Where Duty Begins

A sharp voice rang across the field, cutting through the clamor like a blade. A familiar figure stormed toward them from the castle’s direction—short in stature, yet radiating authority with every furious step. Edmund, Chancellor of the kingdom and Charlotte’s personal tutor, looked ready to burst a vein.

“Princess! Are you hurt?!”

“N-no. I’m fine,” she replied, hiding the sword she was holding from him.

With her answer, relief washed over his face. She knew all too well—he, like his wife, Vanellope, never liked seeing her with a sword in hand. Not because they doubted her resolve, but because they truly cared for her well-being.

The knights snapped to attention. All except Jack, who lifted a lazy hand in greeting.

“Hey, Ed. You saw that, huh? Pretty good match, right?”

“Don’t call me that so casually! And what do you mean, a good match?! What if the princess had been hurt—”

“That’s why I made sure Hoche wasn’t armed.”

Edmund’s face turned an even deeper shade of crimson as Jack casually waved him off, then his eyes landed squarely on the silent knight standing nearby.

“And that man you brought in—Hoche, was it?”

“Yeah?”

“You’ll drag in anything you find, won’t you?! He’s not some stray dog or cat!”

“He’s way more useful than either,” Jack replied with a shrug. “Passed the entrance test with almost a perfect score.”

“Oh, he passed it all right! By destroying a training dummy with a dagger!” Edmund flailed his arms in frustration. “Magic-powered combat puppets, imported from Bahharis! Do you have any idea how valuable those are?!”

Charlotte blinked in surprise. Those were prized magical tools—automated, durable, used only for high-level training.

And he broke it with a single dagger?

Jack scratched the back of his head. “Um… that one’s on me. I should’ve been clearer about the test parameters.”

“How can you sound so unbothered about this?! Yes, he’s strong—but unless we’re suddenly in need of a walking weapon, I fail to see where that gets us! Adding more just means more mouths to feed—and more paperwork…”

Jack gave Edmund a smug grin at his whining.

“A walking weapon, huh? I’ve started thinking this country might actually need one.”

Edmund stared at him, scandalized. “What are you even saying?!”

“There’s a role he’s perfect for. And we were just looking for someone to fill it.”

Edmund’s brow furrowed. “Stop talking about nonsense! Where would such a position even exist?”

Everyone around them listened intently to the exchange. Charlotte found herself holding her breath. She couldn’t even begin to imagine where this conversation was heading.

And with deliberate weight, Jack said—

“Why not make him Charlotte’s personal guard?”

The words hung in the air for a suspended moment.

Every single person—except Hoche—gasped aloud.

“Wha—wait! Me?!” Charlotte pointed to herself, eyes wide. She looked between Jack's satisfied expression and Hoche's impassive face.

“Captain, are you serious?” Marius looked half shocked, half exasperated.

The rest of the knights buzzed, voices rising in disbelief.

Edmund, naturally, was the first to explode.

“Y-you… you absolute lunatic! Where does that absurd idea of yours even come from?! She is the one and only princess of this kingdom! The sole heir to the throne!”

Edmund’s furious rant only made Charlotte’s shoulders tense. The other knights shifted uncomfortably, exchanging glances that said they'd seen this kind of outburst before.

Yet, Edmund raged on.

“And yet you suggest entrusting her safety to a complete stranger?! It’s madness! Absolute nonsense!”

Jack raised his hands in mock surrender. “Hey now, I said ‘her personal guard’, but I didn’t mean he has to stick by Lotte’s side every hour of the day. He’d only accompany her when she needed to leave the castle.”

At those words, tension in the air eased. Even Edmund, who had stood tense and watchful, began to settle.

Jack continued, ”You’re right—there aren’t many roles in this kingdom that suit him. But it would be a waste to keep that talent locked up in the training yard. Besides, Edric may still be in good health, sure… but he’s retired from active duty.”

That sounded like a perfectly reasonable explanation to Charlotte as well.

Hoche was far stronger than Lord Edric; that much was clear. But he might not be familiar with the kingdom—its patrol routes, its chain of command, the roles assigned at the start of spring. There might be space for him to fit in somewhere, yes, but… with his speed, his poise, and the sheer force he carried, he was built for guarding someone closely rather than charging into battle on the front lines.

Still, even so, she never would have imagined Jack to be the one suggesting such a thing.

“Of course, if either of them refuses, I won’t push it. What do you think, you two?”

Caught off guard, Charlotte struggled to answer. The same man who had pointed a blade at her without hesitation—this stoic, unreadable stranger—was going to be her bodyguard?

She glanced at…him. Hoche's expression didn't change, not even a twitch of surprise crossing his face.

"I will follow orders," he replied in that same flat tone she was beginning to recognize as his normal voice.

And it only made Edmund seethe more.

“Y-you ungrateful wretch…! Do you have any idea how much of an honor it is to serve as the princess’s personal guard?! It’s a privilege—one most would kill for!”

“Wait,” Jack cut in, grinning. “I thought you didn’t want him to guard her.”

“That’s beside the point!!”

“Yes, but you know he is capable of this role, do you?”

Charlotte hesitated to join in on the bickering between the two—like a cat and dog somehow getting along through constant arguing.

“Um… actually…”

Every gaze turned to her. Charlotte felt every eye pin her in place, her heart thudding in the sudden silence. But managed to keep her voice steady.

“I do see that he’s strong… And if having a personal guard means I can visit the town more freely…”

She paused, glancing toward the training grounds. The sword she still held. The dust that clung to her boots.

“…then maybe… it wouldn’t be so bad.”

Edmund’s jaw dropped open in sheer disbelief.

The knights’ eyes went wide.

And Hoche… remained entirely expressionless. But just for a moment, his gaze flicked toward her with a hint of surprise.

Jack smirked in amusement. “Oh? Now that’s some sound reasoning, Lotte.”

“Jack, you insufferable—!! Princess, please, I beg you to reconsider!!”

Edmund’s desperate voice, however, wasn’t enough to stir Charlotte’s heart.

“But… you saw what happened, right? I wrecked the training field, and still couldn’t win...”

She turned her gaze toward the field where they had fought.

The traces of her Blessing were still visible—deep cracks splitting the earth where violent green energy had surged through. Vines, grass, and wildflowers now bloomed wildly from what had once been a plain training ground. Until a gardener cleared away the overgrowth, it would be utterly unusable for sparring.

“If I cannot be both the princess and the blade… I suppose I’ll settle for half.”

Her voice tried to sound light, almost joking—but the quiet bitterness seeped through. Edmund’s brows knit in concern.

Unnoticed by her, Marius elbowed Jack sharply in the side.

“More importantly…” Charlotte turned toward Hoche. Her gaze—clear and gemlike—met his.

“Are you really okay with this? With being my guard…?”

“Yes. If that is the order.”

That flat, emotionless answer stung her—but oddly, it also calmed her. That cold, professional distance… that was what she needed right now. Not affection. Not warmth. Just protection.

But then, one of the knights raised his hand.

“Wait just a minute! Princess Charlotte! Captain! And Chancellor!”

One of the younger knights had stepped forward, his face flushed red as he raised his arm straight up, trying his best to be noticed.

“Instead of trusting some outsider with the princess’s safety, please… choose someone who was born and raised in this kingdom—choose me!”

At his words, the other knights immediately erupted.

“Wait, Simon! That’s not fair!! I want in too!”

“If it’s up for grabs, I’m the best choice!”

“No way—pick me! I’d do a way better job!”

The chaotic storm of voices sounded like a fistfight might break out any second.

Marius sighed heavily. “This is exactly why we always left the role to Lord Edric…”

“And if you volunteered, we’d be done with this nonsense already,” Edmund glared at him, Charlotte’s cousin.

“Oh, no thanks. I’m not interested in babysitting a tomboy princess,” Marius replied with a shrug.

In the middle of the chaos, Jack clapped his hands, drawing their attention. “All right, all right, boys. Let's do this.”

With a devilish grin, he said, “Beat Hoche in a duel. With swords, of course. Then the job’s yours.”

Groans echoed from the knights.

“Geh—Captain, be serious!”

“He’s too fast! And tiny!”

Despite being called 'tiny,' there was nothing diminutive about the way he carried himself, shoulders squared and spine rigid like a blade.

And then Charlotte remembered—Hoche and Marius belonged to the First Unit, the one known for having the most elite fighters in the entire knight order.

“Maybe I don’t have the speed, but I’ve got strength and chivalry!”

“Yeah, right—you’d spend all day gawking at the princess instead of protecting her!”

Laughter erupted across the field. Marius shook his head, and Edmund silently glared daggers at Jack.

Meanwhile, Charlotte stole another glance at Hoche.

He seemed to sense it again and turned toward her—and just like before, she quickly looked away.

As expected—his expression hadn’t changed one bit.