Somewhere in war-torn Japan and in indefinite time.
"How did it all happen?" He wanted to ask anyone in particular, but even for such a simple thing, he ran out of words.
He had barely recovered emotionally from the events at the imperial palace. It seemed that everything was starting to slowly and favorably take root. Although the exile to a foreign country was painful and highly uncomfortable, after a while everything started to go his way. He found a good friend who often helped him look after his disabled sister.
The son of the Prime Minister of Japan, Suzaku Kururuga, turned out to be a good and loyal - if sometimes a bit dull and overly honorable - friend. In turn, the environment of the prime minister himself was kind to him, at least as much as the current circumstances allowed them. For international affairs were starting to take a worse turn from week to week.
Negotiations on the distribution of Sakuradite began to take a worse turn. Britain, the empire that had robbed Lelouch of his mother and destroyed his peaceful life, was now demanding more Rose Gold trade. The raven-haired teenager perfectly understood the reason for this, the technology gradually moved to the use of Sakuradite as the primary source of energy. Already, Rose Gold was one of the main sources of energy, next to wind and solar energy. Moreover, this raw material was extremely efficient and guaranteed minimal environmental pollution.
Finally, after the negotiations had collapsed completely two months ago, what must have happened to the Japanese government's resistance to it happened. The Holy Britannian Empire, declared war on a recalcitrant country, and a large-scale war began. Within two weeks, the empire's navy and its air force broke the Japanese navy, destroyed air force and anti-aircraft defense, leaving the country almost defenseless.
Lelouch was shocked, it was all happening at an unprecedented rate in the history of all human wars to date. Even great minds like Alexander the Great, Napoleon, and Frederick II the Great, none of them have ever done anything like this. However, such considerations had no meaning or value at the moment. The only thing that mattered was that Japan was deprived of its ability to defend itself, and that its cities were consumed by the fire of foreign bombs. In turn, the former prince, his sister and best friend found themselves at the heart of the chaotic fighting.
Lelouch sighed heavily as he considered his present and past positions. Only a few months ago he was a prince, happy with his still alive mother, healthy and enjoying life with his sister, and with his brother. Brother. The raven-haired exile frowned as his thoughts drifted to the twin, then, in pure rage, he clenched his fingers into a fist until his knuckles turned pale. Once he loved his brother with all his heart, even though the two often disagreed. Lucius was a patriot who loved his country and accepted the many flaws of the empire. And Lelouch had in his heart the will to change the imperfections of this world for the better. Often the two got into lively arguments with each other, the fire of which, however, was successfully put out, either by their mother or by Nunnally.
Despite all their differences and quarrels, they both shared a sincere brotherly love and care. Until the day of the betrayal, or at least Lelouch saw his brother's actions as betrayal and personal insult. No, it was much more than just a betrayal of him. Lucius' request to withdraw Lelouch was nothing more and nothing less than a betrayal of the memory of their mother, Empress Marianne vi Britannia. Lelouch sincerely hated his brother, he would do anything to make this man suffer for his betrayal. Nevertheless, that was just the beginning.
When the invasion began, Nunnally, Suzaku and Lelouch had to flee the chaos-plunged country like hunted animals. Very often they came across the damaged wreckage of Knightmare Frames, Britannia's newest and most technically advanced military project. Not only did the emperor banish his Nunnally from his native country, now both of them had to fight for survival because of their native country. However, that was not the worst of it, as at one point they stumbled upon a slightly better preserved wreck of the new Knightmare Frame model, the RPI-11 Glasgow. The worst part was that on some parts of the destroyed machine there was an inscription Flash Robotics.
The aforementioned company was very well known to the young prince. Lelouch was repeatedly acquainted with all the political and economic changes in the Holy Britannian Empire. The prince's attention was drawn to the fact that Ruben Ashford sold all his shares - and, in fact, the entire company - to Brother Lelouch. Lucius Cornelius vi Britannia. Lelouch's twin brother, almost immediately changed the company name to Flash Robotics - for reasons known only to his brother - and then, with the support of Prince Schneizel, began producing parts for the RPI-11 Glasgow, manufactured by the Stadtfeld Consortium, Krushevsky Arms and Black Industries. Lelouch could only imagine the money his brother was earning in the war and the deaths of people.
However, what surprised the former and exiled prince was that his younger brother made all these decisions for himself. One day, Lelouch found an article on the Internet that his brother firmly rejected an offer from Victoria and Britannia to manage his property and assets. Not only that, the article also showed that he had firmly rejected the same offer made by Wilhelmina el Britannia, the mother of his mentor, the second prince of the empire.
But it didn't matter now, just now, as Japan's war with the empire was nearing its end, it was all too evident. Once a wealthy and proud country, now it was in a sea of ruins. Once the most powerful fleet in the Pacific, it has been reduced to a handful of damaged and non-return ships. Once the islands never conquered by anyone, now they were literally flooded by waves of invaders who practically took up kilometers of Japanese land without any obstacles.
Lelouch sighed heavily, then met the setting sun. He wanted to enjoy the sight, but could not. On the one hand, almost everything around it was literally covered with debris, or craters from bombs or artillery shells. On the other hand, their current guardian, Kyoshiro Tohdoh, recently promoted - after the so-called Itsukushima Miracle - to the rank of colonel officer of the Japanese army, is nearby. This man, at that moment, more than his charges, was busy preparing a funeral pyre for the recently deceased prime minister, who was to commit suicide, several hours after the order to fight until his death. The effect was almost immediate, the morale of the Japanese had plummeted and the Second Pacific War was almost over.
Everything around him, all the overwhelming power and the tearing sense of betrayal on the part of a man with whom he shared the same womb, led the former prince to the extreme of extremes. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his friend, Suzaku Kururugi, who seemed to be overwhelmed by his father's death. The prime minister's son did not have an easy childhood, his mother died in childbirth, and his father practiced strict upbringing. Additionally, Suzaku had no siblings. Lelouch spoke to him about it many times, and he often envied his friend for having a sister and a twin brother.
Almost always, the subject of Lelouch's twin was disgusting and almost fury in the raven haired prince, so Suzaku stopped - after a while - from mentioning the man he hated at all.
"Suzaku." Lelocuh hissed furiously and softly, drawing his friend's attention to himself. "I swear to you that one day I will destroy Britannia and kill the traitor I once called my brother and loved."
XXX
Pendragon, Holy Britannian Empire
Aries Imperial Villa
June 2010 A.T.B.
"It could have been much worse." Lucius sighed, leaning back in his chair after he finished going through the documents shown to him. The last ten months have been a period of hard work and a lot of stress. Death of the mother. A tarnish of the former position of the Britannia vi line. Quarrel with brother and exile of all siblings. Practically from the very first moments - as the head of the vi Britannia line - Lucius had to face many difficulties.
First, the young prince had to mentally recover from an unfortunate incident at the imperial palace. Were it not for Cornelia, Euphemia, and Nonnette, it would most likely either take him much longer, or it would never have happened, and Lucius would have been reduced to little more than this regrettable vessel incapable of continuing his existence.
However, there was another, much more serious problem. The prince's allies, while quite powerful and influential, were not too many. It was quite likely that individual parties in the imperial court would pursue easy prey. Initially, it was indeed so. However, thanks to several meetings with Duke Krushevsky and Marquess Zabi, as well as the support of the second prince, they managed to establish a common tactic for survival. Krushevsky Amrs was responsible for the production of high-quality weapons, commissioned by the government. The redeemed and renamed Ashford Robotics was to take care of continuing research on Knightmare Frames and producing the part as well as the corresponding components. A Zabi Entertainment was supposed to build new factories for both companies, infrastructure commissioned by the military and newly conquered areas.
This was basically the beginning of an alliance between the party of el Britannia and vi Britannia. An alliance that Lucius hoped to continue in the near future, and to draw as many benefits as possible from it. Prince Schneizel and Lucius had several meetings together where they established specific support for each other. Schneizel provides diplomatic and political support, Lucius provides industrial and technological support, and in the future, the sand-haired prince will act as a blade for the second prince's diplomacy. Speaking in biological language, they entered a state of symbiosis.
Lucius undoubtedly worked hard, he was fully aware of it. In the morning, his lessons took place, in the afternoon he dealt with the affairs of his party and allies, in turn, the end of the day meant for the young prince intense and devilishly hard training with Nonette, who had recently received the title of Knight of Nine, and thus was included in the Knights of the Round. Luckily, Lucius wasn't the only one using her services as a coach. Ever since the prince began training with Nonette, it has practically always been with the presence of Duke Krushevsky's only daughter, Monica.
Nevertheless, while the last few weeks have been a streak of success and the increasing value of Flash Robotics and the young prince's ally companies, there were some unpleasant issues. The first was the beginning - a few weeks ago - of Second Pacific War. Negotiations over the Sakuradite crisis between the Holy Britannian Empire, United Republic of Europia, Chines Federation and Japanese Republic over the past few months have collapsed. Initiated after the empire seized Indonesia and New Guinea, their purpose was to cool Britannia's aspirations for world domination.
The day the empire finally declared war on Japan was an absolute shock to the sand-haired prince. After all, he expected his siblings to be taken from the attacked country in time. Lucius in his darkest dreams never foresaw such a turn of events. If there was one thing the young prince feared most and would never accept, it was the death of his twin brother and younger sister. It was enough that he and Lelouch had a deadly fight, he didn't need the news of his own brother and sister's death, without having previously resolved the conflict with his twin.
After a while, Lucius slapped his cheeks several times, both sides simultaneously. "Come back to reality!" He spoke in an authoritative voice in the middle of an empty office, as if he was trying to give an order to himself. "Focus on what's most important right now, otherwise you will miss life's key moments." The prince had been doing this for months to keep himself from pondering too much on one subject. This method almost always produced the desired results.
Not wanting to waste any more time, Lucius went back to flipping through a few more piles of documents. However, it concerned only the simplest of matters, nothing more serious. Reports on Flash Robotics factory performance for this quarter, plus a full report of upcoming expenses. Watching a child, in fact, dealing with this type of issues was undoubtedly admirable, because it testified to a great intellect. If there was one thing in common between Lucius and Lelouch, it was their outstanding minds whose level was essentially comparable. During many of their discussions, both of them were always able to perfectly rationalize their positions. The only one in the family who undoubtedly equaled them intellectually was Prince Schneizel, the second heir to the throne. This group probably also included their father, the emperor, but he was so absent from life that it was quite a challenge to say anything about him.
"Ready." Lucius sighed wearily as soon as he finished flipping through the last page. It was the end of all his affairs for today. The prince almost immediately began to stretch, then turned his gaze to the large window in the study. It was still daylight outside. And the clock on the wall showed five in the afternoon. He needed to get ready and rest, and in an hour Nonette was going to start training with him, a hell of an hour and a half. The prince consoled himself that it was training during the working days, because the training during the weekend was even worse, definitely more demanding and concerned the fight in Knightmare Frame.
As he was about to leave the room, his personal maid entered.
"Your Highness, Princess Cornelia has just arrived and she ask you for an immediate meeting." She said calmly, as was her custom.
Lucius smiled at his half-sister coming to visit him. Since the fiery confrontation between them took place, their mutual relations have improved significantly and they have even gotten closer to each other. The presence of the second princess marked her return from Japan. Although the peace treaty had yet to be signed, the complete takeover of the country by the Britannia Army was only a matter of a week or more.
After the prime minister's suicide, the nation's will to fight completely collapsed, the fall was only a matter of time. However, this situation worried Lucius, although Britannia won an easy and crushing victory, such a quick surrender meant that the remnants of the Japanese Army kept a large part of the war material, which could have an impact on the development of the resistance movement in the near future.
Lucius was not the only one who understood such a threat. High-ranking politicians, military men, and members of the imperial court were also aware of this fact, and shared Lucius's fears. Including the new prime minister. The alliance of the twelfth and second prince has recently brought about the desired and long-awaited effect. Schneizel el Britannia was appointed by the emperor as the new prime minister of the empire. It meant nothing less and nothing more than to strengthen their already large power.
Although the coalition of the vi and el Britnannia factions was extremely strong, it still had equally strong opponents. The factions of la Britannia, led by Gabrielle la Britannia and centered around the so-called Purebloods, supporters of the domination of old noble families in the politics of the empire. Another and quite significant opponent was the de and ne Britannia coalition headed by Princess Guinevere and Prince Cassius, but in this coalition it was difficult to talk about any specific ideology, it was more about gaining the greatest possible influence and power over the empire.
Coalition vi and el Britnannia, faction la Britannia and coalition de i ne Britannia were not, of course, the only ones at the imperial court, but others, such as eu Britannia and li Britannia, were either neutral in the struggle for power or did not have political power to be able to take including active participation.
Lucius went down to the living room, through the great ballroom and stairs on which his mother died over six months ago. It is true that he ordered a thorough reconstruction of this particular room, but the memories of a bloodied woman holding in an embrace and protecting her own daughter ... was something impossible to forget, or to erase from the memory of a mentally sane man. Reaching my final destination was not something particularly long, on the contrary, it all took less than two minutes.
"Good to see you, big sister." He said, beaming at the sight of his sister, and with a gesture of his hand dismissed the maid who followed him, then began to approach his sister at a brisk pace. He was genuinely happy to see her for one more reason. Cornelia promised him to bring his siblings, no matter what happened. The other princess was a person who always kept her word, so there was no reason not to trust her.
However, Lucius' smile faded very quickly due to her sister's sad and compassionate gaze. It was as if Cornelia was about to say something beyond her power. Only one answer passed to the young prince's mind, but he was not even going to take this possibility into account. Lucius did not believe it was even possible.
"What happened?" He asked, while trying to completely displace from his consciousness the possibility that his siblings might already be dead. No, the prince was not inclined to believe it for a moment, despite the constant logical explanation of the other princess' behavior pressing against him.
When Cornelia didn't answer for the first few seconds, and instead was muttering indistinctly to herself. As if fearing what might happen after answering.
"What happened?" He repeated with a high-pitched voice, his hands and eyes trembling uncontrollably. He blinked a few times, and single drops of tears began to trickle down his eyes. His legs buckled, and the prince fell to his knees, eyes wide, as if knocked down under the weight of the overwhelming reality.
"No." It was everything the prince managed to choke out, and his condition remained unchanged for the next few seconds, until he began to deny what was an unquestionable fact. "Impossible!" He screamed furiously and helplessly, ignoring the harsh reality. "It's just impossible! I don't believe Lelouch got killed or that he would let Nunnally die. It's just fucking impossible!" The Prince furiously and passionately denied it, as if all this would soon turn out to be only a nightmare. But it wasn't a nightmare, the pranks of his imagination and his subconscious fears, but a brutal reality that was hard to swallow.
"I'm so sorry." Cornelia whispered softly as she took her stepbrother in her arms and began to sob pathetically. "I tried to find them, but when our search party arrived near Prime Minister Kururugi last known location, we found a funeral pyre there." The princess began to tell her stories after a while as soon as she had mastered her emotions to some extent. "We initially thought it had the prime minister's ashes, but very quickly found two gold rings in the ashes that belonged to Lelouch and Nunnally."
Then she took out two rings, made of pure gold and beautifully decorated. Each of them had the initials, the first was LeviB and the second was NuviB. Lucius recognized them immediately, and his heart skipped a beat. Each member of the royal family had a gold ring with a distinctive initial, in the case of Lucius it was LuviB. The sight of gold rings with these initials rendered further attempts to question reality fruitless.
"Please give me a glass of water." After these words, he simply fell to the ground like a dead man, completely unable to endure this emotional storm. If there was anything that had happened in his blackout, it was the piercing awareness that he would never again be able to discuss with Lelouch what had made them fall apart in the imperial throne room.
"Lucius!" Cornelia screamed, frightened and out of mourning, and immediately began to try to revive her brother. As it turned out quickly, it was a completely unsuccessful attempt. She immediately picked it up from the ground to reach the nearest sofa. In the meantime, a maid hurried into the room, attracted by the screams coming from the living room.
"Call a doctor, let him assess his condition!" The princess was giving the order without thinking, and Anastasia hadn't thought to contradict her order.
XXX
Pendragon, Holy Britannian Empire
Imperial Palace
Two Days Later.
The blonde recently appointed prime minister could not help but sigh, his plans may have been completely ruined, but at the moment they only have to be changed. With regard to the new circumstances, much of the strategies and plans devised by the second prince have become at best inadequate to the new situation, at worst completely out of date.
The office reserved for the prime minister in the imperial palace was quite a versatile place, full of fancy ornaments and precious works of art, the value of which is really hard to quantify. At the same time, in the middle of the great office, there was a marble desk, behind which the newly appointed prime minister of the most powerful empire in the world, the Second Prince of Holy Britannian Empire, Schneizel el Britannia, was to sit. A man considered by many to be the rising star of a new era in the history of the empire.
The second prince became famous for his rare intellect, careful planning, but above all for his silver tongue. The latter skill turned out to be particularly useful during his tenure as imperial minister of foreign affairs. Although the negotiations on the Sakuradite crisis and the Oriental Incident ultimately ended in failure - mainly due to the stupidity of the Japanese government and the aggressive policy of the empire - the second prince's visible merit was to prevent the Chinese Federation and Europia United from joining the war. Given the strategic value of Japan and the local reserves of Sakuradite, it was undoubtedly a huge success, which resulted in the promotion of a promising politician to the position of Prime Minister.
Nevertheless, this was not the time to celebrate. While the Japanese deputy prime minister signed the country's unconditional surrender just a few hours ago, the prime minister had no reason to celebrate it, not in the light of the latest developments.
"Lelouch's death means a change of plans for me." He muttered under his breath, then folded his hands. The death of his younger brother was quite embarrassing for him, for Lelouch was an extremely intelligent child. This boy will turn out to be a really valuable ally in the future, despite Scheizel's entering into agreements and an alliance with his twin brother.
"Did you say something, Your Highness?" A voice came from a rather handsome, slim and young man with rose gold hairs and blue eyes, dressed in a rather gaudy and extravagant uniform. He was an old friend of the prince and his faithful assistant, Earl Kanon Maldini. The man who was directly responsible for the execution of many of the second prince's confidential projects and operations.
"I was just mulling over circumstances that have changed significantly, unfortunately." He replied, evidently glum because of the said sentences. Despite the conflict between Lelouch and Lucius, he had hoped to have both of them as valuable and powerful allies, but now it was impossible, for reasons that were all too well known. "Our strategies and all plans must change."
"You mean the deaths of former Prince Lelouch and Princess Nunnally, aren't you?" The prince's assistant asked rhetorically, but without any particular timbre in the tone of his voice. Earl was well aware that this was quite a touchy subject for his friend and suzerain. "This is an unfortunate event for the empire, vi Britannia line and your plans, Your Highness."
The prime minister sighed deeply. "While it is true that this is an embarrassing event for our plans, for faction line vi Britannia it could be a positive development, nonetheless.
"What do you mean, Your Highness?" Kanon frowned, somewhat surprised at the coolness of his prince's speech. "Prince Lelouch had an outstanding mind, he was undoubtedly one of the most intelligent persons in ..."
"I know, he undoubtedly was." The second prince interrupted unexpectedly, a bit irritated, but quickly regained his composure. "But he was also extremely stubborn and unreasonable, which ultimately cost him the title and life. Fortunately, his brother is a bit less stubborn and sane. Mostly because of my interference with his upbringing. Nevertheless, the death of these two is not my main concern."
"Ah, I understand." Kanon immediately remembered the conversation that had taken place between his prince and the second princess of the empire. The content of the said conversation was, to say the least, disturbing and foreshadowing potential trouble. "Well, this is very unfortunate. Losing our main ally is extremely problematic."
"More of a vassal." Schneizel said dispassionately, knowing full well that Lucius is under his strong influence, and he will obey much of his advice, especially in the face of the death of his siblings. "But you're right, losing him would be especially troublesome for us." The prince sighed, for a brief moment wondering what exactly he should say. "Let me put it bluntly, I have no one to replace him. There are few people in the world with our level of intelligence. As if that was not enough, both Duke Krushevsky and Marquess Zabi do not feel warmly towards me."
"So what should we do in this situation?" Kanon asked. "If His Highness remains in its present state, his laboriously built position could quickly turn to dust. I have no doubt that members of the la Britannia faction will attack his allies as soon as their knowledge of his mental state becomes public. To make matters worse." .. "
"His siblings' funeral and a reception in their honor at Aries Villa takes place tomorrow." The prime minister put in quickly and lightly. "I know Kanon, but in this situation I am completely helpless. If a miracle does not happen tomorrow, the existing balance of power at the imperial court will be ruined and my political career as prime minister will end for some time."
Kanon looked at his prince and friend with an expression of shock at the ease with which the prime minister spoke of what could happen. "So we basically leave everything to chance?" He asked, with a tone of voice that matched his shocked expression perfectly.
"We have no other choice at this point." The Prime Minister said glumly, closing his eyes as he did so and trying to focus his mind on finding the best solution. "Lucius has undoubtedly one drawback, he can be extremely sentimental towards people close to him."
XXX
Pendragon, Holy Britannian Empire
Capricorn Imperial Villa
Same Day
"Are you absolutely sure about this?" A delighted and elegantly dressed woman asked, undoubtedly a noblewoman. Long-haired blonde in a white dress, covered with many golden ornaments, containing quite long straps. Its current state resulted directly from the latest news.
"I have absolutely no doubts about it, Your Majesty." The valet, who did not stand out in any particular way from his colleagues, replied hastily but cheerfully. "His Highness, Lucius vi Britnnia, did not take the news of the siblings' death the best. According to rumors, he passed out and most likely mentally broke down."
"Excellent!" A happy woman exclaimed as she finished her glass of wine. The woman couldn't possibly have received a better gift that day. "First it turned out that some of the common offspring were dead, and now it turns out that the last of the common lineage is finished. That's really great news." Then she dismissed her butler with a gesture of the hand and was very quickly left alone in the living room of her great villa.
Empress Gabrielle la Britannia could not have received better news on this cloudy day. In light of current news, it was more than highly likely that what was left of the vi Britnnia line would be gone the next day. Everything promised to be a huge success, because when the followers and allies of Lucius vi Britannia saw him helpless and incapable of such simple things as appearing at the celebrations related to his own siblings, they would immediately scatter and disperse, probably in the struggle for the remnants of power and in search of new alliances.
However, Gabrielle had no intention of allowing Prince Lucius' allies to stay alive, much less within the imperial court. For all the families supporting the last of the vi Britannia line, the empress has planned an unpleasant fate. Marquess Zabi and her family were to be immediately arrested and executed, few would be dissatisfied because of this, as Marquess was a relatively new addition to the court and nobility. The Zabi family owed their nobility and positions to the powerful and active support they gave to the present emperor during the Emblem of Blood.
However, Duke Krushevsky and his lineage required a much more subtle approach. Gabrielle, in spite of her position as imperial wife, could not simply have them arrested and killed, so it was imperative to hire competent killers to kill the Duke and his entire family. The Empress firmly rejected the exile of the Krushevsky family, still remembering what happened after her expulsion of Grand Duke von Breisgau and his entire family.
But whatever steps she took, the collapse of these two families was absolutely nothing compared to the prospect of taking over all their assets and businesses. Krushevsky Arms, was the company responsible for the production of rifles, armored personnel carriers, and Knightmare Frames for the army of the empire. Meanwhile, Zabi Entertainment was one of the most successful construction companies, operating under numerous government contracts.
After such a huge strengthening, la Britannia would become the most powerful political force in the empire, which would be tantamount to the rise to power of Pureblood nobles from old and respected families. Gabrielle was pleased with this turn of events, because she came from such a family herself. If someone should be able to decide about the lives of many hundreds of millions of people, then, according to the Empress, they should be descendants of the best families, perfectly educated, often talented and having the spirits of their ancestors in them.
However, there was one more essential element that was perhaps the most important to the empress. Possible succession to her son, Prince Clovis la Britannia, the third heir to the throne. If the most important thing for the empress existed in this world, then the happiness and success of her son were just that. Right now, she has arranged a Viceroy job for him in the newly created Area Eleven.
"It's undoubtedly a great day, everything is just as she would like it to be." She whispered to herself, then poured herself another glass of wine. This week has been a success story, so it had to be celebrated properly.
For a while, the Empress even considered completing this success, by hiring a mercenary force and having them kill Prince Lucius, and then taking over Flash Robotics. However, she rejected this possibility. It would be too suspicious a coincidence, especially with Gabrielle taking over the assets of the prince's former allies and their deaths.
Moreover, ordering the murder of a member of the imperial family could expose it to the Emperor's furies. Although Charles and Britannia became more and more absent from governing his own empire year by year, he set one line that no one could cross, the murder of members of the imperial family. There was no doubt that this was due to a desire to avoid a repeat of Emblem of Blood. This irritated the empress, but she had no intention of risking tearing down her hardly erected structure.
"It doesn't matter. Common droppings will soon lose their position and will never recover." Intoxicated with her own success and alcohol, decided to rest and prepare for the coming days. After all, she might have sent the killers a few years later and it wouldn't have made much of a difference.
XXX
Pendragon, Holy Britannian Empire
Next Day
Monica was nervous, Duke Krushevsky's only daughter seemed to be shaking with stress. Though she rode inside an armored and well escorted limousine, she couldn't help but fear for her life. Her girlish blue eyes were the best proof of her uneasiness. There was a specific reason for this. She overheard yesterday's parents' discussions about the current condition of her friend, ally of the family, and fencing partner.
The heiress of Duke Krushevsky had already had a few days' guesses about the condition of Prince Lucius when he refused to participate in their joint training. However, after hearing an argument between her parents, she had absolutely no doubts. Her friend, on whom the fate of her entire family and future depended, was in a state of a deep nervous breakdown, perhaps even close to depression. Monica was neither a psychologist nor knowledgeable about it, so she couldn't tell.
However, hearing an argument between her parents and the potential collapse of their family effectively mobilized Monica to do something to help the prince. Now the heiress of the Duke, she was on her way to the Aries Imperial Villa, the place where the Duke had undoubtedly stayed. The young girl had to put in a lot of effort to deceive her parents and persuade the chauffeur to take her there, and not to Saint Darwin Cemetery, where the funeral of Lucius' siblings was currently taking place.
Monica should have been at the cemetery at that moment and represent her family, because her father had his name yesterday, and her mother was in the hospital with him. Nevertheless, the girl was well aware that her presence at the cemetery would not change anything. Successful interaction with the prince, on the contrary, could not only get the prince out of his condition, but also lead to the formation of some form of bond between them. Honestly, Monica wanted to achieve this, but not only because of her willingness to help her friend, but most of all because the prince was the object of her adolescent crush.
Ever since they started their fencing and fighting training together, under the watchful and merciless eye of Nonette, the prince was extremely friendly towards her, sometimes even exemplary. He always helped her after a training fight when she was too tired. He was undoubtedly a man of courtesy to women, which, according to the little blonde girl, was extremely charming. Although she was a year younger than him, they both fought a close fight, relying on the same, their cunning and agility. Mainly, there were draws between them, sometimes they were even unable to start a fight, which in turn translated into malicious and shameless comments from their instructors.
However, there was one event for which Monica was particularly fond of. As their sixth training on Knightmare Frame approached - during which they were both going to fight Nonette - Lucius decided, without Monica's own knowledge, to improve their Ganymedes training systems. As the training fight began, Monica realized very quickly that her machine was improving and both were able to overwhelm Nonette, but that was not enough to beat her. Lady Enneagram adapted to the situation very quickly and finally defeated two inexperienced players after about two minutes.
It was only a minor event, but it made Monika realize how much the quality of a pilot or a fighter counts. She and Lucius, despite having improved machines, were not able to defeat their opponent at all, but only temporarily overwhelm him. The conclusion was obvious, even the best equipment in the hands of inexperienced people will give way to inferior quality equipment in the hands of specialists in its use. He and she exchanged views on this and very quickly came to the same conclusion that they wanted to become the best.
Besides, the prince, unlike other noble children, tried to support her dream of becoming a knight as much as he could. Since she started practicing with Lucius for the first time, she had the impression that her dream could come true. The prince was an extremely inspiring man, as well as respecting her skills. If there was a way she could repay him for the support she had shown, this was the best opportunity for it.
Before Monica realized, her limousine had already reached the villa where her friend and ally of the family lived. Outside, a well-armed group of ten guards waited. The one who appeared to be the commander immediately approached and the chauffeur opened the window.
"Who and for what?" Asked the commander of the guard.
"Lady Monica Krushevsky." The girl answered without hesitation, slightly surprising the commander. "I'm here to meet the prince before the party."
"Is the prince aware of your visit?" He asked surprised.
"The Prince himself asked for me a few hours before the party started." She lied with unexpected ease. Monica detested lies and manipulation, but as the heiress of a noble family, she was mostly liars and manipulators. Besides, turbulent and violent times required adapting the methods used by them to the new situation.
The commander did not seem convinced. For a moment Monica had the impression that he would completely reject her words and order her to leave. Probably the prince ordered no one to be allowed into the villa. But then, something unexpected happened.
"I confirm that the prince asked for Lady Monica to be present." From the walkie-talkie - located in the commander's pocket above the chest - came a female voice that Monica could not mistake for any other. "Let her in."
"Are you sure about this, Anastasia?" The commander asked in response, evidently fearing any consequences the prince might take against him for disobeying his orders.
"She's absolutely sure, Albert." She replied impassively, a little coldly as well. "The prince personally ordered me to ensure that Lady Monica was allowed into the residence and led directly to his room."
Monica could barely conceal her surprise as it seemed that the prince's personal maid was lying for some reason and was helping her get to the prince. For a moment, the girl had a thought in his head that Anastasia had guessed her intention and was doing everything to bring Monika near her master.
Although the commander of the guard was clearly surprised by this turn of events, he did not cause any difficulties after the order of the prince's personal maid. Security allowed her limousine to enter the villa.
Immediately after the chauffeur parked the car in the underground garage, the much-known blue-eyed and black-haired maid, Anastasia Andropov, began to approach the limousine.
"Your Lordship." The maid bowed respectfully to the ten-year-old girl who, despite her age, was behaving very dignified, like a real noblewoman, the result of many and intense hours during which the label was literally pressed into her.
"Anastasia." Monica replied politely, but quite stiffly and in an excessively chilly manner. "Why?" She asked after a while.
For both ladies, it was clear the reason for the question just asked. The prince never asked for Monica's presence, and the maid, for reasons known only to her, decided to make the lie of the young noblewoman more credible. They both exchanged calm glances.
"Because this is the only way to save my master from destroying himself." She replied after a short while, and there was not an iota of hesitation in the tone of her young voice. "If he does not attend the party in honor of his deceased siblings today, representatives of the remaining factions of the imperial court will proceed to destroy his existing allies. The end result will be a weakening of his position and most likely your death, Lady Krushevsky."
Monica flinched at the words that confirmed her and her parents' worst fears. Though she had considered it many times before and several times, it was truly unique to hear it out loud. Probably for the first time in her life, Monica's blood froze. Even so, she decided to stay cool and control all her emotions.
"Is it that obvious?" She asked after a moment, acquiring herself the mischievous smile of the maid.
"For someone who is well aware of court politics, yes." She replied proudly.
"I wonder how you actually got interested in the politics of the manor house?" The young noblewoman asked after a short moment, then frowned. "Usually, a servant of such low importance no longer reflects on his master's fate and current position. Which makes your case so different."
"I do not belong to the category of average servants, completely devoid of enthusiasm for serving their master, as well as of far-reaching imagination." She replied, not so proudly as haughty now. "My fate is inextricably linked with the fate of my master. Since Empress Marianne gave me this job and the care of the prince, our fates are interdependent. If my master dies, his opponents will have no qualms about executing me. As well as all the staff of the villa, or all my master's allies. What do you think, Your Lordship? "
"This is a correct opinion." She stated in response and without a moment's hesitation, although she subconsciously wanted it to be completely different, she could not deceive herself, yet she was not desperate enough and detached from reality. However, at that point, a question arose in her mind. "Anastasia. Are you doing all of this out of your will to survive? Or maybe you have a completely different reason for it."
The maid hesitated for a moment as to whether she should answer that question. "I am doing this out of my gratitude to Empress Marianne vi Britannia. I will not give you all the details, Your Lordship, but know that he owes his life to the late Empress, and to her and her descendants. order to look after Prince Lucius, then I will carry out this duty, either until I die, or until my suzerain relieves me of duty. "
Monica was stunned by this, rather expected to hear a trivial answer. Meanwhile, however, the maid standing before her turned out to be a loyal woman with - perhaps - a deep and worth knowing history. However, it was not the time for such issues.
"I see." Monica calmly replied. "Then take me to the prince's room. I share your belief in our future if Lucius cannot recover from the loss of loved ones."
Anastasia nodded, then gestured to the stairs that led directly upstairs to the villa edifice. Monica took a confident and dignified step without hesitating for a moment, although she was only a ten-year-old girl, she was also a noblewoman aspiring to the army and chivalry, she could not show any weakness. The maid followed a few steps towards her.
They were both walking fairly quickly considering the weather outside the villa looked really bleak. As if that were not enough, a storm soon broke outside and it started to rain heavily. If there was a reason Monica was happy not to appear at the funeral of Prince Lelouch and Princess Nunnally, then the present weather was just that.
The young Lady Krushevsky felt really uncomfortable walking down the corridors of the Aries villa. The corridors filled with warm colors seemed to lose any shine in the face of today's gray and downpour, and the golden ornaments seemed to be more metal or silvery, completely cold and without any aesthetic value. Even works of art in the face of the weather, dripped primarily with depression and pure hopelessness. For a moment, Monica had the impression that the mood in the villa reflected that of Prince Lucius.
"Anastasia." Lady Krushevsky turned to the maid after a moment, willing to ask a question. "I know, and it is common knowledge, that the prince passed out after hearing about his siblings and had a nervous breakdown. However, there is no information about his behavior. How does he actually act in the face of all this?"
"The prince has completely lost interest in the outside world." The maid began quietly, but she seemed to be somewhat dissatisfied with the state in which the prince was now. "He's moody, he doesn't say anything. He hasn't left the room for several days, he hasn't even taken a shower, not to mention a bath. The meals he is served remain completely intact and he stays in the room with the windows still closed."
Monica was not satisfied with the information she heard. In fact, she was terrified by what she heard. The maid's words said directly that the prince's condition was, in fact, close to depression. Although Monica had virtually no knowledge of psychology, she instinctively felt the state of her friend and prince.
"We've reached our destination." Anastasia announced, then opened the door leading into the room. "Your Highness, Lady Monica Krushevsky has come to the meeting." But there was no answer from inside, only the indifferent sigh of someone who appeared to be merely the wreckage of a human being. The maid gestured that Monica could go inside.
Although the young Lady Krushevsky hesitated for a moment, for fear of talking to a friend in poor mental condition, the awareness that most likely only she could do something at that moment prevailed. Eventually, Monica took a proud and confident step inside, not knowing what to expect.
But what she saw inside, definitely exceeded her wildest expectations. The room, almost always brilliantly lit, versatile and full of warm colors in her mind, now seemed more like a graveyard in the middle of a gloomy night. Dark green curtains effectively blocked out the already gray landscape, so Monica decided to turn on the light in the room. As soon as the lights were activated, a loud and completely lifeless sigh resounded across the room.
Monica turned almost immediately to the source of the sound. However, what she saw at that moment exceeded her expectations. Prince Lucius vi Britannia lay limply on the bed, pressed against a pillow. Usually smiling, quick-witted, and proud, he appeared to be completely relegated to a soulless, soulless living dead. His hair was greasy and devoid of any order or order. The smell he gave out was really hard to forget.
Monica struggled to hold back her gag reflex as she slowly approached the bed. Eventually, however, she got close to the prince and could not help herself, especially in the face of her natural sensitivity to unpleasant odors. She gave the contents of her stomach right next to the prince's bed, and for the next several seconds she struggled to complete the process. Nevertheless, when she finally finished, she placed her hand on the prince's pale forehead.
"Lucius." She whispered in his ear, but he didn't react to it at all. "Lucius, please get out of bed."
Honestly, Monica was more than upset about his current state. She and Lucius had known each other since she was six, from that memorable birthday party. Back then, as a six-year-old girl, she was absolutely impressed by the extraordinary charm and equally extraordinary aura of the young prince. Lucius, even then, was extremely charming and there was a warm and friendly aura around him. Since then, the two have encountered each other on a more or less regular basis. Sometimes they ran into each other at parties, and sometimes by sheer coincidence the two would meet.
Nevertheless, while the prince seemed just kind to her, Monica was fascinated and - to some extent - interested. Especially since they both shared common interests, such as fencing and war games. Both of them always treated each other with great respect, until Monica turned into a youthful infatuation. On the other hand, which lady wouldn't be infatuated with a rather handsome and charming prince?
"Is it already death that has come to take me to the other world, straight to my mother and my siblings who hate me?" He asked in a voice that at best could have belonged to a badly injured and dying man without even trying to save himself from his fate. "If that's right, then maybe Lelouch will finally get his revenge for my betrayal."
"You haven't betrayed anyone." Monica whispered in his ear, after a brief moment of hesitation. "The death of Lelouch and Nunnally was not your fault. You were trying to protect your siblings, to ensure the future of your family."
Lucius started to move slowly, first lifting himself from the pillow, then shifting into a sitting position. It didn't take long for he to turn to Monica. It was then that it turned out that the prince's shirt was unbuttoned, and the young Lady blushed slightly at the sight of her friend's rather athletic chest. Nevertheless, while from a distance the prince looked at best like a living corpse, now he seemed literally empty in existence, like a sculpture of some sort. His eyes were completely lifeless, or even the slightest spark of soul.
It was a terrifying sight for Monica. Her best friend, who could easily inspire her to work hard, was now a walking corpse who might as well be buried a few meters underground.
"I was too stupid to present my own brother with arguments that would appeal to his stubborn mind." He stated, however, the indifference in the tone of his voice left a lot of room for doubt as to whether he really believed his own words. "I couldn't save him, I couldn't even get forgiveness from him for my betrayal. Am I such a fucking hopeless brother!" The last sentence was on the verge of a distraught scream, and after a while the mournful sob left the prince's mouth. "I have lost everything that was dear to my heart. I lost my mother, I lost my twin hating me and I lost my innocent sister who was always able to act as a peacemaker between me and Lelouch. world."
"Not yet." Monica raised her tone firmly and stared into his purple eyes with as much coldness as possible. "If you have lost what was close to you or what defined you, then there is no other choice but to find or create something new that will motivate you to continue this existence."
"Even if it's all pointless?" He asked blankly, while staring into his friend's eyes with the same empty expression in his eyes. "Even if everything eventually falls to dust and dust?"
"Even so." She replied firmly, but it wasn't over. "Tell me, Lucius. Would your loved ones be content with your current state?"
The question clearly struck the prince's broken and now feeble mind, for his dull and lifeless gaze had come alive a little. As if the soul had just returned to the owner's body and kindled the fire again. The question made him think for a moment, but the conclusion came quickly and was more than predictable.
"No." He replied sadly, realizing once again how pathetic he was. "But I only deserve it after I cheated on ..."
"You haven't betrayed anyone!" Monica exclaimed, thus breaking the prince's monologue. She herself was surprised by her actions, because so far she had always been a quiet and calm girl. Nevertheless, she did not let the surprise influence her intention to reach the prince's mind. "It was your twin who was stubborn! He was unable to accept reality and come to terms with the past! You, in turn, did everything in your power to keep him and your sister from being expelled from the empire! you chose not to perish with them, but to pay tribute to your mother's legacy! "
Her words had an increasingly visible impact on the young prince, whose mind began to arouse more and more. The heat of his soul returned to his eyes more and more clearly, and his muscles seemed to return completely from moment to moment, under the control of his sharp mind.
However, Monica was well aware that this was not enough. Such words might sustain an individual of his kind for a time, but only to revert to a pitiful and sparkless state later. Young Lady Krushevsky had no desire or interest to see her friend and training partner plunged into this state again.
"Almost all of your immediate family is dead." She subtly reminded him that only his father remained of his immediate family. "However, is it worth it to have their memory and legacy crushed to dust by those who now intend to tear your family legacy apart? Even now that your current condition has spread, the vultures have already gathered Scavengers, seething to tear your allies' property! " Her last words were genuinely a scream, full of anger. "I have heard some people talk about the murder of my family, or the entire family of Zabi, as well as the seizure of our property. If you show weakness now, you will allow it and your position will weaken."
This very quickly reached the prince's mind, who slowly began to rise until he finally got to his feet. Even now, Lucius was more than aware of what might soon happen. If Monica's family is to be eliminated, she will be the heiress of Duke and his estate all the more so. Frankly, Lucius was genuinely disgusted and furious at how insolent the most influential noble families had become. Although he had to commend such families for "mass producing" high-quality people who constitute a valuable and much needed elite in the country, such actions made his blood boil.
However, his anger was only partly due to the attitude of the aristocracy. What really drove him to the brink of pure fury and at the same time motivated him to recover from this state was the potential death threat of his friend. Honestly, Lucius treated Monica almost like a sister rather than just a best friend. He lost his twin brother, he lost his younger sister, he lost his mother. The prince was not going to let anyone lay hands on his friend.
If Monica had any doubts as to whether her arguments appealed to the prince, the next few seconds blew it away. The prince took a deep breath and relaxed his body, some form of mad and malevolent fire flared in his eyes.
"I see." He replied more than vividly. "You're right Monica. If I can do anything else, pay tribute to my mother's mother's legacy! Make it remembered and celebrated forever and ever!" He was determined. However, wanting to take care of his mother's memory was only one side of his motivation. The second and much more important was to protect my good friend from any harm.
"May I have a request for you, Monica?" He asked, with a serious expression on his face, as if he wanted to tell her something that would change her life forever and irreversibly.
"Ask me what you want, Lucius." She replied, but after a while decided to include an appropriate clause on it. "Within common sense, of course. I don't want to be asked to do things that are beyond my strength and abilities."
"I don't expect anything like that of you, Monica." He replied with a charming amusement, but quickly got to the point. "After graduating from the military academy, I want you to become my Knight of Honor as well as the commander of my guard?"
"I am pleased with your offer." She replied with a hearty smile then took his right hand which the prince held out to her. After a while, they both stood on their feet and looked at each other straight in the eye. Amethyst and inspirational orbs met with a beautiful and cool sapphire. "I accept your request because I cannot imagine a gift greater than fate than being able to support my first friend." After a while, however, Monica also realized the deeper implications of herding her as Knight of Honor in the service of Prince Lucius. "Besides, if it is to help cement the alliance between the Krushevsky family and the vi Britannia line, I will accept it with great pleasure. . "
"Excellent." The prince rejoiced, he seemed to regain all his strength, inner fire and ambitions. "Monica, I swear one thing for sure ..." Then he clenched the fingers of his right hand into a fist and placed it over his heart. "One day we will gain immortality through eternal glory and the memory of what we will accomplish."
It would have been extremely pompous and even more than elevated the scene, if not for Monica's words spoken from her lips a few seconds later.
"However." She added after a moment as the scent emanating from the prince hit her nostrils once more. "You should take a decent bath and choose your best outfit, you cannot appear so pitifully in front of the guests." At that moment, all the charm of that one moment had evaporated, much to the prince's displeasure.
AN: Hello dear readers, please let me know what you think.
There are basically four things that matter most in this chapter.
First, factions and intrigues in the empire. When I first watched the anime, I was a bit disappointed with the portrayal of Britannia as a unitary monolith, with virtually no mention of the power struggles that take place in every imaginable kind of state or state entity. However, due to the fact that power in the empire is concentrated in the hands of the aristocracy (the most powerful nobles) and the royal family, they often do not have any specific ideology behind them, but only a desire to dominate Britannian political scene.
The second, presenting the differences in the aspirations of Lelouch and Lucius. While Lelouch wants to destroy the existing order of things and replace it with something else, Lucius accepts him to some extent, considering the fight against order a suicide, and so he wants to leave a glow behind him. Significant in this is also the fact that he had a friend who actively supported him and who raised his spirits in the time of crisis, as well as allies. The fact why Lelouch chose his path of destruction and chaos is due to the lack of active supporters around him, which naturally led him to the path of chaos and loneliness. Meanwhile, Lucius avoided choosing the path of destruction because he was not convinced of his solitude. Additionally, the two princes are driven by completely different feelings. Lelouch is driven by a desire for revenge and contempt for the world, while Lucius is driven by ambition and love, both for her mother and her legacy, as well as for her friend (not fully developed in this case).
However, in the midst of all these differences, I have allowed myself to give them one thing in common, to have a loyal and versatile - in terms of skill - maid. :)
Third, the development of the relationship between Monica and Lucius. He doesn't even try to hide the fact that the two will eventually become a couple. I didn't choose to create such a pair for no apparent reason - or the desire for the main character to have a beautiful other half - but because of Monica's character. In the anime, there is little about her as a character - except that she is most likely a gifted commander due to commanding the Imperial Guard - while in the manga it is clearly shown that this character is not a supporter of the Number System and Areas, as well as having a certain liking. to fight.
The fourth thing is definitely an end to something - at least for the moment - which I can shortly call "The Sorrows of Young Lucius". The main character reaches such a big emotional bottom that after it things can only get better.
I must admit that writing this story is extremely pleasant for me to some extent, mainly due to the fact that it creates a strong opposition to the main character of the original. However, my intention is not to present these views as good and bad, but as a fundamentally different way of influencing reality. They can both be called "Way of the Extremist" and "Way of the Ambition". I admit honestly, this is probably my first story in which the main character is not an anti-hero or almost a villain. I want Lucius Cornelius vi Britannia to be seen by you not as a selfish, power-hungry, calculating and absolutely ruthless tyrant, but more as an ambitious individual who, thanks to his passion, the influence of his surroundings and the will to go down in history, at the same time does something good for the world .
I will not hide that it results from my personal priorities and beliefs, that more than altruism or dedication, I value ambition and fire in the heart, which is able to influence the surrounding reality.
That's all for my part, once again I encourage you to write what you think about it and have a nice day.