Because Anthony had to leave, they decided on who should stay to attend the meeting and who would be coming with him.
Marianne was going to stay behind and act as his will. She was the most politically acute of his harem. She was far better at politics than he was, so he could trust her to make the most appropriate decisions.
Brianna and Trinity were also staying. Trinity had to stay anyway since she was representing Custodes Daemonium, but they had decided that Brianna would also stay to protect Marianne in the event of an emergency.
Secilia and Sasha would be going with him.
Anthony didn’t like being separated from his bondmates for any reason. The idea was so foreign that it hadn’t even occurred to him that they might be parted for an indeterminate length of time until this situation came up. Now that it had, he knew they needed to separate for a while, but he hated it.
“Maybe we should rethink our decision,” Anthony said the next day.
“We’ve been over this,” Trinity said with a patient smile that had a touch of amusement. “Marianne and I have to stay here. Not only do we need to represent you during this meeting, but we need someone who will be around to let you know about the outcome. Marianne and I are best suited to that, and we need at least one person for protection. Brianna knows my style. She’ll work with me the best.”
“Yeah, but…”
Anthony glanced at Marianne and Brianna as though expecting them to side with him.
“Don’t worry about me!” Marianne puffed out her meager chest. “You know how good I am at politics. I won’t let you down!”
Brianna smiled wanly. “I don’t really enjoy the idea of being away from you, but it is necessary.”
Anthony’s shoulders slumped. “Yeah, I thought you would say that.”
“Come on. Don’t be so disappointed.” Secilia wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “You’re going to make me feel like you’re not interested in spending more quality time with me.”
“I know you’re just joking, but you also know how much I love spending time with you.” Anthony shook his head. “This isn’t about that at all.”
“Haaaaah. Lighten up, brosif,” Secilia said.
Anthony wrinkled his nose. “Don’t use that word ever again.”
“Why not, bros--mmph?!”
Secilia’s eyes went crossed when Anthony shoved something into her mouth. It was a sock. Secilia staggered back and began pulling the sock from her mouth. Anthony used that time to turn and pull Marianne into a hug. He wound his arms around her in a tight embrace and buried his face into her silver hair.
“Stay safe,” he said softly.
Marianne hugged him back tightly. “I will. Don’t worry.”
“You can’t tell me not to worry. I’m always gonna do that.”
“I know. It was just a saying.”
Anthony chuckled. He didn’t feel better, not really, but he was accepting that this needed to happen.
He pulled back, but it was only enough so he could lift Marianne’s face. With his hand under her chin, he raised her head so he could lean down and claim her lips with his own. The kiss was soft… well, it started soft. It quickly became impassioned when he worked his tongue into her mouth.
“Aaah… w-wait… we… we can’t start this now…” Marianne pulled away with a gasp, but her words were muffled when he pulled her back in, head behind her hand. It seemed like she might try to push back again, but instead, she wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him back just as passionately.
“Wow,” Sasha said with wide eyes.
“Are we gonna have to get a room for them?” asked Secilia.
Trinity blinked. “But we are already in our room.”
“It was a figure of speech,” Secilia grumbled, then caught Trinity’s smile. “Hah. You got me. Good one.”
Brianna frowned as she continued watching the kiss.
“So envious,” she muttered.
***
Sasha had been tasked with pulling Anthony from Marianne, but then he’d gone to kiss Brianna and Trinity, and was forced away each time. The young incubus eventually left thanks to Sasha’s and Secilia’s constant prodding, finally leaving Marianne, Trinity, and Brianna to get ready.
As they walked down the corridor toward the meeting hall, several other people joined them. Svetlana and Ivan appeared around one corner, while Elizabeth appeared just a little after them.
“Good morning,” Svetlana said with a gracious smile.
“Daughter,” Elizabeth came over and hugged Marianne tenderly.
Ivan frowned when he looked them over. “It seems you are missing some people…”
“Anthony, Sasha, and Secilia had to leave for… urgent matters,” Trinity said.
While Ivan raised an eyebrow, Svetlana pursed her lips and said, “do tell? What could be so urgent that they would leave during one of the most important meetings of the time?”
“Let me fill you in as we walk,” Marianne said.
They started walking again, and Marianne told them about how the entire Japanese network was down, how they assumed someone had purposefully cut communications, and how Anthony decided they needed to investigate.
“I admire his decisiveness,” Ivan said.
Svetlana couldn’t disagree, but she had other thoughts. “The timing for this is quite… problematic. I can’t help but wonder if this happened because of the meeting.”
“It could also be a coincidence,” Brianna suggested.
“It could,” Svetlana said, then eyed the redhead. “But you don’t believe that, do you?”
“I do not.”
There was definitely something fishy about this timing, and it had to have happened recently. An entire country going silent would have been noticed. It was clear this had happened sometime within the last few days. The most likely scenario was that it happened shortly after the meeting was announced. If it happened while all the most powerful world leaders were in transit to New Babylon and focused on the upcoming meeting, then no one would notice an entire nation being cut off from the rest of the world.
“Hopefully, Anthony will be able to figure out what is going on there,” Elizabeth said.
“I’m sure he will be able to fix this. Anthony is a reliable young man,” Trinity said.
Elizabeth nodded. “You are not wrong. I would not have entrusted my daughter to him if I did not have faith in his abilities.”
“Do we know who could be responsible for Japan being disconnected from the network?” asked Svetlana.
“No. All we have are guesses, but we believe that Satoru Ganjo has something to do with this,” Trinity admitted.
“Satoru Ganjo…” Elizabeth frowned. “Isn’t he…?”
“Yes,” Trinity nodded. “He is considered one of the strongest members of Custodes Daemonium… even moreso than Chloe and Hendricks. The only reason he wasn’t considered for a leadership position is because he cares more about killing demons and stopping magical catastrophes than he does politics.”
“He sounds like a good person,” Ivan said.
But Trinity shook her head. “His beliefs are so strong that they step well past the boundary of zealotry. He also follows the same human supremacist dogma of Chloe and Hendricks.”
“How did you allow so many warhawks into your organization?” asked Ivan.
All Trinity could do was shrug. She would like to know that too.
They soon reached the meeting room, and one of Angrat Bat Mahlat’s harem members stood there, ready to open the door for them.
A lot of people were already sitting inside and waiting for the meeting to start. A few were talking, but even more were silently checking their phones. They all looked up when Ivan walked in. However, they soon turned their attention back to what they were doing as everyone who entered sat down. Marianne found herself sitting between Brianna and Trinity.
Angrat Bat Mahlat entered after most everyone else had, looked around, and spotted their group. She frowned.
“Where is Anthony Amasius?” she asked.
Trinity looked like she might say something, but Marianne was quicker on the draw.
“An emergency situation that requires his attention has come up. He has given me authority to act on his behalf,” she said.
“Is that so…” Angrat Bat Mahlat gave Marianne a dubious stare, but the woman surprised them all by meeting the stare head on. A slight but undeniable pressure emanate from the older woman. The succubus eventually shrugged and the pressure vanished. “Well, if he gave you full authority, then that’s that. Where did you say Anthony was going?”
“I didn’t say,” Marianne said with a smile.
Angrat Bat Mahlat’s lips twitched, but she said nothing and instead walked over to her seat.
“Are you sure upsetting her was a good idea?” asked Brianna, and then she paused. “I’m surprised you were able to stand up to her so well. Most people would have flinched at the pressure she was exuding.”
Marianne did not get the chance to answer before Elizabeth spoke up. “My daughter might be kind and timid most of the time, but that is not the case when it comes to politics. You should already know this quite well.”
“It’s my first time seeing her act in the capacity of a political leader,” Brianna said with a shrug.
At that moment, Angrat Bat Mahlat gathered everyone’s attention, clapping her hands as she stood up.
“We are about to start this meeting,” she began. “But before that, I regret to inform you all that Anthony will not be able to attend. It seems he has urgent business elsewhere. But do not worry, he has left Marianne here with full authority to act on his behalf.”
“This woman,” Brianna said with a growl. “She is trying to throw Marianne under a bus!”
“She is definitely trying to pressure Marianne,” Trinity said with a sigh. “My best guess is that she doesn’t want to give Marianne a chance to gain a foothold in this meeting. She had been attempting to do the same with Anthony, but she has to be even more careful around him since he had the entire weight of Academy Island’s economic power and political authority behind him.”
“That’s annoying,” Brianna muttered.
Trinity didn’t disagree.
“Are you telling me that Anthony left during an extremely important meeting to decide what is to be done about his brother…?” the Prime Minister of Greece shook his head. “I cann’t tell if he is being irresponsible or is purposefully trying to hinder our progress. Whatever the case is, I think we should consider kicking his party out of this meeting.”
Several other people began nodding and voicing their agreement. Brianna was biting her lips and clenching her knuckles so hard that her skin turned white.
“If that is the will of the council, then we will, of course, comply. However…” Marianne stood up and eyed each person. Her eyes were surprisingly sharp, which caused several people to flinch away from her. “Understand that if you remove us now, we will revoke all of the equipment we have been providing to your nations. You should also understand that removing me is the same as reneging on the contracts you all signed with Academy Island. We will be obligated to take back all of the equipment we have provided your countries.”
“You can’t do that!” The Prime Minister of Spain shouted.
“And you can’t legally kick me out of this meeting, but here you are, trying to do just that.” Marianne’s glare sharpened. “Do not set a precedent unless you are okay with the rest of us following through as well.”
A thick tension filled the air. It seemed like sparks could start flying at any moment. Marianne was surprisingly dashing as she stood there, refusing to back down.
Angrat Bat Mahlat clapped her hands. “No one is going to kick you out. They do not have the right. Now, let us get this meeting underway…”