Chapter 656: Identity.

Aris told Serena about what she found after she interrogated those assassins. That information was a bit lacking because even after Serena requested Lina to bring someone knowledgeable about Khan Empire in her family estate. The name Order of Silence was foreign to them, they had never heard of such a group before.

"Do you think he was lying?" Serena asked as she caressed Lina’s hair while Lina lay on her bed with her eyes that grew heavier.

"Well, I did ask Rasmus about it earlier," Aris answered as she sat on the edge of the bed beside Serena.

"And? What did he say?" Serena raised her brows.

"He said..." Aris paused to look at Lina, who was trying to keep her eyes open. "If an assassin group or a secret organization to be know, they have failed as a group or a secret organization in the first place," she answered.

"Well, he’s not wrong," Serena scoffed and nodded in agreement.

The two of them kept their eyes on Lina, and without them realizing they had fond of her. Her innocence, her bright face, but hid sadness and wounds behind those things made them treasure her even more. She was young, but she had seen the rotten truth about the world she lived in, especially watching her brother and uncle die by the assassins’ hands.

"Maybe ask Rasmus to ask Anastasha about the Order of Silence? You know how knowledgeable that woman is. She’s like a walking encyclopaedia of Neva," Serena suggested.

"I did ask him that, but he said that Anastasha was asleep and he didn’t want to wake her up," Aris nodded.

"Then I guess we have no choice but to wait until the morning," Serena hummed and watched how hard Lina tried to resist from falling asleep. "Why are you forcing yourself to be awake?" She asked Lina quietly as she brushed a few strands of hair from Lina’s forehead and tucked them behind her ear.

"I want to listen to your conversation, Saint," Lina muttered and slurred when she shifted her position to lay on her side. "And Rasmus, is that the handsome and mysterious guy back then? He looked like Lady Aris. Are they blood-related? Or perhaps he’s Lady Aris’ partner?" She asked as she stared at Aris.

Both Aris and Serena raised their brows when they heard Lina’s questions. Serena couldn’t help but laugh quietly while Aris looked away and hid her face from Lina to let out a smile.

"What makes you think they’re blood-related or a partner?" Serena asked.

"He’s handsome... tall... good-looking... and he’s... so mysterious, and... handsome..." Lina slurred as her eyes grew heavier.

Serena laughed once again, but this time she didn’t hold it in. At the same time, Aris shook her head and found Lina’s explanation about Rasmus to be adorable.

"Well, you want to know a secret?" Serena leaned in and her face hovered right above Lina’s face. "Rasmus is our husband," she revealed, a play and the act that they agreed upon when Anastasha suggested that before they landed in East Neva.

That revelation made Lina’s eyes wide open and completely stunned when her eyes looked at both of them back and forth. She blinked repeatedly and she was speechless while her brain tried to process what she heard and make sure she didn’t hear it wrong.

"Wow..." Lina could only respond with that.

"Now, since it’s getting late. You should sleep, and I promise I’ll tell you everything on how we ended up becoming his husband," Serena smiled softly at Lina.

"Promise?" Lina asked with the last string she had before she fell asleep.

"I promise," Serena hummed and nodded. "Good night," she gave Lina a final stroke on her hair and watched Lina close her eyes to sleep.

Aris left the room, and then Serena followed a moment later. They both stood on the terrace, in between the two pillars and stared at the distance and the two moons.

"Blood-related, huh?" Serena glanced at Aris. "What do you think? Since Aristoria is his mother, and you’re basically Aristoria with a new vessel and memory since the essence of an Aristoria is passed down to their successor. Aren’t you basically his mother at this point?" She chuckled.

"If you said it that way, then I suppose so," Aris nodded, and there was no smile on her face, just a straight face.

"That’s logical, and Rasmus upholds logic. He should know that, but he didn’t see you as his mother though. That’s a bit contradicting on his side," Serena let out the last bit of a chuckle she had in her throat.

"But using logic also makes me nothing like her mother. I don’t have her memory, and I don’t have her body, so I’m not her mother," Aris responded. "So, I don’t think that’s contradicting," she pointed out.

"Listen to yourself," Serena smirked as she stared at Aris. "You’re more and more sounding like Rasmus," she teased and grinned at Aris.

When morning came, Rasmus stayed on the edge of the cliff, watching the two moons turn into a sun. He heard the rustling of cloth behind him, and he knew it was Anastasha because his nose grew more sensitive the more power of the Overlord he absorbed and inherited.

"A man who doesn’t sleep," Anastasha’s voice was raspy and groggy as she walked toward the cliff. She didn’t fear falling even though her body was barely awake. "Any foods for thoughts? Were you a hermit in your past life?" She said as she sat beside him.

Rasmus only responded with a smile and suddenly offered his notebook to Anastasha.

"What’s this?" Anastasha looked at the notebook with her eyes that barely opened.

"Food for thoughts," Rasmus responded.

Anastasha hummed as she took the notebook from Rasmus’ hand and looked at the things that happened on the other side, where Aris and Serena were. She read the note lazily until her eyes spotted the name "Order of Silence". She tilted her head slightly as she hummed quietly, thinking about the name.

"Never heard of them before," Anastasha shook her head.

"What do you think?" Rasmus asked.

Anastasha yawned and gave the notebook back to Rasmus, using the opportunity to lean on his shoulder.

"It Could be that they’re a newly established organization, or..." Anastasha paused to think. "They’re smart enough to hide their scent from me, but even so, that’s almost impossible. Not that I’m omniscient, but because I’m aware of powerful forces in the dark, and I will try to bring them to my side or try to make a truce with them," she added.

"What’s the point?" Rasmus raised his brows.

"The point is, if there’s such an organization that I don’t know, they’re mostly belonged to or at least associated my brothers, or my father. The only people who can do things under my nose are the same people who shared my blood," Anastasha explained.

"And the chance it’s the latter?" Rasmus asked.

"Seventy percent... fifty percent at least because it’s whether it isn’t or it is," Anastasha chuckled lazily.

When Anastasha was in the middle of being playful with Rasmus, Nie came out of her tent and saw those two on the edge of the cliff like a couple. She immediately averted her gaze because she felt like she had seen something that she shouldn’t have.

"Awake?" Anastasha asked without having to look back. "Come here for a sec," she beckoned at Nie.

Nie slowly walked toward the cliff, and even when they were being seen by her, Rasmus didn’t even move away from Anastasha. She had been observing Rasmus, but she didn’t know what kind of person he was no matter how hard she tried to observe.

"Do you know this?" Anastasha snatched the notebook from Rasmus’ hand and offered it to Nie.

Nie looked at the notebook, it was the notebook that Rasmus had been holding on to and writing on all the time. She nervously reached for the notebook like she was being handed the decree of the emperor himself. She read what Anastasha read until her eyes stumbled upon the name "Order of Silence".

"I know them," Nie nodded.

Rasmus reacted by looking over his shoulder slightly and glanced at Nie.

"What do you know?" Rasmus asked, finally speaking directly to Nie for the first time.

"Only rumors," Nie answered and gulped from anxiety.

"Rumors are good enough. Speak," Anastasha glanced over her shoulder at Nie.

"Rumors have it that they’re a unit that belonged to the demonic cult," Nie answered as she looked at both of them. "The rumor spread recently, and whoever spoke of those rumor, my mother trusted them," she added.

"The Mother?" Anastasha raised her brows.

"Yes, the one who owned the Moonlight Dancing Troupe," Nie nodded.