Day off

It was strange that I was unexpectedly given the next day off.

Usually I only had Mondays off. But today was a Sunday.

I found out at breakfast from our Commander-in-Chief. The others had all looked at me with this slanted look. It wasn't that they were judging me, but rather that they probably knew exactly what had happened between me and the prince last night.

I gulped.

Was it really because I was having a love affair with the prince? Was it normal that the guards who 'served' in his bedchamber at night got the next day off?

Prince Cain advised me yesterday not to sleep over at his place until morning. That would certainly only trigger a lot of rumours. That's why I went back to my room that same night.

On the way back I even met the guard who should have replaced me yesterday. He was tall and handsome, like all of the prince's other royal bodyguards.

He hadn't said anything when Prince Cain had sent him away, but he had given me that meaningful look. He definitely knew.

When I then walked past him and gave him a short nod, he made his way to Prince Cain's bedroom without a word. Probably to finally stand guard there. I still wonder if he really had been waiting there for most of the night for my return.

I got a bad feeling when I thought about it. So I tried not to think about it as much as possible.

My day off was kinda weird.

The other guards spoke to me, but it seemed like there was something unspoken between us. They knew with certainty that something must have happened between me and the prince. But they said nothing. They kept quiet about the subject. It was an awkward silence.

After breakfast, my commander called me over. He said he had something important to talk to me about.

In private.

I got up with somewhat shaky legs and made my way to his office with unsteady steps. Meanwhile, the other guards at the breakfast table just stared at me in silence. It was almost as if their looks were pitiful.

When I reached the commander's office, I was glad to escape those looks, but I was also a bit scared of what was to come. The Commander had just looked too serious. I hope nothing bad awaited me.

"Chris was your name, wasn't it?" The Commander began immediately as I closed the door behind me.

"Y-yes exactly."

"Fine, Chris. Have a seat." It sounded more like an order than a request.

I immediately sat down in the chair across from his desk. The Commander was now sitting in front of me, eyeing me with a cool, disparaging look.

He was so different from Commander Braven from my training back then.

Though they were about the same age, there had never been that cold anger and iron authority in Commander Braven's eyes. Braven had been more approachable. You could confide in him. And he even showed us something like fatherly love at times, even though he was very strict and had high expectations of us.

This Commander here was different. He was formidable. I was almost a little scared of him. Presumably that was what was intended. You were afraid to oppose him.

"I heard that you spent the last night with the prince, is that correct?" He asked straight out, making me flinch a little. He wasn't a man to beat around the bush.

"I-I... yes sir." I admitted directly.

There was no reason for me to lie. The guard who was supposed to replace me had probably told our commander everything right away.

My lies would probably be exposed immediately.

"I'm sure you're aware of the prince's... attitude. Still, I think it's a pity we couldn't really let you in on it beforehand. I'm really sorry. He doesn't usually make a move that quickly." The commander explained to me almost matter-of-factly. It was almost as if he weren't talking about a human but about the behavior of an animal.

"Ah... is that so...?" I replied a little shyly, with flushed cheeks.

I was uncomfortable talking to my commander about this topic. Actually, I was hoping to be able to hide it from everyone. But it was like Commander Braven said: the walls in here can have ears.

"You have to know that something like this has happened before. So you're not the only one." The Commander enlightened me.

"..."

I didn't answer because I didn't want to face that fact. I probably still had this subconscious hope that I could have been something special to him. Especially after our 'date' at the summer festival.

"Did he make you do anything you didn't want?" The Commander then asked seriously.

More blood rushed immediately to my cheeks

"N-no, it wasn't like that... I... got involved with him too..."

Tears of shame burned my eyes. I really didn't want to admit that openly. Especially not to someone who could kick me out with a bat of an eyelid.

"And is that really true? Hopefully the prince didn't order you to lie to me." he asked gloomily.

"No... that's not it. It was... willingly..."

And I was drunk. But I preferred not to tell him that.

"If you're uncomfortable and he should force you into something... then we can apply for a transfer for you. However, I am not sure if this will also be approved. Because the prince has to approve it." He let me know with a dark expression.

"Oh... I... I don't want to cause any inconvenience... I think I'll stay here for now..."

After all, it was, in theory, one of the finest areas of work imaginable for a royal guard. Especially for newly trained. Actually, you didn't get to such a good area that quickly.

The food was good and nutritious - a thousand times better than just potatoes and sausages - and you didn't really have anyone bossing you around. You also had a lot of free time when you weren't being assigned to a shift. In addition, all royal bodyguards were provided with warm water for showering once a day. So I never had to wash with that awfully freezing water again.

"Well, if you wish, then of course you can stay here. But you should keep quiet about it. There are already enough rumours. So if I ever hear you spill something, you'll get a dishonorable discharge, that's for sure."

His words sounded neither like a warning nor a threat. They sounded dry and final.

"Yes, sir. I understood."