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Boredom wasn't exactly the idea people had of royalty. Opulent balls and banquets, luxurious gowns and suits, splendid marriages the press was always covering to sing the praises of the Empire and its greatness. But those were the exceptional events, most of the members of the royal family had to deal with current affairs, political deals, alliances, wars and maintaining the Empire's supremacy over the third of the world. For the youngest ones, they were taught how to be proper princes and princesses, even though chances were high that they would never sit on the throne. Such a thought, while not exactly stirring a sad feeling, pushed one of the princes out of the righteous path his family threw him in. At the tender age of seventeen, the eleventh prince of Britannia was known in all the casinos throughout the Empire as one of the toughest opponents one could cross paths with, and with the amount of money a prince was estimated to have, he had the tendency to gamble until others couldn't anymore. As the young prince was banned of all the casinos in Pendragon, he had decided, pretty much on his own will, to leave the capital for a while and settle in the Viceroy's Palace in Area 11. Upon hearing such a reckless, debauchery driven desire, his mother shook her head slowly as a sigh passed her lips.
"Lelouch... You are turning eighteen next week, and must be back to the capital to announce who you will choose as your Knight. Do you really think it's a wise choice to leave now?"
The young man turned towards his mother with a radiant smile only a good son like him could pull out.
"I am only visiting Clovis, and Schneizel is coming with me, I will be back in time. It's the promise he made you, isn't it?"
Marianne sighed again. That was the problem. Schneizel had made the promise, not her own son, and he hadn't revealed himself to be all that trustworthy, so even a promise of his own wouldn't solve the problem. She knew though, that if she refused him the right to leave, he'd sneak out of the palace and would leave on his very own, and this perspective was far more dangerous, especially for a prince who didn't have a knight yet.
"Fine. But do be careful there, the Area 11 isn't the most peaceful part of Britannia..."
Lelouch shrugged his shoulders, unbothered by such statements.
"Eight years that Japan has been conquered, eight years that the Japanese people are rebelling against the occupation, and yet the Empire still considers it a colony."
Shaking his head at the delusions of grandeur of his Father and siblings, Lelouch could only pity the colonies and their people. He wished there was something he could do, but it would take a catastrophe he wished for none of his siblings for him to take the throne.
"You will learn, brother, that listening to people isn't the way to maintain a stable empire, much less one as big as ours." A voice echoed in the high ceilings of the Aries Villa's halls.
Steps mingled with the deep voice of the second eldest son of the Emperor, and his single presence made Lelouch shift, as he arched an eyebrow to those words sounding tyrannical.
"What a strategy worthy of the Prime Minister and greatest strategist of the family. Reigning through fear, authority, and whips crack", just the way Schneizel had been raised, Lelouch thought, "but I'm not entirely sure it will be that stable once all the colonies will rise together and fight us back."
Schneizel scoffed those words with a mere movement of the hand.
"May they try. All the technology and brilliant minds belong to Britannia anyway," he glanced at his younger brother, scanning him from head to toe, "and you're a living proof of it."
"Flattering, aren't you?"
The elder prince chuckled and feigned ignorance, his arms behind his back.
"Let's leave, shall we? Else Clovis might get fussy if we arrive late, he's been preparing a great party to receive you."
Lelouch smiled, pride inflating his chest as he pondered on how lucky he was to have so many loving siblings. But the most important of them all just grabbed his hand and pulled him close, her soft, still childish voice ranging in his ears.
"So you're leaving now..?"
Lelouch turned to her and wrapped his arms around her in a warm, comforting embrace, stroking her back.
"It's only for a few days, I'll be back long before you start missing me. And! You'll have Euphemia all for yourself, isn't that such good news? Girls your age love girl parties."
A smile formed on Nunally's lips to the comforting thoughts, as she nodded and let go of her brother, who waved at her as he headed towards the garden where Schneizel had landed. The Avalon stood proud on the tender grass, its imposing mass reminding Lelouch of how high in the hierarchy his brother was, of how powerful and important his place was. He, was ridiculously small compared to Schneizel's power. Nonetheless, he wondered why such a meaningless trip required an aerial fortress like the Avalon.
"It's for our safety. Her Majesty Marianne would kill me if something happened to her beloved son."
Lelouch grimaced as he entered the flying fortress and sat near the control panel, his hands behind his head. His gaze went all the way up his brother's tall figure, the man ordering the departure of the Avalon, while the youngest asked :
"So you wouldn't even be sad if something happened to me?"
Schneizel visibly tensed up, and sat near him, arms crossing on his chest, while flickered in his gaze sparkles of irritation.
"Don't put words in my mouth, Lelouch. You'll become someone important, and soon enough."
The younger prince couldn't help but crack a laugh at such words. Shaking his head as to chase those delusional words, he leant heavier in the chair, as his gaze was fixed on the horizon, white of the sea of cloud the Avalon broke through.
"I'm only but a mere nuisance to Father's eyes. Seventeenth in the order of succession, eleventh prince and son of his fifth consort, at that point I'm just a bastard who can do whatever I want."
His shoulders shrugged to the statement he wanted to sound light-hearted, but deep inside his uselessness pinned him down the ground like an albatross, whose heavy wings, majestic in theory, chained him to the soil. Lelouch had never aspired to powerful jobs like Prime Minister or Judge of the martial court, but he wished his family considered him more as just yet another disposable son.
The smirk that curled up Schneizel's lips made his gaze flicker back, an eyebrow raised in curiosity.
"Would you be envious of my position, brother?"
A nasal cackle, borderline evil like one of those clichés villains laughters in movies, escaped from Lelouch's lips as he threw his head back, contemplating the ceiling.
"Perhaps I am!" He admitted, shame absent of his being, replaced by the fire of mischievousness that lit up his purple gaze in violet flames, "but ooh, the delight of gambling is something worth the throne..!"
Schneizel let out a long sigh. Lelouch would never change. Perhaps, it wasn't so bad that Lelouch would never get access to the throne and to the Empire's finances. A pang of sadness shot through his heart, though, as he remembered how meaningless his brother's life was and that in the mist of worthlessness and detachment of the real world, forced upon him by a protective isolation, gambling might be his only solace.
Hours later, the Avalon landed in the Viceroy Villa's airfield, as servants announced the venue of the first and eleventh princes of Britannia. As they descended the ramp, a figure draped in gold and purple walked down the alley bordered in perfectly pruned bushes milling with bees and pink flowers. The man's perfect ash blonde mane flowed in the wind that carried the delicate scent of his cologne. The odor enveloped Lelouch whole as arms wrapped around his frame and his face got pressed against a torso covered in jabot. A light chuckle escaped him to the strength of the embrace, before he pulled away, acknowledging his second brother with a nod. The latter joyfully clapped his hands as his gazer scanned Lelouch from head to toes.
"My, my, Lelouch you're a work of art. Grown like fine wine and carved by the hand of God."
An amused smile tugged up the youngest prince's lips, his chin slightly raised as he took an obvious pride in the compliment.
"You must be quite in the mood to compare me to the two things you love the most."
A theatrical sighed escaped Clovis, as he put a hand over his chest, looking like he was going through the worst heartbreak of his life.
"Me and God are in beef I'm afraid."
Lelouch cackled. While he might be the prettiest in the family, Clovis still wasn't the brightest lamp in the neighborhood. Be it, his jewelry would shine for his brain.
"I meant art and wine. We know fairly well god hate the gays, that's a miracle we're still called the Holy Empire with how many of us there's in the family..."
Both of his brothers' eyes widened as they scolded him in unisson.
"Lelouch!!"
With an innocent smile on his face, the cheerful brat walked towards his brother's villa he knew by heart and could navigate as his own. One detail, however, wasn't present the last time he visited, and he stopped by, intrigued by an emerald gaze that locked on his figure the moment he arrived by the door. It belonged to a young man, roughly his age if he had to judge only by his face and how round his cheeks still looked. Brown hair fell in a feathered fringe that complimented the nuance of his eyes, akin to how many branches supported and sublimed leaves of a striking deep green. The tone, at least in contrast with the princes', welcomed the sun's kisses, while not absorbing them totally, which resulted in a beige leaning towards a soft light brown. A striking, yet common beauty the prince was never exposed to, as the balls welcomed nobles, and colonized people almost never made it to the casino.
His heart clenched at the thought. It was unfair. Being intrigued by this boy only because he was a commoner like he hadn't seen any before... It twisted his stomach, and it took him all the strength of the world to not hate himself for these few seconds of amazement.
"What's your name?" He finally asked to the young man
The latter's eyes widened, as his gaze locked with Lelouch's for a split second, before it stuck to the ground. Never look at the royalty in the eyes, he had learnt the lesson the hard way.
"Excuse my impoliteness, your Highness..! My name is Kururugi, Kururugi Suzaku."
Lelouch refrained a sigh. It was always the same thing. People panicked at the mere idea of landing their eyes on him, talking to him, only because he had the misfortune of bearing the name of Britannia. Fucking curse, that was all his name was.
"Kururugi is the last name, right?"
Suzaku nodded, still staring at the ground, until a delicate hand invaded his sight, offered to him.
"Alright, nice to meet you, Suzaku."
The Japanese boy froze. Never touch the royalty. Or it would be considered an offense to the crown. Hardly swallowing, he glued his hands to his sides, which only made Lelouch waver his hand in front of him until he caved in and carefully gave him a handshake.
What a firm, yet cautious, grip, Lelouch thought before he retreated his hand, bowed down to the boy before he entered the villa. His brothers had watched the scene from afar, and when the door closed, Schneizel's voice echoed in the high ceilings.
"Never bow down to a commoner again."
"It's the custom here to bow down when you meet someone and when you leave, I'm merely being polite." Lelouch argued back, his arms crossed over his chest.
If a king wanted respect, then he must give back and never take it for granted. Such were his thoughts and philosophy, but of course, it'd be too much to ask for the other member of the royalty to use their brains for a bit and consider other humans as their equals, because all of them, from Emperor to peasants, were unremarkable humans, and when they'd all face Death, it wouldn't make any distinction.
"Come on, come on," Clovis sighed, glancing at Schneizel, "Kururugi is a nice person, and he simply followed what Lelouch initiated. He won't think of himself as any special because of it, don't worry, Schneizel."
Schneizel's eye twitched to those words. Who knew what could go through the mind of the people they were reigning on? He simply expected that this servant wouldn't attempt anything towards Lelouch and wouldn't have the audacity to be familiar with him. Knowing his little brother, he'd let him do and such actions would only lead to utter chaos, one they wouldn't be able to contain if the words spread further than those walls.
As the sky's purple and orange dress rivaled the Empire's prettiest ladies, the Viceroy Palace's reception room welcomed many guests in flamboyant gowns and luxurious tuxedos showing off families' heraldic crests. A quintet played on a small stage at the end of the reception room, their music inviting dances resonating against the high windows and walls. Dresses spinned around, glasses clinked and champagne ran over towers of flute for thirsty guests who couldn't bother looking for their last glass. The imperial fast received compliments, and Clovis smiled at them. His clear blue eyes shimmered with pride, his perfectly combed hair moved with the movements of his head as he received the compliment with a fake humility that made Lelouch cringe by his side. The young man hadn't come for such masquerades. The mask nearly broke when an older man, surely the age of his own father, drew closer and bent down, the lady by his side mimicking the gesture.
Lelouch knew where this would lead, and he hated it already.
"Your Highness would you—"
"Give your daughter a dance ? What do I have to lose after all," my time, he thought, "hopefully it will make this evening even more grandiose!"
Lelouch didn't wait much before he took the young woman to the center of the room and danced with her like many other men around were doing with their partners. He gave her a polite chat, as to not ruin her mood, a smile plastered on his face as he made her swirl around the whole floor in extravagant and mastered waltz moves. Many ladies wished to be at her place, and many gentlemen looked furious that the young prince got a dance for free simply because of his status. Those glares sent a shiver down his spine, as his smile grew wider, breaking its fake shell to shine across the room as an invitation for a challenge all the men fell for. At the end of the waltz, five gentlemen were asking a dance to the young woman Lelouch had just danced with, and he used the occasion to sneak back towards Clovis.
"What an adept move, brother." The blonde complimented as he handed him a flute of champagne
"Merely a basic strategy. She'll get a wedding offer by the end of the night. So...my job here is done."
Gulping down the champagne, he dropped it by a table and before Clovis could catch him, Lelouch had already disappeared, strolling in the corridors until he reached the hall. The moonlight shone bright through the windows and cast shadows behind him, bigger than he would ever be, yet far in the distance, as if never reaching the gifted prince. As he drew closer from the light source, his shadow stretched and thinnered, until it was a mere shapeless mass at his feet. He opened the windows, and the fresh air welcomed him with a slap that whipped off his face the mask he'd been wearing for the whole night. A sigh escaped his lips. Finally. A little bit of calm to sort his thoughts.
Well. As if his ideas were ever good.
The windows weren't too far from the main door of the villa, where a figure was standing, basking alone in the moonlight that did anything but compliment his splendid complexion.
"Suzaku!!" Lelouch's voice echoed in the silent night and scared off some sleeping birds around
As Suzaku jumped, he found Lelouch's figure bending at the window, waving his hand at him.
"Wanna have fun with me ?"
The servant's lips parted. What the hell was wrong with this prince? Having fun? Together? Sure he was barely above a slave to this dude's brother's eyes, but did he really think they could just....get along and be friends ? It was nonsense. The royalty wasn't to be trusted nor befriended.
A cry escaped Lelouch. His upper body toppled over. His head aimed right at the ground in a weak whimper from the wind, that grew more intense as Suzaku's shape dashed and secured him in his not so high fall. Lelouch had wrapped his arms around his neck, while his legs were supported by the servant who held him like a damsel in distress.
Lelouch cackled.
"What a good soul you are. I knew I'd like you."
Suzaku slowly dropped him on the floor and pulled away of a few meters, as if to maintain a safe distance Lelouch crossed again.
"I love my brother but his parties aren't my kind of fun," the ebony haired one explained, "so are you willing to accompany me at my kind of fun?"
The Japanese boy sighed. Did he have a choice? Surely he did... Lelouch didn't seem like a cruel person who wouldn't leave him a choice. Still, how he'd look like to refuse something to the royalty?
"Oh come on, you don't have to if you don't want it."
Dang it. Could this spoiled brat stop reading his mind? The situation was starting to look embarrassing.
"What's your idea of fun anyway? Prostitutes ? Mingling with the people?"
"Ooh, you know how to respond!" Lelouch teased, and his gaze narrowed, shimmering his playfulness, "I like that."
He drew closer again, his arms behind his back, bent towards the young man in a way that might put him under his control but was meant to taunt him.
"My idea of fun is less disgusting than what you suggested. Not even my Father, as terrible of a person as he is, would think of prostitutes as something fun. No, no, my idea of fun," his grin widened and in his eyes ignited the flames of a devouring fire, "are casinos."
Those words caught Suzaku off guard. Was he serious ? A prince in a casino-
Oh no.
"Are you...the prince who got banned from all the casinos of the capital, Pendragon??"
Lelouch let out a round sound, midway between surprise and piqued interest, while an amused smirk grew on his lips, before he gave him an extravagant low bow, "himself."
His reputation extended beyond the homeland of the Empire, how interesting.
"So," he said, and Suzaku snapped right back to reality, lips shaking and eyes widened, "do you want to come and have fun with me ? I'll protect you from any remonstrance regarding the fact you've left your post, I promise."
His words hung in the air like a thick, shimmering apple full of juice waiting to be garnered. Suzaku ordinarily didn't have a thirst for thrill, but in this night of debauchery and festivity he was denied and must guard, his throat felt as dry as if he had spent days and days wandering in the desert. Could he afford to take a bite in the apple knowing it was poisoned? It wasn't as if he was going to consume it all, to gnaw on it to the core. Just a little bite, a droplet of what Lelouch found so amusing he abused it to the point of being banned from his Eden garden.
His hand shaking, Suzaku's fingers skimmed against the apple, then wrapped around it fully, sealing his fate for the night, and letting the snake coil around his arm, to drag him to a car chartered for the members of royalty that drove them to the forbidden heavens.
The place was loud in bets and protests, illuminated by aggressive neons of all colors Suzaku had a hard time ignoring. By his side, the prince navigated the place as if it was his, snaking his way between bodies until he reached a table of black jack. The moment he emerged from in-between the large figures of some men he assumed were part of the aristocracy, the whole table froze. Murmurs ran around the players who exchanged knowing looks and stole him glances. Far from him the idea to make them uncomfortable, Lelouch sighed a little and sat near one of them, crossing his legs under the table while Suzaku was standing near him, stiff like a pole.
"It looks like your reputation follows you, Your Highness..." Suzaku murmured so only the prince would hear.
The latter had a laugh, then nodded as an answer. Well, of course it followed him. What didn't follow him however was the prohibition of entering the casinos, restricted to the mainland of the Empire, so he might as well enjoy his time here before the ban extended to the colonies.
Stretching his back and arms, Lelouch invited the croupier to start dispatching the cards under the watchful gazes of the other players. They didn't seem hostile to his presence, which he appreciated, but in those dozens of eyes shone an apprehensiveness he didn't like. His amount of money was terrifying, yes. But did he really deserve to be seen as an anxiety-inducing opponent? He was here for the fun. To get rid of all of his obligations as a prince. He didn't want to be reminded of his status. He was a gambler like any other. One with one hell of a strong addiction, at that. The rush of adrenaline, the disappointment on his opponents' faces, watching micro aristocratic empires crumble down to bankruptcy because of nobles' ego, all drove him deep in the mist of gambling. A white smoke similar to that of the lit up and burnt cigars around him that sometimes made him cough and invaded his senses. He didn't hate smoking, he didn't hate being caught in this infernal spiral of higher bids, but did he hate how lonely he was to lose himself in this mist.
A light pierced through the fog.
Lelouch stiffened. His eyes, slightly widening, slowly fell on Suzaku's shape by his side, as he had just won another round. A smile up to no good bloomed on his lips, as his hand wrapped around the young man's wrist.
"Why don't you join me in?"
A companion of gambling, that was what he needed since Clovis had given up on him the moment he became the Viceroy of Japan.
"I don't...have the funds for such an activity, Your Highness."
"I'll cover them." Lelouch insisted, his eyes pleading the young man to join him in this lonely mist he was wandering in for an hour now. A few people had left the table, all knowing it wasn't worth fighting Lelouch. Only two proud aristocrats remained, determined to make the prince of gambling fall off his throne, unaware that such a goal would only lead them to their demise.
Suzaku pinched his lips. He had no reason to say no if Lelouch was covering the expenses and the bets. Carefully, he sat by him, and asked the croupier to give him the cards as well, while Lelouch gave him a reasonable amount of chips to start with. The game turned into a competition soon enough. Suzaku was doing greater than Lelouch thought, stole him victories Lelouch would have had if he was a little bolder. A bit more of a gambler.
Adrenaline ran faster in his veins. An opponent worthy of him. Now that was something he hadn't expected. Something he craved for, he searched for years now, from the moment Clovis brought him in a casino for the first time and that Lelouch had displayed interesting capacities for such games. And now. Now he had found someone who was bolder than him, someone who bet where everyone else would have given up, someone who stole him glances and offered him grins that made his blood heat up in his veins, triggering every cell in Lelouch's hunter mind. This was more than a mere game. This was an everlasting hunt where hunt and prey constantly changed roles and chased the same goal : More and more stimulations.
Neons vibrated in the dreadful silence that had fallen upon the casino as all eyes froze on the remaining pair at the black jack table. There was Lelouch and Suzaku, then the rest of the world. Nothing else mattered, no one else mattered, and they kept on betting and starting games as if money was an abstract concept, as if the world would end tomorrow and that nothing mattered more than proving the other that he was better at this game. The moment one would lose, by a few points, frustrating little points chance didn't give him in the shape of the right card, he would place another bet and start the next game, well followed by the other young man who wouldn't dream to say no or stop. The hunt was far too exciting to put an end to it.
"Lelouch vi Britannia!"
Be it, life would do it for him.
A shudder ran along Lelouch's back as he lifted his eyes from the table to stare at the towering figure at the entrance of the casino. Sharp lilac eyes, soft blonde hair cut short and gently framing his face, and a close expression displaying only anger and disappointment. Well, Lelouch was fucked.
A last parade was perhaps worth trying before he'd meet with his death sentence - probably just another ban from casinos.
"Your Highness," he ironized as he leant in his chair, head resting against his bent wrist, "why don't you join me for a game?"
Schneizel walked to the table, stopped to face his brother and crossed his arms on his chest.
"Why would I? I am no gambler now."
"Lies," he retorted with a snort, "Clovis taught me gambling, but you practiced strategies with me. Black jack is no different from chess, minus the luck factor. Just one game, Schneizel. You wouldn't chicken out, right? I know you're not a coward."
Right on the target. Schneizel's features contorted in offense and demise as Lelouch's smirk grew wider. He might be the youngest brother, but he damn knew how to get under his siblings' skin. Especially Schneizel's.
"I knew you'd be reasonable," he added with a smug smile, "let's make a deal. See it as a reward for having yielded to my whims."
At that point, Schneizel had no reason to refuse. Else, he'd show himself as a loser who couldn't handle a simple bet with his brother. He couldn't show that side of himself in the public space, much less in a colony.
"I'm listening."
The trap snapped around him, caged him in the infernal spiral of Lelouch's whims and desires. A pact with the devil, that's what it was. The same way Suzaku had bitten the apple, Schneizel had taken a larger chunk of it than he should have.
"If you win, I'll accept anything you want from me. And I mean it, ask me anything and I'll comply," his gaze narrowed on Schneizel's satisfied expression to those words, "but if I win," his words bore a threat nobody in the crowd missed, "you and I will swap our order in the succession."
If Schneizel accepted, Lelouch would be one person away from the throne. One rival away, instead of sixteen. Schneizel would be a fool to accept. Lelouch accessing the throne would lead to the destruction of Britannia, he knew it. This wouldn't be reasonable.
"Deal."
Reason had been thrown by the window, much like Lelouch's sanity who burst out in laughter at the sight of his brother accepting the deal without thinking twice.
"Oh brother, you're so confident in your abilities while you're not even an experienced gambler."
Lelouch didn't expect him to laugh back. A frown etched his features as he crossed his arms on his chest.
"Who do you think introduced Clovis to casinos, mh? Cornelia? Odysseus? Don't be ridiculous Lelouch, gambling runs deep in this family."
Lelouch's fist clenched on his thigh as he heard those words pronounced in a self-righteous way that was Schneizel's own.
"Let's get started, shall we?"
Schneizel's eyes narrowed on his brother's figure, his hand supporting his face and hiding half of the arrogant smile plastered on his lips. How impatient. How sensitive. Lelouch too had weaknesses to exploit, and he sure knew damn well how to use them to his advantage.
The croupier dispatched the first cards, the two opponents looking at their sum without a word, just exchanging glances to gauge one another. Lelouch didn't want to lose this game. It was the bet of his life : Soon to become the next Emperor once he'd convince Odysseus to abdicate, or be reduced to Schneizel's slave. He couldn't afford to lose. But neither could Schneizel, who would see his life completely changed by such a bet would he lose it. From second in the succession order to seventeenth... He had been a fool to accept it, he knew, as he saw Lelouch get closer to the godly twenty-one points required to win the game. The trap had been carefully set, and he fell for it head first. A well thought plan, probably made up in the blink of an eye the moment Lelouch had heard him call his name.
I've taught him well. Schneizel thought, and his smile dripping with malice started to shimmer with pride.
He had helped fleshing such a fine strategist and equally dangerous manipulator. It was hard to ignore the consequences of a loss, but Schneizel knew that if Lelouch took on his place as the second prince, he would also become one of the best strategists the world had ever known. Tricking someone like Schneizel so casually, without a single effort being made, just because the right circumstances were aligned and that human psychology held no secret for Lelouch, verged on miraculous. In that sense, Lelouch had already won, by outsmarting his older brother.
The bet, alas, revolved around winning or losing this game. All fine strategist Lelouch was, if luck wasn't on his side, his fate was sealed. And as Schneizel demanded a hit, the croupier revealed the next card and added it face up to Schneizel's hand.
King.
Queen.
Ace.
Lelouch's breath remained stuck in his throat as he contemplated the perfect hand of his brother. Logic would have been to stand. Anyone would have done that. King and Queen all by themselves made twenty points. Going for a hit was insanity. But insanity paid sometimes, and Schneizel had been rewarded by an ace. An ace of spade, Lelouch's favorite card along with the king of spade. Both of which were in Schneizel's possession and sealed the young man's defeat. His own hand was decent, a jack and an eight. He would have decided to stand. A hit would be far too dangerous. And Schneizel had proven to him that taking risks could sometimes pay, if one believed in themselves enough.
The young man sunk in his chair, contemplating the cards revealed on the table, beyond which lay his fate. If this was a day like any other, Schneizel would have pushed him right in, but the man let him stew in the horror of losing control over his life. Lelouch had gambled it all, for a mouth-watering price and an equally dreading sentence. His head fell on the side, his gaze darkened by incredulity, disappointment and despair, as words left his mouth quicker than he would have wished.
"What's your demand?"
How empty his voice sounded. A single loss, and Lelouch found himself completely devastated. His brother could understand. Losing wasn't something anybody enjoyed. But for someone like Lelouch who knew no real competition, beside Suzaku a few minutes ago, it may take a lot of time to process it, and how much he'd lose, beyond this mere game.
A long sigh escaped Schneizel as he gently patted his brother's head, all cruelty and calculated coldness leaving his features for the gentleness and compassion an elder brother like him must offer.
"I would like you to seriously think about the Knight you will name next week, and to brace yourself for becoming the secondary strategist of the Avalon," Schneizel marked a pause, drew closer and murmured in his ear, "gain my favors, Lelouch, and the Empire, what am I even saying, the whole world is yours."
Lelouch's hand clenched on his thigh. He didn't want to whole world for him, but...if through Schneizel's offer he could have a chance to be heard on how to create a fair and peaceful world, if the Empire was his and that he could decide to set the colonies free, or at least offer them to leave or stay, then perhaps he hadn't lost much in this bet, minus his ego. If all it took was naming a knight, then be it. He'd name one, and, truth to be told, he had found quite the right person for such a role.
Just as he promised, Lelouch was back in the mainland for his eighteenth birthday and the impossibly boring ceremony that followed. A new formal attire signaling he was an adult, of a princely purple that matched his eyes, a long white cape that sat over his shoulders and brought charisma to his otherwise frail frame, and a stately sword sheathed at his waist. The tradition was that the Emperor would preside over the ceremony, but as he never showed any interest for his children once Cornelia had become an adult some nine years ago, Odysseus, as the first prince, took on the responsibility.
"Now, mh... the eleventh prince...huh, Lelouch Vi Britannia, will announce the name of...erm, his Knight." Odysseus announced in such a pitiful way that it cast a whole wave of shame over all the people in the room who bore the name of Britannia.
Even Schneizel who knew how to remain diplomatic had sent Lelouch a glance of support and apologies for the lack of class this ceremony held. Lelouch nodded and mimicked a thanks addressed to Schneizel as he turned to the crowd to announce the name of the one person who would follow him in hell and beyond.
"I, Lelouch Vi Britannia, name Kururugi Suzaku, son of the late Prime Minister of Japan Kururugi Genbu and former loyal servant at the Viceroy Villa of his homeland, as my Knight."
What a pretty way to announce a commoner, Lelouch sure had his way with words. The doors opened in a grand roar, and revealed Suzaku's figure, in a knightly formal attire of pure white, red and gold, all colors that had been decided to match his prince while keeping a certain individuality. The young man knelt before Lelouch, an arm on his knee, his gaze down, a poor habit he had taken that Lelouch would make sure to delete once he'd be given the occasion.
"Look up to me," Lelouch murmured so only Suzaku and Odysseus could hear.
As emeralds met with amethysts, Lelouch delivered the knighting speech Suzaku swore to respect. As a proof of his loyalty, Suzaku took Lelouch's formal sword, the blade towards his heart, then let it slide on the side to end the ceremony. Odysseus handed Lelouch a red cushion, as Suzaku stood up, always stiff like a pole. His prince had a hard time suppressing his laugh as he pinned the knight's medal to the young man's jacket, the medal's shape bearing Lelouch's heraldic crest : A splendid circle of gold, crossed with two olive tree branches, their green matching Suzaku's eyes. A sceal of a particular shape rested under the branches. Legends told that such a sign was that of kings, and if out of all the people of the imperial family Lelouch was the only one to bear it in his crest, it sure meant that the time had come to turn legends into History.
Timid claps, followed slowly by many others, shut down the offended whispers of the aristocrats who had hoped a person of their family would be appointed as Lelouch's Knight. As the newly formed duet left the room, the gears of destiny started to turn and guided them on a path where in their trail grew the olive trees promised by the crest.