Pendragon, Holy Britannian Empire
Imperial Palace
April 2009 A.T.B.
"Maybe it's not too late." A sandy-haired boy thought as he hurriedly fidgeted with his feet and headed for the throne room, what can be surely called the most important place in the whole complex. He was headed where his brother had undoubtedly already gone. Although the raven haired kid seemed to literally exude an aura of calm and a certain warmth with his attitude, he was more than panicked internally.
He woke up quite late that morning, around ten o'clock. He went to bed very late, so far his eyes had a little dark circles under them. However, the young boy did not pay much attention to his health, not since one unlucky night which resulted in the death of his beloved mother, the mutilation of his younger sister and throwing himself off balance. Precipitation to such an extent that he was completely indifferent and apathetic for several days.
The young man did not even think much about the murder of his mother, Empress Marianne vi Britannia, fifth imperial wife. Nevertheless, when the sand-haired boy woke up that unlucky day, he very quickly and to his great horror discovered that his older brother was going to do something absolutely and incredibly stupid, to stand at the imperial court and demand answers from his father about the murder of their mother.
As soon as the sand-haired young man heard from the servants about his older twin brother's insane plan, he could practically feel all color and blood drain from his cheeks, as if some vampire was sucking it out for him. Come on then, the young Holy Britannian Empire was still sleepy, the "news" of his brother's plan awakened him better than any dose of amphetamines or other drugs. The boy wasted no time, the shower and appropriate clothes took him about fifteen minutes, mainly due to the efforts of the servants. He hadn't eaten breakfast, but it made absolutely no difference to him, so much so that he didn't even feel hungry.
As soon as the proper preparation for himself and his clothes had been completed, he made his way to his own limousine, the color of which was the same color as his hair, in a hurry and in no time, and when he had taken the passenger's seat, he ordered the chauffeur - under the threat of a very painful death - go to the Imperial Palace.
The journey took about twenty minutes. The chauffeur did a very good job considering the massive traffic jams in the capital of one of the largest empires in the world. As soon as he reached the garage, the prince practically ran out of the limousine and began walking at a similar pace for the throne room, hoping to stop his older twin brother, Eleventh Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, Lelouch vi Britannia, from doing something that would completely and definitively devastate leftover of vi Britannia line position.
"If only that raven-haired and stubborn brat would only listen to me." The young man almost growled under his breath, with great difficulty supporting his quiet facade. Yes, he knew full well that his twin brother was considering something so crazy and basically suicidal. Nevertheless, he was firmly convinced that it was only momentary and on an impulse. Besides, the day before he tried to explain to his brother that such an arrogant and pretentious attitude in front of the emperor himself could at best end with their exile to the other end of the world, the collapse of everything their mother worked for.
That day, the sandy-haired boy calmly went to sleep, convinced of his success. As well as the fact that his arguments reached his older brother's mind. Now, however, he cursed with all his heart his self-confidence, as well as his characteristic belief in human reason.
"If he survives this day, for the rest of my life I will remember this one truth that humans are irrational animals by nature." He thought as he pondered his futile attempts to reason with his brother.
The boy reached the very gates of the throne room about ten minutes after leaving the limousine. The gate leading to the most powerful man in the entire empire was undoubtedly designed to intimidate anyone awaiting an audience with the Ninety-Ninth Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire, Charles zi Britannia. A man whose sandy hair the prince sincerely admired and considered him an example to follow. The young boy knew perfectly well how his father came to power in the empire, he knew about the era of Emblem of Blood and fierce battles for the throne, which were a real nightmare for the imperial family.
Three people approached the young man, which effectively prevented him from breaking inside. They were two royal guards, with their characteristic black helmets, decorated with rifles and red ribbons, the latter signifying their status as royal guard. In the middle of these two, there was a richly dressed and erect emperor's herald, whose main task was to present the guests arriving in front of his imperial majesty. Besides, however, the man holding these positions practically decided who and in what order would see the emperor.
The aforementioned herald was never any random nobleman, but he had to come from an old and respected family. Therefore, this position was extremely important and prestigious, and the history dates back to the times of Ricardo von Britannia. This particular one was Alan Black, son of Count Lothar Black, one of the most important supporters of Empress Gabrielle la Britannia.
The fact that the imperial herald was the son of a supporter of a woman who sincerely hated the mother of the young prince was not a harbinger of anything good. Nevertheless, this was not the main concern for the sand-haired prince, but only a problem that he simply had to deal with. The prince remained calm and courteous, as well as strictly following the rules of etiquette.
"Your Highness." The herald, along with the three guards, bowed politely to the prince, but Alan Black literally muttered his words as if they were meant to wish for the worst in life. "What brings you before His Imperial Majesty?" He asked, already with a slightly more calm and balanced tone of voice, worthy of a man holding such an important position.
"Before I fully state the reason for my presence here, I would like to ask if my older brother, Prince Lelouch, was admitted to His Imperial Majesty?" The prince's sandy hair answered, and his voice was remarkably calm and quite deep, almost hypnotic or persuasive. It was the result of many weeks of intense exercise. The prince, as soon as he understood the basics of politics and the hatred of a certain part of the nobility towards him and his family, began to intensively prepare himself to play this little game, commonly known as court politics, in the best possible way. At least the prince liked to call it "Little Game." In practice, it meant tons of false pleasantries, favors, conspiracies, intrigues, and sometimes even attacks on someone else's life. The boy, however, was lucky in this field, because his older brother - Second Prince Schneizel el Britannia - turned out to be an expert in this field, and he successfully coached his younger brother and was basically his mentor, almost a surrogate father.
"Yes." He replied with a cunning gleam in his eyes, the herald, a man intelligent enough already to deduce the reason for the presence of the empire's twelfth prince. "His Majesty came here less than two minutes ago. Now tell me, what urgent matter with Prince Lelouch has brought Your Majesty before His Majesty?"
"This is a matter directly related to the interests of vi Britannia line." The sand-haired prince answered swiftly and truthfully, and the herald's eyes flashed cunningly and slyly again.
"I see." That was all he had said at first, then gestured for the Imperial Guard to step down and turned toward the gate.
"Open!" He commanded with authority and dignity, and his order was carried out very quickly and without any objection. The golden gates swung open to reveal the throne room in all its glory. A huge red carpet and a beautifully crafted interior, and among all these decorations and splendor, a nest of many vipers, a lair of competing wolves.
Sandy hair knew exactly what type of people he was dealing with. All gathered here were the most influential aristocrats in the entire empire, or at least the descendants of the most powerful, who had to be at the center of the struggle for power and care for their future position in good time. There were many ways to gain influence, but two were particularly common, murder or getting into the emperor's favors. To some extent, the prince was disappointed with the lack of originality on the part of the most eminent personalities in the entire empire, but he had no influence on the composition of the court.
However, now the court and its politics were irrelevant, for here in the very center and in front of it stood the two most important people. His father and emperor of the empire, powerful and seemingly the best symbol of Social Darwinism, Charles zi Britannia sat proudly and proudly on the throne, seemingly uninterested in the arrival of another son. And before the emperor, a small and raven-haired boy, remarkably similar to his twin brother, and the only difference was his hair. The prince had them not only the color of sand, but also meticulously trimmed and neatly combed backwards. Even the clothes distinguished between the raven haired prince and the sandy hair.
"His Highness!" Announced the herald pompously and dignified, while at the same time standing at attention. "Twelfth Heir to the Imperial Throne, Lucius Cornelius vi Britannia!"
With the herald's end to the play, Lucius began his calm and fairly slow march towards the throne. It was accompanied by absolute silence and the surprised looks of all the members of the imperial court gathered here, but none of them was pure hatred or contempt. It is true that a large part of the aristocrats gathered here did not have warm feelings for him and his brother, but Lucius was much less despised of the two. At the urging of Prince Schneizel, the twelfth prince attended many parties, accompanied by many influential and important nobles. Very often, Lucius surprised and won the sympathy of everyone he talked to, mainly due to his great eloquence and level of knowledge - despite his young age - and a certain personal charm, because the prince had a warm and friendly aura around him, and his handsome features were only they completed the image of a perfect prince, which was undoubtedly due to Prince Schneizel.
Nobody could deny the twelfth prince one exquisite and praiseworthy taste. He wore a long, black, extremely airy and long coat with white patterns as well as gold buttons, and underneath a white jacket with black patterns, a white tie, white pants and white shoes. In many ways, it appeared to be an almost literal representation of yin and yang, two opposites. However, there was something more to it, because indeed, its outer and inner layers were in conflict. On the one hand, he was cool and calm. On the other hand, he was almost completely panicked. He was sincerely afraid of what his twin brother managed to do and whether he would be able to get them out of this difficult situation at all.
As he approached the throne slowly, his gaze fell on a tall, slender, blonde-haired nobleman with blue eyes, one of his few sympathizers and well-wishers at the imperial court. It was a truly powerful noble, Duke Alexander Krushevsky, president of Krushevsky Amrs, which worked closely with Ashford Robotics on the design of Knightmare Frames. Alexander gave him a kind and supportive look, which the Twelfth Prince returned with a sincere smile.
Finally, Lucius made it to the steps that led to the throne itself and his father. He gave the surprised twin a truly dagger look, warning him not to interfere until he was done. The Twelfth Prince wasted no time, almost immediately knelt on one knee in front of the emperor - according to the rules of etiquette - and waited for his father to start speaking.
"Lucius vi Britannia!" After a moment the emperor thundered, watching his son vigilantly like a hawk to a sacrifice. His voice was deep, strong, and attention-grabbing, almost impossible to ignore. "What matter made you appear before me?" He asked coolly, but those weren't his only words. "I hope your presence is not due to the distant past."
"I wouldn't waste your time with such trivial matters, Your Majesty." He replied with a stoic - but forced with great effort - calm, to the undisguised fury of his twin brother. "I have a request for you, Your Majesty." Secretly, Lucius had a hard time holding back all the emotions accumulated in him. Though the Twelfth Prince secretly wanted justice for his murdered mother and mutilated sister, he knew he had no chance of it. Some of the prince's youthful naivety wanted to hope that a hero would come on the white steed, bringing him justice, but most of Lucius gave up this naivety in favor of realism. The reality was that the murder was done by someone whom even his father, the Britannian emperor, could not move or arrest. So there was no chance of avenging his mother any time soon.
Mentorship on the part of Prince Schneizel at this point had one - but an undoubted advantage - knowledge of the emperor's antipathy, and his reluctance to waste time on trivialities. Lucius' words might have been cold and insensitive - especially in the context of the murder of his mother and the serious mutilation of his younger sister - but it was an absolute necessity. The sand-haired prince sincerely hoped that he would at least get his immediate family out of this fateful situation.
"I, the Twelfth Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, humbly ask you to withdraw all inquiries from my brother, Eleventh Prince, and to allow us to leave the court freely, without being penalized for Prince Lelouch's insolence." His request seemed to bring a slight smile to the Emperor's face, as well as a state close to fury in his twin brother.
It was no secret that the vi Britannia twins are quite different from each other. Lelouch was always fierce, unforgiving and submissive, while Lucius was polite, eloquent and extremely polite, he also seemed to be a bit more submissive than his brother and willing to compromise with the people around him. However, the biggest difference between the brothers was the very early interest in politics and the ability to suppress their own feelings and emotions developed in this process. Due to these differences, Lelouch and Lucius quarreled many times and could not quite agree, but always their younger sister was able to ease the disputes between him, so that there was a cordial relationship between them.
"What are you saying Lucius !?" Lelouch asked, shocked, but he knew perfectly well that his brother could feel betrayed at this point. However, it did not matter to the Twelfth Prince, for all that mattered to him was saving his siblings from a miserable fate. Perhaps Lelouch and Nunnally would hate him for the rest of their lives, but that didn't matter in the least to Lucius, it was only their lives that mattered. "Are you just going to walk away while our mother's killers are free !?"
"Shut up!" Lucius growled extremely softly, but loud enough for Lelouch to hear it, then shot his brother a menacing look. "Just keep silent and don't aggravate our situation, which is already hopeless, brother. When we get home, I'll give you the necessary answers because you were obviously too stupid to listen to my arguments." The Twelfth Duke had no doubt that the emperor had heard Lucius' monologue, but he did not seem to pay any attention to it.
But Lelouch had no intention of giving in. He turned to the emperor once more, a murderous expression on his face, demanding an answer.
"Why didn't you save my mother from danger !? You are the emperor, the most powerful man in this nation, if not the whole world. You should have protected her, and now you are not even visiting Nunnally!" By the end, he was basically screaming desperately and his eyes were trembling nervously, the emperor remained unmoved.
From Lucius' perspective - and beyond - all that desperate demand for answers looked pathetic at best. He, like a large proportion of the assembled nobility, were unimpressed by what most of them would probably call desperation.
"I don't need the weak." The emperor calmly declared, which completely shocked Lelouch. Even Lucius lifted his head, barely concealing his shock, looking straight into his father's eyes, finding steel in them. Nevertheless, the emperor - to the great surprise of the sand-haired prince - seemed somewhat sad.
Until now, Lucius considered his father a walking monolith and the epitome of the strength of the empire, but to see him with a hint of sadness in his eyes seemed to completely undermine this. It became clear to the prince that he would have to revise his views on his father.
"Weak?" Lelouch staggered at his father's reply, completely confused. Not only that, he seemed completely incapable of processing this answer. However, the emperor's next words snapped him out of this state.
"It means to be king, my sons." The emperor explained, shifting his gaze from Lelouch to the still bewildered Lucius. However, the younger sibling once again lowered his gaze to the ground and continued his kneeling in front of the emperor.
Moments later, however, and under the influence of his own brother's impulsive decision, Lucius lost his desire to play etiquette and keep his own emotions in check.
"Then I don't want to be your heir, I'm giving up right to the throne." The Raven-haired prince declared, shock almost all gathered in the hall.
"What are you doing!?" Lucius asked in shock, his eyes trembling as he abruptly stood up and looked at his brother, who, however, did not pay the slightest attention to him. "Calm down, you're furious and you're not thinking rationally right now!" He whispered furiously to his brother, but to no avail.
"I'm fed up with fighting and intrigues about who will replace you, Father, I'm fed up!"
Lucius brow, as for the second time in the same day, the blood drains from his face, which becomes almost completely pale and lifeless. The sand-haired prince's eyes seemed to be completely separate from the rest of his body, as if no one had any control over them. However, his brother's bold statement was only the beginning of Lucius' shock.
"You're dead." At first, the emperor said calmly, but the calm in the face of his own son's recent arrogance could not last long. "You are dead to me from the day you were born. Who do you think gave you these clothes, home and comfort and life? All this comes from me. In short, you are nothing to me because you never existed to me. Still, you dare say such nonsense to me? You should have listened to your brother, who, even though he is a few hours younger, has definitely more sense than you! "
When the emperor rose, Lelouch fell to the floor in fear, while Lucius stood in complete shock and stupor, unable to gather all his thoughts together. He wasn't even able to process the "compliment" from the emperor. The Twelfth Prince stood almost completely panicked, not knowing who to look at and alternating between looking at his brother and father. Now he didn't know what to think about his father anymore.
"Lucius." The emperor turned to the youngest of the twins, and he only looked back at his father, which still showed shock. "I cannot fulfill your promises because your brother is dead. Due to his current condition, he has no rights, I am sending him and Nunnally to Japan, they will serve as hostages during the negotiations."
"Or maybe you want to join your siblings?" He asked after a moment, seeing the complete lack of reaction of the sand-haired prince. "The Japanese are famous for their hospitality."
At this point, Lucius was torn, on the one hand he wanted to go with his siblings, support his brother and, above all, his disabled sister. The young prince feels that he owes them this as a brother. On the other hand, Lucius was fed up with the stupidity and arrogance of his older brother, although he loved Lelouch, all the limits of mental endurance towards him were exceeded in this room. However, there was one more issue, loyalty to the legacy of his mother, Marianne the Flash, as well as responsibility for the memory that would remain of this woman. Regardless of the fate of your loved ones, feel that they will be able to cope with any adversities. He was saddened, however, that refusal would require very cool words.
Lelouch looked at his twin brother, expecting an immediate response from him. So did the Emperor, who was staring at Marianne the Flash's second child with raised eyebrows. However, they did not have to wait long, after a short internal conflict, they received an answer.
"Being among the walking dead would only make me as dead as they are." Lucius said coolly, gaining a shocked look from Lelouch, but also a small smirk on his father's face. "Perhaps someone will consider it a betrayal of my own blood, but I don't feel like joining the dead and no longer essential beings. For all my sentiment, I like to live, and I'd rather not end this life too soon, Your Majesty." Then he bowed to his father with great respect.
"Excellent." The emperor was satisfied and took his place on his throne. "Hear everyone gathered!" He raised his voice loudly, and the nobility turned towards him, waiting for an answer. "Let it be clear to you that I am pleased with the strength and wisdom of the Twelfth Prince who, despite his sentiments, was able to overcome memories of a dead future and look to the future! "
Lucius felt nauseous at his father's praise. The prince was not comfortable with it, he had openly rejected and betrayed his brother at a crucial moment, and now he did not even dare to meet his eyes. He literally brushed Lelouch's hateful gaze, who had every right to hate him and claim his head. The sand-haired prince could hardly hold back from tears and despair, but he knew he could show absolutely no sign of weakness here, especially in the face of all his enemies and allies present here.
There was applause in the hall, applause praising Lucius' "strength". The interested person himself knew perfectly well that in most cases people applauded because of the desire to please the emperor, and only a few fanatics of social Darwinism sincerely praised his act. As for the emperor, Lucius did not know if the man really approves of his rejection of the future or despises his decision, but he cannot admit it openly. It was hard to say.
"Thank you for your words, Your Majesty." He replied with the highest respect his condition allowed, with a nod to the throne and the god-emperor. "This is definitely more than I deserved. Especially since I was only doing what every king should do."
"I do not doubt." The emperor chuckled at his utterly insincere words. "Nevertheless, see that your humility or my praise halt your growth. I would be disappointed if you would join your brother as a walking corpse in a few years time. Now, both of you go away!" His last words were an order and a sign that this ill-fated audience was over. Although in this case, the best word for it would be simply a farce.
Lucius straightened and, with a false smile, headed towards the exit from the throne room. Before he could take the first step, however, his face touched his older brother's fist. Which would have fallen to the ground as a result of the blows, had it not been for the intervention of two nobles who were able to support the prince on his feet. Lucius quickly realized that these were his two most important allies at court. Duke Alexander Krushevsky, and the latest addition to the court, Marquess Degwin Zabi, a balding man in his fifties.
"I hate you!" Lelouch, with a sharp - for a child - scream, accused the twin, who only frowned menacingly at his brother's words. "You are a coward and a traitor, nothing more and nothing less! I sincerely hope that the decision to leave your loved ones to power and play the obedient doggie will haunt you for the rest of your pathetic life!"
Lelouch started to leave, but furious at the words of brother Lucius, he did not think to let go of this humiliation, especially since he had an excellent opportunity and argument for it.
"I, in turn, sincerely hope that your stupidity and resistance will haunt you to the end, and that they will eventually become your downfall." The sand-haired prince replied calmly, but with a slightly raised tone of voice. His expression was at that moment the malicious smirk he had chosen to bestow on his brother when he turned away.
Lucius' nonchalant attitude made the raven-haired prince even more angry, but he said nothing and simply left the throne room.
"Please forgive this farce, Your Majesty." Lucius turned one last time to the Emperor and bowed. Ignoring the blood that was leaking from his mouth. "As well as a fruitless and pointless attempt to save a dead man."
He almost felt sick at the thought of dancing as his father had wished him to. Nevertheless, it didn't matter anymore. All that mattered now was that his brother had been exiled and would probably leave the Empire on the same day. Lucius was internally depressed and downcast, but there was nothing he could do about it.
The prince left the room as soon as possible and headed for the garages, towards his limousine. He did not want to be in this palace for a second longer.
XXX
Pendragon, Holy Britannian Empire
Aries Imperial Villa
Next Day.
"Damn it!" Lucius pounded his fist furiously on the desk, but ignored any pain and focused instead on collecting his thoughts as a whole. He was now in the office that once belonged to his late mother. However, despite taking over - in principle - all the assets belonging to the empress since yesterday, he has not yet decided to take any step or move. He was in an emotional disarray, best reduced to two conflicting emotions. On the one hand, he felt guilty about abandoning his siblings, and on the other hand, he was to some extent bursting with pride. His older brother renounced his claim to the throne, and his sister's existence was drastically reduced, merely to being a being in a wheelchair who posed no real threat.
That's why his second feeling was pride. For at that moment, the weight of his mother's legacy, the famous and widely adored Marianne the Flash, was on his shoulders. Such a legacy could in the future result in an important and important position, one of the most serious contenders for the throne of the empire, despite the fact that he was the twelfth in line to the throne.
After all, they were two extremely different attitudes, and Lelouch's punch on the jaw hurt even now. The prince instinctively placed his hand on his face, exactly where he had received the hit.
"I hate you! You are a coward and a traitor, nothing more and nothing less! I sincerely hope that the decision to leave your loved ones to power and play the obedient doggie will haunt you for the rest of your pathetic life!"
He broke away as soon as he remembered the last bit of that painful sentence. Even at that moment, his brother's words ached, and he felt a bitter aftertaste on his tongue. The tears themselves wanted to flow to his eyes, but he didn't let his reflexes take precedence over his own will. However, it was not the first such situation.
"I, in turn, sincerely hope that your stupidity and resistance will haunt you to the end, and that they will eventually become your downfall."
The words he wrote to his twin brother were even more painful to him than those spoken by Lelouch. Lucius cursed himself for saying goodbye, and for that, from someone he shared the same womb with. He and Lelouch disagreed and argued many times, often losing control of their behavior. However, there was no doubt that they sincerely love each other. Now, however, Lucius had no doubts that his own twin brother had the highest possible contempt and sincere hatred for him. These thoughts did not give the sandy-haired prince any moment of peace.
In fact, since yesterday, since he returned to his late mother's villa, he has been trying to recover from the unfortunate events in the throne room. Yesterday evening, the consequences of his choice took a toll on him as he sat alone in the same office, while his sister and twin brother left for Japan to be held political hostage. True, he could have taken this journey with them, but he simply couldn't. The only thing that allowed him to do now was to continue on the path he had chosen.
"If only that stubborn fool would listen to me, maybe things would look a lot better now." Lucius lamented, that was all he was capable of at the moment. Lament. He could hardly keep himself from crying pitifully. "Why this all happened." His eyes widened at the words in sheer frustration. If other events in his life had disturbed him mentally, they were nothing to do with what was happening now.
He turned abruptly, staring at his own reflection in the mirror. Honestly, he looked more than pathetic. His usually neatly combed back hair was now completely disheveled. Under the eyes of the sand-haired prince, great shadows were visible all too clearly, and the eyes themselves seemed to be synonymous with the pain of existence. He had been unable to sleep all night, his twin's last words cutting his soul and conscience more effectively than a sharpest blade.
As if all this was not enough, the prince wore only white pajamas with blue stripes, and over it was a black bathrobe. If it could all be summed up at a glance, the word pathetic fit him perfectly. On the other hand, one could define the man who was dragged and tortured just a few minutes ago in the lowest circles of Hell, considering that the tenth circle was to be reserved - at least according to Dante - for traitors. In light of his brother's accusations, this was the most appropriate place for him.
From that moment on, the prince began pacing the entire study intensively, from one end to the other. From moment to moment his mind began to go madder and more crazy, as if he was constantly plunging into a state of powerlessness to work through what had happened. The prince does not do well, his brow in his skin is the fire of guilt that seemed to come from the very bottom of hell, as if he was piercing his soul through and out.
Minutes passed, hours later, and the prince's condition did not seem to improve at all. Eventually, however, someone knocked on the office door.
"What happened?" He asked extremely loudly, as if he had been pulled out of some deep trance.
The door was opened by one of the maids who took care of the prince personally. Anastasia Andropov. The said woman was not too tall and in her late twenties, with black hair and blue eyes. He always seemed to get on well with the prince. They were both somewhat similar in nature, they were rather calm and not seeking conflicts. This was probably one of the reasons why Empress Marianne decided to hire this woman and assign her to Lucius.
"Your Highness." She started out with a polite bow and courtesies, but for the sand-haired prince it was just an unnecessary circus, at least for the moment. "Princess Cornelia, Princess Euphemia, and Lady Nonette Enneagram came in for an immediate meeting.
Their presence ... No. Merely demanding an appointment from the three of them brought him close to fury.
"It was just missing." He hissed loudly and in frustration. Then he raised the tone of his voice. "Anastasia, tell these three that I don't want any meeting! You are to order them to leave the villa grounds." His last words were basically a raging scream, which surprised the prince somewhat. Anastasia was clearly surprised by the sharpness of the prince's speech. Until now, Lucius had treated her very well and respectfully - as did the rest of his siblings and the Empress herself - but now that the young prince was thrown from his mental balance, he became completely erratic in his behavior. If the young maid did not expect something, it was that something would upset her prince.
Despite her surprise, the maid immediately bowed and left, leaving the young prince to himself. Lucius, in turn, sank with a sigh into an armchair behind a large marble desk, covered at the same time with numerous ornaments of pure gold. He was much calmer now than he had been in the last few hours of the day. It seemed that this moment, and releasing a fraction of his full anger, had a calming effect on him, in fact it did.
For the first time that day, the young prince's thoughts were fully focused. He glanced at the documents his mother had left behind. Actually, it was a black file. Upon opening it and glancing at its contents, the prince realized that there were plans in it.
"YF7-X1A." The Duke whispered aloud the code name for the newest Knightmare Frame his mother was working on recently, along with Ruben Ashford and the entire research team at Ashford Robotics. An improved, smaller and better armored version of the YF6-X7K / E Ganymede, which was a regrettable prototype, completely unsuitable for a regular battlefield.
The prince's eyes widened in shock as he realized what a difficult situation he might soon find himself in. He knew perfectly well that even before yesterday, the Ashford family had been rightfully deprived of their rightful nobility, and their competitors had joined in numerous lawsuits against Ashford Robotics. Lucius realized that he was losing a key ally in the financial and armaments sphere. It is true that he had other allies at his disposal, such as the old and influential House of Krushevsky, as well as the young and influential House of Zabi. However, he couldn't rely solely on others, it was more than obvious.
Then, however, an idea arose in the mind of the young prince. His mother owned a twenty percent stake in Ashford Robotics, which gave the young prince a firm foundation for his plan. Now that the Empress has died and the shares of her longtime friend and ally's company have started to decline, an opportunity arose before Lucius. Possibility to take full control of Ashford Robotics. The duke knew perfectly well that aging and on the verge of bankruptcy Ruben Ashford was almost finished, he would probably be inclined to sell him his fifty-five percent of the shares and thus complete control of the company. It is true that Ashford Robotics themselves were not in the best shape, but the Duke already had ideas how to change this state of affairs. Schneizel owed him one favor for helping to recruit some allies, so Lucius might have asked him for a few small favors with regard to government procurement.
Additionally, Lucius had far more sympathizers at court and among the nobility than initially expected. On the one hand, he already had his own allies, in the form of the Krushevsky family and the Zabi family. As if that were not enough, the person of the prince, unlike his brother and mother, did not arouse widespread disgust among the higher nobility, and the reason for this was extremely simple, in appearance. While his brother evidently inherited his mother's body - which made him contemptuously called the Peasant Prince - Lucius had many physical traits from his father, which made him believed to have accumulated the emperor's genes, rather than his brother's genes. his common mother. In short, Lucius' well-known allies were not exposed to attacks on the same scale as his mother's were.
Nevertheless, further consideration and planning for Lucius was interrupted quite abruptly and brutally. The reason for this was that a powerful kick opened the door to his office, and inside stood his half-sister, Second Princess of the Holy Britannian Empire, Cornelia li Britannia. And it was more than clear that she wasn't pleased.
XXX
"WHAT YOU JUST SAID!?" The purple haired princess asked furiously, though in this case it would be more appropriate to compare her voice to the roar of a tigress or a lion.
The second princess had been more than furious since yesterday's performance in the throne room. On the one hand, she was infuriated by her father's decision to banish her siblings. On the other hand, Lucius' betrayal was also driving her crazy. Yes, Lelouch had acted arrogant and just plain stupid, but that by no means meant that he deserved such cool words from both his father and brother. However, what completely filled the cup of bitterness was the absence of Lucius yesterday at the airport as his siblings were departing for Japan.
However, only today the princess decided to take any action. Cornelia was too angry and sad yesterday to do even one thing that made sense. To talk to her stepbrother, she decided to take both her younger sister - because she was one of the few people whom Lucius trusted immensely - and Nonette Enneagram, because she was the person who taught Lucius to shoot and whom he undoubtedly trusted.
However, instead of the expected conversation with her stepbrother, she only got a cold severance pay. As if that were not enough, not from Lucius himself, but from his personal maid. Probably no one has ever humiliated the other princess that much.
"Like I said." The maid began, with a calm admirable, considering that she was standing face to face with the furious princess of the empire. "His highness has ordered me to give you this order to leave the Aries Villa grounds."
Cornelia was amazed, on the one hand she was surprised by the refusal of her stepbrother, who had never refused her meetings, on the other hand, by the peace of the maid. This woman stood face to face with the princess of the empire, as if that weren't enough, she was a commoner, so Cornelia could order her execution without suffering any consequences and practically immediately. Even so, the woman stood and looked the port into her eyes with commendable serenity.
Nonette and Euphemia - who accompanied Corneli during the visit - were also impressed by the maid's calmness and composure. Both decided to accompany her due to their brother's potential psychological instability. Euphemia was one of the few people who was able to calm him down. Nonette, was one of the few people Lucius respected and admired.
"I see." It was all the princess said, but she wasn't going to let go. She moved forward, forcing the maid out of the way at the same time. The princess's ultimate goal was more than obvious to everyone.
"Your highness, this is ..." Although the maid tried to dissuade the princess from her all too obvious intention, her attempt was met with an unambiguous answer.
"Get out of here!" Cornelia screamed furiously, achieving the desired effect in the form of the maid withdrawing, who from then on began to follow a few steps after her.
However, the princess's behavior terrified her sister. If it hadn't been for the blond knight's nudge and pushing forward, the girl probably wouldn't have moved at all.
The filet-haired princess moved swiftly through the richly decorated and elaborately crafted corridors of the villa, but with clear traces of a state rubbing against furies. If yesterday's behavior of Lucius at the imperial court and his subsequent absence at the airport were not enough, his attempt to send her and her companions back by a messenger finally overwhelmed the cup of bitterness.
"Where is the prince now ?!" She asked, struggling to keep from the lions' roars.
"Come on, Nellie..." Nonette tried to cut in, with her amused and playful tone of voice, but to no avail.
"Probably still in the office of the late empress." The maid replied almost immediately, not wanting to expose herself to further anger from the other princess and interrupting her companion.
It didn't take long for Cornelia, Anastasia, Nonette, and Euphemia to reach the ornate door leading directly to the Empress's office on the first floor.
The princess had no intention of knocking or otherwise warning her brother about her presence. Instead of careful etiquette and a nice pun, she opted for a direct and brutal approach, hoping to surprise her brother. She kicked with all her might at the very center of the massive door and it swung open with a mighty bang. Outside the door, she saw a young boy sitting behind a desk, seeming to be pulled straight out of the hellish abyss.
Lucius vi Britannia, he looked really pathetic. Still in pajamas and bathrobe, despite the approaching evening. With intense shadows under the eyes, disheveled and disheveled hair. The crowning glory of that was a bruise on the face a few inches to the right of the mouth.
Though the princess was initially very surprised, she decided, after a short moment of hesitation, to approach the desk, at the same time immersing her gaze in her brother's amethyst eyes.
"Lucius Cornelius vi Britannia!" She roared with all the strength at her disposal, and at the same time her brother looked back at him. "What's all this supposed to mean?"
"Exactly what it means." Lucius surprised Cornelie with this cool answer and a dispassionate response. "Who let you here?" He asked after a short while, when the surprise of his half-sister became indisputable. He stared irritated straight into his sister's eyes, not feeling a hint of fear.
Cornelia was literally speechless after asking her brother, not knowing what to do next. The princess had never experienced such a reaction to her anger before, so she stared at her brother for a few seconds, having no idea what to do next. However, after a while, she returned to reality, also assuming a furious expression on her face that was perfectly in line with her present feelings.
"Nobody, I came in on my own warrant as Second Princess of the Holy Britannian Empire." She replied and immediately crossed her arms, took a few more steps to tower over her stepbrother and made it clear to him who was actually dealing the cards and in charge. "What's all this supposed to mean?" She asked, making it clear that she expected an immediate response from him. "First, your cool behavior in the throne room, then you don't show up at the airport when your younger sister and twin are sent to the other side of the world, and now you push away all your relatives for you. What is happening to you?"
"Apparently I'm growing up a lot earlier than most kids." He replied, rising simultaneously from his late mother's chair and then placing his hands on the desk. "I'm not in the mood for family fights, tell me what exactly you want or walk away."
"I'm not going anywhere!" The princess screamed in response, a fire of pure fury seemed to blaze in her eyes. "I just want to know what's actually going on with you."
Lucius frowned at her words. "As I said before, I seem to be growing up much earlier than most children." He repeated what he had said a few seconds ago, then pointed to the documents on the desk. "Now forgive me, dear sister. Unlike some of the military players, he has matters directly related to the future of the vi Britannia line to deal with and control, so you better tell me what you want." After these words, he sat down on the swivel chair.
Though his voice was childish, devoid of the effects of his mutation, the content it carried with it was deadly serious. Cornelia was shocked once more. He knew that due to Schneizel's influence, the young prince matured much faster, learning the politics and art of wearing different masks depending on the situation. Nevertheless, the other princess never expected anything like this from her younger brother, not for those closest to him.
Cornelia tightened her fingers until they formed into fists. It didn't take a few moments until she finally calmed down and her emotions and adrenaline subsided. Seeing the ineffectiveness of the aggressive approach, she decided to use a friendlier method in a quite natural way.
"I just want to know what's happening to you." She stated, then sat down on one of the plush armchairs in front of the desk. Now, she and Lucius seemed to be having an equal conversation. "Why did you use such cold words to your own twin? Why did you cheat on him in front of the whole court? Why didn't you even go to say goodbye to him? I just want to know why you did it? I know Lelouch acted irrational and just plain stupid. I know and I understand you might have been irritated by his harmful stubbornness, but by the gods old and new, Lelouch is just a child who lost his mother and wanted justice. You didn't have to be so cold-hearted, especially since his last words were fully justified. Finally, why are you acting like some uncouth brat. "
Her approach was starting to take effect, the wetness in her brother's eyes began to build up until single drops of tears left his sockets. Lucius stood up, apparently unable to maintain contact, instead headed for the nearest mirror, looked at his own reflection, and sighed.
"You're asking me why?" She passed a rhetorical question, but Cornelia didn't answer. There was a deep silence for a while. At the same time, Nonette and Euphemia stood beside the chair where Cornelia was sitting. The other two representatives of the fair sex - although they followed the other princess a dozen or so steps - were witnesses and saw everything that had happened and was said. Euphemia was completely paralyzed, shocked, and unable to utter a single sentence. Nonette, on the other hand - probably for the first time in her existence, which was irritating to everyone around her - remained silent and did not dare to utter a word. She watched the interaction with a serious expression and in silence, while holding Euphemia's hand and encouraging her.
"I do not know." He stammered pitifully, pain clearly evident in his voice. It was as if all the sadness that had accumulated during all these hours had been replaced by irritation and rage to his depression, sadness and guilt. "I don't know if I really wanted to say it, or if I was just too emotional, outraged by the whole situation."
Cornelia, for her part, remained silent, willing to let her brother express what was on his heart. The other two were in the room as well. The three of them decided to give their brother some time to emotionally recover.
"Even if I wanted to, I don't know why I did it." He replied in a muffled voice, lifted his hand a little and looked at her, then growled and hit the mirror with all his might. "And now because of my lack of control over my behavior, my own siblings hate me!" He roared, half furious and half on the verge of utter despair. However, neither of these two feelings seemed to have an advantage over the other. And blood began to trickle down his hand, swim and drip onto the floor.
Lucius began to breathe deeply and heavily, turned and stood sideways to the crowd, revealing a shrunken and nervously shaking right eye, there was no reason to argue that the left eye was not in a similar condition.
"Lelouch." He whispered softly, as if it was meant only for himself, as if he wanted to prevent others from hearing it. "Why didn't you listen to me?" He asked and was unable to hold on anymore. Tear after tear began to leave his eyes, only to finally fall to the ground. "Why did you cheat on me !?" It was a pure roar now, crowned with an energetic and undoubtedly involuntary smack of a bloody fist on the top of the desk. "Why couldn't I control my emotions !?"
Cornelia was silent for a moment, then she walked over to her brother, knelt right behind him, and wrapped her strong arms around him. Lucius tensed instinctively, but very quickly relaxed, unable to offer any resistance. Finally, he took his stepsister's hands, trying anyway to reciprocate her gesture.
"I know it's hard for you." She whispered in his ear, tenderly and as softly as possible. "I may not have lost my mother and siblings, but trust me, I understand you and your pain perfectly well. However, you have to stop, blaming yourself and rejecting everyone who wants to help you will not solve anything, it will only make your situation worse."
At this point, Cornelia relaxed the intensity and strength of her embraces a bit, and Lucius immediately seized the opportunity and turned towards the other princess. Single tears still spilled from his amethyst eyes, but not with the same intensity of eggs before a moment.
"So what am I supposed to do exactly?" He asked. "I have lost three-quarters of my life. Mother, twin brother and sister. Nothing left for me in this world."
"You're wrong." The person who least expected it, for it was Euphemia, spoke vigorously. The pink-haired princess ran up to her stepbrother and hugged him as well. "You are not alone, you have me, a sister, you still have all those who care and love you."
"Euphy is right!" She added Nonette vigorously, which narrowed the distance between her and Lucius, then placed her hand on the prince's head. "You have loving and supportive people around you. You are not alone. Besides, you also have this lovely daughter of Duke Krushevsky."
The memory of the girl with whom Lucius had practiced fencing quite often made the prince flush immediately.
"Nonette!" He squeaked in embarrassment, blushing even more in the process and taking a few steps back, which only encouraged the carefree - but bright and intelligent - woman.
"What?" She asked, rolling her eyes and shrugging her hands. "You think I'm blind and I don't see how you make a draw at your joint fencing training with Lady Moninca just because you stared at her beautiful face for too long and she couldn't resist your charm?"
Her question embarrassed the sand-haired prince even more, but it amused the sisters and Britannia.
"What do you think?" The prince asked after a short while, snapping the sisters out of their laughter and attracting the attention of the blond knight. "Lelouch will forgive me and understand my attitude and..." He hesitated for a brief moment. "Treason?"
"Well, with his stubbornness it is unlikely. Nevertheless, if you do your best to sincerely apologize to him, the sea will succeed." Nonette replied after a short while, unconsciously giving up, improving the mood of the young prince and giving him the determination to work hard in the coming months.
AN: Hello dear readers. It is my honor to present you the fruit of one of my side projects, which I hope you will enjoy.
Hated Brother, to be honest, it wasn't the first title for this Fic, as I was still considering titles like Brotherly Hate or The Enemies Of The Same Blood. Ultimately, I chose the Hated Brother because it's short and full-bodied enough.
However, what exactly is this Fic going to be about. Simply put, this is Au about what would happen if Lelouch had twin (and much less rash) brother, in appearance somewhat similar to his father. In addition to this and a few other OCs, I also decided to include some characters from the Gundam Universe because of my sentiment towards the series.
The first few chapters will be about the childhood of the main character, his stay at a military academy, meeting new allies, the beginning of a romance (yes, he is planning a romance of the main character) and his first real war campaign. I plan, that Lucius will interfere in the events of the anime around chapter ten.
As for the depicted world. I decided to give up what I did in Silvery Dragon, which is to introduce the Holy Britannian Empire as a land of modern feudalism, mainly because it made no sense at all. Instead, Britannia is a constitutional monarchy with a regime of precisely and legally defined social groups and with little social mobility. Why did I do that? Because it is the most sensible solution. In the anime and manga, no one ever - if I remember correctly - assigns nobles any land or right to rule over some land. Ergo, the nobility is an influential social group, but they do not have the power of medieval Europe. However, as a result, representatives need to earn their income in other ways, such as participating in military campaigns, working in the government, or running their own businesses.
However, in this connection, individual titles are no longer a determinant of the size of the land owned, but the rank in the Empire and the family's contribution to the state. I have allowed myself to prepare the rank hierarchies, and they are as follows:
- Baron
- Viscount
- Earl/ Count
- Marquess
- Duke
- Grand Duke
Margrave is a special title awarded for families with an outstanding history of military achievement, which cannot be obtained by any other way.
Also, I want to say you now, that little inspiration for that, was other Fic, unfortunately dead. Code Geass: Julius of the Empire, written by ShinKir0. I wrote unfortunately, because (despite frequent copying of scenes from Code Geass: Akito the Exiled) it was decent drama.
Write me what you think about it and have a nice day.