Chapter Twenty-Two: The Goddess Cornelia
Villetta Nu had not been very busy lately.
Which worried her. In the wake of the Babel Tower fiasco, the entire administration had been in chaos. Reports had come in all over the place as people tried to compensate for the coming storm. Some people remained in denial, regarding it as a mere fluke that would not affect them. Others panicked and tried to flee overseas. Only to be cut off at the airport or have their ships turned around at sea. Still more went to Cornelia, pleading for mercy.
However, Villetta had received no orders, been given no assignments, and had no one come to her. Soon she realized that Cornelia had been phasing out the ' officials. And since her role until now had been that of a middleman, she found herself with little to do.
Only no one had told her.
No warning had come from any of her contacts or any kind of indication of the shakeups. The more Villetta had searched, the more she found people evading her in the hallways. It seemed that anyone who could go to someone other than her was doing so. Which made no sense. She had been accused of nothing, committed no crime, and had no relation to the Babel Tower incident.
And if Cornelia had thought Villetta had committed a crime, wouldn't she be in a cell?
But then, the cells were all filled up at the moment, weren't they. The unending cries for mercy had been hitting her nonstop. Yet no one else seemed to hear them.
"And you're sure of all this?" said Lord Jeremiah on the viewscreen.
"Princess Cornelia has been purging anyone associated with Babel Tower," said Villetta. "Judging from the reports that are being passed around, there are going to be a lot of arrests.
"The criminal underground has had military knightmares break up their operations.
"Even some of the moderates have been caught up in it. Anyone associated with Babel Tower is going down with it."
"...Well, this could work to our advantage, couldn't it?" asked Jeremiah, and Villetta was glad he at least was not ignoring her. "I was always very determined that no member of the Purebloods should frequent that... den. That will mean that most of our members should escape. And with us having been fighting out here, there will be little to connect us to what happened.
"We'll remain the same strength as before."
"That was my assessment as well," said Villetta. It was true that the Purebloods had largely escaped, thanks to Jeremiah's orders.
"...Villetta, what of Prince Lelouch?" asked Jeremiah.
"His majesty escaped without having his identity compromised," said Villetta. "He apparently saved Princess Cornelia while she was incognito. However, they have not spoken in years. So she may not have known him." She'd informed Jeremiah of this before she talked to Lelouch, and he'd wanted to keep his distance.
"Good," said Jeremiah. "I have not approached him before now out of respect for his desire to remain hidden. However, if his operations endanger him. We must maintain contact as potential support."
"Yes, I understand," said Villetta.
"I understand," said Jeremiah. "I have to sign off. The JLF has been quieter at the moment, but they may still attack. Get those reports to Princess Cornelia."
Villetta nodded. The screen winked out, and she decided she had to get to the root of what was going on. She'd compiled a great many reports of the JLF, and she'd bring them to Princess Cornelia. In a worst-case scenario, she'd be told not to waste her time. It wasn't like Cornelia was out to get her or anything.
Villetta got the files together and walked out. As she did, an officer walking down the halls quickly stepped past without looking at her. What was going on here?
"Excuse me!" said Villetta.
The man quickened his pace and said nothing.
As she walked on, Villetta saw several other people take detours to avoid crossing her path. Just what the hell was going on here? Why had she suddenly become a pariah?
Coming to Princess Cornelia's office, she halted in front of the secretary.
"Excuse me?" asked Villeta. "I have a series of reports on the JLF campaigns for Princess Cornelia."
The secretary looked up, seemed to recognize her. "I see; yes, she's waiting for you inside."
"As long as I have you," said Villetta. "A lot of the reports I was supposed to get some time ago haven't arrived. And people are avoiding me in the halls.
"Do you know what is going on?"
"I'm not allowed to talk about that," said the secretary.
It had to be Princess Cornelia. But how did one get this kind of effect without any official orders? Come to think of it, most of the staff here were new as well. Entering the office, Villetta saw within.
Princess Cornelia was akin to a goddess, even while sitting at a chair typing. She went clad in a maroon outfit, her violet hair falling around her. Villetta found herself feeling... well... intimidated.
"Lady Villetta Nu, is it?" asked Cornelia, not looking up from her computer.
"Yes, Princess Cornelia," said Villetta, shuddering at her voice. "I have here all the reports compiled by Lord Jeremiah."
"Thank you," said Cornelia, taking the reports which seemed woefully inadequate now. "...You are Jeremiah Gottwald's primary liaison with the governor's palace."
"Yes, he entrusted me with coordinating with you," said Villetta, trying to keep cool. "Though, until now, my duties have been principally keeping him informed. There hasn't been a central authority figure for some time."
"Was not Jeremiah acting Viceroy?" asked Cornelia.
"Lord Jeremiah has been fighting the JLF," said Villetta, not wanting to speak ill of her superior. "They became very aggressive in the past few years, with troops getting pulled out. He simply has not had the time, and, to be honest, he has little talent for direct administration.
"He gives us a general idea of what he needs for the campaign and expects us to provide it. Although, in his defense, the JLF has been very aggressive. Were he not at the front, we might be in a far weaker position now."
"I see," said Cornelia. "Well, thank you for the report; your services in this regard will no longer be required."
That was it? She was being cast out after years of service. "What? But I..."
"I have my own people I intend to fill the position with," said Cornelia. "And there are certain questions that need to be answered regarding your time here. Until they are, no formal position can be made for you.
"I'll need your office cleared out."
Villetta took a moment to process this. Was this the end? So matter of factly? Without even being told why? "I... yes, Princess Cornelia. I'll see to it at once."
"First, however, I do have one task for you," said Cornelia.
"Yes, what is it?" said Villetta, leaning forward eagerly. She put her hands on the desk and caught Cornelia's eye. As she did, Villetta found herself going ramrod straight and blushing in shame.
"I need you to find Luciano Bradley," said Cornelia.
Villetta felt her blood run cold. Was she being sent to die? "Luciano Bradley? I... I was given to understand he was interrogating the prisoners from Babel Tower."
"That is true," said Cornelia, finally looking up. "However, I have not heard any screams of terror in some time. I've been told that he's left his post and is in the gardens. Find him, and get him back to work."
"You want me to be in the same room as Luciano Bradley? Alone?!" said Villetta in terror.
"Obviously, I have someone watching him," said Cornelia. "Now go."
"Yes, as you wish," said Valletta, feeling like she was being stripped naked.
Turning, Villetta made her way out of the office like a whipped dog. She tried to stay composed but couldn't. It wasn't so much a loss of control and position as a loss of context. She had no idea why this was happening or how it was happening?
How could even a Princess arrange for someone to be so effectively ostracized?
Was Villetta losing her mind?
Well, either way, she was going to have to find Luciano Bradley now. The most terrifying person in Britannia, and she had to tell him to stop slacking. Making her way out into the gardens, she didn't see the person who was supposed to be watching him. She did, however, see him.
He was sitting at a table, hunched over with a can of beer in front of him. His face was scowling harshly, and she saw the knives at his belt. Luciano hadn't noticed her yet; she could still leave and...
And what?
This was errand work, beneath her. Why should Villetta put up with it?
Because it was a job from the Princess. And if she angered her, it could wreck everything even more. Her actions here could reflect badly on Lord Jeremiah. So, moving forward, Villetta came to Luciano.
"Um..." her voice came out a low whimper.
"Yes, what is it?" asked Luciano.
"Lord Bradley, I have been dispatched by Princess Cornelia," said Villetta. She was unable to control her shaking. "She wants to know why you have abandoned your position."
"There's nothing more to listen to!" snapped Luciano. "These contemptible nobles are all the same! Every single one of them has the same story behind them! 'I'm really a good person!' 'I can't help what I am!' 'It's not my fault!'
"None of them have any conception of what they were doing! They weren't there to enjoy it when people got their organs ripped out while still alive! It was just a thing they ordered happen on a piece of paper, obscured by euphemisms! Just a box to tick to get .01% more cash in their already bloated reserves!
"And what's worse, none of them even needed that money! Most of them were already obscenely rich! They could have no income for the rest of their lives and still be just as well off!"
Villetta tried to process this and forced herself to speak. "...You're refusing to torture them because you hold them in contempt?"
"No!" snapped Luciano. "I'm refusing to torture them because I'm bored! Terrifying people is fun because they show you really are and what they value most. All of them value life most in the end, but you get the gradual process of working them to that point.
"You break them out of their delusions of 'being a good person', and little by little, they show you who they really are. Then you take their life from them.
"But these animals don't even value life. They aren't willing to fight for it. Sometimes they promise me bribes at first, say they have friends at court. But they never try to fight back; even their pleading for mercy is materialistic.
"Life doesn't matter to them at all."
"Are you... having second thoughts?" asked Villetta, going on impulse.
"No, I'm not having second thoughts!" snapped Luciano. "Ordinarily, I'd be able to just escalate the torture a bit. Really cut them up, so they have to get in touch with what they desire. But I can't do that because bleeding heart idealist Princess Cornelia doesn't want me to hurt them.
"And I have to obey her commands.
"So instead, I have to look menacing at them until they give me everything I need. So they offer to bribe me, they tell me they have friends, then I scare them. And once they are scared, they sell out every single one of their so-called friends. And then Monika writes it all down, and I move on to the next cell.
"And when I leave, I can just tell that every single one of them thinks the danger is passed. That they've gotten themselves a really good deal. That they have screwed their 'friends' for a return to high society. What's worse is that some of them are right.
"I don't have any tools to work with."
Villetta forced herself into a semblance of control. She had the authority of Princess Cornelia behind her, so she had some bearing. "Be that as it may, Luciano Bradley, may I remind you that Princess Cornelia is your superior. She has given you a task and expects you to complete it. This is... this is an opportunity to demonstrate your worth outside a Knightmare frame.
"If you abandon the job now, she is unlikely to ever give you any serious assignment again."
Luciano seemed to consider that. "...Fine, I will continue breaking the denizens of Babel Tower.
"Satisfied?"
"Well, I'm alive, so... yes," said Villetta, feeling breathless. Was he going to kill her now?
"Good for you," said Luciano standing up and moving past her. Suddenly he halted. "Do you want to know how she did it?"
"I... what do you mean?" asked Villetta.
"Made it, so everybody started refusing to acknowledge your existence?" asked Luciano. "All without you even noticing?"
"...You know how?" asked Villetta.
"Yes," said Luciano. "She was looking at your file before she ever even arrived in Area 11. And she gave standing orders to every one of her chosen officials to ostracize you. She then proceeded to do a clean sweep of Clovis' officials aside from the Purebloods.
"Once the Purebloods figured out what they were doing, they were only too happy to do the same."
"Why?!" said Villetta.
"I suspect she was bored, and you made for a deserving target," said Luciano. "She keeps psychological profiles of people in her desk."
"But I... I didn't do anything to... to deserve this..." said Villetta.
"Whatever you say," said Luciano. "I recommend you take it up with her when you give her your report. If you're lucky, she might decide to keep you around."
The terror she'd felt at the proximity with Luciano Bradley, the ostracization. The loss of everything she'd built overnight. It was like she'd never left home. All of it added up, and Villetta fell to her knees and screamed. No one came to help her, and she gasped for air.
At last, however, Villetta managed to stand up.
She... she had to report this to Princess Cornelia; it might allow her to salvage this. Did Cornelia know about what she had been doing? But how could she? None of it would have shown up in psychological profiles or reports.
No, no, Villetta needed to calm down. Luciano was going back to work; she could get her nerves under control first. Princess Cornelia wouldn't want her having a breakdown in the office.
Villetta found her feet taking her back to her own office, feeling for all the world like a prisoner on death row. Which wasn't impossible. Entering the office, she shuddered and saw Cornelia looking through her files. The goddess looked up from browsing through Villetta's computer. She motioned for her to stop.
Villetta did stop but was unable to stand to proper attention. She felt broken, tired, and violated. Even her office, for what brief time she had it for, was no sanctuary.
"Princess Cornelia, I believe Luciano should return to work now," said Villetta.
"Excellent work," said Cornelia, looking at her for the first time. Standing up, she walked forward to walk behind Villetta. "Now, perhaps we could talk about your connection with the Knights of Ashford?"
"Princess Cornelia..." gasped Villetta. How could she have known? Was this some kind of secret test of character?
"Bear in mind that lying to royalty can be considered a criminal offense," said Cornelia. "I have not brought any charges against you yet, but I do know that you met with them. You seemed to have a particular fixation on one, Kallen Stadtfeld. You later met with Lelouch Lamprouge, their leader, alongside Kallen again."
Villetta was shaking again, and she tried to control her breathing. "...How?"
"Lord Kewell of the Purebloods has been keeping tabs on you," said Cornelia. "Fortunately for you, your actions were done with the consent of Lord Jeremiah. He encouraged you to approach them after you sent him information.
"Information that Prince Clovis specifically instructed be given only to Gottwald. But which you immediately looked at yourself. Though, of course, you told Gottwald that it had been meant for the both of you.
"Anything to say?"
Villetta could spin this. If she could make herself appear more sympathetic... "I was there, at Shinjuku, during the massacre. I... what happened there haunted me, and... I was afraid that Clovis was hiding something-"
And then Cornelia slapped her. The blow nearly knocked Villetta off her feet, and she fell to one knee before Cornelia. "Spare me the theatrics, Villetta Nu. You are not a defector from decadence; you are an honorless social climber. You attached yourself to the Purebloods as a diversity hire to advance your own career. You later attached yourself to my brother, Clovis, and sold him up the river as soon as it was no longer convenient.
"You were the one who hired the provocateurs that started a riot on international TV. You did it on Prince Clovis behalf and then let Milner take all the blame.
"What I don't understand about your actions is aligning with the Knights of Ashford. The action is rational from the perspective of a Gottwald loyalist. But you don't care about anyone but yourself, do you?"
"I have always been loyal to Lord Gottwald!" said Villetta, voice hoarse.
"By which you mean you have made a point of never betraying him," said Cornelia. "Though I think you and I have two different ideas of what 'loyalty' means. Even so, that 'loyalty' is the only reason you are still alive.
"But I digress.
"My point is that your contact with the Knights of Ashford was... sloppy, to say the least. You did not stand to gain anything by it, not for yourself. And you exposed yourself by doing it, both to Lelouch and anyone else.
"I looked through your files and came to a startling conclusion.
"I think you've fallen in love with Kallen Stadtfeld."
"That's not true!" said Villetta, the idea of it horrifying her. She'd never have put her entire career at risk just for some schoolgirl. "I am not... I didn't... I mean... I'm not..."
"Yes, you are, to the point of obsession, in fact," said Cornelia. "Your childhood was marked by going from an heir apparent to a maid. In contrast, Kallen Stadtfeld went from a half-blood native to the heir to a noble family. To add additional irony, she apparently despises her birthright.
"Kallen Stadtfeld is more or less the person you wanted to be. You likely liked to imagine yourself in her place. To inhabit her skin and possess what she possesses. Even sociopaths desire companionship. "I imagine that someone you see as yourself would be the only thing you could love."
"No, I... this can't..." Villetta was on all fours now, unable to keep herself erect. She couldn't actually... she couldn't have focused her whole life on Kallen, could she? Was this what this was?
"I must admit, I'm interested in meeting this girl," said Cornelia. "By all accounts, she was integral in founding the Knights of Ashford. But to have broken your will this much? To the extent that you would destroy your career to spend a little time in her presence? That is impressive.
"Especially since you are only just now becoming aware of how much she controls you.
"I think I'm going to have to take steps to deal with her soon enough..."
"You can't kill her!" screamed Villetta, looking up and feeling tears pour down her eyes. "Please don't...
"I'll... I'll do anything!"
And Villetta meant it, she realized. Kallen, the idea of being Kallen, both were central to her existence. All her life, she'd wanted what that girl had. The thought of her being gunned down by firing squad...
Because of Villetta.
It was too much.
"You truly are ensnared by her, aren't you?" asked Cornelia, pulling Villetta up by her silver braid. "Well, in any case, I wasn't planning to kill her. I have a more psychological solution in mind. It's fortunate for you that the Knights of Ashford are an asset now.
"...I have to admit, I wasn't sure how effective psychological tactics would be. I've used them in war, but never in a personalized setting. I didn't think it would break you this effectively. I've found the result far more enjoyable when dealing directly with people."
"...Please, just... just kill me," gasped Villetta.
"I'm sorry, but I have no intention of killing anyone without a trial," said Cornelia. "Unfortunately for you, I have a backlog of many far worse people in need of prosecuting. Spending the Empire's money on you would not be worth the effort.
"So I'm going to give you a lifeline—an opportunity to redeem yourself.
"Stand up, sit down in your new office, and get back to work."
"You're... you're letting me stay..." gasped Villetta.
"Obviously," said Cornelia. "Your replacement from the Purebloods could be significantly less competent. And your connection to the Knights of Ashford could prove useful. Even so, the only reason you're getting off this lightly is because of how low a bar Clovis set.
"But I'll tell you this;
"If you attempt any more stunts like the one, I will reduce both you and Kallen Stadtfeld to loyal animals. Do you understand?"
"Yes!" said Villetta. "I understand!"
"Good," said Cornelia. "Take the day off. I expect you to get back to work tomorrow."
And she walked out.
Villetta was beginning to think she was in way over her head.
