Hello, sorry for the late update, on the last chapter I made an edit of the whole story changing the name Lihua for Jiang, anyway I got reviews that Lihua is actually her first name, so I just changed it back, sorry for the inconvenience and if you got used to the name Jiang.
Review and tell me what you think, really it fuels the story.
Lihua ran toward her room with barely contained excitement and joy. Her hands clung to an envelope pressed against her chest.
A letter from her Prince.
Behind her, Xingke, Xiangli and a girl with black hair and japanese clothing struggled to keep up. You could hear them calling her, telling her to slow down. But she couldn't slow down, Lelouch couldn't wait.
It had been two years since he had left, and this was one of multiple letters he had sent her. In fact, he sent her one every week, maybe two. Still, that didn't diminish the excitement and joy she felt when receiving his letters, the joy she felt was equal to the one she had when his first letter arrived.
She entered her room, before quickly tearing up the envelope and dumping its contents on the table. Two envelopes fell out of it, sawing a bit before gently landing on it. One of the envelopes had her name on it, and the other had Xingke's.
The door opened yet again, revealing a slightly tired Xingke, Xiangling, that seemed to have declared war on her skirt, and the japanese girl with a sweet smile in her face.
Kaguya Sumeragi.
The japanese girl had been sent to the Chinese Federation in order to negotiate on Sakuradite shipments, or at least, that was the official reason. The real reason, as described by Lelouch in one of his letters, was the negotiation between the eunuchs and the secret Kyoto group for support against Britannia. Kaguya had been sent there for the same reason Lelouch had, to make friends with the Empress.
After receiving this information, Lihua had been hesitant to approach the girl. However, after expressing her concern to Lelouch in a letter, and his consequent response, she had grown to trust her and now considered her a friend.
"What does it say?" asked Kaguya eagerly, as one of her favourite pastimes was gossiping on Lihua's and Lelouch's friendship.
"I don't know, I haven't opened it yet." said Lihua, handing the other envelope to Xingke who wordlessly took it.
"Well that's strange, usually when you receive something from him it takes you seconds to open it." Kaguya responded with a coy smile.
"Well… yes, he is my best friend, after all." said Lihua, blushing slightly.
"Are you sure that's all he is?" asked Kaguya, walking closer to Lihua and attempting to grab the envelope, only to have her hand slapped away by an undignified Empress.
Kaguya smiled at the possesive quirks of the Empress. No one was allowed to touch anything from Lelouch, not the mug, not the photo, not the letters, nothing. She remembered when she tried to tease her, she said that they were sending her to Britannia, and that she was going to meet the Prince and maybe marry him. Of course it was all a joke, and for the sake of fun, but the Empress was in a bad mood for two days straight afterwards, grumbling and even growling, muttering under her breath and even incarcerating someone who brought her the wrong tea. Of course, he only stayed in jail for half an hour before the Empress came to her senses, and set him free, but the point was that she was in a bad mood.
"What else would he be?" asked Lihua in bewilderment. Warning bells started ringing inside Xingke's head.
"Oh, I don't know…, your boyfriend, maybe?" she cheerfully chirped, nudging her teasingly with her elbow.
Naturally, being twelve years years old, Lihua was repulsed by the very idea, or at least she seemed to act that way, Kaguya could never tell, the girl was crafty, and could feed you the information she wanted you to know, nothing less nothing more.
Lihua recoiled back, making something that sounded between a squeak and squeal before blushing and and tripping over her words in an attempt to say something. "What are... you talking about? I-I don't like those weird things like you do!" she hurriedly tried to answer, thinking of her response in the spot and failing miserably.
Of course, Kaguya, being two years older than Lihua, had many interests the young Empress hadn't developed, boys being one of them. A fact that Kaguya was more than happy to remind the Empress of.
"Of course, of course." said Kaguya with sarcasm so thick that it could stop Jeremiah in his tracks while he shouts "FEEL MY LOYALTY" at the top of his lungs. "What does the letter say?" asked Kaguya, with renewed curiosity at the subject at hand. She started to move her hands towards the envelope again, just to have Lihua negate her attempts to get any information by slapping her hands away yet again, for the second time that day.
"Aww, come on!" pleaded Kaguya, "You never let me see those letters." she pouted and crossed her arms, before sitting on the floor in mock hurt and and started doing a fake tantrum.
Lihua's response was equally childish. She stuck her tongue out and said "That's because they are meant for my eyes only!" raising her voice with an overly dramatic tone and bravado.
Kaguya could only roll her eyes at Lihua's dramatic and theatrical response. If what she heard from Xingke was right, then it was another "Quality" she got from the famous Prince.
Lihua opened the envelope with careful hands, having the utmost care, trying to not ripple it, or tear it. She never told anyone, but she kept all his letters secretly and securely stored.
Lihua finally managed to get the letter out without damaging it and started reading.
Dear Lihua,
How are you? I hope you're good, well, more than good, actually, I hope you are excellent. I have good news, but first, make sure that either Xingke or Xiangli get the other letter, it's important. Now that we got that out of the way, I wanted to tell you that I received that new brand of tea you created. Was it peach with lavender? It was sublime, truly a masterpiece, one I would not be capable of creating. Don't think that I'm saying this just because I'm your friend, I got an outsider's look, both Milly and Nunnally loved it, and actually want you to send more. Of course, I will be happy to receive some more, since I can't make it myself.
A frown appeared on the face of the Empress, she had made that tea for him, and only him, not so he could waste it on unimportant people. She actually felt a little hurt, however, it was forgotten and replaced with a beaming smile as she read the rest of the letter.
Anyway, to the real reason I sent you this letter, apart that you are my best friend and I enjoy talking to you. I'm moving to Japan next year, and starting to study at Ashford Academy. It's a prestigious school filled with godforsaken nobles, but you've probably never heard of it. The only redeeming quality, and also why I accepted the offer, is something you have already figured out. I'm going to be able to visit you there, the letters will arrive faster, and, as I said before, I'm going to be able to visit. Please send more tea.
With Regards,
Your friend Lelouch.
P.S. Say hello to Kaguya for me.
The girl was so enthralled with the letter that she didn't notice Kaguya sneaking behind her and peeking at the letter, gasping in surprise when she finished reading it.
"Lihua! You've never told me hello for him!" the smaller girl jumped, startled. She quickly put the letter away and looked at the floor, avoiding the unasked question.
"In how many letters does he tell you to say hello to me?" asked Kaguya curiously, suppressing a grin.
Lihua kept her eyes at the floor and muttered something incomprehensible as she fiddled with her fingers.
"Come again?" Kaguya said teasingly, already knowing the answer to her question.
"In most of the letters." she grumbled, still having her eyes locked to the floor.
Kaguya smiled, seemingly letting her off the proverbial hook "In any case, this is great news. You will see him again soon, I'm sure of it." Lihua nodded, a bright smile gracing her lips once again.
That day, through mindless and meaningless teasing, a seed had been planted in Lihua's mind. A seed that would take some time to sprout, and even more time to become something beautiful.
Li Xingke finished reading the letter from the Prince. In truth, he was glad that the Prince was coming back in the near future. To his surprise, he found out that he actually started missing him. Life without the young boy had become… dull. It wasn't that he was bored protecting the Empress, he loved his job and carried it out with efficiency and eagerness.
It was just that 'The Black Rebellion' as Lelouch had dubbed it was not the same. Don't misunderstand, it was progressing nicely. They had allied themselves with minor political parties, and started recruiting men for a private army at the disposition of the Empress tentatively called 'The Order of the Black Knights', another thing named by Lelouch. Their Commander in Chief, second only to the Empress, of course, was a man who was only called by his codename. Zero, you could take a guess as to who it was, and you'd probably be right.
Anyway, he was getting off track. As he was saying, it wasn't that the Black Rebellion was doing badly, it was just that, compared to the first three years of the rebellion, these last two had been rather dull.
The long, bold strides that feared nothing towards progress, the raw feel of excitement and righteousness he felt with every step forward, he longed for it again. He longed for the bureaucratic and cautious pace of the rebellion to end.
Regardless, he was no idiot, and knew that the passive state of the rebellion was needed. They needed to gain their forces and influence before they started to move forward again, they needed just enough to get the Empress out if things went south.
"Xingke." came Xianglin's voice, drawing him out of his thoughts. He turned his head around to see his dear friend in that maid outfit she absolutely despised. "Is that a new letter from our dear Prince?" she asked, a note of sarcasm in her voice.
Even though Xingke considered Lelouch a friend, Xiangli didn't. She respected him, of course,, but also treated him with a measure of distrust and hostility.
"Yes. Apparently, he will be able to visit soon." he told her, handing the letter over.
Xiangli huffed in annoyance "Well that's great. Soon, the forbidden city will be frozen at his presence."
"You should trust him more. After all, the Empress is very fond of him." he said, without looking at her. He knew of the Prince's cold and collected demeanor, but he had also seen the passion and kindness that rested in his soul, something that Xiangling seemingly refused to see.
A sudden squeak was heard from beyond the Tianzi's chamber where they stood guarding the young Empress, probably Kaguya teasing her again.
Xiangli scoffed "It's not that I don't trust him, I just think the Empress could do better. And besides, I don-"
"You don't like a Britannian meddling in Chinese affairs." he interrupted her, resisting the urge to face palm at Xingling's narrow mindedness. He sighed, and continued "It's exactly that kind of thinking that makes him the Tianzi's best friend and confidant".
Her eyes narrowed in determination "Explain." she demanded.
This time he did turn to face her, and asked an unrelated question, or at least unrelated in her opinion.
"What would you have done before meeting Lelouch and joining us?" he asked her.
"I beg your pardon?" she asked back, confused at the question.
Xingke firmly looked at her "I mean, what would you have done if there were no Black Knights? Who would you have joined, or what would you have done?"
Still confuse, Xiangling answered the question "I imagine I would join a party that supports the Empress and her authority, why?"
Xingke sighed and turned away "And therein lies the problem. You would have joined a party that claims to support the Tianzi, yet they would have no contact with the Tianzi. How would they know what she wants? In the end, like the eunuchs before them, they would be choosing for her, deciding her journey and fate. It may be a journey and fate towards freedom, but it wouldn't be the path she chose. It would be the path you chose for her. After all the talk and bickering of an Empress free of the eunuchs' influence, you would be doing the exact same thing, choosing for her."
He extended a hand, pointing in a random direction to emphasize his next words.
"That Britannian influence you hate so much is the only reason we have the current Empress! He set her free, he gave her independence, and why? Because of all of us, the traditionalists that want to put the traditional Empress back, the eunuchs that want her as her thrall, and us, the thousands of parties that want to set her free, he was the only one smart enough or kind enough to let her choose!"
A thirteen year old Lihua was bouncing on her toes in anticipation, the bright smile that emanated from her could light up the whole room. Kaguya was standing aside, smiling brightly as well, but nowhere near as bright as our dear Empress. In the back stood a tense Xingke, and Xianglin with a neutral expression.
Anyone who knew the Empress could have likely guessed what was happening. Finally, after three years, Lelouch was coming to visit. This, as expected, made the Empress extremely happy, as well as extremely nervous. She checked and double-checked and double-double-checked her dress for any inconveniences, she had to look her best for Lelouch.
Finally, the doors opened and a collective gasp of surprise left their mouth. Jeremiah was standing there, his purple suit replaced by a white one, the left side of his face seemed to be gone, replaced by a metallic eye and face, it was orange.
Soon after Jeremiah entered and did a cursory glance around the room, so did Lelouch.
He was a lot taller 'And more handsome.' said a little voice in Lihua's mind. He was a head taller than Kaguya, and two heads taller than Lihua and probably as tall as Xingke. The moment he was beyond the door, Lihua rushed forward to greet him with a tight hug that he returned.
She had to stand in the tip of her toes to reach him.
He caught the jumping Lihua and returned the hug with equal affection, both of them simply standing there for a moment, until Lihua pulled back, only to be met by his piercing amethyst eyes, the force of his gaze made her blush, but she soon got it under control.
"You got bigger." he said teasingly with a smile, and matter of factly.
Lihua also smiled at him and hit him softly on the chest "You oaf! Three years, and that's all you say." she said in fake anger, she was truly glad he was back.
He just shrugged while still holding her "I have my moments." the smile never leaving his lips.
His voice was deeper and, secretly, it appealed to Lihua, a lot.
"You must be tired from your trip. Do you want your old room prepared?" asked Lihua, backing off completely, finally setting the entirety of her feet in the floor.
"Actually, I was hoping we could have dinner." Lelouch responded, composing himself.
His answer immensely pleased the Tianzi.
"It's good to have you back, Lelouch." she said quietly and calmly. However, that didn't hide the strength of her happiness.
"It's good to be back." said Lelouch, stepping away to greet the other people in the room.
He shook hands with Xingke and gave a nod of acknowledgment towards Xianglin. Eventually, he made his way to Kaguya.
Meanwhile, Lihua told Xianglin to warn the servants about dinner plans.
It seemed like Lihua wasn't the only person who thought Lelouch handsome, as Kaguya was in a daze. She snapped out of it when Lelouch was only inches away from her.
Lelouch was a Britannian prince, and he greeted a lady like one, he gently grabbed one of Kaguya's hands and brought it to his lips "It's a pleasure to meet you, lady Sumeragi. I must admit you are more beautiful than I imagined."
This prompted two red faces, both for different reasons. Kaguya sputtered some nonsense, not being able to get her blush under control.
Lelouch smiled, backing down, and said "Now, if you'll excuse me, I will change into some more comfortable clothes. I assume we will be dining in the same room that we did years ago?"
Lihua nodded.
Lelouch turned around and started walking away "Orange, come with me." he said, gesturing to his Knight that had been exchanging greetings with Xingke. The Knight nodded, immediately responding "Right away, My Lord."
As they walked away, they left two girls smiling like idiots, the only difference being that Kaguya knew why she was smiling like an idiot, while Lihua was none the wiser.
"He really is quite handsome and charming." said Kaguya dreamily.
A part of Lihua was deeply bothered by her comment, however, the other part of her was too dazed, so she just kept smiling and nodded in agreement.
"And he's got a nice ass." complemented Kaguya, forgetting all of her etiquette classes and lessons she was so adept at carrying out.
This did elicit a response, as a red faced Lihua smacked Kaguya on the back of the head.
A circle of men dressed in fine red robes sat, discussing a matter of utmost importance. Murmuring and muttering could be heard around the room as they waited for the last of them to arrive.
Finally, they all entered the room, the doors closing and locking down behind them.
A short, fat man got up, his face heavy with makeup. He exhaled, and with a squeaky voice said "As you all know, the Britannian Prince is back."
He got nods from everyone in the room.
"And I believe we can all agree that he is a bad influence on the Empress."
There were exclamations and nods of agreement all around the room once again, this time with mutters of anger.
"We may lose our hold on the Empress. We absolutely cannot allow this to happen!"
Again, there were nods and exclamations of agreement, one of them saying "But what shall we do?"
The room was filled with shouting and exclamation, each of them shouting what they thought was the right course of action.
"Silence!" screamed the fat, short man.
The room went quiet.
"I suggest we take care of him." he continued.
"But how? If we do that, the Britannians will declare war. It would destroy us." said another one.
"We can blame it on that Kyoto group that came here last year, they support Japanese terrorists. It will be the perfect excuse".
Silence reigned in the room for a few seconds, before it erupted in hushed whispers and eventually loud voices proclaiming their agreement with delight.
So I hope you like it, I definitely enjoyed writing it, tell me what you like, what you don't, what you want to see and what you don't want to see, anything it fuels the story.
In other news you may have noticed that I put the black knights and Zero in the story, it was suppose to be a meaningless cameo, however i started to think that maybe it would b interesting to make a rebellion and such, maybe with geass, and Kallen and everyone else. This story is suppose to be a short story 8-10 chapters long, and is suppose to be pure romance but if you guys want a rebellion story, that will definitely be much longer tell me.
So because of that I decided to put a poll on my profile with three options.
1) Pure romance story
2) I will start a different story, beginning with this chapter and also finish this one as pure romance
3)This story will become the serious long rebellion story.
Check it out if you are interested, also I have to admit, I'm kinda biased for 1 and 2 and will choose whichever I like better regardless of the votes, this will just help me decide and see what you want to see.
Thanks for reading please review.