"Shall we call it a draw?"
Schneizel maintained his courteous smile as he brought the "deadlocked" chess game to a close.
Behind his mask, Lelouch bit his lip in frustration.
His opponent had placed his king right in front of him. He only needed to move one square forward to win, but he couldn't do it.
This wasn't a contest to determine a winner at all. It was a test of his character.
Win or lose, his opponent had already achieved his goal.
At the same time, deliberately offering a draw gave him a way out.
If he won, perhaps...
He wouldn't make it out of the Forbidden City.
Left with no choice, he agreed.
Just as the game ended, Ask returned to the reception hall, leading Anya by the hand.
Lelouch glanced at him as he left, somewhat surprised.
Since when had the Sixth Knight of the Round Table become so close to Ask?
Could it be...
He had planted more hidden pieces within the imperial family than I'd imagined...?
I need to stay on my guard!
Zero left with his people, and the reception hall returned to its earlier bustle.
Ask walked over without any attempt at discretion, holding Anya's small hand. She was a little shy, but she didn't pull away.
Once the Geass on her had been lifted, her sealed memories had flooded back into her mind all at once, nearly making her pass out.
Fortunately, Ask had been beside her, taking attentive care of her, and she had barely managed to recover.
When he reached Schneizel, Ask teased him.
"You actually didn't unmask Zero. Aren't you curious?"
"Isn't that what you wanted?" Schneizel replied with a smile. "Exposing Zero's true identity here would put you in quite a difficult position, wouldn't it? That aside,