The Next Prince, Chapter 9 pg2
The Next Prince, Chapter 9 pg2
Sweat dampened the middle of his back. Khanin tried to concentrate and exert force to strike with the sword again, alternating with some retreating steps to find a way to counter, but no matter which direction he went, the results remained the same.
He was blocked by Charan in every direction.
The taller person moved gracefully, with fluid steps and swordplay. Charan's performance was flawless. In the last ten seconds, Khanin's heart tightened, everything around him seemed to slow down before the final score signal sounded.
It was a complete declaration of defeat for the young man...
“Four to five.” The soft voice of the challenger faintly echoed 4:5. It was a close score and not a despicable one when compared to the competition standards, but for Khanin, he didn't feel good about it at all. Importantly, it wasn't because he couldn't accept the defeat, but because...
Khanin knew deep down that the four points he had received were all due to Charan giving him the opportunity to score them.
It wasn't true...
“Let's go back.” Charan removed his metal mask before walking straight towards Khanin. Silent and still, he didn't hear or notice anything other than the breath of the person in front of him.
The club was quiet and empty of other people. The two pairs of eyes scanned their surroundings before stopping at the scoreboard.
Khanin understood... He truly understood why Charan had asked the others to leave first.
Because the other party was confident that the person who would win the sword duel this time...
Would definitely not be him.
The temperature of the nighttime in the English capital dropped rapidly. Charan, with his long strides, followed behind the small figure leading the way, while observing the other person's demeanor, who had been silent throughout the journey.
Khanin didn't say a single word, only immersed in his thoughts since they had left the club and walked to the alley near their home. The young man who used to chat and discuss things now had no conversation or words slipping from his beautiful lips, not even a little bit.
And it made Charan worried...
The young man didn't want to destroy Khanin's confidence, nor did he want the younger person to behave like this, but he accepted the challenge because he wanted the other party to see the clear picture and make everything easier.
However, it seemed that winning the competition this time had turned into a situation that crushed and destroyed Khanin's confidence to a large extent.
“Wait...” The older one spoke up, stopping them about three to four meters away from the front door of the house.
“...?” Khanin raised his eyebrows and looked at his companion with a questioning expression.
“I have something to discuss with you.”
“You don't have to worry about me breaking my promise. I will keep my word—.”
“No, I just want to tell you about both your strengths and weaknesses.” Charan interrupted before the younger one could continue, but he kept his thoughts to himself.
He wasn't going to demand the winner's request at this moment, but only wanted to explain something to the young man.
“Go ahead.” Khanin replied calmly, closing his eyes briefly to hide his various worries. He took a deep breath, feeling exhausted, but his worries did not ease.
“Your swordsmanship is in the good category.”
Charan started with a compliment, but Khanin just forced himself to accept it, not being in the mood to listen to such words.
“Uh-huh. That's it.”
“But that's by the standards of the people in your world.”
Charan spoke bluntly without any hidden meaning, and the tall man's voice was emotionless. However, it made the listener widen his eyes.
Khanin stared back at the older man's face, his eyes expressing clear dissatisfaction with the older man's words.
“You!”
“I don't mean any harm.” Charan hurriedly interjected.
His body language conveyed seriousness, and the younger man reluctantly silenced himself, giving Charan the chance to continue. “But what I want to convey is that your world is still too small.”
“What do you mean?” Khanin frowned at the complexity of Charan's statement.
Although he somewhat understood the meaning of 'world' referred to experience, the young man couldn't help but wonder what the real point was that Charan wanted to convey.
“In real life... you still have many people to encounter. Your weakness is a lack of skill, and you still need to practice. Confidence is something every athlete should have, but having too much of it can lead to carelessness, just like today.”
Charan didn't deny Khanin's skills, but one thing that had to be admitted was that underestimating his opponent or having excessive self-confidence was a factor in his defeat today.
“The winner can say anything.” Khanin said in a sulky tone.
“But still, the loser must keep their promise.” The older man reminded him of the reality, his sharp eyes narrowing as they studied the young man's displeased face before something moving by the window inside the house caught the young man's attention.
What was it...?
“I know, but can you give me some time? Let me...”
Khanin's voice lost its importance as Charan's senses shifted elsewhere. His brows furrowed, and his usually indifferent face now seemed more serious than before, as his mind quickly processed that something was amiss.
Normally, Tattanai's house would always be brightly lit, but now the inside of the house is completely dark.
Which one is the shadowy figure with more than one person?
What is going on...
“... “
“You, you, listen to me. Um...”
“Shh.” Charan placed a slender finger on the lips of the young person, causing their thin frame to falter. Khanin stopped frowning at Charan's posture, which kept staring behind him, and decided to open his mouth and ask.
“What?”
“Be quiet for a moment, come here.” With a thick palm holding onto the small arm, Charan pulled Khanin down in sync with the two-layered gaze hiding and observing the unfavorable situation that had occurred.
“There's someone in the house.” Khanin muttered to himself more than he wanted to get a response from the person next to him.
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“I don't know.” Charan spoke anxiously, not intentionally disturbing his nerves, but the real meaning was that the young man had no idea who the group of people in the house were...
“I will call my dad.”
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