The Next Prince, Chapter 34 pg2
The Next Prince, Chapter 34 pg2
Khanin arches his eyebrow, asking a question that didn't expect to receive such a response and reaction.
“How fun would that be?” The corners of the person who was being asked, his mouth rising.
His handsome face moves closer, whispering a few words that make the listener's heart beat faster. “If I'm with you, it will be fun no matter what.” Khanin memorizes those words and ponders various thoughts, but he believes that it's always something unpredictable when he's with Charan, a young man taking small steps, walking towards the secluded garden area, passing through the silver barrier gate.
“Is this what you said would be fun?” The voice of the young man carries a laughing tone in Charan's ear. His beautiful eyes look mischievous, while the middle-aged man in charge looks concerned and asks.
“Young Prince Khanin, do you want to ride the horses in our animal stable? We have many horses there. If Your Highness wishes, I can quickly arrange for them and if you'd like a tutor...”
“It's okay, I'll take care of the Young Prince myself. Just prepare the equipment, that should be enough. Thank you very much.”
“He's really big.”
“Come closer, get acquainted with the horse.”
The deep voice of the grown man called Khanin, who had a clumsy and hesitant posture, moved closer. The skillful and brave young prince when it comes to swordplay, but this is not a harmonious occasion, no... It would be better not to have any encounters at all.
“Will it kick me?”
“Approach cautiously, don't startle him.”
“Hello...” bashful and adorable in the eyes of the beholder. Khanin reluctantly followed the instructions of the older man, although he looked quite awkward.
“Introduce yourself.”
“Huh?” A cute and puzzled face responds to the new command. Khanin glanced back and forth between Charan and the mist, hesitating for a moment. In the end, he reluctantly followed after hearing the explanation. “It's a custom. Introduce yourself so that he can trust you.”
“Oh... Hello, Mist. Uh... Nin, it's Khanin. Nice to... meet you.” The sentence ends with a gap. Partly because of feeling embarrassed and unsure, coupled with hearing the laughter of someone close by. The young boy turned his head and looked with curiosity.
Khanin took a brief glance at Charan's handsome face and suddenly realized that he had been deceived. His small, clenched hand hit the solid chest and pulled a pout, growing even more sullen.
“Stop playing around.”
“Mischief-maker.”
“No more mischief, let's be serious. Before riding the horse, you have to wear protective gear for safety.” After finishing the sentence, Charan led the mist to rest under a large tree and changed from leading the horse... to being a white-gloved instructor.
“...” Khanin reluctantly followed.
Charan put on the equipment prepared by the caretaker for himself first, and then turned his attention to the young boy.
“Is this too tight?” The warm whisper that blended friendliness and intimacy made Khanin's mind confused. He knew that the other party meant to put on a helmet on his head, but didn't understand why his cheeks suddenly felt warm and flushed.
Damn it, Khanin. You've been like this for a while.
“...”
“If it's too tight, tell me.”
“No... it's okay.” Khanin replied, avoiding eye contact. In that motionless posture, Charan realized that Khanin must be worried about the activities they were about to do. His thick hand gently touched the young boy's back and came with reassuring words that made the heart tremble even more.
“Don't be afraid, I'm right here.” Charan taught with a calm heart.
However, a second after this sentence ended, the ears of the young boy seemed to no longer perceive anything, except... the sound of his own heartbeat.
“…”
“The way to mount a horse... you have to step... and sit... Do you understand the explanation?”
The teacher needed to ask questions after the explanation. While Khanin was considering refusing, the young boy had a puzzled look on his face, sometimes attentive and sometimes lost, mainly because he kept staring at the speaker's face.
The Royal boy took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on the furry animal, before climbing onto the back of the mist-colored creature using a method that allowed him to cling on by himself.
From the higher vantage point, the front area became visible. Khanin noticed the mist-colored creature and became somewhat rigid when some people started indicating the direction for the quadruped to move.
“Wait, wait, stop.” Just a few steps away from the starting point, the Royal boy called out with a trembling voice, biting his lower lip as he beat himself inwardly. He still had vivid memories of the riding lessons organized by Chakri.
Want to, huh... Want to, scared, huh... Scared, but want to quit... Well, not today. The weather was good, and the surrounding scenery was so beautiful that he wanted to go out and see for a moment, especially since Khanin knew well that he was not yet skilled enough to control the mist-colored creature.
“Sigh.”
“Let's go, let's ride together.”
“What?”
“I want you to see something up ahead.” He pointed with a slender finger to a point where the vast open field and the sunlight dyed the atmosphere with warm tones, captivating the gaze.
Charan remained silent for a moment, pondering the significance before responding.
“It's not appropriate, let's just walk there.”
“What's not appropriate? What task did you forget, and... how are we going to walk there? It's far.”
“You can walk.” He seemed to be continuing the back-and-forth.
Khanin hesitated, but finally blurted out what was on his mind, allowing the taller figure to listen.
“I can't do it! It's me... If I have to ride, it's better to have the mist-colored creature walk with us.”
“Ha-ha.” Charan could no longer contain his laughter. As soon as the younger one caught his gaze, he playfully ordered with a slightly mocking gesture.
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