Chapter 1571: Interlude

In the spacious living room, the television’s glow painted the walls in cold, flickering light. Enzo stood in the middle of it, unmoving.

He hadn’t even realized he was still on his feet.

His body had gone rigid the moment Samuel Albretch’s face filled the screen. His eyes were wide, unblinking. His mouth hung slightly open, as if he had forgotten how to close it.

The camera focused tightly on Samuel Albretch’s face as he gave his testimony, the lens capturing every subtle twitch of his jaw, every controlled breath he took. Occasionally, Madeline’s voice would cut in, reinforcing his statements, adding details he had not mentioned.

Their explanations were clear and painfully detailed. They gave names, exact locations and specific dates and times, all the facts that could be easily verified. There was no vagueness, no hesitation, no room for ambiguity.

It was not the kind of story one could fabricate overnight. Every detail they laid out felt like another nail driven into a coffin, each confirmation tightening the tension in the studio and in every living room across the world.

Suddenly, his phone rang.

The sharp sound sliced through the heavy silence like a blade. Enzo flinched, his heart lurching back into motion. For a second, he simply stared at the device in his hand before answering. He pressed the speaker button.

"Have you seen the news?" The woman’s voice came through the speaker, tight and breathless, as though she had been running, if not physically, then mentally.

"Yes."Enzo’s answer was low and strained, as he forced the word out while suppressing the surge of unease rising in his chest. Panic was a luxury he could not afford.

"How credible do you think their testimony is?" she asked. One can easily hear the distress in her voice.

Enzo dragged a hand down his face and rubbed his jaw, eyes still fixed on the television screen where Samuel Albretch’s face filled the frame. He tries to search for any fault, lie, or hesitation in the man’s face, but Enzo could only see unwavering determination.

"Honestly... I’m still trying to process it," he admitted.

A sharp exhale came from the other end. "You know, everyone here is in utter shock," she continued. "I’ve never seen our leader freeze like that. For a second, I thought he might have a heart attack." Her attempt to lighten the mood fell flat.

Enzo didn’t react. He could only imagine the weight pressing down in that room, the disbelief, the fear, the sudden realization that the ground beneath them was no longer stable. It was the same suffocating shock tightening around his own chest.

"So," he asked quietly, "what decision is our leader making? Are we accepting Harland’s offer?"

Silence lingered on the line, thick with implication. Then she spoke. "We don’t have much of a choice, do we?" she said at last. "Our country has been in Alexander’s grasp for too long. And whatever plan he’s been weaving... it doesn’t seem like it ever included us."

Enzo let out a sarcastic joke. "And you think placing our nation’s fate in Harland’s hands is any better?"

"Of course not," she replied quickly.

"Our government has already become a joke in the eyes of our citizens and the world. Everyone knows the one truly ruling this country isn’t President Emery Barco, but Alexander Behrenn. Therefore, we cannot afford to put ourselves at another man’s mercy ever again. Not even if that man is the legendary King Lucas."

"Even though, in reality, we are already at King Lucas’s mercy," Enzo said, a sardonic edge slipping into his voice.

A resigned sigh drifted through the line. "We are... but we don’t want it to be obvious. We need to regain our people’s trust."

Enzo understood full well that no man who bore the title of King, Queen, or President would ever willingly place himself under another people’s control.

Their pride would never allow it. If Dolza truly wished to reclaim its sovereignty, it could not simply accept whatever was offered without scrutiny. That would be no different from trading one chain for another.

Blind acceptance would be foolish, dangerous to be exact.

They needed leverage. Something tangible. Something undeniable. A position from which they could negotiate rather than beg. Only then could they claim that their decisions were made for the future of the nation, not out of desperation.

They could not afford to leap from one master to another.

Not again.

"So," Enzo said after a moment, "do we continue searching for Zhao Li Xin and Raven Jane?"

The woman fell silent, weighing the risk.

"Yes," she answered finally. "Embarrassingly, other than the information Harland feeds us, we’re practically blind. If we find that couple, we might finally understand what kind of game we’ve been dragged into."

Enzo’s gaze returned to the television, where Albretch’s testimony continued peeling back decades of buried secrets. What they had uncovered recently, it seemed, was not even half of the truth.

Who knew what else Harland had kept from the world? And why had they kept it hidden for so long?

The weight of it pressed down on him. Enzo slumped onto the couch, exhaustion seeping into his bones. "Do you even know where to start looking for them...?"

The woman did not answer immediately. When she finally spoke, her reply lacked conviction. "We’re working on it."

A mocking chuckle escaped him, low and humorless. "By the time we find them, those three giants might already be at war. And when that happens, Dolza won’t be able to stay out of it."

What answered him later was a heavy sigh. None of them speaks more as the quiet acknowledgment of abitter truth; they cannot escape it.

_____________________________________

___Somewhere in the vast blue ocean___

Deep within the luxurious cruise liner, far from the noise and glitter of the main deck, Lory booked a VIP suite for privacy above all else. The moment the door closed, the bustle outside ceased to fade.

The interior was minimalistic yet quietly extravagant, with ivory walls, dark walnut panels, warm recessed lighting, and a single abstract painting above a low gray sofa.

A king-sized bed dressed in crisp white linen stood against the paneled wall, facing a sleek marble console. The air carried a faint blend of sandalwood and sea breeze.

Beyond the glass doors lay the true highlight: a private balcony overlooking the endless ocean. Two plush chairs and a small teakwood table faced the horizon.

From there, the waves rolled endlessly, their steady rhythm a soothing reminder that, for now, there was only wind, salt, and sky.

Zhao Li Xin sits on the balcony drinking wine while staring at the ocean; it seems he quite enjoys the cruise. Meanwhile, Lory watches the news on her tablet.

It had been two days since she boarded the cruise, and there were still another two days before they would arrive at Arsedia Beach.

The journey was intentionally unhurried. The purpose of the voyage was indulgence, not arrival. Guests were meant to savor the ocean breeze, the curated dinners, the slow drift of time beneath golden sunsets. Everything about the cruise encouraged leisure.

But for Lory, the luxury felt like delay.

Every extra hour on the water stretched her patience thinner. While other passengers laughed over champagne and planned spa appointments, she found herself counting days, then hours. The endless horizon, once beautiful, now felt like a barrier keeping her from where she needed to be.

Perhaps she was the only guest aboard who secretly wished the cruise would move faster. But what choice did she have?

Commercial flights were no longer an option. Airport security had tightened to suffocating levels, and several routes, including those passing through Arwegian, had been diverted after the Bael attack. Every checkpoint meant delays, interrogations, and eyes that looked too closely.

The trains were worse. Entire international lines had been shut down after sections of track were destroyed. What should have been a straightforward journey had turned into a maze of closures and military inspections.

So the only route left was by sea, and she chose a cruise ship.

Not just any cruise ship, but a private luxury liner reserved exclusively for the wealthy. It wasn’t as massive as the commercial giants that carried thousands of passengers, but what it lacked in size, it more than compensated for in extravagance.

The interior gleamed with polished marble floors and soft ambient lighting that shifted subtly with the hour. Crystal fixtures hung like suspended stars above intimate lounges furnished in velvet and leather. The service was seamless, staff moved with quiet precision, anticipating needs before they were voiced.

The interior gleamed with polished marble and warm, shifting light. Crystal fixtures shimmered above velvet lounges, while staff moved in near silence, anticipating every need with effortless precision.

Each suite was design flawlessly, tailored linens, rich wood panels, and understated elegance in every detail. Beyond the rooms, indulgence awaited at every corner: exquisite fine dining, a grand theater of endless performances, a glass-domed garden in full bloom, a giant pools, and raw of high-end boutiques displaying the world’s finest brands in every corner. It’s like a high-end city adrift on the ocean

Meanwhile, Lory had no time to enjoy any of it, her expression gloomy as she watched the news. Once she was done, she tossed the tablet onto the bed, and it landed against the sheets with a dull thud. ℯⅇ𝙡.

Lory then rose and walked toward the balcony, the glass doors sliding open with a soft whisper. The ocean stretched endlessly before her, calm and indifferent.

Lory curled closer to Zhao Li Xin, searching for warmth. She adjusted herself until she found a comfortable position, then rested her cheek against his chest.

The firm rise and fall beneath her ear, the steady, powerful rhythm of his heartbeat, gradually soothed the turmoil twisting inside her.

Zhao Li Xin set the jade cup aside and wrapped his arms around her without hesitation.

"Bad mood?" he asked gently.

"More like... worried," Lory replied softly.

"I think your brothers and your subordinates in Harland are more than capable of handling this," he said in a calm, reassuring tone.

"Your brothers don’t look like men who make careless moves without good preparation."

"I know..." she murmured. "Luc is smarter than me, and far more cunning than he lets people see. And with Fredhardt and the others helping, nothing should go wrong. But... I don’t know. I just can’t stop feeling anxious. Maybe it’s because it’s finally becoming real."

"What’s becoming real?" he asked quietly.

She lifted her gaze, her eyes locking onto his. "The war." Her voice was heavy with emotion.

"Alexander and Theodore’s goal is to rule the world, and we can’t let that happen. That means war is inevitable, it will come sooner than later, and the peace we fought so desperately for..." Her voice trembled slightly. "It has to end and I feel so...unwilling." Bitterness and pain flickered in her eyes.

So many sacrifices had been made, not just by her, but by countless others. So many people had died to secure this fragile peace. But in less than ten years, it was slipping away again. The anger inside her simmered, but she didn’t know where to release it.

Zhao Li Xin understood her sorrow. Lory rarely spoke about that time. Most of what he knew came from Girsha. Now that he was here, he had uncovered more footage, pictures, and witnesses from those who survived.

He realized how dark those years had been, how desperate people were, and that Lory... she had chosen to walk through that broken world almost alone. Even with Girsha by her side, he was still not human, so there were parts of her pain he simply could not understand.

Girsha himself had once admitted that there were human emotions he could never fully comprehend, no matter how much he tried, and because of that, he sometimes found himself unable to comfort her. For Lory, that must have been the loneliest and darkest time of her life.

Zhao Li Xin’s heart ached for her. He held her tighter, then rested his chin gently on top of her head.

"Don’t worry, Lory," he said softly. "This time is different."

"Oh?" she asked, confused.

"Because I’m here," he said, looking at her deeply, his gaze steady and unwavering.

A warm smile slowly bloomed on Lory’s face. "That’s right, you’re here..."

Their eyes remained locked for a long moment, the air between them growing warmer, heavier with unspoken promises.

Slowly, the distance between them closed, and their lips met in a passionate kiss, slow at first, then deepening, as if trying to anchor themselves against the uncertain future waiting beyond the horizon.