Lelouch's eyelids fluttered open as the morning sun shone on his face. The first thing that he registered was Kallen's sapphire eyes looking back into his. He smiled as he reached out to cup her face in his before sliding his arm around her waist to bring her closer.
"Good morning, beautiful." He breathed before pressing his lips to her in a light kiss. She chuckled softly when he pulled away. Just then, a knock sounded on the door and two familar voices sounded outside.
"Jeremiah, Kallen-sama and his Highness should be still asleep. They were together yesterday night..."
"Sorry, Sayako. Despite all that, I still feel that it is my duty to wake his Highness up."
"Cut them a little slack. Besides, it's not a working day and Kallen-sama needs her rest..."
"How can you explain his Highness's absence to his children who are waiting at the kitchen table then?"
Lelouch heard Kallen catch her breath as Jeremiah said that. Before both of them could react, the door banged open and Jeremiah marched in, with Sayako hovering in the doorway anxiously. He didn't seem surprised when he saw Kallen and Lelouch together in Kallen's bed with the sheets covering them. Instead, he knelt down and addressed Lelouch in a formal tone.
"Breakfast is ready and will be served shortly, you Highness. Will you please allow me to escort you to your room so that you can dress?"
"Thank you, Jeremiah. I will meet you in my room shortly afterwards. Please allow me to to get ready, thank you Sayako," Lelouch answering him fluidly. Jeremiah rose immediately with his head bowed.
"As you command, your Highness." Jeremiah exited the room with Sayako closing the door behind both of them, mummuring some rather vague apology. Kallen grabbed him and looked at him terrifiedly.
"How do you explain youself? Don't tell me that you're going to ask for a divorce?" She whispered, her hands shaking on his face. He took her hands and looked at her reassuringly.
"I'll settle this matter," He said soothingly to her. She sighed before sitting up and looking away from Lelouch. He pulled her into his arms and ran his thumbs soothingly over her cheeks, but she showed no sign of relaxing. Instead, he saw in the reflection of the glass that she was staring hard at the floor and her azure eyes were hard and unforgiving. Grabbing a sheet, she pushed him away and wrapped it around her body before lying down on the bed again.
"Go."
That simple word did it. Lelouch made up his mind and pulled her around roughly to face him and claimed her lips. Instead of returning the kiss, she dug her fingers into his hair and forced him away, putting him at arm's length.
"Go."
Her response startled him, but he was feeling rather angry at her for pushing him away like that. Swiftly, he slid off the bed and dressed in his clothes where they had been discarded the night before.
"Very well then."
He rose to leave and just before he closed the door, he caught a glimpse of her reflection in the glass of her cabinet. His Ace's cerulean eyes had softened and to his surprise, there were tears running down her cheeks. However, she didn't look at him as he closed her bedroom door.
As soon Lelouch had left, Kallen stood up and wiped the tears away from her cheeks. Despite that, she still couldn't control them as they flowed down her face. A gentle knock sounded on the door. Calling out in a shaky voice, she asked.
"Who is it?"
"It's only me, my lady, to bring you breakfast." Lance replied as he balanced a steaming breakfast tray on his thigh to reach the doorknob. Kallen drew in a shaky breath. She had learnt to appreciate the man's company over the years and despite of her mood swings and her unstable mental condition, he still remained at her side. Wrapping a blanket around herself, Kalllen called to him that it was alright to come in. Lance opened the doors and came in, setting the breakfast on a table before closing the door and looking at his ladyship. Looking at her red eyes and body covered with the sheet, he knew better than to ask her what was wrong. Instead, he busied himself with pouring her tea and arranging her breakfast.
"Here." He handed her a steaming cup of tea and she reached out with a shaky hand to take it. Looking at her mentally inept condition, Lance sat down beside her and held the cup to her lips. Like a little child, she sipped at the tea timidly. She didn't protest when he set the cup down and fed her a small piece of French toast. Suddenly, she grabbed his wrist with a shaking hand.
"How...how many people know about what happened between me and Le-, his Highness last night?" She asked in a small voice that trembled like her body. Lance put down the fork and grasped his lady's hands in his own, looking deep into her azure eyes.
"Only me, Sayako-san and Jeremiah know," he replied in a quiet voice, clasping her hands gently. "If we don't spread it out, no one will know."What about the children?" She whispered fearfully. Lance stroked her arm gently, trying to calm her down.
"I believe his Highness will take care of that," he replied. Despite his rather unexplained dislike for the newly reinstated prince, Lance was sure that he knew how to take care of his lady. From what he saw, the prince truly loved his Lady Kallen. Her hands tightened on his and she looked at him.
"I made up my mind to forget about him, to never remember him again...but..."
"But you do love him don't you."
His answer shocked Kallen. Looking down, she bit her lip.
"If you truly love him, you should know what to do."
Kallen looked down before releasing her grip on Lance's wrists. She got up and went into her closet. Lance sighed as he looked at the unfinished breakfast before him. From the rustling of clothes, he gathered that she was changing her clothes. He took up the tray before leaving the room, imagining that rage that Sayako would throw at him when she found out that Lady Kallen had not taken much of her breakfast.
Kallen slipped on a simple pink collared shirt and a pair of white shorts before leaning her head against her closet door. She stared down as she recalled what Lance had said.
"If you truly love him, you should know what to do."
Kallen clentched her teeth in fustration. She had loved him, so much that she was near the point of sacrificing everything of herself for the man that she had loved so blindly. However, when he had married her best friend like she told him too, her heart had been torn apart. It hurt her so much that she had immediately went home after the wedding and never attended the wedding banquet. She had cried herself to sleep when she found out that they were 'living happily' after their marriage. Kallen held no jealousy against Shirley, but she couldn't believe that Lelouch had actually agreed to marry her.
Later, when she was working herself to exhausation, a word of command came to her that Second Prince Schenizel had wanted to meet her. When she had entered his office and had not even uttered a word of greeting, she had found herself kissed by the supposedly aclaimed bachelor of Britannia. His touch reminded her of Lelouch and she just wanted to drown in it and let herself be owned by this man again. But something told her that this was impossible and she had pushed him off her and slapped him. Schenizel had seemed disappointed by that, but he bothered her no more. He still sent her flowers on a weekly basis though.
Kallen shrugged the matter off like a professional and went downstairs, seeing Lelouch eating breakfast with his children. She nodded at them before taking up the teapot on the table and pouring herself a cup of green tea. Inhaling the strong fumes, she calmed herself down and went to sit down in a couch, sinking into its comfortable depths. Sipping her tea, she thought absent-mindly about what had happened last night. He had dominated her like usual and she had submitted her to him as he moved harder against her and whispered her name like a mantra. Then, he had pulled her into his arms and told her that despite everything that happened, she was the only one that could calm him down and make him feel at peace. They had drifted off to sleep after that, dreamless and sweet.
Sighing, Kallen ran a hand through her aburn tresses, setting the cup down on the coffee table. Just then, Sayako breezed through, setting a plate in front of her and also another pot of tea.
"Thank you, Sayako." The maid raised one eyebrow before refilling her teacup.
"It's so like you to not eat, my lady." Sayako replied indifferently as she pushed the plate of buttered toast towards Kallen. The Red Lotus picked a slice up and bit into it, feeling the butter melt in a mouth. Lance entered the room and set a bouquet of flowers in front of her before moving out. Sayako, seeing that her ladyship was eating her breakfast, exited the room to clear the breakfast table. Kallen pulled the flowers towards her, her lips turning up slightly at Schenizel's choice of chrysanthemums and irises this week. The golden bunches nestled within the pure whiteness of the straight elegant petals. She gently stroked the smooth petals.
"Did Schenizel send you these?"