Release That Succubus

The ferocity vanished but the anxiousness remained inside Zach's troubled mind. Helpless in front of the absolute power that these influential figures controlled, Zach turned to Andy and asked, "What am I supposed to do then?"

"Don't do anything. It would be far more helpful for her than whatever it is that you are thinking of doing. You might be thinking of doing her good but mark my words, the royals won't let any insult go unpunished. Since they have their eyes on you, they might not harm you directly. But that doesn't stop them from going after people close to you without revealing themselves."

Andy's words struck like thunder inside Zach's brain. He couldn't bring himself to believe the magnitude of the threat that royals posed to him and the Smith family.

"I can't just do nothing. Wouldn't that mak..." Zach's voice trailed off as he comprehended his own lack of power. 

He felt useless despite his new status and the technology to back him up. He had no political power and no ability to influence other peak powers of the world. 

It irritated him.

"Why can't you do nothing? Think for a moment. It is a welcoming ceremony for the princess of the royal family. There can't be a more esteemed guest that this city can receive. Do you think that the governor would let anything go wrong when his position is at stake? As long as the conference is going on, there will only be negotiations or a war of words. No one will dare to harm that girl with the entire city watching them. I am sure that she is as safe as she can be."

It irritated Zach how much sense there was in Andy's words. The latter had much more experience dealing with politicians and was probably much more aware of their modus operandi.

But Zach couldn't bring himself to calm down. He had to at least see for himself if she was alright. After all, the abrupt loss of connection was impossible without any outside interference considering that it was a satellite phone.

"I have to see her at least. I won't go in, I promise. But I need to know for sure that she is alright."

Zach looked like he was begging Andy and Bruce to let him go. He was like a pampered but obedient child asking for his father's permission before eating the candy he was forbidden to partake in.

Witnessing such a sight, neither Bruce nor Andy had the heart to tell him off. Since they couldn't stop him, they decided to follow behind him in order to stop him from doing anything irreversible.

"It's not like we can stop you if you are adamant to go. But we will be accompanying you. Please let us take the lead. I don't want you ruining your compatibility with the royals now that they have taken an interest in this city."

Bruce no longer tried to hold him back. Instead, he walked towards the nearest horse and followed right after Zach as they exited the stable and headed in the direction of the conference room, trotting at first and changing into a gallop soon after.

Andy didn't stay behind either. He had a horse of his own as he followed after the two of them with a heavy heart. Even if Zach ended up offending the Royal family, Andy was willing to follow through with this alliance, thinking that at most, he would be making another wager with his future on the line. It would not be any different than what he did in the past though.

The three horses galloped one after the other as Zach made a beeline towards the conference hall.

Fortunately, he didn't have to ride his horse into the hall to determine if Christina was safe or not because the moment the conference hall came in his sight, he found Christina coming out of the hall.

He wondered if the two of them had some kind of telepathic connection that allowed her to sense his arrival.

A smile crept up on his previously worried visage and he stopped his horse a little distance from the conference hall. 

He noticed the elderly man walking beside Christina and was a little surprised to see George who should have been back in Elizabeth city.

Zach took long strides and walked swiftly towards Christina. He could barely keep himself from running as it would have attracted too much attention from the people passing by.

"Long time no see. How have you been all this time?" Zach addressed the elderly first as it was only right to acknowledge his father-in-law before engaging in a loving reunion with Christina.

While Zach was in high spirits after making sure that both Christina and George seemed to be all right, the same could not be said about the father-daughter duo. They looked like they had seen better days.

"Yes, it's been a long time. Stories about you have now spread far and wide. Even I have heard about them back in Elizabeth city. I always knew that you would be able to do good for yourself even if you had no backing."

George praised him generously, but it was obvious that he was only saying it to give Zach face. He was in no mood to talk after what transpired in the conference hall.

Moreover, George even resented Zach somewhat, for he was the reason why Christina was going to suffer in the hands of the Royal family.

Zach didn't take long to decipher that as well. He sensed the hidden bitterness in George's words that was directed at him. 

Zach turned to Christina as if to ask her to help him understand why her father was looking at him like that.

It was only then, like the sudden crack of a dam that had been holding back a torrent of emotions, he noticed the glimmer of tears at the corners of her eyes. Christina's eyes resembled a stormy sea, with tears like unrelenting raindrops, eager to break free and cascade down her cheeks. They were like uninvited guests at a party, ready to make a grand entrance, unwelcome yet insistent on making their presence known, signaling the weight of her distress.

Her tear-filled eyes were akin to fragile glass ornaments, delicate and on the verge of shattering, reflecting the fragility of her emotions. Each tear teetered on the edge, like a tightrope walker, battling the gusty winds of despair before taking that inevitable plunge, leaving its mark on her porcelain skin, a visible testament to her inner turmoil.

Zach felt a storm of fury brewing within him as he witnessed her tears, yet he restrained it, understanding the urgency of uncovering the reasons for her distress before he let loose his wrath. It was like a tempest contained in a fragile bottle, threatening to shatter the glass if left unattended.

His anger simmered like a kettle reaching its boiling point, ready to whistle its protest, but he knew he had to be the steady lighthouse amidst her turbulent sea. He stood at the edge of a precipice, carefully balancing on the thin line between vengeance and understanding, aware that one misstep could plunge them both into an abyss of irreversible consequences.

"What happened in there?" asked Zach, his voice a taut rope barely containing the weight of his growing anger.

Christina didn't answer him but wiped away her tears in order to hide the helplessness she felt after her meeting with the princess. Her father shared in her sadness as he kept on shaking his head for no reason.

Zach, brimming with a mix of worry and anger, didn't press her to speak. He pulled her close, wrapping her in his protective embrace, and began to rub her back gently, as if trying to smooth away the turmoil in her heart, like a lighthouse offering solace to a ship lost in a stormy sea. 

He felt a little odd doing it in front of her father, but he couldn't stop himself after he saw her in such a pitiful condition. It was like an instinct, an urge to shield her from the emotional tempest that was raging within her, akin to a knight protecting a delicate flower amidst a relentless downpour.

It had to be known that Zach had never seen Christina in such a poor condition. She had always been like a goddess that everyone desired but no one had the good fortune of laying their eyes on. 

Seeing her in such a state was no different from witnessing a star, bright and unattainable, suddenly dimming and falling from the sky, its brilliance fading into a somber glow that left everyone watching in disbelief

She had a high status in Elizabeth family and countless suitors, but she had never shown favor to anyone besides Zach. Her strength gave her the capital to stand at the top of a small city like Elizabeth city. 

But such a woman had been reduced to tears. Zach could not imagine what she might have gone through to end up in such a condition.

"Let's go home first. It's not right to question her out here when she isn't feeling well." suggested Bruce as he felt that George didn't look too good. He had known the man for a good amount of time, but he had never seen the man sweat so profusely even in the midst of the most difficult situation.

Andy was the one to lead this time as the rest of them followed after him.