The Next Prince, Chapter 14 pg3
The Next Prince, Chapter 14 pg3
Done. Does it hurt?” He didn't know what to say and didn't want to make things worse. Khanin changed the topic.
The young boy gently rubbed Charan's bicep with both hands before gradually moving away.
“No, it will go away soon.”
The conversation was calm, differing from the pain that the injury caused. It was clear that some people were accustomed to pain while others were not. For Khanin, just seeing the wound made him feel the pain itself. He had come to realize this much.
A warm breath permeated the owner's small body as they breathed out, wanting to laugh or tease fate for playing a joke that nearly killed them.
However, they couldn't bring themselves to laugh.
The more Charan suffered like this, the worse the young boy felt.
“Honestly... why do you work like this? You're risking your life. You might die any day, and even if you have a good day, someone might come at you with a knife. And on top of that, you have to come and protect other people... How do you feel about it?” The lengthy sentence contained mixed emotions of not understanding.
Khanin was unable to cope with someone who wasn't shaken by anything like before.
“No, it's my duty.”
The word 'duty' caused the beautiful eyebrows of the audience to twitch. Suddenly, a wave of dissatisfaction surged up one of them, making it difficult to listen. It changed the expression of those listening, causing only a small smile to move their lips.
“Is it like what your father did?”
“...”
The duty of coming to protect others until you die... I don't think it's right. Where does it have to be?” The young boy spoke his thoughts, not wanting to be a burden for someone else to protect. His face had become bitter and his beautiful eyes were flashing.
The young boy felt as though his emotions were being switched back and forth, as if they were being grabbed by an invisible hand and shifted from side to side. A turbulent whirlpool sent waves of despair through him.
“Your grandfather once told me... Tattanai was a very strong guard, he was hard to catch because he was so skilled. He was given the important duty of taking care of you...” Charan brought up something new in a soft voice, calling the attention of the younger person.
“...”
“It's not just a duty. He protected you more than that.” A warm tear fell quietly, and the slender figure of the young boy rocked back and forth because he didn't want to accept Charan's opinion.
Did he want to protect? Was it necessary to do so much?
Khanin blinked his eyes to stop the tears and let his heart gradually calm down with the pain. No one wanted to experience loss, he himself included. He didn't want to encounter any loss in exchange for the heights he had never desired.
“The persecution of Thanan was nothing to the bloodshed that he never knew existed, but it's important to Khanin even if just a bit...”
“I'll ask you straight up... is that competition really important to these people's lives? Is it really as important as someone's life being treated like a fish vegetable?” It went deeper than just the pain. Khanin knew from the beginning that it was anger that he never understood, and still does not understand today.
“Everyone wants power.”
Power? That's funny... and what about you? How is this silly competition important to you?”
Charan's answer made Khanin wonder. What made Charan willing to sacrifice so much for his job? Especially since they were just two strangers.
For Khanin, Charan was like a puzzle piece on this board. However, he could not quite grasp the answer he received. Perhaps it had to do with something that was planted deep within, or with his job, but the sentence that some people might take for granted... It had quite an impact on Khanin's heart.
“The competition isn't important to me, but it is to you...”
“What do you mean?”
“If it's important to Atsawathewathin, then it's important to me too.”
TBC.
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