"Suzaku, you need to wake up."

Cecile's concerned tone spears through our drowsy, murky consciousness like a bolt of light as Suzaku immediately sits up in response and takes the wheel. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing yet," the beautiful bluenette murmurs as she bustles about behind us, meddling with what sounds like a microwave oven, "but that could change quickly. Her Highness is making a speech, and…"

"And it's just easier on everyone involved if I hear it for myself instead of needing to catch up after the fact," Suzaku easily replied. "I understand."

As he shakes our head in an effort to metaphorically dispel some of the adrenaline coursing through our veins, he passes the steering wheel over to me as my mental gears slowly start coming up to speed. Wasn't expecting too much from that cot we slept in, but Suzaku having a more compact body than I'm used to made it work out a lot better than I expected.

What's that supposed to mean?

It means I'm used to a height and frame closer to Gottwald's than yours, and had I still been that size then I wouldn't have been able to sleep for shit in what we had to work with. Your shorter and slimmer frame was convenient as hell, so… y'know…

I see…

A small TV on one of the work desks is promptly unmuted, as a couple of talking heads on the morning news speculate over the mysterious nature of Euphemia's upcoming address. I glance over at Cecile, only to hesitate when my eyes meet hers.

"How was your sleep, Suzaku?"

Pretty great, since you were in the room with me – is what I might try saying if I weren't a pathetic coward. "Can't complain too much," I mutter as I break eye contact. "How about you?"

"A proper bed would have been nice," she says with a faint and sheepish smile, "but there will be a chance for that later."

"My fellow sons and daughters of Britannia, and all who inhabit Area Eleven! We have a great deal to discuss… and as your new Viceroy, there is much that I need to answer for."

…I'm sorry hon, but what?

"Already in my short time as acting Viceroy, we have found extensive credible evidence of my predecessor's engagement in such gross violations of the public trust as widespread embezzlement and fraud extending over several years… furthermore, there is strong reason to believe that the stolen funds were funneled into illegal human experimentation the scope of which we are still investigating, but which may have been used in the development of chemical weapons. The Purists' actions in Shibuya yesterday appear to have been part of a conspiracy attempting to cover up these and other grave crimes."

At Ashford Academy's clubhouse, Lelouch choked on the milk he'd been sipping and barely kept from spraying Nunnally with it.

"Big brother, what happened?!"

Forcing his airways clear, Lelouch quickly reassured his sister even as he raced to process what he'd just heard. Breaking that kind of news herself in order to control the story instead of burying it… that's not a typical Britannian political strategy. Where did she learn – no, more importantly, does she even have any idea what kind of fire she's playing with?!

The lost prince grit his teeth, gazing at the broadcast in powerless desperation. Even though you were present that day, do you still not understand–?! …no, it's because you were there, and the only one with both a voice and the daring to use it.

Hands clenched into fists, Lelouch stood straighter as he recovered with a darkly burning resolve. I swear to you, Euphemia… I won't allow Britannia to silence you again!

"Speaking as an officer of the state, and as one of Clovis's younger siblings," Euphemia continued with a frown and a hand over her heart, "I cannot find words fit enough to describe my shame. At this very moment, those individuals within Prince Clovis's inner circle are being hunted down and arrested so that all involved may be brought to face justice – or at least, that is the oath I desperately wish I could have given you."

Euphemia paused in her speech as the assembled press corps erupted into cries and murmurs of shock and confusion which were quickly silenced.

"To my sorrow, I must confess that Prince Clovis cannot be brought before you and punished; he was found slain by an unknown vigilante after the recent battle in the Shinjuku ghetto, and can now never be made to answer for the evil wrought by his hands and by others in his name. Therefore, as but merely the first step towards making right the wrongs of my predecessor's administration, I am directing Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald to conduct an investigation and manhunt for this vigilante, in addition to ongoing operations in pursuit of my late predecessor's collaborators. Together, we will ensure that those complicit in Clovis la Britannia's unforgivable crimes are brought before the people and punished to the fullest extent of the law."

To punctuate her decree, the man in question took a step forward from behind Euphemia to stand at her side and saluted, presenting the world with an image of calculating strength.

"Furthermore," she continued as Gottwald stepped back into place among the palatial staff, "in cooperation with our Prime Minister, we are forming a specialized and dedicated task force to combat the festering corruption and rot left in Clovis's wake that even now continue to eat away at our home. More information on this and other related initiatives will be released in the coming days, as operational security permits."

Euphemia paused as she glanced at the proposed ending to her speech, as prepared and suggested by the propaganda office. To the surprise of none, its rhetoric would be a fairly typical or classic Britannian oath of power in the pursuit of progress, much like Clovis or Cornelia might have used in imitation of the Emperor.

…I refuse. This does not reflect who I am.

Eyes closed, she took a deep breath. "I'm certain that many of you must be wondering what can be achieved when I'm so clearly lacking in experience due to my youth, or if what I do will make any lasting difference. And I understand also that the children of Old Japan in particular may be skeptical of my intentions."

Euphemia opened her eyes, placing one hand over her heart and warmly extending the other towards her audience – to the world. "I will not insult you by asking for trust that I have not earned; rather, with each passing day I intend to produce the results that will become the foundation of a new era for us all. Life can change for the better, and it will."

No, it won't.

Excuse me?

Life is the kind of thing that improves for other people while I get left behind. I've seen this song and dance enough times to know that optimism just sets you up for disappointment.

"Is something the matter, Suzaku? You look a little frustrated."

Suzaku tamps down his annoyance with me as he turns to address Cecile with a smile. "Oh, no, not at all. I'm just… trying to think about what this might mean for Camelot going forward, you know?"

Even if you try to be pedantic about the definition of knowledge and bearing in mind that we just met Princess Euphemia yesterday, I can't believe you think she'd hang us out to dry.

I don't, but I've been disappointed enough times that I'm not getting my hopes up. I'll believe in results when they happen, not before.

"She mentioned some kind of agreement with the Prime Minister," Cecile muses. "As far as what would concern us personally, my best guess at the moment is that she might have plans to feature you in some kind of publicity campaign. That you're technically assigned to a one-of-a-kind prototype Knightmare now would certainly make that easier, although unless orders come in I suppose it doesn't help much to speculate…"

As Cecile trails off, the agitation in our shared mind born from Suzaku's disagreement with my impeccable logic steadily escalates to a dull roar.

If you're just going to bet on despair like that, then why… I don't… what's the point of even staying alive, then?!

Because I've been wrong before, and maybe it'll be different this time. So what if I've convinced myself I'll fail, struggling for something better is its own point. If nothing else, it has to at least be better than just going through the motions like I don't even have a choice.

And then Suzaku's metaphorical mouth shuts with a click.

Back at Ashford Academy, Lelouch glowered at himself in a mirror as he put the finishing touches on his school uniform.

So you've put a target on me, Euphemia… although given the position you're in, I suppose I can't blame you too much. Having you in charge of the Area is a complication, but it's hardly insurmountable.

If she was anything like the girl he remembered from so long ago, Euphemia would most likely use as gentle of a touch as possible in addressing the Japanese rebel and resistance groups, possibly even to the extent of hesitating in moving on them altogether in hopes of a diplomatic solution.

You'd think it would give me plenty of time to make connections and to expand my resources, but my window of opportunity for more aggressive actions will close swiftly once the administrative disarray from such an abrupt change in leadership fades.

"Checkmate is predicated on endangering the opposing King," he murmured. The ideal solution would be subverting Euphemia to my side, but that's more easily done if I can guide her into a less influential position first.

Tugging his collar straight, Lelouch considered his options until–

"Oh, Lulu~! Your darling President has a job for you~!"

…until Milly Ashford popped into his bathroom with a grin on her face, which quickly morphed into a playful frown. "Oh no, you're already dressed up and everything. I guess I should have come a little earlier…"

Which means from tomorrow onward I'll need to wake up and prepare for the day at least five minutes earlier than I have been, Lelouch mused to himself.

Rather than let such thoughts show, of course, he gave her a chuckle. "Geez, Madame President, the day hasn't even started yet and you're already trying to ride me into the ground…"

"Not half as hard as I'd like to," she purred with a leer that sent the prince's palm hurtling right to his face.

I walked right into that one…

"Real talk, though? You've seemed a little down the last day or two, and I've been worried about you. Sooo, I thought I'd cheer you up with–"

Reaching into her cleavage, Milly withdrew a photograph before presenting it to Lelouch with a fond smile. "–your other childhood friend."

The picture of Suzaku Kururugi, taken from a screenshot of the news, was so unexpected that Lelouch stared uncomprehendingly at it for a few seconds until his eyes grew wide. "...that new student from the military, coming in through your family connections–?!"

"Is this guy, yep! I promised my friend that I could get him in ASAP even if I had to go test him somewhere out in the city… but when I realized that this Suzaku Kururugi was the same one you and Nunnally were so fond of back then," a beaming Milly concluded, "I thought I'd let you do the honors."

On the back of the photo was a phone number and an address.

"Why did you become a Britannian soldier?!"

"I joined so I can do my part in making this senseless death and destruction stop, Lelouch! What's your excuse for becoming a terrorist?!"

"I'm not a terrorist! And if you want to stop senseless death and destruction, then why don't you just obliterate Britannia?!"

And then they shot him, Lelouch remembered. Fatally, or so I had thought…

His heart almost in his throat, Lelouch stared unblinkingly at the contact information until Milly gently placed a hand on his arm. "You don't have to go chasing after him right now if you aren't ready, you know? I know it's sudden, and I know it might be… awkward talking with him after so long."

Even though I've since learned that Suzaku survived, is he still the same–?

Decision made, Lelouch pulled out his phone and dialed the number. "I appreciate your concern, Milly, but I'm–" A split second of eye contact made him reconsider his phrasing. "–going to be fine."

"Kururugi speaking, may I ask who's calling?"

Milly turned away so that she could leave Lelouch in place, until a sharp tug on her sleeve took her by surprise.

"Of course," Lelouch replied with a calm utterly at odds with the pleading eyes staring back at her. "I'm with the Ashford Academy Student Council, calling to see when we could meet and discuss your grade placement tests–"

"Shady, is that you?! Man, it's been ages!"

Lelouch's eye twitched in annoyance at the nickname, even as Suzaku's tone reassured him that they must have been on good terms while Milly barely contained a giggle. Is that… a pun on my name's etymology? "Yes, it has. We should get together sometime, and catch up… are you free today at all?"

"Ah… hm… am I free? I mean, I had to save the Area government from collapsing on my day off yesterday, so I kind of feel like I should get a refund… hm? What's up?"

Lelouch rolled his eyes as Suzaku's voice quickly became muffled, likely as he conferred with a colleague or a superior.

"From the look on your face he sounds like a handful," Milly softly whispered with a smile.

"It… might be a better development than I had feared," Lelouch admitted.

"So it looks like I'm gonna be tied up doing stuff around town until after classes let out, but you can send me a time and address to meet up sometime this afternoon."

So Suzaku's giving me free reign to choose the time and place… I can't imagine him being that reckless if he still genuinely thought me a terrorist or if he were planning on tipping Britannia off to my and Nunnally's survival.

"Of course. Although I'm afraid it won't all be pleasantries, there is business to contend with."

"...yeah," Suzaku somberly replied. "I know."

Lelouch blinked. Why the abrupt change in tone? "...what about you? I understand if you're busy and can't talk much, but are you alright?"

An extended silence followed, long enough that Lelouch actually pulled away from the phone to see if the call had been dropped.

"Su-"

A sharp breath cut him off, and when Suzaku replied he sounded… utterly exhausted. "Who knows, man…? We can talk about it later. You need to be in class by now, right?"

Lelouch closed his eyes in worry, wondering what could be going through his old friend's mind. "...fair enough. I'll send you a time and place to meet up later, alright?"

"Sure thing."

Meanwhile, at the Japan Liberation Front, an already heated debate was only continuing to escalate.

"We must strike now, while the iron's hot!"

To punctuate the statement, Lt. Colonel Josui Kusakabe slapped his palm against a table with a loud and meaty thwack. "The Britannian forces are in absolute chaos after that bastard Clovis's death, and the reported skirmish in Shibuya is making them turn on each other at all levels of the administration thanks to that foolish girl pointing her finger so publicly! There will never be another opportunity as perfect as this!"

General Tatewaki Katase shook his head, teeth gritted in frustration with his subordinate. "Strike with what?! We have neither assets nor forces in a position fit to capitalize on the situation, and attempting to do so recklessly will only expose ourselves to fruitless risk!"

Kusakabe grinned, baring teeth. "Obviously, we can use Suzaku Kururugi as our key! As he's the son of our last Prime Minister, we just need to make contact with him and bring him under our flag! His apparent closeness with that tiny slip of a Princess is the perfect avenue for subverting the enemy and taking at the very least their top weapons development secrets for our own to use against them!"

Katase's eyes grew wide with shock for a split second, before narrowing in anger. "Don't be such a fool! The boy's an Honorary Britannian and a blood traitor to us all!"

"Be that as it may," Kusakabe allowed, gears in his mind turning, "it's not unheard of for brave sons of Japan to briefly forget their love of country on the whisper of some Britannian whore. Contact from a true Japanese beauty should easily prove more than a sufficient reminder," he concluded with a subtle leer at Nagisa Chiba of the Four Holy Swords.

The woman in question, and indeed the only woman in the room, visibly bristled at the suggestion and shot the man a foul look in response, but neither spoke up nor moved from her seat. To act out and assault a superior would have been unacceptable of course… to say nothing of the dishonor that such behavior would bring on her immediate commander.

Colonel Kyoshiroh Tohdoh narrowed his eyes at Kusakabe for his remarks, but said nothing. We will speak of this later, he privately vowed.

"Comparing Suzaku Kururugi to any other Honorary Britannian is an insult and a joke," Katase spat. "His father sold out our country!"

"But the people of Japan don't know that," Kusakabe pointed out. "Given that he found the Prime Minister's corpse, it might be possible that the young man doesn't even know it himself."

Katase considered the notion for a few seconds, though his scowl of disapproval remained firmly in place. "Colonel Tohdoh… what do you think of the situation?"

I think that boy from so long ago still has the same penchant for getting into trouble, Tohdoh thought with a small sigh.

"Much of Princess Euphemia's address carried a theme of taking responsibility for and addressing the failures of Clovis's leadership," he observed. "She then concluded by going so far as to extend a hand to us, the Japanese."

"Nothing more than honeyed lies to confuse our resolve!"

"The naive babbling of a clueless girl."

Tohdoh's glance shifted between Katase's instant denial and Kusakabe's careless dismissal. You're both living in the past… "No matter how we choose to interpret the intent of her words," he replied neutrally, "it remains true that we can no longer rely on Clovis's indolence and complacency as a shelter from the storm of Britannia's full might. Whether the Princess speaks from genuine altruism or from well-disguised malice is irrelevant; if her promised purge of the administration's corruption comes to pass, then the Japanese Resistance will be living on borrowed time."

An oppressive silence hung over the room for several seconds in the wake of his prophecy, until Kusakabe stood up in a furor. "Has even the legendary Tohdoh of Miracles succumbed to base cowardice?!"

I've long grown weary of that title, Tohdoh thought with a sigh. "The 'Miracle of Tsukishima' did not come to pass through reckless foolhardiness."

Kusakabe opened his mouth to argue the point, when Katase silenced him with a raised hand. "That will be more than enough for today. Allowing our tempers to flare at each other is of help to none but Britannia," he reasoned. "I see no reason that a few days cannot be taken to gather information and plan a course of action to see us through the coming storm. All of you but Tohdoh are dismissed for now."

The assembled men began filing out of the room directed, with a visibly seething Kusakabe and a still-scowling Chiba being the last to leave.

Tohdoh and Katase remained in the tense silence of each other's company for several seconds. "...it may have been a mistake to allow Chiba into the cockpit," Katase gravely began.

Tohdoh's eyes grew wide as he realized the implications of what his commander had said. "Forgive my impertinence, General, but Chiba has proven herself time and again as a valiant and capable warrior–"

"Her skill in combat is not in question," Katase readily agreed, "nor her bravery or dedication. …but it's a fact of life that she isn't getting any younger, either."

Tohdoh said nothing, even as the pit of unease in his gut grew heavier with each passing word.

"...you aren't wrong, Tohdoh, in saying that our resistance as it stands now cannot withstand a Britannian regime that would oppose us seriously. Slim as it may be, the only hope left for Japan now is for her warriors to go into hiding until the Britannians grow lazy and dull again. Every resource must be carefully accounted for and put to its most efficient use with the long term in mind."

Tohdoh let out a soft breath and closed his eyes, forcing his fists to unclench. If I have no other solace than this, he thought, then at least the boy who called me 'sensei' so long ago will remain ignorant of this disgrace when death comes for me. "I understand, General Katase."

An innocuous blue sedan pulled up alongside Camelot's mobile headquarters in an abandoned warehouse district and softly rolled to a complete stop. A young Britannian man wearing casual clothes stepped out and to the back passenger door before opening it and allowing Princess Euphemia, disguised as a businesswoman, to emerge.

"You have my thanks," she said with a smile. "Inspecting our prospective acquisitions may take an hour or more, so why don't you go and get some lunch?"

The driver nodded, recognizing that either a proper salute or hanging around like a bodyguard would have been conspicuous as hell to any prying eyes. "Sure thing, boss."

Of course, even as he got back in the car, he didn't put the transmission into drive until he'd seen the Princess properly enter into Camelot's care.

Euphemia, for her part, gazed in naked awe at the majestic white Knightmare undergoing armor repairs as she stepped into the warehouse. So valiant and mighty, she thought. It seems a flawless translation of Suzaku's nature from flesh into metal. "It's breathtaking," she whispered.

"That's the Z-01 Lancelot," called out an unfamiliar female voice from her left. "It's Earl Lloyd Asplund's finest creation to date, and the world's first 7th-generation Knightmare."

As she faced the approaching newcomer, Euphemia was greeted with a cute redhead doing better than most at hiding her disgruntled scowl. She isn't exactly pleased to see me, the Princess noted. Her next course of action couldn't have been more obvious.

"I wish to sincerely apologize for disrupting your plans with Suzaku last night," Euphemia said with a hand over her heart. "Even though I had intended to release him from his responsibilities earlier in the afternoon, I grossly underestimated the tasks at hand and wound up keeping the two of you from each other; all blame lies squarely with me. If you haven't had a chance to speak with him yet, you should know that Suzaku was also quite disappointed; it's obvious to me that he cares for you. If there's anything at all I can do to make things right, please let me know."

The young woman's expression quickly shifted from one of surprise to realization, followed by an awkward bitterness that Euphemia could only too easily imagine on her own face when thinking of Cornelia.

It's not enough that she's a Princess and has sexier curves than I do, Elle thought with a grimace. She's kind and has real class, too. There's nothing about me that can compete with the likes of her, or Cecile. And yet here I am getting jealous, when Suzaku and I barely even know anything about each other… "May I speak freely, Your Highness?"

"Of course, please do!"

"Can you take me five minutes back in time, when it was easier to not like you?"

Euphemia stared at Elle for a few seconds in thought, as she watched the other young woman immediately regret what she'd just said. "No, that's… I apologize, that was completely unacceptable, there's no excuse–"

Euphemia stepped forward and placed a kind hand on Elle's shoulder. "I wish I could do that. And it's no small embarrassment that I need to ask you for a personal favor instead."

Elle watched Euphemia's expression carefully, even as she readied herself for whatever the Princess said next. Here it comes… she probably won't have me walk away entirely, but I'm still gonna need to back off and make room for her–

"Suzaku… really seems like he's dealing with a lot," Euphie slowly began. "As much as I'd like otherwise, I don't think I'm good enough."

"Excuse me?!"

"My position and influence aren't stable right now," she explained. "If I'm honest with myself, I can't trust that I can give Suzaku the emotional support and attention he needs and fulfill my responsibilities as Viceroy at the same time. I know it's a contemptible excuse for letting him down, but as a woman, can I ask you to stay at his side–"

"Stop it."

Euphemia blinked in surprise at the unexpected anger in the redhead's tone, even as Elle reached up to brush aside some welling tears of self-contempt. "I'm… sorry?"

"I know it's not your intention, but you don't have to keep rubbing in that you're so much better than me. I already get it."

Elle shrank in on herself with a whisper, unable to meet Eupemia's gaze any longer. "It's not you who isn't good enough, who shouldn't be in this equation. It's me. Between you and Cecile, there's nothing about me that stands out. I'm… redundant."

Euphie stepped forward and hugged her tightly. "Sometimes, we blind ourselves to the things that make us important to others. Don't ever think that you don't matter, young lady. Those who love us are there to remind us that we do."

Awkwardly, Elle worked through her surprise and slowly brought her arms around Euphemia in return. She… actually feels the same way, doesn't she. To compare herself against people that outshine her at everything. "...my friends call me Elle," she whispered. "Elle Lubie. It's an honor to make your acquaintance, Your Highness."

"There's no need for that; my friends call me Euphie, and I hate it when they let petty things like social norms get in the way."

Elle's lips turned up in a wry smile. "...yeah, I kind of know what you mean."

The pair separated and straightened up, stepping into business mode as Elle turned to lead Euphemia over to the mobile operations trailer. "So what can we do for you, Your Highness? I should inform you now Lancelot won't be ready to deploy until the end of the week, but you're certainly welcome to inspect it or most of our other work."

Meaning that they may have projects even I'm not cleared to see, Euphemia noted as she stepped into the trailer.

Two scientists looked up, one greeting Euphemia's arrival with bland disinterest while the other hurriedly stood and saluted. "...! Please excuse our poor readiness, Your Highness!"

"Dear me, I certainly hope this Royal lasts longer than the other one did…"

Euphemia glanced between the bespectacled man who'd spoken last, and the woman around Cornelia's age who was even then hurrying to chastise him. So these are Cecile Croomy and Lloyd Asplund… they're just as I imagined from Schneizel's description of them.

"Lloyd! Have some tact!"

Elle, for her part, went a step above and beyond backing up her senior researcher by stepping up to Lloyd and smacking him upside the head. "What's gotten into you?! Apologize!"

"Please, there's no need to fret over that any more than strictly necessary," Euphemia said with a smile that wasn't as genuine as she'd have liked. "I'm aware that he didn't mean any offense by it."

Lloyd absolutely beamed at her, and the shared look on Elle's and Cecile's face made the princess wonder if she might have just made a terrible mistake. "That's fantastic, Your Highness! Such magnanimity as I've never known! Now what do you want? We are quite busy, you know."

Euphemia took a deep breath, needing a second to get her thoughts back in order. Okay, here goes… "In accordance with prior discussion between the Prime Minister and myself, effective immediately ASEEC will be the foundation and core upon which my administration's anti-corruption task force is built. I've already submitted requests to the Homeland for personnel and materiel transfer to make this possible, as well as arranged the transfer of an Operations commander. I don't have the influence yet to secure any Gloucesters for you to work with, but you'll have full authorization to make any and all customizations and upgrades to Sutherlands for the additional pilots."

"And where, might I ask," Lloyd began as he adjusted his glasses, "are we getting all the funding for this, Your Highness?"

"Oh, all task force-related budgetary concerns are completely separate from the research and development budget you enjoy from the Prime Minister!"

The princess bit back a shriek as, seemingly in the time it took to blink, Lloyd was suddenly looming over her and holding her hands. "I can tell that this is the start of a beautiful working relationship~!"

While the other women dragged Lloyd back out of her personal space, Euphemia took a moment to glance around the trailer as she worked her heart back out of her throat. "I also had some questions for Sir Kururugi," she slowly began. "Is he available?"

"Am I available for what?"

This time, Euphemia didn't stop the yelp of surprise at the sudden response from behind her, as she twirled on the spot to see a sweaty Suzaku standing at the door in a well-fitting pilot suit.

"I'm sorry that I'm not exactly presentable, Your Highness. Turns out the Lancelot's cockpit temperature regulation system is tied in with the factspheres, so it's kind of a sauna right now…"

Euphemia greedily drank in the sight of the young soldier's chest and abs as presented by the stark white synthetic fabric, before abruptly realizing that he'd trailed off and that she needed to respond.

It only drove the point in further when she heard Lloyd let out a soft and faintly sinister hum, and Euphie blinked to realize that Elle and Cecile were just as avidly watching Suzaku as she'd been. "Oh no, no, not at all! There's no need to apologize, you're fine!"

Extremely fine, a treacherous part of her mind whispered while Suzaku remained oblivious, drying his head with a towel.

"So, er–" This is so sudden, how do I start? I know I had a plan, but now I can't remember it! "I… realize of course that I've already been addressing you by your given name," she awkwardly rambled, "but are you actually okay with that on a personal basis? Or is that too forward of me? Would you prefer Sir Kururugi?" No, that was an absolutely horrible start!

Suzaku paused for a moment under the thick towel on his head, either giving it serious thought or surprised by the question in its entirety. "...not to be rude or anything, but does it really matter? I mean, you're a Princess, so you can pretty much just call me whatever you want and it's on me to just roll with it. You know?"

For an instant, Euphemia was annoyed by the utter lack of an answer – until with wide eyes, she realized what a perfect opportunity it gave her. "Then in that case," she asked with a beaming smile, "is there any problem with calling you my Knight?"

Only silence answered her at first, as the Camelot scientists all stared at her in varying degrees of surprise… before Suzaku threw his towel onto a table, his gaze bearing down on the Princess with the very last thing she would have imagined.

Anger.

"Euphie, what the hell is wrong with you?!"

"E-excuse me?!"

She could barely even get the question out before Suzaku had marched up and almost pinned her to a wall. "Now listen here, Euphie, I'm a rando Number with basically no qualifications or experience with the kind of responsibility you're talking about! I barely know the first thing about VIP security, or bodyguarding, or anything like that! Arguably worse, we've only known each other for, what, two days?! You can't go around being this reckless when you need to set an example for the rest of the Area! Have you even considered what happens to the Area if my inexperience gets you seriously hurt or killed?!"

Euphemia placed a finger on Suzaku's lips, silencing him. "On my first day in this territory, the people who were supposed to protect me tried to use me for their personal ambitions instead, only for you to protect me from them. And now that I present you with a once in a lifetime opportunity, an honor that countless Britannians would kill and die for… you throw it away without so much as a thought because you're worried about me. Tell me, Suzaku Kururugi, what more proof could I need that you are worthy of my trust? That you are the only one in these islands to have earned it so?"

Suzaku sputtered and stared, unable to form a response.

"In short," Euphemia concluded with a giddy smile, "the very nature of your objections quite elegantly sums up why I'm willing to let you so deeply into my confidence."

After several seconds, Suzaku stepped back and looked down towards the floor. "...maybe I'm not someone you should put so much faith in. In any case, what you want doesn't have any bearing on the fact that I don't have the experience or the skills to do what you're asking of me."

Euphemia could have replied that his knee-jerk devotion, willingness to challenge her if he thought it was in her best interests, and demonstrated proficiency in combat both on foot and in a Knightmare made Suzaku uniquely qualified in her eyes.

But it is quite the commitment to ask of him, she admitted to herself. And if Suzaku's so certain that he can't live up to that, then continuing to push for it won't end well for anyone. Regardless of whether or not he chooses to accept my request, I need to help him see in himself what's obvious to me…

"Perhaps you are a bit inexperienced… for now. And because you're not wrong, I'm placing my offer on hold until you're prepared to accept it. In the meantime, I hope you make full use of every opportunity to learn and grow…"

"What are you saying…?"

Euphemia drew out a set of papers and handed them to Suzaku as his brow furrowed in confusion. "I'm saying that, Knight of Honor or not, you are effectively my hands and eyes in the city. While I'm busy dealing with the Area parliament and working to change overall policy, you are to act with the full autonomous authority to initiate and carry out anti-corruption operations in Tokyo with Camelot's resources, as the guiding heart of our task force; its name and related incidentals are up to you. I'll be formally knighting you in public at a later date, so it would be… convenient if you can provide a worthy occasion to start it."

Suzaku opened his mouth to argue, only to close it and scratch his head, as if torn between two responses. A moment later, he snapped to a salute. "...I understand, Your Highness. I won't let you down."

Euphie smiled as she turned to leave. "I know you won't."