4 Chapter 3

Even before her arrival in Japan Princess Euphemia possessed many an ally at court. Her older sister Cornelia was an obvious patron though it could be argued that her half-brother Schneizel did more to help the Princess gain her own powerbase. The Prince was already Britannia's prime minister and the more astute observers at court were convinced that it was Schneizel, not his older brother Odysseus, whom would inherit the throne from their father. An adroit and adept politician, Schneizel cultivated many resources to solidify his grip on power. It is likely he saw his younger sister Euphemia as one such asset. While few dispute that there was some affection between the Princess and her brother, even fewer doubt that had their situations been reversed Schneizel would have held no reservations about eliminating his sister to achieve his own goals. Nevertheless at this early stage Schneizel was one of if not the most powerful of the Princess' backers and it was his influence that secured for her the viceroyalty of Japan, then known as Area 11, after the death of their mutual half-brother Clovis la Britannia. It was to be a most fateful act.

-Toward a New Dawn: The Rise of Euphemia I

Chapter 3: Venio

Euphie entered the audience chamber and stopped the appropriate number of paces before the Emperor's desk. She waited patiently until she was acknowledged, something that took almost five minutes by her reckoning.

"Euphemia," Charles finally deigned to address her.

"Your majesty," Euphie curtsied.

"Schneizel said you have something to ask of us," Charles asked, still not looking up from his paperwork.

"I seek a boon from you, your majesty."

That finally got his attention. Charles looked up, eyebrow raised.

"Speak."

"Your majesty, your son and my brother Clovis la Britannia has been slain in his duty as viceroy of Area 11. I beg of you to appoint me in his stead."

"You believe you will succeed where Clovis has failed?"

"Yes majesty."

A slight smile crossed Charles' face as he regarded his daughter. Euphie was not a child he had paid much attention to during her childhood. In fact his most distinct memory of her was when she cried out at Lelouch after his banishment. And then she fell out of his attention for years before some of the documents Schneizel passed on to him began bearing her signature. Her chosen method of establishing herself in the court was subtle and owed much to Schneizel's patronage but the girl would have never gotten this far without some genuine intelligence and ability of her own. What might she accomplish if she were to wield more direct power?

"We grant you your requested boon," Charles said. "How long it remains yours is in your hands alone."

Euphie curtsied deeper. "My sincerest gratitude, your majesty. I shall not disappoint."

Charles looked down at his papers once more, as brusque a means of dismissing her as Euphie had expected. Her father never did seem to actually see as children as genuine people instead of mere pawns to be maneuvered in some elaborate game of chess. Yet pawns should not be underestimated, for they served as both the vanguard and under the right conditions could be turned into queens. That was a favorite strategy of Lelouch's, where he would elevate those pieces others so quickly dismissed into potent weapons. And while Euphie herself had only a passing familiarity with the game she felt no hesitation in adopting the stratagem for her own trials. Today she may be a pawn but under the right conditions she could become a queen, or even, just possibly, an empress. Euphie dipped her form once more before retreating out the door. She had what she wanted. Now it was up to her to make the most of it.

The core of Ohgi's resistance cell were clustered around the dilapidated apartment, watching the news broadcast.

"-are still searching for the terrorists who murdered Prince Clovis," the woman said. "With the passing of the Prince and the death of General Asprius, the Prince's senior military advisor, command of Britannia's military forces has fallen to Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald. The Margrave has issued the following statement."

The screen switched to a recording of Jeremiah seated at his office desk, looking commanding and imperious with his hands clasped before him.

"Loyal sons and daughters of Britannia, this day has seen a grievous wound inflicted upon our great Empire. Prince Clovis, scion of our glorious Emperor, has been slain in vile treachery. I swear on my honor as a noble of the Empire that I shall not rest until every terrorist responsible for this cowardly act is captured and made to pay for their sins. In light of the continued resistance by Elevens to the integration of this Area into the Empire proper, I am suspending the Honorary Britannian system until such time as the people of Area 11 demonstrate a genuine commitment to becoming loyal servants of the Empire. Only through vigilance and sacrifice will the Empire emerge victorious. Hail Britannia!"

The recording ended and the feed switched back to the blond reporter.

"That just now was a message the Margrave released this morning. In addition to the-"

Ohgi muted the television set and sank into his seat. "This, is what we would call an unintended consequence."

The others all looked over at Kallen and the girl flushed.

"I did what I had to do to get us out of there alive!" the girl said defensively.

"I know," Ohgi said. "And to be honest I can't think of any way you could have gotten all of us out alive, not with that new knightmare after us. Still, things have gotten a lot more complicated. Margrave Gottwald is an open bigot and racist and he and his Purist faction were just waiting for an excuse to crack down harder on us Japanese. Now they have one."

That Kallen could not argue against so she simply looked away sheepishly. Not that the girl did sheepish very well if the slight smile on Ohgi's face was any indication.

"I don't mean to be too hard on you Kallen," Ohgi said gently, "but there are times when you let your temper get the better of you. You're passionate, and that's what makes you so strong. But a passion that burns too hot can also end up burning you and those close to you. Just try to remember that, okay?"

"Okay," Kallen said with a sigh.

"Good. For the time being I think you need to go back to the Stadtfeld's."

"I knew you were going to say that," Kallen muttered under her breath.

"Things are too hot for us to try anything right now," Ohgi said. "We might have gotten that one Sutherland out, but I wouldn't say we're any stronger than we were before. Right now we need to keep our heads down and let the situation cool a bit before we plan our next move. And we also need to wait and see who ends up as Clovis' permanent replace-"

"Ohgi unmute the TV!" Naomi cried out.

The man fumbled with the remote for a second before hitting the button.

"-a breaking news item from the mainland," the reporter said. "It has been confirmed that the Emperor has appointed his daughter, Euphemia li Britannia, Third Princess of the Realm, to be the next viceroy of Area 11. The Princess has not yet issued a statement regarding her appointment but our news teams back in the homeland are on standby for when her highness releases a public statement. Again, for those of you just joining us we have confirmation that-"

"Huh," Ohgi said, lowering the volume but not completely muting it this time. "Anyone know anything about this Princess Euphemia?"

Shrugs and shakes of heads answered him.

"Then we need to find out more," the man said before looking pointedly at Kallen. "And Ashford Academy is likely to be a great place to pick up some gossip about the Princess."

"Fine, fine, you've made your point," Kallen said. "I'll go back to the Stadtfeld's and live my civilian life for a bit."

Ohgi chuckled. "It's not that bad Kallen, a soft bed, good food, clean clothes. Try to enjoy it a little bit, alright? And if you feel guilty, you can always bring back some souvenirs next time you visit."

Kallen looked about the apartment. It was not quite as rundown as some other places but it was not someplace she would have wanted to call a home. But beggars could not be choosers and the others were not as lucky as she was. Kallen sighed and held up her hands in surrender.

"I already said you made your point, no need to keep pushing it."

Ohgi nodded and looked over at the others. "I think that's all we needed to talk about today. Everyone should get going, no telling if they'll start enforcing a curfew earlier than they announced."

The others stood and exchanged farewells before filing out, all but Tamaki who was staying with Ohgi since his own place was now a pile of rubble in Shinjuku. The loss of Tamaki's apartment might even have been karmic considering he was the one that had blown their cover. Once the others were gone Ohgi looked at Kallen once more.

"So, ready to talk about what happened in Shinjuku?" he asked.

Kallen shifted uneasily. "It's, hard to explain."

"Oh?"

"It'll probably be easier to show you."

The girl stood and picked up an apple, tossing it over to Tamaki. She walked over to the other side of the room and faced away from them.

"Throw the apple at me."

Tamaki exchanged a confused look with Ohgi and the other man nodded. With a shrug Tamaki lightly tossed the apple toward Kallen, mostly on target but slowly enough that the girl would not get hurt. Kallen's arm suddenly moved, reaching back and catching the apple in midair. Ohgi's jaw dropped. He was pretty sure Tamaki's did too. And then the girl tossed the apple back to Tamaki, perfectly on target with her arced throw, still without looking at them.

"Do it again, and don't be such a wuss about it."

The look Tamaki gave Ohgi this time had a dash of helplessness mixed in with his confusion. Ohgi nodded again. Kallen was trying to make a point and only after they saw this through would she explain. Sighing Tamaki wound himself up and chucked the apple at Kallen. The girl's arm flickered and again she caught the fruit without ever actually seeing it. When she turned around to face them Ohgi saw his own worry reflected back at him in Kallen's eyes.

"Kallen, how did you do that?" he asked.

"Yeah, you able to see the future now or something?" Tamaki chimed in.

"No," Kallen began, "well not exactly. It's more like, I can see everything now. Everything within a kilometer or two. I can see beyond this room, behind the walls, I can see the people out in the streets, and I can see the little details too. I can see the way a person's body winds up as he or she prepares to move and from that I can, see, where that person will go or what he or she will do."

Ohgi tried hard to put words in his mouth to describe what he thought. It was a lot harder than it looked.

"So, wait, are you saying you awakened some sort of psychic ability in Shinjuku?" he asked.

"I know it sounds crazy," Kallen said, "but I think so. And it wasn't me that awakened it, it was that girl."

Ohgi narrowed his eyes. "What girl?"

"That container that we stole, the one that we thought had poison gas in it? There was no gas. Instead it was holding this green haired girl. She was gagged and tied up in this straitjacket and after I cut her loose she asked if I wanted to live. I said yes, and then she said she would grant me my wish. The next thing I knew, I could see, well, everything."

Ohgi glanced over at Tamaki. The other man held up his hands, apparently even more lost than him. He looked back over at Kallen.

"So, where is this girl now?"

"Dead," Kallen said softly. "She stood up in the middle of a firefight and got shot in the head. No one could have survived that."

"I see," Ohgi said thoughtfully. "So this was how you were able to lead us around like that, avoiding the patrols and even predicting the movements of the units we fought. And also how you managed to breach Clovis' security."

Kallen nodded. "It was, incredible. I could see exactly where they were vulnerable, it was just a matter of hitting them at there."

"Any side effects?"

Kallen tilted her head thoughtfully. "A bit of a headache when I use the power, and my left eye aches a bit for some reason. I think it's because there's so much information to process."

"You sure that's not because you hit your head or something?" Tamaki asked.

Kallen shot the man a glare.

"Hey I'm just asking," Tamaki said quickly. "I mean, we've seen some crazy shit since the war but psychic powers? That's gotta be a record."

"Maybe so," Ohgi said, "but think of the implications."

Kallen brightened. "Yeah! It would give us a huge tactical advantage over any Britannian forces we run into!"

Ohgi smiled wirily. "Like that white knightmare?"

The girl deflated. "Yeah okay, I got cocky there."

"I admit, your skill really could help turn the tide in some ways. But we need to be careful and not get overconfident. And we especially need to find out if there are long term consequences to you using that power."

"I feel fine," Kallen insisted.

"Your headache?"

The girl bit her lip to stop from spouting out her instinctive response. Ohgi nodded in understanding.

"For now I don't think you should use that power unless it is absolutely necessary. If nothing else we should not become too reliant on it, otherwise we'd only get ourselves into trouble if you weren't around or we needed to split the cell up into teams for a run."

Kallen nodded reluctantly.

Ohgi stood. "Go get changed, I'll drop you off at the border to the Concession. It probably isn't the safest to be walking around in an Ashford uniform out here right now."

"Fine," Kallen said with a sigh and headed for the bedroom.

After the door closed the relaxed look on Ohgi's face turned back into worry.

"You think she's serious about this crazy psychic power of hers?" Tamaki asked.

"Yeah," Ohgi said. "And the crazier thing is I think I believe her."

"But, that's great, no?" Tamaki wondered aloud. "If she really can see anything coming-"

"She said she could only see out a kilometer or so," Ohgi countered. "How long does it take a knightmare to cross that distance?"

Tamaki said nothing.

"And then there're those headaches," Ohgi continued. "All power comes with a cost and I don't want to lose Kallen to it, no matter how useful it is."

"There is that," Tamaki agreed.

As brash as the man was he was still a friend of Naoto's and also took seriously a promise to look after his deceased friend's little sister.

"For now we'll wait and see," Ohgi said. "There is the new viceroy to consider after all."

"Man I hate waiting around."

Ohgi chuckled. "Probably why Naoto left me in charge."

Kallen emerged then, back in her prime and proper school uniform with her hair combed down. Ohgi had to admit, when the girl dressed up like that she really did look like a fragile doll. Little wonder she was so popular at school, half the boys must have felt an urge to shield her from harm with their own bodies. Not that Kallen needed any such protection. He shook his head.

"C'mon, let's hurry."

Kallen nodded and followed Ohgi down to his car. She might have been fine in the Concession but Ohgi still needed to get back to the ghetto before the curfew hit. The drive fortunately did not take long and after being dropped off Kallen passed through the checkpoint with little difficulty before taking a subway home. In theory she could have called for a car but the girl did not like relying on the Stadtfeld family's resources any more than she had to. As she entered the house she was reminded forcefully of just why.

"Welcome back milady."

It felt wrong, sickeningly so, that her own biological mother had to bow down to her. Kallen fought back her irritation and instead nodded politely in response. Her mother had it hard enough, putting up with the abuses of the native Britannian maids. She would not make her life even harder. Conversely she could not do much to help her mother either. That would only incite further abuse from the other servants.

Just you wait Mother, Kallen thought to herself. I'll get you out of here and into a real, proper home one day.

"Kallen."

The voice that called out her name caused the girl to bristle. She looked up to see the Lady Stadtfeld standing atop the stairs.

"Where have you been?"

"Visiting friends," Kallen answered brusquely. She started climbing the stairs, intent on getting to her room and leaving the presence of this foul woman.

Lady Stadtfeld frowned. "You were in the ghettos again."

"What of it?" Kallen snapped back, regretting it almost immediately. Antagonizing the woman never did any good, she would only take out her frustration on her real mother.

The frown turned into a scowl. "You need to learn to behave yourself, child. Were it not for your father's influence you would not get away with half of your antics."

Kallen opened her mouth to retort back, intending to throw the woman's words right back at her. Her antics? What about all the men Lady Stadtfeld invited here while her father was absent? But Kallen recalled Ohgi's words about watching her temper. And her own mother was watching. Instead she stopped at the top of the stairs and looked down at maid.

"Ms. Kouzuki, please bring my dinner to my room, I will be eating in there."

Her mother curtsied in response and hurried off to the kitchen. Kallen regarded Lady Stadtfeld, making sure the woman got the message. Kallen was watching out for her mother. Even if she could not always be there for her, she would avenge any outright insults. After exchanging glares for a few more seconds Kallen broke off and headed for her room. The past few days had been exhausting and despite it all she was looking forward to sleeping in a proper bed again. Even if the one here was too soft to truly be comfortable.

Jeremiah adjusted his collar for perhaps the hundredth time as he prepared for the conference call with the Princess Euphemia. The sudden announcement of her appointment as Clovis' replacement had come as a surprise to everyone in Area 11, not least because they knew so little about the Princess. There were rumors though, rumors that the Princess gave short shrift to graft and inefficiency and was most thorough in weeding such sins out. That almost certainly meant she would be an improvement over Clovis. While a prince the former viceroy seemed more interested in grand theatrical gestures and the arts than the nuances of governance and finance. Yes he was a noble, but there were nobles and then there were nobles. Nobles such as the deceased Empress Marianne.

The Margrave sighed as memories of his lost Empress surfaced. It was a mark of shame, his greatest failure, that the Empress should fall while he served as part of her royal guard. There had been a woman of mettle and will, someone truly worthy of the crown. True she had risen to such heights from commoner origins and then there was the fact that her branch of the family originated from French aristocrats fleeing their homeland when republicanism took hold there. And yet never before had Jeremiah seen a woman of such strength of will, little wonder she became the Emperor's favored. But Empress Marianne was dead and with the loss of her children the Lamperouge line in Britannia ended. Only some distant relatives, descendants of that stayed behind and escaped execution in France remained, and they were likely nothing more than pale shadows of the true line that Marianne had represented.

The terminal beeped, pulling Jeremiah out of his melancholy. He immediately accepted the connection. It would not do to make a member of the Imperial family wait after all. The image of Princess Euphemia appeared, a young woman with flowing pink hair dressed in a similarly colored gown.

"Your highness," Jeremiah intoned as he bowed his head.

"Margrave Gottwald," Euphie replied, her face stern and all business. "I will be arriving in Area 11 two days hence. Please ensure that all preparations necessary to receive me are complete."

"Of course highness," Jeremiah said. "I will secure the Tokyo settlement and ensure that the terrorists who murdered Prince Clovis will have no chance of-"

"Margrave," Euphie cut Jeremiah off. "I am well aware of your continued efforts to secure the Concession, but effort means little without results to show for it. I have seen the reports coming out of Area 11 and the numbers do not lie. Tell me, Margrave, do you have any idea how much the curfew enforcement has cost the Empire thus far?"

"Umm, I do not have an exact figure, your highness," Jeremiah said, trying to sound composed. This interview was not going well.

"I do," Euphie said. "As of the release of your public statement the costs stood at three million pounds and this is not including the cost in wealth and blood of the initial response to the theft of the poison gas that ultimately resulted in my brother's death."

That last word sent a chill down Jeremiah's back. He never knew such a flat tone could hold such fury.

"Thus far the terrorists responsible for my brother's death have eluded your forces and the effect of the search has been to shut down much of the Tokyo settlement, disrupting services and businesses throughout both the ghettos and the concession. Would you say then that you have produced results from your effort, Margrave?"

"No, your highness," Jeremiah admitted reluctantly.

Euphie nodded, apparently pleased that the man could at least show that much honesty.

"The situation in Area 11 has been deteriorating for years now," Euphie said. "By all rights considering its prewar economy it should be well on its way to Satellite status but it remains barely at Developing. We are the stewards of the land now and it is We that hold ultimate responsibility for the lack of progress. The people may resist but again the failure to overcome that resistance rests with Us."

Jeremiah swallowed. Rarely did any member of the Imperial family save the Emperor himself use the Pluralis Majestatis. When they did it was something they were dead serious about and on a position in which they had the Emperor's backing.

"The Empire has enemies aplenty already," Euphie said. "There is no need to create more within our own borders. The Areas do not exist as a playground for the nobility. If there are those that wish to distinguish themselves in martial glory then they should enlist on proper campaigns of conquest instead of inciting unrest within the Empire itself." The girl's eyes narrowed and Jeremiah felt himself unconsciously flinch. "Or is it perhaps they know they lack the courage and skill to engage a worthy opponent."

"Of course not your highness!" Jeremiah protested reflexively.

Euphie smiled. There was no warmth in it.

"I am gladdened to here this. I have no place in my administration for cowards and glory hounds." The smile disappeared. "Continue with your duties Margrave, but do not overstep. You command Britannia's arms in Area 11 but matters of justice and administration are within my purview. Even in the martial matters my word is final. Am I understood?"

"Yes your highness."

"Good." The smile returned. "We shall speak at length upon my arrival. It has come to my attention that you once served in the Empress Marianne's personal guard."

Jeremiah froze. How had the Princess known that?

"I was quite close to my brother Lelouch and my sister Nunnally. I believe we will have much to discuss. Good day, Margrave."

Jeremiah forced himself to bow his head again. He kept it down until the connection closed and even then it took several long minutes before he could raise it again. A cold sweat had drenched the man and it was with a shaky hand that he pressed his intercom.

"Dame Villetta, come to my office at once."

By the time the woman entered Jeremiah still had not recovered his composure if her hesitant salute was any indication.

"My lord?" she said slowly.

Jeremiah took a deep breath. "Seat yourself."

"Sir." Villetta accepted the invitation and waited for Jeremiah to speak again. The Margrave did so after a few linger moments of silence.

"I have just spoken with the Princess Euphemia," he said. "She has, expressed her displeasure with the state of affairs in Area 11."

Villetta nodded. That was not surprising. Said state of affairs had seen her brother murdered after all.

"I believe the Princess intends on a series of reforms, reforms that may disturb some of the more militant elements of the Purists."

The woman frowned. "Reforms, my lord?"

"Reforms," Jeremiah repeated for the third time. "The Princess made clear that she feels the situation in Area 11 is as much the fault of the existing policies as it is that of the resisting Elevens. And while she did not come out and say it, she likely does not agree with my suspension of the Honorary Britannian system."

"She intends to restore it, sir?"

"Possibly. As I said, she did not come right out and say it. She did however give me a pointed warning about, overstepping my duties. I am after all an officer of the Britannian military, not a bureaucrat or politician of the Administratum."

"The, Princess wishes to exert civilian control over the military?" Villetta said in disbelief.

"Perhaps," Jeremiah said. "Or more specifically, her highness seems to want to make sure we are targeted more precisely. The Princess made a valid point, the Empire is not without plenty of external enemies. Expending our resources putting down rebellions and riots does not necessarily make us stronger for the inevitable war with them."

"As you say sir," Villetta said, accepting the reasoning even if she did not entirely agree with it.

Jeremiah allowed a wiry smile. "I do not believe the Princess to be an equalitarian. Her highness however seems to believe in the French concept ideal of noblesse obligé."

"With power comes duty," Villetta said with a nod. "To whom does her highness believe she has a duty to?"

"We, Dame Villetta," Jeremiah said. "It is all of us that the Princess believes has a duty, and it is to the people in our charge."

That caused the woman to frown again. "Does that also mean the Elevens, my lord?"

"To an extent," Jeremiah said. "Her highness sees us as shepherds and a good shepherd knows both when to cull a herd but also when to let it grow fat. The Princess seems to believe we have culled too much and left the herd as a whole unhealthy as a result. Perhaps she is right. And if she is, it is our duty to support her, not to obstruct her out of some petty sense of pride."

"You sound as if you approve of her, my lord," Villetta said carefully.

Did he? Jeremiah allowed himself a smile.

"It has been some time since I have seen a Princess of the Realm with such fire, not since her sister Cornelia entered the ranks of the army. The Princess Euphemia has a different fire, but it too reminds me of the Empress Marianne. I believe she will make a fine viceroy." Jeremiah met Villetta's gaze. "And I believe she will recognize genuine merit when she sees it."

Villetta's eyes widened. Her own advancement had always been a delicate matter amongst the Purists. True she was of pure Britannian stock but she entered the military as a commoner. Her rise to the rank of Knight was a remarkable achievement but the title was only a lifetime title, not a hereditary one. To achieve an actual elevation to the nobility was something Villetta long aspired to. She could have taken the easy way and married into some noble family but then she would not have truly earned it. Villetta nodded.

"If you believe the Princess to be worthy of such comparison, then I shall also lend her my strength."

"Good," Jeremiah said. "Good. Then let us not waste any time. The Princess ordered me to carry out my duty and I shall not allow myself to be found wanting."

"-been confirmed that the Emperor has appointed his daughter, Euphemia li Britannia, Third Princess of the Realm, to be the next viceroy of Area 11. The Princess has not yet issued a statement regarding her appointment but our news teams back in the homeland are on standby for when her highness releases a public statement. Again, for those of you just joining us we have confirmation that the Emperor has appointed his daughter, Third Princess Euphemia li Britannia, as the new viceroy of Area 11. The princess is expected to arrive in the Area within the next few days. Thus far-"

"Euphie," the girl Milly hugged in her arms muttered softly.

The blond haired girl smiled gently as she cradled her little sister. "It's alright Nanna."

"But she's coming to Japan!" Nunnally Ashford said. "After what happened to Clovis!"

"And I'm sure her guards will be on alert," Milly assured the girl. "And you know that Princess Cornelia will send some of her own knights to look after her. So she'll be safe, okay?"

Nunnally looked up at her sister before offering a weak smile. "Okay."

"That's a good girl," Milly said, caressing the girl's cheeks. "Now let's get freshened up, Sayako's going to be looking for us for dinner soon. It's pork roast tonight!"

Nunnally giggled. "Alright. Let me get into the chair."

Milly stood and helped the younger girl into the wheelchair. Nunnally could get around the bathroom by herself however so she waited outside in the bedroom they shared. Once alone Milly's smile disappeared and she turned back to the news broadcast. Despite her assurances there was a genuine danger to Princess Euphemia's life. Thus far no one seemed to know how the resistance fighters had managed to penetrate Prince Clovis' security and then walk out undetected after killing him. If they could do that, then what guarantee they could not do the same with whatever security was put together to protect Princess Euphemia?

Milly did not pay the Imperial family much attention beyond the usual gossip that passed through the school. Her grandfather might know a bit more about the imperial scions but she herself had only a faint memory of them from her time at court. What she did remember did not particularly endear them to her. Nunnally was different though, Nunnally and her brother Lelouch. The assassination that claimed their mother had not quite killed the little girl but it had come close. As it was Nunnally was paralyzed the hip down and required the use of a wheelchair to get around. Her survival had been kept a secret to avoid any follow-up attempts to finish the job. That same secrecy however had ended up pushing Nunnally's brother to commit suicide, convinced that there was nothing left in the world for him. The painful irony was that it was Nunnally that was left alone instead.

Well, not entirely alone. Despite their public disgrace the Ashfords had been entrusted with Nunnally, to keep her hidden and allow her to live as normal a life as possible. Milly was not entirely sure who pulled the strings to make that happen, it might have even been the Emperor himself. Whatever the circumstances Milly had found herself with a little sister, one that she treasured and would do anything to protect. One thing that had been impressed upon her was the need to keep Nunnally's circumstances as secret as possible. Despite her condition if the rest of the court found out she was still alive there was the very real risk they would try to arrange for a fatal accident. It was the sort of political bloodletting that Milly found disgusting, one reason why she kept intentionally sabotaging her family's efforts to marry her into another noble house to regain their titles. IT was also probably the same reason her grandfather let her get away with those same antics. Ruben was a kindly old man likely as tired of the politics as Milly herself had been despite the vast gulf in age. Not surprising seeing the vipers he needed to deal with during his time at court. But then not everyone at court was a monster hiding their fangs behind silk.

Euphemia li Britannia. Nunnally had often spoken fondly of her older sister and Milly had faint memories of a bright and kind pink haired girl. She might just be the one person Milly could trust with Nunnally's secret, assuming she was ever desperate enough to ask for outside help. But the Ashfords were doing fine right now despite the turmoil in Area 11 and so long as they were doing fine Nunnally was safe. So for now Milly would watch and wait to see if her and Nunnally's memory of Princess Euphemia were still representative of the young woman she had grown up into.

"What were you thinking Euphie!?" an agitated Cornelia said over the video feed.

"I was thinking it was time I started doing some real work in the Empire," Euphie replied calmly.

"There are plenty of places where you can contribute. Don't you already have a position in the treasury!?"

"The good that I can do there is limited," Euphie said. "As viceroy of Area 11 I can have a direct impact on the lives of countless people. I can make a genuine difference to not just their overall situation but to their day to day lives."

Cornelia sighed in resignation. She of all people knew that when Euphie got like this there was no talking her little sister out of her decided course of action. What was Schneizel thinking, helping Euphie gain the appointment?

"But why Area 11?" Cornelia asked. "We just lost Clovis there, this is the time for a military response to clamp down on the dissidents to make sure something like this can't happen again."

Euphie's eyes narrowed. "Sister, we both know that the security measures in Area 11 are considerably greater than any other areas at the Developing stage. Increasing those measures is at this point not cost effective."

"Cost effective?" Cornelia said, eyebrow raised.

Euphie shrugged. "The numbers do not lie. We've spent billions trying to make Area 11 secure but to this day the area seethes with unrest. Until we address the root cause of that unrest it will never end."

"You're being too soft on the issue Euphie," Cornelia said.

"The militarists have had their chance to try to turn Area 11 into a productive and stable part of the Empire," Euphie countered. "Now it's my turn."

Cornelia regarded her sister for a few moments of silence. She had a point, insomuch as the militarists had been the ones at the helm in Area 11 since the initial conquest. Yet that did not mean their strategy was doomed to long term failure. But that was not what was truly eating at Cornelia. It was Euphie putting herself into the line of fire like this. She would face not only Elevens who did not wish to integrate into the Empire, she would also face off against vested interests that profited from Area 11's current state. Could she handle both at once? That was what worried Cornelia so.

"I'm coming with you," the marshal declared.

Euphie's eyes widened. "What?"

"I said I'm coming with you," Cornelia repeated. "You might be good with shuffling numbers and have a strong grasp of abstract economics but Area 11 is still a mess when it comes to internal security. I'm not going to trust that security to anyone else, especially when it will be responsible for keeping you safe."

"But, aren't you out on campaign right now?" Euphie said. "You can't just very well abandon your post like that."

"That just means I will have to achieve victory all the more quickly," Cornelia said. "Besides, the opposing force has been bled dry. Another week or so and they will fall."

The worry did not leave Euphie's expression.

"I'll be fine," Cornelia assured her little sister. "Your field is of economics, mine is of war. You asked me to trust you with the administration of Area 11, I ask you to trust me with the conquest of Area 18."

Euphie knew that there was no arguing with her sister on this point, not with Cornelia using her arguments against her. She sighed.

"Alright, but I want you to promise me two things."

"Oh?"

"First, you will not take any unnecessary risks just to achieve a quicker victory. I am already mourning one brother, I do not wish to have to mourn you as well, sister."

Cornelia nodded solemnly. "And the other condition?"

"That you align your military policy with my domestic policy."

Cornelia raised an eyebrow, eliciting a slight smile from Euphie.

"You asked me to trust you on matters of war, dear sister. I thus ask you to trust me on matters of administration and internal cohesion."

Cornelia chuckled and nodded. "Alright Euphie, you've got me there. When I arrive I'll support your policies. But if there is a genuine military threat to your safety, I expect you to heed my advice."

Advice, not orders. Euphie could live with that.

"Of course sister."

The siblings bid each other heartfelt farewells and Euphie sunk into her chair. One more minor victory. And to be honest having Cornelia there with her would be reassuring, so long as she could keep her sister from resorting to excessive force at every provocation. But this was just one small step on her greater journey and there was still much to do before her departure.

Euphie closed down her terminal and left her office. As mundane as it relatively was she still needed to figure out what of her wardrobe to bring along. Her fancier gowns she could probably cut back on, her more severe and businesslike outfits would be more appropriate for her position as viceroy. That of course did not mean her appearance would be lacking in femininity, there was no way she could ever pull off anything but girly.

"Euphemia li Britannia."

The voice caused Euphie to start and spin around. "Who is there?"

The figure that stepped out of the shadows was that of a boy many years Euphie's junior. His stature did not quite reach Euphie's chest even if the multiple layers of coats and flowing hair made him look bigger than he really was. Euphie frowned as she recognized the figure. Her body began to assume a defensive stance.

"What do you want?"

The boy smirked, an ugly and decidedly unpleasant smirk. "My, but what a jittery child you are. And to think some of my subordinates are actually worried about you."

Euphie's eyes narrowed. The person standing before her was both an enigma and someone well known within certain select circles at court. There was however no doubt whatsoever that he was very, very dangerous.

"What do you want?" Euphie repeated.

The smirk grew wider into a wolfish grin. "I wonder what you intend to play at in Area 11. Are you trying to slip out from under our watch?"

Euphie frowned. "I have no idea what you might be insinuating."

The boy chuckled. "Of course you don't. Just like you don't have any idea of what all those audits of yours have been digging up."

The princess kept her face impassive. A part of her was seriously contemplating the possibility that her life was in mortal danger. Another part latched onto every word, every revelation this boy offered.

"What do you want," the girl repeated for the third time.

The boy took a step closer. Euphie willed herself to remain still.

"You have been an irritant," he said. "You and your siblings. I think it is about time that we put a proper leash on all of you."

Euphie blinked. "What?"

Euphie barely heard the boy. No, she did hear him, but his words did not penetrate her consciousness. Instead her mind whirled as numbers and factors combined to spit out more numbers and factors. There, the discrepancies for the tithes from Area 3, the missing money was being diverted through a variety of foreign accounts before filtering back into the country. Here, a deviation in the lifetimes of knightmare Yggdrasil Drives that suggested impure Sakuradite being substituted for the Core Luminous cube in order to inflate earnings. More and more conclusions fell into place, all of the accounts and reports Euphie had seen up to this point pooling together to create a lattice of connections and relationships. It was so clear now, so obvious, how could she not have seen it all before?

Euphie blinked. There was something else. Something hidden deep within all those numbers, all those variables. Something big, bigger than anything she would have imagined was possible to hide. But what was it? And who was responsible? Euphie fought to hold onto the impression but it was already slipping. There just was not enough data, not enough to form any concrete conclusions. The young woman pulled herself to her feet. Her head throbbed and her eye ached. Whatever had happened was passing, but she could still remember much of what was revealed to her. The corruption, the graft, the outright theft those in power committed because they thought their positions made them immune from judgment. Euphie's face hardened. But they were not immune, not by a long shot, and now that she knew where to look they would soon realize their folly.

The light in the girl's eye flickered before disappearing entirely. It would return however when Euphie had need of it once more. The girl's hunt was only beginning after all.

End of Chapter 3

The game's afoot.

I have a question to my readers that I'd appreciate a response to. In my master draft at the start of each chapter I have a snippet that's written as if it were from a history text describing the rise of Empress Euphemia. I believe the blurbs to be interesting, but they are, spoilerific to say the least. Not in terms of details, but in terms of what ultimately happens to some characters. The story summary already makes clear that Euphie becomes empress and I presume all of you are reading because you want to see how exactly she achieves this. The additional blurbs basically explain where a character ends up, like what Kallen and Suzaku and other character's positions and roles are upon Euphie's ascension to the throne. It does not of course provide much if any detail on how they ended up at that position, that is the job of the story itself. The question then is should I include the blurbs I have despite them spoiling the, endgame, so to speak, or would all of you prefer I keep them under wraps and maybe add them in as part of some sort of remastered edition?

Notes specific to this chapter. Jeremiah was portrayed I felt somewhat incoherently in the canon. He had a sort of shallow attitude to him for so long that by the time we reach the latter half of R2 and he's suddenly given an excuse, it felt tacked on and forced. I would like to handle him a bit more gracefully, not because of my own personal opinion of him as an individual but because I would like his development in my story to make sense and be believable.

If Kallen has a weakness it is most definitely her temper and her stubbornness. That's gotten her into more trouble than really anything else. If she's to be an effective opponent to Britannia, I need to work out how to, temper, her temper, at least a little bit. I mean, I think part of the reason she's so popular is because she is so passionate. And not because of her, ahem, assets.

People have been asking about Lelouch and Nunnally. I've answered the question about one of them. I leave it to all of you to draw further conclusions.

Anyway, drop a review if you've enjoyed the story thus far. Not sure whether this or In Tune will get updated next, but I think I've been pretty steady with updates so far. Next week I'm traveling so expect a break there.