After agreeing to help him, Mrs. Stadtfeld excused herself to get herself ready. When she returned, her hair was in an even more elaborate style than the one he remembered, perhaps to keep up with the latest fashion trends among the nobility. She had applied makeup to her face, concealing most of the signs of age that Lelouch had seen earlier. She wore the same elegant blue dress as when she had greeted him, but now there was a now a stole, patterned after a peacock's tail feathers, draped over her shoulders, sheer and shimmering, and she held a matching mask in her hands. Technically, such vivid plumage was only characteristic of male peafowl, but Lelouch chose not to mention that. Peacocks had long been symbols of vanity, so it was a perfect match with her old self nonetheless.
Mrs. Stadtfeld had also decked herself out with a diamond necklace. It was extravagant, but its brilliance faded when compared to the Queen's Necklace. While he knew that Kallen would never be able to wear it in public, he fought back a smirk, imagining how envious Mrs. Stadtfeld would have been before her change of heart to see her stepdaughter in that.
"What do you think?" Mrs. Stadtfeld asked. "If this is going to work, I'm not only going to have to act like my old self, I'm going to have to look the part as well," she said with a hint of distaste.
"That will do," Lelouch told her. "I'm grateful that you're willing to go through with this."
"That's all you can say?" Mrs. Stadtfeld said, giving him a wicked look and putting on a haughty tone of voice. "I hope that you're more appreciative of my daughter. Most boys in your position would be swooning at the chance to go out with her, to say nothing of a glamorous older woman."
Mrs. Stadtfeld let out a harsh laugh. "Who am I kidding? My daughter's always had a temper, and she never had an interest in becoming a proper Britannian lady. Of course, the old me saw her as little more than an ungrateful parasite foisted upon me by my husband, and she never wanted anything to do with me. At first I forced her to practice etiquette whenever she was at home, thinking I could stamp out some of that Eleven taint, but she just responded by sneaking out to the ghettos more. I wouldn't be surprised if she quickly learned to handle herself and any pigs who might try to come on to her there. The ghettos are a rough place, and too many men are like that."
"You're not wrong," Lelouch said. "She pulled a knife on me not long after we met, and used to be in the habit of making death threats against anyone who she thought might reveal her secret." He saw Mrs. Stadtfeld give a disapproving look. "She's gotten a lot better though. It seems like that was so long ago..."
Mrs. Stadtfeld shook her head. "At the time, I never bothered to find out exactly what she was doing in the ghettos. Oh, I had some inkling of what she had gotten herself into... especially after her brother died. But I was such a heartless person that I didn't really care. Kallen couldn't have gotten away with using that ridiculous excuse of being sickly if I had chosen to involve myself. She even keeps physical training equipment in her room! Who did she think she was fooling?" Mrs. Stadtfeld sighed, and when she continued there was only self-loathing in her voice. "But it was more convenient for me that way."
"Because if Kallen got killed, you could easily cover it up, and say that she had succumbed to her supposed illness."
"Guilty as charged," Mrs. Stadtfeld nodded. "Still... for Kallen to mellow out around you... She must see something really special in you."
"She's still as passionate about fighting for what she believes in as when I met her."
"At least my daughter still has her dreams and desires." Mrs. Stadtfeld shook her head again. "But listen to us, going on like this. Don't we have a party to attend?"
xXx
Lelouch and Mrs. Stadtfeld sat next to each other in the back of her limousine as they rode to the pre-reception and masquerade ball at the Chinese Federation Consulate. Neither wore their masks yet, and were assured privacy by the partition separating them from her driver. Yet the ride passed mostly in silence. Mrs. Stadtfeld had already gotten the answers she wanted from him.
"My Lady, we have arrived at the consulate," the driver's voice, female, said over the intercom. Come to think of it, all of Mrs. Stadtfeld's servants seemed to be female. Was that because her husband had suspected what she would do if there were male servants around the house in his absence? Then again, the late Prince Clovis had started a trend of using female limo drivers, so maybe Mrs. Stadtfeld had been simply following the latest fad among the nobility.
"Thank you," Mrs. Stadtfeld replied curtly. She raised her mask to her face and glanced at Lelouch. "I hope you know what you're doing."
"All we need to worry about is getting in the door," he replied with a smirk. "If we can achieve that, everything else will fall into place."
With that, he fastened his own mask in place, one that covered his entire face and was stylized to present a demonic visage, and donned a top hat that he had rented for the occasion. The result was that his costume strongly resembled Arsene, but in black and purple. A pair of red contact lenses completed his look, and served to hide his distinctive violet eyes.
The driver came around to open the limousine doors for them. As the first one out, Lelouch extended his hand to help Mrs. Stadtfeld out of the car in turn, as a proper gentleman would.
The front of the consulate was abuzz with activity. Numerous limousines, much like Mrs. Stadtfeld's, had already arrived, with more coming in by the minute, their passengers disembarking in costumes every bit if not more ostentatious than their own. A line had formed outside the gate leading into the consulate, and a number of journalists had arrived to report on the event as well.
But even more obvious were the security arrangements. Rows of Britannian Sutherlands, with Gloucester command units interspersed between them, lined the streets surrounding the consulate. Black Knights or not, the gathering would be an attractive target to a number of rebel groups throughout Area 11, particularly those with more terroristic leanings, so Britannia was taking no chances that the consulate might fall to a surprise attack.
The Chinese Federation seemed to be taking security seriously as well. Corrupt as the High Eunuchs were, they had some competent officers, Li Xingke among them. The consulate's guards were checking each guest's invitation before letting them in, and there appeared to be to be walk-through metal detectors standing unobtrusively along the red carpet leading inside.
But there was still a glaring flaw in their security. The fact that the Black Knights might arrive as plus-ones, or as guests with their own invitations, did not appear to have occurred to the guards, an oversight that Lelouch would exploit to the fullest.
He waited patiently in line at Mrs. Stadtfeld's side until it was time for her invitation to be checked.
"Lady Vanessa Stadtfeld, and her guest," the guard said, finding nothing amiss with him.
Under his mask, Lelouch grinned in triumph. The first objective had been cleared.
"That's correct," Mrs. Stadtfeld said sharply. "You should show more respect in the presence of real nobility, though I suppose they don't have much of that in the Chinese Federation these days, just a child for an Empress. Well, this is as good an opportunity as any to get to know your betters. I hope this party is worthwhile."
The guard bristled slightly, and Lelouch fought the urge to do the same. He knew that Mrs. Stadtfeld was putting on an act right now, pretending to be the same vain, cruel, and deeply racist woman that she had used to be. That act was necessary, and it was perfectly in-character for the role she needed to play, but it also took away any beauty that she had, making her seem repulsive.
"Incredible," Mrs. Stadtfeld said contemptuously as she glared at the guard. She grasped Lelouch's arm tightly. "Let's go, dear."
Mrs. Stadtfeld pulled him over the threshold, and after a short walk, they were within the outer plaza that Lelouch and the other Black Knights had previously observed from afar. Some guests were milling about, but most were making their way inward, to where the actual pre-reception was being held.
The interior of the real consulate was not as lavishly decorated as the gilded halls of Gao Hai's Palace, but it was still clearly designed to showcase the wealth and power of the Chinese Federation. Or rather, it was designed to showcase the wealth and power of the High Eunuchs. As Lelouch knew, and as he had seen in the Palace, most of the people of the Chinese Federation were desperately poor, squeezed ever harder to sate the High Eunuchs' greed for a time, though it would never be enough.
"Will you sign the guest book?" another guard stationed near the door asked as they began to move by him.
Annoyance flashed across Mrs. Stadtfeld's face, but she did so without another word, and handed the pen to Lelouch.
Lelouch thought for a moment. He obviously wasn't going to sign his real name. He was sorely tempted to write "Arsene Lupin", but an obviously fake name would only draw suspicion upon Mrs. Stadtfeld, and she was already risking enough in helping them. He settled for "Alan Spacer", a psuedonym he had used on occasion while gambling.
The guest book signed, the two of them blended in among the other guests. Scanning the hall, Lelouch could see that there was far more of the Area nobility in attendance than one might expect to respond to the invitation of someone, who was, on paper, simply a high-ranking Chinese bureaucrat. Evidently, many of them knew where the real power in the Chinese Federation lay. But Lelouch wasn't going to complain about the event being well-attended. It just made it easier for him to avoid notice among the crowd.
Now that he was inside the consulate, Lelouch had to link up with his fellow Black Knights, find Gao Hai, and then gain entrance to the Consul-General's chambers. Of course, there was one catch to that part of the plan.
Gao Hai had to see them do it. Only then might his Cognition change, so that the inner sanctum of the Palace was no longer seen as being inviolate to outsiders.
Of course, he had a number of excuses planned that should be innocuous enough. Even if they were escorted out of Gao Hai's chambers almost immediately, the change in Cognition would have already taken place, giving them access to the innermost parts of his Palace. Still, there was the possibility that the guards would try to detain them, but Nina was ready to create a diversion for them at a moment's notice, and the Metaverse was only a voice command away.
But as always, it was best to keep a low profile for as long as possible, so Lelouch started to dance with Mrs. Stadtfeld, playing his role as her date, while keeping his eyes open, watching for allies and foes alike.
He first saw Milly, dancing with Earl Asplund. She was wearing a very revealing blue dress that left her shoulders and upper arms bare, and her cleavage stretched down from the white collar that kept her dress in place down to her waist, exposing almost half of her breasts. Milly was one wrong move away from having a major wardrobe malfunction, yet she managed to keep her outfit together. She had accessorized it with elbow-length evening gloves, a flower in her hair, and a blue mask that glittered much like the one that she wore as Diamond.
The outfit as a whole did much to flatter Milly's figure, and Lelouch caught himself staring for a moment longer than he intended to, but it seemed to lack Milly's usual flair for wacky costumes. He suspected that the dress was something that her parents had told her to wear for the ball.
On his part, Earl Asplund was wearing a brown suit with gold epaulettes and a white undershirt. He looked distinctly out of place, as he wasn't wearing a mask, unlike most of the other guests, but Lelouch guessed that the Earl didn't particularly care. The Earl had an amused expression on his face, evidently more interested in the spectacle of the ball than his dancing partner.
Lelouch gave a nod in Milly's direction, and she nodded back and gave him a small grin before returning to her dance. She would have to accompany the Earl for some time longer for appearance's sake, but Lelouch knew that she would break off and start heading toward the back of the hall when she found a good opportunity to do so.
"That was the Ashfords' daughter," Mrs. Stadtfeld said quietly enough so that only Lelouch could hear her over the music of the waltz. "I hear that she's Earl Asplund's fiancée. I'm surprised he took any interest in a woman... or that he's lasted so long. The word is that Miss Ashford there normally makes her suitors run away after the first date. Yet judging from the glances that you two exchanged a moment ago, she's in on this as well. Am I wrong?"
Lelouch didn't respond, though judging from her expression, Mrs. Stadtfeld took his silence as confirmation.
"Oh! An oni here at the ball?" an excited voice called out, interrupting them.
Turning around, Lelouch saw a girl in a long, pink-kimono style dress, wearing a mask decorated with shimmering silver moon designs. Still, the voice, long black hair, and green eyes peering out from under the mask told him that it was none other than Kaguya Sumeragi.
"I don't think I've ever seen such a well-dressed oni before," Kaguya said with a smile.
Kallen was accompanying Kaguya. She had opted for a Britannian-styled dress, which was understandable, as she had a cover to maintain. The dress was ankle-length, with a cut in the front to show her legs, burgundy red, and had a light pink frilled hem. The top half of the dress was styled after a bodice, and it had a low neckline, though nowhere near as daring as Milly's. A much looser-fitting black collar wrapped around Kallen's shoulders, embroidered with golden patterns, and sheer pink fabric extended from it to cover her arms.
Kallen wore her hair in a style that Lelouch hadn't seen on her before, pulled back into a small bun, held in place by a hair ornament that was made to look like three tiny roses with pink and gold ribbons flowing out from them. Most of her hair remained straight, but there were some strands on the side and at the back of the bun that spiked out, making it look like a cross between her hairstyles as a student and as a Black Knight.
Her outfit was accessorized by open-toed high heels, short white gloves on her hands, and a choker, consisting of a pair of ribbons entwined around her neck, from which a rose pendant hung, festooned with a strand of golden leaves that led the eyes down toward her décolletage.
Lelouch felt his cheeks growing hot as he realized that he was staring again, but thankfully no one could see his discomfort under his mask.
Kallen completed her look with a mask adorned with lotus petals, a replica of the one that she wore in the Metaverse. As always, it hid most of her face, preventing him from fully reading her expression, but she stiffened and scowled as soon as she saw her stepmother.
"You look great," Lelouch told Kallen, both as a genuine compliment, and as an attempt to relieve the tension that had suddenly filled the air.
Mrs. Stadtfeld nodded. She seemed satisfied that he had at least shown some appreciation of Kallen. "I think I'll be getting a refreshment," she said, taking her cue to leave. "Don't get yourselves into something you can't handle."
"Hmm?" Kaguya asked, glancing at the departing Mrs. Stadtfeld. "Was she another of your Court Ladies? I didn't know that you were into older-"
"I'm not," Lelouch quickly replied.
"He's not," Kallen said in unison.
"Aww..." Kaguya said. "Well, at least the two of us had a good conversation on the way here," she said, looking up at Kallen. "She's so cool!"
"You really are pretty incredible yourself," Kallen said politely. The youngest head of Kyoto was from an old and distinguished family, and Japanese culture was highly deferential to authority and tradition. As rebellious as Kallen was, a measure of that was ingrained in her as well, though she certainly didn't recognize Britannian authority. But there was much that Kallen could have found to admire in Kaguya on her own merits, from her obvious intelligence and talent, to her own refusal to sell out to Britannian rule. Still, Kallen sounded slightly weary, as if keeping Kaguya company during their limousine ride together had tired her out.
"Well, I'll let you two dance first," Kaguya said, looking from Kallen to Lelouch. "I know I'll get my turn eventually, even if it's not tonight, and you're already his Court Lady, aren't you?."
Kallen looked like she wanted to say something, but she seemed to think better of it, and instead nodded gratefully.
"Shall we?" Lelouch asked, holding out his hand to Kallen.
She took it with her own and let him lead her into a dance. A waltz was far less physically demanding than the performance that she had put on for the Cognitive Garrison earlier in the Palace, but Lelouch was still impressed by how precise Kallen's movements were, even in a different style. Evidently at least some of the ballroom dancing training that had been forced upon her by her stepmother had stuck. As for himself, princes had to learn dancing from an early age, and he put those lessons into practice.
Kallen smiled a bit, but neither of them were truly relaxed. He could see her blue eyes darting back and forth underneath her mask, constantly scanning the room for potential threats.
Lelouch and Kallen hadn't been dancing for long when they heard a small clamor of voices from near the entrance, marking the arrival of a pair of young women, who were receiving quite a positive reception. One had flowing light-blonde tresses, and wore a costume styled after a black butterfly, with a veil that covered the upper half of her face taking the place of a mask. Her companion, standing just behind her, also had long hair, but coppery-red, and was dressed as a fairy, with gossamer wings strapped to her back, a long green dress embroidered with gold patterns, and a domino mask, half gold and half white, embellished with intricate patterns and decorated with a lily on the side.
Lelouch recognized them at once: Leila and Shirley. The redhead's body language told him that she felt overwhelmed by all of the attention that she was receiving alongside Leila, while the young Countess didn't let any signs of the annoyance that she must feel show through. She had much more practice at concealing her emotions than Shirley did, who had always worn them on her sleeve.
Coming with another girl and wearing mourning colors should have been a strong hint to any would-be suitors that Leila wasn't interested in their advances, but apparently she was still considered one of the most eligible bachelorettes in Area 11. Beneath her veil, she could maintain a pretense of anonymity, but she was too well-known among the Area's nobility after being publicly courted by Prince Clovis to avoid being recognized by the more observant guests. Then again, not many people had such voluminous blonde hair like Leila's, even within the circles of the nobility, so that was a bit of a giveaway. Someone with Leila's looks would also draw a certain amount of attention whether she was recognized or not, or so his Personas whispered to him.
Shirley enjoyed actual anonymity among the other guests. As a commoner, the nobles attending the party, save for the few associated with Ashford Academy, had no reason to know her. Of course, that wouldn't stop them from trying to futilely guess who she might be. Their natural assumption would be that Shirley was a fellow noble, who had yet to make a formal debut, and a close friend of the Countess, perhaps from St. Lucia's. They would never imagine that a commoner would attend the party, let alone in such a fancy costume.
Milly was of course an exception to that rule. While technically a commoner now, she was ex-nobility and engaged to an Earl. Moreover, even with their reduced status, the Ashfords were still fairly wealthy through shrewd investments, and had a number of friends thanks to Ruben's connections, so Milly was accepted among the nobles. But if the other guests knew that Shirley was, a commoner, a nobody in their eyes, she would have received a far icier reception. They'd say that she had no business at a high-society party, and they'd mercilessly hound her for daring to rise above her station. The thought of it made Lelouch's blood boil.
"Let's give them a hand," Lelouch said to Kallen.
Kallen nodded. She wasn't going to tolerate anyone harassing Shirley, and as much as she might be wary of Leila, she was still a fellow Black Knight. Milly noticed what they were doing as well, and, after excusing herself from Earl Asplund's side, joined them as they made their way across the floor.
Yet as they drew near, the crowd around Leila and Shirley began to disperse, the other guests suddenly giving them a large berth. Like a ripple rushing out across a pond, a new commotion started among those closest to them, while those further out strained to see, reverential and suspicious whispers circulating among them.
"His Majesty's -"
"Out here in Area 11?
"Do you you think?"
"Not one but-"
Lelouch felt himself filled with a sudden dread. To cause that sort of reaction in nobles... And did they say "His Majesty's"...?
The crowd cleared enough for him to see the cause of the commotion, a young man, slightly over six feet tall with blonde hair and handsome features that a mask did little to hide, who was now standing at Shirley's side, holding her hand in his, as if to escort her away from the nobles that had threatened to smother her. There seemed to be nothing outwardly menacing or forceful about his manner, though Shirley was clearly flustered. Tinges of red crept out from under her mask, seemingly so shocked by the suddenness in which the man had approached her that she was still struggling to form a coherent response.
Leila flanked the man, and appeared to be speaking to him, undoubtedly seeking a way to secure Shirley's release. At the same time, she moved along with them, using the man's presence as an excuse to escape the crowd, though she did not hold his hand as well.
Lelouch couldn't help but feel angry at the sight of the man hold Shirley like that, but almost immediately those thoughts were pushed aside by something far more alarming. He recognized the symbol emblazoned on the green cloak draped around the man's shoulders, as well as the formal white suit and black undershirt beneath it.
The man wasn't wearing a costume. It was a military uniform, signifying that the man wasn't any ordinary Britannian officer, but a member of the Knights of the Round, the elite order of Britannia's deadliest warriors, answerable only to the Emperor himself. Lelouch would never be able to mistake that uniform for anything else. It was the same order to which his mother had belonged prior to becoming an Empress, serving as the Knight of Six.
Damn! His father wouldn't casually send Knights of the Round to a party like this. They were here because the proceedings were important to his father's plans. He began to think frantically. Some might think that the historic union between Britannia and the Chinese Federation was reason enough for his father's agents to be here, but there had to be more to it than that.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that the Black Knights would either target Gao Hai or Schneizel next. Had his father specifically sent the Knights of the Round to deal with the Black Knights? And if so, then how much did his father know?
He had to assume that Britannia's Cognitive Psience research program went highest levels, carried out with the knowledge and approval of the Emperor himself. How else could his father possibly threaten Igor, a being who resided in the Metaverse, with Ragnarok? Could the Knight of the Round before them be a Persona-user himself? Worse, might all of the Knights of the Round be Persona-users?!
Kallen seemed to notice his distress, and squeezed his hand, silently reminding him that she would always be by his side, protecting him to the very end. Lelouch squeezed Kallen's hand back, calming himself down a bit. Perilous as their situation was, all was not lost by any means. The Knight of the Round had shown no signs of recognizing any of them and as Black Knights, and he still sensed no aggression from the young man. They still had a chance as long as none of them did something foolish that would give them away.
Seeing them approach, a boyish grin spread on the Knight of the Round's face. "My, my! So many beauties in one place!" the Knight of the Round said, his voice now overly friendly. "It must be my lucky day!" The Knight of the Round glanced his companions, and after a moment the Knight's gaze settled on Kallen. "You're pretty cute, if I say so myself."
Lelouch bristled. It was bad enough that this Knight of the Round had taken hold of Shirley, but now he was hitting on Kallen as well. It was typical Britannian arrogance. He must surely think that just because he was handsome and had status that girls would be swooning over him. All too often, he'd be right. But of course, the other Black Knights weren't ordinary girls.
"Sorry, I'm already taken," Kallen said, scarcely trying to hide the hostility in her voice. Lelouch felt her quickly wrap an arm around him, but he also noticed that Kallen was adjusting her stance, preparing to fight if necessary.
"A shame!" The Knight of the Round frowned. "You're even a bit feisty too! I like that in a girl."
"Do you normally drag off any girl who strikes your fancy?" Kallen pressed, having none of it. "Some Knight you are. That's my friend there. Can't you see that you're bothering her?" Kallen would have never been so bold in her guise as a sickly schoolgirl, but hidden behind a mask, her true personality shone through.
"I am?" The Knight of the Round asked, sounding genuinely surprised. He glanced over at Shirley, and promptly released her hand when he saw her expression. He gave a small chuckle. "Sorry if I came off as rude. I'd never mistreat a lady such as you. I just thought you needed some help getting away from that crowd. If it's your first time at a party like this, it's pretty easy to get overwhelmed."
Lelouch knew that the reason that Shirley and Leila had been mobbed had more to do with the fact that it was the Countess' first public appearance since Prince Clovis' state funeral, but he chose to remain silent.
Shirley nodded slowly. "Um, thank you, Sir... Um... Sir-" She seemed unsure of how to address someone of so much higher social status, and she appeared to grow even more uncomfortable as she realized that she didn't know his name.
"We are grateful for your assistance," Leila said diplomatically, at once coming to Shirley's aid and drawing the Knight's attention to herself. "You must be Sir Weinberg. You were named to the Knights of the Round just a few days ago. I saw it in the news."
"Yeah, that's me," the Knight of the said with a good-natured laugh. "I know it's supposed to be a masquerade, but there's not much point in hiding it. But 'Sir Weinberg' sounds so formal. You can call me Gino if you want. That's what my friends call me."
The surname Weinberg was a familiar one to Lelouch. It had been wealthy and influential since the early days of Britannia, and one of its members had even been the personal Knight to a reigning Empress who was said to be the ancestor of the li Britannia line. It was conceivable that the Emperor might have even named Gino to the Knights of the Round as a favor to the Weinbergs because they were one of a key group of high-ranking noble families whose support that he needed in the court. The Emperor could not simply rule by the force of his personality alone, formidable as it was, no matter what official Imperial propaganda wanted people to believe.
"It's quite an accomplishment to be named to the Knights of the Round at your age," Leila said. "Off the top of my head, I can only think of few that have been younger."
Under his mask, Lelouch grinned. Did she also suspect that Gino had gotten his position through nepotism? If so, that was a perfect backhanded compliment, masquerading as flattery.
"Funny that you should mention that," Gino said with a wry look, but after a moment it changed into a big grin. "But I'm still one of the best pilots around!"
"I wonder though, what brings you to Area 11" Leila asked.
"I admit, it's not what I thought my first assignment as a Knight of the Round would be," Gino replied. "Not that I'm complaining! But we've got the Prime Minister here, two other royals, plus dignitaries from the Chinese Federation. We're keeping an eyes on things just in-"
"Found you," a female voice said, oddly devoid of emotion. Another Knight of the Round approached, previously hidden from sight among the crowd. She stood shorter than most than the guests, and at least a full foot less than Gino. She was clearly younger than her fellow Knight of the Round, and couldn't have been any older than Nunnally or Kaguya. Impossibly young as that seemed, Lelouch knew that it would be highly unwise to underestimate anyone whom his father had made a Knight of the Round. Each and every one of them was a force to be reckoned with.
While the girl's uniform bore the same imperial symbol as Gino's did, her cloak was pink instead of green, matching her light rose hair, which was done up in a bun that diverged into a short pair of twintails, with longer bangs framing her face. The rest of her uniform was clearly not regulation, though as a Knight of the Round she naturally had great latitude in such matters. Rather than a white coat, she wore a white vest, and the undershirt was replaced with a black two-piece that uncomfortably reminded Lelouch of how revealing Nunnally's thief outfit as Nemo was.
The girl wore a white mask in a concession to the event, but through it Lelouch could see that she had red irises. Her face had a certain elegance to it that the nobility considered classically beautiful, and she could have easily grown up to embody the traditional image of a proper Britannian lady had she not become a Knight of the Round.
"You talk too much, Gino," the younger Knight of the Round said.
"Lady Alstreim!" Leila gasped, sounding as surprised to see her there as he was. "The Knight of Six, and the youngest person ever to be appointed to the Knights of the Round!"
"Yeah, Anya there has me beat," Gino laughed, gesturing down at his partner. "She's a real prodigy when it comes to piloting a Knightmare. Give her a few more years, and some in Pendragon say that she could practically be the second coming of Marianne the Flash!"
Lelouch looked at Anya in disbelief. Not only was she a Knight of the Round, but she was the successor to his mother's title?!
Anya seemed to notice that he was staring, and looked up directly at him, meeting his gaze. For a moment, Lelouch had a feeling that she saw through him.
A light flashed from an object that Anya had raised in her hands. A phone? Then it struck him. A Knight of the Round had just taken a picture of him, Kallen, and Milly!
Anya's phone flashed again, this time taking a picture of Leila and Shirley. Lelouch continued to internally panic. Anya's phone was separate from the security mainframe! Those pictures wouldn't be erased when Nina wiped the tapes. Unless they could separate Anya from her phone, a Knight of the Round would be carrying evidence that could potentially be used against them! But how could he take her phone without causing a scene that would attract even more attention to them?
"Recorded," Anya said, seemingly oblivious to the turmoil that she had just caused.
"Does she always take pictures like that?" Milly asked, trying to sound casual.
"Yeah, that's Anya for you," Gino replied. "Anya has trouble remembering things sometimes, so she takes pictures for her diary. That way she can remind herself of the places she's been to and the people she's seen. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all," Milly said.
"Of course," Shirley nodded.
Leila did so as well, and put on a smile. "I hope you find many memories to cherish, Lady Alstreim."
It wasn't a bad strategy. By pretending that having their pictures taken during an infiltration didn't bother them, they were less likely to arouse suspicion on Anya's part. In turn, if Anya had no reason to show the pictures to anyone else or think of them as anything but memories from a party, then no harm would come of them.
Anya looked liked she didn't know how to respond to Leila's show of kindness. But after a moment, Anya briefly returned the nod, and then turned her attention back to her partner.
"Are we done here?" she asked.
"I suppose we do have to get going," Gino admitted. "The Consul-General and the Prime Minister will be speaking soon, and we don't want to be late."
So Schneizel was here! While he had considered the possibility, its confirmation was most unwelcome news. It was unlikely that Schneizel was in the habit of asking Knights of the Round to show him their phones, as to do so without good reason would be seen as an affront to the Emperor. But they would all be in trouble if Schneizel ever saw those photos. By themselves, the pictures weren't much to go on, but Schneizel was never to be underestimated.
"Have fun!" Gino called back with a friendly wave as he departed with Anya.
Lelouch released a breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding. In the end, Schneizel and the Knights of the Round being here didn't change what they had to do. It only increased the stakes enormously.
Still, that likely explained where Euphemia was. As the Third Princess, she would be obliged to meet with Schneizel, and to do otherwise would invite suspicion upon her. Thankfully, Lelouch knew that she could handle herself around Schneizel without giving herself away, as she had done on Kamine Island.
That left Arthur, who was with the Irregulars. Even now, they would be making their way toward the Cognitive barrier in Gao Hai's Palace, ready to assist them in the Metaverse if need be. Sayoko was also in the consulate, still impersonating a staff member, waiting to help them clear a path to Gao Hai's chamber or serve as a diversion as needed.
The music of the current waltz ended, and the distinctive chords of "All Hail Britannia" cut in.
"Announcing the Prime Minister of the Holy Britannian Empire, Second Prince Schneizel el Britannia."
Schneizel strode into view, climbing onto a dais set up at back of the hall, where a podium had been set up, joined by the Knights of the Round, who stood at attention as they assumed their positions at his sides. Schneizel did not wear a mask, though with his skill as a manipulator, he didn't really need one, as he was more than capable of presenting different faces to different people as needed to advance his goals.
A small procession followed the Prime Minister. There was a rose-haired man, with an androgynous appearance, dressed in blue-green noble attire, who seemed to be serving as Schneizel's assistant, standing behind and to the right of the Second Prince. Lelouch would have thought that the man was dwarfed by Schneizel, but standing at six feet and seven inches, Schneizel dwarfed almost everyone he met, with the exception of the Emperor.
Their target, Gao Hai, took his place behind Schneizel and to his left. He was dressed much as they had seen him in official pictures, and like Schneizel dispensed with wearing a mask. The paleness of Gao Hai's skin and his makeup gave him a somewhat unsettling appearance, and there was a certain smugness in the Consul-General's slight smile, yet few would guess the extent of the callous greed that they had seen in his Palace just by looking at him.
Two more individuals took their places on the dais, behind Schneizel's assistant and Gao Hai. Predictably, one of them was Princess Euphemia, wearing an elaborate white ball dress, adorned with pink flowers, that may well have been designed by Clovis. Her mask seemed to be patterned off Noire's, but with the colors inverted. Still, he would recognize his half-sister anywhere; that long pink hair of hers was unmistakable.
As was custom, a knight served as Euphemia's escort, dressed in a ceremonial white uniform, trimmed in gold, though more understated next to the uniforms of the Knights of the Round flanking Schneizel. But Lelouch did a take when he realized exactly who that Knight was - his best friend from before the war, Suzaku Kururugi.
What was Suzaku doing up there?! He knew that Suzaku worked for Britannia as a soldier, but since when had Suzaku become a Knight? Suzaku had never told him about that!
The assembled guests seemed almost as surprised as he was, but their reaction was one of hostility. What was an Eleven doing at the Third Princess' side? How dare he rise so far above his station?
Through it all, Suzaku remained rigidly at attention, as if the crowd's jeers didn't faze him at all. After years working for the Empire, it seemed that his old friend had gotten distressingly accustomed to the abuse that racist Britannians heaped upon him every day.
Lelouch's mind continued to feverishly search for an explanation of Suzaku's presence at the ball, yet another in a series of unwelcome revelations. Had it been Euphy's idea? No, she would have told them if Suzaku was going to be escorting her! This had been a surprise to her too. It wouldn't be Cornelia's doing either. Cornelia had many loyal knights serving her, any one of which she could have assigned to escort Euphemia. What Cornelia would never have done was order a Japanese man to look after her younger sister. Cornelia might not be as rabidly racist as the Purists had been, but she was still a firm believer in Britannian superiority over the Numbers. If anything, Cornelia would be furious!
That left Schneizel. As the Prime Minister, Schneizel had the authority and savvy to pull some strings and get Suzaku assigned to Euphy as a knight. But Schneizel had to have anticipated the reaction of the crowd, not to mention Cornelia's when she found out. On the face of it, there wasn't an obvious benefit to Schneizel, which Lelouch found to be even more disconcerting. Schneizel was a master strategist. Every move that Schneizel made was carefully calculated to bring him closer to victory. For Schneizel to accept the backlash that would undoubtedly ensue, the anticipated benefits of the gambit had to be substantial indeed. But what was the Second Prince planning?!
Come to think of it, there was something that Euphy had mentioned about her first encounter with Suzaku. His friend had told her that-
At the podium, Schneziel raised a hand slightly, and at once the hall, which had been in an uproar over Suzaku's appearance, fell silent. Cameramen from Britannian news organizations lined up in front of him, ready to begin broadcasting.
"I am delighted that you could all make it here tonight," Schneizel began, his words like a spell that kept the crowd enthralled. "We stand at the dawn of a new era, joined by our friends from the Chinese Federation and your Sub-Viceroy, Princess Euphemia. In a mere two weeks, my brother, Crown Prince Odysseus, will wed Empress Tianzi of the Chinese Federation, bringing about a lasting peace between our great nations. No longer shall petty desires divide us. Yet this is only the beginning. Together, we shall establish a system of power that shall bring order to a world wracked by starvation and poverty, discrimination and corruption, war and terrorism. Only when there is security and stability will people truly be able to understand each other. Then we shall have a world united as never before, bringing new prosperity to all."
Schneizel paused. "But these are trying times, perhaps for you most of all. You suffered the loss of Prince Clovis, a gentle, generous, and gifted soul, lost to the chaos that has plagued Area 11 during these last few months. I have no doubt that in their own minds, the Black Knights and those like them are well-intentioned, but they would undo all that we have sacrificed for, pushing us off the precipice of ruin and plunging us into chaos out of a misguided sense of righteousness. By acting outside of the law, they strike against the fabric of society itself, spreading distrust and fear among us, and encouraging vigilantism that leads to needless violence."
"And so, if they are listening, as I suspect they are, I implore them to step out of the shadows and work with us instead of hiding like common thieves. With their talents, they could do much to help us build a brighter future together. But if they refuse, you needn't worry about anything. Simply place your faith in me, Viceroy Cornelia, and the proper authorities. With the power vested in us by His Majesty, we shall see to it that the Black Knights are brought to justice for their crimes, once and for all."
The crowd cheered, and a deafening applause filled the consulate. On the dais, Euphemia was obliged to clap politely for her half-brother's speech as well, horrifying as she must have found its contents. Glancing at his fellow Black Knights, he saw that they felt the same way. Schneizel had just outlined a vision of world domination in which freedom would be surrendered in the name of security, swept Clovis' monstrous crimes under the rug, and poisoned public opinion against the Black Knights, all while encouraging people to blindly trust in Britannian authority. It was the antithesis of everything that they believed in.
But why did Schneizel even bring up the Black Knights in the first place? Did he know they were there? Was it simply a goad to trick them into revealing themselves?
Schneizel raised his hand again, and the applause ceased as quickly as it had started. "Thank you. But we must not forget to thank the Consul-General, without whose cooperation and hospitality this night would not be possible." He stepped back from the podium, and allowed Gao Hai to step forward. Lelouch noticed that the cameramen did not continue recording.
"Thank you, Prince Schneizel," Gao Hai said, his voice high-pitched nasally, and with an air of affectation that Lelouch immediately found irritating. "On the behalf of the Chinese Federation and our Empress, I would like to thank you for taking the time to accept our invitation. We have so many distinguished guests here tonight, and it will be my pleasure to get to know each of you in turn, and provide you with a taste of the wealth and hospitality of the Chinese Federation."
Gao Hai made a small, self-satisfied smile. "As your Prime Minister said, this union will be mutually profitable for the Chinese Federation and Britannia, and will open new opportunities for us all. I know that many of you run your own companies, and when our alliance is secured by the marriage of our Empress to your First Prince, you will have unprecedented access to the largest untapped markets in the world, and you will find no shortage of eager workers. Our people are among the most industrious that you'll ever find, and will not disappoint you."
"He's not even trying to hide it," Kallen whispered contemptuously.
Lelouch nodded. Gao Hai was selling out the Chinese people to Britannia, as if they were already little more than slaves, which was of course true, given what they had seen in his Palace. Lelouch doubted that the Consul-General's speech by itself would be enough to topple the High Eunuchs, but he sincerely hoped that Nina had managed to record it on the hacked security system and transfer the data to her terminal. If they could leak it onto the Internet around the time that Gao Hai made his confession, it would serve to compound the damage, turning public opinion even more decisively against the High Eunuchs.
"Now let us all enjoy the festivities!" Gao Hai concluded.
The waltz music resumed, and the Consul-General descended to mingle with his future peers among the Britannian nobility. This was it. At least one of them had to make their way to Gao Hai's chambers. The others would have to ensure that Gao Hai made his way back there, while keeping an eye out for Schneizel, the Knights of the Round, and now Suzaku as well. And of course, there was Li Xingke to consider. Lelouch hadn't seen the bodyguard yet at the party, but he was certainly around.
As always, the key was to remain inconspicuous. They were relatively safe among the crowd, but the closer they got to their objective, the more careful they would have to be. Suzaku in particular was likely to recognize fellow members of the Student Council, even in costume. Lelouch was glad that he had taken the effort to make sure that each of his teammates had an excuse to be there. He didn't have a proper alibi for why Lelouch Lamperouge should be at the party, should Suzaku ask, but that was why he had made sure that he was fully masked.
The guests around them were dancing, so Lelouch followed their lead, taking Shirley as his partner. Technically, this was a risk. Suzaku would find it odd if he saw Shirley dancing with someone else when she hadn't gotten over her longstanding crush. But they had some time before they had to worry about Suzaku picking them out of the crowd, and it wouldn't be fair to Shirley if he danced with Kallen and Mrs. Stadtfeld at the ball but not her.
The other Black Knights spread out so that they could keep watch for and if necessary distract anyone who might take too close of an interest in their group. Their earlier encounter suggested that Kallen could be counted upon to divert Gino if he got too close, though she would rebuff any of his advances. That might occupy Anya as well, as she seemed to stick close to her partner. Leila was practiced at making meaningless small talk with other nobles when required, though she had another role to play once they reached the back of the hall. Milly couldn't remain away from Lloyd's side for much longer without attracting suspicion, but if the opportunity arose, she too could stall others with her whimsy. As for Euphemia, it would be impossible to coordinate with her without alerting Suzaku, but the Sub-Viceroy was naturally a magnet for attention, and that would serve their purpose well.
Returning to the present moment, Lelouch saw that Shirley had been able to relax a bit in his arms, a beautiful smile spreading on her face as they moved with the music together.
"This feels like a dream... like I'm Cinderella at the ball," she told him. "But it can't last, can it?"
"We still have time," he assured her.
She shook her head. "I wish we could keep dancing like this forever, but you have a job to do."
Lelouch nodded. He was pleased to see that there were several tables with chess boards set up near the back of the hall, just as he had anticipated. High-stakes chess matches remained as popular ever among the Britannian nobility, and someone at the consulate had clearly taken note of that, seeking to make their guests feel at home. The only more popular pastimes for nobles seemed to be invading other countries and court intrigues.
Plan A could proceed. He would enter Gao Hai's quarters under the pretense of finding a secluded location for a private chess match. Of course, his opponent would be a fellow Black Knight. Leila was ideal for this role. She was known to sometimes engage in antisocial behavior at parties, like reading books, and had played chess in private with Clovis during one of his parties, so it would not seem unusual for her to sneak off. They would play a few normal matches first so that their private match would not have the appearance of being premeditated. When they were discovered, her own noble rank and connections through her company would serve to help keep them from being arrested, provided that they weren't doing anything else that was obviously illegal.
In the corner of eye, Lelouch saw that Leila was continuing to make steady progress toward the chess tables. But then, Lelouch saw a towering figure, garbed in white, moving in the same direction as her. Schneizel! As a chess grandmaster, Schneizel would always welcome the opportunity to challenge a worthy opponent, but most of the Area nobility would prove no match for a player of his caliber. It would only bore the Second Prince, if they were foolish enough to challenge him at all. But if Schneizel saw that there was an unusually skilled player nearby...
Under different circumstances, Lelouch might have welcomed the opportunity to test his mettle against his half brother while incognito. However, if people saw that the Second Prince had encountered a challenger who could actually give him a run for his money, it would instantly turn into a spectacle, eliminating his freedom of movement through the consulate and preventing him from joining the others in the Metaverse. True, Nunnally would be waiting there to support the Black Knights with the Irregulars, but he was loathe to the idea of not being there to lead his team personally. Admittedly, challenging Schneizel to a match could be a highly effective diversion if he was willing to accept that, but the danger would grow exponentially with time spent in Schneizel's immediate presence. He could fall back to Plan B, but that-
Under his mask, Lelouch blanched. The girls in the Black Knights would never let him hear the end of it if he went with Plan B, and with his relative inexperience, there was a much greater chance of failure.
Schneizel had reached Leila's position, greeting her with all of the usual charm that came effortlessly to a master manipulator. Of course Schneizel would recognize her. Leila turned and curtsied, exchanging pleasantries with the Second Prince. Lelouch couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, but he knew that Leila was now committed to the conversation. To brush off Schneizel would be a grave insult, and she couldn't afford to have her loyalties called into question. The best she could do now was to stall Schneizel for as long as possible.
Lelouch knew that Leila was too intelligent to fall for Schneizel's guise, and she had survived an encounter with the Second Prince before at Clovis' state funeral. But he nonetheless felt a pang of worry for her. He could have told himself that it was simple concern for a fellow Black Knight, but he knew that would be a lie. It was a far more acute feeling, the same sort of anxiety he experienced when worrying about Kallen or Shirley's wellbeing. And of course, there had been that dream...
Lelouch cut off that line of thought. He had to remain focused! Leila was giving him an opportunity, and he couldn't afford to waste it.
He quickly scanned the chess tables. While it would be ideal if his opponent was another Black Knight, Gao Hai's Cognition would be changed just as well if he could trick some unwitting noble into accepting a private match against him. They would be a patsy, yes, but they would not have to feign innocence when they were caught with him. That could go a long way toward convincing the guards to let them go. But whoever it was would have to have a competitive streak, or they would be unlikely to accept his challenge.
After a moment, Lelouch found the opponent he was searching for. A woman, about his own age and wearing a dark dress trimmed in crimson that seemed to be a Renaissance era take on a witch's costume, was seated at one of the chess tables, in the process of trouncing another noble. Her features were hidden behind an emerald green mask, but her hair reminded him of Euphy's, pinkish but of a redder shade. It might even be of similar length to Euphy's, though the woman's hair was gathered up behind her in a bun, so it was difficult to be sure.
Standing behind her was another masked woman, with a blonde ponytail and the bearing of a knight. The blonde was dressed in crimson, but her outfit, styled after a matador, was very obviously cut to flatter her figure.
Lelouch gave a glance in Leila's direction, and saw that she was subtly leading Schneizel further away from the chess tables as they talked. Lelouch worried that Schneizel was simply playing along with her, enjoying a game of cat and mouse, but any diversion, however tenuous, would have to do for now. And so as the emerald-masked woman in black checkmated her opponent and claimed her winnings, Lelouch approached her.
"I see you could use a more challenging opponent," he said, projecting what he was sure was just the right note of arrogance so that she would feel compelled to try to put him in his place.
The woman looked up, tilting her head curiously and revealing to Lelouch through her mask a pair of eyes that were the exactly same blue-violet shade as Euphy's.
"Do I know you?" she asked, her voice tantalizingly familiar, yet at the same time different than any that he remembered, filling him with a discomforting sense of déjà vu.
"We've never met," he replied firmly.
"I wonder..." she murmured.
"Perhaps it was somewhere over the rainbow?" the blonde offered.
"That could be," the emerald-masked woman smiled. She nodded at Lelouch. "Take a seat. Let's see if you're as good as you claim you are."
The plan was back on track for now, though there were many variables in play that he would have to carefully balance to achieve his goals. His opponent possessed unknown yet obviously considerable skill, and he would need to play a close enough game, with either a narrow victory or a draw, that she wouldn't feel satisfied without another match. He would also have to determine exactly which buttons of hers needed to be pushed so that she would be intrigued enough to join him in private.
Of course, all while the emerald-masked woman and her blonde bodyguard would be trying to figure out what his game really was. Speed was of the essence. The longer the game went on, the more likely it was that a crowd would gather, stifling his freedom of movement, or that he would be discovered. And then he would have to deal with whatever other complications that Lady Fortune planned at throwing at him tonight. After all that had already happened, he doubted that he had seen the last of them.
Under his mask, Lelouch grinned manically.
If any obstacle stood in his way, he would smash it, even fate itself.
"I'll take Black, if you don't mind," he told his opponent.
He was looking forward to a challenge.
A/N:
Mrs. Stadtfeld is not given a canonical first name. After brainstorming a number of ideas, each chosen to be a meaningful name of some kind or the other, I sought feedback from a small group of my regular readers, and 'Vanessa' emerged as the most popular choice by far. The intended meaning of the name, as it pertains to her character, is twofold. Firstly, the first part of "Vanessa" sounds somewhat like "vain", which describes Mrs. Stadtfeld's personality prior to her change of heart. The second reason is as a nod to Disney's "The Little Mermaid". 'Vanessa' was the name of Ursula's alter ego, which acted to interfere with Ariel's budding relationship with the prince. I saw this as a loose parallel to how the expectation for Lord Stadtfeld to marry a proper Britannian noblewoman (the future Mrs. Stadtfeld), rather than a Japanese woman, ultimately spelled the doom for the relationship that Kallen's mother had with him.
Those familiar with R2 will of course notice that Lelouch is encountering the Knights of the Round a year ahead of schedule. On the face of it, we could chalk it up to the Emperor wanting to fill the unexpected vacancy left by the Knight of Ten after his change of heart. But as I dug into it, the more confusing and apparently contradictory the timeline of who became a Knight of the Round when became. So I decided not to worry too much about accuracy in this particular case, and I hope no one will mind overmuch. Whether Gino and Anya show up now or become Knights a year later as in canon, they're still absurdly young for their ranks in any case.
As an aside, if the wiki is to be believed, Lelouch's Black Rebellion in the first season supposedly was accomplished within three weeks from when Clovis met his end. That seems unrealistically fast, even for a genius like Lelouch. If it was really that fast, Cornelia should have either been a lot more freaked out about the Black Knights than she was, or she would have barely seen them coming.
Of course, Anya's presence implies certain things. She was a later addition to my plans, and at first I had thought the divergences in the backstory would mean that she wouldn't have a role at all. But as I continued to write, I thought of ways in which she could plausibly appear in this story, and those ideas became much clearer after Persona 5 Royal was released. And that is all that I will say on the matter, to avoid spoilers on either side of the crossover.
I really did think I would have more action in this chapter, but the necessity of introducing a number of characters made it so that I had to alter my plans. However, now that the pieces are in place, I can promise that the next chapter will have action in it, and that we will be finally be wrapped up with the ball sequence.
And I haven't forgotten about that cliffhanger with the Black Mask from the last chapter... Don't worry about that...
Thanks for reading, and until next time!