"How is your investigation coming along?" Cornelia asked.
It was only her, Euphemia, Gilbert, and General Darlton in this particular meeting. Expressions around the table were curt, folders stacked up haphazardly.
Darlton had both hands folded in his lap. He was an imposing man even when seated, though actually the lowest-ranking person at this table. Nonetheless, Cornelia included him as her confidant next to Gilbert.
"It proceeds apace, Princess," the grizzled general began with his usual, faint drawl, passing along a folder for his liege's perusal. "We identified a number of officials embezzling funds or taking bribes. They were discreetly dealt with. Unfortunately, the staff you lent me to investigate the matter starts to catch on. I haven't read in anyone beside the Glaston Knights, but we may need to change that approach if you wish to pursue the matter further."
Cornelia's brow furrowed as he spoke. She noticed Euphie and Gilbert exchange looks, but paid them no mind. Not even Darlton had learned about Lelouch and Nunnally despite being her most senior commander. He clearly still wondered what made his princess decide to investigate corruption all of a sudden.
He would not get an answer. But Cornelia would, she decided after reading a particular section.
"You disguised disposing of them as Black Knights hits?"
Darlton nodded. "Yes, your highness. I already had a suspicion that several higher profile personalities would be on the list, I think it's on page five. Removing them permanently in an official manner would have been slow and difficult, hency why I decided to pin it on Zero."
The sound of rustling paper underlined his reasoning. Euphie made a face at the casual discussion of murder, but kept her personal feelings out of it. It was a show of maturity that everyone knew she had to make; Cornelia only agreed to include her on the promise she would. Although that did not stop her from bringing up other concerns.
"But these events were publicised and granted the Black Knights a bump in reputation."
"They did, your highness," Darlton agreed readily. "I deemed this the lesser bother."
The younger princess nodded thoughtfully. She could see the idea behind his actions, just like Cornelia could. At the same time, them knowing that it was Lelouch profiting off their work behind the scenes took some of the sting out.
Silence descended upon them for a time. Euphie and Gilbert returned to finishing up their regular work while Cornelia studied the folder she had been given. She did not miss her sister rubbing her eyes after a time, though.
In truth, Euphemia was getting tired. Their meeting began right after lunch, now nightfall was imminent. This would be more impressive if it were Summer and not the middle of November, but they still spent several hours on this. At least they were almost done.
Then the folder with Darlton's results came her way. At first she skimmed through with curiousity, but the final page gave her pause. An immaculate brow rose as she reread it more carefully.
"Is this accurate?" Euphie asked, no, demanded.
General Darlton simply inclined his head, offering her the same respect as he did her sister. "I had it triple-checked by three different teams, your highness. A three percent increase in budget and twelve point two percent in overall efficiency. I can't tell you how much of that was the Black Knights and how much was us, though."
Euphemia looked back at the numbers with mixed feelings. If Cornelia's stormy expression was anything to go by, she felt much the same. Was this what Lelouch meant? So much money and so many work hours lost through corruption?
The thought was sickening in its own way.
"How many more can you conceivably get?" Cornelia asked into the heavy silence.
The general gave the matter a moment's thought, but his answer was disappointing: "Some, if we move quick. I'm beyond certain that several people we investigated so far were tipped off by the people on my team and covered their tracks. Word will spread further the longer we wait."
"Then take care of whoever you can and see if you can find the leaks to dispose of. I imagine you chose the most trustworthy persons?"
"Yes, all of good stock too."
Typical. Euphemia almost made a face at that last part, quietly wondering if this choice may have led to the problem at hand. Looking at the numbers and how General Darlton's list only contained a few dozen names, she felt this must be far less than her wayward siblings would want. There must be far more, especially where less money was involved.
They smothered some of the fire, but there was still an abundance of smoke to clear.
Once the general confirmed Cornelia's orders, sir Guilford took over with a casual righting of his glasses.
"Are we concluding our investigation, then?" he inquired evenly.
"In a sense," Cornelia confirmed. "We did what we could with the time I have here. The rest is up to the viceroy."
She glanced to Euphemia as she said it, receiving a nod. The younger princess knew that her sister could not stay in Area Eleven forever, nor neglect her actual goal indefinitely. She came to beat down the terrorists, not root out corruption among the Britannian population.
"What of the vetting among the army, your highness?" General Darlton asked next; they all knew this was important to know, even though Cornelia clearly did not like what she found. She dug out a far smaller folder this time.
"Too well connected for immediate action, even on my order. I 'promoted' who I could to the vanguard forces. There were a few technical failures," she added, meaning sabotage, "but I may take a page from your book on that end."
"And the Honouraries?" Euphemia asked, almost an afterthought.
This time her sister outright frowned, snapping the folder shut.
"Clean."
The one word caused a ripple of surprise around the table. The Honourary Britannians among the army were the very first group they agreed to investigate. Even Euphemia felt that leaks were most likely found there.
"Truly?" Sir Guilford asked in disbelief. "Not a single one?"
"The worst offense any of the screening revealed was being untidy," Cornelia explained, though it clearly pained her to say this. "I got several positive reports that, upon further investigation, were Britannian superiors trying to shift blame on the Honouraries. The agents I sent to buy military secrets from randomly selected Honouraries were all refused, even when they offered more than this lot earns in a year."
The people around the table exchanged looks. They all agreed this could not be right.
General Darlton slowly put their collective thoughts into words: "I'm certain we must have missed some. This is impossible."
Cornelia nodded back grimly. "It is impossible, but the picture this paints is still not acceptable."
Euphemia could only agree with her sister. Especially Cornelia must feel it as a disgrace, being a military woman. That foreign soldiers, Honouraries, held up a better discipline than their own soldiers was unacceptable to the older princess. There would be a reckoning.
"On the other hand," sir Guilford mused, "most Honouraries do not have access to much of anything in terms of military secrets, beyond the layout of our bases. There is only a single one in the Knightmare Corps and none in a command position."
He paused for emphasis. They all knew which one the outlier was.
"Has Kururugi been screened properly, your highness?"
"Yes. Although I decided to take his measure personally, as an added precaution."
That was news to all of them. Euphemia was half tempted to tag along, if just to stop her sister from being overly mean, but stopped herself. This was a military matter; Cornelia was in charge of those for the duration of her stay.
"While I agree with the sentiment," General Darlton mused, "I doubt much will be found. Asplund may be kooky, but he isn't lax in terms of security. Else he would not be Camelot's top researcher."
"The researchers are not security personnel, though," sir Guilford noted in turn. The general inclined his head in lieu of an answer.
For her part, Cornelia put down the folder she still held. General Darlton's was put on top, then both were pushed back to him. "Finish up within the week, then have all evidence and findings destroyed," she ordered. "All I want retained is a list of known suspects we could not get our hands on. Pass it to the Black Knights, let them do the dirty work."
The general's lips twitched, as did Euphemia's. He appreciated the humour, she the irony of Cornelia helping Lelouch in such a roundabout way.
"What of yourself, sister?"
"I will have words with Kururugi now."
Euphemia nodded her understanding. It would be her and General Darlton finishing up here, then. Sir Guilford already rose to follow his princess.
Cornelia herself was not in the best of moods now. She kept it under wraps, but looking at the total of their findings made her want to tear at her hair in frustration. It was plain wrong. Yet the facts did not change, no matter how much she willed them to.
She passed Euphie's aide on the way out, mostly ignoring the younger woman. She darted by with all due haste, now that the clandestine part of their meeting was clearly over.
Her march through the viceroy's palace was swift; Cornelia moved with her head held high, every crowd parting before her like the sea. Some, she offered acknowledging nods; her favourites were the young men and women freshly hired to one position or another. Seeing their eyes bug out at being noticed by her was a personal pleasure.
Cornelia took what amusement she could get, especially at the moment.
Soon she settled in one of the cars kept ready for occasions such as these, Gilbert her faithful shadow as always. The driver nodded faintly when she told him the destination, then a companionable silence reigned in the back seats.
Cornelia spent the trip pondering how to approach the matter at hand; her decision was made by the time they disembarked at the military base.
After telling the driver to wait for her, she strode inside. Soldiers on duty immediately straightened up at the mere sight of her. Although, Cornelia noticed, most of said soldiers were Honouraries. She would not think much of it normally, but it made her wonder today. Was someone shirking their duties when they could make their lessers do it?
Nobody dared stop her, or ask for identification. Cornelia thought no more of that in particular, though; trying to imitate royalty outside of artistic purposes was punishable by death.
Shouts of attention and awed whispers followed her across the base. At times they even preceded her. She continued to offer a smattering of her attention, ensuring it was never more than that. Cornelia appreciated the army, but she could not be seen favouring any soldiers in particular. A moment of joy was not worth the rat's tail of troubles that followed anyone thinking more of a mere gesture than it meant.
There was no need to ask for directions, either. Cornelia already knew where Camelot set up shop by the base commander's grace; the reports told her that Asplund put all his budget into that new Knightmare prototype and its supporting machinery. The man was admirably dedicated to his craft, but also shortsighted.
Then again, she was not here for Lloyd Asplund.
Leaving the soldiers behind, she and Gilbert entered another engineering bay. This one stood out primarily through its emptiness. A single Knightmare sat nearby, the pristine white armour plates partly covered by a tarp. Cornelia took it in with keen eyes, the obvious care given to the machine standing out as much as the absence of maintenance personnel.
Outside of Lancelot, there was not much in the main hangar. A cheap plastic table stood in a corner, the bare minimum needed for seating. And at this table sat a young Eleven man and a Britannian woman, neither of them having noticed her entry yet. They spoke quietly, a set of empty plates before each of them speaking of a shared dinner.
Cornelia's brow twitched at the sight, but she forced it back in place. Jumping straight to fraternisation was foolish. Even if it were, she did not care; if the lady wanted a boytoy, she could have it. Cornelia had some of her own over the years, after all.
Regardless, she purposefully clacked her boot's heel on the floor with her next step. The noise was loud enough to alert both of them, surprised gasps strangled almost fast enough to not be overheard. The pair leapt up, almost collapsing the table in their haste.
First to hurry their way was the woman, Cecile Croomy. She quickly smoothed out some wrinkles in her uniform along the way, then dropped a practiced curtsy and took a knee. The man, Suzaku Kururugi, followed right after. He was smart enough to only take a knee, if nothing else.
It was Cecile who greeted her, gaze fixed at a space somewhere around Cornelia's boots: "Y-Your highness, what an unexpected surprise! How may we serve you this evening?"
She was definitely trained and practiced. She had to be, really, with Lloyd Asplund to make up for.
Cornelia said nothing for a time, simply looming over the pair. Uncertainty as to the purpose of her visit would soften them up a little. She need not even do anything, or imply anything. Her presence alone would suffice.
"My, how surprising."
Unfortunately, Asplund chose that exact moment to show his face. His faux-mocking lilt drew Cornelia's gaze to a sideroom, from which the man himself emerged. His hands were clasped almost eagerly.
"For a princess of the realm to visit us here," he continued as if there had not been a sizeable pause. "Could this be a clandestine matter?"
Cornelia's brow twitched. He was definitely mocking her. He knew the entire base would know of her presence by this point.
"You should watch your tongue," Gilbert warned pointedly. "Such lack of respect before royalty can get even an earl in trouble."
"My, how scary."
Asplund stopped beside his kneeling subordinates and sketched a faint bow. It was the bare minimum of respect he owed them and he knew it. Moreover, he clearly also knew that neither Cornelia nor Gilbert could do anything to him; not while he was under her brother Schneizel's aegis. The prime minister's authority surpassed her own, even as a Lord General of the army.
Either that, or Asplund did not care. It could be either one with him.
Their standoff continued a moment longer, then the gadfly relented with a faint grin.
"What is it that her highness came all the way to us for?"
She wanted to frown openly, but kept her expression curt. The game was still on, so she would not show how he got under her skin. Instead of putting herself in the position of a petitioner however, she nodded toward Asplund.
"You and your assistant are dismissed."
Her order did not catch him entirely off-guard, but Cornelia spotted clear surprise when he realised who she was here for.
"Hm. I hope this is not about the dropped allegations regarding Prince Clovis?"
"Dismissed."
She would not play his game and made that very clear. Her tone brooked no argument, her higher standing did not allow him to delay any further.
Kururugi started to say something, but Asplund's shoe hit him in the shoulder after the first word. The younger man took the hint and fell silent, looking up to the older one.
Asplund himself never took his eyes of Cornelia as he spoke.
"A word of advice, Warrant Officer Kururugi: you do not speak at, or in front of royalty without due reason or prompting. Being a Honourary, you may be executed on the spot if you give her highness reason to do so."
Cornelia's gaze narrowed in response. There was no mocking in his tone this time, no jovialty at all. It was surprising that such a man could be serious at all, not to mention that he revealed how precious this soldier was to him.
Kururugi seemed to take his advice to heart; he dutifully kept quiet while Asplund and Croomy took their leave. Cornelia doubted they would go far, but she had Kururugi alone now.
In truth, Asplund was not wrong to worry; Cornelia did have the power to end Kururugi if she so wished. She could easily use Britannian conventions and laws he never even heard about to force him into blundering, then take offence and demand a duel. But this was not what she was here for; arranging an accident would have dealt with him much more easily, anyway.
Those thoughts ran through her mind as she returned to her previous looming. She was idly curious if Kururugi would slip up, too. He, however, was still as a statue, not even showing a hint of discomfort with one knee on the ground and his head bent down.
Cornelia let him stew for a full minute as she sorted her thoughts once more. Everything she learned from his file was examined for potential use, but nothing concrete emerged.
"Warrant Officer Suzaku Kururugi," she finally began, tone imperious. "Do you have any idea why I am here?"
His mouth opened immediately, then clicked shut. Cornelia waited a moment, faintly annoyed, but decided this much was to be expected after Asplund's little warning.
"You will answer when I ask you a question."
"Yes, your highness," he said without hesitation. "I think it's the attempts at bribery I reported, your highness."
He was still staring at the ground, unable to see Cornelia's momentary befuddlement. This man up and reported that someone tried to bribe him, instead of keeping his head down? That was not in the missives she received.
"And why, pray tell, would I investigate such a matter in person?" she ventured next, making Kururugi hesitate.
He clearly wracked his brain. Cornelia could tell as much even from the angle she saw his face at. This one was awful at keeping his thoughts hidden, his features far too expressive.
In the end, Kururugi lowered his head further. "I don't know, your highness."
The way he prostrated himself, Cornelia was tempted to push him into the floor with her boot. Get the answers more directly. Yet she refrained, well aware that this was both inefficient and less likely to work than subtlety. An honest man could be tricked easier than he could be broken.
So instead of staying on the subject, Cornelia tried another approach: "What is it that you gain from being here, Kururugi? Do not feed me that tripe nonsense about broadening your horizons or learning something. What made you decide to fight for the empire?"
He stiffened up entirely, to the point she thought she had him for a moment. Kururugi left a notable pause as he deliberated. Cornelia allowed him to start concocting some lie or excuse, but cleared her throat before he could compose it fully. Torn from his thoughts, the young man answered with what sounded like honesty.
"I hope to change the system from the inside, your highness."
Cornelia's brow arched after all. She was sorely tempted to cock her hips in challenge, or voice her disbelief. That statement held a number of implications, yet neatly intersected with what she knew of his recent making connections with various Honourary and proper Britannian troopers.
In truth, she was not interested in whatever Kururugi had to say on the subject. This was simply too good a direction not to follow up on.
"Which system do you believe needs change? And why would you be the one to bring it?"
By the way his head lowered further, he knew just as well as she that he was between a rock and a hard place now. Criticism like that was seldom welcome.
"The way the empire treats its colonies is... not right, your highness."
Yet he actually dared say it in her presence. More curiously, she expected something about the Honourary Britannian system. Perhaps the flaws relating to corruption. The way he phrased it gave her grounds to believe this went deeper.
At the same time, Cornelia could now tell that she dealt with a foolish idealist. Whatever Kururugi did to convince himself he could rise high enough from an enlisted soldier to affect change, it was irrelevant. She knew it was impossible for him, barring a number of miracles in succession. Instead of saying that however, Cornelia played the game and followed his logic.
"There are many like you who take offence to our practices. Most of them are terrorists now. Why is it that you of all people, the last prime minister's son, are here instead?"
And this was the real crux of the matter. Cornelia could never, ever conceive willingly fighting for anyone who brougt low his majesty and subjugated the empire. It made the opposite of sense to her, and so she must know.
Then something odd happened: Kururugi froze up. Almost imperceptably, head still on the ground. His voice turned dull, as if far away.
"Fighting violence with violence doesn't help, your highness. A goal like this can't be reached through fear and pain, that is what I believe."
"Yet you fight," Gilbert chimed in solemnly, supporting his princess and digging deeper.
"Yes, my lord," Kururugi murmured. "I don't like it, but I had some talent for it. So if I fight, someone else might not have to."
In the brief pause that followed, Cornelia acknowledged that she got several reasons to punish Kururugi by now. His speaking out of turn was only the latest one, seeing how she did not ask him a question. What she learned here was novel enough to disregard the notion for now, though.
Kururugi was clearly full of contradictions.
She was curious to see how deep the rabbit hole went and what lay beneath. Unfortunately, indulging in that curiousity was no proper use of her time. Cornelia could tell that Kururugi was earnest about his beliefs and too bad a liar to hide it from her.
Considering the subject closed, she backtracked to the point he dodged on accident: "You misunderstood my question. I ask how it is that you have so little pride to let yourself be collared by those who you should hate."
She was laying it on a little thick, but he got her meaning well enough. There were many Honouraries fighting for them, but he was different. He came from wealth and status.
Kururugi did not look at her still, as was proper. At the same time, Cornelia could see in his posture that he would avert his gaze in shame either way.
"You would've been right before it all happened, your highness. I was arrogant back then, and proud."
"And what changed?" Cornelia pressed, making him hesitate.
When he did speak, the words came slow as if carefully measured: "I met someone new, your highness. Made friends with Britannians. Getting to know them made me realise I didn't want to be the sort of person I was."
With the way he began watching himself, Cornelia had expected something more important. She was about to brush it off when various crumbs of information aligned themselves in her mind. A flash of inspiration, the picture now clear.
The Kururugi regime held a pair of hostages before the war. Could it be, she asked herself with widened eyes. Had she found another of Lelouch's collaborators?
"And what became of those 'friends'?" she asked carefully, ignoring Gilbert's confused look. He had not made the connection yet.
Kururugi shufled a little awkwardly under her full attention. "They, ah, both passed away back then, your highness," he lied. Cornelia could tell the moment the words left his lips. He knew.
She did not let anything show beyond a curt nod. On the inside however, Cornelia began to reexamine herself.
Under normal circumstances, she would deem the notion of a sibling being friends with anyone absurd. Much less a Number. Royalty had no friends, only allies. But these were nowhere near normal circumstances.
If this man was close to her siblings...
"You may stand," she allowed, voice a smidgen softer than before.
Kururugi needed a moment to understand, then he rose awkwardly. Once on his feet, he still kept his gaze on the floor. This would not do.
"Deference is a decent bet when speaking to nobility, but you will look me in the eyes."
"Y-Yes, your highness."
He slowly forced his gaze upward. Cornelia was uncertain whether to feel impressed or insulted that he did not linger on any part of her body, despite her curvaceous figure. In the end she put the matter aside; this cat-and-mouse game had dragged on long enough.
Looking him in the eyes properly for the first time, Cornelia saw something indecipherable. Thoughts she could not fathom hid behind them.
"The road you have chosen will be arduous, Kururugi. Perhaps you even have a chance to achieve your goal," she lied. He had none, but Lelouch and Nunnally backing him may.
Thinking of her siblings reminded him of Kururugi's age, though. Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"How long have you been a soldier?"
Her question seemed to confuse him somewhat. "Right after the Area's subjugation, your highness."
Now Cornelia was stumped in turn. So was Gilbert.
"Your file denotes an age of seventeen," he noted to play over her pause, "so that would mean you volunteered at ten years old."
"Yes, my lord."
"And you were accepted?"
"Yes, my lord?"
Now she felt a headache coming on. The minimum age for Honouraries to apply for military service was sixteen, same as proper Britannians.
Cornelia wanted to heave a sigh, only barely keeping it in. Another matter on her plate. "Make a note to have this investigated," she ordered her Knight, then turned back to Kururugi: "How did you balance this with your schooling?"
No response. The young man averted his gaze sheepishly.
This was starting to get sad. Cornelia never would have thought it before today, but here she stood pitying a Number. Yet there was also an opportunity here. Perhaps she could get eyes on Ashford and do something good for this boy at the same time.
"If you could receive schooling, would you want for it?"
She fished this obviously on purpose; he clearly caught on, too. No actual offer was made yet. Nor would she have to, seeing how Kururugi slowly shook his head.
"No, your highness. I don't think I could hold a job and go to school."
There went that idea then. Unfortunate, but she could not force him. Both because he likely worked for Lelouch, and because benevolence was meant to foster trust and loyalty; malevolence would get her neither, much the same for fear. Those were not the appropriate tools at the moment.
Cornelia considered a number of arguments regarding his future, but did not speak them. She doubted that she could make herself act or sound genuine about any of them. Even Kururugi was not that gullible.
With that tangent at a standstill, she decided to seek the final answer she needed from him. The original purpose for her coming, but also another little test.
"Very well. I have one more question for you. This once I shall ask straight-up: have you leaked intel to anyone outside of the Britannian military?"
Kururugi immediately shook his head. "No, your highness."
She watched him hawkishly, but there was not even a trace of unease. He did not lie. Of course this was not proof, but a decent enough indicator.
Then another idea struck. Cornelia allowed herself a faint smile.
"Then you are hereby promoted to Lieutenant," she declared, quietly amused by his bewildered look. "It is a disgrace to speak of a Warrant Officer piloting the most advanced Knightmare Frame we possess. Ensure you are in perfect shape, we are closing in on the JLF; they will be gone before the year is out."
His "Yes, your highness!" almost echoed while Cornelia turned away. She considered, just for a moment, to offer her hand, but he was of too low a station. On top of that, Asplund would absolutely catch onto her game if she went this far.
And this would also be her final test, carefully hidden by his amazement of getting promoted by Cornelia li Britannia herself: if the JLF ended up slipping the net now, she would know exactly who to blame.
Content with what she learned and prepared, Cornelia left without looking back. Gilbert followed in her wake, expression as unreadable as her own.
If nothing else, the day was productive. Though she honestly did not expect to end up acting almost amicable with an Eleven of all people.
