THENEXTPRINCE, Chapter 11: ThePrivilege of the Winner.
By: CEO ft Ennice.
Khanin paused, trying to wiggle himself out of the grip immediately. His mind processed that the sound he heard earlier belonged to someone.
“You!” Charan didn’t seem too shocked by what made him feel a little disappointed. The person picked up the communication tool that had fallen on the floor before returning it to him.
“We are going back.”
“I’m not going back.” The younger boy snatched the phone back to his heart, his trembling heartbeat still visible. Meanwhile, Charan looked at him with the same eyes as other adults who were scolding the child.
“What are you planning to do?”
“Whatever it is, I’ll do it…”
“Do you want to go find a friend to ask for help or do you plan to escape on your own and survive?” Charan’s long sentence began with a question, but the other party did not want to give a response. Everything that the tall man said made it clear who had guessed all his plans.
“…”
“Do you want your friend to be in danger?” The older person’s face became more serious as he spoke softly, trying to appeal to Khanin’s limited thinking. On the other hand, the younger boy took a deep breath before considering how much harm his actions could cause.
“… “
“Do you know what will happen to your friend if they see you here? You know very well that those people are not ordinary.” Everything the older person says is true in every way. Khanin realizes and sees it himself, and on that night…
With the skills of Charan and Tattanai, they are almost unbeatable. What could Paul do? It would be a shame if a regular teenage student like him causes trouble for his friends…
The small hands of the young boy are tightly clenched. Khanin argues with himself, unable to find another solution in his mind. If he doesn’t go, then his friend will be in danger, and he’ll do everything himself so as not to cause trouble for anyone else…
“And don’t think about running away alone. If I can read your plan, others can too.” It’s as if the person in front of them can read his minds clearly.
Charan warned with a firm tone…
“… “ Khanin falls silent, not daring to speak out of line. His emotions are turbulent, similar to a storm raging within him, but he tries to calm down as Charan wants.
If you understand, can we go back together?”
The hotel hallway was empty at this time. Khanin followed behind the taller person, quietly watching Charan’s broad shoulders before feeling even smaller and more insignificant.
The younger person breathes quietly throughout the journey, not uttering a word, but their mind keeps returning to the dire situation. If it wasn’t Charan, what if it was someone else who wanted to take their life?
What would Khanin do…
“Take a rest, you’re exhausted.” The taller person speaks up in a calm voice as they enter the room. Charan goes to turn off the lights and then goes back to lie down, doing everything as if nothing happened before.
“Here.”
“Hmm.”
“Did you know from the beginning… “
“What?”
“That I ran away.” Khanin mumbled at the corner of his mouth, not saying everything that was on his mind but having many doubts to ponder. One of those doubts was this question.
He was quite confident that Charan was fast asleep at that moment, so why…
Charan stared at the young boy, seeing a mixture of suspicion and fear hidden in Khanin’s eyes. Despite the pain, he still believed that the world was too harsh for him.
“I woke up when you moved.” the older man said before sitting at the end of the bed, letting Young-Prince stand where he was. “I wanted to know what you planned to do, so I waited and see…”
The important thing was that it was a plan. Charan allowed Khanin to go in order to let the other party try to follow his own plan and learn from the real situation, to understand that it was impossible to escape without him.
It was better than just holding onto words and sitting tiredly. Khanin was such a child, and the older man could tell that giving him proof and seeing it for himself would make the white man understand more easily than explaining it to waste time.
“…And why didn’t you stop me from the beginning?” The boy murmured as if talking to himself more than wanting the tall man to speak. Charan shook his head, wanting to ask back if he would listen if he forbade Khanin from going in the first place.
“Just walk lighter than this next time.”
“…”
“You walked like a dinosaur, even though I didn’t wake up when you moved, I had to wake up when you walked out… Let me teach you.” Khanin blinked and pursed his lips in disagreement.
“I didn’t walk like that.”
“You did.”
“Your hearing is better than mine.”
“That’s not up for debate.” Charan paused. To explain it properly, Khanin was considered a lightweight shoe type, but the other party was still just a child who was not surprising to be careless.
Everything Khanin had done, Charan understood the real purpose of it well. The boy just wanted emotional refuge. It was a consequence of losing Tattanai. Khanin had done something without thinking it through.
Going to find Paul… must be one of the mechanisms to find a way out for himself. In these dark times, it’s not uncommon for Khanin to want to run to someone he trusts for the answer, which definitely isn’t Charan.
Do you… do you think who those people are?” The sweet voice asks again after being quiet for a long time.
“Not sure. Maybe like I said before, someone knows that the heir of Atsawathewathin is still alive.” The person’s breath sounds almost like it’s running out, leaving a momentary pause. Khanin ponders silently.
“But they… seem more intent on harming my father.”
“… “ Charan agrees with this question. The young man thinks those people really want to use Tattanai.
“I want to go back to the life I used to have.” Khanin mutters, thinking of many past events, he didn’t want everything to turn out like this. Father had to sacrifice himself to protect him, while Paul almost got hurt because of his lack of thought.
Feeling like he was a burden became even clearer in his mind, causing tears to well up in his eyes. Khanin blinks, trying to suppress his emotions, but it’s difficult to do so.
His throat constricts with heat and the lump in his left chest feels like a hand that squeezes until it becomes numb. Khanin can’t bear to separate from Tattanai at this moment.
There were many promises they made to do things together. Father promised he can stop competing for two years, promised to take him on a trip, promised to make him delicious food, but it seems like those words will never come true again.
“Is my return really important?” The trembling voice of the young man echoes in everyone’s ears. Charan remains silent for a moment, thinking to wait for Khanin’s mental state to be ready before starting to explain everything.
However, the two-level eyes hiding under the veil of questions and confusion are demanding that Charan say something. Khanin deserves to know because sooner or later he has to know.
“You already know that Emmaly is ruled by a monarch system, we divide the main city into five states, with the highest authority being the SovereignKing position. This position is selected through the selection ceremony, judged only by sword fighting competition. It’s something that we’ve inherited for a long time.”
“…”
“The main rule of decision-making is that every city ruled by each family must send its heir to participate in the competition as representatives according to the old imperial law. Only those who have direct lineage with the prince of each city are entitled to participate in the competition.”
“…”
“If the child wins, the father who is the ruler of that city will have the right to become the next Sovereign-King.”
“And what does it have to do with me?” Khanin asked even though he knew the answer well. The young man still remembered what Tattanai had said accurately, about the current Sovereign-King of Emmaly who was named
Sovereign-King Dhipabawon and used to be the leader of the
Atsawathewathin family before, and he had only one legitimate child, Prince Tarin… his real father.
“It’s your time now.”
“…”
“You are the only heir of Atsawathewathin so that your real father can become the next Sovereign-King and Atsawathewathin does not lose power. You have to go back to join this competition.” Charan explained concisely and directly to make the young man understand his own situation.
“My real father… is that so? I only have one father.” Khanin shook his head, just laughed bitterly and tried to avoid acknowledging anything else, but he was grabbed by the big man and held tightly.
I have the right to request a reward as the winner, when we fought with swords before.”
“You have no right to ask me to return to the country.” The young man choked his throat, as if guessing the near future that was about to happen.
“I know that, but I will use the right of the winner to maintain your safety…”
“…”
“From now on, I order you to cooperate in every hiding and escape from those people until we reach a safe zone.”
Charan did not force Khanin to return directly to Emmaly as the requested favor seemed almost pointless…
“How long will it be until you feel safe?”
“Until we enter the territory of Emmaly.”
In the park, people pass by and give curious glances as Khanin sits in a corner on a bench, gazing up at the big clouds in the sky. He feels like he’s a bird trapped in a cage with no way out.
For almost two full days now, Charan hasn’t allowed him to go anywhere, causing Khanin to become restless. Being cooped up in a small room, constantly checking the news, waiting for updates about his father and feeling indifferent towards Paul’s attempts to contact him, has left him very nervous.
There is no news of any crimes on the website, everything seems normal. Khanin looks at the people passing by; a couple in love, a mother pushing a stroller with her baby, everyone living their happy lives so differently from him at this moment.
His heavy breathing is accompanied by the useless gadget in his pocket.
When Khanin had to sever communication with his close friend, just to ensure Paul’s safety, he could only send a message saying that he urgently needed to take care of something.
After enduring more than thirty hours in the stuffy room, someone eventually relented and allowed him to step outside and breathe fresh air. But that was all… Charan only took him to a park near the hotel, not even one kilometer away.
The important thing is that he’s not allowed to wander too far from sight…
“Which of these two do you want to eat?” The tall man returns from a small food stall not too far away, holding two large sandwiches in his hand. Charan offers them to him, as he has done before, but this time the younger boy shows no enthusiasm.
“… “ Khanin remains indifferent. To be honest, he just doesn’t feel hungry at all.
“If you don’t eat, you’ll have no energy… right?” The young man adds to the end of his sentence until he hears a response. Charan pauses, not ready to give up yet.
“If you know, then choose one.”
“I don’t want to eat this one.”
“Then what do you want to eat?”
“… “ There’s no answer for this question… or maybe there is, but Charan probably won’t be able to find it.
“Are you bored of food?”
“Not really.”
“…?”
“I want to eat my father’s homemade food.” It was a momentary reaction of the person in front, who seemed to be still for a while. Khanin seemed to hear a slight exhalation before someone uttered a sentence that raised the atmosphere.
I understand that you may feel frustrated and uncomfortable with the sudden change in your life, but I want you to adapt. That’s all.”
“You’re not me, so you can say whatever you want.” Khanin interjected.
“Everyone has their own path in life.”
The young man’s narrow eyebrows twitched. Khanin turned to look at Charan before letting out a low sigh, indicating an unstable emotional state for a moment.
“But it’s a path that I didn’t choose.”
“If you don’t want to return for the competition, at least agree to my request.”
“…”
“You are under my protection. Return to Emmaly and tell Sovereign-King yourself that you will give up your rights.”
“Do I have any other choice then? I lost to you in bet. I have no right to choose anything anymore.” The young man didn’t hold back his frustration at all.
Khanin glanced towards the wide open space in front of him until he saw someone walking away from them and turned back to look.
The broad back of a tall figure gradually moved further away. The softlipped owner of the fair-skinned body. Khanin thought to himself… Charan might have started to get tired of him…
Who would want to constantly deal with the unpredictable mood swings of another person? The other side must be quite annoyed.
Khanin chuckled hoarsely, his friend by his side feeling worse than before. His disappointment in fate made him want to disappear from this place, but that thought was quickly suppressed. When the majestic figure of someone else who had disappeared for a moment returned, accompanied by something that made the onlookers relatively surprised.
Here is the translation to English:
“What?” Khanin asked, even though he knew what it was.
“Ice cream.” the older person answered with a name. Khanin raised an eyebrow and tilted his head with a doubtful expression to let the other person know that he still didn’t understand.
“I know, but why ask?”
“Just in case eating something sweet will help you… feel better.” Khanin hesitated, not expecting to receive this kind of answer.
The two-layered eyes avoided the ice cream cup and looked back at the face of the person who was much older than him, whom he found difficult to read.
After a brief hesitation, he reached out his hand to accept it. Khanin opened the cup and used the spoon to taste the flavor. The cool air and sweetness spread in his mouth, seemingly helping the young man relax and reduce his stress, but it couldn’t compare to what the tall guy would say next. “I’m sorry if I rushed you too much.”
“…”
“… “ The spoon that was scooping the soft and slightly bitter flavor of coffee paused at Khanin’s lips. He glanced at Charan, waiting for the other person to speak.
“But I want you to understand… my duty is to protect you.” That conviction had never changed. Khanin saw the confident look in his sharp eyes, which led the young man to realize the true nature of this guy, who is responsible for protecting him, is the most important thing for Charan.
“…”
You may not trust me yet, but believe that if you stay with me now, you will be safe.” This warm and gentle feeling in his heart shouldn’t have happened at all. During times of weakness and loneliness, having someone standing by your side has an impact on the feelings of the person who receives it.
The younger boy’s thin hand and gaze returned to focus on the taste of the sweet pastry in his hand. Khanin didn’t say anything until a long pause before whispering something softly.
“Next time, get me an orange-flavored ice cream.”
“Hm?”
“I like orange-flavored ice cream more than coffee.” The speaker didn’t explain anything else, just held up an empty cup of ice cream for others to see. Charan stopped talking and one of the teachers seemed to understand. Finally, Khanin agreed to let it go…
“The marquis will remember.”
“How did you think of bringing me out today?” The younger person asked, wanting to know but not expecting the answer they received. It made the temperature around them that had been chilly seem warmer to the eyes…
“Because I’m confident I can take care of you, no matter what happens. Just being close to me like this is enough.”
In addition, it also made the bitter taste of coffee on the tongue have a hint of another flavor mixed in, almost as if it had been altered in some way…
TBC.
Ice cream that can be bitter but still sweet.
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