Hated Brother

by King's Snake

Unlucky moment in throne room takes an unexpected turn. Two brothers who should be one, finally turn against each other, only to become deadly enemies. First of them, wanting justice and revenge. Second of them, wanting to make their mother's legacy eternal.

20. Chapter XIX

AN: Hello, dear readers, and I invite you to read the next chapter.

My humble apologies for waiting so long for the next chapter - especially in the face of a cliffhanger - but I just couldn't finish it.

Now, it's time to respond to comments.

- Richter - to some extent, you're right. In series, Lelouch just he got a 'weapon' that completely changed the balance of power in his favor and he decided to use it. And yes, that cind of a fragile peace simply cannot last long. It's more a matter of the show's writers trying to convey that once these 'bad guys' are removed from power, people won't want to fight because they're good by nature.

In fact, however, humans are truly bloodthirsty creatures and will be eager to fight as long as there is even the slightest irrational reason for it. Not to mention the greed of those who usually get to power.

- dan. lew. upg - thank you very much and your welcome.

- DarkerEvening - thank you and have a hope, that this chapter will be for you just as great as previous or better.

For now though, I hope you enjoy it and don't feel disappointed, dear readers.

---

endragon, Holy Britannian Empire

Aries Villa

Same Day

The unexpected arrival of the Emperor at the reception on the occasion of the victorious campaign in Egypt, almost immediately caused a great stir among the guests gathered at the villa, and was the catalyst for many rumors. How else could all these people react, seeing the usually absent from political life, or their own children, at a party of the one whose mother was of commoner origin? Something that to most - not even the high-born part of the population of Pendragon - the nobility of the empire at large seemed simply unthinkable, was now happening before the eyes of the people gathered in the villa.

Many of the guests, almost immediately and instinctively started to gossip. Whispers carried through most of Aries Villa, much like the echo of dripping water in a cave, but with much more power and less pleasure for the ears. This gave a great illustration of the fact that the vast majority of guests formed an opinion on this subject.

For example, Deputy Prime Minister Gihren and Duke Duke Alexander Krushevsky were completely convinced and exchanged observations on the subject that the Emperor simply decided to use the opportunity to remind everyone of his continued presence in the political life of the empire.

Meanwhile, Garma tossed internally between supporting the claims of his older brother and Duke, and coming to the conclusion that the whole reality and opinion developed about the father of the purple-haired man's best friend had just lost any sense or logic. Very quickly, the youngest of the descendants of the Marquis of Dhabi gave up any attempts to understand this situation.

Princess Euphemia li Britannia, meanwhile, stared at her own father - surrounded by the Knights of the Round and the Imperial Guard - with wide eyes. She immediately abandoned all attempts to understand his appearance here. It might as well have been an aging man's whim, but no one would ever dare say it out loud. At the same time, however, a specific and legitimate question appeared in her mind. Why would their father, who was usually so absent from his children's lives, spend time on one of them who probably had the most reason to hate him? A question that has remained completely unanswered for the moment and perhaps even the answer will not be obtained by the young Princess ever again.

Meanwhile, the former Princess Marrybell mel Britannia and her friend from Zevon family, although surprised by the appearance of the Holy Britannian Empire monarch, in practice had very similar thoughts on the subject. Namely, they suspected some deeper intention, and perhaps even intrigue. Marrybell simply couldn't see this man at the top of the empire any other way than a perpetually calculating manipulator who tries to win as much as possible in every game he plays. Oldrin, meanwhile, was completely convinced that the Emperor had some deeper agenda for this visit, perhaps to unequivocally support one of the political options in the House of Lords.

Overall, however, the entire hall seemed convinced that the Emperor's visit to this particular party was indisputable evidence of his support for the coalition of Prince Lucius and Prince Schneizel. It was the simplest and at the same time the most probable guess. Especially since the coalition of the two princes was steadily gaining more and more support among the nobility, deputies to the House of Lords and among the common people. Basically, this last aspect seemed to be the most important, because as history has shown many times in the past and will undoubtedly show more than once and not twice. No man, whether he is King, Emperor, Chancellor, Warlord, Dictator or President, simply cannot govern without the support and approval of the largest part of society, which to a large extent consists of the army or the secret service.

However, regardless of opinion on the subject, the fact was the appearance of this man, the Emperor - and in the mind of some citizens of the empire, even a god or demi-god - will exert a powerful influence on the entire socio-political sphere of the empire for several days, and will be the subject of much serious discussion .

Lucius, sitting behind his desk in his office, was inevitably preparing for the speech he was about to give to the audience. He would speak first, then Schneizel. All in order to show a united front and to calm down any speculations about the emerging split in the coalition.

Basically, both Lucius and Schneizel saw the party as an opportunity to gain several benefits on just one occasion. Time apparently only worked in their favor. Although both were well aware that their position in the empire was growing week by week, still, sooner or later, some minor or major setback was bound to reverse this trend for a while. If they don't consolidate their power and secure all or most of their recently acquired assets, the next few months could prove to be really hard for them.

"It's a one-in-a-time opportunity…" Schneizel began his monologue, looking straight at his younger half-brother and political ally with a typical, hard-to-describe, smirk. "Well, given the extreme rarity, or rather absence, of any visits by our father to any of the parties or occasions of any of our many siblings. I just can't pinpoint the odds precisely."

Lucius nodded, his face absolutely unreadable. "I'm not a bit surprised by this fact. To be completely honest, I wouldn't be surprised at all if you were able to pinpoint it precisely."

Schneizel just chuckled, but didn't have a chance to add anything else as Lucius sighed and spoke again.

"Regardless of what I am, we should move as soon as possible to the main hall, where the core of the guests should already have assembled." With these words, he stood up and stretched his bones. "Although I did not initially plan your appearance, the broadly understood change of circumstances forced me to adapt to the new situation."

Schneizel stood up too, after a short while. "I think so too, Lucius. We shouldn't keep our distinguished guests waiting."

Moments later, the two half-siblings were already on their way to the stairs in the main hall, thanks to which they could attract attention and successfully address everyone gathered. In the meantime, however, when both of them were practically walking arm in arm, a rather short conversation ensued between them. The topic was at least interesting and worth a more detailed description.

"I heard and Kanon confirmed this information, according to which our sister was invited to this special ceremony." The Prime Minister began, but Lucius allowed himself a little playfulness.

"Well, if I remember correctly, I invited more than just one of our stepsisters to my party, so I advise you to be specific about that."

"We both know exactly who I mean." Schneizel replied dryly, and he clearly had no intention of starting any wordplay. "We both know what Marrybell did to deserve exile from the Imperial Family. I don't need to remind you?"

Lucius nodded and Schneizel continued the monologue. "Inviting her to this party is risky for many reasons, and was even before our father's unannounced arrival. You are risking acts with unpredictable, even to me, consequences."

"He's well aware of the risks he's taking." He fell silent for a few seconds, a pleased and provocative smirk on his lips. "However, I am convinced that this daring maneuver is totally worth the risk. Although Marrybell may not be as smart as you or me, she is still quite bright and talented, at least when it comes to counterterrorism and counterintelligence."

Schneizel smiled at his words. "So you're saying that our main concern in the near future will not be the other two powers, but the various terrorist groups that are emerging in the areas of all Areas?"

Lucius nodded at him. "On this particular issue, I have allowed myself to be forward thinking and intend to bring Marrybell to our side before anti-Britannian terrorism becomes a big issue. specific areas."

"Your thoughts on our future problems are broadly in line with my observations. Already, the OSI has found traces of a rather powerful terrorist organization, Peace Mark. Any counterweight to this threat will be crucial in the future." Even so, Prince Schneizel's vision darkened in one very rare display of annoyance. "However, I would prefer to be informed about these moves in the future. Such chaos and lack of information are not conducive to long-term cooperation."

"I know that, but…" Lucius let it hang and create an intense atmosphere. "If you think honesty between allies is important, then why did I have to find out for myself, using my personal assets, about Project Damocles or some other ballistic missile project code-named F.L.E.I.J.A. that would be launched from launchers mounted in this flying fortress?"

"Because I knew you'd find out sooner or later." The mood of the Prime Minister brightened a bit, especially after the next words. "Also, it seems you were the one who didn't tell me much about your little secret factory that was supposed to supply you with the then state-of-the-art Knightmare Frames directly to the Corps."

Lucius rolled his eyes and brushed him off. "We can exchange our little lies and not mentioning some important, at least from the point of view of the existence of our coalition, issues for a long time. Regardless, however, the fact remains that we are about to give a speech and we are approaching my favorite 'stand'."

Lucius' chuckle that escaped his lips a moment later did not escape Schanizel. "In fact, I'm surprised and confused by this light-hearted approach to where your mother was shot and our little sister seriously injured."

Purple Prince remained seemingly calm, although in fact his eyebrows twitched, which Schneizel noticed without difficulty. It was clear that while Lucius wasn't going to get overly emotional, his nerves were clearly affected. Despite his desire to thoroughly test his younger brother's temperament, the White Prince quickly found it foolish to provoke the dragon, who hides his true face under the banner of a delicate, purple rose.

"After all, and regardless of which particular location is your favorite place to speak, I advise you to inform me of any riskier moves in the future."

"It still depends on what you think qualifies as a risky move." Lucius replied, then prevented his older brother from saying any more words. We're approaching the main hall. I hope you remember how we are supposed to talk and what will be the topic of our speeches?"

"You talk about your great triumph, and the role of our sister and the other soldiers who took part in it. In the meantime, I will inform the audience and, by the way, our father about the request for a few months' ceasefire with the EU. You don't have to worry about me, I may be older than you, but I'm not old and I don't have memory problems yet."

"I hope so, my dear brother." Moments after these words, they entered the grand staircase in the main hall. The same ones on which the mother of the Purple Prince gave her last breath and ended her life.

The two brothers came out of one of the side corridors and almost immediately were greeted with thunderous applause and greetings. In fact, all this was done in a manner worthy of members of the imperial family. Even the Knights of the Round, positioned around the Emperor, cheered. To the surprise of absolutely everyone, one of these Rounds was the infamous Sir Luciano Bradley.

Basically, only three people in the room didn't applaud. The first two were definitely quite obvious, and they were the princes themselves, whose nicknames came from the colors they used as their own hallmark. What was most surprising for everyone was the fact that the Emperor was silent and seemed to stand like a stone statue. His gaze rested intensely on the Purple Prince and seemed to completely ignore the presence, or even the very existence, of the White Prince. Although no one noticed it - except maybe Lucius and Schneizel - but it gave the impression that the Emperor was assessing the younger son present. His gaze, undoubtedly evaluating, was devoid of any sign of severity. Rather, it was curiosity on the part of a parent towards their own child, which was absolutely unprecedented in the empire, at least not on the part of this particular Emperor.

Walking and facing all the gathered, Purple Prince had no problem seeing all the people gathered here, or at least those who could fit inside the great hall, because several dozen guests could not enter and had to content themselves with watching everything from the corridors that led to the adjacent rooms or Arie Villa segments.

Lucius stopped, took a deep but short and hard to notice breath. Knowing that at that moment, thanks to all these cameras and the presence of the media, billions of people will listen to it. Gathered here are the nobles, the Emperor, the townspeople and the nobility of Featherland, the Britannians - regardless of social status - living in the Areas, or perhaps the front-line soldiers, or even the enemies of the Holy Britannian Empire in United Europe or the Chinese Federation. They were all undoubtedly listening and waiting for the words that Prince Lucius vi Britannia was about to utter.

Purple Prince didn't look at his older brother and his older half-brother standing a few steps behind him. Instead, his gaze briefly rested on the vast majority of people gathered here. Noblemen, industrialists, politicians, and military leaders whose common denominator was loyalty to the Vi and El Britannia coalition, and devotion to the ideals of that cause. Ultimately, though, his eyes fell on the Knights of the Round, specifically the man they protected.

Emperor Charles, meanwhile, returned his gaze quickly, and soon the two were engaged in a silent staring contest that generally stretched over a dozen intense seconds that felt more like an eternity than such a short span of time. Regardless, father and son were engaged in a silent battle, and the goals of both were completely different. The Emperor was evaluating one of the more politically and militarily active descendants, while the Purple Prince did his best to understand his father's intentions and the reason for this unannounced arrival.

The silent fight ended at some point, and the one who ended it was Lucius himself, when he broke off contact with his father and tried to look at everyone gathered in the room, which was only slightly successful. After all, he still had to make a speech.

The moment he opened his mouth, and before any words were spoken, it seemed that literally the whole world held its breath. But one thing Lucius didn't know, and never would have guessed, was the raven-haired teenage boy with whom he had once shared the same womb watching coverage of the party.

---

Tokyo Settlement, Area 11

Ashford Academy

At the same time

Identity, something that in the vast majority of cases stigmatizes a person, and sometimes even determines his entire future. In this particular case, however, it was different. To be precise, his identity and past determined the future to a large extent, but unexpected events that combined into one great chain of cause and effect brought the teenager in question to this particular point.

Lelouch vi Britannia, once Prince of Britannia and one of the heirs to the imperial crown. Now known only as Lelouch Lamperouge, Ashford Academy student and commoner.

He had returned to his dormitory apartment only a few minutes ago after a rather satisfying day. Apart from all those abandoned lessons about useless - in his opinion at least - things. Much more interesting, in his opinion, was the rest of the day, during which he and a partner in many ventures - Rivalz Cardemonde - went to the residence of another and puffed-up nobleman who dealt with professional chess games.

The victory made Lelouch and his friend many tens of thousands, so that would have lasted for several months. It might seem that all this to survive the next few months, but it was not true. In fact, as soon as Lelouch turned sixteen, he started going to gambling clubs with the same goal of raising as much money as possible, with the intention of using the capital gained in the future. But the ultimate goal, though nebulous, was at the same time simple, but from this particular point almost impossible to achieve. It was the destruction of one of the world powers, whose ruling class took away his mother's life, and his younger sister's health for life, at least until modern medicine saw some revolutionary progress in the matter of cybernetic implants and artificial limbs or internal organs in general.

However, apart from the fate of the raven-haired teenager, as mentioned earlier, he returned to the apartment in the dormitory quite recently. His maid - Sayoko Shinozaki - took care of his little sister all day long. Lelouch, although undoubtedly tired, spent a few minutes with Nunnally, during which he decided to share with her some details about his activities today. It was not difficult to guess that his younger sister was not happy about this and rather urged him to stop such practice and escapades.

It wasn't long, however, until Lelouch decided to go back - at least for a few minutes to his room and rest before returning to his younger sister. This time, for dinner together, where she would tell him something about her academic progress, for while Lelouch himself was in high school, his sister was still in middle school. Besides, from what Lelouch himself was able to learn, Nunnally's progress was to be impressive for her age, despite the girl's disability.

On this occasion, too, he remembered one of the conversations he had had with his twin brother before his mother's murder. The two differed greatly in their views, and Lucius was always uncompromisingly in favor of the principle that everyone should receive a reward or assistance commensurate with their merits and the potential benefits they could bring to society. It is not difficult to see that this was a significant difference from the empire of Social Darwinism favored by the nobility. Although if you look at it - as Lelouch himself has done many times - his twin brother's views were a much more rational and therefore less radical version of Britannian Social Darwinism. According to this view, anyone who has given something to society - or can contribute to society - should be able to receive something in intention if they ask or need help. Nunnally, she was part of the type of people who deserved help from society, because according to these principles she could offer something from herself to everyone.

The elder of the vi Britannia twins - who had long since abandoned that name in favor of their mother's maiden name - winced at the mere mention of the brother he hated. Lucius vi Britannia was to him basically the personification of all possible evil and corruption of this world. All these years - which have passed since their separation - the elder of the twins - despite pure and completely sincere hatred for the younger brother - followed his political and military career. And despite all his hatred, he could not refuse his brother determination, consistency, diligence, but above all, the ability to adapt to constantly changing conditions on the battlefield or in the political landscape. Ultimately, in the subtle dance that politics undoubtedly is, it is necessary to adapt to ever-changing circumstances, without it there is a very real possibility of stagnation, and this can already be - at least in the worst case - the beginning of agony.

But despite all the praise and appreciation for Lucius, Lelouch still hated him with all his heart, and there were two reasons for that. The first was the betrayal of the Purple Prince, which, in Leluch's opinion, was to be committed in the throne room on that fateful day. The second and slightly less obvious reason was, of course, what Lucius stood for and what ideology he promoted.

In fact, it was something that some and skilled observers of the Purple Prince's behavior, actions, decisions and utterances have cobbled together and boiled down to just two words, Social Organicism. The view that society as a whole - politics, economy and citizens - are all parts of the same organism and must work together to survive and thus thrive. According to this view, everyone can contribute something, if not physically, then above all intellectually. The best example of this was the Doctor of Theoretical Physics, Albert Hawstein. A man suffering from partial paralysis and having to move around in a specially designed wheelchair, and with specially designed apparatus to conduct effective communication. Lucius was able to spot this man, help him financially, and help promote his theories in the brutal world of the Britannian Society, where physical or intellectual defects directly affect the positioning of an individual. What Dr. Hawstein brought to society were many revolutionary theories in the field of theoretical physics, which explained many phenomena and contributed a lot to the scientific discourse.

Seemingly an ideal and reasonable view, which, according to Lelouch, had, however, an extremely great flaw, and which had not yet been fully recognized and could not see the light of day. Namely, treating all persons and factors as one organism simply had to lead sooner or later - at least according to Lelouch's opinion - to the elimination of those individuals and components that either harm society or do not contribute to its development. This had a logical basis, because the resources of this world were not infinite, and there were already over 900,000,000 people anyway. So the possibilities of ensuring a decent existence by the Earth were drastically shrinking, and the resources were less and less, due to - among other things - the constant conflict between the three powers. It was therefore becoming clear that the elimination of undesirable and useless elements in society would only be a matter of time. But the question that bothered the raven-haired young man was not 'When'. But instead: how far can such an extreme go? How far will this type of thinking go, and to what extremes will the person who professes it go when he considers some elements of society as a burden on the whole 'organism'.

Lelouch, already on the bed in his room, shook his head and pushed the thoughts of his younger brother away almost immediately. Thinking about him was as stimulating as it was frustrating and simply tiring for the young man.

The former Britannian Prince leaned back, and moments later he was lying on a comfortable bed, very familiar to him at the same time. Thoughts almost drifted away until he fell asleep for a few moments, about half an hour. It wasn't pleasant, because Lelouch woke up with a loud sigh and wide eyes. The whole content of the dream, literally from moment to moment, was quickly erased, and very quickly there was no trace of it, or at least nothing clear. In fact, a few chaotic memories mixed with exaggerated figments of the old Prince's mind.

After a few seconds, Lelouch was able to control the emotions raging in his guts, although it wasn't easy. Once again, the issue of a strong and unresolved past came to the fore.

After a sharp and contemptuous snort, Lelouch got out of bed and rubbed his eyes. He was going to have dinner with his sister soon, so he had to get himself cleaned up as quickly as possible so as not to arouse her suspicions. Hiding that something more was really planned than just remaining in the shadows, out of the way of history and focusing on survival, was mentally exhausting and hard work. All this, though it had been going on for many years, never became any easier or acceptable for the young man.

Essentially, ever since the Area Eleven was formally established - by the Britannian Occupation Forces and because of Imperial Decree - the former Prince of Britannia has begun and plotted revenge, aimed primarily at three things. The first was the Holy Britannian Empire and the system that was at the heart of this state, and which took away the mother of a raven-haired teenager. The second was the father and the Emperor, who was the face of the entire empire and the decision-maker. Not to mention his direct responsibility for banishing Lelouch and his little sister. The last on the list of targets was the younger twin brother. There were a lot of reasons for this, and the list has grown all the time over the years. Starting with leaving Lelouch and Nunnally when they were banished by order of the Emperor. Lucius leads the conquest in the name of the Emperor, the Holy Britannian Empire and the elite of the state. The use of the empire hated by Lelouch to promote himself and for - as Lelouch himself thought - only to satisfy Lucius' personal vanity and pride. To this was added the aforementioned creation - by Lucius - and the propagation of his own ideology, which for Lelouch was no less repugnant than Social Darwinism. Especially since Social Organicism was clearly created on the basis of the Holy Britannian Empire.

But whatever the goals of the zesty and the reasons why the former Britannian Prince chose them, the fact remained that Lelouch planned the destruction of the empire in many scenarios and by any means, taking into account - literally - tens of thousands of different and sometimes extremely different circumstances. Most of all, however, what ran through all his plans was to create the figure of a mysterious and masked revolutionary who, due to the lack of a clearly identified identity, could successfully both attract new people to his cause, and, by the way, constantly maintain support. Paradoxically, impersonal and mysterious, but at the same time beyond ethnic or national symbol, it offered the greatest opportunities to unite very different groups and environments.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by the hum of the radio that had been kept in his room all this time. Only now did he remember that he had turned it on this morning and apparently forgot to turn it off. Whatever the reason, Lelouch shook his head and rubbed his eyes once more before walking over to the device on his desk. Before the former Britannian Prince could do anything, however, a thought dawned on him that perhaps they would reveal some interesting or extremely important information. With this in mind, he tuned the frequency to BLN - Britannian Latest News - which of all radio stations usually offered its listeners the closest picture of reality.

"Welcome our dear listeners to this evening's BLN newscast." A calm and measured female voice was heard, which Lelouch recognized very quickly. "My name is Julia Warwick and it is my pleasure to host this issue for you. Let's start with the case that shook all of Pendragon. The emperor of our empire, usually so focused on the affairs of state that he usually does not appear at all the ceremonies of princes and empresses, appeared that evening at a party celebrating the victory of our army in Egypt, organized by Prince Lucius vi Britannia The Purple Lion of the Empire."

These revelations almost immediately aroused Lelouch, who without hesitation switched off the radio and turned on the television as quickly as possible, where on the Britannian News channel, a male presenter was immediately shown, and a large red stripe with the inscription: 'His Imperial Majesty, arrives at the reception of Prince Lucius .'

It also didn't take long for a live coverage of the entire event to be presented. The first shot, almost immediately, showed the Emperor, surrounded by all the Knights of the Round, with Sir Bismarck Waldstein as the one who was closest and at the side of the suzerain of the entire empire. The mere sight made Lucius sick to his stomach, and he grimaced furiously, while snorting and letting out a few drops of saliva on his lips, which were quickly wiped away with a quick movement of his hand.

The next shot, however, began to show the organizer of the whole party, who was about to give a speech. Lelouch had to admit to his younger brother that he looked decidedly imposing and physically presented exactly as a real Prince should. But the sight of his younger brother made Lelouch's blood boil even more for two reasons. The first was the Purple Prince's striking resemblance to their father. In fact, given Lucisua's tall height and broad-shouldered build, he presented himself as a younger version of the Emperor. The ornate uniform and half cape only added to the resemblance. However, the second reason was definitely more selfish on Lelouch's part. And it was the awareness that his younger brother, despite betrayal and serving the oppressive - for a large part of humanity - system, flows in abundance, wealth, honors and glory, while Lelouch himself must live in exile and oblivion.

"Your Imperial Majesty, noble Knights of the Round, dear friends." Lucius began his speech with dignity and a warm little smile on his lips. In general, with his whole demeanor, he spread around a pleasant, almost friendly atmosphere. "It is an honor for me as Prince of Britannia to host you all this evening after all these weeks of toil and fierce fighting in Egypt, the land of the pharaohs."

As he spoke, Luciusa began to gesticulate and make small gestures. Everything, however, was calm, and the whole ceremony was of a constant and very peaceful character. Lelouch had to give his brother another thing, that over the years he had been able to master the art of influencing people with gestures and words - in general, the art of subtle manipulation of people - to an extremely high level, in fact.

"Our brave soldiers and honorable knights in their steel mounts fought bravely, and I had the honor of fighting the enemies of our empire side by side with the most honorable and courageous men and women our great empire has brought into this world. I am delighted to be able to speak and celebrate such a victory, among such great and dedicated people of our great and holy empire as you."

"With the necking of our ancient enemy, United Europia, by driving them and their disgusting regime out of Egypt, the way opens up for us to gain extremely valuable resources there. First of all, I mean, as you no doubt know, rare metals. Thanks to this, our industry will obtain another hundreds of tons of necessary raw materials. For it is in all these great factory complexes that the tools necessary to develop and maintain our great empire as the most powerful power in this world are created."

"Thanks to the pillars in the form of a great army ready for long conflicts, an extensive and highly advanced industry in every respect, both light and heavy, and thanks to a very well-prepared and educated political class, Pax Britannica is approaching its inevitable implementation. In fact, I think we've already achieved that, and to a much greater extent than the creators of this concept could ever have dreamed of. The influence of our sacred empire begins here in Pendragon and extends to the Americas, almost all of Africa, Antarctica and Asia. The only point still untouched by our glorious empire, at least so far, is Europe."

"The same Europe that more than two hundred years ago plunged into a fire of chaos, revolution and anarchy. Only Napoleon Bonaparte pulled this poor continent out of the clutches of lawlessness, which ultimately cost him his fall and death. Let what is now happening to the political entity known as United Europia be the final warning against democracy, and the inevitable degeneration of such a political system into ochlocracy and oligarchy. The mob, in the form we see today, becomes only a slave to the corrupt elite, devoid of any higher values. People of this type are too predictable, because they destroy everything that can still be called noble or sublime. They will leave behind nothing but desolate lands, like locusts."

"When the bourgeoisie, rejecting all mechanisms created by mankind over the centuries, began to destroy each other as a result of the Great War, or simply Weltkrieg, we were able to change, evolve and undergo the necessary change. My victory and the situation in which the empire now finds itself is a natural consequence of the stagnation in which United Europe and the hideous system of this country have found themselves."

"But stagnation is not something that can be said about our and holy empire. Britannia is constantly on the move and in the pursuit of change depending on the times that are coming. We always adapt to the situation and changing circumstances. We have always done so, since our ancestors decided after Edinburgh that we would never again be humiliated, and never again would we be used by foreign powers. Never again will we be forced to bow to others who thirst for our blood. Never again will we be victims and never again will Edinburgh happen again."

With those words, Lucius raised his right hand and clenched his fist. Clearly, the atmosphere has become intense.

"Never again, in this world of constant evolution and change, will we fall behind those who stand in our way. The world and Britannia itself have entered a new era. An era of order and abundance. In the Era of the Pax Britannica."

"All Hail Britannia!" His scream caused an almost instantaneous avalanche of cheers from everyone in the audience, as the cameras deployed inside the Aires Villa diligently captured.

Even the Emperor - and seeing it also the gathered Knights of the Round - made a similar gesture and also began to chant the national slogan. Lelouch, however, couldn't bear to look at all this anymore, and with obvious disgust on his lips, he turned off the TV, then collapsed on the bed once more and closed his eyes for a few moments. The moment he turned on the television, he had the impression that watching it would not be pleasant for him. However, what his brother said filled him with pure disgust and fury at the same time.

The feelings bubbling up in the heart and guts of the former Britannian Prince were great and old building up. The desire to kill the hated younger twin brother was really great and there was no denying it. At the same time, however, all this fury could not find even the slightest outlet. Yes, Lelouch was smart, charismatic, and clever enough to try to stage a terrorist attack on his twin brother. The success of such a plan, however, was highly questionable and there was no guarantee that Lelouch would not be caught in the attempt. Not to mention the simple fact that a terrorist attack on Purple Prince, this dragon of the empire - even a failed one - could create the image of a modern martyr who would become a symbol for the next few generations. A symbol not just any, because a young man from the royal family, who fought and risked his life many times for the empire and thus the system that Britannia represented.

Everything ultimately came down to one and the same thing in many similar situations at that point. Lelouch was genuinely and immeasurably angry, but there was little he could do about the irritating reality. Although he had an incredible intellect, it was still definitely not enough to do anything. Its funds, though accumulated over the years and sparingly managed, were woefully insufficient to create any serious anti-Britannian resistance group, at least one that could be anything compared to the JLF. The plans, while undoubtedly ambitious and taking into account many potential variables, simply could not be realized, at least not without human resources and appropriate equipment.

To put it bluntly, Lelouch was once again in a bind, completely unable to take any action, however symbolic. It was not an isolated case, because such situations happened very often in recent years, and only thoughts about his younger sister, Nunnally, and that it was all for her, kept him sane and gave him further strength to fight against Holy Britannian Empire.

Lelouch sighed, then stood up and looked at himself in the mirror. After all, he still had dinner to eat with his sister, who had undoubtedly been waiting for him for a very long time, longer than was necessary in this case. Negative emotions began to subside in him until they were almost exhausted and completely extinguished. So Lelouch could return with a forced but still smile on his lips and provide his little sister with the best possible company.

There, it turned out that Nunnally and Sayoko were already waiting and the maid hadn't put dinner on them yet. Former Britannian Prince, so he could do one and the same thing, which helped him keep his sanity all these years and join his younger siblings. It was invaluable psychological support for the raven-haired teenager, which effectively helped him relax. But part of him—which should have been dead in theory a long time ago—wished there was another family member at the table.

---

Pendragon, Holy Britannian Empire

Aries Villa

At the same time

"All Hail Britannia!"

"All Hail Britannia!"

"All Hail Britannia!"

Cheers echoed around the room for a few more seconds until Lucius raised his right hand and silenced everyone.

Viewing it all as - essentially - an outsider and not yet in the spotlight, Schneizel just couldn't help but smile proudly. Watching this particular speech was a real feast for his ears and eyes. Probably never before, the effects of all these lessons that the White Prince gave his younger brother were so clearly visible and spectacular at the same time.

All these lessons in voice production, choice of words and manipulation turned out to be more than fruitful. Basically, after this performance, Schneizel had no doubts that his younger brother might one day surpass him in these three skills. The realization filled him with pride, but at the same time he had to hold back a bit and concentrate, because this wasn't the end of Lucius' speech.

"As Britannia, as a whole, we've been able to achieve a lot over the years. More than our ancestors or anyone could have imagined. When Ricardo von Britannia and the disgraced Empress Elizabeth arrived in America and an era of slow but steady rebuilding began, literally no one could have guessed that the shattered remnants of the former British Empire could turn into what we are today. We have achieved all this thanks to the ability to evolve and adapt. We were able to let go of the lost past and move forward into the past. However, can any of us do it?

The question posed by him at the end of this monologue caused quite a lot of consternation among the people gathered here and it is hardly surprising, given the rather general nature of the question. Lucius didn't give them much time to think and speculate, because a moment later, he looked straight into his father's eyes. The emperor, meanwhile, already understood what his son could be heading for.

"Your Imperial Majesty, in view of my many contributions to our empire and to you, I have two requests."

The Emperor, meanwhile, remained stoic and calm, but it was not difficult to see the twinkle of amusement in his eyes at the same time. "So say what you want. But I advise you not to be some useless trivia."

Lucius nodded before making his first request. "It is my wish that Marrybell mel Britannia, the former Britannian Princess, regain her title, status and position. I base my request on the fact that she is a woman of many talents, and I have no doubt that granting her access to the authority and resources of the Imperial family, could be of great benefit in the future."

The emperor at that moment turned his gaze towards the daughter mentioned a moment ago.

She, meanwhile, looked at her half-brother with wide eyes, then turned to her father with the same expression on her face. It was clear that this action had not been agreed upon between them in the slightest.

Only then did the Emperor look back at his son and, without thinking, gave an exhaustive answer. "So be it, if that is your request. In a few days I will issue an Imperial Edict and the necessary ceremony will be held whereby I will return all lost titles and positions to Marrybell mel Britannia."

"Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty." Lucius bowed slightly but enough to be considered acceptable, at least in terms of court etiquette. "My second wish is to ask for your blessing to marry one of the Knights of the Round. Specifically, I mean Commander of the Imperial Guard, Knight of Twelve, Monica Krushevsky.

While the second request caused a stir in the hall and undoubtedly the world, the request for a blessing on marriage made the whole room literally buzz with gossip. All the Knights of the Round - without a single exception - turned their eyes to the Knight of Twelve, who visibly began to blush.

To the surprise of absolutely everyone, however, a smile appeared on the Emperor's gray stubble-covered lips. It was hard to pin down exactly what emotion was behind that smile, but beyond any doubt, there was nothing purely malevolent about it. It was clear that only the next words of this man could bring any resolution.

"You shouldn't ask my permission for something that would intrude on your private life." replied the Emperor. "You're a Britannian Prince and a grown man, so you don't need to ask my permission. All this, even in spite of your fiancée's position."

All those words, however, were lost in the face of his next words. "But apart from these details, I do not see even the slightest objection and give you my blessing."

Lucius was a bit surprised by what his father said, but surprise quickly gave way to joy. It was then that he descended to the lower levels of the stairs, and one gesture from him was enough for Monica to understand his intentions and come over to him.

Following this, Purple Prince pulled her to him and they both placed an extremely passionate and quite long kiss on each other's lips. Although the lovers did not pay the slightest attention to it, all the gathered people started clapping and some of them looked at the young couple in love with genuine delight. Certainly, such an open expression of affection by the couple touched the hearts and minds of many gathered here.

Among all the people gathered here, only one was more than pleased with such a display. That person was the Prime Minister of Britannia himself, Schneizel. He was so pleased that he didn't refuse himself, she mumbled all these praises under her breath.

"Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, it has once again surpassed all my previous and wildest expectations, Lucius. Such a show, completely disregarding the emotional issues for you, is a real feast for the masses, especially for the common people. Ordinary people simply love this type of spectacle in which Prince Charming marries a beautiful chosen one of his own heart. However…"

His thoughts were interrupted as Lucius turned to the crowd. "Now, let me give the floor to a man who has no less important information to tell you. Prime Minister, Prince Schneizel."

After these words, Purple Prince and his beloved took up positions at the top of the stairs, slightly to the side. At the moment, their main role in this particular party has been clearly marginalized in favor of someone else.

The speech of Prince Schneizel - although very similar in form to that of Lucius - was much calmer and no longer created such dynamic tension. Nevertheless, the words and declarations made during his speech were quite specific and generally carried some legal force. First of all, the ceasefire between the Holy Britannian Empire and United Europia, which was finally ratified a few hours ago. The signatories of the treaty were the Ambassador to the EU, Count Gustav van Walcheren, and Vasily Stukov, the current EU Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Meanwhile, the duration of the treaty was eight months from today. Experienced and well-educated military commanders were fully aware of how valuable time this had gained. The land forces, air force and navy could rest, pull up supply lines and establish new ones if the need arose. In addition, the planners had a unique option that they had been waiting for for a long time. The more pessimistic part of the military commanders, however, began to pay special attention to the fact that it gives the United Europe Army the opportunity to regroup tired armies and Corps, and perhaps even prepare a strong and deep defense. Breaking through such a front - especially considering the new machines introduced for the use of the army of the republic - is simply bound to lead sooner or later to huge losses, and perhaps even the failure of potential operations in this region of the world. Such a prospect, however, was quite distant and was quickly pretty much smothered as the party got back on track.

It didn't take long for Lucius and Monica to literally be besieged by a whole herd of people wishing them well. After all, many of these industrialists, nobles, and military leaders were his staunchest sympathizers, ready to support almost any decision he made. The only exceptions would be the most absurd moves on his part. Such as, for example, undertaking the extermination of the local population in one of the Areas.

To the surprise of absolutely everyone, one of the first to congratulate the engaged couple was the infamous Vampire of Britannia. Sir Luciano Bradley, Knight of Ten and one of those types of people who were admired only for fear and secretly despised for the same reason. And yet, this - as he was once said - a mockery of the institution of knighthood, was one of the first people to wish the most popular couple in the entire empire.

As time passed, however, the remaining Knights of the Round also joined the granulators, and the first of them was - as it is not difficult to guess - Sir Bismarck. The gigantic, broad-shouldered Knight of One easily towered over the two brides in size, but he was more than affectionate towards them.

"Congratulations to both of you." He said, then continued with a smile on his face. "As soon as rumors of your secret engagement began to reach my ears, I quietly vowed good luck to your relationship. You are a perfect match, young beautiful lady and the brave Purple Lion of the Empire."

"That's very flattering of you, Sir Bismarck." Lucius replied politely, and personally had no doubts that these congratulations were words spoken on behalf of the Emperor. "Aside from what His Majesty is doing here? It is hard for me to imagine that someone with such power and responsibility would waste time on someone who, due to their position in the succession hierarchy, has little chance of succeeding to the throne."

"Thoughts of His Imperial Majesty are not even remotely my business. It is his will and orders, nothing more and nothing less." Knight of One replied rather evasively, then changed the subject. "I recently heard that you are supposedly going to radically change the structure of Knights of the Purple Rose."

"Yes, I and some of my field commanders and others have come to the conclusion that radical changes are necessary. Considering, of course, the specific tool that Knightmare Frames are as a factor, basically one of the decisive factors in the case of modern warfare." Lucius did not delve into the question of his loyalty or obedience to orders, for he was well aware that it was impossible to question or undermine this particular aspect in the case of the Knight of One. "First of all, there is a need to change the lowest levels of the organization, but that is not so important at the moment."

"Right, Your Highness." Sir Bismarck nodded, then turned to the Knight of Twelve. "I wish to remind you, Lady Monica, that your marriage to a member of the Imperial family does not change anything about your duties, which remain the same, especially in terms of being commander of the Imperial Guard."

"Of course, My Lord." Monica replied with the respect due her superior, especially when he held such a prestigious position. "I will be as successful as ever, no need to worry."

"good." The Knight of One seemed pleased with her answer, then a twinkle appeared in his eyes. "I want to remind you that when it comes to motherhood, you have nothing to fear. There are multiple instances where female Knights of the Round have been given furlough due to childbirth."

"Sir Bismarck, it's…!" Monica nearly screamed and blushed, then lowered her voice a bit as she realized she had drawn quite a lot of attention to herself. "It's tactless to talk about things like this when Lucius and I are not legally married yet."

"Not yet." Lucius interjected, thus deciding to start irritating his beloved a bit. "However, despite the lack of an official date, we could theoretically get married tomorrow at dawn and consummate our union on the same night. The consequence of this state of affairs would be to father offspring, of course."

"Lucius..." Monica hissed loudly, now completely flushed, then stepped on his foot with great force. Still, she didn't deny herself a little nastiness towards him as an answer. "You seem all too eager to consummate our union and father offspring."

"Is it wrong when a mentally healthy person wants to pass their genes on to the next generation?" Lucius raised an eyebrow, but Monica didn't give in.

However, this minor banter was interrupted by Knight of One.

"Regardless, I wish you two happiness and success in your marriage. You deserve it." Then he walked away from the engaged couple.

The Knight of Twelve gave her fiancé an annoyed and rather grim look, and it was clear she wasn't too pleased with the direction their conversation with Sir Bismarck had taken. Lucius had no doubts that this type of attitude and pranks could cause him quite a lot of problems or even reproaches from her in the future. Despite everything, however, he remained in a very good mood and accepted congratulations with great joy and a very high level of humor.

In the next few minutes, more guests congratulated the engaged couple. In this, more Knights of the Rounds joined. One of the last was the well-known in the military and respected Knight of Nine, Nonette Enneagram.

In the dozen or so years that have passed since that fateful Aries Villa attack, Nonette has always been a warm welcome and welcome guest at Prince Lucius vi Britannia parties, as have Princess Cornelia, Euphemia, White Prince Schneizel, the Zabi family, or the Krushevsky family .

The fair-haired woman - as soon as it was finally possible - ran to Monica and Lucius, and then began to hug them, ignoring the looks that all the guests gathered nearby were throwing at her.

"Luc, Moni, how good to know that you will be together soon, until death do you part!" She roared enthusiastically, and only the general noise in this place saved her from attracting the attention of absolutely everyone in the room. "However, I hope to be given the opportunity to train your children in the pilotage of the Knightmare Frames."

"Nonette." Lucius and Monica said it at the same time, but with different tones. Purple Prince with an eye roll and a slight annoyance, while the Knight of Twelve took it all deadly seriously.

"What?" Knight of Nine carelessly shrugged her shoulders, as if any conventions or rules of etiquette did not apply to her person at all. "After all, you know very well that you know so well that this is something I could say without batting an eye or thinking."

"Indeed." Monica gasped loudly in response to her comment. "I suppose thanking you for your wishes and declaring your willingness to accept your offer in the future is more than enough."

"For me it is, Moni." Nonette remained carefree and amused, but after a while her nonchalance took on a slightly calmer and measured countenance, if you can put it that way. "Regardless of that, I am more than happy for your happiness. To be honest, I'm surprised you've only announced this now after so many years."

"Well, we've preferred to keep it all to ourselves over the years because we just weren't going to tell other people that, although we never denied it." Lucius replied, but in a way that beyond all doubt was not at all specific or exhaustive, and Nonnette raised her eyebrows in response in a show of mild annoyance. "But to answer your question, it's just that, and as I mentioned before to some extent, we just didn't feel the need to reveal the exact nature of our conclusion to too many people, nor did we explicitly do so because we just didn't feel the need. Also, and I think you'll agree on this particular point, some things are just better left as they are, with no definite answers, than to say too much."

"That still doesn't answer why you kept this particular aspect of your relationship a secret. For many years, we met many times and, in principle, you never showed this type of close relationship. Except for the occasional banter and the rather warm looks you guys gave each other." Nonette crossed her arms, and all hilarity disappeared from her tone, and it became clear that she intended to get the most accurate answer to the question she had posed. "And now you say, fast."

"If that's what you want, Nottey." Lucius shrugged, then moved closer to her and practically whispered his next words. "We both know very well that despite my alliance with Schneizel, or perhaps because of this coalition with the el Britannia family, I have had and still have many truly powerful enemies among the nobility of our empire. Pure Empress Whore, although undoubtedly the most important in terms of potential, is not the only one of them. So Monica and I have decided to keep the most important information about our private lives just for us."

Seeing only the deepening annoyance of the Knight of Nine, he decided to continue. "I know this is quite ambiguous and certainly paranoid behavior on our part. Nevertheless, circumstances excuse us, especially in the face of the impossibility of knowing that those in our circle of friends, such as you and Gino, will be able to keep everything a secret."

"You don't trust me, Luc?" Knight of Nine's question received no response as Nonette raised her hands defensively almost immediately. "Fine, you'd be right if you said I wasn't trustworthy on this subject, but you still could have signaled it better than dropping a bombshell on us all."

Lucius raised an eyebrow at this point in a clear show of skepticism. "Really? Didn't you really suspect all this time that Monica and I might have some deeper and romantic relationship? I'm a bit disappointed as I was hoping for much bolder, and perhaps even provocative, insights from a woman as intelligent as you."

"Sorry if I disappointed you, Luc." Nonette just shrugged, then looked around the room and apparently decided she'd spent too much time talking to them. "Anyway, once again, I wish you all the best and hope your marriage is as successful as it was before. In the meantime, I'm going to have some more fun at your expense, Lucius."

"Do what you want Nonette." Purple Prince only waved his hand dismissively at her behavior and declarations, because thanks to many years of relationships and acquaintances, he was well aware that any attempts to correct her behavior are doomed to failure. At worst, such attempts can blow up in the face of the daredevil. "Ultimately, it's a party for allies and friends, so use it all you like."

A menacing, playful and at the same time extremely intense light flashed in Knight of Nine's eyes. "Oh, believe me, I'm going to take advantage of your generosity. See you later."

With these words, she left, intending to drink some alcohol and consume the snacks offered by the servants.

At that moment, two people came up to congratulate at the same time. The first was the carefree and almost always totally laid-back Knight of Three. The second, meanwhile, was usually stoic and seemingly devoid of any deeper Knight of Six personality. Usually, because in this particular case, something like a smile was present on her lips, but so bizarre that it was impossible to describe it as natural.

"Congratulations Luc." Gino started shaking his friend's hand vigorously, with a smile as wide as it was carefree, "I'm really happy for you two and secretly, I always felt that the two of you were just meant for each other."

"What makes you say that, Gino?" Lucius asked in response, raising his right eyebrow at the same time and looking at him with obvious expectation.

"Well..." Knight of Three's blond hair scratched the back of his head as he searched for the most appropriate words for the situation. "The two of you just always, in some incomprehensible to me, but at the same time extremely natural way, were able to complement each other. This was evident even when we attended New Colchester. You've always been cunning, diplomatic, resourceful, and somewhat flamboyant. Whereas Monica has always been honorable, combative, understanding and basically quiet."

Lucius only shrugged in response with a smile on his lips. However, before he could say anything else, Monica forestalled him, much to the complete surprise of both teenagers.

"Well, people often say that opposites tend to attract each other." She stated, then put her left hand around her fiancé's right shoulder.

"I love these kinds of claims, despite the certain stupidity of such views." Gino laughed once again before returning to his usual calmer yet arrogant expression. "In fact and in fact, opposites can look at each other, but they rarely survive any crisis. Because of this, people tend to end up in relationships with people who are similar to themselves."

After these words, his eyes fell on the younger friend. "And what do you think about it, Anya?"

Knight of Six, Anya Alstreim looked at the two brides with the same and disturbing expression on her face, which made even Gino a little nervous. "I think you will be a wonderful couple and your children will be even more wonderful."

If those words were not unsettling to the trio listening to her, the next words could clearly question her common sense. "I also have no doubt that Charl…I mean Emperor is genuinely thrilled at the prospect of having grandchildren from your relationship."

Lucius and Monica exchanged quite confused looks and didn't know how to properly respond to her comment. Meanwhile, Gino looked at the younger friend as if she had grown a second or even three heads at the same time. It was so strange that after a while Anya blinked, closed her eyes for a moment and seemed completely confused for a moment before returning to her previous and completely stoic expression.

"Sorry about that, but apparently her recurring condition has manifested itself once again." Knight of Three apologized on behalf of a younger friend from Rounds, but the content of his words drew the attention of the other two, who wordlessly demanded an immediate explanation of all this. Gino had no intention of delaying, seeing their determination on the matter. "Well, Anya suffers from an as yet unidentified condition, it's not clear if it's genetic or purely psychological. Regardless, the fact remains that her memory is just bad and she occasionally forgets literally everything that has happened in the last few minutes, or even in the last hours. Some addition to this is her tendency to talk nonsense and emotional swing before this quasi amnesia sets in.

"I understand and sympathize." Lucius replied while nodding his head. "I trust you will take care of her…"

"Your Highness." Anya interrupted his words, drawing the attention of the other three teenagers to her once again. "Before we leave, I'd like to ask you one question."

Lucius looked at her with raised eyebrows, then looked at Monica and Gino, who were completely unsure how to respond to her and her question. Finally, after a short while, the Purple Prince looked at her and a single nod was the only form of permission the Knight of Six had received.

"In that case…" It was at this point that she took out her phone and clearly began searching through the memory for one specific file. It only took her a few moments to find it, and only then did she show him the screen, which had a rather specific view. "Is that you in this photo?"

Monica and Gino also had a chance to see it, but on this occasion they did not pay attention to Lucius's extremely expressive reaction, which was suppressed with great difficulty. The screen of the phone showed a photo in which a much younger version of Lucius, only ten years old, stood shoulder to shoulder with a certain raven-haired youth with whom he had the opportunity to share the same womb, and who in this photo was wearing a white coat with lace. Between them, however, sat a smiling and younger girl, with hair the same color as Lucius, and thus their father in his youth.

"Indeed." That one word was enough to snap Gino and Monica out of their thoughts and turn their attention to him. "It's me and my siblings. The raven-haired boy is my older twin brother, Lelouch vi Britannia, the exiled and dead Prince of Britannia. Meanwhile, this girl is my dead sister, Nunnally vi Britannia. I don't know exactly when this photo was taken, but I have no doubt that it was a long time ago and there is practically nothing left of those times."

His last words almost bordered on a sigh, which did not escape the attention of those around him in the slightest. They knew full well that, despite everything, some wounds would never fully heal and might start to bleed when least expected. Gino obviously looked like he wanted to say something. Monica, meanwhile, was basically ready to comfort him, but Lucius hadn't given them that particular opportunity.

"You have to excuse me." That was all that came out of the Purple Prince's mouth before he started up the stairs, and most surprisingly, he did it so agilely that he didn't attract the slightest attention from the guests gathered here, with one particular exception.

Monica, Gino, and to some extent Anya looked at each other, and it seemed like a conversation was about to start between them. However, Monica, with one negative nod of the head, made it clear on her part that this topic would not be discussed at this point.

At the same time, Lucius made his way through the empty and ornate corridors, straight to his office. One thought alone followed him through this walk into a secluded comfort zone. First of all, that it would be the best place to calm down the internally awakened emotions that - as he himself believed - had long ago been silenced.

On this occasion, however, a digression occurred to him that some traumas and events - no matter how much he would like it or even desire it - simply cannot be completely buried. All this despite the fact that he had felt for a long time that the past was behind him and he didn't have to worry about it anymore. And yet, just one photo from this past was enough to destroy these - as it turned out now - illusions of defeating the memory of what was and what will never come back.

Approaching the office, Lucius noticed without any major problems that the two guards guarding the entrance had been called off by his brother, so he could go inside without explaining himself to anyone for leaving the guests. So the Purple Prince went inside and almost instinctively, without thinking, walked over to the desk and sat down behind it. He decided that reviewing reports on the state of his assets, intelligence and business operations would be the best way to distract him from the memories of the past.

So it wasn't long before Lucius sat back in his chair and started scrolling through the messages sent to his mailbox. Those in the field of finance and business could be reduced to a string of continuous successes and multiplication of assets belonging to Purple Prince and his supporters.

In essence, the way Lucius and his followers built their position, and often fortuitous, was simple yet undeniably effective. It was a total focus on the aspect of innovation and new technologies, often experimental. Thanks to this and good management, the factories, mines and construction companies associated with Lucius were able to mine, produce and build a lot and with high quality.

Besides, many of the owners of all these companies or corporations were often - at least before the help from Prince Lucius - impoverished or downright poor nobles, and it was Lucius who enabled them to acquire often great fortunes. Without him, many of them would not be where they are today.

Regardless, however, the intelligence issues were not so optimistic. While the infiltration of other factions and political coalitions in the empire proceeded peacefully, the same could not be said of similar operations in some non-American Areas and most other world powers.

Much of the colonial administration and other political factions in the Holy Britannian Empire were successfully infiltrated. But the biggest exception to this rule turned out to be Area 11, where the counterintelligence network, centered around the colony's older brother Lucius and Viceroy of that, works extremely well and thwarted or limited the range of previous infiltration attempts.

In the United Republic of Europe, attempts to establish an intelligence network ran into serious setbacks - especially in terms of politics and the military - but the decisive success of Mariemaia and her agents was to infiltrate the industry and the world of big business of this power. Basically, it was as important as the infiltration of other branches of the EU, because it opened the way at least to learn the secrets of new machines that this power could send to its KMFs Battalions, in the near or slightly more distant time frame. First of all, the long-term issue was extremely important here, and the main reason for this was the issue of a long-term arms race, which will undeniably continue, and which will be absolutely crucial to victory in this game for world domination.

Much worse, however, was the case of the Middle East Federation, where the counterintelligence services were very well developed, well-funded, and the employees were religiously motivated to an extent that bordered on pure fanaticism. One thing was certain, the elites of this state took good care of the internal security of the country.

However, the greatest success that Mariemaia and the private intelligence service managed by her, the Purple Prince, could boast of was the complete infiltration of the military and political elite of the Chinese Federation. Usually stoically calm, Mariemaia, during one of the conversations with Lucius - during which she gave him a detailed report on the conducted intelligence operations - could not refrain from laughing and malicious mockery at the elites of the Chinese Federation. It was a power over which the sun began to set very clearly. The eunuchs, the caste of men chosen to advise the Empress, were corrupt to the point where even the greediest part of the nobility of the Holy Britannian Empire seemed humble and moderate. Not to mention the rest of the administration and the completely inefficient army, which tried to make up for technical shortcomings with overwhelming numbers. Added to all this was the almost constant shortage of food - especially in the villages and smaller towns - and from all this emerged a picture of sheer poverty, which is best left untouched at all.

But aside from these digressions and some setbacks, it was Lucius who lifted his spirits by reading this lengthy report, which ultimately took him a few minutes. However, to his complete surprise, a rather special message appeared to his eyes very quickly. What was very special about it was that it came from Viceroy of Area 11, in the flesh.

"What does Clovis want?" Lucius narrowed his eyes suspiciously, and his senses began to work much more intensively on this occasion than just a moment ago.

Clovis la Britannia, was ultimately the firstborn son of Empress Gabrielle. Although he and Lucius hadn't spoken in a long time - mainly due to the rivalry between Empress Gabrielle and Purple Prince - they parted on a rather friendly note, without any direct or indirect malice or insults.

Knowing there was only one way to find out, Lucius opened the e-mail and started reading it right away.

---

Dear Brother and the Purple Lion of Britannia.

I am more than happy to write to you after another of your victories over so called United Europe.

It is easy for me to see the irony that those whose ancestors were once driven out by the best, most educated, and most knowledgeable part of society are now taking further devastating blows from the best of our empire's princes. So enjoy the charms of the party, because you deserve it more than anyone else.

However, and as you probably already guessed, I am writing to you not only to congratulate you, but also for less pleasant reasons.

As you may know, I'm having some pretty serious trouble with the rebels here at Area Eleven. It is also no secret that the homeland and the imperial court see the most "exciting" - in their subjective assessment - episodes of the fight against terrorism and the activities of various terrorist groups.

To be completely straightforward and without unnecessary euphemisms, I need your help to solve the terrorism issue here in Area 11 as soon as possible. I need you to come here with your knights and help the local forces sort out the problem of the local so called freedoms fighter.

I know this is a task unworthy of the Knights of the Purple Rose Grand Master. I know that my mother and your coalition have an ongoing rivalry that is currently absorbing a lot of your resources. I also know that you have no reason whatsoever to trust me or to regard this message as involving you in any of the schemes, but I can only assure you that it is not. I can swear to you, in the name and memory of your dead sibling.

I am asking you to come here as soon as possible to Area 11 in the fight against local terrorism, because each subsequent attack of the numbers takes the lives of hundreds of our citizens and bystanders who are often unrelated to the fight, politics or even local administration more than necessary. I know that the well-being of our citizens - regardless of their financial status - are always of the highest value to you. That's why I'm asking you to come to Area 11 and help me fight the rebels.

Your stepbrother, Clov.

---

Lucius leaned back in his chair, then stood up and took a breath, his face and eyes bright with almost pure anger. The natural consequence was that his clenched fist hit the desk and a slight twitch of his jaw lasted for a few moments.

Only after a few seconds he mastered his own emotions, and their source was quite easy to guess. Primarily, this behavior was due to the fact that the Purple Prince's half-brother had dared refer to his dead sibling, which was an absolute taboo subject and had never dared bring it up in front of Lucius, at least none of his friends or allies.

What largely eased his anger was the awareness of his older brother's condition in the first place. If he was asking for his help and referring to people who had once been extremely dear to Lucius, how desperate Clovis must have been.

"It's not hard to guess the reason for his desperation." Lucius pondered the matter and its causes for a brief moment in his own mind before clicking his tongue and smirking slyly. "Indeed, it is very interesting."

At that moment, the cogs in his head began to turn, because it simply cannot be put better than this.

So it didn't take long for some plans and elements to fall into place or to come together. All with a view to using it for his own cause.

After all, what better gift could Lucius have than a desperate and needy older brother who is also the son of his greatest - at least for the moment - political enemy in the Holy Britannian Empire. The number of potential options to take advantage of this situation was truly enormous, not to say terrifying.

First of all, it opened up the option of completely discrediting the descendant and direct heir of la Britannia's line. Perhaps even more than that, but it was still too early to jump to conclusions when the pieces for this battle had not yet been set up.

That said, Lucius decided to take a drink of wine anyway, because he was in a really good mood now. It took a few very quick seconds to pour the dark liquid into a glass full of gold ornaments and a glass. Another moment later, Purple Prince was already savoring the wine of the 1920s, and while this could easily be interpreted as arrogance, a scenario began to form in his mind that all political, economic, and military power in the empire would be solely in his hands. Him and Schneizel.

It was hard not to get the impression at this point, even for someone as politically savvy and cunning as Lucius, that things were now on the right track. The position of his political enemies steadily weakened, although they were still powerful and not to be underestimated. Other powers, such as the Chinese Federation or the Middle East Federation, were simply too weak to be able to oppose him in any serious way. Him or the Holy Britannian Empire.

The only worthy and basically the last remaining enemy on the world map was United Europia. Thanks to reports from Mariemai, Lucius knew perfectly well about the plans of a certain patriotic part of the elite of the United Republic of Europe, whose goal after taking power would be to mass-produce and use new, often still designed Knightmare Frames of the 7th generation.

The infiltration of business, and thus industry, enabled Lucius to learn about plans to introduce new machines into production by EU companies, at least some of which would be new. First of all, the W0X-Type02 Alexander II, and thus the successor to the quite successful Alexanders, which caused the Knights of the Purple Rose quite a lot of problems in Egypt. It is therefore not difficult to imagine how great problems the successor of this successful design can bring.

Equally great interest was aroused by the already constructed prototypes of another Knightmare Frames for the EU army, the one with the identification PKF-01 Ritter. According to agents of Mariemaia, this type of Knightmare was supposed to be based on the KPR-01, focusing primarily on firepower and armor without sacrificing mobility.

Lucius had to admit to himself that the project was indeed interesting and could lead, in a scenario convenient for the EU, to leveling the technological disproportion between the Imperial Panzer Infantry and the Republican Panzer Infantry.

However, further thoughts of the Purple Prince were interrupted when the sound of the door opening reached his ears. At first, Lucius was surprised that anyone had broken into his personal office, so he turned very quickly towards the entrance and the previous feeling was quickly replaced by pure shock.

There, in the front door, stood the Emperor himself, and his personal bodyguard - in the form of the Knight of Knight - stood a few steps behind him and secured the entrance.

Lucius' father then took a few steps forward, and Sir Bismarck then closed the door. There was not even the slightest doubt that all this was done so that no one would disturb them. But before that happened, he nodded politely to the Purple Prince.

As for Lucius vi Britannia himself, he stood speechless with a glass of wine in his hand and literally didn't know what to do at this point. But can he be so surprised if the apparently absent father-god decided not only to appear at your party, but also expressly wanted a private conversation?

Purple Prince, of course, had no idea and could only speculate at best, at least until he heard back from him. That said…

"Your Majesty." Lucius almost groaned, still surprised, but was eventually able to control his emotions and return to his royal dignity. "May I know what you are here actually brings you to my office."

"I noticed you leaving the party." There was a dry reply from the Emperor's lips, and it was fairly quick, while his tone was completely noncommittal. "It's not advisable for a fiancé to leave his sweetheart. Especially when it's only moments after the public announcement of your engagement."

"Yes, because a man who has dozens of wives can tell me that from his own experience, no doubt." Lucius replied, quite brazenly, and for a brief moment he could have sworn he saw a flash of amusement in the Emperor's eyes. "However, I'd rather get to the point, little teasing doesn't interest me, Your Majesty."

"I imagine not, so I'll cut to the chase as you wished." The Emperor simply intensified his gaze and continued. "Your victory has opened the way for us to continue our expansion to the rest of Africa as well as the Middle East. Your first victory on such a large scale, considering that you were only a front-line commander before. And I have no doubt that it will not be the last. "

Lucius took a rather long swig from his highly decorated glass before answering. This time, however, he opted for a degree of restraint and a more diplomatic approach, which is typical of him. "Cornelia or Schneizel have had more victories, and our Prime Minister is not limited to military matters. Then why do you praise me so much when it is basically a drop in the ocean of my siblings' achievements."

The Emperor, however, seemed amused indeed by his rather modest choice of words, in the question of his own achievements. "You're definitely underestimating yourself, or trying to be modest. Either way, it looks pretty artificial, and let me enlighten you a bit on that point."

"Probably, and certainly at this particular moment, you are one of my best offspring, at least in terms of quality. You were able to adapt to completely new circumstances in a situation where your entire world collapsed and literally crumbled to dust and dust."

Lucius, meanwhile, decided to be much more calm and stoical than before, and that was his answer. "We both know very well that I was not alone at the time and could count on emotional support from my now fiancée and soon to be wife if circumstances did not change significantly once again."

The emperor meanwhile, with amusement on his lips, raised his right hand and made it clear with this simple gesture that the time for words for his son was temporarily over. "One is never alone in such situations, fortunately, otherwise we would inevitably go mad if we had to confront the things that overwhelm us in a completely alone way."

"What are you getting at, father?" Lucius asked him, a bit more energetically and decisively than he had just been. It showed quite clearly a certain degree of confusion on his part. "If this is some form of request, then you have more than enough prerogative to force it upon me by Imperial Edict or Imperial Order. However, if this is some form of attempt to build any deeper father-son relationship between us, then I'm afraid because of my age, it is far too late for that."

"I don't have to force anything on you, Lucius." The emperor waved his hand dismissively, but did not take his eyes off his son. "In this particular case, you will do as you wish. Specifically, I am going to invite you to tomorrow's cabinet meeting as the representative of all the Holy Orders."

Lucius looked at him completely confused and speechless, then took another swig of his wine and thus drained his glass completely. "Why would you invite me there in this particular capacity for a cabinet meeting? Especially considering our ... quite strained relationship, which is the direct result of some unfortunate incident."

"If I had to decide for such trivial reasons who would occupy the most important positions in the Imperial army and administration, I would have to take care of everything myself, as you probably already know." There was an answer from Father Lucius that sounded like the simplest fact imaginable: "Nevertheless, like Schneizel and Cornelia, you have proven your worth to me more than once. Not only in military matters, but also in political matters and gathering useful allies."

"Thank you..." Lucius turned around, keeping his mouth shut with surprise, then his voice boomed once more. "Then if you intend to consider our judgments on the basis of competence rather than loyalty, then I am more than willing to accept this invitation."

With these words, he turned to his father, a slightly arrogant - but undoubtedly intense and sincere - satisfaction on his lips. "People who are intelligent, competent and aware of their own limitations will never try to dethrone or make a coup d'état against the one who is the most important in the hierarchy. This also explains why individuals like Guinevere, Charlemagne, Cassius and Carine are kept as far from power as possible."

"Don't go too far, Lucius." The Emperor replied sternly and made it clear that Purple Prince should be careful on his words. "Nevertheless, you are quite right. You, Schneizel and Cornelia not only have great abilities, but you are also somewhat moderate. In short, you know where your capabilities and resources end. Meanwhile, a large part of your siblings do not know where the world ends, to put it mildly. Guinevere is a spoiled and capricious loser who, apart from being a member of the royal family, could only work in the red light district. Charlemagne, Schneizel's younger brother, is just too ambitious, clearly confrontational, and reckless enough to try to go too far, if you know what I mean. Cassius, meanwhile, is more of a businessman than a politician and all his attention is focused on the issue of extracting Sakuradite. And Carine, she's just a wild beast than a man, given her enthusiasm for warfare and combat itself."

"Well Your Majesty, considering the potential alternatives, I, the Prime Minister and the Chief General, are indeed the best alternatives available." Lucius nodded, then smiled mischievously at his father. "I am honestly surprised that since you have not rid me of the royal family, you will allow Marrybell to return to the imperial family and regain her former position without my humble intervention."

"You have never smuggled a sword into the throne room for audiences with me, and you have never tried to demand anything from me without first giving something of yourself to the empire." The emperor replied dryly to his son and looked steadily into his eyes. "The difference between you and Marrybell, and even Lelouch, is that you always knew your limits and how much you could afford. It is rare for people of power, but it is extremely important not to go too far in one's ambitions. Such military or political leaders as you and your other two siblings are useful to the empire and my plans."

"Thank you for apparently thinking so much of me." Lucius bowed low to him, but after a moment he thought of one more point. "Nevertheless, I can only delude you with the prospect that all of this is really just a masquerade on my part to lull your guard down and allow me to deliver a decisive blow to you when you least expect it."

"We both know that's not the case, and that you never planned revenge on me. We both know very well that you have chosen to leave your dead past behind for a future that is much more important than sentiments about what will never come back. Although, in truth, you never told me why you never actually tried to find out the identity of those who murdered your Marianne."

"Well, I've never seen a need for that." Lucius replied, a little hesitantly at first, but soon speaking at ease. "I was and am absolutely convinced that whoever it was was treated accordingly. Ultimately, killing one of the Empresses was not so much a move against the Vi Britannia family as more like a slap in the face to the institution that is the Imperial Family. Not to mention it was a clear insult to you, so it's hard for me to imagine letting it go, Your Majesty."

For several long moments, the emperor measured his son with his eyes and looked straight into his eyes. Still, he didn't seem inclined to answer. "Anything else you have to say about that, Lucius?"

"Just one." Purple Prince replied quickly and thus made it clear that he had just formed the question in his head. "Why have you never made a public case for my mother's murder? I have a hard time imagining better propaganda material than the brutal trial of the killer or killers of one of the Empresses. And yet you still haven't decided to use it, why?"

"The answers to all the obscure questions will come sooner or later, you don't have to worry about that, Lucius." With these words, the Emperor headed back to the door and spoke the last words of the night to his son. "The Aries Villa party is a nice change from the Imperial Palace and it was good to see one of my favorite children getting married soon. Besides, see you tomorrow at noon in the council room of the Imperial Cabinet."

With these words on his lips, the Emperor left the office of the Purple Prince, thus leaving the young man alone, who still held an empty glass in his hand.

"It was interesting to say the least." Lucius muttered under his breath, then put the empty vessel on the desk and sat down in the chair.

His thoughts drifted rather quickly to what that would actually mean for him and his plans. Something like this had never been within his reach before. The very arrival of the Emperor completely changed the political balance of power and gave the impression of support not so much for the coalition of vi and el Britannia, but rather for Lucius vi Britannia himself, and that was both good and bad at the moment. Good because it made it clear to everyone that Lucius was now the favorite of the Emperor himself, which opened the door to new allies. At the same time, however, it was bad, because it made him quite an obvious target, not only from former enemies, but also potentially from those who until then had remained neutral or low-involvement.

It's not hard to imagine a scenario in which the previously divided enemies join forces and try to overthrow him. Even he, the Purple Lion of Britannia, would have little chance of surviving this type of storm - literally - from almost all sides.

Especially since there was still the question of the Prime Minister and his reaction to it. Ironically, this moment could have been the peak of the power of the Lucius vi Britannia, only to herald the fall and dissolution of his coalition with el Britannia.

Purple Prince, however, shook his head after a moment, and then decided to push his thoughts away and direct them towards the still ongoing party. Then, too, Lucius arose and decided to return to the event organized by himself. After all, who could guarantee that he had plenty of time to enjoy all that glamor and luxury? Politics and requests from Clovis could wait, but his beloved couldn't.

---

AN: I hope you like my work and that you are not disappointed with what I have offered you in that chapter.

I also want to announce to you, that in the next chapter, you will be have the opportunity to see the new organization chart of the Knights of the Purple Rose, which will be much more flexible and elite-worthy. The initial division into companies of fifteen machines and grouped into battalions seemed logical to me. Nevertheless, in the course of war - especially when dealing with a new type of weaponry - tactics, general doctrine and organization simply have to evolve and change.

Also, in the next chapter, I'm going to show you the first effects Doctor Kinnon Zimmad has had on the development of Knightmare Frames and some new projects, but I'll keep the details to myself.

That's all for now, have a nice day, all of you.