The Next Prince, Chapter 3 pg2
The Next Prince, Chapter 3 pg2
“Did I ever tell you that if two people are together, they don't need formal language? Do you remember?” The speaker's voice was somewhat reproachful, and Charan was still kneeling like that. He abruptly spoke the next sentence and quickly got up.
“How can you say that? You are Grandpa's grandchild. He raised you since you were a little child. Will you Charan do the same as Grandpa or not?”
“I'm sorry, Grandpa.” he apologized with a remorseful expression on his face. He walked over to the chair on the opposite side of Sovereign-King before sitting down with an unchanged manner.
“Um, it's okay. Let's talk comfortably. Talk to me, I'm sorry, if I'll be grateful if we can talk without you referring me as Your Majesty. Listening like this will make me bored. No one has spoken to me like a normal citizen for a long time.They keep talking abd if they are not apologizing then they are thanking me with His Majesty this and Your Highness that.” The tall man smiled and even chuckled a bit with a relaxed attitude.
“Only you Charan can talk comfortably with me.”
“Yes, and Grandpa, are you okay?” The tall body owner asked tentatively, having been well taken care of since childhood. Although Charan felt that in this situation, it was not appropriate to greet the elder with words like this, he didn't want to wait.
“I am all faded with aging... I even called you to come and have tea together...” The middle-aged man paused for a moment, feeling uneasy, as the sound of raindrops fell and collided with the outside world together with the bright light of lightning that made Charan inadvertently tense his hand without realizing it.
“...”
“I'm sorry that I have to make Charan come in the rain like this.” The elderly person spoke when he noticed a person of equal status as an adopted grandson of merit with abnormal symptoms. Charan, with his lips trembling, couldn't say anything for a moment, but then he regained his composure and focused on the important matter once again.
“I heard that you wanted to have tea, so I asked Narong to prepare two cups... as always.” The handsome face turned to the small pavilion standing in front of the scene with a barrier depicting a pair of hornbills, and then the two sets of tea were brought in and placed waiting for him to choose.
“Two sets as always... um, is it chamomile and Oolong tea?”
“Yes, I brought chamomile and Oolong tea... which tea do you want to drink today, grandfather?” In the eyes of others, Charan was the favorite young grandson of the lord, as he always managed everything well, from preparations that were pleasing to the eyes and in accordance with the will of the lord, to being called to attend the court frequently, which was not a strange thing.
However, that is only the outer shell... In reality, anyone would know that these two types of tea are just secret codes used for communication.
Chamomile tea means that he wants to meet to relax and talk. If the grandfather chooses to drink this tea, it simply means that he wants to meet with him to have a small chat. He wants to ask for some comfort, but if he choose Oolong tea, it means that he have a secret desire for him to do something, and of course, the orders will change according to the king needs.
“Charan... I am bored of these two teas.” Lord Emmaly of the kingdom of Emmaly replied simply, causing the listener to pause.
“So be it.”
“Lately, my body has not been doing well. My mouth doesn't taste much, and my nose is used to the same smell. Drinking chamomile tea doesn't help me sleep as deeply as before... but if I drinks Oolong tea, it makes my throat feel uncomfortable. Now I have some interesting tea. I want my grandchildren to try it.”
The third person in the small group came in with another set of tea when he received the signal from the highest-ranking official. The person in charge of the setup placed the tea set next to the saucer and creamer cups before everyone else who was not involved left.
“Earl Grey?” The scent of fragrant oil from the kaffir lime peel stands out and for a moment, it seems to have made Charan's happiness disappear. The young man immediately asked with suspicion, but in the next moment, he was back to his old self.
“Yes, this is tea that I brought from England. I don't drink it often because it reminds me of things from when I was a child... The taste of it makes me think of old memories.”
“...”
“Charan... I am very old now. My health isn't good this year. I can't go out and buy it myself, but I can't trust other people to buy it for me...”
The wrinkles around the old eyes, which were due to his age, meet the sharp gaze of the young man as he carefully analyzes everything around him, from the health of his grandfather to the quality of the tea. Although His Holiness does not have a royal decree, everyone knows this, and it is only his royal demeanor that is respected.
“Mister...” the man could cough once and the royal physicians would be running in chaos. So this was not the main objective that His Holiness had given him.
It seems like it's more about English tea.
“If grandfather trusts me, I will go and buy it for him.” The intimate pronoun is used as the speaker lifts his head to look at Charan who says in a serious tone, calling forth a smile from the listener.
“Good... very good. Who could understand my heart like Charan?” The old king smiled for a moment, then lifted the cup to drink, and then became more serious. “So, get ready to leave quickly. If we are too slow, we may not be able to catch up with the situation.”
“Yes, grandpa.”
“I wanted for the cicada to have more time before molting... wants the summer to come late, but it probably won't happen... Nowadays, there are injuries to the roots of the Jamjuree tree we planted in the middle of the city, there are insects and parasites all over the tree... No one is there to take care of it for me... but Charan you are the only one who can be trusted.”
The real order has been revealed. Charan went out and looked at the rain pouring down outside. It had been like this since the beginning of the sentence, stretching out for hours. The atmosphere around was nothing like the words “summer” and “Jamjuree tree” in the middle of the capital...
Which was a national tree and still well taken care of. Grandfather did not really mean the Jamjuree tree, and the insects and parasites were just symbols representing those who were hostile to his rule.
As for “cicada molting.” This was the secret code that made him uneasy.
Charan had read the story of the life cycle of “cicada” a long time ago from a fairy tale book that the lord had given him. The lord said that “the life cycle of the cicada is one of the wonders of the world because the larvae of the cicada's live underground for a long time, from 2-17 years, until they become strong, then they dig up the soil, shed their skin, and use their lives to continue the lineage on the earth.
If that's the case... does that mean it's time?
“Don't let Tarin know about this.”
There is only one important secret between Charan and the Sovereign-King that no one else knows, not even Prince-Tarin Atsawathewathin, one of the only sons of the lord and the sole heir of the Atsawathewathin family.
The secret that is associated with the important mission that Charan has been waiting for all along, “Charan, this is the duty of our Pithaktewat family. Remember that we must protect the Young Prince and protect
Atsawathewathin.”
The voice of his mother abruptly entered Charan's thoughts, causing him to pause for a moment before responding with a firm voice.
“Yes.”
“Go find Tattanai, he is my old friend. He will offer the best tea for you to bring back here.”
…
The scent of kaffir lime from Earl Grey tea and warmth from the heater didn't help relax the atmosphere inside Tattanai's guesthouse much, even a little. Charan hugged his knees, sitting on the sofa, staring at the white smoke rising from the Earl Grey tea cup floating aimlessly, until the second hand moved forward ten times, then raised his head to look at the person who seemed like ... the caretaker of the cicada.
“I need some time. Young-Prince is still...”
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