Author's note: When I conceived of this fic, this was one of the first events that came into my mind. I had always wanted to write this chapter, and at long last, here we are. You guys would be relieved to hear that there wouldn't be any cliff-hangers in this chapter. Or at least not any really 'evil' ones.

Honestly, I wasn't entirely sure of how Shirley would react to the big reveal. All I can say is that I tried my best to keep her in character... I hope that this chapter will be enjoyable nonetheless.

By the way, I've always wanted to do an ALL HAIL BRITANNIA speech. So yes, there will be one.

Oh, and to my guest reviewer of my last chapter... Happy belated birthday!

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass or any of its characters.

Chapter 11
The Britannian Ball

"What?" Shirley asked blankly, her peridot green eyes wide and unblinking. If her ears weren't deceiving her, the men who looked a lot like guards in front of her just announced her that the eleventh prince of Britannia was entering the ballroom with her. And the eleventh prince's first name was the same as Lelouch's, although his last name was different. Lelouch vi Britannia. "Didn't Lulu just say something about Lelouch Lamperouge not being his real name?" Shirley thought suddenly. Her shocked mind took some time to put the pieces together. That only meant one thing. Her boyfriend, whom she dated for over a quarter of a year, was a member of the Britannian imperial family. He was a prince, to be exact.

Shirley's astonishment must have shown plainly on her face, for Lelouch gave her a reassuring grin, although that hardly helped to calm her nerves, and squeezed her hand. His smile bore a hint of sobriety and sadness. "My real name is Lelouch vi Britannia. And what the guardsmen say is true. I'm the eleventh prince and the seventeenth heir to the throne of the Holy Empire of Britannia." Lelouch informed Shirley solemnly, flicking his fringe aside with his fingers for dramatic effect.

"B-but how could you be-? A prince? H-how? Why?" Shirley stammered, swaying lightly on her feet. This was extremely surreal to her, but it explained a few things to her at the same time. Lelouch always had an aura of charisma and magnetism, and it was more than befitting for a prince of the royal family than a mere student. She stared at the face of Lelouch, the prince of an empire which had control over one-third of the entire world. "Why didn't you tell me? Or any of us?!" Her voice rose slightly with emotion.

"I'll tell you everything later, Shirley," Lelouch promised. His eyes flickered towards the waiting Emperor, who stared at him impassively through the doorway. "But right now we need to enter the ballroom." He ignored the bemused looks of the imperial guards, who were at least trying not to eye them pointedly.

"W-wait! I need more time to take all this in!" Shirley protested, her mind working furiously to make sense of the entire situation, although she did not resist Lelouch pulling her lightly towards the room.

"There's no time," Lelouch cajoled, noting how flustered Shirley was. "The very emperor of Britannia is waiting for us to enter." A bewildered Shirley complied quietly, for she had no idea what exactly was the best course of action either. She allowed him to guide her inside the ballroom and she tried to dismiss the butterflies in her stomach to no avail. Shirley was not only meeting Lelouch's father but the ninety-eighth emperor of Britannia as well. As the pair walked on the scarlet aisle towards Charles, surprised muttering broke out among the nobles, who were crowded along the path. It was heavily reminiscent of Lelouch's confrontation with Charles many years ago.

"He's alive…?"

"I can't believe it. I thought he died."

"It doesn't matter. He abdicated the right to the throne. What is he even doing here?"

"Are they reinstating him as the eleventh prince? How about his sister? I don't see her with him…"

"Who's that beside him? She doesn't look well-born to me…"

Similar to the incident which occurred nine years ago in the very same palace, but in the throne room instead; Lelouch paid the murmuring aristocrats no mind. His eyes were solely fixed on his father as he strode forward, but he was gripping Shirley's hand tightly. It hurt slightly for Shirley, but she was so caught up in the situation that she barely noticed the discomfort.

After what seemed like an eternity to them, they finished their walk and stood before Charles. There was a brief moment of strained quietness before Lelouch knelt down before his father, his twitching eye betraying his calm demeanour. Shirley blinked at the emperor, as she still could not believe that Charles zi Britannia was before her very eyes. Lelouch tugged at her hand urgently, snapping her out of her stupor as she realized that she wasn't kneeling. Instantly, her face turned almost as red as the aisle they were walking down and she dropped to her knees, wincing slightly from the sudden impact. Several of the patricians watching them shot Shirley looks of disapproval, but none of them broke their silence.

"Lelouch vi Britannia, eleventh prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, returning to be restored to his former position as the seventeenth heir to the royal throne, Your Majesty," Lelouch's tone was respectful and firm. Lelouch glanced sideways at Shirley. "And Miss Shirley Fenette here will be accompanying me for the dance."

"Lelouch vi Britannia, you shall be formally reinstated to your former position starting today, regardless of your past renouncement," Charles replied in an almost bored voice. While he secretly felt relieved that his son has returned safely, he needed to maintain his neutral expression. "As for the official documents regarding your conditions for your return to Britannia, you shall receive it right now," Charles continued, signalling one of the imperial guards flanking him, who retrieved a thick red-and-gold envelope, before kneeling before the emperor, offering up the envelope to Charles.

The emperor picked the envelope up and rose from his seat, walking down towards Lelouch, who held his two hands out, palms facing upwards. Charles passed the object to the prince, who felt a burst of elation rushing through him. "Welcome back to Britannia," the emperor finished, but Lelouch paid him no mind. His eyes were on the document which will ensure that Nunnally will be rightfully treated well when she returned. Charles merely nodded at Shirley briefly.

Lelouch's eyes were on the document which will ensure that Nunnally will be rightfully treated well when she returned. Charles merely nodded at Shirley briefly. "All tasks at hand have been cleared. Shirley is with me, she finally knows about my lineage and knowing her, she'll most likely accept this in time. Furthermore, Nunnally will be joining us soon enough," Lelouch thought to himself excitedly.

"Rise, Prince Lelouch vi Britannia. You may be dismissed now," Charles told his son. Lelouch didn't wait for another second before his hand grasped Shirley's wrist and tugged her away, trying to find an unoccupied table for themselves.

Shirley almost stumbled as the pair navigated through the throngs of noblemen. She could feel the intense, unfriendly gazes from some of the other nobles. She tried to shrug it off before Lelouch found an empty table. "Have a seat," Lelouch smiled at her, holding out one of the plush chairs.

"Thanks… Lulu?" Shirley said warily as she slowly lowered herself to the chair.

"You can still call me that, you know," Lelouch sighed, shaking his head. He supposed he could not blame her cautious behaviour. After all, she just discovered that he was not an ordinary person, but a prince of an empire. "I may be Lelouch vi Britannia…. but I'm still Lelouch."

"Why?" Shirley asked, staring into Lelouch's amethyst orbs. A mix of emotions showed on her face – displeasure from being kept in the dark for so long, bafflement at why Lelouch would be at Ashford and some awe at his true position. "Why didn't you tell any of us? Milly? Suzaku? Rivalz? Me?"

"Milly and Suzaku know," Lelouch admitted, brushing his fringe aside. "Her family supported us and they took us in after the war against Japan. Suzaku was one of our hosts when I was sent there to hide."

"Why did you need to hide? Why didn't you tell the others then?" Shirley pressed on. There were numberless questions in her mind she wanted to ask Lelouch.

"It's a long story," Lelouch sighed. "I'll tell you another time, perhaps after this ball. As for your other question, I wanted to keep my identity a secret to keep Nunnally safe."

"Oh. I suppose she's a princess too, then?"

"Indeed. She's the sixth princess and the seventy-second heir to the throne."

"Wow," Shirley leaned back against her chair, trying to digest everything at once. Her boyfriend was a prince of an Empire, and his sister, whom she had interacted with multiple times, was a princess. It was so surreal to her. "Should I start calling you 'Your Highness' now?"

"Please don't," Lelouch rolled his eyes at her. An icy quiet filled the air and dragged indefinitely. Lelouch sensed his trepidation rising. "Forgive me, Shirley. It was truly necessary for me to keep my identity a secret until this point." Shirley started to smile slowly. Lelouch took that as an indication that he has been pardoned, and he breathed a sigh of relief. "I suppose you're not mad at me anymore?"

"Honestly, I was unhappy that you kept it from me, but I know how much Nunna means to you. How can I still be mad at you after that?" Shirley cocked her head to one side. "Besides," She reached up, cupping his face between her lithe hands. She pinched his cheeks, pulling them apart slightly. "You're still my Lulu, aren't you?"

Lelouch jerked backwards in startlement. "I suppose I am," He gave a short laugh. "I hope everything's fine right now?"

"I guess so… except that they don't seem to look at me favourably, though," Shirley pointed out quietly, her eyes flickering over to the crowd of nobles. Some of them were sneaking glances at them, and she could read discontent on a few of their faces. "What's up with them?"

"Britannian nobles," Lelouch sniffed disdainfully, not even deigning to look at the aristocrats. "They're not exactly friendly. Pay them no mind, Shirley."

"Attention, ladies and gentlemen! His royal Majesty, Charles zi Britannia, ninety-eighth emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire will now deliver his speech!" An imperial guard flanking Charles declared. The entire ballroom was hushed as the mountainous emperor rose from the throne-like chair.

Charles gazed at his audience for a moment or two before addressing them. "Royals and nobles of Britannia, today marks the day when our glorious empire was founded! Every year, we hold the Britannian National Ball to commemorate this historic event." Charles paused, his violet eyes roaming the enraptured listeners before resting on Lelouch.

"We have come a long way since then. Now, we are undeniably the world's strongest superpower! All of you gathered here, you and your forefathers have undisputedly contributed greatly to the rise of our supreme nation! Eat, drink and be merry, for all of you are deserving of such indulgence! And remember this – men are not created equal. While today is a day for celebration, when tomorrow comes, continue to fight, plunder and dominate our enemies! We shall evolve and seize our destinies! Eventually, the future would be ours!" The Emperor raised a gloved fist in the air. "All hail Britannia!"

"All hail Britannia!" the spectators chorused, many of which raising their glasses.

"All hail Britannia," Shirley whispered out of courtesy. Privately, she didn't follow her nation's Darwinist beliefs, but she felt compelled to at least show some respect to the empire. She noticed that Lelouch did not say a word, the prince's eyes narrowing at his father. She could detect intense dislike in them. "Lulu? What's wrong?"

"Hmm? Nothing," Lelouch said with a start. He ceased glaring at his father.

"I remember that you said your father abandoned you and Nunnally," Shirley persevered, tilting one of her brows. She knew she might be digging up painful memories, but she felt that he owed her an explanation after all. "What was that all about?"

"It all started with my mother," Lelouch replied slowly. His lips formed themselves into a grim smile. "Do you know who she is?"

Shirley racked her memory. Lelouch's last name was 'vi Britannia', and he mentioned that his mother was killed long ago. The orange-haired adolescent searched the depths of her mind for a deceased royal with a similar last name. Her eyes enlarged as she recalled an incident which she heard from the news a decade ago. "Empress Marianne?"

"Yes, she was my mother," Lelouch replied. "However, this story can wait until later. I'm sure you'll understand. It's not something I would like to recount for now." Shirley inclined her head. It must truly be an extremely distressing moment in Lelouch's past. "By the way, do you want to dance?" Lelouch stood up and held out his hand.

Shirley looked around the ballroom nervously for a second, before reluctantly nodding. It was not that she did not wish to dance with Lelouch; it was that the people surrounding them were unfamiliar and seemingly antagonistic, but she was willing to put that aside for now. Shirley grabbed Lelouch's outstretched hand wordlessly and rose gracefully to her feet, all sign of her previous clumsiness while making their way through the crowd gone.

Lelouch and Shirley made their way to the dancing area. They were far from alone in there, and Shirley thought she could recognize some of the people dancing as well, such as Odysseus eu Britannia, the crown prince of like the occasion held months ago back in Ashford, the pair settled in a close hold and began to waltz slowly to the music, played by a live concert band instead of a gramophone. The slow-paced dance heavily reminded Shirley of their first kiss, as Lelouch unexpectedly decided to kiss her in front of the entire school once they finished waltzing. Even the hostile-looking nobles reminded her of that occasion, except that instead of angry fans of Lelouch, it was a bunch of unpleasant-looking patricians. Shirley pushed that thought out of her mind by just focusing on Lelouch. "Just relax and dance with him," her mind ordered her body, which duly complied.

"What a surprise, I didn't know he was still alive," Kanon Maldini, the right-hand man of Schneizel el Britannia, remarked. He sipped his glass of fine wine as his bright blue eyes observed Lelouch and Shirley dancing, brushing a stray strand of his rose blonde locks aside. Kanon, together with Crown Prince Odysseus eu Britannia, Prime Minister and second Prince Schneizel, first Princess Guinevere de Britannia and third Prince Clovis la Britannia were sitting around one of the white-and-gold clothed tables in the ballroom. Also present was a petite girl with flowing red hair in her early twenties, wearing a modest white dress and huddling close to Odysseus shyly.

"What's probably more shocking is that he's accompanying another girl who's not Nunnally," Schneizel commented lazily. He was a lanky, handsome man with blonde hair and light purple eyes. He, like Kanon, was watching the reinstated eleventh prince dance with his dance partner, albeit disinterestedly. "She looks quite ravishing… for a commoner."

"Come on, brother, everyone has to have a romantic interest at a point of time," Clovis laughed heartily, his long blonde hair hanging loosely. His icy blue eyes flickered over to Schneizel, who did not reply and instead continued to watch the dance progress. "And one should be free to love whoever he wants to, isn't he?"

"I agree with Clovis," Odysseus said. No one gave the brown-haired prince a reply; although he was the eldest of Charles's children and first-in-line to the throne, many did not regard him very seriously. He was well-aware of what many said about him behind his back, but it did not overly bother him, partly because he knew that he was not very capable. "Don't you think so too, Emily?" Odysseus asked the girl beside him.

"I-I guess so," the redhead replied timidly. She was neither a royal nor a noble and was invited to the ball none other than Odysseus himself after the latter met her while he was strolling through the streets of Pendragon alone few days ago in his plain clothes. It rained heavily halfway through his wandering of the capital's streets, and he forgot to bring an umbrella. He sought shelter of a nearby house, which belonged to Emily. She invited him in whilst being unaware that he was a prince, and Odysseus took a liking to her after conversing with the former for hours while waiting for the downpour to cease. At the end of his brief stay, he introduced himself as the crown prince of Britannia and extended an invitation to the ball to the young woman to express his thanks. Emily was surprised and reluctant to accept it, but after sensing Odysseus's genuine sincerity, she had accepted it.

Guinevere kept her silence. The first princess, whose hair was the palest shade of brown, gave Emily a disparaging look for a fraction of a second, which none of the others noticed. She then turned her attention to Lelouch and Shirley, narrowed her green eyes dangerously at the dancing pair, her lip curled in disdain. With that, the small group of royals and nobles continued to remain silent while the dance carried on.

As the band finished their song, to polite applause from the audience, Shirley muttered to Lelouch quietly, "I need a break." Lelouch nodded in understanding and released Shirley from the hold, although he still held her hand, and led her back to their table. However, it now had two women seating on the chairs surrounding the table. Shirley frowned, their appearance extremely familiar to her, but she couldn't remember their names for the life of her. One was lean and rather tall, perhaps in her mid or late twenties. Shirley was considered fairly tall for her age, but there was something about this woman made her feel almost puny. She had indigo eyes, purple hair which fell loosely and a little past her shoulders and radiated an almost militaristic aura, much like coach Villetta, but more intense. However, unlike the nobles around them, she was far from antagonistic. Indeed, she was waving at Lelouch with a slight smile on her lips.

Shirley turned her attention to the other woman. This one was considerably younger, perhaps even around her age. She had a luxurious fountain of bright pink hair, which curled around her ears and cascaded to her waist level. Her indigo eyes sparkled with elation and affection as she regarded Lelouch, which was similar to the look Nunnally often gave her brother. Shirley then realized with a start that they were no other than the li Britannia princesses – the larger, purple-haired woman was Cornelia li Britannia, given the moniker of 'The Witch of Britannia' for her prowess in combat, and the other was Euphemia li Britannia, who was relatively unknown compared to her famous sister. In short, they were two royal princesses of Britannia, seating around her table and were expecting Lelouch and her to join them. Shirley almost shrank back before a small voice in her head reminded her. "If you want to be with Lelouch, then you got to know his family." Shirley gulped and allowed Lelouch to guide her to the two princesses.

"Welcome home, brother," Cornelia said, her voice raspy with emotion as she placed her hands on Lelouch's shoulders. "You've grown so much."

"Nine years, Cornelia. It has been nine years," Lelouch replied softly, his voice trembling slightly as he regarded Cornelia. He wasn't very close to most of his half-siblings, but the li Britannia sisters were an exception. He practically grew up with Euphemia, who often had Cornelia watching her carefully and protectively like a hawk, and thus he was more than comfortable with the pair.

Lelouch's mind was jarred out of his nostalgic trip by none other than Euphemia, who basically tackled him by the side, enveloping him in a tight hug. "Oh, I've missed you, Lelouch! I thought you were dead!" Euphemia exclaimed. "What happened in Area Eleven anyway? And where's Nunnally?"

"This is a public event, Euphie," Cornelia chided her younger sister as she stepped in to separate the pair. "She raises a good point, though. Your name was in the records of the deceased after Area Eleven was conquered, together with Nunnally's. Did she… survive as well?" Cornelia asked, with a hint of hope and nervousness in her voice.

Lelouch hesitated. "I'm not sure," Lelouch decided to be dishonest for now. "It's better to let Nunnally lie low for now until I retrieve her." He took a deep breath, gazing at the shocked faces of the li Britannia sisters. "We were separated during the war. I never managed to find her." Lelouch willed himself to at least look teary-eyed in an attempt to convince them. While he disliked lying to the people he cared about, Nunnally's well-being came first.

"I'm sorry to hear of that," Cornelia patted Lelouch comfortingly on his shoulder, noting his expression of remorse. The vi Britannia siblings were extremely close and it must be hard on Lelouch to be apart from Nunnally. Shirley titled her head as she heard Lelouch lie about Nunnally, but chose to remain silent. She trusted Lelouch implicitly, after all. "By the way," Cornelia continued, her eyes flickering over to Shirley, who stood quietly behind Lelouch. "Who's your dance partner?"

Lelouch looked past his shoulder and motioned Shirley to come forward, and she hastened over. "Cornelia, Euphemia, meet Shirley Fenette," Lelouch introduced. Shirley gave a weak smile and extended her hand for a handshake, which Cornelia promptly shook. The latter's grip was firm and strong. Euphemia did the same, although her grip was less stiff and more cordial. "I met her when I was schooling in Area Eleven and, well, we're together now, as you can see," Lelouch finished.

"It's an honour to meet you two, Your Highness," Shirley said politely. She had no idea what to expect from them, and she thought to address them as courteously as possible.

"Oh please, call me Euphie," Euphemia giggled. Shirley returned the smile, having taken a liking to the pink-haired princess. The slender swimmer finally relaxed for the first time since she entered the ballroom, for she found someone other than Lelouch who was amiable towards her.

Cornelia stared at Shirley for a second, before turning to Lelouch. "Lelouch," she said, adopting a serious tone, which caught Lelouch's attention. "We need to talk, in private. It's important." Cornelia's eyes flickered over to Shirley and Euphemia, who were now seating on the chairs and the latter struck up a conversation between them. Lelouch blinked and his sense of foreboding returned. If Cornelia deemed her subject to be best discussed out of earshot of her sister and Shirley, it must be unnerving indeed.

"Lead the way," Lelouch replied, his voice quiet and cautious. "I'll be back, Shirley. Hold on a moment," he added, glancing at his girlfriend, who looked up once Lelouch was about to move away. Cornelia nodded her head in affirmation and led him to the corner of the ballroom. It was not exactly the ideal place to hold a private conversation, but in a crowded room, the corner is the best possible place to do so.

Lelouch waited patiently for Cornelia to start speaking. "I'm not certain of how you managed to return, but I must say that you chose a bad time to do so, brother," Cornelia began in a hushed tone. She looked around at the nobles around them to ensure that none of them were eavesdropping.

"What do you mean?" Lelouch asked, his brows furrowing in deep thought. No matter how much he tried, he could not dismiss his growing apprehension.

"Earlier in the morning today, at two a.m., one of the most highly-secured prisons in Pendragon was assaulted," Cornelia informed him steadily. "When we arrived at the scene, the perpetrators were already gone. It appears that part of the prison wall was blown apart."

"The work of Britannian terrorists?" Lelouch inquired. Britannian terrorists were not unheard of, although they were relatively few in number as compared to Area Eleven.

"Perhaps it is. But that's not the disturbing part," Cornelia replied, straightening her back, looking at Lelouch in the eye. "Most of the inmates have died. They were killed by whoever attacked the prison." Lelouch frowned. This wasn't making any sense to him. Most attacks on prisons tend to aim to free its inmates. "But those that survived and escaped, or rather set free by the attackers, were those who were arrested previously due to their connections to the Sword of Akasha. Are you familiar with that term?"

The words hit Lelouch like a ton of brick and he nearly staggered backwards, staring at his sister. His expression was aghast and filled with dread. "More than familiar," Lelouch whispered frantically. He would never forget the name of the organization which killed his mother and tried to do the same to him and Nunnally. "A-Are you saying that the Sword of Akasha has returned?"

"We're not a hundred percent sure," Cornelia admitted. "But the fact remains that all one hundred and seventy-five inmates who escaped were related to the Sword of Akasha, whether they were active members or merely sponsors. Word hasn't gotten out yet of this incident, but most of us royalty are informed about it after it happened. And I don't have to mention that the Sword of Akasha despises royalty with commoner blood, do I? I assume that Miss Fenette is an ordinary Britannian? If so, it may also seem… that you picked the wrong date tonight." Lelouch remained silent as he tried to take all the information in. His fists were clenched tightly as he fought to remain calm. This had just messed up all of his plans on a catastrophic scale.

"I need to go now," Lelouch said abruptly to Cornelia, who understood his distress. "I'm sure you know why."

"I'm well aware of it. By the way, I'll do anything in my power to help you increase the security around Aries Villa," Cornelia was slightly guilty that Marianne died when she was in charge of the latter's royal guard. While Marianne did tell Cornelia to withdraw the guard, the fact that Marianne died did not feel good at all to Cornelia. She would do whatever she can to protect her children at the very least.

"Thank you Cornelia, but we shall discuss such matters another day. Perhaps tomorrow," Lelouch gave Cornelia a curt nod of thanks. "Right now, Shirley and I need to leave." Lelouch cast his gaze around the ballroom, searching for Jeremiah. The Margrave did say he was coming into the ballroom after all. After nearly ten seconds of looking around, Lelouch located Jeremiah standing near the exit of the ballroom. His mouth was set in a grim line and he trudged forward, returning to Shirley's and Euphemia's side, the two chatting animatedly.

"Wait, he jumped into the pool when he didn't know how to swim?" Euphemia asked. Both girls shared a giggle as they traded stories about their past. Shirley was talking about how she got together with Lelouch and brought up the memorable incident where Lelouch thought that she was drowning and dove into the pool although he had zero skills in swimming. Euphemia shifted towards Lelouch as he appeared. "Tell me, is that true, Lelouch?"

"Hmm? Yes," Lelouch replied distractedly, his eyes fixated on Shirley, disregarding his younger half-sister. "Shirley, we need to go now. It's urgent." Lelouch did not forget the fact that the Sword of Akasha has members in both nobility and is even rumoured to have a few members of the Britannian royalty involved. The longer they stayed in sight in such an event where both nobility and royalty are attending, the more uncomfortable he became.

"Eh?" Shirley asked. She recognized the combination of fear and worry in his amethyst eyes and she wondered what happened. "Why? Did something occur?"

"Yes," Lelouch grimaced. He leaned forward, seizing Shirley's wrist tightly. "We need to go right now. I'll explain to you later."

"Lulu," Shirley said. Her brows furrowed in unease. "You've been saying that a lot lately. That you'll explain things to me at another time."

Lelouch belatedly realized that what Shirley said was true. His mind travelled into the past, during their first date in the NHK concert hall, when he told her that he will explain Jeremiah being his bodyguard to her. It then fast-forwarded to the present day today, when the prince informed her that he will elaborate on his exile to Japan to her at another time. "This is the third time and she deserves answers. But not right now. It's too dangerous," Lelouch thought. "I'm really sorry, Shirley. You have the right to know everything. But here is not the right place or time. We need to get back to my home, Aries Villa. I'll tell you everything once we reach there, okay?"

"If you say so," Shirley replied. She had a sinking feeling that what Lelouch would tell her later might be quite unpleasant, judging from his anxiety. "Let's go then, Lulu." Without another word, the couple walked swiftly towards the exit, and Lelouch signalled a curious Jeremiah, who promptly joined them as they exited the ballroom.

A couple of hours later, the Sword of Akasha's base

Infinity, the new leader of the Sword of Akasha, pushed open the twin metallic doors leading to a vast, brightly lit chamber. An enormous oval mahogany table rested in the center of the room, and a flag bearing the icon of the Sword of Akasha, a great sword pointing towards the heavens with seven golden stars circling its hilt was hung above it. Gathered around the table were the individuals who held the top echelons of the organization – a mix of high-ranking nobles and even a few members of the royalty. They were located in the Sword of Akasha's newly established base on the outskirts of Pendragon.

The masked leader swept through the assembly, his regal cape billowing behind him as he gave each of the members a perfunctory nod before taking a seat at the head of the table. All eyes were riveted on him intensely, but he showed no outward sign of being bothered by such.

"Greetings and salutations, my fellow comrades," Infinity spoke, his voice resonating through his mask. "We are assembled here tonight to discuss the happenings at the National Britannian Ball. I assume all of you have already heard the news?" There was a murmuring of assent, and more than one person shifted in their seats. "Lelouch vi Britannia, the eleventh prince, has returned… with a commoner by his side, no less."

"We should attack now, Infinity," a feminine voice immediately interjected. Everyone else fell silent, having recognized the speaker. Guinevere de Britannia rose up, her face a mask of disgust and fervour. "They have only just returned, but surely they know of our revival by now. They will build their defences soon if we don't hurry. Strike now while the iron is hot!"

"I'm afraid that we cannot do that yet, Guinevere," Infinity replied calmly. The princess narrowed her eyes at the lack of title and respect in his tone, but if Infinity noticed it, he did not care.

"And why is that?" Guinevere challenged.

"That is because I… no, we need something from them," Infinity replied simply. He paused for a moment, but before he could continue, he was cut off once more.

"If that's the case, all the more we should head out to Aries Villa at once! We can capture them!"

"That's not the wisest move to make. While I am quite certain that they possess what I seek, there is still a small chance that they don't. The emperor will know what I'm looking for if I make a move on them, and may further complicate things by moving the object in question. Moreover, Aries Villa is only a short distance away from the imperial palace. I wouldn't want to risk total annihilation of our forces either."

"You mean we're just going to sit here and do nothing?" a colossal, barrel-chested man with short dark hair exclaimed, standing up from his seat.

"Patience, Grand Duke Ricardo," the masked man returned, careful to keep his voice level, refusing to let himself feel intimidated by the larger man. Despite his words, he was beginning to lose his cool, and he repeatedly reminded himself to maintain his impassive façade. Ricardo simply stared at his leader wordlessly. "I understand the concerns of you subordinates," Infinity addressed the whole room. "But in order to realize our dream of conquering the world, we need to stay our hand for now. This greatly benefits us all."

"We cannot tolerate a member of the royalty, especially one tainted by impure blood, to be together with vermin like commoners!" Ricardo cried out, a look of pure disbelief and indignation on his face. "Both of them must go!"

"I'm not asking you to tolerate it, Ricardo," Infinity sighed. "How long will it take for these morons to realize that?" he groused in his head. "I'm saying that we have no choice but to wait first, for we require something from them that would allow us to seize control of the empire, and eventually the entire world!" He took a deep breath to calm himself down, then continued in a more neutral, cooler tone. "Now, I know all of you are clueless about it and are probably wondering what is it that we so need from them. And I shall explain right now if you're willing to listen…"

Sometime later…

"My lord, you asked for me?" a slim man, his face disguised by a mask which hid his eyes and nose, asked. Next to him was none other Infinity, who was sitting in front of a polished table with a computer. He resisted the urge to rub his eyes wearily. Explaining himself to the other Sword of Akasha members was far from easy, as they frequently interrupted and shot him questions. He supposed that it was to be expected of them, for they were mostly driven by their pride and fear.

The leader and his companion were in a dark, secluded room located somewhere in. They made sure they were alone and there weren't any eavesdroppers, for they were discussing confidential matters. The other man was not present at the meeting earlier, for his nobility rank was deemed as too low to be included in the council by the majority, which Infinity was not part of.

"Indeed, I did," Infinity answered lazily. "We're here to discuss two matters – the prison break earlier this morning and tonight's ball."

"Ah yes, the prison break," the man muttered. "You were quite dramatic back then, my lord. It was quite unlike you."

"The theatrics were necessary," Infinity chuckled. "It served as a method to further obscure my true identity, and to project myself as a confident, capable leader to the inmates."

"I suppose you're right," the other man cleared his throat. "Regarding the Britannian National Ball… it was an interesting night, don't you think, my lord?"

"It was, but Lelouch's return was hardly surprising," Infinity replied, flicking his gold-trimmed cape idly. "After all, we've predicted it and even orchestrated it to an extent."

"You're right, as always, my lord, but how about the girl that came with him?" his companion questioned, shifting in his leather boots uncomfortably. "We didn't take her into account, didn't we?"

"We could not have foreseen that. I thought Princess Nunnally would be with him," the enigmatic leader grimaced. "As for that girl… Shirley Fenette… I have nothing against her. However, it is likely we have to target her as well, to placate our own soldiers. It's a pity, really. She's quite a lovely young woman."

"You don't share the Sword of Akasha's belief of the purity of blood, do you, my lord?"

"My dear earl, surely you know me well enough. I do not subscribe to such old-fashioned and inane dogma."

"Then why have we resurrected the organization and taken over it, my lord?" the noble was confused.

"I had an ulterior motive. Do you still remember the Key and what does it give us access to?" Infinity smirked maliciously, although no one could see it under his mask.

"The Key?" the earl was still befuddled. "I understand that it allows us to utilize our ace in the hole, but we require people to operate it… I still don't comprehend your reasoning, my lord. If we needed men, couldn't we simply hire some mercenaries?

"Mercenaries? Hmph. I rather not rely on such rapacious people. At least the Sword of Akasha has reason to share our cause. I'd prefer fanatics to money grubbers."

"I see… However, wasn't the key confiscated by Marianne? We still wouldn't be able to use our trump card."

"Indeed," Infinity continued neutrally. The earl marvelled at how his master could be so calm talking about it, for most men would at least show some signs of anger. "However, it is quite possible that it is somewhere in Aries Villa. And that brings us back to the eleventh prince." He activated the computer screen in front of him, staring at a picture of Marianne, Lelouch, Euphemia, Cornelia and Nunnally, which was taken a decade ago in the Aries Villa.

"Are you planning to launch an assault on the Aries Villa, my lord? I would imagine that our new 'comrades' would be eager to do just that."

"An all-out attack? No, I was planning for something more subtle. We're going to send someone to infiltrate the place, and then kill them."

"But, my lord, surely he would expect such a move. How can we possibly sneak someone in? Besides, wouldn't the men get restless? I'd imagine that they would want something to do."

"I've anticipated this a long time ago. Our best agent is already on the move. And yes… you're correct. They were all but raring to assassinate them, and they were understandably agitated when I stopped them and attempted to explain myself." Infinity could sense his partner getting uneasy and he quickly added. "Don't worry, I'll throw our comrades a bone sometime soon to satiate them. Relax."

"Wait, our best agent?" the noble thought for a moment, then his eyes widened. "You mean-"

"Agent Haliburton," Infinity declared. "He has quite the innocent appearance after all. They'll never know what hit them."

"With all due respect my lord, are you sure he's ready for such a big task?"

"He has successfully completed all of his past missions quite admirably. I'd imagine that an intelligence gathering and assassination mission like this would be nothing too difficult to him although he never had a mission where he had to do both."

"If you say so, my lord. May I ask when would his mission commence?"

"Tomorrow," Infinity said, rubbing his leather gloved hands together exuberantly. "And if everything goes to plan, it will only be a matter of time before not only the Emperor of Britannia would kneel before my supreme might, but the whole world as well." He then retrieved a roll of newspapers, which headlines screamed 'The Return of the Eleventh Prince of Britannia', with a picture of Lelouch emblazoned on it. The masked leader studied the photograph of the prince for a long period of time before muttering, "Enjoy while you can, brother, for your days are now numbered."

Author's Note: Hmm, I suppose it may seem that I'm deviating from an active, straightforward conflict between the SoA and Lelouch. It's partly for the sake of the story. But for those who would like to see some action, no worries, the internal strife inside the SoA will mean that there's going to be some of them having ideas… which Infinity won't be happy about. Predictably, Rolo will be coming in next chapter.