"Obviously, you did not do enough."
Euphie recoiled from the pure hatred in his voice. He despised them. Of course, she knew that already. The Lelouch who loved his family would've never become Zero or killed Clovis.
Concerned, she turned to her sister, watching her collapse into a chair, utterly heart broken.
Cornelia, so often an indomitable pillar of fortitude, slouched, her voice quiet as a summer breeze. "We tried, damn it, Lelouch. If you had just reached out, we could have protected you. We may have our differences, but we are family."
Lelouch folded his hands together. "Family would've demanded justice for my mother. Family would not let her be forgotten in the archives of history. Family would not have stood by as we were traded off like we were nothing. You do not care. None of you do. The only reason you are here is because the Emperor, in a bout of insanity, named me his heir and you wish to curry favor. Do not worry, I hold you in exactly as much contempt as everyone else in our damned family."
Tears welled in Euphie's eyes and she hurriedly wiped her face with her free arm. Nunnally squeezed her hand again in reassurance. At least she didn't hate her.
"I wanted to see you, to celebrate that you were alive," Cornelia pleaded. "Why are you so utterly dead set on ascribing malice to our actions? Yes, some of our siblings will be jealous, but we don't hate you. We're relieved. You are family, even if you don't acknowledge us. You are being illogical."
Lelouch snorted. "The facts are my mother was murdered in her own home, even though you were the captain of her guard. Then, despite being a clear inside job, the investigation into the matter was closed as the vultures swooped in to secure her assets before she had even been put to rest. Reuben Ashford was one of the greatest minds of his generation, but he was destroyed afterwards. And then, if I had any doubts left that someone wished to remove the commoner blight on the royal family, Britannian bombers specifically targeted the residence we were staying at during the first wave of the invasion. We only survived because we had snuck outside."
Next to her, Cornelia had gone deadly pale as she listened. Euphie was faring little better. She knew Marianne hadn't been popular, but for someone to go to such extents... If she didn't know better, she would say her father had tried to orchestrate their deaths.
If so, why make Lelouch his heir? But then, he had deliberately put Lelouch in a position where he was wide open for assassins.
More importantly... Euphie lifted her head, tears brimming in her eyes. "Do you really hate me, Lelouch?"
His gaze softened. "You haven't changed, have you? No... I could never hate you."
A relieved sob escaped her. "Thank you."
"You are welcome to visit anytime." His lips curled as he focused on Cornelia. "Do not show up unannounced again."
"Lelouch, don't be rude," Nunnally reprimanded but didn't protest further.
Cornelia rose stiffly, anguish clear on her face. "We need to discuss your security, Lelouch."
"Like you discussed my mother's?"
"Lelouch!" Euphie cried. "You go too far."
"She asked me to withdraw," Cornelia whispered. "You have to believe me. She wanted her privacy that night. It wasn't the first time she had asked. Everyone left the manor. I don't know who she was meeting... but the Emperor forbade me from investigating it further. I wasn't even allowed to see her body when they laid her to rest."
Something in Lelouch's expression shifted. His shoulders sank. "Fine. You may add whatever security detail you wish. Do it independently from Bismarck."
And thus both would watch each other, reducing the chance they could betray him.
Why had their family fallen to this? Why could they not love each other, take comfort in each other's presence?
Silently, Euphie stirred her tea as she listened to Cornelia try to draw Lelouch into the conversation concerning his security. Some suggestions he flat out refused, but he was mostly pliant, waiting for her to reveal her hand.
As the meeting drew to an end, Euphie stepped into the neighboring room, signaling her sister that she needed a moment. Lelouch's keen eyes locked onto the signal, recognizing it from their childhood.
Sighing, he followed her. "What do you need?"
"You killed Clovis, didn't you?" she whispered. She relished his expression of surprise. Everyone always underestimated her, saw her as nothing more than little Euphie with air between her ears. "You're Zero."
Lelouch sagged. "Who told you?"
"No one. It's just... what you said in the hotel. I had this crazy idea that you could be alive and then—"
He laughed darkly. "And then the Emperor announced it to the entire world."
"Lelouch..." She hugged him tightly. "You're going to be the Emperor. All of this pain, you can take it away."
"Yet I am a prisoner here. The Emperor made the declaration, but he gave me no power."
"You will have power." Her voice grew quiet. "I don't think it's a ploy. He was gone so often last year... I think he may be sick."
His muscles coiled beneath her grip. "That's not..."
"It's just a theory," she whispered, "but please, at least try. For me? Or Nunnally? I can't imagine she is happy that you are out there, risking your life. There is another way, and if you need power, I will help you in any way I can. I promise."
He relaxed. "I love you, Euphie."
She beamed up at him. There was the boy she remembered. He was still beneath his hard exterior. She only hoped that she wouldn't lose him to the part he would have to play. That he wouldn't become as cold as their father.
"There is one thing you can do for me," he whispered. "Suzaku... He was going to defend me, but Bismarck's men didn't take it well. He won't allow me to interfere, but you can save him."
"You know Suzaku?" she asked, surprised. He never said anything... and of course he wouldn't. Lelouch had been in hiding. "He doesn't know you're Zero, does he?"
"No." Lelouch sighed. "He's my oldest friend."
"Then what am I?"
He rolled his eyes. "You're my annoying sister."
"That's why Zero saved him, isn't it?"
Lelouch shrugged. "Zero needed to debut."
Right. That was the only reason.
"I'll save him. Don't worry."
Rivalz knew he wasn't anything special. Milly had her family history which held exciting tales of subterfuge and hints of interacting with royalty—a massive understatement. Shirley was adored by the entire school for her role on the gymnastic and swim team as well as her generally cheery disposition. Nina had her science fairs and easily outperformed everyone in science and math. Kallen... well, she was a noble and absolutely loaded.
Despite this, he had felt at home in the student council, secure in his position. While Lelouch was far smarter than he let on, Rivalz had felt a commandership with him. Neither of them took things too seriously. He might have every girl lining up to ask him out on a date, but he never noticed. Lelouch's thing was high stakes gambling which he eagerly allowed Rivalz to join.
He and Lelouch had been best buds. They were a team, a shield of normalcy against Milly's debauchery.
Or that was what they were supposed to be. Then Zero happened, and Lelouch stopped taking him to his games. He grew even more absent, more tired.
A quiet voice in the back of his mind whispered that Lelouch grew bored with little old plain Rivalz. That he wasn't enough for his friend anymore.
And now this. Lelouch and Nunnally were royalty.
He felt sick to his stomach as he watched Lelouch be escorted from the room. Horrified as Suzaku was dragged off. Betrayed as Lelouch hugged Princess Euphemia as she and Viceroy Cornelia left the student clubhouse.
For years, his friend had been lying to him. Hadn't trusted him with his secret. They all had been tools for him. So he could experience the wonderful commoner life. Had they shared anything real?
Why did his half-siblings get to speak with him while the guards held back the students and his friends?
"He always was dreamy," a girl whispered next to him. "No wonder he never went out with anyone. We never had a chance."
"Poor Shirley," her friend said. Rivalz recognized her from the swim team. "She was always chasing after him. First her father dies, now this."
The girl scoffed. "Please. She should've given up long ago. You would think after so long she could take a hint. He was simply too polite to tell her no. If she hadn't been hanging off his side the entire time, then maybe one of us..."
Rivalz scowled and spun to face them. "Don't talk about Shirley like that. She is his friend which is more than I can say for either of you. Lelouch would never even look at you."
"What is it your father does again?" her friend asked, finger pressed against her lips. Anytime else, Rivalz would have called it cute. "Ah... A mechanic. You two were never his friends. What use are you even?" She grinned, mean and nasty. "It's not like he told you, is it?"
Rivalz stiffened. "He did. Much like he told me of the girls who were rude to his sister. That's why you'll always be lower than trash in his eyes."
"Are you kidding me?" The girl huffed. "He's going to be the Emperor. Nunnally is dead weight on his ankles. She's good for brownie points. Like a cute pet. But he doesn't need sympathy anymore. He'll drop her like the invalid we all pretend she's not."
"You take that back," Rivalz warned, jabbing his finger into her chest. "Nunnally is not— She's his sister! Not some pet or toy or whatever disgusting idea you have. She is going to be right by his side."
The friend laughed. "Come on, you're being ridiculous. What can she even do?"
His arm wound back, hand closing into a fist. He would show them. Maybe Lelouch had lied to him, but Rivalz was still his friend, still bound to protect Nunnally like everyone else on the student council. How could they even say something like that? She was a princess.
No wonder Lelouch had never dated any of these duplicitous snakes.
A hand wrapped around his arm, and Shirley shook her head with a shaky smile.
The girl crossed her arms. "Like he is actually friends with a savage such as yourself."
Shirley's eyes darkened. "I'll be sure to pass on your words to His Highness when the fanfare quiets. I am sure he would be interested in such slander."
Two faces rapidly paled, and Rivalz let Shirley drag him away. Around him, the students jostled for a better view. A few had brought binoculars to peer at the curtained windows. They talked and plotted, conspiring to turn every past favor into an obligation. Vying for a spot in Lelouch's good graces. Perhaps it wasn't a surprise that the girls had forgotten the darker rumors which swirled around Lelouch, the feared whispers.
Their vice president and his history had ceased to exist, scrubbed clean for the prince of their imaginations. In their minds, he had ceased to be anything but the heir to the throne.
"We're not actually telling him, right?" Rivalz said worriedly.
Shirley slowed down. Somehow, her optimism had faded around her crush. "I don't think we should."
"Did Lelouch do something again?" Rivalz asked warily.
A laugh startled from her lips, and she desperately wrapped her arms around herself. "He can do whatever he wants."
"Except save Suzaku."
Tears glistened in her eyes. "Except that apparently. I don't get it."
"He's not the Emperor yet. The Emperor's speeches aren't... welcoming to Suzaku's kind."
Shirley's shoulders fell. "I know, but later, he can do whatever he wants. Do you—do you think he knew? That they planned this out together?"
"He could've told us," Rivalz complained. "But— I don't know. He looked real surprised when the old man made the announcement. It doesn't really make sense. Lelouch never did anything super impressive. Yeah sure, he could win any chess game, but I don't think the Emperor cares about that."
"He—" She shakes her head. "What if we never actually knew him?"
Throwing an arm over her shoulders, Rivalz gave her a reassuring side hug. "Come on. Let's eat and drink, while all these sore losers regret their life choices. We are his friends. Just wait and see. Once things settle down a little, he'll be back. You know how he gets when he's feeling overwhelmed." He laughed nervously. "I sure as hell would be in his shoes. Emperor. I can't even imagine."
"We shouldn't drink," she protested half heartedly.
"Live a little! What's the worst that can happen? I've got a bottle of champagne, so let's toast to our friend's success. And make a list of all the people we don't like. We've got friends in high places now."
A crazed chuckle escaped her. "Rivalz. We can't do that!"
"Sure as hell we can. My best bud is going to be the Emperor!"
Suzaku prodded his sore ribs, a hiss escaping through his clenched teeth. He desperately hoped none of them were broken. He was needed to pilot the Lancelot, especially now with Lelouch's identity revealed. Zero would soon be on the move. The target was far too ripe. At least he would be able to protect him and Nunnally from afar like that, makeup for his abysmal failure in defending them against their family.
Lelouch was going to be the Emperor. He couldn't wrap his mind around it.
While Lelouch seemed content to dote on Nunnally and engage in less than legal gambling, he loathed Britannia. He had yelled it when they reunited beneath Shinjuku. Of course, if he followed that line of thinking his mind went in all kinds of crazy directions. At least the announcement put such doubts to rest now.
The question now was if the Emperor intended for him to survive long enough to claim the throne. He was a sitting duck in Ashford Academy, and the Knight of One had been all too eager to remove him.
"Well, what do we have here," Lloyd asked, voice rising as if in a song. "Back in a cell, again. And what have they done to my devicer!"
Cecile smiled apologetically. "He was really worried when we heard you picked a fight with the Knight of One."
"Of course, I am. The Knights of the Round are so careless with their parts. Who knows what they have done to Suzaku? They could have ruined him."
Suzaku smiled sadly. It hurt that Lelouch left him, but at least these two would come regardless of his crimes. They had stuck next to him even when he was thrown into a cell the first time. And when questions of his sanity rose after his break in Narita. They could help him with no worry.
"What were you thinking?" Lloyd demanded. "You are a vital part of the ASEEC. You cannot run off and hinder your operational capabilities."
"And the Knight of One," Cecile trailed off. "We'll get you out of here—"
"But"—Lloyd shook his head—"even my influence is near to nothing if you've angered Sir Waldstein. He is very prickly."
They stared at him, expecting an explanation, and he hung his head. How was he supposed to explain that he implicitly lied to Britannia by not revealing Lelouch was alive. Except it didn't matter because somehow the Emperor knew anyway.
"I'm sorry," Suzaku mumbled. He deserved this anyway. He had ruined Japan with his hasty actions. Lelouch would set things right, even if he despised Britannia, because Nunnally would live in the world he would create.
Loud shouts came down from the hallway, and a shrill voice rose, too distant to be intelligible but undeniably angry. They fell quiet and sharp heels echoed down the hall, coming closer.
"Suzaku!" Euphemia shouted eagerly. She threw herself forward, pressing her hand to the shield separating them. "Lelouch said— I'm so glad you're fine."
"Fine?" Lloyd inhaled, sounding strangled. "Look at him! My devicer is turning blue and green. He is most certainly not fine! He won't be able to run the test tonight. I want damages."
Euphemia pinned him with an irritated glare, and Cecile grabbed him by the ear before dragging him off.
"I do not like him," she complained bitterly.
"It's how he cares," Suzaku assured her. "Did you say—?"
"Yes." She sighed, her lower lips quivering. "You knew. Why didn't you say anything?"
"Because..." He swallowed nervously. "Lelouch wanted to stay in hiding, stay dead."
Her eyes clenched shut. "Of course... He hates us."
"Did you—Did you talk to him?"
She nods shakily. "He asked me to help you.
Lelouch hadn't forgotten him, merely tackled the issue from another angle.
"The guards released you into my custody."
"I heard the yelling. Are you sure?"
She scoffed and turned off the shield. "Please. I am still the sub-viceroy, even if Cornelia doesn't want to give me any real responsibilities. You know, she made up the title for me."
He fell to his knees before her in a proper bow. "I am yours to command, Your Highness."
Laughing, she grabbed his hand and pulled him upright into a hug. "I'm glad. I was so worried when Lelouch said you were in trouble. I'll figure out things with Bismarck, I promise."
"He's the Knight of One."
"You have the future Emperor on your side. And three princesses on your side."
"Three?"
Euphemia's expression darkened. "Cornelia will help. I have had enough with her ridiculous antics. You saved my life. Her life. And you helped Lelouch. We owe you."
Something light settled in his chest. He had done good, brought some happiness into this cruel, harsh world.
Lloyd peered around the corner, escaping free from Cecile's grasp. "You got him out. Brilliant, we don't have to delay—"
"He is resting," Euphie snapped. She sniffed. "I have half a mind to never let him with you again."
"Princess Euphemia," Suzaku protested.
"And he will definitely not be working until Bismarck drops his fanciful charges."
Ignoring their vocal protests, she yanked him forward, out of the lower prison, and into freedom.
"Umm." Suzaku rubbed the back of his head. "How is Lelouch doing?"
"Stressed." She rose on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "I feel better knowing he had at least one friend looking out for him."
Warmth spread down the back of his neck. He needed to focus. It meant nothing.
"Now," she said, voice deceptively soft. "Suzaku, will you spend the day with me?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Please—" She laughed. "Call me Euphie."
"Lelouch," his father greeted him, looming over him on the large screen. "Protocol does require you to kneel. I hope your time away from court has not robbed you of social decorum."
Raising his chin, Lelouch glared. If only he was actually next to his father, then he could use his geass. "That would imply I respect you as anything more than my unfortunate sperm donor."
Surprisingly, the Emperor chuckled. "Yet you have been trying so hard to get my attention. Were your little Black Knights to know what you intended, they would lose all faith in their miracle worker. Because you know the truth, no man can ever stand against the might of the entire Empire, even if they rally an entire Area. Was this not how you imagined I would respond to your provocations?"
"I wasn't trying to prove myself to you," Lelouch snarled.
"Yet you began your game riding on a royal's personal transport." He leaned forward, his eyes strangely warm. "You have proven yourself regardless. No one else could have said they bested Britannia's men with such lackluster troops. It is time for your skills to be put to better use."
Lelouch bristled. "I will not be your puppet."
"No, you will come home at last."
"I'm disinherited," Lelouch reminded him. "This is some sort of trap. If you know I am Zero, if you followed me... Surely, you know that I have every intention of ripping your corrupted Empire down brick by brick. I cannot fathom what insanity has you welcoming me back."
"What father does not want the prodigal son to return home at last?" the Emperor asked. "And maybe the Empire does need to be restructured. In the end, I do know you, Lelouch. You are still the boy who spat on everything he had for his sister's sake. That devotion has not left you. You will not plunge the world into chaos because Nunnally will suffer for it. Nor would you rule without care, beholden to only your personal desires. I did not lie; I meant what I said. The Empire will be yours, and you will rule it fully."
Lelouch crossed his arms. "Then why did Bismarck ignore me to arrest Suzaku for disrespecting me?"
"He was following my orders."
"Why?"
The Emperor smiled mysteriously. "In time, Lelouch. In time."
Of course he would be denied answers as he and everyone around him were turned into pawns. There were never answers, nor was there ever justice, only what the Emperor wanted. Lelouch closed his eyes, trying to contain his rising rage. He was once again ensared in the web of his family's stupid intrigue and politics. He would return with no allies, no friends, and only whatever scraps of power the Emperor offered.
"Why?" Lelouch opened his eyes. "Why do you want me to remain here? You threw me out, left us to die. Are you hoping that announcing our location will finally lead to our death? Assassins are being mobilized as we speak." One of them was definitely Kallen. "Was it too much to ask to let us live our life in peace?"
"I would hardly call Zero as living peacefully." The Emperor paused, the silence stretching between them. "No. I don't plot your death. You asked me once for justice for your mother—"
"And you cast me out for it," Lelouch growled. "Because I disrespected you, the Emperor of the most powerful nation who couldn't even protect his supposedly favored wife. I guess you were just using her. Once she was dead, it didn't matter anymore."
The Emperor pinched his nose. "Lelouch... I did not cast you out. You were the one to declare you were no longer my son. I never accepted."
"You said I was dead!"
"Yes, because you had to be before you were truly killed. And a part of you understood. I never imagined you would have such audacity. I had been scouring for a reason to send you and Nunnally abroad without betraying my hand, and you gave me one. It probably saved you and your sister's life."
No... No, Lelouch refused to believe it. He knew what had happened that day. The sheer rage on his father's face. His absolute certainty for a moment was that this day he would die. That hadn't—couldn't have been an act.
"You want justice for Marianne; I do too. The assassin bore a grudge against your mother for having earned my affection. You were only safe because he believed you were beneath my notice. It did not stop him from orchestrating a bomber targeting your residence.."
Him? Yet, he was envious of the Emperor's affection?
Who would possibly think they could monopolize the Emperor's affection? What would make his mother a target compared to the countless other wives who followed him? The Emperor showed them plenty of affection. The threat also sounded current...
"I'm bait," Lelouch realized.
The Emperor grimaced. "Yes. Bismarck is doing his best to ensure your safety."
"My mother was killed despite having the best of your supposed guards," Lelouch accused coldly, trying to calm his racing heart. Nunnally was a target. "If you couldn't defend her in the villa, do you think you have a chance here?"
"Well, I have not given you the authority to dismiss your guards"—his jailors—"which caused the last tragedy. And you have another advantage. C.C. will not let you die."
The world lurched. His father knew of C.C. He spoke as if he knew her motivations which Lelouch was constantly trying to riddle out. He never knew what the damned woman would do.
"How?" he gasped.
The Emperor grew pensive. Finally, he said, "She was your mother's contractor first."
What?
How?
"Return home alive," the Emperor challenged him, "and the world shall be yours."
The call ended, leaving Lelouch teetering on the edge. The Emperor knew of C.C. The multitude of guards, always perfectly spread apart such that Lelouch could not catch all of them in his geass at the same time now no longer seemed like an unfortunate turn of luck. The Emperor knew of geass.
No wonder he was so unconcerned about the threat Lelouch posed. He already knew about his greatest weapon.
But... But why tell him?
Shakily, he left the room and staggered up the stairs to his room. There was a guard at the corner. Another guard fell into step behind him, their gaze boring into his back.
"I want pizza," C.C. declared as he opened the door, not even pretending to make the effort to hide herself.
"You—" He grit his teeth, unsure what to say or even excuse. She had saved him, helped him, but to what end? What did he even know of this strange woman who had invited her way into his life. Yes, she saved him, but she never spent a moment considering the consequences of her actions. She wandered out freely on the Ashford grounds where anyone could see.
She was so laissez-faire about everything. As if the consequences weren't real. He had assumed it was a symptom of her immortality. What was a few years of imprisonment against a lifetime that spanned centuries?
The guard behind him slipped into the room, not even reacting to a strange woman lounging on his bed.
"I see Charlie told you," she said.
He spun around, slamming the door of the room. A meaningless barrier separating them.
She had been his mother's contractor. Had said nothing despite knowing he sought justice for her.
Why? What had she intended to gain?
He forced himself to inhale, exhale, counting each breath. These were issues for another time. The Emperor had delivered him a challenge—survive.
Scowling, he yanked open the door again and stared at the uncaring witch.
"Well," she said. "There's no reason for me to be confined to your stuffy room now."
The question resting on the tip of his tongue weighed it down. He had to ask. His plans had all rested on drawing the Emperor out, giving Lelouch easy access to him as he finally left Pendragon to ensure his empire wouldn't burn down. He had made a dangerous assumption—that his geass was unique.
"Did you give others a geass?" he asked.
"That is the correct question," she told him but shrugged. "You are my contractor. Nothing else matters."
"And my mother?"
"She is unable to fulfill my wish."
His head snapped up. Is?
C.C. frowned. "Was."
No. She was lying. Except Lelouch had seen his mother, had seen her dead body. But if his geass could make someone forget, could it make one remember what never was? She hadn't said no. Hadn't denied there being other geass users. How often had she lied to him because Lelouch never bothered asking the right questions?
Was that why she could lounge around without a care, munching on a slice of a pizza as if imprisonment and torture did not await her? Because they didn't. Because she was conspiring with Charlie.
Could he trust her at all? Was she why the Emperor had known where to find him?
Or was this what the Emperor wanted him to think? To doubt his own allies? To isolate him fully?
"Who killed my mother?" Lelouch asked.
C.C. tilted her head, eyes narrow in consideration. "Are you sure you want to know?"
"Tell me," he demanded.
"Rude boy," she commented idly. "It was another immortal. He goes by V.V. these days."
And another chapter.
Unfortunately, Mao never got a chance to destroy Shirley due to heightened security which means CC and Lelouch missed their bonding episode. That has repercussions.
It's a bit funny how up in arms the reviews here got over Kallen/Lelouch. Mostly, it's pretty much the only viable pairing in this scenario. Shirley deserves a life where people aren't trying to kill her. Milly, while former nobility, is former nobility and without reinstating her, she's not going to bring much of a benefit. She also has no recent experience in court life which basically puts her on par with Shirley. C.C... Well, they don't trust each other at this time as Lelouch's abandonment issues with C.C. aren't resolved due to aforementioned lack of Mao. Also putting an immortal in a highly visible position is probably ill advised. Suzaku would be funny but I don't think he'd survive long if Charles caught a whiff of it.
But not going to force a pairing as no pairing is perfectly valid as well. We'll see how it play out.
Chat with me on the discord: discord . gg / MFKuCGYxcT