Suzaku was surprised to see C.C. awake before him. She had on a red silk robe, the same one he had specially commissioned from the old Japanese master craftsmen for her birthday. He smiled at the memory of giving it to her then grimaced at the realization it was already past eight months since he last saw her wear it. With the sun yet to rise, he struggled to see the face she wore as she was perched on the edge of his side of the bed with one leg propped up. "Hi," he greeted when she turned to him, voice slightly raspy. He didn't miss the tight smile she gave him though.

"Hi."

He took her hand and planted a kiss on her wrist, another on her palm. "Isn't it too early for you to be awake?"

Her hand was cold but it felt nice when she held his cheek and even nicer as she slid it to his chest. "I couldn't go back to sleep," she said softly. There was something in her eyes he couldn't decipher. Though C.C. was always good at keeping parts of herself hidden away, he knew her pretty damn well. But whatever it was he saw in those somnolent golden orbs, he couldn't really tell. So he did as he always had when she was distant: he pulled her in. "Come here."

There was surprise as well as pain when she slipped from his hold and turned away. "No, Suzaku…" She faced the wall again, both feet planted on the carpet this time and he was worried that she might leave at any second. He sat up and let the lush blanket pool at his waist.

"C.C… "

"This is wrong," she whispered with a hard stare shot to the ground. "This is wrong."

He sighed audibly in agreement. In that instant, guilt could no longer be disregarded with the ecstasy and the joy of being one with her. Everything he said the night before were true, and the knowledge of that only made the guilt more palpable.

"… You should go while it's still dark out."

He continued gazing at her for a while before nodding to the side. "Yeah." He nodded some more, persuading himself he should no longer be by her side. "Yeah." He wordlessly got up, got dressed, and made a beeline for the door. It felt awkward and wrong, like they had nothing more than a meaningless encounter which he made to flee from afterwards. Quite some ways from the situation of him leaving C.C. after a night loaded with emotions. He thought maybe she felt the same because she sat completely still and her eyes refused to meet his movements.

When he grabbed the knob to exit, she finally stirred and lay down where he slept, limbs splayed haphazardly as though warming herself with any residual heat left on the bed. He looked at her and mustered enough self-control to keep himself from diving into her arms. "You should know–"

"Don't," she interrupted. "We shouldn't speak until you… until we both have thought about what we did."

Her tone told him she would broker no arguments, so he went out the door with his entire being feeling heavy and constricted. She was right to be so decisive and he knew it, but it didn't stop the ache from presenting itself. Somehow, it made the wound from eight months ago even deeper…

"What's the reason for this private meeting, Sir Kururugi?" The emperor stared at the knight who was looking somewhat sheepish. He found it vaguely interesting as the young brunette always seemed serious with the exception of social occasions.

"Your Majesty, you see…" Suzaku began just as sheepishly as he looked, "I wanted to inform you that I have intentions of… of asking the Lady C.C. to marry me." The last part was said quickly, his words ran into each other in almost incoherent manner. The emperor got the message nonetheless.

"Why?" Charles rested an elbow on the armchair and his face on a knuckle.

Suzaku felt as though it should be self-explanatory, but then again his sweetheart was a ward of the royal family and the emperor stood for her father here. "Well, I love her."

"You're young," the emperor commented blankly.

Suzaku smiled and responded with confidence. "With respect, it doesn't matter to me, Your Majesty. I already know she's the one I want to stand beside for the rest of my life."

"Hmm."

The emperor seemed unimpressed and discontented much to Suzaku's frustration. "In any case, my lord, aside from letting you know of my intentions, I also wanted to ask from where C.C. hails exactly." It was bold of him to lead the conversation like this but he needed to show the emperor he was serious. "She says she has family all throughout France, but I need to know her parents' region so I could pay them a visit and properly ask for her hand."

"You cannot," Charles stated. The knight blinked once, twice, not seeming to comprehend what had been said. "You cannot marry Lady C.C," clarified the emperor.

Suzaku's brows drew up in confusion, mouth falling slightly agape as he managed to deliver a dumbstruck "Huh?"

"I believe I didn't stutter." Charles straightened up in his seat and gestured to the door. "You may take your leave now, Sir Kururugi."

"Your Majesty, wait, I–I don't understand…"

The emperor exhaled deeply and Suzaku thought for a second he felt a cold breeze. "You don't have to. You simply need to accept it as a fact of life."

Suzaku's fingers started twitching at his sides but he didn't notice all that much. He knew it would be difficult to acquire permission but he didn't imagine it was going to be denied. "I beg you to reconsider."

Charles frowned at the display of persistence. A knight's specialty is to carry out orders, not to question them. "You and C.C. will not marry," he said with finality and a hint of annoyance, "and you will end your little romance with her."

"… I won't."

Some sovereigns took occasional daring oppositions for courageous acts. Charles zi Britannia was no such monarch, not that Suzaku expected anything else. "You would defy me, Kururugi?" He didn't even give the knight a chance to respond as he continued irately, "Japan was only released because of Lelouch's efforts and our benevolence. Your people were freed, your father reinstated as Prime Minister, and you knighted and brought to the capital."

Suzaku felt rather cross and stunned. Why was there be a need to bring up those things when what he was asking for was insignificant in the grand scheme of things? Finally able to compose his thoughts, he spoke in a respectful manner still. "I am grateful, but it has nothing to do with me and C.C."

The emperor grimaced in annoyance. "Did you think you could do whatever you want because of your rank?"

"I have served the empire and I will continue to do so. That isn't a concern."

"Good. Then leave her. Such is your duty." The retort was as swift as Charles' gaze was exacting. It dawned on Suzaku that this was neither some sick joke nor a test of his resolve. If he prodded further, it might cause things that he can't undo or make up for. For all intents and purposes, he was never going to get the approval he sought. His silence allowed him to hear with a distinct clarity the emperor's next words. "As it is hers to marry a Britannian prince."

Suzaku looked up in a snap, his throat drying up in an instant.

"Dismissed." As the knight continued to stand there in shock, Charles unexpectedly hatched a plan to make sure his empire had a firmer hold on the former Area 11. "My daughter Euphemia had just come back from Bulgaria. She'll be your match," he said. "Cast Lady C.C. from your thoughts. The sooner the better."

Suzaku's shook his head. For the first time in his life, he wanted to refuse orders. He doubted he could do so, but he had to try. "C.C. is–"

"C.C.," the emperor interrupted with a booming voice, "is not going to hear about this." He stood from his chair and stared down the baffled and betrayed knight. "Britannia's kindness is not for free. Remember that always."

Marianne had been sitting quietly with her son at his study for a considerable amount of time now. He read some book or another while she itched for him to talk to about a certain issue. She thought he'd jump straight to it the minute they were alone, but apparently she had to lead him there. "Darling," she called his attention softly.

"Yes, mother?" He regarded her idly and kept most of his attention to the book.

"Would you tell me your plans?"

"For what?"

Marianne flinched slightly. "C.C.'s back," she said a bit incredulously. It was impossible that word hadn't gotten to Lelouch yet.

"And?" he asked back all cool and nonchalant, not quite the reaction his mother expected from him.

The imperial consort tapped her perfectly manicured fingernails on the tabletop and raised a quizzical brow at him. So he did know, he was just unbothered. "You won't do as your father and I have suggested before?"

"I don't intend to rush it, mother," he answered and lazily turned a page. "Whatever happens, happens."

"Oh, don't be foolish, Lelouch." Her pitch went up, impatience showing just a fragment more than usual. Those manicured fingernails were now tucked behind her elbows as she crossed her arms in front of her.

Meanwhile, he was the picture of calmness sitting on that chair reading that book. "On the contrary, I think this is the smartest move I can make on the matter."

"How exactly?" She leaned forward trying to catch her son's full attention. "This is politics, and you are not acting like the prince I raised you to be."

"She just got out of a political engagement," he answered rather patronizingly, as though Marianne were entirely unaware of the fact. "I hardly think pressuring her into another one is the way to go."

She let out an exasperated sigh. "You are unbelievable. Didn't you tell Nunnally you were going for it?"

He stopped reading and looked at her through the corner of his eye. "How did you know that?"

"Women tell each other things," she waved off and gave him an irritated tsk. "Look, you cannot just go with the flow and do what you want."

"Why not? C.C. does and she's faring just fine."

Marianne narrowed her eyes at her son. "Politics is barter. She understands this. I thought you did too."

"She and I are royals, not politicians," the prince countered. He shut his book and placed it gently on the table. "Listen, mother–"

"No, you listen. C.C. is allowed certain liberties not because she isn't Britannian, but because she heeds the important instructions. But by disregarding orders and breaking her engagement with that man, she has put herself in a tight spot."

"Exactly," he agreed. "She needs space, some room to breathe. Isn't that why she came back to Britannia?"

"Lelouch. You're not listening at all," Marianne said as she massaged her temple. She walked towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder "What this means is that she is not in a position to make decisions, and right now people are working to make them in her stead. Decisions that even she cannot refuse."

The prince's eyes widened in alarm as his mother's words rapidly made sense.

"I told you, darling. Time is of the essence," Marianne said with a deep frown.

"Who?" he snapped unintentionally, fists curling into the fabric of his slacks. "Who would they have her wed instead of me?"

She began with a sigh. "Thanks to France's attempt to deepen relations with China, the council has arranged a match between Odysseus and the Tianzi. Which means the next most powerful candidate to strengthen ties with the French is…"

Lelouch's gut twisted at the realization and he uttered the name in a snarl. "Schneizel."

Anya Alstreim wasn't an ordinary girl by any means. Odd and otherworldly, they would call her among many things. She supposed that was why it had been fairly easy to strike up rapport with a person such as Lady C.C. The latter's aloofness and enigmatic nature made the former comfortable in ways other people could not. So when she received news that her friend was coming back from what could have been a permanent relocation, she made sure to give her a welcome that was as odd as their friendship.

The Knight of Six came to the French woman's estate at an early hour to fence. She waited for the mistress of the house by the rear garden already geared up. Foil in one hand and helmet at the other, she smiled when C.C. strode into view.

As they went through their bout, Anya noticed her friend/opponent's enhanced speed and observed that she'd slightly shed weight. There was also a distinct lack of focus in her movement and strategy. C.C. was usually very good and could match her own knight's skill if she really wanted to. Well, maybe she was feeling lazy today. Anya found she didn't care much when their exercise of arms came to a conclusion; C.C. remained to be an enjoyable challenger after all.

"That was fun," C.C. remarked as she took her helmet off.

"We need to skirmish more. You're losing touch," Anya smirked and rested her foil on a bench.

"Yes, I'll be training well on my free time." The green-haired woman snapped her fingers to signal a servant to give them refreshment. "Oh, that's right. I don't have to," she took a glass of fresh lemonade and playfully winked at the small knight.

Anya chuckled at her friend's teasing. It was good to have her back.

Just then, a maid came to sight and handed C.C. a letter. "For you, milady." C.C. tentatively took it upon seeing the emperor's seal on the wax then walked over to a servant to place her glass on a tray and began reading.

"What is it?" Anya asked as she took the last sip of her drink.

"An invitation. There will be a private luncheon at the castle in a few days."

"Huh. The royal family must have really missed you." Anya set her glass down on the bench and began gathering her things. She didn't see C.C. frowning at the paper in her hands, already fully aware that this invitation could not mean anything good. Instead, when she turned to face the green-haired girl, C.C. had on this amused face as she quipped, "What can I say? I'm magnetic like that."

Anya smirked and hummed. "I have to go. Knight's business and such. See you around, Lady C.C."

The lady and the maid both watched as the Knight of Six left. When she was finally out of sight and earshot, the maid gave C.C. another letter, no seal on the wax this time.

"Why didn't you give it to me earlier along with the other one?"

"Orders were to give that to you in private, ma'am," the maid replied with eyes locked on the grass.

"I see." C.C. started to open it but immediately stopped as the servants were still present. She gestured a hand vaguely to the side. "Do put my things back in order and have the refreshment returned to the kitchen."

Finally alone, she sat on a bench and read the very short message. Hmm. Another invitation.

Meet me tonight by the lake.

-L

A/N: I'm alive! Thank you, holiday break!

If you clicked on this and made it this far, thanks and I hope you enjoyed this chapter to some degree! I just wanted to hop in here and say WOW you guys had serious feelings about the previous chapter lol. And rightfully so, it was quite the provocative development! Thank you for leaving reviews, I appreciate y'all even taking the time to give me a piece of your mind lol. I also wanted to address what I said before and affirm that you guys are totally and completely right, cheating on your S/O is NOT having balls. What I meant by saying that Suzaku has balls to get what he wants is that he showed that he's clearly willing to risk some very important things for C.C., but the manner in which he did it was questionable at best and downright despicable at worst. Just wanted to clarify that hehe *nervous smile*

As regards to the timing of the events in the story, it was mentioned above that Suzaku and C.C. broke up around 8 months ago at this chapter's point. I would place Suzaku and Euphy's engagement 4 months prior (so 4 months after the breakup YIKES), so events from Chapter 1 happened around that time. Chapter 2 would be 5 months post-breakup, Chapter 3 would be somewhere along 8 months post-breakup (which means C.C. stayed in France for like 3 months), and this chapter would be just a few weeks past 8 months, I'd say.

Sorry for the long note. Hope you're all having a restful break! PS i'm sort of scared to write the next chapter lol