Mordred and Karen came to the sed warehouse and immediately saw a crowd of the bight members f around a tv to the far er of the spabsp;

  They approached the crowd and made their way through the people until they finally reached where Ohgi, Tamaki, Inoue, and all the members of the previous rebel group Karen’s brother led, were standing. Ainz, Silver, Tohdoh, and Nagisa were also amongst them.

  Their arrival caught the attention of several, despite most of their attention being fully spent ov s.

  Ohgi, being one of them who noticed, and immediately turowards them.

  “Mordred, Karen, you’re here…!”

  “What happened?”

  “That’s… You see it for yourself…”

  Karen looked at Ohgi with fusion clear in her eyes. Just what in the world happened all of a sudden that could cause su uproar within the base?

  And wheurned her gaze towards the s, a clear gasp escaped her lips.

  “No way… This is…”

  Yuuji narrowed his eyes as he looked at the tv s.

  As expected…

  Dispyed on the s was Euphemia li Britannia, the third princess of the Holy Britannian Empire, making her speech during the Inauguration Ceremony of Clovis’ Memorial Art Museum.

  But instead of a normal speech, she made two annous that caused widespread shock, fusion, and disbelief.

  Her first annou was Suzaku Kururugi’s appoi as her Knight of Honor.

  A knight of honor was aremely prestigious and high position full of honor, as they were personal bodyguards chosen by a princess personally. And, by nature of the position, politics were heavily involved in the choosing of a knight of honor for a princess.

  A lo of lists had been given to her previously, listing eligible knight of honor didates for Euphemia. They were all pure blooded britannia soldiers with either prestigious bloodline, exempry achievements, or both.

  However, Euphemia had never chosen any, despite many urges from her subordinates, advisors, and her own dear sister, elia.

  Many had beeing on who the third princess would choose as her knight, and many more had been looking forward to the beautiful princess of the Britannian Empire finally choosing her knight.

  However, no one expected her to choose a full blooded Japanese man to be her knight.

  The moment she brought Suzaku onto the stage with her had caused shock to spread across the entire crowd present for her speech, and many more watg the televised broadcast of her speebsp;

  Then… the revetion of her sed annou caused even more shod disbelief.

  The establishment of the Special Administrative Zone of Japan for the Japanese people.

  “That’s crazy! What’s this b*tch talking about?! Is she seriously saying this?!”

  “I ’t believe it… A princess of Britannia…”

  “Could this be a trap…?”

  “It could be… But she made a Japanese person into her knight. There’s a ce that she might be… Serious?”

  Tamaki, Ohgi, Inoue, and many others voiced their s as Karen simply stared at the s speechlessly.

  “This must be a trap. A special administrative zone… Heh, they’re just pretty words to ceal the fact that they’re making a puppet state to trol the Japanese people sihey know they’re not at a disadvantage against us.”

  “...”

  Nagisa scowled at the s as she looked at the pink-haired Britannian princess with disdain, while Tohdoh simply stared at the s wordlessly.

  “Mordred…”

  Karen turowards Mordred, her eyes trembling in fusion, shock, and disbelief.

  Yuuji looked at her and pced a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it ever so gently as to reassure her.

  “I’ll talk with Zero.”

  --------------------------------X--------------------------------

  While the annou was something they’ve expected, the reality of it actually happening was still shog.

  The establishment of the Special Administrative Zone of Japan was unlike any other events that had happened previously.

  This was something that would greatly shake the very foundation that the already delicate ban the current unofficial “truce” between Japan and Britannia caused by heavy damages both sides had sustained during their ret es stood on.

  It was ahat could very well reighe war all over.

  Euphemia presehe establishment of the special administrative zone as a way for the Japaain their rights to rule themselves, their identity, and their culture. And she tried to show her siy and her non-discriminatory behavior by appointing Suzaku, a full-blooded Japanese and an honorary Britannian, as her knight.

  However… Despite her efforts, things would not go entirely as she hoped for.

  The flict between Britannia and Japan had gone off long enough. Too much Japanese blood had been spilled on Japanese soil, and the humiliation, suffering, ah that came with their defeat would not be fotten so easily.

  Although Euphemia had shown nothing but kindness and siy, no Japanese could simply believe the words of a “Britannian” anymore.

  To many Japaizens the special administrative zone sounded more like a death trap the Britannians created to gather them in one pd kill them in one feel swoop. While the wiser presumed it to be a ploy of the Britannians to create a puppet state within Japan, trolling the gover from the shadow while making it appear as if the Japanese ruled themselves.

  And they were right.

  Yuuji and the others khat this was the reason why the Britannians decided to support Euphemia’s idealistic, absurd idea. Or more specifically, Seizel.

  In the anime, Seizel supported Euphie’s pn and even vinced elia to support it as well, and made it happen. All so he could gain trol of Japan not by force, but through politics by creating a puppet state with the bel her tle sister had so beautifully painted and preseo the Japanese.

  And now, they believed the same thing to be happening. While elia might’ve been more ined to agree with Euphemia’s pn after their previous enters, Yuuji and the others still believed it was Seizel who put the nail in the coffin and used his authority to support her pn.

  This was the reason why they were quite nervous.

  Knowing Seizel’s intelligence, his influence, and his character, they k would be a fight more difficult than their previous ones.

  They ’t let the Britannians turn the Special Administrative Zoo a puppet state, or war would simply repeat itself soon enough and the cycle of hatred, war, ah will start all over.

  Yuuji let out a sigh and dazedly made his way out of the warehouse where they’ve parked Bight’s and vehicle, his mind still full with the discussion he just had with Lelouch, Tatsuya, and Satoru.

  Although he could directly feel the crisp, night wind hit his skin, he could still take in the refreshing air into his lungs, a all out in one big sigh.

  Just theiced another person leaning onto a railing in the distance, overlooking the port and sea.

  The gentle night breeze blew her beautiful crimson-red hair softly as her glimmering sapphire eyes looked so mencholically at the sea.

  Even from a distance, Yuuji could see the clear distress, fusion, worry, and anxiousness in her eyes, and decided to approach her.

  He did not silenced his steps ahe tapping of his footsteps be heard. And sure enough, Karen turo see who roag, and her eyes widened slightly upon seeing his figure.

  “Mordred… Are you doh the meeting…?”

  Yuuji felt a sting in his heart when he heard the clear ck of energy and anxiousness in her voice. But, he masked his own worry a up his normal demeanor.

  “Yeah, we just finished. What are you doing here? Aren’t you cold?”

  Karen nodded softly with a small smile.

  “No. I’m just here to get some fresh air.”

  “I see…”

  Yuuji approached her and stood by her side, resting his elbow on the railings as well. The two shared a fortable silence as they stared at the dark sea, lit solely by the few lights from the port and the moonlight, as the sound of waves striking the stone barrier filled the quiet port.

  Although no words had been exged between them, just his presence alone was enough to calm the unduting waves of ay within her heart.

  She felt calmer and safer, just by being by his side.

  “Don’t worry.”

  Karen snapped out of her daze and turo her side, and saw Mordred looking at her.

  “Everything will be fine. I won’t let them hurt us, the Japanese, in any way.”

  “Mordred…”

  Although he wore a devilish mask that covered his mysterious tenance, Karen could just imagine him with a warm, gentle smile from his reassuring voice alone.

  His words had touched her heart deeply and washed away all her ay and worry for the uping upheaval that would soon e along with the establishment of the special administrative zone.

  “Mm. I won’t let them either.”

  She nodded resolutely, her eyes burning with determination, as her luscious pink lips curled into a beautiful smile.

  “Let’s work hard together.”

  “Yeah. Let’s do our best.”

  They did a fist bump, and began talking about less serious topibsp;

  And before they k, Karen began talking about her school life in Ashford Academy.

  “I’ve been quite busy with the student cil retly… We’ve been slumped with a lot of work. You know, sihe school festival is ing soon.

  “Mm…”

  “I’ve been doing my best to do my work… But there’s this one guy who’d always finish first.”

  Yuuji flinched ever so slightly when he heard Karen’s words and slowly turowards her.

  “Do you remember him? It’s the guy I’ve talked about before…! The one who’d always mess with me whenever he gets the ce. He’s a real jerk…! Hah… Just thinking about him riles me up. ”

  “...”

  “But well… He’s really reliable. He did all his work perfectly and even helped the others a lot. He’s actually very smart. And… Well, he’s very popur with the girls in our school, thanks to his annoyingly g-good looking face.”

  Yuuji’s eyes widened in shock within his mask when he heard her opinion about him.

  “He’s also really good at everything. And he’s apparently rich too… I don’t know about his family, but he actually makes a lot of money himself. He’s actually super good with iments and stock trading. And, we only got to know it retly since he never really talks about it. It seems like when he’s pying with his ptop after finishing his work, he’s actually doing some stock trading...”

  Karen began to trial off her words and turowards Mordred.

  “Hey… e to think of it, that’s pretty simir to you, huh? Ahahaha…”

  “...”

  Karen ughed half heartedly and shook her head with a sigh.

  “Well, there’s no way you’re the same person. That guy’s a privileged Britannian, while you’re here, fighting for the Japanese people and our freedom.”

  The sound of waves filled the silehat quickly fell betweewo of them as Karen looked off into the see, fallen into her own thoughts once more.

  A lot of things had been happenily with her work at the student cil and her work with the Bights with Rakshata’s arrival and the uping preparations for the Special Administrative Zone of Japan. And she had fotten about the simirities she had noticed between Alexander and Mordred.

  Or perhaps… she didn’t want to think about it on purpose.

  No no. That’s just absurd. There’s just no way…

  She shook her head and turowards Mordred.

  “Hey, Mordred. Let’s go ba-”

  The wot stu her throat when she saw Mordred looking towards her with an air of gravehat she’d never normally see from him out of battle.

  “What’s wrong…?”

  Yuuji looked at her for a moment, took a deep breath, and finally made his decision.

  “...Karen, there’s something I o tell you.”

  “Hm?”

  Karen turo him with a questioning look on her face. But, that expression soon ged into shod disbelief as she heard the words that would e from Yuuji’s mouth afterwards and saw, for the first time, the face hiddeh the devil’s mask.

  VergsX