Chapter 118 - Royal Family
[Semi-Finals Match Between Germany and Britain - Frankfurt, Germany]
"The German Tankery Team has zero Flag Tanks remaining! BRITAIN WINS THE MATCH! THEY WILL NOW PROCEED TO THE FINALS!" the announcer said
(Charlotte witnessed for the first time one of the twins to be greatly affected by defeat. The twins always had poker faces whether they won or lost in the past but now they have started to show emotion. She realized that it wasn't only the twins that had changed but herself as well. The reason for all the changes to them was because of Gero and Erika who they recently met and got to know)
"Conquering Princess! You better prepare yourself! You may have bested us but you shall know the taste of defeat soon!" Ilse shouted
"Taste of defeat huh?"
"That's right! In the finals, where the whole world will be watching! The Conquering Princess will be devoured by the White Tiger!" the Twins shouted
"I'll be looking forward to it then." Charlotte smiled
[JSS Hakugei - Airport]
(Gero and his fiancés were at the small airport on their ship. Erika was about to board one of the private jets and head to Germany to see the twins. Sakurai and Nana were going with her as well.)
"Give my regards to the twins, even though they'd hate it more than appreciate it."
"They'll appreciate it and hate it at the same time." Erika smiled
"Don't forget souvenirs!" Kay said
"Please give these tea to the twins, it should help ease their emotions and help them recover faster." Darjeeling gave a basket of tea leaves
"Take care of our Bakatora while I'm away."
"We will!" Mika smiled
(Gero then gave Erika a kiss before she boarded the plane and left)
[Berlin, Germany - 8 Hours Later]
"Erika-sama!" the twins shouted
"Hey there girls, how nice of you to greet me right as my plane landed!" Erika smiled
"Of course we'd be here!" Ilse said
"How long will you be here for?" Ingrid asked
"Three days and two nights. Let's have fun okay?"
"Yes!" both replied
(The twins were very excited to start their day with Erika but their smiles turned into frowns when they reached their first destination which was a restaurant. Erika had reserved lunch for them but there was also another person waiting for them. That person was Charlotte who came because she was ordered by Erika)
"Why are you here?!" Ingrid shouted
"I'd like to know that myself!" Charlotte shouted back
"I called her here. I thought it would be nice for her to join us for lunch."
"Eh..if Erika-sama says so then I guess we have no choice then.." Ilse said
"You do know that we just fought each other right?" Charlotte asked
"So? This and that are totally unrelated."
(The four girls now entered the restaurant which Erika reserved entirely just for them. Nobody else was there and they could eat as much as they liked since it was an eat-all-you-can style buffet with all the different cuisines all over the world. The twins then went over to get all the food they wanted while Erika and Charlotte talked)
"I called you here to inform you that we're going to put an end to Pandora before the Finals because it'll be too risky going through with the tournament with Pandora still lurking in your country."
"How do you plan on putting an end to it exactly?" the Princess asked
"Any news about your brother?" Erika asked
"Nothing, he hasn't replied to any of my nor our mother's messages. We don't know where he is and I don't even remember anymore when was the last time we got together as a family."
"I guess even the Royal Family isn't a perfect one huh?"
"Of course not. Why are you asking about him?"
"He's the key to all of this."
"How?"
"There is a high chance that he's part of Pandora."
"THAT'S ABSURD!"
(Charlotte screamed at Erika's words and startled the twins at the other side of the room. She then sat down after calming herself down)
"There is no way that he is part of that organization!"
"How can you be so sure? You don't even know where he is or what the hell he is doing now."
"I can say the same thing to you! Do you have any proof that my brother, a prince of Britain, is part of Pandora?"
"Proof? Of course there's no concrete proof. If there was proof then we would've killed your brother already. But everything that has happened is pointing towards your brother. He was the one that hired Phantom to train you. It is also possible that he was the one that gave the order to kill Gero when he was 7 years old and he could also be the one that ordered Phantom to kill Gero's foster father. Those MI6 wannabees in Africa claimed to be following the Queen's orders to get rid of you, the next in line to the throne? The only person that would benefit from that is your brother and he is the only person in your country with enough power and money to do shit like that."
"I know my brother! He's not someone that would do something like this! He never wanted the throne anyways! Why?! Why would he even do that?! "
"You're asking the wrong person. In three days you're coming with me on a plane to Britain to ask your mother directly."
"..."
"What are you two talking about?" Ilse asked
"Nothing! Have you chosen what you wanted to eat?" Erika smiled
"Yes! It's your turn now Erika-sama!" Ingrid said
"Okay, we'll be right back. Come on princess."
(Erika and Charlotte now stood up and went to get their food. The princess was in deep thought and was confused about her brother)
"I didn't tell you all that to scare you or to threaten your family. I told you that because I want you to be prepared."
"Prepared for what?"
"If you had to make a decision, to save your brother or your country, which would you choose?" Erika asked
"I.."
"You don't have to answer now. You'll eventually find the answer to that soon whether you like it or not. I just hope that you'll make a decision you won't regret. Or a decision where I won't need to kill you. Because this time, I won't hesitate anymore."
"I know."
(The four of them then continued on with their meal without talking about anything related to Pandora. Erika then spent the rest of the days with the twins as promised and headed to Britain together with the Princess)
[Heathrow Airport - London, England]
"Welcome back, your majesty!" Victoria greeted
"Thanks Vic!"
"How was the flight?"
"It wasn't boring to say the least." Charlotte said
"Why?"
"Because of her."
"Hey there." Erika smiled
"Iron Rose!? What are you doing in her majesty's plane?! Don't tell me you-"
"Oh relax, will you? Stop shouting or you'll bother other people."
"It's okay Vic, she was headed to Britain for the finals anyways so I just offered her a ride."
"Is that so? She didn't threaten you again, did she?"
"I did no such thing. I just gave her a little warning, that's all."
"Do you want us to get someone to take you to your team carrier?" Charlotte asked
"No need, my ride's here!"
(A VTOL suddenly hovered above and landed beside them. When the door opened Gero was the first person to come out to greet Erika)
"Hello my love! How was your date with the twins?"
"It was fun!"
"Good morning to you Charlotte and Victoria-san!"
"Morning Gero!"
"Good morning." Victoria replied
"Well then, see you both again soon!" Erika said as she boarded the VTOL
(After a few days of rest, Gero and his team headed to Buckingham Palace to personally meet the Queen of England)
[Buckingham Palace - London, England]
"Never thought I'd set foot in this place." Alisa said
"Same, I only saw this place in the news!" Ono said
"I wonder what the Queen is like in person." Klara said
"I think she's pretty chill."
"You've met her before?" Kal asked
"Once, we had to inform her about Pandora."
"That was two years ago." Erika said
(After a few minutes of walking within the Royal residence they soon arrived at a big double door where Charlotte was waiting for them)
"Good day to everyone, ready to meet the Queen?" Charlotte asked
"Ready as we'll ever be I guess.."
"Alright then.."
(Charlotte opened the door and they walked in after readying themselves. They saw before them the Queen of Britain sitting on her throne. She was still young and beautiful and yet she gave the aura of a real leader. Gero and his team bowed before the Queen to greet her with respect)
"Your majesty, the Queen, it is great to see you again."
"You as well Sir Gero, everyone, please lift up your heads." the Queen said
"Thank you very much."
"For what reason did you seek an audience with me?"
"I would like to inform you that Pandora has been destroyed in every country all over the world except for this one. The final battle against Pandora will happen here in Britain."
"I see, you and your team have done amazing jobs for the past three years. If it wasn't for you, Pandora would've been in control of the world by now."
"I'm sure that you would've caught on without us."
"Maybe, but it would've been too late by then. I was also informed of the blunder that my foolish daughter has committed against you in Africa."
"Mother that was-"
"I do not wish to hear your excuses right now."
(The Queen's words to her own daughter were cold and very distant. Charlotte's expression was sad and she couldn't answer back)
"Please do not worry about that your majesty, it's all water under the bridge."
"She tried to kill you and almost handed you to Boko Haram."
"You're right, she tried but failed. I'm alive and Boko Haram is now gone. Besides, she only did that because she never knew the whole story about Pandora or about Phantom."
"I guess I'm a failure as the leader huh? How could I continue as the Queen when I didn't even know that my own daughter was being trained and used by Pandora."
"It wasn't your fault, your majesty and it wasn't your daughter's fault also. I believe that both of you have been manipulated and controlled by a single man."
"Might you be referring to Richard Bronson? The leader of Pandora?" the Queen asked
"I'm afraid that he is just a pawn meant to be thrown away as well."
"The leader of Pandora, a pawn? Then who else do we have to kill to end Pandora once and for all?"
"When was the last time you spoke to your son face to face?"
"My son? Caleb? You are not implying that he's.."
"With all due respect, your majesty, I am."
"This is madness! You should not listen to the words of this person, your majesty!" a guy suddenly shouted
"Who the hell are you?"
"I am Prince Caleb's representative in this meeting. He could not attend because he had very important matters to attend to at the moment."
"Really now? Sucks to be him I guess, as I was saying-"
"You're majesty! I believe that we have wasted too much time listening to this farce! I plead to have them escorted out of the palace right away."
(Gero was growing impatient for having been interrupted by this person. Erika and the others were also getting pissed off at the disrespect the guy was showing to them)
"I'm sorry, what was your name again?"
"Edward."
"Right, sir Edward, nice to meet you. Erika, my love."
"Yeah?"
"If sir Edward interrupts me again, kill him."
"Wha-" Charlotte was surprised
(Erika pulled out her sidearm without hesitation and aimed it straight at Edward's head)
"Think very well if opening your filthy mouth is worth dying for, sir Edward." Erika threatened
"Please lower your gun Erika-sama! You are in the presence of the Queen! And you sir Edward, you may be the representative of my brother but you have no right disrespecting the guests of the Queen!" Charlotte shouted
"Now that things have gotten out of hand a little, may I request to have a private conversation with the Queen? The things I'm about to say are for her ears only."
"Very well, Charlotte, please take our guests into the waiting room."
"Yes, your majesty."
"And sir Edward, talk out of line in front of me again, and I will personally cut off your tongue and feed it to my dogs. Do you understand me?"
"Y-Yes, your grace. Forgive me!"
"You are excused. Oh, and tell my son I want to see him. I don't care what important matters he is doing but he will drop everything and get his ass over here right away."
"I shall convey your order to the prince right away."
"Alright, shall we have that talk then sir Gero?" the Queen smiled
(Gero and the Queen then had their private talk with each other after everyone else left the room. They talked for an hour straight and both of them left the guest room with poker faces.)
"Ready to go?"
"Yup!" Erika smiled
"Well then, princess, your majesties, we bid you a good day!"
"Are you sure you don't want any kind of compensation for my daughter's actions?" the Queen asked
"Now that you mentioned it again, she does owe me 2 million euros from a bet we made that night. I wonder if the princess is true to her word?"
"O-Of course I am! I'll send it to you right away!" Charlotte shakingly said
"Great! See you soon!"
"Send my best regards to your mother." the Queen said
"You know her?"
"Yes, I've done my fair share of tankery in my younger days. We've fought each other before."
"Really?! Who won?"
"I'll let your mother answer that one."
(Gero and the rest now left the palace leaving Charlotte and the Queen)
"Two million huh? As I recall, your bank account doesn't even amount to that?" the Queen asked
"Uhm, mother, I would like to formally request for your-"
"Sorry, request denied."
"Mom! Please! I don't want to owe them anymore! I'm scared of Erika-sama!" Charlotte cutely cried
"The future Queen of Britain is begging for money. May God help us all." the Queen said in her mind
(On their way back to the carrier, Erika asked Gero in the car about what he and the Queen talked about)
"So, how did she take the news of her son, possibly the real leader of Pandora?" Erika asked
"Not well, I gave her all the information we have and she still questioned it."
"Who could blame her? If I found out my son was a leader of a terrorist group responsible for killing innocent people I'd be in shock too." Alisa said
"Does that mean you're pregnant Alisa?" Naomi teased
"What?! No!"
"Congratulations Takashi!" Ono teased
"Eh?! I'm gonna be a father!" Takashi reacted
"No! I'm not pregnant! Yet.." Alisa blushed
"Anyways..what about that guy Edward?"
"I placed a tracker on his vehicle before he left. I have him on our satellite footage as we speak." Assam said
"Think he's a part of it?" Kal asked
"He could be or he's just that loyal to the prince."
"Or he's one of the Prince's disposable subjects."
"Did the Queen tell you anything about the prince?"
"She said that the prince was a smart but timid person. Both the princess and the prince were physically healthy but Charlotte outshined her brother in swordsmanship and leadership. The prince never took an interest in tankery even though males were allowed to participate from the start. This made Charlotte get noticed a lot more than the prince."
"What about his reaction to the rights of succession to the throne?" Klara asked
"The Queen claims that the Prince had no desire for the throne and was happy for Charlotte being chosen as the heir. He even gave her a gift and threw a whole party for her."
"I can see the motive already. A hidden desire for the throne, manipulates Boko Haram into killing the princess, then eliminates the biggest threat to him which is Gero."
"If the Prince really is the hidden leader of Pandora, what do we do?" Alisa asked
"We offer him two choices, surrender quietly or die painfully." Erika said
"What are the chances that he'll surrender?" Ono asked
"Now that both Gero and Charlotte are alive, his plans have gone to shit and he probably knows that we're on to him. So I'd say the chances are very low." Erika said
"Will it even be alright to kill a member of the Royal Family?" Klara asked
"The Queen said that if her son was truly part of Pandora then she'd disown him and strip him of his status immediately."
"And you called that person chill? I'd call every member of the Royal Family crazy." Kal reacted
"She WAS chill, I guess all the years of stress regarding Pandora finally caught up to her."
"Gero-kun.." Assam suddenly called out
"Yes?"
"Regarding the car that guy Edward was driving.."
"What about it?"
"It just blew up.."
"..."
"Haaa?!" everyone reacted
(Assam was looking at her laptop and was now gazing at a smoldering wreck which was Edward's car just a few seconds ago.)
"Any chances he got out before it blew up?" Erika asked
"None, I rewinded the footage three times now and there was no signs of him exiting the vehicle prior to the explosion." Assam said
"I guess he was both loyal and disposable."
"The Prince just blew up someone in broad daylight. Not to mention it was only minutes after that guy met with the Queen. Told you that Family is crazy." Kal said
Coming Up Next : Chapter 119 - Isle of Man
Author's Note :
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL! HAPPY 2025 AND MAY THIS YEAR BE AN AMAZING YEAR TO ALL OF US!
In this chapter we get to meet the Queen of Britain and a possible mastermind has finally come to light which is the son of the Queen. Their only lead to find the prince was his loyal aide but he was caught in an explosion and presumed dead! Will Gero and his team find the prince in time? Stay tuned in the next chapter!