Chapter 06: Havana

As Kallen meets with old friends in Japan, and C.C. and Leila make plans in the capital, Lelouch and Dorothea remain in Cuba where a threat forms and they ran into a familiar face or 2.

Regarding private showings, Lelouch could say this one went smoothly. He, along with some high-ranking admiralty members, watched as the new Deep-Sea rescue and research unit coined the Amphitrite. It was a radically different design from the Portmans of old. Not only was it larger, but it was designed with no weapons and only search and rescue crews. It also had a completely different hull and cockpit layout to ensure pilot safety even at depths of up to 2000 meters.

Unable to observe the full capabilities at port, they sailed 700 km northwest into the Gulf of Mexico and watched the Amphitrite perform deep dives via a live feed to the HMS Victory: controlled ascents, damage simulations, compartment recovery and cargo retrieval — all without a single weapon on board.

When the unit was returned to harbor, its pilot was in great condition, and the unit only displayed minimal cracks and damage.

“We’ve proven that the design has merit. We’ll have one ready for the big day, your Majesty.” The head designer for the Amphitrite explained that they had raised the concern.

"I hope it won't be some shell. It would be quite the tragedy if someone were to notice such," Lelouch remarked, getting a quick nod from the man, as he wouldn't dare present a sham for the emperor and his empire to see. He might not have been as ruthless as his father, but one didn't disrespect or embarrass royalty and get away with it.

"Or if the model wasn't up to par, pilots rely on their units to keep them safe, so don't go and waste billions on a giant compression coffin," Dorothea added, the woman very much a former Knight of Round and, despite the child in her arms, struck a threatening posture. Or perhaps it was because of the child that she had some of that motherly wrath.

The designer didn't know and wasn't looking to find out. He and the admiralty staff all swore that such considerations would not be taken lightly as they modified the prototype.

But that left them with time to kill. The royal family wasn't scheduled to return to the capital for a few days. Still, with the sea trials postponed as a more thorough examination was done before they repaired, they found they could explore.

“Pardon, your majesty.” Lelouch had been seated on the patio, one similar to the one he and his consort had been in earlier, when one of the maids approached. She, a local, still looked intimidated when approaching him, uncalled for.

“Yes?” Lelouch responded, as he had learned a long time ago, he couldn't make people not fear him as much as he couldn't make them love him. All he could do was keep doing what he had been doing and allow those feelings and opinions to change over time.

"If you wish to find something to do, the locals have a festival that will start tonight. It's an older Spanish affair that was barred for years, but it's since returned to prominence." The maid explained that the island, while having been a part of Britannia for over 150 years and officially escaping Area status, was still treated like one for decades because of its distinct Spanish culture and high percentage of Hispanics.

Previous local governments, to appeal to the more northern European culture of Britannia, had worked hard to clamp down on those elements that made Cuba unique. For 30 years, this meant celebrations and festivals that were distinctively Hispanic or Spanish in origin were made illegal or were hell to gain permits for.

Things had changed under the new emperor, but it was a slow process. If she were honest, her family believed it was some sort of trap, a loyalty test, but she wanted to believe; she wanted this to be real.

"Wouldn't it be difficult to handle their protection in such a crowd?" the head of Lelouch's security asked. As such events were known to be crowded, it'd be hard to keep tabs on his Majesty and maintain a lookout for possible threats.

Lelouch didn’t seem too bothered by it. "I'm sure it can be handled, but ensure that your priority is Lady Dorothea and our child."

Dorothea, present and with their child in her arms, was not a fan of her husband’s blasé comment on his own safety. "I can defend myself a hell of a lot better than you. Besides, you'll have the bigger attack on your back."

A low jab, but a necessary one, as despite how much he worked out since he came to the throne, Lelouch was never and would never be a match for a professional soldier. And while she wasn't the best amongst the Knights of Round, she regularly sparred with Nonette for a reason. Give her a pistol and a saber, and she'll handle herself well.

And if you so much as look at her baby girl, she'll ensure you'll hang from your own entrails.

Lelouch was well aware of that—Dorothea, Leila, and Kallen regularly sparred after all—but he wasn't about to give his enemies the chance. "And I'm certain there are still elements of the old regime who still hate that you didn't fight till the death to stop me."

Now it was Dorothea who scoffed. "Like I care what such stubborn fools think. Most are the sort who hate that I become a Knight of Round to start with, rather than becoming some mistress to them or their sons." She'd met plenty of them in the old regime, and even now in the new. She didn't need intelligence to know which thought she was a skank or slut who sold out, statements which held as much water as paper buckets, as plenty of noble families were all but throwing their daughters at the emperor, or subtly discussing play dates for their children.

It was part of why she and the rest encouraged their kids to spend time with the children of the palace staff: There were fewer odds of one of them being placed with them for political gains. They'd teach their children about court life, but only after they had the chance to have a childhood.

Still, on the issue of those pigs and idiots, she would call them bold to eyeing a consort to the emperor if she wasn't busy keeping her cool and not slapping them silly for eyeing up her chest, but when they thought she wasn't paying attention.

Only ones who could do that were her sister-wives and the man who put 2 babies in her!

“Oh no, your Majesty,” She stopped Lelouch before he could speak. “I’m not going to let you just stroll without protection. We’ll go out as a family and have some much-needed fun. We'll enjoy local foods, see the sights, and take pictures to return home with."

Hearing Alicia babble, the consort and emperor turned to the child, who seemed drowsy. "Provided the princess gets her nap, I wouldn't want her sleeping through all the fun."

Watching as the two continued to argue as they stood to take the princess in for her afternoon nap, the maid turned to the captain of the guard. “Is…is this normal?”

"I served under his father, and I can assure you; this is not. I won’t lie,” he started with a chuckle. I do think it suits them more to act as an actual couple. Charles and his consorts…it was always much more tense." The man, well into his 40s and a veteran of several of Britannia’s earlier campaigns, replied.

He had only taken the job because it would help his family, a show of loyalty, and he, on some level, assumed he'd be replaced or 'killed in duty', but instead, he was still heard. He was made captain of the emperor's personal guard and gained a few rewards and recommendations for his service in protecting the monarch from six different attempts on his life.

"But would they be safe? He's done much for my people, but…there are still some who might not be able to resist regardless of the consequences." The maid seemed nervous still about his, as it wasn't like the emperor had hidden that he would be on the island before his arrival. Most assumed he'd stick to the military bases, government offices, and the imperial residence. Walking out on the street, well, some radicals and anti-monarchists could take a swing at him.

However, the captain didn't share her concerns to the level she had them. “I have a feeling they’ll be just fine. After all, we’re just the public face of his royal guard.”

Line Break

As the afternoon continued, it slowly but inevitably shifted into night, but on the island at this time of year, it was still warm, with clear skies allowing for wonderful views of the stars and moon as they danced on the water of the beaches, which weren't closed but jam-packed with people. The warm air hummed with energy as the festival kicked off around the island, with the capital, Havana, at the heart of it.

The streets glowed under strings of coloured lights. Red, blue, yellow, green, purple, and orange lanterns cast a multi-coloured haze on everything. A slight breeze caused the lanterns to dance in the wind above them as sequined dancers wearing golds and crimsons made their way down the street. The deep, hypnotic beat of drums pulsed along with clapping, and flutes, trumpets, and guitars followed.

Roasted pork, sweet plantains, and smoky rum rich in the air with the salty ocean breeze left the emperor feeling peckish as he had refused to have dinner to properly partake in what the locals cooked up. His staff had been appalled, but people forget that he spent nearly a decade living as a commoner, caring for himself and his sister. Street food was far from the worst thing he's consumed to survive, and with how the people seemed to laugh and talk about it, most in Spanish, it was good food.

“This is…rowdier than I thought it'd be." His guard captain, dressed in civilian clothing, noted as he and a detachment of 10 soldiers stood around the royals, who, like them, had dressed in civilian clothing.

"It's perhaps the biggest local festival they've had in years," Lelouch chuckled as he watched some children chasing each other with sparklers, some dressed in more colorful costumes to match the event. "I would bet plenty of older folk wished to show them their culture even if only this one time."

"It's certainly seeming like a good time to let the children have fun while you enjoy yourself," Dorothea mused as she spied a couple dancing to the beat of the music while the elder ones merely clapped to the tune. Well, except for a couple that seemed older than 70, who were right at the center of things, the wife had pulled her husband into a dance with the younger folks.

Adjusting Alicia, who was strapped to Lelouch’s chest in a baby carrier, he held out a hand to his consort. “Well, shall we join in?”

Dorothea smiled as she accepted his hand, letting him pull her close. "Let's," she said. Stepping out into view, they started down the sidewalk.

At first, no one seemed to recognize them. They just seemed to be another couple enjoying the festivities. While some picked up that Lelouch wasn't Cuban, foreigners and Britannians were already present, so it wasn't something to think much about.

The turn came as more looked their way, maybe because they were viewing the crowd, or maybe because they just happened to see them as they glanced through, looking for someone else. But they saw them and started to put the pieces together.

In the end, it took around 5 minutes before they were made, and the people around them freaked out.

“Oh my God, is that…?”

“It has to be. Who else could it be?”

“The emperor…and Lady Dorothea.”

“He has a child with him, is that Lady Dorothea's second child?”

“And they’re just strolling?”

“No way, they have to be plotting, he’s watching us!”

“Bullshit, they look happy, they’re enjoying this.”

“I mean, is that possible?”

“He's nothing like his father. I never saw a picture of Char-of, Emperor Charles, so much as looking not angry or annoyed. But look at them; they seem soaking in the night.”

“Wait, if they’re okay with this and they’re here…”

“That means they’ll wait to buy stuff, quick! Get the cameras, we gotta be the first place to get the imperial stamp of approval!”

“I can’t believe it, I’ll be selling wares to the emperor, Alexandro, make sure the stall looks great, we ain’t losing to that weasel, Fidel!”

“Looks like the mood’s shifted faster than I thought.” Dorothea sighed as she leaned into her husband, holding his hand as the crowds around them continued on with the talk, though she couldn't understand a lick of it because she didn't speak Spanish.

Perhaps an oversight on her part.

Lelouch did, in fact, know Spanish and was more amused with how things were panning out. People went from shock and fear to opportunistic glee as stalls and businesses put on the best shows to draw his attention. Some bars didn't try; maybe they assumed rightly that he wouldn't drink with his child with him. Or maybe they thought he wouldn't like the optics of such a move.

"Well, I've seen moments like this in the past. People can open up during festivals as long as it means having fun. God knows Milly weaponized that during our Ashford days." It always confused him how Ashford, which was so tense with just the meager Japanese students it had, could be so open and acceptable when festivals came out, as some students would regularly pull passing people in, regardless of their nationality.

Milly refused to explain it to him, saying he should have figured it out, much like another mystery with orange hair. At the time, he wondered what the hell Milly was talking about, what mystery was around Shirley?

But now? He just wished he had been wiser then and done more to protect her, cherish her, and ensure she was alive, happy, and well. Though he could smile as he imagined how she would have reacted to C.C.'s 'group nights' where his wives bonded without him present.

"I don't like how some are looking at us; they want a piece of you." Dorothea drew attention to how younger women eyed their emperor. She saw a few lost in his handsome features, while some went straight for his pants.

If she could, she'd grab his crotch to remind these hussies of her claim to it.

“Same with you, but I’m focused on the older couples.” Lelouch replied, which made her pull a face.

“Gross.”

"Not like that. Look at that old couple. The husband's looking at me with a big smile. No doubt your beauty reminds him of how his wife used to look." Lelouch gestured to a small stall close to the beach. Its sigh marked it as a ma and pa operation, sans the ma. The man operating it looked to be in his early 80s, balding and using a cane to walk straight.

Dorothea looked skeptical about it. “You’re joking.”

"Why not ask?" Lelouch suggested as he turned and approached the stand, the first one of the night that turned attention, but no one tried to stop them as he came to the stall. “Pardon me, sir, but could I ask a question?” Lelouch asked, speaking in passable Spanish, which grew little more than a raised eyebrow from the old man.

Those around them suddenly felt much more nervous as they realized the emperor had understood everything they were saying about him.

“That demands, you looking to buy something?” The old man asked.

Lelouch smirked at the old man, who seemed unwilling to bend because of his rank and title. He liked men like that. “Is that how it'll be? Well, what do you have that kids would like? I can't attend such an event and not bring home some souvenirs for the rest of my kids.”

The old man nodded, tapping his cane several times as he thought about it, before he gestured to a part of his stall that housed masks of all designs and colors. “Well, if we're keeping it innocent for those innocent little minds, we can try come carnival masks. We have a range of these you can pick from.”

“Isn’t that his Majesty?” their guard captain asked as he saw a mask based on the emperor and the previous two emperors. All of their faces were caricatures with exaggerated emotive expressions. It wasn't just them; there were also the faces of other figures, even a Zero helmet on sale.

“Yeah, and?” the old man challenged, to which their security was appalled. Dorothea was left wondering how to take this. At the same time, Lelouch and Alicia laughed about it because he loved this senior citizen's daring, while his daughter liked the pretty colors.

"I like you. Let's see…I'll take those 14, and some key chains, the little ones would need phones soon, and I might as well personalize them." Lelouch requested that the masks be pointed to the side. Some were of him, consorts and his more prominent officials, but some seemed to be monsters and fictional characters. As for the keychains, call him a man of habit, but he wished to give them something like what he had given their aunt once upon a time.

“That’s something they'll need to do. Trust me, when they get to that age, all they want is the opposite of what they think you want, " the old man advised them.

"As long as they're not as rebellious as a certain someone, that's something we can handle," Dorothea said, reaching for her daughter and tickling her, getting happy little giggles and split-laced laughs from the baby. All the while, she shared a knowing look with her husband.

"What? I'm a better father than my dad was. They'll never rebel." Lelouch boasted, as he wasn’t planning on losing his head to any of his kids anytime soon.

“And I thought my little angel would remain that way, till she turned 15 and stole the family car to do drag racing on the beach." The old man gestured to the beach behind him, where a large section was sectioned off and used for racing. Their finger pointed towards the middle-aged woman who seemed to be in charge. “So, what was that question you had?”

Lelouch almost forgot about that. "You were looking at us, and I thought you believed my consort was a reminder of how your wife must have looked. Is that true?"

The old man looked offended by the question. "What do you mean 'looked like'? My sunflower is still the most beautiful woman on this entire island!" he declared, loud and proud, as he glared at some other older folk. Clearly, this was an age-old argument, but perhaps one Lelouch would like to see play out.

The old man then turned to Dorothea, his wrinkly, bony finger pointed at her. “Lady, take it from an old dog. Don't let your man get away with anything. It helps keep things happy in a marriage."

Dorothea blinked. This man was…certainly forward, but she could appreciate that he seemed to be a good man, so she could humbly accept his advice. "Oh, I don't intend to, and I have help."

The old man laughed at that, almost as loud as his previous declaration to his wife's beauty, who no doubt was just as old as he was. "Good luck with that, sonny. I couldn't handle more than one child, and you have…how many is it now? 12?" He asked, as the news had made it well known whenever a new royal was born, though for most, they hadn't been seen out in public yet. In fact, this might be the first time one so young was seen out in public.

"Including the little bundle of joy eyeing those candies, it's 15," Lelouch replied. However, he looked just a little exhausted as he thought about all the times his lovely children kept him up, and the work he would need to handle the next day, regardless, as statecraft did not care for ruined sleep schedules.

“Well, say goodbye to your hairline, your majesty.” The old man tapped his balding head.

Line Break

Watching from a nearby rooftop, a group of armed men scoffed at the sight below. One used a pair of binoculars to closely examine the royal couple. “Idiot, look at him, walking around like he’s immortal.”

“I can’t believe old man Dominic would do business with them; doesn’t he have any pride? " the second asked, as the emperor, having finished his business with Dominic, walked down a couple of doors to a restaurant they all knew about. They had been seated in the outdoor part of it, where, to their disgust, the staff were going out of their way to treat them like kings.

“And the kids? Who are they?” another asked, as the royals had some kids approach them who hadn't left, even though it had been a few minutes.

“Just some brats who don't know any better. Too busy fawning over the fact that they're talking to the emperor. They should know he's our oppressor.” The one observing replied with a sneer.

A fourth, checking over some RPGs, nodded. “We won't get another chance like this; we'll finish the fight Zero started a decade ago, a purge this world of the damned Imperial bloodline.” Zero was dead, but the world remembered him, for he was the one who bested Clovis, revealed Euphemia’s treachery and killed her, and nearly freed Japan when he defeated Cornelia, only to be deceived by Britannian lies and traps.

“Send the signal, it starts in 20 minutes.” He ordered, as his men nodded as one reached for his radio, determined that before the sun rose, the emperor would join his brothers, sisters, and father in hell.

“That won't be necessary, gentlemen.” A new voice spoke up, scaring them as they all pulled out their weapons or brought their rifles to bear on the source of the fifth voice.

What they saw was an oddity. She was a fair-skinned woman with short brown hair, bangs swept to the left, and light brown eyes. She seemed young — no older than thirty — but clearly of Asian descent, so she couldn't be a local. And if that wasn't strange enough, she was dressed like an honest-to-Christ maid, though with a futuristic twist and bunny motifs: purple and light blue ears attached to her maid's bonnet, small bits of gear near her cheeks, and, if they were seeing right, covering her ears as well.

“What the, who the hell are you?” The would-be assassins demanded, their guns never lowering as the seemingly harmless maid was sure as hell not acting like she was just some maid.

“What do you mean, won’t be necessary? You’re Japanese, aren’t you? You have even more reason to want him and his entire family dead.” The leader asked, as he would have thought the people of a divided nation would wish to be whole. Was she one of those spineless Japs who gave up the fight and accepted things?

“It's unnecessary to call the rest of your compatriots, as they've been handled. I took the liberty of relieving them of their radios.” The unknown weapon, speaking in accented Spanish, reached into her apron's pocket and, to their shock, pulled out five radio sets, dropping them to the ground like trash.

“Shit, just who is sh-!” One tried to turn to shoot, as if they had been made, then they didn't have any more-

He looked and saw red. A thin, red laser aimed for his chest. The rest had similar lasers on them, signs that they had been spotted and were seconds away from being shot. Gulping, they looked around and saw them coming from all directions. They had no means to escape, no move to make that wouldn't result in one of the marksmen putting them down.

“How?” one asked, lowering his gun so that he could recognize a lost battle when he saw it.

The woman's face hardly changed as she observed them like one would a subpar garden—not terrible, but not the sort that sparked much else in you. “It does not concern you. My role is to protect His Majesty and his house. And you all have been trying to threaten that. Kindly come with us for questions."

“We’ll never tal-!” They didn't see or hear her move. All they saw was that she was there, some distance away. The next?

She had her fist buried in the gut of the man who tried to talk, almost so deep they feared she had managed to punch through him. With the much larger man bent over her, she ticked before she smacked him aside. He sent his now unconscious body to the rooftop hard.

Flexing her hand, which looked soft and gentle yet packed more strength than a man twice her size could ever hope to have, the woman glanced at the rest, some annoyance in her eyes as she stated, “I asked nicely. Please don't make this harder than it needs to be. Carrying bodies takes too long, and I must return to my other duties soon enough.”

That proved enough for the rest to see reason and allow themselves to be arrested. From the shadows, more women in near identical maid outfits appeared, silent and, up until now, unseen. Their attire was only different from the firsts in that it was more traditional black and white, while the firsts were more dark purple.

Sayoko didn't say a word to the rest of her staff, who she had personally trained to ensure they could serve their master to the best of their abilities. She didn't need to say anything as they handled their duties of arresting the would-be assassins and terrorists, as they had done the rest. One, a larger woman who, even with the maid outfit, had a visibly muscular frame, picked up the unconscious terrorists and tossed them over her shoulder like a sack of onions. In contrast, 3 others silently gathered the radios, grenades, binoculars, RPGs, and guns.

None would ever be noticed by the people below. It wouldn’t even be reported, as Shinobi worked in the shadows and Sayoko would never allow harm to come to her ward and thanks to the augmentations she had undergone in the years since Damocles, she was more than suitable for such a task, being second in strength and durability only to Jeremiah, yet she far surpassed the orange knight in speed and agility as was suited to the woman given the name of ‘Purple Rabbit’

Still, while she was still on the clock, she couldn’t help but pull out a cute little disposable camera, aiming for her lord tending to his precious baby, and snapping a picture. ‘I think she’ll like this.’ With a smile befitting a happy grandmother, she stepped off the ledge and into the shadows of the festival, leaving no trace she was ever there.

Line Break

Below, the human night pulsed with music as the emperor, consort, and their infant child in hand, enjoyed their night out on the town. Alicia gazed with nothing but joy, curiosity, and gleeful wonder at everything they saw. In time, people grew much more open and trusting of the royals. Older folk, particularly, once they got past their security, aired grievances and complaints about things being done locally, as if not the emperor, who else could they tell?

Lelouch and Dorothea, for their parts, listened to this and offered as good responses as they could, making sure that they would speak with local leaders and the noble family in charge of the region to see those concerns handled promptly. But it wasn't just all business; they spoke of the festivities, things the young couple could do, where they could go, or just playing with the little princess who soaked up the positive attention like a sponge.

"Dorthy, is that you?" a familiar yet unexpected voice called out. Dorothea, in particular, recalled it as she looked to the side and saw a tall, light-green-haired woman approaching. “It is!”

“No-Nonette, what are you doing here?” Dorothea asked as Nonette and Rai were let through, before the taller, older woman wrapped her former comrade in a giant hug, swinging around the consort like a sister.

“Haha, I had some work to do in town and decided to stay for the festival! You should have called; we could have partied.” Nonette finally let her own, but Dorothea needed a moment to collect herself.

"This was something of a spur-of-the-moment thing." She explained, to which Nonete raised an eyebrow.

"Spur of the moment, from you?" She questioned, as that sure as hell wasn’t like the woman she once fought alongside, but then again, the woman she had served with wasn’t married with kids, and speaking of that, she glanced towards the two. "Oh, I see he's gotten you to loosen up, haven’t you?”

"You're as loud and free-willed as ever, Dame Enneagram.” Lelouch sighed, but he had no real issues with her based on the light smile he had. “How has Suzaku been doing?”

"You know him, all work and no play, I swear, Cecile's gonna need to drag him out of the office by the ear so he spends more time at home," she joked, as, despite her refusal to accept Lelouch as the emperor when he claimed the throne, she had technically never rebelled against him like Bismark's group had. In fact, she hadn't sided with Schneizel either.

If anything, she had remained neutral during the crisis and gone to meet with Princess Marrybell, only to receive a distress signal from Cornelia. At that point, she realized something terrible had happened. To try and rescue Cornelia from the second prince, she bent the knee to Lelouch, who affirmed her position as Knight of Nine.

But sadly, it was too late. What she had hoped was that Cornelia, being imprisoned and calling for help, was Cornelia's last transmission before she was gunned down. She couldn't save Cornelia, but she could ensure the world became a better one, something she just knew Nelly would have wanted, so she remained in the Knights of Round, even if that meant taking orders from the not-so-grumpy sourpuss Suzaku.

"So he didn't send you here because you knew we would be?" Lelouch asked, to which Nonette laughed, as she wasn't even in uniform. Instead, she was wearing a white, purple, and red sundress that exposed a generous amount of cleavage. Rai was wearing shorts and a simple sleeveless tee with sunglasses balanced in his hair.

"Nope, my assignment ended a week ago. I just called in some PTO to enjoy the sights, smells, and…tropical delights." Nonette declared, as she had plenty of it saved up.

“Please don’t refer to me like that.” Rai sighed, only for Nonette to pull him nice and close and whisper into his ear.

"Why, I said no such thing, if you assumed I was referring to you in such a manner, that's entirely on you, Rai." She giggled at how red his face got, as he didn't like how much she loved teasing him in public like this.

Lelouch and Rai locked eyes, as Lelouch could see the plea in his half-brother’s gaze. ‘Help me.’

'You're on your own,' Lelouch smirked, responding without words as he had no reason to interfere. Besides, if Rai was so against Nonette being…Nonette, he wouldn't have been dating her for seven years now; they would have married by now if that was what they wanted.

"Hey, since you're here already. Want to party up and enjoy a night in the town? I promise it'll be super kid-friendly so the little ball of sunshine can join in before her bedtime." Nonette suggested, blooping Alicia’s little nose, which made the baby let out a ‘a’ sound before she giggled more.

"She slept most of the afternoon; she's not going down till the early AM, " Dorothea said, her shoulders slumping as she knew it would mean little sleep should her angel cry during the night. Maybe they could have the nanny handle it; maybe that was how most families of status and wealth did it.

But she and the rest understood that they didn't like that. They wanted to be as part of their children's lives as possible, for better or worse. And if that meant late nights because their child had a nightmare, relieved themselves in their diaper, was hungry, or just needed them there to hold them, then they would. She could also count on her husband to be there with her every step of the way.

“A party animal in the making.” Nonette declared, which made Lelouch shiver.

"God, I hope not." Lelouch groaned as Rivalz…Rivalz got his wish and married Milly, but if Rivalz's daughter was anything like her mother and great-grandfather, then…well, he should be prepared.

"You don't have any say in it, your Majesty. Just ask anyone with a kid; they're their own little demons. Isn't that right, folks?” Nonette asked the last part in Spanish, leading the crowd around them, which had been present from the start of this interaction, to agree and offer their own commentary.

Dorothea lowered her face, as it was getting a little embarrassing for her to be the center of attention like this. "Let's just have some fun. Where should we go next, Nonette?"

“Oh, there’s this dance street we can hit. And after we should try and get some seats at a local restaurant, our tour guide said, was the best in town," Nonette suggested as she fell in line with the royal couple. Rai was at her side and wrapping an arm around her, which caused some red to form on her cheeks, but she didn't comment on it.

“Wouldn’t the emperor get the best seats in the house?” Rai asked, as he would have assumed the entire city would be rolling out the red carpet if word hadn't yet spread of their presence here rather than being in the royal residence on the island.

“We’ll wait in like everyone else,"  Lelouch replied, Dorothea nodding with him. They didn't wish to be treated like royalty tonight. They wished to enjoy what the island had for them and maybe draw up a list of things they could do next year, but with the others present.

Line Break

And we're back, and we have power! Yeah, last week was a bit of an annoyance as I had to deal with a blackout because some idiot hit the underground power line. I was able to get around 60% of this chapter finished, and then my computer fucking died on me. Half the extra work I put into it just vanished, so now I'm back in the habit of saving my work every 5 minutes.

But, past the complaints, I did have some fun with this chapter, as I've had with all of them, as I take time to explore how everyone's gotten along in the time skip. Rivalz got married and is jacked. Guilford became a healthcare specialist for vets and their families. Nina…well, she's got Marrybell to keep her head out of the depressed club. Anya and Gino are just being adorable idiots. Hell, I've even introduced Rose of the Recapture characters along with most of the Black Knights. Both groups are getting along pretty well.

Line Break

Finally, we got out the first Lelouch heavy chapter. I went back and removed some parts as I wasn't…really happy with it. But this finished product makes me smile, as it was super fun to write.

With the attempt on their lives, yes, such things still happen. It might be the happy timeline, but it's not like Lelouch could erase decades, if not centuries, of mistreatment and hatred from former numbers and other abused people within the empire. His choice to not allow former independent countries to secede from the empire certainly didn't help.

However, as we saw with the Hispanic(Cuban) maid, his efforts over the last decade or so have done much to affirm that the empire is changing and for the better. I would imagine news of him visiting a once-banned festival would be making the rounds come morning, which helps bolster that message of change.

As for Sayoko-yes, she's also made her appearance, and like Jerry's, she has undergone some surgeries to become a cyborg. It came up in the Discord that her latest Halloween art makes her look like one, so I ran with it. The only difference is that, unlike Jeremiah, she went through a more refined but longer process to reach this point. She's also really leaning into the fact that she's a trained kunoichi rather than being the maid(Her unit is what the Head of Lelouch's security was talking about earlier)

But she was also acting like his mother. Like Jerry, she would have been informed of the truth about Marriane by now and thus claimed the title. So she wasn't just defending her lord; she was defending her son, her daughter-in-law, and one of her precious grandbabies. So those terrorists were lucky she just knocked one of them out.

Lastly, Nonette's role in this was unsaid until now, but I've been asked about it for a while, so I just brought her in to help fill in some gaps with the fact that she's still a KoR due to a technicality and Lelouch being more forgiving than he once was(also pragmatic as he kind of needs capable and trustworthy KoRs, even without threats of real wars).

Rai…poor bastard is 'suffering' from having his hot, tall, and super fun long-term girlfriend embarrassing him in public…oh yeah, that is the worst fate indeed.