The Black Knights approached the consulate, preparing for their next infiltration of Gao Hai's Palace. Their objective was to determine whether the invitations that several of them had received were sufficient to let them cross the Cognitive barrier that they had previously encountered. If so, they would push as far into the Palace as possible to ascertain if there were further barriers that would require their presence at the pre-reception before they committed to their plan. Nunnally and Alice had accompanied them from Ashford Academy, and the other Irregulars would be arriving shortly as well.
But it seemed their visits had not gone unnoticed, for someone was waiting by the alley that they usually ducked into before entering the Palace.
"I was wondering when you would show up," a man's voice said.
The speaker was a young man, though several years older than any of the Black Knights, likely in his early twenties. He was wearing blue Chinese clothing, in an antiquated military style, and had long black hair that fell down his back. No, long was an understatement. It was even longer than Shirley's hair, reaching down to his knees. The man's voice was calm but stern, but even more striking were his eyes. They glinted with the same sharp intelligence that Leila's did. That, more than anything, made the man seem dangerous to Lelouch, even more than the sword sheathed at the man's side, something that would be reserved for officers at the consulate.
"Huh? You were waiting for us? I think there's been some kind of mistake," Milly said, taking the lead. "We're just students and we were out... sightseeing! Yeah, sightseeing, before our summer break is over!"
The man did not seem amused. "Few Britannian students show much interest in the culture of the Chinese Federation, and nor do they stop by with such regularity. If you keep coming here, other people at the consulate are going to notice and think that you're up to something... especially if you're sneaking into alleyways as if you have something to hide. I understand that those accompanying you may wish to keep a low profile while out in public, but it still strikes me as odd."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Milly asked, trying to sound innocent.
"You really are making it difficult for me to turn a blind eye to your activities," the man said evenly. "If my eyes do not deceive me, that is Lady Breisgau, reported to have been the lover of the previous Viceroy of this Area," he said, nodding at Leila. He then turned to Euphemia. "And you are the current Sub-Viceroy, Euphemia li Britannia. I can see that you've taken some precautions. But it takes more than a pair of sunglasses and a hat to hide who you really are if someone takes a closer look."
"You've got it all-" Euphemia started, but Leila shook her head. It was obvious that the man would not by fooled by any claims that they were not in fact the Countess Breisgau and the Third Princess. The most they could do was defuse any suspicions that the man had and prevent him from learning the rest of their identities.
"My apologies for confronting you like this, Your Highness," the man said. "It's none of my business who you choose to spend your time with. But this is a very important time between our countries. Maybe you are simply sightseeing with some friends. But if you're seen as trying to interfere in any way, word will find its way back to your Prime Minister. Your friends should be even more careful. The Consul-General is always watching for enemies, real or imagined. While they are not subject to Chinese Federation law, he can cause no shortage of trouble for them if he perceives them as a threat in any way."
The man was clearly leaving much unsaid. Coming to meet with them had to be a huge risk in of itself, and his words showed that he had little love for Gao Hai; saying anything more overtly disloyal in front of a Britannian princess, even one likely to be sympathetic to his cause, would compound that risk exponentially. And indeed, Lelouch could see that the man was intently analyzing their reactions, Euphemia's most of all.
"Thank you," Euphemia said softly, her voice trailing off as she realized that she didn't know the man's name.
"My apologies for not introducing myself, Your Highness," the man said, giving a slight, polite bow. "My name is Li Xingke. On the behalf of Her Majesty, the Empress, I serve as the Consul-General's bodyguard." The way he spoke of the Empress was completely different from the thinly disguised contempt with which he talked of Gao Hai. His voice was now filled with reverence, and his eyes glinted with fierce determination.
"The Chinese Federation may not have Knights of its own, but I can tell that the Empress is fortunate to have a soldier such as you serving her," Euphemia said. "Thank you, Xingke. We will take your advice to heart."
"I'm glad you understand, Your Highness." He glanced at the other Black Knights and the two Irregulars. "I hope your friends do as well."
There was still a hint of suspicion in Xingke's voice, even as he used a more diplomatic tone with Euphemia. Milly's lie about sightseeing would have been obvious to anyone, and even if Eupehmia or Leila were to try offering another explanation as to why they were sneaking around with a group of students, Xingke would likely remain skeptical of them.
But even now, the odds of Xingke successfully concluding that they were the Black Knights were low. It might cross his mind as a possibility, but it would have to compete against numerous other hypotheses, many of which would likely seem far more plausible. The simplest explanation would be that they were just a bunch of young nobles and a royal making mischief and getting uncomfortably close to where they didn't belong, a nuisance but posing no actual threat to the Consulate or the Chinese Federation as a whole.
Xingke had proved himself to be observant in noticing the pattern of their visits, but if he possessed a similar degree of intelligence, that would paradoxically make it even less likely for him to reach the right conclusion. After all, something like the Metaverse would seem like an urban legend, to be disregarded out of hand. Lelouch knew he certainly wouldn't have believed in what he would have once called 'supernatural nonsense' without having stumbled into that world himself. Lacking the necessary frame of reference, Xingke had no way of understanding their methods, and thus was bound to underestimate them.
At the same time, Xingke's obvious resentment of Gao Hai, and his reluctance to report their own suspicious activities to his superiors, gave Lelouch the impression that the soldier would be willing to take advantage of any opportunities that the Black Knights might create to make his own move against the Consul-General. Lelouch knew that he lacked any solid proof of a planned betrayal of the High Eunuch in the absence of any more overt actions on Xingke's part, but he still considered himself to be good at reading people, even those as guarded as Xingke. Well, most of the time anyway.
They weren't going to get anything else out of Xingke for now though, and he had graciously given them the opportunity to leave without further confrontation, so it would be remiss of them not to do so.
Yet as they prepared to depart, Shirley paused, and, seemingly on impulse, asked, "Aren't the Chinese people suffering under the High Eunuchs? So then-"
Xingke gave her a strange look, and she immediately fell silent.
"That's quite a question for a Britannian student to be asking." He scowled as he turned away from them.
"More than you can know," Xingke muttered darkly.
xXx
Of course, the Black Knights and Irregulars had no intentions of leaving empty-handed. When they were out of earshot from Xingke and they were sure that they hadn't been followed, Nunnally called the other Irregulars to tell them that the meeting location had changed. Soon, all twelve of them were in the Metaverse, entering from another alley, somewhat further away from the consulate.
"If he's Gao Hai's bodyguard, then he will definitely be in attendance at the pre-reception," Leila said. "That poses a complication for us. He doesn't seem fond of the Consul-General, but he's still largely an unknown quantity. If he gets too close to any of us, he will likely recognize us, masks or not."
"He won't be able to act without making a scene, and I'm sure that's the last thing that he wants," Lelouch said. "Besides, we will be attending as duly invited guests, will we not?"
"That's true," Euphemia said, "but-"
"It's a risk yes, but it's one we'll have to take if there's another Cognitive barrier. And so, we press on."
xXx
Getting back to the Cognitive barrier was not particularly difficult for the Black Knights and Irregulars. They knew the route well by now, as well as the weaknesses of the Shadows along their path, to say nothing of how their Personas were growing ever more powerful.
The other Black Knights seemed to experience a moment of trepidation as they stood before the Cognitive barrier, as if they were unsure that it would work, but sure enough, the gate opened for them, admitting them into the inner halls of Gao Hai's Forbidden City.
Two colors dominated the interior decoration of Gao Hai's Palace, vermillion and gold, though it seemed that Gao Hai favored the latter. Priceless treasures from China, India, and southeast Asia lined the halls, clearly representing the tribute that Gao Hai and the other High Eunuchs received from their territories. But they weren't the Treasure that the Black Knights and Irregulars sought, and there was a certain carelessness to how they were arranged.
"It's like he doesn't even know what he has... but he always wants more of it," Milly murmured. Her tone turned mischievous. "I'll bet he wouldn't even notice if we took some," she said as she began peeking inside some porcelain urns to see if anything was squirreled away in them. "Wait a minute.. this is Ming porcelain, isn't it? Something like this would be worth a pretty pence!"
"Are you really going to take that, Diamond?" Shirley asked. "Isn't that-"
"What, Dame?" Milly chuckled. "Stealing? We're thieves. It's part of the job. Besides, none of this stuff exists outside of the Metaverse, and the person who thought it all up pretty much stole it himself in the first place, so loosen up! You could say that we're... liberating it. That's right, liberating it!"
Shirley's eyes lit up. "Oh... like stealing from the rich and giving to the poor? I can get behind that." She glanced over to Lelouch. "Right, Zero?"
"As long as you're not careless, go right ahead, Dame."
"I don't get what the big deal is," Dalque said. "You just take what you want that the bad guys don't want you to have."
"We had to do it to survive," Alice said, and was met with nodding from Lucretia and Sancia. "But this... it's something else. I've never seen so much wealth in one place before."
"Dame has a strong sense of right and wrong, Power," Nunnally explained. "It takes a bit of getting used to breaking the rules. Was I any different at first?"
"Actually, I think you took to it very well, Nemo," Alice replied. "But you always held yourself back when he's around," she said, shooting a brief glare at Lelouch.
"That's in the past, Speed. There are no secrets between me and my big brother now. We're both free to be ourselves." Ignoring some of the funny looks she was getting from the other girls, Nunnally continued. "And when it comes down to it, you can count on Dame."
"Why thank you Nun- Nemo," Shirley said, correcting herself.
"After all, she loves my big brother almost as much as I do!"
Shirley's cheeks turned very red, but perhaps it was because she had already accepted the degree of her own feelings when she faced her Shadow that she avoided making a larger scene out of Nunnally's remark. Milly couldn't resist chortling though, while Euphemia could only smile.
"Just like the old days," the Third Princess said.
"Um, right! Steal from the corrupt!" Shirley said, in a transparent attempt to change the subject. She began busying herself, seeing if there was anything worth pilfering nearby.
"Wait, Dame!" Leila called out. "I'm sensing-"
"Eek!"
A Shadow burst out of the urn that Shirley had been inspecting. It took the form of a crown, decorated by an enormous diamond, that, when viewed head on, seemed as dark as a black hole in the center. It was a Treasure Demon, possessing the gemstone that Lelouch knew as the Koh-i-Noor.
"How cunning of you to have found me!" The Treasure Demon said to Shirley. "It's fortunate that you're not a man. Otherwise, I would have brought you terrible luck!"
"Don't just stand there, Dame!" Kallen called out. "You're going to let it get away!"
"Um, right!" Shirley pulled off her mask with a flourish, wreathing her face in blue flames. "Maid Marian!"
Shirley's Persona appeared above her, and conjured spears of light, which drove themselves toward the Treasure Demon, but it emerged seemingly unharmed.
"It didn't work..." Shirley frowned.
"Let me try!" Kallen said. "Guren Jigoku! Freidyne!"
A nuclear blast, significantly larger and more powerful than those that they had seen from Kallen's Persona before. engulfed the Treasure Demon. While it was not incapacitated by the spell, it did appear to be severely weakened.
"Might you be the one to best me?" The Treasure Demon asked.
The others launched their own attacks, which were largely ineffective against the Treasure Demon. But as soon as Guren Jigoku managed to cast Freidyne again, the fight was over. The beaten Treasure Demon yielded, and permitted itself to be absorbed into Lelouch's mask.
"That was cool, Queen!" Arthur grinned.
"Yeah... thanks," Shirley said, sheepishly. "Sorry that I couldn't do more."
"Don't worry about it," Kallen told her. "Those things are always so annoying when we run into them. I'm sure there will be one down the road that my Persona is totally useless against."
"Thanks, Queen," Shirley said.
xXx
The Black Knights and Irregulars continued deeper into the Palace, continuing to rotate which team took the lead in clearing the path ahead of Shadows. As they progressed, several of them noticed an unsettling, murmuring sound.
"What is that?" Sancia asked, in the lead with Nunnally.
"Whatever it is, it's giving me the creeps," Dalque said irritably.
"It almost sounds like voices... just like how it is in Mementos," Arthur said, the fur on his back rising noticeably.
"I agree... it's a Cognition," Lucretia said, analyzing the route ahead from within the protection of a glass observation globe that appeared around her whenever she summoned Lucia. "Bishop," she said into the telepathic connection that the Black Knights' navigator had established between them, "can you make out what they're saying?"
Leila concentrated for several moments. "It's difficult to make any of them out... but I think they're the voices of the common people of the Chinese Federation. They're..." her voice became grim. "They're begging for help... There are poor harvests... they can't afford the taxes the High Eunuchs have imposed upon them... even medicine is scarce... they want someone to help them... but... Gao Hai has deafened himself to their pleas. That's why their voices are so muffled and indistinct."
Euphemia frowned hearing Leila's assessment. "It's really that bad, isn't it? And we still haven't found a way to help those people without stealing Gao Hai's heart, even as we're most of the way to his Treasure." She shook her head. "But I suppose you knew it would turn out this way, didn't you, Zero?"
"There was always a chance that we would be able to find another way," he told Euphemia gently. "But it was always just a slim chance."
Euphemia was silent for several moments.
"Are you mad at me, Noire?"
She shook her head sadly. "No. I think, deep down, I knew that all along. There's no other way. I just didn't want to admit it to myself. We can't let Gao Hai and the other High Eunuchs continue to mistreat their people like this, nor let our brother annex the Chinese Federation into Britannia. We have to steal Gao Hai's heart."
xXx
"Halt!" a voice that they had first heard not so long ago called out.
They had reached a large pair of gilded gates, guarded by a Cognition of a terracotta soldier. But this one was different than those they had seen before. It's features were more distinct, as if they were based on a specific person, and its terracotta clothing was painted blue. It seemed badly damaged, with cracks all over its body, especially around its chest, yet somehow, it remained standing, as if through sheer force of will. Getting closer, Lelouch saw it was indeed a Cognition of the person he thought it was.
Li Xingke.
"These are the Huangdi's private quarters!" Cognitive Xingke announced. "You may have be guests in his Palace, but you are permitted to go no further!"
The Cognition put a hand to the hilt of its sword. Lelouch could feel its killing intent, and didn't need Leila to tell him that Cognitive Xingke would attack them if they continued to approach. But there was nothing to be gained by fighting anyway. Narrowing his focus so that he could perceive the gates before him with the Third Eye, Lelouch could tell that they were another Cognitive barrier. There was no way to open them from within the Palace.
So Lelouch decided to take a different approach. "Why do you continue to serve Gao Hai, even when it is clear that you resent him?"
Cognitive Xingke let out a harsh laugh, as if they needed to be reminded that he was actually an extension of Gao Hai's Shadow, like the rest of the Palace, before lurching into a sudden coughing fit, bits of terracotta breaking off of him.
"I serve the Empress, like her devoted lapdog," Cognitive Xingke said mockingly. "And because of that, it's easy to pull my strings. If I act openly against Gao Hai, then what will happen to her Majesty? Of course, I'll be discarded when I'm no longer useful. Does that answer your question?" the Cognition asked, as if daring them to step forward and face him.
"It does," Lelouch replied. "Thank you, Xingke. Perhaps we shall face each other at another time."
"A wise decision," Cognitive Xingke said with amusement. "I shall wait for your return then. You are quite an interesting one... for a thief."
"Isn't he going to raise the alarm as soon as we go?" Shirley asked anxiously.
"Me?" Cognitive Xingke laughed again. "Why would I do that? I'll just bide my time for now. But I hope you know what you're getting into."
xXx
"Welcome once again to my Velvet Room, Trickster," Igor said, sitting lazily at his desk. "I was not expecting to see you so soon. Do you require our services again?"
"Yes. I'd like to execute this Treasure Demon at the electric chair."
"The Koh-i-Noor. I see." Igor chuckled. "Very well. Shi! Tsu!"
"Yes, Master!" the sisters said in unison, not giving any hint that they, like Lelouch, were plotting against the Master of the Velvet Room.
Lelouch felt an electric sensation pass through him as the Treasure Demon perished, leaving only the diamond itself, and the crown that it was mounted upon. Shi picked the crown up from the chair, and brought it over to him.
"It is for a woman, is it not, Trickster?" Igor asked him. "Perhaps for the Sinner of Lust, who now fights among you?"
Lelouch bristled. It had been an elegant solution to his earlier dilemma. He would give Kallen the Queen's Necklace, while Shirley would receive the Koh-i-Noor. Both gifts were comparable in value, so neither of his girlfriends would feel slighted next to the other, and while they couldn't go around wearing them in public, they could make use of the power that had been infused into the jewels in the Metaverse. Igor was nosy, in more than one sense of the term, but it was unusual for him to be so blunt when inquiring about his love life, and he didn't like how accurate Igor's guess had been.
"You have no right to call her that," Lelouch said heatedly, even knowing that it would draw Igor's wrath. "Shirley's grown beyond who she once was. That her Palace vanished on its own is proof of that."
Sure enough, Igor was incensed by his backtalk. "The Deadly Sin of Lust is the insanity of mankind!" Igor boomed. "Unchecked, it shall bring forth ruin!"
"Don't worry about ruin," Lelouch smirked. "Ragnarok, and whatever my father's plans may be, will never come to pass."
That seemed to placate Igor. "Yes," the Master of the Velvet Room said, his rictus grin as demented and malevolent as ever.
"You are obviously far older and wiser than I am, so forgive my presumption, but I can't help but think that you've never shown much faith in humanity. Would I be wrong in thinking that you believe that the people of the Chinese Federation will fail to act once we expose Gao Hai's crimes?"
Igor chuckled. "You understand far more than than the unwashed masses, Trickster. Too often, the masses are indolent lemmings, who would march off a cliff to ruin without a second thought. At their worst, they are a mindless mob, just as surely leading to ruin. It falls to you, Trickster, to prove otherwise, so that the masses may be guided on the path to proper development."
It did not escape Lelouch that Igor hadn't given him a straight answer. It was also obvious to him who Igor thought should be guiding humanity. But he would keep playing along for now.
"Very well. I accept your challenge. Rest assured, I shall exceed your every expectation."
"Indeed, you never cease to intrigue me, Trickster."
Are the Black Knights Just?
Yes: 34.1%
Days Until the Empress is Married: 18
xXx
"You know, I'm really starting to think that you have a death wish of your own," Tsu said, stretching out in Lelouch's bed as he awoke the next morning. "If you keep goading The Nose, sooner or later you're going to go too far. You're playing a dangerous game, Trickster."
"If he's going to act like he's some kind of paternal figure, then he should expect some pushback, especially since he already knows that I hate my father and everything he stands for," Lelouch retorted. "It's natural for me to resist authority of any kind, and it would seem strange if I didn't."
"So in other words, you choose to act like a spoiled brat who thinks he's smarter than everyone else because he has daddy issues," Tsu said with a smirk.
"Isn't that the same as being a normal teenager?" Lelouch replied with a smirk of his own.
"You are not a normal teenager."
"And you are not a normal girl."
"Of course I'm not. As I said before, you might call me a witch."
"A witch you may be, but you're also a trusted confidant. He was insulting Shirley, but if he said the same to you, I would stand up for you, just as I would for any of the others."
Tsu smiled. "You really are something special, Trickster." She shook her head. "Of course, you probably have other confidants that you need to meet with."
"I do."
"Then go do what you must, Trickster. I'll be here when you return. We are as ever bound by our contract, are we not?"
"Indeed."
"The Nose doubts you, but if anyone can produce a miracle, it's you, Trickster."
xXx
"Aw, I would have been more than happy to go with you!" Kaguya pouted within Kirihara's audience chamber, uncomfortably close as she looked up to Lelouch with fawning green eyes. "But at least I get to meet your Court Ladies! So of course I'm in, Prince Lelouch!"
"Kaguya! This is not the time for childish flights of fancy!" Kirihara scolded. "You had put that all but behind you until Tanabata!" Kaguya shifted uncomfortably, and Lelouch could not fail to grasp Kirihara's implication.
Kirihara turned his attention to Lelouch. "Will this help the Black Knights prevent the union between Britannia and the Chinese Federation?" As one who had been a power broker behind the scenes for decades, Kirihara was very much aware of the broader political ramifications of the upcoming royal wedding.
"Indeed it will, Lord Kirihara. It is imperative that as many of us gain entrance into the Chinese Federation Consulate as possible, and Kallen is one of our most powerful members. The operation would be severely handicapped without her." If all went well, fighting would prove unnecessary, but there was always the possibility that they would need to make a quick escape into the Metaverse, and most situations in which they would be forced to do so would also put the Shadows in the Palace on high alert.
"Very well then," Kirihara said. "You may go and help Lelouch with this matter, Kaguya." His voice turned stern. "But remember that you represent one of the Six Houses of Kyoto. You must do nothing to invite undue suspicion upon yourself!"
"When are you going to treat me like a grown-up?" Kaguya complained. "I'm the head of my house in my own right, and an equal member of the Six Houses, yet you and the others still boss me around like I'm a kid, old man Kirihara!"
"If you were truly grown-up, you would be able to prove yourself worthy of being treated like an adult through your words and actions. Yet your continued petulance proves that you are still but a child."
Kaguya hung her head, grimacing.
"While you are here, Lelouch, there are other matters I would like to discuss," Kirihara said, satisfied that Kaguya had been suitably chastised. "You expressed to me that one of your companions was interested in meeting with me to discuss shared business interests?"
"Yes, Countess Breisgau. She is no friend of Britannia, and I think there is much good the two of you could accomplish together, Lord Kirihara."
"This can be arranged. Of course, I presume the Countess will be busy until you have stolen Gao Hai's heart."
"That is correct."
"And you will be likewise occupied," Kirihara continued. "But when we next meet, I think we will have an old acquaintance of yours present. You may find his expertise useful to you. Of course, should you not wish to share your identity with him, we can arrange for your anonymity."
"That's very interesting, Lord Kirihara. I look forward to it."
xXx
Kaguya still seemed down as they left Kirihara's audience chamber.
"I haven't changed, have I?" Kaguya asked. "I'm still like I was when we met in the woods all those years ago. I act like a spoiled princess, and I throw tantrums when I don't get my way. But you... You're no longer just an oni. As the leader of the Black Knights, you've practically become a superhero."
"Don't downplay how far you've come," Lelouch told her. "You've already come so far from that day. I'll never be one to say that you should just let the other heads of the Six Houses hold you back, and I can very much empathize with the sort of resentment that you feel toward them. You can change more than you know. I've changed more than I ever imagined possible in these past months. But don't change for them. Do it because it's what you want, and don't be afraid to break a few of their rules along the way either." He paused. "Of course, being a member of the Six Houses demands that you wear a certain mask in public, but don't let it hide that optimism of yours, or think that you have to give it up entirely to become a grown-up. That's what makes you Kaguya Sumeragi, after all."
Kaguya thought about that for a moment. "You're right! Thank you Lelouch! I'll show them, starting with this party! And I won't let you down either!"
Lelouch felt warmth within him as the power of the Sun Arcana shone through his bond with Kaguya.
Are the Black Knights Just?
Yes: 34.0%
Days Until the Empress is Married: 17
xXx
Lelouch spent the next day meeting with Sayoko and Nina in preparation for the infiltration of the pre-recepetion at the Chinese Federation Consulate. Neither of them had invitations, but they didn't need them.
Using her training as the 37th successor to the Shinozaki School, Sayoko would incapacitate and impersonate a member of the consulate's staff, choosing someone who would be mostly beneath notice. From there, she would make her way to the Consulate's security mainframe, delivering to it a computer virus on a portable drive supplied by Diethard. If necessary, Sayoko would also install a device that would open the mainframe to external internet connections.
This would enable Nina to remotely take control of the mainframe from the safety of her computer Terminal at Ashford Academy. Nina would then run looped camera footage in the embassy, wipe the security tapes, destroying any video evidence of the Black Knights' presence at the pre-reception. She would also keep watch over the real camera feeds, monitoring for sudden changes in the embassy's security situation so that she could warn them if necessary. If things got particularly serious, she was to trigger a false fire alarm in the consulate and perhaps cause some other chaos so that they would be able to escape unnoticed in the confusion.
Lelouch had to admit, he had been surprised to learn that Nina was a fellow hacker, and had been long before they had ever changed her heart. He expected it from shady characters like Diethard, committing such crimes in the name of 'investigative journalism'. Sayoko had some skill in hacking as well, but her area of expertise was more in physically infiltrating a location to retrieve or assassinate a target. But apparently all this time, while Nina had been quietly at her computer in the background, not only had she been running physics simulations, but she had been commanding a formidable botnet, a hacking feat that exceeded any of his own.
Nina of course hadn't set out with the goal of becoming a fearsome cyber-criminal, and nor had she done anything particularly malicious with the systems that she had compromised until now. She had just hit a dead end with her research, because her own computer and the resources at Ashford Academy were far too limited to carry out the work she wanted to do in any real detail. But there were universities throughout Area 11 with supercomputing nodes that were too often underutilized.
As Nina had explained to him as she confessed in private, she had thought that if she could borrow some computing time here and there while nobody else was using them, she could distribute her calculations in a massively parallel configuration, achieving her desired results far sooner. "Scrumping" was the technical term for the sort of theft that Nina had committed. Technically, military computers could have offered her even more computation power to scrump for her own uses, but military-grade firewalls were much tougher to hack through, and Nina was smart enough not to risk drawing the military's attention.
Of course, Nina no longer needed to scrump for computer time now that she had the support of Earl Asplund and Princess Euphemia, but part of her worried that she would lose that if they ever learned out how she had really done her calculations. Lelouch had confidently assured her that it would be their secret, causing Nina to smile in turn.
Still, Nina was confident that she wouldn't be caught while they infiltrated the consulate. But seeing Nina willingly commit treason alongside them with so little hesitation filled Lelouch with self-doubt. She would have never done so before. Had it really been right to change her heart? She would suffer the same penalties as the rest of them if they were caught.
As a whole, Nina was far happier and better-adjusted than she had ever been before. But while they had stolen away her misplaced hatred of the Japanese, an intense personal loyalty to himself and Princess Euphemia remained, out of gratitude for saving her from those thugs back in Izu. In many ways, it was similar to how Jeremiah regarded him. Nina had a newfound respect for Kallen as well, but ultimately saw Kallen as having followed his orders to save her, rather than independently coming to her aid, and so Nina's devotion remained focused on him and his half-sister.
Then there was the fact that Nina's change of heart had not gone unnoticed among the other members of the Student Council. Rolo and Suzaku had already concluded that it was the work of the Black Knights, and so Nina, at Lelouch's urging, had "come clean" that she had asked the Black Knights to steal her own heart so that she could move past her issues. Of course, by that point, they had forged a post for Nina requesting her own change of heart on KnightWatch, complete with a fake timestamp. Rolo and Suzaku still didn't approve of Nina reaching out to the Black Knights, but they didn't show any signs of suspecting that she had allied herself with them.
But Nina's change of heart seemed a relatively small thing next to that of the woman he would soon be meeting with.
Are the Black Knights Just?
Yes: 33.8%
Days Until the Empress is Married: 16
xXx
Lelouch made his way to Stadtfeld Manor, wearing a black tuxedo with a purple undershirt and a cravat. It was a bit old-fashioned, but so were masquerade balls in general.
The pre-reception would be later that evening. Kallen had called, saying that her stepmother had agreed to "her" request, provided that she could meet with Lelouch first, not that Kallen sounded at all happy about it.
"She says she wants to know what kind of person my boyfriend is," Kallen had huffed over the phone. "Remember, Lelouch. Don't let her try anything with you."
There was an unsaid "or else" at the end of that sentence.
Kallen had to depart to meet with Kaguya and prepare for the event with her, so Kallen would not be present as Lelouch met with her stepmother, but it was probably for the best.
He was greeted at the door by one of the Stadtfelds' other maids. The exchange of pleasantries was perfectly polite, but as the maid left to fetch Mrs. Stadtfeld, Lelouch couldn't help but feel a measure of contempt for her. It had very likely been one of the same maids who Kallen said had tormented her mother at Mrs. Stadtfeld's urging, or at the least, been complicit in it. The lady of the house's heart may have changed, but those of the maids had not.
"So you're here," a familiar voice said. Glancing up, Lelouch saw Mrs. Stadtfeld coming down the stairs, much as she had before, but her bearing could not have been more different. The cruelty in her eyes and voice was gone, as was the ridiculously elaborate hairstyle that she had worn during their first meeting. Instead, Mrs. Stadtfeld let her hair fall freely in the back, and she wore a simple but long blue dress. She seemed to have aged, in the sense that she looked closer to her true age now than the image of a younger woman that she had tried to project earlier, whether that was from wearing less makeup, the stress of coming to terms with how awful she had been to Kallen and her mother, or both. But that didn't take away from the fact that Mrs. Stadteld was still outwardly a beautiful woman, especially now that her formerly distorted desires were no longer rotting her from the inside.
"I must apologize for how I welcomed you last time," Mrs. Stadtfeld said with a frown. "That was very unbecoming of me." She paused. "You are my daughter's boyfriend, are you not?"
That comment may not have seemed much by itself, but at their last meeting Mrs. Stadtfeld had barely even bothered hiding her hatred for her stepdaughter, or that Kallen wasn't her biological daughter. Now, she actually seemed interested in Kallen's wellbeing, and her own role as Kallen's legal mother.
"I am," Lelouch replied.
Mrs. Stadtfeld nodded, and glanced toward her maid. "Leave us," she said curtly, regaining some of her old harsh demeanor, though now it seemed more an affectation than anything else.
The maid bowed and departed in silence.
"You're the one who changed my heart, aren't you?" Mrs. Stadtfeld asked.
Lelouch wasn't about to admit that in front of her. The maid may have departed, but there was always value in plausible deniability.
"I don't-" he started.
"You showed up one day to visit Kallen, and by the next the Black Knights steal my heart," Mrs. Stadtfeld said ruefully. "What reason would the Black Knights have had to go after me, of all the nobles in Area 11? What I did to her real mother was awful, but others have committed far worse crimes. No matter how I tried to reason it, the whole thing only made sense if was either as a favor to someone who hated me, or to someone close enough to me to know what was going on here out of the public eye."
"I'm sure there are many people who fit those descriptions," Lelouch said. "Any one of them could have posted a request to have your heart changed on KnightWatch."
"But Kallen fits both of them. And she didn't need to post a request, since she was already a Black Knight alongside you, wasn't she?" Mrs. Stadtfeld cut in. "I knew that she had been sneaking out to the ghettos before, but I should have realized that something was up when she started attending school more. That's when she got involved with you and the Black Knights." Mrs. Stadtfeld shook her head. "I deserved it though." She gave Lelouch a piercing look. "Do you have any idea what it feels like to have your heart changed?"
"I'd imagine rather distressing," he said, thinking back to Villetta and Clovis. That of course didn't seem to be true for Nina, but there was no reason to go into that with Mrs. Stadtfeld.
"You can't really imagine it, not without living through it yourself. It hit me all at once... how awful I'd been to Kallen and her mother... how petty I'd been. I'd ruined that poor woman's life almost singlehandedly." Mrs. Stadtfeld began choking up as she relived her guilt anew. "Yes, my husband rejected her too, but I was the one who tried to tear her apart from her daughter, and then made her life a living hell for the temerity to just want to be in the same home as her, no matter how degrading her position. All the while, I just selfishly focused on my own happiness. But I see now how futile my attempts to receive attention were... No matter how many men I brought over, I'd never find what I was looking for. I kept on discarding them as my husband discarded me, and my daughter's real mother before me. I was a wreck... I'd say it's your fault... but all you did was lay my sins bare."
Mrs. Stadtfeld smiled slightly. "Yet, difficult as it was... I felt free, like I finally knew what was important. I'd never have my husband's heart, and at last I could accept that. But there was someone else I could care for..." Her expression turned to a frown, and her eyes betrayed a deep tiredness. "Someone to whom I owed amends... especially after what I drove her real mother too. She shuddered. "I still have many sleepless nights, thinking about what I did."
"Your punishment is to atone for your crimes, for as long as you live," Lelouch said simply.
"Indeed, it is," Mrs. Stadtfeld agreed. "You know, you're a cruel young man. No matter what I do, Kallen will still hate me. I'm under no illusions that agreeing to bring you with me to the ball at the Consulate will change her opinion of me. And you're asking me to go back to how I was, if only for a night. I can still remember how to act the part... but I'm no longer that woman. She disgusts me."
"I know that you don't have the power to have overturn her real mother's conviction, but isn't there anything that you could do?" Lelouch asked Mrs. Stadtfeld. "Pull a few strings, get her moved to another facility with better treatment, or perhaps even released on parole?"
"That... could be done." Mrs. Stadtfeld gave him a strange look. "Maybe I misjudged you... You're still cruel, but you're kind as well. That's why Kallen fell for you, isn't it?" She let out a small laugh. "If only you were a bit older... or I a bit younger..." She shook her head. "But I won't get in the way of whatever happiness my daughter has managed to find. Very well. I'll help you get into the Consul-General's pre-reception. There's one thing that I want you to promise me though."
"What is it?"
"Whatever it is you're doing there, keep Kallen safe. If something were to happen to her... I really wouldn't have a reason for living anymore. After you took my distorted desires, atonement is all I have left."
"I will."
xXx
"You encountered but failed to eliminate the group calling themselves the Irregulars," the old silver-haired man said. His voice was soft, but his anger was clear. "They should have been no match for you, yet you permitted them to escape."
"My apologies, My Lord," Black Mask's voice replied. "I will not offer excuses. I sorely underestimated them, and that is my own failure. But allow me the opportunity to redeem myself. If you but give the word, I will eliminate their leader, and that escaped test subject who acts as her bodyguard even now."
"Tempting as it is to accept your offer and be rid of Marianne's accursed daughter, the opportunity has passed. If you had managed to kill Nunnally vi Britannia among nameless thieves in Mementos, we could have claimed ignorance of the matter. But not only is it impossible to inflict a mental shutdown on Persona-users, assassinating her in the open would draw Charles' attention away from Ragnarok. It would be a most unfortunate distraction at this juncture, when we are already in the final stages of the project, which has taken decades to bring to fruition."
"My Lord, there is something you should know about her Persona," Black Mask said, suddenly speaking up.
"What would that be?"
"Her Persona is not normal. When we fought, it was as if her Shadow possessed her."
There was only silence on the old man's end for several moments.
"My Lord?" Black Mask asked hesitantly.
"Are you sure?" the old man said.
"Yes. Even her eyes turned gold like a Shadow's."
The man chuckled. "Truly remarkable. I will have to revisit my notes... but it seems birds of a feather truly flock together... you did well to tell me that, Agent Nebiros."
"I don't understand, My Lord."
"And nor do you need to. But I will say this: is a Shadow not one's true self, stripped of all pretension, of the lies that we wrap ourselves in?"
"Indeed, My Lord. Are you saying-"
"You should know better than anyone not to ask too many questions," the old man said sharply. "Now what else have you to report, Agent?"
"The Black Knights are progressing rapidly through the Consul-General's Palace. If they change his heart, the alliance between Britannia and the Chinese Federation could-"
"Irrelevant. Let Schneizel distract the masses with political theater. Ragnarok will come to pass whether the Chinese Federation is part of Britannia or not."
"Of course, My Lord."
"Still, continue your observations for now."
"Very well. I shall take my leave then, My Lord. I have a party to attend."
A/N:
This chapter took longer to put out than I expected. I would have liked to include the party itself in this chapter, but at over 7.5k words, that would have made it much too long without compromising the details of the scene.
Still, we are moving toward wrapping up the current arc, and hope to get the next one out faster, but we'll see how things go.
Thanks for reading!