Meanwhile, Rufus' eyes glinted, staring ahead as he walked Kristina back to her quarters.

"What do you know?" he asked in a low, menacing tone.

Kristina gulped, taking a deep breath as the pain within her slowly subsided. Samael's presence was too strong for bearers like her and not attacking him as per her weapon's wishes had a painful repercussion.

"I know nothing, sir," she answered under her breath.

Rufus let out a shallow breath. "I suppose you already know the reason his grace never visited the Order."

"Yes, sir." Kristina gazed down, staring at her feet as they walked through the hallway. "Duke Samael is still a threat to this kingdom… his aura reeks with desire for this nation's fall."

"So why did you resist to your instincts?" he asked without giving her a single glance.

Kristina went silent and only their slow, pattering footsteps enveloped the two of them momentarily. Why did she resist in assaulting Samael? For a bearer, protecting the kingdom from potential threats was absolute. Disobeying it would bring excruciating pain.

"I…" Kristina trailed off as she sported a weak smile. "It's impossible for her grace to not be in pain if she is around the duke."

Rufus nodded ever so slowly, as they had already known that. She slowly raised her head and cast Rufus a side-eye.

"It makes me wonder if our divine weapons have remained pure over the years." Kristina stopped in her steps when Rufus suddenly paused.

He turned his head in her direction. His expression unreadable.

"Careful," He said, checking their surroundings before his eyes landed on her. "Whatever you said, never speak about it to anyone, but never forget."

"Do you know something we should know, Sir?"

Rufus didn't answer her question, but stared at her straight in the eye and warned. "Don't pry on things too much. Let it flow on their own for now. This is an order as your current captain."

Kristina pressed her lips in a thin line, staring back into his glinting eyes, before she nodded. She wasn't stupid not to understand that this was a warning to keep herself safe. Prying too much in the royal palace could cost anyone their lives. Samael proved just now how strong the La Crox was. The entire Order had to unite just to bring down Samael alone if they had to.

"Good." Rufus nodded, and he resumed in his steps. Kristina followed from behind.

"From now on, His Grace's visits will be frequent since he will personally train the entire third squadron," Rufus informed, catching Kristina off guard as she gazed at his side, wide-eyed.

"The more you resist, the more your Mace will bring you pain. His Grace is strong. He will not take a reckless decision if he was facing the previous bearers. So you do not have to worry."

Kristina's jaw tightened. Samael was an older generation vampire, and he was stronger than anyone. Before him, the new generation of the Order was nothing but children.

"Is there a reason the duke decided to train the people who can slay him someday?" she asked out of plain curiosity.

Rufus glanced at her briefly. "Duties, Lady Monroe." His simple and short answer tossed her in a lake of confusion.

"Answers are not always given, figuring it out yourself will give you a deeper comprehension," Rufus added, and they soon reached Kristina's quarters.

He turned and faced her squarely. "If you have time, you might want to visit the garden in the west wing."

"Are you trying to flirt with me after pulling an aura on me?" Kristina cocked her head to the side, wondering why Rufus would suddenly give her an invitation.

Rufus just faintly smiled, closed-lipped. "The air in the west garden is more refreshing."

Kristina stared at him for a moment before she nodded. There must be something in the west garden, she thought.

"Rest well." Rufus beckoned a neck bow before he turned around to return. Just as he took three steps, he paused when Kristina inquired;

"About Lilou." Kristina paused as she swallowed down a mouthful of saliva. "Is the reason the duke is exerting this effort is that he wishes we protect Lilou?" her eyes remained on his back.

The corner of his lips slowly curled into a slight smirk. He looked over his shoulder, eyebrow raised.

"He is doing all this, so you won't burden her," Rufus answered before continuing on his strides.

All she could do was stare at his broad back while his words hovered inside her mind repeatedly. Being with Lilou for half a year, Kristina knew Lilou was quick-witted and could easily adapt to her surroundings.

"Is it possible she's stronger?" she murmured to herself. "Well, she's a wielder of one of the three holy weapons Lakresha." Kristina shrugged as she pushed the door and went inside her quarters.

****

"Is that all the three of you can do?" Sam gasped in disbelief, staring down at us with disdain written all over his face.

Meanwhile, the three of us were on the ground, panting. How could he be this strong? He hadn't even broken a sweat!

"Damn it!" Ramin cursed through his gritted teeth, disgruntled by this one-sided fight. "This is unfair! You broke my wrist!"

"This is frustrating!" Charlotte also voiced out, annoyed that none of her attacks grazed Sam.

I only panted for air, keeping my silence as I fixed my eyes on Sam. It was truly frustrating that Sam barely lifted a finger to stop our attacks.

"Come on, bearers." Sam crooked a finger, taunting us to attack him again. "How can you be so weak when the nation lies in your hands?"

His words felt like a tight slap in the face, as that was true. If Sam wanted to wreak havoc right this very moment, the Order could only buy some time.

"Fuck!" Ramin cursed once again, punching the ground as we were all aware of our difference in strength — Ramin was all about strength, so this was an insult for him, especially.

"How is this a training!? Charlotte complained, fuming in anger. "You're just insulting us!"

Sam ignored Charlotte as he fixed his attention towards Ramin. "You." Pointing a finger at him. "Don't fight with only brute force. Use your slightly used brain and study your opponent! Don't insult Labyrinth like that."

Ramin ground his teeth, prompting to attack but winced in pain instead. Sam clicked his tongue continuously, shaking his head as he walked towards Ramin and squatted down in front of him.

"Let's see your Labyrinth." Sam requested nonchalantly, while Ramin gazed at him. "I need to see it," he urged, nodding in encouragement.

Ramin's eyes glinted with reluctance, but he still lifted his hand in front of him. The silver bangle around his wrist slowly took form, shrouding his hand with a black and red mote of dust until it turned into a gauntlet.

"Hmm," Sam hummed, pressing a finger on top of the back of Ramin's hand, hindering it from grabbing him. He narrowed his eyes before raising them to meet Ramin's. "This is not Labyrinth," Sam said, making Ramin, Charlotte, and me furrow our brows. What was he saying?