Release That Succubus

Bruce and Andy were both waiting to welcome him home but there was neither excitement nor question on their faces.

Instead, they looked like they were in trouble. Bruce was even sweating profusely as if trying to come up with a way to reveal what had happened behind his back in the city.

The fact that they had been waiting for him at the door irked him somewhat. It was obvious to him that something bad had happened and it was probably bad enough for them to be so eager for his return; so much so that they were practically watching the path he was going to tread to return home.

"You're back." exclaimed Bruce in relief. He sighed as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his back.

"I'm back...but you don't look too happy to see me. Is there something wrong?" 

Zach cast a questioning glance towards Bruce and Andy one after the other, expecting to hear the answer from them as soon as possible.

Bruce hesitated to tell Zach about Christina because he knew how protective Zach could be about the women around him. Christina even seemed a little too close to him; maybe more so than his sister was. If he had rained hell on earth for Diana, Bruce wondered what he might do for Christina if the royals treated her the wrong way.

Andy on the other hand wasn't that concerned about Zach's outburst as long as it didn't involve him. So, he was the one who narrated how the royal order had asked for Christina's presence at the welcoming ceremony arranged by the higher ups for the princess.

"Do any of you know why they demanded her presence at the conference hall?"

Zach couldn't figure out why the royal family would specifically call for her even though she wasn't even the family head of Elizabeth family. It was her father who was a Marquis and not the other way around. Why would the royal family ask for her when they shouldn't have even noticed someone of her level?

"Who knows? But the welcoming ceremony was arranged for the princess who is coming to take charge of Byzantium city. She is one of the leading figures of the royal family as her brother is the crown prince of the empire." 

Bruce was the one to answer this time. Although he preferred not to break the news fearing that he would come to regret it, he didn't want to keep any information from him.

"Did that princess call her over? Or was it someone else?"

Zach wanted to make sure if it was the royals who had set their eyes on her or if it was someone else.

"I don't think anyone else would have dared to call her over in the name of the royal family. It is highly likely that Princess Candice summoned her."

"Do you have any idea why this princess would want to see her when she had barely arrived in the city?" Zach asked Andy this time because he was sure that Bruce had already shared whatever he knew with him.

"I don't know if it is related or not, but I did hear a piece of news from one of my colleagues. He is responsible for receiving and seeing off dignitaries along with the governor and often ends up stumbling onto the secrets of those bigshots. This news came directly from his mouth. I am not asking you to trust the man unconditionally but there is high likelihood of it being the truth."

"Don't dilly dally and give it to me straight. What is it?"

Zach looked like he was in a hurry as he pushed Andy to increase the pace of his narration.

"All right; I heard that the princess arrived in the city as early as three days ago. She didn't show herself or reveal her identity in front of others as she stayed by herself in a remote corner of the city."

Zach wondered why she would hide her identity even though revealing herself would have allowed her to live more comfortably.

It wasn't one or two hours but three whole days. She had stayed hidden for the whole time and Zach didn't believe that it was for a good reason. Otherwise, the princess wouldn't have bothered to hide herself the whole time.

The uncertainty began to eat away at his sanity and Zach couldn't help but call Christina out of worry even though he knew that she was busy attending the welcome event staged for the princess.

The phone rang for a few bells until she answered the call.

Zach only found solace when the call was answered. The burden of guilt that he had been carrying on his head felt lighter all of a sudden. 

He had barely said a sentence when the call was cut abruptly as if someone had interfered with the connection. 

He could instinctively feel that the person on the other end of the line was Christina even though she hadn't said a single word to affirm his belief. 

The static buzz from the satellite phone made him regret not coming a little earlier. He could have easily joined her to go meet this princess from the royal family if he had. Instead, the princess had succeeded in her venture as she managed to meet up with Christina in his absence. 

Zach wondered if the princess had been waiting for him to leave the city before making her move or if she was so unbelievably lucky.

He couldn't exactly stay calm when the subsequent calls went unanswered as well.

"Something is not right. I need to go and see it for myself whether she is safe or not." thought Zach as he couldn't sit still not knowing if Christina was suffering all by herself.

Zach could not bring his emotions under control anymore. Who could know if the royal family was trying to coerce her into doing their bidding? 

Overwhelmed by his fury, Zach decided to ride straight into the conference hall to check her wellbeing for himself. 

"How long was that welcoming ceremony supposed to last? When will she be back?" asked Zach worriedly as he stared at Andy for the answer to his question.

"The governor was pretty secretive about the arrangements of the ceremony. He was probably afraid that someone else would steal his ideas. So, even the security detail around the conference hall don't have much information in that regard not to mention an insignificant official like me who is barely included among the top brass."

Zach's mood was further put off by Andy's answer and an unknown anxiety began to replace his worry for Christina. It wanted him to erupt and rain down his fury on everyone around him.

"I can't stay here any longer. I am going to find her and bring her back."

Revealing his intentions to Bruce and Andy, Zach rushed outside towards the stable to get a horse to ride into the city.

Zach was soon done saddling up his horse and was just about to ride it when he felt a force tug his shoulder back in an attempt to keep him from climbing onto its back.

It was Bruce who grabbed his shoulder in time and tried to keep him from taking any drastic action that might later come to bite him in the back. He had been afraid of this when he hesitated to provide him with all the information regarding Christina's summons.

Alas! The worst had still come to pass even though he had tried to prevent such an outcome.

Andy also looked extremely helpless as he stood beside Bruce as if to support him in stopping Zach from taking any drastic measures.

Zach shook his shoulder free from Bruce's grip as he could already infer what the latter wanted to tell him from the grim expression on his face.

"There is no use in you going there to cause a ruckus. It will only harm her more. Going there without any information will only be counterproductive. Why don't you wait a while, so we can come up with a possible solution?" suggested Bruce as his last attempt to stop the inevitable from happening.

Zach on the other hand looked like a mindless beast that had lost control. He could not hear anything that Bruce was telling him. His mind had been occupied with the sound of static that appeared after the call was cut off abruptly.

Pulling himself free and onto horseback, Zach was about to gallop towards the conference hall when Andy's words forced him to come to a halt.

"What if your impulsiveness ends up harming her instead of helping her? You DO realize that you are putting her at more risk, right?" 

Andy's question kept Zach from kicking his heel into the horse to nudge it forward. Instead, he turned his head around to look at Andy as the logic in his words forced him to come to a halt.

"By inducing her to offend so many higher ups of the government, you are essentially making her an accomplice in your mutinous behavior against the royal family. Even if she is capable of thinking for herself, the moment you show up and ask her to come with you, she will follow you without hesitation. But that will only bring her harm."

Andy figured that he must have said something right to attract Zach's attention. Therefore, he continued to reinforce his previous words with more logic and managed to convince Zach to stop his impulsive actions.