The Next Prince, Chapter 22 pg2
The Next Prince, Chapter 22 pg2
Everything happened so quickly that he didn't have time to prepare. Chakri hurriedly ran over to report that the Sovereign King had ordered everyone participating in the competition to assemble together today, as there were important matters to address.
In haste, the head of the household had to reluctantly hold onto a sturdy handle that rose from the bed to pull himself up and go take a quick bath and change into ordinary clothes, resembling a mobile golden wardrobe, after days of wearing special attire.
After finishing his bath in a rush, Chakri led him to the grand reception room, informing him that temporary relatives, Evaa and Ramil, would arrive in another hour since they were unable to enter the Royal Palace according to the rules. The young man understood but didn't have a chance to ask why.
Nearly an hour passed while Khanin sat alone, sipping tea and eating cucumber sandwiches. As the time approached, family members of high rank began to appear one by one, starting with the women.
She walked straight toward him, greeting him friendly with a charming gesture. Her beautiful and sweet face had an enchanting effect, making her resemble a princess who had escaped from a fairy tale.
She came closer to him and greeted him with a warm smile, exuding a friendly aura. Her lovely and captivating face made her look like a princess who had stepped out of a fairy tale book.
However, Khanin expressed his opinion that she... is a modern princess who is not pretty and sweet like in old fairy tales, perhaps due to her unconventional dressing style and high ponytail.
Nevertheless, all of these characteristics create an intense and surrounded atmosphere, and every movement she makes emanates confidence and fearlessness, but maintaining a sense of caution.
Next is a young man of approximately the same age as him. This person doesn't even come over to say hello. Instead, he sits down with a superior posture as soon as he arrives.
He has an oval-shaped face, narrow eyes, slightly pointed chin, trendy hairstyle, and his posture clearly portrays his strong self-assurance.
Khanin feels that this man exudes the scent of a high-level professional athlete, with a sturdy physique and a confident walking style. However, his high-class mannerisms can enhance his air of superiority.
They all sit quietly, staring at each other. It takes a while for someone to start a conversation to break the tension.
“Well, I haven't formally introduced myself yet... I'm Evaa, and the person beside me is Ramil. As for you, Khanin, I suppose we can consider ourselves as older and younger siblings.” Eva introduces herself, waking Khanin from his thoughts and back to the present situation.
A sweet smile plays on Eva's lips, accompanied by a melodic voice, causing Khanin to soften his expression in response. She introduces herself before turning her hand towards the person sitting next to her, as if there is something on her mind.
The formal greetings begin. Their eyes briefly avoid each other and then shift their attention towards the person called Ramil, who slowly places the tea cup on the table before extending his hand for a customary international greeting.
“Nice to meet you.”
Ramil replies calmly, his narrow eyes still haven't moved from Khanin's face, while a flicker of curiosity can be seen in the corner of his eyes, glancing at the long, slender fingers of the person sitting beside them. Although he wonders about the gestures of the other party, the young man ultimately understands the importance of maintaining etiquette.
“Nice to meet you too.” Khanin responds smoothly, looking at the other person with a smile on his lips and a light chuckle in his throat.
“What's with...” Khanin furrows his brow when he sees Ramil's peculiar mannerisms. The other party holds his hand and turns to inspect it closely, as if searching for something, before finally uttering a sentence that Khanin can't quite comprehend.
“I was just curious if you're real or fake. People outside speculate that you were hired.”
“...”
“The person who supposedly hired you is quite skilled. To find someone who looks and behaves like this, with double eyelid eyes and this nose, this skin color, resembling Atsawathewathin's personage so closely...”
“...”
“...”
“Well... in conclusion, are you real or fake? You can tell us. It may help to defuse the situation a bit easier.”
The disdainful posture of the other party causes Khanin's eyebrows to twitch, as if being pricked by a sharp thorn. It's not a feeling of pain, but rather a sense of anger from being belittled and ridiculed by a stranger.
Ramil makes it even easier to read him with such an attitude... and Khanin considers that to be an advantage.
There's a saying that my father always speaks about being cautious, saying, ‘If you have to fight, choose to fight against the visible danger and avoid the invisible danger. We can never truly know it, and we cannot calculate how much harm those things can cause.’
Ramil was the first person Khanin chose to categorize as easy to handle. When the other party played, he revealed his superior posture from the beginning, including his words, speech, facial expressions, and various atmospheres, making it impossible to think of any other way. Except that the other party was trying to intimidate him in a childish way, there was no way to speak back and end the thinking in this face-to-face manner, even though he himself had the status of the heir to the throne just like Khanin, the ruler of the capital.
Khanin thought it was funny... and he himself enjoyed playing around like a child.
“Not sure, but he said yes, so I followed.” The one with the smile revealed the name. Khanin acted as if he didn't understand what the other party wanted to communicate and responded lightly. That's it.
“...”
“Well... is it customary to greet each other like this here... I'm sorry. I'm new here so I don't know the customs well, but if it's not, you can tell me. I'll keep it in mind for future interactions with my own kind” Khanin turned to Evaa with a fresh expression, but it seemed to affect the person sitting on the other side and upset him.
“You...”
Ramil gritted his teeth. While Khanin continued to play the role, the oppressive atmosphere turned into intense heat, fights, and small drops of sweat appeared in front of the young lady, causing her to burst out laughing softly.
“Evaa!”
“I apologize, Phii Ramil, but I think you should simmer down, after between you and Phii Khanin, you seem to be the one who...”
In the name of justice, Evaa did not even take the side of the one she knew well. With a casual attitude, the only young woman in the room spoke the whole truth based on what she saw, and even though she had a broad mind to consider this as a joke, it made her look quite interesting.
Khanin lost interest in Ramil for a moment and he shifted his attention to Evaa instead. If he considered her as a younger sister, he thought she was quite decent. Having a broad mind like that should make her feel at ease, but if he considered her as an enemy, Khanin thought Evaa was much scarier.
In such a way, she was called an invisible danger.
Under the smile smeared with fragrant honey, Khanin didn't know if there was anything hidden inside. Some people seemed to be empty-handed, but the truth might have dark and hidden aspects... Who would know?
“Don't judge a book by its cover.”
When he saw that he wasn't listened to, Ramil demanded attention by speaking sharply. Khanin tilted his head slightly, smiled, and then turned to look at the person who reprimanded him with innocent eyes, as if unaware.
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