I'm kinda scaring myself, if I'm being honest.'

The door opened, revealing Shirley with a laptop.

"I take it~"

"Dad said ten minutes. He also locked out a lot of sections. Didn't want us messing with his work."

"Of course we wouldn't."

"To be fair, he said so you wouldn't mess with it."

'WHY ME!?' "Abuta~You know what, I won't ask. How did you convince him, anyway?"

"I said the Ashford computers were all getting updates on recent events, so we couldn't use them." She logged out of her father's account, before logging into her own.

"Huh. Not true, but they do need more information."

"Yeah, hence how I could make my lie remotely convincing. Rival, I know this is for Lelouch and Nunnally, but I hate this!" She opened the file containing the Camlann link.

"Same here. Now let's do this." Shirley opened the link, and scrolled down. The two began skimming through the names.

"Okay," Rival loudly mumbled, "Gilbert Gui~Nonette En~" Rival saw the top of the list, "Cornelia il Britannia!"

The two were stunned. Shirley even refreshed the page and looked up her name, just in case she was imagining things, but, no, their Security Chief was a bonafide princess. Shirley was the first to recover, looking up Cornelia herself.

"Princess Cornelia li Britannia, Second Princess to the Holy Britannian Empire, older sibling to Euphemia li Britannia. Graduate of Camlann Military Academy, Captain of the late Empress Marianne's guards. Died during the Second Pacific War."

"Um, I think some of that info is a little dated. Wait a second...Quick, look up Empress Marianne."

Shirley did a web search, and clicked the first link she got.

"Empress Marianne vi Britannia, fifth wife of Emperor Charles zi Britannia, mother of….." She was stunned into silence. Rival finished her sentence, however.

"Mother of Prince Lelouch vi Britannia and Nunnally vi Britannia."

"They're royalty," Shirley whispered, "All of them. Or dear lord, I slapped Lelouch. Would I get in trouble? Wait, but why are they here instead of Pendragon?"

"Look at this. 'Despite Princess Nunnally's injuries during Empress Marianne's assassination, and that the terrorists responsible had yet to be caught, both she, as well as Princes Lelouch vi Britannia, were sent to Japan, now known as Area 11, to restore relations between the two nations. Princess Cornelia and Princess Euphemia li Britannia also accompanied them, with Cornelia acting as Lelouch's advisor and bodyguard, just as she did for the late Empress Marianne'."

"So that's how Nunnally lost her legs and eyes! Assassins?!"

Rival was currently having a minor meltdown. "Holy, holy, holy!. This is beyond anything I could've imagined."

"Wait, why didn't they simply go home after the war?"

"Remember what it said. 'The terrorists responsible had yet to be caught.' Clearly, if they went back, the killers would try again. Better to remain hiding. Thanks for everything Shirley, but we both need a good night's sleep after this. Tomorrow we have a budget meeting with the others. We'll discuss things there."

"Alright. Good night, Rival." Rival opened her door.

"Yeah, good night. And thanks."

September 2nd, Ashford Academy, 8:37 A.M.

Shirley

Shirley and Rival, having somewhat recovered from the bombshells that dropped last night. Were now on their way to the Lamperouge Manor, where the Student Council was about to work on budgeting issues. However, the subject of the meeting would instantly change when they entered. Shirley was having a thousand yard stare, though.

'I can't believe it. All this time, I've been in love with a Prince. I guess it makes sense why she and Lelouch got together. They grew up together, she's a former noble lady, he's a Prince. What chance do I have against her now.'

"..ley. Shirley!" Shirley was knocked out of her daze by the yell.

"Sorry, Rival. I seemed to have blanked out for a bit."

"Clearly. I was just asking 'What will you ask Lelouch?'."

"Oh, um. We already answered most of the questions ourselves. Lelouch's mother died, and the four were sent here to Area 11 before the war. After the war, they stayed instead of returning home. So I guess, the only question I would have is 'What happens now?'.

"Yeah. Do we go back to things as before, or, has the dynamic change." The two were about to enter when Shirley stopped, horror on her face.

'We found out. So did they.'

Rival turned and saw her fear. "Oh, come on Shirley," he exclaimed joyously, "I don't think Lelouch will hate us for discovering his secret. Annoyed, most likely, but not~"

"They found out."

"What?"

"Don't you remember why we started this to begin with."

"What do you mean? We started this bec~" He stopped himself, fully realizing why she was scared.

"The Black Knights no about this as well. And, if they discovered it~"

"What are the chances the assassins that killed his mother found out as well?"

Slowly, their careful plan began to unravel as paranoia set in.

"Why didn't he tell us sooner? We could've helped!"

"Did he not trust us? We're his friends, aren't we?!"

With that, the two bolted into the manor, and their plan left the manor.

9:03 A.M.

Lelouch

"And," Rival calmly finished off, "That's when we busted in."

The Student Council had gathered in the living room to discuss the revelation. Lelouch called Cornelia to come, while also instructing Sayoko to keep an eye on Nunnally. They'd give her a shortened version of the meeting. The news was playing that the Viceroy was about to announce something, so Euphei simply muted the TV instead of turning it off. Shirley and Rival were standing, Nina sat at a table, Lelouch and Euphie on a couch, Milly standing behind said couch, and Cornelia and Kallen were in a corner of the room. Milly and Euphie still had concerned looks, while Cornelia looked furious. Nina was still gobsmacked at the revelations, while Kallen looked like she was still processing the information. Even Arthur was here, sleeping on Euphie lap.

'They found all that information in just a week. Even before they used an outside source, that's impressive.' "(Sigh) Hehe, I have to say, Rival, the amount of effort you put into this. If it wasn't such a serious thing, I'd make a joke about putting that much effort into your school work."

"Taha! Yeah, you would say that."

"Ugh," Cornelia groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose, "Milly, I told you I'd be the reason we got discovered."

"What do you mean," Nina inquired.

"Nunnally," Milly replied, "Lelouch and Euphemia left before their debuts, so there was little information on them, which made hiding it so much easier. Cornelia, however, had already established herself, especially with her skill at Camlann Academy. Hiding that much information is much harder. Luckily, not only did we build this school. We also decided which teachers would work here."

"Wait," Kallen exclaimed, nearly breaking her sickly demeanor, "You mean every teacher knows about this?"

"As well as all the guards. Why do you think they are so lax about Lelouch, even if he skips out on class."

'Not only that, but they are technically members of the Black Knights, though my friends don't need to know that detail.'

"Lelouch," Shirley squeaked out, "Where does this leave us?"

"Do you think things have changed?"

"Um, I'm not sure."

"Me?" Rival replied, smiling from ear to ear, "Honestly, no. If anything, it enhances our friendship. I mean, dude, my best friends a flipping PRINCE! That makes all the shenanigans we did, like, ten times cooler."

'Dear lord, what did I do to deserve a friend like him?'

"If anything, the only question I'd like to ask is...Why you and Nunnally?"

"Oh?"

"You and your sisters were sent here to smooth things out. Cornelia alone could've done that. Actually, no, given how she is~"

"Finish that statement, Cardemonde," Cornelia stated, "Let's see what happens."

"...(Gulp) My point is, you and Nunnally just lost your mom. I'd think you'd deserve some time to grieve."

"Rival, I told you that Pendragon was a nest of vipers. Well, my father, Charles zi Britannia, is the biggest viper of them all."

"Lelouch!?" Nina squeaked out.

"It's true, Nina. Just a few days after her death, political turmoil was building over her investigation, which turned up no leads. Rather than deal with it, my father called it off."

"Huh," Rival, Shirley and Nina exclaimed. Kallen faked a surprise, having heard this story before, only now getting the context.

"Yes. Not only that, but he had yet to visit Nunnally in the hospital. So I demanded to know why. When he refused to not only continue the investigation, or see his crippled daughter, I gave up my claim to the throne."

"Are you serious?"

"Rival, he said, and I quote, 'You are dead. You have always been dead to me, dead from the moment you were born. Who gave you the fine clothes you wear, a comfortable home, the food you eat, and your very life? All of those, I have given to you. In short, you are nothing to me because you have never existed.'."

That bombshell hit harder than anything Rival and Shirley told the others. Surprisingly, it was Kallen who broke the silence.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THAT MAN!"

Everyone turned to her, some more shocked than others. Even Arthur was looking shocked, as he never saw a human look so angry.

"Woah." Rival replied, surprised that such a side existed in the sickly girl.

Kallen quickly realized her blunder, she violently coughed before rubbing her throat, hoping it would seem like such an act hurt her.

"Should I," Nina inquired, "Get you anything, Kallen? Screaming that loud can't be good for you, in your condition."

"No," Kallen fake-wheezed out, "I think I'll be okay. Just not used to yelling like that, is all."

"Clearly," Lelouch replied, "After that, he said we'd be sent to Japan as 'bargaining chips'. We were only there so Japan would try anything. Didn't make a difference, though, as Britannia invaded half a year later."

"I'll say," Rival replied, "Okay, so I get why you were sent now. But," he turned to Euphie, "What did you and Cornelia do to get sent there."

"Oh," Euphie retorted with a smile, "I called him an idiotic hypocrite and then Cornelia punched."

"Pah!" All heads turned to Cornelia, who had a hand covering her mouth when she failed to stop herself from barking a laugh. Lelouch was the most surprised of all of them.

'When Euphie said the same thing to Suzaku's cousin Kaguya, Cornelia gave her a scolding. Now, she let out a laugh. Can't say which has influenced her more, me or Milly...or both.'

"Ahem, that is a gross simplification of it. Euphie confronted our father over similar reasons, the investigation being cancelled, our siblings being sent away. She also gave up her claim to the throne, and, as a result, he wanted to send a message by hitting her. So I had to~"

"He tried to HIT EUPHIE?!" Rival roared out, surprising everyone once again, "WHY!? She's the sweetest girl this school has ever gotten. She makes sure all the clubs get proper attention, she took in a homeless cat~"

"Meow."

"She's probably the best fashion designer in all of Tokyo, as well. So why would he~Urrrg."

"Wow, Rival," Lelouch retorted, "Never seen you angry before."

"Ahhhh," he replied, calming down, "I have my moments."

Neither of them noticed the smile on Euphie's face.

"But," Lelouch continued, "Overall. Nothing's changed between us. I'm still the same Lamperouge you've known for years. Just as you are the same friends I've had the honors of having to suffer under the reign of Count Milly."

"Oh, you are so gonna get it, Prince."

"My point is, I don't see any reason to change how things are between us."

"What about the Black Knights?" Nina exclaimed, "They know who you are? What if they attack us?"

"If they wanted to attack us, they would've done so already. They only wanted information on Prince Pollux and Castor. Though, because I never interacted with them, there wasn't much I could give."

"Oh, thank god. I'm glad they saved us, but they still are terrorists."

"And don't worry about any assassins. We covered our tracks well. Zero himself had been preparing this for years, and only recently discovered I was alive. If it took someone like him years to find out, I doubt my mother's killers would bother looking for that long. Overall, I'm not happy that you looked into my past, but I can understand your reason. Just don't do that again. You've already stepped into more than you should. But overall, I don't think our friendship is soured by this." His statements seemed to get everyone in a better mood.

'However, who told Rivalz that I was royalty. The only girls amongst us who knew were Kallen and~C.C.!' Lelouch pulled out his phone. "Sayoko, bring Nunnally in. It's time to tell her."

"Will we be telling her everything?" Milly inquired.

"If we were, I wouldn't have even started until she arrived. No, we'll give her a watered down version. Just the basics. While you're all telling Nunnally this, though, Rival, can I have a word with you?"

"Sure, buddy." The two began leaving the room. Just before he closed the door to the hallway, he heard another door open, and saw Nunnally being pushed by Sayoko.

"Hey, buddy, can I~"

"Rival, who was~"

Both stopped, realising they spoke at the same time. Both gave a smile.

"Do you want to go first, Lelouch, or me?"

"It's been your show so far, why stop now."

"Thank you, your highness."

"Please don't call me that."

Rival did a mock bow, "As his highness commands." Lelouch playfully shoved him. "Okay, I kinda busted your secret wide open."

"Yes, you did."

"Which is why I'm telling you one of my own."

"Rival, I don't think what secret you ha~"

"Just, let me have this, okay. It'll make me feel better if I say it."

"Okay. Continue."

"Well," Rival slow said, rubbing the back of his head, "I kinda, maybe, sorta, might have a crueeeee~"

'What's he so nervous about? I already figured he had a crush on Milly, but I figured he got over it a long time ago. So what is he~Wait.'

"Rival...do you have a crush on my sister Euphie?"

"It sorta just came to me. For the longest time, I had a crush on your girl Milly. However, when she started dating you, I gave up on that to simply be the bestest friend to you. I talked with Euphie more and more about how I could help you and, before I knew it, I started falling for her."

'Well, that explains his shyness around her.' "Good luck."

"Huh? I'd thought you'd be more defensive about your sister."

"I would...If she didn't have a pretty capable guard dog."

"Oh, don't even get me started. I tried to ask her if she would meet me at the arcade, but Cornelia turned the corner, and I think the hallway got colder just from her stare. Promise this will stay between us?"

"What will stay between us?"

"Were you not paying attention, the secret is ju~" Rival noticed Lelouch raised an eyebrow, "Actually, I've forgotten already."

'Damnit, Rivalz. You just made what I have to do harder.' "Rival, I have to ask. The Black Knight that you talked to. What did they look like?"

"Oh, well, she was about our height. Had light green hair. She wore a mask, but I think her eyes were a...yellow color?"

'Yes, they are. Forgive me.' "Rivalz." Lelouch's left eye turned red.

"Yeah?"

"You will forget the appearance of the Black Knight you spoke to."

"No problem, buddy." Rival did a mock salute. The red rings in his eyes disappeared, and he shook his head.

"Rival?"

"Huh? Sorry, Lelouch, must've spaced out."

"No problem. I simply asked what the Black Knight you talked to looked like."

"Oh yeah, she...she...Huh, come to think of it, I can't remember. I remember talking to her, and what she said, but not her looks."

"Well, it's not important right now. We should get back to the others."

With that, the two returned to the living room, and saw Shirley hugging Nunnally.

"I take it you've told her everything?"

"Yeah." Milly replied.

"I'm so glad," Nunnally said, though Lelouch could see tears on her cheeks, "That you still treat us as friends."

"You kidding," Rivalz replied, "You're all part of the Ashford family in my book. Oooh, though, I'm guessing the death of Clovis must've hit you hard."

"I will not lie," Cornelia spoke up, "Clovis's death did hit us. However, I'm almost glad."

"Cornelia," Nunnally exclaimed, "How could you say that."

"Nunnally, you didn't need to leave because you were bound to a wheelchair, but Euphie and Lelouch were practically imprisoned here. Clovis had photogenic memories. If he saw them even once, he'd know it was them, and turn Area 11 upside down to find them. I wouldn't have let them go on their trip to the hotel if he was around, despite how bad that place had gotten. Pollux and Castor, however, never met Lelouch and Euphie. They'll have more freedom to move around the settlement." Cornelia turned to the TV, where Pollux was giving an announcement, though it was muted.

"Honestly, we might be able to relax a little mooooore, you've got to be kidding me!" Cornelia ran to the remote, and unmuted the TV. Next to the Viceroy was a woman with lime green hair and blue eyes, garbed in a white military outfit with a purple and yellow cloak.

"With the rising threat of the terrorist group known as the Black Knights, I have taken upon myself to request aid from the Homeland. Instead of sending reinforcements, however, they have sent one of our Empire's greatest warriors. May I introduce, Nonette Enneagram, the Knight of Nine!"

There were cheers on his end of the TV as the woman took to the podium, however, the group didn't hear what she said, as Cornelia had turned it off.

"One of the Knights of the Round is here?" Shirley said.

"That woman," Rival replied, "I saw her in your graduation picture, Cornelia."

"Yes. Nonette Enneagram. My partner while at the Camlann Military Academy."

'And the one person you couldn't beat.'

Author's Notes: Man, I'm on a roll. Guess quarantine and really get the writing gears flowing.

Now, Lelouch's secret was exposed, but he smoothed it over. And now, one of Britannia's greatest Knights has come. How will the Black Knights deal with Nonette Enneagram.

Next chapter will show what the Viceroy's forces have been up to. And alliances will be forged.

As always, leave a review, and I'll see you next time.