Release That Succubus

Zach's voice could no longer be heard as if it had gotten lost in the noise while on its way to her.

She looked around as she realized that something or someone had interfered with her communication with Zach and had broken her headphones.

While looking for the potential source of the trouble, she found the old man glaring at her viciously with unquenchable fire burning in his eyes. 

As soon as her eyes met the old man's, a terrible pressure descended on her back. The air itself felt heavy as it got increasingly harder for her to breathe in that terrible pressure.

She tried to circulate her mana to resist the pressure. A thin barrier appeared around her, but it didn't last a second against the terribly oppressive pressure.

Christina was shocked by the sheer power behind the force pushing her down towards her knees.

She forced herself to stand straight but inwardly she was shocked beyond belief. She had known that the old man was strong, but never in her imagination had she considered that there was such a huge separating her and the old man. 

He had easily suppressed her with his aura alone while she could barely move in his presence. She wondered if the old man had even used his true strength to suppress her. What if he had yet to show his real strength? Wouldn't that make her little strength completely useless?

She wondered if there was any point in struggling against her fate when there was such an enemy amongst those she was planning to resist. 

For the first time in her life, she felt as small as an ant. The old man made her feel just as worthless. Compared to her tiny self, he was like a giant with his head up in the clouds. 

In front of him, she was just as helpless as an ant was in front of a human when the latter was about to stomp on it to end its life accidentally.

Christina forgot how to speak in fright. The old man seemed to have no intention of going easy on her despite the obvious chasm between their strengths.

The princess and those around her including George had forgotten about their earlier conversation and were interestedly watching the show being put on by the old man.

George knew that his daughter was strong, but he was also painfully aware of the strength of the royal guards. He couldn't keep watching as the old man kept hurting his daughter in front of him.

George clenched his fists in anger, but he noticed the visible fright on Christina's face. All his anger dissolved into thin air, replaced by tranquility as he engaged the princess once again.

But this time, he had no intention of refusing her orders because that was the only way of saving his daughter and his family. He did not believe that the princess would let Christina go unscathed if he decided to resist her will. Based on the strength of the old man, it would be impossible for Christina to even escape the conference hall.

"I think your highness has a valid point. My daughter has spent her life playing around. It is high time that she learns to take responsibility. I am sure that under the able guidance of the royal family, she would learn enough to last her a lifetime."

George's voice was devoid of any warmth, flattery or excitement. It was laced with indifference. His attitude towards the royal family had turned frigid after what they did to his daughter.

But on the inside, he was afraid as well. He shuddered to think about the result of his refusal. Given how cold the princess was, she might not even have blinked an eye before deciding to play with their lives and those of the Elizabeth family in case they aroused her anger.

Candice was satisfied after hearing George's agreement, but his rebellious attitude made her frown.

Candice wasn't willing to let go of his attitude and George was obviously unwilling to relent to her demands completely, both sides reached an impasse. Lillard was the first to notice the small spark that could possibly ignite a huge fire. 

Lillard didn't care about Elizabeth family, but he did care about the princess' mood that was suddenly taking a turn for the worse. He was worried that the princess' worsening mood would cause her to see even his carefully arranged event in a bad light.

As such, he intervened once again.

"Brother, that was the correct decision. I can't help but envy you. Had it been my family that had received the honor of attracting the royal attention, I would have readily died of happiness. Mark my words right now. Your daughter will thank her in the coming years for giving her such an opportunity."

It appeared as if he was trying to help the Elizabeth family but in fact, he had no intention of actually doing so. He was only thinking selfishly and wasn't as kindhearted as his words made him out to be.

As expected, the smile returned to Candice's face. Even though she looked like she was unlike the royals who took their honor too seriously, she was in every way just like them. She just hid it behind her homely appearance, probably to fool those she interacted with and to catch them unawares.

The old man beside her stopped pressuring Christina. Color returned to her face as if the pressure had been keeping her blood from flowing to her face. 

Candice too reverted to her previous self as she began socializing with all the people who craved her attention.

"So, its settled then. We will be relying on you to handle the reconstruction in Rome. Even though your father thinks that you are unable to handle it, I believe in the potential of your family. You will only find success in the capital, far more than you may have achieved on your own here in this remote part of the state."

Candice sugarcoated it as much as possible, but George and Christina could already see past her docile façade and were treating her as such as well. Therefore, their responses mirrored their feelings. They responded in a robotic tone like they would to any superior whom they didn't want to ingratiate themselves with.

…

Zach had been far away from the city due to his visit to the prison where Luke was being held. The military stronghold housing Luke had been very close to the border that the military residing in Byzantium city was tasked to protect.

It was built in a relatively remote and secret place away from any prying eyes due to the sensitivity of the prisoners being held there. There were war criminals, traitors and those who had dared to show their backs to the enemy in times of war. All those were potential risks if left to their own devices. As such, the military housed such individuals till their death and the location was kept a secret except for those who were granted permission by the military command.

It had taken him more than a day just to travel to the place. It consumed even more time trying to convince Luke to listen to reason so he could get him out at the earliest before the military could announce his sentence. He even told him that there were no strings attached to this favor from the Colonel so that he would come to terms with it, but Luke wasn't willing to believe his words.

Only after he had exhausted all his options did he begin his journey home without Luke. The prince had proven to be even more stubborn than he had was.

Zach took two days travelling back to the city as he took his time to return. 

He was surveying the area for any future development and was also trying to understand the lay of the land given that he was probably going to stay in Byzantium city for a longer period now that he had been made into a Viscount. At least, this new identity could provide the Smith family with a better living environment.

Once he reached home however, there was a surprise waiting for him. Instead of the excited faces that he had been expecting to find, all he could see was anxiousness and turmoil hidden underneath their skin.