The Princess, Gentle on the Outside but Strong Within (5.2K)

Each time Hyukie received Mahiro's repeated answer, Euphemia li Britannia would happily hug his arm.

He could clearly feel the softness and warmth emanating from her chest through the fabric.

"Here, try this, Euphemia li Britannia."

After leaving the shop, Mahiro bought two crepes from a nearby vendor and handed them to Euphemia li Britannia.

The princess looked at it curiously at first, then took a small bite, and her eyes immediately lit up with golden light.

"Teacher, this is delicious!"

"Right? I knew you'd like it."

What girl doesn't like sweets?

"However, even if you really like it, please remember to be polite and don't make a mess with the food."

A small piece of cream smudged on Euphemia li Britannia's lips. Mahiro out and gently scraped it off, then naturally put it into his mouth.

Mmm, it's very sweet.

But when Euphemia li Britannia saw his actions, her fair face immediately flushed with a shy blush.

They walked along the street, eating crepes and sharing stories and anecdotes from the past few years.

However, Euphemia li Britannia's life remained consistently uneventful.

She studied diligently and learned various etiquette rules step by step. Her elder sister, Cornelia, never told her anything and protected her well.

Euphemia li Britannia, however, was very excited when she heard Mahiro Mahiro's experiences over the years.

Listening to him tell his story felt like experiencing it firsthand.

When talking about embarrassing moments, Euphemia li Britannia would giggle and cover her mouth, but when talking about conflicts with others or strange occurrences, Euphemia li Britannia couldn't help but show a worried expression.

I was completely immersed in it.

Kind, innocent, ordinary yet extraordinary—this is perhaps the true Euphemia.

Mahiro also enjoyed it.

However, as a special military truck passed by them, it suddenly stopped not far away.

"Oh dear, how could this be...?"

"Huh? What's wrong, Mr. Lloyd... Wait, Mr. Lloyd, that's... Princess Euphemia?!"

Inside the vehicle, Cecile, sitting in the driver's seat, noticed Lloyd's somewhat surprised expression and looked out the window.

Then, Princess Euphemia, with her long pink hair, appeared on the street.

Although her attire differed from the Euphemia he had seen before, Cecile was certain that it was indeed the Empire's Third Princess— Euphemia Li Britannia!

The question is, why are we here?

You see, they had just come from the Governor's Mansion and were preparing to transport the reassembled and upgraded Lancelot Z-01 to the research institute when they saw the mansions near the Governor's Mansion in complete chaos.

Everyone is searching for Princess Euphemia li Britannia.

But now, she's here, and with a young man, the two of them chatting and laughing, like they're on a date...

As a woman, Cecile couldn't help but feel a surge of gossip and asked:

"Mr. Lloyd, do you know who that person is next to Princess Euphemia li Britannia?"

"That... um..."

"... Mahiro Zi Britannia."

Just as Lloyd was deep in thought, a voice from the seat behind him suddenly answered Cecile's question.

That person was none other than Suzaku Kururugi.

He bumped into Lloyd and Cecile on the way and was then pulled along to go to the research institute for testing.

But...

"... Zi Britannia?"

Cecile's eyes widened slightly, and he turned back to look at the young man through the window.

Despite resembling Area 11, it bears the imperial surname, and is even named Zi, the same as the Emperor?

Suzaku Kururugi nodded, responding somewhat dejectedly:

"Yes, that's what he called himself. He said he was Princess Euphemia's teacher and currently works at the Ashford Academy."

"Princess Euphemia li Britannia's teacher, wouldn't that mean...?"

"That's right, he's the royal tutor. His real name is Yotsuba Mahiro, but he was later given the surname Mahiro Zi Britannia by the Yashiro Emperor. However, he seems to still prefer his old name."

"Mr. Lloyd, how do you know this?"

Cecile looked at Lloyd with a surprised expression. Although he was a descendant of the Asplund family, one of the eight great families of the Empire, Lloyd had no interest in social interactions whatsoever.

She never expected that Lloyd, in his current state, could recite a person's information so vividly.

However, Lloyd maintained his nonchalant smile and said:

"Well, this person has some connection with the Ashford Family and the late Princess Marianne, so I know a little about him, but I've never met him before. I never expected to be able to see him in person today. How lucky I am! Aha..."

Lloyd seemed to have thought of something happy, letting out that strange, signature laugh.

Lloyd's knowledge of the Ashford family is mainly due to the fact that the Ashford family used parts of the prototype to develop the third-generation Knightmare Ganymede.

Princess Marianne once piloted this mech across the battlefield, earning the title of Knight-Knight.

So he'd always been curious and wanted to get his hands on the mecha so he could study it properly.

So let alone the prototype machine in Yotsuba Mahiro's hands.

Lloyd was even more interested in this once-mighty weapon that dominated the EU battlefield!

Chapter 254 The Princess Who Is Gentle on the Outside But Strong on the Inside (5.2K)

"Teacher, there's another place I'd like to go. Could you please take me there?"

As they were finishing their shopping trip, Euphemia li Britannia suddenly made him this request.

"You want to go to Shinjuku?"

"Ah..."

Euphemia li Britannia let out a small gasp and gave an embarrassed smile.

"Nothing can be hidden from you, teacher..."

"It's not hard to guess, actually."

Mahiro looked up at the clear blue sky and said slowly, "That's where your brother Clovis died, and also where ZERO rose to power. All sorts of causes and effects are intertwined. I understand you want to go see it..."

"Then, Mr. Mahiro, could you take me there? To Shinjuku, please let me see it."

Euphemia li Britannia, unusually, interrupted him with a firm tone.

"Of course, no problem, my dear princess. Today, you are the most important person. Even if you want the stars in the heavens, I will pluck them down for you."

To others, this might seem like a cheesy pickup line, but to Mahiro, it's simply stating a fact.

If this princess truly desires a star, then plucking one from the sky wouldn't be out of the question.

Moreover, Euphemia li Britannia is particularly susceptible to this approach.

"Then... let's set off quickly, Mr. Mahiro. I'm counting on you for everything."

Euphemia li Britannia waved her little hand in a panic, then quickly took small, quick steps and left.

Still so easily embarrassed...

Under his guidance, Euphemia li Britannia also witnessed another side of the Tokyo Settlement, its most desolate side.

The devastated land, the abandoned buildings that seemed on the verge of collapse at any moment, all under the backdrop of the setting sun and fiery clouds, resembled a scene ravaged by an apocalyptic natural disaster.

"As you can see, Your Highness, Shinjuku is utterly ruined. People mustered the courage to return here hoping to rebuild their homes, but because of Clovis's folly, it has been destroyed once again."

Mahiro, Mahiro Euphemia with tears in her eyes, truthfully recounted the facts, one by one.

Behind him stretched an endless expanse of land, dotted with countless tombstones.

There were no names on them; most of them just had a simple photo attached as identification.

Many tombstones don't even have photos on them.

These people were all civilians who died in the Shinjuku Incident.

Civilians killed by Clovis's men in an attempt to conceal the alleged "poison gas."

Ultimately, however, this wasn't solely Clovis's fault; it was also the fault of the Red Moon Resistance Army.

Knowing full well that he had stolen a deadly item, he still brought it into the Shinjuku slums.

Euphemia li Britannia, whose face was always beaming with a gentle smile, had lost her usual cheerfulness and looked sadly at the desolate cemetery before her.

Euphemia li Britannia felt a sharp pain in her heart, especially when she thought about how her current identity and life were built on such sacrifices.

Compared to the seemingly heavenly streets of the former concession area, the Shinjuku slums were more like hell.

An ELEVEN struggles desperately, a hell built with blood and lives.

However, just as Euphemia li Britannia was immersed in mourning for the people who had passed away, two jarring voices suddenly came from afar, breaking the somber atmosphere.

"As expected, RG wasn't used on Eleven!"

"Hey, there are bullet holes from Humour Bomb here!"

"Take a picture for me!"

"Okay, stand still, yes! Cheese! Next, take a picture of me!"

Following the direction of the sound, the two turned around and saw two students in Britannia school uniforms taking pictures at the site of a battle.

This place, a place of painful memories for ELVEN, has been transformed into a playground.

Watching the two Britannia students happily taking commemorative photos, Euphemia li Britannia felt a complex mix of emotions.

Shame!

To regard the pain and sorrow of others, and so much sacrifice, as a source of happiness.

An awkward silence replaced the sorrow, spreading through the air.

However, this awkward atmosphere lasted for less than a minute before being broken by another sharp shout.

"Get out, Britannia pig!"

You can immediately tell who the voice belongs to just by hearing that distinctively Japan accent.

Euphemia li Britannia, who had been looking down, looked up and saw three ELVENs dressed differently from the Britannia rushing towards the two students who had been taking pictures. The one in the lead, who looked like a thug, even slapped the camera of the student who was taking pictures to the ground.

Euphemia li Britannia instinctively wanted to step forward to stop them, but Mahiro stopped her, telling her to just watch from the sidelines.

Watching this argument erupt between Britannia and ELEVEN.

Such scenes are actually rare, because most ELEVENs are terrified of Britannia, let alone in Shinjuku, which has just experienced a massacre.

Although there are many students and Britannia visiting, Eleven dares not appear in front of Britannia for various reasons, let alone get into a dispute.

However, the three Elevens on the field now are different. They are members of the resistance organization Red Moon, and the one leading them, a thug, is the rather hot-tempered Tamaki Tamashiro.

Recently, due to disagreements with his companions about ZERO, Tamaki, feeling lost and irritable, decided to take two of his companions out for a walk to clear his head.

As it happened, they happened to see two Britannia students taking commemorative photos and overheard them making outrageous remarks.

And so, the conflict broke out.

"What are you doing! She's just Eleven!"

Of the two Britannia students, the one whose camera was knocked out of Tamaki's hand immediately retorted angrily upon seeing his expensive camera fall to the ground.

"You're Japan, don't say ELEVEN!"

When told to his face that he was ELEVEN, Tamaki became even more agitated. His forehead bulged with menacing veins, like earthworms, making him look extremely frightening.