Thanat covered his cheek with shaking hands.
His cheeks were red, his eyes almost teary.
He looked at his father. Wichit's hands were trembling. Even though he had slapped his own son, Wichit was the one who was hurt the most...
"Thanat… this is the last time. Go back. I will tell the advisor in the palace to find a solution for what you did." Wichit avoided looking at Thanat. "I don't care. Don't come back until you fix it."
Thanat didn't say anything. His face had no expression as he stood there.
Seeing this, Wichit became more furious. He tried to slap Thanat again.
As Wichit raised his hand, Ying (Wichit's wife) tried to stop him.
"Dear, don't… It's enough…" Her tears broke the silence. She looked at Thanat. "Luk, go back. Go back to your room."
When he heard his mother's trembling voice, he felt even more hurt.
Thanat's shadow slowly moved outside.
Ying looked at Wichit. "Dear, are you okay? You are never like this. What is happening in this house? Why am I always in the dark?"
she said as her tears fell. Her face became pale, and her hands turned cold.
Wichit slowly wiped her tears. "Our son… Why is our son like this? No matter how much I try to understand, I still don't know him."
Ying's face changed as she was unsure what was happening. "Dear, what are you talking about?" she asked.
Wichit showed her some papers. The moment her eyes fell on them, she was shocked.
Wichit held Ying's trembling hands and said, "The crown prince is dead. Everyone who was involved in the expulsion of the second prince (Kiat) is also dead. No one dares to speak. Our Thanat is also involved. Thanat joined the crown prince only a few months before he died. Thanat was also part of the massacre with the crown prince. Our son is involved in many dirty things. It was his idea to expel the second prince."
As Wichit's words reached her, Ying broke into tears. "Our son… my son …"
Her voice shook. "I don't care… Dear… I don't care… If anything happens to our son… tell me, dear… What are we going to do? …"
Wichit held her and said, "I have never seen the second prince, but he is not someone we can mess with. I will protect him, even if it costs my life. …"
They both broke down. Their hearts beat only for their son.
As Thanat stood outside, he looked at the sky.
It was dark. No moon, no stars. As if the sky were empty and lifeless.
He kept looking as his mind filled with thoughts.
"Daeng… Daeng… I miss him. I have power now, more than enough. I have made money. I don't need the Asawa family to support me anymore. I tried so hard to reach this place just so I could have you."
"Daeng, why didn't you even look at me? Why did you always ignore me? How many times did I need to say I loved you? I was sorry for hurting you. I could even beg and kneel if it was for you… Could you just forgive me…?"
He kept thinking about Daeng.
He mumbled, "I need to see him before I go to the palace… It's all because of that second prince. What game is he playing now? That monster… he treats the throne like a game. If I get a chance, I will kill him. Acting all high and mighty… I wonder when I will see him."
With anger, he clenched his hands.
His fingers started to bleed… just by thinking about the second prince, whom he had never even seen once.
The night was warm. The creaking of the trees could be heard as the wind blew.
The balcony was in a mess because of the curtains.
The half-finished painting of lotuses had fallen to the floor.
The paint had spread onto the white curtains as they moved in the wind.
Inside the room, the lotuses Kiat had given had already started to wither.
They were both asleep, holding each other.
Daeng slowly opened his heavy, red eyes.
Kiat was sweating as he had a nightmare.
Daeng touched Kiat's face. He slowly wiped his sweat and calmed him.
Daeng thought, "Why was he like this… Khun Kiat, why were you in so much pain… I hoped I could protect you."
"Khun… it's just a dream… not real…" Daeng said.
Kiat held him tightly. "Daeng…"
"I am here…" Daeng said.
Daeng's eyes could barely stay open because of fever, but Kiat already felt safe and comforted as he was with Daeng.
Morning came.
The petals of the lotuses slowly fell one by one onto the table where they were placed.
Kiat woke up as he opened his eyes.
He saw Daeng, who was holding him tightly and lying on his chest. He touched his forehead.
His fever had almost gone down…
Kiat kissed his hair.
He looked at the mirror and saw himself. "I slept for a long time…" he thought, as he waited for Daeng to wake up.
Daeng slowly lifted his face. He was sweating, and there were marks on his face because he had been lying on Kiat's bare chest for a long time.
He looked at Kiat and smiled.
Kiat slowly pressed his lips on Daeng's lips.
"Kiat, you need to stop climbing the balcony. Look, you are hurt."
Daeng touched the wound on the side of Kiat's chest. "Did it hurt?" Daeng asked.
Kiat just shook his head.
"No… if I don't, how can I come inside? It's so hard to see you, my dear…" Kiat whispered.
Daeng became flustered.
"My dear… you weren't wearing anything…" Kiat looked at him closely.
"I was wearing your shirt. …"
Kiat slowly touched his thigh. "You weren't wearing anything below…"
"That was because I felt too hot at night. …"
Daeng avoided Kiat and turned away. His face could be seen in the mirror.
Kiat thought, "No… I needed to control… just control… Why was I like this? …"
Kiat slowly moved closer and pressed himself against Daeng.
In the mirror, Daeng was already trying to hold himself.
"Khun… Khun Kiat… Chim will be here… it's morning… don't …"
Kiat didn't stop. He leaned closer and brushed against Daeng's ear.
Kiat's hands were cold, while Daeng's whole body was hot because of his slight fever.
Daeng's legs trembled as he felt the cold touch.
"It was too easy now…" Kiat whispered.
Daeng turned his head, looked at Kiat, and slightly opened his lips as Kiat kissed him.
As Kiat unbuttoned his pants and slowly tried to enter, the rough yet hard length slipped inside Daeng.
Daeng covered his mouth because of his own voice.
As Kiat started moving his hips, it became harder for Daeng to control his voice.
Daeng lifted his leg over Kiat as Kiat moved faster.
The sound of their bodies moving together grew louder.
The intense pleasure changed from warm to cold inside him…
As Kiat tried to go even faster, Daeng touched his own … He felt the liquid that came out… as his insides were also filled.
They both looked at the mirror as Daeng lay on Kiat's chest. Their breaths were uncontrollable…
A cold yet warm morning passed…
"Stare… stare…"
Chim had been staring at Daeng for hours, like she wanted to talk but was just suspiciously looking at him.
Daeng, who was continuing his painting, put down his brush.
"Chim, why are you staring at me? It kind of makes it hard for me to concentrate."
Like a detective, she asked, "Why did you take so long to open the door? Why did you already bathe? Even if the world falls, I have to scream for you to wake up, but today there was no need. The room is fully clean…"
Chim walked closer and looked at Daeng intensely.
"Are you afraid of ghosts? Is there any ghost…" Chim looked around the balcony. "I feel a chill, young master…"
"I remember…" Chim continued, "The incident when we saw a snake on the balcony… we almost died, not because we were scared, but because of our screaming. Even thinking about it now makes me feel foolish. For so many months, everyone teased me… I don't want to think about it…"
Daeng clenched the brush and thought, "A ghost… a really handsome ghost. …"
As Daeng was thinking, Chim screamed. He flinched from the chair.
"Chim… you—"
They both started running, and the brush and the painting were scattered.
As the day had already become sweet and chaotic for Daeng…
A warm day faded, and with the next day, hope slowly returned.
Kiat and Daeng went to the forest again and to the secret hut.
Kiat had already cleaned it and made it more comfortable to stay in.
Daeng was happy, as his hands were full of wild yellow flowers.
They came back as it was getting dark, near the lotus pond…
"I feel like we actually did something foolish. Why did we pluck these flowers? They will wither the next day…" Daeng's face fell as he thought.
"But then, how can you feel the flowers this closely?" Kiat looked at Daeng and took a deep breath.
"Khun Kiat, why are you looking at me like this…"
"I am worried your fever might get worse, but it's gone… Did you know any magic?"
"It's just the weather, not a fever. I'm not sick," Daeng pouted while he looked at Kiat.
Kiat touched Daeng's pouting face.
Just as their sweet moment continued, a loud and angry voice called out, 'Nong Daeng…'
Thanat, who saw Daeng with Kiat, noticed they were holding hands.
Daeng quickly pulled his hand away as he looked at Thanat, scared…
Kiat stood in front of Daeng as he saw his scared face.
Daeng tightened his grip on Kiat's shirt from behind.
"You dare…" Thanat tried to slap Kiat, but Kiat stopped him by grabbing his hand.
"Why was he so strong… This jerk… How dare he stop me… a low-status man dares to…" Thanat thought.
"I think it's better if just the two of us talk privately. Don't you think, Master Thanat?"
Kiat looked around as he said it. It was not a request, but a command. Even Thanat felt a slight fear.
As Thanat looked around, all the servants were watching from inside as they heard the noise.
"What was going on? …"
"Daeng… let me talk to you…" Thanat tried to look at him.
"Nong Daeng," Kiat called him. "Go inside. See you tomorrow," he said, but his eyes stayed on Thanat.
"Tomorrow… he is doing this on purpose… how dare he…" Thanat thought.
"You—" Thanat stopped as Daeng ran inside.
The servants quickly took Daeng in.
Some who were not working in the third mansion were also there because of daily chores…
"This is big news…" one servant mumbled.
"Is that the fragile young master… Look, Master Thanat really hates him…" another added.
"And the one beside Master Thanat… I couldn't see clearly because of the dark…" they wondered, as rumors started to spread.
As Kiat and Thanat went to the main mansion's main room, only the two of them were there.
Thanat grabbed Kiat's shirt like he was ready to fight him.
"Daeng is so easy, right? That even a stray can touch him…"
Kiat smirked as he heard it, "coming from the mouth of someone who had forced him and hurt him."
After hearing those words, Thanat became even more furious.
He clenched his hand and hit Kiat's face, but it didn't even scratch him.
"You jerk… He was mine, not yours…" he said, while Kiat stayed silent.
Thanat felt like he had won when his personal servant came in with trembling hands. He was sweating.
"Master Thanat, you need to stop. If someone sees this, it will…" His voice cracked as he changed the topic.
"Master Thanat, it's time to go. Even if we leave now, we will not arrive by morning…"
"It's a warning. Don't even think you can meet him," Thanat said, his voice cold and furious.
"Go out…" Thanat said with contempt.
Kiat went outside.
Thanat thought, "It was the only chance I could see him… it takes months to come back." …"
He clenched his hands on the table until they bled…
"Master Thanat…" The servant panicked, but his sorrow was deeper than the pain of the blood.
As Kiat went outside and returned to his room, he thought:
"Thanat… Thanat… What a poor man… He was in a mess…
He smirked.
"Who told you to mess with me? And you dared to touch what is mine… Poor man… he was going to lose everything… but he had already lost his pathetic love…