THENEXTPRINCE, Chapter 14: Pieces in the Board Game.

By: CEO. Ft. Ennice.

Khanin’s eyes widened and shouted for someone else to come. The rain soaked the air with a strong smell of blood, while the injured person writhed in pain but refused to give up.

He staggered and felt as though he was searching for a foundation while Charan stopped abruptly and stood still for no apparent reason. The young man, restless, weighed his options for a split second before deciding to find help.

He hesitated for just a moment before turning left and right to grab a small potted plant that was located in front of someone’s house.

Swish!

At that very moment, the tile’s hardness collided with the head of the culprit. The sound of a painful cry emerged, and fresh blood dripped from the heads of both individuals. The injured bodies were already running low on energy, and they could not get up again.

Khanin ran towards Charan, taking advantage of the fact that the criminal was dazed and pulling the older boy’s slender wrist to make him run ahead. Warm steam emanated from their hands, and Khanin’s thoughts echoed through the tall figure’s mind.

Charan grimaced, trying to regain his composure and focus on his surroundings. Khanin hastened his steps and occasionally glanced at the body of the man lying behind them, like drops of rain falling from the sky and soaking their bodies.

Khanin could tell that Charan seemed slower than usual… No, he couldn’t say anything, it would seem unfair to assume that the other party looked abnormal after… after the rain started falling.

“You… are bleeding.” the younger boy murmured quietly after checking the other’s injuries and finding a wound and blood on the left arm of Charan’s slender frame.

“It’s nothing.” The physical pain was not a big deal, but the mental state was scary.

“Are you okay? Does it hurt?” The young man guessed that the pain might be variable. Khanin couldn’t tell if Charan’s wound was large or small, he just knew that the blood was still flowing.

“Not much.” Charan’s face didn’t show any signs of pain. He bit his lip and refused to turn his head, looking instead at his own wound, trying to collect as much awareness as possible.

This combination of rain and blood was not going to end well.

Charan decided not to run in the rain and pulled the younger boy’s wrist into a public restroom in front of them. The cramped space with two men was somewhat uncomfortable, much like when they had avoided the criminals in front of an old shop.

It’s not that there wasn’t a point to focus on other than the man in front of him…

The distance between them wasn’t far, but it made Khanin feel strange and bizarre. It was a feeling that he couldn’t quite distinguish or categorize. How could he describe it? It was like he rarely felt this way.

In reality, Khanin understood and guessed why Charan chose to hide in this place. At this time, if they ran randomly four or five times, there would most likely be a certain percentage of encountering someone else and needing to confront or face them.

“Your friend’s house…”

“Not far from here.” whispered the voice in response while lifting the backpack to hang on the railing. Khanin raised his eyebrows and looked at those actions with suspicion before it turned into a slightly gaping mouth when the tall man began to take off the shirt he was wearing.

Charan’s beautiful muscles appeared in view. Khanin blinked, paused for a moment, then quickly averted his gaze. The young man chose to rest his gaze elsewhere, but when he looked back, he couldn’t help but stare at the strong scar on his forearm.

Charan wiped the blood off his hands with the problematic shirt that he had worn and then put it in his bag before picking out a new shirt to wear. He did everything gracefully and quickly, making Khanin look surprised.

“You’re not hurt…” the end of this sentence, the younger person fell silent because suddenly he heard footsteps and the rhythm of someone walking outside. Khanin locked eyes with the tall man who was looking at him and raised his hand, feeling embarrassed.

A lump in his chest beat rapidly. Khanin felt as though his heart would stop beating for a moment. Beads of sweat seeped from the dark side of his face, and every second seemed to pass slowly.

The boy thought he had accidentally held his breath until he heard someone speak Thai from outside, which made him realize that the person passing by wasn’t one of the groups they feared.

Charan took a deep breath and waited patiently until the rain stopped. The two men then proceeded to leave once more.

…

At first, Khanin understood that the friend’s house that Charan had mentioned was just an ordinary accommodation, but what he saw in front of him now was not close to what he had in mind.

The music around them was loud and intense, and tourists of both sexes swayed to the rhythm of the music with their eyes closed. The entertainment venue was crowded with people, inviting the white man to wake up from his daze.

“Come, Khun Charan is waiting.” said the male server who Charan followed inside, while the tall man just stood there, preparing to welcome them.

Khanin and Charan walked behind the server towards a narrow corridor that led to the shop’s second-floor lobby.

“The office is where we’re going. Khun Itthi has informed us that you can go up if Khun Charan has arrived.” said the Thai-speaking server, but Khanin understood the communication through the body language they used. The other party nodded slightly before turning away.

“Come on.” said Charan, urging Khanin, who was still hesitating about their lodging.

“And our accommodation…?” The sound of the song from outside could still be faintly heard. Khanin looked intently at the older man, questioning him with suspicion.

“It’s here, if it were an ordinary hotel, it would be easy to find.” Charan clarified briefly and logically, conveying his cautious personality. Khanin didn’t ask anything else until they stopped in front of a door in one of the rooms.

“Come in.” A thick hand pushed open the door after hearing the permission given from inside. It was an office decorated with expensive furniture that showed off the user’s status. A tall, well-proportioned figure with light brown hair named Itthi Itthi Korn greeted them with a friendly smile.

“Just waiting.” Khanin felt that the external appearance of the influence did not look like the brutal bar owner style at all. The posture of the person was straight, the face looked friendly without poison or danger, and it seemed clean and neat like a well-dressed young man.

His two-layered eyes swept around to survey the people in front of him without showing any disrespect. Khanin saw the tall figure hug his friend and then the young man’s mind processed anew that…the person who was close to Charan should be a group of well-dressed men.

“This is Itthi, my friend, and this is Khanin.” Charan did not disclose his status, but merely made a brief introduction, as if performing a ritual to maintain decorum, rather than wanting them to get to know each other for real.

“Have you had a tiring journey?” The bar owner returned greetings in English. Khanin smiled slightly before choosing to answer truthfully within his heart.

“Just a little bit.” The corners of his mouth formed a smile on Khanin’s face, making him wonder if he could speak the truth before walking in. They almost died several times before arriving here…

“How are you?”

“As you can see, I’m fine. It’s been a few years since I last saw you.” Itthi made a pensive gesture while talking to Saran.

“Two or three years…this time I might have to bother you for a couple of days.” The tall man’s words did not surprise the younger one. Khanin could understand that they probably couldn’t take the same flight back because for some reason, they had to wait at the airport. It was too dangerous.

“Fine, I already had the kid prepare a room for you.”

“Thank you very much, Itthi.”

“It’s a small matter, Ai’Ran. We’re already friends.” The friendly address made it clear that they were genuine friends. Khanin looked at Itthi and invited the tall man to continue talking for a few more words. The bar owner then concluded the conversation.

“If you need anything else, just use the phone in the room to call. Go and rest.” To allow the tired travelers to go back and relax, Itthi didn’t think about prolonging their time.

“Thanks, can I…do you have any bandages or something?”

“Sure, do you need anything else?”

“Just that I got a little wound while traveling.” Saran answered smoothly, saying that the wound on his arm wasn’t a big deal. Itthi stopped walking and ordered something over the phone. Soon after, the male waiter returned.

Khanin thanked the owner before following the guide to the standard, ordinary-looking single bed room. But what made him feel impressed was that the inner wall was soundproofed so effectively that it blocked the outside noise completely.

Charan stood and talked with Itthi’s employee at the door. The posture of the tall man seemed normal to the point where Khanin secretly admired his resilience, despite having such a large wound on his arm. Not only that, but he also spoke naturally with the third person in Thai.

“Don’t you want to go to the hospital? Your wound is deep.” Khanin asked while another person closed the door and walked back to sit next to him with a first aid kit borrowed from the office.

The young boy sneaked a peek at his left arm and noticed that Charan was trying to minimize his movements as much as possible while tending to his wound.

“It’s not close to the heart.” the older man replied calmly, using his right hand to handle various medical instruments while Khanin subtly observed his every move. He was agile and had a slight desire to empathize with the situation.

The young boy hesitated and sat still, but when he saw Charan roll up his sleeve, clean the wound, and administer medication quickly, he decided to relax and sit quietly instead of being a hindrance.

The atmosphere in the room was so quiet that it felt suffocating, except for the sound of tearing an eye patch. Two figures huddled in the corner, hiding away from view, while Khanin pondered what to do next.

“Let me help.” A timid youth approached and offered to hold the bandage for the tall man.

“Thank you.” Charan whispered, extending his arm for Young-Prince to assist him. One reason he accepted the offer was that he had assessed his abilities and realized that refusing help would not be beneficial in any way.

Khanin affixed a waterproof bandage onto the strong arm delicately, cautiously observing the situation. He then started a new conversation to break the silence.

“You…”

“Hm?”

“What do you think… How could the killers have known we were here… Or did they have a tracking device?” He upgraded from the word ‘criminal’ to a definition that he thought was more appropriate based on the recent events.

‘Killers’ seemed to be the most fitting term in Khanin’s mind.

The behavior of those who acted with their faces and eyes covered indicated that they had come with malicious intent, shown by their unwillingness to hold back their weapons. Khanin didn’t dare to guess what would have happened if Charan hadn’t been there to help. Perhaps…he might have died a long time ago.

“There is no tracking device; it’s just a possibility.” Charan breathed out slowly as he thought about the day’s events.

What could happen if he failed to protect Young-Prince? Charan knew that he could not face Sovereign-King, who had been kind enough to take care of him, as a flawed person in his duty.

The young boy only knew that everything Charan predicted would inevitably come true. From what had happened in London to today’s events…

“We’ll have to take the train instead.”

“The train?”

“Yes, it will take longer, but it’s better than standing still. We’ll wait and check the weather again.” Charan spoke quickly and confidently, like a computer. Walking, the older man evaluated various escape routes as if he had already chased them down. Eventually, he answered without hesitation.

However, there was one point that made Khanin wonder about the young boy who furrowed his brow while processing a plan in his mind, lost in thought before deciding to ask a question.

“Check the weather? Why?”

“No reason, but we won’t run away when it rains.” The response caused Khanin to stop staring at their conversation for a moment. They briefly brushed past each other. The young boy seemed to see a subtle current that was hidden within, which appeared for only a moment before disappearing.

Khanin did not return his attention to the boy and instead focused on tending to the injured person’s wounds once again. The young boy fidgeted nervously until he could lift his head and saw that some people were already looking at them.

 

 

Done. Does it hurt?” He didn’t know what to say and didn’t want to make things worse. Khanin changed the topic.

The young boy gently rubbed Charan’s bicep with both hands before gradually moving away.

“No, it will go away soon.”

The conversation was calm, differing from the pain that the injury caused. It was clear that some people were accustomed to pain while others were not. For Khanin, just seeing the wound made him feel the pain itself. He had come to realize this much.

A warm breath permeated the owner’s small body as they breathed out, wanting to laugh or tease fate for playing a joke that nearly killed them.

However, they couldn’t bring themselves to laugh.

The more Charan suffered like this, the worse the young boy felt.

“Honestly… why do you work like this? You’re risking your life. You might die any day, and even if you have a good day, someone might come at you with a knife. And on top of that, you have to come and protect other people… How do you feel about it?” The lengthy sentence contained mixed emotions of not understanding.

Khanin was unable to cope with someone who wasn’t shaken by anything like before.

“No, it’s my duty.”

The word ‘duty’ caused the beautiful eyebrows of the audience to twitch. Suddenly, a wave of dissatisfaction surged up one of them, making it difficult to listen. It changed the expression of those listening, causing only a small smile to move their lips.

“Is it like what your father did?”

“…”

The duty of coming to protect others until you die… I don’t think it’s right. Where does it have to be?” The young boy spoke his thoughts, not wanting to be a burden for someone else to protect. His face had become bitter and his beautiful eyes were flashing.

The young boy felt as though his emotions were being switched back and forth, as if they were being grabbed by an invisible hand and shifted from side to side. A turbulent whirlpool sent waves of despair through him.

“Your grandfather once told me… Tattanai was a very strong guard, he was hard to catch because he was so skilled. He was given the important duty of taking care of you…” Charan brought up something new in a soft voice, calling the attention of the younger person.

“…”

“It’s not just a duty. He protected you more than that.” A warm tear fell quietly, and the slender figure of the young boy rocked back and forth because he didn’t want to accept Charan’s opinion.

Did he want to protect? Was it necessary to do so much?

Khanin blinked his eyes to stop the tears and let his heart gradually calm down with the pain. No one wanted to experience loss, he himself included. He didn’t want to encounter any loss in exchange for the heights he had never desired.

“The persecution of Thanan was nothing to the bloodshed that he never knew existed, but it’s important to Khanin even if just a bit…”

“I’ll ask you straight up… is that competition really important to these people’s lives? Is it really as important as someone’s life being treated like a fish vegetable?” It went deeper than just the pain. Khanin knew from the beginning that it was anger that he never understood, and still does not understand today.

“Everyone wants power.”

Power? That’s funny… and what about you? How is this silly competition important to you?”

Charan’s answer made Khanin wonder. What made Charan willing to sacrifice so much for his job? Especially since they were just two strangers.

For Khanin, Charan was like a puzzle piece on this board. However, he could not quite grasp the answer he received. Perhaps it had to do with something that was planted deep within, or with his job, but the sentence that some people might take for granted… It had quite an impact on Khanin’s heart.

“The competition isn’t important to me, but it is to you…”

“What do you mean?”

“If it’s important to Atsawathewathin, then it’s important to me too.”

TBC.

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