Chapter 20: The Lord of Aries.

AN: Hey guys, it's been a while since I haven't posted here. In fact, it's been a while since I wrote any fanfic... Well, two and a half months is a while, you could say that. Anyway, it took me this far to produce this chapter, I hope you'll enjoy it ;)


A week later.

Miss Lohmeyer entered Lady Marianne's old working room, a place where his son took over as his own.

"Yes, Miss Chawla?"

Lelouch was still on the phone, a thing that irritated Miss Lohmeyer greatly. For a week he had kept on making these activities, such as taping away at his computer and phoning many people.

"I understand you're willing to go further in your researches on medical cybernetics."

Miss Lohmeyer raised an eyebrow. Was the young Prince trying to give legs back to his sister? How sweet of him!

"But I've seen your design for armored vehicles, they are pretty impressive too." The Prince continued. "Really, I'm not exaggerating, Miss Chawla, you should work for the military. You're wasting your talents in this branch."

She sighed. It had been, like two days that he had been given the title of 'Lord of Aries' –a honorific title of course- by Prince Schneizel, and he was already gathering allies.

"I have an eye for talent, you know, and I'm sure that I won't be the only one to give you a call." Lelouch said, eyeing Miss Lohmeyer. "You can trust me on that."

Alicia wasn't sure, but she had the feeling that Prince Lelouch was lusting over her. No, that was just a silly interpretation of his glance. Kids this young didn't have any idea on the subject, even if they read it in books.

Lelouch chuckled while looking at her. Miss Lohmeyer didn't know if he had found his interlocutor's answer funny of if he had guessed her thoughts. He had the ability to do understand how people thoughts and it was very disturbing sometimes.

"The Ashfords and I are trying to fund a military research facility." Lelouch continued. "The son of Lord Asplund agreed to join us and I believe…"

Lelouch paused, and then smirked.

"Yes, really?"

He paused again.

"I understand you are in competition with him, but it could be highly benef…"

Lelouch rolled his eyes.

"Alright, I understand." He said finally. "But you'll have a hard time trying to find someone who wants to hire you in the military engineering branch."

Lelouch smirked again. Alicia wondered why, since the Prince so sure of himself had let a pawn slip into his hands.

"It doesn't frighten you." Lelouch stated. "Well, good luck, Miss Chawla. I still hope that the both of us will be working together in the future."

Then, he winked to Miss Lohmeyer and hung up his phone.

"You wished to tell me something." Lelouch said casually.

Alicia nodded. "Your Highness, the limousine is ready."

Lelouch stood up. "Well, I guess it's time to go."

He walked in direction of the doorstep, taking his phone and his computer with him in a suitcase.

"We'll drive you to the hospital. Her highness Nunnally will be able to travel by plane."

Lelouch stopped. "We?" He asked.

Alicia flinched. "Do .. Do you not want me to go with you in Japan?"

Lelouch shook his head. "And who will rule this place?"

She raised an eyebrow. "I … do you have a Lord Regent appointed for Aries Villa during your absence?"

Lelouch stared at her, a coy smile on his face. "I have one now. I hereby appoint you Acting Lord of Aries."

The governess was taken aback by the Prince's declaration. She flustered. "I … don't know what to say."

Lelouch just shrugged his shoulder. "I've read your file, you're the second daughter of a ruined noble and you've taken an interest in tutoring young Lords. Your talent will not be wasted here."

She blushed a bit.

"I've left a list for you." He said, pointing a finger to the desk. "Here are the things you must know, say and do with the right people." Then he stared at her in the eyes. "You'll phone me for the important matters. If an Ashford, Asplund, Gottwald or a Stadtfeld calls you and tells you something that is not on the list, transfer the call to me. Same if another important bloke tries to make a proposal to me. Understood?"

The new Lady of Aries digested her orders the best she could."Uhm … Well…"

"Then that's settled." Lelouch said.

"But…" Alicia said, a bit shocked. "Didn't you say that you'd be the ruler?"

Lelouch shrugged. "Yup, but I'm away, and I find you trustworthy."

Then he headed to the door, passing next to her. "Good bye, my lady, see you in a year or so."

And then, without hesitation, the young Lelouch spanked Alicia's butt.

"Ick!"

Lelouch went outside, the maids and the butlers were carrying his things in the limo and the soldiers saluted him when he passed.

Then Jeremiah Gottwald got out of the car and bowed to the Prince.

"Your Highness, it's a pleasure to see you."

Lelouch's knight opened the door to his Prince and they entered the limousine, heading to the hospital.

Lelouch was sitting in front of Sir Jeremiah in the car's leather seats. He was repeatedly flipping a coin.

"You seem disappointed, your highness." Jeremiah noticed.

Lelouch stared at the 1 pound coin who had the face of his father forged at the back. "Indeed I am."

Jerry raised an eyebrow. "You keep on losing?"

Lelouch shook his head. "Quite the contrary. I'm winning." He sighed. "I'm always winning."

He threw the coin to his faithful knight, who caught it loyally.

"It's not like I like to lose." Lelouch admitted. "But unpredictable events tend to spice things up. I find them so rare, nowadays."

He looked away, staring at the green fields of the Pendragon suburbs. What a stupid idea for the son of Ricardo von Britannia to settle his capital here, in the middle of the Arizona Desert, but his ancestors had been able to raise grass and make the unfertile land fertile. Well, on the other hand, hundreds of thousands people died for this stupid whim. And why? Because Ricardo found the Thought Elevator below Pendragon and thought it was a good reason for building his capital in the desert. It was running in the family, to be amazed by these stupid ruins. Lelouch liked to destroy them and watch his father lose his temper because of it. Ah, good times…

"Your Highness, may I ask you a question?" Jeremiah asked tentatively.

Lelouch stared at him with a bored look. "Sure you can."

"You have no doubt that your plan will succeed, isn't it?"

Lelouch stared at the road. The limousine was approaching the hospital.

"If I doubted of my plan I wouldn't have been that far in just one week." Lelouch said nonchalantly. "The Stadtfelds are ready to fund us, and the Asplunds are happy to give their support since we'll make their son happy as hell in our new military research facility directed by your father."

'And Lord Gottwald will become Minister of Defense once a couple of heads will roll, but he doesn't need to know that… yet.' Lelouch thought. 'Everyone thinks his father is using me as a tool, but there's nothing more pathetic than a puppet that sees himself as a puppeteer.'

The limo stopped at the entrance of the hospital. Nunnally was there, as well as Cornelia, young Euphemia and a helicopter ready to depart for the airport.

Lelouch descended and said good bye to his faithful knight, who was, officially, nothing more than the son of a business' partner.

"Big brother, is that you?" Asked Nunnally sweetly when he was a couple of meters near his three sisters.

Lelouch stared at his six year old crippled sister. She was so young, so innocent, and so oblivious of what was going to happen. Lelouch's curse was that he knew the future so well because he'd be kind of doomed to write it. He'd spend his next five hundred years trying to figure out the why of his curse and living a life devoid of excitement.

"Yup, that's me. Are you okay?" Lelouch asked, leaning to his sister and taking his caring brother personae.

"I'm scared." She said weakly. "Where are we going?"

"You will take the plane for Tokyo this afternoon." Cornelia spoke.

"So that's true?" Euphie asked. "You two will really be gone?"

Lelouch stared at his half-sister and nodded. "Father's orders." He grinned. "Don't worry, we'll be back soon."

Then Euphemia rushed at him and hugged him tightly. And so the sweet little act kept on, forever and ever… managing a family was more boring than creating a financial Empire, but hey, his Family was important. Tomorrow he'd kept on making his business grow, but for now he was just a little boy.

"I hope you'll be safe there." Cornelia said after the embrace.

Lelouch shrugged. "Japanese are known to be honorable and treat their guests with respect." He said simply. "If there's any danger, he'd come from the outside."

Cornelia raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Lelouch waved his hand. "Never mind, I was thinking out loud. Japan is one of the safest place on Earth."

Apparently, his sister didn't get the irony, but she was worried, Lelouch could feel it. "Still, I will assign you two bodyguards." She said. "Brother Schneizel insisted."

Lelouch raised an eyebrow. 'Oh, Schneizel insisted? I don't recall that to happen before.' He thought. 'But then again I kept my title and obtained a new one, so for some players I'm still a valuable tool.'

"That is a very kind attention." He lied. 'Bastard.' Lelouch thought boringly. 'He wants to spy on me, but that really arranges my business. It will be easier to take over Japan with a scapegoat…'

"Oh, Lelouch, Nunnally, please don't leave us!" Euphie's worried voice snapped his thoughts.

Lelouch smiled warmly. "We will be back. I promise you." And then he leaned to her and kissed her on the lips, much to Cornelia's dismay and Euphie's delight.

Cornelia didn't say anything though, she knew that the vi Britannia siblings would probably never come back.

Lelouch installed his sister on a helicopter seat and they flew to the plane.

During the trip, Nunnally sensed there was something wrong with his brother. Was he worried about something? Mommy's death and her own injuries was giving him problems, maybe. Nunnally was worried her little brother had too much responsibilities.

"Are you okay, big brother?" She asked innocently.

Lelouch stopped his sightseeing of Pendragon to look at his crippled sister. "Yeah, I'm alright." He said with a reassuring smile. "I'm just, apprehending what will happen."

"Oh." Nunnally said simply.

'Yeah.' Lelouch thought for himself. '6 months of training with Todoh, even after all these years, I'm apprehending.'