Opening
5 years after Marianne's death, inside the Aries Villa
"Check"
Inside one of the private offices of the Aries Villa, two figures could be seen facing each other. A wooden chess board separated the two half-brothers. Schneizel broke the silence that had lasted ever since their game began when he had moved his white bishop to threaten Lelouch's king. Of course Lelouch had anticipated the attack and simply moved his own bishop between his king and Schneizel's bishop.
The sight of the two princes playing quietly in what used to be Marianne's private office became a common sight many years ago. Schneizel had visited the two vi Britannia siblings often after their mother's death. Not out of pity or duty, but simply because he enjoyed the moment of respite from his duties as the Prime Minister. Schneizel had found a kindred spirit in Lelouch and the two often talked about politics while they played. In the five years since Marianne's death, Lelouch had matured to the point that many questioned whether the adolescent boy was truly only fifteen. His insight, in particular, was quite sharp.
"I have heard that the Ashfords have finally settled in Area Eleven. Their Ashford Academy has become quite renowned even here in the homeland." commented Schneizel as he pulled his bishop away.
After Marianne passed away, the Ashfords found themselves out of favor and luck. Their only ally in the court was gone and many saw an opportunity to get rid of the family that helped a commoner rise to power. Just half a year had passed and the Ashfords were on the brink of bankruptcy. Fortunately for them, Lelouch had used some of his connections (mostly Schneizel and Clovis) to maintain the Ashford's wealth and nobility.
Through Schneizel, the Ashfords were able to sell their KMF research laboratory to the Britannian military. The entire facility along with its staff became known as Camelot and had begun work on the 4th generation of Knightmare Frames. In just a mere six months, Camelot was able to release the first ever mass-producible Knightmare, the Glasgow. Immediately after, the Emperor had declared war on Japan. The Glasgow's performance exceeded everyone's expectations and, after three weeks, had single handily pushed the Japanese all the way to their ancestral capital of Kyoto.
The Japanese Prime Minister, Genbu Kururugi, had ordered a last stance resistance outside the city of Kyoto. But before the rest of the army could regroup, a small team of soldiers known as Pluton had infiltrate the city and assassinated the prime minister and his family. However, it was said that the son of the minister had managed to escape the agents of Pluton and his whereabouts had become unknown ever since.
After the death of the prime minister, the remaining survivors of the Japanese government had issued a declaration of surrender. Unfortunately, there was still a sizeable amount of survivors of the army who had gone underground. Even now, four years later, Area Eleven was a hotbed of terrorist activities. At least three times as much as all the other areas combined.
Of course, it didn't help that Clovis had somehow convinced the Emperor to grant him Viceroyship of the newly established Area Eleven. Both Lelouch and Schneizel knew their half-brother too well, as he was much more suited for the arts than politics and the military. What should have been a simple and quick extermination of the terrorist activities in the Area, became a four year stalemate between the two forces, neither seeming to gain enough ground over the other side.
Alas, it was thanks to Clovis' new found position as the Viceroy of Area Eleven that had allowed the Ashfords to seek refuge away from the capital. Milly's parents, Edward and Emily Ashford, were against moving to Area Eleven, believing that their place was in the court of Pendragon. Ruben had given up trying to convince the two and so he only took Milly to Area Eleven. The Ashford couple believed Marianne and her family to be the cause of the Ashford's misfortunes in court and had become rather disdainful of Lelouch. Fortunately for him, the little support they had in court had forced the two to accept Lelouch's patronage, as he still was a member of the royal family.
"The Ashfords have served my family well for many years, even now, Ruben had convinced his long time collaborator, Rupert Einstein, to remain in the Ashford Foundation instead of transfering to the Camelot Engineer Corps. I'm glad to hear that Ruben is doing well in Area Eleven, despite the Area's unnaturally high terrorist activities."
Recently, Ruben had realized his long awaited wish: to open an Academy under his family name. Before he left for Japan, Ruben had transfered a small portion of the Ashford Foundation to Lelouch for his own personal use. This small group was led by none other than the co-creator of the Ganymede.
"Speaking of which, I have heard that Camelot has started to work on a prototype for a seventh generation knightmare."
Lelouch commented as he moved his knight foward to threaten Schneizel's bishop.
"Something along the lines that its prototype will serve as the basis for a new line of Knightmares created solely to be used by the Knights of the Rounds."
Schneizel raised an eyebrow, wondering how Lelouch obtained that information. It wasn't long ago since Schneizel was visited by an Earl named Lloyd Asplund. Although he was quite eccentric, his brilliant mind and initial designs where more than enough to convince Schneizel to fund his project. After pulling his bishop back to the second row, Schneizel responded.
"Although the Gloucester became the empire's elite Knightmare, our father, Emperor Charles, wanted a new line of Frames that would enhance each of his knight's abilities in combat. Lord Asplund just happened to come to me soon after."
In the last five years, Charles had increased the number of his Knights of the Round. There were rumors that Charles was still looking to add a few more Knights. Currently, there were eight of them, all which where great soldiers and even more impressive Knightmare pilots.
The Knight of One is none other than Bismarck Waldstein, Charles' longest serving and most loyal knight. He is the empire's strongest knightmare pilot, only equalled in ability by Marianne herself. He currently is the de facto leader of the Knights of the Round.
Second in command is the Knight of Two, Beatrice Franks. She is in charge of the Emperor's defenses and although she didn't pilot a Knightmare often, she is a extremely capable Knightmare Pilot, so much so that even Nonette feared her.
The Knight of Three is Olivia Zevon. To be honest, Lelouch didn't know much about her, other than the fact that in her noble family, only females inherited the title and that their family was in charge of Pluton ever since Charles came to power.
Dorothea Ernst, the Knight of Four, is one of the few knights that Lelouch often saw around as she would often train together with Nonette. From what he had seen, he deduced that she is very straight forward and earnest. One of the few knights that had a kind aura surrounding her. However, her calm and composed demeanor was no more than another side of her as she became a beast whenever she would pilot a Knightmare, often forgetting that she was supposed to be just training.
The Knights of Five and Six were vacant. Michele Manfredi used to be the Knight of Five but he had recently become a commander within Euro Britannia, a suzerain of the Holy Roman Empire tasked with the conquest of all Europe. So far they were succesful in taking over most of Eastern Europe. The Knight of Six used to be Lelouch's own mother, Marianne. After her death, the Emperor hadn't placed anyone in her seat.
The Knight of Seven is an old man named Richard Vernier who was one of the first to become an Knight of the Round under Charles. It was said that he was also a Knight of the previous Emperor and had supported Charles' ascension to the throne from the very beginning. His piloting skills are somewhat average compared to the other Knights, but his close combat abilities is the best among them, even at his age.
Heinrich van Wagoner, the Knight of Eight, is a middle-aged man who was known as the Massacre Knight. He was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Britannian Military when Charles had announced his plan to conquer the world. Since then he had proved to be a capable and cold-blooded warrior in the battlefield and took no prisoners if they ever stood up against Britannia.
Obviously, Nonette Enneagram, the Knight of Nine, didn't need any introduction. She was the newest member of the Knights prior to Luciano Bradley's arrival. Her skills with the Knightmare as well as her fierce attitude had earned her a spot among the Emperor's best at such a young age. Ever since that night after Lelouch audience with Emperor Charles, Nonette had becomed someone who Lelouch could trust in.
Finally, the aforementioned Luciano is the newest member of the Knights and the one known as the Knight of Ten. As soon as he became a Knight of the Round, Luciano had begun the establishment of his Valkyrie Squad. A group of elite female soldiers who he considers to be his harem. So far there were none.
Following the retreat of his brother's bishop, Lelouch had moved his black king forward. This single move might seem somewhat pointless and even detrimental to the average player, but Schneizel knew better.
Ever since Marianne's death, Lelouch had begun the habit of moving his king forward when he was beginning his counterattack. Schneizel had once asked Lelouch why he would do so and his brother's response had surprised him. 'If the king doesn't lead, then his subjects won't follow.' Adding to Schneizel surprise was the fact that it became much harder to defeat Lelouch in chess. Although Schneizel had never lost to his younger brother, it has been two years since Schneizel's last win against Lelouch, each game ending in a stalemate or draw.
And so another hour had passed, each side pushing the other, neither giving up any tempo. In the end, both brothers had found themselves cornered by the other. Whoever tried to breakthrough the opponent's defenses first would most certainly meet a crushing defeat. Upon finding themselves in a zugzwang, both princes decided to call it a draw.
"Another draw. Well, I shouldn't keep you any longer, it wouldn't be fitting of royalty to be late for classes." Schneizel then stood up for his chair and began walking towards Kanon, who had patiently waited by the entrance holding Schneizel's white frock coat. "It's about time I returned to my duties as well. We might not be officially be at war with the E.U., but everyday is a battle in politics. I only wished our father would stop diverting military troops elsewhere and focus on the larger threats."
After voicing his complain, Schneizel had finally retired from the room, followed by Kanon who bowed to Lelouch before exiting.
Lelouch began thinking about what his brother had said. Anyone that payed any attention to the events outside Britannia would know that currently the E.U. was becoming the biggest threat to Charles' conquest of the world. In the last five years the E.U. had begun producing Knightmares of their own, apparently led my some genius child. Not only that, their size was comparable to Britannia itself and their military just as equally strong. It was only the constant invasions of the Knight Orders of Euro Britannia that kept them from launching any hostile attacks on the Holy Britannian Empire.
Despite the growing influence of the E.U., Charles had decided conquer other smaller territories first. But unlike Japan, many of the Areas that Charles had ordered his soldiers to capture held little military advantage or resources. His most recent target, the Republic of Congo, was so far away from the front lines to make an efficient military base and too devoid of any natural resources that it simply didn't seem make any sense as to why the Emperor had ordered its capture.
However, unlike his brother, Lelouch had some idea as to why Charles wanted the territory. Lelouch closed his eyes as he recalled the night of his mother's funeral, of his audience with the Emperor, and of his meeting with Nonette, who gave him first clues of his mother's death.
"Nonette?"
The young prince was surprised to see the Knight of Nine and more so as she had forcefully grabbed Lelouch.
"There's something I need to tell you." Nonette's expression was dark, her eyes watching the surrounding before turning back to Lelouch. "It is better if we talk somewhere else, perhaps inside the Aries Villa. There are too many eyes and ears inside the palace."
Lelouch could only nod, understanding that if Nonette was being so cautious, then she must know something that someone inside the palace didn't want him to know.
Lelouch had returned to the Aries Villa followed by a skeptical Jeremiah who glanced at Nonette every so often, making sure that she wouldn't pull some outrageous stunt.
Upon entering the villa, the sight that they found inside had shocked both Lelouch and Nonette. Lelouch was already aware that Nunally had lost the ability to walk, so the sight of his little sister seating on the wheelchair hadn't surprised him. What bothered Lelouch, was the fact that Nunally had her eyes shut closed, almost as if she couldn't see anything. As far as Lelouch knew, only her legs were affected in the attack.
On the other hand, what had caught Nonette offguard wasn't the blind girl on the wheelchair, but the woman who was holding said wheelchair. Behind Nunally stood a lady with short brown hair and blue eyes hidden behind triangular glasses. Nonette had often seen the woman near Emperor Charles and inside the Pendragon's Military Base.
"Welcome back Prince Lelouch. My name is Alicia Lohmeyer. I was tasked by the Emperor himself to look after your sister, Nunally." The lady introduced herself as she bowed curtsy.
'Dammit.' Nonette understood the true purpose of Alicia and had berated herself for thinking that the Aries Villa would be safe from the Emperor's influences.
Lelouch paid little attention to the woman who had introduced herself and instead kept his eyes focused on Nunally, who upon hearing her brother's name lifted her head to face them and smiled brightly.
"Welcome back, brother"
Upon hearing Nunally's voice, Lelouch finally returned to his senses. Suddenly, Lelouch had rushed to where Nunally was and quickly hugged her, causing Nunally to blush as she returned her brother's firm yet gentle hug.
"Your eyes... what happened? The doctors told me that you only suffered injuries to your legs. Why can't you see?"
Lelouch had quickly begun questioning his sister, his mind trying to process the state of his sister. Before Nunally could answer, Alicia's voice answered the prince.
"It seems like the attack not only scarred Nunally physically but also mentally. Nunally is both unable to use her eyes or remember the events of that night."
The revelation had stunned Lelouch. Not only was he unable to obtain clues from his sister, but now Nunally was crippled beyond help. Surely now in their father's eyes Nunally had become no more than a nuisance. A weak, flail girl who had just become useless as a political chip. Lelouch knew that the Emperor wouldn't do anything for her and so Lelouch promised himself one more time that he wouldn't allow anything to happen to Nunally again.
None of the people present made an attempt to move nor did they allowed themselves to make any sound other than their quiet breathing as Lelouch maintained his arms around his sister. Nunally alone saw and felt the trembling body of his older brother, another sign of how much Lelouch truly loved her. Even though she was crippled and couldn't see, being able to feel her brother's warm and his feelings for her made her smile even moreso. Lelouch, noticing Nunally's gentle expression, finally was unable to hold the tears that he had believed had dried up, tears that he promised he wouldn't longer ever make.
The sight of Lelouch crying upon Nunally's body that night was the last time anyone saw any weakness inside the black prince, as he promised himself that one day he would make a reality in which Nunally and himself could lived forever happily, without any worries or fear. That night was the beginning of the Black King's counterattack. The night that Lelouch finally decided to move forward, confronting the cruel world that had harmed his sister and taken his mother away.
Lelouch finally parted from Nunally, who, surrounded by her brother's warm body, had fallen asleep sometime ago.
"Please take care of her, I have some business to finish tonight."
After addressing Alicia, Lelouch signaled Nonette to follow him. Nonette nodded and took one last glance at Alicia before taking off. Jeremiah decided to trust Nonette with the prince and instead chose to stay with Nunally and the stranger.
Alicia's eyes remained fixed on the prince until he was out of side. With the guard keeping watch over her, Alicia thought it prudent to just return to Nunally's room for now.
Lelouch had taken Nonette to the garden. It's wide open space in the middle of the villa meant that if someone tried to spy on them they could quickly notice them. Lelouch walked until he reached the sakura tree, the very center of the garden. After ensuring that no one else was around, Lelouch finally turned to Nonette.
"Well, what is it that you needed to tell me?"
It was a long day for Lelouch, and the sooner it was over, the better. He hoped that whatever Nonette wanted to tell him would be worthwhile. As Lelouch listened to Nonette, he quickly found himself unable to maintain his calm demeanor, as what he had learned from her raised even more questions than what it answered.
At first Lelouch believed that it was a member of the royal family or another noble family that had orchestrated Marianne's assassination. After all, there was no way that some terrorists were capable of not only entering the city of Pendragon but also infiltrating the Aries Villa. Another point was how there weren't any guards around. Lelouch had talked with Cornelia, who was the captain of Marianne's guard. To his surprise, Cornelia had told him that it was Marianne herself that ordered the guards to leave her alone for the night. If the murderers were the ones who had asked Marianne to dismiss the guard then only some powerful family could have convinced her to do so. Their motivation for killing his mother could have been either her closeness to the Emperor or the incredible success of the Ashford Foundation.
But from what Nonette had told him, it was even worse than that. Apparently Marianne and some other members of the Knights of the Round were performing secret missions for the Emperor. Their objectives often dealt with technology and infrastructure from an ancient civilization. Nonette wasn't sure what they truly were but the Emperor had sent them all over the world, including most recently Japan, to gather materials and information from these ruins. Only Bismarck and Marianne had any knowledge of what they truly were dealing with.
Just as shockingly, Nonette had revealed the existence of a brother of Charles as well as the conversation between the two. At first Lelouch was dubious of the information that Nonette was telling him, but he had chosen to trust her words since not only was she a trusted friend of his mother, but Nonette's expression and tone seemed genuine unlike the snakes in the royal court.
Lelouch couldn't recall any surviving brothers of Charles and even moreso a brother who might be a few years older than himself, for both his grandparents had passed long before Odysseus, the first child of Charles, was born.
Nonette bowed respectfully as she began walking away, leaving Lelouch to his thoughts. They both had agreed to keep this secret between the two of them until they could gather more information and proof. After all, it was only once that Nonette had encountered this uncle of Lelouch.
Lelouch opened his eyes. It had been a while since he last dreamt about the past. He hated to be reminded of times gone by, when he was happier and his family still alive and well. He hated thinking about the past because one couldn't only ever remember good memories, since the good and the bad memories were often two sides of the same coin, and remembering one side would often lead to the other.
Lelouch glanced at the hanging clock above the door. It's hands forming the shape of a slanted L. It was almost 2 in the afternoon. He was beyond late for his classes. Giving up on his classes, Lelouch opened a drawer from the desk, pulling a single piece of paper and placing in it on top of the desk. The piece of paper was nothing more than a map of the world, a few circles scribbled around some lands.
Ever since Nonette had informed him of the Emperor's interest in the ancient ruins, Lelouch had made sure to gather information on them without alerting his father. Based on Nonette's descriptions and the Emperor's activities, he had located four of them.
The first of the ruins was probably somewhere in Pendragon, maybe inside the Imperial Palace. His father spent all his time inside the palace and often disappeared without a trace, only to reappear later sitting on his throne.
The second was in Japan. Nonette had described her missions in detail and the invasion and establishment of Area 11 further solidified the chances that there was a ruin somewhere in Japan. Although it might have seemed like Charles had invaded Japan for its wealth of Sakuradite, it was the very fact that he had allowed the Elevens to remain holding the rights to the Sakuradite around Mt. Fuji that the reason for the invasion of Japan was simply just to take control of the area.
The third ruin was somewhere within the Amazon forest of what used to be the republic of Gran Colombia. Gran Colombia was the first nation in the New World to gain independence from its European overlords. It was also the very first territory that Charles had conquered, forgoing the fact that some of the neighboring nations in the Caribbean and Central America were still independent and immediately became hostile towards Britannia. Not that they were able to withstand the might of the Holy Britannian Empire.
Finally, Lelouch circled the area encompassing South Africa and the Republic of the Congo. Just last month South Africa became the first Britannian Area in the African continent. Following the establishment of what is now Area 15, Charles had ordered the invasion of the Republic of the Congo.
All four ruins were located in different continents, meaning that the civilization that created them must have been large enough to at least send explorers to all corners of the world. As far a Lelouch knew, there wasn't any civilization in written history that was advanced enough to be able to travel the world and create these ruins. Lelouch could only come up with a couple theories of the origins of these ruins.
One was that there must have been an ancient civilization that was so advanced that when it fell, its technology was so powerful that it completely wiped out any traces of the civilization and only left the ruins behind as proof of its existence. Another possible explanation was that these ruins were from even before humanity existed, meaning that these weren't ruins at all but instead were something that nature had created, something along the lines of magic.
Lelouch knew that both of these theories were very farfetched and had decided to completely disregard the ruins' origins. Instead, he would focus on what they were capable of. Charles must have learned of their purpose or capabilities if he had invested so much time and resources into obtaining them. In the end, Lelouch wouldn't be able to learn anything about them until he entered one himself.
The one inside the palace might be the nearest one, but it was also the hardest to find without arousing suspicion. Even if he found it, Charles must have the place completely guarded or closed off. The one near the Congo was a no go as the surrounding area was still a warzone. Between the one in Area 2 (Gran Colombia) and Area 11, Lelouch had chosen the latter. Lelouch could mask his search inside Area 11 as just a simple visit to the Ashford family. Also, he could probably convince Clovis to allow him to move around freely, away from the Britannian military.
Now that Lelouch had finished planning his future actions, it was about time he began training. He could easily justify skipping on the classes at the Royal Academy as he already had mastered most of the subjects in his grade, so much so that not even his teachers could argue against his attendance rate. Knightmare training, on the other hand, was something that Lelouch knew he shouldn't take lightly. No matter how well one could pilot a Knightmare, inexperience or inability to act due to unpreparedness could cost him his life.
After returning the map inside the drawer, Lelouch exited the private office. Awaiting him outside was an Eleven maid a few years older than him. Her name was Sayoko. Ruben Ashford had encountered her when he first moved to Area 11. Ruben must have believed her to be very capable as he insistently asked Lelouch to bring her into his family's service. According to Ruben, not only was she a very caring maid, but also a capable fighter of her own, making her perfect for taking care of Nunally.
However, Alicia was completely against the idea, as she believed that anyone who wasn't Britannian was of a lower species. She believed that by keeping around an Eleven it would lower the vi Britannia's standing in court, not like it could go any lower at this point.
After a few arguments, Alicia finally compromised. Sayoko would be allowed to serve the two royal children, but only inside the Aries Villa. She wouldn't be allowed to leave the palace on her own.
Since Nunally was currently at the academy, Sayoko had decided to attend to the prince. At first Lelouch was wary of Sayoko, after all it was Britannia who had invaded her former country and probably killed some of the people she knew, but after watching her interact with Nunally, Lelouch had opened up to her.
In fact, Lelouch had begun to trust Sayoko enough that he had her help him gather information on his father's activities. Sayoko proved to be an excellent spy as she was capable of leaving and entering the palace without raising suspicion. Sometimes Lelouch wondered where she had learned all those skills.
Sayoko bowed and began following the prince as he continued walking along the corridor.
"Sayoko, could you organize a visit to Area 11?. Make it seem like I'm visiting the Ashfords as well as their academy. I'm not sure how much time I will need, so find an excuse that will allow me to stay there for a very long time."
The maid nodded before taking off, leaving Lelouch alone as he arrived at the main stairs. Trying to avoid remembering the events that occurred on those very stairs, Lelouch focused on the two figures at the bottom. One was a familiar figure, as she would often visit the villa and help Lelouch train. The other, however, was someone whom Lelouch hardly ever talked to.
Nonette Enneagram and Beatrice Franks stood below him, both so caught up on their conversation that they didn't notice Lelouch approach until he finished walking down the stairs.
Beatrice was the first to turn, saluting him as he stood in front of the two Knights of the Rounds.
"Good afternoon, Prince Lelouch."
"Hello Beatrice, it is quite the surprise to see you visit the Aries Villa." Lelouch greeted back before turning his sight to Nonette.
The Knight of Nine simply shrugged. It seems even she wasn't aware of Beatrice's reason for her visit.
"I was sent by Emperor Charles. Your father has been planning on adding more Knights of the Round. Today he declared that he would host a Knightmare tournament to decide who will join our ranks."
"A tournament? That's... new."
Lelouch was aware of his father's lack of knights. Both Bismarck and Beatrice were in charge of Pendragon's and the Emperor's defenses, so they had to stay in the capital. Olivia was the head of Pluton, as such she was usually occupied. Both Heinrich and Richard were tasked with supporting the Britannian Military and were always on the battlefield. The last he had heard from Sayoko was that Heinrich was in Area 15 preparing for the invasion of the Republic of Congo while Richard was staying in Euro Britannia, overseeing their latest campaign against the E.U. That only left him with three knights that he could order at any given time.
The problem was that up until now, Charles had personally chosen each of his knights. Although Charles believed that only those with merit could rise in Britannia, he had never chosen any of the knights based solely on their ability with a Knightmare.
"Although I'm aware of my father's lack of knights, I still don't understand what your purpose is for visiting me."
"The tournament is only going to be open for young Britannians. Any individual who is 25 years-old or younger will be allowed to participate. Since your highness is very well renowned all over empire, his majesty the Emperor wishes you to participate in order to test some of the contestants."
Lelouch was surprised by the request. However, after pondering for a few seconds, Lelouch had finally decided. This tournament could also be for his benefit.
"I will play my father's game. I will participate in this tournament."
Inside the Sword of Akasha
Charles stood at the edge of the platform. His gaze fixed on the sky that seemed to stretch infinitely beyond the horizon. Behind him, the steps of his immortal brother, V.V., could be heard.
"I don't understand."
V.V. had stood beside Charles, his eyes also fixed on the horizon. No doubt that even now the Gods kept hidden somewhere out there.
"What's the point of this tournament of yours? The children have already mastered their Geass. They won't be beat by anyone, especially some brats. If you truly wish to test them, it would be better to just send them off to war."
Charles actions have always been a mystery to his brother. As Charles grew older, it almost became impossible for the twins to see eye to eye. It became even worse when Charles met Marianne. Even after her death, Charles continued to focus his attention elsewhere. Sometimes V.V. wondered if his brother still remembered their original goal.
"The kids might be able to keep their powers under control, but it is a different matter if they are capable of using it in the heat of battle. Besides, how could I explain the sudden appearance of some extraordinary adolescents whose backgrounds are dubious at best. It is much easier to pit them against other children while they pose as orphans who wanted to leave behind a life a poverty."
"Then what about that woman's kid. Surely there isn't any reason for him to be participating too."
Charles finally smiled, his grin slightly annoyed his twin brother.
"The boy is his mother's child after all. I wonder how far he will go. He may yet have use for us. If he loses, then it only meant that he was just weak and useless."
V.V. had kept watch over the young prince ever since his audience with Charles. Not only was he sure that Lelouch was aware of the existence of the Thought Elevators, but he was also actively trying to interfere with them together with that meddling Knight of the Round. V.V. had often tried to convince Charles to do something, even just dismissing the woman. But his brother only shrugged and had allowed them to act freely. If Charles hadn't sent people to watch over the prince at all times, V.V. would have taken care of the problem long ago.
V.V. turned around and started walking away slowly.
"No matter, is not like he will be able to stand against the powers of the Geass. And in tournaments such as these, it won't be a surprised if accidents occurred."
Charles was once again left alone. His eyes never turning away from the horizon.
Author's Notes:
Between spending time with family, preparing for a new semester, doing some research and reading other fanfics, this chapter took a while to write.
I guess I will address the biggest issue first. I do understand everyone's points when it comes to having a harem, especially dealing with Lelouch position as a prince. However at this point in the story his power is limited. He is only the eleventh prince and very young. With that said, it is not like I'm completely going to scratch any interaction with girls other than the main one. It Is just not going to be a bigger focus. So sure, he will have relationships with others and even develop feelings for them eventually, but it will take time and won't magically lead to the creation of a harem especially at his age.
As for Rolo and the other kids with Geass, yes, they are currently in the Order. But after the events of the tournament, they will begin appearing outside of the Order. It is not like their involvement in the Order completely isolated them the outside. An example would be how Rolo and Clara were tasked with being Lelouch's siblings and even went to school with him.
It is true that Charles had like 108 wives and probably even more children. But let's also note that Lelouch is the eleventh prince and he is only fifteen at this point in time. Meaning that most of the children are probably even much younger than him and thus their influence in the world would be almost negligible. I might add a few siblings here and there and have them involved one way or another like Clovis is. Also, yes I will have Guinevere take an important role in the story, but that wouldn't be until around the climax, so it might be a while. She will appear every so often though.
Finally, both Suzaku and Kallen will have importance in the story. Kallen will interact with Lelouch more in the future while the actions of Suzaku will serve to move the plot forward.
Well, thanks everyone that followed/favorited the story so far. If you have any comments, complains, praise, or observations just leave a review to let me know. I do read them and they help me too.