Who said she had to stay a soldier in the Royal Guard the rest of her life? She had another year left in her enlistment; she could cash out and go to college instead of just re-enlisting, if she wanted to. Buck, if she learned more of this Shadow-magic from Ignacio, she could probably do more than just attend college. There was probably some way to leverage that into an actual career -- teaching, demonstrating, that sort of thing. Maybe even still within the Royal Guard, if she still wanted the uniform and the action..