The Next Prince, Chapter 26 pg3
The Next Prince, Chapter 26 pg3
Khanin cannot deny that he is experiencing an inexplicable nervousness. The more he sees other dancing couples in their prepared poses, the faster his little heart beats.
Who would have thought that someone as ordinary as him, born and raised in obscurity, would one day find himself in a situation no different from a movie or a scene from a series he has watched.
His eyes dodge to one side, and from that angle, he sees Chakri standing not far away. The other side looks back before his father, his family's representative, sends him a determined gaze to cheer him on. It calls for encouragement so that people can let out a smile.
The beautiful curve of a smiling mouth is worth admiring. But as he turns around, he sees a few people standing not far away. Khanin restores his composure, appearing stiff. The young man pretends not to care about Charan's gaze that keeps coming his way. He turns back to his own dance partner before gently interlocking their hands.
The music begins with the strings, followed by the piano. The waltz melody creates a magnificent atmosphere for the young men and women in the ballroom. The royal lineage and the high society all dance gracefully according to the rhythm.
Khanin tries to count the dance beats to be a perfect leader for the young lady. The first turn, she returns a smile that touches his heart. He smiles back in response.
“It is an honor to open the event with the Young Prince.”
“I am also delighted. But if I make any mistakes in the rhythm, I apologize. I am not particularly skilled at dancing.” The conversation helps alleviate the tension and anxiety in Khanin's heart.
“You were splendid nonetheless.” The young lady uplifts him with a smile, before the song being performed escalates in speed.
The piano slows down again, signaling the need to change dance partners according to the tradition. The first dance partner of Khanin bids a sweet farewell, and they exchange smiles as a gesture. They rotate to find new dance partners, but the spiritual connection tells that Charan's gaze is still fixated on the little girl.
Khanin's eyes meet that gaze. Even though he pretends not to care, he cannot deny that it bothers him. He deliberately leads his own dance partner to step back.
He wants to escape to the other side of the floor, but he cannot do so inconspicuously. Khanin turns his attention to his second dance partner. Even though his true emotions are not present, he strives to feign interest.
He converses with his dance partner as part of the ritual, leaving a lingering smile as if someone unknowingly felt it in their gaze. It is not just a matter of not feeling... but feeling too much.
Charan's actions seem like playing a teasing game. When he chases and distances himself, it makes Khanin only look for him. Finally, the lingering feeling compels Khanin to choose to face the gaze.
The young man decides to turn and look at the moment when the final verse of the performed song ends, just before the dance partners reach their turn. Their eyes synchronize.
Their intense gazes resemble a magical spell. They mutually lock eyes as if wanting to use their powers to read each other's minds. Everything around their bodies moves slowly, as if time is nearly standing still when the melody of the played song gives a chance to change partners.
Pause!
Khanin turned to his left, but this time he made a mistake. The young prince stumbled over his own feet... He was about to miss a step. Just as someone came in and held his waist together, allowing them to continue dancing seamlessly.
The forefront of the royal party was the leader of the Phitakthewa clan. The flashing lights in all directions combined with the sound of pressing shutter buttons caused the young man to become more flustered than before.
However, none of them had affected the attention more than the majestic figure of Charan and his warm hands that touched each other.
“Be cautious, Your Highness.” The soft, muffled sound came from the older person, almost like a whisper.
Khanin pursed his lips tightly, allowing the other party to lead and help him regain his footwork in sync with the rhythm of the dance.
Then he reluctantly raised his face to meet the gaze. The first thing Khanin received was not a scornful or teasing look, but a reciprocal one. The eyes of the other party were so gentle that it made people think and worry.
“...”
“Your dancing steps are not as impressive as your swordsmanship...” Charan fell silent after receiving no response to his first remark. After a brief pause, he ventured to mention something that caused the corners of the listener's mouth to twitch.
Khanin had wanted to remain silent and not respond, but...
‘Damnit’ The brave warrior's spirit compelled him to speak harshly and not give in!
“Do people who are not present at teaching have the right to say anything?” The cute face remained composed. Khanin didn't smile as brightly as he did when dancing with others in the past. He remained still...trying to concentrate on the music, but finding it difficult to do so.
“Teaching dance is not my duty...” His mouth uttered those words, but then his thick hand reached out and firmly grabbed Khanin's waist, making him flinch.
Teaching dance is not your duty? Then what is Charan's duty? Someone who keeps staring until he almost pierces through like this... That is the duty of the other party.
The beautiful eyes measured and glanced at the person speaking, causing a twinge in the observer's heart. Some phrases that even Khanin himself couldn't answer as to why they resonated so deeply.
“Protecting Khanin, taking care of Khanin, being honest and faithful to Ahawteawann...” Those were your duties.
“...”
“But I forgot that it was all a lie.” Not wanting to leave it at that, Khanin uttered a deeply cutting remark. He kept his cold facade intact, masked with a chilly demeanor. He didn't react to the person in front of him, but those things had a detrimental effect on Charan.
“And if Your Highness were to exceed your duties, it wouldn't matter, right, Your Highness?”
The tempo of the dance accelerated as Charan's thick hand moved to tighten their waists closer than before, amidst the sound of the music gradually fading. Charan brought his face closer, causing Khanin to catch a faint scent of mint coming from the other party.
Their synchronized eyes, bodies pressed close without any room for air to pass through, surrounded by a hushed silence, while the occasional flash of light remained.
At this moment, Khanin no longer cared about the people around him. He only cared about the lips of the person in front of him, which were moving to communicate something.
Something that seemed to have made the speaker hold back for a long time...so long that they finally gave up their reservations, and looked at each other with such longing, before the lights in the hall dimmed.
“Let's talk outside, Your Highness.”
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