The Next Prince, Chapter 18 pg3
The Next Prince, Chapter 18 pg3
The fragrant aroma of freshly cooked sweet and savory food filled the room, but strangely, it didn't make Khanin feel like trying anything. On the contrary, he felt resistant.
He hid behind his two-layered eyes and sat quietly, observing a group of young women in red skirts gradually walking in with a variety of dishes.
They arranged the dishes on the table with precision, causing Khanin's already heavy feeling in his chest to intensify. It expanded like a large rain cloud taking up space and making him feel tense.
Various thoughts circulated in his mind, perhaps due to the unfamiliar situation he was facing. The nerves in his fingertips were on high alert and he observed the young man sitting across from him.
Khanin kept his gaze fixed on the food in front of him, but he could observe all the reactions of those around him. He knew that Charan was confident that he hadn't looked away since the moment they first locked eyes again, until now...
The other person who could clearly sense the tension was the man in the suit sitting opposite him. If Khanin's analysis was not distorted, he was quite confident that the gaze the other party used to look at him was filled with deep contemplation...
It seemed like he was thinking so much that he wanted to express it out loud, but why?
The young man let himself float in thought for a moment. However, before he could think of anything else, a soft voice from someone at the head of the table interrupted him, calling out the names of a few people and asking the younger ones to turn their heads to look.
“Charan... come sit next to me and have a meal together.”
Khanin turned back to look at the speaker and saw the hint of anxiety in their piercing eyes, but ultimately, their lower position did not give them the right to refuse. In the end, Charan just gave a slight nod of acceptance to the order.
“Yes, our Highness.” The tall figure walked towards the dining table, allowing Little Maehlae who had been standing there to move her chair out of the way before sitting down with great manners. Their eyes met briefly as he wiped his mouth and placed the napkin quietly back onto the plate.
Charan's every movement was worth watching, even the way he acted on the table showed that he had been trained to a high level. The young man remained tense until the sound of a soft clink from Dhipabawon tapping their glass against the water glass broke the awkwardness, signalling the start of the first meal of Amlay.
“Alright, we're finally ready to face this together... This is an exciting moment for all of us in Grandfather's life.”
Although there was no special ceremony, Khanin could not shake off the feeling of tension in his chest. He shuddered before comparing in his mind... the luxurious dining table was much different than the small kitchen in his own home, where it was only him and his father.
“Relax, dear, don't worry too much.” said Grandpa, who had noticed his anxiety. Charan had reported everything to him already.
“Yes, sir.” replied Khanin, sparing words. Even though Dhipabawon tried to reduce the tension by engaging in small talk...
“And how are your injuries?”
“It's nothing, really, not a big deal.”
“Hmm, then take a break today, and tomorrow I'll have the Master Monk come and see you again.”
Khanin wasn't sure how to respond or act in this situation. Keeping quiet and focusing on his food seemed like the best option.
“It's not a big deal after all... It's just that Khanin kept insisting that it was nothing when it was something important. The royals like to make a big deal out of things.”
“I heard that you're even the captain of the Sword Club... You're so talented.”
“Yes, sir.”
Because Dhipabawon noticed the cautious behavior of his only grandson, he chose to pick up the most genuine conversation from the information that Charan provided in order to help improve the atmosphere in the dining room.
Not only Khanin had to adjust and adapt, it seemed like Tarin himself was no different now. The guest did not touch any particular plate. Dhipabawon's studious and obedient son just ate and followed the customs.
But all attention shifted to Khanin, only Khanin.
“I'm sorry, I didn't know if you'd like this type of food, so I ordered everything he could make for you to try... The national dishes may be specially spicy according to our recipe, but if you don't like it, you don't have to force yourself to eat it. Choose what you like, it's not a problem. It's etiquette.” The eldest person at this dining table spoke naturally.
Khanin swept his gaze over the long table now crowded with various types of food. Each dish was beautifully decorated, some had intricately carved vegetables placed next to fragrant main courses that made it impossible to resist salivating. Even though he didn't really feel like eating anything at this moment.
The young man began with the dish closest to him. Khanin followed the custom, but his mind was blank, he didn't know anything about the menu right in front of him and seemed to lose his taste buds for a moment. Until later on when he saw a ceramic bowl filled with thick orange curry soup containing noodles, the memory triggered something inside him.
Khao Soi... the dish that his father liked to make him eat. The food that Khanin always said he hated the most, but now it was himself who grabbed the nearby chopsticks and slowly brought the tangles of noodles into his mouth without hesitation, unlike before.
The smell of curry and spices filled his nose, the sweet, salty, spicy taste on his tongue from the seasoning coating the noodles gave him pause for a moment. Khanin knew he wasn't going to cry... because of the heat and spiciness of the food. But there was a slight tightness in his chest as if being squeezed by a hand that couldn't be seen.
It was because the Khao Soi in front of him tasted similar to what his father used to make... It was so similar that it made him feel fragile. The thing he used to say he didn't like has now been pushed towards the corner of his mouth, hesitatingly tasting it as if afraid that it would disappear.
“Do you like Khao Soi?”
Dhipabawon, who noticed the motion of the fork and spoon, tilted his kind face towards the young child, causing the thin hand holding the chopsticks to pause. Khanin flickered his eyes to push back a drop of heart-wrenching water before raising his face to speak.
“My father often makes me eat it.” confessing, bringing the person in his heart closer, seeming to alleviate the tension that previously existed. Dhipabawon stopped frowning slightly at the new information he had just received.
“So... does Tattanai cook too? That's surprising.”
“Yes, my father said I should practice because he wants- uh, wants me to be able to eat a variety of foods.”
“Oh... that's great.”
Dhipabawon secretly observed a faint smile on his grandson's face as he sat on the high chair at the head of the table, making it clear the emotions and expressions that were his own.
Normally, Tarin was a quiet person, not the type to talk a lot. Especially when sitting at the dining table with guests from out of town or from another city. Tarin was usually an important aide in creating a good atmosphere by helping to find conversation topics.
But now it was completely different. Tarin seemed to have forgotten everything, including how to converse and maintain relationships. He had lost control of himself completely.
And because Dhipabawon assessed that this period was too difficult for his son to handle, someone with more life experience had to step in and manage things.
“Neither of them has recommended themselves yet.” Dhipabawon thought that he should follow the correct procedure and heed the call of the Sovereign-King's voice to garner interest from young people once again. Khanin inadvertently looked towards Charan for a moment before looking back at the person sitting opposite him.
“Tarin.”
“Yes, father.” the owner of the name responded before falling silent. Dhipabawon looked at his only son with a calm gaze, while the other party's posture created the impression of being the highest-ranking person in Ermalee.
The old man breathed out lightly, and Dhipabawon had come to a conclusion: whoever was supposed to be the mediator of the relationships within the Atsawathewathin family would inevitably have to deal with him again. “Khanin...”
“Yes?”
“The person sitting in front of your grandson is another important person whom he ought to get to know.”
“...”
“This person is Prince-Tarin Atsawathewathin... the ruler of the state on the northern side...” The sentence spoken by the survivor caused Khanin's forehead to crease in confusion. He felt familiar with this name but couldn't remember where he had heard it before.
“...”
“And most importantly... he is your true father.”
LINE
TBC
Comments
Post a Comment