Chapter 69
A Motherly Countenance
There came a point in every young couple's relationship when the time came for them to surmount the next major milestone of that relationship, namely, meeting the parents. For Lelouch and Milly, with how close their families were in the Empire's social circles, that particular milestone had technically been fulfilled before the two ever began their courtship. Lelouch naturally had met Pierre and Amelia Ashford on numerous occasions back when he resided in Pendragon, and Milly likewise could claim to have formally greeted not just the Emperor Charles but every single one of Lelouch's mothers. Still, a meeting with the parents after the two officially began dating did carry with it a different tone, which probably explained the slight fluttering in Milly's stomach as she was led through the halls of the imperial palace.
The invitation was innocuously worded enough, a gathering of imperial wives wishing to have a friendly chat with their latest prospective member. That was arguably somewhat intimidating a concept all by itself, but Milly forced her expression to remain stoically composed. Lelouch may no longer be a prince, but he was still an imperial scion by blood, so any relationship with him was automatically guaranteed to come with a degree of attention. Not to mention Milly's own lineage would have demanded she carry herself with the appropriate aplomb anyway. And that was exactly what she did when she came into the chamber and was greeted by the sight of the five empresses.
"Your Majesties," Milly said with a polite curtesy, having specifically picked a long enough skirt that it would not look ridiculous to perform the courtesy in. "It is an honor."
Flickers of amusement could be seen across the faces of the aforementioned majesties, though all were well-schooled in keeping their faces properly regal.
"Millicent Emmeline Ashford," Anastasia eu Britannia, the first among equals of the emperor's wives, greeted, motioning towards the empty seat amidst them. "Be welcome here."
"My thanks, Your Majesties," Milly said.
As she took her seat, Milly looked about to take the measure of the older women surrounding her. At the center was of course Empress Anastasia, whose hair was already whitening like her husband. Even setting aside her age, the stress of her duties was clearly taking a toll upon the woman. To her immediate right was the Empress Beatrice, along with Beatrice's sister, the Empress Gabriella. Of the two, Milly was more familiar with the latter, due to Clovis and Laila being of closer age and therefore greater opportunity for socializing.
It was for this same reason that Milly was also at least somewhat familiar with the two empresses on Anastasia's left. While Cornelia served more as a minder than a playmate those times she was there, the number of playdates that Euphemia tagged along on meant Milly had ample opportunity to greet the Empress Victoria. And she saw Marrybell and Annabelle on similar enough occasions that the Empress Clarabelle was no stranger either.
"So," the latter began with that familiarity in her voice, "Amelia's prodigal daughter, returned with our prodigal son."
Milly tilted her head. "I can understand me, but Lelouch? What has he ever done to be considered a prodigal son?"
That elicited a snort from all of the empresses, which caused Milly to blink in mild befuddlement. In all the ways she had considered this meeting going, this was most certainly not amongst them.
"Shall we go over the things he did while still in Pendragon, or after he left?" Anastasia said.
The young woman looked at the empress. "You, know about his time with Eden Vital?"
"More than we were allowed to tell his siblings," Victoria said, massaging her temple. "The Order had its reasons for removing Lelouch, but we were not going to let ourselves be completely kept in the dark about his circumstances, this we insisted to Charles." And sighed. "That and Olivia is also a mother, and so understands our mutual need to keep tabs on our children, wherever they might be."
Milly gave a nod of understanding at that. Oldrin's, and Orpheus' for that matter, mother would fit right in amongst the fine ladies present here.
"Lelouch has told me plenty of stories about his time at the Chaldea Citadel," Milly said, then smirked. "I'd like to think his extravagance was more being overly generous with friends than wasteful."
Gabriella chuckled. "An Ashford would say that."
To that Milly flashed an utterly unrepentant smile.
"A good match, that willfulness," Anastasia said. "To remind Lelouch that sometimes, it's alright to be selfish."
"It's a heavy duty," Milly said with a completely straight face. "Someone has to do it."
The expression held for a moment before smirks and chuckles spread all about.
"So, I pass muster?" the girl more declared than asked.
"So Victoria informed us," Beatrice now spoke, "but we determined that we needed to see it for ourselves."
Milly met the gaze of the woman many considered the emperor's left hand. Of the empresses Milly had memory of, Beatrice was the only one that she could recall feeling a bit uneasy around, and not without reason. Anastasia and Victoria might have helped rally the noble and military partisans that sided with Charles in his coup, but it was Beatrice that orchestrated the defections of various organs of the civilian government and domestic policing agencies, including the Gendarmerie, to their side. That subversion proved crucial to keeping the burgeoning insurgency hidden until they were ready to strike.
"You'll have to forgive Beatrice," Victoria said with weary shake of her head. "She takes the verify half of things to almost paranoid extremes."
"One of us has to," said paranoiac said while taking a sip from her teacup.
From the eyerolls and sighs, this was clearly an old and well-trodden exchange.
"All of us do," Anastasia, the only one whose expression remained stoically impassive, said as she continued regarding Milly.
The girl met the empress' eyes, a mixture of curiosity and instinctive wariness roiling behind her own.
"Becoming an imperial consort comes with many obligations, of which the only true recompense is to be with the one you love," Anastasia continued. "All the pomp and circumstance is merely window dressing over the duty demanded of you. And every physical need of yours that is met is merely there to enable you to further carry on that duty."
A harsh, but realistic, assessment of what life as an imperial was actually like. Many were the girls that dreamed of growing up to become a princess, thinking that what awaited them was a life of glamor and comfort. It was an illusion that Milly herself was thoroughly disabused of very early in her own childhood, thanks to her upfront look at what the imperial households were like. And yet all the women here still took the plunge, to be with the one they loved, just as Milly herself was on the cusp of doing. The girl blinked.
"Wait, imperial consort?" Milly repeated. "I thought Lelouch isn't a prince anymore."
This time even Anastasia joined in the communal reaction.
"If Lelouch performs his duty even half as well as we all expect in the upcoming war, Charles will foist upon our son his princely dignities even if he has to ram them down Lelouch's and Eden Vital's throat," Victoria said for all of them. "He's wanted to do so for Lelouch and Nunnally the moment they come of age. He nearly did it when Lelouch was emancipated last year, and we're pretty sure the only reason he didn't was because Eden Vital probably literally blackmailed him over it."
Milly tilted her head, feeling befuddled once more. "That really happened? And, none of you have any problems with that?"
"Why would we?" Clarabelle asked, raising an eyebrow.
The girl rubbed her head. "The way Lelouch explained it to me, it was always planned that he and Nunnally would give up their royal titles. Not just because they'd be taking up vestments in the Order, but also so their presence wouldn't make more complicated the overall succession."
The imperial wives exchanged looks amongst themselves at that one, an unspoken dialogue happening with a quirk of lips and flicker of eyes. Milly watched as they arrived at an equally silent conclusion.
"If Lelouch had ever been interested in contesting the throne and earned it on the merit of his deeds, he would have had our blessing," Anastasia stated.
Milly blinked again, rapidly and repeatedly. "Really."
"You are aware that several of us have noble houses of our own to see to the succession of," Victoria said by way of prelude to answering the unspoken question.
A simple nod to that, seeing as Milly herself had the same consideration. But then again that was less a question and more setting the stage for the actual point.
"Simultaneous to this, the imperial family's decimation imposed demands of its own to replenish its ranks."
For how clinically the empress spoke those words, Milly could sense a certain disquiet lurking underneath.
"That meant that even before the first child was born amongst us, the expectations were already heavy, not just for us, but also for our children," Victoria took over. "Odysseus needed to be crown prince, if only to help ensure a defined succession, while Guinevere needed to be Anastasia's heir to ensure the continuation of her own noble house. And so it went on for every single one of us." The woman's face wavered. "For all our children."
A hand came to rest on Victoria's shoulder as Clarabelle gave her fellow wife a sympathetic squeeze.
"There is a gap, in the ages of our children," Victoria continued, gripping the hand back.
Milly did a quick rundown of the imperial children, both living and deceased, and nodded. By and large the children could be split into two groupings, with near on a decade separating them. That was not to say all of the children within each grouping were all extremely close in age, but a definite break existed wherein the empresses seemed to simply stop having children for a bit, before starting again once more.
"That gap was no accident. Things were, difficult," the empress said, "trying to balance being a working royal with our own personal domains, never mind being a mother to children versus a mother to imperial scions. Odysseus and Guinevere, well, they did well enough for a time, likely because we all tried to rotate between ourselves looking after them, so they never felt wanting for attention or affection. But when Schneizel and Cornelia were born," the empress sighed, "that's when things stopped working."
"The difficulties were more to do with Schneizel than with Cornelia," Beatrice, the mother of the former, stated plainly, "though the problem itself was rooted in how both, surpassed expectations, as it were."
Milly cocked her head aside, clearly confused by the notion.
"I say this not out of some petty pride or boasting, but Schneizel has always been exceptional in his intelligence even amongst his siblings," Beatrice began elucidating. "In some ways, that meant he should have been more capable of learning all the things he needed to become a successful imperial scion and noble heir. And he did. At the same time however, it isolated him from those peers that could not keep pace from him, and that included those very same siblings."
As those words were uttered, Milly felt something within her own heart stir. The experience that Beatrice described, that was not her own childhood, not exactly at least. But having it laid out like this, Milly could recall moments, fragments, where those around her did not, could not understand her. How in those singular instances, a creeping dread shook her.
"Cornelia suffered a similar problem, albeit less severe." Beatrice gave a humorless chuckle. "She could still, slow down enough, as it were, so that others around her did not feel out of depth in dealing with her and thus hold her at some remove. But even when she was able to interact and even empathize with others of her age group…"
"She was not being challenged," Victoria said, giving voice to her daughter's circumstances just as Beatrice had done her son's. "Things were too easy for Cornelia for too long, such that she did not see the worth in pursuing things outside her limited interests."
That, Milly could see why that was a problem. It perhaps even explained why, despite being in line to inherit a duchy, the Princess Cornelia still seemed so detached and apathetic to the statecraft that she would need to properly govern her domain. She simply found those sorts of matters too boring, or too tedious, and was so averse to such boredom as a consequence of her childhood that she actively sought to avoid it.
"In the end, we weren't the ones who realized what was happening with Schneizel and Cornelia," Beatrice said. "It was Marianne."
Milly's head bobbed up and down slowly in comprehension. Everything was clicking into place.
"At the time she was serving in the Rounds, which saw her around our children from time to time." Victoria gave a rueful shake of her head. "And that little time was enough for her to pick up on all the cues we had missed and do something about it. She took Cornelia under her tutelage, teaching her swordsmanship and strategy."
"Game theory and mathematics for Schneizel," Beatrice said, "though for that it was more her arranging for instructors from Eden Vital."
"And just as we were fretting over Cornelia and Schneizel's lack of ambition despite their obvious intelligence," Victoria didn't miss a beat, "they started showing drive and motivation once more. All this, Marianne managed with us barely noticing." Another sigh sounded. "Because we were that deaf to the plight of our children."
"We weren't deaf," Clarabelle offered a reassurance. "We were just out of our depths in general, what with everything going on."
"Maybe," Victoria allowed with a grunt. "It still doesn't change the fact that we let something that important slip through the cracks." Then back to Milly. "We did notice their improvements, though, which allowed us to also pick up on everything Marianne had done for our children. And her help was not just limited to Cornelia and Schneizel. Even Odysseus and Guinevere benefited, spurred on by their younger sibling's revived drive." She now looked at Gabriella. "And it was enough to convince us that we could yet make sure any other children we birthed would be given a joyous, fulfilling life."
"Clovis," Milly began in almost a whisper. "He was the oldest of the second group."
Gabriella nodded, keeping her expression restrained. "He always felt he had much to live up to, both due to the achievements of his older siblings and also to provide an example to his younger ones."
And in the process went overboard, resulting in his death. Milly could well understand the hesitancy that caused the age gap amongst the imperial family's children. Still.
"But he wasn't the last," the girl stated, looking at all the mothers, seeing as each of them had ultimately had at least one child each in the younger batch.
"That we tried once more was thanks to none other than Marianne," Anastasia said. "The debt we owe her is immense, and it remained unpaid at the time of her passing. Naturally, if Lelouch ever had cause to call upon it, we would answer it with the fullness of our gratitude."
"Though knowing Lelouch, he might well use it to get out of having his imperial dignities restored," Clarabelle added.
"Which arguably goes to show just how straight of a head he's got," Gabriella muttered.
Taken out of context, it probably sounded like members of the imperial family possessed an outright aversion to their duties. In actuality, this was a simple demonstration that all of them understood the full weight of that duty instead of only being able to see the supposed privileges. There was also a practical element to all this. Being both an imperial household member and something else, whether that be a landed peer or an ecclesiastical cardinal, was a lot of bloody work. That alone was why one of the biggest priorities for Charles' wives was to figure out how to divide their own households such that no one of their children would need to shoulder both burdens. Still.
"I hope it will not offend, Your Majesties," Milly said, making an effort to keep her voice from trembling, "if the only imperial dignity I and my children get out of all this is elevation to a royal dukedom, I will be more than satisfied."
Another round of chuckles and snorts sounded at that.
"You would at least be in good company," Victoria said for all of them.
Of the present imperial wives, only Victoria herself came from an imperial lineage, albeit one quite a few generations back, and held a dukedom in her own right. For the others, both Anastasia and Beatrice came from families that held provincial fiefs, making them marchionesses, but whichever child of theirs succeeded that particular fief would be elevated to duke or duchess as a consequence of their father. Gabriella, having been the spare of her family to begin with, might pass on a lesser dignity to Laila, assuming said girl had any interest in titles beyond being a princess. Clarabelle was the odd one out, in that her family held merely an earldom before Charles' ascension. Today however she too was a provincial lord, taking over from the noble house that was disenfranchised for their siding with the disgraced Fredrick, and Marrybell set to become duchess when the time came.
The creation of so many dukedoms was not merely an act of favoritism on Charles' part, or at least not entirely. Much as with the wider nobility, those that stood near the pinnacle served a specific purpose in the Empire's structure, the biggest being that unlike other provincial lords, dukes were required to allow their provincial guards to be amalgamated into a unified command should the sovereign will it. To that end they were also the only provincial lords allowed to maintain a more comprehensive combined arms arsenal for their guards, namely heavy armor and combat aircraft. These forces, when combined with the Rounds, theoretically acted as a counterweight against any attempts by the rest of the nobility, or even the common citizenry, from forcibly toppling the reigning sovereign. That four of the five extant ducal houses at the time had become so decrepit and venal as to support Frederick when the chips fell played a not so insignificant part in allowing Charles to successfully overthrow his grandfather.
Even so, the abrogation of those four houses meant Charles had a massive gap to fill, that needed to be filled to ensure his own reign would not see a similar such end. Three of those four had neatly fallen into place with his wives, and now the last was being presented as a possible additional boon if Lelouch and Milly's relationship resulted in marriage. A sense of exhaustion was starting to suffuse Milly.
"I don't know what I was expecting to be discussed today," the girl said, "but this, this definitely wasn't it."
A few chuckles rippled amongst the empresses.
"And what did you think you were summoned for?" Anastasia inquired with a slight smile.
Milly shrugged. "You grilling me about whether I was good enough for Lelouch. Maybe a bit of teasing about our teenage romance. In the absolute worst case, getting badgered about when you can expect grandkids like my mother will undoubtedly be doing."
"Well," Anastasia said with a smile, "fortunately for you, that much at least has seen some progress on."
Not surprising that, considering how much older Lelouch's older siblings were. Odysseus already had a son all his own, while Guinevere was supposed to be due any week now, another reason for her being the designated survivor during the recent funeral. Though Schneizel and Cornelia seemed to be rather studiously avoiding the matter.
"Still," Anastasia went on, "you are not wrong that we wanted to take our measure of you. It is not just the fact that Lelouch is our son. Or rather, because he is our son, we know this to be true." There was no ambiguity in the gaze that now met Milly's own. "Millicent Emmeline Ashford, if you seek to walk alongside Lelouch, you will be set on a most difficult path."
"Yeah, I kind of figured," Milly said, cracking a wry smile. "But difficult is kind of a given when love is involved. And difficult's never stopped me in the past. I'm not about to let it stop me now, especially for someone I do love."
The empresses were now all regarding Milly with penetrating looks.
"You love him," Anastasia repeated.
Milly's expression shifted once more, adopting one that was both thoughtful but also certain. She thought back to that unsettling dread, of the budding uncertainty that gnawed at her back when she was only really building up her own proper sense of self. And how it all seemed to be blown away into a radiant warmth when a little boy, one year younger, looked at her with clear eyes that found nothing beyond his comprehension, including her. When Milly's expression finally settled, it was in a beaming smile.
"Yes, I do."
Like many other seated peers, Albrecht Stadtfeld maintained an estate in Pendragon for use when he was required to attend sessions in the Lords. While not as grandiose as some of the greater peers of the realm, the estate was still very comfortably furnished and with plenty of space. For this and other reasons, Albrecht had insisted that his daughter stay here instead of at some Eden Vital dormitory like Kallen originally planned. The girl was still not quite sure what to make of this demonstration of seeming parental proactiveness, but so long as her father continued respecting her actual limits, she was prepared to indulge him, especially after the rather upfront demonstration they all had of another daughter passing before her parents. Of course, that made what she was about to discuss with him that much more complicated. Kallen took a deep breath and knocked.
"Enter."
The study Albrecht was seated in mirrored the one in their Tokyo estate, down to the placement of the stationary. Her father was a rather particular person who preferred the things, and to an extent even the people, around him to be neat and orderly. Now that she was able to look past her anger and frustration, Kallen could recognize that that was probably one of the qualities that originally attracted her mother to her father. And even if things had not turned out the way they hoped, Kallen herself was here as a product of the relationship that did blossom for a time, so there was that. And now there was this.
"Father, there's something important I need to speak of you with."
Albrecht raised an eyebrow at the formality of his daughter's tone. Tilting his head, he signaled for her to take a seat and get on with it. Despite having previously steeled herself, Kallen found herself taking another deep breath after sitting before continuing.
"I might not be able to become-remain Viscountess of Fox Valley."
Her father stared at Kallen for several moments, then sighed deeply himself and massaged his temple.
"At least tell me this isn't because someone is in some sort of legal jeopardy here."
Kallen gave a wry chuckle. "That much I can do."
"Thank God for small mercies," Albrecht said and waved his hand. "Well? Why am I to be bereft of my heir, after having just so recently gotten her back?"
For all the flippantness of her father's tone, Kallen could hear clearly the unspoken daughter alongside heir and a part of her felt a tinge of guilt at the travails she had and would put him through.
"His Eminence has offered to sponsor me for a noble patent of my own," Kallen answered, "one in Japan."
That saw Albrecht's eyes narrow. "A noble patent. For you specifically, not the House of Stadtfeld."
Kallen nodded. "I was, actually thinking of incorporating Mother's name for the house name."
"I see," Albrecht said, rubbing his temple again. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Or rather, I am not surprised. You always held greater attachment to the home you were raised in and would feel a similarly greater sense of obligation to it. I cannot ask that you transfer such duty to the Fox Valley without being hypocritical."
Kallen gave her father a sympathetic smile. "I am sorry, Father. I know how important your home is to you, and how much work you've put in to make sure I would be a proper steward for it."
"Yes, well, as my own circumstances demonstrate, life rarely goes the way we expect." Albrecht slumped back into his chair. "I trust your new dignity at least is one that warrants giving up your present one?"
To that Kallen gave a nervous chuckle. "Uh, well…"
An unamused eyebrow rose. "Kallen?" The man straightened. "Please tell me you did not accept some sort of demotion just for the sake of a Japanese peerage."
"No, no, nothing like that," Kallen quickly said. "It's uh, actually a pretty big promotion."
"To?" Albrecht drawled.
"…lordship."
The eyebrow stayed up. "Kallen?"
"…A provincial lordship," Kallen finally got out.
Albrecht said nothing, and indeed did nothing, for several long seconds as he stared at his daughter. And then the chair creaked audibly as he leaned back again.
"So is this to be a marquessate," Albrecht said lightly, "or a dukedom?"
Kallen blinked. "Huh?"
"Generally a provincial lord is awarded the rank of marquess, or in your case marchioness," Albrecht said without missing a beat. "In cases where one of the spouses is of direct imperial descent and is being granted the privilege of starting a cadet branch however, the provincial lordship would be that of a-"
"I know the difference between a duke and a marquess!" Kallen exploded. "And there is nothing going on between me and Lelouch! He's dating Milly for crying out loud!"
The eyebrow was back up. "Interesting that you would immediately think of His Eminence."
"Oh my God," Kallen gripped her hair. "Are you actually being serious or are you just having me on here!?"
"I think it only fair, considering the rollercoaster that you've put me through the past year."
Kallen's jaw clicked shut, swallowing her next retort.
"That, is probably fair," the girl said after a few moments of consideration.
"Still," Albrecht said thoughtfully. "Regardless of your title, a provincial lordship?" And shook his head. "Despite, or perhaps because I am your father, I have considerable concerns as to whether that is a responsibility you are prepared to shoulder."
"After everything I've learned about how the nobility system actually works, I agree," Kallen said.
Albrecht raised an eyebrow, though actually looked rather satisfied with his daughter's concurrence.
"So, what is it that you would ask of me?" the man said.
Kallen's lips quirked upward. Ever since she tamed her resentment for her father, she started gaining an appreciation that, by and large, Albrecht possessed a very sharp mind. The flicker of amusement disappeared however as she got to the heart of the matter.
"Would you be willing to serve as my provincial governor?"
The eyebrow stayed up as Albrecht regarded his daughter, though not out of surprise. The man had likely surmised the direction this conversation was heading, so while the request was not entirely unexpected, it was still somewhat unusual. Britannian executive leadership in government was embodied by a pair of offices, that of the head of state and head of government. At the national, imperial level, the former was invested in the person of the prime minister, while the latter the reigning sovereign. At the provincial level, the corresponding entities were the provincial governor and the local provincial lord, respectively. In quite a few cases the same person served in both capacities, especially for those nobles who were more hands on with governing their territories. In plenty of others however a division of labor existed to more efficiently discharge the respective duties, especially if the provincial lord in question had other career priorities, such as running a business, serving in the military, or holding some other high office. And while often such a governor tended to be a commoner, or at least a title-less noble-born, it was hardly unusual for another titled peer to hold the position as well, especially if said peer was native to the province in question. None of which Albrecht even remotely met the criteria of.
"Have you perhaps forgotten, Kallen, that setting aside my abdication, I am also a landed peers with my own responsibilities?" Albrecht inquired rather rhetorically.
"Of a viscounty."
Albrecht leaned back in his chair. "It might be a viscounty, but it is still one I, and my house, am responsible for."
"The House of Stadtfeld," Kallen said, "whereas the House of Stadtfeld-Kouzuki would be responsible for an entire province."
Albrecht blinked, eliciting a wry smile from Kallen.
"I said I was thinking of incorporating Mother's name," the girl said.
Her father gave a grunt. "You are getting better at the doubletalk."
"I've had some passable teachers."
That earned her another grunt as Albrecht rubbed his chin contemplatively.
"I presume at least part of the consideration for granting the patent to you specifically is because of my complicated marital history."
In at least one regard, the fact that Albrecht had married a person of Japanese ethnicity should have been a plus. That he divorced said Japanese wife and then married another woman who, even if unbeknownst to him, had engaged in some of Babel's more illicit and immoral services, pretty much negated any good will his seeming tolerance might have bought.
"Yes," Kallen said bluntly with a shrug. "Though even with those mistakes, you still have the trust of myself and others."
"Trust, huh," Albrecht said. "I suppose I should be thankful I have any left."
"You have quite a bit left, Father," Kallen said. "And not just with myself or His Eminence. Aren't there quite a few people that still have faith in you back in the Fox Valley?"
Albrecht chuckled wryly. "And how many will be left after I just up and leave, ending the rule of the Stadtfelds in so ignominious a manner?"
As Albrecht was insinuating, while it was not unheard of for a landed but non-provincial peer to serve as a provincial governor, having a noble with title in another province was generally considered not acceptable due to the potential conflicts of interest and divided loyalties. If Albrecht acceded to his daughter's request, propriety and convention demanded that his Fox Valley title be passed to someone else. Which was already the plan, save for the fact that Kallen was also going to be unavailable to receive said title. That meant Albrecht would need to pass the title onto someone else, likely some relative or another, and while the House of Stadtfeld-Kouzuki would remain, the House of Stadtfeld would be leaving behind its ancestral fief, one it had held since the founding of the viscounty.
Kallen shook her head. "I don't think it ignominious at all, Father. You are answering the plea of help from the daughter you have managed to protect, in one way or another, even during your years of absence. If there is a reason to pass the title on to someone else, I think family would be an honorable one."
"You used to ask for help for such simpler things," Albrecht reminisced. "I suppose it's a mark of how far you've come as a proper lady."
A most unladylike snort was Kallen's retort, which from the slight twitching of Albrecht's lips, her father had expected.
"Do you require an answer now?" Albrecht asked his daughter.
Kallen shook her head. "No. Something of this magnitude, you should take the time to think over."
Again another nod, as much an acknowledgment of Kallen's words as the maturity those words represented.
"Though the sooner you do give me an answer, the sooner I can give one to His Eminence."
This time it was Albrecht's turn to snort. "Well, I suspect it should not take too long. I do need to sound out a few of our relatives, see who is actually inclined to taking over the viscountcy seat."
Which was as good an indication as any which decision Albrecht was settling on. Kallen graced her father with a grateful smile, for a moment at least.
"There is, one other thing," she said.
Albrecht looked almost askance at his daughter before letting out a resigned sigh.
"This is becoming habitual with you," he said in a mildly chiding tone.
"I guess it just comes with being a proper lady."
The reaction was an exact mirror of the prior exchange.
"Well, out with it," Albrecht said with a wave of his hand.
Kallen leaned back in her chair. "This is yet to be publicly announced, but His Eminence will be stepping down from his position as viceroy."
The look on her father's face was now of an impending headache. Or rather another one.
"And His Eminence has no other candidates to recommend to His Majesty?"
"He has a couple of options, actually," Kallen said. "I can't even guarantee you'd have any particular advantage with my nomination. But still, I'd feel better if the one that will be responsible for transitioning Japan into satellite status was someone I personally could trust."
Albrecht drummed his fingers against the desk.
"Well, who am I to disappoint my daughter a second time?"
The smile that father and daughter exchanged here was all the more natural for the mischievous smirks tinging them.
"Nervous?"
Lelouch glanced over at Milly, the two walking down one of the overly lengthy corridors of the imperial palace, hand in hand.
"About?"
"Is there anything that fazes you?" Milly asked wryly.
"Plenty," Lelouch responded without hesitation. "It's why I delegate out so extensively, so tasks that would give me pause are pawned off to others instead."
"Huh, and you would admit that so unabashedly?"
"Isn't that what you do as well?"
A bark of laughter escaped Milly. "Touché. Still, seriously. It'll be near on seven years since you last saw some of your siblings. You feeling okay?"
"Well, aside from considering whether I will need to guard against Marrybell's wrath, I am otherwise looking forward to it," Lelouch said. "Despite our long parting, they are still my brothers and sisters."
"Just like your reunion with your mothers?" The expression Lelouch now sported earned him a chuckle from Milly. "Yeah, mothers are impressive like that."
"To put it mildly," Lelouch grunted.
Any further mumbling was forestalled as they arrived at a door where armsmen wearing the colors of two different households were standing dutifully outside. Only after actually checking Lelouch and Milly's identification, and that of Sancia and Alice training them, did they open the door to let them through. Once in the room however, the occupants inside were a bit more forthcoming in greeting them.
"Lelouch!" Laila said with a wide grin, running over to give her brother a hug.
In contrast with Lelouch's visit to Warwick Palace, Laila's motions were eager without the anxiety she previously displayed. If anything she almost seemed to be purring as Lelouch gave her an affectionate pat on the head. It was as if Laila now knew for certain that she got at least one brother back from the tragedy in Japan.
"I see you are doing well, Laila," Lelouch said.
The only response was definitely a purr, causing Milly to chuckle. That saw Laila reluctantly let Lelouch go as she looked up at the older girl.
"Hello, Laila," Milly greeted. "Do you remember me?"
The younger girl nodded slowly. "Milly. You played with me before."
"That I did," Milly said with a nod.
"Laila," another voice called out from behind, "let the rest of us have a shot at Lelouch before you monopolize him."
Looking a bit abashed, the younger girl stepped back, letting a regal looking redhead step forth.
"Hello Lelouch," Marrybell asked with a wide smile that nowhere reached her eyes. "Did you really need to pressgang my girlfriend right before the Christmas ball? And when can I expect to get her back?"
"My understanding is that Oldrin has been making calls upon your home on a near non-stop basis since her arrival in Pendragon," Lelouch responded nonplussed.
"But she expects to go harrying off to Japan again with you," Marrybell said with a pout. "Maybe I should come with too."
There was more than one sharp intake of breath, while Lelouch just rolled his eyes.
"For all that I might feign concern over your wrath, Marrybell, my concern with your mother's is far more genuine. As such if I have to pick between the two, I will automatically defer to whichever will help me evade hers even at the risk of invoking yours."
The way the youth delivered that retort was so lackadaisical one could think he genuinely was unmoved by Marrybell's griping. Another way of looking at it however was a mark of just how familiar he was with his sister that he felt he could get away with treating her like this. Marrybell leaned in, giving Lelouch an impressive glare, before looking over at Milly.
"You sure this is what you want to put up with for the rest of your life, Milly?"
"If nothing else he'll keep me on my toes," Milly responded without missing a beat.
Marrybell looked back and forth between the couple, Milly smiling cheerfully while Lelouch carried an aloof air.
"Well, I'll let you off this time, so long as you bring my Oldrin back," Marrybell said, extending her arms and pulling Lelouch into a hug, "and officiate at our wedding."
"I will do my utmost to grant both wishes," Lelouch returned the embrace.
As Marrybell stepped aside, a younger girl that shared her reddish hair peered upward and reached out.
"Hello Annabelle," Lelouch said, giving yet another hug.
"Welcome back, Brother," Annabelle said in a more genial tone than her older sister.
"Thank you for the much warmer welcome."
Marrybell snorted off to the side while Annabelle let out a slight giggle. As evidenced by his prior interactions with Laila and now Annabelle, Lelouch possessed a rather deft hand when it came to handling the younger of his sisters. Despite being one of three brothers in their cohort of siblings, all of the girls gravitated more towards him than they did Clovis or Adonis, at least before his departure. It was something carried over with the younger girls in his Eden Vital cohort. Perhaps they could instinctively tell Lelouch to be more reliable, or perhaps he was genuinely more affectionate with them than some of their other siblings. Either way, even Carla deigned to give him a hug, grumpy as it might have appeared.
"Glad to have you back, mate," Adonis was next, beaming a wide smile. "And what a lovely lady you have brought to join us."
Lelouch raised an eyebrow but Milly beat him to a retort.
"Oh my, Your Highness, was my presence in your memory so fleeting?" Milly said with exaggerated consternation.
Adonis looked at Milly, then back at Lelouch. The cardinal gave a snort.
"Yes, Adonis, what say you in a way that would not offend Milly's sensibilities and also not constitute a slight of my courtship?"
Adonis, for all his somewhat foppish reputation, was still Beatrice's son and Schneizel's younger brother. Granted perhaps it was because of his siblings that Adonis exhibited a certain lethargy, as if not wanting to be compared to them, but when properly motivated, he could demonstrate some measure of wit. Adonis held up his hands. Or at least know when not to dig himself deeper.
"Better that I concede now than to give Milly further ammunition to use on me in the future," the prince said. "I still have the metaphorical scars on my ego from when you were last in Pendragon."
"Oh my, those have yet to fade?" Milly said. "Well, my bite was a bit less reserved back then, but I at least did try to make sure the marks I left were in less visible places."
From the snorts and chuckles that sounded from the older siblings, more than a few picked up on the double entendre.
"Might I take it then that the marks you've left on Lelouch now are those you want others to see?" Adonis said, eyebrow quirked upward.
"Alas that certain less than noble ladies would otherwise not get the hint," Milly said with a shrug.
"Be careful that just doesn't make Lelouch look even more appetizing," Marrybell teased.
"Well I would hope no one here is of such inclinations."
That earned Milly a raspberry from multiple quarters.
"Now, now, mind your manners around the children," Lelouch said as he guided Milly further into the room. "We wouldn't want to set a bad example for my nephew here."
"That would be appreciated," Odysseus said with a smile. "Christoph, say hello to your uncle, and hopefully your soon to be aunt."
The young boy, of only three years of age, looked gingerly at the newcomers while half hiding behind his father. For uncle and nephew, this truly was the first time either had met face to face. While Lelouch certainly had word of Odysseus' marriage and fatherhood, all this occurred while he was still ensconced at the Citadel, and his very brief layover in Pendragon before hurrying off to Japan had not given him any time to meet up with any of his siblings aside from Schneizel, and only then in an official capacity. Still, anxious as he was, Christoph had an undeniably curious air about him as he peered up at Lelouch and Milly with hazel eyes.
"Hello Christoph," Lelouch greeted, leaning over. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you."
The boy looked up at his father, who gave him a comforting pat on the back, to urge him forth.
"It is, nice to meet you, Unca," the boy said in that halting manner of his age.
"Well said," Milly praised, holding out a small box. "Here, a little something to mark this day."
Whether Christoph fully understood the words or not, he could at least grasp that something was being offered him. The boy eagerly reached out, then thought better of it and looked up at his father. Only after Odysseus nodded again did he cheerfully take the box.
"Umm, thank you!"
Milly chuckled. "You are welcome."
"Why don't you go and take a look at what you received," Odysseus said, releasing his son after he had fulfilled the bare requisite social niceties.
Christoph rushed off, and after a glance from their older siblings, a few of the younger ones trailed after their nephew to keep him company. That left only one more member of his family that Lelouch needed to say hello to, or two depending on how one counted. Lelouch and Milly approached the couch where Guinevere, for obvious reasons, was seated.
"Sister," Lelouch said. "It is good to see you. I hope all is going well?"
Guinevere gave a snort. "I'm pregnant, Lelouch, not inflicted with some ailment." She grimaced. "Though at times my body certainly feels otherwise." She glanced over at Milly. "Don't be in too much of a hurry following my footsteps, whatever the mothers say."
"I assure you," Milly said, "I intend to enjoy myself a bit before undertaking the task of motherhood."
Guinevere gave a satisfied nod. "It certainly will not be without its own trials, but even so, I find myself looking forward to holding my child properly."
"Still refraining from finding out the sex?" Lelouch said.
"The doctors already know, what with all the health screenings they did," Guinevere said, "but my husband and I want it to be a surprise. Besides, whether my child be son or daughter, I will love them regardless. Oh!"
Guinevere placed a hand on her stomach.
"Feisty one?" Milly remarked.
"Yes," the princess said with a smile. "Would you like to feel?"
"If I may," Milly said, reaching out. And there, she felt the slightest of kicks through the skin. "Umm, how does it feel?"
"Depends on the day," Guinevere said. "And whether my bladder is being sat on."
"Yeah," Milly said. "It is certainly miraculous, but, as you said, no rush."
"Well, it'll be over soon enough," Guinevere said, sounding genuinely grateful for that prospect, then looked up at Lelouch. "And I will have a child in need of baptizing."
Lelouch dipped his head. "It would be my honor to use my ordination for something productive, for once."
From behind Odysseus chuckled. "Should a man of the cloth really be saying such things?"
"Better than being constantly reprimanded for being too full of myself."
The synchronicity with which the three women accompanying Lelouch nodded was grounds for another round of laughter.
End of Chapter 69
Word is being difficult again, not rendering entire pages at a time if I do certain things…
We've been building towards this for a while now, the exact nature of what drew Milly to Lelouch. That something did has been alluded to since pretty much the moment Milly was introduced in this story, this is merely the culmination. In a lot of ways, Milly herself is extremely intelligent, and due to that intelligence also suffered a degree of mental isolation. Her exuberance, while not an act, was still one of the mechanisms by which she coped, by surrounding herself with a lot of people so that in a group at least they could keep pace with her. Unfortunately, because these others could only keep pace with her collectively, that limited the deepness their individual connections could go. That is not to say Milly didn't consider them friends, far from it, but she could never get back the same, stimulus, as what she was giving, so to speak.
In this context, Nina was actually one of the few people who could keep pace with Milly intellectually, which is one reason in this universe Milly cherishes Nina. At the same time, Nina's introvert nature meant she still had difficulty keeping pace with Milly in general, not to mention this version of Milly is not bisexual (or at least not to the extent that she's interested in a relationship of such a nature with a woman). Lelouch on the other hand is one of those rare people where Milly is on the opposite side of the bandwidth gap, as it were. But Milly is still brilliant enough in her own way that she actually can keep pace with Lelouch. Perhaps not to the same extent as Sancia or Lucretia, but enough that Lelouch is not left at a major deficit either. And having found someone who can keep pace with her like that, Milly sort of latched onto Lelouch the moment she met him, all those years back, and never really let go, even after the two were separated after Marianne's death. So in a sense, it is very much a case of childhood friend/first girl wins here.
I think this is the most detailed outline of the Britannian imperial family that I've done thus far. And as should be evident, there are some fairly substantial changes in the relations. The most obvious would be how Odysseus, Guinevere, and Carla are all full siblings instead of merely being half siblings, as well as the existence of Adonis, who is an entirely original character on my part.
There is also the fact that, considering their ages, it made little sense that Odysseus and Guinevere were not already married and with children of their own or on the way. For that matter Schneizel and Cornelia really should have had spouses as well. To have them still be plausibly single actually requires more world-building work than to have them married.
Anyway, we'll go back to the actual wartime strategizing next chapter. Conservatively speaking I have about two chapters' worth of materials sketched out to outline Britannia's overall plans. After that we'll be heading over to Japan, as well as get a few snippets of the Citadel depending on if I remember to slot in the scenes as appropriate. The rest of the R2 arc is a bit more in the air. Again, I have a few major set pieces planned out, but I'm not entirely sure yet what the interim mini-crises will be until we get to the big ones.