Code Geass: A World of Lies
"A word to the wise: Schneizel always lies."
– Euphemia li Britannia, Memories of Iron (2078 A.T.B)
The Empire grieved for the grandest of tragedies that had struck the capital. As the insurgent group called the Peace Mark, allegedly backed by the European Union., had made the despicable act of terrorism. Empress-consort Marianne and His Late Majesty, Emperor Charles zi Britannia were ambushed in one of the Imperial Palaces, the Aries Villa. The perpetrators were immediately apprehended and sentenced to justice due to the collective efforts of Princess Cornelia and the rest of the Royal Guard. However, no amount of righteous judgement could ever hope to compensate the insurmountable loss of our beloved monarchs. As the crown prince, Odysseus takes upon the burden of the crown. Rebellions across the treasonous Area colonies skyrocketed after news of our dear Emperor's passing—leaving the Imperial Military overextended to silence the parasitic barbarians. We lamented the fact that these rebellions had exhausted the momentum of our war machine that led to our failed conquest of Japan and forced the newly ascended Emperor Odysseus to postpone proposed future wars of conquest during what could now be called the "Lost Decade" of our Empire. These senseless killings of our Royals just under two decades after the Emblem of Blood were seen by many of our bereaved citizens as a bad omen for things to come. However, in part due to the efforts of Prince Schneizel…
– Aries Villa Tragedy: 10 Years Later by Madelaine Bloomfield, Britannia Unbound (2020)
Chapter 1: A Cascade of Blood
[Cassiopeia Imperial Villa, New Pendragon, Holy Britannian Empire. 2020 A.T.B]
"It's almost too easy to discern between friend or foe these days, Rolo. I don't even need Geass when they make it so obvious."
Nunnally hid a chuckle from seeing her dear eldest sister's Lord Steward incensed, and kowtowed by her pointed words. The poor servant deigned to insult royalty by implicating that she was but a common cur that lacked noble etiquette.
"Much easier if you did use it. You are a Major General, yet you had to constantly remind people of their place. That rat doesn't serve your mercy," Rolo answered as they half-heartedly saluted the palace guards of Guinevere's Villa. All of whom also made no effort to hide their displeasure in indulging the two under the roof of their Princess.
Nunnally snorted, "You think too little, brother. We must set some standards. Ruling dolls is only fun for play pretend," she placated her loyal aide with side glance as they made through the lavish hallway, "Besides, it gives me all the more satisfaction in seeing them squirm after getting called a cunt."
Rolo restrained a retort as he spotted the rest of the Imperial siblings' knight of honors guarding outside the dining suite. Unlike the previous guards, all of them saluted Nunnally as befitting her military rank. For a knight of honor represents their liege, giving them lesser freedoms to snub someone they do not like without due reproach. At the very least, she could see two of them were giving her a warmer reception.
"Your Highness, Princess Cornelia would be glad seeing you early for once," Guilford greeted them warmly, "Her Highness is currently lounging inside waiting for the rest."
Nunnally smiled, "It's been too long, Sir Guilford. I'm afraid that I cannot promise that I'm gonna make this punctuality a habit." she joked.
"Is Prince Lelouch not attending again?"
Nunnally rolled her eyes, "Hah, fat chance of that happening tonight. Don't worry though, I'll eventually drag that lazy arse to one of these hell dinners one of these days," she complained, gesturing Rolo to follow protocol. The bespectacled man furrowed an eyebrow from as he promptly opened the door for her, "In for a penny, in for a pound," Nunnally muttered as she entered to meet her darling siblings once again.
The knights all returned to a neutral disposition as Rolo proceeded to fall in line with the rest of the honored guard. Beside him and Cornelia's bespectacled confidant was another uniformed knight he acknowledged as Prince Clovis' guard that Lord Jeremiah recommended. Grunting impatiently, to be standing behind a stuffy room with possible enemies lurking around is not something he would say he liked doing after a year-long campaign in Indochina. And by considering the current host of this farce, it will be a long night ahead for the young lieutenant.
It took exactly thirty-five minutes, just during dessert, for Carine to do-away with subtlety and spit an insulting jibe about the vi Britannia line. A new record if anything, Nunnally was almost impressed. Something about her loving foreigners a bit too much. A classic.
Odysseus had hoped to nip the hostility in the bud by changing the topic, "Again, I must say my gratitude to sister Guinevere for hosting our bi-annual dinner party for all of us children of our late father. After the Malacca Crisis, I believe it is necessary for all of us to truly unwind without the court breathing over our necks."
Guinevere, never being the type to not be the center of attention, "But of course, dear brother. I know the past few years had been not too kind for our empire and I would never pass the opportunity to be a gracious host to my little siblings as well." i.e. Siblings that still had some semblance of support from either the Nobility or Military, the sentiment never escaped the su Britannia's lips however.
Cornelia huffed in derision, "You mean not pass the opportunity to blow right through your annual stipend? Let us not forget that we almost lost our ground in Malacca because our Naval forces weren't able to procure new ammunition during the Federation's siege. For Darwin's sake, I do not know why we even bother with this. We are losing precious time fortifying our bases in the Middle East."
The eldest sister's face contorted in ire, "Cornelia, you forget we are in the presence of our Emperor." Guinevere lambasted.
"Now, now. I can understand our sister's frustrations. But really, this is no time for such topics. Guinevere organized this little meeting for all of us to finally spend some time together," Odysseus soothed, beaming afterward when Schneizel offered to talk to Cornelia after dinner regarding her rumblings about the Middle East.
Oh Odysseus, as if court politics can ever be downplayed in a room filled to the brim with opportunism. Always playing the peacekeeper. He always knew dinner parties were a sham, he knew that his every attempt at reconciling his backstabbing siblings would end badly—but he never stopped hoping.
Schneizel smiled, "While I do agree with Cornelia's assessment of our overseas military expenditures had been sorely lacking. I find myself agreeing with Guinevere and our Emperor's preference to keep such topics at bay. Private time between all of us is such a rare occurrence, let us not waste it."
"Yes, here! Here!" Clovis said whilst gesturing to a servant to get another bottle of ludicrously expensive wine, either oblivious to the growing tension in the room or willfully indifferent. Even managing to have three of their lesser brothers join in the faux merriment.
But Carine ignored her brothers' attempt to drop the topic, "If only those savages hadn't rebelled again. We would have conquered half of Eurasia by now," she complained before smirking, "Now our military abroad is taking their sweet time and blaming us for not funding them. Well maybe if they weren't so incompetent then maybe they'll deserve a funding increase."
"Dear sister, you are talking like a fool again. Need I remind you that your opinions of our military lack any sort of credibility or substance ever since you flunked basic." Nunnally leered.
Carine, who was verily affronted, was about to launch another tirade of insults before being interrupted by Cornelia, "That will be enough, Carine."
"Yet again, you always take her side!"
Nunnally bellowed out a harsh laugh, "No, no, let her, sister. It's amazing the amount of shit she can spew when you try to behave for barely a half hour. Her inexperience regarding Military matters is so inept as always that I pitied you for a second."
"Ah the commoner blood deigns to cover their lousy work. You only got that rank by whoring yourself like your mother-"
Cornelia slammed the table, "You dare speak ill of Marianne and her daughter in front of me again, Carine!? Have you learned nothing of the last time you insulted her name!"
Carine was at least wise enough to act meek when confronted by someone of higher rank.
"Not to defend Carine, but surely, she may have a point. You keep hawking over our spending habits while you keep ignoring Nunnally's lack of progress in Indochina and those greedy Japanese do keep asking for more concessions while we waited on hand and foot." Guinevere said as she pointed a glare towards Nunnally, "Your bias towards the late Empress's brood might be limiting your ability to see reason."
Carine, enabled by Guinevere, sought to press further, "I agree! I must say the rumors are becoming more credible by the day. Those noodle islanders had been getting more favorable and uncharacteristically generous trade agreements for negligible returns in Sakuradite rights. I do have to think that the reason it is must be the kind of company Nunnally tends to keep-"
"That would be enough from everyone. My word! Father would be ashamed to see his children squabble in this manner." Odysseus roared, or at least tried to, it is exceedingly difficult to exude authority when everybody in the room knows said authority held little weight among them, "And it was all going so well..."
Schneizel again tried to amend things before Nunnally wiped herself with a napkin and stood up, taking everyone's attention to her.
"Now that my military affairs had been so respectfully brought up. I do have something to discuss with Emperor Odysseus."
Guinevere's face scrunched up.
"The meal isn't over. Don't tell me you are leaving already?" she lazily rebuked, "And here I thought years of proper education was actually enough for the likes of you. I am disappointed to see that I was wrong."
Nunnally bowed, a half-hearted effort to look contrite, "Forgive me, sister. I seem to forget my manners when it comes to doing something productive for our empire. However, I cannot make promises to rectify that."
"Could it wait, Nunnally? You haven't finished your plate." Odysseus asked.
"What would be the problem you wished discussing alone? Is it not because of any sort of offense our words might have? We were only making assumptions." Guinevere queried.
"Not really a problem per se, but a personal one, nonetheless."
"Oh, you don't mean that," he sighed.
"Unfortunately, your assumptions are correct. There are matters that I need to be brought to attention."
Odysseus relented with a nod, earning a suspicious glance from Schneizel, "If it concerns our little sister, perhaps you can tell it before us then." the Prime Minister pried.
Nunnally waved off the faux brotherly concern, "That won't be necessary, I just need to talk about His Majesty about the planned operation in the Orient. Mostly about budget deficits on Sakuradite batteries. Again, not exactly ideal for relaxed company."
Schneizel observed with a conservative look, "I see," Indignant and offended murmurs spread across the dining hall as most of the Royals pointed glares at what they thought as commoner filth that should have been thrown away a decade ago. With Carine and her other royal siblings, the latter all chosen to remain quiet up until now, outright announcing their vitriol with their visages.
"Why the sudden need for privacy among family?" one of them decided to pry an answer.
"Oh, it's nothing like that, Castor. The matter that I would be relaying to our Emperor is simply on a need-to-know basis." Nunnally made no effort to hide her grin as Odysseus initiated the end of their little party, the Guinevere's servants already taking their plates in haste.
Schneizel and his aide were incredibly grateful for the free ride that Cornelia offered on their way to his personal suite. Guinevere was the first to offer when they found out his ride was taken for maintenance but opted out. There are fewer places safer than carpooling with the Goddess of Victory.
"The dinner was eventful. Though it did end prematurely," the Prime Minister started, it's been barely an hour after dinner, and he was already eager for an interrogation. He never really changed.
Cornelia threw a glare at Schneizel, "A waste of all our time. Typical Guinevere," the latter only giving her a shrug as he made himself comfortable in the recliner.
"I must admit. It was very unlike you to share frustrations in front of our—"
"Parasitic gnats we call kin? You know how I feel about—"
"Antsy, aren't we today."
"They were openly instigating slander! All because they are getting outshined by actual merit while they laze about—content with just having the blood of our father course through them."
"A symptom of discontent." Schneizel answered.
"Britannian history is built on discontent. If anything, rotting in discontent is already a mercy for them."
"It's not only our siblings that had been feeling… resentful about our open support of the vi Britannias, but also the Nobility," he replied. Remarks about Odysseus canceling dinner to accommodate Nunnally were left unsaid.
"As if I ever cared about their opinions. We owe Lady Marianne that much. Without her helping our father, we wouldn't even squabble like the headless chickens right now, Schneizel. Or are you implying that Nunnally, who had been nothing but successful in her short yet decorated stint as a military officer, has become a threat to your ambitions?"
It was dangerous talk to even pose it as favoritism. Especially when the realm had become so decentralized under Odysseus, the vi Britannias needed her full support to even think about waking up the next day. She promised her idol, she would not fail a second time.
"It saddens me deeply that you are even implicating that, Cornelia. No. I am just saying that actions like what Odysseus acquiescing to Nunnally's request for a private discussion despite being far from the line of succession are exactly the things that breed resentment among our peers. And with resentment comes hatred. Nunnally had always been on unstable ground with the Nobility given how fast she climbed the ranks."
"Which was deservedly earned."
Schneizel nodded as if it were the most obvious thing, "Yes, but Lelouch took it a step farther and has basically all but given up on the Court and isolated himself from it. We cannot protect them forever. You cannot protect them forever. We have sheltered the two so much that they are left more vulnerable for it." he lectured as if Cornelia never even thought about it.
Dangerous talk again. She was a fool thinking she had more time to prop up Nunnally before the inevitable whining and infighting among the maggots would start to be life-threatening. But seeing as Schneizel was insistent on the manner, well it might be big enough that she cannot ignore it anymore.
"No one would dare—"
"Again, sister. Resentment comes with hatred. And hatred isn't always a consequence of a rational mind. Poisoning even the more magnanimous of hearts."
She surmised the world would significantly improve if Nobility actually had the magnanimity to hang themselves in a ditch.
"Are we not here to talk about something of substance?" she changed the topic, "I suggest you spit it out so I can decide whether I'd be about rejecting or humoring you."
"Oh, come now, it's not every day we could get to talk like this, dear sister," Schneizel moved a leg as he drank from his glass, "And me choosing to ask for this transport favor was intentional."
"Everything in your life is intentional, brother. You're perfect like that."
"Cornelia, you're making me blush. Don't worry, I also think you're perfect like that." he deflected, earning him an unamused glower.
"Just get on with it."
The White Prince whirled his drink, "Odysseus is thinking about abdicating the throne," Schneizel said dispassionately, drinking again from his glass.
Cornelia fought the urge to grip her armrest, "Thinking? Has he said that to you, directly?" she resisted the urge to ask: "To whom?"
Schneizel shrugged, the best thing as a confirmation when it comes to the White Prince.
Speaking in tongues, Cornelia could never understand why Schneizel and the Court even bothered with such charades. She can very much play with the best of them, but that doesn't mean she would want to do it in her own car.
"It's a miracle, even with our support, that our favorite pair of half-siblings even survived. With how many despised Lady Marianne. But if Odysseus does entertain the thought of freeing himself from the crown. Well, that's another bloody scramble if anything."
Cornelia grumbled, "Yes, that would be most unfortunate,"
"A peaceful transition would be imperative. One that will build on what Odysseus started. Without upending everything—" the minister paused, wiping himself with a napkin, "—and for that to happen. Cooperation is needed from all of us."
The General inwardly snorted, so that is how it is.
She sighed, "Yes, that would be the best for the Empire," the ten years under Odysseus would be missed, "It's what's best for our family."
Unfortunate timing. just as they were finally ready for foreign conquest—home starts calling again to ruin things.
A pause emanated between the two, she realized that both Guilford and Kanon were eerily silent ever since Schneizel revealed about the planned abdication.
"So, are we on the same page, Cornelia?"
"Yes," she agreed, "Yes, I think we are finally on the same page." Not even a week back in the Capital, she was already drained by engaging with this courtly farce.
"Good. I'll see you when I'll see you. Hopefully in much more relaxed circumstances. Perhaps we can open that old vintage Odysseus stole from Empress Gabrielle's cabinet."
Cornelia chuckled, "Cheapskate," deciding to humor him before they part ways, "Typical of you to procure once was the dead's rather than splurge out of pocket."
And with that, Schneizel let out a more genuine smile. A few minutes later, her driver dropped him off and his detail, Manfredi, saluting her as the door closed. Leaving her alone with her knight to stew in her thoughts.
"General Darlton is at the Villa." Guilford plainly informed her, earning him a nod as Cornelia linked her palms and reclined further in her seat.
Luckily for the pair, it had been an uneventful ride back to Odysseus's primary villa, and another amiable, ten-minute trek in the labyrinth that was Odysseus' hallways.
"Apologies about earlier, brother. But you must give it to our siblings, they really tried to make things pleasant until the dessert came. They really did try."
Odysseus scowled. "What do you require of me now, sister?"
The next words that came out from his sister's mouth proved to be the catalyst that had made Odysseus' night from predictably disappointing to downright atrocious. Only now did he realized, he should've stayed in bed.
"Nunnally, what you're asking from me is too much. I cannot," he paused, "You shouldn't be talking about these things at your age… You shouldn't be even in the Military when you enlisted!"
The fellow brunette shook her head, Odysseus was always a bleeding heart when it came to family.
"We had this discussion years ago, brother. Let us not revisit things that cannot be changed. Now, all I am asking is—"
"All your asking!? I cannot allow you to do this… this… I just can't."
Resistance. She had already expected that.
"But you must, brother. You're one of the few in this godforsaken family to have an inkling of common sense—a necessary trait sorely lacking in leaders these days. I very much like to have you as sovereign for as long as possible." she said in quiet, concerned voice, "Schneizel and even Guinevere had finally figured out that they had backed themselves into a corner. Tensions that had been brewing after father's death has already reached its boiling point a decade ago."
"Truly our nation is so far gone that even you would think that way," he retorted.
"It will only be a matter of time before the Empire collapses under its own weight. As of now, Britannia is riddled with cancerous tumors in all her sides, both noble, commoner, and foreigner. Waiting only for a cure to be administered."
Odysseus stood up from his seat, "Your cure is another goddamned purge!" he shouted.
Nunnally held her arms behind her back, beginning to pace in front of him.
"Oddy, you can't keep delaying this any further. It's either them or us. You can't mediate between snakes, that's just a fast way to lose your bloody head. I know that you still treat them as the same younger siblings that you read bedtime stories to. But they are not. That sentiment you have right now is not reciprocated. Guinevere sees you only as Emperor Odysseus, a dunce monarch, an obstacle meant to be eventually toppled. While Schneizel, a puppet king meant to be fooled and made to dance accordingly to his tune."
"I want to protect you as you once did for me and Lelouch. That is why, as one of your military advisors and a concerned sibling that actually takes your well being into account—listen to me."
She gently held both of his hands, holding tightly to placate Odysseus with genuine concern.
"I don't want you gone, big brother. I'm begging. I'm begging you please. Let me fire the first shot while we still have time. Big sister Cornelia and our allies have the loyalty and backing of over three-fourths of our military. Lelouch had already secured the OSI; Clovis and Euphie had just finalized agreements with actual decent nobles and affluent commoners from the colonies that wish to support you. We are at an advantage, a fact that we should exploit before the fools can do anything that can cause irreparable damage."
Odysseus removed his hands from Nunnally's, "There has to be another way," he protested.
"Both Schneizel and Guinevere only have their private forces in their pocket, with only sycophants to fall back on. We can immediately have the Royal treasury under our lock and key; they only have their private funds. You have all the wealth of expertise of talented generals and staff officers, they got easily bribed, over-glorified security guards they call knights. We could crush them now and sleep soundly later. The rest of father's bastards can be dealt easily from that point on."
"Nunnally. What you're suggesting is another Emblem of Blood. I have seen things during father's rise that I won't even wish for my worst enemy. I just… please there has to be another-"
"There isn't." the brunette pressured, "Nellie and I had already discussed this and made proper arrangements. We could make this as cut and dry as possible. But only if you let the domino fall right now."
Odysseus fell down on his seat in defeat, "You already have plans ready to go before you even decided to consult me first!"
"I prefer the term contingencies, brother. Cornelia had already approved of them. You can even contact her if you so terribly desire that she didn't. But you'll find yourself disappointed."
"Disappointment. Story of my shoddy life."
"The Greenfords, the Rosenkreuzes, the Battenburgs, and the Astors," she counted with her fingers, "They are just some of the nobles that are pissing on your front yard by openly endorsing Guinevere just because she already gave birth to a healthy set of twins. While you, in your infinite wisdom, haven't even married your fucking mistress." a scrutinizing glare now leaking from Nunnally's face that made the monarch flinch.
"You keep Olivia out of this—"
"Our empire will fall, millions of our citizens will suffer if you continue acting like an indecisive weakling the others believe you to be. Guinevere is practically advertising her dissent with like-minded nobles, of which we can easily round up due to how blatant they are, when the time is right. Schneizel will be stranded somewhere in our African colonies brokering a treaty in the Sahara in a few months' time—far, far away from his powerbase. They are vulnerable and we would be fools to ignore something so opportune. Our choices are the opposite of slim pickings if I do say so myself."
The reluctant sovereign massaged his forehead before unceremoniously rising and wailing a fist into the nearby wall. His hand took far more damage than the reinforced concrete.
Nunnally was not deterred, she understood she might have pushed too far but she might as well see it through, "They had blatantly made deals with prominent nobles behind your back and secured funding that even brother Christopher would have taken offense to. You cannot allow yourself to appear weaker to the court and the general populace. I will not let your name be damned in history as the emperor that let those entitled jackals bankrupt his nation! Brother please, let me help you now, while we still can afford the time, the EU is having their elections, the Chinese having their annual famine!"
Clearly, this was not the first time Nunnally had made Charles' successor forget that the walls were reinforced. Without missing a beat, she had wrapped a towel around Odysseus' hand before continuing, "Father had whittled away their privileges during his reign, and they haven't forgotten. The only reason you got that crown is because they falsely believed you'd be easy to manipulate. And the nobles were still split between Guinevere and Schneizel. But they have finally realized that you weren't the spineless—"
"Don't you think I don't know that?! I know that!" Odysseus shouted, distraught, "But all I wanted was to keep this family together."
"And you will. Your real family is all the more willing to help you achieve that goal. Emphasis on real." she lulled.
Odysseus gave her another glare before it withered into an exasperated one.
"What does Lelouch say about this?"
Nunnally, not even bothering to hide her enthusiasm, offered a relaxed smile, "He has his Unspeakables on standby. Ready to receive your orders."
She then formed an annoyed frown, "He was very adamant that you will give the go signal." she snarled.
"How about the rest of our siblings?"
"They'll have nowhere to hide. Their knights had sworn fealty to us, not to their ignorant lords."
On a better day, Odysseus might have picked up on Nunnally's usage of "us" but today is not one of those days.
"God..." he languished, "This essentially going to devolve into another emblem," the past decade had not been kind for him. He may have lacked ambition, but he had spine too. A robust one at that, such a shame that his godforsaken Empire has its ways to wither even the toughest of bulwarks. And Odysseus had just been that a bulwark against the endless greed of the Nobility that could have brought to ruin—is bringing ruin, to the life's work of their father, "I still don't know how you managed to even accurately verify loyalty at such scale without causing a commotion. And you never seem to tell me either."
Nunnally chillingly laughed, a jovial outburst reminiscent of the late Charles zi Britannia, Odysseus noted. He waited awkwardly for the young General's laughter to die down, before staring her down, as he was still a head taller than her. But he still felt small against the teenager that neutered the local resistance of Area Five.
"Don't worry brother," a muffled chuckle still escaping from her lips, "It won't be another drawn out conflict—that I can promise you."
"The blood that had been spilled, the blood that will be spilled. It's too much. Far, far too much."
"One cannot run a country with clean gloves, you already knew this when you were child," Nunnally goaded.
"No… it's not—never mind," he pinched his nose, "Even if I did indulge in this mass slaughter, there is one slight problem with your request… I need to know if Schneizel has also been informed of this. If you truly wish to "cleanse" our family. You have to go through that with Schneizel."
Now that got Nunnally losing her lackadaisical composure.
"Why the hell would he need to be? He's part of the problem. You cannot enforce your will if the populace believes your Prime Minister actually holds the crown's full weight."
The monarch stopped her with a hand.
"Nunnally. I am abdicating the throne in favor for Schneizel… I never wanted any of this."
The young general could only gawk at what she just heard her Emperor speak.
"Oh, you most certainly will not!"
Poor, poor Emperor Odysseus, always the eldest trying to play peacekeeper. It's truly a shame he never gets what he wants.
"It won't be in a few years in the latest. I am not planning to jeopardize our tenuous position right now."
"The very fact you mentioned this at all with Schneizel is doing more than jeopardizing. Seeing that as you just let your bleeding arm out in front of the sharks."
"Enough. I think we are done discussing this."
Nunnally most definitely wasn't done. Unfortunately, she wasn't the emperor, she had to respect him to maintain that trust.
"This isn't over, Oddy," she grumbled.
Odysseus closed his eyes tiredly, "It never is, Nunnally."
Nunnally stepped back, never dropping eye contact, "I'll have someone to fix the wall and… I'll be in touch," she did her mandated bow before leaving the throne room, with Rolo bowing as well before following his liege.
Her proposal might have ended on a sour note, but she had fulfilled her objectives. Now, all she wants is to go back to her division as soon as possible.
"Let's go." she motioned.
But first, she had to talk with an old hag.
The two navigated deeper into the Imperial palace, to hallways rarely used by even Odysseus and his household, before two of Odysseus's Royal Guard guarding a door saw them and asked for their purpose, "Princess Nunnally, no one is allowed in the bunkers without permission—"
Nunnally simply pulled her collar, and the pair suddenly saluted her without further ado and exuded unnatural deference, "You two, make sure no one bothers us until we return." she ordered, eyeing the entranced knights taking their positions farther away from the door.
"Yes, Your Highness!" both cheered.
Rolo opened the door, intending to scan the room before he and Nunnally was treated with a person wearing a wrinkled, chambermaid dress that was unbelievably stained with cheese, holding an empty pizza box.
"Took you long enough. I've already ran out of pizza." the woman in the dark complained, "How is the family?"
Nunnally reflexively threw a knife to a figure lounging in the dark of her quarters. The monotone woman catches the blade nonchalantly, raising an amused eyebrow.
"Now, now. Is this how you greet your favorite witch. I wager your little party went swimmingly."
"You should really stop with the surprises, miss C.C. We could have shot you," Rolo fussed.
C.C smirked, "As if that ever mattered."
"You're early," the General shook her head, "C.C., it has been awhile since you last let yourself in this palace. How is the order?" she crossed her arms as the immortal tossed the dagger aside.
"I miss you both too," she deadpanned.
"So, what does our favorite witch need? Did you blow through stipend already or is it finally something important?"
"Yup and yup. I'll be needing the new card I asked last week, oh, and I do come with other important news."
"Other?"
"Your brother had informed little ol' me that he's currently the interim head of the Directorate, with V.V now giving him the reigns over the Unspeakables with the little brat now direct supervision of all the thought elevators we have in stock. As of now, Ragnarök has finally been progressing since Charlie died. However, said new developments with the Akasha had forced him to seclude himself further with his experiments with Geass."
C.C revealed a disk drive in her hand, "Here's the data he passed along. It has a list of the people he deemed as useful."
Nunnally widened her eyes at the news, mostly because it was good news. She nodded as Rolo accepts the disk drive while he hands over a plastic card.
"Ooh, obsidian benefits, awfully generous," the witch teased.
Rolo blanched; the hard drive was covered in grease.
"So, Lelouch is—then that means uncle really went the mad scientist route. Can't say I was surprised." Nunnally tapped her foot in contemplation.
This opens more avenues in utilizing the Order without her dear uncle complaining.
"Lelouch had been the de facto director ever since the bratty half pint decided he preferred tinkering by himself in his little workshop."
"So… I'm guessing that the alternative is now on the table,"
"Perhaps, perhaps not. I'm not the one in charge of an empire. You two are. I'm just here to see how this would all end. But with V.V fixated with taking a backseat in favor of his science projects—" she casually slipped the new credit card on her sleeves, "Speaking of not being in charge anymore. I'm taking a long overdue break. Don't wait up on me. I'll come back once your little family feud sequel dies down."
"Wait, C.C!" Rolo tried to run after her before being tugged back by his charge.
"Let her, Rolo. She will be doing us a favor. With the route the Order is heading with Uncle preoccupied on his pet project, C.C has arguably thrown us a boon. The two immortals are off the stage for this moment, the Order is practically relying on Lulu exclusively. Besides, we can always find her when we need to."
Rolo nodded, "She could have been useful for the upcoming bloodshed. Like a meat shield for example," he wiped the drive with a napkin, "Damn slob."
"The important thing is… we need to advance our timetable after what Odysseus just suddenly sprang. Lelouch is on his own for now. I need to confirm with Cornelia before she leaves."
"As you say." he winced, having stepped on a pizza box, "Have you talked with Lelouch and princess Euphemia about what we should do about prince Schneizel?"
"I will eventually. Regardless, we need to consolidate Odysseus' position before my darling family gets other bright ideas."
She cracked both knuckles, peeved at the fact she left her nicotine patch in the car, "I really hated using my Geass on Oddy. I really do. But I must ensure he won't be squealing information about our little surprise to Schneizel. We already knew that Oddy had been wanting to abdicate for years but now Schneizel is aware of at least something afoot, bastard probably thinks he had figured it all out and would probably just ask us to join him directly."
She waved an arm to the two guards and ordered them to clean the room.
"We should assume that Guinevere is at least hearing rumors, which explains her camp's growing audacity. Shit. Shit!"
"You want me to—" the adjutant made a motion across his neck.
"No, too early. Though I should—no, I need to probably ask Lelouch for more Unspeakables to spy—I mean guard His Majesty. We were wholly uninformed regarding Oddy during our stint in the strait."
"How thoughtful of you, Nunnally." Rolo mocked before getting shoved outside the room.
"I' prefer the term thorough."
"One of the Unspeakables have confirmed that Schneizel had broached the topic of Odysseus' abdication with Cornelia."
"What of it?"
"It concerns with the succession that would very much render our current timetable for acquiring the other thought elevators be unfeasible."
V.V. hummed, "Yes, that would be an inconvenience. But it matters not," grabbing a pastry and throwing it at his companion, "I hold no love for this nation, it was always merely a means to a greater end," he pointed a finger, "Eat. You're thinner than the lesser li Britannia spawn."
"But it would be more than inconvenient if it were to fall nonetheless," the treat was simply pocketed.
V.V sniggered.
"Don't be too concerned, Lelouch. Charles' folly was putting most of his energy into maintaining the nobility rather than using his Geass to its full potential. If anything, another purge would give us a lot more breathing room. Lesser annoying variables and such."
"So, it doesn't matter if Odysseus stays, or some other pretender replaces him. It is inconsequential to Ragnarök?"
V.V nodded, "Everything in Britannia is inconsequential to Raganarok," his eyes darting back to the stack of reports he was holding, "Besides, that is what Geass is for, right? Unlike Charles and Marianne, you and Nunnally have been far wiser."
"I'll have someone aggregate the data for best suited candidate in the ascension."
"Yes, yes, go on. I'll be at the same place if you need me." V.V. said obliviously, already bored of this conversation, "Don't fret over the delayed timetable, Lelouch. Soon, we will all be united, and we'll have all the time in the world."
Lies. How typical of Uncle Victor.
"The dream," Lelouch said in hushed tones, "The dream that you, father, and mother all shared."
His patience for his fratricidal benefactor had been waning the past few years—but he could afford his uncle a bit more time to be more honest. He owed him that much.
The child cocked an eyebrow, "Charles and Marianne would have been proud to see both of you following their footsteps," V.V affectionately declared, "We will all avenge them by slaying God, together."
Lelouch bowed dutifully as he saw the immortal vanish in the ether of his personal laboratory.
And if not.
Lelouch sighed, "Yes... together," he said to himself.
Immortality does have its uses.
Author's Note: I am Fleeting Admiral—an amateur writer that hopes to create something fun for everyone, me included. Constructive reviews and reactions, since it's been years since I wrote, are very much appreciated. This story is for my personal enjoyment. I want to write scenes that sound cool in my head. Have a Nice Day!
*The concept of Unspeakables as a brainwashed elite guard was directly inspired by Aminta defender's "Excalibur" Series. Truly my favorite Code Geass fanfiction of all time. I urge everyone to do themselves a favor and read her stories—it's just so peak.