Chapter 50: The New Norm at Ashford

Things can never go back to how they were—not after such an ugly truth about a friend and the world has come to light. Now they can only try to figure out what to do next, even as the world keeps turning and new schemes are born — schemes that threaten them in more ways than one.

A single, blinding light hung from the ceiling, erasing every shadow; the sealed windows trapped the pale autumn sun so the air inside lay dead and still. Lelouch stood at the room’s centre, alone with his thoughts and the cold scrutiny of many eyes around him. Muninn and Huginn sat on his shoulders like black sentinels—poised to snatch the world's secrets and feed them to him. At his feet, Pedro, a bullmastiff, brooded like a living rampart, ready to answer any threat with quiet force.

“Darn it, Lelouch, don’t move!” One of the students called out, though they seemed to be the only one who spotted it, as the rest of the class just sat around the posing vice president, drawing books or art pads in hand as they tried to create drawings based on the VP who was posed as if he was a triumphant Roman General or Emperor.

“I didn’t see anything.” Another responded, getting various nods or words of agreement.

“That’s because he didn’t, I don’t know how he does it, but he can just stand in place like a statue.” One of the girls commented, starry-eyed, as they had all loved it when Lelouch was picked to be their model, a chance to eye him up without needing to worry about being called out.

But when Lisa from the drama club recommended that he dress in something different from their uniform and got the teacher on board, she hadn't been alone in squealing when he returned from the bathroom wearing a purple, gold-embroidered toga.

"No one can, didn't you see him tap his foot, Shirley?" The same girl tried to get others on is side, turning his eye to Shirley.

“Wha-me?” Shirley jolted, as if she hadn't been listening until then, but then returned her gaze to her art pad, which lay near blank, and meekly replied. “No…No, I didn’t see him move.”

“See?” That response seemed to go unnoticed, but not by Suzaku, who paused to look towards Shirley with concern as she seemed…different. In fact, so did Rivalz, who would typically be very involved in this little debate, but he hadn't said a word since Suzaku greeted him that morning.

“That doesn’t prove anything, just admit you messed up something and erase it.” Another student in their class tried to end the discussion, only for the guy seated in the dissenting position to out her.

“She can’t since she decided to draw with a pen.” He chuckled as she turned on him, her cheeks red at being called out like that. Suzaku wondered why she would use a pen, as that wasn't for things where corrections were needed. But more than that-

“Nina,” He softly spoke to Nina. He wasn't blind; he knew she was uncomfortable with him, but she was the closest person he had ever known. As he expected, she turned slowly to him, but what he didn't expect was to see the dark eye bags she had, and no fear response at all. It was as if she were too tired to be scared of him.

All this odd behaviour had started a week ago, around the same time Lelouch brought in a Chinese woman as a second maid. Was it related?

"Sorry to bother you, but don't we normally have math in first period?" That would be a question he got answers to later, so he'll focus on the fact that they were drawing Lelouch like he had just conquered Gaul, instead of learning math equations and formulas.

“It’s art week, Prince Clovis declared it back in May…” Nina whispered, her mood somehow getting slower as her shoulders drooped. Suzaku wincing as that couldn’t be a good reminder. "I don't know why we kept it. I've never been good at this." She added, no doubt suspecting his follow-up.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” Suzaku apologised, as Nina struck him as devoted to Britannia, one whom Clovis had gone and shamed with a massacre and God knew what else. Though he wondered if the art week was more Cornelia's choice to keep around, considering he knew Euphie would have cancelled it if only to not remind people what her brother had become at the end.

Shirley had other thoughts, though they were connected to Clovis. Both what he had done and how he had been slain by her friend. A friend who was an exiled prince and a masked terrorist. A friend who stood like an imposing figure as she wondered how she had never seen it. She wondered why he hadn't told them, or told her at all. But she would then think further and find the same answers, and she just didn't know anymore.

How could it be…but he was so kind, so thoughtful, and yet kill and destroy? Why did it have to be him? Why did Britannia have to be so much darker than she ever realized?

Her mind was a jumbled mess, and it had been since she spoke up in the council building and had to return to her dorm to change into fresh clothes. And even though almost a week had passed, she just couldn't figure it out; none of them could.

‘Lulu,’ Shirley's tired, worried gaze kept on Lelouch, who she couldn't figure out, not when he was wearing another. Not a physical, yet arguably more effective.

"Class, do get moving again. Lelouch is not seated for this pose, and that isn't pleasant." Their teacher called out, walking around the wide, clean space, inspecting the work of several students. Some have gotten more done than others.

Without moving or shifting his face, Lelouch responded. “It’s fine, Mrs. Oswell. I chose this because I can hold it for as long as needed.”

"He can even talk without shifting his face; it's a little creepy." Someone close to Shirley muttered, but she didn't pay it much mind. She just needed to finish this and get back to unpacking what she had learned.

Line Break

Away from Ashford, away from the Viceroy's palace, sat a large piece of land. Atop it stood a vast 3-story building. It was not another noble villa or government office, but instead a building that had only recently been finished. A new art museum whose walls and exhibits featured a diverse array of paintings, drawings, sculptures, and busts.

"We will open Art Week with the dedication of the Clovis Memorial Museum of Art. You, Princess Euphemia, shall select the first-place winner from one of these submitted works.” The museum's curator led Euphemia through one section of the museum, showcasing some of its collection. With them were 2 of our assistants, while Euphemia had Sapphire and 2 lesser security personnel, who, unlike Sapphire, wore suits and shades.

"You have not changed the name," Euphemia spoke up, catching the museum official off guard.

“Pardon, your highness.” He asked.

“The name of the museum, you have not changed it,” Euphemia repeated, her gaze far from pleased as she locked eyes with him. “Why?”

It would seem he couldn’t read his mood, as he took her question to be one of pride as his chest swelled. “Well, your Highness. Our board of directors saw no need for such. Despite the tragic end he suffered, Prince Clovis had always been a strong patron of the arts.”

She popped that bubble. "And for his crimes? Will his art patronage be enough to pardon his crimes? Or did you keep the name as a slight against those he attacked?” She questioned, the man realizing the situation too late as Euphemia’s displeasure only grew at his response.

He quickly pulled a handkerchief out and dabbed his forehead of the nervous sweat before he responded, not wishing to look unkept before royalty. “You see…well, the Viceroy hasn’t made any moves about the controversies.”

Euphemia wouldn't accept that dodge; more than that, his reminding her of how her sister didn't nip this in the bud when she had the chance only worsened his chances. “If my sister instructed all museum directors and curators to join the army, would you?"

Before she could bite the poor man’s head off, Sapphire spoke up. “Your Highness, if I may, might I suggest a simple name change to the Gainsborough Memorial Museum of Art? He, too, was a well-known patron of the arts, and his works are still popular in the homeland."

Euphemia turned her displeasure towards her night, but it faded after a few moments. The older woman didn't deserve it, so she nodded before she turned to the curator once more, who at least could see the lifeline and take it. “Y-yes, that would be doable, the name was to be presented tonight when events were to kick off. I’ll be sure that the rest of the staff knows.”

That seemingly handled, they continued on for a while before stopping at one piece which caught Euphemia's eye.

“Oh, I quite like this one.” The piece in question wasn't what one would expect from a Britannian museum, at least not one without stolen art. What she referred to was a painting which showed a couple of Eleven traditional country homes with the mountain as a backdrop. Both buildings lined an unpaved country road, while the homes themselves were clearly not built for those of the upper class.

She could especially appreciate the choice in colour shades and brushwork, which made it seem much more natural, rural, humble, and picturesque. So much different from the more controlled, dare she say, arrogant sorts of works she was used to seeing outside the collections of anyone but her deceased brother.

What an irony that was.

The curator seemed to agree on that front, but was nervous as he had some bad news. "Yes, it is a nice work, but regretfully, our investigation into the artist revealed them to be one quarter Eleven."

His fears were only justified when Euphemia turned to him, her mood dropping. "Then it shouldn't have been displayed at all. Why allow it to meet my sight?"

“It’s a delicate situation with the public, your Highness, we can’t just remove it because-” He started, but she cut him off.

"Because, despite believing the Elevens inferior, you wish to act as if you're an open-minded institution so they would pay to view the art. But why pretend? Is it just greed to increase foot traffic?" She questioned, as she glanced around, wondering how many works were here, how many were done by 'unfit' artists, and yet only put up for the opening week?

How many more had been submitted from half-bloods, from full-blood Japanese? Only to not so much as get a glance, for once their family history was confirmed, their submissions, regardless of quality, were just placed into some back room, never to see the light of day.

She pressed, stepping away from the gorgeous painting to close the gap between her and the curator, who looked like he didn't want to be here right now, but didn't dare run when she could have had him shot for less.

“Or is it just some grand ploy? Was that why you kept the name despite my brother’s horrible actions and the shame he brought onto our nation and my family? A means to say you don't believe he did anything wrong? Did the Elevens he killed deserve to die? Do you wish for this place to become a target?” She accused, which had the man sweating profusely.

“A target, but you Highness, you’r-”

“What? Say it, good sir. And don’t stutter.” She demanded.

“Y-you’re meant to protect us; we’re just following national policy!” He finally got out, but if he thought that would work, he was dead wrong.

"You're shamelessly pushing some idea and want my stamp of approval to do it," Euphemia stated, before sighing as she stepped back to gaze at another painting, making a point to avoid the massive portrait of her father, the emperor.

She wasn't in the mood to look at it and wonder which had more warmth to it, the painting or the real thing.

"Be gone from my sight, I shall peruse the works without your unwanted commentary on the ancestry of the artist." She dismissed, her back to him.

She didn't speak as the man excused himself, before he and his aides ran off with as much dignity as they could. Only when they had left did Sapphire speak. “You know, he’s not the one you should be upset with.”

Euphemia sighed, the stress getting to her. "I know, but it's just…frustrating."

“The museum?” Sapphire asked as she looked around the space.

“This entire situation. With Cornelia, with Marrybell, and the Black Knights. It's like…everyone wants to fight; they don’t want to talk anymore.” Euphemia was approaching her wits' end. It had been almost a week since that rooftop talk with Cornelia, and she had made no progress. Marybell was always busy, always away. She had been out of Tokyo for the last 2 days, and Euphemia didn't even know where she had gone, just that she had taken the Glinda Knights.

“Your Highness…Euphemia, people can be quite proud, but that also makes them stubborn. And when they’ve been hurt, it only becomes worse.” Sapphire swapped to her name, as Euphemia could use someone she could talk to about this.

"Official policy is clear on a great many things, I might not personally agree, and evidently, neither do you, but we can't change them." She tried to relate, though she wasn’t as strong a proponent of Britannian politics. "As for Princess Marrybell and the Black Knights, both have been harmed, and that can make one angry, violent even."

"But can't I do something, shouldn't I at least try and just pretend this is normal?" Euphemia asked, as she had been so busy and paranoid that Marrybell could be watching her that she couldn't even call Nunnally or Lelouch to talk.

“The fact that you wish to attempt it is more than most can say.” Sapphire smiled, as she had heard the stories about the royal family, but Euphemia bucked the trend.

Still, the good mood couldn't last as she looked around once more, this time Euphemia joining her as they started to move. “If I’m honest, I think part of why Art Week could continue as it has despite the news of Prince Clovis’ actions is because so many refuse to accept that he did anything wrong. Maybe because they agree, maybe because they’re afraid of seemingly like they don’t.”

"Some just don't choose to think about it. For this place, a not-so-small percentage would merely see it as a place of art and nothing more. Its name wouldn’t matter, same as what works would be in display.” She gestured back to the paintings they had seen.

Euphemia saw them, some wonderful, others too uniform, too clearly made to appease rather than express. And yet, those had to be from nobles and those connected to them, and thus were placed on display just to avoid the fight and backlash. “But if people refuse to see something as the problem, if they just ignore it, how are we meant to fix things?”

That was a question many had struggled with, and Sapphire wasn’t sure there would be any one answer, not when people and times were constantly changing. “You can’t force this, Euphemia, things like this…they take time.”

Euphemia clenched her hands, recalling Shinjuku, Saitama, Narita, Port Yokosuka, and so many of the smaller skirmishes that had happened since. Each one leads to people's deaths. “And in that window, violence continues to spread. How many more need to die before we finally end things?”

“I don’t know, Euphemia,” Sapphire replied as they continued to check out the art. “I don’t know.”

Line Break

“Lelouch,” Kaguya approached Lelouch as he sat with Rivalz and Suzaku. She had a polite smile on her face, but she could clearly see how tense things were between the trio, while Lelouch seemed unaffected by it.

Which told her he was at fault for it. "Might I have a moment of your time?" She requested.

“We can chat now if you like.” Lelouch got up, with his 2 friends not stopping him as the two walked off. It was afternoon break, so they didn't need to worry about class, but it did mean they had to walk for a bit before finding a quiet spot to discuss things. Lucky for them, none made any fuss about seeing them walking around, as they might have done earlier.

“Trouble at home?” Kaguya didn’t hold back as they found a spot under some trees to chat.

Lelouch took a breath, and immediately his mask fell. Showing a man who seemed as exhausted as one could be, not just in body, but in spirit. “They know.”

Kaguya blinked, as if all the things she could have expected. “You told them?”

Lelouch sighed, as it wasn't as if he, Chantal, and Mao were untouched by how…strained things had been around the council. For Mao, they were all put off by the fact that she could mind-read and couldn't turn it off, so when it came to being near her, secrets didn't exist.

Chantal was an immortal who could grant such powers as well as drive you insane with a single touch if she so chose, but then there was the fact that he had the means to force his will on anyone who met his gaze. His admission that he had already used it on Kallen certainly didn't help things, even if she had known about it beforehand and confirmed she didn't mind it.

And that left out all the facts about him being Zero, which just made things in his home life as welcoming as a bed of nails.

“I had little choice, but you didn’t want to talk about that, did you?” Lelouch switched the topic, which Kaguya went along with.

Her expression changed, becoming that of a teenager who no longer enjoyed spending time with Milly and plotting all kinds of schemes, but rather that of one of the six heads of Kyoto. “It’s not. Kyoto hasn’t officially sent the information, but considering I’m here, I thought you should be made aware. We need your help.”

“With that?” Lelouch changed as well, speaking as he would when he was Zero.

“A prison rescue,” Kaguya answered, frowning as she went on to explain the situation. “Marrybell captured my uncle.”

Line Break

“You did what?” Cornelia asked.

The princess and Viceroy were seated at her desk, having been handling some paperwork, when her assistant informed her that Marrybell, who had been avoiding her like the plague, had requested an audience with her and was already outside waiting.

Cornelia was happy about this, as it was a step in the right direction, but she didn't let her hopes get too high. If Marrybell were choosing to speak with her now, then it was work-related.

That was proven right as Marrybel repeated what she said. “My investigation of terrorist activity found links between several networks in Hokkaido and one Jugo Sumeragi.”

That name…it wasn't without weight to them, but it also came with some context, which made such a statement…hard to believe.

Guilford, who had moved to stand at his princess's back when Marrybell was allowed in, voiced their shared reservations. "Pardon me, Princess Marrybell, but I doubt he would ever be so foolish as to aid terrorists, is he not your brother-in-law?"

It was not well known, intentionally on the part of all parties involved. Still, the second princess, Guinevere de Britannia, had not always been the first princess. For the crown prince had a sister, 3 years his junior and one year older than Guinevere. That had been Sherry eu Britannia.

Marrybell's face twisted, same as Cornelia's, as they recalled…her, more so Cornelia than Marrybell, who had never met their eldest sister. "Officially and legally, no. Our older sister gave up her claim to the throne when she married that Eleven. We have no ties to him, and it would seem, neither does he to us."

That was why she wasn't a well-known figure outside the imperial court, as to marry a foreigner like that, even from a prominent Japanese family, was such a shame that the emperor decreed she was struck from the line of succession and had all titles and rights stripped, with records amended to have it that Guinevere was seemingly always the first princess.

Sherry, as an act of defiance, hadn't just taken her husband's name, but took the new faux royal name of me Britannia as an act of defiance once she left Pendragon and settled in Japan, Hokkaido, if Cornelia recalled it right.

“Your evidence?” Still, despite her own feelings about their sister's choice to abandon everything for some Eleven, Cornelia wasn't so blinded that she would believe a man who married a Britannian royal would just… aid terrorists.

Marrybell held out her hand, and without a word, Oldrin, who, as always, was at her sister's back, handed her a folder which she passed to Cornelia. “Sir Kirkwayne. He was one of the few who followed Sherry into exile and remained as a vessel to Jugo even when she died. He has supplied us with evidence going back to Zero's debut of his collusion with terrorists, namely the Black Knights."

The files Cornelia was looking through were both made up of the few pieces of evidence that Sir Kirkwayne had provided, but also what she and the Glinda Knights had seized when they conducted a surprise early morning raid on the Sumeragi's estate in Hokkaido 2 days ago. Of course, what she handed Cornelia were all copies; the real evidence was kept under lock and key.

It didn't matter to Cornelia, whose brow creased further, following her rage, which boiled as she read through it all. "He's been supporting them, even when they killed Prince Clovis?"

Marrybell nodded. “Quite shocking, wouldn’t you say? Unfortunately, he has not broken under interrogation, but it won’t save him.” She shook her head, as the man had been quite insistent that he had no such dealings. That he had broken ties with his own family when he had married his now deceased wife and had worked to remain out of any affairs which could tie him or his house to such crimes. He insisted that there was a mistake, that he had been framed, but the evidence was overwhelming.

“How so?” Cornelia asked.

"You know it as well as I do, Viceroy. Supporting rats is a serious offense, so under imperial law, and as the emperor's chosen authority on all matters of counter terrorism activities, he's to be executed tonight." Marrybell replied, as for things like this, one hardly needed a trial. Unlike the Purebloods, she wasn't interested in one.

“Executed?” A voice spoke from the door, and the two princesses turned to spot the third. Euphemia looked aghast at the topic. “Sister, did I hear that right?”

Marrybell could ignore her, as she had been doing for a week now. She could walk out, as she had said what she wanted. She could even confront Euphemia about Ashford.

But…she didn't, perhaps against her better judgment, perhaps because she didn't want to upset Euphemia, whatever the case, she answered the question.

"Yes, the evidence is quite damning, including several images of him meeting with known terrorists within the JLF, which we now know to have been absorbed within the Black Knights, as well as bank and other documents which carry his signature," Marrybell confirmed, with Cornelia looking through several images of such, which had other images of known signatures from Jugo to compare them to.

Matches each time.

Marrybell looked at both her sisters as she spoke. "I tell you this because I'm in a quagmire. I have the authority to order his execution. Still, imperial law dictates that all executions need to be carried out by an executioner assigned by the current Viceroy."

Euphemia looked towards Cornelia, praying she wouldn’t-"I see…Then I volunteer Guilford for it." Cornelia didn’t share her sister’s compassion, and certainly not now as she looked over the damning evidence.

Guilford saluted his princess. “It shall be done.”

“That’s not all,” Marrybell mentally debated, but she had promised Oldrin she would make some attempt to make peace. “Because of the evidence, I have strong reason to believe that…no, I’m counting on it.”

“On what?” Euphemia asked, dreading the response when her sister smiled.

“On the Black Knights making an attempt to save him. So, along with the Glinda Knights, I'm appropriating several elements of your forces for the coming operation, but to be…Courteous, I wished to inform you face-to-face so that we could work on this together." Marrybell explained, which formed a pit in her stomach, but Cornelia seemed just as eager about it.

“But if you suspect they’ll come, why hold the execution? How would they even know when and where it’s to happen?” Euphemia inquired, trying to figure out a means of escape from this, a way to prevent the clash, which could end with her losing another sibling, regardless of who won.

“Because I had my people leave enough clues that Zero and his rats would sniff it out.” Marrybell’s smile grew. “They managed to escape during our last operation, but with this one, I intend to strike at them where it hurts. If all goes well, Zero would be dead before sunrise.”

‘What?’ Wait, she… she already leaked it? Then it could mean Lelouch already knows! He would be walking into a trap.

Cornelia leaned back in her seat, setting the folder down as she thought about it. Truth be told, she would have liked it if Marrybell had informed her of this sooner, but she could see an olive branch when it was offered. Besides, this worked in their favour. They'll avenge 2 siblings at once, and cripple the dogged terrorist activity that had plagued Area 11 in a single strike.

With that in mind, it was no brainer why Cornelia would respond with, “I see…it would play on Zero’s ego, considering how he handled the Kururugi debacle. Very well, take whatever you need.”

Line Break

"Yes, the pond does freeze solid in the winter, though big brother doesn't let me close to it after he caught me skating on it last time," Nunnally recalled. She and Suzaku were out on the back of the council building. The rest were absent, but they had the hounds, as on her lap sat Willy, while Gustavus slept at the table’s side, the night watchman having wished to spend some time with the princess of the house.

“We have a pond too at the Kururugi shrine. It was well, but I used to catch frogs in it.” Suzaku replied, looking out to the gardens of Ashford.

"Oh, I remember, you wanted to show us that one time, but there weren't any frogs then." Nunnally smiled, though her heart wasn’t in it, and Suzaku had been painfully aware of how she hadn’t been that invested in the conversation this whole time.

He sighed, as he couldn't ignore it now, and with this being the first time they had been without the others around, he had to act. "Listen, Nunnally…what's happened?"

“You noticed?” Nunnally paused but sighed in turn, looking nervous and sleepy.

Suzaku gently took one of her hands into his own. "Kinda hard not to, at least for those who know all of you things around the council have been really tense. And it all seems to relate to Lelouch, he walks in a room and you all calm up.”

Nunnally didn't respond, her nerves on edge as Suzaku tried to calm her. As there was an issue, and he was sick and tired of watching it, of not acting because he wished it would resolve. Well, it hadn't. "You can tell me, please, Nunnally, let me help. Did he do something? Is he in trouble?"

Nunnally turned hr head towards him, hr brow troubled. “Suzaku…what was the war like?”

Suzaku blinked in shock. “The war? What would you…”

Nunnally cut in, her voice weak from stress and nightmares she’s been suffering all week. "Brother's been busy lately, and we talked about it. You weren't there and…he told us about it, all of it. All of it, even what happened in Shinjuku," She whispered, with Suzaku feeling like he had been smacked in the face with a cold fish. His heart clenched as he learned the truth.

Nunnally turned it on him, her other hand reaching for his; now both their hands were together as she asked. "Was it really that bad? Did you really get shot?"

“I…It was. We…we didn’t want to ever tell you.” Suzaku slumped.

Her hold on him got stronger, desperate as she hiccupped. “Why? Why did you let…I can’t…I don’t know.” She shook, leading Suzaku to stand so he could bring her into her small hug, aware that she had a small animal on her lap.

"It's because I didn't want my friend to die, him or Claude," Suzaku whispered, as if he were honest, he had nightmares about it, of that day in the old subway. Only then did he not wake up; he wasn't rescued by Lloyd and Cecile. He would just…die then and there, another body on the pile of corpses which never seemed to stop growing.

It scared him, terrified him to think that his life could have ended, that he couldn't have achieved any of his dreams or goals, all because of one racist officer, because Clovis had been involved in something so terrible he would sooner liquidate an entire ghetto to cover it up.

"What do I do? I can't fight like you, too, brother's been so busy working to make a future for us, and I'm just here, but now I know. I want to change something, I don't want him getting in danger, or getting shot at us, or anything else." Nunnally asked, tearing up as she hadn’t known how to even talk to him after all that. Nunnally and Lelouch having been so distant this past week, it hurt.

And yet, it didn’t stop her from fearing for him, for clenching at her radio when he or Claud…C.C. weren’t home, wondering if there would be a report of another Black Knight attack, or worse, a triumph announcement that Zero had been killed.

Suzaku took a moment to think about this, as it was clearly not easy for her to be dumped on like this. He wished Lelouch had just lied, but he had been acting strange. So, this was just the messy result. "Lelouch…has always been stubborn. When he wants to do something on his own, you can't stop him. It's a pride thing, yeah, I hate it too, it can make him do some real stupid things."

Suzaku still recalled how Lelouch had been when they met. How he had insisted on doing all their chores, cooking his and Nunnally's meals, even doing the shopping. Even if that meant exhausting him doing tasks he had never done, pricking himself as he did simple clothing repairs, burning himself learning to cook from scratch, or getting beaten up by local kids for being Britannian each time he left the shrine.

Lelouch did all that because, in his own words, it was how he proved he was alive, that he existed. And it seems that he never stopped doing it; he merely elevated it to an entirely new level of dangerous work for the benefit of Nunnally and himself.

"Best thing you can do is support him. Just be there for him, and I think that's enough." Suzaku advised her. "In fact, maybe I can talk with him. We can try and get him something safe for when he graduates."

“What if what he’s doing is dangerous…” Nunnally muttered, to which Suzaku had some ideas on what it could be, but he chose to focus on what was happening before him.

“Even more reason to stick with him. Lelouch has a bad habit of putting everything on his shoulders, but he's not alone. I had to remind him of that once; it looks like you should, too. Show him just how strong you are, and I'm sure he'll see it." He smiled, trying to put as much confidence into his voice as he could.

“Maybe…” Nunnally sighed, but shook her head as she tried to smile back at him, and while it looked weaker than what she normally had, it was much less burdened. “Thank you, I think I needed to hear that.”

“Hey, I’m just happy we can talk about this. But he’s getting better. The guy I used to know would never have invited Claude to live with you, and now he’s got Mao around.” Suzaku chuckled, as stuff like that reminded him that Lelouch wasn't as singularly focused as he feared he could be.

"She's mainly here for Claude; they have a history," Nunnally told him, giving a Cliff Notes version of who Mao was and why she was there, one which didn't include any mention of code, geass, or other details which Suzaku didn't need to know.

“It would explain the poor housework.” Suzaku chuckled as the place didn’t seem as spotless as he had come to respect.

"She's getting better, she's just not at Sayoko's level, but she'll whip her into shape." Nunnally teased, knowing that Mao could hear them, but she tended to keep her distance from people; it made it easier to focus for her as she and her brother…did something to help her with that.

“Suzaku!” They both turned at the sound of someone calling out to Suzaku.

"Who is that, Cecile?" Nunnally asked, recognising the voice as that of one of Suzaku’s bosses. She had been involved in her birthday party.

"It is," Suzaku confirmed as he stood as Cecile ran up to them.

Seeing the two having what looked to be afternoon tea, Cecile greeted Suzaku’s host. “Good afternoon, Nunnally.”

“Good afternoon, Cecile. Could you stay for some tea?” Nunnally offered, as she was sure they could get something for her as well.

"I would love to, but unfortunately, something came up and I needed to fetch Suzaku for it," Cecile informed them, speaking in an apologetic tone as she didn’t like just scooping him up like this, nor for work matters at least.

"Oh, but," Suzaku looked towards Nunnally, but she merely smiled at him, her heart feeling lighter after their little chat. One that helped her figure out what she wanted to do.

"It's fine. You have work to do, mister. Don't start slacking off now, else Lloyd would get really mad with you like brother's teachers for his naps." She teased him as Suzaku and Cecile took off, Nunnally pondering her next move in their wake.

Line Brek

“Kallen, how have you been?” Yuri greeted her daughter. Kallen had made a surprise visit to see her.

Despite the official paper claiming she was working as a maid to the Ashford, since the day she arrived, she had been treated more like a guest, even a small guest house close to the main one, far from where students typically went.

"Hi, Mom, I'm doing well." Kallen sounded distracted, but she could never get tired of seeing how…free her mother was these days.

"Please come in, let me get you something to drink." Yuri pulled her daughter, bringing her towards her sparse living room and setting her child down before heading to the kitchen.

"It's not necessary-" Kallen tried to interject, but hr mother wasn't having it.

"Oh, but it's no trouble at all. Besides, it helps me with the shakes." Yuri spoke about it as if it wasn't as serious as it was, but in truth, she had been making great strides in her recovery, much to the doctors' amazement.

“Yeah...that’s great…” Kallen, unlike her mother, knew why Yuri was recovering so fast, but now that she knew more, she didn’t know what to think. So, as her mom got drinks for them, she looked around the living room.

It was a space meant for the Ashfords' family and friends, as few as they had, so it came with a level of luxury. Certainly, better than the glorified closet her mother had been living in before while under Ms. Stadtfeld’s care.

Now she had a fully furnished place of her own, comfy furniture. If her mother wasn't fibbing, she regularly had tea and other chats with Lord Ashford, who seemed happy to have another 'sensible' adult around who could understand the joys and pains of teenagers. Her mother was even able to put up a bunch of older family pictures she had jealously guarded, even when she was just another maid.

She also seemed to be far happier here, and Kallen couldn't blame her for that. No need to worry about having her room vandalized or one of her few prized possessions stolen or destroyed. No need to worry about being degraded, insulted, or even outright sabotaged as she worked, nor having to put up with the outright cruelty of her so-called co-workers and superiors.

“Here you go, now what seems to be the problem?” Yuri asked as she set a glass of chilled lemon water on the table, taking the seat next to Kallen on the couch.

"I didn't say I had any problems, and where's your drink?" Kallen tried to deflect, but her mother only tapped her nose, eliciting a flinch from her daughter.

"That's how I know you have one, you didn't notice I had a cup already on the table." Yuri cheekily pointed out, to which Kallen looked down, and lo and behold, there was a small teacup and saucer on the table, half finished.

Realizing she was more out of this than she had thought, Kallen grabbed a throw pillow, buried her head in it, and groaned. At the same time, her mother laughed at her embarrassment, waiting for her daughter to open up to her.

"It's…" Kallen pulled her face out of the pillow. Now, she hugged it close to her chest, pulling her legs to her chest like she was 8 again and had just seen something scary on TV. “Complicated.”

“Dear, you’re a terrorist in the Black Knights and regularly pilot a machine you describe as a ‘kick-ass death machine’,” Yuri reminded her daughter, who blushed as she recalled that conversation, and how it happened after she had tested the Guren for the first time. "I've gotten used to complicated; that won't stop me from trying my best to be here for you."

"Hmm, it's as dangerous as being a foot soldier," Kallen mumbled.

“Kallen, quit stalling, you dear old mother isn’t getting any younger.” Yuri chuckled, as she was 49 that year, far from a spring chicken.

"You're still one of the best-looking women out there, Mom." Kallen countered, speaking as if it were a fact as obvious as the sun was hot.

“As Lord Rueben tells me,” Yuri's chuckle only grew as the confused, slightly scared, and horrified face her daughter made at the prospect of her mom dating a man 27 years her senior, or maybe she was scared that Yuri Milly's step-grandmother and Kallen Milly's aunt. "No, I will not elaborate. This is about you, or do you want to sit on mom's lap first?"

“I’m not 5…” Kallen looked away, but still shifted a little closer to learn against her mom, who wrapped a hand around her. "It's about Lelouch."

“Oh yes, your morally grey friend with the gambling habit.” Yuri nodded, as she didn't have an issue with the boy. Though she did hope he didn't become one of those problematic gamblers.

I.E.-all gamblers.

"I wish the gambling habit were the only thing." Kallen almost laughed. “I thought…I knew him pretty well, maybe I still do.”

She looked at her mother, the woman she hadn't appreciated till she nearly lost her, to the mother who had stuck by her no matter how much it hurt. The mother whose eyes even now still carried that pain from losing her only son, from being robbed of her happy marriage because of factors so far above them it wasn't even funny.

She had promised she would do better. That she would fight to try and rebuild what they had lost, and part of that was no lies, so she just went for it. “He’s Zero, mom…he’s my boss.”

Yuri, for her part, looked like she had just been hit with the stupid stick, with it taking some time for hr to finally formulate a response. "Oh…I thought you were expecting."

“Mom!” Kallen went bright red at the statement. Just who did her mother take her for?! Like she would ever fuck Lelouch without protection-wait, no, she didn't mean to think that!

"What? It was an honest assumption; he's the only one you talk about in any depth." Yuri’s truthful statement only made Kallen want to sink into the ground. It wasn’t that bad…right? She talked about the entire council when she was here, Lelouch just got more screentime because he was also Zero, and her fucking magic eyes.

Yes, that was the story, and she'll stick with it. She was not…maybe a little

Jesus, this was complicated.

“H-he has 2 girlfriends already.” Kallen tried to counter, but her mother had been reading through her since she was born.

“And yet you don’t sound like you see that as a deal breaker. Besides, polygyny is pretty common in Britannia.” Yuri commented that her husband, Kallen's father, could have had more than her. Still, they couldn't find anyone who would accept being a wife of equal standing to a Japanese woman.

"It's sure as hell common in his family," Kallen grumbled, as that only reminded her of how screwed this situation was. "Mom, he's not just some rich commoner, or bastard kid of a noble. He's…he's a prince of Britannia. He and Nunnally are Charles' kids, 2 of them anyway, and I don't know what to do!"

Kallen would have stood and marched around, but just snuggled closer to her mother as she continued to rant. "I've never met royals, but they've always been the enemy. They embodied all that was wrong, all that Britannia thought it was. They're meant to be cruel, selfish, violent, racist bastards, all competing to be the next ruler. That was how Clovis was, that is how Cornelia and Marrybell are."

"But then they're nothing like that. Nunnally is one of the most insightful, compassionate, and humble people I know. She's always thinking of others and never has a mean thing to say. Lelouch, that lazy, smart-ass, is also considerate, patient, and willing to kill his own brother because he did something as fucked up as trying to kill everyone in Tokyo. He took in those 4 girls who were part of Clovis' experiments and gave them a home, and Nunnally has been nothing but great with them, becoming best friends with Alice." Kallen didn’t stop as she tried to put it all into words.

"He…they get it. They saw Japan invade; they were exiled here and lived through the invasion as just another 2 kids. Lelouch was there for Shinjuku, and he's…he's fighting for a country that isn't even his own against his own countryman." She sighed, feeling she had just run a marathon and fought off 20 Sutherlands at once.

“I see,” Yuri did not see, as that was…shit, that was a lot. Her baby girl was working for a prince, a bloody prince-but a prince who was also a masked rebel. She would need a while to process this, but there was an issue here, something she could help with.

“Kallen, how did you learn all this?” Yuri asked.

"The Zero stuff, I've known for a while, figured it out," Kallen grumbled. “As for the whole son of the man who conquered our country and ruined our lives? He told the council last week…”

“I see, then I think that’s a sign.” Yuri smiled as her Kallen looked her way.

“Of what?”

"Of the fact that he wants to be close to you. With all of you. It's a good sign, the same as your father." Yuri chuckled at how surprised her daughter looked at that little fact.

“Dad?” Kallen asked, as she hadn't seen the man in years, he spent all his time back in the homeland, away from her…and admittedly, the bitch he was forced to marry.

Yuri laughed at her daughter’s scepticism. "Of course, his father, your grandfather, sent him to Japan to study, gain some 'life skills', and we met at a club. I just knew him as the wealthy Britannian moron,"

“As we started to date, and things got serious, he invited me to a date and explained everything.” She went on, fond memories showing in her mind's eye of her youth, to when she was swept off her feet by the utterly goofy man who could barely speak Japanese. After he won her attention as Kallen's father…well, he was sweet then, but smooth or handsome were not qualities he had.

“Why?”

Yuri pulled her daughter close. "Because he wanted us to have no secrets. He wanted us to build something true, because he loved me and I loved him.”

“He knew that I wouldn’t be easily accepted, Lord knows your grandparents hated me, saw me more as a fling or secret mistress, but he didn’t care. But he didn’t want me going in blind, he respected me too much to do that.” Yuri fondly recalled her life, and that part of it.

“What did you do?” Kallen asked, as she had never heard about this. Now that she thought about it, she barely knew anything about her parents before she was born.

“You’re here, aren’t you?” Yuri smiled as she recalled how scared she had been meeting her future in-laws and all the terrible things they said about her.

That was the first time she had seen her Emmit get monstrously angry as he defended her against his own parents. He even got into a fight with his father, which ended with an ultimatum.

Approve this marriage, or he surrendered the Stadtfeld name.

He had 2 younger brothers, Kallen's uncles. They could not have believed him and watched him take Yuri's hand and walk out of that mansion, but in the end, they caved to him, and within a few short months, she had a wonderful wedding to an heir to an earldom.

"I do need to speak with the boy who stumbled into courting my only daughter," Yuri teased her daughter, laying a quick kiss on Kallen’s forehead. "But I think he's the type of man you believe him to be. That he's a good man. He respects you, he trusts you, and in time, you and he may come to love one another, even if you and he may come to share him."

Kallen thought about it, really thought about it, but found…she didn't disagree. Yes, it was complicated, yes, he was a prince, and they were fighting an active rebellion, but she wanted to at least try.

The mood was interrupted when her phone rang. Pulling it out, she saw it was Lelouch. “It’s work, see you soon?” Kallen asked as she got up, quickly downing the lemon water.

“You know where you find me.” Yuri smiled as Kallen bent over and gave her a hug, eliciting an 'oof' from Yuri, who was surprised by her daughter's newfound strength.

"I do, and thank you. I really need someone to talk to." Kallen said as she rushed quickly to the door.

“Oh, one more thing!” Before Kallen could open it and rush out, Yuri couldn’t resist one last tease. “Don’t go and make me a grandmother just yet, and when you finally do the deed, make you shatter his mind like I did you-!”

“Goodbye, mom!” Kallen nearly ripped the door off its hinges as she flew out of the apartment, her mother’s laughter chasing her as she ran as fast as she could.

Line Break

Oh my God, was I pissed when I went to the kitchen. I wake up, and the weather's cool, pretty damn cloudy, and even had a little drizzle. It was meant to be a good day… only for me to walk into the kitchen to make breakfast and find the garbage bin filled with maggots, although my roommate had changed it just three days before. There hadn't been that many flies. Yeah, it took 15 minutes to handle that, and an hour for the disgust to subside.

It just really put me in a foul mood, as I now work on this while also thinking of ways to set up additional fly traps around the apartment. But I tried my best not to let it impede things, especially as this chapter was something of an abnormal one, as I tried my best to have it continue from last week's rather emotionally dense chapter for the greater council, and just because I like the drama, it wasn't the only thing they had to worry about.

Also, we’ve officially hit 50 chapters, the same amount of episodes that the original series run had…and I’ve not even done with R1, shit, this story is proving to be one dense brick.