Life of A Royal Teen

Bittersweet Closure

Almost sixteen months after her coronation and two days after her twentieth birthday, times have changed: The economy is thriving, and people are generally happy. Relations with overseas nations are on the rise, thanks to the endeavours of Kayli, and Jesse has slotted into his new role perfectly.

Kana has changed too. Thanks to the gentle mentoring of Silus, Kana has competently delegated the majority of busy work to other staff, leaving her with only official work to handle. Even though she has been the queen for a few years, she still relies on Silus and other trusted friends and advisors within the castle to help guide her on rare occasions. 

Kana has grown much in the few short years: Her maturity is at an all-time high, and she has a better understanding of her anger and can calm herself down before she gets flustered or annoyed, even though periodically, her anger does get the best of her. Lastly, Kana has not had any hallucinations for over a year, her medication is still a must, and she consults Jin whenever she feels overwhelmed. 

Her everyday guards have also tripled to six: Rodrigo, Thomas, Ash, Jane, Becky and Ryuji.

Ash and Jane were formal high-ranking army members. Ash was a Colonel, and Jane was a Brigadier, so they are both excessively strict and run on a precision timer. When they are not working, Kana has not seen Ash or Jane smile or converse with anybody else in idle gossip. 

Kana has stated that her guards do not need to adhere to a strict appearance and encourages them to be themselves.

Due to this relaxation of the typical dress code, Ash has the left side of her head shaved, with her short brunette hair styled and parted to the right. She may not be the tallest person in the room, standing at five foot three inches, but despite her small stature, she radiates confidence and demands respect without speaking a word. Ash is so stern that she only communicates to give orders, a report, or in response to Kana.

Jane has a long blonde ponytail that ends just above her shoulders and is always well groomed. She stands at six feet exactly and has a slender but muscular figure; even though she may have more stereotypical girly looks, she is the most strict guard Kana has. The Queen occasionally has to remind Jane that she is no longer the woman in charge and has to follow orders, not give them, especially when speaking to Her Majesty.

When she is off the clock, Becky is the polar opposite of Ash and Jane and is arguably the most out-of-place guard as she is always smiley and ready for a laugh. She has no army training nor a military background, but she scored the highest mark possible from the crop of potential candidates. On duty, however, Becky behaves how Kana expects and is outstandingly professional. She is medium height and has medium fluffy brunette hair, brown eyes and a carefree aura. Despite her bubbly nature, she is under the tutorage of Jane and has bonded with her the most. 

The newest and oldest member is Ryuji, a retired Staff Sergeant within the Air Force and a close friend to both Hideaki and Athena. Hideaki and Athena recommended Ryuji for the job due to his stature and intimidating size. Ryuji is in his early forties and is slightly smaller than Hideaki at six feet nine inches. Excluding his height, Ryuji has more than one resemblance to Hideaki: Both gentlemen have well-defined and muscular frames, and both have imposing figures who always have an intense expression. Ryuji is also well-spoken and respectful to everybody. He has short spiked jet-black hair and a well-trimmed goatee. Kana has seen Ryuji revert to his dominant Staff Sergeant demeanour and attitude a few times, and it chills the Queen to the bone how scary he can be.

Even though everything seems to have changed, the council members have not changed and still excelling in all their duties. Kana receives weekly updates from them, all good and promising news. She also gets weekly updates from the heads of the ministry.