Though he can only guess exactly when she comes from, Duty is fairly sure he knows more of Judith Deuteros than she of him, Duty or Pyrrha Dve. Training cannot cover everything. It has to be shaped to purpose, and Judith's experiences stray far from her predicted career path. No one would knowingly risk a House's heir get taken captive by Blood of Eden. There's so much more preparation she could have been given, except had they known, it never would have happened.

"They are guidelines," he says, "not rules." Rules cannot suffice. At the end of the day, her judgment is what she has. Her judgment and that of those who are with her.