Story: Euphemification

 

The key element here was timing. If Euphemia timed this visit wrong, they would run into Lelouch much too quickly, and it would ruin absolutely everything. He'd be too suspicious, too paranoid about Euphemia's sudden arrival. While they would need to talk to him eventually, the best thing to do would be resolving this messy love triangle situation first.

Preferably by transforming it into a harem.

Thus, they had kept their ear to the ground. Kalifa in particular waited for a day when the Black Knights would be at their busiest, using foreknowledge of their meeting schedule to arrange things in advance. Yes, keep him away from the school for the time being. Suzaku would not be there either, which seemed to make Euphemia a little sad. A realisation that made Kalifa grin a bit to herself - oh yes, it would be rather fun to see those two hooking up. 

In any event, they arrived outside Ashford on the day in question, escorted by Euphemia's security detail. This was an official visitation, after all. Cornelia had raised an eyebrow, demanded to know why that school, and Euphemia was happily able to remind her that the Ashford family were patrons of Cornelia's beloved Marianne.

A mistake, perhaps, as she'd expressed a desire to go herself - until Euphemia pointed out that the both of them going would draw a lot of attention to the school. We would not want to embarrass them, make the public read more into it than there really was, now would we?

Kalifa had tied up her hair into a sharp ponytail, and was wearing glasses without any actual glass in them. It's actually quite amazing how much that changes your appearance. Furthermore, she was wearing a smart suit rather than the pink and white flowing dress Euphemia favoured. Despite the two of them looking the same in every respect that matters, right now the two of them could not look more different. Kalifa had been tempted to dye her hair temporarily to maximise the effect - but could not bring herself to wash away these gorgeous pink locks.

She didn't want to look like Euphemia's spitting image, but the idea of going too far the other way gave her a splitting headache.

The front gates of Ashford Academy swung wide at the arrival of the royal motorcade. A gleaming limousine flanked by two black SUVs rolled up the tree-lined driveway, stopping neatly in front of the main building. At once, the student council members-dutifully assembled by Milly’s iron will-straightened up like nervous recruits facing a surprise inspection.

Milly Ashford, president, master of ceremonies, and grand manipulator of teenage scandal, was the first to step forward, arms spread in a dramatic gesture of welcome. Beside her, Rivalz stood awkwardly at attention, trying not to fidget with the hair he’d probably combed five times already. Nina peeked out from behind them, half-hiding behind Shirley Fenette, who looked the most flustered of them all.

Euphemia, stepping out first, was a vision in her royal whites and soft rose trims-her smile so dazzling it made Shirley’s heart skip a beat. Kalifa emerged next, adjusting her fake glasses with a faint smirk that might have unsettled them if any of them recognized her for who she used to be.

“Princess Euphemia!” Milly practically sang the title, sweeping into an elaborate bow that was more show than decorum. “It’s such an honour to welcome you to our humble little corner of Britannia. And… this must be your new aide?”

Kalifa gave a precise nod, voice cool and clipped compared to Euphemia’s musical warmth. “Kalifa, at Her Highness’s service.” She made a short, military-precise bow that got Rivalz staring at her in utter confusion-he was certain she looked familiar, but couldn’t place how.

“Oh my! You didn’t mention you’d be bringing someone so… professional-looking,” Milly teased, flicking a glance between Kalifa’s sharp suit and Euphemia’s flowing regalia. “Forgive the ragtag welcoming committee. We didn’t expect Royalty to drop in on such short notice!”

“I do apologise for the suddenness,” Euphemia said, her voice as gentle as a spring breeze. She stepped closer to Shirley, catching her gaze. “But I couldn’t wait any longer to see how everyone was doing. Especially you all. Suzaku has told me all about you all, and what wonderful friends you have been to him.”

Shirley, cheeks pink, almost squeaked out a greeting. Nina mumbled something incoherent and ducked behind Rivalz’s shoulder, while Rivalz attempted a gallant flourish that nearly smacked Milly in the side.

Kalifa, meanwhile, stood just behind Euphemia’s left shoulder-close enough to seem protective, but distant enough to pass for a mere subordinate. Her sharp eyes flicked across Shirley, lingered on her lips for half a heartbeat too long, then shifted to Milly’s grin, measuring and calculating.

Yes, she thought. Shirley will be perfect. And Milly… well, they might not need a council president once all this was done, but wouldn’t it be delicious to see her squirm?

“Shall we head inside?” Euphemia asked, clasping her hands together like an innocent girl on a field trip, utterly ignoring the black-suited bodyguards waiting to flank her on command. “There’s so much I’d love to discuss. Privately, if possible.”

Milly’s eyes gleamed with the promise of fresh gossip. “But of course! This way, Your Highness. Ashford Academy is yours today.”

And so, with Shirley fidgeting at Euphemia’s side and Kalifa’s calculating smile hidden behind polite nods, they stepped through the great doors-dragging their prey willingly into the spider’s web.

=====

Nina Einstein had never felt comfortable in crowds-certainly not crowds that included literal royalty. She was keenly aware of every word she stammered, every glance she made, every inch of personal space that evaporated the instant Euphemia looked her way. So when Milly chattered on about student budgets and Rivalz tried too hard to impress with some half-baked jokes, Nina’s mind was far away-trailing after Euphemia instead, wherever she drifted in the room.

She couldn’t help it. There was something magnetic about Euphemia. There always had been, ever since that one moment in the hotel, when Euphemia had actually stood up to protect her from the Elevens. A princess, saving Nina Einstein. It had been enough to fixate her heart in place like a moth pinned under glass.

So when Euphemia-sweet, gentle Euphemia-leaned in and murmured something to Shirley, and Shirley’s cheeks lit up like dawn, Nina’s stomach twisted, and it got worse when the two of them left the room (alongside Kalifa, of course). A private talk? Why did Shirley get a private talk?

She didn’t even realise she’d stopped listening to Milly until Rivalz nudged her with an elbow. “Hey, you okay? You look a little pale.”

“I-I just-bathroom,” Nina lied instantly, clutching her bag like a lifeline. Before either of them could stop her, she slipped away down the hall, turning once to make sure they weren’t following.

Euphemia and Shirley were nowhere in sight-but Kalifa was there, standing outside the old music room like a guard dog in a sleek suit. Nina ducked behind a corner, peeking out just enough to see Shirley’s nervous laugh as she followed Euphemia inside.

What could they possibly need to discuss alone? Some part of Nina whispered that it was something… intimate. That maybe Euphemia liked Shirley best. That maybe she was about to lose her place in Euphemia’s warm, perfect regard.

She couldn’t allow that.

Heart hammering, she crept along the wall until she reached the slightly ajar door. Kalifa must have gone inside too, because the hallway was empty. Holding her breath, Nina pressed her ear to the crack.

At first it was just hushed murmurs-Euphemia’s voice soft as ever, Shirley’s answering giggle. Nina closed her eyes, imagining herself in Shirley’s place, blushing under that gentle attention. Then a strange lilt crept into Euphemia’s tone-an almost musical echo, threading through the words like a hidden chant.

“-you don’t have to worry about anything anymore, Shirley. Just let go. Be me.”

Shirley’s voice trembled: “I-I trust you, Euphy-”

Then the sound-like a breath caught in a mirror. A pulse that Nina felt in her teeth. She risked a glance through the crack and nearly gasped aloud: Shirley’s eyes were wide, shimmering pink at the edges. Her hair shifted, just slightly, lighter at the roots, skin softening into an almost too-perfect glow.

Kalifa’s voice, dry and amused: “Hmph. Faster than with me. You’re getting stronger, Your Highness.”

Euphemia laughed-a quiet, delighted sound that Nina had never heard before, like the coo of a dove with fangs. “Of course. Shirley wants this. Don’t you, dear?”

“Yes, Euphy… I want to be… you…” Shirley’s voice melted away, breathy and worshipful, echoing itself until it sounded eerily like Euphemia’s own pitch.

Nina’s pulse roared in her ears. She staggered back, pressing a fist to her mouth to stifle a cry. A spell-no, something more. A power that made people into Euphemia. Into… copies.

Madness said: run. But curiosity-sick, wild curiosity-told her to stay. To watch. To learn.

And so, trembling and feverish with obsession, Nina Einstein did not flee. She pressed herself tighter to the wall, eyes wide, mind already racing: I need to know how she does it. I need it too.