C.C's longing

"Ask vi Britannia, the leader of the Radical Faction, one of the Three Great Factions, is considered the only person capable of rivaling Schneizel. He's also my older brother."

Lelouch, who had been calm a moment earlier, grew angry again.

"Why would he come to the Island Nation? What here could interest him? Has he found me? No..."

C.C watched coldly as Lelouch analyzed the situation. She had been secretly sent to the Island Nation ten days earlier, then met Lelouch through Ask's special arrangements and granted him Geass.

Not through a kiss, but simply through direct eye contact. She knew Ask would not allow her to do anything out of line, and she was well aware of what she was supposed to do.

Apart from a few necessary conversations during the day, they never stayed in the same room.

The villa provided by Ashford was fairly spacious.

C.C looked out the window and murmured to herself, a trace of melancholy in her voice.

"When will we meet again?"

"Did you say something?"

Lelouch, standing nearby, seemed to have heard something, but had not caught the words.

C.C turned back, her expression cold.

"No, nothing."

Lelouch clicked his tongue.

"Tch. A woman who likes playing the mystery."

He knew nothing about C.C to begin with. All he needed was the power of the Geass she had given him; he had no interest in her background.

But C.C knew too much about him for him to let her leave easily.

C.C sighed as she looked out the window, then turned to Lelouch.

"So what are you going to do?"

"Do you mean about Ask, or about Suzaku?"

Suzaku was the Honorary Britannian taking the blame, and Lelouch's closest friend.

"Both. Jeremiah is his trusted subordinate and the leader of the Pureblood Faction. He might intervene."

Everyone knew Jeremiah was Ask's trusted subordinate. For terrorists to have killed Clovis, the Third Prince and governor of Area 11, while Jeremiah was in command was a tremendous disgrace to the Pureblood Faction.

It would inevitably affect Ask's faction. To wipe away that disgrace, even executing the culprit personally would not be excessive.

Lelouch, however, looked completely confident.

"He won't intervene. I know that man. Something this dull and trivial wouldn't even count as entertainment to him. As far as his faction is concerned, it's barely worth noticing. After all, Clovis didn't have the immense influence and power that he and Schneizel do. Hmph! He's becoming more and more like a miniature version of the emperor."

He gave a cold laugh and continued.

"But Suzaku's situation is a problem... Anyone who can become Ask's trusted subordinate must have something exceptional about him. If I could meet him face-to-face, it would be easy..."

Lelouch sank into thought. His Geass required eye contact to work, and mechs were undoubtedly a major obstacle.

C.C stared at Lelouch's profile, somewhat disappointed.

Only a handful of people in the Britannia Empire have the authority to bypass a military tribunal, pronounce someone guilty, and execute them outright. And there are only two days between the announcement and the execution. That seems rather rushed. Yet Lelouch hasn't noticed any of it.

C.C sighed inwardly.

Even away from Ask's side, C.C could understand his intentions. After years of being taught by him, she knew his preferences and thought patterns inside out.

This execution was undoubtedly a trap meant to draw Lelouch out and test whether he was qualified.

Lelouch played the most important role in Ask's plan: becoming Britannia's greatest enemy, drawing everyone's attention, and eliminating some of Ask's enemies so that Ask could reap the benefits.

But in C.C's eyes, Lelouch was still far from meeting Ask's requirements.

C.C acknowledged Lelouch's intelligence, but he was still too green, inexperienced, and overconfident.

His defeat at Cornelia's hands had not made him wary enough. If this continued...

He needs to suffer a serious setback.

That was what C.C thought.

Meanwhile, in the central villa at Ashford Academy.

Ashford was a fallen noble house whose only remaining asset was this school. The family's only daughter, Milly Ashford, was the student council president. She was currently seated at a desk in the study, opposite the elderly head of the family.

The old man looked at Milly sternly.

"Prince Ask has arrived in the Island Nation. Come with me to pay him a visit tomorrow."

His commanding tone left no room for argument. Milly felt utterly helpless, but could not let it show on her face.

"I understand, Grandfather."

"Good."

The old man nodded in satisfaction and continued.

"The family's revival rests on you. In the empire's current situation, the Three Great Factions each hold sway over their own sphere. Smaller forces either join them or struggle to survive in the gaps between them. His Majesty's faction has the Knights of the Round and cannot be underestimated, but because he so often disappears from public view, its influence is steadily shrinking. The next successor will inevitably be chosen from among the leaders of the Three Great Factions."

Milly listened confidently. The head of the Ashford family had dealt with far more than she had, and his accumulated experience was unmatched. All she could do was sit quietly and listen.

"Prince Odysseus's faction has seen little change in recent years. If anything, it has begun to decline. Within a few years, the other two great factions will push it aside."

"As for Prince Ask, he is considered the only person capable of rivaling Prince Schneizel, but that describes only the present."

"Prince Ask still has room to grow, while Prince Schneizel is nearing his peak. In the long run, Prince Ask has a greater advantage."

The old man took a sip of tea and rested his voice. Only then did Milly have a chance to speak.

"Then, when Prince Schneizel reaches his peak, will he do everything he can to suppress Prince Ask?"

The old man gave Milly a satisfied look. It seemed she had accepted the fact that she could only serve as a pawn in a marriage alliance to revive the family, rather than find true happiness of her own.

"Even if he does, it will accomplish nothing. Prince Ask's radical ideals appeal more to the royal family and most of the nobility, while Schneizel leans toward peace and enjoys the support of most ordinary citizens. Unless His Majesty abdicates when Prince Schneizel reaches his peak, Prince Ask is destined to surpass him. But that is impossible."

His Majesty, abdicate? Although the emperor appeared in public less and less often, everyone knew he had no intention of relinquishing power.

"I understand, Grandfather. I'll do my best to please Prince Ask."

Milly laughed bitterly inside. Being a pawn in a marriage alliance was miserable enough, let alone entering Ask's household as a concubine. Ask had always held all the cards, and she had to do everything she could to please him.

To devote everything to her family.

Milly did not want that resolve, but she had no choice.

She recalled her first visit to Ask three years earlier, after he had returned to Britannia...