As Lilou and Claude walked away and were at a safe distance, Ramin furrowed his brows and cocked his head to the side.

"Is Lilou stupid?" asked Charlotte as she retracted her gaze away from Lilou and Claude and set them to Kristina. "That child can definitely stop us if he wanted to."

"Are you saying Kristina is stupid as well?" Ramin's voice was filled with disdain, gazing at Charlotte from head to toe with dismay glinting in his eyes. "His Grace told you to fight and follow your instinct, but that doesn't mean you will completely not use your head."

"Wow…" Charlotte scoffed with her hand on her chest. "You think you're so smart now?"

"I'm just saying we should be thankful to Kristina and Lilou. Even if we noticed His highness, we won't be able to stop." Ramin clicked his tongue as he felt Claude's aura for a brief moment before Lilou and Kristina appeared.

"Ramin is right, Charlie." Kristina chimed in with a sigh. "If we didn't intervene, you two will be in trouble."

Kristina shook her head as she faced the two. She studied Charlotte's dejected expression, while Ramin kept his calm demeanor.

"His highness is the bearer of Auron and a pure-blooded La Crox. You have heard stories about him joining the front line in the previous war, so he is not to be underestimated just because he looks like a child." Kristina's expression grew solemn. "Don't cross him."

"Well, as long as he won't cross me," Charlotte murmured with a pout. "He's a two-face. Did you see how he looks at us as if we're inferior? But act cute in front of my best friend Lilou?"

"Charlotte." Kristina's voice sounded firmer as she stared at Charlotte intensely. "You're carefree attitude is starting to worry me. Even if His highness wouldn't take action against you, there were lots of people that would if you harm him."

"Right." Charlotte rolled her eyes, as Kristina's overprotectiveness to Claude did not please her.

"Don't worry about her, Kristina. I'll look after this fool." Ramin reassured with a smile and Kristina cast him a look. "We're on the same side, after all."

Kristina pursed her lips in a thin line as she understood the other meaning behind Ramin's remark. They were, indeed, on the same side… a side they voluntarily picked after seeing unbelievable things behind the peacefulness the Capital and the Palace showed.

"What, what is this?" Charlotte snapped the two back to the current lapse as Kristina and Ramin were just staring at each other for a good minute. "Are you two keeping a secret from me? Or did the two of you develop romantic feelings for each other?"

"So what if we did?" Kristina snapped her eyes before cocking her head to her nonchalantly.

Her response caused Charlotte's eyes to dilate as her mouth fell open. "What…?"

"Jealous?" Kristina smirked, raising a brow, sneaking a glance at Ramin while he cleared his throat and looked away. She chuckled when she noticed how his ears burned in red.

"Of course, I am!" Charlotte puffed her cheeks and huffed, glaring daggers at Ramin. "How dare this guy stole you from me!"

Ramin flinched as he shot Charlotte a look of disdain. "Do you like girls?!"

"So what if I do?"

Kristina chuckled and covered her lips with the back of her hand while the two bantered like usual. Charlotte was too dense not to notice the way Ramin looked at her, although she couldn't blame Charlotte since Ramin had his strange way of showing his feelings.

"Are you really testing me…" Charlotte suddenly trailed off as the three of them turned their head to a figure who turned up an arm's length away from them.

"The third squadron is filled with energetic people, I see." Yul nodded as he studied the three and witnessed how their eyes grew wide. "A bunch of loud people… and I had to work with them." He mumbled to himself, but they clearly heard him.

"Your… your highness, the ninth prince, what are you doing here?" Kristina stammered, but deep down, she sort of guessed the answer.

"From today onwards, the ninth prince will be an addition to the third squadron together with his highness Claude." Rufus' voice suddenly reached the three as he walked from behind Yul and stopped several steps away from them. "He will be with you at all times, so I hope you drop any prejudices and treat them as one of you."

"Sir Knight, Captain, there's no problem with us if his highness, the ninth prince, joins the third squadron. However, don't you think those words are supposed to be addressed to His highness instead of us?" Charlotte voiced out sarcastically, as Yul didn't even conceal his displeasure in joining the squad.

"This is an order from His Grace." Rufus ignored Charlotte as he was aware of that, but they didn't have many options. So Rufus diverted the subject into a more important one.

"Also, call for the bearer of Lakresha and Auron as I need to brief you about your next fieldwork."

***

Meanwhile, on the outskirt of the Capital, blood washed down the slum area of the little town of Libira.

"Set it on fire," Fabian commanded to the few men clad in black standing in the shade of the run-down house. "Make sure no evidence will be left if you want to live."

The men in black just bowed without a word, and they disappeared after a blink. There were no traces of them as if they weren't there in the first place.

Fabian slowly turned around and his eyes immediately caught the five children shivering, sitting on the corner of the narrow street.

"What are we going to do to them, my lord?" asked Fabian as he shifted his eyes towards Samael, who was inspecting one among the piles of corpses scattered on the same narrow street.

"Who?" Samael inquired without casting Fabian a glance.

"These children." Fabian shot the children a look, and they instantly shuddered in fear. "They've seen and heard everything."

Samael slowly raised his head, and his eyes fell on the five children. He pondered for a moment before springing his feet up and trudged towards the five survivors of today's incident. When he was a few steps away from them, Samael squatted down.

"Hmmm," Samael hummed as he scanned the five children. "Little crumbs, what are your names?"

The children were obviously terrified by the presence of the man and all they could do was shudder under his gaze… expect one brave child who plucked up the courage to answer Samael's question.

"Ni — Nitri, my name is Nitri, milord," said the child bravely, and the four children gazed up at her.