THENEXTPRINCE, Special Chapter 4: Destiny is far away but meet anyway.

The weather during the fluttering time of Emmaly country was pleasantly cool, with the scent of lilacs permeating the entire area. Khanin swept his eyes around, observing the workers moving rice bags to various positions in the house, and smiled happily.

The plan for the new house and the move back to Emmaly that they had discussed about a month ago had come true very quickly. Charan seemed to be very adept at making everything happen.

However, the truth was that the other side had secretly been preparing this house for a long time, but was waiting for Khanin to agree and to help decorate the interior together.

Khanin let the person hired by Charan take care of the detailed arrangements in the house. He himself turned left and right to walk and pick up a box of stacked books and hugged them.

The boy intended to go up to the room on the second floor to store them, but before he could go out, one of the servants that Tarin had sent to help came in abruptly to find him.

“It’s okay, let me lift it up myself.” Khanin said apologetically, and walked straight up the curved staircase, stopping to look at the view from the window at the staircase landing. His gaze swept out to the river and Daveen Palace in the distance.

It was a good location… Charan had chosen well.

As for Tanattai, he also had an old house not far from here. On the first day Khanin invited the other side to come and live with him, but his father refused several times to speak of the matter again. Nevertheless, the other side was persistent in wanting to spend some time together.

“I think that you might want to spend time together, you wouldn’t want this old man to interfere.”

“Don’t be embarrassed and pretend to invite others into your love nest.”

To say that doing something is wrong means being embarrassed to the point of acting improperly. Tanattai still had plenty of soothing words to say without sitting down and having a straightforward conversation with Charan, but he acknowledged that the other party was happy to be that person.

Tarin is the same, and for the birth father, that person was happiest to learn that he would permanently move back in with Emmaly. It can almost be said that he is always ready to help with everything related, including Chakri the plump butler.

“Excuse me, Khun Narong. As for tomorrow’s work, people can come to do it in the morning.” Charan’s voice echoed as he walked out of the office while talking to the old butler about the catering for their new home that they will arrive at tomorrow.

“Got it. My Lord.” The hard working person was heavily burdened, and Narong followed up here to serve. Even though Charan did not return to the old ancestral house, the other party still insists on volunteering to look after the house here occasionally.

Khanin smiled broadly at the older person, exchanging a few greetings before the other party asked to take leave because he had an appointment with his family.

“Why lift it up yourself, wait for me.” The tall person with a messy hairstyle confidently used a voice that no one had ever heard before to speak. Charan walked over and took the book box from the small person’s hand before moving toward the edge book room along the aisle.

“I can lift it.” Although he spoke like that, he was willing to let Charan take care of it. Khanin slightly frowned as he looked at the wide back.

The older person managed to arrange the books in the box and put them back in order, while Khanin tried to move closer to help, but only managed to compete with someone else and had to do it himself.

“Hungry yet?” The latest question caused two layered eyes to flash in Khanin’s mind, mainly because they agreed that this was their first night together in such a warm house. Charan will be the one to prepare dinner himself.

“Ugh, I’m starting to get hungry.” The small slender legs jumped and clung to the older person’s arm.

Charan brought the young person down from the book room to the lower level once again. Everyone else seemed to have left with Narong. At this time, their small house was quiet.

Charan and Khanin agreed that they did not want other people to wander around the house and cause confusion, so they needed to rely on their own abilities first. As for cleaning, a housekeeper would come to take care of it regularly.

Tonight’s dinner is spaghetti cream sauce. The recipe seems straightforward and easy, but it’s hard to describe it fully. Khanin was pulled by a tall figure to wait at the bar counter.

The open style kitchen allowed Khanin to observe the cooking process in detail. Charan looked agile, performing everything smoothly, like painting a piece of art.

Small, slender hands rested on the table. Khanin couldn’t take his eyes off Charan. He was like a gift created by the gods.

The other side appeared impeccable in every way. Even when wearing stains in the kitchen, the beauty remained unchanged.

Charan’s posture was relaxed, and every move made Khanin enjoy watching him tirelessly. He didn’t know when the other party finished cooking until the dish was served in front of him. Khanin hardly had to move.

The spaghetti in cream sauce looked so delicious it made Khanin’s stomach growl. The young man blushed with embarrassment. As the chef needed to remove the apron, their eyes briefly met.

Charan still didn’t care about his own food. He signaled for Khanin to try it before settling down to listen to a compliment from the other high level food critic.

“Is it delicious?” Because Khanin just gazed, the usually confident Charan began to worry and raised an eyebrow as he waited for the young man to smile.

“It’s delicious!” The compliment was accompanied by an adorable thumbs up gesture. Khanin clapped his hands in satisfaction, then demonstrated to the chef how much he enjoyed the dish.

The dinner was finished quickly, and Khanin ate with a grin on his face. Charan was pleased to take care of someone he loved and felt even happier when he saw the other party was happy too.

“Let me wash the dishes.” Nin said. Khanin pretended to ignore him and stood up. As soon as he saw that Charan was willing to accept it without arguing or forbidding him, he quickly collected the plates onto his arms.

“Let me help.”

“No, it’s okay Phii Ran, it’s your turn to rest. Since just then I accepted sitting and watching you cook, it’s my turn to wash the dishes.” With that, Khanin headed towards the dishwashing area.

He spent some time sweeping and cleaning the kitchen before returning with a hot drink in his hand. He passed it to the tall figure, ending it with a sweet smile.

“Here you go, specially made by me.” he said. The gray cup contained a rich, dark hot chocolate with a fragrant aroma. The new angle of Nin’s mouth was higher than before, but Khanin understood that it was Nin’s intention.

“Thank you.”

“Try it and see if it’s delicious.” Because Charan was the one who made dinner, Khanin wanted to serve. The young man stood eagerly waiting for an answer, and Charan became the drink critic while the young man waited eagerly.

“I already know it’s delicious.”

“Try it before you decide. No one has tried it before you except father and me.” The younger one urged the elder while nodding. Charan lifted the cup to his mouth, sipping the sweetness that contained some bitterness at the end.

“It’s delicious, really delicious. Perhaps because Khanin knows I don’t like overly sweet drinks, foods, or desserts, he made this hot chocolate not overly sweet.”

“Do you like it? Is it tasty?” The question was asked when someone else remained silent for a long time.

Charan smiled, lifted the glass in his hand and drank until it was empty, before using his warm tongue to lick around his lips and lowered his head slightly to whisper a few words that Khanin had never heard before.

“It’s yummy, but…”

“But…”

“But Nin… you are even more delicious.”

…

Music from loudspeakers created a lively atmosphere in the water side resort garden, where a celebration was underway to congratulate the new home owner and welcome the return of Khanin and Charan.

Tarin, Tanattai, and Chakri were the first to arrive followed by Vetis and Itti with Miss Mira. Shortly after, Ramil and Petai came together before Evaa and a group of Thawetmetha’s bodyguards arrived.

“I brought a gift from my father.” A medium sized gift box was sent over to Charan, the young lady smiled at the older man and nephew before sending a smile to those around her. “Congratulations Khun Charan.”

“Thank you, it’s very kind of you.”

“Thank you, Evaa. How are you? Let me know if anything’s missing.” Today’s party wasn’t overly big, but the food was adequate and comfortable.

Charan and Khanin decided to recruit Tarin’s staff to help manage the catering so the owner of the adjacent house didn’t have to worry too much.

Evaa had left and disappeared into the garden, just as a luxurious convoy pulled over. Khanin turned to look and Charan didn’t have time to ask before the imposing figure of someone appeared.

Kalavin Li and Jirat, together?

Khanin frowned slightly at the arrival of these two gentlemen, he had many questions in his mind, unlike Charan who remained calm and composed as before.

“Long time no see Khun Charan, Young Prince Khanin.”

“Nice to see you again, Prince Kalavin.” Khanin smiled as a good host, although he grabbed the wrong end of the relationship between the two men.

“Here’s a cake, congratulations to Young Prince and Khun Charan for the new house.” Jirat said, handing over a cake box, then the staff on Kalavin’s side came to take it and place it on the table along with other snacks from the Homestay.

“These first two boxes are from Jae. I ordered the rest to be added.” Khanin clarified why there were several boxes of sweets, but what was more surprising was the pseudonym Prince Kalavin had chosen to call Jirat.

Jae seemed too intimate a name to call someone when uttered by someone who would start a name with a Mister or Khun; these two men were together more often. Interesting.

“Thank you very much, KhunJae.”

Jirat smiled more relaxedly when it came to socializing, unlike during their earlier meetings.

“Nice to meet you.”

“I’m currently delivering sweets from Niran’s Homestay to the people in the royal family. I happened to arrange to talk to Jae today, so I came here with him.”

The conversation finally reached a point that Khanin was interested in. The young boy eagerly accepted, before turning his gaze to the person with greenish gray eyes like a baby deer.

“Prince’s help was very much appreciated, he even promoted the pastries and brought customers to the homestay.” Jirat supplemented with relaxing gestures, the former stage actor’s features softened.

One reason why his financial status and quality of life had improved by leaps and bounds was due to the assistance from Kalavin.

Initially, even Jirat did not trust this person much. However, as time passed and proven by actions, Kalavin seemed to not want anything other than to help and support the pastry business.

“Jae’s pastries were delicious, and the accommodation was peaceful so people didn’t make a fuss. I really liked it.”

Prince said it that way, and Jirat did not think about it anymore, after Kalavin fled work and chaos, to ‘Nirand Homestay.’ Being there often made it clear that the state itself was chaotic.

Perhaps it’s true…

“What do you think?” A question arose after the last important guest arrived at the party.

Khanin briefly pondered and then replied to Charan.

“Prince Kalavin is definitely  interested in Jae.” At this point, Khanin reflected on one of his own remarks, combined with the previous actions of this prince from a different country, it became even more evident.

“…It’s actually worth considering that princes seem to enjoy being sneaky and popping up unexpectedly, so why not become a sponsor to their love. What else would we do if they’re not coming up with ideas? If not with Nin, then with someone else. That’s our team’s way.”

It’s just like this, isn’t it…

“But Jae doesn’t know… The job is difficult.” Charan glanced and saw that

Jirat wasn’t thinking about anything. As for Kalavin, he was sulking. It wasn’t malicious, but what should I do? It is a type of polite and tactful approach, not abrupt but considered skillful.

The party atmosphere was lively as Nin went there happily. Itti often made jokes and made Tarin and Tanattai laugh. As for Chakri, he made Khanin get up from the table frequently. It is because of his meticulous and caring nature that is deeply ingrained.

“I’m going to refill it.” At this point, even though it was red faced and drinking, I still wanted to get up and refill the drink for everyone until Khanin reluctantly said something.

“Butler.”

“Is there anything I can do for you, Your Highness?” The voice is not firm, telling everyone that the consciousness of the other party has fallen below normal. Chakri leaned closer to Khanin and the younger man rushed to get up from the table to pat the obese person sitting down before he could stand up.

“Help me act like a party person.” Khanin’s ordinary sentence made everyone laugh knowingly. As for the person who was reprimanded, he sat and frowned.

“I’m working for Your Highness.”

“It’s not like that. You don’t have to take care of me so well. Just…”

“Wow… It’s easy to say, but it’s hard for me to do.” If it weren’t for the alcohol in his bloodstream, Chakri wouldn’t dare to speak up like this.

Evaa laughed, lifted the drink in her hand to take a sip, then realized it was empty.

Drinking until losing track of time, Evaa has been showing more interest in reading books to gain knowledge about various types of drinks. Because of this, she often visits fancy bars to interact with a certain person.

“Are you at the same place this weekend?” Evaa’s eyes left the dining table to invite someone to chat.

Mira, who is brewing a drink as a gift to the host, pauses to hold a conversation. A younger person quickly raises their hand to avoid interrupting.

“Young Lady”

“Don’t worry about formalities. Do you work at the same place this week?” Evaa’s usual habit is to learn about something in great detail when she becomes interested in it. And of course, for someone as renowned as Mira in the field of brewing drinks, she is one of the first people Evaa wants to discuss with.

“I’ve moved to a place on Saint Street this week.”

“Oh, I see.”

Saint Street is famous for being a bustling alley for nighttime tourists. It’s quite chaotic and often leads to arguments between tourists. Certainly, someone as well known as Evaa should avoid getting too close.

“Young Lady, you shouldn’t go there.” The bartender’s warning is not far from what Evaa expected. In fact, she doesn’t like to drink or go out at night very much.

Lately, Evaa has spent most of her days off traveling to meet Mira at the high end VIP lounge, observing the mixed crowd and drinks, gaining some knowledge but also not. But she still goes.

What can I say? Mira is an artist. Just by watching the way the other party prepares drinks, it’s already interesting.

The most important thing is… the young bartender is hard to pin down. Although Evaa is interested in how she can work at the highest level of luxury bars, she still rotates to work in regular bars in alleys, which can be called diverse and open minded about jobs.

Thank you… It’s interesting.

THE NEXT PRINCE CHAPTERS HOME

   THENEXTPRINCE, Special Chapter 3: Can’t help falling in love.

The image reflected in the large mirror in front of Khanin is himself in a luxurious tuxedo, with a white carnation pinned to his chest.

His natural hairdo that he used to let loose has been set nicely, and his face is slightly adorned with makeup to look suitable for the important work event in the morning.

The young man adjusted his small bow tie, even though the angle was already perfect, and then swept his eyes to check his neatness before stepping back to take another look at the overall picture.

Khanin is now ready for his own wedding, yes… you heard it correctly. Today is his important day, but the young man doesn’t know much about the schedule. Except that… today he has the task of dressing up to look his best, waiting for his father to come and take him to meet his own groom.

Emmaly’s wedding ceremony was based on international wedding customs, but the person proposing the marriage had to prepare everything themselves, which Charan did without fail.

So, besides knowing which day they would be getting married, how to dress, where to choose the venue, and who to invite, Khanin doesn’t know anything else. Because Charan doesn’t want to tire him out.

“It will be an easy and comfortable wedding like what you want… You don’t have to prepare anything, everything is my responsibility.” Charan said this two days before the wedding when they discussed this matter cordially.

It’s an easy job. Truly because there are no wedding cards, no invitations to people who are not close, and no official announcements, those who will attend this event must be truly important to both sides.

At first, Khanin was worried that it might become too much of a burden on Charan to manage everything alone, but when he saw him so willing and enthusiastic, he didn’t want to hinder the happiness of his loved one.

Actually, Khanin had only recently learned about the details of his own wedding, starting from the day he was proposed to. As soon as he put on the ring, he jumped for joy and rushed back home.

He intended to tell his father, to surprise him that his son would soon be the partner of his beloved person, but where did he end up? He was surprised when he met Tarin, sitting comfortably talking with Tanattai in the house.

On the table, there was a lot of food arranged as if it was some kind of feast, which actually was the food prepared to celebrate his engagement.

He recalled that day, both confused and surprised, and even asked some silly questions like, how did dad come and why didn’t anyone say anything, which made the person he asked respond with a joke…

“I came by plane, and I am happy for Nin.”

Are you ready to harvest the ginger and place it in front of us?

“Is the ring beautiful? Charan came to consult with me, who recommended a jeweler to make the ring himself.” Tarin’s father spoke and asked him to show the ring on his left hand to Tanattai, while Charan walked over to the side.

After the conversation, they all sat and ate the meal that Tanattai had prepared for us until we were almost full. We ended the day separately and went to sleep dreaming beautiful dreams.

He didn’t know anything, and it was surprising and suspicious that Charan had been planning to propose for a long time.

With suspicion that night, Khanin washed and scrubbed himself and confirmed that Charan had prepared everything before approaching him. Khanin just found out that Charan was planning to propose in the middle of the night with beautiful decorative lights around the wedding event venue near his home.

But in the end, it didn’t happen because the appearance of Rachel made Khanin restless. Charan apologized and promised to make amends on the wedding day.

Khanin’s lover promised that at their wedding, it would be as Khanin liked, and they would discuss and make decisions together.

The ceremony would be held in a garden, simple, comfortable, not chaotic, with minimal rituals.

Khanin smiled and looked down at the ring on his left finger with pleasure as he reflected on the events that had passed.

Lightly colored lips smiled gently as a small heart beat when the sound of a violin began to play a love song passing through the door of the dressing room.

It was a sign that the wedding ceremony was about to begin soon.

“Is the groom ready?.”

“Father.” Khanin’s face lit up when he heard the new arrival, and the young man walked over to Tanattai, who had just opened the door, and pulled his hand. At this time, Khanin’s adoptive father was in an official suit, his mustache trimmed, and he came with Tarin, his birth father who carried a bunch of white roses behind him.

“Congratulations, son.” Tanattai nodded lightly, his middle aged eyes scanning the little boy’s small frame, smiling with pride that he had the opportunity to be part of the important day that he had taken care of and supported. all along.

“Thank you.”

“I’m happy too, son.”

Khanin smiled broadly, turned to receive the flower bouquet from his father and walked over to embrace the other party. The hugged person paused for a moment before gently hugging back.

“I am happy. Really happy.” The young man thought that way, looking away from the faded smile on the faces of both fathers, what could be better than having the person he loved accompanying him on such an important day.

In the past, Khanin had thought that having Tanattai as his father alone would make him happy, but when he met Tarin, he realized that he could be even happier.

Tears of joy welled up in his eyes, trickling down his clear cheeks. However, his father quickly raised his hand to wipe them away.

Khanin kissed their faces before hugging both of their strong arms. From now on, the schedule was determined; the father would have to lead the groom to deliver himself to the other groom who was about to begin.

He was excited, and even more excited when the actual situation arrived…

“It’s time to go to work, let’s go.”

The open green garden had been transformed into a beautifully simple wedding venue, adorned with white carnations and pink roses. Chairs made of brown wood were arranged for the guests to sit in.

A specially commissioned large door stood in the center of the walkway leading from the event to the ceremonial stage. A tall young man in a tuxedo with folded hands stood waiting in front of the booth.

Sweet violin music played slowly and softly as guests began to take their seats. Charan, the main protagonist of today’s event, wiped the sweat from his palms and looked around nervously until the person next to him greeted him.

“I’ve never seen him this excited before, give him a napkin to wipe his hands.” Vetis, a friend of the groom, turned to grab a napkin from Itti, another groomsman, and handed it to Charan.

“You might have never seen it before, but it was love at first sight. He never had a girlfriend before this and all of a sudden he fell in love and is getting married.” Itti, the owner of the napkin, laughed out loud.

“Try dressing up yourself to see why you are so excited.” Charan began to ignore their snickering and turned his attention elsewhere.

With his eyes fixed on the white door in front of the event, he waited anxiously for the other groom to enter. Everyone had taken their seats, and the main presiding officer, Prince Chana, stood at the forefront. 

“Khanin is about to come, and Charan will hand him the flowers that his friend will hold before they kiss and exchange vows.”

“Your Majesty.” Charan received the words from the elder. His heart was beating fast.

He wanted to see Khanin’s face when he walked in, curious as to what preparations he had made for this day.

The venue was a garden with big trees. The white flowers were not identified, but they were a good omen and were given as flower candy. In the small crystal glass, the guests at the event were just a few close friends who had passed through the sword and shield association and the group of people who had spent time together in Emma.

How happy that kid would be.

“He has arrived, he is walking in.”

Whispers from beside him called Charan’s attention, and he looked at his partner walking arm in arm with both of their fathers. 

At that moment, their eyes met. The image and atmosphere surrounding them made them both emotional. 

Khanin walked slowly down the aisle, playing a soft and slow melody. The atmosphere was filled with love as they shared a tender gaze. This brought smiles to everyone, making it impossible for them not to join in.

“Congratulations.”

“Congratulations…Woops, sorry.”

“Congratulations to you too, Nin.”

“Congratulations!”

“Congratulations, Phii Khanin.”

“Congratulations, Khana!”

Khanin walked confidently, with only his father’s hands to hold onto as he trembled slightly. The young man looked around before turning to thank the guests who had come to witness the event.

The group of friends in London, some of whom were close but hadn’t seen each other in a long time, friends in the fencing association, and the indispensable people from EM, Mali, and Lee who had been together through thick and thin, were mostly members of the fencing team: Chakri, close friend the Butler, Eve, Ramil, and Petai. The only missing person was Prince Kalavin-Li, who was working on important missions, but he sent huge gifts to each other.

“We the two dads are here to tell you this… Charan, take care of our child.”

Khanin felt a surge of emotion as he stepped forward to the ceremonial dais where Tanattai was already talking to the groom who was standing and waiting. Meanwhile, Khanin’s husband slowly picked up the flower arrangement from his hands and handed it over to his friend before turning to face and receiving the words.

“With pleasure.”

“If you have any problems, talk about them and console each other. If you can’t solve them, we can tell you about it. For now, we all consider ourselves… as your fathers, Charan.” said Tarin, warmly and without any airs of grandeur. Although the end of the sentence wasn’t confident, the couple accepted his words with gratitude.

After the goodbyes, both dads went back to their seats, and the ceremony started with the groomsmen showing respect to each other. Then, the representative spoke words of love and began to give advice and blessings in their own language.

“Khalil Gibran said about marriage…

Love one another, but make not a bond of love,

Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup.

Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.

Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone.

Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping.

For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.

And stand together, yet not too near together.

For the pillars of the temple stand apart,

And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.

And remember to give more than you receive.

For love and kindness are the only things that truly last.

And stand steadfast with each other, yet not too close.

For the roots of the trees may grow together, but the branches must remain apart.

When the decision is made, let us honor it together.

Fill in the missing piece, but don’t get too close to walking on each other’s paths.

Love and adore the other, always like the day we first fell in love. Then the couple, Charan Phitakthewa and Khanin Atsawathewathin, will be happy forever.”

“…”

“The time has come for the two of you to walk together on a new path. Let everyone here witness the love of the two of you, especially Charan Phitakthewa. Will you take Khanin Atsawathewathin to be your husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse?”

“I will.” Charan replied, his thick hand gently holding the other’s slender one.

Khanin returned the gesture, trying to hold back his tears as the overwhelming emotion bubbled up within him.

“Khanin Atsawathewathin, will you take Charan Phitakthewa to be your husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse?”

“I will.” By this point, Khanin could no longer contain his emotions, and tears silently streamed down his face. Charan himself was visibly moved, doing the same.

Perhaps both sides knew all too well the countless trials and tribulations they had overcome to get to where they were today, and how lucky they were to have found love in each other.

“So let everyone here help witness the love of both of you, through thick and thin, whether in hardship or happiness. Charan and Khanin will always be there for each other…and I wish both of you happiness.” The sentence was spoken in English to ensure that Khanin’s friend, who was not fluent in the local language, could understand the joining of both the grooms. At the end, Charan stepped forward and whispered a warm blessing as a gift to both of them.

“Thank you, Your Majesty / Your Majesty is gracious.”

Charan and Khanin expressed their gratitude to the people in front of them simultaneously; there were no words better than these. After the wedding ceremony went smoothly, experienced friends acted as representatives to congratulate them.

“If so, let’s seal it with a kiss.” The declaration of love came with a soft, lingering kiss at the edge of their lips, as Khanin’s hands widely encompassed the broad shoulders of his husband and Charan hugged the slender waist of his young partner.

“I love you so much, Nin.”

“I love you the same way, Phii.” The declaration of love in the immediate vicinity came with a light peck on the lips, as Khanin’s hands hugged the broad shoulders of his husband and Charan hugged the slender waist of his young partner.

Khanin’s wedding wasn’t yet over, but that was just the beginning. After stepping down from the wedding altar, friends came to celebrate with them again. During the evening reception, the grooms barely got to sit still as they walked back and forth between the tables of guests and the tables of elders, family, and friends.

But the table they spent the most time at seemed to be from Emmaly’s side. Khanin and Charan talked with everyone, listened to the well wishes, and saw the smiles. Despite feeling a bit tired, this was the happiest day of their life.

Khanin was thankful to himself for not requesting Charan to organize a grander wedding ceremony. Because just this much was almost overwhelming; it was fortunate that they left the wedding early to go on their pre honeymoon, allowing them to catch some rest on the way.

“Are you tired?… Sit down for a moment.” As soon as they entered the room, Khanin took the hand of the larger person and led them to sit on the sofa without waiting for a response. The young man arranged himself to sit next to his husband before reaching out to remove the bow tie from the other party’s neck, skillfully executing the task.

From the time they left work until now, it’s almost 3 am. The place where they will be staying tonight is a five star hotel that Charan had booked specifically for this night to use before moving into their dormitory.

It’s a high end suite, with a clear view of London outside the hotel. 

“I’m not tired at all. I’m even happier than when I was working.” The person speaking smiled warmly. Charan hugged the little guy tightly and leaned his face against the slender shoulder, his posture showing eagerness to hold on.

“You’re so good at this. The flower arrangement is beautiful… and you’ve even invited everyone that I wanted, and you also brought candy coated sweets.”

“Actually, there’s more than candy coated sweets, but I changed it later because there was a problem with storage… Wait a minute. I’ll go get it.” When Charan receives the compliment and realizes it. The young man slipped away from the white figure, got up, and went to the fridge before grabbing something.

“Orange flavored ice cream?” Khanin’s eyes widened when he saw what was extended in front of him. The young man hurriedly accepted the giant quart of sherbet with joy.

“Do you like it?”

“I like it very much. It’s really delicious, how did you know I was hungry?” Khanin did not hesitate to remove the plastic wrap on the container, which Charan, knowledgeable as he is, quickly scooped up a spoon from the ice cream shop and handed it to him.

“I’ve saved some, in fact there are more things in the fridge that I brought before the morning. I thought you might be hungry late at night.”

“There are many things, so why did you give the ice cream to me first?” Khanin quickly began scooping the orange sherbet into his mouth, the sweet and sour taste spreading throughout his mouth.

“Well, because it’s orange flavored.”

“….”

“I told you that I’d treat you to orange flavored ice cream this time.” Charan slumped down and sat next to his husband, extending his hand to wipe the sweet traces on his thin lips.

Khanin’s heart raced. In fact, he thought that the other party had forgotten that he had promised to treat him to ice cream. He had been neglectful, not paying attention, and didn’t think that Charan could remember such little things from before they fell in love.

“The cutest husband anyone could have… Thank you, I’ll make sure to finish it so that there’s nothing left.” Khanin sat still, not even bothering to change his clothes a bit.

Charan obviously didn’t plan to stop looking at his little one, enchanted.

In Charan’s eyes, everything Khanin did was adorable, even spreading ice cream on his cheeks… He’s just too cute.

“To be honest, I have one more thing to give you… It’s a wedding gift.” said Charan. As soon as he finished speaking, Khanin’s hand, which was scooping ice cream, paused. The young man stopped as if he had just thought of something. Quickly, he placed a round box on the table in front. Before standing up nervously with an excited look on his tall figure’s face.

“Actually, I have something for you too… It’s a wedding day gift for us.”

“Sounds good.”

“Great.”

Charan’s little son jumped for joy upon hearing the affirmation from the love of his life. Just thinking of exchanging gifts made him so excited that he couldn’t contain himself.

Khanin hurriedly walked over to open the wardrobe that Charan had prepared for him, where he found some clothing. Meanwhile, the elderly person continued to sit on the old sofa, and the young man only took out a piece of paper from the inside pocket of his outer shirt.

“I am ready.” The young boy hides something behind him, while refusing to sit down.

The situation led the tall figure to tilt his head upwards, and when he saw the glimmer in the beautiful eyes, Charan gestured for Khanin to begin.

“Nin, you start.”

“Okay… Phii Ran, you will definitely like it because what I will give you is the only thing in the world.” Khanin started the presentation, pulling out a box from the back, a beautifully patterned paper box, tied with a silver ribbon that looked great.

“brushes?” Charan double checked the name of the gift that Khanin gave him after opening the box, which contained different kinds and sizes of brushes arranged in order. The delicate arrangement made the young man smile.

“Yes, brushes… I am giving you this because I want Phii Ran to do something he loves. I know that you enjoy drawing and are happy with it. I want you to be with it for a long time. As for me… He wants to open a school that teaches children to use swords. It would be fun if we could make a school that teaches what we love together.”

The meaning of what the young person gave was enough to make the elder person tear up. Charan took a deep breath before reaching out to embrace the white silhouette that came to sit beside him. 

Being accepted in something one loves by the person they love is the most beautiful and valuable thing Charan had ever experienced in his life, and it was proven by the gift he received today. 

“Thank you, I will use it well.”

“You’re welcome.” Khanin spoke while giving a light kiss and wiping away tears for his loved young man before moving to sit on the sofa, but still snuggled up in Charan’s arms like before.

“Here is yours.” The person sitting behind handed him a piece of paper, and the young man in his embrace looked up immediately when Charan flipped the paper over to reveal printed letters.

“Is it a house with land, Phii Ran?” Khanin asked while looking at the face of the elder person in confusion.

“Yes.”

“Why?” In Khanin’s mind, there were many questions. In fact, he thought that the other person wanted to leave Emmaly behind, but the gift he received was a house with land. 

If it came like this… it means that the other person is willing to go back there… right. 

“Because I think sometimes you may want to go back to visit Prince Tarin, but the Royal Palace and Atsawathewathin’s mansion may not be where you wants to return.”

“…”

“I bought the house with my own saved money, not related to Phitakthewa… It has enough space to build a school that teaches sword fighting according to what you want, in case one day you want to go back to Emmaly. You will have your own space.”

It’s not just looking at each other’s eyes, but Charan also knows well that Khanin does not want to step foot in a place that reminds him of the bad days. The young boy sobbed quietly while sitting for a long time, but was aware that his tears were the overflow of happiness.

I’m glad to be born.

I’m glad to meet Charan.

I’m glad to love this person.

Khanin feels incredibly lucky because his loved one is always in his thoughts, and any decision he makes is influenced by what he promised to do for them in the future.

Will there be someone else in this world who is happier than him?

“It’s okay… If you want to cry, just let it out.” The tall figure spoke soothingly while embracing his beloved. Charan saw Khanin crying, but knew that the other was only crying tears of joy, so he hugged him and created a safe space for his partner.

“I am crying because I am happy.” Khanin spoke in the voice of a weeping young boy, raising his hand and wiping his tears as he tried to stop crying quickly.

“I know.”

“I am happy because I finally have a real home to return to…”

“…”

“It’s our home… because we belong to each other.” Khanin turned to Charan and hugged him tightly like a baby monkey hugging its mother. He then softened and looked over at his beloved with a longing in his eyes.

“Yes, we belong to each other now. Nin, you are mine, and I am yours, Nin.” Charan whispered with a gentle voice, causing the younger boy to blush. They both knew what would happen next after this…

The groom suddenly lifted the skinny person from the couch and hugged the taller figure tightly, teasingly asking questions while embracing the neck of his lover.

“ Phii Ran? Where are you going? I haven’t finished eating his ice cream yet.”

“If you’re hungry, can you eat first… because I can’t take it anymore.” Charan spoke with a direct and passionate voice, causing the person who listened to blush. The young man kissed the edge of his lover’s small lips, his tongue sweeping over the sweetness in his mouth, naturally responding to the one he loves.

The best man lifted the thin body from the couch and placed his beloved on the soft bed while never parting his lips for one moment, even when the boy gently touched his back.

“Will you be full after eating? But maybe you will be full, it’s the ice cream thing.” The words of double entendre that spilled out from the red lips made Charan’s body hot and excited.

The young man gazed deeply into Khanin’s eyes before slowly running his hands down towards the edge of the waistband of his still unremoved clothing, causing the younger boy to smile mischievously.

It was a smile that he hadn’t seen in ages, and Charan almost forgot that his beloved sometimes had desires that were so intense that he himself couldn’t… resist them.

The young man stared at Khanin with serious eyes, using both hands to cradle the soft cheeks when the other party showed a clear intention of wanting to collaborate, he moved towards one another in perfect harmony.

“What do you want to do, Nin?” Charan widened his eyes and asked for the name. He felt the touch of a slender finger sliding towards his tense abdomen. “How about I continue having more ice cream?” Khanin repeatedly moved his lower hand, stopping just at the waistband of Charan’s clothes. The boy shook his hips slightly, showing his clear intentions.

It was evident that the desire that Khanin had was strong, but Charan didn’t forbid him when the other party clearly expressed what he wanted. The man took off his outer shirt without any hesitation, only leaving the dress shirt and pants for his beloved to take care of.

“Then enjoy your meal and don’t let it spill.” The slender fingers traced along the corner of the thin lips, as the blood in the body began to heat up upon seeing the joy in the eyes of the loved one.

“I promise to eat it fully.” Khanin began by using his lips to kiss the abdomen of Charan through his shirt, using the same eyes that had supported him, shedding tears and looking at Charan with a teasing, playful, and provocative manner, making his heart tremble.

Charan followed the thin lips as they slowly kissed lower, then the white teeth moved and bit down on the zipper of the pants in the middle of his body. Khanin did it slowly, occasionally pulling back. This caused Charan’s zipper to sometimes stay up and sometimes fall down.

He intentionally aroused and accelerated the hidden cock under the zipper until it almost exploded.

“Nin… stop teasing.” Charan was not happy, and the young man sighed before softly holding the soft cheek. The sharp eyes conveyed his distress to his loved one.

“I am not teasing. I want to make…I want to make you excited.” The sentence was not finished yet. Khanin also managed to pull down Charan’s pants again with his mouth.

This time, the younger one grabbed the older man’s hand and placed it on his own head before rubbing it gently in the middle of his body with his other hand, deliberately teasing with the thick hand on his own head.

Khanin seemed to be trying to make Charan lose his mind.

“Oh… Khanin.” Charan groaned softly as the wet tip of his tongue flicked back and forth through the fabric, leaving a moist sensation on the outside of the cloth of the underwear.

The teenager twisted there for a long time as if he were trying to make each other disappointed before finally releasing him from the anxiety by slowly pulling his pants down.

“Is it good, Phii Ran?” Khanin blinked sweetly and gently stroked Charan’s vulnerable part, rubbing the warm cock with his roughness. He deliberately lifted his hips and gently moistened the tip in the stiff part, creating a warm, soft sensation that almost overwhelmed Charan.

“Ouch… Fuck.” Charan accidentally blurted out as the entire world was being controlled by Khanin. The young one looked at him in despair. Moreover, the edges of his lips were scratched up and down professionally, wetting every touch with moisture, causing Charan to start suffocating. The madness of Khanin made the young man unable to withstand it, and he had to pull the sucking man to sit facing him on the pier because he was afraid that the teasing red face swallowing his cock would make him want to grab Khanin head and make him choke on his cock.

He didn’t want to do it like this.

I don’t want to ravage Khanin today.

“Phii Ran… I am not full yet.”

“Let me eat some more.”

“Evil, Hmm…” Khanin muttered almost inaudibly. When the older person used his mouth to suck and swallow the red nipples through the fabric, the hot and heavy tip of Charan’s tongue moved back and forth, leaving a moist sensation on the cloth. Charan decided to take off Khanin’s shirt.

“Hold your horses, babe… Take it slow. I have something to surprise you with.” When Khanin whispered softly with a remaining consciousness, Charan slowly unwrapped the younger person, making it slower than before. Not long after, Khanin’s body was almost naked, with only his shirt tied with a white legged string and dark jock strap underwear that opened on the back, causing Charan to almost faint when he saw it.

“The shirt stays?”

“Sure. Phii Ran, do you like it… it’s a wedding gift.” He grinned when he noticed his husband’s interest in the special black shirt that hugged his thighs.

“I like it… but are you not afraid? Wearing something like this, you won’t be able to sleep.”

“Not sleeping doesn’t scare me, but sleeping is scarier.”

Charan looked up to see the person sitting on the deck, his fingers teasing the special white shirt that hugged the smooth thighs of his lover. They laughed and teased each other without speaking, and it was Charan who started the long awaited game tonight.

His small hips jerked violently towards the person sitting below. Khanin’s big hand squeezed and massaged his whole body. Charan blushed and pouted, feeling the heat rise when his nose brushed against his lover’s stomach. Buttons were unbuttoned, exposing the skin around his waist to a hickey.

“Phii Ran will… ah!” Khanin moaned as the other person took control, just as he was about to ask something. The gentle love hole was immediately rubbed against a tongue outside.

Khanin whimpered, and the pain in his balls was worse when he saw the other person trying to get as much of his tongue inside his ass as possible. Charan’s tongue was hot, melting the young man almost instantly, and he was lying down, his ass arched, letting the other person kiss and stuff him with happiness.

The sensitive area started to move closer together. When the pleasure almost made him unconscious, the lower part felt like it had been hit down to the depths of his passion. Khanin trembled when he felt the coolness of the lubricating gel spread over the love channel, and his heart pounded harder, calling out for something larger that was swirling outside to fill him up inside.

“Let me do it.” The big body moved up, holding Khanin so that he could lie down with his arms resting on his chest before lifting the young man’s legs, one long, thin leg pointing up into the air.

Khanin couldn’t find anything outside of burying his face. When he responded to the other person’s fingers, the fingers slipped in slowly.

The fingers of the person sitting on top rotated back and forth. Charan knew where to stimulate the love of his lover, so he pushed his fingers deeper to stimulate the passion of the person sitting below. When his fingers touched the sensitive part of Khanin’s body, his eyes teared up and he was almost breathless.

“Can you put it on, Phii Ran?… I swear I can’t take it anymore.”

“Yes… I can’t take it any longer, just like you.” Because he was stimulated from the beginning, Charan had been feeling a dull pain for a long time, but he didn’t want to do anything at first because he wanted to enjoy the atmosphere of being in bed with Khanin.

Therefore, when he heard permission, the young man quickly turned his small body to lie on top of his lover, the lower part which was bulkier and started to bear weight, causing Khanin to not feel heavy at all, but rather feel full of the strained hard cock when the lower part pressed tightly against his stomach.

“Why do this?” The person sitting on top made a face as if he was crying out. When he saw that the young man slipped on a condom, he knew why.

Charan knew that Khanin had dared to do this from before, but the other person seemed hesitant because he didn’t want him to be exhausted in the first place.

“I want you on top of me.” Charan replied with a deadpan face, grabbing

Khanin’s white and smooth thigh cheeks and rubbing them against each other, spinning his fingers inside to make the younger man gnaw on his own lips in desire.

“If you want me to die, don’t tease me like this.” Khanin spoke that way because Charan kept spinning his fingers inside the warm body, but refused to touch the sexual point that would make the younger person feel good. He intentionally teased back and forth like the other party did at first, because he wanted to see the posture and stubbornness of those above.

“Alright, I won’t tease… then let me handle it for you Nin.” The young man did as he was told, slowly withdrawing his finger. As he pulled out from the inside, the body of the person he loved hugged tightly as if not wanting to let go. However, the regret only occurred for a moment. When Charan’s finger was pulled out of the lover’s body, he turned to grasp the young man’s cock that was already worn with protective gear first and immediately inserted it into the opening where his finger had just left.

“Ah… Phii Ran… has your cock gotten bigger, uh?”

Khanin spoke correctly. Charan himself felt the same way, and the young man leaned his head against the neck ready to lift his hips to let the body penetrate into the warmth and softness again.

It didn’t take long, his entire cock was swallowed up completely by the person on top.

Khanin’s face looked tired, both cheeks were red and swollen as if wanting to be kissed. Despite wanting Khanin to ride him, Charan could not help himself. When he saw his lover looked like he couldn’t move anymore, the young man took control of the rhythm of this performance instead.

“Nin you are so cute… I love you, Nin.”

“Uh oh. Phii Ran, enough.” Khanin groaned when Charan leaned up in the middle, without having to point to the tip of the other party’s cock, he quickly inserted his cock into the warmth again, again, and again, until the smaller body couldn’t bear it all and had to cling to the big body and vent his emotions by using his own lips to suck on the other person’s neck.

Both were gasping, groaning, and letting out curses, allowing the sound echoed throughout the room. They didn’t say anything to each other, letting the sound of the weak wall connecting the middle section of the two bodies imprisoned inside resonate. The louder the sound, the more the younger person was almost overwhelmed, and he heard it with a sense of distress.

Charan accelerated the rhythm even more.

“Cum with me, baby.” The person who was still conscious whispered to the other person who had lost his mind.

Khanin paused, tears burst out quietly at the moment of being fucked till his innards shook repeatedly. When Charan’s hand glided up to hold the front of his lover’s coc and jerked Khanin to the same rhythm he was fucking him with.

Charan kissed the clear cheeks, then slamming his body into him several times, the intense rhythm causing the smaller body to tremble. Khanin, leaning against the bigger man’s chest, before placing his fingers on the back of the other person’s neck, the disappointment causing the younger person to pause again and again, the body occasionally twitching, the eyes not focusing on anything, matching the beat as the other side released every last drop of cum.

It turned white in his head. Khanin, dazed and confused, almost unaware that he was being held down on the bed again, let the person he was lying next to hug him tightly, kissing all over his body.

“That’s good.” When consciousness returned at the moment he started to feel himself again. Khanin stuttered in his eyes that were still floating when he returned, still focusing on the face of his lover.

“If that’s the case, let’s go ahead then… Someone told me that he was afraid to sleep.” The handsome young man who is Khanin’s husband responded before pulling the young one’s hand and giving a light kiss. With a loving smile, the young man looked tenderly at the youthful one who had kept their lips pursed at first.

“Then come on. I am not afraid, and am very ready…”

“Are you really ready? If you are, don’t ask for a break. Because I have prepared very well.” Charan meant milk cookies he had prepared for Khanin to eat during the break. The young man had already thought that he would not let the younger one go anywhere easily during these two days of the pre honeymoon.

“I’m ready… Come on, babe.” Although he was tired, the young one’s words were so kind that they touched his heart. Khanin opened his arms to wait for the one next to him to hug, but the other side did something more than that.

That is, Charan turned around and took out a new condom, put it on, and then hugged him again, before whispering softly by his ear, a sentence that made his hairs stand on end.

“If that’s the case, let’s go for a walk then…”

“…”

“From here to the bathroom… it’s not far, just about ten steps.”

THE NEXT PRINCE CHAPTERS HOME

   THENEXTPRINCE, Special Chapter 2: This is the most special status.

The morning sky of London was particularly gloomy, without any sunshine, unlike in Emmaly, perhaps because it was autumn, and the air was quite cold, to the point where people walking together had to tighten their outerwear to cover their bodies when the cold wind blew, colliding with their bodies.

“Is it cold, do you need to go back and change your shirt at home, and come out again?” Khanin greeted with concern, the young man’s eyebrows seemed to show that he didn’t really like the cold weather, as indicated by the red tip of his nose that had now appeared.

“It’s okay, we won’t make it to the reservation you made, let’s hurry.” Charan replied with a soft voice, grabbing the small hand and placing it into the coat pocket. They’ve been in London together for almost a week now. Today, they met to go on a date according to the plan they had made.

The day’s first goal was to have breakfast at a famous restaurant that Khanin really wanted to go to, and of course, it was a popular restaurant that did not accept reservations in advance. Charan thus decided not to go back to change his shirt, for fear of being late for the appointment.

They arrived in less than twenty minutes, thanks to getting in line early and not having to wait long. This morning, Khanin opted for an avocado toast with tomatoes while Charan stuck with his classic English breakfast.

There was a shared plate of pancakes with whipped cream and maple syrup drizzled on top for snacking. The size of the dish in front of them was rather larger than usual, causing a slight grin to form on the face of the young ones after the server left.

Are you sure you can finish all that?… Sorry for ordering more pancakes.” said Khanin as he took a small breath and started to eat. “I think I might need to roll back home after this, and our plan to take Phii Ran to the fencing association might have to be canceled.”

“No problem, I can finish it for you.”

“Are you sure you can?… Even the pancakes? Phii ran doesn’t really like sweets.” chuckled Khanin before he took a savory bite of his pancake.

“Yeah, I’m not a big fan of sweet foods. They’re just too sweet. But if you’re afraid you won’t finish it, I can help you.” said Charan, who was busy cutting his steak on the plate.

Khanin smiled slightly. As something from his memory came flooding back into his mind.

“Actually, Phii Ran, you don’t like sweet things.”

Whenever we stayed at Emmaly’s, I always received thoughtful care from Charan. Butler Narong often served a variety and generous amount of sweets to go with tea for you to pick from. Meanwhile, Charan only ate Bubble Cake that he enjoyed, which usually came from the Royal Palace.

Phii Ran didn’t touch anything else, even when he ordered different pastries to be prepared at home.

With suspicion creeping in more frequently, Khanin decided to ask butler Narong. The answer he received almost took his breath away and barely whispered a request for more sweets on the plates of their meals at Charan’s home afterward.

“Actually, Khun Charan doesn’t like to eat sweet things…” 

“Then why does he have them on the table every day?” 

“Because they’re Young Prince Khanin’s favorite food”

“And why did he eat all the Bubble Cake just now?” 

 

 

“Uh… that’s probably because you asked me to serve it. Charan agreed to eat until it was finished.” 

The more Khanin thought about it, the more jealous he became of himself. Ever since he realized that Charan has been going along with everything he wants to do, he never complained even once and accepted everything even if it was something he didn’t like, only because he was the one who cooked it.

This was too much to follow his heart. Khanin didn’t mind feeling good, but it was all wrong. He had to figure out what to say. It was fine if they love each other and do what they want to, but it was too much when Charan automatically agreed to something they didn’t want to do.

Just as he thought that, the pancake in his mouth lost its sweetness and only the taste of plainness remained. His brain ordered him not to pay attention to the taste of deliciousness in his mouth and instead fill it with thoughts.

The young man secretly looked at the person he loves hating breakfast across from him and pondered how to manage someone who so stubbornly followed his wants. He wanted Charan to be his own person and do what he wanted and choose what he likes most. It was not necessary to defy one’s mind if they did not truly want something.

The corners of his small mouth pondered just like the thoughts crossing his mind. Khanin didn’t want to judge Charan yet. Therefore, he decided to try approaching the subject of love once more and if he was refused again, he would let it go. But if he was refused again, he would grumble a bit.

“Phii Ran, say aah.” As fast as his thoughts. Khanin chose the cream filled and raisin topped pancake in front of the bigger person. His cute face showed nothing out of the ordinary, in stark contrast to the deep desire inside him wishing that the person in front of him would confidently reject him, whilst the other side just looked up and put the pancake in his mouth, and confessed to him like that.

“What’s up, are you teasing me?” Charan smiled when he saw Khanin raise his hand immediately, the younger person ate the words he had spoken, as well as putting words in his mouth about his elder sibling.

What kind of teasing is this? Nin, not missing out on anything either.

“Not teasing, but I just wondered. If I feed you something, even if it’s something that you don’t like, will you just eat everything?”

“If you feed me, then… yes.” The answer received made Khanin’s thin lips curve down into a bowl shape, the younger person held his breath, before pulling the pancake that used to be in front of Charan to be in front of him alone.

“If you don’t like something, just learn to say no, make it clear whether you like it or not. I will understand, no need to force yourself.” Khanin didn’t want Charan to do something that went against his will anymore, he didn’t want the other to follow his own wishes so much that he lost his personality. Because he was afraid that one day he would accidentally hurt the feelings of the person he loved without realizing it.

He wanted Charan to be his own person, to see Charan in every way, every aspect of his life, not just have to endure being the person who always catered to his wishes.

“I never go against my will.” Charan confirmed, the young man meant it seriously, he never went against anything that Khanin had offered him even once.

“Never go against anything, but it doesn’t mean you like it.”

“Sometimes we have to eat things we don’t like.”

“That’s right. If it’s something beneficial, but this is flour, sugar, fat, it’s really fattening. If you don’t like it, then you don’t have to eat it, what you want should be up to Nin and Phii Ran. Just tell me what you don’t like, just talk straight to me. That way, I will be okay with everything.” Khanin’s voice softened at the end, before he picked up the pancake and put it into his mouth shyly.

The young person’s face trying to defend himself with a simple method of just speaking up about what he didn’t like, to avoid having to force opposing hearts, made Charan think that he wanted to capture a picture of his loved one’s face in front of him, like drawing a picture. 

He watched over Khanin with a smiling face, paying attention to every little thing, just like Khanin meant so much to him. 

“Okay. If I don’t like something, I’ll tell you… alright, don’t worry about it, Babe.” Khanin’s sweet pronoun made them reignite good feelings.

The younger man’s face pouted as he continued, “That’s great, then just speak up according to… just say ‘I don’t like it’ like this. If you don’t like something, just say it, I will accept it all, I promise.” His thin lips dotted with a small smile that invited purity.

“Okay, I promise.” Charan replied, sending his little finger to touch Khanin’s.

“Thank you, okay.” Khanin stored that promise with himself, only then did he begin to eat again with pleasure.

The end result was that Khanin ate more than Charan this time, even though they didn’t roll out of the restaurant as expected, the plan for the date had to be slightly changed. 

Instead of taking the subway to Khanin’s university, they changed their plan to walk aimlessly down the street while talking about random things about their lives until Khanin began to feel better. 

Heading down the pathway, their destination was a small market not far from the breakfast restaurant they had just visited. At this location, they mainly sold odds and ends such as stationery, household items, or small treats like donuts, cupcakes, and chocolate.

“Who said I’m too full to walk? I still want to buy chocolate and eat it.”

Khanin hesitated as he was about to choose the small black piece right in front of him and moved closer to hear what the other person was saying.

“I am full, but this looks so delicious. Another thing is that Nin asked me not to buy and eat here. He wants me to eat at home instead.”

“That’s right, but the chocolate here is not very sweet. It’s dark chocolate, so Nin can eat without worrying too much about gaining weight. Also, it’s been a while since he had it, so he misses it.” Khanin corrected himself with a groan, trying to make a sound of complaint, as the young man hurried to make a careful selection of chocolate, wanting to pass through this area quickly because he did not want to keep Charan waiting.

However, just as he lifted his head again, the tall person did not stand next to him as before. Instead, he went to stand at the cashier to pay.

He talked to the employee and pointed to the chocolate, making gestures as if to buy so much that it seemed like he was going to empty the store of chocolate.

“Hey… no, I have to pay if I eat it.”

Khanin, about to walk to the big guy, suddenly had to retreat automatically after being called back to the original position by someone.

“Hey, Khanin… is that you?”

“Uh… Rachel?” Khanin greeted the person who suddenly appeared in front of him, blocking the way as if by accident. She was an older girl, a tall, black haired boy who hid himself behind eyes with an expression like those of Asians, with a smiling face that looked neat and tidy, and had a distinctive accent.

There was no way he could forget her.

Rachel was Khanin’s ex girlfriend… They had dated a long time ago.

‘How did you appear here?’

“Yes, it’s me. I’m glad to see you.”

“Ah… haha, I’m also glad. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now.” Khanin made a face like a child caught by a ghost in the middle of the day and smiled shyly, before bidding farewell in an indirect way, then turned to leave quickly so as not to keep Charan waiting.

His eyes sneaked a peek at the tall figure. Phii Ran was still fidgeting with the payment to the employee, so the young man smiled wryly at the older girl as a way to say goodbye, then pretended to slip out.

But it looked like she didn’t want to leave him alone. It was evident in the small hand that reached out to hold his own.

“When did you come back? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Khanin tried to withdraw his hand gently, but the grip of the girl was tighter than before.

The tray he was holding became a mess. The young man had to turn to put it down beside him and use his newly freed hand to pry Rachel’s hand open.

“Oh… can I come see you at your home?”

“No, you can’t… I…”

“Do you miss me? Is that why you came here?”

“Huh?”

“You never used to come around this area before. It means you were thinking about me.”

“You misunderstood me, Rachel. I just came to visit.” Khanin looked perplexed, furrowing his eyebrows, struggling to understand how the situation had turned out like this.

Rachel continued telling her story while Charan walked over with a big bag of chocolate. On the other side, a guy walked over and stood next to the girl. He didn’t say anything, nor did he even think about helping the young lady out of Khanin’s grasp.

“Do you know how shocked I was when Samantha told me that you became a Prince? Everyone at the university kept asking me about her all day long.”

“Well…”

“You are interested in me because you remember that I used to be your girlfriend.”

Jesus…

Why are you saying this now?! 

Khanin had a dumbfounded look on his face, trying to gently pry Rachel’s hand off. At the same time, the other saw his eyes widen, still without showing any signs, but making his hair stand on end.

This kind of gaze, Khanin hasn’t seen for a long time. The last time may have been when he suspected that Prince Kalavin liked him.

If that’s the case… this condition really sucks.

Actually, when Phii Ran is jealous, he is happy. But, it’s not like being jealous would be better.

Otherwise, he probably wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight, the punishing sex would almost guarantee to kill  him.

“I’m asking you seriously. Have you forgotten about me?” Maybe because Khanin was too preoccupied, Rachel kept talking in a strange way.

“No, I came with…”

“Okay, let me try again. I understand. I’m different because I can’t forget you. Actually, I’ve tried to contact you several times, but because my old phone broke, I…”

Holy sh*t.

Khanin’s face was as if he had seen a ghost, he didn’t even know what

Rachel was saying. Because the only thing he was focusing on was Charan’s body language: raising his hand, hugging his chest, and looking beautiful, like he was waiting to see how he would fix this situation.

“Rachel, sorry, I’m in love with someone else.” If this were a boxing match, you could say Khanin delivered a knockout punch without any warning.

The young girl remained silent for several seconds before finally finding her voice.

“And…”

“I’ve fallen in love with someone I want to share a future with.”

“Well, at that time when you broke up with me, you said you didn’t like to think about the future, this is not an excuse.” She squinted her eyes. Khanin used to like Rachel’s headstrong personality, but now it doesn’t seem like that anymore.

“So…” The young man tried to find the right words to explain to the person in front of him, but it seems like Charan’s patience has run out. In the end, the older guy cleared his throat, beckoning the young lady to turn and look.

“Oh… You’re with Khanin? Hi, I’m Rachel. I’m Khanin’s ex girlfriend. As for you…” Rachel’s straightforwardness allowed her to speak boldly.

Khanin turned and grabbed his arm, intending to introduce the other party, but hesitated.

“This is Phii Ran, by the way…” The quiet young man searched for words in his head to describe his current status to Charan, without wanting to provoke him into a fight.

Well…they’re not actually a couple yet, nobody has asked anyone out.

“Hello there. I’m Charan, Khanin’s new boyfriend.”

Before he had the chance to properly gather his thoughts, Charan found himself having to introduce himself and quickly ended the conversation with his status.

“Uh…hello, I didn’t know you brought your boyfriend. Sorry for my bad manners.”

“It’s okay, Rachel.” Charan smiled, while to Rachel he seemed to emit a frightening aura…unlike the friendly smile from before.

“Umm…congratulations, Khanin. I didn’t realize you had a date, I have to go now.” Rachel quickly excused herself, her voice breaking as she hastily left the couple behind.

Her instincts warned that it was not OK for her to hang around anymore, she was aware of how much the other party loved and longed for Khanin, so much that even a smile could show the level of love. If she was to do something to make him angry, not even Marmot can make him calm down!

“Phii Ran. There’s nothing going on between me and Rachel. She just happened to bump into me and said hello.” Khanin tried to explain his relationship with the person who had just confronted them upon leaving the chocolate shop.

His explanation ended abruptly. His dark brown eyes scrolled through the person walking beside them, expectant and inquisitive. He knew Phii Ran wasn’t pleased, but he tried to control his emotions because he didn’t want to spoil the atmosphere. 

Even though he smiled politely and amicably, with this person with whom he had been together for so long, why wouldn’t he know what Phii Ran was thinking? 

“Okay.”

“She came to say hi because she thought I was still single. I don’t want to end things badly even after I broke up with her.”

“Okay.”

“But we haven’t seen each other for a long time, and I don’t like her anymore. So there’s nothing to worry about.” Khanin was like a child who made a mistake and wanted attention, he explained in detail because he wanted Charan to understand that now… 

Rachel was just the past. 

At present and in the future, he was Charan. 

Only Charan.

“Oh…This is the person that you told me about, who is his senior and you met at a party.” Khanin had just been talking non stop, but all of a sudden Charan decided to say a different sentence that made Khanin feel awkward and unable to respond appropriately.

Who would have thought that the words he had told the other person when they first met would become the evidence that bound him today, the feeling of jealousy…

“Do you remember?”

“I remember everything about you Nin.”

“Phii Ran.”

“Yes?”

“Jealous?” Khanin asked with a raised eyebrow and a flicker of the spoon in the direction of Charan, hoping that his awkward gestures will help Charan feel better. Khanin did not expect much from his answer, as he guessed Charan might say something ambiguous, but this time seems different.

“Yes… I am jealous.” Charan admitted simply, his brows furrowed as he controlled himself, as if trying to manage his own emotions.

Charan thinks he’s foolish, and the other side is just an ex-girlfriend who unexpectedly appeared. Khanin did not care about anything, but he still could not let his thoughts slip away.

Because there was something wrong, and it made Charan feel restless and dissatisfied.

“…”

“Nin, you told me to speak straight.”

“Yes, Phii knows best! But I no longer like her.” Khanin quickly responded after nearly a minute of silence, unable to contain his smile, mainly because Charan appeared too adorable now.

So cute that it hurts!

“I know.”

“The person I love is you, Phii.”

“Yes, I know well.” Charan seems to be starting to struggle with his thoughts again, and the young man claps his hands a bit to follow him, heading to a large tree in a secluded place. His earnest gaze reminds Khanin of his worries.

“Phii Ran if you know, so why do you still look unhappy?” Khanin took the opportunity to ask, lowering his face to his broad shoulders, his voice sounding whimpering, in an attempt to calm Charan down.

“Because I just… don’t like it you didn’t say what we are.”

The answer he received made Khanin stunned for a moment, the young man opened his mouth and blinked while remaining silent for nearly a minute  “Phii Ran… Does that mean you want me to say we are a couple?”

“Yes.”

“Well, how do I say this, just… Wait. It’s not that I don’t want to say it, but we… we haven’t asked each other to be a couple yet.” His eyes blinked. Looking at the reddened face that kept going up and down, he realized that this was a good opportunity to talk about their relationship. There were many things that had happened before that made them forget that they should make their status clear.

The young man resolutely tightened his hands and was about to speak first, but someone else intervened, a bigger person who knelt down and sat on his knees on the ground, making the younger one confused.

Khanin realized that this was a good opportunity to talk about being a couple, as they had been through so many things that they forgot they should make their status clear.

Firmly determined, the young man began to open his mouth to say that he wanted to be the first to propose to date, but he was interrupted by someone else, a larger person who knelt down and sat on his knees on the ground, which made the young man so confused he stumbled.

Hold on a sec… asking me to be your boyfriend, and why are you kneeling, Phii Ran?

“I don’t want to wait any longer.” With a muffled voice, he reached out and grabbed a red lacquered wooden box with golden lettered branding from his bag and opened it. Charan handed it to him, revealing a simple yet elegant diamond studded ring that shimmered in the afternoon sun.

Charan couldn’t wait any longer. He had waited far too long, crossing oceans to come and find Khanin, and this ring was commissioned at no small price.

He had planned to say these words at the most romantic moment, perhaps under the starry night sky or while holding hands on the balcony and whispering how much he loved Khanin.

It could have been a witness to the stars; however, everything seemed to have gone astray.

Charan realized one thing; the most important thing now wasn’t the place or the fancy words spoken but the love they had for each other, which was unique to them.

“Let’s be together, everything for and with each other, Nin.”

“…”

“I promise to protect, take care, love, and remain faithful to you, Khanin.”

“…”

“Let’s get married, my love.”

“Uh… what is going on, you haven’t even asked me to be your boyfriend yet, and you are already proposing?! [sobbing].” Khanin appeared to be shocked, with tears streaming down his face, but he smiled broadly, looking into each other’s eyes with love.

“Yes, because I want Nin to be able to tell others what kind of relationship we have.” Not just as close friends, a mentor, a guardian, a brother, or just someone whose hearts are aligned in the present.

But from now on, Charan wants to stand by Khanin’s side as someone who will be together until their last breath.

“[sobbing]… Phii Ran.”

“Are you crying with happiness? the ring bearer is waiting.”

“Let’s get married, mmmhpf… definitely, hurry up and put on the ring.”

The atmosphere between them at this moment wasn’t a sweet, romantic scene like the one in Khanin’s romance novel. It was a warmhearted feeling that was difficult to describe.

Charan carefully slid the ring onto Khanin’s left ring finger before pulling the younger boy into an embrace, whispering a few words into his ear, causing him to blush.

“Non? Do you know… I have been yours for a long time.”

“…”

“Since the first time you and I kissed, I belonged to you Nin since then.”

“Phii Ran…” At this point, Khanin burst out laughing, his thin body bouncing, and he took turns kissing this older guy, scolding him for bringing up the past and making him feel embarrassed about being a thief who stole kisses from the other side.

“Nin?”

“Yes, sir.”

“From here on out, our status has changed. Next time someone asks what we are, Nin, how will you answer them?”

“I will say that this man’s name is Charan, currently and in the future, and that he Khanin’s husband, the person that Khanin loves the most in his life.” With that, they both smiled as the chilly breeze passed by.

Even though the place may not be romantic or beautiful, London is a city with great significance for them.

Because it is a place that is like a starting point… and a point where their life paths intersect.

THE NEXT PRINCE CHAPTERS HOME

   THENEXTPRINCE, Special Chapter 1: Charan’s composure.

The light from the bedside lamp provided enough brightness to see the atmosphere in the surrounding bedroom. Khanin blinked and looked at the door as he thought about what had happened all day.

Khanin said that he cried himself to sleep last night. He missed Charan so much that the feeling of pain began to seep in, but when he woke up again, the person in his thoughts was right in front of him.

It is like a dream … even tonight, Khanin still wonders if this is just a dream he thought of himself.

They are back together and the feeling of emptiness that he once felt now seems to be completely gone.

Creek!

The sound of the door opening and Charan’s tall figure in his dark satin pajamas helped Khanin regain consciousness, staring at his lover in the middle of the bed for a long time. Charan asked if it was okay to sleep on the floor. The young man flashed his eyes and quickly turned his face away, motioning to move to sit on the other side, leaving space for someone else.

“Should I just sleep on the floor?” Probably because Khanin just sat still and kept looking at the older guy in the middle of the bed for a long time. Charan finally asked and the boy nodded and quickly moved over, leaving space for someone else.

“Not good though.” Although the bed here is not as large as at the Royal Palace, and it may be a bit crowded for two men to sleep together, Khanin does not see this as a problem at all.

It’s good to be close again.

“So…”

“Sleeping on the same bed as before, which is still empty.” The slender palm slaps down on the position next to the body. Khanin wriggled into the blanket, waiting for just a moment, and the tall figure agreed to step up and lie beside him.

Charan leaned over to turn off the light, leaving the dark atmosphere around them. Khanin could see glimpses of his lover’s handsome face, while the other side leaned his head towards him, sending warm breath close to the skin.

The moonlight shone through the window, illuminating the beautiful face and lines of the eyelashes. Khanin lay there looking at his lover’s face in the dark like that, in the midst of the long silence enough to understand that the other side had probably fallen asleep.

Because Charan just lay still and forced his breath to come and go evenly, the young man began to be restless, wondering if the older man had really fallen asleep or not. In less than ten minutes.

He decided to check by gently moving closer to the sleeping person to investigate, as looking around was not helpful. Khanin had to use touch to help.

The slender finger reached out to feel around the position of the eyelid because the darkness made it difficult to find.

If he couldn’t see it … Khanin moved even closer, the scent of his body, clean, smooth skin, everything became so stimulating, good mood, without the owner of the smell even knowing at all.

Charan held his breath and pretended to be still even though his true feelings were exploding. The boy nibbled, trying hard to control his deep emotions, even though it was difficult.

Being away from your loved one for a long time makes your emotions and desires boil and burst. Charan also never thought that he could control his emotions well, but with Khanin … the other side completely destroyed all beliefs in life.

With Khanin, he never thought it was enough … never enough.

The small thin hand touched the eyeglasses and then moved to the chest panel for a moment, the boy giggled. Charan did not respond, letting the owner of the lovely body enjoy exploring themselves.

He assumed that at this point Khanin is probably starting to have fun, as evidenced by the bursts of laughter that can be heard from afar. The little kittens die of shock, walking into a tiger cave.

Charan allowed the young one to play as he pleased, while he thought of ways to handle the situation to enjoy if asked what he wanted to do the most…

He has no choice but to accept that… Now, he is no different from a sneaky leopard, with one heart wanting to jump into the arms of the victim.

But the other heart wants to embrace his loved one, even if it means lying still to endure. Khanin did nothing wrong, and the little one did not misbehave. The confusion and the spinning were solely his own doing.

Just smelling the soft scent and feeling the warm breath close by. Only that, but the image in his head has wandered off into various fantasies… You’re such a tease, Charan.

“Phii Ran… I missed you.” He thought the little one probably didn’t know that he wasn’t really asleep, while the other side stretched their face and whispered the words in their heart, their body temperature rising, their surroundings getting restless. Charan felt like he was being tested by Khanin’s teasing, and this fact…

He failed… Without any reservations whatsoever.

“Ah…”

The attempted patience was of no use. Charan held Khanin tightly around the waist, forgetting all about composure, the short time of blinking an eye, the one who’s shorter had floated up and changed position to rest on the solid chest, quickly and forcefully enough that the little one didn’t have time to adjust.

“How much do you miss me?”

 

 

Phii… Phii Ran you are still awake.” The sound of the little one’s voice trembled a bit. Khanin twitched slightly, like a kitten caught in the act of playing a prank.

Charan burst into a smile, even if the face wasn’t visible, he knew exactly what expression the other side was making.

The little one might be blushing so hard right now.

“Yes, when my Nin is close to me… Can’t sleep.” The end of the sentence was whispered softly to observe the listener’s reaction.

Khanin stopped twitching and clasped his small hand on the shirt, as if it was a premeditated action to alleviate the discomfort.

“…” The silence was one part that made Charan hear his own heartbeat clearly, it pounded wildly and relentlessly, no different from the lump in Khanin’s left chest.

It’s strange that the feeling suddenly became so intense, the desire for everything easily bubbled up with just one hug… Just one hug.

“What soap do you use, why do you smell so nice…” The more the fingertips sneak in to touch under the shirt, the harder it is to explain the feeling, they both know the future… Both sides know what will happen without the need to talk about it.

It’s not just Charan who wants Khanin. Khanin himself desires Charan as much. 

“Well… the white bottle in the bathroom.” It could be observed from the fact that the little one didn’t have any intention to escape anymore, instead,  the boy chose to lean closer and rub their cheek against the strong chest, and signal their response through subtle body language.

Sometimes using the fingertips to trace the body, at times intentionally slipping the hand down to slide over the abdomen and stop at the edge of the pajamas, teasingly embracing Charan, laughing softly in his ear, playing around with the young one.

“…”

“Oh! What ar-… aaargh.” Khanin opened his eyes wide and automatically lowered his head. Suddenly, being flipped over and pushed down onto the bed by another person, even for a split second. Charan changed his position and moved up slightly, sniffing at the white neck.

“Why is the soap the same…”

“…”

“But Nin, you smell better… you smell really good.” The person who previously appeared calm and collected in front of others, now changed like a different person. Charan breathed in the distinctive scent of Khanin’s body, teasing and tracing warm kisses along the contours of the young man’s white skin, paying no attention to the thin and frail person next to him.

“Uh…” Khanin nibbled at the edge of his lips, the soft touch causing goosebumps to rise on his skin. He raised his small hand to the older man’s arm and almost melted, but quickly spread his legs apart as the person above him asserted himself and pressed his body against him.

“Phii Ran!” The sound of the voice was filled with embarrassment, and

Charan noticed and let out a small laugh at the adorable reaction from Khanin.

The younger one’s body tensed, trying to bring his legs closer together while his body was burning, but he didn’t dare to resist or protest, even though he knew very well that he was being teased, and of course, Charan wouldn’t stop just yet.

“What is it? Does it embarrass you?” The voice asked as the warm tongue licked the small earlobe, making the young man’s body tremble and his mouth quivering.

“Ah… Phii Ran…”

The conversation alone was not enough… Charan focused on every mood, word, and action, playing with the younger one until… he was shaking.

So, what now?”

“Don’t tease me.” The voice that tried to put a lid on his shyness, sounded scary at the same time. Charan felt that Khanin was now even more teasing than before, as he couldn’t resist wanting to tease him even more.

“Who said I was teasing you? I just want to know why we are using the same soap, but you smell better.”

“Oh…” Khanin swallowed a large gulp of saliva under the dark shadow, shuddering as Charan lowered himself after he was done, his thick hand managing to remove the younger boy’s shirt, before nestling warm kisses to his abdomen. 

Hot breaths cut through the body’s temperature, making Khanin’s body tense until he realized that someone had already rapidly arrived and neatly folded his favorite pair of pajamas on the floor. 

“Phii… More, please!”

Charan acted like a book without an epilogue, with no introduction nor ending, while his counterpart lowered his head, biting his own mouth, squeezing his tall body as he widened his legs.

The warm, fiery kiss drew in passion to the white skinned man’s body. Khanin clenched his fists, his heart pounding, his tall body curled up, while his hot fingertips traced the sweet cherry colored lips.

“You smell… sweet.” Charan whispered into the cute ears and licked with his tongue, making the young man’s consciousness go blank, making him utter a shaky voice filled with desire, pleading for him to kiss him.

“Oh… Phii Ran, please… Ah, I beg you.” As Charan hesitated and did everything slowly, his finger was forced into the entrance of love and then pulled out. Khanin was now in dire straits.

He let out a shaky voice, pleading with Charan to come out, his face now totally forgetting about the awkwardness, due to his desire and strong emotions which now overflowed, urging him to plead with Charan for more.

 

 

What can I do for you?”

“Help me…”

“How?”

“Love me a little, love me a little more.” Knowing that if he didn’t take action, he might get hurt, but now Khanin can no longer bear it. The longing and desire are too much to endure.

The young man tentatively asserts himself, awkwardly removing the shirt to reveal the white body to the older lover. The darkness no longer seems like an obstacle. When the soul’s desire reaches its limit.

Charan almost doesn’t say anything else, the young man grasps and kisses the cheek while also slipping the hot fingers into the path of love, causing the thin body to tremble.

“Ah…” The bright lips reveal a faint gasp that steals the air, the eyelids drooping from Charan’s control.

Khanin allowed the older one to explore with his hot tongue and taste the sweetness, while the upper part responded to the love with Charan tongue. As for the lower part… Khanin groaned as his legs spread to follow the hot fingertips moving in and out of him.

The rhythm is sometimes slow and sometimes fast, according to the pace of the seduction… making Charan almost lose consciousness.

The young man bites their lip tightly, struggling with their expression of love, now thinking of withdrawing the words that make them feel confused.

Khanin did not intend to seduce, but it is a natural desire of the other party to melt him without resistance.

“Phii Ran… not there… sensitive.”

“Yes?”

Not with your fingers… Please…” The soft and sweet whisper near the ear makes the heart tremble. Charan can’t speak, and the condition becomes more severe and heavier when he hears the next sentence.

“Nin…”

“I want you… now.”

It’s like the sound of a gong freeing a great lion from captivity. Charan withdraws his fingertips, his big hand unbuttons his garment, revealing the contracted and tempted muscles.

The young man reached out and searched for something under the pillow, before finding an object that made both sides burst into laughter and laugh at each other.

The emergency condom packet that the older one had prepared was taken out, they both knew how to predict a situation like this in advance. Therefore, it’s not surprising that Charan would carry such things.

Though the person doesn’t talk much usually, now acts like a negotiator and seduces each other when in the role of a smiling enchantress. Charan kisses the clear cheek and whispers a few words before handling the protective gear.

When finished, he slowly inserts himself in the warm and soft channel.

“Too naughty… oh.” Khanin raised his hand and pressed the older one’s abdomen for relief of the permeating his shyness, but it’s not easy for someone like Charan.

The handsome face moved closer to rub against the hot lips, while the left fingertips gently played with the nipples of the beautiful breast, diverting the attention for the young one. 

A talented person in both theory and practice never loses their reputation, but the only ache is the tension that once existed, slowly dissipating, instead replaced with an exciting feeling. 

The twitching love hole is calling out. Khanin doesn’t speak, but the reaction stimulates the mood, making Charan almost unable to endure waiting calmly.

One of the big man’s hands lifted a slender white leg onto the bed rail, causing Khanin to collapse on the big back bed, his beautiful body twisted, with tears in his eyes. When another person began to move slowly and cautiously.

“Oh my…”

“Don’t tighten up… Nin.” whispered the person through the white guy’s mouth.

Khanin closed his eyes tightly, just as Charan began to intrude into the warm, soft path.

Charan gritted his teeth, holding his breath and patiently waiting for the sweet passage to relieve the compression. The young man moved rhythmically, before beginning to call out sweet nothings into his lover’s ear.

“Jesus… fuck… again.” Khanin had no idea what Charan was doing to his body, as if he was magically controlling both his body and mind. Khanin tugged at the bedsheet, muffling himself while the older person whispered softly.

“Shh… don’t make a sound, someone might hear.” polite words clashed with cruel actions. Charan did not let up, intensifying the rhythm of love and causing the younger person’s eyes to roll.

Khanin lifted his face, trembling from being pinched from frustration, his thin fingers on his face to hold back sound.

He wanted to argue but he could only hold the blame for the older man in his heart. It was all he could do since there were only Khanin’s moans left… something he couldn’t control

“Hush… uh, ahhh… I can’t stop… ahhh…”

Phii Ran you are so wicked… speaking so softly, giving me such sensation… who could resist.

It felt as if he could read his mind. Charan seemed to slow down, giving Khanin a moment to catch his breath before his waist was locked.

 

 

As someone changed his body movements it caused Khanin to fall into a comatose state.

Khanin’s mind was hazy. He could not deny that Charan knew his body well, or perhaps it was better to say he knew his own body poorly

Where was the point that felt good, where was the point that made him tremble, where was the point that made him twitch… Phii Ran responded accurately to all of them.

“No… I can’t take it, ah…god…fuck me god…”

“Ah…”

“I am gonna cum huh…” Khanin answered, the accumulated emotions piled up at his most sensitive point. Since it’s been so long, it felt more intense than usual. Charan grabbed him, causing him to change positions suddenly, shivering before realizing what was happening.

“Don’t cum yet.”

“Ah! Phii…ugh…” The pearly gates of ejaculation were so close, but so far away. Charan asked him to switch positions for a bit. His body shook, when he came back to knowing what was going on, that whatever he said right now would sound like a fevered moan.

The person who was close to cumming was crying. Khanin screamed softly while the older person raised one hand to support his back and whispered a few words for everyone to hear.

“Your turn.”

The clear cheeks blushed from Charan’s order for Khanin to take control of the game for a bit.

Khanin muttered softly as the older person raised one arm, removing the frameless glasses, his wet hair sticking to his back due to the sweat.

Charan couldn’t help but grin, not looking like a devious man yet making the onlooker feel uneasy and unrecognizable.

Too much… It’s too much. Charan is too dangerous.

Charan didn’t say much. The other person just sent a gaze in the darkness, he simply raised his hips pushing hot cock against the path of love, while forcefully igniting the excitable emotions at the front. One spark at a time, added to the fire.

“Ah…”

“You clever person, will you really give up and lose to me that easily?” Khanin, the game master, was asked in a low voice while considering the words of losing and winning, know-how, and the fact that Charan knew this rule better than anyone else.

Khanin disliked being the loser. His slender body trembled, exhaling deeply, grasping both hands on the firm stomach, before starting to move slightly.

Yes… It’s his turn now. Unless it’s no more from now on. If he let Charan be in control, Khanin would surely be completely defeated.

The slender body contracted violently, starting slowly as Khanin couldn’t find the way. But after getting the final point, the small waist began to turn and undulate slowly, pulling out soft low moans from the tall silhouette under him.

“Ughhh… Ahhh…”

“Oh… My goodness… I.” The beautiful face was sweaty, the palm squeezed into the slim waistband, while Khanin suppressed a smile and clamped his teeth lightly on the finger of the big guy.

The beauty of the tall figure collided with Charan soundly, and he couldn’t take his eyes off. The young man’s low voice made the person who excited him control his body and mind completely.

Call me…” The hot finger was sent to touch the cheerful lips by Charan, who wished it, and Khanin licked his lips to find the person he loved.

“Please say it…” The little cat was touched and rubbed wanting to fight back. Khanin groaned before raising his body until the hot cock almost slipped away from the path of love, causing Charan to quickly press his hips against him.

“Please…” The older guy surrendered without any choice. Charan didn’t hesitate to beg, and it caused Khanin to laugh and bite lightly on Charan’s finger.

Khanin’s eyes met his lover’s when the person above them slowly lowered, swallowing his finger once again, causing Charan to moan heavily and curse roughly.

Suppressing emotions that boiled over with incredible endurance, trying to stay calm, but Charan rose up with some strength, wrapping his arm around his waist on one side, holding the guy firmly in place.

“Stubborn kid.”

“Uh… Phii Ran… Ah, uh…” Moaning with closed eyes, the older boy rocked himself up toward Khanin’s separated buttocks. Charan pressed harder, pushed himself into the narrow path of love, pounding into the sensitive spot causing the Khanin to almost tear up.

Khanin groaned and rubbed his cute face on the thick shoulders, using them as a hiding place to vent his emotions, while his thin hands went into the stiff firmness, feeling the overflow, humming quietly.

“Aahh… Nin.”

 

“I… It’s almost… Uhh…” The slim body shivered and couldn’t hold back anymore. Khanin stepped into the gate of heaven, as suddenly as he didn’t have time to prepare, the good feeling raised him up to the sky, intensely and quickly, causing tears to flow involuntarily.

 

 

Ugh… umm…” Charan didn’t make the younger one wait long. The young man accelerated the pace of his love, rocking his hips a few more times before jerking and tightening up as drops of love spilled into the contraceptive device.

“Ugh…” The flames of love have subsided, but the feeling still lingers. Khanin raised his arms and hugged his older companion, too embarrassed to say anything.

There’s not much to say, he’s still trembling… his legs are still shaking, it’s awkward.

“Good babe.” Along with compliments, a hot kiss was planted on the side of the beautiful and glossy lips. The older one smiled after noticing that the other person was still anxious and just sat trembling quietly. It’s so cute to watch.

“I… did I make you dirty?” It took a while for the younger one to respond. Khanin asked, touching the other person’s face and collarbone.

The drops of Khanin’s cum shots landed on Charan’s face which indicated how much Khanin was feeling and showing at the moment.

“It’s okay.”

“I’ll wipe it off, Phii.”

“It’s okay… it tastes delicious.” He didn’t just speak because Charan licked his lips along with the cum on his lips, a warm feeling spread all over his body like a huge fire burning wildly, bluntly stating how cruel and fierce Charan’s actions were towards his heart.

Khanin tried hard to focus on gathering his mind to fight the eyes, but finally the next sentence and the passionate love from Charan after that, showed how…

“Next time… can you do it properly, please?”

“Wha… what do you want, Phii?”

Cum in my mouth… please…”

A man like Charan Phitakthewa… is not really polite and proper like anyone else in Emmaly says. 

THE NEXT PRINCE CHAPTERS HOME

   THENEXTPRINCE, Chapter 46: Across the Sky Beside You.

The rainstorm at the end of the dry season blew in through the open window, while the sky wasn’t clear and bright with gloomy clouds, and the large drops of rain that fell were no different from the tears of some people.

Someone was lying quietly on the bed, letting time pass by.

Charan lay on the bed, in the satin suit, looking out into the outside world, his voice echoing throughout the sky, but could no longer impact the minds of his listeners.

Charan’s body just responded to everything familiar, conflicting with the inner feelings in his heart. In the young man’s heart, there was no longer any fear of the rain. Because at this moment, the only thing that made him more worried and scared than that was the departure of Khanin…

“If I turn around… Phii Ran, don’t call me Nin… don’t call me by that name.” 

The whispering sound of sadness still echoes in their ears, despite the passing of days. He hasn’t lost touch and is still receiving messages that keep him informed of the young one’s well being. 

Charan knows well that Khanin is now on the other side of the world, but sometimes he feels as if he can still hear the voice of the other person talking quietly beside him. 

In the silence, he hears the sound of a fresh laughter carried by the wind. However, when he turns back, he only finds emptiness, an emptiness that echoes, in this space, Khanin is no longer there. 

The scent of love still lingers everywhere, buried in the clothes left behind. In the pillow that Khanin used to support himself with while they slept together. 

In the good memories that cannot be erased. 

Everything reminds him of the past, making him long for it until it becomes a torment. 

Charan pulls the blanket and hugs it, inhaling the faint scent of the person who has gone so far away. He misses the thin lips that used to smile brightly at him. 

He misses the obstinate person who never yielded to anyone, the unwavering confidence in the eyes that must turn into sorrow just because they want us both to have time for ourselves. Khanin always looked through things like a transparent glass, even when they were young. 

He wants to give him space to deal with the problems that remain, to reflect on the remaining unsettled matters, to release himself from all things. 

To handle the things that have been left unfinished, to remind them of the last thing they still cling to, to unleash his own evolution from everything. 

 

 

Charan didn’t tell anyone where he planned to go. He kept that resolution to himself, began to be quiet like Nin, and waited. 

Waiting to meet the cause of everything… the person who has brought bad luck into his life. 

“My Lord.”

“….”

“My Lord.”

“Yes.” The voice of Narong called the person on the bed to wake up.

Charan listens before slowly getting up and reaching for his glasses to wear.

The young man who leads the Phitakthewa lineage looks to the trusted butler with a hopeful expectation of good news regarding the case that he had requested from the palace assembly several days ago.

“When the palace contacted back, the issue regarding My Lord requested to visit Dhipabawon is considered a special case, and has been approved already by the assembly.” Narong’s statement was straightforward but it immediately caused discomfort in the bedroom of the young lord.

Narong looked at the still and calm face of the person who had been sitting on the bed for several days. His lord couldn’t eat and couldn’t sleep, feeling low and everything that has been plaguing the young man causing his once sturdy physique to wither. His Lord’s eyes that used to be confident now look weary, and as a butler, Narong knows exactly what caused it.

Although Charan had been waiting for this day to come, the young lord of Narong obviously didn’t want to meet the other party. If he had a choice, there probably wouldn’t be anyone willing to become a victim in this unfortunate event.

The heart of a victim needs comforting and there are many ways to help one deal with the stress of going through such a terrible event. As someone who has been by Charan’s side since he was young, Narong thinks that his lord has gone through almost all of it.

All that’s left is facing the things that caused so much pain   head on.

And to those who have had a fiber of relationship and trust… it is difficult to just easily move on without letting go of what’s holding you back.

Therefore, when an order comes directly, Narong quickly tries to handle the matter as fast as he can, but a request sent in must go through multiple inspection processes, and it’s not easy to patiently wait for the outcome.

But ultimately, the destination of waiting has arrived… It is time for Charan to face and confront the burden in his heart.

“If that’s the case… Please prepare a white set for me, Khun Narong.”

Narong paused to receive the order, pondering about the set that the boss will have to wear to visit the convict who was once the most influential one in the country.

At first, the middle aged man intended to meticulously choose the best set for Charan, but the following sentence made Narong change his mind as he instantly understood the intention of the other party.

“Please provide a set that’s not too special.”

“…”

“Because I will only wear it once… and then burn it.”

…

Inside the building for incarcerating convicts, everything is white. The surroundings appear silent, surrounded by a sense of apprehension from humidity and cold temperature due to not having any windows for air circulation.

The first smell defiling the air is a mix of musty odor with a pungent smell of disinfecting alcohol, causing the person walking on the long ramp to have to raise their hand to cover the nose.

Charan halted his footsteps when the guard stopped, the soldiers on duty walked away, before gesturing the welcome hand to step inside. In front of Phitakthewa family’s leader’s lay the deepest prison chamber, a large white door separating people from the outside world and the convicted.

“You only have five minutes for the visit… please go ahead, KhunCharan.”

“Thank you.” Charan expressed his gratitude as the soldier unlocked and opened the door wide. He walked cautiously with bare feet. His eyes scanned around.

Inside this room, everything is white. There is a large area, but there is no device or equipment other than the three foot bed on which an old man is lying still.

Creak!

The sound of closing the door slightly jolted the person lying on the white bed. As soon as he realized someone had come in, seeing a person standing at the end of the bed, his eyes widened in surprise.

“I offer my respects, Your Majesty…” Charan greeted when he saw the awakening gaze of the person lying on the white bed. At this time, Dhipabawon no longer has any capabilities to communicate other than moving his eyes, so the young man had to approach him more closely to convey what he had prepared to say to the other side today.

“…”

“I won’t take long. I came here to answer the question that your Majesty asked me before the competition, about whether I will choose love with Khanin and continue to stay here as a Phitakthewa, or if I will want to be free and leave everything behind.” The young man looked at the person on the bed who blinked frequently in response, indicating that the opposite party still remembers everything.

“…”

“Can you remember, Your Majesty… the question you asked me before the competition, whether to choose between love for Khanin and staying here as Phitakthewa, or to be free and leave everything behind?” The young man looked at the person on the bed, whose blinking eyes indicated that they remembered everything just as well.

Memories went back to the day when they were urgently summoned after admitting their love for Khanin for the first time. Charan also remembered sweating profusely while talking to Dhipabawon. At that time, the anxiety, discomfort, and pressure were so overwhelming that he couldn’t even speak the truth to Khanin.

That was because he feared that the person he loved would worry too much.

“I never intended to force you, but he wanted you to be aware that… Khanin cannot abandon Atsawathewathin. He has to, as the heir to the family… and if that is the case… your decision to stay here also means you cannot abandon Phitakthewa.” 

“…”

“I never wanted to hold you back, but this time I must speak to you frankly. If you choose to be with Khanin, you must stand firm and not leave Phitakthewa behind. But if you choose to leave, you must leave everything here.” 

“…”

“You don’t need to make a decision yet, Charan. We still have plenty of time until the competition is over, but whenever you choose, you must accept the consequences that will follow.”

Love, and freedom.

You cannot maintain both. Because he is Charan Phitakthewa, a loyal dog that everyone has always trusted to protect, take care of, and honestly love and serve Atsawathewathin.

Charan often asked himself why his love for Khanin had to be related to Atsawathewathin. He never understood why Dhipabawon had to try to bind them, even though the other side promised to understand and support him as one of his grandchildren.

The actions of the old man made Charan ask himself whether he had ever had the power to make decisions on his own in various matters. But from everything he learned, the young man was confident that he had never had the power to decide anything.

Everything is just an illusion.

When reality hits, Charan realized that he was just a representative of his mother in the atonement ceremony, so that Dhipabawon did not feel too guilty.

Charan was just a pawn on the board where the other side would use any means to protect the throne. He was just a variable to help keep the power stable, to prevent Khanin from fleeing elsewhere.

Charan Phitakthewa had never really experienced true love and sincerity.

Throughout all the time that has passed, he has never been recognized as a human being in Dhipabawon’s eyes, even for a moment.

“You knew very well that I dare not disobey your order because I had no way of being ungrateful to the person who raised me.”

“…”

“You know very well that the bond between me and Khanin will keep me from going anywhere.”

“…”

“You knew what the answer would be, but you still asked me what to choose. Your Majesty, you used my feelings to your advantage many times.” The old man’s eyes looked at the figure of Charan with a piercing gaze. Although he couldn’t move his body, the gaze of the royal court, which looked back, turned gray.

“Ugh…” The groaning from the person on the bed made Charan feel like there was a lump in his throat, and the tightness felt like something was about to explode. The difficulty in communicating and the sound of strained breaths only brought Charan back to the time of excruciating pain that had passed.

The pain that Khanin had to endure was immeasurable, how much more would that child have to suffer, who would be accused of being the cause of everyone’s death.

In truth… everything was caused by the greed of this single person.

“Therefore, I came here to give Your Majesty an answer… so that there will no longer be any outstanding issues.” said Charan as he took a deep breath, straightened his posture, and looked down at the other person.

“…”

“Today, I have learned what to choose.”

“…”

“What I choose to leave behind… is you, Your Majesty.” Charan was confident that the pain that had haunted him for almost thirty years, the agony that had held him captive in obscurity, would now reach the heart of the other person. The young man conveyed his emotions through his eyes, and a tear fell on his cheek, his face flushed and his lips quivered.

Dhipabawon’s wide red eyes widened, his eyelids expanded, and it took almost a minute for his withered eyes to slowly open and close slowly. His eyelashes were wet with tears even though he couldn’t speak, but just by looking at him Charan knew what he wanted to say.

It was an apology.

A true apology from the person Charan had once respected and revered, the person whom he had given everything to without conditions, the person whom he had idolized before he realized that what he received was just an illusion.

However, Charan did not come here to seek forgiveness from anyone…

He came here to unlock his own emotions, so he could no longer hold onto that apology.

Charan declined Dhipabawon’s apology through sign language and stepped back from the bed. He raised his hand to his left shoulder and bowed his head in respect, according to the tradition of paying homage to Emmaly.

“Time has run out, Your Majesty. I bid them farewell.”

“…”

“May Your Majesty live long and prosper.” said the young man as he followed the protocol of bowing and paying homage before leaving the person of noble birth to stand tall.

Usually, the meaning of those words was straightforward, every time Charan had said it to Dhipabawon, he was hoping that the other party would live a long life under the shade of a tree as a person of gratitude and honor.

This time, however, the meaning of those words was different.

The young man wanted the other party to live a long life.

“…”

“So that you can stay with this misery forever, Your Majesty.”

…

The atmosphere inside the former house where Khanin had lived since childhood was still infused with warmth, just like when Khanin sat down at the dining table and looked up at his father with his messy hair and somewhat lost eyes. Even that person who was absorbed in front of the stove turned to greet him.

The clock on the wall showed that it was already ten o’clock. Khanin woke up late today because he had been in a state of chaos yesterday with cleaning and sorting out things, walking into the dining room and sitting down at the table with his hands on his chin like that. Even the person who was absorbed in front of the stove turned to greet him.

“Did you sleep well last night?”

“Yes. I think it was the best night of sleep I have had in months.” The young man drew a smile on his face, but the words he spoke were a complete lie. 

Khanin couldn’t sleep, he was thinking about Charan, but he couldn’t do anything except let himself dwell on that thought. 

Even though he got up to listen to music, do activities he enjoyed, and kill time, the feeling of missing Charan lingered and never subsided. 

“I too hope my son sleeps well for real.” The middle aged man spoke as if he knew. Tanattai placed an English style breakfast plate in front of them. Before Khanin turned to grab a glass of fresh milk from the fridge to have with it.

“Well it’s your favorite… a simple menu that you like to eat.”

“I missed your cooking skills.”

Biting into bread, speaking without needing to sit together and coordinate words, actually, bread tastes normal, what makes Khanin think back is probably the atmosphere that has been gone for a long time.

“Are you going out today?” A cup of black coffee and a slice of bread is Tanattai’s choice. The middle aged man took off his stained clothes before sitting down at the usual table to drink coffee.

“I am meeting Paul at the park.” It’s been three days since Khanin returned here. Paul was chatting with him every day since the first day he arrived.

But the problem was that he traveled to another city on weekends with his family, just returned to London today, so they made an appointment.

“Good, go out and get some fresh air.” Tanattai asked because he intended to suggest ideas for the boy to go out and do other activities, go out of the house a bit, mainly to hopefully reduce Khanin’s melancholy gaze.

Tanattai looked out, still aware that his son was feeling something. Khanin loved Charan very much. Because he loved so much that he allowed that path to have the freedom to make decisions.

Khanin used the fork to prick the sausage into his mouth, chewing slowly, old memories rushed back into his mind. Before, he used to argue with his dad often about food.

Because Tanattai likes to force him to eat something difficult so even though he is good at eating Western food, his father often lets him practice eating menus that take time to eat, such as Khao-Soi…

The hand that was about to send the last piece of crispy bacon to his mouth stopped, Khao-Soi used to be a menu item that Khanin hated very much, but when he went to Emmaly’s, he tried to find something to eat. The important thing was that it made him think of his dad.

But now, thinking of Khao-Soi, it also led him to think of someone’s face who used to spend time eating Khao-Soi with him at Jirat’s homestay with beef soup…

“What do you want to eat for dinner?” This question arose when Khanin lifted his hot fresh milk for a sip, as fast as his thoughts, faster than his brain’s processing or ordering, the young man blurted out the menu that was stuck in his mind and asked Tanattai to pout.

“Khao-Soi with beef soup.”

“Nin? You usually don’t like Khao-Soi.”

“I want to eat it later… I’ll go first, Dad.” Summarizing the conversation to end it. Khanin knew that his longing was working hard in his mind. He knew everything well but didn’t have any thoughts that would prevent himself even a little.

The young man allowed himself to feel completely. In space that wouldn’t take a step into Charan’s life. 

The cold outside made him clasp his shirt to his body, the person with royal bloodline took steps along the walkway. Khanin typed a reply message to Paul that he was on his way, he would arrive at the public park in a few minutes, while also switching to chat with the person who owns the territory both in mind and heart.

The last message was from Khanin during the evening, reporting where he would go and what he’ll do today. Meanwhile, Charan said that he went to sleep several hours ago.

The warm breath sprayed out into the cool air, causing the slender figure to reach for the mobile phone and put it away. Khanin tucked his hand into his shirt pocket, and strolled through the park amid the cool breeze and bustle of people at noon.

Khanin didn’t rush, he walked leisurely while looking at the surroundings, immersed in the gentle aroma of leaves and grass that wafted along the wind of ordinary life, making him feel a strange tingling in his chest. Khanin smiled as he recalled the events of the past few months.

Having a guardian to take care of the surroundings, holding high ranking positions, and even Charan… everything seemed like a dream.

Khanin felt as if he had fallen asleep with a very long dream, much of which were periods of grief and periods of happiness… but he could never forget.

“Hey!” greeted the person who had been waiting, causing Khanin to turn and look, and a golden head friend walked into his sight, before plunging into an embrace.

“How are you?” Khanin returned the greeting with a hug. Although he didn’t seem to have changed much, perhaps his hairstyle looked a bit strange, but in general, he was still an energy rich person.

“I have to ask you. When I heard the news, I was very surprised. I went to bed, and when I woke up, a friend became a Prince, saying that he was going abroad for a while, and then suddenly became a Heir Apparent.”

“The story is long.”

“You are so mean that you haven’t contacted me.” He cut off his voice, but didn’t really seem to be too serious about anything. He seemed more like he just wanted to complain for others to listen, but how much he really wanted to know was unclear.

“For safety, not mine, but yours.” This may be one of the reasons why Khanin has been able to become friends with Paul for a long time.

The advantage of the other side is that Paul is not the type who likes to be silent about things that he can’t confide in. It seems that this person is more likely to ask questions to show concern.

“Is everything okay now?”

Khanin did not respond in a full voice as they walked and talked along the riverside, chatting about trivial matters before stopping at a brown water bench.

“Hey, and what about that handsome guy? How’s he doing?” After exchanging stories about their lives together, Paul brought up a new topic that made Khanin pause for a moment.

“Just… as handsome as before.”

“Huh. Well, nevermind, what… What kind of person is he? As if he’s not really there.” For a split second, Paul seemed a little confused with the answer, but then burst into laughter and nodded in agreement.

“…”

“…” Khanin smiled lightly, not knowing if he unintentionally revealed his face, but then realized that his friend was getting up, turning to look at each other earnestly.

“Hey, do you want to eat ice cream? Let me buy it for you, consider it as a treat for your back.” He pointed to a nearby ice cream shop.

Khanin looked at the place before answering, “Uh, sure.”

“What kind of ice cream do you want, orange?” Paul’s question made Khanin ponder, his slender frame re emerging with heightened memories of specific moments.

“Orange ice cream?”

“Next time, let’s try the flavored ice cream.”

“Huh?”

“I prefer eating orange flavored ice cream over coffee.”

“I will remember that.”

With a light smile on his lips, it was true that Khanin liked orange flavored ice cream, but in the end, he decided to choose the taste that he missed more than his personal preference.

“I’ll take coffee flavor, thanks.”

Because Khanin hoped that at least these small actions would help alleviate his longing for Charan, whether by a little or by a lot…

…

The warmth from the heater made the atmosphere inside Khanin’s bedroom cozy. It had been several hours since the sun had set and he was getting ready to rest.

From noon until afternoon, Khanin spent most of his time with his close friend Paul, before returning to have dinner with his father.

The beef ball noodle soup recipe by Tanattai tasted good, but it still differed slightly from the homemade cooking of Jirat. During the mealtime, Khanin spent the time talking with his father, calling Tarin, and ending with Chakri, the young butler who always sounded upset whenever he called.

His slender figure laying down on the bed, he stared at the chat screen that still hadn’t received a reply from his crush. Charan had been missing since his last message several hours ago.

It was already 3 a.m. in England. It was evening… Charan should have woken up a while ago, but why hadn’t he messaged yet?

Khanin thought that Charan was probably busy and might be overwhelmed with his workload, but why… couldn’t he spare a little time to reply?

Phii Ran had never disappeared like this before.

His cute face looked sad. Khanin seemed like someone who had both a good and a bad side who were constantly fighting. One side wanted to send a message to his crush, while the other side didn’t think it was necessary.

His slender figure walked back and forth in the bedroom to pass the time. He went in to read the group chat messages containing both Ramil and Evaa, talked, but the two of them weren’t as cheerful as usual. Khanin felt that his physical and mental energy were negative, the atmosphere was even colder outside, despite having a heater that added warmth.

The clock on the headboard showed it was already four o’clock. Khanin took a deep breath before lying down on the bed. He decided to send a message to Charan that he missed him, but in the end, there was no response like before.

Khanin made a sad face, looking at his mobile phone screen before laying it on his chest and staring at the ceiling for a moment. He suddenly shook as he received a call from a video call with a name that he didn’t expect, not the one he had in his heart, but rather a call from the new young leader of the Puchongpisut family.

“What’s up?”

[What is it?] His charming face still looked annoyed and agitated as before.

Khanin raised his eyebrows, while Ramil glanced over suspiciously.

“What?”

[Looking like this, you must miss Charan so much.]

Despite his tough appearance and defiant mouth, Khanin wasn’t in the mood to engage in conversation this time.

“Sigh.” The resigned posture led to another side of the phone falling silent for a moment. Ramil took a deep breath, no longer having fun and instead spoke seriously.

[If you miss him, just call him.]

“…”

[Will you want me to do it for you?]

“How embarrassing.” The younger cousin’s volunteer behavior called for Khanin to turn his gaze back, the fair skinned owner of the house raised his eyebrows before tilting his neck to ask with suspicion.

[Just send someone to fetch him.]

“Did you really use this tactic on him all the time?” The listener frowned and made strange reactions of disgust which created a frustrating reaction from Ramil.

[…]

“Don’t tell me…” Because of the look that Ramil kept glancing at the camera. Khanin could guess that it was his turn to look wrong and retrieve his face back from the other side.

[Shut up, Khana] the voice that was used to teasing him became quieter and clearer.

Khanin narrowed his eyes, imitating the posture of Ramil when the teacher gave an order.

“Let me see behind the camera, Rameng.”

[So troublesome.] Despite all the cursing, he finally acquiesced and turned back to the camera to show the only son of the Minister of Agriculture, who was asleep on the bed of the high ranking young man.

To this extent, even looking from Mars would know that he liked him… It was just that he was too straightforward.

“Should I send someone to fetch him?”

[I’ll go get him myself… Take care of yourself, don’t worry about everything.] The camera turned back to show the sulky appearance of Ramil, and the other side gave a low voice that made Khanin have to take a deep breath.

“Like this, when will he know…”

[Take care of yourself, okay. Did you just call and complain or something?]

“If you just act normal… be careful not to lose him.” Khanin warned from his heart, a moment of seeing a tremble in the sharp eyes of Ramil, but that thing happened just for a split second before it disappeared.

“No need… How about I wait?” Someone insisted on changing the subject.

Ramil volunteered. As for Khanin, he simply ignored the proposal.

“No need… I’ll wait.”

[Just waiting won’t lead to anything. Call him.]

   “No, I don’t want to bother him.” The English speaker’s response made the other side of the phone screen frown. Ramil took a deep breath and cursed before thinking about how to respond.

[You are really complicated, Khana.]

“You litt-…” Khanin was planning to shout back, but something came up, and suddenly Ramil became restless in his seat. Ramil, as he quickly whispered something and Khanin, who was able to connect the dots and figure out the situation for himself.

[Petai will wake up…for now. If there’s anything else you need, just contact me.] Ramil summarized abruptly.

Khanin replied with a throaty  voice in his throat, before the screen and the sound of the cousin faded away, quite certain that he had never heard them use that word with anyone else before.

“…just go to sleep, I am okay.” he said to himself.

The call disconnected, and Khanin’s phone screen returned to Charan’s chat room as usual. This person hadn’t read or responded yet, so finally Khanin mustered the courage to press the phone icon and call out.

The ringing sounded loud, and the handsome young man’s lips trembled as he waited for someone to answer, until the call went silent, and everything around him returned to silence. He looked down at his English lettered bracelet and sighed.

“Destiny is far away but meet anyway.”

Destiny…no matter how far apart on different sides across the sky, they had to meet again.

The more he saw, the more he felt, the more he thought, the more he was tormented.

Khanin wanted to scream, he took himself to sneak under the blanket before letting tears trickle down slowly, both thinking and fearing that if Charan didn’t want to continue with him, what would he do?

Could he really be good at it? Like saying that he would agree to let Charan go, could he really do it?

Tears flowed down, Khanin allowed himself to be overwhelmed by emotions, he cried until his eyes unwittingly closed since he wasn’t sure when.

However, the feeling of someone else’s heavy footsteps in the hallway made Khanin suddenly awaken among the nerve wracking touch he felt in his body.

He listened closely and was quite confident that it was not Tanattai’s footsteps since it was around two o’clock.

Were there other people in this house…?

Blood froze instantly, as fast as thought. Khanin lowered himself down from the wide bed and tiptoed to hide behind the door, like that…

Until someone opened the door with a key. Khanin had been waiting for the opportunity and then jumped in, locking the intruder down, but the other responded quickly.

Khanin was quickly overthrown once again as the world spun, and he tried to wriggle out, but just one sentence from the other side, it was enough to make everything disappear completely.

“Nin…it’s me, okay”.”

Khanin opened his eyes widely, hearing the sound, the scent he was familiar with. His deep brown eyes looked deeply into the charming face of his intruder. The latter didn’t flinch, until it stood still again as the curtain of its eyes closed and sealed the smile that his body longed for.

“Phii Ran? I am not dreaming right?” Some confirmed the truth with a warm touch on the dark side.

Khanin was afraid that this might just be a dream, he was afraid that if he woke up…everything that seemed real right now would be shattered.

“It’s not a dream…I came for you, Nin.” Some confirmed the reality with a warm touch on the dark side.

Khanin released Charan’s hug, and minutes passed before they looked at each other.

Fingers rubbed against warm cheeks, and the disheveled face looked like someone who hadn’t slept for days. Khanin couldn’t help but feel concerned for his loved one.

The warmth of his breath confirmed that this wasn’t a dream.

Phii Ran came here… to find him.

Tears of joy flowed down, and the longing that had been suppressed was expressed through vulnerability. Khanin hugged the person in front of him with all his love, and this time the young man buried his face in the older man’s chest, rubbing it and crying without shame like a child.

“You disappeared…all day, gone to the point where I thought you didn’t want to talk to me anymore…[sobbing].” Khanin never spoke of his fears to anyone, but they brewed in his heart, his small hand firmly clutching the taller man’s shirt showing the need for this person not to disappear again.

“I’m sorry…I’m sorry.” Charan hugged him tightly in response, knowing full well how much Khanin’s life was fraught with such moments of loss.

How would life go on without the sun? 

Without the guiding light, Charan was just a foolish tree waiting for death.

“…”

“The reason I disappeared was that I was on a plane, and also…Tanattai said you were staying with Paul and didn’t want to be disturbed. I wanted you to spend time with your friends, while I hurriedly cleared up everything on my work schedule.” Charan wanted his younger companion to know that he wasn’t at peace and didn’t want to be gone for long.

It may sound exaggerated to say, but the moment Khanin turned away, Charan knew deep down that this wasn’t what he wanted.

But because the issue they faced was heavy and weighed down by duty and family burdens, the young man couldn’t act on his feelings right away.

“At least try to make contact, do you know that I…mmmhpf.” Before he could finish his sentence, the bigger guy managed to pile them both onto the large, soft bed.

His warm hand reached out to hold both of their hands, and then he drew them towards his cheeks and used a gaze that left hearts trembling.

“I wanted to surprise you, Nin.” Charan kissed the small hand. His narrowed eyes met with the younger man’s sensitivity as he spoke, telling him what he felt inside his heart. “I miss you.”

The warm feeling returned to surround both of their bodies again. Khanin no longer needed to resist, as long as they were together. Charan wanted the other to experience the feelings he wanted to feel, to do what he wanted to do, without having to deceive himself or having to do things for anyone else.

Khanin didn’t need to be strong anymore, as long as they were together. Charan wanted his younger companion to feel the way he wanted to, to do what he wanted to do, without fear of deceit or obligation to anyone else.

He just waited… until the other side stopped crying in the midst of London’s thick, eerie air, while the moonlight shone through the window and reflected in their close collaborating eyes.

“I have fixed everything in Emmaly, it won’t disappear anymore.” Charan came out whispering some words not much different from a promise, after letting the loved one express their emotions until the other side’s face brightened up.

“Really?”

“Yes, I won’t go far away from you anymore… I don’t eat much without you, just keep thinking about you.” Charan’s expressions and everything else appeared clear as day.

 

 

I don’t eat much either… I was just thinking about the time we spent together.”

“…”

“Before everything happened… I had a list of places to travel to and eat at. Because I thought you would come with me, Phii Ran.” The end of the sentence shivered with a story. Khanin recalled his newly opened restaurant list, as well as the travel plans they used to talk about, before they had to separate due to a terrible event.

“If that’s the case, let’s go to every restaurant you want, go wherever you want, travel together like we used to talk about, right?”

“Will you have time, Phii Ran?” Khanin asked suspiciously. He thought

Charan still had a lot of work to do, so he didn’t dare to be too happy yet.

“I have time… I’ve resigned from my position as the head of the family. I’m a freelancer now… wherever I want to go, I’ll go. If Nin you are with me.”

“Resigned?” Khanin widened his eyes, accidentally speaking out loud with surprise. He didn’t think what Charan said about fixing everything would end up as him resigning or giving up his position.

“Yes.” The older one smiled before starting to explain for the loved one to understand, “Actually, I didn’t want to be in this position from the beginning. I thought I would only stay for a short time.”

The final task assigned was to bring the young Young Prince of Atsawathewathin back to the base…

“…”

“The Sovereign King promised to let me retire and paint full time if I completed the mission, but once I did, I couldn’t leave… because someone asked me to stay. He said if I wanted him to join the competition I should stick around. I was thinking it would end there, but no, that person needed me to be with him, to be responsible for him… because I brought him to Emmaly.”

At that time, I didn’t have anyone else.” Khanin chuckled, his two layered eyes avoiding contact as he whispered, tucking some soft hair behind his small ear with an affectionate look towards Charan.

“Yes… he said he didn’t have anyone else and that I was the only important person in his life at that time. So, I decided to stay because that person was as important to me as I was to him.”

“…”

“He made me a better person, made me smile more, happier, no more nightmares, not alone when it rains, nothing to be afraid of when he’s there with me… but he’s not there anymore, so there’s no need to stay.” Charan explained at length. He fell silent when he saw the young one’s face looking like he wanted to ask something.

“And what grandfather did… are you not angry?” Khanin avoided talking about it in detail, fidgeting, not even daring to look up at the tall figure.

“Am I angry… disappointed and sad?” Charan’s face reflected reality, with the other person’s eyes dimming sadly when he had to talk about himself, trying to persuade him to forget about it.

“And, do you still want to be with me…?” Khanin asked with a trembling voice, his cute face dropping with his chin almost touching his chest, a mass of sadness spreading, and his demeanor showing heavy concern.

“Listen to me, Nin.”

“…”

“Nin, you are not at fault, you did nothing wrong from the start, I admit that I didn’t handle my own feelings at first, but when we were apart, I realized how much it hurt not having you around, and I asked myself if I still wanted to be with you… and the only answer in my heart was yes, I want to be with you, forever and always.”

“…”

Even though I won’t forgive the person who hurt my mother, I’ve decided that I’ll stay in the present… I don’t want to lose you, Nin.” Charan reviewed and discovered that where one lived in the world was not essential, comparable to having Khanin by his side.

The most important thing in the young man’s life now was not having a good reputation and living for someone else; the only thing he wanted from now on was Khanin, a simple person who was the only one in this world.

“Phii Ran…”

“Nin you are the present and future, everything in my life… I love you, Nin.” Charan met Khanin’s eyes, expressing his heartfelt sentiments, and all of it held back tears.

“I love you too, as much as possible. I… Nin don’t want to lose you Phii either.”

“I am not going anywhere… we’ll be together.”

“Aww, together forever.” Khanin smiled through his tears, the first genuine smile in many days.

“Yes, together forever… I promise.”

…

The swordsmanship association was not as crowded in the evening as it was during the day. Only a few people were practicing in the field, some were watching their friends compete, and some were practicing alone.

Khanin took his loved one to another room, not wanting anyone to interfere with his competition against Charan for this time.

After Charan came to see him last night, the two of them spent time together and chatted to understand each other better, each side taking turns to talk about what they had been doing for the last few days.

 

 

They spent the whole night together in their room before finally deciding to take a walk around. It was Khanin who suggested they come here.

This was the first time they had met at the swordsmanship association.

Charan took Khanin to the same place he used to watch him from when he first came here and talked about the feeling he had at that time of seeing Khanin’s face, and how he felt like Khanin was a quick witted person.

And of course, Khanin felt just as nervous.

Both sides were lost in thought, talking and enjoying watching others play sports until time passed for several hours. They agreed on almost everything, but couldn’t come to a conclusion when it came to dinner.

From being a spectator to becoming a player, the sword game began when both sides refused to offer what they wanted to eat based on their own desires. Khanin suggested that Charan come forward to fight him to sort out a way out for everyone to get a choice based on their desires.

The condition was that each person had to offer a different menu, and the loser had to agree to eat what the winner proposed. However, Charan kept playing poorly on purpose, which isn’t really losing on purpose. What should we call this?

“Eung-Ang… how will you win if you keep playing like this?” Khanin teased, removing his metal mask before walking over to the other side that had just smiled and shouted words.

“I wasn’t planning to win anyway.”

“But that’s not fair… we agreed to eat what the winner wanted. Why are we competing if you’re just going to agree to lose to me?”

“Are you not satisfied that I agreed to lose?” Charan chuckled as he hugged the chest heaving in laughter, removed his metal mask and gloves, then reached out to hold the white hand together, leading the other side to the corner of the room.

“Yes.” Khanin murmured when he heard the young man ask for his beloved’s help with removing his body armor in a gentle and caring manner, which Charan duly obliged with tenderness and care.

“So, how do you feel satisfied?”

The tall figure asked softly after removing the lightweight armor for Khanin, his handsome face smiled and looked amusingly at the person who refused to accept defeat.

“Are we going to compete again?”

“I don’t want to compete anymore, if I do, you’ll just stubbornly lose… I want to take you to eat something that I’m stubbornly craving for more.”

“So you bait me with food then, if I gain weight later, I won’t walk, I’ll just ride on your back going everywhere, and if your back breaks, I’ll take care of it.” Khanin laughed as the younger hugged his chest and turned to hide his face.

“Are you sulking?”

“Yes, I am.”

Charan chuckled when he heard that, looking around confidently thinking there was no one else in the room except for him and Khanin, the young man decided to turn the younger one around to look in his eyes.

Khanin quickly followed his gaze and looked straight ahead. When he saw the other person’s face tense, Charan remembered the first time he clashed lips, the white one was so cute and seemed to… he just can’t help teasing him now.

“I apologize for making you angry, Your Majesty but I flew across the sky with a purpose being you.”

Charan said with words he once used with the other side before, and he remembered specifically that on that day, he spoke because he wanted the other side to think about the role of Young Prince of Atsawathenin.

On that day, Khanin was just as stubborn as he is now.

“…”

“Don’t sulk for too long… the next time, no matter when, I will be willing to give in again. Because I never thought I could defeat you.” But today is not like yesterday anymore. He spoke simply because he wanted to tease someone he loved to be in a good mood and wanted him to understand the main purpose of his coming back to be together, more clearly.”

“…”

“Between us, this is a love story… I hope the prince will understand…”

“Phii Ran…” The younger one put his hands on the older man’s neck, tense and not knowing what to do when he heard Charan’s words, then suddenly burst out laughing. Khanin also laughed out loud. He didn’t expect Charan to play like this right now, it was cute but…

“Why?”

“It’s very cheesy.” the young man whispered teasingly, causing Khanin’s eyes to widen with laughter.

Charan did the same thing, the laughter of the two mingled together.

Charan pulled the smaller person closer and asked back with a chuckle.

“Don’t you like it? I thought you would.”

“Someone like you… I like everything about you.”

The sweet sentence answered back, calling for a smile from the listener. Charan raised his eyebrows and asked himself a question whose answer he already knew.

“Do you just like it?”

“Oh, love, the greatest love of all.” The sweet whisper was not far from the hope that Charan should find something. Khanin is so lovable, so lovable that Charan thinks he should find something.

The young man moved closer to the white person until there was almost no space left for the air to pass through. The surrounding atmosphere was silent after a warm conversation.

The eyes met each other with love, and the chilly air outside filled the space, but it could not make them feel cold anymore.

Because at this moment, their warm breaths were exchanged in harmony, shared from one person to another…

The warm lips moved closer to each other, kissed with passion, the soft touch from Khanin was the only thing that helped ease the journey.

Charan knew he had made the right decision.

Khanin is the only reason for him to continue living.

Previously, Charan had babbled about the cruel fate that took away the people he loved, but now he has made a vow with the person above. 

If the gods chooses not to take his loved one at this time. Charan promised not to think or talk about the terrible past anymore or blame the gods. From now on, he will live to protect, take care of, and love Khanin with all his heart.

He will never let anyone extinguish or destroy his sun.

No more Phitakthewa, no more Atsawathewathin.

Charan will love and accompany Khanin until they cross the sky together.

Across the sky Beside You.

 

END.

 

   THE NEXT PRINCE CHAPTERS HOME

   THENEXTPRINCE, Chapter 45: Love Beyond the Limits.

“Khanin… Are you injured?”

“What’s wrong? Did something happen to you? Khanin, answer!” The crowd swarmed around him, their bodies in confusion.

Khanin sat in silence, letting Evaa, who was standing near him, ask questions with a trembling voice, while Ramil tried to turn Khanin over and made a loud noise. The team members rushed in to take care of and ask about what happened, but there was no response due to the inability to speak.

The violent incident that occurred earlier still lingered. Waseen, the leader of the Meenakarin family, deliberately ended the life of the Sovereign King and himself with the vengeance bullet, causing the breath of the esteemed uncle to stop in front of everyone.

As for Dhipabawon… The faint vital signs remaining caused the field medical team to quickly move the wounded person to the hospital. Khanin was protected and brought out by Charan, and he could not speak. Even now, when the opposing party had to distance themselves.

“Nin, you are safe here.”

Charan did not allow Khanin to follow. As the tall figure moved further away, many people pushed their way into the chaos around him. Amidst the turmoil where Khanin stood, behind him was a medical unit waiting to take some of the injured for treatment with police officers stationed nearby.

Nearby the entrance gate to the palace, reporters from various agencies tried to force their way in, while other officers blocked people outside to prevent any disturbance.

The violent incident was too intense to keep everything away from the eyes of the public. At this time, all members of the royal family were invited to board bullet proof cars to be moved to a safe location. Khanin tried to find Charan, searching frantically for the familiar figure, but he was nowhere to be found.

“Why isn’t Phii Ran coming?” Khanin asked Chakri, who had just closed the door and sat next to the driver’s seat, and the young man then felt the uncertainty of his body, but still struggled to maintain his composure.

“Khun Charan has to stay and command Phitakthewa’s men, Your Highness.” the plump butler replied, before turning to talk with the bodyguard, who had now become the current driver in place of the regular driver.

At this point, Thawetmetha’s state guard unit had come to stand and wait for the car to be escorted. Khanin looked around again before finding someone who was looking for him.

Charan was over there… Finding himself struggling to issue orders to Phitakthewa’s remaining men, it looked like they were slowly being pushed away from each other by the human wall that surrounded them… All the time.

The distance wasn’t so far, but the feeling made him shudder with fear.

“I’ll wait…” Khanin told the driver, making the car of the young royal of the Atsawathewathin family the only one that had not yet moved out like all the other cars.

“Young Prince Khanin, you will wait…”

“I’ll wait for Charan.”

“Let’s go to the hospital first. Son, you need a check up. Charan wants your body to be thoroughly examined. He wants it to be like that.” said Tarin, exhaling before the Atsawathewathin family state’s man signaled the butler to close the door, then reached out to touch the young prince’s head lightly.

“Will you let him come?” Khanin asked in a soft voice, his expression anxious at the prospect of the response he might receive.

“Once my duty is fulfilled, he will follow.” the father replied tersely before turning to instruct the driver to set out. The authoritative tone of the person with more power than the young prince caused the driver to immediately pull out of the palace gates. Those who had been posturing nervously immediately straightened up and turned to face the departure of the car.

“Phii Ran is probably busy, we’ll see each other soon.” Khanin said as a way to console himself.

Khanin tried to reassure himself by diverting the current of his thoughts to Charan who was busy chatting with others, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the car was about to leave the palace gate. The pair’s gaze was filled with confusion and ambivalence, pain seeping out of every pore of the young man’s heart. It was as if a hand that he couldn’t see was squeezing them tightly.

Though the window tinting film made it hard to see inside the car, Khanin was certain that Charan was looking his way. His gaze was filled with confusion and ambivalence, pain seeping out of every pore of the young man’s heart. It was as if a hand that he couldn’t see was squeezing them tightly.

Khanin blinked back tears. He now knew that something was amiss…

If everything was the same, if the feelings were the same, would Charan tolerate or allow him to distance himself? Wasn’t it true that under these circumstances, he wouldn’t be here, standing next to Charan? But why did it have to be like this?

Lips pursed tightly together, Khanin tried to suppress the lump in his throat. He couldn’t bring himself to give an answer, and all he could do was stay frozen in his place, his pale face gazing out the window. His eyes darted away from Chakri’s worried gaze.

“I… to be honest, I used to wonder why I existed. If I hadn’t been born, no one would have to suffer or sacrifice themselves, and you could have lived a life that was truly your own. Father would be living in the palace, living the life everyone wants. I couldn’t answer myself clearly, except to say that it was a good thing that I was still alive. Right?”

“It’s good that we’re still here…”

“…”

“It’s good that we met.” Khanin said, and then fell silent.

Sometimes Charan might have a genuine answer, but… because of that, he might not want to be near him like before.

Khanin rubbed his eyes with the back of his small, slender hand. He heard Tarin’s inquiry, but he couldn’t bring himself to meet it. The only thing he could do, and it was hard, was to let the hot tears fall.

Khanin was in so much pain that he couldn’t do anything right now, not even in his mind. He didn’t dare hope for Charan’s forgiveness, nor to even think about going back to the days when they could stand side by side as lovers.

He knew and realized that even in his thoughts, it wasn’t appropriate. The only thing that remains in his mind is that Charan’s mother had to die to protect him from threats.

Khanin shuddered uncontrollably, and the only thing left of the brave child who had never feared anything was the body, a body that was clung to and hugged by his father for comfort.

Letting the vulnerable child inside him cry out in a pitiful voice. Tarin heard it, but he couldn’t command it to stop. The young boy felt like he had gone back to the days when he had wandered around lost.

He didn’t know what the future held, and he didn’t know anything at all.

All he knew was… no matter how much Charan’s heart changed, he would always love and hold on to the good in him.

As the red cloud covered the entire sky, and the rumbling was heard, signaling an imminent storm, the people gazing at the outside scenery were not fazed.

The fear that the tempestuous weather brought did not distract those who were sitting and looking outside.

Khanin upped the volume of the television in the living room, chasing away the silence without paying any attention to it. He let the silence cover his body and looked out aimlessly without focusing on anything.

The first news agency to publish an analysis of the events in Emmaly was Asia Times, with an analysis discussing the king’s governance.

Public opinion thinks…

The female journalist’s voice floated in one ear and out the other as she reported the news. After spending three days in the safe house for security checks in the Royal Palace, the palace returned to normal.

An immediate meeting to determine the direction of the country was held in the palace. Meanwhile, the leaders of each state held strong discussions with each other. Even the Puchongpisut Rachata, who is currently under investigation for attempted murder, could not avoid it. Because the current leader of the country, Sovereign King Dhipabawon, has become a powerless figure.

Grandfather has become paralyzed…

The bullet that Waseen left as a final appointment rushed straight into the center of the back of the old man, burying itself in the spine. Although it kept his life, the old man could no longer speak or move as he pleased as before.

The dark deeds that were kept under the rug for nearly thirty years were revealed, and old cases were re-tried again by the Parliament in the dynasty.

When they ordered an investigation, they found more evidence.

What Dhipabawon did was not just smuggling. He also tried to prevent other states from having power above him, causing many people to suffer from this loss of power.

Various evidence clearly indicated that Dhipabawon deliberately twisted the treaties between the states and carried out heinous acts for a long time just to maintain power for Aatsawathewathin.

Or maybe he just wanted to keep his own evil deeds hidden.

The old man was immediately released from his position. The Parliament passed a resolution to imprison the former Sovereign King in the most horrific place in Emmaly for two months, allowing no one to visit except for the staff who were taking care of him.

The room Dhipabawon needed to use was determined to be a clean, white room with no odor, sound, windows, or white doors. The appliances were white and the food delivery and nursing staff who came in during the day were all dressed in white.

The light bulbs that were used in the room were neon white to prevent prisoners from seeing themselves, and they were not turned off even for a minute so that the prisoner’s brain could remain alert at all times.

This was a place that Dhipabawon had ordered to be built to torment those who opposed Aatsawathewathin. The draft law was created to allow the use of this horrific place.

This mental atrocity was the beginning of the torment that Dhipabawon would suffer. The previous leader of Emmaly had to endure the feeling of emptiness, languishing, and confusion, constantly going back and forth like that forever.

Emmaly compared their sword to the law. If the sword of power and justice was used intentionally to harm others, then it had no righteousness, and it was simply a tool that was harmful to society. Remember that regardless of whether you are at the highest or lowest point of the country, the value of a person… They measured it based on his actions, reputation, and greatness that he gained without the approval of morality.

The sword…

However, when it falls into the hands of those who abuse their power, it loses its righteousness and just becomes a tool of destruction.

Be aware that as high profile figures, people measure them by their deeds, reputation, and greatness that they gained without the approval of morality.

When the leader of the country became defective, a regent, the important people in the country requested a new Sovereign King to be selected. However, all the state leaders disagreed with the old method, so they decided to govern transparently together to prevent future events that would lead to internal conflicts.

Of course, Khanin and the cousins Evaa and Ramil were present at the meeting, as they recognized the injustice of any state holding power without being reviewed by other states. As in the past, they proposed a new path for Emmaly by offering to upload all information regarding state trade and various budgets that would be used in the country onto an online platform.

This allows everyone to have access to it, including the public.

No one at the meeting objected, so technology leaders like Thawetmetha volunteered to create a platform to upload data, while Atsawathewathin had to pay the penalty imposed on the previous Sovereign King after verifying his assets by allowing the central accounting office to examine them. They also had to agree to return the seized property of others that the old man had previously confiscated and to be the facilitator for all parties without interfering with the central treasury.

On the Puchongpisut side, Rachata finally confessed to his wrongdoing and voluntarily entered prison, relinquishing his title as Prince and apologizing to everyone involved in the case. This led to a newcomer taking over the state government under; Ramil. While the cousin who was bored and with Khanin throughout, became one of the busiest state leaders in Emmaly. In addition to becoming the party to verify the assets and accounts of every state before uploading them on the platform created by Thawetmetha, they also had to transfer all work from the previous father within three days before Rachata entered custody.

As for the leader of Meenakarin… Uncle Waseen died unexpectedly, resulting in only one state in Emmaly lacking a leader. Meanwhile, the assembly selected a new person to take over since Waseen had no heirs to pass on his position.

In the state of Meenakarin, people who were affected had been comforted, and all remaining states provided assistance in every aspect, including food, livelihoods, living conditions, education, medical care, and transportation.

Although it was too late for many families to reconcile, many of them decided to return and settle in this coastal area again.

Emmaly will likely take many more years to fully restore itself to its former glory and heal the large wounds inflicted.

However, Charan’s and Khanin’s feelings… It is unclear how long it will take for them to return to normal.

For several days, Khanin has had a chance to meet Charan, but during their encounter, no one mentioned anything about what happened. Khanin admitted that he was afraid to answer.

Khanin’s eyes hid behind looking at the painting of the Delian flower on a quiet room wall, the inexplicable variety of feelings gnawing at their hearts. Since the significant event that happened that stretched until now, this young man couldn’t manage his own life.

Emmaly’s government and political situation seem to be heading in a better direction after the unanimous vote of approval from all the families. While it is not yet perfect, no one has come forward to oppose or criticize this change.

As a member of the royal bloodline, Khanin thinks that the whole story is slowly reaching a turning point, with all wrongdoers being punished for their actions.

Everything seems to be heading in the right direction, but if there is anything that is not right, it would probably be his relationship with Charan that seems to be distorted.

Since the incident, their relationship seems to have a large gap that cannot be seen with naked eyes, but it is deeply hidden and infiltrated in their minds.

Khanin does not dare to speak about the relationship and decision in the future, and he knows that Charan is the same.

Their love and relationship is not a dead end, but a crossroads that requires decision making. Khanin has been reflecting on it and has given him the path he chooses to take.

It will not be the end of this relationship.

The past stories they learned have brought Khanin those negative emotions. Even though he didn’t want to think about it and tried to forget, he couldn’t change the truth about Charan’s mother’s death.

The realization of the past relationships is much more than what Khanin can handle. Charan does not speak, and the other party continues to act as if nothing had happened, but they both know that it is not the case.

What Waseen and Dhipabawon did created huge wounds for both of them, and it was too difficult to easily overcome like the bad stories in their lives.

Because they care too much. Because they love each other so much that they cannot see past those things easily.

Khanin must fight against the negative emotions within him. He does not want to hate himself, but the words from that day still haunt him, becoming a festering wound in his heart. If left untreated, it will only cause pain.

The young royal is looking for a way to fix this, but Khanin does not want to continue to be stubborn. He does not want to ignore the problem even though he knows in his heart that it’s there.

He loves Charan, and it is a love without any conditions, a pure love that is too overwhelming to contain, even though Charan’s heart is still fragile.

“A cup of lukewarm tea like this can ease the tension.” Because he keeps thinking too much. Khanin did not hear the sound of footsteps behind.

The father sat down on the sofa across, pouring the steamy tea into the abandoned cup.

“Dad…”

“What are you thinking about?” The familiar voice did not calm the chaotic story in his mind, but seeing the face of Tanattai made him feel uneasy and a bit guilty.

He knows that since these past few days, he has caused those around him to worry, but since he cannot stop the feeling of sadness. Khanin does not know what to do. When it comes to Charan, he becomes someone who is not good at expressing his emotions.

“I am thinking about many things.”

“Do you have any idea what to do next?” Tanattai acted as if he were Khanin’s caretaker, because Khanin would not have dared to lie, those eyes that seemed to see through his thoughts in just a moment.

“….”

“Can you tell me what you want?” The gentle sentence and tone made Khanin’s eyes hot, the young man was quiet, pondering the things inside that made him unable to stop, until he finally yielded to express his thoughts to be heard by his conversation partner.

“I want to come back to my home.” It was said, but it was Khanin who felt heartbroken. He glanced at Chakri again, his butler seemed to be in shock.

The small corner of the mouth was curled up to the owner of the house. Khanin knew well that the decision at this time would have a significant impact on many people, but one thing had been true throughout, and had been since the beginning … he didn’t want to be a Prince.

Life as an ordinary person is a different choice.

“So, what is it that makes you worried? Can you tell me?”

The question from Tanattai had an answer in Khanin’s mind with eighteen thousand stories that he didn’t know whether he actually should ditch his title of nobility or not, what his father really felt, and his relationship with Charan.

“I… I am worried about Dad Tarin.” However, in the end, Khanin chose to speak out about only one thing, he lowered his eyes and kept them on the cool tea cup, releasing the mass of overwhelming feelings to expand, while Tanattai smiled slightly.

“If that’s the case …”

 

 

Don’t worry, Khanin.” The third person in this conversation arrived just in time. Tarin sat down at the table. Khanin was summoned to join the conversation.

“…”

“We, two fathers talking together, whatever makes you happy, we won’t interfere. Nin, you can live however you want.”

“Have you talked already?”

“Oh, we the-fathers have talked.” The leader of the Atsawathewathin family nodded his head, it was an agreement among them as the birth father and caretaker father of the child. Tarin understood the bond between Khanin and Tanattai well, so he had no intention of ruining the child’s happiness.

Khanin should no longer be in pain about family or life anymore.

“We want you to live the way you want, and we want you to know that everything that has happened is not your fault.”

“…” Like an important key that unlocked the young Khanin’s heart, tears appeared before the symbols of weakness emerged again.

“Whatever mistakes occurred due to other people’s decisions, it is not your fault, Khanin.” The smiles and gentle tones from both fathers were like a bandage to soothe the wounds in his heart.

“Everyone has suffered, and no one should be blamed for things that were decisions made by others, not by you, Khanin.” Tarin nodded his head slowly as he spoke in a low voice, reassuring Khanin.

Tanattai confirmed this by raising his hand to gently pat the head of his kind and righteous son, drawing a smile and tears in his eyes.

“Thank you.” Those words meant a lot to Khanin. While the problem with Charan was still unresolved, the love from Tanattai and Tarin helped alleviate some of the pain in Khanin’s heart.

“Thank you to us, but why? Your life belongs to you, it has been his since you were born.” Tarin said with a smile, loving Khanin with all his heart, even though he wasn’t the one who raised and took care of him since he was a child, as he should have.

“I am so lucky.” The young ones exclaimed with a smile and sparkle in their eyes while Tarin and Tanattai looked back with slightly raised eyebrows.

“What do you mean, Nin?”

“That I have two cool dads.” That simple sentence wasn’t an exaggeration at all, the soft laughs of the three people in the living room made this place feel warmer than before, after going through a tough time from that day.

Khanin got up from his chair and hugged his biological father, as well as his father who had taken care of him with love, while some people in the corner of the room sniffled and whimpered.

“Why are you Chakri crying?” It was Tarin who turned to ask the plump butler, who pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his eyes, bowed his head with a reddened nose, and whispered softly.

“I’m… I’m happy that the Young Prince is feeling better, Your Majesty, but… I can’t help feeling sad. It just occurred to me that I won’t be able to see him often.” Chakri can’t shake off his heartache. He himself wants the Young Prince to have his own life, but he can’t deny the deep sadness still lingering in his heart that he needs to deal with.

“I will visit everyone frequently and call. I’ll call Father every day. Is it good if I call Khun Chakri too?” The young man asked Chakri, who is his trusted butler, while the latter wiped away tears discreetly. Khanin had just left Tarin and Tanattai to embrace the person standing still with a look of empathy.

“[Sobbing]…”

“I will send a plane ticket so that you, Khun Chakri can fly to see him, right?” The young man questioned Tarin, causing the latter, who is a high ranking statesman, to chuckle softly.

I will allow him a special leave of absence or if he flies… will you go with him?” The permission from the highest authority at the moment, was like holy water that sprinkled into the withering soul of Chakri, helping him to recover.

“Th…thank you, Your Majesty.” Chakri stammered with the person of high rank, while the young butler shed a smile at the gesture.

“Thanks.” Khanin replied.

The freedom to call from Tarin was received, and Khanin walked back to sit at the table. Before the question from his father, that would make him silent.

“You go, no one will say otherwise, let me handle the matter about the people here.” Tarin’s gentle voice, as well as the look of Tanattai, indicated that both men understood the relationship between their son and Charan very well, even though they didn’t mention the other party’s name directly.

“….” Khanin was speechless, but aware of what Tarin tried to convey.

“When there is a problem. If we don’t solve it, we’ll never be able to move forward, Nin.” As his father said, sometimes he had to dig out the pus from the wound, face the pain to avoid the unseen wound from spreading.

…

The rainy season of Emmaly was about to pass, the chilly wind brought in cold air, indicating that winter would soon come. Charan Phitakthewa walked along the long path, his right hand, which was not injured, held two white chrysanthemums attached to his chest.

Both sides of the road were littered with tombs of aristocratic families. Charan’s slender legs moved slowly, not hurrying, bringing his body to stop in front of the grave of his mother, which was next to the father’s. The quietness invited a deep sigh.

The owner of the high ranked house gazed at the characters engraved on the stone plaque. Charan bowed his head and placed both flower baskets on the ground, before stepping back to stand with an unassuming posture.

The surrounding atmosphere was silent and serene, conflicting with the turmoil inside Charan’s heart. After the chaotic event, the young man spent only a few days recovering from the injuries before returning to work hard as before.

Charan valued every minute, as he had many important things to think about.

‘Phitakthewa are servant-dogs.’

   To correct the wrongdoing, Charan must uproot and dispose of the parasitic plants. Anyone who has committed or supported any wrongful acts will be sent to face the full extent of the law.

Managing the internal family system is a heavy task, but even more challenging is managing one’s own emotions within the mind.

Charan wants to move past his past struggles, but it hurts too much to immediately let go and move forward.

The sound of footsteps from behind became louder, destroying the peaceful silence. Charan flinched before pausing when he saw someone waiting outside the gate.

“Nin…” Charan wasn’t surprised or prompted to question how the other knew where he was. Because before this, he was the one who sent the message to report to the other side himself, but what he didn’t expect was Khanin showing up here with a bouquet of white lilies in his hand.

“May I come in?” The questioning sentence received a nod from Charan. He went straight to the gate, unlocked it, and opened it for the young one to step into the family’s territory.

Both smiled slightly at him. Khanin quietly laid the bouquet on the grave of Charan’s parents before stepping back to show his respect.

The young royal counted his steps before standing tall in a composed posture. They allowed time to pass by, and it took several minutes before Khanin finally eased the tension with a few gentle words.

May we talk for a bit?” Their eyes evaded each other’s gaze as they waited for a response. But as soon as Charan replied, the young one’s face gradually relaxed.

They walked aimlessly together. Charan suggested going to the nearby park by the riverside, as it seemed like a suitable place for them to be.

The clock ticked lazily, and the chilly wind brushed against their skin. The sun was a huge ball of fire that slowly disappeared behind the dark clouds.

“How’s your wound, does it still hurt?” Starting the conversation with concern, Khanin had the opportunity to take care of Charan, at least for the first few days. But when the older one insisted on not needing any more time to recover, the young one had no choice but to let go.

“Not anymore… And you, Nin? How’s everything at the palace?”

“The situation there is…”

“Are you tired?” The familiar voice came with a gentle gaze, and Charan’s unchanged look lingered. They both still wished nothing but kindness and love for each other.

“It’s not your fault.” In the middle of the serene sunset, they both seemed to feel the hidden pain.

The pain they hadn’t prepared themselves for.

The oppressive silence was the medium that neither Khanin nor Charan intended to create. The pain that lurked beneath the surface was like an invisible hand that made it difficult for them to answer.

“I’m sorry.” It was strange that Charan didn’t explain or elaborate anything, but Khanin fully understood the apology. The young royal’s eyes were warm, and his small head swayed when he tried to keep his voice from shaking.

“It’s not your fault… It’s not your fault either.”

 

 

It’s… not my fault either.” The thick palm slowly touched the warm cheek. Charan didn’t speak to make Khanin feel better, but in truth, the young one had no choice in his birth, and he didn’t know about anything that happened in the past.

“Nin…” He managed to say only half of his sentence before Khanin had to stop and swallow a lump in his throat. The eggshell colored eyelids tilted towards the warmth of the hand, seeking comfort. Their conversation months ago had been another deception that hurt more than the last.

“…I guess it’s good that I’m still alive now, right?”

“It’s good to still be here…”

“…”

“It’s good that we met each other.”

The words continued to haunt him endlessly… Khanin knew that Charan was good enough to not hold a grudge, but he was still the cause that resulted in Charan losing his mother. That couldn’t be changed.

He knew that Charan understood, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t hurt. Khanin was the same. If it was someone else’s issue, a young man could easily point out what they should let go of.

But when it came to his own problems, he was afraid to even think about it. Khanin wasn’t sure if Charan still thought the same way, but seeing each other was really a good thing. Or, was it?

“Nin, do you want to say something to me?” Charan had opened the opportunity, but the other side always seemed to be able to read his thoughts, and this time probably wouldn’t be any different.

They both knew that giving themselves time… was the most important thing.

I… will go back to England…” The simple sentence that he had thought of saying hundreds or thousands of times had become difficult when he had to face the person who had taken Itti’s place in his heart.

Charan didn’t respond, the tall and dignified owner of the house remaining silent, the feelings inside swirling like a storm. Although he had made up his mind, he had always understood the needs of the young man and knew that he never wanted to be here.

However, when it was time to hear the truth from his mouth, the pain flowed in more than he had imagined.

“Have you made your decision?” The decision was difficult to make among the sounds of the final light slowly dimming from the edge of the sky.

“Yes.” Khanin wanted to invite Charan to go with him, he was sure if there weren’t any trouble that involved them, the young man would have the courage to find something that he really wanted to do.

But with the problem he had realized, it was much harder for him to bravely ask for it. His life… shouldn’t demand anything else from Phitakthewa.

Because everything that had happened before, Khanin had received it all along, from care, protection, honesty… everything, too much to dare to ask for more.

“…”

“I love you, Phii Ran.” It was probably the only thing that Khanin had reconsidered so many times that he should tell him, he didn’t want Charan to misunderstand that he didn’t love him enough that he wanted to escape.

But because he loved him so much… he didn’t want to be the one who caused harm to each other.

“I also… love you, Nin” No one could know the pain inside, they both knew well about the love they had for each other, and because they knew, that’s why they were sad.

Sad that their problem had turned out to be like this…

“I know… I will wait for you Phii.” Khanin did not intend to turn around and acknowledge this relationship. He simply stepped back to give Charan some time for himself.

“…”

“No matter how long it takes, I will wait. But if one day Phii Charan you are sure you don’t want to continue, just come and tell me… I will understand.” Saying that he understands everything, he raised the widest smile, but the image in front of him faded away. The young man tried to control his voice from trembling, but it was difficult and cold.

“Don’t cry.” He said while patting his cheek with a hand that moved up to his warm cheeks.

Khanin locked eyes with Charan, the last light of the day shone on their handsome faces, reflecting tears from the tall man’s eyes that weren’t different from his.

“Phii, don’t cry.”

“I am crying because you, Nin, are crying.”

“[Sobbing]…” Khanin didn’t want to cry, he wanted to be strong for Charan to understand, but he couldn’t control himself. His feelings were sometimes delayed, heavy, sometimes overwhelming, it was difficult to bear. In the end, the young man slipped out with a whimpering voice.

“Hold on…” Charan’s tenderness never changed. He leaned in to kiss the warm wet cheek, the end of his nose dangling, helping to wipe away tears.

The small hand rubbed into his own flesh, even more deeply touched by Charan’s tenderness. Khanin felt guilty that he had become a bad experience in Charan’s life, hoping that he could someday help both of them heal their wounds…

I have something to ask…” The owner of the small body spooned and stared at the taller one. The sulking eyes made his heart ache. Khanin took a deep breath before gathering the remaining strength to respond to the need.

“Sure?”

“If I turn around… Phii Ran, don’t call me Nin… don’t call me by that name.”

Because he might resist and not be able to let Charan go as he should. Khanin didn’t want to worry, didn’t want to guess, he would give himself time until the day he could help them both walk past the emotional trauma. 

The slim figure snuggled into the person in front, closing his eyes to soak up every warm breath, every touch, and keeping this moment in mind, for the first time wishing the sun would stay longer in the sky than ever before… 

Khanin didn’t want to ask for much, he just wanted to hold on to this person as long as possible.

 

THE NEXT PRINCE CHAPTERS HOME

   THENEXTPRINCE, Chapter 44: Broken.

“Because Khanin survived, your mother had to die…this is the truth.”

After the words of the Meenakarin ruler, the whole room fell into silence. Charan raised his eyes and froze, his body was still, and the hand holding the gun was still pointing at the slightly trembling speaker.

The small and thin hands twitched. Khanin thought of screaming at the person who was a respected uncle in the royal family. The boy guessed that this was the plan… It was another way of Waseen’s provocation, but the deep seated questions contradicted him.

When he swept his eyes and saw the horror on the old man’s face mixed with the panic of the person who used to be peaceful in Khanin’s mind, he felt both legs weaken.

The suffocating pressure spread throughout his body. Khanin looked back at Waseen to find a blind spot to support the lie, but the only thing he found was the truth.

The other side had no attitude of someone who was willing to lie just to survive, on the contrary, the person who should have been stable and calm in this situation had an angry tremble on their face.

“Why are you doing this… why?” The old man’s angry voice echoed, since he stepped into this royal palace, Khanin had never heard Dhipabawon speak to anyone with such a tone. This was the first time the boy saw someone who often had a smiling face out of control like this.

“Why am I doing this, because I want to see you all suffer and wither in front of me!” Waseen countered before bursting out into a loud laughter, his face that used to be a sweet smile distorted, and his laughter seemed to be mocking everyone present at this moment.

Khanin couldn’t figure out what he was thinking right now. The story in front of him was even bigger than he could control. Even with Charan… the leader of Meenakarin, he was stunned by the person he trusted the most, grinning and smiling.

The big figure gradually moved forward and stopped near the tip of Charan’s gun as if he was not afraid of being shot.

Khanin believes that if it were a normal time, Charan would have handled it without hesitation, but now… even just breathing is becoming difficult.

“…”

“I want you guys to suffer like my life, there’s nothing left… not even dignity and the person I loved!”

Screeching sound caused Charan to react, the grip on his gun tightening. However, his brain fails to command, contrary to his opponent. Waseen, on the other hand, still points his gun at the Sovereign King who stands not too far, not too close, seemingly undecided.

The warmth that sneaks into Khanin’s hand that slips into his pants amidst all the tension prompts him to take out his phone and call the latest emergency contact… Chakri.

The young man hopes that the other party will answer the call and bring others to join him. The situation ahead is not looking good. Here, Charan is the person he is most concerned with, seemingly the other party is being impacted by Waseen’s words to the extent that their happiness is almost nonexistent.

“Why are you doing this to me, even though I have always been good to you?” The voice of the most prestigious man in Emmaly is filled with anger.  Waseen laughed and made faces as if he had heard a joke?

“You have been doing good to me? It feels like I’m the one doing all the work, picking up after Atsawathewathin and doing everything for everyone, even though they ride my city so hard that there’s nothing left. Is that what it means to be considered good?” The response stung with a sharp retort making Charan unable to aim at Waseen. He couldn’t help but feel like he was there but not there.

“You forgot to ask for help and now it seems like everything is failing because of Atsawathewathin.” The tension continued to escalate until someone who had been silent finally spoke up. Dhipabawon responded with a cool and collected tone, but there was no sign of the previous sense of relief.

“It’s because you tricked Meenakarin that we ended up trapped here! You’re a master manipulator who knows exactly how to make people feel miserable. You only offer help when it benefits you. If you don’t plan on holding every state in your hands, will my life become like this, even though I used to respect you? Love yourself, let yourself be the sun, but you never…” Waseen’s voice trailed off.

Khanin noticed a glint of revengeful resentment in the eyes of the opposite party.

“…”

“You’re the one who killed me, everything about me! Have you ever thought about who your orders hurt, who lost loved ones because of your greed… Have you ever thought to care about anyone but yourself?” At this moment, nobody could stop Waseen, whose explosive temper erupted in the midst of silence, even Dhipabawon himself couldn’t force himself to move.

“…”

The eyes overflowing with tears of someone who was filled with hatred looked towards the person they once considered superior. Waseen swallowed the lump in his throat before turning to look at Khanin, who was standing a little ways away.

“You know what, it’s me. I’m the one who wants to kill you.”

Khanin opens his wide eyes, takes a deep breath, then begins negotiating with the person in front of him with a cool head, with a flicker of vitality left that he has.

“What did I do to upset you? What did I do…we didn’t even know each other before.”

“Yes, you didn’t do anything wrong, but it was your grandfather who made me want to kill you.”

“…”

“He killed my wife.” The sentence that comes with a vengeance sparks the hairs on Khanin’s body. Dhipabawon remained silent, while Waseen vented out the suppression that had been in his heart for decades.

“…”

“Simply because she learned about Atsawathewathin’s smuggling goods from other cities and kept them, she was ordered to be killed… thrown into the muddy water with cement blocks, even though my child was inside her belly.” The heartbreaking words were accompanied by tears.

Khanin raised his hand to cover his mouth, unable to believe that someone he once respected would be so cruel and wicked.

“…”

“I want you to die, to make him feel the loss I have gone through. I thought it would remind him… but no, that cruel person didn’t care at all. He even took you to hide and killed three innocent people, just to reassure himself that

Atsawathewathin’s legacy will continue his evil deeds.”

“Stop talking!” Dhipabawon was about to shout at Waseen like a furious madman, but he was blocked by Waseen laughing heartily.

“Why? You can’t stand it anymore? What do you want me to say? I know everything, I know who you killed to allow your newborn child to survive until now. It’s time for you to know that the person who attacked you worked for me, but before… he was Atsawathewathin’s citizen, love you as much as I did but when his only son born a few months old was taken away and killed and then burned to conceal another child’s corpse, he decided that he would take revenge on all the Atsawathewathins.”

“…” Khanin was stunned by what he had heard before. The more he hears about the cruelty, the more he becomes shocked. He didn’t know what was true or false, but from Waseen’s expression, he could tell that the story was more than half true.

The feeling of despair was something that Khanin couldn’t avoid. The story he had heard made his heart clench, and Waseen’s words clearly stated that many innocent people died because of his existence.

Khanin seemed to be exhausted, and Charan, who was older, didn’t look much different. His chest rose and fell as he struggled to control himself.

“The person who took poison and committed suicide was the brother of the driver who died in that incident. He used to belong to Atsawathewathin, the older brother who worked in palace, but in the end, he was killed by Phitakthewa’s people on the orders of their boss, Phitakthewa, who belonged to Atsawathewathin, is treated like a dog on a leash…” Waseen revealed a sincere smile to all life that had to disappear from their family. From his beloved one.

That smile was sent to Charan, the person who held the gun to himself… it was filled with mockery, humiliation, and contempt.

“You know yourself, that you never want to reveal how capable you are, never want to accept your current Phitakthewa leader position, just want to keep it. Because you don’t want to be under anyone’s authority, don’t want to become like your mother. But now you are no different from us before. Being treated well by Dhipabawon made you feel more important.”

“…”

“Do you really not mind why only your mother was praised for that incident, and why does an old man like the planner Dhipabawon, treat you like a child born in the palace, like a  Young Prince? You think he did it out of goodwill for you, right?” The words pierced the listeners’ hearts and

“Khanin… Charan, I didn’t intend for it to be like this.”

“Not intending for it to be like this means… you did things without intending for them to turn out like this, or you did everything without clear intentions? If you’re going to deny it, please make it clear that these things are not true.” Khanin’s shaky voice and the use of impersonal pronouns showed the distance between them, making Dhipabawon even more agitated.

“I’m sorry, but… but Khanin, you had to survive… I had no other choice.”

“I would rather die… then survive just to find out that I have to be someone’s tool.” Khanin thinks it’s better to let his life go as it should be, rather than realizing that he is the cause of someone’s pain.

The boy’s gaze followed the people affected by Dhipabawon’s actions, from the vengeful eyes of the man with deformed legs, to Waseen’s satisfied look as he exposed all the secrets of his own blood uncle, to Charan’s blank stare…

A vacant look that was so terrifyingly empty, even he might not be able to reach out and touch the heart of the other person.

“If my grandson dies… Atsawathewathin will have to…”

“Stop making excuses! Don’t say that you did it for someone else when you didn’t do it for Atsawathewathin, or for anyone else… the reason you did this is for yourself, and nothing else!” Khanin couldn’t hold back his tears any longer, hot tears streaming down his cheeks.

The true pain that Waseen felt today was palpable, and Khanin had already realized how heavy it was.

Some games take a long time to play if this was a long term game. He himself was just one piece in the board game that was meant for Grandfather to be on top of everyone, and he kept him to cover up his own evil deeds.

Family, loved ones, honor, or even life, nothing that Khanin had was gained by fair means, the happiness that once existed in the short amount of time, the joy of returning home and finding that there were still people in the family who cared for him.

It was nothing but a myth that his grandfather cared and looked after him, nothing was true at all.

Khanin himself had already realized how deep Waseen’s pain was.

The questioning that he had asked himself before, as to why the enemy would strike at this time, had already become clear to Khanin as to why Waseen had taken action now.

Because others would not have the right to come and go freely in the Royal Palace without an important ceremony. This was the only time that the other party could enter and exit without any rules governing them.

Waseen had planned everything, and the leader of Meenakarin wanted everything to end here, without any thought of competing for the throne whatsoever.

The only wanted thing of the other party was to make Dhipabawon suffer and become so desperate that he would want to eliminate them all, at this place, and leave them all dead.

Like a bomb ready to explode at any moment. Waseen did not want anyone to escape from this incident.

No one will be able to survive if they don’t make a decision of what to do right now.

“You think keeping others out of the palace is now necessary for your safety. I need to tell you something about. The bird’s nest I sent you to eat was poisoned, which made you sick and had to hurriedly organize the ceremony for the Sovereign King position. It’s because you trusted someone like me. Mr. Dhipabawon, you are just a stupid person, you are no smarter than anyone else.” Waseen desires satisfaction, and the leader Meenakarin still looks towards the old man who stands still, with Mr. Dhipabawon’s eyes shaking, his hands trembling as they come closer together until his body trembles.

Those who had thought they were smarter than anyone else had actually made a big mistake. Because they overlooked a small piece on the board game.

“Let’s finish this. Dhipabawon…” The words of the leader of the Meenakarin family trailed off as the situation suddenly flipped on its head. It was a split second decision that impacted the fate of four important individuals in the country.

Waseen signaled for the man with the limp who was holding the gun to give it back, while Khanin, gathering his last bit of consciousness, seized an opportunity and lunged at Waseen. He made a sudden decision and tackled Waseen to the ground, ordering Charan to turn the gun away from the man with the gun.

Bang!

The final showdown was imminent. Charan shot the gun out of the hand of the attacker and then aimed his gun at the man who had attacked Khanin. At the same time, several people emerged from their hiding places.

“Stop this, Your Majesty.”

“Father…”

“Hand over your weapon.” Tanattai, who had been waiting for the right moment, raised his gun and aimed it at Waseen.

Until now, the middle aged man had to wait for all of Waseen’s sins to be revealed and feared for Khanin’s safety.

“So you are all on the same page, that’s great. You dogs.” Waseen chuckled, causing him to flinch and appear unconscious. It made Khanin tremble and step back, but it was because he underestimated Waseen too much and missed his mark.”

“Ah!”

“Nin!”

“That’s enough! Drop the gun! If you don’t want Khanin to die!” The crazy man jumped up and unlocked Khanin’s chokehold before aiming a pistol at the boy’s head. Everything happened faster than Tanattai and Charan could react.

Khanin struggled, but Waseen showed no sign of being affected. Being forgotten, a rejected family, made them forget one important thing. However, even though he was underestimated, Waseen was still the ruler of the state, with the ability to fight like no one else could.

“I’m giving you a choice. This is your last chance.Either you will kill Dhipabawon…or I’ll kill Khanin, then you, and finally myself.” The negotiations only led to a heavier burden for Charan. He stood still, but his mind raced with anxiety. However, seeing Waseen holding the gun to the head of his beloved, Charan’s heart burned like being consumed by fire.

“I…will do it.”

There was no other option better than this. It was necessary for Charan to act to keep Khanin alive.

Tanattai’s throat was dry. The gun in his hand was almost useless now. If he dared to counterattack, it meant accepting the risk that could mean Khanin’s life.

“Good…aim at Dhipabawon.” Waseen grinned before issuing a final order that left those with no choice but to comply.

“No, Phii Ran…no, don’t do it!”

“Shut up!” Waseen tightened his grip around Khanin’s neck, but the small man didn’t pay any attention to the gun aimed at his head, and he looked back and forth, sending pleading glances toward his beloved.

He wasn’t worried about Dhipabawon, but he knew that if Charan decided to do what Waseen told him, it would help him survive for this time. After this was over, there was a chance for him to survive. Charan would have no different penalty than a convicted criminal who intentionally killed someone.

Beautiful eyes welled with teardrops. They stared at each other before one unforgettable moment rose clearly and the pain in their hearts expanded like a toxic that had a purpose to endanger life.

“I…have always wondered why I was born. If not for me, others wouldn’t have to struggle and sacrifice themselves. You could have a life of your own, and my father could probably be living in the palace and living a life that everyone wants. I can’t even answer myself as to why I am still alive is a good thing, isn’t it?”

“…”

“It’s good that we’re still here…”

“…”

“It’s good that we met.”

Hot tears streamed down as Khanin winced, too afraid to ask Charan what had happened up until this point. Amidst them, the words “It’s good that we met” were used.

“I’m sorry… there’s nothing that I can do to make amends… everything

Waseen said was true… I apologize.”

No one knew if Dhipabawon’s apology was sincere or not, but the somber tone of his voice made the atmosphere even more tense. Dark eyes scanned those who he had nurtured with trembling hands. 

Relationships, trust, respect, and love… are now shattered beyond repair. Charan gripped the gun in his hand so tightly that the overwhelming feeling in his chest almost made his brain explode. 

“Come on, it’s time to take revenge for your mother, Charan, shoot him.”

Waseen’s words were no different than a poisonous venom in a garden. Charan acknowledged his humanity and wanted to let go of everything, to try following the desires in his heart.

Charan knew very well that he would have to face the consequences for his actions, but then again, is taking revenge really the highest thing in his life?

The tip of his hot finger moved to prepare the gun barrel, the moment of decision making was imminent, but the heartfelt pleas of some people made Charan rethink his actions.

“Phii Ran…”

“Young Prince, you have misunderstood, he will not choose the winning party. Even though by status, he is the guardian of Phitakthewa’s leader, I will not be standing up to any other family again…”

“…”

“Because the sun in my life, at… is only Young Prince Khanin.”

Some of the previously spoken sentences reverberated in his memory.

Charan regained his composure, bending his gaze towards the person who was like the sun in his life, they looked at each other… before the answer to Charan’s true desires was crystal clear.

It is not revenge that is the ultimate goal of life, but rather Charan’s aversion to making Khanin sad.

The image that reminded him of Waseen’s sweet victory in the final moments of Dhipabawon was confusing, allowing Khanin to sneak a peek at Charan, causing him to seize an opportunity to turn the tide.

“Ouch!” Khanin decided to twist the hand of the person behind him, causing Waseen’s pained voice to resonate, before the other side broke free of his grasp and violently turned Khanin away to another direction, causing the young man to break free from the control of the villain.

Bang!

A fleeting moment of chaos ensued as Dhipabawon dodged bullet while Charan reached Khanin, taking the young child and holding him safe, making a split second decision, they both fired their guns to send bullets flying towards the arm of the leader of the Meenakarin family to stop him.

Khanin looked at the red blood seeping out of the arm of the uncle-like figure. Suddenly, gunshots echoed in quick succession as Waseen aimed to shoot back the garden. This caused the leader of Meenakarin to fall to the ground.

Bang!

This time it was not the skill of Tanattai, but rather the skill of one of the new guards who had just entered the room in a hurry. The arrival of the support team led by Chakri and Tarin, the trusted butler and father immediately led to Khanin’s attention.

“Are you hurt anywhere… sorry for being late.”

“No… it’s okay. Just surprised.” Everything happened so quickly that Khanin felt like his brain couldn’t keep up with it. He was flipped over and his body was checked for injuries, but when the newcomer was sure that he was not injured, the faces of both men relaxed.

“Let’s leave this place first.” Prince Tarin spoke and turned to signal the guards to clear the area. One group dealt with the body of the enemy, while the other went to help the Sovereign King, who was sitting in a crouched position.

“Hold a meeting, declare the news in front of all the states, anyone who is associated with Waseen will receive all the punishment.” The Sovereign King’s voice called, causing everyone to turn and look. This time, Dhipabawon looked very angry, but when his gaze met Khanin’s group, he immediately looked away.

Khanin secretly looked at Tarin’s face, he saw his father also looked at the Sovereign King, but the other side’s coldness was only filled with disappointment, and there was no difference in Tanattai’s eyes.

It’s over… everything is over.

Even the feeling of respect and love has decayed without remaining.

Khanin’s eyes turned to Charan, the loved one’s gloomy face was quiet, but the narrowed eyes were full of different vibrations than before.

Charan must have many things to deal with, even himself also with it. Because today’s story is too heavy for anyone to bear, the truth is that Khanin is the cause of many people having to retreat from the person they love and cannot change.

He avoided life to the side, not to mention with the mother of the person he loved the most in his heart…

Khanin wanted to comfort him but couldn’t be brave enough to do what he said… he didn’t know what Charan had in mind.

Can they still love each other like before… Khanin could not know.

“Hey, be careful!” The voice of one of the guards called everyone back to the roots, but before they had time to sort out their thoughts, Waseen, who everyone thought did not have enough strength to stand up, suddenly collected his last bit of energy and lifted the gun he had hidden next to him to aim at the crouched Sovereign King and shot accurately.

Bang!

The crucial bullet flew through the air and hit Dhipabawon’s back precisely. The Sovereign King fell to the ground before he could stand, and the guards nearby rushed to catch him immediately.

“Father!” Tarin shouted while every bullet was aimed towards the leader of the Meenakarin Family.

Waseen smiled calmly. His eyes, filled with resentment and hatred, stared fiercely at the hated enemy.

His trembling hands lifted the gray gun and held it towards his temple, uttering his last words before Waseen decided to do the unexpected.

“…”

“And see you in hell, Your Majesty… Uncle.”

“Bang!”

 

THE NEXT PRINCE CHAPTERS HOME

   THENEXTPRINCE, Chapter 43: The Truth Revealed.

“Protect the Sovereign King!”

At the end of Tarin’s shout, a huge commotion broke out. Khanin was still unable to grasp the situation as Charan ran towards him to grab his arm, while simultaneously removing his mask and throwing it away with agility.

“Keep low!”

Caught in the corner of Khanin’s eye, he saw his cousin Ramil and Petai, rushing towards each other as if ordered. Itti, Mira, and Jae were joined by some of Kalavin’s guards who came to assist in defense.

The majority of the royal guards were also supporting the offense, except for those in the middle of the field. Khanin was still unaware where the gunshot came from, and before he could say anything, he heard another gunshot resonating, followed by several more.

Bang! Bang!

Charan cursed under his breath, acknowledging that being in the open field was the most dangerous thing. Atsawathewathin’s guards immediately joined together, and the leader of the Phitakthewa family took hold of the young royals with her small hand tightly.

“This way, Khun Charan.” One of the guards handed Charan a gun, and he held it just like Khanin did. Their eyes scanned their attackers, who were dressed no differently from the assassins they had once faced.

Those sneaky bastards…

“Divide the force into two groups, lead the way to clear the area with the other group shooting down.” Target, Ra, was to take Khanin out of the dome. He ordered quickly, raising his gun to shoot one of the ill intentioned people, causing him to fall down from the balcony.

“Yes!”

“Don’t stay in one place, stay close to me!” Standing still was not a smart thing to do.

Khanin hesitated for a moment before following Charan. The young royals were separated, and the Shinkansen was the closest way out to the palace.

Khanin analyzed the situation intently in his mind, realizing that something unexpected might happen today. However, what he did not foresee was the extent of the chaos that seemed beyond control.

He had thought that Uncle Waseen would not dare to do anything that would jeopardize the trust of other countries, but he had to think again. Who would have thought that the people in the shadows would dare to cause such chaos in the city? It showed that its purpose was not just limited to the competition, but something much more…

“After the end of the competition, during this time, the Sovereign King would be busy with changing positions. I’ll try to look for relevant documents.

I think whoever sent the news about this must want me to do something.”

“…”

“For example, find evidence instead.”

Are you trying to find evidence like that?

“Phii Ran, documents!” Khanin burst out as soon as they crossed into the palace area. The group of criminals had been shot down and therefore, this area was considered temporarily safe.

“Too risky.” Charan thought the same, but he didn’t want to take Khanin into danger. There were only two main options for now.

One was to take Khanin into hiding from the palace, which Charan was certain Tarin and other members of the royal family not involved would have to do for safety. Option two was to go to the Sovereign King’s workspace.

Dhipabawon was likely to be there.

Sometimes it might include the ones who caused all of this.

If they took Khanin into hiding, they might have to take risks to catch the criminals and find out the truth. But if they chose to face Charan, they had to take him with them. The leader of the Phitakthewa family had already made up his mind. No matter what, he wouldn’t leave his loved one behind.

“Khun Charan, take the Young Prince to hide in the palace first. The left wing exit is still not safe.” One of the guards of Asawatewathins ran breathlessly following their report. The situation forced them to have no other options.

Charan had to take Khanin back into hiding in the palace. They ran along the path. This area may still seem quiet because the group of criminals was blocked outside.

“We will hide at…” Khanin’s question was incomplete when they stumbled upon another group of people rushing from the opposite direction. Ramil was present, exhausted and emotionally unstable. They kept their distance, cautiously looking around with their eyes.

“Is there something wrong?” Ramil asked, his tall figure scanning around. On the other side was a set of white armored suits. Their faces twitched nervously, their complexion looked shriveled and tight. The reason was that Ramil himself had just escaped from the bullet that grazed him.

“Almost died… but survived.” Khanin replied with a joking tone, his hands raised and sweating, but the listeners didn’t think like him. Suddenly, Ramil yelled with anger.

“To sum it up, it’s Uncle Waseen or Uncle Chana… It’s Uncle Chana, right? I didn’t see Uncle Chana around when it happened… Damn, I didn’t think so.” Ramil’s confusion caused the listeners to pause for a moment. Clearly, he didn’t understand what was going on because the other side believed only in what they saw.

But it wasn’t because Uncle Chana was the real culprit.

That’s because…

“The culprit is not Uncle Chana… Uncle Chana disappeared because he left to prepare his manpower to come help here…” What was said caused the newcomers to pause even more. It’s not surprising that Ramil doesn’t understand what’s going on because the other side only believed what they saw.

 

 

It’s not because Evaa couldn’t fight… But Evaa lost because she was defeated by her own people, Ramil.” Khanin revealed, not expecting Ramil to understand immediately. Because the other side didn’t see the competition, they just wanted Ramil to calm down and listen.

“What does that mean?”

“During the competition with Evaa, I and the guys on the team noticed that Meenakarin’s guys intentionally lost one after another. When the race was over, I went to see Evaa.”

“…”

“Evaa was surprised too when things turned out like this, so I told her everything we talked about the day before. Chana happened to come and listen in, so he went out to prepare reinforcements. At first, I thought they wouldn’t do anything too extreme and would handle it after the competition, but I was wrong… I didn’t expect them to take action immediately like this.” Khanin answered all of Ramil’s questions until he had none left. The white man looked unhappy and misunderstood, as if he was lagging one step behind the others.

“Because they thought I would lose… That’s why they did this. If the Sovereign King was still going to be an Atsawathewathin, the mastermind probably wouldn’t agree.” Ramil replied in a soft voice, his demeanor visibly deflating, reluctantly accepting the reality. Although it was always a tie, Khanin was still losing in terms of using its own budget compared to Ramil.

There’s no way Puchongpisut’s side can win…

“Because the mastermind didn’t want Atsawathewathin in power again, so he destroyed everything… Did you mean it like this?” Khanin was taken aback by the words of his younger siblings, the white man looking lost in thought and conjuring up something else in his mind.

“Yes… because if it were me, I would also destroy everything and kill the people I hate.”

Ramil was right, the villain didn’t intentionally harm only Khanin like before, but this time he intended to completely destroy everything, causing everything he had built to collapse like a house of cards.

With two tiered eyes scanning the tense atmosphere that enveloped the people, a majority of which were important figures in the country, most of the crowd remained panicked and swarmed around the area outside the palace.

Some were ordinary people, but still had remaining power in the country. They saw the various guardians, all of them including the leaders themselves, struggling to escape the chase so they were preparing themselves with a lot of help, everyone was still in a state of confusion critical to devising a worthwhile explanation.

However, it seemed difficult to escape from the enclosed area in this situation. Khanin knew that Uncle Waseen was preparing, but he had no support left due to his slow pace, and he was waiting around without having any power to bring to the table.

Khanin blamed himself for underestimating his royal uncle and making everyone fall into this situation. He didn’t expect the leader of the Meenakarin family to be so brave.

However, one point that Khanin may have forgotten was that the definition of a stalled dog can explain the situation best. He hoped that the troops of Uncle Chana could handle this chaos. Because he himself had another important issue to deal with.

“Everyone is safe.” The voice of the third person called both Khanin and Ramil’s attention. Evaa joined in with Prince Kalavin, Jirat, Itti, and lastly Miss Mira, who had the Thawetmetha’s guards to watch over them.

“They’ve closed all the exits, now what are we going to do?” The foreign prince reported on what had happened. Kalavin was caught, but that was expected by the other side, leading them to prepare enough people to protect themselves, everyone was in a state of confusion, more than able to explain something.

I contacted my father just ten minutes ago… My father told me that he is bringing some people with him and asked us to move away to a safe place and wait for him.” The daughter from Thawetmetha suggested something that everyone around here must do. However, it was necessary to find a way to hide and escape with no help.

When some people on their side are still confused about the situation and the enemy knows how to chase, knows the vulnerabilities and intentionally creates a situation for real destruction, fighting face to face is not a smart option.

“Agreed, sitting here together is like being a sitting target, we have to find a way to survive by ourselves.” Looks like Ramil has figured out the direction to exit, the team grabbed the chance, the arm of a close friend, before sending a signal to his guard group to head to the second floor of the palace to find a safe spot.

“Prince Kalavin, please take some of your people with me.” Amid a sad face. Evaa turned to talk to her friends. When it was time to separate, having a lot of guardians like Kalavin is true, but it’s not enough to take care of everyone comprehensively.

“…”

“You better go with me, Mira.”

“But…” The hesitant young bartender reluctantly swallowed her denial as the imposing woman’s stare and tone weighed heavily on her.”

“Trust me, please. You’ve gone with too many people who are too dangerous… Come with me, Thawetmetha will protect you.”

Charan hesitated for a moment before deciding to move under the care of Evaa, causing Itti to quickly interject with a worried look and expression.

“Don’t worry, I’ll go with Prince Kalavin and Jae.” The owner of the famous bar understood the situation well and agreed that staying with Khanin now posed a risk, so they had to temporarily separate for safety reasons.

 

 

Take care.” Khanin turned and bid farewell to Kalavin, before they all dispersed in different directions, with the internal exit of Daveen Palace now inaccessible.

Charan and Khanin therefore saw eye to eye that the only place they should go now… was Dhipabawon’s office.

The north side of the Royal Palace was in a small uproar, the highest official of Emmaly was extremely tense, but tried to keep his composure as he did every time there was a crisis to solve.

Dhipabawon was using his brain to assess the situation, the old man scolded and cursed himself a thousand times in his mind, knowing that he was about to make a huge mistake.

Holding power for so long had made him complacent and underestimated other families, some of whom thought they knew too much unnecessarily. The mistakes made from impulsive behavior because of being above anyone for too long were leading the crisis to the Ashwatthama Rintorn family.

Dhipabawon still didn’t know who the figure lurking in the shadows was this time, but he was quite sure of his intention not just to sabotage the ceremony. This action was of great danger, madness, and fear beyond what the highest official of Emmaly could think and predict.

“This way, Your Majesty.” Virun’s voice rushed more than usual. Tarin had left, he had ordered the guards to take him out of here, but Dhipabawon had more urgent matters to attend to.

There were documents about transactions, and many other documents that should not be left behind when intruders like this occurred. It was too risky.

“Wait, I have to go back to the office.” The announcement from the highest authority in the country created suspicion among the man, but the guards behind them went straight to the safe behind the corner bookcase and carefully moved some of the necessary documents to the lockable bag.

“Wait outside the room.”

Your Majesty.”

The highest official didn’t explain anything to those around him, the old man walked into the office while ordering Virun to keep watch, and those who had been following went straight to the safe hidden behind the bookcase in the corner of the room. They carefully moved some of the necessary documents into a lockable bag.

“Why haven’t you left yet, Grandpa?” Someone’s voice from behind made Dhipabawon pause for a moment, the old man stood still for almost a minute, pondering before turning to face his own blood relative.

“Khanin…”

“What are you doing?”

“Why did you, my grandson, come here… Charan?” At first, Dhipabawon wasn’t sure how Khanin had entered, but seeing Charan following, he could understand. The other side probably had a way of speaking that made Virun comply.

He knew… Charan was the type of person who was good at manipulating people’s emotions, and it was important because he had taught it to his own hands.

“So what are you doing now?” The white bodied house owner gave Dhipabawon no choice, but because of the clear field advantage, the old man was able to combine posture and movement well.

“There are some necessary documents that I have to deal with. Are you and Charan safe?” The tone used still feels familiar.

Charan was silent, realizing one truth, perhaps because he had been raised by Dhipabawon since he was young, he never paid attention to the danger of people, and he was caught off guard by this person.

Never felt suspicious or doubtful, even now. Charan may think that Dhipabawon is still the same person. Without linking all the evidence together, there is no way to trust him.

Is it important to be too close to the point that you cannot escape? Or is it related to documents about trading with other clans?” Khanin is not ready even a little now, the younger person jumped straight to the point, and it made Charan able to observe abnormalities on the face of a person who kept their emotions well.

“These documents… are these documents about you sending products to the warehouse in the garbage removal factory?” Khanin walked more skillfully and calmly than Charan imagined. In the eyes of the Phitakthewa family leader, confronting Dhipabawon in a tense situation should make it clear that what the other party is trying to hide is no longer just a secret.

“Where did you learn about this?” The Sovereign King’s powerful voice was austere, the person who was skilled at keeping a poker face all the time emerged, and he planned many plans in his head to control and maintain the sand dunes that he herself had created, but it seemed difficult to solve.

“It doesn’t matter where I learned it from. What’s important is what the truth is.” Although worried about the outside situation, now Khanin wants to access the final information that is in the hands of the Sovereign King.

It is necessary to understand why his grandfather had to turn behind everyone, why he had to press Meenakarin until Meenakarin went crazy, and turned into this situation.

Only because he wanted to keep everything good.

Or is it because he was too greedy all along…

“The truth is that I want to keep Atsawathewathin safe.” Dhipabawon took a deep breath, “Everything that grandfather did was for the sake of our

Atsawathewathin.”

“Everything for us? Does that mean you had to push others down, stab others in the back like this?” It is because Khanin has seen everything that he can say such things, he just understood the kindness that the other party gave, that trying to keep ‘Atsawathewathin’ safe.

 

 

Everything for Atsawathewathin…

It has nothing to do with him being a grandson…, he himself is probably just a tool for Dhipabawon to keep Atsawathewathin in power.

“It’s something that you, grandfather, had to do. Grandfather, you didn’t want to let my father come to find me. That was probably something that must be done, right?” Khanin took the opportunity to ask what was on his mind all along, he turned to Charan who was standing beside him, the eyes of the tall man were shaking.

It became quiet immediately. Even the sound of exhalation from the Sovereign King was so light that he almost couldn’t hear it. The two pairs’ eyes dodged when facing the elder.

The issue of power struggle, the matter of various forms of coercion, they knew it was wrong, of course the disappointment and sadness it caused would only be heightened for the recent topic that Khanin raised.

He admitted that he did not want the truth of the matter to come out, and deep down, there was still a small piece of him that wanted to trust the person who once told him that they were like family and could rely on each other.

So please… 

Please deny it.

“There may be people who want to divide our Atsawathewathin, I will explain when we leave here.” Besides denying it, the fact that his Grandfather, who is of high rank in the country and in Khanin’s family, chose to avoid eye contact, made it clear that his words were not successful.

Khanin took a deep breath, looking at the person who is like family and a high ranking official in the country with a feeling of overwhelming difficulty to manage.

“You don’t need to explain later… because I’m tired of pretending to be concerned.”

“…”

“It’s not like you, grandfather planned everything, hiding Dad from the beginning, forcing you to lie that you haven’t found me to Dad, just so I can survive and compete for Tarin to keep Atsawathewathin’s Sovereign King position. Is that true?”

“…”

“It’s not like that, right?” Khanin asked softly. Although he knew he should end the conversation as soon as possible, he still hesitated to ask for compensation for everything he did not know clearly.

At first, Khanin thought it might be just a bad plan of the person who intended to harm Dhipabawon, but today everything seems to be…

Since the day he met his father at the factory, Khanin knew that Tanattai’s strange behavior was because he had become the person who controlled the warehouse for the Sovereign King, kept quiet because he was afraid of being harmed…

It’s all to make him believe that he has no one left to depend on so the person he should rely on is therefore the Sovereign-King

It’s just because they wanted to control… they wanted to make him the bird in the cage… that’s why they had to do it like this, right?

The image that looks straight is blurred because the tear curtain that overflowed bombarded. Khanin stumbled forward. Because he didn’t know how to vent this frustration, the more the other side said nothing, the clearer was the answer for the entire story.

Khanin wanted to scream and ask the other side if it was fun to betray like this, but he hadn’t had time to say anything, the door to the room that used to be intimate opened wide, revealing a new person who had a warm smile on his face.

It seems like the other party has heard everything, his clenched fist came closer, knocking on the head pretending to be laughing in a cobra position, making the Sovereign King bite his teeth calling the other party’s name in pain.

“I really was not wrong to fuck everything up, if it was to have a chance to see an impressive image like this.” Heavy footsteps approached. When he got there, the person in official attire with the Meenakarin city emblem on his chest smiled warmly, swept his eyes to greet everyone in this place, making the Sovereign King bite his tongue calling the other party’s name in pain.

“Waseen.” Dhipabawon said the familiar name, the old man’s face that used to be calm and collected, this time showed signs of trembling, making the Meenakarin family leader very pleased.

“Are you surprised, Your Majesty Uncle, how this nephew of yours came in?”

“…”

“Maybe the dog that stayed in front of the room has died? no one knows yet, it’s probably Your Majesty’s habit, right? Leaving everything and protecting your own things has made you tired of it, right, Your Majesty?”

“You…”

“Why didn’t you answer little Khanin, Your Majesty? Saying that you can abandon anyone for yourself, everything that Khanin thinks is true…”

“…”

“Even the death of Charan’s mother… You… the so-called Sovereign King ordered her to be killed by your own court order.”

…

The Royal Palace below was bustling with people, but the large building was quiet, perhaps because the forces of those who did not wish well were spreading their power everywhere, the atmosphere inside was tense, looking out in any direction there were only unfamiliar men in black suits standing guard at the door, the unscratched small wonders guarding the door like normal.

Therefore, some who were walking quietly down the hallway had to be more careful than ever before, a man in battle armor aimed at the man in the black suit closest to him.

That side was turning to look outside the window, unaware as Tanattai hurriedly stepped behind the man, then attacked, aimed at the deadly point, his thick hand suffocated the man’s neck across from him before ordering the man following him to take care of it.

All of this… was the command and assistance from PrinceTarin, a high ranking official who ordered the search for Young Prince and Charan to be the fastest. Tanattai volunteered to do the job himself.

The long, thin legs strode forward towards the long hallway with a silent elegance. His eagle eyes swept along the surrounding area, and he and the forces PrinceTarin had provided were able to deal with more than half of the bad guys, but it seemed that the other side had so many people that they couldn’t choose to face them head on.

The situation was still worrying, as long as it was still unknown who the bad guys were, and Young Prince Khanin and Charan were not found, the area in the palace was not safe enough to do anything rash.

However, Tanattai had noticed something abnormal about Prince Waseen’s behavior, so he decided to secretly follow and observe those who had strange behavior. Hoping to learn something important.

It happened when everyone was running around in chaos. In a crisis situation where everyone is running for their lives, humans tend to run away to survive. However, Prince Waseen’s reaction was calm.

He did not show any fear about the situation, still walking towards the armed group in the area far from the sight of others with a calm face, and it seemed that the person Waseen went to find was the leader of all the chaos.

That’s clear enough then…

The situation was crystal clear. Tanattai quickly withdrew from the area and reported what he had seen to Prince Tarin. Linked what he saw with the information he had in hand. Along with the things Charan had previously recounted.

The man with a limp, that guy who went to hurt Khanin. When they put all the pieces together, the atmosphere inside the palace was both pleading and warning that they should not hesitate any longer.

When they received permission, Tanattai asked for troops from Prince Tarin’s guard unit, and he planned to clear the area comprehensively. Fortunately, the guard unit of the lord was flexible and they were able to take care of everything smoothly in a short time.

Tanattai was able to help almost all of the prisoners, but he could not predict where Khanin and Charan were in the palace at this time, he only knew that the search had to continue.

From experience, the first area Tanattai chose to go to was the central part of the palace… the office of the Sovereign King. He deduced from the whole story, and luckily, he calculated accurately…

At the upper level hallway, where Sovereign King and Prince Waseen’s offices were located, Tanattai followed and witnessed the other side giving orders for their men to handle the close associates and soldiers of Sovereign King, who simply stood there defenseless.

Many people, including Virun, were dragged out from the door of the Sovereign King’ office, leaving only the trembling man and Prince Waseen about to enter the room. It appeared that the other side had prepared well enough to overwhelm them.

Tanattai patiently waited until he was sure that both sides did not notice his presence, then he seized the opportunity to order his men to contact Prince Tarin to identify the enemy, before sneaking into the room quietly.

Inside the large room, it was divided into two zones. Tanattai knew exactly where to hide himself and kept vigilant to observe any person in the room, ready to prepare for possible actions. However, the familiar sound from the interior of the adjacent meeting room caused him to feel uneasy.

“And about what you, grandfather told me, that we still can’t find my father, but in reality you, grandfather deliberately hid him and wouldn’t let him meet me, is that something necessary to do?”

“Someone wants to divide our Atsawathewathin, I will explain it to you when we leave this place.”

“It’s alright to explain it here too… because I’m already tired of this fake concern.”

“…”

“It’s not like you, grandfather planned everything, hiding Dad from the beginning, forcing you to lie that you haven’t found me to Dad, just so I can survive and compete for Tarin to keep Atsawathewathin’s Sovereign King position. Is that true?”

“…”

“It’s not like that, right?”

What he heard shook Tanattai’s heart to an unbearable extent. He tightly held his gun in his hand until it trembled.

Before he could receive an answer from the superior person whom Tanattai admired all his life, someone intervened and interrupted the conversation with a clapping sound.

Followed by Prince Waseen’s speech, which gradually grew into something incomprehensible at the beginning. It took a while for him to regain his composure, and then he had to acknowledge the next sentence that was even more piercing than before.

“Why didn’t you answer your grandson Khanin, Your Majesty? You abandoned everyone who trusted you, everything that Khanin thought was true…”

“Even the death of Charan’s mother… You… the so-called Sovereign King ordered her to be killed by your own court order.”

“…”

“You commanded Tanattai to take Khanin away, then ordered

Phitakthewa’s men to kill the driver and the lady who is his companion. You ordered to kill the father and child who were residents in that area, ordered to burn until not even the face left of the person he loved to remember…”

“…”

“You ordered to set the scene, it was such a good plan, but why didn’t you dare to accept your own masterpiece, Your Majesty?”

Tanattai was stunned, every memory flowed back to the starting point, the picture that took the little child to flee from bullets with a woman. The innocent woman who was as pure as he was, one person was the driver he was familiar with, and the other person was the noble tall lady, the leader of the Phitakthewa family… Chita.

Charan’s own mother…

On that day, he received a message to escape in the middle of the journey, and Phitakthewa’s men received an order to bring him and the Young Prince to escape. Tanattai was given a ticket to immediately travel to England. Although he didn’t want to leave the two friends who shared both happiness and sorrows, he had to accept it in the end.

Because he trusted part of Phitakthewa’s people who said they would go to support Lady Chita and the two drivers, but in the end no one helped anyone.

In the past, Tanattai was suspicious of the ending of Miss Chita’s life, how much dignity she had left, as he had to bring the Young Prince to escape without dignity. Although both had to sacrifice their lives, it was to protect the heir of the royal family who had the right to contend for the throne. Their actions were more dignified than those who acted like mice, hiding and sneaking.

But what he heard was not like that…

If what Prince Waseen said was true, about what was done to him from being told to separate from Khanin, about being ordered to wait without purpose, about the lie that his son was in danger, as well as the driver and Chita, Charan’s mother who someone ordered to die… even though she was one of the few who had a chance to survive like him.

If he wasn’t too foolish like he was all along… he would understand that everyone was used as tools all the same.

The Sovereign King used the goodwill he offered, then turned around and attacked him cold bloodedly.

Is it really like that…?

“Waseen! Close your mouth!” The heavy and threatening voice echoed through the room, destroying the sudden happiness, as fast as thought. The gun barrel from the man following the leader of the Meenakarin family was pointed almost immediately at Dhipabawon.

“That day was it raining, Charan, but even though it rained… even though the car was still burning, why did the people in the car burn so completely, and why did your mother crash into a tree even though she could only have flown to the front mirror, why did Tanattai and Khanin survive, even though the news said both were burned to ashes… this was the question you had been searching for an answer to all along, wasn’t it, Charan?”

Waseen was no longer interested in that scolding from the Sovereign King, but the Meenakarin family leader remained nonchalant despite the tense atmosphere.

The narrow eyes of the Phitakthewa family leader were dry. Charan couldn’t think, he felt like a stupid dog that would soon be eliminated.

The reason Charan could not trust his own family members, the reason he could not accept the leadership position with justice, was because he felt that his mother’s death had only strange traces.

The corner of the mouth of the Phitakthewa family leader was tight. Charan couldn’t hear Dhipabawon’s words anymore, he tried to gather his consciousness, heard the sound of gritted teeth, raised his gun at the conversing couple fearlessly, his handsome face tense but not frightened, unlike Waseen who twitched a corner of his mouth and smiled with satisfaction.

He made a mistake… because he believed the words of the Sovereign King, believed the promises of the person who reached out to help each other during difficult times. In times when there was no one left, these people would lend a hand, support and raise the heroic mother of his…

He stopped digging into the truth behind his mother’s death because he believed only the lies and deceits. Only big scenes and lenses that he had seen, his sharp eyes were shaking, just thinking about what would happen next, his body was shaking all over.

“Charan… I…”

“Prince Waseen, order your man to lower the gun, otherwise, I will shoot you.” Charan didn’t listen to Dhipabawon’s words anymore, he tried to collect himself, the sound of the wind brushing against the grass, raised the gun and pointed it at the couple who were talking fearlessly, his handsome face tense but not frightened, unlike Waseen who simply smirked.

“Are you going to shoot me… why, just because I spoke the truth about your mother? Or maybe because the person who took care of you so well… was the one who killed your mother?”

“Stop…” Charan sensed that Khanin was nearby, but his voice was not as steady as before. His previously strong heart was now unsteady, something was squeezing him, and the hand that held the gun was shaking uncontrollably like never before.

No one in this generation knew what Waseen meant, only Dhipabawon became increasingly shocked when he heard the explanation that came from the mouth of someone he thought he was superior to.

“…”

“Dhipabawon killed your mother simply because he didn’t want anyone to know about Khanin’s existence. Uncle wanted someone as virtuous as your mother to die so that Khanin’s disappearance would become the ultimate reality… It’s just unbearable, isn’t it?”

The Meenakarin Prince smiled slyly, the information that he had been quietly collecting for several months was now being announced, Nont saw the terrifying disappearance ahead, and now the young prince of Atsawathewathin realized that he had been wrong about his opponent for centuries.

“…”

“Finally…  he had to fake caring for the child whose mother he killed…”

“…”

“Because Khanin survived, your mother had to die… this is the truth.”

Yes… Waseen didn’t want to be the Sovereign King, but the passion and pain of everyone involved, on the other hand, is what he really wants…

.

THE NEXT PRINCE CHAPTERS HOME

   THENEXTPRINCE, Chapter 41: Plan/Strategy.

 The sky above the Royal Palace was covered in scattered clouds during the morning, while the outside air was hot and humid, unlike the secretive meeting room with its chilly air conditioning, having two machines. 

Everyone in the room had a tense expression, except for Khanin, who was sitting as the chairman, with a calm and serene face. The reason for everyone’s abrupt gathering today was to strategize for an upcoming event that required their help in analysis. 

Prince Kalavin finally spoke up after silently listening to everything that

Ramil had to say, “If what Young Lord Ramil said is true, then is Puchongpisut just being the scapegoat for someone else, and this competition isn’t just about a regular position for the Sovereign Kingship, but rather it’s now a war within the city.”

Mr-Ramil’s father did not have big plans, but they were interfered with, causing tension in the room. This happened when they realized that everything that was about to happen was bigger than they could handle. A man from a foreign country told a story that explained everything in an easyto-understand way, from beginning to end.

Every member in the room was made fully aware of their current status thanks to Khanin’s analysis. At this point, they were not only just fencers competing for the Sovereign King position for Atsawathewathin, but also a team of defenders protecting against any unforeseen intruders.

Khanin couldn’t predict how everyone would react to the situation, but they all knew that the incident at the recent banquet under the watchful eye of Puchongpisut was just as concerning as a black hole at the center of the city.

It was widely known that Khanin hoped that everyone would understand that this wasn’t just a simple competition, as it could very well escalate into a full blown rebellion.

However, Khanin didn’t want to waste any time and immediately asked, “Can your country provide any assistance if what you said turns out to be true?” The answer was exactly as he had expected.

Kalavin replied with a somber expression, “I’m afraid I can’t help, it’s far too complicated. If anything goes wrong, it’ll affect my position in the country. But also, it would seem like I’m interfering within another country’s internal issues.”

“…”

“If we send someone to help with the preparations, it won’t benefit me regardless of who wins or loses. Plus, it’ll be bad if anything goes wrong if one country knows about another country’s internal affairs. Oh, and as for Phitakthewa’s people, why don’t they lend a hand? They’re an ancient and renowned family, but their leader isn’t very skilled. They probably just talk without any substance.” Ramil questioned Khanin while glaring at the man sitting next to him.

The vulgar language of the Young Prince of the Puchongpisut family caused the tense atmosphere to shift to a moment of laughter, with even the leader of Phitakthewa’s family having to step in to ease the situation. Meanwhile, Khanin briefly smiled before returning to his serious expression.

The way Ramil spoke confirmed that the other party didn’t have a deep understanding of his own team, someone who didn’t care about investigating other people’s stories, saw themselves as the center and dared to accuse their opponent’s father directly of their wrongdoing. Is this person overconfident or falsely trustworthy?

At least there is no trickery, unlike some who appear calm but may secretly gather information on everyone for a future purpose.

There are only two possible cities… Meenakarin and Thawetmetha.

Thawetmetha’s motivation may sometimes come from when the father watched his only daughter not being able to lose and give up. Because Evaa seems to be trying very hard to prove herself as a representative of women, who can achieve anything just like men.

Khanin does not know Chana. Every time they meet, there seem to be no issues, but he cannot trust him now.

As for Meenakarin… if it is really Uncle Waseem, what is the motivation behind this?

“I don’t want anyone from Phitakthewa involved in this, it wouldn’t help.” The older guy was deep in thought alone. The voice of Charan grew louder, causing his nerves to shake. Khanin furrowed his brow as he looked at how his cousin was shepherding the conversation.

“Why is Phitakthewa so useless? Saying that the nation is like the sun of Phitakthewa is just a lie.” Ramil hugged his chest and smiled awkwardly, the atmosphere in the room becoming tense, but no one dared to say anything.

Khanin approached the people around, looking at their faces that still showed fear of him.

He began to recall the words he had heard from Chakri. At first, he didn’t believe it, but the butler had previously stated that he was the “sun” of the other party. Khanin thought that it was just a beautiful word that the other party used to impress him as a boss. However, when the memory overlapped with the encounter with Waseem, he became even more confident. 

At this point, this sentence probably has a significant meaning for the people of Emmaly.

Khanin is now more confident. 

“If Charan is on the team, it will be comforting. He is smart like his mother. He will definitely help the nephew.”

“…”

“Atsawathewathin is also like a sun to Meena Nakharin. Therefore, if there is anything for me to help, I will surely tell even if it is the wrong ruler.”

This is not just an admonition, but it implies that the speaker must be like a sunflower that only looks at himself as the sun and must love and care for the person who lifted him to be the boss.

As a boss, Khanin became Chakri’s sun. It taught him that he needed to take care of his own sunflowers and honorably look after those who sought refuge with him.

But what about Meenakarin? What practices did he have as Atsawathewathin’s sun?

“It’s impossible… Phitakthewa is still a country noble like before, Your

Highness. However, this matter is complex, and Phitakthewa is one of

Emmaly’s training units. Therefore, they will all rise up to protect the Sovereign King, even if the person holding the position is not the right one.” Charan was silent for a moment before revealing what was on his mind.

Simply put, Phitakthewa cannot be involved in internal matters. It is because no one knows who the next Sovereign King will be or how they will come to power, and regardless of the result, Phitakthewa must protect their boss.

What is there to wonder? Phii Ran would prefer not to get involved with his own family if it’s not necessary.

“So it seems like you don’t intend to take sides and only choose to win, right?”

“Young Prince misunderstood, I did not choose a winning side. Although in my position I am the keeper of the leadership of Phitakthewa, I have no claim to any other family…” The corners of his mouth formed an unspoken grimace as he explained.

Charan’s sharp eyes found Khanin and stopped looking, as if to convey the truth he had in mind to give to only one person.

“…”

“Because the sun of Charan… is only Young Prince Khanin, Your Highness.”

Khanin’s eyes widened like quail eggs, the beating lump in his chest now evident. He knew it wasn’t supposed to be a sweet love talk, but his fair face immediately flushed upon hearing it from the person he liked.

The non hurting side of the hand extended to hold hands beneath the table tightly, to show how much he was touched right now. Khanin smiled until his eyes narrowed. Although not responsive, because it is his job and the topic of conversation is serious.

However, Khanin wanted Charan to know the surge of emotion in his heart, the atmosphere seemed to be sweet for a moment, but seconds later it dissipated.

“Where is the tray, butler, bring it here.” In this place, the only person who seemed to have the most trouble was Ramil, the younger cousin, with an indignant face before turning left and right to call for Chakri.

“Why do you need it, Your Highness?” Chakri asked like that, but still took the small leaf garbage bin he had found.

“Hey! It’s going to overflow!”, Ramil took it quickly and looked annoyed, spoke loudly, gestured like the old expression really looked like he was winging it, looking back at Khanin.

Now it’s serious and almost dying, yet they are still playing around.

“Your Highness thinks that Young Prince probably knows about this best, no matter who it belongs to, Phitakthewa or anyone else, it cannot be used. Otherwise, today the Young Prince will probably bring Petai to participate too.” It seems that Charan’s words have commanded everyone’s attention. Ramil kept quiet immediately, his tall figure bowed first and then turned to the other side, apparently admitting defeat in this discussion, and the topic returned to the main issue again.

“We don’t know who the culprit is, we only know that they infiltrated the event, anyway, there is a chance that they are someone inside.” The atmosphere in the room became tense again, but Khanin didn’t intend to release the strong grip of his thick hand even for a moment.

Charan was no different, the older person used his index finger to feel his other hand under the table. Some moments, if the opportunity arises, he will send a gentle smile to subtly tell that they will stay close.

“And Nong Nin, what is the motivation that makes the culprit harm you like that?” Itti asked instead of everyone in the room. That question made Khanin have to breathe out with exhaustion.

“As we discussed, there are two families that are suspected… but as far as I can think, there is only the motive of Thawetmetha city alone.”

“…”

“I think it’s possible that Lord Chana wants to let Evaa win this competition.

Because there was an issue before where Evaa was a woman and initially

would not have the right to compete. Perhaps Your Highness wants Evaa to prove herself.”

“But if Evaa wins. It means that Uncle Chana must ascend to Sovereign King. People like Uncle Chana want to be the Sovereign King.” Ramil really disagreed.

“…”

“It’s too complicated for the liking of a royal uncle who enjoys taking photos with film, spending days in the darkroom, and sometimes he disappears, traveling abroad for months, leaving his wife and children almost forgotten. royal uncle aka Chana, likes technology, is progressive, and doesn’t like to be confined. People who love freedom like this will take themselves to a prison called the royal palace, why?”

Ramil is better at analysis because he knows these people better than Khanin. He briefly shares what information he knows, to lighten the burden of others’ analysis.

“People can always change, and sometimes power can be sweet. Or is it possible that one likes technology so much that they use up their own funds, and might resist quietly when their golden money is taken away if they acquire a country, and might even have a larger budget than this?” Khanin ponders.

The white person intentionally puts bias in their speech, to make others analyze it more naturally.

“It’s impossible, Young Prince Khanin…” That’s right, the real knowledgeable person has arrived. Prince Kalavin Li explains, and as the chairman, Khanin gestures for the other party to speak what they know.

“…”

“I can speak because my country is one of those who hired Thawetmetha to take care of technology for data collection for our country, and my own company is a middleman that distributes airplanes which Thawetmetha created.”

“…”

“So the budget constraint issue could be easily resolved. Even though Thawetmetha’s wealth may not be as much as Atsawathewathin’s at this point, they have received research funding from many countries, they hardly have to use their own funds for research purposes, which leads to Thawetmetha having a reputation as a city that emphasizes research more than government work.” PrinceKalavin Li’s words carried a lot of weight.

Khanin reluctantly looked at Ramil, as many heads nodded in agreement…

It’s true. As Charan said, the Young Royal is grateful to the older man.

If Charan didn’t give the idea for everyone to gather today, they all would have been thinking in different directions from small amounts of information by themselves.

“You don’t know, and that’s not surprising. Because you just arrived here a few months ago, everything is true as PrinceKalavin said. I thought it couldn’t be, but the royal uncle disappeared, and another thing… I’ve told you before, my royal uncle doesn’t get along with my dad, there’s no way he can come and brainstorm ideas with my dad.” Ramil finished with a muffled voice.

The young royal from the snake dynasty has a dangerous glint in his eyes, the thick hands clenching so hard that the nails threaten to cut into the flesh, after raising a fragile topic.

Yes… we should not forget some people who can manipulate the Prince’s mind…

“To be honest, your father didn’t like me at first.” Then Ramil brought up another topic that had led Khanin to think further.

He remembered one day when he had a conversation with Rachata, it was a day he coincidentally met on the way to practice the dance, but the person who was older than him spoke negatively and unfriendly, thinking that he was worthless.

“Yes, my father doesn’t like you. Because he thinks that your family played trickery before, my father thought your family was conspiring together, hiding you, letting you practice in advance to be better than others, and then accelerating to compete for the Sovereign King position, preventing others from getting ready.” What Ramil said wasn’t entirely wrong.

If asked how long Khanin had prepared himself before anyone else had, he would probably say that he had spent almost his entire life in training.

The question that he had always wondered about why he had to train more than others in terms of sword fighting, language, music, and economics.

And all the questions were answered as his feet stepped on the land of the country of Emmaly.

“Just like that… If your father is confident that his child is talented, why would he be afraid of me?” Khanin threw away those thoughts and immediately changed the subject, his cute face calm. His dark brown eyes turned to look at the children, both older and younger ones.

“I don’t know about that. Because at first, I wasn’t afraid of you. I didn’t feel like there was anything to fear, but my father…” Ramil furrowed his small eyebrows, as if pondering something in his heart.

Ramil’s hesitation in his response made Khanin think of something.

“Normally, it’s possible that we may not like some people from the first time we meet them, with various reasons for the ‘dislike’. Either you don’t like them because they are a competitor, you don’t like them because they treated you poorly, you don’t like them because they remind you of something bad, you don’t like them because people around you don’t like them. Your dad may not like me for some reason.”

“…”

“Khun Jae, normally when actors perform, they need to have something that makes them believe that they are that character. They must have imagination, thoughts, feelings, link to that character, to make it believable that they are that character, right?” When Khanin saw that Ramil didn’t respond, he turned to ask a strange question to the only actor in the team.

This action made everyone suspicious, not excluding Charan.

“Environment, Your Highness… the environment helps you to immerse into the character.”

“And if you don’t have that belief in the character at all, what can help?”

In the midst of confusion about the young actor’s words, the representative of the Puchongpisut family spoke firmly.

“Say what you want to say, no need to hesitate.”

“It seems that your father does not like me because my appearance made him inferior. There must be someone who made him feel like that, not just for a short time, but for a long time.” Khanin summed it up, as in the proverb “The falling piece of wood doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

“Huh?”

“Just think, is there any reason that a person who holds himself highly and treats himself that high, would hate me so much that he would resort to hurting me? If the people of your household don’t firmly believe in dignity, then you probably won’t have that either.” Khanin shortened his thoughts.

But at first, if Rachata was the type of person who liked to secretly undermine others. Ramil himself might have that personality, but the evidence speaks for everything.

Rachata’s son holds respect and noble status. Rachata himself was probably no different unless there was an environment that made him think that he was inferior, to the point of being afraid of losing prestige and not being able to accept defeat.

To the point of resorting to dirty tricks and of course, this manipulation should not just be for a short period of time…

I guess this idea must have deep roots for a long time.

“Are you going to tell me that someone has been whispering in my father’s ear for a long time, and that person planned to use my father as bait all along?”.

“You are very smart, Ramil… Yes, what I want to say is, even if you, the one who competes with me, aren’t afraid of me, why should someone with as much power as your father have to be afraid of a little child like me?”.

“…”

“Someone like you who has a royal status, Rachata. If we compare me to what Evaa sees in me, then there is no need to lower yourself to do this, right?”.

“…”

“Unless someone whispered in his ear from the beginning… and that person must have permission to say what they wanted to say. So it must be someone with a comparable status.”.

“Uncle Waseen came… it’s impossible, that person… is not smart.” Ramil immediately mentioned a name without having to think, the name of a person that made Khanin burst out laughing.

From the information leaked by the heir of Puchongpisut, Khanin began to feel confident that he and Ramil were thinking in the same direction.

The only person allowed to say anything that comes to mind… that would be Uncle Waseen.

“Who said he’s not smart.” Khanin raised his eyebrows. His two layered gaze turned to Ramil, who seemed confused.

“Dad always says Uncle Waseen is soft hearted.”

“Soft hearted? Then tell me, which soft hearted person can tell someone that their child is stupid to their face.” Khanin brought up yesterday’s conversation, the words that Ramil said to him still lingered in his mind.

“…”

“Which soft hearted person can read the game that I played with you, and still know that you will lose.”

“…”

“You yourself know that a soft hearted person can’t possibly observe the game I was playing and decide who will win or lose.”

“…”

“Or, if he is really soft hearted, it means he must have experienced this before, which means he himself must have participated in this type of game, or maybe Uncle Waseen has never been a soft hearted person, but had to show it to everyone because the environment dictated it…” Khanin lowered his gaze, observing the interesting reactions of the older boys. Ramil seemed to have just remembered something, while the other was still bewildered.

The competition between him and Ramil cannot be decided immediately. Outsiders think he has the right to lose throughout, although the rules emphasize the importance of the budget, the points are only worth thirty percent. 

So why does Uncle Waseen seem so confident that he will defeat Ramil to such an extent… or maybe Uncle doesn’t have any confidence at all. He just wants Rachata and Ramil to think in a different direction. 

“The environment is such that it’s possible… because in the past, Meenakarin was not like this. Dad often speaks of Meenakarin as once a prosperous city. It had both bubble tea and bird nests, and it had a coastal area, another important food source.” After a pause, Khanin revealed new information. In his eyes, there was a growing intensity and danger.

“…”

“But the Meenakarin declined due to natural disasters, and Royal Uncle

Waseen’s poor decision making… When it declined, Grandpa lent a hand by restoring Meenakarin through the government, as well as providing financial aid, not long after, Meenakarin decided to build a high speed train…”

“…”

“At that time, everyone thought Meenakarin would have to join either Atsawathewathin or Thawetmetha, but ultimately Uncle Waseen teamed up with my dad. Meenakarin had problems with Atsawathewathin because Uncle Waseen pushed for it to be created, my dad said that he did it because he wanted his own trade routes, so that he wouldn’t have to rely on Atsawathewathin for transportation, and he could reduce the cost of transporting seafood throughout the country.”

“But in the end, did he do it? Because I didn’t hear the teacher talk about this during class.” Khanin tried to recall, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t remember if Emmaly, the high speed train, was ever mentioned, which Ramil replied to.

“Yes, he didn’t. Because Meenakarin didn’t have the money. Before building… the capital required signing an agreement specifying that if he were to build, it had to have five primary cities as both starting and ending points, the country would only allow the construction to be for twenty years, after which it had to become the property of the country… that’s why my dad didn’t want to do it.”

“…”

“And at that time, the Sovereign King himself lent the money to

Meenakarin, not taking interest, but requesting for full repayment within five years…and then where would Meenakarin get the money to repay. If he were to borrow from foreign sources, he would need approval from the central bank first, and where would he get the additional funds to pay for the various lands?…”

“…”

“My father prepared money only to build the road connecting my city to the capital and Meenakarin, and it would be impossible to help Meenakarin pay off his debts as a shareholder.”

“What happened after that?”

“My father had said that in the end, Uncle Waseen went to plead with Prince Tarin about expanding the debt repayment, requesting to be seen again by the Sovereign King, but negotiations seemed to fall through, and you and my mother…were assassinated before anything could be resolved.”

“Ah…” Actually, he had already read about this in old news, but when he heard it from Khanin his heart sank.

People close by can detect emotions, and the grip on Khanin’s arm tightened until he had to turn and whisper softly, “What’s wrong?”

But instead of calming down, his sharp eyes flipped down to observe himself. Khanin noticed the sadness in the glimmer of those pairs of eyes, and the young man left his gaze fixed on the face of Charan. Until Ramil spoke up again.

“That’s it. In the end, we didn’t create…we just let the issue go like that, and my father withdrew from the high speed railway project, uninvolved with this issue.”

“So, did Meenakarin repay the debt to the Sovereign King?” Luckily, he was able to adjust his mood quickly so as to not look too depressed. Khanin pulled his attention away from his sorrow.

“He paid…I think, I don’t know by what means. Because in the end, Meenakarin was able to get his debt all paid but I still don’t see the state’s finances improving.” Ramil answered the question unconcernedly, but that made Khanin connect a few things in his head.

“Maybe they had to impose higher local taxes to repay the debt. If so, it would be difficult for the people in the state…right, Mira?” The young royal turned to the one who had been sitting silently the whole time, the only young woman in this place. She looked back and gave a faint smile as the answer.

“Yes…we have had such a difficult time that we even had to generate our own electricity.”

The young man still had a good memory of the day he invited Mira to join the team.

Before talking to her, he had studied the future prospects of the team and found that this young woman was a little more special than others. Because she came from such a poor city that she couldn’t even play fencing, due to expensive equipment beyond the reach of ordinary people.

People in Meenakarin really had it hard.

If that’s the case, it’s not surprising…nothing is strange about it, it’s all locked up and terrifying.

If Meenakarin saw Atsawathewathin as their own personal sun and Atsawathewathin allowed the state under his control to be in difficulty…habits like pressure and dissatisfaction  would be there.

It’s not surprising that he would rise up to do something big like this.

“So, it means that motivation comes from hardship, it’s easy to think like that. In the end, Uncle Waseen had experienced a similar incident. Uncle was forced to repay the money to the Sovereign King within five years before he even got to building a railway, the agreement seemed unfair. How much money would it take to build the initial roads for five states, if he were to agree? He wouldn’t and just left.”

“…”

“If that’s the case, then it can be understood that the logic royal uncle had in mind was, and the intention was clear from the moment he said he did not want to be pressed by Atsawathewathin… and so he went along with my father.” Khanin felt like he was playing the role of an observant character in a detective series.

He tried to find inspiration. The more he dug, the more it seemed like he found nothing, but deep down there was still something lingering in his mind. Khanin had a suspicion that this matter might be related to the Sovereign King’s warehouse.

But he chose to keep this matter quiet for now. Because if he spoke out, it could have negative effects on himself.

“And if that’s the case, why didn’t he do it from the beginning? Why wait until the competition for Sovereign King… and why do it to my father as well.” Because my father is the best suited to be a shield for that person. He likes to hold himself above others, is confident in himself, and does not think that those beneath him would dare to bite back.

While he was lost in thought, Ramil’s question brought Khanin back to reality, and the young man took a breath. Because that was the matter he had spent all night analyzing and filtering through in order to make it easier for Ramil to understand everything.

“Why do it to your father in this way…”

“…”

“And he was afraid that if he just let your father go, then your father would come and compete for the thing he wanted, so he had to eliminate my father, using him as a tool alone.”

“…”

“As for why he didn’t do it from the beginning, then I ask why did I come to be in The Royal Palace now? It’s because according to the law, no one can enter or leave the palace freely. Except for during the competition for Sovereign King, and the coronation of the new Sovereign King, and even then the funeral ceremony of the previous Sovereign King had to be held back in their hometown.”

“…”

 

 

Only this competition allows everyone in the royal family to come and go freely in the palace. Another thing… Everyone participates together from different places. If it were you, you would have to fight four to one. Would you choose to fight them one by one until everyone else joins in and bites you, or would you gather everyone together and win in one fell swoop?”

“…”

“So the second option is already chosen: eliminate them all, tie them together, borrow the strength of others in areas where you can, and wait for the opportunity. The game is to eliminate enemies. Now everything is as easy as having someone peeling a banana and putting it in your mouth.”

“…” Ramil was quiet, the person who used to be so arrogant that he was trembling, showed clear signs that he agreed with Khanin’s thoughts until he couldn’t argue anymore.”

Inside the meeting room it was quiet again. Khanin’s eyes closed, the more information he analyzed, the clearer it became what game he was playing.

The young man thought back to the day several months ago when he practiced sword fighting with his father, recalling the words the other party spoke to him as a warning that what Tanattai had taught him was only useful at that time.

“My father trained him to be a real swordsman, but sword fighting is a Finite game, the game ends within a specified time. Therefore, the thing his son needs to consider is what.”

“Maintain the rules, defeat the opponent within the designated time.”

“Correct. So if you want to defeat an opponent who is superior within the designated time, but you still have to maintain the rules… what should you do?”

“There are two options. The first path is to practice by reading the opponent and finding weaknesses to exploit. As for the second option… It is to make the opponent violate the rules… and then we will win.” However, we cannot behave in such a way in every sport. Cheating during a competition will only make us dishonest.”

“But outside of the game, it may be possible to do so… right?”

“It is true that we can act appropriately outside of the game… therefore, the player must keep themselves in check, live mindfully, consider pros and cons, see the true intentions of people, who  does what  for whom, why… because in life, we cannot know for certain who will play outside the rules, a slight lack of attention may harm the player.”

“…”

“Do not forget that in every competition, we only want one winner, the player must observe how the game is played, how it unfolds, and do not forget, the truth is that, in this world, humans are inherently diverse and there are many people willing to break the rules to win. Because they believe it is easier than competing fairly.”

What father taught him allowed him to read the situation in a precise manner. At first, he may not understand the intentions of the person who initiated this evil story, but with enough information, it will allow him to understand it better. 

Khanin collected all the relevant information he knew today, analyzed it and presented it for others to see instantly. 

“If Thawetmetha is the one who is behind everything, it means that the side wants to use this opportunity to let Evaa win without any bloodshed. Because the rules state that if an ancestor of any state wins, the father will immediately ascend to the position of Sovereign King.”

“…”

“But if not… if Meenakarin is the one behind everything, It means that Waseen planned everything well, rashly playing every possible method outside of the rules. In the rules…”

“…”

What do you think would happen if the Sovereign King had to step down from his position, without anyone winning… it means, the position of Sovereign King would be temporarily empty, and if anything happened to Khanin, the ruler of Atsawathewathin and Thawetmetha would surely reject the promotion as Sovereign King, as for those who are eager for this position, like Rachata, they will face charges of assaulting members of the ruling family.

Finally, if we eliminate the Atsawathewathin, and no one will want the Puchongpisut leader, and the Thawetmetha has no son, who will this position belong to?”

“…”

“The position became appropriate for the favorite nephew of the previous King: Waseen, who was just and fair, right?” Khanin looked around everyone with his eyes, and they all agreed with what he said without any objection.

“…”

“Even if there is no one running the race, Meenakarin still wants everyone to think that Waseen deserves this position.”

“…”

“It is about becoming Sovereign King in a fair way, right?”

Everything fits perfectly. Both sending people to harm him, pinning the crime on Rachata, making Chana the suspect, was to make the real culprit disappear out of sight of everyone. 

When the time comes… that person will emerge to claim everything he wants. 

Without losing anything himself. 

He will not allow it to turn out that way…

“Therefore, we will not let him have that moral victory. We will compete cleanly, let him know defeat. It would be even better if the results were clear that day… This is our plan of action.”

 

 

“…”

“After this, we will come up with a plan to counterattack and catch the villain.”

As the comfortable atmosphere in Young Prince’s conference room of Atsawathewathin battled the raindrops falling against the windows.

The sky turned crimson, resembling a storm brewing. Lightning flashed sporadically, but this time the weather outside did not cause even the slightest tremble to the people working at the table.

Although the meeting had been going on for hours, Charan still could not stop thinking about Khanin’s conjectures. While waiting for the host to arrive, the young man decided to take out his iPad and check his email.

The information in the iPad made Charan feel more uneasy than before because what was in the email was a recording of a conversation between Vetis and someone in Meenakarin…

Going back to a month ago, after returning home, Jae Jirat had Vetis investigate the case of the attacker with a limp. From the day he brought Khanin back to Emmaly, there had been deaths from poison.

In the meantime, Vetis had been sending interesting information for his close friends to check the nationwide purchase of cyanide, and discovered that three states, Atsawathewathin, Puchongpisut, and Thawetmetha, all used it legally and found out what they used it for.

Only Meenakarin did not purchase this poisonous substance… but even so, Charan could not rest easy and instructed Vetis to keep an eye on them.

Until recently, Vetis’ investigative line was able to infiltrate among the locals, and the other side reported there was new leakage.

The investigation followed from the time when Meenakarin was the only state licensed to open a gold store, before these stores began closing down due to natural disasters affecting the economy of the state. Many shops became empty, but they were still selling poisons, especially cyanide, in large quantities.

This information made Charan feel uneasy.

In truth, it was impossible for the closed gold shops to have enough poison to sell as much as customers required. Some shops closed for years, but still offered the poison for sale in kilograms, including lots to expire in five years’ time.

This meant that Meenakarin might have secretly ordered this poison from abroad, using these gold stores as warehouses… if not, then the poison would have to be old stock, and there should be new stock available all the time.

This further connected with the information learned from Tanattai. Charan was even more confident that there were people trying to create a power base quietly under a very good disguise.

And if everything went according to Khanin’s conjecture on this day, it meant that the person who tried to harm Khanin was one of Prince Waseen’s men…

If this were true, then it would be necessary to be wary of Prince Waseen.

He believed in the sharpness of Khanin’s eyes, even though he was just a child. He was said to be a person who had a sharp gaze, with no prejudice, and the other side would see everything clearly.

There were still many unanswered questions, but it seemed that Khanin’s ideas were bringing him closer to something that had been lingering in his mind that he had never touched upon.

There were a variety of questions that had yet to be answered, but it seemed that Khanin’s thinking was bringing him closer to something that had been lingering in his mind that he had never touched upon.

If the real villain is Prince Waseen, it is highly possible that he was the person who brought the news to him, causing suspicion about the Sovereign King’s involvement in the death of his mother, could be the same person.

If that’s the case… then Waseen must have some motives.

Or maybe he wants Phitakthewa to be on the opposite side of Atsawathewathin.

Are they deliberately trying to confuse him? Charan took a deep breath, closed his eyes and let himself float away with his thoughts for a long time, until he lost track of time and woke up again when he felt someone’s magic scented breath blowing on his cheek.

“Ah, I forgot, I wanted to steal some perfume.”

The sound of a gentle tapping brought the person who had just woken up to a laughing fit. The young man adjusted his mood and gestured to the person in front of him, beckoning him to sit on the stool.

“Now that I am blind, I can still smell.”

“You can’t even act surprised.” The white man complained softly. Khanin, who was still wearing a bathrobe with one arm linked, shrugged and smiled, trembling, causing Charan to carry the person on the stool to the bed, then turned to pick up the remote control for the air conditioner to adjust the temperature to the right level.

“I think it would be cold, it feels good.”

“I like the cold.”

“You may get sick.”

“Getting sick is good, Phii you can take care of me.”

“Do not forget that you have to participate in the competition tomorrow, no matter what happens.” Charan pressed his stubborn nose lightly and recalled the memory of the person who insisted on not delaying the competition.

Still planning step by step for the team to follow, the evil was such that he began to fear that if Khanin had planned more than this, he would certainly become a person who could not forget someone.

“That’s right… but for me it is not that easy to get sick.”

“Even if you’re not easily sick, you still have to take care of yourself. So is it better to sleep more so that my arms can recover quickly?”

“Are you sleeping yet… I want to talk to you, Phii.” Khanin reached out and tapped the elbow of the other person. Charan, who turned to close the lamp, stopped and turned back to talk, frowning, looking at the little boy with suspicion.

“You’ve been talking too much today, aren’t you tired of talking?”

“What does Phii Ran think, do I talk too much?”

“Is it true?”

“Yeah…” Khanin pursed his lips, and the little boy became slightly quiet, wanting to look at each other sweetly. “But… Do you dislike me talking too much?”

The childlike worry made Charan forget the previous stress, and his thick hand gently stroked his head.

“No, I am just afraid that your throat hurts.”

“Oh. It doesn’t hurt that much, I’ve been screaming all night and still not in pain… Ugh, mmmh-mmmh.” Charan realized and closed his tiny lips with his hand. The young man breathed in and out heavily, feeling embarrassed that he reacted to a soft moan like that all over his body.

“What do you even say in situations like this… pervert kid.”

“What gibberish are you spouting now… I am talking seriously.” he chided.

‘This kid.’ he thought to himself, his face emotionless. He pushed the white man onto the bed before covering him with a blanket, starting with his small chest. Then he lay down next to him, gazing at him gently with soft eyes.

Khanin’s lips were pursed, and the cute gesture made Charan move closer to him. He pressed his thick lips onto the smaller one’s, pouring his love into the kiss.

Charan locked eyes with the person lying next to him, as the Young Prince moved closer to cuddle him. It was quiet for a moment before he spoke, his voice laced with longing.

“Aren’t you afraid of the rain, Phii Ran?” The heavier rain outside had made Khanin anxious, and the person cuddling him looked up at him with concerned eyes.

“I still don’t like it, but now that you are here, I don’t feel as bad.” he replied honestly. Having Khanin beside him during the difficult times was better than being alone, he could touch and smell the other person.

He didn’t know when it started to rain. Whenever he looked back at the times when he felt stronger than before, Khanin had always been there. This change was mainly due to the other party.

“Ahh…” The young man moaned softly, slipping his hand to caress the white cheek with a look of infatuation.

“If I didn’t have you…I would probably feel empty…but because I have you, I’ve been able to do everything up until now. I’m still here because of you…” The young man’s soft voice combined with the sentence structure resulted in a faint smile.

He liked having Khanin here, hearing him say that they were lucky to have each other was like a light in the previously dark life.

“Same here.”

“I know this, because I am your ‘sun’.” The other person moved closer, giving off the scent of clean shampoo, their nose tip pointing downwards, buried in the soft bunch of hair behind the younger person’s ear, with a playful expression in the eyes as he uttered the words inviting a heart-to-heart conversation.

“Really?”

“Really? Mr-Charan himself told me.” The speaker’s face showed signs of confusion, gesturing to move slightly away in order to get a clearer view of the older person’s face.

However, Mr-Charan refused to let that happen. As the pale body leaned back, he pulled the younger person’s waist closer, and deliberately used the bridge of his nose to nudge the tip of their nose aside, all the while following his heart’s desire.

“Yes, it’s true. Nin, you are like the sun to me.” Charan whispered. He deliberately looked up at the deep brown eyes that looked back at him, wanting to see the other’s face more clearly.

“Nin made me feel lucky to have him here.”

“So sweet. If Ramil heard this, he would be jealous again.” Khanin laughed softly before pressing his face down onto the hard chest, listening to the heavy beat of his heart.

“Gosh, forget him…”

“Wow. Khun Charan, you leveled up fast. Forget him? That Young Prince

Ramil, Puchongpisut guy.”

“I don’t want to care about anyone else, whoever they may be… right now, I only want to focus on Nin.” Charan thought so as he looked at Khanin’s injured arm, his heart aching. 

Protecting others has always been his duty. But when someone else he wanted to protect for real, he let his guard down and the persona wanted to protect ended up in pain like this. 

He’s just not capable… 

“Don’t make that face, let’s change the subject… Let’s end this tangled mess and go somewhere to relax.” Khanin seemed to understand his feelings, and so he reached out and touched Charan’s face to change the topic.

“Where do you want to go?” Charan whispered while leaning down to kiss the forehead of the person in front of him lovingly, one hand holding onto his thick hair. Khanin, who had become longer and quieter, slightly turned away.

“Shall we go where we first met?”

“England?” A smile spread across his face as memories flooded in like a river. Charan thought back to the time when the person in his arm was arguing until he almost died.

And now, they had sex and tossed and turned like he was trying to test his bed every day.

“Wow, England…” Khanin murmured, his movements captured by Charan’s eyes.

“Are you homesick?”

“I do miss my old life” The white haired person chuckled lightly, and a flicker of the once bright eyes seemed to dim.

“Wherever you want to go, I’ll take you…” Charan spoke honestly, because he thought Khanin might need someone to lean on, and of course, he himself wanted the other person just as much.

“Okay then, let’s sleep, hearing this gives me the encouragement to keep going.” Khanin did a muscle stretch, then returned to his snuggling pose, his small chin resting on the broad chest as he grunted while trying to find a comfortable position. “Phii Ran, you have to help me… you shouldn’t back down now and make others see that I made the right choice by choosing you.”

The contest between the losers and the winners must continue with Nin. Khanin didn’t want to give up his determination, and Charan’s expertise in sword fighting still remained a secret. 

Normally, he wouldn’t want to show it off to anyone. Because he didn’t want to be involved in the fuss of inheriting his family head position. But this time it was different. 

Charan was happy and willing to show it to others. Because of Khanin’s desire. 

“I’ll do it… but you yourself can do it too, if you can’t take it, don’t force it.” Charan looked at the line of freckles on the kid’s arm. His dark brown eyes followed his gaze. Then he turned his face up with a smile.

“Don’t worry. I won’t be stubborn. I have a dead stance.”

“You do, do you?” The mischievous pose of the person around him made Charan burst out laughing. Khanin looked confident that he had a backup plan, so much so that Charan wondered if the other person had a secret strategy that he hadn’t told him yet.

“Come on, give me your face for a kiss and I will whisper it to you.”

 

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