THENEXTPRINCE, Chapter 28: Trust.
‘Tonight… if we talk about Khanin and Charan, is there anything to worry about? Since our country has already legalized same-sex marriage, whoever dates whom should be their right. If you have any opinions, it can only be congratulations.’
The sound of interviews from the cousins came out from Khanin’s iPad, while Ramil maintained a calm face in front of the camera and numerous reporters, his happiness unchanged.
On the other side, there was a small smile adorning their faces to avoid appearing too intimidating. They were smart in their responses and conducted themselves impeccably. Ramil, with his media handling skills honed in a prominent lineage.
However, deep inside, there was a true feeling that no one needed to guess. It was clear that the reporters had asked them strange and repetitive questions countless times.
“The internet buzz is strong, Your Highness…” Chakri, the worried figure, with a concerned expression, voiced his stress. Meanwhile, Khanin simply stopped the news report video and switched to Twitter to check the social media trends.
There were close follower by their side, like Charan, standing tall in a calm and serene posture, sometimes appearing lost in thought. Different from Khanin, who did not show the slightest agitation on his face.
“It’s okay, let it go. Trying to suppress others from talking about it won’t work. I don’t see any harm. Emmaly has equal rights in marriage, and besides, this country has accepted the basic rights of all genders.”
“…”
“Another thing… if criticism or discussion does not exceed boundaries and become disrespectful or violent, I think it’s not a big deal. It limits the freedom of others if once Young Prince is mentioned, others can’t speak about it. But if discussing these matters causes harm to the person being talked about, I won’t agree to that either.”
“…”
“No one should ever have to say the bad words or harmful intentions if the said words and intentions are harmful and bad. Khun Charan.”
The word ‘Khun Charan’ called the owner of the name to turn their gaze. The taller figure carefully observed the Young Prince’s words before responding approvingly, leading to a small smile from the younger one.
“Your Highness agrees too, but I just want to caution you about public image…” The person within the frame, always speaking in measured tones, calmly expressed their thoughts.
Khanin smiled. He didn’t think too much because he understood well the nature of individuals shaped differently. Chakri always planned everything, while the other side was conditioned to be cautious and follow the norms. There must be moments when they felt uneasy about his actions.
“I’ll try, shall we? it’s better to discuss planning for upcoming competitions.” The young man reluctantly agreed. He chose his words carefully, knowing that something would happen in the next chapter. Khanin made the decision. He had to use this momentum to shield himself. In any case, it wouldn’t be easy to calm down such fervent love news.
The slim figure shifted slightly, adopting a more serious stance as they were about to discuss important matters. Their gaze met with the tall person, which caused Charan to stop raising his eyebrows, instead replacing them with a questioning sentence.
“?”
“I would like you to help find someone with exceptional sword skills in this country, but not someone within the system or affiliated with any club. Can you do that, please?”
The whole room was silent after Khanin’s request. Charan stayed silent for a moment, lost in thought, before finally pausing and responding.
“It’s not a problem, Your Highness, but it might take some time.”
Khanin nodded, understanding that matters like this would take time, and he had great trust in Charan. Thinking that the other party must have enough breadth to assist in this matter.
“I can wait… Is there anything you would like to say, Mister Butler?” Because he noticed the worried expression on Chakri’s face, moments of pursed lips, and posture that seemed to be holding back something, Khanin greeted him.
“Well… how can we know, Your Highness, if someone outside the system is really capable or not?” The conscientious butler expressed concerns about the potential risks, but Khanin responded with a wide smile. Because everything went according to his plan, just like talking to you, everything went smoothly.
“That’s exactly what I want, Chakri. I don’t want anyone to guess or find out things about us, let’s compete fully. If they know everything, where’s the fun?”
“And how will Khun Charan find out, Your Highness?” Chakri’s face remained filled with worry. Because the patriarch still didn’t know the true skills of Charan, the other party’s doubts were understandable.
“I have a detective friend, who knows people in high places. They can help us. Charan didn’t lie when he intended to seek their assistance, but he didn’t think to explain anything further.
“I’ll provide you with the names and addresses, Khun Charan. I want to travel and meet them myself.”
“Will you go on your own?”
This time, Khanin surprised the young man quite a bit. His eyebrows arched and his eyes met the young man’s gaze.
“Yes. I don’t want to use methods like other families, but I want to use genuine intentions. I want them to know that I came with the intention of choosing them, just like I chose you, with a heart that chooses your group.” It is the initial strategy of winning hearts, heartfelt words that affect the listener’s feelings.
Chakri smiled. The young butler’s eyes were beaming, indicating excitement. As for Charan, he didn’t say anything, but deep down, he thought that Khanin was truly skilled… about the art of manipulating and winning over people.
“But if we choose someone outside the system and news leaks out, people in society or other families will surely have doubts and ask questions. Will this cause another uproar, Your Highness?”
“That’s correct. Because my plan is to make everyone confused…” Khanin replied with a joking tone, his beautiful lips curved slightly, displaying a mischievous charm.
Chakri paused, his face filled with confusion, agreeing that the actions of the young prince indeed puzzled him.
…
The afternoon air was sultry, the sky overcast with rain clouds. Khanin sat on a leather sofa by the window, holding an iPad, reading the history of the candidates and their impressive swordplay skills before stating his desires and waiting patiently for the arrival of what he wanted.
Charan worked faster than expected, and a close friend from the other side, a detective, helped gather information and sent it in. One of them had the highest record in sword combat skills and was someone Khanin knew well.
Itti, the owner of a club in Thailand, and a close friend of Charan.
“You seem to have great knife skills.”
“Not just knife skills, but sword skills as well.”
“You’ve said too much.”
“You’re talented, skilled.”
“You’ve seen me, that’s it. I stopped focusing on swordplay a long time ago. Now I’m only skilled in the kitchen.”
Memories of the past flooded back. Khanin recalled that Charan had praised Itti’s swordsmanship, tapping his finger on the iPad screen before sitting down to read the detailed biography of Itti Mahanapon, in great detail.
Being the only child, he had a remarkable history of swordplay since his school days but lacked support. Because his family intended to relocate back to Thailand, they didn’t pay attention to this matter, making him a talented individual.
In the end, it was written that… Itti secretly joined the underground swordfighting club in Thailand, which was established by the Emmaly Association, where he gathered with them. He participated in the competition twice a month for fun, and often emerged victorious.
Khanin calculated the remaining time before the competition. He took a big risk going up against professional fighters, but the young man was not afraid.
On one hand, besides his skills, he had confidence in his strategic planning abilities, and on the other hand, he had Charan.
Even if the opposing side refused to compete, only offering to assist, Khanin was no longer afraid.
“There’s someone who wants to join the team, one of the ten people that you mentioned.”
“No need to fly, video call is fine.” It was as if Khanin already knew his thoughts. The other side coordinated and appeared on the screen, speaking calmly, much like a wizard with an extraordinary power to read people’s minds.
Khanin was slightly surprised, but when he remembered Charan’s past expertise, he chose to let it go, without questioning or guessing whether the histories of all ten individuals had already been scanned by the visualizer.
“If we don’t go there…”
“Just keep flying back and forth, it’s unlikely to catch up with anyone else. Besides… Itti himself said that if there’s something he wants help with, he would let us know. Itti is a person who values his words, and his words cannot be wrong.” Charan didn’t use any special method to make Khanin see the drawbacks of time travel and, of course, since Khanin agreed, he didn’t argue about the issue of transportation. Instead, he chose to address another important issue.
“But Itti needs to take care of the club in Thailand if he’s not here, and the business there…”
Hearing the familiar pronouns, it felt oddly comforting. It was fortunate that Charan was so professional that he could hold back those emotions, allowing the conversation to flow smoothly.
“Your Highness will send someone to take care of this if the Lord desires Itti to join the team.” Because Chakri was still standing here. Charan had to use royal terms to speak, making it easier for the young lord, and it brought a smile to the listeners.
“Please do…” It wasn’t wrong at all for Khanin to go to any lengths to have
Charan back with him on his side. His life had become much easier than
before. From the deep feeling of darkness around he began to feel the light ahead.
“Your Majesty, where are you off to?”
“I’m off. I’m going to call Phii Itti.” the young man said cheerfully as he wandered off with his mobile phone in hand. The butler had just finished his duties and made himself scarce by ducking behind the video call corner.
Meanwhile, the tall figure stood motionless, pondering over the problem of whether using third-person pronouns between Phii Itti and Young Lord was appropriate or not. It didn’t seem quite right, but it was hard to explain why…if there was a chance, he might have to warn both of them. It was good for them to care about their team, but getting too close to everyone like this…it wasn’t ideal.
The leader of the Phitakthewa family and also a recently appointed the youngest affectionate companion of the young prince as their newest member, observing the young man conversing eagerly on the phone with his friend. Within fifteen minutes of conversation and agreement, the young Atsawathewathin flashed him a look and found a member to join their competition team.
“Well, see you here, Phii Itti.”
[See you, Nong Nin. See you, my dear.]
At the end of the line, the shouting person made sure to let Charan hear it, even though he didn’t walk into the camera for the person in Thailand to see his face. The fading smile of the young man still adorned his face.
Khanin turned and raised his index finger as a symbol that he could handle any situation. Chakri, who was looking at him admiringly, stood up and clapped his hands enthusiastically, proudly painting a smile on Young Prince’s face.
“I’ve been talking for so long that my throat is dry.”
If your Highness doesn’t mind, I, Chakri will bring warm lime water with honey.”
“May I bother you?”
It was a delicate balancing act for Charan as he barely managed to maintain a composed demeanor while glancing at the butler who went out to fetch beverages for the younger crowd, interspersed with various desserts placed on the table by the other party.
It’s clear that Chakri is completely devoted to the Young Prince.
The intense gaze returned to the person who was being perused. Khanin once again showed interest in the iPad, his resolute posture causing the tall figure to unintentionally pause and gaze for a long time… long enough for some to notice.
“Is there something on my face?” Khanin greeted with a sweet voice, delicately tapping his slender fingers on the smooth cheeks, tilting his head inquiringly, causing Charan to blink rapidly, coughing and turning his gaze away to change the subject.
“Would you like to continue reading, or should I take a break for a while?
Staring at the screen for too long might strain your eyes.”
“Oh, it’s better not to waste time then.” Khanin replied dismissively, still refusing to let go of his determination.
Because of that, Charan didn’t argue further, and he simply got up from his chair, walked over to pick up something from his bag, and then returned to sit on the same sofa.
“Ah.”
“Huh?”
“These are anti-glare glasses, not prescription glasses. You can try them on.” Charan extended the anti-glare glasses that he usually wore to someone, but hesitated for a moment as not everyone reached out to accept them.
No, I don’t want them…”
“Don’t be stubborn.” Cutting off any further objections, Charan unfolded the glasses in his hand before finding the right moment to place them delicately on the small face. The sound of a click accompanied the careful action, creating a feeling akin to a low current running into Khanin’s heart.
“…”
“The eyes are an important organ of the body.” The sentence was not particularly sweet or flirtatious, but it had an impact on Itti, causing a flutter in his emotions, making it somewhat difficult to describe when they locked eyes.
At one unpredictable moment, a subtle sound resonated around them, as if the ticking of something had become lighter, allowing both of them to hear it.
“Thank you… Thank you.” It was Khanin who conceded defeat in the game of eye contact. The young man raised a white flag and lowered his flushed face back to the files on his hands, focused, and read in silence.
Charan licked his dry lips and felt that the air in the room became stifling, but he continued to sit quietly, clasping his hands on his lap, waiting for several events to unfold. Eventually, he seemed to return to his normal state.
As the older person, he chose to address the next important topic.
“Huh?”
“The search for someone to join the team from outside the palace, let’s think about it again. The current trend of criticism is chaotic. If there is more negative news, Spoonez, they may not dare to help our team. Another thing… some people may guess that this is an attempt to gather a team.” The person who was thinking carefully made a warning to Mr-Khanin to be mindful.
The young man pondered silently for several minutes, until he finally decided to turn and meet the tall figure with determined and serious eyes more intensely than ever before.
I don’t really care about the first matter. It would be good to have sponsors, but it’s also fine if we don’t. My concern is with budget management. As for the second matter… I think no one can really guess.”
“…”
“We’ve been appointed as each other affectionate companions, so going together anywhere shouldn’t be strange. It would make things smoother if people stopped focusing on our relationship.”
“How much smoother does it have to be?” Charan muttered, not expecting the response from the young person to come in such a direction, causing the heavy stone on his chest to feel even denser, making it seem like he couldn’t breathe.
“There are only a few ways, after all.”
“Really?”
“Just make it seem like we’re a couple in love who went on a date.”
…
The thin tip of the sword lunged towards the humanoid figure directly in front of it, swiftly evading the automatic movements, as Evaa’s slender leg stepped back. The beautiful pair of eyes glanced at the sword-fighting simulator.
Evaa lowered the sword onto the surface of the training dummy’s body with precision, and the soles of her shoes scuffed against the concrete floor, causing a loud scraping sound to echo throughout the area. It made the arriving princess, who had just reached the door to the sword-training room, have to change her movements.
Walking quickly but not daring to make noise, she could only stand still and watch the sword fighting training between Evaa and the automated dummy providing intense commentary.
Apologies, Young Princess.” The young courtier lady in her deep blue skirt politely raised her head as the swordfighting concluded, and turned his gaze towards the oncomer
She showed respect according to protocol, gracefully inclined her body, and patiently waited for the person to remove the metal mask and place it on the adjacent table before approaching.
“Is there something wrong?” Evaa asked calmly, the young woman in her clean white linen attire glanced at the hanging cloth, took a soft cloth in her hand, wiped the cyber sword, and curiously raised her slender eyebrows.
“Well… Prince Chana has ordered for you to come to guard the Red Room.”
“What time is it now?”
“Half past five, Young Princess.”
Evaa didn’t immediately receive the order. Instead, she hesitated for a moment and called for the princess to come and collect the sword, requesting her to keep the automated dummy as well. ‘Just turn it off, and I’ll retrieve the rest myself tonight.’ She spoke smoothly as she adjusted her posture.
With slender hands, she neatly folded the sword-fighting attire and handed it to the princess in her silver-blue dress, who then held it. Afterward, Evaa stretched slightly and removed her linen attire, leaving only the soft white armor on her slender figure.
Her slender hands carefully folded the sword-fighting attire and handed it over to the princess in the silver-blue dress to hold. Once everything was done, she took long strides and left the room.
“Father, I have arrived… I am here.” It didn’t take long for Evaa to arrive at the meeting point from the practice room. Evaa appeared behind Governor Thawetmetha, who was leaning over the sink to rinse large film sheets.
Her wide, observant eyes turned towards her father’s thick hands, which were skillfully pulling up memories from the water, carefully hanging black and
white images on the drying rack. At one point, he noticed Evaa approaching him.
“You look so happy… How is it? I mean the sword-fighting android that I developed?” When seeing her daughter appear exhausted, Evaa asked about the automatic humanoid that he had created to be her training companion.
“It works well…” Impressed by her father’s craftsmanship, both in terms of creativity and perfection in developing the fencing athlete who is an automatic robot. Although it was just a starting model, Evaa had a positive opinion of it.
Outsiders may see Prince Chana as a governor with a role in developing Emmaly’s transportation system, but in the eyes of Evaa, her father was a highly skilled inventor.
Her father was not only skilled in his work but also fulfilled his duties as a caring father, and he was a talented photographer who was hard to catch.
Evaa values different perspectives of individuals towards the world. She knows that each person has different thoughts, so her hobby is capturing images on film.
Even in this era where digital cameras play a role, Chana always says that keeping memories on film is more subtle, tactile, and gives a greater sense of connection than storing digital files.
Since she was young, Evaa has been familiar with seeing her father in a darkroom filled with various chemicals for developing film.
“And what were you doing? These photos…” She asked, her face tensed, looking at the black and white images that were drying, a familiar girl’s face.
That person was young Evaa holding her father’s hand in an old parking lot.
“Expanding photos of you, young Evaa.” The talking person had a smile on their face, turning to use the plastic clip to hang another photo to showcase.
‘Isn’t it adorable?’
“What do you think of yourself, huh… But you’re cute. Because you are the child of mine” The corners of Evaa’s mouth curled up into a sweet smile. She reached out her slender hand to grab a photograph of herself to examine, not realizing that her father’s gaze had become more serious.
“Then you must not forget the role of being a child…” The emotional words called the young person with a dependent posture to lift her head. He leaned against the stainless steel sink, concealing his chest and looked at his daughter with a reproachful gaze.
“Your Majesty…” Evaa secretly swallowed her smile, sweetly calling her father in a hopeful tone.
“No need to use this trick. You should give me some time. If you want to practice without disturbing the team’s rest time, I have built an automated training companion for you. If you want to learn something additional, I will provide it… Ever since the Sovereign-King announced the competition for the position, you’ve been constantly practicing, hardly spending any time together.”
“…”
“It’s good to take a break, my child.”
The role of being a child, Evaa didn’t know how it was for other homes, but for her Peacock House it meant spending time together going to and from places with her father.
Sometimes they travel within the country, sometimes they go abroad, but mostly they focus on eco-tourism, nature photography, and exploring new and exotic cuisines.
Evaa knew that her father spoke out of concern, but the phenomenon of following behind was a change in her own behavior. Everything changed after the announcement of Sovereign-King, and the young lady hardly had time to go out and take photos like before. Even finding time to practice her favorite archery almost became impossible.
“Hmm… why is His Majesty so upset?” Evaa continued to use a playful nickname to lighten the mood with her father defensively, the most important thing is not to make the conversation seem too serious.
Because the young lady knows better than anyone that Thawetmetha’s ruler has reasons, but if it makes him angry, it will be difficult to reconcile even with herself, her own daughter. So, it’s best not to create a storm.
“I am not upset, I just want to remind you.”
“I understand, give me a little more time, please. At the moment, I can’t make a decision. Ramil is targeting talented individuals, and I have to hurry and follow the backup plan.”
“Backup plan, huh?”
“Yes, indeed. You already know that moving in that direction will take talent away from our city. Our top swordsman is at risk of being poached. I need to send someone to find a swordsman from Meenakarin as a backup.” Evaa explained the backup plan to her father attentively.
It’s because most Thawetmetha people prioritize technology in this era, so there are few professional swordsmen who are familiar with real swordplay. People in this city still participate in fencing, but mostly through games, virtual reality simulations, rather than the actual sport.
She hoped her father would understand the reason why there is no time. Pursuing people from Meenakarin is difficult and time-consuming. The transportation system of Meenakarin doesn’t connect continuously like in other cities. Some people don’t even have a phone, or they have one but no signal. Therefore, in some areas, it takes twice as long for her people to meet and present their special offer.
“Are there any Meenakarin fencing athletes left? I thought all the talented ones had already migrated elsewhere.”
“Well… some have established connections with the relief agencies in our state. Although there are no more clubs in Meenakarin, I have gathered several talented individuals…” Playing fencing equipment is beyond the reach of most people in Meenakarin. Even though people like Emmaly, it’s clear that three other states have better financial flows.
“And how did you convince them to come side with you?” The tone of her father’s voice was not as stern as before, leaving only a moment of doubt, then his eyebrows curved into a smile on the face of the great artisan.
“I propose the right to migrate, the right to education for the families of fencing athletes in our generation, by comparing the transfer of rights to find work like people in Thawetmetha. And to provide them with work certificates for a period of ten years.”
Who would refuse such an offer? Evaa didn’t know, but she knew what she was doing. She applied all her father’s teachings to make them useful. Her father always said that the most important thing that can truly liberate people from the maze of difficulties is knowledge.
Therefore, she chose to extend this offer to the fencing athletes of
Meenakarin. Because the evaluation showed that no one could easily refuse this offer.
Meenakarin currently has educational problems, which is a secondary problem caused by transportation problems. Because this city is facing a brain drain, the people who are the most valuable mental resources are almost gone.
The most significant issue is the internal financial problems and the state’s lack of growth, making it almost unbearable for anyone to stay and develop.
Because they know there is no chance for progress in the future.
The citizens must escape to find a better foundation.
“Ooh… well, who would have thought that one day Meenakarin would turn out like this, especially considering how prominent it was, just two ranks below the true Atsawathewathin” The end of Chana sentence resonates with oneself more than having any other purpose.
“I remember grandfather used to tell me… back when he was a student at MIT. At that time, Meenakarin was shining much brighter than it is now. Even today, Atsawathewathin still supports Meenakarin so well. Why…” Evaa reminisces about her youthful days.
She often asked her father to tell bedtime stories, and one of her favorite stories was about the politics of each state in the form of a fairy tale.
Her father had a way of telling the story that made it easy to understand, perhaps because he was an inventor, so he could adapt politics into a tale with characters like horses, birds, fish, and snakes, all residing in a vast forest. Everyone longed to be the leader, but because each animal had limitations, they had to live in a state of interdependence and competition.
As she grew older, Evaa still requested your father to tell the same stories, albeit with changes. The symbols that made it easy to understand transformed into names of the provinces. The simple problems became more complex challenges, but Evaa never got confused, as the past stories of each person could predict the future and help evaluate others.
“Sometimes wrong decisions lead to disastrous consequences.” Chana’s voice breaks the silence after a long time.
Evaa looks at the sigh of regret coming from the esteemed Thawetmetha family’s prince.
“What now?”
“About transportation… back then, Meenakarin had enough power to implement a high-speed transportation system with us. If back then Meenakarin had chosen to be with our Thawetmetha, they would now have the ultimate bargaining power as the country’s infrastructure. They would manage human resources better than this…” Her father raises the topic, and a faint smile crosses his lips, regretting Waseen’s hasty decision regarding past matters.
“Did Uncle Waseen promise to provide the concession to build a highspeed train to the PIchongpisuts? But in the end, it fell through and couldn’t be realized…” Evaa mentions another story her father used to tell.
It’s a story about a fish that once ruled the farthest seas and was proud of its domain, but one day, it had to admit the truth that it couldn’t swim everywhere, so it tried to find a way to reach the land. With the help of an underground snake, they thought they could coexist in a dependent state, but in the end, the fish was bitten by the snake.
Even though the Fish King may be huge, who would have thought that the treasure devoted to the serpent would be the ultimate wealth of that fish.
“Yes… even though if they didn’t choose our side, they should have chosen Atsawathewathin, the Meenakarin should have known that Puchongpisut never succeeded with anyone else.” Father spoke immediately, as if that matter had been warning for many years, his face filled with regret. Evaa understood her father’s feelings.
At this time, the noble peacock feels empathetic towards those who have to lose everything and are not comfortable with the behavior of those who choose to deceive everyone… for their own benefit.
“…”
“Uncle Waseen should not believe a word of Rachata’s.”
…
This morning, the loyal followers were called to guard from sunrise, barely an hour after the appointment of the esteemed individual. Khanin decided to transform his bedroom workspace into a fully functional war room.
The young man had the housekeeper find projectors so that he could easily open the competition videos to compare the strategies of each club’s fencers.
Some people who were followed arrived earlier than expected, causing the meeting to start earlier than planned. Khanin, seated in the chairman’s chair, reached for the remote control and opened one screen after another, letting the images of the prominent fencers from each club appear.
“I’ve watched the past matches of the people Ramil hinted… all of them…”
“…”
“Mostly clubs from the states of Atsawathewathin and Puchongpisut that do not depend on the ruler’s lineage. These people must be the main players since they have contacted me personally…” The speech of the royal prince ended. The screen changed to an image of a fencer just coming out. From the luxurious hotel in the main city district of Atsawathewathin, before switching to a picture of Petai getting in the car.
As it is known that wherever friends go, the boss will be there too… so even though Ramil is not visible, Khanin can guess that the other party is sitting in the car that Petai is getting into.
The data collected from the investigation is considered impressive without a doubt. As Charan said, the investigator is truly skilled. Because when he received the information and verified it by having Chakri call to rent the fencer that Ramil hinted, it was found that the fencer had already been rented by a team.
Khanin turned to look at the tall figure seated beside him on his right. On the other side, the figure turned back and paused, waiting for him to continue speaking.
“Mister Butler, could you please provide Khun Charan details about Ramil’s team’s fencer in more detail, sir?”
“Here you go, Khun Charan… The fencers that Young Prince Ramil rented consisted of six individuals. Three of them are from our state’s club, two from the Puchongpisut state’s club, and another one from a club in the
Thawetmetha state.” said the butler firmly while handing over the iPad to the young man who had taken on the position of the new affectionate companion. “Young Prince Ramil only chose fencers who had competed at the world level, seemingly wanting to select only the most talented individuals to accompany him, leaving only a few average fencers available for others to use.” Charan swept his eyes over the list briefly, nothing more. He expressed his opinion before returning the iPad to Chakri, then raised his head to lock eyes with the younger man.
“Yes, he seems quite greedy and clever in his selection, not allowing anyone to have those exceptional talents. The three fencers from the Atsawathewathin state club have all competed at the world level.” Khanin gestured correctly with his hand before picking up the remote to switch to the income and expenditure table of each team on Emmaly’s main website.
The expenses incurred by Ramil with poaching of the fencers from the Atsawathewathin, Puchongpisut, and Thawetmetha states were apparent, but the specific recipients were not disclosed to prevent data leaks.
The budget received by each team, including the income and expenditure of each team, would be online continuously until the final minute of the competition, to ensure transparency and prevent any unreasonable transactions or any party receiving assistance from others apart from sponsorship funds.
Young Prince, a descendant of the horse breed, turned to open the values of the fencers in the Atsawathewathin state club before opening the app, calculator, and entering the values of each fencer in the most recent year divided by the number of months, and then adding them all together. He then showed the numbers to Charan.
“The numbers are close to the expenses that our Young Prince Ramil has paid to the Atsawathewathin state.” Charan understood everything just by looking. Instead of worrying, his lanky figure shrugged and a mischievous smile spread across his face.
“Yes… It means an agreement has been reached. According to the rules of fencer rental, once an agreement is made, it must be continuously for three months until the day of the competition to guarantee income for the fencers who have to spend time training or have the opportunity to compete with other clubs.”
“…”
“I like it very much. Ramil made a quick decision.”
It seems that only two people understood each other in this place. Chakri furrowed his brows for a long time and then decided to ask.
“Why are you satisfied, Your Highness? Young Prince Ramil took all of them, Your Highness.” the honest butler spoke softly, clearly expressing his concern about the Young Prince’s apparent preference.
“Because of Ramil’s selection… Have you ever heard the saying, ‘A wrong decision can change your life’? Looking at the people Ramil chose, he probably thinks that he can prevent any future troubles by taking all the skilled fencers from Atsawathewathin. As for our own state… If I may guess, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about. We still have control over the people in the Puchongpisut state, so we have the advantage.” Khanin turned and explained, trying to convey his trustworthy explanation to the close confidant without any trace of doubt.
“ I understand, Your Highness, but still can’t comprehend the reason behind it, Your Highness.”
“In this case, Chakri, you deserve praise and appreciation… Do you remember what I asked you before?”
“Well… Your Highness, you asked me a lot of questions…” Chakri was taken aback, trying to recall the questions posed by Young Prince, before realizing there were countless inquiries.
Khanin chuckled softly. His two-tiered gaze shifted towards the knowledgeable figure standing beside the heir apparent, before winking playfully when he saw Charan smiling back.
“Young-Prince, don’t just smile, Your Highness. I am already stressed out.” Seeing Young-Prince engrossed in conversation with Khun Charan, the Head Butler couldn’t help but interject.
“Okay, okay. I wil stop fooling around… It’s about buying the entire club.”
A sweet, gentle voice subsided. Chakri blinked his eyes, retracing his memories one frame at a time… one frame at a time. Finally, he stumbled upon the sentence Young-Prince had asked about, regarding team acquisition…
“Regarding the budget granted by the Sovereign King, totaling ten billion
EM, it would only have an impact when each city decides to choose an athlete, Your Highness. However, in general, not many people buy athletes. If they were to purchase, it would require budget provisions guaranteeing salaries in advance for one year, leading to the risk of budget deficits.”
“…”
“Based on previous competition records, mostly rented athletes from clubs for short periods to join the team together, Your Highness.”
“So, it means athletes still belong to the club, even if each city signs temporary lease agreements… Then, if we want them to come to our side, dont we just have to buy the entire club and shift their allegiance to us?”
“No one considers such an approach, Your Highness. It would be seen as using the competition funds for non-beneficial purposes, in favor of a club responsible for taking care of all the fencing athletes, not just the chosen ones.”
“Means that we shouldn’t buy both athletes and clubs. Because it will reduce the estimated competition revenue, leaving less money and making it difficult to maintain the remaining funds. We should only rent athletes temporarily for this competition. Do I understand correctly?”
“Exactly, Your Highness.”
“Regarding the budget, if Sovereign-King provides a budget of 10 billion
EM, it will only have an effect when each city decides to choose athletes, Your Highness. But normally, there are not many people buying athletes because it would require budget allocation and guarantees for advance salary for one year, which may result in a loss of estimated revenue.”
“…”
“Based on previous competition records, most cities only book temporary rentals of athletes from clubs for a short period of time to have them participate as a team, Your Highness.”
“So, it means that athletes will still belong to the clubs, even if each city signs a temporary leasing contract, right? And if I request to join, can I buy the entire club?”
“No one does that, Your Highness. It would be considered a loss in competition positions without benefits, as the clubs are responsible for taking care of all selected athletes, not just the ones acquired.”
“That means we shouldn’t buy both athletes and clubs. Because it will reduce the estimated competition revenue, leaving less money and making it difficult to maintain the remaining funds. We should only rent athletes temporarily for this competition. Do I understand correctly?”
“Exactly, Your Highness.”
Chakri’s tense face relaxed and quickly changed to a surprised expression in just a few seconds. His eyes filled with excitement and admiration.
At that moment, Chakri believed that this Young Prince’s request for his care was simply because he didn’t know about that specific rule loophole. He tried to prevent the other side from tempting Young Prince Khanin, as he didn’t want him to fall into a dangerous trap. But who would have thought that Young Prince’s request was because…
“Don’t tell me… Your Majesty, you intentionally tempted Young Prince
Ramil…”
“Yes… I tempted him for his competitive spirit and desire to win and pitted that against the greed…”
“…”
“Let’s see what happens if someone makes a move to buy the team he hinted at… and how he would react.”
“…”
“But first, we have to act like top-class individuals, as if we genuinely want to buy the entire club. Because we want to compete with him, starting tonight. We need to spread some rumors…” Khanin turned to Charan, his slim figure leaning closer, and his eyes gleaming mischievously like a child encountering something fun.
Meanwhile, Charan was worried because he knew very well what someone of young age wanted. The fact that he looked at him like that… he didn’t just ask for help with spreading rumors.
But there was another significant reason for it.
“Just to make it seem like we’re a couple in love going on a date.”
Then, how far should we go to make it seem like that, then?
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