THENEXTPRINCE, Chapter 10: Evil People.
By: CEO featuring Ennice.
Khanin was taken far away from the scene than he should have been, before Charan allowed him to be free once again. His thin body trembled and his breathing became shallow due to the violent shaking that caused him to feel exhausted. However, Charan still looked fine and normal…
“Hide away!” The young boy spoke roughly to the person who approached and blocked their way. He stood in the way, but Khanin hadn’t given up on the idea of going back to help Tattanai. He intended to leave again, but Charan just blocked his path. “I told you to hide away!”
The command came with a small but strong hand that pushed the taller person to retreat. Khanin stumbled forward but was caught by the older person who wrapped an arm around his waist, preventing him from moving any further.
“Stay calm.” Charan’s voice remained peaceful and still, which only made the anger of those listening intensify as they thought about the recent events that had affected him and his family, as well as Young-Prince, who couldn’t control his emotions like Tattanai.
“Stay calm? You’re telling me to stay calm? That’s my father we’re talking about. You shouldn’t abandon him.” Khanin spoke with a tense voice, his eyebrows furrowed tightly together, and the once-bright eyes now dull.
The beautiful pair of eyes shed tears, and the small nose became red. Charan looked at Khanin, who seemed to be on the verge of tears and it made anyone watching feel sympathetic.
The young man understood the feelings of the younger ones very well. These painful feelings were something that Charan had experienced before when he was young. The feeling of having to leave someone he loved behind and becoming a person who nobody wants…feeling alone and facing every problem alone.
He understood everything so well, but due to the situation and the responsibility that kept him tied to Tattanai and Sovereign-King, he couldn’t let Young-Prince go back to the dangerous place where the incident occurred.
“You can’t go back.” the older man’s voice remained firm. Even though he was being stared at by the angry and grieving boy, he still stood his ground, feeling both angry and sad.
“YFuckt!” Khanin shouted loudly as he swung his hand up and hit his own head. The overwhelming feeling of helplessness caused him to lose all strength, causing his legs to nearly give out beneath him.
It was the first time in his life that the young man felt completely useless. The burning rage still remained unquenched, and his throat was tight and constricted as if it were about to suffocate him, similar to the feeling he had when he accidentally lost something important to him in his life and feared that he would never get it back.
Disappointment and sadness accumulated inside him, causing Khanin’s heart to beat erratically every time he thought about it.
“Let’s go…”
“Don’t touch me.” The thick hand of the older man was pushed aside, activating a mechanism of anger that caused Khanin to build a high wall and resist Charan.
Here is the translation to English:
“… “
“I know what kind of person you are, but I didn’t think you could be this cruel.” The words did not make Charan angry, instead the young man stood still and let the younger person express their feelings through their words and gestures. He looked at the young boy with a deep sense of understanding greater than sympathy.
“If you go back, everything will only get worse. Tattanai doesn’t want that and you know it.” Charan’s words were like a sharp hook that pierced his heart. Khanin knew it was true in every way, but he couldn’t bring himself to accept it.
“You left everyone behind when things like this happened. Do you still have any humanity left… any feelings or emotions?” The soft voice asked as if about to run out of strength. The younger person’s lips quivered as they approached each other. Charan saw… Khanin tried his best to hold back his tears.
But… finally, it fell down and dropped on his face.
The sight in front of him made Charan have to lower his gaze. The young man remained silent and did not respond to any words, but deep down he couldn’t deny that he also felt the same way about what had happened.
Tattanai could be considered a person who knew him, even though they had only met a few times. But Charan had the opportunity to see the love and care between these two father and son every time they talked. The other side always showed that Khanin was like the breath of life.
Having to leave this child seemed to have a profound impact on Tattanai’s sense of pain and protectiveness towards Khanin’s life. It seemed to be the highest goal in his life.
Charan could read from their gaze that Tattanai wanted something. He knew that everything was beyond his job duties… it wasn’t just about being a bodyguard, but a close relationship between father and son that pushed the middle-aged man to sacrifice even… his chance to survive.
Experienced people don’t dare to speak, but Charan knew very well how risky Tattanai’s actions were. If lucky… sometimes miracles could happen, but if unlucky both Khanin and Tattanai might have to part ways without even having a chance to say goodbye, and that thought was suffocating.
It’s no different from the incident that Charan encountered before…
“Where are you going?” The movement of Khanin stopped all wild thoughts in the older man’s head. Charan was about to say something at first, but when he saw the direction the younger boy was walking, he changed his mind and decided to follow silently.
Khanin wasn’t going home, but had another destination in mind…
The numbers on his wristwatch showed one thirty. Khanin had a new goal in mind, which was a park far away from his home. His thin body hurriedly ran along without paying attention if anyone was following him or not.
“Nin listen to me, don’t follow and stay here by the third pine tree. Do you remember?”
“Dad, please don’t go.”
“Wait for me there until sunrise.”
The third pine tree… it was a place where he and his father often went on weekends, a little flicker of hope in the darkness. Khanin thought Tattanai might have gone ahead and waited there. He quickened his pace.
The young man walked along, carrying his hopes with him, but what he saw in front of him now blew out the light of hope he once had.
The park was empty, and there was not even the shadow of a person in sight.
The atmosphere around was eerily quiet and empty.
Khanin took a deep breath, his eyes hiding behind his bangs, but he told himself to wait patiently.
Wait for an hour, his father must come…
Tattanai had never broken any promises he made… his father would always keep his word, and Khanin hoped this time would be like every other time.
The clock hand passed from minutes to hours. Khanin used to think that waiting for something in life was annoying, but he never expected… waiting could turn into fear.
Three or four minutes passed, and a clear drop of water slowly fell. Khanin’s eyelids were hot, and the scene in front of him seemed to blur, but he stubbornly refused to let his vulnerability show.
He told himself that he wouldn’t cry. There was nothing sad about it. The sun hadn’t even risen yet. His father said he would be there before the sunrise.
No matter what, his father had to come… he had to come for sure.
The white-bodied house owner comforted himself and waited. Khanin used to enjoy watching the sky and waiting for the first light of day, but this was the first time in his life that he didn’t want the sunrise to arrive.
The morning air in the capital city of England was not cold enough for snow to fall, and the temperature wasn’t below freezing. However, the heart of the young boy who was waiting for the arrival of his beloved person was cold and painful.
The color of the sky above had changed. The lump in his left chest beat slowly. Khanin tried to hold back his tears, but they slowly fell. When the young boy looked towards the road ahead, all he saw was emptiness, just like before…
Tattanai didn’t come… he really didn’t come.
“Why… damn it…” His father never broke his promises and kept his words, and Khanin knew that better than anyone. The weak body of the young boy collapsed onto the ground, as if he had no energy left. A voice inside his heart screamed at him to accept the truth.
The truth that Khanin never wanted to accept…
The truth that Khanin never wanted to acknowledge…
The truth that no matter how many candies he ate, his father would never come back to be with him again…
“If your anger is less, eat candy, my child…”
He tightly held a small piece of candy in his trembling hand. Khanin let his tears flow freely, and the first light of day warned him that this long wait must end here.
The young boy raised his shaking hand and took the small piece of candy, savoring its sweetness and swallowing it. A faint whimper was carried away by the wind. Khanin wondered if his father had finally come to find him.
Charan looked at the young boy in front of him, and the image he saw almost overlapped with his memories of the past. The tall figure moved closer and placed his palm on the boy’s shoulder, feeling the shudder of sadness from his body.
He let him be, let Khanin sink into his grief for a moment before uttering some words as a sign that they… still had to move forward. “Let’s go, you…”
Even though Tattanai would not come back…
“What do you want to eat? I’ll order it.” Charan said to the silent man. They were currently in a small hotel room near Heathrow airport.
Khanin sat quietly on the queen-sized bed, staring at the sunset which was shimmering through the window. The golden color from the outside sun mixed with the tears in his eyes.
The slender figure did not respond or show any acceptance, only silence that spread around and covered the small rectangular room, forcing Charan to move closer to the young man. He peeked sideways at the boy who kept looking blankly out the window without any target.
Charan couldn’t possibly guess what Khanin was really thinking. He only knew that now the other side was in such a weakened state that he seemed to not want to think about anything anymore. This could be seen from the fact that he easily agreed to come here normally he would resist all the way.
When it was still dark in the morning at the park, Charan could understand everything that had happened himself. Tattanai must have said something to Khanin, so he decided to go there. He waited silently for the boy while thinking about the next step. If something bad happened to…. Tattanai.
He didn’t look at the world in a negative way, but stood on the basis of reality. Charan had the duty to keep Khanin safe. He evaluated the situation that had arisen quickly in his head and then came to the clear conclusion that from now on, the house was no longer safe.
Those men in black…intentionally harmed Tattanai. However, this assumption is not yet clearly proven. But no matter who those people belong to or what their intentions are, his mission and responsibility will not change.
Charan had to take Khanin back to Emmaly, and he spent the dark morning planning everything from booking the hotel to getting the plane tickets. Luckily, when they retrieved Tattanai’s backpack yesterday, he had everything he needed, so he didn’t have to prepare anything else for Khanin except for some clothes.
However, Charan realized that buying some things outside of the hotel might be a good idea. After all, hiding the Young-Prince of Atsawathewathin was now his top priority.
Bringing Young-Prince back to their country safely was their most important mission, but there was another thing that was equally important now…
“I don’t know what you like to eat, so I ordered a variety of dishes.” Various international food boxes were lined up. Charan received no response from his roommate, so he decided to buy four or five dishes to bring back to Khanin.
In truth… wasting food wasn’t good, but sometimes in situations where someone’s mental state was fragile, it was better to let things go.
“I’m not hungry.” The younger boy refused with his eyes fixed on the floor, making it difficult for the older man to decide what to do.
“What do you want to eat? Otherwise, you won’t have any energy.”
Charan was doing something out of character.
“…”
He chose one of the food boxes closest to him before handing it over to the younger boy to look at.
“Do you not understand what I’m saying?” Although his sentence structure was awkward, Khanin’s voice sounded vulnerable.
“I understand perfectly, but if you don’t eat anything, you’ll get sick.”
“Are you saying this because you care or because it’s your duty?” The younger boy snapped back. Charan’s eyes met with the white man’s who had been silent for a long time, until someone else let out a soft laugh.
“Oh, if I were to die, you would have a hard time.” The sarcastic tone was clear that someone intentionally wanted to start something, but Charan didn’t bother answering and took a deep breath before saying a few words to stop the awkwardness.
“I’m saying this because of Tattanai.” Although part of what Khanin thought was true, the main reason why he had to agree to do this was because some people were willing to sacrifice themselves for others.
Tattanai loved this child very much, and he didn’t want what that person did to go to waste.
“…”
“I don’t want what he did to… “
“Don’t say it out loud, you… you shouldn’t talk about my father like that!” Khanin pointed at Charan with trembling lips. “If you saw what he really did, why didn’t you let me go back – why?!”
“Because you would be in danger.”
“I’m not afraid.”
“But Tattanai wouldn’t want it to be like that, he wants you to be safe.” The tall house owner knew well that mentioning Tattanai’s desires would carry significant weight and might help calm Khanin down.
The younger boy slowly closed his eyes, the long hours of no rest and no food causing him to feel dizzy. Khanin couldn’t resist anymore and gave in to sleep.
Charan quietly observed, switching the food box for a bag of plant-based bread and a carton of milk. He placed it closer to the younger boy before letting the other side begin to eat the small, silent meal.
His tongue was numb to taste. Khanin didn’t feel the soft and fluffy texture of the bread. The younger boy seemed to be eating to sustain himself, breathing.
“We’ll be here for another two or three days.” After the milk and two slices of bread were finished, Charan mentioned something important that Khanin needed to know.
“Why?”
“Because the situation outside is still not safe. I have to keep you hidden, as your father intended.”
As it concerned Tattanai, Khanin didn’t resist any further. The younger boy just looked down and thought before diverting his gaze from the man, his tall figure stumbling against a familiar backpack.
“Did you pick it up?” The young boy remembered that he had accidentally dropped it during the incident with Tattanai, and because the situation before was chaotic, he didn’t have a chance to notice if anyone else picked it up.
“Your essentials are in there.”
As Charan said, everything that was essential for Khanin’s survival was in this backpack. The young boy approached and checked the contents.
“Do you know what’s inside?”
“I know.” The young boy answered confidently because he was familiar with this backpack.
“Where are you going, father? Why did you bring the backpack?”
“This backpack doesn’t belong to me, but it belongs to you. I am giving it to you for your travels.”
“Passport? Painkillers? Money? Caramel candy? Where am I going?”
“I haven’t given you permission to go yet but we always have to be prepared.”
The conversation brought back memories that made the young boy feel overwhelmed again. Back then, Khanin used to question and wonder why Father always told him to be prepared and ready all the time.
He never understood and came up with his own reasons that Father just liked to do things quickly, so they wouldn’t waste time collecting items when they traveled abroad together. But he never imagined that everything would fall into this situation. He only began to understand many things on this day that seemed too late.
Tattanai might have known that something like this could happen, but he never spoke about it to make him aware.
A guilty conscience…
“I’ll keep it myself.” The person who was lost in thought whispered softly. Khanin raised his hand, rubbed his face and took a deep breath before getting up and retreating to the corner of the room without waiting for an answer.
“Um.” Charan didn’t say anything because he could see the young boy’s posture. Khanin picked up the backpack and hugged it tightly, knowing that the other party might want to use it as a substitute for the warmth of the person who left.
They were all in a rectangular room with limited space, filled with various things. Charan glanced briefly at the younger boy, but didn’t get too involved with Khanin. Although he wanted to ask him a few questions, in the end he just let it go.
Time could heal wounds in the heart. Charan believed in that…
The sky outside began to change color. The sun had set, and it was time for another visit during the night when the tall figure got up and went into the bathroom to take care of his personal business.
Charan allowed the water to hit his body while his ears listened for any sounds from outside. It was almost silent, with only slight movements indicating that someone else was still there.
The tall figure grabbed a towel and went out again to find that the younger boy had fallen asleep. The light in the room was turned off, and in the darkness, he saw Khanin sleeping with his backpack hugged close to him, looking away in another direction.
The younger boy’s breathing was steady. The small house owner took the space on the left side of the bed, leaving the other side empty. Charan lay down slowly, trying not to disturb the other person’s sleep. In truth, the young man was not used to sleeping in the same bed with anyone… but when booking a hotel, there was no option to request separate beds.
They had no choice but to share a queen-sized bed.
Charan considered this as part of his duty…
The tall figure closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, while some others slowly sank into their dreams, and the younger boy gradually became comfortable in the darkness.
Khanin let his eyes adjust to the darkness. The boy stopped moving to observe and waited anxiously for a moment before getting up from the bed. He walked straight to the door, being careful not to make any noise. Khanin waited quietly for almost five minutes to make sure that no one would wake up, then he quickly slipped out of the room unnoticed…
Khanin made a decision to escape… He didn’t want Charan to take him back to Emmaly, so the only option was to take himself far away.
The closest destination for Khanin at this moment is the train station. He walks hurriedly, choosing main roads where there are people passing by because he knows that in this situation, being among a crowd of people is the safest option for him.
He doesn’t care about anyone as he walks with his head bowed down. He steps up to the last tourist train of the day before hiding in the corner quietly.
Khanin clenches his jaw, thinking only of Paul…
He cannot go back home; it’s too risky. The destination on the train ticket tonight is the train station that connects to the accommodation of his close friend. The light around the station is bright enough for him to see. Khanin steps out of the train with a face that reveals his troubled thoughts.
He walks quickly along the pathway, trying to leave the train station before anything important comes to mind. The double-sided walkway that connects to Paul’s flat is a residential area, so it’s relatively quiet during this chaos.
Khanin has no choice but to move further away from the train station before turning back. His thin body rushes forward as he glances towards Paul’s apartment building, which is just two streets away, but in his mind, it feels like kilometers.
The sound of footsteps echoes loudly, and the closer he gets to his destination, the more danger he senses. The young boy looks both ways cautiously.
His heart beats faster in his chest. Khanin decides to reach into his pants pocket and pull out his phone to call someone he knows.
The ringing tone is a constant beat, contrasting with the nervousness in the small boy’s heart. Paul does not answer the call, but Khanin is not calm enough to wait.
“Pick up the phone, Paul. Answer!”
The sound of his voice is low as he looks up towards his friend’s window. From this angle, he can see the door of the room opening before Paul steps out and stops at the balcony.
The two-layered eyes hid in the wide open space. The young boy was about to scream for help from his best friend, but… Khanin could only do everything in his mind.
“Pa… Ahh!” A sweet voice was blocked by a mysterious hand. Someone dragged the white man to the back, causing the communication device to fall and crash on the ground.
Paul’s voice called out from the end of the line.
But this time, the phone owner could only shout in horror, unable to answer as usual…
“Help… Ugh! Ahh!”
“Be quiet.”
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