My colleague added, “And maybe he became Princess Octavia’s bodyguard by some mistake!”
I couldn’t help but interrupt in earnest, “But even if that were true…Princess Octavia herself has the final word on who becomes her bodyguards, right?”
“Oh…good point.”
I blundered big-time. I steered the conversation back into foreboding territory. I need to talk about something lighthearted.
“Oh, that’s right! Now, just think about it. If that villain really were her bodyguard, do you really think things would be this peaceful around here?”
The Emissary of Ongarne must have been Princess Octavia’s bodyguard for a month now…or even longer? Yes, he has been here awhile.
I continued assertively, “Just look. Princess Octavia is surrounded by peace itself. Not an inkling of bloodshed. Not one suspicious death.”
My colleague nodded firmly. “Hmm… True.”
“As long as nothing’s gone wrong, what’s the harm?”
After all, at present, there was something besides the Emissary of Ongarne that posed a much greater threat to us.
“Yeah, I guess the Emissary of Ongarne isn’t a real danger at the moment,” my colleague agreed. “But…the biggest problem we’re facing right now…”
“…Is the jealousy of other men,” I said, finishing his sentence. We looked at each other and exchanged tired, understanding nods.
Our airing of grievances switched from the Emissary of Ongarne to the issue of factionalism among the guards.
It was…a matter of life and death.
This was our only chance at getting a leg up in life. We were given big farewell banquets when we left our villages to be stationed here. Returning home unemployed…would be social suicide. Our families would be happier if we’d died in battle and received gold as consolation. They’d no doubt erect some lovely memorials in our honor.
At this point, remaining a lowly foot soldier in the castle would be preferable to going home. Unless we raised our social standing somewhat, our wages would remain feeble. We could get married, but good luck feeding a family on our paltry earnings. A little cottage in the royal capital was a dream beyond a dream. We were doomed to a life in the barracks for eternity.
In order to escape such a gloomy future, there was just one problem with working your way up as a castle guard: where you were posted.
Where was the most advantageous spot for commoners like us to get ahead?
Most of the soldiers here were Prince Sirius’s devotees. That man was overflowing with charisma, and he was gifted to boot.
But here’s the problem…
My colleague and I were currently stationed in the unit directly reporting to the royals. We may have been nominally accepted into the ranks of the castle guards, but we were still in training. Once our training as new recruits was completed, as long as there were no exceptional grounds for denying our request, we would be allowed to work for whichever royal we wished.
And we were almost finished with our training. We had two choices: Prince Sirius or Prince Alexis. Princess Octavia was not an option. That was because as a lady, she was unlikely to have a great need for soldiers in battle.
So did we want to serve as a commander, or improve our social standing in the future and get recognition that way? In a way, those were our only two choices. And ordinarily, most common soldiers never got a chance to speak directly with either prince.
Both myself and my colleague did have opportunities to speak with Prince Alexis, and we often were his sparring partners, but we were rather rare exceptions. Since we had absolutely no pedigree, in addition to our way of thinking being a bit different from highborn soldiers, we were also well suited to Prince Alexis’s personal circumstances.
“From a power standpoint, it’s overwhelmingly Prince Sirius, right?” my colleague asked.
And he was right. Prince Sirius was next in line to take the throne, and he wasn’t unkind to the common man.
“But Prince Sirius already has a fine collection of gifted subordinates. And they’re all of noble blood and formidable in their own right,” I said, calmly laying out the facts. They weren’t all bark and no bite—they really were a gathering of incomparable men.
Between talented aristocrats and talented commoners…who had the advantage?
Now, here’s another scenario: talented aristocrats and…average commoners. Who do you think’s going to get the lucky break?
“Commoners like us just don’t have a way to muscle into Prince Sirius’s camp,” my colleague grumbled.
I grumbled in turn, “I guess our only choice is Prince Alexis after all… If we work hard enough, we just might have a chance at climbing the ladder.”
In the end, that was the conclusion we reached.
“You’re right. And Prince Alexis is also no slouch himself. Plus, he doesn’t seem to mind our company, even though we’re commoners.”
“Yeah…but…” I trailed off.
Prince Sirius didn’t discriminate based on social standing. But Prince Alexis was a staunch classist. Most of the time, at least.
So why did he ask for us to be his training partners, when we were new recruits and commoners, besides? That was because actually, Prince Alexis had criteria he prioritized more than social status when it came to interacting with people…with men, that is.
I took a breath and finally spat it out. “Here’s the problem… It’s the way the aristocracy thinks, indulging in man-on-man romances without considering the consequences.”
And then the bastards who get influenced by that—the soldiers who fall in love with Prince Alexis—assail us with acts of sabotage, harassment, and general jealousy!
Since Prince Sirius already had a lover, we wouldn’t have to endure such things in his service. Which meant our problem was unique to Prince Alexis, who had no lover.
As if to pour salt into the wound, my colleague said something even more frightening. “More importantly…it’s only a matter of time before we begin to follow that way of thinking.”
“!”
I was trying not to let my mind go there, but he just had to go and say it!
He was right. There were soldiers among us who were noble-born and romantically attracted to men. They weren’t rare, but they were outnumbered by commoners. And there were even a few soldiers who were lowborn but had climbed the ranks.