The Next Prince, Chapter 25 pg3
The Next Prince, Chapter 25 pg3
The large motorcycle smoothly entered the Royal Palace area. Although it was unfamiliar for the young lord, when the rider removed the helmet and revealed his identity, the massive iron gate opened, welcoming the unfamiliar vehicle with ease.
Khanin reluctantly moved his face away from the wide back panel as he involuntarily slid closer. As the speed of the motorcycle gradually decreased, the side trees stopped swaying, and the sound of the engine faded away.
The long legs of the person in front touched the ground to support the iron steed. The person sitting in the back let go of the waist. Khanin quickly jumped down and placed the helmet on the motorcycle's designated spot just as the person who had just gotten off handed it to him.
There was no conversation that escaped the edge of Charan's penetrating gaze. He stood tall and straight, his eyes locked on the young man who couldn't decipher his expression. Then, Charan extended his hand to his left chest and bowed, demonstrating respect according to tradition.
“Following Your-Highness' lead.” It almost felt like a command, without the precautionary gesture that accompanies people of importance. Charan turned and walked ahead, concluding with a statement that his current composure was merely a display of proper etiquette.
Khanin reluctantly followed, for he had no other choice. Firstly, because the young man was clueless about the path, and secondly, because he wanted to observe the reactions from the other party.
He wondered how far Charan's calmness could be pushed to the breaking point...
The older man sneaked in behind the building, passing through the grand kitchen where the royal maid servants were bustling about. He passed over ten more rooms. Finally, he arrived at the familiar hallway.
At the end of the corridor, after climbing the straight staircase, was
Khanin's bedroom. The young man discreetly breathed a sigh of relief. Keeping the guards away from the area where they would be able to see the effects of the commands he had previously been forbidden to use was proving beneficial at this moment.
There were no other individuals around, only the sound of two pairs of footsteps. Charan stopped in front of the bedroom door before making a gesture that was metaphorically equivalent to an answer to the question Khanin wanted to ask, which was weighing on his mind.
Charan... You are cooler and more composed than I had imagined.
Their beautiful, sharp gazes met, appearing no different from veiled farewell remarks. The other party behaved as if nothing had happened, as if they intended to leave it at that. However, Khanin was not willing to accept it this time.
“Are you going to run away again... I wonder if it's even possible to talk to you myself somewhere here.” The sound of the words spoken without reservation echoed through the air, expressing emotions. Khanin directly blocked the tall man's path, using body language to assert his presence and to make it clear that he would not let the other party escape easily.
Charan remained still, showing no facial expression of any kind, except to the person who had spent some time with him. Khanin could perceive a hint of agitation in the wicked individual's intensifying eyes.
“How did you manage to reach that place?” When there was no way to escape, Charan brought up the topic that was most important to discuss, which undoubtedly did not refer to the means of transportation or who accompanied him. Because all the answers would likely avoid the trap set by Chakri, who had been deceived.
What Charan wanted to know was how Khanin found out where he was...
“I went to Morpheus... Your butler, Khun-Narong, told me where you were.” Honest and without any intention to deceive or distort the truth. Khanin tightened his embrace, bringing his face closer to reveal an even clearer image of the stubborn young man.
“Butler?”
“Yes.”
The young man responded with a short, mischievous gaze, then suddenly blinked as he caught a glimpse of Charan's strong eyebrows twitching slightly. That was enough to indicate what the next sentence the other party wanted to say.
“Don't keep searching like this, it's very dangerous.”
“Then don't escape, either... If you don't want me to take risks again.” Because it wasn't different from what was anticipated, the young man retorted in the blink of an eye.
It seemed as though Khanin had expected some resistance, hoping that the other party would sense something, would feel something. The young man had no intention of beating around the bush, he simply wanted Charan to know that he was the main reason why he found himself in such a dangerous situation.
Avoiding each other without reason was a big issue. If something was unsatisfactory, it should be communicated, not resolved by distancing oneself, which was irritating. Khanin disliked it when the other party had something to say and remained silent.
If it were someone else... they would do whatever they want, but here he is, stuck with Charan and they're all in this mess together, going round and round in circles.
“It's late, and it's time to rest..” Charan remains, um, unchanged, just like before, while the other side stands firm like a rock unaffected by the rain. The young man reached out his thick hand and pulled the door back to its original position.
“I'm not a kid who has to go to bed before four o'clock... To be honest, aren't you curious about what I want to talk about?” Because of the frustration that pierced through the politeness, it made the younger one hastily ask, revealing disappointment in his cute face and deep brown eyes, affecting the hearts of those who looked, causing them to flutter.
“...” Charan remained silent, looking at each other as if wanting to communicate something, but he didn't say anything, not even a single word, it was Khanin, the one who couldn't endure the discomfort, who spoke up about an important matter.
“For the competition, we need to find team members... His Majesty, my grandfather has found people for me to choose from, but I need someone I can trust...
“I apologize, Your Highness, I won't be joining any team.”
Charan didn't wait until the end to interject with a sharp denial, these actions were no different than pouring boiling oil onto the last tangle of fiber, burning it down to ashes.
“It's so easy for you to refuse, isn't it? I haven't said a word about whether you will wield a sword or find something... Are you the person who said he would protect, take care... the person who said he wanted me to compete.”
“...”
“You... you're so heartless, you know, you brought me here, left me, and disappeared... Have you ever wondered what I would become?” The voice, cutting through, let Khanin know that weakness, beyond that, it was accepting his disappointment towards Charan...
He closed his eyes slowly, before opening them again, forgetting the eyes that had accumulated all the endurance to the breaking point. Until now, Khanin never thought that silence could harm anyone, but this time he felt that Charan's silence was inflicting great harm.
“Maybe you don't remember, but I'll remind you again. Now my life has no one left to trust... I only have you..” Khanin didn't shout or scream, but it was strange that Charan felt that the voice of the young royal seemed to echo back and forth in his nervous system and was about to bury itself deep in his heart.
“Your Highness...”
“I apologize. Young Prince Khanin... Khun Charan.” The voice of the third person suddenly became louder, interrupting the conversation which had become tense, making way with a hurried gesture of respect.
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