"Have you forgotten your promise, Clovis?" C.C. looked at the man in front of her with a sharp, questioning gaze. "You've been spending a lot of time at your sister's house lately. I wouldn't mind if it were just occasional... but at this point, it's starting to look like you've given up on your own ambition."
"I have my own plans, C.C.," Clovis replied calmly, dropping the newspaper in his hand.
"And those plans involve your sister?" C.C. rolled her eyes, unimpressed by the answer.
"She's going to be the new pilot for the Knightmare Lloyd is building. Between Viletta, Jeremiah, and the rest... I trust her more. You probably haven't seen what Lancelot is capable of yet."
"There are plenty of skilled pilots I could assign to Lancelot," he added, "but most of them? Their loyalty is questionable. I don't doubt their devotion to Britannia—but to me? No. They're loyal to my father. Not to Clovis."
He sighed deeply.
"But Lila's different. She's someone I can rely on. Besides, you're going to replace General Bartley Asprius soon. And I'm planning a banquet for my sister's coming-of-age celebration. She's already eighteen now—it's the perfect chance to gather talent, to find new pilots who'll serve me and no one else."
"Are you planning to rebel against your father?" C.C.'s eyes narrowed, blinking slowly as she came to the obvious conclusion.
"It's not a rebellion," Clovis chuckled, "it's independence. I intend to take full control of Area Eleven... and after that, the Chinese Federation, Southeast Asia—everything they claim as theirs will become mine."
"I need capable people. Talented ones. And more importantly, I need to reshape how people see me. This banquet is the first step in that transformation."
C.C. nodded slowly. "Good luck, then."
Despite how much time he spent with his sister lately, it was clear to her—his ambition hadn't died. No, it was burning hotter and brighter than ever. That pleased her. She took a slow sip from her glass of milk, eyes never leaving him.
"What about General Bartley?" she asked. "He knows too much—about the experiments, and about me."
"He'll be dealt with tomorrow," Clovis answered without hesitation. "You'll take his place. Just don't forget to wear the mask. From now on, you'll be known as Zero. I want the world to believe that the source of my change came from you. That way, people won't question why the old, incompetent Clovis suddenly evolved into something else. You'll be introduced later as my secret mentor."
C.C. narrowed her gaze. "I don't think that'll be enough. If you're going to pull off such a drastic change, you'll need a drastic reason."
"I'll find the right opportunity," Clovis said, nodding thoughtfully. "The actor, the stage, and the plan—everything has to be flawless. I'll make sure it all fits. I can't let Father suspect a thing."
"For now, I'll show only subtle changes. Not too sudden. If I suddenly become too competent, too authoritative in governance and military affairs, it'll draw suspicion. That's why I've been keeping quiet, spending time with my sister, holding back."
"The opportunity hasn't come yet," he muttered.
"But it will."
...
"Hah... As expected from Britannia. Bunch of barbaric, twisted bastards," Kallen Kozuki muttered under her breath.
The news broadcast showed the latest scandal: General Bartley Asprius had been exposed for abducting homeless Elevens and torturing them for his own sick amusement. Authorities raided one of his warehouses and uncovered the evidence. The bastard didn't even get a trial—Prince Clovis personally ordered his immediate execution for "destabilizing the empire."
"The Holy Empire of Britannia will never tolerate acts of racism or barbarism. Every citizen, rich or poor, Britannian or Eleven, must be treated with equal respect. All Hail Britannia!" Prince Clovis declared with his usual polished smile.
"All Hail Britannia!" the nobles echoed in unison, their voices hollow.
"All Hail Britannia!" Even the reporters followed suit.
"Fucking hypocrite," Ougi muttered, scowling at the screen.
Everyone in the room knew Clovis was full of it. All speeches, no real action. The slums were still rotting, racism was alive and well, and Clovis hadn't lifted a damn finger to fix any of it since taking the seat of Viceroy.
He played the gentleman on TV, sure—but who knew what kind of filth he was into behind closed doors?
Ougi turned to Kallen. "Well? Did you find anything at that lab? Any trace of the chemical weapon that little shit's been hiding?"
Kallen crossed her arms. "Nothing. The place was cleaned out. Abandoned. Honestly, it feels like Bartley got executed because he knew too much."
"Then we're out of options," Ougi said with a sigh. "Looks like we'll have to kidnap Clovis. Get him to spill it himself—make him tell us where the weapon is."
Kallen rolled her eyes. "And how, exactly? We can't just walk up and grab a damn prince."
"You'll sneak into the banquet," Ougi said with a smirk.
"That wannabe royal's throwing some ridiculous party again, acting like he's hot shit. You get in, seduce him, slip this into his drink—" he handed her a small vial, "—and drag his pampered ass back here while he's out cold. Shouldn't be hard. That clown's got a weakness for women."
Kallen scoffed. "Tch. Let's hope it's as easy as you say."
"Once we've got him, leave the interrogation to me," Ougi said darkly. "I've got a few things I'd love to say to that smug bastard... with my fists."
Kallen didn't argue. Thanks to her stepfather's noble status, she had the credentials to get into the banquet, alongside other students from Ashford Academy.
Ougi knew that—and now, the plan to kidnap Prince Clovis was officially in motion.
[The same old rules, the next chapter will be delivered after my craving for power stones is satiated.]
Note: For Bartley's part, I do honestly want to write him doing something really reprehensible and repulsive in this chapter to make it more realistic, but in the end, I decided to tone down a lot of it for the sake of the longevity of this fic.
I will edit this chapter later when the content and views of this story are already thick enough.
Some of you may not know, but this site has been getting weird lately and has banned many books that they think don't follow their rules.
I may not care if the MC is the one doing extreme things, but a book getting banned because of a side character's action, who doesn't even survive for a few chapters seems like a total loss to me.
Nonetheless, when the book is thick enough, I'll edit this chapter again.