And I'm back. I may have seem dead, but I'm not and I have returned to bestow upon you the newest chapter. I apologize for the tardiness but I also have a reason for not updating and that is how busy I am with school this year. This is actually my last year in school before I go to university which is putting quite a lot of stress in me .
By the way, big thanks to TheFinalArbiter for putting up with me and helping me deliver the best chapter possible, seriously guys this story wouldn't be half as good whitout him.
Anyway enough of my boring life and onwards with the story
Shirley's eyes were almost permanently widened in surprise and wonder caused by the lush and extravagant decoration of the Forbidden City. She kept letting out childish giggles followed by a gasp of wonder as she saw yet another amazing sight, causing Lelouch to pass off a smile as a cough.
In front of her, softly pattering across the floor in white robes, Lihua leaned towards Lelouch and whispered "Is this the first time she has been in a Royal Palace?"
Lelouch nodded "I would never take her to that godforsaken place called Pendragon." he sneered. Uttering the name of the capital seemed to leave a bad aftertaste.
"It must be quite a shock to her." Lihua commented, looking back at the amazed girl. "It's almost fascinating to watch, you know. Seeing someone react like that to what I consider normal." she added with a bit of disguised sarcasm.
Lelouch shrugged disinterestedly "You get used to it, although it can be quite annoying how she makes such a big deal about matters as mundane as this."
Lihua smiled, looking at him out of the corner of her eye "Does that include your… heritage?"
The boy stayed silent as he continued onwards, his shoulders visibly stiff.
"Lu-Lelouch…" Shirley called from behind, completely engrossed in the decoration in front of her. "You have to bring me to the Britannian Royal palace as well if it's anything like this! I'm sure it will be as wonderful as this one, and I… well, I'd also like to meet some of your family." This last part was delivered with a small blush, her head dipping in embarrassment as she fiddled with her hair.
Lihua raised an eyebrow. "She doesn't know…" she cautiously deduced. Worried, the young Empress sneaked a peek at Lelouch's face, finding a rather troubled expression.
"We haven't discussed it yet." he warily muttered, careful not to let the gleeful teen in the back notice. "It's a… difficult subject, since my opinion on the Royal family would crumble her image of an ideal Prince."
"Bourgeoisie." Liha mused. The minority in the several social classes that raged across The Holy Britannian Empire. They consisted of merchants and businessmen that now sported a life similar to the nobility by the accumulation of wealth. Although mostly liberal, the majority lived in a bubble that separated them from the real world. "The epitome of a carefree and happy life."
What Lelouch was doing with someone so detached from reality was beyond her, and frankly, it was a bit disturbing.
"She's a kind and good-natured person, and her uprising and education are not in any way her fault. Besides, she's one of the few who stand beside me without an ulterior motive. Do please try to become her friend." Lelouch argued back. It seemed like Shirley was truly important to him. It tugged at Lihua's heart.
Before she could explain how her words were nothing more than thinking out loud, a squeal rudely interrupted her.
"This is amazing!" Shirley suddenly popped up from behind them, grabbing onto Lelouch's shoulder and making him grimace "But I guess you're pretty used to this, you know, being a Prince and all." Lelouch visibly flinched at Shirley's cheery comment.
"Oh, no." answered Lihua, trying to shift this conversation away from Lelouch "Britannian decoration is much more simple and minimalistic, for as much as I hate to admit it, we Chinese like the extravagant." She closed her eyes and raised a hand, gesturing at the numerous ornaments on the wall "It's almost impressive what kind of useless things we put up with just for the sake of looking good."
"Are you complaining about this?" Lelouch commented, raising an eyebrow.
"I do apologize for not being able to live without the finer pleasures of life like you do." she replied sarcastically, looking up at him and smiling innocently.
Lelouch didn't answer, opting to simply stand there and examine her with keen interest.
It slowly started to unnerve her, eventually causing her to drop the innocent façade and huff in displeasure "What is it?"
Lelouch slowly brought a hand to his chin then nodded several times "Indeed, you have gotten spunkier. Oh my sweet and gentle Lihua, where art thou?" delivering the last part with an almost theatrical flair.
Lihua's brow twitched "Spunkier? Please do explain what you mean by that."
"Case in point." he retorted with a small, smug smile.
"Okay, Lelouch, no more games. I demand an explanation." Lihua said in a calm yet threatening tone, frowning at him.
"Worry not Lihua, for you are as beautiful, if not even more so, like this" He excused himself, putting a hand on his chest and closing his eyes, a smirk gracing his face.
She blushed bright red, finally looking down and falling silent. She started fiddling with her fingers, suddenly feeling bold "More beautiful than your girlfriend?"
"I beg your pardon?" Lelouch inquired, not catching what the Empress had said.
Said Empress meekly shook her head and cleared her throat"No, it's nothing" she almost squeaked in a small voice.
Meanwhile, Shirley had all but disappeared in the background, watching with interest how well they both got along. It made the girl a little jealous, she wished she could reach that level of understanding with Lelouch, and even though she wanted to break these two off, she held back. She understood that they were longtime friends that hadn't seen each other in a while and gave them their space.
Breaking her out of her trance was the sudden question posed by the young monarch of the Chinese Federation.
"So, do you play any chess?" she asked out of the blue, her red eyes gleaming.
"Eh!?" cried Shirley, caught off guard "Chess? No, not really. Although I do wonder what made you bring that up." she answered, wondering if she looked like some kind of a chess grandmaster. "I mean, I know how the pieces move, but that's about it." she clarified.
Tianzi's eyebrows rose in surprise "Really?" she asked, looking at Lelouch for a fraction of a second "That's surprising, considering Lelouch here is an avid player." she absently commented, nodding towards him.
"Huh? Lelouch plays chess?" Shirley asked genuinely surprised "Since when?" she asked him.
"Since always." he confessed "It's a favorite pastime of mine, and I've played it since I was a child." he explained dismissively.
'She didn't know about Lelouch's fondness for chess?' Lihua thought. It was one of Lelouch's most obvious and known characteristics since he applied it to everything and made everyone know he did.
"Really, why didn't you tell me?" Inquired the orange haired girl.
"It was never really your thing, so I didn't see the need to mention it." Lelouch skillfully dodged the bullet.
Shirley thought about it for a moment. Nodding after a few seconds, she realized Lelouch's point "I guess you are right, but still you could tell me more about your hobbies…"
Shirley's voice faded into the distance as the three walked through the high, extravagantly decorated halls, their footsteps echoing in the distance.
0o0o0o0o0
'Oh, how dreadful. I seem to have nearly nodded off.' Schneizel thought with a tinge of sarcasm. He was in what he would like to call a provincial office. More specifically, The Viceroy's Palace at Area 11. Obviously, since he was man of such importance in the Empire, the Viceroy himself had granted him this office during his stay.
"With all due respect, your Highness, this will simply not stand. It is an outrage, and a blatant disregard of the privileges granted to us by his Majesty, The Emperor." said a rather plump nobleman with a greasy bald head and a thin moustache. The short man brought one of his fat fingers to the monocle covering his eye, settling it back into place. "You already took our men with that ridiculous "Royal Proclamation of Unified Forces and Arms." then you promised us cheaper manual labor, just to stab us in the back with the "Ghetto Emancipation Proclamation" allowing those scoundrels to plot freely against us in the ghettos when they should be boosting production instead!"
Prince Schneizel observed the nobleman with a distinct aura of tranquility. Only a small smile adorned his face, causing the nobleman to grit his teeth in anger.
"You are giving the Elevens hope, dreams! We can't have that, give a hand to those animals and they will bite it off." The man paused, taking out a handkerchief and wiping the sweat off his face "Those beasts should be kept on a tight leash."
"The simple concept of hope and what it entails seems to evade you, Lord Whitefort." Schneizel reproached with a burlesque tone. "Without hope, the Elevens have nothing to strive for, they sink into the clutches of despair, and end up prisoners of narcotics such as refrain."
The man styled Whitefort looked at him coldly "We care not for the welfare of animals, the depravity they sink in is none of our business."
"Oh, but it is." Schneizel's expression suddenly turned ice cold "Records show that refrain users produce less than half of the average Eleven, not only that, but the number of refrain addicts is steadily increasing. Leave it alone, and soon Area Eleven will suffer a recession the likes of which we have never seen before, 'tis only a matter of time."
A strong man in his own right, even Whitefort couldn't stand the Prime Minister's oppressive glare, cleaning his throat before he continued "I-I see. We'll confiscate the refrain as soon as we find it in our facilities. It is as simple as that. There is no need to give the Elevens any rights."
"You mean confiscate it after they have paid for it? Never mind that a refrains addict's regression symptoms include hallucinations and a near catatonic state rendering their productivity next to nil. The real issue here is that the drug will run out of clients if we dig out the Elevens out of their state of desperation." The blonde genius continued.
"What are you implying, your Highness?" Whitefort bluntly asked, leaning back in his seat and drumming his fingers on the table, the many rings adorning them glittering brightly.
"I think it should be pretty obvious." Schneizel responded casually "You are involved in the refrain racket. Reducing refrain sales will have the same effect on your income per annum. Consider this a generous warning." He smiled kindly, leaning back.
"Th-this is an outrage! I-I will not stand here and be insu-insulted like this!" Whitefort bellowed grabbing his cane and clumsily stomping out of the room, cursing his attendant.
The door slammed behind him, making Schneizel crack the first genuine smile since the start of the meeting. He stood up and walked over the table to serve himself a glass of wine.
"Please, allow me." Kanon said from the corner of the room, moving towards him. As Schneizel's aide, he had been quietly observing the conference.
"Oh, there is no need. Please don't fuel the sense of decadence that lurks inside me. Lately I've been feeling like I can't accomplish the simplest of things, such as pouring myself a glass of wine." he rejected, clearing his throat.
"My lord, you are everything but decadent." Kanon quickly interjected.
"My dear Kanon, nobody asked for your opinion so please, stay silent." Schneizel retorted while serving himself the red liquid.
"I deeply apologize, my Lord." Kanon excused himself, bowing. However, it was apparent that he was more concerned with having upset his Lord than his own well being.
Schneizel paused, looking at the bowing young man for a few seconds before sighing "Kanon, please raise your head. I was only teasing you." He explained tiredly.
"Of course, my Lord." Kanon replied, straightening his uniform and clearing his throat uncomfortably.
"Ah." Schneizel exhaled in pleasure "Fine wine is the best thing after victory." the Prime Minister commented, taking another gentle sip
"What will be our next step?" his aide asked, returning to business as usual.
"Creating a rehabilitation program for Elevens afflicted with refrain addiction, of course." he answered as if was the most casual thing in the world, smiling.
"It will enrage the nobles even further, and it could eventually, no, it most definitely will lead to a revolt." Kanon continued.
"Just as planned" Schneizel interjected, as if in sync. "Those petty nobles have had just enough of me and will rise up in arms. Little do they know, they are playing right into my hands." he took another sip "How are the palace defenses faring?"
"They have been greatly improved, it's defensive capabilities only, obviously." Kanon reported
"And my forces? Have they been relocated?" Schneizel stiffly followed up, walking to the window behind his chair, gazing upon the massive Britannian settlement surrounding the Palace.
"As per your orders, they are just outside radar range in the Pacific Ocean, as is the Avalon. They will arrive here at a moment's notice if needed."
"What about the coastal guard and the police forces?"
"Bought off, they won't report a thing. As far as the world is concerned, Prince Schneizel stands without his personal escort in Area 11."
"Excellent." Schneizel grinned at Kanon's report, before taking a sip and turning his head towards a seemingly empty corner of the minimally decorated room. "I trust you have heard all of that." he suddenly spoke "Ms. Sumeragi?" he finished.
Out of the shadows appeared the young Kaguya, obviously having been briefed on the situation "I have." she answered with neither friendliness nor hostility.
"Are your agents in the ghettos informed and ready for what will come?" he asked without looking back at her, gazing at the Britannian crowds outside.
"They are ready." she answered without hesitation.
"Good." he calmly replied, turning around with a kind smile on his face "The fate of the Japanese nation now solely rests on its people's shoulders."
0o0o0o0o0o0
'Become friends.' Lihua set down her goal with determination as she looked at the orange haired girl in front of her who was also seated close to Lelouch. Very close. Too close.
"Do you have any milk for the tea?" Shirley asked.
Something inside Lihua simply broke, the crack almost audible. A dangerous smile appeared on her face as she mechanically turned her head towards Shirley, an ominous aura gathering around her. The task at hand might be a bit more difficult to accomplish.
Luckily, Lelouch was there to prevent any permanent damage to the relationship between both girls. "Tea here is drunk without milk, Shirley, the Chinese think it dulls the flavor." he chastised her, bringing a cup to his lips "It's a new one." he pursed his lips, looking at the ceiling. "Lemongrass and peach, if I'm correct." he thought out loud.
"That's right. You noticed?" Lihua asked, cocking her head in surprise.
Lelouch nodded absentmindedly, stirring his tea "You usually use a combination of sour and sweet. Peach and lemongrass are both one of your favorites, so I was surprised to see you combine them this late in the game. But if I had to make a bet, I would say you avoided that one for its lack of originality."
Lihua had completely forgotten about Shirley's previous offense, blinking in surprise. Did he really know her so well? The thought brought butterflies to her stomach.
"Which begs the question," Lelouch leaned forward and narrowed his eyes, the cup held daintily in his hand "Have you lost your touch?"
Lihua giggled, wiping one of her eyes "You wish. Have you actually made something edible in the past year?" she stabbed back at him.
His pride stinging, Lelouch leaned back and clicked his tongue in annoyance "Making tea is a trivial matter, hardly worth my attention." he tried to dismiss the barb.
"Oh, you mean that tea you always have hidden is the one she makes?" Shirley suddenly chimed in, causing Lelouch to spit out his tea in surprise. Lihua giggled once again, blushing slightly.
Watching Lelouch dab at his mouth with a napkin and Lihua giggle, Shirley spoke without thinking "Wow, you two go a way back, I'm a bit jealous…"
The Empress wiped her eyes again and cleared her throat, daintily picking up her cup "Yes, I suppose you could call me the equivalent of a childhood friend. We go a bit back. The Eunuchs still held power, and Britannia and the Chinese Federation where at each other's throats." Lihua explained, frowning slightly at the memory and bringing a cup of tea to her lips.
Lelouch and Shirley were both facing the girl, a table separating the couple and The Empress like a concert wall. Numerous extravagant dishes were displayed on the table, the luxurious ingredients giving off the incredible wealth and power of the Chinese Federation. A normal person would have been intimidated at the mere sight of it.
"The Eunuchs? Who were they?" Shirley asked curiously, picking up a Dim Sum dumpling with her chopsticks.
"Vile, decrepit old politicians." Lelouch answered dismissively, treating himself to a Pork Bao as well. This only served to confuse the young girl even more.
Seeing that Lelouch's explanation hadn't done any good, Lihua continued. "My parents died when I was very young, leaving the country without a leader. Alas, I was crowned Empress at three years of age and my father's right hand was named my regent and entrusted with my care. The Eunuchs were one of the strongest factions at the time." she explained softly, stirring her tea "They wanted to take power, but the figure of the Empress was too strong, the populous wouldn't stand behind them without the Empress. As a result, they infiltrated the Forbidden City and killed my guards along with the regent. They accused him of attempting a coup d'etat, and presented themselves as heroes of justice. In the end, I became but a mere figurehead in their regime."
Shirley paled, realizing the inappropriateness of her questions. The situation had obviously caught her off guard, and she was racking her brain for response. "I'm sure they were good people." was what Shirley finally settled for before realizing what she had said. "I mean, your parents and the regent!" she quickly corrected herself.
A bitter chuckle from Lelouch broke in "That man was only appointed as a regent because he was in league with the traditionalists."
Shirley's world seemed to be shaken, it appeared that she had automatically assumed that the appointed regent was one of the "good guys". She turned towards Lihua with puppy-dog eyes, seeking explanation or confirmation.
Lihua shrugged uncaringly, making herself more comfortable on the richly decorated wine red cushions, engraved with complex patterns sewed in with gold string "It's true. He was loyal to the traditionalists who were the strongest party at the time." she replied nonchalantly.
"Oh, that's rather grim." Shirley commented, lowering her head.
Lihua cocked her head curiously "Grim?" To Lihua, it was fact, something that just happened. The norm in politics. As Empress, she was exposed to the worst of the Chinese Federation. In comparison, what happened to her was nothing.
"I suppose you could say that." she concurred, moving on "But enough about me, I'm afraid that Lelouch hasn't really mentioned you to me." Lihua commented, giving him a sidelong glance.
"Oh, really?" the girl exclaimed with energetic disappointment as she turned towards Lelouch "You didn't tell her about me?" she asked with a small pout, which made Lihua's smile fade ever so slightly in annoyance.
Lelouch visibly flinched, glaring at Lihua for putting him in this situation.
Lihua gave an unassuming shrug and took a sip from her cup, looking away from the couple.
"It slipped my mind." Lelouch excused himself with an uncomfortable expression, backing away. Responding to Lelouch's obvious attempt, Shirley leaned forward with an inquisitive look.
After a few seconds, she seemed satisfied and backed away, closing her eyes and crossing her arms. "Jeez, Lulu that's not nice at all, sometimes you miss the most obvious things." she complained, looking away.
Lihua managed to pass off her laugh as a coughing fit 'Lulu? What a ridiculous nickname!' another chuckle threatened to emerge, but she managed to keep it in. However, even more amusing was Lelouch's reaction to said nickname.
She slowly raised a questioning eyebrow, her lips trembling ever so slightly as she tried to keep a burlesque smile from appearing.
His eyes were slightly narrowed, giving her a 'How should I know?' look.
"I agree wholeheartedly." The Empress joined in while leaning forward "It's not nice to be kept in the dark." she stated sweetly, smiling.
Shirley, convinced that there was another conversation happening without her knowledge, quickly drowned her jealously and minor annoyance. "I think I'm being left out here." she said dejectedly, yet with good-naturedly.
"I apologize, Shirley. It happens so naturally, I don't even notice it anymore." Lihua slightly tilted her head to the right, resting it on her hand and closing her eyes as the words flowed out. The sweet smile she gave off seemed to be one of contempt for a second, but Shirley passed it off as her imagination.
Feeling the all too familiar sting again, the orange-haired girl managed to suppress it. She had never had a conversation at this level with Lelouch, and seeing him at this level of intimacy with another girl was disheartening.
Lihua's eyes suddenly widened. "If you'll excuse me, I have to leave you for a moment. There is an urgent matter I must attend to." she said, quickly standing up. Lelouch raised a brow but didn't comment. Shirley piped in "Aww! Really!? That's too bad."
"I'll be back in less than a minute." she reassured her, nevertheless, it was meant for Lelouch to hear.
The Empress walked at a composed pace until one of the huge doors leading to the dining hall was closed behind her. Once she was sure no eyes were upon her, she leaned into the door and gave off a loud sigh. Supporting herself against the wall, she closed her eyes and slightly banged her head against it. Once, twice and a third time.
"Come on, girl, get it together." she whispered silently. "Heh." she chuckled as she remembered how she had just blatantly rubbed in that she knew Lelouch better "That was too cheeky." she chuckled again "I'm supposed to be her friend, I want to be her friend…"
"Damn it." she suddenly realized "I don't even know what I want…" A pause. "I think I might understand how he feels now/" she drew a hand to her face, before looking up in anger "And what's with him anyway, smiling like that, making me blush like that, turning me into putty… It's not fair! How can it be that I have withstood an infinite number compliments and flattery from the most charming individuals from the Chinese Federation without even flinching, just to get worked up like this when he directs a smile at me! Damn it, it's so frustrating!" she whispered, banging on the wall softly.
The Tianzi took a deep breath. 'If the traditionalists could see me now.' she thought. 'They would definitely stage a coup d'état next thing in the morning, I'm sure of it'. She glanced towards the corner of the hall, seeing Xingke standing guard, preventing anyone from seeing The Empress in such a state.
She gave a brief nod of thanks before straightening up. The need for a short break had brought her out here. Having Lelouch around was normal, but with her newly found feelings making an appearance, and the incorporation of a girlfriend, it was troublesome.
Maybe she needed to be more honest with herself. Why was she trying to convince herself that that girl's presence wasn't affecting her? Why was she trying to convince herself that she wanted to be that girl's friend?
She didn't want that. Not only because of her relationship with Lelouch, but also because she was a shy and introverted girl by nature. She wasn't so quick to trust someone so suddenly, and the effort of forcing herself was taking a toll.
To counter this, she had entered a state she used when dealing with politicians, a state marked by the wall of impersonality she surrounded herself with. When in this state, there was clear distinction between the outside world and herself. Nothing that happened outside would affect her, and in exchange, everything she displayed to the outside was a lie.
Fake smiles, fake compliments, fake trust… This was the Chinese Tianzi, an impersonal, almost cold Monarch that ruled with ruthless efficiency. Not to say she was cruel, but she undertook the hard decisions that needed to be made.
She was craving to get out of this vicious cycle of lying and politics, that's why she was so happy to have Lelouch here. Yet, she was finding herself putting up her wall in front of Lelouch because of that girl, which gave birth to some unfounded but nonetheless present resentment.
"Who should I be? Lihua or the Tianzi?" she muttered to herself, entering the room once again, her white gown softly whispering behind her as the door closed.
Ok I admit it I lied , there is no catfight in this chapter. Not that there won't be in future ones ;)
Please review it really motivates me to wright more