Euphemia's kidnapping

Night fell.

Ask's phone rang. It was an emergency call from Jeremiah.

He answered, and Jeremiah's anxious voice came through.

"Your Highness, Princess Euphemia has been kidnapped!"

"Euphemia? By whom?"

"The Island Nation Liberation Front!"

Kidnapped by members of the Island Nation Liberation Front? How was that possible?

As a member of the imperial family, the Third Princess, and the younger sister of the Second Princess Cornelia, Euphemia li Britannia had to be accompanied by members of the Order of the Knights whenever she went out. These knights were prepared to die, protecting members of the imperial family even at the cost of their own lives.

Although Euphemia did not yet have a personal knight like Ask's Monica, Cornelia adored her sister enough to want to surround her with elites. There was no way she would leave Euphemia without even a single agent protecting her from the shadows.

Besides, under normal circumstances, members of the imperial family were the least likely targets for kidnapping. They stayed only in safe areas, such as the Tokyo Settlement. As for regions not yet under Britannia's control, even most nobles kept their distance, let alone the imperial family.

Even if the Island Nation Liberation Front attacked them within those safe areas, they could escape unharmed under the protection of soldiers and knights.

How could she have been kidnapped under those circumstances?

Ask fell silent for a moment. He should have considered this possibility. Just as Clovis had been assassinated at Headquarters, the enemy might possess the power of "Geass."

But he had subconsciously overlooked it.

Perhaps that was because the target was Euphemia. Kidnapping an imperial princess with no power in her hands would probably gain them nothing but money.

Perhaps they could use her to hold Cornelia hostage?

That was what Ask thought.

But outsiders did not know how deeply Cornelia adored Euphemia, much less the Island Nation Liberation Front.

If this was not some accidental "farce," he had no choice but to suspect a conspiracy-a conspiracy orchestrated by Lelouch.

During his brief deliberation, Jeremiah seemed to sense his confusion over the phone and immediately offered an explanation.

"The terrorists have seized the Conference Center Hotel at Lake Kawaguchi."

"At Lake Kawaguchi?"

As far as Ask remembered, that was a Britannian property. The annual conference of Sakuradite-producing nations was held at the Conference Center Hotel at Lake Kawaguchi, so its security should have been fairly good. Had terrorists really taken it over so easily...?

Moreover, they had dared to seize a Britannian property bordering on a core asset. Were they brave, or did they simply have a death wish?

Were they trying to stir up international public opinion...?

The main purpose of the annual conference of Sakuradite-producing nations was to determine the international allocation of Sakuradite. Britannia held the largest share, almost equal to that of all the other nations combined.

And that was a conservative estimate.

Britannia was merely one great power, sharing the world with the Chinese Federation and the EU. Even if it was the strongest, it was still far from having the final say over everything. As such, this conference had the potential to cause a major public uproar. The enemy had probably seized on precisely that point...

So they had not specifically kidnapped Euphemia. She had simply happened to be there...

"Um... Your Highness."

As Ask considered the enemy's objective, Jeremiah interrupted his thoughts.

The hesitation in his voice suggested there was something he found difficult to say.

"Hmm? What is it, Jeremiah?"

"...According to the reports, the hostages at the Conference Center Hotel include not only Princess Euphemia, but also the young lady of the Ashford Family. Your... prospective maid is there too."

After a brief hesitation, Jeremiah ultimately decided to add "prospective" before "maid."

He knew only that Ask had certain ties to the Ashford Family, and that there was a subtle relationship between Milly and Ask. He did not know how his prince viewed Milly.

Would she become a personal maid like Leila? Or was she merely a plaything that had caught his passing interest?

Either way, adding "prospective" was a reasonably accurate way to put it.

"She's there too..."

The Ashford Family itself was not important to him. What mattered was that they knew Lelouch and Nunnally were at Ashford Academy.

And, as it "happened," Ask knew that too.

If they leaked the fact that Ask knew Lelouch and Nunnally were still alive, it would have an adverse effect on his plans.

At the very least, he would become a priority subject of Emperor Charles's scrutiny ahead of time. Every move after that would be as heavy and difficult as walking with boulders tied to his feet.

He would sooner sacrifice Euphemia than let anything happen to Milly.

Seeing his master fall silent, Jeremiah spoke again, hoping to ease his master's burden by offering his own thoughts.

"Should we temporarily agree to negotiate with them, then wait until Milly and Princess Euphemia are safe before..."

The fact that he placed Milly before Euphemia made it clear where Jeremiah's loyalty lay.

His suggestion, however, was met with a cold sneer.

"Hmph. Agree to negotiate? Wouldn't that mean recognizing the terrorists' standing?"

"My deepest apologies, Your Highness!"

"I'm not blaming you... How many routes are still open?"

"Every route other than the Main Bridge has been cut off. There are no other approaches besides the Main Bridge and the Underground Passage beneath it. Both aerial and waterborne assaults have ended in failure."

"The Main Bridge... It seems they aren't fools."

One thing was certain: this attack had been planned well in advance.

Their defenses against attacks by water and air were also thorough.

With Euphemia among the hostages, Cornelia's movements were restricted as well.

That left... only the Underground Passage.

"What forces does the enemy have in the Underground Passage?"

"We can't confirm that. According to the reports so far, they have at least one Electromagnetic Shrapnel Cannon. None of the Knightmares that entered through the Underground Passage earlier survived."

"Hmm... Such a narrow space, combined with electromagnetic Cluster Shells..."

In a space like that, even his personal guard would struggle to break through.

Unless Monica's Knightmare arrived.

And even if they managed to get in, without someone drawing the enemy's attention at the front, the hostages' lives would be in immediate danger.

"Then... must we count on Zero making a move...?"

"Your Highness?"

"No, it's nothing."

Expecting Zero to act might be too much to hope for. Lelouch's current organization was not yet strong enough for him to take the stage.

Appearing in the public eye too early would only make him everyone's target.

Cornelia, in particular, would never allow a fledgling organization that had killed a member of the imperial family to rise.

But was this not also an opportunity?

As long as Lelouch noticed that Euphemia was among the hostages, the benefits of an early debut would far outweigh the drawbacks.

Ask decided to quietly fan the flames.

"Tell Cornelia to have Earl Lloyd's toy on standby and await my orders."

Earl Lloyd belonged to Schneizel's faction. In theory, as a specially dispatched unit, the Lloyd Group only had to obey Schneizel and Cornelia, the governor-general of Area 11, aside from the emperor.

He could choose to ignore orders from anyone else-even Ask-without facing any punishment.

"Understood, Your Highness."