The third chapter. Was meant to come out a bit earlier but something came up that needed my attention. Anyway, I got nothing else to say, enjoy.

Chapter 3: Marionette Monarch

'We are broadcasting to you live footage of the coronation of 1st Prince Odysseus eu Britannia, who once officially crowned shall take the throne as the 99th Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire. Of course, this comes after the tragic death of his father one month ago.' Milly spoke to her TV audience, as the footage changed from the standard background and logo of her news agency to that of live footage from inside the Imperial palace, in attendance were all the major noble houses, government officials, members of the royal family, and the remaining Knights of Round, these exceptional soldiers standing closest to the vacant throne as Odysseus went through the final ceremonial aspects before the Archbishop of York could bestow the crown on his head.

'Emperor Charles zi Britannia, who while in Area 11 overseeing Britannia's response to the second black rebellion, was killed by his then thought to be dead son, the former 11th Prince and 17th heir to the throne, Lelouch vi Britannia is authorities believe to have been a failed power grab.' Here, Milly didn't know what to think as she was shocked when she first heard the news of the event. How could the lazy, romantically blind Lelouch Lamperouge ever try something like that? While her face stayed passive and professional, her mind still raced with questions that she would never get answers to as both had disappeared.

'Despite the best efforts of the Britannian military present, as well as that of the Knight of Seven, Suzaku Kururugi, the former prince managed to escape justice and is still at large.' With this, an image of the prince, once taken during their last picture day was flashed across the screen, above his handsome, disarming smile were large bold letters spelling out 'WANTED' and underneath, a bounty on his head worth 30 million.

'However, with the latest confrontation between Britannian and the United Federation of Nations, or UFN having come to a bloody stalemate, Prince Odysseus has stated that upon his ascension to the throne, he will sue for peace and is expected to sign a treaty with the UFN which will see Area 11 secede from the empire but not be allowed to join the UFN.' Milly continued, despite her inner confusion and pain. The image of her old friend turned murderous criminal mercifully being taken down as the image cut back to the ceremony.

'In addition, both superpowers will be granted small land and sea concessions as a means to keep the other in check.' On Horai Island, the same as the rest of the world, the Black Knights watched this event with interest. On the bridge of the docked Ikaruga, Milly's voice carried through the speakers as on screen, the now 99th Emperor stood and turned to the crowd and cameras with St Edward's Crown firmly on his head, while in his left hand, he held the Sovereign's Orb and in his right, he held the sovereign's scepter. With his empire's sacred relics in hand, the Knights of Round bowed to their new monarch, the same as the archbishop and his attendants, followed by the nobles and royal family.

'Here's to hoping that the pedo isn't as bad as his old man.' Tamaki would have raised a glass of beer if he had one.

'Quiet, Tamaki.' Ohgi told the redhead who didn't seem to care.

'What? I'm not the one that was gonna marry a kid, empress or not, if she can't drink or drive, she should be off limits.' Tamaki, ever the loudmouth, wasn't wrong about that as while they all understood the reasons behind it, it didn't mean that they were comfortable with the notion of a child marrying someone old enough to be their parent.

'Regardless of that, what are we to do? As de-facto emperor, he's already pulled out most Britannia forces in Japan and signed a ceasefire with the UFN.' Sugiyama asked as in the month since the second battle of Tokyo Settlement, things had calmed down considerably as while Cornelia was still serving as Viceroy, she had been preparing for their withdrawal from the area, even working with UFN officials to ensure a smooth transition from an imperial satellite region to a sovereign nation.

'It's certainly clear that Britannia will be a different beast going forward, but from what intelligence reports, he seems genuine in his desire to halt hostilities.' Tohdoh spoke up, arms crossed as he watched as the new emperor was praised through cries of 'Long Live the Emperor' from those in attendance. However, they had nothing to indicate that he was much of a threat with what they could find about him painting him as far too mild-mannered to be decisive.

'It certainly helps that he's giving you all Japan, it means that the UFN's first resolution can be chalked up as a success, right?' Rakshata joked as she took a swing at her pipe, that little development having only cemented the concept of the UFN in the minds of its leaders and citizens.

'But there's an issue with that. With Japan soon to be completely free of the empire, there are talks amongst our Japanese members of leaving the Black Knights and joining the reformed Japan Self-Defense Forces which has raised some concerns with the UFN leadership.' Xingke noted.

'Why? They have plenty of people to replace them.' Tamaki asked to which the Chinese general, turned General Commander of the Black Knights answered his foolish question, knowing that he wouldn't shut up if someone didn't.

'The issue is that because the Black Knights were built around Japanese recruits and soldiers, many of our experienced commanders and officers are Japanese, if even just a third of them left, it would leave us in a weakened state till we can replace them, which will take time.' That was generous in Xingke's opinion as the Black Knights were founded as a rebel group fighting to restore Japanese freedom, while they had expanded, that core tenant still kept many in the organization. He didn't need their informants and reports to know that it was closer to half that had expressed some desire to leave them now that they achieved that goal.

'It wouldn't be so much of an issue if most of those being suggested weren't cronies to their countries. The last thing we need is the Black Knights to splinter to fractions based on nationality.' Nagisa said, having seen many of the recruit files, to say she was displeased would be an understatement as because many member nations didn't even have knightmare corps, many of those suggestions from the UFN were for people that neither could operate a knightmare, command a force that had knightmares or even properly counters them when used by the enemy.

'I have spoken with her majesty about this, and they are trying to slim the list down to the more capable and flexible ones, but it's a slow process.' Xingke agreed with her there, being grateful that at least those of the federation being suggested at least had experience with knightmares and Britannian battle tactics.

'Still, it wouldn't be the first time we've worked with less than favorable people. The Black Knight wasn't formed from career soldiers or pilots.' Rakshata shrugged her shoulders, having been with them from near the beginning of this little show and seeing firsthand their roots.

'True, but we had to rely on a devil to get as far as we have, and I rather not do that again.' Minami noted, that fact still stinging as not only did he play them all for his twisted amusement, but he managed something none of them could, killed the man they all hated almost as much and in doing so, pave the way to their more desirable present. Ohgi in particular as he had been the one that surrendered control to him, had advocated for the others to follow him. Now, all he could do is apologize to the ghosts of his friends for his foolishness.

'It wouldn't be an issue if Japan was allowed to join the UFN.' Sugiyama said a notion that he wasn't alone in sharing.

'You heard Kaguya, both sides agreed that Japan was too strategically valuable for any one side to have a monopoly on it.' Tohdoh didn't like it any more than his junior, but he could understand the reasoning behind it if either side had pushed, they would still be fighting right now, and with the Britannians having a weapon as powerful as the one they used during the last battle…

'Continuing the fight now will only lead to a meaningless death. It's not the total victory we set out for, but it's far from a pyrrhic one as well.' He finished. With this, they continued to watch the broadcast for a few more minutes as the new emperor once more made his intentions for an end to the hostilities clear.

'Well, things will be cooling down here so there's no real point in my staying. Make sure that my children are well taken care of and they'll perform up to code.' The Indian scientist stood up, finishing her smoke as she turned to walk out, only stopping to give Ohgi, Xingke, and Tohdoh a firm handshake of farewell.

'It's already been passed to the mechanics, enjoy your trip back to India, Rakshata.' The former schoolteacher smiled at her, but she merely scoffed at him, even if he could tell she meant it in good taste.

'As if it'll be pleasant dealing with the Maharajah. I just hope that Kallen's ready to work as it we'll be running more extensive tests with the Guren so I know everything that Pudding Earl did to my baby.' She told him as he nodded his head, being reminded of Kallen and how in the last month, she hadn't been the same fiery girl he had known for years. She had been the most attached to Ze-Lelouch, a point he worried that there was something more between them, even if she denied such. She looked up to him, more than any of them, only to learn he only ever saw her as the most useful tool in his sick game of life and death.

He suspected that he had said something to her just before they tried to kill him, something that was enough to get her face to shift gears but she wouldn't say what, only that she wished to get him to tell her something crucial, hence why he had sided with her when they voted on if to capture or kill him, going with capture so that she could, if nothing else, tell that bastard that she felt about him and get some much-needed closure. But he feared that such a chance would never come as they got word about Cornelia's find soon after she had discovered it, the footage of Zero's mask, charred and broken near beyond recognition had been a shock, as it was one thing to think Zero was dead, it was quite another to see the face of Zero in such a state.

As Ohgi worried about her, Kallen sat outside the Ikaruga, in the harbor for the many float ships that made up their flying naval forces. To the side, they were finishing up the loading process of what they would be taking with them to India, with the Guren being one of the last to be taken into the Black Knight Small Ship. She looked at the activation key in her hand, something that had been her key to the power she needed to achieve her dreams, a key that had been given to her by Lelouch what felt like years ago.

'Lelouch.' Even after all this time, she couldn't help but wonder about him, what he meant, what he felt, what he wanted. It used to be much simpler as he and Zero were completely different. Lelouch was just the lazy, arrogant Britannian that would criticize the world around him but never even try to change it. Zero was the masked wonder that performed miracles and sought a better world. She recalled his words the day they busted that refrain deal where she found her mother, how despite knowing about the world's problems, he said he wouldn't do a damn thing about it. Though she supposed that he meant that Lelouch Lamperouge couldn't, much like Kallen Stadtfeld couldn't.

Still, while he was a smug bastard, he was a practical one too as he knew they would have never agreed to face Cornelia head-on, so he tricked them into going and when pressed why, he told them about how messiahs had to perform miracles, how if they wished to see their dreams fulfilled, they would need to face the impossible and somehow come out on top.

But then she learned that Shirley's father had died in that same landslide, how he was just a normal guy, one of the hundreds that died that day just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. When she approached Zero about this, she didn't know why he phrased his words the way he did, but now she knew it was because he felt just like her, that he regretted the innocent blood on his hands, but also how they had to bring some level of meaning to their losses by continuing, even if that meant further bloodshed.

Then she found out the truth, and saw behind the mask, saw how Lelouch waved aside her feelings by merely saying that by following him, they would get what they wanted, treating the whole affair like an emotionless business contract. If not for C.C. finding her and convincing her to remain in the Black Knights, she would have never joined him again and would have told the others to do the same. Still, that pizza-loving tease never answered any of her real questions, only that he was their best chance, that he hadn't caused the massacre, and how he would fight for them.

She got her chance to confront him but when he mentioned her running, she could tell he wasn't even angry, he wasn't even disappointed as he merely stated it as a fact. With the facts straight, it was easier for her to tell how he and Zero were the same as despite having a gun pointed right at him, he was as flippant as ever, confident that she wouldn't shoot, or perhaps not fearing death. She would never know, only that after that point, she made the choice to continue to follow him and in doing so, learned more about him.

She smiled as she recalled they pulled the biggest fast one ever by getting Britannia to agree to allow Zero to escape but then dressed up everyone as Zero. 'He wasn't one of us, but he did get pharaoh to let our people go.' She wasn't sure if using religious text as inspiration like that was blasphemous, but it certainly got the job done and increased the people's faith in Zero. She remembered how he asked her to return to Ashford with him, and when she was captured, he was so passionate about saving her, so much so that as she was carried off by Xingke, she felt warm inside.

Then she met Nunnally, really met her and they talked. She learned much about the two, and how much he was such a dotting brother to her that he reminded her of Naoto. She could see why someone would fight for her dreams, as they were such sweet dreams. Kallen looked to the side as she recalled what came next, not just Suzaku's attempt to drug her for information, even if the memory still made her flinch, but it was the following battle. She had Suzaku on the ropes, she had already defeated that monster, Bradley and his Valkyries, and victory was in their grasp.

But like with everything else, Suzaku had to ruin it. She hadn't known what it was, but she had been smart enough to run when she saw it, that blinding ball of power that ate everything like a black hole, leaving nothing but a crater in its wake. With that one weapon, over 35 million were just gone. No remains. No belongings. Nothing to bury other than the emptiness left in their wake, including Nunnally. She wished she had the time to speak with Lelouch, as he was clearly in a bad place that day, but then he threw her another curveball, mocking everything she stood for, everything she fought, treating their struggles and lives like mere games and pieces to be used and tossed aside.

'Kallen, you have to live.' She muttered to herself as she signed, having come no closer to figuring out that mystery that she had a month ago. She had wanted an answer from him, and was prepared to twist his arm till he gave it, but…that was no longer possible as he had vanished, along with C.C. and Jeremiah. It was only made worse when two weeks back, both the Black Knights, and Britannia announced that the SAZ massacre was his doing, and how he had drugged his sister that day to spread chaos in some crazed attempt to both remove her as a rival to the throne and lure his father to Area 11 to kill him.

With that, all the hate that had been once pointed towards Euphemia was now all faced towards him but far worse as where she was dead, he wasn't and people wanted him to correct that. Britannia was offering 10 million for information that could lead to his arrest, and 30 million for his being captured, dead, or alive. The UFN also had their bounty on his head, 3 million for information and 12 million for his confirmed death. With such pressure on them, it was a no-brainer why he and that witch had vanished.

Still, she had her reservations about outing him as they didn't know the full story, at least she suspected that Suzaku knew more than they did but the asshole refused to even say a word to her when they met up during the primary peace talks, he just stood there like a statue, as if he hadn't snuffed out the lives of over 35 million like he was still some moral superior to them. 'Major! The Guren's been loaded up, you're good to go.' Kallen was brought back to the present when she heard one of the mechanics calling out to her.

'Thank you, stay safe guys.' She smiled at them, though she didn't feel the mood as she stood up and walked towards the carrier, her luggage already inside for the 2 months she'll be staying in India. Her mother had been concerned, but also happy that the trip wasn't going to involve fighting, with the two promising to call each other every other day.

'What's there to worry about, the war's over. We're gonna have trouble finding stuff to do to keep us occupied.' The mechanic laughed with some others joining in, her smile here grew more genuine as she was happy about that.

'Hey, maybe.' She said as she waved at them one last time and boarded the Black Knight Small Ship. Rakshata soon joined her but she moved ahead to continue to smoke without annoying her star pilot who couldn't stand the stuff. As the ship took off and turned towards India, she couldn't help but look out the window, her Guren's key in hand.

'I did it, Naoto. Japan's going to be free again, things will get better. It means that the sacrifices we made, the people we killed, it was worth it, right?' She asked herself, wondering about how things will go for her.

'I will say this,' Guinevere started as he and the rest of their more important and politically connected siblings sat in Odysseus' new office. 'Father made things appear easy when he run the show.' They hadn't even had their new ruler for a full day yet and the problems were already mounting, or more accurately, the issues that arose from their father's death by that half-blood's hands were making themselves much more prominent. With the rather inconclusive results of the last battle with the Black Knights, they were seeing civil unrest and possible rebellion cooking across their conquered territories, and with Area 11 set to leave the empire soon, there were already squabbles between families that controlled industry for an expected lower sakuradite supply, one that had already seen 8 killed in so-called accidents.

'Perhaps that's why he had me take over so many responsivities, he was getting on in his years.' Schneizel joked, having remained as the Prime Minister which was unusual for Britannia. Other than some exceptions, they hadn't replaced or arrested any of the old officials and military officers as Odysseus didn't kill their father to claim the throne, and none of their siblings had challenged him yet.

'Perhaps, but it's also why I appreciate that you agreed to stay on as Prime Minister, to be frank, I would have thought you would take the throne.' The newly crowned 99th emperor spoke up, the weight of his new role having hit him like a truck as while firstborn, he had long accepted that he wasn't the best to rule, and would have happily stood aside for Schneizel if the man hadn't made his point about things clear.

'Tempting, but I wouldn't wish to slight you, older brother. Besides, my role will always be the helping hand, not the ruling.' Schneizel joked.

'Humble, but despite your work, we still have numerous issues to deal with.' Lila, the younger sister of Clovis spoke up, gathering her strength as they all knew that the topic wasn't something she was comfortable with, despite the brave face she has been wearing for months now. 'With Area 11 soon to be gone, our more recent conquests have started to get ideas.' She told them, feeling conflicted about the area as on one hand, she hated it with a passion. It was the area that took her brother from her, her art-loving, doting brother and she wouldn't mind if half the population was put to the sword for their continued insolence, it wasn't like they didn't have other numbers that could be brought in to keep things flowing.

But on the other hand, she didn't want the place to take any more of her siblings as it was there that her half-brother was driven insane and orchestrated both Euphemia but also their father's murder, those lands were surely cursed and the sooner they didn't need to worry about them, the better.

'She's right, Area 12, 14, 15, 18, and 20 are in all revolt. Those damned numbers are just causing trouble, I say we send in the troops and paint the streets red.' Carine clapped her hands, her desire for violence even more present with the world in such a tense situation between the two superpowers, but she wasn't a minority in her beliefs.

'We already are, but with all Knights of the Round already deployed, we're stretched quite thin.' Marrybell reminded her, speaking over a video call as she was busy keeping the peace in Area 14 with her Glinda Knights, being right in the thick of the unrest.

'All? We're down two, Bradley was killed by some eleven and Anya managed to get lost. When are you going to replace them?' Guinevere dismissed them as once seen as near invincible, their continued failures with both Area 11 and the Chinese Federation had muddied their image at home, with the fact that Anya was missing rather than dead kept under wraps as it was better for people to think she had least died in battle rather than have another of those annoying episodes of her and finally running out of luck.

'Guinevere, please remember that the title of Knight of Round is no small thing, whoever is chosen must be exceptional in nearly every way, this takes time.' Schneizel spoke for his brother, though the silent Cornelia, also present via video call knew that he must have known more as while she had shared the fact Anya might have been kidnapped by their traitorous younger brother and his ilk, he hadn't told the rest of them, much less the Knights of Round themselves.

'It wouldn't be such a hassle if the UFN weren't supporting these rebels to undermine us!' Castor, one of the twins said in anger as they had been numerous reports of rebels using old Chinese and European equipment. The very reason that their older sister, Marrybell had been deployed to Area 14 was due to the fact some of the rebels had somehow gotten their hands on Alexanders. Odysseus once more moved to speak, but his younger brother beat him to the punch.

'We have no proof that the UFN is funding these rebels.' The Prime Minister reminded them before continuing. 'Besides, their union isn't strong enough for them to go back on their word. At the upcoming peace talks in Area 11, we'll finalize new borders.' He told them, though he could see that few among them were happy with having to start their new era under a new emperor with the embarrassment of having to give up a conquest.

'It's not as big a loss as you all think, we still control most of the world, our armed forces and economy are also superior to theirs and they know it. Restarting hostilities will only lead to their destruction.' He smiled as he reminded them that despite how bad things looked, this was mainly appearance as they still held most of the card in their match-up, even if one were to exclude their nearly developed F.L.E.I.J.A. weapons, they outclassed the UFN in every category. Would outright war hurt them and lead to millions of Britannians dying? Most likely but would it be a war they'll win? Yes.

The meeting continued for another 2 hours, where the siblings hushed out the final details of their plans for the future, though it was more Schniezel disproving the suggestions and others and selling his to the rest of them, with their emperor largely quiet if not proven wrong by his Prime Minister's arguments. The man himself didn't seem to mind but Cornelia could tell that even now, his weakness and lack of initiative made him seem like a good target, she could only hope that his partnership with Schneizel would keep him safe, but she wouldn't count on it as he had secrets, not just about his goals but also about things they should have all been informed of, and she intended to get him to talk.

Thousands of miles away, in the burned-out ruins of a once thriving port city, Britannian forces moped up the last of the rebels they had been sent to deal with. Area 18, being one of the more recent conquests, should and was one of the more stable ones as when Cornelia conquered the Middle Eastern Federation, she had been sure to hunt down as many holdouts and military officers as she could and brutally destroy them. Al Qatif had been one of the few that escaped her wrath as the city leaders had surrendered in a fight to save their people, but now, as the two Knights of Round floated over the ruined streets, they couldn't help but suspect that they had either been lying or that things had changed quite a bit in the time since Cornelia was here.

Gino himself didn't have much to say about it, and it wasn't like Suzaku was in a talkative mood either as ever since Are-Japan, things had changed as Suzaku had sided with Prince Schneizel in a blatant coup attempt, one only failed by the fact that lazy, gambling happy Lelouch had been a prince as well and beat him to it. He wasn't even allowed a moment to breathe after that as it soon become apparent that Anya was missing. He hadn't been worried at first, she had her moments but she always made contact but this time, she didn't. They searched everywhere for her, but they found no trace of her. He couldn't even call her as her phone last pinged close to the mainland of Area 11 before it too went dark and much to his frustration a small girl piloting a purple 10-ton knightmare wasn't enough of a sight for anyone to have seen her!

He couldn't even try and distract himself in battle if fighting these weaklings could be called that, as Suzaku's new Lancelot Albion was far superior to his own Tristan and allowed the Japanese knight to destroy 11 for every 1 he managed to do, this most recent engagement only lasting 7 minutes before they reduced the rebels to cowering ants waving whatever white cloth they had. 'Let the soldiers take care of it, we can return now.' Suzaku spoke up, his tone much more figged than he was used to when he went into business mode but the blonde didn't have the energy to try and mess with him as the two machines turned around and flew off, leaving the soldiers on the ground to mop up whatever was left.

Once back, the two disembarked from their machines and let the mechanics see to their resupply, which left the two alone as they walked down the halls of the small outpost. 'Were you surprised when Schneizel turned down the crown?' Gino asked, starting up another attempt at conversation with his fellow knight.

'Not really.' Suzaku's response was quick, dry, and expected from him as he acted more like a machine than a man these days, though part of him couldn't blame the guy.

'Why's that? You were pretty set on getting him on it, knight of one.' Still, he wouldn't forgive him so easily for the betrayal of his oaths to the previous emperor, having cast them aside just for a slither of more power. Quite frankly, he was surprised Suzaku managed to escape Bismarck as he hadn't risen to the title of Knight of One for nothing, and he would not tolerate challengers to his might.

'Things are changing, and Area 11 will soon no longer be part of the empire, so even if he had gotten my wish, it would ending soon anyway.' Suzaku didn't raise to the bait, but he rarely did as it seemed like the only things that angered him enough these days to react was mentioning a certain someone, and whenever someone talked about how Princess Euphemia was a victim of a mad prince's guest for power and blood. Those were the moments when the robot of a man scared him the most.

'Looks like fate had other plans for you then,' He joked, but his face went grim as he looked towards the smaller man. 'Speaking of fate, did you know?'

'Know what?' He wasn't about to let Suzaku play dumb, not when he had avoided him for weeks when he knew what he wished to ask.

'About Lelouch? You said you and he were good friends, that he could be trusted but...' He could recall how the man spoke so highly of the man, saying that he wouldn't care for their noble status or military rank, and looking back on it, of course, he didn't, he was a prince himself but there was no way Suzaku didn't know. Suzaku merely looked at him out of the corner of his eye, saying nothing for a time, his face giving Gino nothing of whatever thoughts he was having.

'I knew he held a grudge against his father, which is normal considering how cutthroat Britannian noble family drama seems to be.' He eventually spoke up, the entire time he hadn't stopped his stride as they walked past the command center and towards the barracks set aside for them.

'I don't like my father, but I'm not plotting to kill him and hundreds of others and you damn well know the difference.' Gino near sneered in response as he had told the man about his poor family relations, how he fell in love with an Eleven maid and how his father beat and tossed her out for it, how he run off to the army and barely spoke with his relatives. He knew his father wasn't a good person, and that he didn't like him but he would never bring others into their issues, much less drug someone so that they start a massacre.

'Shouldn't you be focusing your anger on other productive things? We're been returning to the homeland soon, maybe you can join the hunt for the Gottwald family.' Suzaku's clear dodge of the situation only made him angrier, but as much as he wished to punch him in the face, he had to calm himself. As much as he hated it, he was right, now wasn't the time for his anger.

'I'm a fighter, not an investigator. I'll leave that to the police and the OSI.' He replied as it had been a mild surprise that a week after Tokyo, and the deaths of Zero and the 99th Emperor, the entire Gottwald family had vanished, with investigators quickly discovering that they had liquidated all their assets, disappearing with over 80 million pounds worth of cash. Why they had done so was still unknown as while Orange had been a double agent of Zero, his family had been quick to disown him after the debacle that was Zero's debut, making his younger sister the hair of their vast commercial orange and sugar farming holdings in Area 2.

With the air between them uncleared, the two fell into silence once more as one didn't feel like sharing what he knew, and the other didn't feel like entertaining his comrade's antics. As they reached the quarters set aside for the two, one of the soldiers run up to the two, stopping and giving a stiff salute once close enough. 'My Lord, you have a call from Prime Minister Schneizel.' Gino gave Suzaku a look as he could imagine that the Prime Minister wished to speak with his favored knight, but he didn't say anything.

'I'll be right there.' Suzaku nodded his head before he entered his quarters, the door shutting behind him as Gino took a breath to calm himself further, it would do him no good to allow paranoia and anger to control him. With a glance at the picture, he had of the three of them that he always kept on him, and a silent prayer for her safety, he entered his room to rest.

And we are done. I have to say, the final draft was difficult to write as I had a lot to say with Kallen's portion but decided to cut things back as most of it was just her feelings on Lelouch and I could always use some of that cut content down the line.

Edit, this is a later announcement, but I now have a p-a-treon as I really want to continue to improve my work, but that requires funds since most of my cash already goes to my studies. Those that sign up will get to read new chapters 48 hours early or propose ideas for one shots, the full details on my page. Of course, if you just want to support me, I would really appreciate that.

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