An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori

“To avoid trouble, the four guards must die,” Mulder said bluntly.

The four Red Legion guards instantly turned pale upon hearing that.

Even Warrick frowned, his face darkening.

“What nonsense are you spouting? They are my personal guards, my brothers-in-arms. How could they possibly betray me?”

“You never really know who you can trust. Betrayal happens all the time-even between comrades. For your safety, we can’t take that risk,” Mulder said solemnly.

“A warrior can be killed but never disgraced. We’ve followed Sir Prescott for years, through life and death. No matter the cost-even if it’s our lives-we would never betray him,” Geralt said.

“That’s right. Don’t judge loyal men by your own petty standards,” Kalen snapped.

Hmph! Scum like you could never understand the bond between men who have fought and bled together,” another added.

They responded to Mulder’s words with a mix of anger and disdain.

These men were Warrick’s personal guards -battle-hardened and fiercely loyal. They had faced life-and-death trials and wouldn’t hesitate to lay down their lives for him.

From the day they joined the Red Legion to the moment they were chosen as Warrick’s personal guards, one belief had been drilled into them-his safety came before everything.

Not just their own lives-even if all their families’ lives were added together, they still wouldn’t measure up to Warrick’s importance. Loyalty and duty bound these Red Legion guards, but so did the unforgiving military code.

were expected to take their own lives in atonement, and their families wouldn’t

but I

you are, you won’t withstand the tortures inside Grimhold Keep. So, don’t bother arguing with me because I used

punishments in Grimhold Keep were beyond what

hadn’t experienced them could never fully grasp the depth of suffering

and acting like they had nothing to lose, but

place, dying was a privilege, but most prisoners weren’t given that option. They couldn’t live, but they

most infamous cases ten years ago involved a serial rapist who had assaulted over 100 women and even murdered the daughter of a

and eventually turned into a living corpse. His suffering only

Mulder had no faith in human resilience. He

Red Legion guards fell silent, and their earlier defiance faded. Though they had never seen the place themselves, they knew well enough how terrifying it

and sent there, could they endure the torture?

Prescott, for your own safety,

his face

can’t do it, I can take care of it

in Warrick’s eyes. “They’re my men. I’ll do

him. The blade swept across in a blinding

as red lines bloomed across

“Sir Prescott… you…”

time to speak before the red line on his neck split open.