Recap: Roy has learned that Lelouch is a prince after a failed assassination attempt on Kallen. Marianne is trying to improve the relationship with her children while also balancing her duties.
Chapter 15: Upon A Poisonous Truth
Lars: Brilliant plan, my friend. So tell me what change?
Jones: Truthfully? My agent called and begged me. I said no, but I guess there was a little part of me that wanted to explore and thought I could uncover the truth. So I drove up to the Odysseus Institution Library & Archives, showed my credentials, and began digging. They took my phone and only allowed me to take a small notepad down to the archives. Turns out various royals kept a lot of journals, and they had been recently declassified.
Lars: Do you mean to tell me that you found Lelouch's journal?
Jones: [laughter] No. I doubt he ever kept one. I did find an old calendar of his from when he was like five though. It had instructions on how to make a bomb, and when I showed it to the archivist [pause]. Well, let's say that was the last I ever saw of it. No, it was everyone else's journals which were interesting, or rather copies I could access because the originals were filled with state secrets. Charles kept a journal although significant parts were destroyed. The rest was redacted except for a handful of pages.
Lars: Fascinating. Even after all this time, we might never know the full truth of what happened. So whose journal was most interesting?
Jones: Odysseus's actually. He kept careful records from his early childhood. It was quite illuminating regarding certain family dynamics and offered some insights into Charles's character. At first, Odysseus didn't pay much attention to Lelouch at all, but then at the end of 2013 there is an entry which is almost completely redacted and, following that, a repeated pattern of redactions. I was quite curious, so I checked the date. [long pause]
Lars: You're killing me man, with the suspense.
—Interview with Jones Johnson, writer of the Best-Seller: Behind the Lies of Lelouch vi Britannia
Classified Location, Homeland
Marianne set down her phone momentarily and snatched the electrode from the nurse's hand to place on her chest. The nurse's expression didn't change, and she grabbed her arm to begin prepping it for an IV. That was at least necessary. Every other beeping monitor around her wasn't.
To her right on a small nightstand was a pile of study material. Half of them had been written by Katherine Beatrice herself. It was funny learning something she wasn't an expert in but having strange flashes of insight from her geass. Unfortunately, if Marianne wanted to take more of an active role in Katherine's life rather than being a backseat observer, she at least needed to know the basics.
Marianne would still leave the actual experimentations to her host. There was only so far she was willing to go.
The door opened, and two servants brought in a large desk. In the corner of the room was a small cot that Charles had prepared. She could scarcely believe that he had deigned to use one again. He had always complained incessantly about his back during the war. Sometimes, he was such a baby.
Finally spotting her clingy husband carrying a stack of paperwork, Marianne asked, "Isn't this a little excessive?"
He looked around the room slowly. "Not at all. What was your blood type again?"
"My body is literally not leaving the room. I'm not going to need a blood transfusion."
Ignoring whatever nonsense was coming from his mouth, she focused on her phone again and smiled; her son's icon was at the bottom of the screen. He had been reading her messages. It was too bad that this wasn't a secure line, otherwise she could send him a ridiculous picture of Charles. Surely, he would actually respond then.
She sent a corny message. Lelouch's icon lit up for a moment, and then he was gone again.
"Marianne, stop annoying your son," Charles ordered, beginning to organize the papers on his desk.
"You gave him a panic attack," she said crossly. "You're just jealous that I can actually talk to him."
"I told him he did well," Charles protested. "Positive feedback. That is what Odysseus's book said."
"Is that the one he threw at you after you kept bothering him or the one he gave you for Christmas?"
He narrowed his eyes. "As Lelouch isn't an infant, the former. I have no idea what goes through Odysseus's head. Why would I need a book on caring for infants?"
"Because you almost dropped Esmerelda's kid after she burped." Marianne sniffed. "I'm quite glad that I never let you hold Lelouch or Nunnally. I knew that was a disaster waiting to happen."
"You didn't let anyone hold them. It took me five hours to coax you away from Lelouch even a month after he was born, so we could attend some party. We were late. And three nursemaids quit after a week because you terrified them."
"We're always late, dear. Besides, the nursemaids clearly didn't have the necessary mental fortitude."
Charles gave her a look and took a seat, deliberately turning his back to her. Pens clattered across the table as he looked for his favorite one, and her gaze drifted to the IV taped to her arm. It always left such an annoying bruise, and despite the weather becoming unbearably hot, she wouldn't be able to wear short sleeves without incurring suspicion. The tabloids could be utterly ruthless.
"Marianne? Did you send some men to... Jasper... in Area Two? Where is that even?"
"A small farming town," she answered. The heart rate monitor betrayed her nervousness. She had really been hoping Charles wouldn't notice her diverting resources to investigate her sister. "I'm merely following up on something. It's probably nothing."
He hummed but thankfully moved on. She wasn't lying, yet guilt gnawed at her. There weren't supposed to be any secrets between them; she had been keeping this one for years.
Her phone buzzed, offering a necessary distraction. Of course Lelouch hadn't responded at all to her joke except to say he was busy. One day, she was going to finally crack his shell and draw an honest smile from him. It would be so much easier if he would willingly spend his time with her. She still hadn't earned that privilege.
"Clovis needs to be replaced," Charles grumbled. "How I sired such a simpleton is beyond me."
She giggled. "Well, he's quite proficient in manipulating public opinion, the arts... and wooing, perhaps to the detriment of governing."
His mother, Gabrielle, could at least foresee grandchildren in her future. Marianne was slowly resigning herself to the fact that Lelouch lacked the necessary interest. She had never been so unaffected at his age. Yet he did have undeniable talent that would leave the other Empresses foaming in envy if they knew. Schneizel was truly his only opponent. But like him, Lelouch was isolated. Too isolated from his peers and a possible relationship.
Maybe Nunnally would be interested in someone?
"A little less wooing and misappropriation of funds to lavish his mistress of the week would be much preferable," Charles grumbled. "Area Eleven should not be having any financial difficulties."
"The Purists are probably making a bigger dent in the budget than his mistresses." Marianne sneered. "Reuben is rather exasperated with Clovis and something about permits."
Charles rubbed his head. "I need to look into that, don't I? Not to mention Area Six's failing infrastructure, and of course the new Area Fifteen." He paused, looking at her in consideration, and for a moment she hoped that he had changed his mind. He would send another agent to infiltrate the Geass Order or simply burn the pests down like they deserved, while she took care of his paperwork problem. "Lelouch could audit Clovis."
"No." She crossed her arm and aborted the motion at the slight tug from the IV. "Lelouch has enough enemies without literally adding every sibling of his onto the list because they see him take down one of them. It'll be open-season."
He scowled. "You're right. That won't work. They're already wary after Lelouch's stunt in Australia. Unfortunately, it is far too late to put that genie back into the bottle."
"You could've stopped him," she grumbled. "It was supposed to be a vacation."
"And according to Henry, he was incredibly stressed. I didn't make him do anything, but I was not going to stop him." Shrugging, Charles refocused on his paperwork, his pen diligently moving across his notepad. He didn't actually have the time to sit by her side while she activated her geass, but she appreciated the gesture nonetheless. "The problem is I don't have anyone to replace Clovis with."
"You have plenty of children," she dismissed and checked the time. She wasn't going to leave a minute sooner than she had to.
"Inexperienced or a Clovis waiting to happen." He leaned back. "I could send Odysseus, but he would complain incessantly. Or team up with Lord Ashford, and I have no intention of giving your friend such power."
"Reuben won't do anything," she assured despite the niggling voice of doubt. Once, she could turn to him for everything and know that he would support her. But something had changed—that girl training in her spot. At least, Reuben would be there for her children. That she could trust.
Charles raised an eyebrow. "He has too much influence and flaunts social notions."
"Like your son?"
"He is young and will learn. Lord Ashford has not."
"Maybe because he isn't wrong," Marianne said quietly and met Charles's gaze firmly as he whirled around. "I am a commoner."
"You're an Empress."
Yes, she was. She would never be at someone else's mercy again, but countless nobles still viewed her as nothing but a commoner. Without Charles, she was nothing. Even her achievements in her knightmare would be dismissed. Britannia had changed, but were she to be knighted today, she would be constantly admonished to remember her place, despite her skills.
"There's a reason why Reuben's estate prospers," she said firmly. "Blood is rather meaningless, and Reuben rewards people on merit. Commoners work for him because they trust him to not kill their families should they mess up. Margrave Goldbaum has taken to limiting travel to prevent an exodus of skilled laborers."
"The world cannot be governed by men who sit on the sidelines when conflict comes," Charles finally said, which was as much of a concession she was going to get.
Watching him turn on his computer, Marianne asked, "Whatever happened to the Breisgau girl?"
"Struggling under isolation. She will crack soon and accept the invites to partake in her duties as a noble lady."
"We should make sure she and Lelouch have a chance to reconnect at an upcoming ball."
He didn't bother glancing away from the monitor. "I doubt that will work. Both of them are astonishingly obtuse."
"I like her. If we don't do something, the Sumeragi girl will somehow rope Lelouch into agreeing to a marriage." She curled her lips. While introducing her to Lelouch helped her reconnect with her son, the girl was still a Number.
"I fail to see the problem," Charles said. "She is driven, has adapted to Britannian life, and knows how to play politics. And unlike Bresigau, she does not currently hate our son which helps."
"She would turn on Lelouch if it served her own interests, like she turned on her father."
"Lelouch would never be so weak," he dismissed.
She barely resisted throwing her phone at him. Instead, she texted Lelouch that his father was an idiot. The read indicator popped up again, and she frowned as he once again didn't reply. What was he doing that he refused to take the obvious bait?
"Marianne," Charles said, checking the time, "you have to go."
Not before she got her son to actually respond to something. "I have another ten minutes."
Recalling an old argument, she grinned and sent a quick question.
"Marianne—"
"Yes, dear?" She looked up and blinked innocently. Naturally, Charles was unimpressed. "Shouldn't you be concerning yourself with running the Empire instead of my health? I do not need a babysitter."
His eyes narrowed. "Perhaps you do not realize what a privilege—"
"Oh, don't start. I would much rather be spending time with my children than investigating that gremlin you call Brother." She set down the phone and glared. "He is technically your mess after all. I think I've made my opinion on his experimentations rather clear. You could stop them."
"Our medical capabilities—"
"Don't care. I had to entrust Nunnally's education to Clovis because of this, but I never see you making any concessions."
He huffed and massaged his temples. After a moment of silence, he quietly said, "I really do not know what you want from me."
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I just... Lelouch was mad at me. Then Nunnally. Before V.V. tried to kill me, we were happy. Now, I'm trying to fix things, yet he still manages to ruin everything. I don't see why we just kill him already—or throw his stupid immortal body into a pit and lock him until he is driven utterly insane."
The phone buzzed. Lelouch had replied.
"Because we do not know how to kill him, and if we fail, he will release the entire Geass Order onto the Empire. He is my brother after all. We need C.C. to at least take control over the Geass Order again should we dispose of V.V. Our people are ill equipped to fight an army of super soldiers."
Marianne silently cursed their younger selves who had thought it was a good idea to have V.V. in charge of his own private army. They had been so convinced of his loyalty then because it was them against the world. It had to be the worst decision they ever made.
"What did Lelouch say?" Charles asked quietly, returning to his work with a furrowed brow.
"Polka-dots..." A silly grin tugged at the corner of her lips. She had gotten him to make a joke. A victory. Except she was leaving momentarily and would be unable to capitalize on this moment. Remembering Nunnally's assertion that she didn't love them, Marianne pursed her lips. Lelouch was undoubtedly of the same mind. She had to give both her children more. To both of them, she quietly wrote, I'm going to miss you. Please, stay safe.
Her finger hovered over the delete key. She felt exposed and vulnerable. It was the truth. Before she could change her mind, she pressed send.
A second passed. Neither of their icons lit up and moved to the bottom, showing they had read the message. What had she expected? They had their own lives after all. Maybe she should call her daughter to say goodbye? Nunnally prefered that over texts anyway.
"Stop worrying," Charles reprimanded. "They are both going to be fine, exactly like every time before."
"But—"
"Lelouch has guards even if he does not like them, and Nunnally is safe at Ashford. Nothing is going to happen."
She picked up the phone again, anxiously awaiting Lelouch's reply or at least seeing the message marked as read. Normally, he turned off his phone to avoid talking to her, but since Charles had removed that option, he was usually prompt in checking what she wrote. Maybe she shouldn't have spammed him with so many inconsequential things.
"Why is an agent informing me that Clovis's affairs are to distract him from his broken heart, and that he wishes to kill you to deny everyone else the pleasure of your company?" Charles asked, completely befuddled. He stared at the screen in silence then slowly turned to her. "I thought you got along with Clovis?"
"He doesn't call me a whore behind my back, so I do," she said. Something about the timing of that rumor was strange. She was quite sure Clovis wouldn't have been able to look her in the eye if he knew about it.
"Who said that?" he asked sharply.
She rolled her eyes. "The usual suspects. I don't need you to fight my battles for me, dear."
Grumbling, he turned back to the screen and squinted. "Apparently, he killed Andrew Cameron as your proxy?"
Oh. She really should have connected the dots before. The suicide. The student protests. Nunnally's bruise.
She forced a laugh around the gut wrenching panic. "You know how the tabloids get, Charles. And even if it were true, he is much too timid to ever act against me. If you really want to follow up on it, have an agent check his private collection of artwork. I highly doubt we will find anything but bright and cheerful paintings."
Somehow, the actor had been under Nunnally's protection. Lelouch was almost feral in his defense of his subordinates at the slightest hint of a threat. For Nunnally to actually have lost him? No wonder she had been so livid. It was slightly reassuring that her anger hadn't been entirely directed at her. But if Nunnally was anything like Lelouch—or rather herself—Clovis would be utterly destroyed by the upcoming retribution.
Marianne needed to tell Charles. The reports of rising tension in Area Eleven could not be a coincidence. Her daughter was poking a bear, and he was going to be livid when he found out. While humiliating another sibling was fine, encouraged even, threatening the stability of the Empire crossed the line.
She couldn't tell Charles.
To think that a little while back, she was thankful that Nunnally didn't take after her brother. Why were both of her children so... difficult. Knowing that massaging her temples would only rouse Charles's suspicion—or have him demand another battery of medical tests—she picked up the phone and sent another message.
"It's ludicrous," Charles mumbled. "Where do they even come up with these inane ideas?"
"Lelouch hasn't replied," she said, not bothering to answer such a ridiculous question. Her daughter clearly had the mind of a gossip journalist.
"Be happy that he is not glued to his phone." He stood up and sat down besides her. "It's time."
"Give me a minute," she said. If he wasn't going to bother reading his messages, then she would simply tell him goodbye herself. The phone rang for a brief moment, and then went to voicemail. Confused, she dialed again. This time, it went directly to voicemail.
The computer pinged, and Charles groaned as he went to check. "Lelouch's phone is off."
She leaned forward. Something had gone wrong. "What happened?"
"Relax. He could be stuck in the subway Or an elevator. He has the secure phone for emergencies."
"And what if he doesn't use it? Or it broke? Or he was knocked out?" Her heart hammered and the stupid monitor began to beep. She couldn't bear the thought of her son captive again. He could be hurt, terrified, and she was completely unable to help him. "Henry isn't there."
His eyes turned hard. "Marianne, you have to go."
"But—"
"Now." His gaze softened. "I will handle it. Trust me."
She flinched and closed her eyes, finding the familiar tug of her Geass. And opened her eyes, staring at Charles coldly. "If anything happens, I will never forgive you."
Not waiting for his reply, she pulled, and Katherine opened her eyes just in time to see V.V. enter the room, a dark haired assistant following closely behind.
New York, Homeland
A cane rapped his ankles. "What did I say about tangling with royals, boy?" Roy warily stepped away as his grandmother stalked past, balanced her cane against a chair, and began to pace. "You're in a right mess now and have dragged everyone with you. How blind were you to never notice? Clearly, we failed to teach you good old-fashioned common sense."
"Pardon me for not thinking that the twelve year old who had to do push-ups in his own vomit on the second day of Basic could be royalty." Roy ran a hand through his hair. "It still doesn't make sense."
She sniffed. "You knew when you brought him here."
"Yes, but like yesterday. It hadn't exactly sunk in yet."
Throwing up her hands, she turned to his parents. "Talk some sense into him. I'd hate to have to choose Charles as my favorite grandson. That boy should've been born a noble with how he acts."
Wobbling, his father leaned down to grab his cane. "Roy..." He frowned. "Ruth, you knew."
"Almost spitting image of his mother among other things." She strode to the liquor cabinet and poured herself a drink. "And before you get your panties in a twist, that boy would've noticed the second you started acting differently. Am I right, Roy?"
"Yes..."
His father frowned. "You had us walk into the meeting blind."
"So? He was off balance as well. When he comes back, he's going to be composed and impossible to get a read on. Nearly was anyway." She sniffed and took a small sip before setting the glass aside. "Need my wits. This is going to be fun."
"Great, Mother is having a blast," his mother said, rolling her eyes.
"Don't talk back to me, girl. This is the most fun I've had in ages."
"And you're playing with our damn lives. You've heard the rumors. That he takes after his father in more than just looks." She pinched her nose and turned to Roy. "And you kicked him of all things. Do you have any idea what he could do to you? To us?"
Roy swallowed. He was well aware of what royalty and nobles could do in general. He was even more aware than his parents what exactly Lelouch was capable of. "He won't do anything. Lelouch... He isn't like that."
"He's Zero! He upstaged Prince Schneizel by negotiating the treaty. His mother is the Emperor's favorite wife." She took a deep, calming breath. "The worst part? Almost no one considers him a threat, yet I just watched him walk into a room with guns trained on him without flinching. He's unpredictable, and we have no guarantee. Roy... I love you, but he's going to turn around and kill you one day. You're a commoner. You're disposable."
"I know!" Roy yelled and blinked furiously. "But without Lelouch I would be dead already. And maybe? He should have let me die. Let all of us die so we wouldn't be used as collateral against him by the goddamn Emperor because he keeps wanting more and more, and someday, Lelouch won't have anything left to give. So yes, he's my friend. If he had asked me to commit treason, I would've tried to talk him out of it but followed him regardless and that was before I knew."
"Always so charismatic." His grandmother chuckled tiredly. "He's never going to let you go, you know."
"What?" Roy asked.
"It'll always be a few more years when you ask until you're at death's door, and even then, he won't let you go. Royals are possessive. It comes with the territory. They're used to getting what they want, but the one thing that is hard to find is someone to trust. Everyone wants to use them for one reason or another. That boy trusts you, so he'll never let you leave. At least from the sound of it, he'll passionately defend your happiness."
He opened his mouth to refute the point. Lelouch had given his word that it would only be a few more years, and he never went back on his word when honestly given... He promised to grant him "the necessary opportunities," not release him from service. His grandmother was right. Lelouch would always find a reason to keep him close in some capacity.
"He's terrified of losing people," Roy whispered. Especially after Edgar, but that willingness to risk himself for their sake had existed long before. "I chose this. Even back in Basic, I chose to follow him to a likely death. I could've turned back. He wanted me to. Our squadron had everything prepared to desert in order to save him. The only reason we didn't was because Empress Marianne offered a better alternative. Hell, I lied to her face twice trying to protect Lelouch. I passed the point of no return a long time ago, expecting nothing in return."
"And that's exactly why he'll never let you go," his grandmother said sadly.
"Even if he doesn't keep his promise, I'm fine with that." He took a shaky breath. "You should look for another heir so Charles won't run the company in the ground. I'm sorry to have disappointed you."
His father looked pained and hobbled forward. Apprehensive, Roy prepared himself for a scathing rebuke. Instead, warm arms enveloped him, and his father's chest rumbled. "We're not disappointed... perhaps terrified out of our minds, but I'm proud of you. You've grown so much."
Roy's throat tightened uncomfortably, and not trusting himself to speak, he gently returned the hug. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught his mother's displeased frown and his grandmother's brow drawn together, deep in thought. With a heavy clap on his back, his father stepped backward and smiled.
"You're okay with this?" his mother asked. "He's going to die. If it's not Prince Lelouch, then it'll be one of his enemies trying to eliminate his allies. I would rather have my only son living as a fugitive abroad than six feet under."
"Well, there might not be an 'abroad' to run to when the time comes," his father said. He winced as his leg buckled. "Some noble was brazen enough to attack us in broad daylight to take out the Stadtfeld heiress. God knows what makes her so special... Must be her connection to Lord Ashford. She's his test pilot now, and the traditionalists don't like Ashford's politics, but they have to be scared shitless that he's going to deliver another pilot on Empress Marianne's level." Hands shaking, he pulled out his pill bottle from his left pocket. "Today was the opening shot in a war that has been simmering since the Emperor declared a commoner as his wife."
His mother pursed her lips and grabbed the pill bottle from his hands, opening it with ease. "If Roy isn't drawing royal attention, then they will ignore us. Commoners have always been beneath their notice."
"Until one married the Emperor," his grandmother said. "The rules have changed, and if we keep playing by the old ones, we're going to lose."
Roy frowned, unsure as to where this was leading. The Emperor had been consolidating his power by removing nobles, and Lelouch had directly aided that as Zero by investigating corruption. But that was a problem for nobles, not them. While Lelouch despised the caste system, it wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. The Emperor would never allow it, and until then, a commoner could only rise so high.
"We have thousands of employees," his mother hissed. "The risk you're talking of is foolish."
"We'd never have grown without necessary risks," his grandmother said.
She glared. "We could lose everything, Mother. There are safer ways than disregard every lesson we have learned."
Shrugging, his grandmother turned and pierced him with an inquisitive look. "What makes you think that boy is different than his countless siblings?"
"He doesn't see commoners beneath him," Roy said, not sure what exactly he was arguing for. Hesitantly, he added, "Nor the Numbers," because it was necessary for his parents to know if they didn't want to piss Lelouch off. His friend would probably restrain himself for Roy's sake.
His grandmother raised an eyebrow. "Any other idiosyncrasies?"
Roy had normalized them for so long that he actually struggled to answer. "He loves to cook, especially spicy food. His hobby is learning and documenting new languages." There were more personal tidbits, like Lelouch's food paranoia or loathing of Refrain, but sharing them felt like a betrayal. Instead, he opted for something more useful. "He's incredibly good at accounting and discovering tax fraud."
"How good?"
"He helped with Lord Ashford's finances? His father punishes him by making him balance the budget..." Except his father was the Emperor and that wouldn't be a simple household budget. Before Roy had been appropriately sympathetic but mildly amused by how much Lelouch seemed to loathe a punishment that Roy knew his friend could do in his sleep. Now, he felt faint at exactly how much work Lelouch had to have been dealing with.
"Close your mouth. Your abysmal manners won't fly if you're going to follow the prince," she snapped. "To be clear, the Emperor has him help with the Empire's finances?"
"I think so..." he mumbled, scarcely believing it himself. Lelouch always mentioned it in such an off-handed manner. Was he truly oblivious to the amount of trust the Emperor had extended? Then again, the Emperor had made him Zero even if Art asserted that he wanted Lelouch to fail. The Emperor had to trust him somewhat, or at least believe he could control Lelouch.
No one could control Lelouch with any consistency. Any measure would be temporary before Lelouch found a loophole, retaliated, or slipped his leash. The Emperor was his father; he had to know that. Or maybe he thought fear was enough to reign in his son. Lelouch had been terrified by that phone call. No child should be scared of their parents like that.
Something didn't add up.
"Anything else the Emperor—I'm sorry—his father did?"
So many things which Roy couldn't even begin to explain. There had been the letter ordering him to reply to his mother. He had set his son up for failure. "He sent guards... One of them was waiting outside. Lelouch never had any before."
"OSI?"
"Not according to Lelouch." OSI would've made sense. They served the Emperor, so who else would he send to guard his son? "Lelouch said it was because he was... pleased?"
Chuckling filled the room.
"Mother, this is a serious matter," his mother reprimanded. "We had the Emperor's agents in our home. Watching us!" She paled. "He knows that his son was targeted under our roof. What if he finds us guilty? Or simply decides to cover his bases?"
His grandmother calmed with great difficulty. "Then we're all dead, and nothing we do is going to change that. But that's exactly the point. When has the Emperor ever cared? He demonstrates the minimum amount of public effort regarding his children's wellbeing and safety. I thought we had a chance to have some insight and potentially influence regarding the upcoming succession. But no, Roy struck gold. That boy is a contender for the throne with a decent shot."
"Are you insane?" his mother asked. "We can't become involved with noble—royal politics."
Roy's stomach twisted. "You have to be mistaken..."
"Do you think the Emperor assigns guards for any of his other children?" his grandmother asked. "I wouldn't discount how much the Emperor's favor matters when claiming the throne. Compared to Princess Guinevere and Prince Schneizel, he is more than sympathetic to our wants. We even have a direct line of influence with Roy." She stopped in the center of the room. "We'll be supporting him."
"This is much too risky," his mother protested. "What happens when he fails? His older siblings have been preparing for years. You're going to get Roy killed. And for what?"
"Maybe because I'm not content to watch our hard work go down the drain every time a noble so much as sneezes because we're scared witless." She gestured up at the ceiling. "Or that we can't evict the damn bastard, so I can get a decent night of sleep. We have the opportunity to change things."
"When the Emperor dies, we will lose all the progress we made," his father said softly. He raised his arms at his mother's glare. "I'm not thrilled risking Roy like that, but Princess Guinevere is in the Purists' pockets. They'll claim all our wealth as their own and roll back every law which mildly inconveniences them and protects us."
"Nor is Prince Schneizel much better," his grandmother added. "Not to mention those unsavory rumors from his youth."
Their eyes turned to him, and Roy fidgeted under their gaze. They were seriously considering this. If Lelouch could hear this conversation, he would be having a heart attack.
"Well, Roy?" his grandmother asked impatiently, tapping her foot.
"Lelouch won't want the throne," Roy said. Without the Emperor, he wasn't even sure that Lelouch would want to remain as Zero. He had only joined the army in the first place to escape his parents—which clearly backfired in spectacular fashion—and to protect his sister although Roy hadn't quite figured out how that worked. Surely, Empress Marianne wouldn't let the Emperor actually hurt her to ensure Lelouch's compliance? Even if his parents were utterly heartless, they couldn't do anything to their daughter without public outcry if it leaked.
"Every royal wants the throne," his grandmother assured. "They just can't be open about their desire."
Roy pinched his nose. Sometimes, he hated how she never listened. "Lelouch has a contentious relationship with his father, to put it politely. His retirement plans include spending time with his sister on an island... He meant that literally, didn't he?"
"He was being prudent. That's a good trait for an Emperor."
"Lelouch doesn't even like Britannia."
"That's an excellent incentive."
Roy threw up his hands. "I'm not helping you manipulate my friend to suit your political agenda."
Not waiting for a reply, he stormed out of the room, and the doors slammed shut with a satisfying thud behind him. His grandmother didn't know anything. She hadn't seen Lelouch open each rare letter from his father with a mild expression of panic. Or had heard Lelouch idly discuss democracies in hushed whispers with Pablo. His traitorous mind conjured the image of Lelouch sitting on the throne regardless.
The cleaners had arrived and were scrubbing bloodstains off the wall after military personnel finished photographing each spot. Roy avoided them. They were being too diligent, and he didn't want to consider how many were actually under the Emperor's direct order. Or how many were littering their home with bugs. Sometimes it was better not to know.
He should have listened to Art. Now that he knew the truth, there was no way to return to the comfortable normality of their routine. In a way, his grandmother was right. The rules had changed and thus they needed to adapt as well. Especially Roy. His breath lodged in his chest, and he leaned against the wall. He had given up his inheritance for Lelouch. To be fair, his parents hadn't exactly acknowledged his proposal, but he had put it out there.
He was loyal to Lelouch. He couldn't in good conscience be the Fadiman heir when their duty was to the company.
Lelouch wasn't in the security room, instead he found his cousin and uncle furiously whispering with each other. Roy wanted to laugh. His cousin had spent so much time and effort trying to prove he was a worthier heir than him, and Roy? He had thrown it all away out of his own volition. Charles would never know though.
Shaking his head, Roy left and stopped a passing investigator to ask if they had seen Lelouch. The woman gestured to the emergency stairwell, and Roy opened it, noticing the scorch marks around what once had been the lock. The door shut behind him, and everything was silent except for distant muffled shouting. He looked down the stairs leading to the offices which he could only hope were unaffected by the attack. His parents would take care of it once they got over their shock.
His gaze drifted up, and he grimaced as he began to climb the stairs. For someone who hated exercise, Lelouch went to extreme lengths to escape. The door to the roof opened with a loud creek, and the wind violently tugged on his clothes. The building swayed slightly beneath him, and he looked around desperately. His heart caught in his throat as he finally spotted Lelouch, arms wrapped around his legs, by the railing and way too close to the ledge.
Steadfastly avoiding the beckoning and vertigo-inducing sight of the streets below him, Roy shuffled to a stop beside him and steadied himself on a pole as the wind tried to tear him loose.
"They want to use me," Lelouch said, barely audible over the roaring wind.
"Lelouch—"
He turned, smiling sadly. "It's fine. I know things which can help."
His friend expected to be used, and Roy wanted to scream. If he did, no one but Lelouch would hear him here. Instead, he sat down, pried his fingers off the freezing pole, and grabbed his shoulder. "I said no."
"But—"
"I said no. I'm not going to use you."
Lelouch pulled away, his eyes turning hard. "You have to. I won't have you sacrificing everything for me. If your family wants to use me, let them. You deserve more, Roy."
"So do you," Roy said. "If there's something which you can do to help, I'll ask. I promise, Lelouch. But it's fine."
"That didn't look fine."
"Let me deal with my own family. They're still trying to adjust." He laughed nervously. "Hell, I'm still trying to adjust. You're my friend, not some tool."
Lelouch laughed bitterly. "I'm a pawn. My father orders me to go, and I follow."
"You're not a pawn," Roy said, forcing as much authority as he could in his voice. Was this really how Lelouch saw himself?
"Or maybe I'm a knight now. Slightly more important but still easily discarded." Lelouch leaned forward, and Roy barely restrained himself from hauling him back from the edge. The railing seemed inadequate. "The funny thing is you can't win with only a knight and a king. Or even two knights. A queen, a rook, or even a bishop are all superior in the end game. Even a pawn is better because it can become something more useful."
"Life isn't a chess game... We can all grow." Especially Lelouch. Roy was limited by his status. He would never be accepted among high society, but Lelouch could carve a place for himself anywhere.
"It's not chess." Lelouch finally leaned back, closing his eyes. "But it's still a game with rules which change each passing day, however the Emperor's power remains constant. The closer you are to him, the more power he has over you. I'm whatever he deigns fit to cast me as."
"You're not—"
"I'll live," he said softly. "That's my only guarantee. A privilege, you could say."
"Is this because of the phone call?" Roy asked. "What will he do?"
"I don't know." Lelouch buried his head in his knees. "He didn't even mention it when I made my report. He has to have something planned. There's no way I can get away with it. I wish he would get it over with."
"What would be a normal punishment?" Roy asked hesitantly. For him, it would have been execution, or at minimum, imprisonment, but Lelouch was the Emperor's son. The rules had to be different. At least death was off the table although the fact that Lelouch had brought it up highlighted how twisted his relationship with his father was. Roy had no frame of reference for it. He would never even entertain such a thought about his own family—except maybe Charles.
"Paperwork but that's for minor things like leaving a ball early. Or being rude to someone important." Lelouch groaned. "I never know. Sometimes, he barely cares. Other times, he becomes angry over the strangest things. It's... Even my mother wouldn't dare to hang up on him, and she once rode into the throne room during court to express her displeasure."
"That's..." Roy pushed the image out of his mind. Empress Marianne was clearly insane, in an awe-inspiring sort of way.
"He likes to wait and strike when you let your guard down. It's part of the game. You never know if you got away with it, or if he's planning something far worse as punishment."
That clashed with the glorious image of the Emperor in his mind but rang true with all the tidbits that Lelouch had let slip. In the end, the Emperor was like most nobles and high on power. Unfortunately, no one could stop him.
"Maybe your mother can smooth things over?" he asked.
Lelouch snorted. "She's gone dark. Even if I could ask her, she wouldn't be of much help. My father is always first for her. At least he returns the favor. Plenty of his other wives give everything without gaining a scrap of attention in return."
"Your mother does care for you," Roy said. She hadn't needed to come out to Area Two when Lelouch went missing. Nor had she needed to test his loyalty to Lelouch when she dropped by. If she didn't care, she could just have ignored him.
"Like one does for a pet perhaps," Lelouch said bitterly.
"I thought things were better between the two of you?" Roy asked. For one, Lelouch actually talked to her.
He looked up, eyes distant. "There are two options. Either she sees me and Nunnally as nothing but useful pawns for political and military affairs. Her gestures of affection are there to keep us loyal, and because it looks bad politically to disregard us entirely. Or she does care but not enough to ever put us before her duties, even when our safety is on the line, or to actually listen. And the latter is somehow worse. So I put in the minimum effort, and she's happy and won't drag my father into things."
Falling silent, he buried his head in his knees again, and Roy sat awkwardly, trying to find the appropriate words of comfort. There were so many things he didn't know about Lelouch, mostly because his friend rarely shared anything. And his grandmother thought Lelouch had the Emperor's favor. If he did, everything would be much more straightforward.
"So what do we do?" Roy asked.
"Nothing," Lelouch said, straightening. "I wait, and everything will go back to normal. It will be like nothing happened."
"But something did happen, and now I know. You can't exactly recall a bullet once it's been shot. I don't even know how I'm supposed to act around you. Obviously, the entire bowing routine doesn't matter to you, and we've known each other long enough that it would frankly be awkward as hell." Lelouch made a relieved sound. "But anyone else in the know might not think that, and it's not like I can let you in good conscience near another firefight ever again."
"So it was fine when your friend and commanding officer hit the dust?"
"Fuck you, Lelouch. Do you think I like it when you constantly walk into danger? Or that you constantly put your life on the line? Except you kept pulling rank to go and be a damn idiot whose luck will one day run out and be killed. Before, I thought it would only be us bearing the burden of your death. I had nightmares about telling your sister that her brother was dead. But what was I supposed to do? Well sorry, Your Highness, but I will tie you up if it keeps you safe."
"My life isn't worth more," Lelouch protested.
Roy regarded him coldly. "I was there when your mother came to search for you. I half think she killed Fortescue because of you. Otherwise, it would have been a proper drawn out execution. Maybe she doesn't care, but her image demands that she burns down half the country if her children are ever hurt. Or am I wrong?"
The hunched shoulders were confirmation enough.
"I'm not even asking you to value your life more than ours, just to value it at the same level as you do ours. Or would you sacrifice one of us to save another? Then why the hell can't you apply that consideration to yourself?"
"Because I don't deserve it!" Lelouch shouted, suddenly standing up. His shoulder rose and fell, in sync with his breath. "I keep making mistake after mistake. I almost destroyed an important business deal for your family. I lied to you for years! But you're standing here and apparently don't want anything. I put all of you in danger by being your friend because I was an idiot, and now you're all in my parents' cross-hairs."
That explained so much, and Roy regarded his friend sadly. "What I want is for you to stop beating yourself up over something that hasn't even happened."
"I killed Edgar!" Lelouch shouted.
"You didn't pull the trigger. Yes, you forgot to fully clear the room, but these things happen, and it's not your fault. We've talked about this."
"No, you don't understand," Lelouch whispered and leaned against the rail. "I could've seized command at any time and stopped the Count, but I didn't because of my damn pride. I thought I didn't need it." His shoulders fell, and Roy strained to hear him over the howling wind. "I thought I could be something without them." His parents. "In the end, I only succeeded because of them."
Roy grabbed his arm and pulled him far away from the ledge. "You were fifteen—no, thirteen. I still can't wrap my mind around that. You should never have been in such a situation. And everything you've accomplished as Zero... Those are your achievements. Sure, you became Zero because of your parents, but you succeeded despite them."
"Despite them?"
He had to be kidding. He was kidding? As Roy studied his friend's face, he realized that no, he absolutely wasn't.
"The Emperor," Roy growled, "gave you an impossible task."
"No? It wasn't easy, but I had to prove that it wasn't a fluke."
Sometimes, Lelouch missed the most painfully obvious things. It normally involved romance— and Roy should probably talk to him about his accidental flirting later—but he clearly had an equally large blind spot when it involved his family. Which begged the question regarding what else he had missed.
"Your father," Roy stressed, "put you, his fourteen year old son, in charge. He raised an army against Emperor Brandon, so I'm not going to give him the benefit of doubt that he was somehow unaware of the impossible nature of the task. We had no command structure because your mother decided to clean the house. A significant number of our men absolutely despise the Empire and were a hair's breadth away from mutiny. Had your identity leaked, you would've— And you had no command experience. We were supposed to fail."
"He wanted me to do it," Lelouch dismissed with a scowl. "Having me fail would've been counterproductive."
"Art said he wanted to teach you a lesson... which makes so much more sense now."
Lelouch looked at him curiously. "You talked to Art?"
"Multiple times. You dumped all your work on me, after all." Roy shook his head. "Don't change the subject. You weren't supposed to succeed like you did."
"It was a gamble, but he wasn't going to offer it if he didn't think I could do it."
"He wanted you to paint the streets in blood," Roy growled. What went unsaid was that Lelouch would've done it, although Roy wasn't sure if there would have been anything left of Lelouch afterwards. "He set up the conditions so there were only two paths forward. Either everyone in the division died, or everyone else died. You beat him."
"No, I didn't. He wanted the Empire stabilized, and I did. I played right into his hands. Zero is the symbol he wanted."
Roy scowled. The conversation was going nowhere. "Would your father have put... Prince Clovis in the same position?"
"No..." Lelouch said slowly, and Roy dared to hope that he had gotten through. "Clovis is an idiot."
"Your sister? No, that's a bad example. General Cornelia. When she started out, what was she put in command of?"
Lelouch's brow furrowed. "I think she was in charge of a small knightmare unit during the invasion of Japan. Lord Ashford served under her if I remember correctly."
"So she had a small command position at first. She wasn't even a General at the time. Then the next time, she was given a few more men, and something more important, right?"
"Yes..."
Finally, they were getting somewhere. "So by the time she became a General, she had multiple campaigns under her belt? Now, imagine that she had been put in charge of the invasion of Japan for her first assignment. What would've happened?"
"They might've had a chance or at least... Oh," he finished with a whisper. For a moment, Lelouch said nothing, his eyes darting back and forth as he processed. There was a flash of anger, followed by disappointment, and then replaced by pure confusion. Hopefully, he would be able to move on with clearer eyes. "I surprised him."
"You beat him," Roy corrected, and Lelouch shook his head. "You denied him what he wanted. That's a win."
"Had he cared, he would have stacked the odds in his favor," Lelouch mumbled. "He could've sabotaged me. I would never have known... but he didn't. I saw a way forward he didn't, and then he let me take it." He turned away, walking to the stairwell door and nearly tripping over his feet.
Relieved that his friend was finally far from the treacherous edge, Roy rushed after him, but Lelouch barely reacted to his presence until finally stopping at the door and turning to him. His eyes drew together, and his lips parted, before pressing together firmly. Glaring at the stairwell suspiciously, he stepped away back into the unsheltered open where the wind stole every word.
Finally, barely audible over the wind, he said, "My father cares."
"About?" Roy asked nervously because this was not the realization he expected. Something along the lines that the Emperor was manipulative but not infallible and Lelouch wasn't his pawn would've been much preferred.
"Me," Lelouch said, blinking slowly.
No, the Emperor definitely didn't, and Roy could write an entire report listing every instance where the Emperor's actions demonstrated a clear lack of concern. There were probably even more instances that Lelouch had never shared to protect his identity. The Emperor had called though, even if it had been remarkably terrible timing, and then sent the military as backup...
"I don't think making you Zero is a sign that he cares," Roy said.
"He hates hospitals," Lelouch mumbled. So the Emperor had been there like Alex suspected? "He only ever calls Mother."
His grandmother had claimed that Lelouch held the Emperor's favor. Perhaps it wasn't as unbelievable as Roy had assumed. Favor wasn't love, and Lelouch had served the Empire terrifyingly well for years. Only a fool would let someone as capable as Lelouch slip through their fingers and not utilize such a resource. Perhaps even back then, Lelouch had shown potential, and the Emperor had been curious to see where it would lead.
Nothing stopped him from pushing too far and leaving Lelouch's broken form behind. There were plenty of princes and princesses to toy with afterwards. And then Lelouch had surpassed his expectations... surprised him. Of course, he had taken steps to secure him because a pawn that hated him would only lead to trouble. There had been enough complaints from Lelouch about his father snacking on his cooking that if Lelouch wanted to, he could dispose of his father any day.
How often had the Emperor offered a sliver of affection, only for Lelouch to misinterpret it or remain entirely oblivious? And Roy, the utter fool, had just played into the Emperor's hands by forcing Lelouch to consider things at face value.
"I'm like... Odysseus," Lelouch said, frowning slightly.
"The Mediocre Prince?" Roy couldn't see any similarities.
"He's rather proud of that title," Lelouch said, leaving Roy with more questions. "He's the only one who talks with Father regularly... I guess I do as well now. If anyone wants anything, they always ask Odysseus, and then he asks Father."
That was the kind of information people would kill to have their hands on. Everyone always bribed Prince Schneizel's office in hope of things going their way because he was supposed to be close to the Emperor and the most likely to inherit the throne. But if it was Prince Odysseus? Barely anyone ever bothered themselves with the Department of Welfare.
"Why does the Emperor like him?" Roy asked.
"Because he keeps the rest of us in line, so we don't bother him," Lelouch answered plainly as if it should be obvious which frankly wasn't. "He mediates disputes and deals with things that would make the Emperor look weak, and he never complains. And in return, my father entertains whatever idea he brings. He's... useful. And I've been standing on my own two feet since enlisting. I never even asked for an increase to my stipend." He frowned. "Apparently, everyone asks. So he was impressed. That's why he even bothered seeing what I would do. He wanted me to surprise him."
Somehow, Roy very much doubted that.
"And then I succeeded and kept being useful, so he cares now, and I'm no longer a pawn. There's no trap. He really was offering me a favor, so I can ask him to leave Nunnally alone, and she'll be fine and have a chance to be happy. I just... need to keep him caring then everything will be fine."
At least, Lelouch hadn't fallen into the trap of thinking his father's meager tokens of affections were because he cared about Lelouch. No, his friend's insistence on seeing himself as a tool had saved him. But there was a much bigger problem that had been revealed by Lelouch's rambling. The Emperor did favor him, and Lelouch hadn't quite caught onto that the Emperor's offer extended well past whatever Lelouch would ask of him. Because if the Emperor only cared for Zero, he would never have sent Lelouch to Australia as a negotiator.
A contender for the throne needed many things. Military influence which Lelouch had accidentally wandered into. Financial capital which Lelouch lacked but was prepared to manage because of the Emperor "punishing" him with conducting audits. And people skills which Lelouch had proven by upstaging the Prime Minister by negotiating a treaty.
His grandmother was half-right. The Emperor had chosen his heir, and Lelouch didn't know.
Lelouch had mentioned needing to attend a meeting as Zero. It was a chance for him to extend his military influence and merge the role of Zero and the prince. Undoubtedly, it was another test, and they would continue to increase in difficulty. The hectic first year of Lelouch becoming Zero would pale in comparison to the upcoming trials.
Roy should warn him, but Lelouch was too blind. Or rather, he didn't want to see because some part of him knew the truth.
The Emperor's favor was poison.
Geass Order, Location Classified
Acclimating to her new host, Marianne watched V.V. out of the corner of her eyes as various researchers began to present their findings. Katherine's notes were in her hands, but it wouldn't be enough to catch V.V.'s interest. She needed to be closer to him to learn every plan of his.
When she finally climbed to the podium, Marianne receded and let Katherine have a little more control to finish her presentation. She could feel her host's confusion, and the slow realization that something was amiss. It didn't matter. Previous experimentation on a lone servant suggested that active control would lead to the host mind losing an identity of self within a month. Katherine would soon cease to exist.
Marianne hoped Lelouch was fine. She wouldn't know; outside news rarely reached the research team. Charles could die, and she would remain blissfully unaware.
At the end of the presentation, her stomach rolling from the grisly images of dissected caviars and her smile stretched thin, she began to recite the words Charles and her had perfected. It was something V.V. had once discussed but ultimately dropped at Charles's bidding. A synthetic geass.
Normally, a code wielder would grant a geass, and it would act upon some great internal desire to manifest. The code bearer had absolutely no control over the outcome or even the strength of the geass. The situation was rather unideal when trying to craft a super army due to the extreme volatility. Not to mention a significant number of V.V.'s stolen child soldiers simply wished to die... and therefore did upon forming a contract.
Marianne watched V.V.'s face as she finished her presentation and presented the alluring bait. She doubted he had abandoned the idea despite Charles's orders. A small frown marred his childish face as she finished to a round of reluctant applause and the next speaker began to prepare. He whispered something to his assistant, and she resigned herself to wait.
"That is quite ambitious, Katherine," a fellow lab partner commented as she sat down, "but don't you think it is rather arrogant to dare to control the gifts of the gods?"
V.V. was no god.
"I am only offering the tools for the gods to better control the outcome of their gifts," she answered.
The next presentation was from a psychologist who discussed the essential elements of conditioning. He referred to each child under his care by their number and never acknowledged them as human with their own desire. Blood filled her mouth, and she focused on the pain lest her face betray anything but utter devotion.
Three presentations later, her eyes beginning to droop, she startled awake as a timid young man touched upon geass maturation. "We observed that the marginal increase of strength with each use is nearly negligible compared to the random spikes of maturation. These moments correlate with moments of heightened emotions, but we have been unable to conclusively determine why these moments are unusual as it varies from subject to subject. I hypothesize there is a latent condition regarding the formation of the contract..."
"Will you join me for dinner?" her lab partner asked. Innocent eyes blinked at her, at complete odds with the image of him standing next to a bloodied child to test whether a geass would evolve for self-defense. The numerous corpses made that answer a definitive no.
"I am rather tired." Marianne ignored his pleading eyes. She, or rather Katherine, didn't owe him anything. Katherine after all had no friends and barely interacted with her fellow researchers.
She lingered as the room emptied. Had her hook not been enough to entice V.V.? She needed that transfer into the more secure labs.
A hand settled on her shoulders, and she yelped, spinning around to fight off the offender. V.V.'s assistant smiled widely although it failed to reach her eyes and stepped back. "The Director wants to speak with you."
Composing herself, Marianne searched for his familiar form. He was nowhere to be found. "Should I be worried?"
That sparked a more genuine smile from the assistant. "Do you mean that those granted a private conversation with the Director have a tendency to disappear?"
That was alarming... or a sign that Marianne was on the right track to be transferred to a more secure lab. If V.V. did kill her... It would be an unfortunate waste of time for Marianne, but only Katherine would bear the terminal consequence.
"You see him everyday and live to tell the tale," Marianne probed. She hadn't even been aware that V.V. had an assistant. He had never mentioned such a thing to either her or Charles.
"Perhaps I dispose of the bodies," she said.
"Do you have a geass?" Marianne asked.
"No. I do not have that honor." Her face had become blank.
A sore subject perhaps?
Marianne extended her hand. "Katherine."
"Amelia," she replied, ignoring the offered hand. Silently, she led her to a small office, absent from Marianne's mental map, and knocked on the door. At the soft acknowledgment from inside, she smiled coldly. "At least your corpse will be heavier than most."
V.V. sat behind his desk, his small body managing to appear even more childish. She had no idea how anyone could take him seriously, but all of Katherine's coworkers revered him. His presence was lacking compared to Charles's.
"You dare to upset the natural order of things?" V.V. asked, his face impassive.
"We form the natural order," she answered. This was a test of some sort.
"The Emperor himself has banned any inquiries on the matter. You will burn all your notes or be executed for treason."
A violent lurch from the back of her mind screamed in protest, and for the first time, Marianne struggled to remain in control, her host having awoken from their slumber.
The room swayed, and Marianne was in the backseat, screaming obscenities as Katherine took control and was about to ruin everything. Clearly, she had massively underestimated people's natural survival instincts.
"I won't let you," Katherine snarled. "Those notes contain thousands of hours of labor. Destroying such information... that is tantamount to treason."
Or not...
"The Emperor's word is the law," V.V. said. "Disobeying him is most definitely treason."
"To humanity! My loyalty is first and foremost to science. We have a higher duty than the Emperor's words. He does not understand the importance of the research we are doing here."
Seriously? If it was between her and her knightmare, she would gladly sacrifice it to save her own life. Only Charles and her children took precedence over her own life. Was this woman an idiot?
"Then you'll die," he said dispassionately, and Marianne desperately tried to wrench back control to somehow salvage the situation. The unprecedented loss of control was incredibly disconcerting.
"Please, Your Grace. I beg you, don't destroy my notes. You have to understand—"
On the bright side, Marianne would finally have ample free time to spend with her kids because she was not going through this entire slow charade again. Charles could find someone else to spy on his brother.
Peeling away from the dark corner, a small child stepped into the light. His eyes shone with the familiar red tinge of his geass before fading to a dull grey. He raised the gun.
"Any last words?" V.V. asked.
Marianne was going to wring that scrawny bastard's neck for undoing all of her hard work.
"Not my notes..."
Right after she wrung her host's neck in the World of C. She was willing to die over some stupid scraps of paper.
"Very well," V.V. said, and Katherine braced herself. At least, she had the courage to die on her feet. "Pack your bags. My assistant will be escorting you to the new lab later this evening. Talk to no one about this."
Finally wrestling back control before her host could say anything more inane—even if it had worked— Marianne bowed her head deferentially. "Thank you, Your Grace."
At long last, she had her proof of V.V.'s continued subterfuge... except with that came the evidence to support Charles's plan of waiting. Everyone in the entire order was a fanatic of some sort. Either to V.V., geass supremacy, or science. Without him at the helm or C.C. to take over, they could very well burn down the Empire in revenge.
Why couldn't anything ever be easy?
Sitting down on her bed, Marianne buried her head in her hands. Katherine hadn't fully settled down again in the back of her mind, screaming incoherently and giving Marianne a pounding headache. Next to her feet rested three bags, ready to go.
The door opened slowly, and Amelia entered, her smile as fake as last time. "It is time to go."
Marianne nodded and lifted a bag. Briefly, she considered asking to see the news but decided against it. If V.V. were to discover her, his ire could turn onto her children again. As much as she wished to confirm her son's well being, she couldn't risk it. She had to trust Charles would handle it.
Passing the assistant, Marianne's eyes narrowed. "You missed a button."
Robotically, Amelia fixed her blouse. Not bothering to acknowledge her, she led the way to the secure transport and opened the door. "Master V.V. will be along shortly."
Not knowing what prompted her—after all, she was quite used to the emptiness of the Unspeakables—she asked, "Are you alright, Ameila?"
For a fleeting moment, the mask cracked, and a raging beast raised its head. "Why the hell would you care?"
By the time V.V. entered, the woman was all fake smiles again. As his assistant she would know the ins and outs of his plans, yet she didn't appear to be a fanatic. A potential ally perhaps?
Worldbuilding/Geass Thoughts:
-In canon, C.C. was surprised that Lelouch's geass had reached that stage during the Euphie incident. It's at least heavily implied that Lelouch's geass matured unnaturally quickly which is supported by Rolo having used his geass since being a very young child (the wiki says six, but it's also not to be trusted. From the flashback, I would say he at least had his geass by the time he was eight). Despite having had it for so long and using it frequently for assassinations, it hasn't evolved. The idea that geass takes time to mature could explain why Mao received his so young. And from C.C.'s flashback, she was also quite young when she formed her contract.
-There seems to be a popular fanon that anyone with a matured geass can kill the code bearer and claim their code. It's a possible explanation, but one I don't personally believe. Part of this is the really annoying plot hole of "why didn't Charles kill V.V. immediately?" There's also the second thing where C.C. is betrayed by the nun and has her code forced upon her. Lastly, when Charles finally does kill V.V. and claims his code, he's doing voodoo magic inside the thought elevator. All of this suggests that becoming a code bearer might not be that simple.
-Also while I'm on geass, I'm very much restricting them to mental abilities. Time magic, transformation, and possessing objects is not happening. This follows what's seen in the original anime and keeps things balanced. So every geass somehow affects the mental state, but doesn't necessarily work by eye contact (like Rolo's).
Author's Note:
Next chapter is 5/21/21 (or the day after depending on time zones) and the long awaited wedding. While not actually that fluffy, writing it made me hungry for tragedy, so in case you missed it, I have a new fic called, Laugh of Despair with irregular updates. Mind the tragedy part since I'm 99% sure it won't have a happy end.
As to the recaps, how useful are they? I've been trying to keep them as reminders about info relevant to the chapter they are on. I feel like I'm absolutely terrible at writing them though, but I also know there's a lot to keep track of which is difficult with time in between chapters.
Thank you x1tears1X on FFN and Dark for your help with betaing.
Chat with me on the discord: discord . gg / uSBegVj