Chapter 74: Neutrally
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That had been something that tickled the back of her mind for some time, especially as her research turned up nothing on a noble family with the name "Lamperouge", though now that she knew it was an alias she wasn't surprised.
Lelouch snickered slightly, amused at the turn the conversation was taking. "I'm not a member of British nobility." Lelouch spoke the truth, he wasn't British.
He was Britannian. "But I am indeed familiar with the politics and norms of human nobility, I simply transplanted my knowledge and applied it to how I would be expected to accept a formal offer from the daughter of a Duke.
" Lelouch closed his eyes and shrugged before he opened them to look Rias in the eye. "I know you're not the most formal member of nobility, but I felt I should afford you due respect when I accepted your offer.
" Lelouch smirked. "Daughter of Gremory." He was willing to bet that phrase was what tipped her off about his knowledge of nobles and their ways.
The Daughter of Gremory smirked as she recognized something in Lelouch's answer, giving her another question to ask.
"Are you a part of the nobility in a nation other than Britain?" The emphasis on not being a member of British nobility was subtle, but she had some experience with reading between the lines thanks to lessons from her parents and brother.
She needed to know how to parse out what was really being said as Heiress so she didn't make a faux pas amongst her fellow nobles.
Lelouch felt his smirk vanish as Rias caught on to his little bit of wordplay. She was perceptive, more than he gave her credit for. "Not anymore." He answered truthfully.
"I was exiled to Japan when I was ten-years-old." That was a little more honest than he wanted to be, it brought back unpleasant memories.
"Say what?!" Issei shouted, enraged on Lelouch's behalf. "What kind of fucked up people do that?!" He was shocked that people would actually send a child alone to another country.
"My family." Lelouch deadpanned, before explaining that he wasn't exactly thrown to the wolves. "I lived with a family friend until about two years ago, I don't know if they're still alive or dead." Now that was the truth, depending on how creative someone was willing to interpret time as it applied to legal age and across dimensions.
"Why were you exiled?" Akeno asked quietly from her place by Rias' side. "What could possess your family to be willing to exile a ten-year-old to a foreign land?" She had never heard of such a thing.
"I was demanding a stricter investigation into my parent's death." Lelouch's lips pulled upwards in a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "My family didn't like that, I eventually found out the truth, but it was years down the road.
" His false grin faded as he looked seriously at Rias. "I would prefer not to discuss this subject further." If Rias pushed this he was going to walk out the door immediately.
"I completely understand and I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that." Rias spoke with genuine sorrow at the knowledge of what her Knight had suffered through when he was younger.
"Is there anyone in your family who was…" Rias paused as she tried to come up with a polite way to say 'not a total bastard.' But could only come up with one. "Not a terrible person?"
"My little sisters." Lelouch answered, a genuine warm smile graced his face as he thought of them, surprising the members of Rias' Peerage who had never seen such an expression on the Black Knight's face. "My sister Nunnally and my half-sister Euphemia, they were two of the kindest souls I have ever met in my life.
" He closed his eyes and recalled one of the fondest memories he had. It was the day she announced the creation of the Special Administrative Zone, just before her announcement actually.
Euphie hadn't been able to spend much time with him and Nunnally, but it had been special, spending time with her during Milly's festival.
"What were they like?" Rias asked, eager to learn about two individuals who were clearly close to Lelouch's heart.
"I'm betting they looked like Lelouch, only with bigger…" Issei found himself cut off violently as a Void Shot blasted its way past his ear as a warning, his hands frozen in front of his chest in a cupping motion.
"Talk about my sisters like that again and I will end you, am I clear?" Lelouch murmured quietly, his eyes and voice as cold as ice.
He put his hand in his pocket after Issei nodded quickly, concealing the trembling in his hand. Lelouch sighed quietly to calm himself down. 'Dammit, my energy levels are still too low.' Issei likely wouldn't have felt anything more than a mild sting at best if Lelouch hadn't intended for it to be a warning shot.
"Regardless, my sisters were the most precious things to me in the entire world. I would have died for them in a heartbeat if it was necessary." He avoided saying that he did die, waiting to see if Rias would ask about what Unas had revealed about him last night.
Rias smiled at the description of Lelouch's sisters, but she frowned slightly at his last statement. "I'm sure you would have." She murmured, considering how to phrase what she wanted to ask next.
"Were you aware that Unas, the priest who possessed you, said something that implied you had been killed before? Not just when you were killed by the Fallen Angel." She clarified, preparing to gauge Lelouch's reaction.
"What did that parasite say?" Lelouch asked neutrally, waiting to see how Rias handled this. Depending on how carefully she tread with her question, he might answer.
"When I threatened him to try and make him leave your body, he said something like third time might be the charm." Rias answered, forcing herself to plow forward. "Is it true? Have you died before?" Rias felt her fist clench her bicep nervously as she remained silent and waited for Lelouch's answer.
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