"AAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!" screamed Lelouch in frustration, bringing his hands to his hair and almost pulling it out. He stood up and stomped away from the peach tree into the sun, the place he always went when he needed a "timeout" .

Lihua giggled, it had been four months since he had arrived and yet still, he could not make proper tea. 'He is as determined as ever, though.' she thought happily, as she watched her friend trying to calm down. "Are you certain you don't want to do something else?" she told him, the shyness from their first encounter now almost gone. She still blushed a lot, but she was no longer afraid of talking to him and the stutters were almost gone. They only appeared when she got insecure, or when he deliberately left her blushing and embarrassed. He said she looked cute when she did, and every time she thought about that she couldn't help but blush.

"NO! I will get it right this time!" he swiftly turned around and walked to where the different punches and instrument for making tea were. He sat down and immediately got to work, an expression of utter concentration plastered on his face. As she stared at him, her friend, her Prince, she felt a fuzzy and warm sensation creep on her. "There!" he announced triumphantly, and took a sip from the cup of tea, only to spit it out in disgust again.

He turned red with anger and started shaking slightly. Lihua thought steam was going to come out of the young boy's ears any minute now. Suddenly a low "hnf" could be heard, her prince angrily turned his head to a turquoise-haired man "Gottwald! Are you mocking me!?" he shouted at his Knight, "I would never dream of it, your Highness." came Jeremiah's composed voice. His lips were just barely twitching as he tried to hold in the laughter.

Lihua giggled again at her friend's antics. Perhaps he was going to need another timeout? The prince faced her again, and with deadly seriousness in his voice, asked a question "How do you do it?" she shrugged and blushed at the attention he was giving her. "Don't shrug, I know there's a secret to it. I use the same measurements, water, teapot and I do everything like you do. Logically, I should get the same results, so tell me, how do you do it?"

She shrugged again and answered "Maybe it just needs a little love". His eyes widened "That is not possible, it's not logical. In chess, you don't win with love." She blinked a couple of times before answering shrewdly "Well, this isn't chess, and it isn't about winning."

He looked at her with bright intensity "Very well. Jeremiah, it seems we've run out of supplies to make our tea. Would you be so kind as to get us more?" he commanded. "At once, Your Highness." he said before walking off. Once he was in at a reasonable distance, he couldn't hold in his chuckling anymore and let out a full blown laughter.

"Come on, let's play a game of chess while he comes back." he said imperiously, pulling out a chess board, she groaned "But I'll lose again." He looked at her with confusion "That's good, you'll learn from your mistakes and become a better player. Besides, you're the only one I have trusted enough to tell my chess secrets. Once I'm finished with you, you'll be able to beat almost anyone."

This filled her with renewed strength and will, he trusted her enough to teach her this. If he thought she could become a good player, she would become the best player possible.

They were about to start when an envoy showed up. It was a short and stout man, he wore a red tunic that reached his feet and gave off a scent that vaguely smelled like oranges.

"My Empress, the eunuchs request your presence at the mausoleum." Lihua's expression fell, she didn't want to leave her friend. She wanted to make tea with him and learn chess.

She let out a quiet, sad sigh, then nodded and started to make her way towards the mausoleum, but before she could, a hand shot out and grabbed her arm. A shock ran through her. Not a painful one, but a pleasant one, it felt like a connection had been made. She furiously blushed and stared at the ground, trying to hide it from the prince grabbing her arm. "You don't have to go if you don't want to." he said with a smooth but stern voice.

She looked at him "B-but th-", but before she could finished he cut her off "What have I told you?" he asked her as he guided her to her seat, she was still avoiding his gaze. Once she sat down she looked at him and answered "You to-told me th-that I am the Emp-empress and that I ha-have the po-power, not th-them, that I sho-should make m-my own deci-decisions." she looked up at him, her red eyes uncertain, "So do you want to stay here?" he asked. She nodded, the Prince turned around and said to the envoy "Her Majesty is occupied right now. She will go when she is free." The envoy looked at him with barely veiled disgust but complied, then bowed at the empress and left.

Once he was gone, Lelouch turned around and spoke to Lihua "Listen to me. This is important." he kneeled in front of her and looked her in the eyes, "You are staying here, not because I said so. And you are not going to the mausoleum because you don't want to. You are doing this because you want to, do you understand me? The one that has the power here is you, you can, and you should make your own decisions." she nodded meekly.

Seeing the state she was in, he decided to break the tension "My, my, Lihua. You are looking especially lovely today." she smiled at the compliment and before he could say anything else, she pounced on him, wrapping her slender arms around the taller boy's neck. They both fell to the ground, Lihua being on top, and she whispered "Thank you." before tightening the hug. He just gave her a squeeze.

They both closed their eyes and enjoyed the moment in complete silence, with only the rhythmic sound of their breath and the ruffling of the peach tree breaking the silence. It was the perfect moment, but alas, all perfect moments have to end, and this one did not end in happiness.

Without either of them knowing, a man dressed in black snuck behind them. She forcefully grabbed Lihua and threw her over three meters away, Lihua wailed and screamed but the man was too strong. Lelouch threw himself at him, successfully throwing him off balance and making something in the assassin's pocket fall with a click. The masked man kicked Lelouch in the gut, sending him flying towards the tree's trunk. The assassin looked for something in his pocket but it appeared he didn't find it as he unsheathed a knife and walked towards a cowering and crying Lihua, preparing to finish the job.

He was mere inches from the young Empress, before a loud bang echoed through the garden. The assassin's head exploded, covering the young Tianzi with blood and bits and pieces of brain and skull. There, a few meters away stood Lelouch, one hand in his stomach, and the other holding a gun.

A crash could be heard as Jeremiah ran in, looking deadly serious with steel in his eyes and a sword in hand, shouting something Lihua couldn't understand. Behind him, different kinds of tea laid sprawled across the ground.

They laid there, the young Empress pressed tightly against the Prince, both of his arms around her, tenderly encompassing her. The quiet sobs and soothing, comforting words echoed through the room. The majestic room, with expensive furniture and elegant decoration was all but ignored by the two younglings on the bed.

Once the assassin had been killed, Lelouch had grabbed Lihua and ran towards a bathroom to clean up the brain matter and blood on her, with Jeremiah close in pursuit after protests about his safety failed to reach the young Prince's ears. His eyes twitched left and right looking for further threats, even as he followed them. She had clung to him with a deadly grip, not letting go for anything. Lelouch had to get in the tub with her so she could be cleaned up, since she wasn't letting go.

After that, the palace had gone on lockdown. Royal guards were posted on every corner of it, and Jeremiah stood vigilant outside the Empress's room, not letting anyone through. Lihua, after her traumatic experience, didn't let Lelouch leave. Not that he wanted to, but the girl clung to him like she was hanging onto life itself.

"I'm sorry." he whispered in her ear as he felt her tears trickle down his chest "I should have known that man wasn't an envoy, I shouldn't have sent Jeremiah away, it was a stupid mistake." the girl didn't seem to hear him, she seemed more preoccupied with holding on to him. He sighed, feeling guilty for such a stupid mistake. He was a prince, he should have seen it coming. He had failed her 'I must get someone who won't.'

He shuffled a bit to get a bit more comfortable, which caused the girl to tighten her already strong grip on him. "We have to get you a bodyguard. Someone loyal to you, and you alone." she didn't give any indication of hearing him, she just continued crying, "I won't always be the-".

She hugged him tighter, if it was even possible, and screamed before he could finish "NO! Don't go! Ple-please stay here wi-with me, I'm sc-scared, please do-don't go, please don't y-you ever go..." her voice was muffled by his chest, and cracked as she struggled to get the last word out, "away." she whispered.

Lelouch's heart cringed, she thought he was going to leave her. "Please don't go, stay with me, don't let them hurt me." she managed to get out, the fear in her voice making Lelouch tighten the hug, this seemed to bring some comfort to the girl who snuggled into his chest even more.

"I won't let them do anything to you, I swear. I will not leave you. For as long as I live, I will do everything in my power against those who seek to harm you." he separated from her, even though she tried with all her might to stop him, then gently grabbed her chin and lifted her head, looking her in the eyes "I'm here, and I won't leave. I won't let them hurt you." This appeared to calm the girl, snuggled against his chest when he released her, though not as tight as before. He heard her sobs slowly turning into sniffles and those soon found their way into becoming light snores.

They slept together that night, Lelouch's arms protectively wrapped around her.

A few day passed since the incident. Lihua still feared most people, the only ones she felt safe around were Lelouch and Jeremiah. They resided below the peach tree, Jeremiah with his hand on the sword's hilt prepared for anything, while Lihua inspected the envelope Lelouch had given her.

Inside the envelope were the different photos of 'candidates' for being her bodyguard, all of them loyal to the Empress, and not the eunuchs. Of that, Lelouch had made sure of when he made the list.

Lelouch knew this was difficult, asking her to trust someone after what happened the other day. Truth be told, he was impressed at the young girl's strength and fortitude. Just a few days past she was nearly assassinated, and yet she was already walking around the palace again. of. Lelouch had to sleep with her, and she was scared when he wasn't there, but considering her age, it was a fantastic recovery. A lesser person would have been destroyed. She was remarkably strong-willed for someone who appeared so shy.

"I don't know anyone in this list. I don't trust them." she told him carefully, fidgeting with her fingers. He nodded, understanding, "I know it's difficult, but we need allies and people loyal to you." he assured her softly. She looked at the paper once again, examining its contents. She opened her mouth, appearing as if she wanted to say something, but quickly changed her mind. This process repeated itself for a few minutes while Lelouch patiently waited for her answer.

Before she could, the eunuchs walked out with a soldier and a prisoner on the far side of the garden. "Execute him." exclaimed one of the eunuchs. The fat soldier complied and started to walk, pushing the prisoner forward. Suddenly, the prisoner broke free and ran towards the Empress, Jeremiah unsheathed his sword and ran in front of them, prepared to fight for their lives. However, the fat soldier managed to tackle him before he got there.

The eunuchs arrived shortly after, out of breath "Execute him!" one of them shrilled, glaring at the prisoner. The soldier nodded and began to raise the prisoner's body, but before he could, Lihua saw something in the captive's eyes. She didn't see the killer intent that she saw in the assassin's, she saw kindness, compassion, and awe. That's when she realized he was staring directly at her.

She couldn't explain it, but she needed to know what the man did before he got executed, "What did he do?" she asked with a timid voice. The soldier looked at her and bowed "He was caught giving medicine to a prisoner, my Lady.", she was confused, he didn't do anything wrong, why was he being punished? "He didn't do anything wrong, he shouldn't be punished." she repeated out loud, stunning the soldier, the prisoner and the eunuchs. Lelouch just stepped aside, a spark of interest glowing in his eyes.

"Don't be foolish, child.", said a eunuch, "Execute him." another ordered to the soldier. "No." came Lihua's voice with never before seen confidence, "He didn't do anything wrong, he shouldn't be punished, I'm the empress and I order that he'd be spared." she turned her head to the prisoner and asked "What is your name?" the now free man stared at her with awe, "Li Xingke, my lady.", she nodded, "And tell me, Xingke, do you swear loyalty to me, Tianzi?", Xingke gulped, looking terrified, and nodded "Yes, my Lady."

She turned to the soldier "What is your name?" she asked him, "Hong Gu, my lady." she nodded, "Get him a room, clean clothes, and warm food. Once he has all of those, make him report back to me." the soldier bowed and walked away, leading the now free man. She turned her head towards the shocked eunuchs, "You are dismissed."

Once the eunuchs were out of the gardens, she released the breath she was unconsciously holding and turned to Lelouch. He stood there with a quirked eyebrow and a smirk adorning his face. He clapped, "I'm impressed, you stood up to the eunuchs. Not only that, you also stood up to me. You did what you wanted, not what I or the eunuchs told you," he made a small pause, "and I'm proud of you".

There may had been a recent attempt on her life, but for the rest of the day, Lihua was beaming.

Li Xingke inspected the uniform that laid in front of him. He simply could not believe his luck. The Tianzi had pardoned him. He would be eternally gratefu,l and would serve her with undying loyalty. However, he was worried. At the peach tree, he saw a Britannian prince. The eunuchs were selling his country and Empress off, he couldn't allow that.

There was a light knock on the door, he assumed that they were calling him to meet the Empress. Upon opening the door, he was surprised to see a Britannian Knight. "His Highness requests to see you." he said with no trace of emotion. Xingke reluctantly nodded, "Allow me to get into my uniform.", the Knight nodded and stepped aside, letting him close the door.

'They probably want me as a spy' reasoned Xingke, as he put on his uniform and opened the door to see the Knight waiting for him.

The Knight acknowledged him with a nod and started to walk with long, powerful strides. Xingke followed him without question, but couldn't help but feel cautious. He noticed they were walking past the Tianzi's chambers, 'Something is definitely wrong' he thought, putting a hand on the hilt of his sword. The Knight stopped in front of a door, opening it, and gesturing for him to enter.

Inside, a dimly lit room with only a table and a small lamp could be seen. On the other side of the table sat a boy. He gestured towards the table, "Please, take a seat." it was not a request. He reluctantly sat down, "What do you want?" he asked, hostility dripping from his voice. The boy simply stared at him for a few moments, before calmly saying, "I want to know where your loyalties lie."

The answer rings in his head for a bit, then he realizes, 'They are trying to buy me off.' He suppressed the urge to hit the brat in front of him, and growled out his thoughts "Are you trying to buy me off?" The young Prince calmly stared at him, and proceeded to talk, opening his arms, "In a way." He tried to spit out a response, but before he can open his mouth, the boy swiftly signaled the Knight behind him. The Knight grabbed his head and slammed it against the table.

Xingke fought against the powerful hand keeping his head on the table. He emitted a low growl of defiance and tried resisting. Jeremiah raised his head yet again and slammed it down with even more force than before.

Finally succumbing to the daze, Xingke stopped struggling as his strength left him, preparing for his inevitable fate.

'I'm sorry, my Empress, I have failed you'

He shut his eyes, preparing for the final blow that never came.

He felt the pressure on the back of his head subside, allowing him to raise his head and face the young Prince.

The boy continues with the same calm voice, devoid of emotion and strangely soothing "As you may have heard, there was an attempt on the Tianzi's life a few days ago." He nods, glaring murder at him, with his eyes flicking around the room. The boy leaned in, "We believe it was the work of the eunuchs, or one of the major political parties." That definitely caught the newly pardoned soldier's attention, as his eyes widened and he stared at the Prince in shock.

The boy leaned back, folding one hand over the other and putting his elbows on the table, "As you also may have noticed, The Empress stands without allies." he said, doing small gestures with one of his hands. He nodded, understanding what the boy was saying, but not where this was leading to. "This is where you come in, you are going to be the first of her circle of allies, men loyal to the Tianzi, her guardians, friends, allies, and advisors. A hidden court, per say, counteracting the eunuchs and major political circles in favor of the Tianzi".

"That is why we must guarantee your unquestionable loyalty to the Tianzi.", Xingke could hear the sound of a sword unsheathing at his back.

"So, Li Xingke" he extended his arm towards him, "are you with us, or against us?"

He took it.