Aries Villa
The lights outside of the palace brightened its surrounding as if it were daylight. The guards watched the walls and all dark little corners like soldiers guarding the homeland. Security had been increased to make up for the many guests who'd arrived for the night. There were many who'd arrived earlier to be able to speak to the Prince. But none had been able to speak to him as after gaining audience of the Emperor, he'd been locked in private talks with the Prime Minister over issues relating to the EU and military strategies. Some of the guests had arrived with their own security personnel, the majority stood outside, helping guard the palace. Perhaps this extra caution was reinforced by the fact that an assassination had occurred here. A hail of bullets from an automatic rifle had painted the entrance with magic bullet holes and sprayed the staircase with the blond of Empress Marianne and that of Princess Nunnally.
A tragic night that had been.
But there would be no repeat.
Feeling satisfied about the security around the palace, Jeremiah walked around the palace and went to the gardens. He found Lelouch standing there alone. He smiled. The garden did have many memories. A lot of fun for the prince and a few moments of humiliation in the hands of his younger sisters.
"Everything is set, my Lord. But I would still not recommend that you stand here alone. Someone can try something and we wouldn't be able to know who did it with so many people present. Surveillance is only good when there are not many faces to recognize…" Jeremiah cautioned in a hardened tone.
Lelouch glanced at Jeremiah for a moment before looking up into the dark night. He hoped his night would not be as dark as the sky.
"The hallmark of a good surveillance system is when it is able to recognize faces amongst thousands." Lelouch said. "But as long as nobody brought weapons, we should be fine. But with both Schneizel and Cornelia present, nobody will dare anything."
"You missed the Crown Prince."
Lelouch smiled. The undecided Crown Prince. His rank as the first in line was the only thing attractive about the Prince. But everyone knew he would never be Emperor. He was likely to pass on the job to Schneizel if the Emperor chose not to elect his successor. Still, no matter how useless he was, Odysseus still acted as the Emperor's proxy in his absence because of his Rank. Though Prime Minister, Schneizel was not just below the Emperor in the hierarchy after all. He still stood below the Crown Prince, hence they often looked at him to come with the final decisions on different matters.
"Well, he is the First in Line," Lelouch said. He then folded his hands behind and turned around. Today, he'd chosen black. It worked well with his naming of the Black Prince. "Let us return to the hall, Jeremiah. We don't want our guests thinking we have abandoned them."
"Yes, my Lord."
Slowly, they walked back to the hall. There were many more people than Lelouch had anticipated – all important people. They hadn't all come for him. Some of them probably came because they heard someone they wanted to meet was coming. But it didn't matter, they were all under his roof.
"I didn't think three Knights of Rounds would come here," Jeremiah said, grinning.
"They are somewhat some characters…" Lelouch said with a shrug. "You should know Anya was here when she was a child. Gino is eccentric and the Knight of Nine is well, a colorful person," there was nonchalance in his tone. "I should greet everyone…" he said.
"Of course." Jeremiah followed him as he walked towards the podium prepared. There was also a small throne like chair at the top.
Lelouch glanced back at Jeremiah. "You can stop following me, Jeremiah."
"I'm surprised to see a Knight of Round here," Clovis said to Gino and Anya. "You never come to my Area when I host a party…" he wanted add that he had a bigger house and had a bigger social standing than the Eleventh Prince.
Honestly, Clovis was envious about this. He'd never received such a reception had his parties. Hell, Schneizel had never made an appearance. But then again, it was obvious that their brother favored Lelouch. And not to mention that Cornelia also loved him dearly – much more than she loved him. It was apparent that he was always going to come second to Lelouch and that displeased him. But he still could not hate his brother. He could very well be in a position to use all this to work for him after all.
Gino only grinned. "Well, Area 11 is a bit far away from Homeland and you have never invited us," he said. "Besides, this seemed interesting and most importantly, Anya wanted to meet Prince Lelouch." There was no sound of respect to Clovis from the Knight of Three.
Clovis shook his head and wanted to say something but Anya showed him a picture of a young Lelouch in the gardens of Aries Villa. He smiled seeing the picture. The petulant prince had been arrogant and had an overwhelming superior complex then. It hadn't helped that he always thought he was smarter than everyone in the room. His arrogance was also not helped by the fact that it was impossible beating him in chess, even for the older generation.
"Memory from my childhood," Anya said in a quiet yet emotionless tone.
"Memories?" Clovis didn't ask any further. "Well, since you are here, in the future, should I require help in dealing with terrorists, can I count on you?"
"I wouldn't have a problem but Area 11 is not under my realm. You'd need permission from the Emperor and I'm not asking…" Gino said before twisting around when he heard the music stop playing. He grinned. "Ah, the Prince is about to say something."
Slowly, the people stopped talking and all eyes turned on him. Lelouch could see many eyes, different expressions. He had to get used to this kind of thing. He would be making speeches every now and then. And in such a grand stage, he would need to observe what he says.
"Thank you all for coming," Lelouch started without any smile. His eyes moved around the hall once more in silence before he continued speaking. "I have spent the last couple of years living amongst commoners… away from this life. Away from all of you. But His Majesty saw it fit to call me and I have returned. I have returned to bring glory to Britannia, to serve this Holy Empire. I have sworn before His Majesty to give my all. To use every ounce of being to serve Britannia." Lelouch paused, giving himself a pat in the back for managing to such words looking expressing his anger, his disgust at having to serve Britannia under the gaze of the Emperor. "When I tossed into my first battle. It was not an easy transition, but I succeeded. And I stand before you all, I make this promise, any enemy that stands before me will be crushed. The EU forces thought we were small, we had no experience, but we crushed them. As we did in Portugal, we will do to those who stand before us…" He snapped his fingers and looked around for effect. "But we are not here for that today," he smiled. "I want to know the people I should have known while in Area 11, and I want to meet the people I will be working with for the glory of Britannia. There are many of whom I do not know, this is an opportunity for us to know each other. "
Lelouch was satisfied. He didn't threaten anyone. At least it seemed that way. The devil was in what he didn't say. Anyone who could read between the lines would know that he didn't just mean forces he would meet in the battle. Even people who were here and threatened to make an enemy out of him or even tried going after him, they would pay the price. He would not be showing mercy to anyone. It was overacted anyway.
When he walked out of the stage, Lelouch was greeted by a three Lords. They welcomed his return and reminded him that he almost died in that battle, but he showed them he had survived, because he was a survivor and he had people watching his back. People willing to take a bullet for him. It was talking to them that Lelouch realized that they were some wealthy people who certainly had no liking for numbers. Most of the people here hated Numbers. Discrimination was part and parcel of being Britannian. Lelouch was still forced to indulge the Lords. He could not very well state his displeasure now, not when he was still just a novice in the political world.
"You didn't waste time setting your mark," Schneizel said to Lelouch as soon as he freed himself from the Lords.
Lelouch looked around. Everything seemed to have returned to normal. People were chatting. They had come here because he called for a social gathering. He then turned to face his brother. "Would you have had any other way?"
"No, but make sure you don't make enemies easily."
Lelouch gave Schneizel a flat smile. "Anyone who gets offended by my speech would easily get crushed. I have only shown my willingness to fight for Britannia as the Emperor has commanded," he said. "That is the role that has been given to me by our father, yes?"
"Perhaps," Schneizel said. "Come, I want you to meet someone."
"Your brother has guts, Cornelia," Nonette with a grin. She understood the meaning of his words. It was not a secret that he was not the most loved person in the Empire, but for him to go out there and say it was just bold.
Cornelia didn't like it one bit. Lelouch was just making himself a target. It was good that she had barred Euphemia from coming into such a party. There were not many good people present. She didn't want to be looking over Euphemia's shoulder when she had to look after Lelouch as well. It was apparent that she could not trust Schneizel to take good of her brother. He seemed to encourage the reckless behavior.
"I need to go have a word with him about it," Cornelia said. Some people were dangerous and you didn't want to mess them. While she was almost immune to any political attack, she knew how to handle things. But her reputation helped her as people would not want to fool around her.
"Let's go talk to him…" Nonette said. The last time, she hadn't had enough of him. "You're not going?" She asked with a raised eye brow.
"They are fighting," Clovis said out of nowhere.
Nonette jokingly jumped up slightly at the presence of the Third Prince. "Don't sneak up on me like that, Prince Clovis." She said with a smile.
Clovis shared the smile. "I've been standing here for a while and you were just ignoring me because you were focused on my younger brother… does he interest you that much?"
Nonette nodded. "My interest has only increased because of his exploits in the EU. I was surprised that he did well. Against the numbers that he faced, a normal person would have retreated and wait for reinforcements to arrive but he charged right ahead and still won. He doesn't lack balls," she smiled. "You'll forgive my language."
"And I hope your interest in him remains on that level…" Cornelia said with a stare.
Nonette grinned. "What are you thinking, Cornelia? You don't think I would go after your younger, brother, do you?"
"I don't trust you wouldn't."
Clovis laughed hearing this. "I'm sure my brother would reject such advances. He doesn't seem to have any eye for any women. It is a little disappointing… I tried setting him up and none of it worked…" he shook his head. It had been disappointing to know that no one managed to make a break through with him during his party. But Clovis would try again.
"Well, that is all the more reason I should become his friend. If I become his teacher, he will learn quickly and when he gets to marry, he will know how to treat his wife," Nonette said with a nod of her head.
"Lelouch is not going to be like you, Clovis, and don't get any funny ideas, Nonette. I won't let you get closer to him…" Cornelia said in a hardened tone.
Nonette ignored this, her eyes were once more on the Eleventh Prince. "Ah, too late to go there. The Prime Minister has him. And I hear when they start talking, they don't finish. But in a place such as this, he is going to be shown to some people," she said. "I'll have to bind my time to talk him," she said before turning to face Cornelia. "So, what are you fighting about?"
"Nothing serious," Cornelia quickly said. "What do you mean you tried setting him up?"
"Our brother doesn't think Lelouch should really consider marrying into the Ashfords. And I agree with him, but trying to get Lelouch to like a girl is proving to be near impossible," Clovis said with a frown.
Cornelia shared Clovis' frown but it was not for the same reasons. No, she was bothered by the fact that this thing about a marriage seemed to be gaining ground and Lelouch had told her there was nothing. But apparently, it was no something. Clovis should be the one talking about marriage, not Lelouch. He was still young and needed to sort out things in his life. He had just returned to the Imperial Family even, he didn't need this.
"Ladies, I must go join my brothers…" Clovis said, walking away from the two. He saw Lelouch disappearing into the crowd with Schneizel. He wasn't going to miss this one. He was not invited but it didn't matter. He would stand with them and take part. He would only depart if Schneizel tells him to do so – but he knew if there were other people there, his brother would never dare humiliate him in such a manner.
With Clovis gone, Nonette went onto other matters. "So, where is Guilford tonight?"
"I left him behind."
Nonette blinked with surprise. "Are you cheating on him?"
"You're not used to this kind of pressure?" Jeremiah asked Villetta. She was standing by a wall, holding a glass of wine she wasn't even drinking. He had seen that some people had approached her but she wasn't mingling around. Then again, this was not her class. She was just a guard of Lelouch – not even his Knight, at least not yet.
Villetta shook her head. "There are many people of high ranking social status… and they have all gathered in the name of our Prince… it is a little overwhelming," she said.
But she was happy. Not that she was the one who organized it. But that Lelouch would mean something. He would become something in this life. His status was going to go grow – and so would hers.
"If you were a noble, those would be your kind. But of course, even amongst nobles, there are those in the lower class. You won't find them here. They don't have a place…" Jeremiah said. "If I were you, I would not admire being a noble that much. You must see it with just being around His Highness that they don't play fair. But even if that is what you wish after seeing everything, I can only support your dream and I am sure His Highness will do so."
Lelouch had already said he would support her dream but he too had already told her that there was nothing fun about being a noble. Even so, Villetta still wanted it. Perhaps it would change in the future but as she stood here, she wanted to be part of that class.
"Thank you, Lord Jeremiah."
"It is nothing," Jeremiah said with a shrug of his right shoulder. "I called you away from Area 11 to join me in this life. And you nearly died in our first real assignment… if you had not done what you did, we would not have been here."
"And imagine as his guards, we would have been made to suffer the consequences."
Jeremiah swallowed just thinking about it. Cornelia would have jumped into the battlefield herself. And she would have gone to war with the EU, even if that was what Prince Schneizel didn't want. In the meantime, she would have had them locked up in a chamber, and whenever she came back from battle. She would amuse herself by making them suffer.
"But we did not fail and we will not fail. Nevertheless, we have to make sure that he doesn't expose himself like that again!" Jeremiah said firmly. "Let us not worry about that tonight though. There are drinks, people to meet and today, you get honored, you should be in a celebratory mood."
"I am."
Jeremiah raised an eye brow. "Where is your smile Villetta?"
"We are still on duty, Lord Jeremiah."
Jeremiah laughed. "When did you become like this, Villetta? You are not picking up his Highness tendencies, are you?"
"This is Duke James Baker… He is one of the Generals I trust to handle the ground work with Military operations in the EU. He was the one who first led Britannian forces into Russia," Schneizel said as he introduced Lelouch to the Military General. The man didn't look like a noble. He was dressed in a formal attire, but he was of a huge built, and looked stern. He seemed like he took his meals at the Gym. "General, you already know my brother."
"Indeed," the General said in a stern tone. "We did not have the pleasure of meeting at the Island but I was there." He said holding out his right hand.
Lelouch took the firm hand and shook it as he responded. "A pleasure to meet you General," he said with a smile. "How are things in Russia? I have not been able to keep up with any battles that might be occurring."
"Everything is still. The Europeans are being truthful to their word in the cease-fire while the talks continue. We have at times been close to exchanging fire in the borders that we drew," the General said with a slight shake of his head. "But we are always ready for them."
"That is good to know, given that the EU is our only credible opponent, and I'm also interested in heading there, should there be any future battles." Lelouch stated.
"I hear Military Command wants to send you to Africa…"
"Yes, and that can take long if the current situation does not change. I would have thought since Princess Cornelia was able to make a stronghold for Britannian Military to arrive, holding it would have been much simpler given our superior Knightmare frames," Lelouch said. "Who is in command in Africa?"
"Victor."
Lelouch turned to Schneizel. "Victor, our brother?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Schneizel responded with a slight shake of his head.
"I don't even know why the incompetent fool was given command of such a strategic area. We always knew that the EU would fight back with Portugal, so we could not afford to place our base there. We took Northern Africa as it was strategic in case we ever had to launch an all-out war with the EU…" The General sounded truly angry that Victor had been given the post and was finding a way to break it all up.
"He had enough support in Military Command," Schneizel said without much interest. "But I'm sure if you end up having to rescue him, you will do a fine job…" he added with a smile.
"Failure is not an option for me," Lelouch said. "Do you think that the EU will forge an agreement with us and then try to broker some agreement with the Chinese Federation? In terms of population, the Federation has the most numbers but its Military strength is still undeveloped."
"There is that fear," General Baker said. "When we launched an attack on both Russian borders and Portuguese borders, the EU was forced to go back to the drawing table. I told his Highness that they are probably stalling while they try to develop their Knightmare frames to be better equipped to handle our frames," the General tossed a glance at the Prime Minister who merely smiled.
"I have said that I know they will do that…and I will try to stop it. I already have back channels with some of their member states," Schneizel said. "Besides, this is where you come in, brother…" he paused as Clovis stepped into the triangle. Schneizel introduced him to the General.
Lelouch didn't mind that Clovis was here. But he knew his brother had no interest in military talks. But would probably labor through it all to look important. There were people watching after all. It would only look nice for him if he appeared to be involved in some talks with the Prime Minister and a high Ranking military member in charge of forces within the EU.
"You want to send me to the Chinese Federation?"
"It is not me," Schneizel said. "It is father but it has not been finalized. We will first see their movements before deciding on what must happen. Father still wants you to gain more experience in military before you are assigned a bigger role. If you perform well in Africa, it opens a door for you."
Lelouch smiled. "You just don't want me in the EU."
"Don't say it like that brother," Schneizel said with a smile. "The EU is not big enough to accommodate both of us"
Lelouch chuckled lightly at this. "Perhaps you are right," he said. "General, I assume you will be with us when we head to Russia."
"Yes."
"Then I will see you there…" Lelouch faced Schneizel. "Shall we amuse these people in a game of chess? I can have everything set up."
"I was actually thinking the same," Schneizel said.
"I will have it prepared," Lelouch said. "Don't be too hard on me. You wouldn't want to humiliate me in front of all these people, would you?" He smiled, delightfully at it.
Schneizel chuckled lightly. "You jest," he said. "I wouldn't want to take it easy on you, not after you nearly beat me yesterday."
"Nearly," Lelouch pointed out. He then walked away from the two along with Clovis.
Once they were at a safe distance, the Third Prince released a long breath. "Thank you for saving me… you should have warned me you were talking about Military things," he said.
Lelouch raised an eye brow. "What did you think we were talking about?"
"Something political or alliances. That man is a Duke, a very powerful Duke and one of Schneizel's allies. I saw his daughter around here, and I thought that perhaps Schneizel was negotiating something with him about you and his daughter. I mean, he has money… he could solve many of your problems."
"Are you always thinking like that?"
"There is nothing wrong in using people in a lower status than you," Clovis said with a shrug of his shoulders.
Well, Clovis was not wrong about that. Lelouch was observing, he was checking on who he would use to get what he wanted.
"You are indeed correct, brother," Lelouch said with a smile.
Cornelia couldn't tell just how much time had past since the party started. But a lot had occurred. The last round was when Lelouch and Schneizel sat at the center of the hall and started playing chess while talking about military tactics. It had been something that attracted everyone's attention. And as if Lelouch had it planned all along, some screens seem to come to life, displaying the chessboard around the hall. After then, music was played and people started dancing. It was downed down for something slow. When she saw Lelouch dancing with different women, she'd finally mustered the courage to walk up to him to talk to him.
He had been kind enough to smile and accept her.
"Watch where you are touching me," Cornelia cautioned Lelouch.
He smiled. "Guilford is not around here, so, is there a need to worry?" Lelouch asked in a light tone. He did like playing around this side of Cornelia. Perhaps it was why Nonette found it easy to tease her.
Cornelia frowned. "What do you think is going on between me and Guilford?"
"Who knows?" Lelouch said with a shrug. "I must say, as you were once smitten with Schneizel, I may have also been attracted to you… maybe still am… but since nothing will come out of it, will you allow me to keep my hands where they are?"
Cornelia gave Lelouch a death glare. But he only laughed. "You are happy," she said.
"Any reason I should not be?"
"I thought you'd still be angry with me," Cornelia said in a subdued tone. "I really didn't meant to imply that it was okay for Nunnally to live in Area 11 but not Euphy. It is just that when I think about Euphy, I cannot stop at nothing to protect her. I already failed your mother, Lelouch, I cannot fail her. If something happens to her, my life would stop…" Cornelia said with emotion.
It was just raw emotion. Perhaps they loved their younger siblings in a similar way. And maybe he was a little extreme. He was willing to turn this world upside down just to create a perfect world for Nunnally. But there was no question that they loved their siblings.
"Euphy came to me to ask if she could stay live there, if only for a short while. I saw nothing wrong with it, as I saw nothing wrong with taking her with me. Besides, Nunnally needed her. Perhaps you might be thinking that I am only thinking about Nunnally. But Euphy would also be happy in that environment. But she is not going there forever. It won't be long before she makes her debut. She said she just wanted to experience 'normal.' The Academy is safe. I lived there without any problem."
"She showed me pictures of just how happy she was and last night, Nunnally called." Cornelia didn't sound happy about it. "You didn't have anything to do with it, did you?"
"No…" but he smiled. "Emotional blackmail?"
Cornelia nodded.
"They do that. They've always been up to no good when they are together…" Lelouch said with a slight shake of his head. "You are family Cornelia. You were around in Aries Villa. There is no one I trust with my life more than I would trust you. I would never do anything that would put Euphy in danger. You know how much I love her…"
"I know…" Cornelia said in a whisper. "And I am sorry. I will allow Euphy to go, but if something happens, I'm pulling her out. And you must also promise me that you will help Clovis deal with his terrorist problem."
Lelouch smiled. "I can do that," he said. "Will you help me knight my Knights? You do approve of them, right? One has already shown that she will go the extra mile to protect me and you already know Jeremiah."
No one had said anything that made people think some naughty thoughts. He had knighted both Jeremiah and Villetta without any issues and Lelouch was pleased with everything. At least now Villetta would not be concerned that he was not going to make do to his promise of making her a Knight. It will ease her worries on that he will indeed help her gain the ridiculous status she thirsts. Some titles could be bought and others could be rewarded. For the saving the life of a Prince, she could gain something favorable. But because this was him, there was nothing more he could do for her. At least not now.
Lelouch halted as he was walking within the passages, heading towards his study. He had felt that someone was following him. He twisted around and whipped out his gun with his left hand, pointing it at the person who'd tried sneaking in behind him.
Nonette raised both her hands, though grinning at the action. "You're awfully quick to draw your gun for a Prince with two Knights," she remarked, eyes staring at the Prince rather than the gun he held.
Even when he saw that it was the Knight of Round, Lelouch didn't put away the gun, he kept her stare as he responded in a casual tone. "My mother was killed here and when you have enemies in all corners, it doesn't hurt to carry a gun."
"Do you even know how to use that? You don't look like the type who knows how to handle that kind of 'machinery'…" Nonette said. She had been amused when Cornelia complained about his physical condition. For someone who was in military and piloted a Knightmare Frame, he certainly was lacking.
Lelouch's lips twisted – it was a wicked grin. "Do you want to test that?" He asked casually tossing it to his right hand.
Nonette grinned before laughing. "What is with that look?" She asked calmly. "That is a scary look."
Lelouch shrugged and concealed his weapon once more before turning away from the Knight of Round. She followed him to his study. Lelouch sat on his favored seat and leaned back, staring at the woman as she gracefully sat down across him. He spoke in a serious tone.
"What can I do for you, Nonette?"
"You are addressing me casually now?" Nonette asked with a raised brow, though smiling. When Lelouch only stared, she shrugged. "You can call me master from now on. Your sister wants me to teach you how to use a Knightmare Frame properly. She says Jeremiah isn't a Knight of Round despite how skilled he is…"
Lelouch stared. "Since when do Knights of Rounds offer free lessons?"
Nonette shrugged. "Your sister won't have time since she is going to war again… and I usually have too much time in my hands these days… so I volunteered. But first, we will need to work on your physical condition."
"Who said I was agreeing to any of this?"
"Who said I was giving you a choice?" Nonette asked. "And I never said anything about this being free. You will pay me for the use of my time and energy."
It was a military battle that Lelouch had to play and in this war, he had no Queen. He could not count Milly as a queen in a battle of Knightmare frames. She had no experience and it was not her field. Villetta? She possessed the skills but she was not an ace, she was still useful. He could use her as a Queen in the battlefield. But she was already a knight. He could not use Nonette in this case despite her interest. Maybe he could request her service every now and then. It would make for an interesting scenario if he was allowed to have a Knight of Round in his command. Most definitely when he does go to the Chinese Federation, he was most likely to have Knights of Rounds with him, just in case something occurred.
Lelouch looked up when the screen blinked. Milly appeared in the large screen planted across the wall. She was on her feet, hands folded across her chest.
"If you'd not called, I wouldn't have complained."
"I'm complaining since you left without attending my party. And I had been trying to organize it in your honor." Milly said with a slight shake of her head.
"Just another way you were planning on making me suffer," Lelouch said. "From forced to wear costumes, to my sisters making me wear dresses with my mother holding me down in support, I certainly had some humiliating moments…" he said with a shake of his head.
Milly grinned. "And I have pictures…"
Lelouch stared. Of course she would have pictures. Milly had always been trying to figure him out and she hadn't been adverse against using blackmail to get inside his head. "I sincerely hope those pictures will not end up somewhere, Milly." Saying that, he remembered the last picture she took. When had he last seen Milly with that look? She has always been cheerful. Perhaps Euphy telling on him was not so wrong.
"Those are just humiliating material," Milly said with a wave of her hand. "You said you wanted to speak to me?"
Lelouch nodded. He stared at her for a couple of moments before speaking. "I spoke to the Emperor and he said no… he asked me if he should not punish the Ashford for thinking they could go against him," the Prince said without emotion.
Milly's response was quick. "Well, that was not unexpected," she said, managing a weak smile. "I guess that is it then… well, at least my grandfather is no longer trying to get me married to someone. He is focused on the projects you are having him do that he even neglects the Academy… But at least I get to make my choice… not what I wanted, but when the Emperor has spo-"
"Milly," Lelouch cut off the blonde in a stern tone. "I didn't say it was over."
Milly blinked. "Enlighten me."
"He said he could not give his approval now, but if the Ashford make it worth it, he will. So, when the projects hit the ground, it will be worth it. He will give approval. And he said if I do well, your former family title will be given to me as a reward." Lelouch then smiled bitterly. "The man said he saw something like this coming," he doubted it was the case, but you could never take anything away from the Emperor. Britannia hadn't become what it was because of his children… the man built it. And he whipped the aristocracy into order in such a way that they all feared him.
Milly was silent. "So?"
"Once everything is done, I will get on one knee and ask you to marry me."
Milly looked surprised. "His Highness on his knees? I can't wait for that day."
Lelouch just stared.
"But he can still say no…"
Lelouch shook his head. "He won't. And I won't bore you with the details. But you can still look forward to that day."
Milly adopted a thoughtful look on her face. She should be happy, but she was not. "Why do you want to marry me, Lelouch? We are not lovers…"
Lelouch leaned back to the couch and stared. He should have known that such a question would come. She had asked him before. Certainly, it was not because he loved her. He cared for her, but he had never looked at any woman with any romantic interest. Even now, he didn't have such interest as he looked at Milly.
But Nonette was certainly trying to arouse those feelings. He would have to be careful with her. She was not going to be a good influence on him.
"Schneizel is also trying to get me married off to someone else. And I assume unless things on our side become true, he won't stop. It is a way to escape for me from that fate of being tied down to someone I do not know. We have known each other since childhood. You know me, and I know you. If I am going to choose on who I marry, I choose you. Lovers? It isn't because I could not love, it is just that there is always been other things on my mind. Maybe if things were different, I could have fallen for you. But I don't think it is impossible – that is why I am making the choice." He then smiled. "Besides, if I am not behaving right, you can always whip me into the right way."
"And I will," Milly said firmly before falling silent.
"I'm hesitant about this, but Euphy told me that I should show you more care. I don't have to start after I get on one knee… I should start adjusting now. I don't know anything about relationships between a man and a women. I don't know how to behave in one. But there is nothing stop us from engaging in that now…" Lelouch blamed his sisters for this. Had things been any different, he wouldn't have been saying these.
Milly smiled. "I'll teach you." She said with a wide smile.
Lelouch raised an eye brow. "Where do you get the experience? As far as I know, you've never been in a relationship before. It hasn't been for the lack of suitors, if I might add."
"The same can be said about you," Milly said with nonchalance. "But don't ask a girl. I know things…" she said smiling. "Have you told anyone?"
Lelouch shook his head. "Not even Nunnally. I wasn't sure about how you'd take it. This does sound like a business arrangement. You can tell her and your grandfather…" he said. "How are things with Shirley?"
"Still not talking to me," Milly said with a shake of her head. "You'll have to talk to her next time you visit Area 11."
Lelouch nodded. "I'll do that," he said with a long sigh. "I'm going to Russia soon, so, I cannot see you before then. I will send a plane to get you when I return. I think I should have the time after my return."
Milly nodded. "I should have your other number…"
"There will be time when I'm in areas cellphone reception will not be available… and we also limit the use of cellphones when deployed because of vulnerability. Letters are usually sent… you'll make do with that… but once my flagship is finished, there should be no issue."
"So, you are building a flagship with my grandfather," Milly said. "I have many more questions, but I'll ask you in person."
James smiled as Jeremiah welcomed him into Aries Villa. This was the first time that he was stepping into the palace. From what the news were saying, it seemed to have been a pleasant mood in the night before. A pity he had not been around to see it. Albert hadn't been here either. It would have been pleasant to be surrounded by Britannia's all stars. In Military, he didn't get to attend any of those gathering they called to celebrate victory. He was just a newly promoted Major after all. His commanding officer was still just a Lieutenant Colonel.
Still, who'd have thought that his CO would be able to gather such people? He had looked unknown. He was brilliant, but he was still not the most famous Princes within Britannia. And not mention, he owned a rather lovely home. Heavily guarded even. Then again, with what happened years ago, it could not be helped.
"You could have told me about the party, Lord Jeremiah. I think the Lt. Colonel would have been pleased to have us with him," James said to the Margrave.
Jeremiah was standing at the stairs leading to the palace. He merely smiled. "I was told you only arrived in Pendragon early in the morning, Major. We had a bit of trouble tracking you down, hence Major Albert had to come to get you."
The Major smiled, screeching the back of his head. "I tend to disappear whenever I'm free. When you are a soldier, those above you can call you whenever they feel like it. You sometimes don't get to enjoy your holidays. I wanted to enjoy this one. You never know if the next one will be your last one."
"When you go into war thinking this might be your last one, you will end up dying prematurely, Major," Jeremiah said in a stern tone. "You lead men, don't let them see you in a position where you stop fighting because you think this is the last one. Not unless you're suicidal."
The Major smiled. "Led by the Lt. Colonel, we are always doing something suicidal," the man stressed those words.
Albert just shook his head but James was not completely wrong about this one. The Lt Colonel came up with some dangerous stunts when in the battlefield. Well, he would not complain, as long as it brought him victory. There was nothing that boosted for moral of a soldier than glory in the battlefield and Prince Lelouch surely went after glory. He was not incompetent that he would be afraid that anytime they could be led into their deaths.
"Lord Jeremiah," Major Albert spoke, holding out his right hand. "Congratulations on being knighted."
Jeremiah shook Albert's hand. "Formalities," he said. He then motioned for the two Majors to follow him. "The press coverage about me has not been that great though… especially from those I once represented."
"One article did call you a traitor."
Jeremiah was not overly concerned about being called a traitor by those he once worked with within the Purist Faction. It did look like a sudden change of heart. Lelouch could not be called a pure blood, could he? But then again, the Faction fought against the Honorary Britannian System. And His Lord really didn't care about status of a person. If someone was useful, even though a Number, Lelouch would use them. Not many people would agree with that, but that was how his Lord did things.
"I merely returned to where I belong," Jeremiah said with indifference.
James was not a high ranking noble. His father was a mere Baron. His family was not rich. Lelouch was not called rich, but yet he lived in such a house. Being born of the Imperial Family surely had its benefits. When they arrived at the study, they found the Prince sitting on a couch, with a laptop on his lap. He looked rather focused on whatever that he was doing. The beautiful Villetta was sitting on the small sofa beside the Prince.
"Lt Colonel," Major James saluted.
Lelouch didn't offer an immediate response. After a couple of moments, he looked up from his screen and faced the Major before nodding. "Majors…" his eyes went back to his screen.
James didn't find this disheartening. He just smiled at Villetta. "I see you're still far closer to the Lt. Colonel, Villetta," he said with a smile. "The status has not changed, has it?"
"What is that supposed to mean?"
The Major settled down gracefully before responding. "Well, you are a woman and I'd like to say his Majesty is a man. When you leave a man and a woman together for far too long, things happen. Temptations and the like," he said suggestively.
Lelouch looked up to the Major with a smile. "I see you have not lost that spark of yours, Major," he said as he stared at the man for a long minute. "I won't offer hospitality until we are done. My time is a little limited as tomorrow evening, I depart for Russia. And there are quite a number of things that I must conclude…" he then turned his attention to his laptop. "Villetta, brief them."
Villetta nodded. "After we are done with the EU, there are two possibilities for our unit. The first is that we will go to Northern Africa and the second is that we will go to the Chinese Federation. Depending on how things escalate in each area, we might have to deal with them simultaneously. But the Chinese issue will not be much of a problem as his Highness will only need to start talking to them about forming a deal with Britannia to avoid them joining the EU. Our war will be in Northern Africa. We might spend a lot of time there due to the fact that we want to establish a stronghold there. The EU already controls a lot of land, and we want to reduce that to the level where we can breathe without being afraid of the vast armies that surround us.
"While his Highness is in Russia, Major Albert, you will go to Northern Africa to see the situation. We have already prepared your cover. Your mission should only last for a week. We want to know what is happening and how long it will take before we are forced to go there or if things are changing. Prince Victor has been concealing information about what is happening there, and His Highness does not have access to records of the Military command.
"Major James; you will go to the Chinese Federation. A scientist we are working with has informed us that he knows another scientist in the Chinese Federation. They go way back. While he refuses to acknowledge her, he does admit that she can produce some interesting things. We don't know her location… You have a month to try to find her. We want to know if she is building something for the Chinese Federation or any other forces."
"That will be difficult," Major Albert said. "The Federation has many people."
"You will not be left alone in the pursuit…" Lelouch said without looking away from his laptop. "You are going to the Militarized Zone of India. The scientist name is Rakshata Chawla. I wanted to have more capable people in my team, but if she cannot join us, we will have to see what happens to her… that is if you manage to find her within the time period you will be given. Do you have any questions regarding your mission?"
James shook his head. "Do I take a Knightmare frame with me?"
Lelouch shook his head. "It will give you away rather quickly," he said. "There is one more reason this bothers me; it is possible that the elite class of the Japanese are working with people from the India. And if that is the case, they might be involved in terrorism."
"How did you manage to get hold of this?"
Lelouch smiled. "I lived in Area 11 for a number of years… before the Britannia invaded, I was at the care of the Prime Minister's family… I met some people there… and at some point, I was able to make some connections with them… and talking led me to questions, which I want to answer in this way."
No doubt the Kyoto Houses would stop all the sponsoring if they found out about his movements, but for the moment, Lelouch was not concerned about it. The families had all the resources to throw around to anyone they chose. Britannia had left them in charge of the mining of Japan's greatest treasure because they had the skills and influence to run everything into profit. Perhaps Lelouch could thank Charles for putting him in the Prime Minister's household. Because of that, he was able to get contact with some of those families and he was exploiting those connections for his good.
Milly smiled seeing Nunnally chatting casually with Sayoko. It was certainly going to be a scandal when some in the Imperial Family find out that a Britannian princess was being watched over by a number. But her family Sayoko to Lelouch and his sister was the best thing they could have done. While not a Knightmare Pilot, she could handle anything from assassinations to household chores. She was the perfect person to watch over Nunnally.
"Sayoko," Milly greeted with a small smile on her lips.
Sayoko smiled, "With how much time you spend here, you should decide to just live here," she said. "I can prepare a room for you."
Milly had never considered that. Though, she would not have minded doing so when Lelouch was still around. But that would have been for her ulterior motives. There was no reason to go that far. "That is a good idea," Milly said with a smile. She still had no intentions of doing so.
Sayoko didn't say anything else, seeing the look on Milly's face. "I'm going to the kitchen to prepare something for our guest," she said to Nunnally.
The Princess nodded and tried to locate Milly for a couple of seconds before settling to blindly stare just in front of her. Milly stopped in front of Nunnally.
"Nunnally," she said. She didn't give her hands to the girl to touch. There was something that Nunnally did that she didn't like. The girl's other senses were heightened. Of course, it was something that she hid from her brother.
"I got some good news from Lelouch," she said.
Nunnally brightened up. "Euphy?" She asked hopefully. There was nothing else that she could think about other than Euphy coming here. She had been waiting for this message to arrive for a while now.
Milly nodded. "She is going to come, but only for a while. Lelouch says that you'll probably also end up returning to Aries Villa very soon," she added.
Nunnally didn't hide her excitement over this news. But she could feel that there also something that Milly was going to say to her. Lelouch would not have simply called her to share this news. If it was only that, he would have called Sayoko. Admittedly, she was a bit disappointed that he hadn't spoken to her but only spoke to Milly. He was her brother and she missed those pleasant conversations they used to share when he tucked her to bed.
"Is there something else?"
Milly nodded. This was her good news – this what made her happy. "Yes," she said with wide smile. "He spoke to the Emperor and if some conditions are met, he said he will get on one knee and ask me to marry him."
"Oh," Nunnally offered a rather subdued response before smiling brightly. "I'm happy for you, Milly. This is what you wanted, right?"
Milly nodded. "Yes."
"But?" Nunnally asked with her head to the side, her closed eyelids, focused on the blonde in front of her.
Milly frowned slightly before shaking her head. "There are no buts," she said before standing up. "I'll come back later… I want to talk to Shirley about this…"
"She's still not talking to you?"
"She is talking, but nothing beyond a greeting and I didn't want to confront her without knowing where things could end up," Milly said. She then smiled. "I'll handle it… I know how to handle Shirley," she said with confidence.
End Chapter
I considered making this the last chapter of the story because I'd lost the motivation to continue with it. In any case, I've decided to see what happens if I continue with it.
We shall return to Knightmare frame battles in chapter 19, I think.
The Omnipresent Sage
