Loyalty

"Boring! Requesting an audience over such a trivial matter is nothing but a waste of my time!"

Lelouch stared incredulously at the man on the throne. How could such heartless words come from a father's mouth?

"Father-!"

"Silence! The strong devour the weak. Marianne was killed because she was weak, and the same applies to you, Lelouch!"

Charles cut Lelouch off, rose to his feet in agitation, and glared at him as he declared:

"You possess less than half your elder brother's talent, yet you waste my time with such childish matters! You have lost your worth! Tomorrow, you and Nunnally will leave for the Island Nation. Serve your final purpose as diplomatic tools, Lelouch!"

Emperor Charles's sudden outburst frightened Lelouch into falling to the floor. He sat there helplessly, staring in terror at the tall, imposing Charles before him, too consumed by fear to argue.

For the first time, he felt just how weak he was.

Below the throne, Ask watched Lelouch being dragged away by the guards, a cold smile touching his lips.

Hate him, Lelouch! The deeper your hatred, the easier it will be for my plan to succeed!

After that farce, the meeting drew to a smooth conclusion.

As Ask left the hall with Monica, the phone inside his coat rang.

He glanced at the handset. This was Ask's private phone, known to only a handful of people. Usually, only the most important members at the heart of his faction had this number.

But the incoming number was unfamiliar...

He glanced at the knights following him. The old knight took the hint and immediately led the others away from Ask, maintaining a suitable distance. Only Monica remained at Ask's side.

Only after confirming that no one was eavesdropping did Ask answer.

"It's me."

"Your Highness, we've found traces of that woman."

He recognized Lady Beatrice's voice. That could only mean one thing.

"Understood. Come to my palace now."

After hanging up, Ask strode toward his palace and told the old knight behind him:

"Tell Lord Jeremiah to come see me."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

When Ask arrived at his palace, Beatrice had already been waiting in the reception hall for quite some time. Still, judging by the way she leisurely sipped her tea, with appetizing food laid out before her, the maids had taken good care of her.

"Come inside. We'll talk there."

There were no unnecessary pleasantries. Both understood the importance of the matter.

Settling into a chair, Ask asked:

"Is the information reliable?"

"Hard to say. I discreetly questioned many people who had seen her, but the locations of their sightings varied somewhat. What I can say for certain is that they were all within the imperial palace. No one saw her outside it. And..."

Beatrice deliberately paused, teasing Ask's curiosity.

But Ask was in no hurry. He quietly waited for her to finish savoring her wine and continue.

"And all their accounts had one thing in common: wherever she appeared, Marianne was always there."

"Marianne? Was it because of the Geass experiments... no, that woman wouldn't waste her time like that. The power of Geass might have been only part of it for her..."

Ask's tone held no respect for his late mother, as though he were speaking of a stranger. At the same time, he understood her very well.

"Marianne was deeply calculating and highly goal-driven. She would never do anything pointless. And just like Emperor Charles, she cared only about what each person was worth-even her own children."

As Ask spoke, Beatrice carefully studied his expression. It never changed. Even an outsider would show some emotion when mentioning Marianne, whether wistfulness, regret, or hatred like her own.

Yet there was no emotional shift in Ask's voice. It remained steady, as though he were discussing an everyday habit like eating or drinking.

Beatrice inwardly marveled. The outside world's assessment of Ask was far too conservative. Whether that was deliberate or not, this man concealed far too much.

The emotion she had seen him "struggling to hide" in his eyes yesterday might well have been a performance for her benefit.

Still, that also proved she had made the right choice.

"That is certainly possible. What do you intend to do, then?"

Ask did not answer. His fingers tapped against the tabletop. Beatrice knew that meant he was thinking, so she did not disturb him and quietly savored her wine.

Only when a knock sounded at the door did a faint smile appear on Ask's face.

"Come in."

A handsome young man with dark green hair entered, knelt on one knee, and gave a knight's salute.

"Jeremiah Godwald, at your service, Your Highness."

"Allow me to introduce him. This is the Margrave of Godwald, Jeremiah Godwald."

Only after receiving Ask's permission did Jeremiah rise and extend his hand to Beatrice in greeting.

"And this is the future director of the Secret Intelligence Bureau, Beatrice Franks. I imagine she needs no further introduction."

"Indeed, Your Highness. Surely everyone has heard of Lady Beatrice, the former Knight of Two of the Knights of the Round."

Jeremiah offered the compliment with a smile, and Beatrice smiled in return, but neither took such flattery to heart.

As far as Jeremiah was concerned, Ask alone commanded his loyalty.

"Jeremiah, I need you to capture someone for me."

As he spoke, Ask waved a hand.

At his signal, Monica handed Jeremiah a photograph.

"You may enlist only a very small number of people for this task. It must remain secret. Too many people must not learn of it."

Jeremiah nodded and studied the woman in the photograph. She had long green hair and wore a strange straitjacket. He was puzzled as to why someone so unusual would appear in the great hall.

"Lady Beatrice will assist you. Remember, this operation must remain absolutely secret! If you're discovered, you know what to do."

Ask's repeated emphasis made Jeremiah understand the importance of the task. He immediately answered solemnly:

"Yes, Your Highness! I, Jeremiah, will not disappoint you!"

He did not ask why, nor did he ask who the woman in the photograph was. He concerned himself only with carrying out Ask's orders to the best of his ability. Was that not the very expression of his loyalty? It was also one of the reasons Ask placed such trust in him.

But only a handful of core members within the faction knew how heavily Ask relied on Jeremiah. To the outside world, Jeremiah was merely another member attached to Ask's faction.

That was the greatest reason Ask entrusted him with such an important task.

Because Jeremiah knew full well what would happen if he was discovered.

If an ordinary person happened to see him, that witness would be silenced. If he was discovered by someone important within the imperial household, such as a member of another faction or even one of the emperor's people, he would be cast aside as a disposable pawn.

Yet Jeremiah bore no resentment over that.

That was what loyalty and duty meant to him.