I'm so so so so so so sorry for the late update, I lost this chap a couple of times (those who write now what it feels like to lose a 2000 chap) and also had a lot on my hands with school and a lot of work.

Anyway, I appreciate your reviews immensely and it's the stuff that gives me fuel to keep writing so please review.

"That is quite an unusual move for you." Schneizel said with his hand hovering above the chessboard. He slowly took a piece, and at a master's pace, moved it towards its intended destination, gently laying it on a black square.

"How so?" Lelouch inquired, swiftly reacting with a planned move in a heartbeat, not taking more than a second to complete his turn. His eyes were glued to board, and didn't notice Schneizel eyeing him with interest.

"Never mind." Schneizel sighed with a hint of disappointment. He brought his eyes back to chess board and carefully thought his next move, casually twirling with a lock of golden hair, knowing that it would serve to slightly aggravate Lelouch.

"I beg your pardon?" exclaimed a Lelouch dignifiedly, raising his head and staring down the older strategist, annoyed at the fact that Schneizel was keeping something from him. Honestly, he was an Imperial Prince, and as such, Lelouch considered himself of high-status and thus worthy to know everything said about him.

"Nothing…" exhaled the Prime Minister, smiling slightly this time "just thought that you had learned something new, it seems I was mistaken." he explained while his hand hovered over a knight, carefully analyzing what his next move would be.

"Explain." Lelouch demanded, narrowing his eyes.

Schneizel slowly raised his head, meeting his younger brother's gaze. He leaned back and stretched out his hand as if he was holding something. "You usually play with calculated risks, coupled with a sound, nigh unbeatable strategy. You quickly overwhelm your opponent with expertly planned moves that are perfect in every sense of the word. All the while being shrouded by the cape of rationality that rules you."

Schneizel leaned forward, grabbing the knight his hand had previously hovered above and twirling it in his hand "However, unlike your most recent move that was an exceptional example of how you usually play, your previous one was filled with feelings and ruled by your intuition. Quite simply, you used your gut." he moved the knight at a deliberately slow pace across the board "I wonder…" he stated with a thoughtful voice, a subtle smirk appearing for a second..

Lelouch's eyes narrowed even further as he waited for his brother's conclusion, not liking one bit the smirk that Schneizel was carrying with him. Nothing good could come out of this.

"Is the young Empress rubbing off on you?" Schneizel delicately asked while raising his eyes just enough to meet his brother's fiery stare. The knight he was carrying with him was laid on the board without a sound.

Lelouch choked, emitting a disgruntled sound as he pulled back with horror stricken over his face. "That's absurd!" he quickly responded while regaining his composure, falling short of tinting himself an undignified red. "I resent such accusations." he exclaimed with a final wave of dismissal, the stone cold Prince returning to his rightful shell of a teenage boy. Lelouch quickly made his move, more to cover up his embarrassment than anything else.

"Nobody is accusing you of anything, of course." Schneizel responded while half heartedly looking at his brother with tired eyes and a picaresque smile. With a steady hand, Schneizel made his move at a pace far more rapid than before.

"Checkmate…" Schneizel simply whispered, just loud enough for Lelouch to hear.

Lelouch's eyes widened in desperation as he frantically scanned the board, looking for a way out. After minutes of searching in vain, he finally resigned himself, taking the loss with the pride and dignity of a Prince of the crown.

Schneizel, amused more than anything else, leaned back into his chair to observe the mayhem in Lelouch's mind. It was true that Lelouch's composure would have fooled anyone into thinking he had calm demeanor. Schneizel, however, saw otherwise.

The rapid eye movement, the slight clenching of his fists, the almost unnoticeable twitch in his right eye… They all indicated in another direction for the experienced Schneizel. He saw someone on edge, nearing breakdown caused by the frustration of losing over and over again, something Lelouch wasn't accustomed to.

Lelouch finally seemed to get himself under control, his slightly tense breathing getting back to normal and his slouched back straightening up. Schneizel was about to open his mouth, maybe to offer up some words of comfort, or maybe just to incite him even further, he truly didn't know. However, before he could utter a single word, the door to the infirmary slowly opened.

The head of a shy girl who resembled a high school girl with a crush more than the Empress of one of the most powerful nations of the world peeked out. Beneath her slightly flustered and cherry red cheeks, Schneizel could sense a certain hesitance. Not very noticeable, but there nonetheless.

Maybe it was because she knew her time with Lelouch was drawing to a close? Or maybe it was just that Lelouch's presence was so overpowering to the young girl that she couldn't help otherwise? A testament to the girl's developing feelings, since she wouldn't budge against the most ardent politicians.

Whatever the case, Schneizel didn't know. Nevertheless, he felt inclined to give them some privacy. Even though he knew nothing would be resolved today due to the young Tianzi's own inexperience, and that any of her more than apparent thoughts would be splattered across a brick wall before reaching a clearly clueless Lelouch.

Schneizel threw a knowing smile across the room targeting the Tianzi who clearly was unpleased with having to exchange the usually long pleasantries with the Prime Minister. Also, she seemed to have caught what the Prime Minister was insinuating, turning her gaze upon the floor while a more noticeable blush crept up her face.

He calmly raised his arm and gazed upon his wrist, not paying the slightest attention to the glamorous watch that adored it and with fake surprise exclaimed "Oh my, look at the time. It seems that I have overstayed my welcome. I beg your forgiveness, my Tianzi, for I must depart with haste to take care of some unsavory matters that need my supervision. Worry not, for we shall meet again before my most unfortunate, but necessary, departure from your fabled lands."

He calmly stood up and made his way toward the entrance at a carefully controlled pace. Maybe even guiltily enjoying a little bit the expression of hidden impatience that marked the young Tianzi's face with every step he took.

The young girl entered the room and made her way towards Lelouch at a barely contained pace, graciously nodding in affirmation and responding "I understand your predicament and allow you to take your leave without any further delay."

Schneizel noticed the momentary strain on that last part, but didn't comply with the Empress' unspoken demand. He passed her at the same calm and serene pace, noting the sweet, pleasant smell of a rare and previously absent perfume. My, the girl was certainly bold. He stopped just before exiting the room and answered "You have my thanks."

Before the door was fully closed, he heard the Empress quicken her steps.

Kaguya Sumeragi paced in her makeshift cell, feeling quite anxious. Well, perhaps calling it a cell would be overstating it, since the room she stood in was the one given to her by the Tianzi herself when she welcomed Kaguya as her guest.

The reason she was prohibited to leave was simple, she was too important. However, it was not the Empress that didn't allow her to leave. Kaguya had been under her radar due to the whole commotion that was caused by Lelouch's assassination attempt.

When it was obvious who was going to win, she decided to quietly slip out, since Kyoto was an enemy of Britannia. There was only one problem. Someone had anticipated her move. And it was none other than Britannia's Prime Minister, Second Prince Schneizel.

In truth, he scared Kaguya. She had seen how he had handled matters with the EU, and how he used the delicate state of the Empress to keep under wraps that she was being held against her will. Kaguya wondered what the Second Prince had in store for her, but all she could come up with were the worst case scenarios.

Maybe he wanted to get out of her all the information regarding Kyoto and the numerous terrorist cells it supported? By any means necessary? She shivered.

The door suddenly opened, revealing the golden haired strategist in all his glory, making a startled Kaguya jump, a terrible mixture of fear and anticipation in her belly. His light purple eyes, more akin to blue than anything else scanned the room until they laid upon the unwavering, yet quite nervous Japanese girl.

"Miss Sumeragi, I'm glad we could meet, even under such unfortunate circumstances…" he courteously greeted with a light bow, a friendly smile on his face. He made his way towards one of the chairs and calmly sat on it, crossing his legs. Kanon, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, brought him a cup of wine.

Kaguya folded her hands and looked at him, raising an eyebrow "May I ask why I'm being held against my will?" she demanded, her nervousness nowhere to be seen, a feat that impressed the Prime Minister who congratulated her silently.

"Apart from being an enemy of the Empire?" he inquired in an almost friendly manner, which made it all the more intimidating. He swayed his cup around, mixing the wine within it. "Care for a drink, Miss Sumeragi?" he asked, cocking his head.

Kaguya opened her mouth, but it seemed like Schneizel already knew what she had in mind "You want to know why you are still alive, and not being shipped to the nearest Britannian outpost?" Schneizel guessed with the same carefree tone.

He took a long sip of his wine, making a displeased face and handing it back to Kanon "It lacks spices, please put the right amount in this time" Schneizel ordered him without taking his eyes of Kaguya, who raised a brow in curiosity once again, she had never heard of wine drunk with spices before.

"You know, in ancient Rome, wine was drunk warm and with spices. Drinking it without them was considered barbaric and vulgar. Curious, isn't it, considering nowadays people claim to have the purest wine, and drinking it with any add-ons is looked upon with disdain." Schneizel dreamily added, seemingly in his own world.

She frowned, opening her mouth to ask what this had to do with their current situation, while trying to decipher how this man's mind worked. However, she was cut off right away by the second Prince who seemed to be more interested in his monologues than anything else. She clenched her fist and resigned herself to listen to what the man was saying, after all, this conversation had gone against all of her expectations and fears.

"Speaking of the Romans, do you recall ever learning about our dear friend Julius Caesar? One of the greatest and most notable men in Roman history, known for his conquest of faraway lands and for bringing down the famed Roman Republic…" He continued, taking the cup of wine that Kanon had already brought back and staying silent.

After a few moments, Kaguya realized that he was waiting for her answer "Isn't he the one that got murdered by all the senators?" she confidently responded, having been educated by some of the best professors in the former Japan. Of course she knew who Julius Caesar was.

"Ah yes, his assassination, the most remembered moment in his life. However, that's not the one I'm interested in. My attention rest in a more trivial event, per say. The way of how he got to power, it's very interesting on its own right." Schneizel took a sip of his wine and turned around to Kanon "Thank you, it was splendid."

Kaguya was at a loss, what did he want, and why was he bringing all this crap about the Romans up? Where was he going with this?

"I can't seem to recall that specific part of his life, unfortunately." Kaguya confessed, not feeling in the least bit ashamed, not that she should be anyway.

"In ancient Rome, there were three powerful men. Pompey, Crassus, and our friend, Julius Caesar. This three men formed what was called the First Triumvirate, a secret alliance that allowed them to govern Roman politics, with the senate being none the wiser." Schneizel took a deep breath, eyeing the Japanese girl from head to toe.

"Caesar and Pompey were famed generals, while Crassus was the richest man in Rome. However, it wasn't long before the bond between this three men started to sever. Crassus's death while battling the Parthians, and Caesar's numerous conquests of Gaulia started to brew some animosity between him and Pompey. When Pompey was elected Council, Caesar marched his army back to Rome and faced him in bloody civil war. With Pompey defeated, Caesar was left as the sole master of Rome…" Schneizel finished returning to his dreamland as he stared in the distance through the window.

"Well, it was the Republic's fault. If they had a centralized army at the Senate's command, that wouldn't have happened, and neither Pompey or Caesar would have been able to amass so much military power." Kaguya gave her opinion on the matter without batting an eyelash while staring at the Prince with curiosity. He was very different from Lelouch…

He calmly turned to face her "You are as smart as you appear. Indeed, the Republic should have had more control over the army. In many ways, it had the same problems Britannia suffers from…" he took another sip from his almost empty cup, not minding the shocked Kaguya in front of him.

"Although the Britannian Military is formidable on its own, it only comprises a 60% of all Britannian forces, with the other 40% being formed by paramilitary groups, led by powerful nobles who command a sizable influence in politics. Mind you, they don't have enough influence to overthrow the Emperor, but they still have a great deal." He finished the last of his wine and leaned in forward to catch the girl's attention.

"However, if such paramilitary groups were to be abolished, and the military centralized, the remaining 60% wouldn't be able to face the numerous insurrections and keep control of the areas the empire possesses." Schneizel stated, turning more serious than before.

Kaguya was taken aback by the sudden revelation and what the Prime Minister was implying.

Schneizel suddenly turned dead serious, his eyes turning stone cold and his jovial smile disappearing "So, to answer your question, Miss Sumeragi, it's because I have an offer for you."

"So… what happened?" Lihua asked cluelessly, cocking her head and looking at the grumpy Lelouch who only gestured towards the chess board. She studied it with care before arriving to a conclusion. "You lost… again." she pointed out, her voice getting progressively lower as she realized what she was saying.

Lelouch only responded with a grunt and didn't add anything else, strangely conscious of his image in front of Lihua.

Lihua, who hadn't seen Lelouch lose before Schneizel rolled around, definitely found this a subject of interest. Studying the board for a few seconds, she took it upon herself to find the reason why Lelouch lost… again.

"Why?" she blurted out, instantly regretting opening her mouth and covering her face, blushing in embarrassment. Stupid. That question would obviously bother him. However, to Lihua's surprise, Lelouch face lit up instead of giving his usual I-stick-up-my-nose-because-You-are-bothering-me reaction.

He turned around to face her, his eyes alight in what could only be described as excitement, and perhaps, a hint of joy. Needless to say, this reaction made Lihua go "Huh?" with bewilderment, she was already expecting him to rant.

"Really?" Lelouch probed like a kid who was just asked to by his parents to show them the drawing he did of them. "Really?" he asked again, glimpses of the more familiar Lelouch showing in the contained annoyance at not being answered the first time around.

"Well of course, why not?" she asked with disbelief, looking at him in wonder. She couldn't think of a single reason in the whole world that would make her not listen to what he had to say. Then again, Lelouch was smarter… and paranoid, so he probably found a reason.

"Nunnally never asks me about chess."

Her heart started beating faster. Lihua felt a warm sensation creep up her body and settle in her chest. Her hands were unconsciously drawn to her chest where fingers intertwined. She simply spaced out, not paying attention to what he was speaking, a deep blush that she didn't even attempt to hide surfacing.

"Hey! Lihua, are you paying attention?" Lelouch raised his voice, suddenly making Lihua jump back and turn even reder.

She quickly shook her head, trying her hardest to get back on track. Her hands shot down and clutched her knees while, meanwhile, her back straightened up like she was being yelled at by a drill sergeant. Lihua tried to smile, but could only pull on a twitching, disgruntled smile that did nothing to hide her embarrassment.

"Wh-what!? Of course, of course! Please continue!" she rapidly fired out in a high pitched voice, while trying to do something to hide the fact that she had spaced out. Not that she was doing a very good job of it, but it's the feeling what counts.

He looked at her, raising an eyebrow, then inspected her from head to toe, making her nervousness even worse. "Are you alright, Lihua?" he asked, lowering his tone, a hint of worry slipping through it. He leaned forward to get a closer look, then put his hand on her forehead to check her temperature, making her jump and blush even harder. She shut her mouth tight and nodded her head quickly a few times, looking straight ahead. He gave her a weird look and sighed, removing his hand and continuing.

"As I was saying, Schneizel pla-" Lelouch suddenly stopped and took a whiff of the air. A few sniffs latter he had identified what was amiss "That's strange, this is a new scent. I could have sworn I never smelled it before." he said, putting a hand on his chin in thought "it almost smells like perfume…" there was a tense silence after that, or at least tense for Lihua who unconsciously clutched her dress.

"Well, never mind." he dismissed the matter with a wave of his hand, signaling that it was trivial to him. He didn't hear Lihua mutter something along the lines of "Idiot." and lower her gaze to the floor, sighing.

"Where was I?" questioned Lelouch in one of those unique moments where he forgets what he is talking about.

"You were telling me how Schneizel plays." she said dejectedly, her eyes still firmly on the floor, disappointment written all over her face. She thought about it for a second, then sighed, ruefully shaking her head. How very like him to be so oblivious.

"You see, Schneizel says that chess is about knowing your opponent. Your proficiency in reading and understanding people will determine your victory. I'm from a different mind, in my opinion, chess is about rationality, the one who makes the least amount of mistakes wins." Lelouch explained like a teacher talking to classroom, and probably feeling like one as well.

"But if Schneizel wins all the time, doesn't that prove him right and you wrong?"

Exactly the wrong thing to say.

His brow twitched and he descended into full on rant mode "Schneizel likes pretty words and concepts, it has nothing to do with him being right. The simple fact is that he's got more experience than me by consequence, he makes less mistakes."

"Do my eyes deceive me, or did I just hear Lelouch say he makes mistakes?" asked a truly dumbfounded Lihua, her eyes filled with disbelief and wonder.

Lelouch quickly realized his mistake and tried to dig himself out "Not mistakes, more like errors!" he quickly corrected himself.

"Aren't they the same thing?" she asked, cocking her head and smiling.

"You know what I meant" Lelouch insisted with frustration, the rapidity of his twitching brow intensifying.

She started giggling at him, covering her eyes with one hand, annoying him further. "I think all that chess you play is for showing off, Schneizel is the real deal!" she managed to get out between laughs and threatening tears.

"Oi! You're the one wearing a low-cut dress for no apparent reason!" he crowed, trying to salvage what little of his pride remained. He went as far to think that he had won, little did he know that it was just the beginning.

Her eyes widened, her face becoming increasingly red with every second and as usual, she turned to her old friend, the floor. "We-well yo-you se-" as she was trying to stutter her way out of this something flashed across her mind.

She suddenly scowled, snapping at him "Oh, so you notice the dress but not the perfume? What are you, an ape-man!?"

"Hey, who are you calling an ape-man?" he exclaimed, before his eyes furrowed in confusion "And what perfume?" She stared at him, gobsmacked, then slapped a hand to her face, trying to comprehend his stupidity.

"By the gods, you are worse than Xingke and Jeremiha combined." Lihua muttered to herself loudly enough for Lelouch to hear

His eyes narrowed even further, looking at her. Then he seemed to realize something and shouted "And what's up with lumping me with those two?". Poor Jeremiah would have a crisis if he heard the disdain in the prince's voice when saying "those two".

"Well, all three of you seem to have the same level of awareness" Lihua said sweetly, cocking her head and giving a tender smile. Lelouch had never heard so much venom in her voice before.

A tense silence descended on the room. Lihua, with her head still cocked and the venomous smile on her lips kept staring at Lelouch, who could only gulp.

Suddenly Lihua started giggling, much to Lelouch's surprise, who quickly relaxed and allowed a small laugh out.

Lihua only gave a light giggle in response, covering her mouth with one hand. Lelouch, who at first had an exasperated face, gradually started to relax until a small smile formed in his lips.

Lihua suddenly stopped laughing, her face turning grim. She looked at the floor, avoiding his eyes. He sighed, knowing what's troubling her.

"You'll be leaving tomorrow, won't you?" she asked, her voice barely audible. Many things dwelled inside that voice, worry, sadness, helplessness, loneliness and a hidden desire.

"Yes." he answered without a hitch, looking down as well. "I'm going to miss these chats with you."

She looked up to him with glossy eyes, and asked him with a trembling voice "Can you please stay?" the unspoken plea of being by her side forever hung in the air.

"You know I can't do that, but I'll be back." Lelouch tenderly responded, not wanting to leave either.

Lihua tried to smile and asked a question she already knew the answer to but wanted to hear again "Really?"

He smiled and patted her hair "Of course, you're like my little sister."

Damn, Lihua just got sister-zoned. Anyway.

And to all those Shierly haters out there who complained in the last chap I've got to say that I don't specifically hate her but I understand why you might. If it were possible to use Kallen or C.C I would have, but it's not just possible for what I have planed. So I ask you to trust me.

"Jiang Lihua orders you: TRUST THE AUTHOR, HE KNOWS WHAT HE IS DOING"

Anyway please review and follow the geass command the Tianzi just gave you, I don't know how she got that geass but she is unstable now.