The Next Prince, Chapter 42 pg1
The Next Prince, Chapter 42 pg1
Chapter 42: The Contest.
The important day in Emmaly’s history had arrived, and Khanin’s injuries weren’t improving from that day onwards. The young royal and his team appeared at the competition field.
The support device for the right arm on the shoulder of the recently resigned leader of the Atsawethanin has caused a flurry of criticism. Some claim that Khanin was showing off, some say it was a stunt, and others think it’s just an excuse for younger competitors to use when they lose, so as not to lose face.
Despite the many opinions being voiced, Khanin doesn’t pay any attention, letting people enjoy speculating on the situation without arguing or explaining anything.
Dhipabawon and leaders of every family gather here, a difficult sight to behold. At the center of the middle row sits the Sovereign King, followed by Waseen, Chana, and Rachata, who have to remain on guard in their dubious positions, and ending with Tarin.
Khanin steps forward to stand next to Ramil and Eva, his eyes scanning the crowd surrounding them from all directions. Tension is inevitable.
The young royal takes a deep breath, looking at the people standing in respect with a feeling of unfamiliarity, yet even so, there is no easy way to communicate.
Because today, he came to pull off the masks of those who hid their true selves, whoever they may be.
“How is your arm, Phii Khanin?” Thawetmetha’s only daughter asks as she approaches the young men before the ceremony begins. In the audience area, there are ordinary people, both local and foreign journalists, high level figures like the Prince Kalavin Li, various ministers, as well as the center seats reserved for the royal family.
“Feels like a brand new arm!” he joked to avoid awkwardness. Then Khanin raised his hand and made gestures for the girl to see, while Ramil followed suit, nervously speaking in his characteristic manner.
“Boasting as usual.”
“I have something to boast about.”
“I’m not giving up, you know.”
“I didn’t even ask you to do anything.” Khanin immediately responded, still curling his lips defiantly.
“Hehe, you're always clever.” The son of the Puchongpisut family stood tall, exuding a sense of confidence and assurance. However, beneath the surface, there was no hint of arrogance or disrespect. Who knows if it was just an act.
Today’s plan is to make the game as natural as possible. Khanin and Ramil continue to act as rivals, even as they face Eva.
Although Eva and Chana have freed themselves from suspicion, Khanin still can’t trust them. After the meeting with Ramil, they agreed to keep an eye on Eva while searching for the slanderer.
“Don’t argue too much, let’s just enjoy the event together... let’s go.” Eva intervened so that war wouldn’t break out. The young woman turned and walked away, leaving Khanin behind, staring at the slender figure as she prepared to take the stage.
Khanin hesitated, looking after her as she briskly maneuvered herself to be next to someone else with a flick of her hair. He turned back to speak to his old friend Ramil.
“Ramil…”
“What?”
“If you see anything strange, don’t forget to signal.”
“You too... the signal is making a fist with four fingers and pointing your index finger to the ground, used to communicate when something abnormal is noticed.”
Because there needs to be a lottery to choose who plays first, Khanin plans to have someone who has yet to play to monitor for emergencies.
However, if in the lottery draw, the results show that Khanin has to compete against each other in the first round, he has to leave his concerns with Chakri and Vetis to wander around the event, including having Prince Kalavin stay near the area where the royal family is located.
Although Kalavin said he could not bring his own team to help, at least having another party here counted as an added point for them.
“You go ahead, I’ll follow.” Khanin said to his older and younger siblings.
Ramil answered back. Then the tall man strode towards his own location.
Khanin swept his gaze around the surroundings once again, a massive dome where the crowded competition was being held, filled with reporters and dignitaries below, and a big screen above the moon seats in the middle full of people from all over the states.
He tried to calm himself by taking deep breaths, breathing in deep into his lungs and slowly exhaling, trying to act like he wasn’t scared of anything, but deep down Khanin prayed for the success of today’s plan.
“Let’s go then. After the opening ceremony and lottery draw.”
Charan’s whisper brought Khanin back to reality, and he joined the other heirs.
Dhipabawon’s opening speech as the highest authority figure in the country became just a formality. Khanin reminded himself to focus, while his eyes surreptitiously surveyed the situation.
Everything was still fine, and all the family heads were present after the Sovereign King spoke about the important agenda, finishing with the announcement of the rules.
“According to the laws of Emmaly, in the first round, we will find the winning team to compete in the elimination round. From the remaining number of people, each team can plan their own match, but there is a rule that one fencer can handle no more than three matches on the opposite side, and they must change.”
This information was something that all members of the teams knew beforehand. Khanin allowed the sound of the surrounding rounds to enter while he kept an eye on the situation.
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