The Name Orange (Continued)

But Jeremiah Gottwald did not get angry again because of his tone and expression. Instead, he placed his right hand on his chest and respectfully gave him a noble bow.

"To be addressed in such a title, it seems you truly are the legendary royal tutor— Mahiro Zi Britannia, Makoto."

Yotsuba Mahiro: "..."

Is this guy insane? Following the normal procedure, given his attitude, shouldn't he just rush in and start attacking?

Mahiro looked at this man, whose movements were faster than a Sichuan opera face-changing act, with some skepticism.

That's understandable, though, since Jeremiah Gottwald was indeed driven to madness by the name Orange in R1.

Jeremiah Gottwald was originally a fairly easy person to talk to, not to mention that he could use the surname given to him by the curly-haired guy, so it was perfectly normal for him to show such a respectful attitude.

"Alright, Lord Godbald, rise. Tell me what you've come all this way to do? Are you going to arrest me and take me back to Pendragon's palace for trial?"

His tone was slightly playful.

Now that his identity has been exposed, he naturally has no intention of continuing to hide it, or rather, he never intended to hide it at all. Changing into an unfamiliar face was just to avoid trouble.

After all, according to the usual pattern, those above wouldn't dare touch him, but that doesn't mean the underlings below are also observant.

However, Jeremiah Gottwald's answer surprised him.

"That's not the case, Mahiro Highness. I simply wish to speak with you and confirm a few things."

"Confirm something? Contact me?"

Mahiro raised an eyebrow and pointed to himself.

"That's right."

Jeremiah Gottwald nodded seriously and said, "It's something extremely, extremely, extremely important."

This incident is the key reason why he has managed to stay mentally stable and survive the surgery.

However, Mahiro was unaware of this; after merely glancing at Jeremiah Gottwald for a moment, he nodded and said:

"Alright, since you want to talk, let's talk. Where do you want to go? Right here?"

"No." Jeremiah Gottwald shook his head. "I have many questions, and I can't finish them in a short time. Besides, I hope it's a private conversation, just the two of us."

As he spoke, Jeremiah Gottwald glanced at Alpha was poised to attack at any moment.

Clearly, in this private conversation, Alpha was the outsider.

"Alright, alright, then so be it."

Mahiro shrugged and turned to whisper an instruction in Alpha's ear.

"Go to the ceremony in my place. Make sure everything goes according to plan. Remember to tell Beatrice that she can let the water flow freely, but she also needs to ensure her own safety. Then take Euphemia with her."

"Is this alright?"

Alpha turned to look at him suspiciously.

Although she never speaks out about some things, it doesn't mean she doesn't understand or is unaware of them.

This ceremony to establish the [Special Administrative Zone of Japan] was not merely to grant so-called dignity to the Japan, nor simply to reconcile with the Black Knights and other resistance forces; more importantly, Euphemia wanted to Mahiro what she was doing.

I hope he can see all this effort.

But Mahiro calmly said, "It's alright. Your presence is enough to represent me. Don't forget you're also Euphemia's teacher's wife."

That's right, Alpha is the tutor wife of these princes and princesses.

Because when he was working as a royal tutor in the palace, Alpha was the first to be released for convenience, and he stayed by his side, sometimes even taking his place in class.

Therefore, in the eyes of these people, Alpha is their partner.

Not to mention, he knew perfectly well that the ceremony could never be successfully carried out.

Lelouch would absolutely not allow the establishment of Special Administrative Zone of Japan.

Even if he went, it would be a waste of time; it would be completely meaningless.

However, Alpha blushed at his words and quickly nodded, saying, "Okay, I understand. Be careful from now on."

"Don't worry, do you think anything in this world can hurt me?"

Mahiro gave her a reassuring look.

"Too."

With that, Alpha smiled sweetly, strode away, and left the car behind with Mahiro.

As they brushed past Jeremiah Gottwald, they exchanged a glance, the warning in Alpha's eyes undisguised.

As Alpha drove away and its figure completely disappeared from the street, Mahiro opened the car door and invited Jeremiah Gottwald:

"Get on the bus?"

Okay, thank you.

Jeremiah Gottwald stepped forward, opened the car door, and sat in the passenger seat, while Yotsuba Mahiro took the driver's seat.

"Tell me, where are you planning to go to talk things over?"

"May I go to the Ashford Academy? I'd like to see Nunnally..."

"Oh? Looks like you, Orange, did some research before stopping my car."

Mahiro chuckled softly.

It seems this guy didn't just escape from the research institute; he still smells faintly of blood, clearly indicating he killed someone before coming here.

Jeremiah Gottwald almost lost her composure at his words, but managed to hold back, her clenched fists trembling slightly as she pressed them against her knees.

Seeing this, Mahiro stopped teasing him.

We reversed back to the entrance of the Ashford Academy.

If it were anyone else, Mahiro might not have taken them to meet Nunnally, but if it were Orange, there would be no problem at all.

Because this guy's loyalty is beyond question.

In the garden of the villa behind the Ashford Academy, Kaguya Sumeragi was strolling along the path with Nunnally.

Unlike her behavior in front of Lelouch, Nunnally showed no pretense or acting at this moment, and even abandoned her wheelchair.

Because she didn't want to pretend or deceive her good friends.

Not to mention, she knew this Kaguya Sumeragi before; she had met her at the Kururugi Shrine, and she was Suzaku Kururugi's cousin.

Although she had only seen it once, she still firmly remembered that voice in her heart...

"Nunnally."

Just then, a voice called out pulled her back to reality. She was about to ask what was wrong when she realized that the voice was not from her friend Kaguya Sumeragi beside her.

Instead, she was behind them, so she did the same thing as Kaguya Sumeragi and looked back.

"Teacher Mahiro?!"

She was about to respond in that way when she noticed a stranger following Yotsuba Mahiro.

The stranger was walking briskly towards her the moment she saw him.

"It's so similar, it's uncanny!"

Jeremiah Gottwald, who had just arrived in the garden, couldn't help but rush forward upon seeing Nunnally's face.

"Um... excuse me, who are you...?"

Nunnally felt a little flustered and afraid, and subconsciously took a few steps back, but when she looked at that face, she felt a strange sense of familiarity.

Until Jeremiah Gottwald came up to her, he immediately knelt down on one knee.

"Nunnally Highness Nunnally! I am Jeremiah Gottwald Goldbald, formerly the bodyguard of Empress Marianne!" Jeremiah Gottwald replied excitedly.

"Mother's...?"

Nunnally was somewhat taken aback, but more than that, her mind was in a state of confusion due to the other party's sudden action, and she instinctively shrank behind Kaguya Sumeragi.

In fact, not only her, but even Kaguya Sumeragi was completely confused after hearing this. She blinked and looked at Nunnally with a puzzled expression.

She looked again, troubled, at the strange-looking man kneeling before them, especially the two metal plates hanging on his face, which gave him a terrifying and ferocious impression.

In the end, their gazes both fell on Mahiro.

"Alright, this is indeed Marianne's former bodyguard."

Nunnally Mahiro forward and briefly confirmed Jeremiah Gottwald's identity to Nunnally.

But Nunnally still hesitated. She didn't understand why her mother's guards had come here. It seemed they were still looking for her, or perhaps they were brought by her teacher, Mahiro...

"Alright, Lord Godbald is here to discuss some matters. Let Sayoko brew some tea first."

Mahiro patted Jeremiah Gottwald on the shoulder, signaling him to calm down.

He was then led to the villa's reception room.

However, only four people were seated.

When Nunnally heard that they were going to talk about her brother, she insisted on listening in. Since she was there, Kaguya Sumeragi naturally followed.

As the rich aroma of coffee beans gradually filled the room, Mahiro put down his coffee cup, rested his chin on his hand, and quietly looked at Jeremiah Gottwald, asking:

"Tell me, what exactly do you want to ask me this time?"

He had originally thought that Jeremiah Gottwald would become even more frantic, and might even attack him without hesitation upon seeing him.

So far, Jeremiah Gottwald has remained calm, only showing excitement when he met Nunnally.

It makes one wonder what this guy wants to know.

Jeremiah Gottwald also put down his teacup, crossed his hands, and asked in a deep voice:

"Mahiro Highness, I want to know... what did you mean when you told me last time in the Narita Mountain Range that the shameful name was bestowed upon me by the child of the late Empress Marianne?"

This question had been lingering in Jeremiah Gottwald's mind.

It even became his motivation at one point; otherwise, he wouldn't have woken up in the nutrient tank ahead of schedule and run away from the secret research institute.

And they found Yotsuba Mahiro.

But the answer Jeremiah Gottwald received was a dismissive, dismissive remark.

"Of course it's the literal meaning, can't you understand that?"

"Your Highness, are you saying... Zero's true identity is actually Lelouch?!"

Jeremiah Gottwald's eyes widened slightly, but more than astonishment, they showed suspicion and confusion.

"Hmm, if you don't believe me, ask your Princess Nunnally, and that Kaguya Sumeragi beside her. They're both in the know."

The words had barely left his mouth.

Nunnally nodded and said, "Teacher is right, Zero... is actually my older brother."

Her eyes were dim as she spoke.

Although she didn't want to admit it, and although she wanted to deny it vehemently, it was indeed the truth.

It wasn't just Mahiro explained to her; it was also genuine evidence she found herself: she had found Zero's clothes in Lelouch's room.

Kaguya Sumeragi chimed in, "That's right, I was also quite shocked when I found out."

What stirred up the entire Japan concession was nothing more than a teacher and student.

If this were told to anyone, they probably wouldn't believe it.

When Jeremiah Gottwald saw Nunnally nod, he had already accepted it in his heart, but his hands couldn't help clenching and unclenching.

My heart is in turmoil.

There were faint signs of him clenching his teeth and about to explode, but in the end, everything returned to calm.

"Why? Why does Lelouch... have to impersonate Zero, and become an enemy of his homeland Britannia, and an enemy of his own father?"

This is something Jeremiah Gottwald neither understands nor can accept.

He even raised the sword of rebellion against his own father in order to avenge his country, not hesitating to be tainted by the ominous power of Geass.

During the modifications at the research institute, he already knew everything about Geass and even had an anti-Geass device (Geass ability canceller) installed in his eyes.

"I hope you can tell me your reasons."