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"Honestly, is there even some credibility to these rumors? It sounds like quite a bad joke at best, and at worst a serious attempt to publicly slander the Prince. And if it is the latter, then it would be my responsibility as a fellow Royal to investigate." Princess Cornelia's face was red and livid. Her hands almost slammed palm down on the table, had she been in any other setting than this. As it was, dining with two fellow members of the nobility called for gentler conduct.
"Now, now," said the Lady Marianne vi Britannia, consort of the Emperor, "I too once thought the same as you. But I have verified it myself, dear."
"My lady…"
Marianne's eyes crinkled up as she smiled. "It's actually quite cute when you think about it. The fact that my own son has garnered a reputation as something of a 'lady-killer'… why, it's actually made me a proud mother."
"I… I see…" Cornelia said weakly, unable to respond to that.
"Perhaps it is the blood quickening within him, my lady?" said the third occupant of the table, who was stirring the sugar into his tea. Lord Reuben Ashford, head of the Ashford endowment that spearheaded the Empire's Knightmare development, had been invited to lunch by his old employee, the Lady Marianne. It went without saying that the two maintained a close relation in spite of the latter's ascension into Lady Consort.
"Ah, you must mean Charles'," Marianne said.
"Indeed," Ashford said with a shrug. One cannot help but be reminded, after all, of the Emperor and his vast… stable of wives, though I mean no offense, my ladies."
"Oh no, that is nothing," Marianne said.
Cornelia's eyes were furrowed in thought. "Still, if this is actually true, then should it not be our responsibility to lecture Lelouch? His actions only invite scandal. Surely you can foresee that happening, my lady."
"Oh yes, I only know too well," said Marianne. "It is all well and good that Lelouch is a breaker of hearts, but if a child enters the equation…"
Ashford harrumphed. "Lelouch is a smart lad. I'm sure he's already aware of the many precautions one should take." He found it easy to defend Lelouch. He'd grown fond of the boy, who was a close friend to his own daughter.
"Ah, but Reuben, in the heat of the moment, passion may cloud one's judgement easily," Marianne said.
"Then should Lelouch not be given a lecture?" Cornelia pressed, herself fond of her younger half-brother.
Marianne giggled. "The poor boy will only be embarrassed, and perhaps infuriated. He has his father's temperament…"
A short, contemplative silence fell on the trio. It was clear that their topic of conversation was one Lelouch vi Britannia, Eleventh Prince of the Empire. For a while now, there had been rumors that the taciturn, brilliant young man had been breaking hearts left and right among the flowered young ladies of the Empire, which caused a not insignificant storm of scandal to course through the capital. Not since Prince Clovis had been himself a young man and been surrounded by similar rumors had there been such a hubbub.
More to the point, none had even expected this sort of thing from the Prince. Most knew him as an intensely private youth, who only socialized when it was needed. His affections were publicly recorded to have been generally reserved for his mother and his direct sister, Nunnally. Those closest to him knew of his bond with Cornelia and Euphemia. To think that he had become such a womanizer was therefore unthinkable.
Those were the initial thoughts of those present here in the table. Marianne herself had been unamused at first, thinking it was yet another ploy by one of Charles' hussies to damage her son's reputation. But later she found out the truth herself, having witnessed his son's fumbling work trying to conceal evidence of his activities from prying eyes, including his own mother. It was, as she'd told Cornelia, quite cute, which was why she left it alone.
Cornelia, for her part, had also been outraged on Lelouch's behalf. She in turn thought it a ploy by one of their half-siblings to bring down Lelouch. It seemed petty, as nothing would be gained from antagonizing the spawn of Marianne, other than possibly drawing the ire of the Ashford group that was currently preeminent in the Empire. Furthermore, both Lelouch and Nunnally were too far down the rungs to be even considered a serious contender for the Throne, unless there was another bloody civil war. Such inane double-dealing intrigue was expected of Odesyus or Schneizel, not Lelouch.
Still, knowing the truth now made her a bit sad. She had watched him and Euphie grow up together, as close as Lelouch was to Nunnally. Seeing him all grown up now and chasing skirts like any other lusty boy would perhaps be devastating for the poor girl. Of course, it could not be denied—as this was just nature taking its course.
"—I tell you this much, my ladies, I've half a mind to prod Milly in Lelouch's direction. I've been terrified of the rumors I've been hearing myself—seems like she's gotten herself a whole stable of would-be suitors." Ashford made a loud snort, showing off exactly how he felt about those.
"Oh my, but I would not think young Milly to be in any danger at all. She is rather headstrong, isn't she?" Marianne asked.
"That she is," Ashford said, nodding proudly.
"She'd never be caught flat-footed if she can help it. No, she'd choose her own battles." Marianne tilted her head, amusement playing along her eyes. "Or, to put forth another metaphor—if she's got different prey in mind, then there's nothing anyone can do to stop her from pursuing it. And we all know she's always got one target firmly in sight all these years."
It didn't take long for the other two to get what the Consort meant. Ashford cleared his throat. "You mean Lelouch."
Marianne nodded silently, looking quite apologetic in the process. Cornelia looked from one to the other in mild disbelief. What Marianne was proposing—to Ashford's face!—was that Milly would be encouraged to consummate her passion for one black-haired youth through the time-old method of breeding; though in this case, not solely for the purposes of procreation.
Presently, Ashford shrugged. "Her affections have always been obvious, isn't it? I'd not the heart to tell her it would end up being impossible in the end, considering the role she is to undertake, as well as Prince Lelouch's own position." Though the Ashfords were of noble stock, and were held in high enough esteem, it was farfetched to consider a match between Milly and Lelouch. Princes of the blood were usually reserved for other families, with far more clout than the Ashfords. Of course, the Prince could force the matter by choosing to marry her directly; and a scandal of a child sealed the deal even more, but he didn't want that sort of nonsense for his dear Milly. "But I would certainly not object if… the Prince and Milly have their little… fling."
"Reuben, for shame," Marianne said, looking equally as surprised as Cornelia. "To invite such a thing on a lady…!
"I shan't force her," Reuben said. "I leave it all to Milly. If she wants it, she can have it. I assume they will be responsible about it."
Marianne snorted. "Now I've heard everything. You just know you've given carte blanche to a cat to eat the canary."
"Well, my lady, it is your boy we're talking about."
Marianne was about to reply when Cornelia spoke. "…I think I'd also like that for Euphie." She was blushing, quite hard.
"Cornelia?"
The Princess cleared her throat. "This attraction you see in Milly Ashford is something I have also seen in my Euphie. And lately it's grown quite problematic. Well, not to so dangerous a point, of course. But, Euphie pines for Lelouch like a princess for her sir knight, to the point that I'm quite sure she m—mm—" Cornelia blushed, glancing at Ashford.
Marianne's eyes quirked upward. "She pleasures herself… to Lelouch?" Cornelia sighed, but didn't reply in the negative. "Oh, my dear."
Ashford guffawed. "Well now, if that isn't proof of his father's influence quickening in his blood, I don't know what is. It is a shame he won't be Emperor, else I'd be expecting my Milly to already be a shoe-in for Consort!"
"If this little… tryst will help them get over their affections, and lead them to become responsible adults, then I won't hold my sister back," Cornelia said, trying to keep face and voice calm.
Privately, Marianne thought that their well-meaning (and self-proclaimed well-thought out) reasoning may just backfire. Allowing them free license to get intimate with Lelouch would actually seal their bonds further, leading to quite a messy tragedy.
In any case, Marianne was now also reminded of a conversation she'd had with her daughter a few weeks back. Nunnally's usual affection for her brother had blossomed into an "innocent" sort of lust, an unusual term if there ever was one. Confused by her feelings, the young woman had confessed in her mother, who had been very understanding though she was unable to provide much advice.
Nunnally was no less strong-willed than either Euphemia or Milly Ashford, which meant that the fears the others shared about their beloved were just as apparent for her own daughter. So, it was better that they were given sanction, even better for them to be given advice and guided lightly to avoid potential disaster.
"I think it should be fine," Marianne said. The air around the table was rather like a trio of merchants finally settling in on a good price. "They should be allowed to experience their youth. I will caution my son about the proper way to go about it. You may instruct the girls at your discretion." As she would with Nunnally.
Lelouch looked out over the vast fields of Aries Villa, his brow furrowed in thought. He had just concluded a somewhat humiliating conversation with his mother, whereby she made it clear her awareness of his many prior trysts with the young women at the Academy. She then gave him a belated Talk, which included a reminder of the various tools one needed to prevent conception.
The Prince cringed to remember it, even now. Marianne hadn't asked him why he was doing this, which was a relief, as he would have been unable to lie to his own mother, and that would have led to a revelation he wasn't quite ready to give.
He'd slept with many, and not all of them were the young women that his mother had indicated. There had been older women too: some even married—one example was the assistant administrator at the Academy, whom he'd seduced after figuring out she had repressed urges.
But he wasn't a youth just "sowing oats". He thought the idea ludicrous. But he was gripped by forbidden desires, and that made him project them into better outlets. In his life there were several women whom he'd grown attracted to, and yet to pursue them would be to break the fragile bonds of friendship he'd built with them all these years. Therefore, he chose surrogates, those easily swayed by the allure of a Prince that they would cause no scandal, just rumors. It was all just to avoid confronting his wretched desires.
Milly. Euphie. Even Nunnally. He'd been appalled at the abject possessive lust he'd grown to possess over them, especially now that they had bloomed into wonderful women in his eyes. He would not sully them, would not risk their friendship, all to sate his needs.
He sighed, and went back to his chambers. Thinking about them only let his lusts resurface. He would have to go back "hunting" soon. He disliked the mating ritual, yet knew full well it was important for him or he would literally go insane.
As he undressed, he was aware that there was someone in the room with him. He whirled, adrenaline surging, before he stopped, his eyes bulging out in surprise.
Sitting on the bed, his bed, was Euphemia li Britannia, clad only in frilly, pink lingerie, her long hair pooled around her ankles as she bent her knees up to rest her head on them. Her pale, creamy skin, for so long an image that haunted his thoughts whenever he fucked a woman, glimmered like the moon's reflection on a clear surface. Combined, her presence was like an image of a dream, one he hadn't thought would actually exist.
She smiled.
"Hello brother."
Commissioned by Spike_2416, thanks.
If you'd like a story commissioned, feel free to contact me here, or on archiveofourown, under "RHoldhous".
