Chapter 13: Masquerade

The sound of Lelouch's phone going off annoyingly flooded his ears, forcing him to hassle it out of his pocket, to which he found the time: 9:48 AM. Just below that, rested 46 missed calls from one Milly Ashford. "Oh god…" the Prince muttered groggily, "I forgot that we were supposed to meet this morning…" he looked down and still saw Kallen peacefully sleeping, with her face buried in his chest, and arms wrapped around him, holding him like a hostage.

Just as Lelouch finally felt motivated to get up, he felt the cold, stale air of the room, and almost immediately retreated under the covers next to Kallen. They couldn't stay like this, and Lelouch knew it, but… it was just too warm.

"Perhaps… I can stay for just a few more minutes…"


Time: 10:36

Kallen opened her eyes slowly, only to meet Lelouch's chest, causing her to sit up in shock, "Did he actually sleep with me!?" she thought while her eyes darted around the room, before she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her stomach, "Ow… the poison's still in effect…"

She then looked back at the boy, only to find him now sitting up, with a stern look, "I've completed my end of the bargain, so I trust that you'll keep yours," he said calmly, acting as if he wasn't asleep just a few moments ago, "Are you ready for a second dose?"

Kallen earnestly shook her head, "No way, I'm still feeling the effects from the first!" however, on the inside, she wasn't nearly as calm, "We slept in the same bed!? How can he act so calm!? No wait… this has to mean something, right? After all, he chose to sleep here! That must mean he trusts me, right?"

Kallen's theory was right. The Prince had grown fond of her whether he wanted to admit it or not; this stemed from the constant time they spent together. As for how he was able to stay so calm, the boy was also panicking on the inside, he was just really good at hiding it… that was, however, until he heard the voice of a certain blonde ring out, "Lelouch!" her muffled voice rang throughout the manor, "I know you're here!"

"How did she-"

"Shirley told me!"

Lelouch looked at Kallen, who shrugged in response, "You should probably get out of my bed." she advised.

The Prince quickly leapt out of the bed, and took a seat next to a nearby table, making it look like he was just visiting. There was only one problem though…

"Lelouch!" Milly shouted as she swung open the door, followed by Rivalz, Nina, and Shirley.

"Good Morning, Madam President," Lelouch calmly greeted, as Kallen sat in bed with docile eyes.

The blonde scanned both of their faces, before moving onto their clothes, "Oh my~ did I interrupt something?" she asked, gesturing at their crinkled school uniforms.

Calmly, the Prince responded, "Not at all. Yesterday, Kallen told me she was feeling sick, so I walked her home, however, by the time we arrived, it was pretty late, so I couldn't go home."

It was barely noticeable, but Shirley shifted in the background upon hearing those words, "So that's why you weren't at the council meeting this morning?" Rivalz questioned

"Correct. I was busy taking care of Kallen."

Poor choice of words.

"Oh? Taking care of? That's interesting, because, she has maids for that, in fact, one of them greeted me at the front door," Milly began, "So, I don't know why you'd need to stay over." Before Lelouch could respond, the blonde noticed how uncomfortable Shirley was looking, and decided enough was enough, "Nevertheless, we're here because we thought we'd bring the meeting to you. How great is that!?"

Lelouch was grateful that Milly didn't push any further, however, he had other things to do, so he attempted to slip away, "Before that, I'll go wash this bowl, then I'll be back for the meeting."

Surprisingly, Milly didn't protest, after all, she had something else in mind, "Go ahead, we'll be here."

The Prince was taken aback, but took the chance to leave regardless. "Good Morning," the maid from last night greeted him as he closed the door to Kallen's room, "Do you want me to take that for you?" she asked.

"Was she here the whole time?" Lelouch wondered as she took the bowl from his hands gracefully.

However, she didn't leave. Instead, she just stared at him, "Um… I would like to know what your relationship is with Mistress Kallen," she said

It was an odd question for a maid to ask, after all, they're supposed to just do household task like cleaning, so for her to ask such a question… "Are you Kallen's mother?" Lelouch asked. The maid's eyes widened in shock, signifying he was right, "She's just as Naoto described her," the boy thought.

"How did you know?"

Lelouch shrugged, "Well, that's because whenever Mrs. Stadtfeld described Kallen, she looked at you specifically." that was a lie, but Ms. Kozuki didn't know that, "As for my relationship with her, you don't have to worry, we're just friends."

This left her relatively speechless, prompting the boy to try and leave, however, just as he turned around, she spoke up, "That's not what it looked like yesterday."

"Oh? Spying isn't an admirable trait, you know that, right?" Lelouch taunted, causing her to flinch.

"It wasn't spying… I was just…"

"Worried about Kallen?" he finished her sentence, "Don't worry, I understand that you care about your daughter very much, but I won't hurt her," a lie, "I promise," a cruel, cruel lie, one that was as easy to tell as it was to breath. Despite his new-found care for the red head, he still wasn't at the level where he wouldn't hurt her under any circumstances, instead, he'd only hurt her if it got him closer to his goal, like now.

"That's a relief… I was worried that what Lady Stadtfeld said was true, since Kallen didn't deny her once." Ms. Kozuki responded, "If you don't mind me asking, what do you and Kallen do after school?"

"We just tour the settlement," another lie, "Like I said, you don't have to worry, as I won't let any harm come to her," Lelouch then walked past the maid, and said, "Now, I have to go pick something up from the mall, I'll probably be back later, but until then, have a good day."


Lelouch exited the Stadtfeld manor, and felt a pair of eyes watching him, so he instinctively looked up at one of the many windows, only to meet Milly, who was smiling deviously. Then, Rivalz exited the manor, "Hey man!" he greeted, "It's been a while since we hung out, huh? You wanna go somewhere?"

"Is he here to keep an eye on me? It doesn't matter regardless, as he shouldn't be able to hinder my plan," the Prince thought before saying, "Yeah, it has. I'm going to the mall to pick something up."

"Cool. Mind if I tag along?"

"Sure, but what happened to the council meeting?"

"Well… it quickly turned into 'girl-time' after you left, then Milly kicked me out."

"Ah, so she didn't send you to spy on me," Lelouch muttered

"Did you say something?"

"Not at all. C'mon, let's hurry up."


Upon arriving at the mall, the boys immediately made their way to a mask shop, where Lelouch was going in to pick up and order, "Ah, so this is where you're getting your mask?" Rivalz questioned as he looked at a blue one with a flower design.

"Correct." the Prince responded while handing the teller a ticket, which upon reading, they immediately pulled up a large bag from beneath the counter.

"Jeez, I didn't know you were picking up an entire costume," his friend added.

"I'm not picking up a costume," Lelouch responded as they headed out, "I'm just picking up some masks"

"What for? I'd understand if it was just one, but…" he then looked into the bag, "10? You know you can't wear all of them, right?"

"They're not for me. There are just some students who can't afford a mask, so they wanted me to buy them some."

"Whoa, since when did you become so charitable?"

"I've always been like this."

"No you haven't. I bet this has something to do with Kallen, huh?" Rivalz teased while poking his friend's shoulder, "C'mon, you gotta tell me, are you two a thing?"

Lelouch sighed, if it had been Milly asking, he'd be blushing, but when it's Rivalz doing it… it just doesn't have the same effect, "No. Kallen and I aren't a thing."

"Hoh? So you don't mind if I ask her to the party?"

It was an attempt to get a reaction from Lelouch, but once again, this was Rivalz, "You could try that, but she's already agreed to go with me."

"Ah! So you two are a thing!"

In his own way, Rivalz did win, but it wasn't much.

"Is that so strange? After all, you were willing to ask her a few seconds ago…"

"Yeah, but that was-"

"All while you have a crush on the President." Lelouch finished his sentence, giving the blue-haired boy a heart attack

"OH GOD! It must've been obvious if someone like you could tell!" Rivalz exclaimed

"You'll be happy to know it wasn't me who figured it out, as it was Kallen who told me."

"There you go again! Every sentence is always about Kallen!"

Once again, Rivalz.

"Is she not the topic of our conversation?" the Prince replied snarkily

Rivalz sighed, "Whatever. Let's talk about something else then," the boys left the mall, and began heading toward the train station, "How about… the masquerade party?"

"What about it?"

"You know, Ms. Nu is going to be there. And you know how strict she is!"

Of course, Lelouch already knew that, after all, his entire plan relied on her presence, otherwise, it'd be pointless. For whatever reason they had, the three new teachers were going to attend the masquerade party. Perhaps it was an attempt to further integrate them into campus life, or maybe it was for something else, regardless, that was the perfect time to strike, and the Prince wasn't going to lose it.

"That's true, but all we have to do is stay out of her way, and she won't be able to pick on us, right?" Lelouch responded, "Anyway, what've you been up to recently?"

Rivalz sighed, "Well, I've been trying to get a job, but man… I wish we could go back to gambling like we used to…"

The Prince smiled upon hearing that, "Don't worry, I suspect we'll be able to return to it sooner than you think."


October 31st 6:00 PM

Kallen and Lelouch approached the Ashford Clubhouse, which, unlike the party's before it, was actually packed with guest. Kallen wore the exact outfit the Prince envisioned she would, but luckily, the task at hand should be able to keep him away from her for the majority of the party… that's if everything goes right.

Lelouch wore a black suit with matching dress shoes and white gloves. His outfit, unlike Kallen's, was carefully picked out as to not stand out. Of course, to signify that they were together, they wore matching black masquerade masks with a floral design.

Villetta carefully watched the guest from the second floor, where numerous spotlights were placed, and thought, "This is such a waste of time. We should be investigating the computer science club right now… but no, we have to attend this stupid ball for god knows what reason…" then, her eyes landed on Kallen and presumably Lelouch, "Ah, so you're here too. I'd figure as much."

From next to the punch table, 'Lelouch' saw the couple enter, and then looked at Villetta, "Excellent, it seems everything is going according to the commander's plan," he thought while taking a sip of his drink.

From another corner, another 'Lelouch' watched as Kallen approached the center of the room, "This better work," he muttered as his eyes drifted to Lewis, who was currently being annoyed by Casmir.

"I'm telling you! That other science teacher is such a prick!" Casmir complained, "I don't see why we couldn't just eliminate him upon arrival."

Luckily, the crowd was too busy talking amongst themselves to notice such a conversation going on between the teachers, nevertheless, "Don't speak so nonchalantly like that," Lewis retorted in a low tone, "Right now, we need to divert all of our resources to the computer science club. We can't waste time chasing a red herring."

"It's not a red herring! Those students were talking about using pink foam for a science fair!"

"Do you know how many schools are doing the same? We don't even have the original pink foam to compare, so it'll be useless if we get our hands on it."

Casmir clenched his fist, "You guys are so useless," he muttered, before giving a bright smile, "Oh well! That's a shame! Hey, Lewis, do y'want some punch?"

His companion sighed, "If I drink it, will you finally shut up?"

The playful solider smiled deviously, "I promise."

"Fine." Lewis responded, and thought as Casmir walked away, "Why couldn't we get someone normal for this mission."

However, before either soldier could react, the main lights shut off, and the spotlights came to life, focusing on a certain red head on the dance floor, "I hate you, Milly," she thought while opening a piece of paper; on it, was a speech given to her by the President as a way to 'officially' start the festivities. "Good Evening, students of Ashford." she began, "I would just like to thank you all for participating in our Halloween masquerade party." then he pointed at Villetta, "I would also like to thank the new members of our staff, and wish them good luck on the upcoming months." the dark skinned Britannian nodded slowly, sensing something was off as eight boys wearing the same outfit as Lelouch, surrounded the red head. "With that, I would like to officially announce, that the Ashford masquerade party, has begun!"

"Those boys… what are they up to?" Villetta questioned as each boy stared into the crowd blankly. If they weren't standing side by side, she wouldn't even be able to tell them apart, because everything about them was the same, hair color, style, mask color, and even the way they stand. "No, something's off…" she thought as they finally broke off from the red head, getting lost in the crowd effortlessly as their outfits were intended to do.

"That's right, Villetta," Lelouch thought as he approached the stairs, "This entire plan hinges on your paranoia. I knew you'd focus on Kallen this party because that's why you're here at Ashford, however…"

"Upon seeing such a coordinated grouping," Mario thought while walking through the crowd, "There's no way you could ignore us…"

"And truth be told, if you did, nothing would happen," Henry added as he approached a group of kids from the science club, "After all, we're just here to divert your attention"

"As the real culprit," Maya muttered as Kallen calmly made her way to the punch table, with a small vial in hand.

"Is me." the red head thought as she stared into the vat of cherry flavored liquid.

Villetta watched as Lelouch walked up the stairs, completely oblivious to what was happening at the punch table, "What's going on? They're not doing anything? Which means…"

"You can't report this," the Prince thought as he approached the teacher, "As far as your superiors are concerned, this is just some boys matching outfits at a school dance. Nothing suspicious in the slightest… and yet…"

"There's still a chance!" Villetta thought while quickly scanning the crowd, but it was to no avail, as the 'Lelouchs', blended into the crowd too well.

"Good evening, Ms. Nu," the Prince greeted, "Is the party to your liking? Milly really put her everything into it, like usual."

The soldiers sighed heavily, before putting on an uncomfortable smile, "Events like these… aren't exactly something I enjoy."

"Ah, so you're more of a home body?"

"Right…"

Casmir looked at Villetta and thought, "Useless…" his eyes then wandered to Kallen, who was walking away from the punch table with a drink in hand, that's when he began to laugh internally, "This is almost too perfect…"

Kallen stared into her glass and sighed, "This is gonna hurt…"


Rivalz walked over to the punch table, and filled himself a cup of the substance, "Great party," Casmir greeted the boy as he filled two cups himself, "And this punch is just spectacular, don't you think?"

In truth, the blue-haired boy thought the teacher was weird, even now, he still wore a Hawaiian outfit to such an event, not only that, but he wasn't even wearing a mask, "Oh… yeah, it's good," he replied while taking a sip.

"Well, have a good night!" Casmir told the boy while walking away, and approached his comrade, "Here you go," he handed Lewis a cup.

"About time," he muttered while downing it in one gulp, "Now leave me alone."


Mario, Henry, and Maya met up in a corner, where they traded their black masks for a variety of blue, green, and red ones, then one person suddenly clenched their chest, this was soon followed by the rest of the party goers also clenching their chest. "Looks like my little experiment is working," Henry muttered as someone collapsed in pain, "Honestly, I didn't think it'd work considering the size of the pot, but it seems my worries were unfounded."

Maya looked at Lewis as he leaned on a pillar, dripping beads of sweat, "I give him another 30 seconds"

Mario sighed, "You two are sick"

The two sociopaths shrugged in response, as Casmir collapsed in pain, "Damn! That's strong!" he thought, "But this pain… is nothing if it's for the ambitions of Eden Vital!"


Villetta looked down at the party guest, and muttered, "What's going on?"

"Kallen!" Lelouch shouted as he watched the red head collapse, causing him to run desperately down the stairs.

"No way! Is this not something he planned?" the woman wondered as she ran after him, and began attending to the pained students, "What's wrong with you?" she asked one of the victims.

"It hurts…" the girl muttered while clenching her stomach.

"Poison? Casmir! Attend to the-" but before Villetta could finish that sentence, she saw the man in question on the ground, forcing her eyes to widen in shock, "Damn it! He's been compromised too!?"

"Kallen!" Lelouch called while shaking the red head, "What's wrong?"

"No… he couldn't've done this," Villetta thought, "He wouldn't poison his own lover… would he?"

"That's right, Ms. Nu," Lelouch calmly thought on the inside, while he appeared panicked on the outside, "You'd never suspect Kallen of doing such a thing, especially since she's poisoned herself. And there's no way I could've done anything, as I was with you the whole time."


Milly, who was currently helping with decorating a cake in the kitchen with Nunally, heard the muffled commotion, "What's going on?" the innocent Princess asked

"I don't know, let me go check," the President responded with a smile. However, that smile soon vanished upon the sight before her, "What happened?" the only thing she could feel right now was heartbreak. The event, that she planned so meticulously, was collapsing at the seems, but why? What went wrong? Then, she saw Lelouch and Kallen. "What's going on?" she asked the Prince as he held the red head in his arms.

"She… she said her chest is in immense pain," the boy replied through tears

Were they real? No. There was no time to question the validity of his feelings, right now… "Anyone who's not sick, help get those who are outside!" Milly commanded

Meanwhile, Mr. Wilson shakily got up, and made his way outside, constantly muttering, "The records… I have to send the records…"

Upon seeing this, Casmir followed suit, only… he wasn't shaking, in fact, he seemed perfectly fine.


After practically dragging his feet for ten minutes, he finally reaches a staff building, only to be met by a boy and a girl, each with red and blue masks on, "Get out of my way!" he commanded, but they didn't budge, instead, the boy rushed forward, and delivered a jab to his nose, knocking the teacher on his back.

Then, he dug through his pockets, and pulled out a USB drive, "Go!" Mario, wearing the red mask, shouted at his sister, who wore the blue.

Her brother tossed the drive, and she caught it, before heading inside, leaving Mario to fend off Lewis, "You'll… pay for this!" Mr. Wilson muttered as he stood up, and got in a boxing stance. His role may have been primarily research, but he was still a soldier, and a good one at that.

Mario took a step forward, and unleashed a swift sweeping kick that was easily stopped my Lewis, who put his foot on the boy's leg, causing him to grunt in pain, then, he grabbed him by the collar, and slammed Mario into the ground, knocking his mask off. "So… it's you!" he grunted.

The sheer size difference was too much to begin with, and whatever gap that was made with the poison, was quickly covered by the soldier's combat skill. However, Mario wasn't one to give up, as he brought his leg up, and kicked Lewis between the legs, knocking the wind out of him, then he shifted his body weight, practically tossing the teacher off him in the process. Once that was done, he got on top of his opponent, and began delivering punch after punch to his face, attempting to knock him out with just the sheer amount of strikes.

This didn't work.

Lewis quickly brought his hands up, blocking a majority of the strikes, and upon catching his breath, grabbed Mario's throat, and slammed him into the ground, causing him to hit his head on the concrete, knocking him out cold. "I'll deal with you later. For now-" before the teacher could finish his statement, however, a sudden cold, hard force slammed into the back of his head, knocking him to the ground. He could've sworn he heard his skull crack.

Lewis rolled over, and saw his assailant, it was Mr. Poole holding a metal pipe, "What are you doing!?"

Casmir laughed, "Sorry about this. But you should've complied."

Mr. Wilson's eyes widened with realization, "Is this what you bastards at Eden Vital do to whoever doesn't follow your shitty standards!?"

Mr. Poole raised his weapon, "Just so you know, this isn't personal," he responded, ignoring the pleading teacher's question. With one final swing, the life from Lewis' body disappeared.

Now, laid a bloodied corpse with its face smashed in.

Casmir sighed as he wiped the blood from his face, and placed a USB in his dead compatriot's jacket, then picked up Mario, before heading inside.


"C'mon… move faster!" Maya thought as her fingers whizzed away at Mr. Wilson's computer, however, they froze upon hearing a certain voice.
"Hey there." Casmir called with Mario on his shoulder, "You want some help?" he asked while setting the boy next to a wall.

Maya felt fear overcome her entire body. It was nothing like she ever experienced.

Mr. Poole casually walked past her as she backed away, and began typing on Lewis' computer, "There ya go. All gone." he replied after a few seconds, "Now, make like an egg and scram." his left eye now burned with a red bird-like sigil.

Upon seeing this, Maya ran to her brother, and dragged him out of the room, slowly but surely making her way down the hallway, where Lelouch was staring at Mr. Wilson's dead body. "What the hell happened?" he asked in a hushed tone, "I told you to not kill him!"

Maya, however, couldn't provide an answer, instead, only incoherent rambling and pointing at the dead teacher, then back at the building, before finally pointing at her brother. Something was wrong, very wrong. "To have someone like Maya scared like this… what happened?" the Prince wondered as he felt a menacing aura emanate from the building's entrance.

No. Right now, whoever or whatever killed Mr. Wilson, it wasn't worth the risk to find out. Every instinct in Lelouch's body was screaming at him to run, and so, he helped Maya drag Mario back to the clubhouse. Leaving whatever cursed horror behind them. For now.


November 1st, 10:36 AM

"Lelouch!" Kallen called weakly from her bed within the Stadtfeld manor.

"Yes, M'lady?" the Prince asked mockingly

"I'm thirsty. Get me some water." the red head commanded.

"Very well." he bowed before exiting her room.

Upon seeing this, Kallen laughed, "Even if it's just for one day, it's nice to be pampered like this. And it's even better, knowing that I've got a Prince at my beck and call!"

This was another deal they made. In exchange for getting poisoned, Lelouch would take care of her for one day. Though, this did benefit both of them, as it would've been odd if the Prince didn't take care of his 'girlfriend' after she was just poisoned.

"Here." Lelouch returned with a glass of water.

"I'm hungry. Cook me something." Kallen demanded

Once again, the Prince left the room, and returned 30 minutes later with a bowl of soup in hand, "Here."

The red head looked at the bowl and asked, "I don't like soup. Can I get tuna onigiri instead?" Lelouch didn't respond verbally, instead, he just stared at her with narrowed eyes. However, Kallen didn't appreciate his response, and quickly downed her water in one gulp, "Another." she demanded, slightly ticking the Prince off with how pushy she was.

A minute later, Lelouch returned, this time, with an entire pitcher of water, and a full glass in hand, "Here." he said while placing it on the red head's night stand.

"Thank you." Kallen replied while handing him a now empty bowl, "Go clean this, then you can take a 30-minute break."

"Ever the gracious noble you are, Ms. Stadtfeld," Lelouch replied while taking the bowl

The red head smiled, "I know. You can grovel at my feet later."

Ignoring her last comment, the Prince went downstairs and entered the kitchen, when his phone started ringing. Upon seeing the caller ID, he answered, "What is it, Mario?"

"Well, Mr. Wilson hasn't shown up for work today, and my sister's locked herself in her room. So I'd say, it's pretty bad."

Lelouch sighed as he put the now clean bowl on a drying rack, "Do you still not remember anything from last night?"

"Other than me getting pummeled? No." Mario had a bandage wrapped around his head, and was currently staying at home, "Though, from what I heard from Henry, over half of the party guest got sick, and are staying home because of it."

"I figured as much. What about Mr. Poole? I could've sworn I saw him drink the punch yesterday."

"Actually… he made an announcement to his students today…" Mario began, "And… he said after doing some tests on the punch, he found traces of yew seeds in it."

"Yew? Like the tree?"

"Correct. He said that's what caused the mass sickness."

"But that's not right… if he did tests on the punch, then…"

"He should know that wasn't the case," Mario finished the Prince's sentence, "I've gotta go. I think I hear my sister calling." with that, he hung up.

"It seems there might be in-fighting…" Lelouch muttered, "But why? I know there's something I'm missing here, but what is it?"


3:21 PM

Lelouch was sitting by Kallen's bedside, reading a book as she slept peacefully. She should be back at full strength by tomorrow due to her prior exposure to the substance, even still, she won't be able to return to school tomorrow, as everyone who was infected should still be sick. Suddenly, the Prince's phone rang, breaking his concentration, however, upon seeing the caller ID, he got curious, "Hello?"

"Good Evening Lelouch, I hope I'm not disturbing you," the voice of Ms. Nu said, "This is a courtesy call to check in on those students who were infected by the… unfortunate events that took place yesterday. Though, if I remember correctly, you didn't have any punch."

In short, she was wondering where Lelouch was.

"I'm currently at the Stadtfeld residence," the Prince replied flawlessly, "Kallen's currently bedridden, so I thought I'd take care of her until she gets better."

"I see… even so, you're not sick, correct? So I fully expect to see you in school tomorrow. After all, I understand that Kallen has servants that can take care of her, does she not?"

"Yes, Ma'am"

"Good. Then, have a good night," Villetta said before hanging up.

Lelouch sighed and put his phone in his pocket, "Who was that?" Kallen asked with her head rested against a pillow

"Ms. Nu. I'll be heading into school tomorrow."

The red head rolled over. Something was on her mind, and she desperately wanted to get it out, but she knew if she told Lelouch, he wouldn't understand, "Tomorrow, I'll be going to the ghetto to meet someone," so instead, she'll leave the information as vague as possible.

"Who?" Lelouch asked as he turned a page

"Someone who I think will be able to help us."

"How'd you come in contact with them?"

"I didn't call them, if that's what you're asking."

That's right. Lelouch suspected that the military had bugged the cell towers to track conversations, that's why he didn't call or text Naoto of what was going on.

"Are they dangerous?"

Kallen smiled, and looked at the boy, "Are you worried about me?"

The Prince sighed, "Just answer the question."

"How about you answer mine first?" the red head replied in a serious tone.

Lelouch knew she wouldn't budge at this rate, so he had to give up some ground, "Yes, I am worried about you. Now, are they dangerous?"

With a victorious grin, Kallen pulled up the covers and responded, "No, they're not." however, her thoughts said otherwise, "Though… that depends on how the meeting goes tomorrow."

The Prince closed his book, "Then I should let you rest. Make sure you're not spotted by any members of the military tomorrow. While it's most likely the investigation is strictly kept to Ashford, we can't take the chance."

"I understand. Tell Nuna I said hi by the way"


November 2nd, 10:00 AM

Alone, Jeremiah Gottwald approached a warehouse that was located deep within the Shinjuku ghetto. His arm was still in a sling, but his wound was on the verge of being completely healed, all that was missing were his nerves. Nevertheless, he still carried a pistol in his right coat pocket for quick access, as there was a chance this could be a trap. "I swear, that damned reporter has the strangest meeting places," he muttered while scanning the desolate warehouse, before heading inside, "There has to be a way I can get rid of him, but how?"

As if his question was immediately answered, a voice called from behind him, "Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald," no, this wasn't him.

The Margrave turned around, and to his surprise, saw a red haired girl standing at the warehouse entrance, "Wait… it's you! So you really were a rebel this whole time," he pulled out his pistol and pointed it at her, "Kallen Stadtfeld, you are under arrest for conspiring against his majesty. And considering that you're a noble, I can assure you, you'll get a fair trial if you come quietly."

Kallen mockingly rose her hand and said, "Well, we could do that… but if we did, you wouldn't be able to meet up with your Prince"

"My Prince?" the Margrave froze in his tracks upon hearing that sentence, "Explain."

"Lelouch Vi Britannia."

Those three words forced memories of his past life as Marianne Vi Britannia's royal guard to flood through his mind, "How do you know that name?" he asked, no, demanded.

"Come to Ashford Academy at 5:00 PM tonight. And you'll get your answer." Kallen replied while turning around.

"Halt! I can't just let you walk away like this! What if you're lying!?"

"For you to ask such a question, proves that I'm not. After all, who else knows of the Prince AND, your oath to him?"

That settles it. No one even knew of Jeremiah's oath to protect Lady Marianne's children, so for her to so confidently proclaim such a statement… there had to be some semblence of truth behind her knowledge of the Prince. And even if it was a trap… the Margrave would be able to handle it.


Meanwhile, Casmir Poole was busy digging a grave in the middle of a random forest, that was located a few miles away from a shrine. He was currently on the phone with Villetta Nu.

"A traitor?" the dark skinned Britannian questioned

"I couldn't believe it either, but apparently, Lewis had an entire log describing how unsatisfied he was with the way Prince Clovis ruled area Eleven, so he was working with some terrorists on developing some top secret Knightmare frame." Casmir lied flawlessly "His plan was to slip away to his coconspirators the night of the masquerade party by poisoning the students. Luckily, I managed to track him down before he could get the designs to his associates."

Villetta clenched her fist, "So that means we've been comprimised?"

"Unfortunatly, yes. But don't worry, a replacement for him is currently being arranged," he then rolled Mr. Wilson's dead body into the grave, "Right now, we're just waiting for the Margrave's approval."

"No, if our operations been comprimised by the terrorist, then we have to retreat!"

"The Margrave's ordered us to continue our investigation unhindered," that was another lie, "Once his replacement arrives, we'll be able to continue our investigation into the science club." before Villetta could respond, Casmir hung up the phone, and began to fill the grave with dirt. Once he finished, his phone rang again, "Master V.V, it's an honor for you to call me like this."

"How goes your investigation into Prince Clovis?" V.V asked with a slightly annoyed tone

"If things continue as is, I'll be able to gain information on Code R by next month."

"Excellent. Are there any other developments?"

"Yes, and quite frankly, I believe this one could be to our benefit."

"Explain."

"Apparently, the military was right; there's a terrorist hiding at Ashford Academy. A student named Kallen Stadtfeld."

"Didn't I tell you with have no time to deal with such petty problems?"

"Yes. But this one's different. If Code R is indeed what we think it is, we should use the terrorist to aid us in freeing Master C.C"

"How you'll free C.C is up to you and Jasper. Feel free to use whatever resources you have at your disposal to retrieve her." V.V responded

"Thank you, Master V.V. It shall be done."


5:00 PM

Jeremiah now stood outside of Ashford Academy, dressed in a long white trench coat, with a bouquet of white flowers in hand. His eyes were constantly on a swivel, reacting to every minute sound, or sudden movement. "Wow, aren't you dressed to impress?" Kallen's voice called from within Ashford. She currently twirled a key to the gate and asked, "Are you ready?"

With a final deep breath, the Margrave responded, "Yes."


AN: Kallen's finally come in contact with Jeremiah, and while she and Lelouch will gain a powerful ally from this, she's going to have some explaining to do.

Also, we'll be getting some information regarding Deithards involvement with Jeremiah next chapter.