Chapter 58
The Antipathy of Familiarity
As one might expect for persons of such august station, anytime a working member of the imperial family traveled, the arrangements surrounding them tended towards the overzealous. If going on official state business, they would use one of the government-maintained business jets, or even one of the supersonic ones depending on the distances involved and the urgency of the task. On more private outings or those pertaining to the affairs of their slightly less lofty noble houses, they would revert back to more private, personal resources, such as a private plane attached to their families instead of the imperial house or the government. Security for the journey itself however still tended to be handled by imperial authorities, with them only handing off responsibility, if at all, at the destined endpoints if there was an appropriate body to take over the duty. Otherwise one could be expected to see armsmen and knights in ample numbers wherever a royal might be.
For especially long-distance trips that crossed airspace outside of Britannian sovereignty, even if said airspace was international, the Empire insisted on an armed escort. Previously that amounted to a single air superiority fighter, two if Britannia was feeling especially twitchy. Nowadays, with the advent of the float system, if a member of the imperial family needed to travel long distances through non-Britannian airspace to a place that warranted twitchiness, the Empire's solution was the Avalon.
The first true aerial cruiser built by the Imperial Britannian Navy, after it won the turf fight with the Air Force for which service branch should be responsible for the Empire's new flying fleet, the Avalon's actual service as a frontline warship was actually fairly short. It helped the navy gain practical experience in manning and maintaining an aerial warship, which fed into the second-generation designs that formed Britannia's Eighth Fleet. Once those ships started entering service, Avalon was transitioned into a full-time training vessel, and it was not long before suggestions were made for it to be decommissioned and scraped outright, a refit to bring it up to the same combat standards as its successors considered not worthwhile.
What ultimately saved Avalon from the scrappers however was the Prince Schneizel's well-known affectation for high technology. He was the one that proposed, and arranged the funding for, the Avalon's conversion into what amounted to a flying royal yacht. The ship's interiors were adjusted to make space for a proper stateroom and bedrooms, while the existing command and control capabilities were heavily augmented to allow the passengers on board to remain plugged into the Empire's government and military. All this required reallocating space previously used to store the munitions used by the Avalon's conventional cannons, which were similarly removed. That was not to say the ship lost all its teeth, however. A Blaze Luminous shield was installed, providing protection against threats that the Avalon might be expected to face while carrying out its transport duties, alongside a single railgun to give it a very nasty surprise to spring upon any would be attackers while requiring much smaller space for ammo relative to the removed cannons. Granted the railgun was very much akin to mounting a hammer in an eggshell and its presence made it more than a bit awkward to try using the Avalon to convey members of the imperial family on state visits to foreign polities, but there were times when the ship's combination of firepower and at least viable defenses made it a genuinely useful tactical asset. As such even if the ceremony was kept to a minimum, the Avalon's arrival in Japan was still highly welcomed by the local powers that be. The welcome for the personage arriving aboard her was a bit more mixed.
Victoria li Britannia was the third ranking consort of the Emperor Charles, a duchess in her own right and mother of two daughters that shared in her willfulness. Prior to her marriage, she had served in the Imperial Britannian Army, rising to the rank of colonel and bringing to her future husband's side the brigade she was part of along with elements of her noble house's provincial guard when Charles touched off his coup. Since her marriage, Victoria had focused her attention more on matters of state and governance, even if she formally remained on the reserve list and had even gone up a rank to that of brigadier-general on account of sheer seniority. Perhaps because of her martial inclinations, Victoria also had very little use for the usual pomp and circumstance that accompanied most state affairs, so her arrival in Japan saw only the barest minimum of fanfare. Yes, an honor guard was still standing at attention to greet her, but that was the short and whole of it. Lelouch had not even bothered making a showing at Nimitz Base where the Avalon touched down, though the cardinal could at least make the argument that he was genuinely extremely busy. Cornelia could actually issue a similar plea now, though the fact that she could have discharged her duties more efficiently back in Pendragon instead of continuing to linger here in Japan did somewhat undercut the marshal's position. As for Euphemia, who was, while not a primary reason for Victoria's jaunt, then at least a very high priority secondary one, well, Victoria would be speaking to her youngest daughter soon enough.
The helicopter ride that ferried Victoria from Yokosuka, where Nimitz Base was located, to the viceroy's palace in the heart of Tokyo, did not take overly long. When Victoria alighted from the helicopter, she was greeted by the sight of men and women in Eden Vital's colors instead of that of the imperial family.
"Your Majesty," a youthful looking woman with flowing black hair greeted with a respectful bow. "Welcome to Tokyo. I am Sister Sancia, Cardinal Lamperouge's executive assistant."
"Thank you, Sister," Victoria said. "Though this is the first time we've been directly introduced, I do believe we've at least corresponded in the past, when His Eminence's office had need to confer with me about my daughter's situation."
"Your Majesty does me honor in remembering. Shall we?"
"By all means."
Alongside Victoria, the single knight and two armsmen accompanying her took up positions around their liege. Including the Eden Vital militants, a rather sizeable group proceeded from the rooftop helipad to the entrance down into the palace proper. As they walked the halls, Victoria came to an abrupt halt before a particular wall, and that which adorned it.
"This painting," Victoria said, her eyes sweeping across the vibrant colors contrasting against the empty whiteness outlined by black ink.
"Prince Clovis left this unfinished at the time of his passing," Sancia confirmed, "and gifted it to His Eminence. It portrays the Imperial Ares Villa and the surrounding gardens."
"Clovis always did have a strong artistic aesthetic," Victoria said, a touch of fondness, and sadness, tinging her tone. "So much potential, wasted."
Victoria might not have been Clovis' biological mother, but she was still a mother to the late prince, and a close friend to Gabriella, the woman that birthed him. When news reached the imperial family back in Pendragon of just how massive a debacle had unfolded in Japan, disbelief had naturally griped many of them, Victoria included. Bad enough that Clovis was dead and Lelouch apparently also suffering a near thing, but the rest of it? Certainly, Clovis lacked the political acumen of some of his other siblings, but surely not even he could have suffered such a lapse in judgment as to dabble in something so heinous as chemical weapons. Except, apparently he had. Misguided by others, but Clovis himself had still committed so grievous a crime that, even had he survived the events in Tokyo, the only possible outcome would still have resulted in his death. Victoria loved Clovis as one of her own, but even she could not deny the magnitude of his guilt. Just as she recognized that Lelouch, despite being the one that ultimately brought to light that guilt, did not somehow become any less deserving of that same love. After all, Victoria's loss of a son was also Lelouch's loss of a brother.
For this reason, it ultimately had not taken very long for the collective of mothers, including Gabriella, to emotionally forgive Lelouch. Not that the youth had committed any great transgression that warranted punishment, but there was still a pain elicited by the part Lelouch was forced to play. But time had dulled that pain enough that the family's concern was now squarely focused on the living, not the dead, and as a member of the former, how Lelouch himself was holding up was front and center of those concerns. With the youth having remained in Japan on account of his duties however his family had yet to find the opportunity to directly convey that forgiveness, nor to check on how he was doing personally.
"Has he ever asked after anything?" Victoria asked Sancia.
The younger woman tilted her head in consideration. "His Eminence has had nights where natural sleep proved difficult for him, requiring it to be induced. But, those have lessened of late, thanks to the Lady Millicent's presence, I believe."
Victoria gave a rueful chuckle at that. "I see Lelouch is his father's son." And then in a more somber demeanor. "Lelouch was in Pendragon so briefly before being dispatched to Japan, we did not even have the chance to take measure of him and the family he is now amidst of. I hope some of that might be remedied during my stay here?"
"If Your Majesty so wishes it, it can certainly be arranged," Sancia said politely if just a bit noncommittally.
A slight smile touched Victoria's lips once more. "You have no need to fret, Sister Sancia. I have no intention of trying to draw Lelouch away from the present family that clearly cherishes him. Indeed, I am heartened to see the numbers of that family grow to be so numerous."
After a brief moment, Sancia accorded Victoria a slight nod, accepting the reassurance. Perhaps it was her more numerous years, but Victoria was displaying a wiser sensitivity than either of her daughters in her exchanges with Lelouch's surrogate sisters. Whether this level of deftness would suffice with her own daughter remained to be seen.
When the door opened, Euphemia immediately rose and approached her mother. Victoria gladly received her daughter's embrace, it had been several months since the two had seen each other after all. The same technically held true for her other daughter, but Cornelia was suspiciously absent. Victoria could all too easily imagine why, making a mental note to admonish said daughter about her tendency to duck matters she found awkward.
"It's good to see you, Euphie," Victoria said. "I hope you have been well?"
"Well enough," Euphemia said as she and her mother parted. "So much has happened these past few months, I can hardly believe it."
"Neither can I," Victoria said with a rueful smile. "My little girl, blossoming into a genuine princess out of my sight."
Euphemia returned the expression at picking up the subtext.
"I'm sorry for disappearing so suddenly. But, it was something I felt I had to do."
Victoria gave a small grunt at that. "There are a lot of things we often feel we must do. It is however only in hindsight that we can tell whether doing that something was worth the cost."
Before she went into full-on lecture mode however, Victoria made for the seats, with Euphemia quickly following after. Two of the guards accompanying Victoria took up positions outside the room, while one stayed with their mistress. Euphemia was similarly not alone, with Marika standing attentively behind the princess, while one Monica Krushevsky was a similar distance away. The former's presence was to be expected, she was Euphemia's knight of honor after all. Monica on the other hand was a Rounds and technically seconded to ensure security for Cornelia, not Euphemia. That she was here nonetheless was almost certainly with Lelouch's consent, the cardinal was the one that'd need to make up for Monica's absence in Cornelia's security screen after all, if not his outright behest. As hints went, Monica was a rather non-subtle one as to where Lelouch stood in all this. The way Victoria's gaze lingered ever so slightly on the blond-haired young woman, it was a hint she was receiving loud and clear.
As the two women took their seats, a maid busied herself arranging the tea service. The clink of China sounded as cups and plates were set, along with the drip of liquid as tea filled those cups. Once everything, including the snacks were in place, the woman curtsied and departed, leaving mother and daughter in relative privacy.
"Have your studies been going well?" Victoria began with a fairly softball opener as she took a sip of her tea.
"Quite, even with the additional civic lessons," Euphemia responded. "I have to say, I'm almost looking forward to having Mr. DuBois when it comes time to take my senior year civics course."
"It is good to hear Ashford's instructors are of such caliber," Victoria said. "I take it then that you do intend to finish your secondary education in Japan?"
Euphemia nodded. "After everything Milly and her family have done for me, the least I could do is help their school become a designated royal academy."
"I suppose that is fair enough," Victoria agreed. "And what do you intend to do afterward?"
"Go to university, I suppose," Euphemia said. "I'm still not quite sure what I want to actually study. Maybe something to do with economics or law. That way I might be able to do some actual work aside from ceremonial tasks."
One of which was coming up shortly. As a reward for all her diligent hard work these past few months, Euphemia was to deliver the opening statement at the transfer ceremony marking the official implementation of the Special Administration Act. As rewards went, it was rather akin to giving more work for a job well done. But it was a reward that Euphemia herself wanted, and Lelouch was nothing if not economical in making use of others' desires.
"Those ceremonial tasks never really go away," Victoria said, "not even I've managed to escape them entirely despite entering military service. If you go down a civilian path, you'll likely find yourself engaging in even more of them, with all the requisite demands attached."
"Well, I'd like to think I'd have some time to myself," Euphemia said, "to pursue a career, or to have a family."
Victoria was not quite able to suppress her grimace at that last word. As segues went it was far from subtle, but at least the way was open to discuss the matter at hand.
"For the latter, you deserve someone of genuine merit," Victoria said, insinuating a lack thereof in the current prospective, at least in the older princess' opinion.
"Awarded the Royal Elizabethan Medal for bravery beyond the call of duty at Lake Kawaguchi," Euphemia on the other hand clearly disagreed, and with the list she was rattling off now, arguably had quite a bit of support in that regard, "mentioned in dispatches for his actions during the Shinjuku Incident, an officer of good standing in the Imperial Britannian Army, is of high scholastic standing at a royally accredited academy, all before reaching the age of majority." The princess was now meeting her sister's eyes squarely. "How many people in the world could lay claim to such achievements, much less Britannians?" The girl tilted her head. "I suppose Lelouch could, though he hasn't really been given any medals for his achievements."
Put that way, it was hard to argue the youth both women were as yet alluding to indirectly did not possess certain upstanding qualities, especially if the only point of reference that came to mind was someone like Lelouch. Indeed none of the qualities were ones that Victoria could objectively disagree with. But impressive as those achievements might be, that Victoria already considered them inadequate was a given, otherwise there would not have been need for the conversation now taking place.
"Admirable achievements, certainly, but the duties that would be demanded in the future have more to do with protocol and etiquette. Even lacking such myriad achievements, familiarity with such would at least minimize opportunities for misstep, or disappointment."
Tactful though Victoria was trying to be in her own way, the frown that appeared on Euphemia's face openly signaled the younger woman's displeasure.
"I would hope, Mother, that you of all people would not place appearances over ability. Have you not often warned my sister and I that we should not be overly reliant on our family, that we must earn through merit any accolades we are awarded?"
It was probably a stupid tack to try in the first place, what with how easily Euphemia turned it around on Victoria. Or perhaps Victoria was as yet testing her daughter, seeing how determined Euphemia was in staying her course.
"Mother," Euphemia spoke up before Victoria could try a different argument. "Is there actually anything that Suzaku could ever do to earn your approval, or has your mind already been made up and no feat Suzaku might achieve would ever change it?"
Victoria grimaced at how forthrightly her youngest daughter had cut to the heart of the matter.
"It is not merely a matter of whether I think him worthy," she began, "but also what others-"
"And what do those others matter?" Euphemia actually cut her mother off. "Do you honestly think I care about what those hidebound Purists think? Or the closeted bigots that feign tolerance but are really just as prejudiced? As much as I've come to despise them, at least the Purists have enough courage to openly display their views!"
Euphemia was genuinely angry, that much was obvious. By now not only was Victoria stunned speechless, Marika was as well. Monica was however for some reason smirking.
"You, despise them?" Victoria finally said, apparently having trouble with the notion that her kindhearted daughter could ever come to so strongly look down upon someone. Upon even perhaps Victoria herself.
"A lot has happened the past few months," Euphemia continued. "I've learned a great deal about not only my duties, but also the obligations my family as a whole owe. And along the way, I've made many new friends. Friends like Kallen, or Kaguya, or even Suzaku. What else could I call what I feel about those that would disparage them merely on account of their heritage? A heritage that, from everything that I have learned, they have every reason to be proud of?"
Victoria's jaw tightened further. It was perhaps inevitable that Euphemia would socialize heavily with those of Japanese ethnicity, seeing as a good percentage of Ashford Academy's student body was composed of them. And when several of those Japanese students were also heavily involved with Lelouch, that they would cross paths with Euphemia was inevitable. Lelouch of course would have no major reservations about such socialization, or the prospect of such socialization leading to more intimate relations. Victoria however was not Lelouch.
"It is not the heritage that they have," Victoria finally answered, "but the one that they lack. You speak of obligations, Euphie, of duty. Fair enough. But there are many others who we have owed obligations to for far longer than Mr. Kururugi or the Japanese. No matter how much Mr. Kururugi might personally achieve, he simply cannot in his singular lifetime eclipse the generations of service entire families have provided to Britannia, not simply their feats, but also the sheer length of time that they've stood by the Empire, whether in out triumph or our defeats."
A decidedly different tact than what Victoria first tried, and one that was even reasonable. At least some of the anger was leaving Euphemia's eyes, replaced instead with a certain unease.
"The Purists are idiots in at least one regard, there's nothing so innate in our blood that nurture doesn't account for a far greater percentage than nature when it comes to the source of one's competency," this time it was Victoria that went on. "But the longevity of one's lineage in Britannia is not for nothing. We are obliged to reward both new and old service, and to offer too great a reward for someone with so short a term of service, to show them as much trust or consideration as those that have been with Britannia for centuries. How is that not a slap to their faces?"
Euphemia again did not have a ready answer. Victoria sighed.
"I have no desire to see you matched up with someone for solely political ends, Euphie. At the end of the day, I want you to be happy. But your happiness, even my happiness, is balanced against the obligations that we owe to others. If you decide that your happiness lies with this, Suzaku, then so be it. I would never say your happiness is not worth the price that must be paid, or even beyond the means of our family to pay it. But do not be so selfish, Euphie, as to think that there isn't or shouldn't be a price."
Selfish. Now that was a charge that Euphemia certainly was not expecting to be levied at her.
"If my action is somehow so selfish, then why are you the first to suggest it?" the younger girl asked. "You aren't the first I've spoken to about Suzaku. Milly, Lelouch, even Marika and Cornelia. All mentioned a price needing to be paid, but none in the vein that you have."
"Because everyone has a different perspective on the price," Victoria answered. "You know your sister well enough that she dislikes paying attention to such details and nuances."
A frank if not exactly charitable assessment of Cornelia's character, though hardly one Euphemia could herself disagree with.
"Lelouch has his own priorities, such that what he hopes to gain is worth more to him than what it costs, and that's setting aside the fact that he's not the one would have to pay the cost."
Euphemia tilted her head. "What he hopes to gain?"
"We'll get to that," Victoria however said. "Millicent, I suspect it is a matter of experience, or rather lack thereof. As clever as she is, she is still learning the ropes of managing her house's competing interests, so she likely does not yet intuitively grasp the scope of the cost that you are facing. Besides, her own current marital prospects are downright conventional. The Lamperouge lineage is a storied one in the Empire, and the two were considered prospective matches all the way back when both were residing in Peodragon. Her actually marrying Lelouch would raise no eyebrows whatsoever."
Unlike Euphemia's potential union with Suzaku, needless to say.
"And as for Marika." The empress regarded the young woman behind her daughter. "She is a knight, and therefore on the receiving end of this balancing instead of needing to handle the nuances of dispensing such grace. Your sister Cornelia, whatever her relative disinterest, has still managed to ingrain a sort of instinctive awareness of needing to balance the favor she shows, and if she did a good enough job of it, those retainers of hers like Marika would never have need to even be aware of the balancing act."
Which, given Marika's apparently genuine lack of such awareness, showed Cornelia probably was doing a good enough job.
Euphemia pursed her lips, clearly still not satisfied. "The way you describe it, I can't see any way in which an outcome could be found to make everyone happy."
Victoria raised an eyebrow. "This one I would hope either Lelouch or Millicent has discussed with you."
"That not everyone can be made happy in every circumstance," Euphemia said. "Yes, they did. I don't see why this is one of them, though. Or rather, I can see it, and the reason for it saddens me."
That saw the eyebrow draw down into a frown. "What do you mean?"
"You say that others would be jealous of the consideration Suzaku is receiving, and in their jealousy exact a price upon our family. How is that not a rather shallow pettiness?" The girl's tone was growing increasingly frustrated. "Why can't they tolerate Suzaku being rewarded for what even you must admit to be deeds of remarkable merits? How is any of this fair?"
"Because they have demonstrated in the past their own willingness to accept rewards proportional to the length of their service, even in light of their own commendable deeds," Victoria however already had an answer ready. "You speak of fairness, Euphie, but where is the fairness in treating Mr. Kururugi in so special a manner when none of our family's past retainers were given such consideration? Mentioned in dispatches, awarded the Royal Elizabethan Medal. Impressive, yes, but a multitude of persons have achieved similar and even greater accolades. I myself am a dame-commander in the Royal Elizabethan Order and served with distinction in the armed forces prior to helping your father launch his bid for the throne. I may have earned Charles' hand in marriage on the merits of my own deeds, but what made that marriage possible in the first place was the long service my family provided to the imperial family, all the way back to the Empress Claire's reign. So tell me, would it be fair if some other woman, whose family did not possess anywhere near as long a history of service, intruded to take have taken my place, after everything my family has done?"
The unease was palpable on Euphemia's face. "What about the Empress Marianne?"
At first glance, it certainly would have looked like Marianne Lamperouge was an interloper, one that despite her lack of history with the imperial family still managed to attain a place as an imperial consort. One could even argue that Marianne's assassination was representative of the resentment her elevation bred. That Euphemia herself, despite her prior closeness with the vi Britannias, was making this mistaken presumption showed just how prevalent this misconception was. It was arguably the first time Victoria felt genuinely disappointed with her daughter. Not even Euphemia's near petulance about the 'unfairness' of Suzaku's treatment had elicited such a feeling in Victoria, not quite at least.
"Cardinal Dash Lamperouge," Victoria said. "He was granted the honor of being the officiating priest at the Empress Claire's coronation, because of the instrumental role he played in her ascension."
Euphemia blinked. "What?"
"This is not something widely known, and I know of the details only because our family's own service stretches back to that period of time. Cardinal Lamperouge was instrumental in ensuring the then Princess Claire's safety as she traveled from the west coast to Pendragon, rallying allies as she went. He did this, not just because Eden Vital considered Her Highness to be the most qualified of the surviving imperial scions, but also because she was like a sister to him. And His Eminence paid a price for his devotion and loyalty, as the injuries he suffered in Claire's service would ultimately claim his life before he ever had a chance to see the birth of his one and only child."
The younger girl was still staring at her mother in stiff shock, so Victoria continued.
"When Eden Vital requested your father to take one of their own as a wife as repayment for their help in securing the throne, they actually presented a choice between two of their prioresses, Marianne Lamperouge or Olivia Zevon. Charles chose Marianne not just because of the rapport he had with her, but also because the imperial family owed the Lamperouges a great debt. Dash was neither the first nor the last of his lineage to have put his life on the line for the imperial family, or lost it in the family's service."
By now the tea in her cup was entirely cold, though Euphemia had yet to notice seeing how few sips she had taken. Aware of her daughter's evident discomfort, Victoria rose and settled down next to the younger girl, stroking her head gently.
"Let me ask you this, Euphie. Why are you so set upon Mr. Kururugi?"
Euphemia looked up at her mother. "Does that matter?"
Victoria gave a slight snort. "Of course it matters. At the end of the day, the one making the actual decision is still you. But that also means you are the one that must live with the consequences of that decision. If you are that determined, I won't stop you, and I'll even do everything to help you pay the cost, but you must be absolutely certain that Suzaku is somehow the one."
Euphemia blinked. "You'd, help me?"
"What did I say before, Euphie?" Victoria chided. "At the end of it all, I do want you to be happy. But if this is the limit of what you can do, you won't be happy with this Suzaku. Not because he has some personal shortcoming and won't try his hardest on your behalf, but because you yourself can't muster the effort to make things work on your end. Not everyone is going to be happy with a prospective union between yourself and Suzaku. And not all of those people that are displeased are going to restrain themselves for the sake of your personal happiness."
"Do you really think people would be so unhappy as to try to do something?" Euphemia asked, clearly still having trouble conceptualizing such petty malice.
"Yes." Victoria however had no such difficulty. "And they need not express their unhappiness by partaking in some active design, them resigning or leaving to enter the service of others is as much an exhibition of their displeasure. Because if we will not reward their service, then why should they continue providing it?"
The consternation on Euphemia's face had shifted to one of contemplation, though the girl still seemed to struggle with how the balance of interests seemed so stacked against what she thought to be her prospective happiness.
"So then, what is the cost that I, that our family, would need to pay?" Euphemia asked.
"You are aware of how Cornelia is intended to inherit the Duchy of Virginia after me," Victoria more stated than asked.
Euphemia in turn simply nodded.
"And you recall that was talk about granting you a life peerage derived from some of our family's direct holdings in Virginia, so you would at least have a source of income to establish your own household."
Another nod.
"Well, that life peerage is now a nonstarter."
Contemplation turned back into befuddlement.
"I'm not quite sure I understand what a potential marriage with Suzaku would have to do with that."
"You can blame Lelouch for that one," Victoria said with just a hint of irritation. "In your brother's determination to avoid having one of Japan's provincial titles foisted upon him, and in light of your relationship with the latest scion of what apparently is a fairly well-connected Japanese house, Lelouch got the bright idea of having you as a candidate for one of those titles."
Throughout all this Euphemia's eyes were slowly widening, with Marika's expression similarly mirroring her liege.
"Of course nothing is settled," Victoria continued, aware of but paying little heed to her daughter's growing shock. "You still need to complete your secondary education, and likely will need to pursue a post-secondary degree appropriate to such a responsibility. But in a few years' time, you may well be adding Duchess to your titles."
"I'll be what!?" Euphemia finally found her voice again.
"Your brother is capable of some rather impressive political maneuvers," Victoria said, though her tone did not indicate she was particularly admiring of this one, "and the issue of who will become Japan's provincial lords has been an extremely tricky balancing act all of its own. The Japanese of course want their own to be appointed, but the Britannian peerage is loath to just hand over that degree of authority. You on the other hand would represent a candidate that both sides are likely to find acceptable. You are Britannian through and through lineage wise, but you have been a very high-profile advocate for the Japanese people since your public debut. And if you do marry this Suzaku, that'll only endear you even more to the Japanese people."
"I didn't advocate for the Japanese for the sake of a title!" Euphemia protested. "And why hasn't Lelouch breathed a word of this to me!?"
"Probably because your brother inherited his father's sense of humor," Victoria said with a snort. "And also because he's been testing your fitness for a title, though I think Lelouch sometimes forgets that not all of his siblings shares his or Schneizel's precociousness at the age you are."
Answered though Euphemia was, the girl was clearly still struggling to come to terms with the revelation. Victoria sighed softly and gave her daughter another comforting pat on the head.
"To be honest, Euphie, I didn't think you should be placed under the spotlight like this at your age. Not that I'm downplaying the things you have achieved, but you aren't even an adult yet. You should have more time to figure out what form you want your life to take, and more time to prepare for that life. Not be rushed into preparations for a path that's already been fixed."
Euphemia's lips thinned. "Even if I so choose that path myself? And Lelouch wasn't an adult either when he first arrived in Japan."
The sigh this time was a weary one.
"You could do for far worse as role models than your brother," Victoria said. "And there may exist a genuine necessity to the path you two have taken. But that isn't going to stop your parents from fretting, especially in the face of the sort of dangers you two face now and in the future."
"So, am I to take it that I've passed whatever test Lelouch, and I assume yourself, set?"
"To an extent," Victoria said. "At the very least, you have not fallen short of the standards that will be required to assume a peerage. And that is ultimately the condition you must meet if you want my blessing for your relationship with Mr. Kururugi."
"Because assuming a peerage would help with the cost you speak of?" Euphemia continued with her questions.
"In part, but also because the skills you will need to navigate the complications of a marriage with Mr. Kururugi in particular come part and parcel with the politicking that a great peer must engage in."
"I'm not sure I quite understand," Euphemia said frankly.
Victoria drummed her fingers. "Are you aware of Mr. Kururugi's lineage?"
The princess blinked. "He is the son of Japan's last prime minister."
"And?"
The girl's eyes narrowed as she tried to recall anything else that was pertinent. "And, he is cousins with Kaguya, and related to several other members of the Japanese Advisory Council."
The empress sighed, a note of genuine exasperating sounding.
"It looks like I'll need to have a few words with Lelouch after all." And then in a completely serious demeanor towards her daughter. "Mr. Kururugi's maternal grandmother was a Sumeragi, a great-aunt to Kaguya. And the Sumeragis have an acknowledged claim of imperial descent."
Euphemia stared at her mother for a moment, then inhaled sharply as the ramification finally dawned upon her. Victoria gave her daughter a slow nod.
"While the Empire is relatively confident that neither Mr. Kururugi nor Kaguya will in the future attempt to make use of their lineage to inspire the sympathies of those Japanese that would still seek to restore Japan's sovereignty, it would not be implausible for such persons to make an approach themselves, to attempt to draw the two into seditious activities."
All very true, especially the qualifiers applied, at least when it came to Kaguya.
"If you marry Mr. Kururugi, it will be your duty to ensure he seem inapproachable to such causes, and if approached, never succumb to the temptation of taking them up."
"Suzaku believes wholeheartedly in Japanese-Britannian cooperation and unity," Euphemia insisted.
"If he did not, we would be having a very different conversation," Victoria said. "It is because I am satisfied that his loyalties are genuine that I am willing to set the conditions that I am, otherwise I would have taken explicit measures to ensure Mr. Kururugi would not be able to continue socializing with you."
Which, as an empress-consort and duchess, Victoria possessed quite significant means to achieve. Euphemia felt a genuine chill run through her body at the hardness of her mother's gaze and words. She was not so naïve as to think her family never had to make certain difficult, even ruthless choices. That she herself would be the cause of them was still a fairly new experience, one that was a continuing effort to reconcile.
As various thoughts raced through her head, Euphemia was coming to another realization. For all the duties she had undertaken since her debut, the scope of her awareness as a royal had still been extremely narrow. Part of that was simply because it was taking all Euphemia could muster just to keep pace with the current amount of work sent her way. Even all her anxieties about how there was so much more that she could do had undershot, massively, exactly how much that more was. Euphemia certainly had never conceived of the possibility of becoming a provincial lord, for one. Or how simply being in a relationship with anyone could have so many knock-on consequences. Still, now that she was so aware, the girl actually felt an indescribable relief. Yes, so many more things suddenly seemed to require her attention, but at least now she had something concrete to focus her attention on instead of suffering from the anxiety of the overwhelming unknown. And there was one particular being set before her now.
"I will make sure of it that Suzaku remains ever true, Mother," Euphemia thus responded. "My word."
"Achoo!"
"Feeling under the weather, Suzaku?" Cécile said with a slight tinge of worry.
"No, no, I'm fine, Captain," Suzaku assured her. "Probably someone talking about me."
The woman cracked a wry smile. "My, but aren't you popular."
Suzaku issued a dry chuckle. "Well, I don't know about that."
The two entered the large hanger building and were greeted with the familiar sight of a large, white knightmare. After many months of hard work, a new Lancelot had been completed after the destruction of its predecessor prototype at Lake Kawaguchi. That event, as perilous as it had been, was also in many ways a blessing in disguise. The time Suzaku spent piloting it beforehand had produced a wealth of technical data, pointing to possible improvements to the design. Quite a few of those improvements were advanced enough to be incorporated into this new prototype, along with one additional feature that the Cardinal Lamperouge had more or less rammed down Camelot's throat.
The original Lancelot prototype had never been intended to be deployed into actual combat, Camelot only planning to have it undergo tests in controlled environments and at worst a life-fire exercise. For this reason, it did not possess an ejection system that would send the cockpit clear in the event the knightmare was disabled or destroyed. In the Lake Kawaguchi situation, that had also been a blessing in disguise, as Suzaku would have almost certainly died if he had ejected into the maelstrom that was the Raiko coilgun's shot. Still, in light of how the Lancelot had been pressed into service despite its prototype nature, Lelouch had been adamant that its next iteration incorporated the requisite safety features that wouldn't turn it into a flaming death trap if the need arose again. Fortunately for all involved, Lloyd had only complained about how the changes threw off their previous dynamics calculations in private and not to the cardinal's face. As amiable as the cardinal was, Cécile was not entirely sure her superior, or Camelot in general, would have emerged unscathed had that happened.
In addition to the Lancelot however were two other knightmares, purple-colored Gloucesters that Suzaku quickly recognized.
"Aren't those two knightmares part of Princess Cornelia's guard?"
Cécile nodded but frowned. "I believe so, but I'm not entirely sure why Her Highness' knights would be here."
"Not just her knights," Suzaku said. "Isn't that Her Highness speaking with the colonel?"
To that Cécile inhaled sharply. Evidently what change of plans that had occurred had not been communicated to the captain.
"Go get changed, Suzaku," the captain ordered. "I'll get this sorted out."
"Umm, if you're sure, ma'am."
"I am. Now hurry along."
"Yes ma'am."
With one last parting glance, Suzaku reluctantly but obediently rolled towards the locker rooms. The medic that usually helped him change was already waiting outside.
"Hey, Ivan. Any idea why the Princess Cornelia is here?"
The medic shrugged. "Honestly couldn't say. Though the fellows inside might know something more."
"Hmm?" was all Suzaku got out as he rolled into the men's locker room, to find two of the Glaston Knights themselves changing. "Oh, Sirs."
Suzaku issued a quick salute in greeting, a motion returned by the knights.
"Mr. Kururugi," Claudio responded. "Good to see you again."
"Likewise, Sir. Umm, what brings yourself and Princess Cornelia to Camelot today?"
"Her Highness wanted to run a small systems test using the Lancelot and our knightmares," Claudio said. "Are you aware of the training exercise that was just run recently between the Britannian Army and Eden Vital?"
"Yes Sir," Suzaku answered. "Colonel Asplund was, disappointed that the Lancelot's reconstruction was not sufficiently complete to allow it to take part."
"Oh? That certainly would have been a sight to see," Claudio said, cracking a grin. "The regiment would have definitely appreciated having your railgun available to take on the Eden Vital tanks."
"I'm afraid I was never given a briefing on how the exercise turned out," Suzaku said with a shrug.
"A shame, that might have helped bring you up to speed to what Her Highness wants to test," Claudio said. "Still, I can at least provide you with a quick overview while you get changed."
Acknowledging the implicit instruction, Suzaku nodded to the medic. "That'd be appreciated, Sir."
"You recall the tactical battle grid we used at Lake Kawaguchi?"
"Yes Sir," Suzaku said as he pulled off his shirt and lifted his leg up to let the medic pull down his pants. "It's what we were using to denote areas of interest and any identified hostiles."
And friendlies, for all the good that did, Suzaku was not so tactless as to bring up.
"Well, it seems that Eden Vital has been working on an upgraded version that provides even greater degrees of tactical awareness than what the military has currently deployed. They put it on display at the recent exercise and used it to really do a number on the regular forces. Considering the effectiveness of the system, Her Highness really wants to get it deployed as quickly as possible."
"That'd make sense," Suzaku said. "And I presume Camelot can help with that somehow, Sir?"
"Quite," Claudio said. "Of the platforms we have here in Japan, the Sutherlands apparently can't make full and proper use of the upgraded system, the techs say they're lacking something or another that'd require some hardware upgrades. The Gloucesters are better suited, but apparently even our knightmares weren't designed with the right systems to be fully compatible. The Lancelot, however, is apparently derived from the same basic design as Eden Vital's GX knightmares, making it the most compatible frame with the new system. Her Highness wants to see how compatible the system really is, and if it can help supplement the gaps in the version that'll run on our Gloucesters."
"Umm, respectfully, Sir," Suzaku said once his arms were through the suit's sleeves. "We just finished rebuilding the Lancelot, and we haven't even done a proper shakedown with its original tactical software. I'm not sure how useful a test we could do right now."
"Colonel Asplund seemed to think there wouldn't be any difficulty swapping in the new software," Claudio said. "Then again, the colonel seems remarkably sanguine about what his machine might or might not be ready for."
Like when Lloyd considered the original prototype field-deployable when approached by General Darlton previously. And just like last time, Lloyd had apparently not consulted or otherwise forewarned Cécile about it. Suzaku could only imagine the strained look on the captain's face now.
"Well, at least this time we aren't going into a hostile combat environment," Claudio said. "Not that I have any doubts about who I'd be going out there with."
Suzaku offered the captain a grateful smile for the compliment. Short though their previous service together might have been, and especially considering the way it ended, Suzaku did not hold any real grudges against Claudio for the mistakes that were committed that day. The captain had otherwise been highly professional and even willing to let Suzaku have his say, even if he did not take up the youth's advice. Since then though, Suzaku was fairly confident Claudio had taken that experience to heart. If the captain was someone that could learn from his mistakes, Suzaku would similarly have no problems going into the field with him.
"Ready?"
"Yes Sir."
The three exited the locker room and proceeded to join the group of officers having a noticeably energetic discussion by the main terminals. Cécile's unhappiness was as evident as Lloyd's nonchalance, while Cornelia seemed a mixture of confused and worried at the apparent dysfunction in what was supposed to be one of the military's premiere engineering groups.
"Your Highness," Claudio said, as he and the other two saluted.
"Captain," Cornelia returned the motion. "Mr. Kururugi."
"Your Highness." Suzaku's eyes darted back and forth between Cécile and Lloyd. "Umm, are we to proceed with the test?"
"Of course," Lloyd answered immediately.
"That is still under discussion," Cécile shot a glare at the colonel.
Cornelia looked at the two officers before casting her glance upon Suzaku.
"And what say you, Mr. Kururugi?"
Even if Suzaku had asked the initial question, he still had not really expected the princess to turn it back on him. He was a warrant officer, so even if he was a step up from regular enlisted, he was still junior to the lowest commissioned officer rank. Cornelia on the other hand was not only a princess of the realm, she held the highest uniformed rank in the Britannian Armed Forces short of the emperor himself. His opinion should arguably have much less weight than that of any of the commissioned officers standing before him. Though when such officers were at an impasse, it usually was supposed to be the wizened, experienced NCO that cut the cord. A shame they didn't actually have one of those around.
"Colonel," Suzaku began instead of immediately answer Cornelia. "Is the updated software suite already installed on the Lancelot?"
"But of course," Lloyd said with his trademark smirk. "Was the first thing I did this morning."
Which probably explained why Cécile had not caught him. The captain had spent the morning overseeing Suzaku's medical check and making sure his neuro-link was functioning within parameters, while leaving the final systems check on the Lancelot itself to her superior, on the assumption that Lloyd could be trusted to at least not screw around with that. It was a trust that Cécile was clearly reevaluating.
"Colonel, may I speak freely?"
"Hmm? Certainly."
"While I can certainly understand the desire to test out new systems as quickly as possible, such testing is really only feasible with the full cooperation of the entire development team. If you give cause to Captain Croomy to demand a full audit of every software revision that touches the Lancelot, I imagine the rate at which we can iterate will slow, dramatically at that."
With the glare Cécile was shooting at the colonel, the woman seemed quite willing to do just that.
"The captain really should be kept wholly appraised of any major software changes like that," Suzaku said, rubbing the back of his neck, "especially if they touch on anything that interoperates with the neuro-link."
Which was pretty much everything in the Lancelot, even if some of that interaction happened indirectly.
"The update we got is the same as what Eden Vital uses for their own knightmares," Lloyd however seemed fairly self-assured that everything would work. "Its installation went off without a hitch."
"Is that actually true?" Cécile demanded of a tech that had the misfortune of manning the console the conversation was taking place around.
"Umm, well," the man said, nervously looking back and forth between all the officers gathered around him. "We were able to install the update, though not without disabling a few modules. The base system flagged a bunch of missing dependencies, but none of them interfered with the core functionality, so…"
The tech's voice trailed off as he seemed to realize that such level of detail was beyond the interest or really understanding of the most important officer present.
"Show me the disabled modules," Cécile, one of the officers that did understand such details, ordered.
The captain was clearly determined to make sure there were no unwarranted risks being taken, even if it meant making the Princess Cornelia wait. Suzaku could only shoot an apologetic look at the princess, despite being the one to instigate the delay.
"I've already checked the differences," Lloyd said with a sniff. "None of the disabled modules impact the Lancelot's core functionality, though we will definitely want to implement the necessary dependencies to get some of them running. The capabilities they represent are quite impressive."
Cécile did not even deign to respond to that, instead focusing all her attention on going through the list herself. Still, with the princess physically present, she needed to arrive at a definitive conclusion quickly.
"The Lancelot appears to have accepted the upgrade without compromising its core functionality," Cécile said, "I think. But how all the changes will interoperate with the neuro-link, we can't be certain without running a complete compatibility test."
"Sure we can," Lloyd said with a wave of his hand. "Eden Vital's own knightmares make use of the neuro-link, and this update is just a collection of code that they currently run. Furthermore, my understanding is Suzaku's own neuro-link recently received an upgrade to the Order's currently deployed version, the same as what His Eminence and his attendants use. If there is one thing you don't need to take my word for, it is that the software package will work with Suzaku's neuro-link."
Cécile looked far from convinced, which Lloyd possessed enough self-awareness to at least notice. The man promptly turned his glance over at the Japanese youth.
"Well, Suzaku, what do you think?" he asked with a knowing smirk.
Suzaku glanced over at Cécile for a brief moment, catching the woman's unhappy look. Still, he knew that Cécile respected his sense of duty enough to be willing to grant him a certain leeway, which was why Lloyd had directed the question at him in the first place. As familiar as Cécile was with the colonel's quirks and how to best guard against them, the man himself was not without some lessons learned in how to work around his minder.
"I think we can at least try it out, ma'am," Suzaku finally said. "I don't think Eden Vital would have given us this update if they thought it genuinely wouldn't work without our systems and my neuro-link. And the colonel does have a point, I did recently get my neuro-link upgraded to the very latest version that Eden Vital has deployed. That should mean not just an increased capability, but also better safeguards as well."
That Cécile could not dispute and after a moment the captain gave a reluctant nod.
"Very well, Suzaku. If you think this is worth trying out in Her Highness' presence."
Somehow Cornelia could sense just a hint of fault being ascribed to her there, though given how caught out the captain had been, the princess was willing to let it slide.
"Well, so long as Your Highness is accepting of the possibility that the test might not produce any particularly interesting results," Suzaku directed his own remark directly at the princess.
"Considering the lack of time for more detailed preparations, I will not hold the lack of result against anyone here," Cornelia assured.
With all the necessary qualifiers achieved, Camelot proceeded with carrying out the test. When Suzaku activated the Lancelot and the system synced up with his neuro-link, there was an immediate difference in the sensation he felt.
"Whoa."
"Is something wrong, Suzaku?" Cécile immediately inquired.
"No, it's just," Suzaku struggled to respond. "Remember back when I first ever connected with the old prototype instead of one of the simulation bodies, and I said it felt like a whole new world had happened up?"
"Is the difference that drastic with the new neuro-link?" Cécile intuited immediately.
"That, and more," Suzaku said, looking down at his own hand as he opened and closed it, a motion that the Lancelot itself was mimicking, both head and hand. "I remember, all the way back in Shinjuku, getting a very brief peek at the inside of the Eden Vital knightmare cockpits. It was only later that I realized, when you were briefing me about the differences between a conventional cockpit and the Lancelot's, that I realized how different Eden Vital's were, even from the Lancelot's. They didn't have joysticks like these, they had haptic proxies for things like the guns and blades their knightmares were equipped with. That's how fine-grained their control over their knightmares' bodies were."
"Oh ho," Lloyd's voice sounded. "We'll have to see how far we can push that ourselves."
"After we've iterated over the current prototype," Cécile said. "We're not likely to get the budget to build another one for quite some time, Colonel."
Certainly not after the recent emergency requisition to build this one. The Empire might be rich, but there were still limits to the government's budget.
"Then let us proceed with haste," Lloyd was however unperturbed. "Are you ready to link up with the other knightmares, Suzaku?"
"Yes, Colonel," Suzaku said. "Initiating tactical-whoa!"
That was the second time Suzaku had reacted that way since being lifted into the knightmare. Cécile was really starting to regret consenting to the expanded shakedown.
"Is everything alright, Suzaku?" the captain asked again.
A moment passed with no response from the youth, causing Cécile's concern to spike.
"Suzaku?" she said more forcefully.
"Uh, right, sorry Cé-I mean-Captain. It's just, this is a lot to take in."
Cécile frowned, taking a look at the activity monitor of the neuro-link. Her eyes quickly widened.
"Suzaku, what is all that data?"
"It's-it's everything the Lancelot is seeing," Suzaku responded. "No, not just the Lancelot. It's-"
"He's tapped into every networked sensor on the military tactical grid," Lloyd said, genuine wonderment sounding in his voice. "No, not just those on the grid, every networked sensor that is accessible. Cameras, speed sensors, radars, everything, or at least as much as the Lancelot's onboard processor can handle."
"But, how?" Cécile said. "And why?"
"It's the Eden Vital modules," Lloyd said. "When Her Highness described the Order's battle space software to me, she said it provided a wholistic view of the entire battlefield using every sensor available. I thought that meant only the sensors our own platforms were equipped with, but this software is capable of making use of sensor feeds from other networked platforms as well, including civilian ones."
"How is that possible?" Cécile said. "Wouldn't that require the Order to basically include support for all the different protocols those platforms use?"
"If they support a few specific standards, they arguably would have automatic support for a large enough percentage," Lloyd said. "Though in our case, we can't even handle processing all the telemetry from the ones that are accessible. We definitely will need to upgrade the Lancelot's onboard computing resources at the very least."
Cécile was not exactly convinced of that necessity just yet, but even she had to admit the capabilities on display were impressive, if they could actually be taken proper advantage of.
"Do you think you can still proceed with the test, Suzaku?" Cécile asked.
"Yes," Suzaku responded, though there was an almost airy detachment to his voice.
Cécile pursed her lips. "Are you certain?"
"Yes, Captain," this time Suzaku sounded much more grounded. "This is, this is unlike anything I've ever experienced before, but I can definitely make it work."
"Alright, then," Cécile said. "Please proceed out to the testing ground."
The three knightmares moved to obey, though even with this simplistic motion it was immediately evident there was something different about the Lancelot. Its general movement was always smoother on account of the greater precision its limbs were capable of, but now Suzaku seemed to naturally take greater advantage of that precision by making for the shortest route between his current position and his target destination.
Inside the Lancelot, Suzaku was still struggling a bit to process all of the information suddenly opened up to him. It wasn't just the sensor telemetry that was flowing through the neuro-link, but also the processed outcomes that the various software submodules were spitting out. Before, only a very specific subset of those modules was able to directly interface to his neuro-link like this, everything else went through the arguably still deeply integrated tactical HUD. Now though, Suzaku did not even need to use his eyes as navigational pointers to sift through the data. What he wanted, it was not only brought up at a thought, but whatever combination of data he wanted was collated and presented to him ready for consumption.
Case in point, the combined shakedown exercise that he was about to perform, the Lancelot was intended to move through some set-piece terrain and then test out in a simulated manner its weapons, more for vetting the controls than the weapons themselves. With just that repertoire and the known positions of his eventual targets, Suzaku already had a complete minimum time route for both the terrain traversal and firing points. What was more, with the two Glaston Gloucesters linked into his local command net as additional tactical assets, he was even presented with approach vectors that would allow for the simulated targets to be defeated more quickly from multiple angles. If this capability really was part of Eden Vital's standard kit, no wonder they had worked over the regular army.
"Captain Darlton, are you seeing the projected vector?" Suzaku asked.
"Yes," Claudio responded. "The fire vectors are a nice touch, I take it that's the Eden Vital software?"
"I think so, Sir," Suzaku responded. "It's even able to link up with your guns and provide tactical suggestions based on their expected range and ammo count. This is honestly really something."
"I agree," Claudio said. "Maybe if we had had this back at Lake Kawaguchi, things would have turned out differently."
A big maybe there, but Suzaku at least shared the sentiment.
"Alright, let's proceed to-hold on. I'm getting a ping on the tacnet. Huh, it's an Eden Vital payload."
"Did the Order detect our usage of their software?" Cécile said with a frown. "But didn't they give this copy to Princess Cornelia."
A few glances were cast in said princess' direction, but from the furrow of Cornelia's brow she herself was as in the dark about what this might be about.
"It looks to be a message," Suzaku said. "Should I play it?"
This time all eyes fell on Cécile, as she had established herself as the defacto voice of reason thus far. The captain considered it for a moment before nodding.
"Go ahead, Suzaku."
"Alright, pipping it through our internal comms."
The image of a girl with long, raven black hair appeared, immediately recognized by most present as Sancia, Lelouch's second in command.
"Apologies for interrupting the Lancelot's shakedown," Sancia began, "but Her Highness Princess Cornelia has proven somewhat difficult to reach via conventional channels, even the military ones."
Glances were once more redirected at Cornelia, whose own face was starting to show genuine dread.
"Once the shakedown exercise is complete, please direct Princess Cornelia and Warrant Officer Kururugi to the viceroy's palace immediately, Her Majesty Empress Victoria wishes to have a few words with both posthaste. That will be all."
The screen blanked out, leaving more than one mouth gaping. For Cornelia, the princess was dreading the inevitable admonishment her mother clearly intended to deliver, which was one of her reasons for making herself scarce and disappearing off to MacArthur Base to run the current exercise. As for Suzaku, it had taken him a moment longer to realize just who Sancia meant when she namedropped Empress Victoria. Euphemia's mother wanted to meet him. About the only thing more frightening was the prospect of meeting her father.
End of Chapter 58
This was supposed to be the chapter where the endgame of R1 kicked off. Obviously, that didn't happen, there were just too many things that I still needed to work in for the sake of future plot points. As things stand, I have two more chapters' worth of material to get through before the R1 endgame goes into full swing, and that's if none of the scenes balloon like the Victoria and Euphemia one did this chapter.
The conversation between Euphemia and her mother was originally going to be between Euphemia and Cornelia. As I was writing it however, some of the arguments on Cornelia's side sounded, too politically cognizant for Cornelia to be making, at least at this stage of things. My version of Cornelia retains her canon counterpart's antipathy for nuanced politics, so it would have sounded really weird for her to make the points I was using. On the other hand, this did feel like the sort of conversation Euphemia would definitely need to have with her mother, so that's what I went with instead. I then considered having Victoria and Euphemia talk over teleconference, but this really felt like the sort of conversation that the two should be having in person, which of course required that I set the proper context for that in-person presence to happen, which consequentially resulted in the scene ballooning to over six thousand words by itself, which by itself is nearly the length of a chapter. That killed any chance whatsoever of me cramming everything else I needed to into this chapter. I also had to substantially rewrite parts of the conversation as well. This, this is why I keep consistently undershooting in my estimates for how long it'll take me to get to certain plot points. If nothing else, 60 chapters is at least a nice round number.
Two details that despite its length I was not quite able to sneak into the scene. The first is that, if Euphemia really does become one of Japan's provincial lords, she will of course require a whole slate of retainers and subsidiary peers to help her administrate the territory. The most likely source of such personnel would be from her mother's own domain, and Euphemia would be obliged to accept them as their appointment serves as a way of rewarding them and their families for supporting Euphemia and hers over the generations. Of course Victoria will take care to only choose those with a flexible enough mindset to work in Japan, but Euphemia is going to be obliged to accept this transfer. The second is that normally, a provincial lord is a marquess (or rather marchioness) instead of a duchess, as previously shown by Ruben Ashford. Because of her imperial lineage however, Euphemia would be created as a duchess. Which means, yes, Euphemia's own mother is also of imperial descent. Enough generations have passed however that the degrees of consanguinity aren't much of a concern anymore. As for which imperial they are descended from? Well, the Empress Claire did have a brother that didn't inherit.
As an additional easter egg, Jeremiah is a margrave, which is not actually a rank in the British peerage. Its equivalent is marquess, technically speaking, but I've adapted margrave for my own ends. In my worldbuilding, margraves are a half-step down from marquesses and are not at the level of provincial lords. Margraviates were created in the early days of the Empire's westward expansion across North America as the area of responsibility of a frontier military commander, where the territory they oversee has yet to transition into becoming formal provinces. They were the viceroys of the day, so to speak. Once the transition happened, most margraviates were transformed into one or more marquisates, the territory of an administrative area could be and often was far larger than any single province would ever be allowed. Some however retained the title of margrave as a subsidiary title, one that got passed on independently and usually along a different line of succession than the main marquess titles. These were usually done because the crown carved out some portion of the reorganized territory to continue using it for military purposes, to station imperial troops and the like. These days the territory may no longer be used for such purposes, but the peerage associated with them remains, and margraviates occupy a sort of niche position in that they aren't technically considered part of a province but are not outright provinces themselves either. Most margraviates still attach themselves to a neighboring province for administrative purposes, for the sake of efficiency if nothing else, and some are held wholesale by a provincial lord. In the case of the latter, why not officially merge the two? Because of another quirk in Britannia's legal system, wherein a margrave is entitled to hold an independent vote in the Lords, so it is one of the rare occasions where a single noble household could hold multiple votes. This means that the few independent margraviates that still exist are prime courtship targets for their surrounding neighbors, though those very independent margraves are known to be fairly stubborn about remaining so, out of pride of their family lineage if nothing else.
Campaign isn't publicly available, as I noted in the previous chapter. And that's intentional, as I don't want to add to the number of stories I have running in parallel that I can't actually maintain an update pace for. The earliest that Campaign might see the light of day is after Meridian and at least two of my other stories are done. I say two, because even if Vengeance completes, its slot will automatically be taken up by the third part of that trilogy. And maybe, maybe after that, The Wyvern Ascendant might show up.
Sephyr is technically borrowed from the Fate/EX game series. Sephyr arguably has parallels with SCP 2399, and for all I know it might have inspired the Fate/EX writers, but I didn't take direct inspiration from the SCP. That being said, Sephyr actually did manage to reach Earth before getting taken apart by the Moon Cell. Though there is a reason why Eden Vital is putting together the Sword of Akasha at Ganymede.