An hour after Kiat made sure Daeng was inside, the sneezing started.
Daeng was sneezing continuously, and Chim was sneezing right along with him.
"Why didn't you go inside, Chim?" Daeng sneezed.
He could barely focus. Sitting near the fire, they both looked at each other.
"I... I was just worried. That's why I waited outside," Chim said before sneezing again.
"Chim, don't be loud... someone will hear," Daeng whispered.
But they both just kept sneezing.
"Why does my nose feel like it's burning?" Chim touched her nose.
The room was filled with the sound of their sneezing and quiet talk.
Chim looked at him with a naughty gaze. "Young Master, then did you guys...?"
Daeng flicked her forehead before she could finish. "Young Master, don't! That hurt!"
Rubbing her forehead curiously, she asked, "When are you going to tell Khun Waen?"
Daeng let out a deep sigh. "I need to tell Mother before she finds out. But I'm worried... what if someone finds out and tries to hurt Khun Kiat?" Daeng's face was full of worry.
Chim touched Daeng's cold hand. "Didn't Khun Waen say we can love anyone? Why care what others think?"
"Chim, don't you know? Two men can't get married or love each other. If someone knew, it would leave a stain on the Asawa family."
Chim replied, "Then you can go somewhere where only you two can live." As she spoke, her tears fell.
"Chim, what are you saying? How can I..." Daeng's voice cracked as he wiped his eyes.
"We are okay. We are happy as long as you are happy. I know Khun Waen feels the same. So Young Master, please don't worry. We are here, waiting for you. No matter how far you go... you can always come back."
Chim broke into tears, and Daeng cried with her.
Both of them started tearing up as they held each other, comforted that everything would be alright.
Outside the door, Waen had come to check on them after hearing the sneezing.
She didn't enter. Her tears fell silently.
"Bua, our son is grown up," she thought. I think it is time to let him go, right? Are you seeing everything?"
She turned and went back to her room, as if she knew Daeng would tell her everything when the time came.
It was a morning filled with the sorrow of three souls who lived for each other.
The Third Mansion carried the heavy weight of their hearts.
Time passed.
Everything slowly grew tired and got ready for sleep; just like a sorrowful morning, Daeng's room was filled with coldness.
Daeng sat on the floor, leaning against the bed.
He looked at the red-stained white handkerchief Kiat had used to wipe his feet when they first met.
He stared at it, thinking back to that day.
The food on the table was cold and untouched.
The mirrors in the room were as cold as the floor.
The lotuses were almost heartbroken, as they had already started to wither.
He started sneezing again, and his body felt like it was burning with a fever, but he didn't care.
The sun was beginning to set, and everything was calm.
Suddenly, Daeng heard a sound from the balcony. "I think I heard a sound," he thought.
With a deep inhale, Daeng felt like he couldn't breathe; he was startled by the noise. "What if it's a snake? I'm scared," he thought.
He inhaled a shaky breath as he tried to stand, but his body felt heavy and his legs were trembling.
It hit Daeng that he really had a fever, as if he had forgotten it.
Supporting his waist, he thought, "Forget the red spots Khun made, but the pain... It's even hard to stand up. Good thing I convinced Chim to go; otherwise, she would definitely try to tease me."
He stood up, opened the balcony door, and looked around. "Well, I worried for nothing."
"Cold, so cold..." he mumbled.
But as he turned to go back inside, someone hugged him from behind.
Daeng knew that smell and the warmth instantly. He turned around and said, "So it wasn't a snake but a dog..."
Kiat didn't answer; he just leaned in and kissed Daeng's lips.
As Daeng wrapped his arms around Kiat's neck, the handkerchief was still clutched in his hand.
Kiat looked at it and smiled. "You didn't throw it away," he said softly.
Kiat pulled Daeng close, pressing their bodies together.
"Didn't you say you wouldn't come for two days?" Daeng pouted.
"Someone would be lost if I didn't come," Kiat teased until Daeng's face turned red.
Kiat touched his forehead. "You are burning up, Nong Daeng."
"It's not that bad, just bad weather." Daeng nodded, acting as if he had nothing to worry about.
"Nong Daeng, really," Kiat said. He touched Daeng's hair and tucked it back. "What if something happens to you?"
Kiat's face was already upset.
Daeng touched both of Kiat's cheeks. "Why are you pouting? You are worse than Nong Aung." Daeng said this with a face that showed it was not a big deal.
Kiat took a deep breath. He lifted Daeng and carried him to the bed.
As he laid Daeng down, Kiat took off his own shirt. Daeng partially covered his face with the red-stained handkerchief, peeking out at Kiat's bare chest.
Kiat chuckled. "Why are you peeking like you've never seen this before?"
"Give me your shirt," Daeng mumbled. He reached out his hands, and Kiat giggled, going quiet as he saw this different, cute side of Daeng.
Kiat helped Daeng put on the shirt and gave him an eye-kiss.
"Your face is burning. You are sick, Nong Daeng," Kiat said, looking worried. "How can you smile like this?"
They lay on the bed together. Kiat was shirtless, and Daeng wore Kiat's shirt while tucked into his arms.
"Sleep, my dear. You have a fever," Kiat said, kissing Daeng's forehead.
Daeng looked up at Kiat and wondered what he was thinking.
Touching Kiat's cheek, "Khun Kiat, you look worried. You can tell me anything; I am here." Daeng's voice was shaky as he spoke.
Kiat looked at Daeng and kissed his forehead, feeling the heat of the fever through his lips.
He pulled the covers up and held Daeng more tightly.
Kiat looked at himself in the mirror facing the side of the bed while Daeng was still in his arms.
"You are making things difficult, my dear," he thought.
Looking back at the mirror, he wondered, "How can I make you only mine? It's annoying that so many others want you."
He looked at Daeng. "So this is love. It's weird; it's something I never believed in."
He hugged Daeng even tighter.
That night, Kiat didn't have a single nightmare. He slept like a baby.
A few hours earlier, after meeting Kiat, Kaew and her uncle had barely escaped with their lives.
While her uncle held her, she could hardly catch her breath.
Her neck bore the dark marks of Kiat's fingers.
Kaew pressed her hand to her throat, too terrified to speak.
Her uncle was stunned, though relieved she was alive.
"What were you thinking, Kaew? You are the only blood of the Phumipala family remaining. If you can't get revenge on the Asawa family, then why have we struggled all these years?"
Kaew looked at her uncle. "Do you think I will forget? I will never forget how they killed everyone."
"They are trying so hard to be good people now, but what's the use? My revenge will only be fulfilled when their blood is spilled."
She clenched her hand. "Blood for blood. It's the only way."
"Uncle, it's been years since I last slept. Every time I close my eyes, I see my mother hiding me, only to be killed right in front of me."
For others, it's just a story, but for me, I lost everything. It's not death that is painful—it's the life of the living who die every single second thinking about our loved ones. We need this revenge, even if we have to kneel or beg to that monster."
As they calmed themselves, their blood boiled thinking of the past.
"Even though it's not completely the fault of the Asawa family—the King played a part, too—we can't even touch him," her uncle said, looking at Kaew.
She looked at the soil beneath her feet.
"Uncle, look. Even the soil is spoiled. They say this place is cursed. Everyone ran from this village just to survive. The palace is already cursed, just like this village. Soon, everyone in the palace will be running for their lives."
Then she looked at her uncle, doubtful. "But Uncle, why is he the heir to the throne? There is a Crown Prince..."
"He died." Her uncle's words stunned her.
"But everyone thinks he is alive!" she whispered, barely able to breathe as she covered her mouth.
"We already have informants in the palace. He was poisoned—not a mild one, but the most dangerous kind. Everyone knows who poisoned him, but even the king was too scared to speak."
Kaew covered her mouth again.
Dust and black stains were on her face.
She looked at her hands and said, "It's so dirty."
Her hands were shivering. "Uncle, I don't have a good feeling about the Second Prince. He deceived us. He will do anything to get what he wants."
After gulping nervously, her uncle said—
"He wants the throne, but he also wants to play with everyone. He was really living up to the rumors."
"Second Prince Thawin... (Kiat)," her uncle sighed. "He doesn't want the throne for himself, but he did it for his younger brother, the Third Prince."
"He wasn't born of high status, but he was still an heir. So he killed the Crown Prince, who was already a stain on the family, because he wants his younger brother on the throne. It's not hard to see he wants to use that little kid."
He looked at the sky. "I wonder what is going to happen," he said, looking back at Kaew.
"Won't the Asawa family find these marks?" her uncle asked.
"They won't. Don't worry, Uncle, it's easy to fool them. Also, Thanat... he doesn't even like me a little bit," she said with contempt.
"Kaew, do you like him?" Her uncle's question made Kaew go silent.
"I... I don't..." She searched for the words.
"You fell for someone from the Asawa family, didn't you?" Her uncle looked disappointed.
"I... I like him, but he doesn't... he likes someone else," Kaew spoke as if she already knew the truth, but her uncle remained suspicious.
"Just as we planned, I married him only for his business. He didn't pry into who I am or where I came from. He just wanted a wife, but I... I don't know when I started to feel like this."
"Why you... Did you forget how many years we waited for a chance to enter that family?" His belief was written all over his face.
"I am not forgetting my revenge, but I want him," Kaew said. Her uncle couldn't find the words; he accepted the truth, even though it was hard.
Her uncle sighed. "Thanat of the Asawa family is the pride of their family, unlike that fragile young master... Daeng, right? I'm just curious if Thanat would really fall for someone. He was hard to predict."
"I don't know who it is, but he is never home at night. He always spends his time out, so..." Kaew's voice cracked as she spoke, her eyes filled with an anger that could kill.
"Kaew, for now, let's stick to our plan. Let's go back. You are a married woman; it's not proper for you to be outside," her uncle said as they both prepared to head back.
While someone hid nearby and heard everything they said, that person wore a mask and a black dress that looked intentionally dirtied.
Like a shadow protecting someone very important, the figure left to report everything he had heard.
On the other side, as darkness fell, a shadow was slapped.
The sound was so loud that it echoed through the main room of the main mansion.