The Knight's Curse

Royal Palace of Eldoria – Training Grounds & Throne Room

Sir Lucian Valemont had survived countless battles, sparred with the finest warriors in the kingdom, and endured grueling years of discipline. But nothing—absolutely nothing—had prepared him for the exhausting, nerve-wracking, career-threatening task of keeping Princess Evangeline out of trouble.

And it was proving to be impossible.

"Again?" Lucian muttered under his breath, staring at the wreckage before him.

The once-pristine palace garden had turned into a disaster scene. A marble fountain lay in pieces, its once-elegant spout now gurgling water like a drowning man. The rose bushes, tended with painstaking care by the royal gardeners, had been trampled beyond recognition. And in the center of the chaos stood her—Princess Eva—soaked from head to toe, clutching a wooden sword like a war general who had just won a battle.

Lucian exhaled sharply through his nose.

"You're bleeding," he pointed out, his voice tight with barely restrained frustration.

Eva wiped her scraped elbow on the sleeve of her gown like it was nothing. "It's just a scratch. I was winning until Sir Gareth decided to cheat."

A burly knight, Sir Gareth, who was at least twice Eva's size, sputtered in disbelief. "Your Highness, I did not cheat. You jumped at me from a tree!"

Eva huffed. "And?"

"And that's not how sword fights work!"

Lucian pinched the bridge of his nose. He could already hear the King's voice in his head, screaming his name in fury. Again.

—An hour later, in the Throne Room—

Lucian stood stiffly before King Aldric, his hands clasped behind his back as if standing at military attention would somehow protect him from the verbal lashing he was about to receive.

The King was seated on his grand throne, rubbing his temples like a man trying to cure the worst headache of his life. "Lucian," he sighed, his voice heavy with disappointment. "Why does this keep happening?"

Lucian stole a sideways glance at Eva, who was sitting beside him, looking annoyingly unbothered.

He bit back the urge to say, Because your daughter is an unstoppable hurricane of chaos.

Instead, he cleared his throat and said, "Your Majesty, the Princess is... spirited."

Eva beamed. "See? He gets it."

Lucian fought the urge to groan.

The King glared at his daughter. "Do you understand how humiliating it is to hear that my only child was found sword-fighting in the garden, hanging off a tree like a barbarian, and then accidentally kicking Sir Gareth into the fountain?"

Eva scrunched her nose. "I didn't kick him. I tripped, and he just... fell in."

Sir Gareth, who was standing nearby, coughed. "She kicked me, Your Majesty."

Lucian had to press his lips together to keep from laughing.

The King exhaled sharply. "Lucian. As her personal guard, this is your responsibility. You are to control her, guide her, prevent these disasters!"

Lucian wanted to say, Your Majesty, that's like asking me to stop the sun from rising. But instead, he clenched his jaw and nodded.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The King's gaze darkened. "You are personally responsible for her actions. If she gets into trouble again, you will be the one punished."

Lucian felt something in his soul shatter.

Eva gasped. "That's brilliant! So if I mess up, he suffers?"

Lucian whipped his head toward her, eyes wide. "That is not the takeaway here."

The King narrowed his eyes at his daughter. "Eva. You will start acting like a proper princess. Or so help me—"

The throne room doors suddenly burst open.

A frazzled servant ran inside, panting. "Your Majesty! The royal kitchen has been—"

He hesitated, glancing at Eva.

The King's eye twitched. "What. Happened."

The servant swallowed hard. "It has been... set on fire."

Silence.

Lucian slowly turned toward Eva.

Eva blinked. "Okay, in my defense, the chef dared me to flip a pancake."

Lucian closed his eyes. He was going to die young. He just knew it.

The King massaged his temples again. "Lucian."

Lucian straightened. "Yes, Your Majesty?"

"You are hereby sentenced to—" The King paused, glancing at his daughter. "To babysitting duty."

Eva gasped in horror. "Babysitting? I'm not a child!"

Lucian groaned. "Your Majesty, please—"

The King raised a hand to silence them both. "You will accompany her everywhere. You will keep her out of trouble. And if she so much as breathes near another disaster, you will be punished in her place."

Lucian's stomach dropped. This was it. The end of his life.

Eva, meanwhile, clapped her hands together. "Oh, this is going to be fun!"

Lucian stared at her, dead inside. "For who?"

Sir Gareth, standing to the side, patted Lucian's shoulder with a look of pity. "Rest in peace, Sir Lucian."

Eva grinned. "Alright, babysitter, let's go cause some mischief."

Lucian sighed, rubbing his temples. This was his life now.