As they walked, Daeng's heart was heavy with guilt. Tears fell slowly as he clutched his chest.
Waen and Daeng walked in silence. As they entered Waen's room, she suddenly stopped and went still.
"Daeng…" her voice dropped, the words barely coming out.
"I am not the one who gave birth to you…" her breath turned uneven. She paused for a second. "But I am your mother… right…?"
Daeng sobbed as he collapsed to the floor.
"Mae… don't say that… Mae… sorry… Daeng is sorry… Daeng… sorry…"
Daeng lowered his head, his hands clasped together as he begged for forgiveness.
Waen turned and sat on the floor.
She wiped Daeng's tears. Thoughts passed through her blank face, but her empty tears would not stop.
She wondered, "Daeng, when you were born, you didn't cry like this. You smiled at me. You gave me the will to live. Don't get hurt… Mae will never say anything to hurt you. Do you know how precious you are to me…?"
"Do you love him…?" Waen's words cut deeper than his guilt.
"Mae… Mae… I like him… no… I love him…"
Drop…
His tears hit the floor. The breeze from the window brushed over them. It felt cold.
"The path you chose will be rough. You will face challenges that will tear you apart. It will hurt you more than you think… because this is reality. We are living in it… this reality."
She slowly brushed his face.
"But don't give up. I don't know if I can always support you, always stay with you… Daeng, you are strong; I know. So don't lose that will and hope to live. Go… and live your life."
Her tears fell, soaking her face.
With those tears, she kissed Daeng's forehead and pulled him into her arms.
"Mae is always here. Whatever you choose, whatever you do… Mae will wait for you until I take my final breath…"
"Mae…"
They both sobbed on the cold floor.
The breeze wrapped around them, as if it understood their pain, becoming a quiet part of it.
They held each other. Daeng whispered, "Mae… Mae… Mae…"
"Mae is here…"
"Mae is here…"
"Don't go anywhere, Mae…" Daeng's colorless tears soaked her dress. Waen's colorless tears soaked Daeng's.
Their tears carried unspoken stories as they stayed there.
"Mae is not going anywhere…"
"Mae…" Daeng called her again. "I decided to forgive… I decided to forgive Fa… Father."
"It's been long… I…" His words stopped.
"My luk has grown up…Mae is happy…"
Wrapped in the breeze and in their warmth as mother and son, they stayed there for a long time as time slowly passed…
Beautiful, yet pierced by darkness, the night fell.
Kiat lay in the hut, watching the stars peeking through the small gaps between the trees.
The moon was hidden behind dark clouds.
"Daeng…" Kiat mumbled his name as he clutched his chest. "It's beating too fast… Daeng… I miss you today more than any other day…"
Kiat replayed the memories they had shared.
Inside the hut, there were things carefully wrapped—something he had prepared for Daeng as a surprise.
Unlike the Third Mansion, the forest breeze was not warm. Instead, it carried a strange chill, heavier than warmth.
Kiat slowly opened his eyes. "Why are you here… Kiat…?" —The Shadow Leader's real name is Kiat, the only remaining member of the Second Prince Thawin's maternal family.
The Shadow Leader stood near the hut, watching him from a distance.
As Kiat called him, the Shadow Leader walked closer.
"Didn't I tell you before… don't wear that mask in front of me?"
The Shadow Leader removed his mask. A cold breeze passed, and a small weight lifted from his heart.
"Are you regretting… Phi…?" The Shadow Leader looked up and brushed his face.
"Mm…" Kiat was half-asleep, his breath heavy. "Regret… that's right. Because I found him too late."
"When your brother told me… you will find the one you love when the right time comes… do you know, I didn't even react?"
"Will he hate me… Kiat…?"
Kiat asked, but only silence answered him.
"Once again… the role of the villain… I have to wear that mask, right…" Kiat whispered.
"I don't care. I only need Daeng… even if it takes years for him to forgive me."
A faint smile appeared on the Shadow Leader's face. He wondered, "It's been a while since he called me by my real name…"
"Phi… you've changed. Everyone calls you an emotionless monster… someone who plays with others' feelings. But I know… they never deserved you. I hope Daeng can forgive you… but…"
"Kiat, where are the others…?"
"Phi… My lord… they are… today is the day most of them lost their loved ones, so…"
"Go…" Kiat commanded, his voice turning cold once more.
Without hesitation, the Shadow Leader lowered his head and whispered, "Phi…"
The Shadow Leader vanished without a sound.
He stopped at a distance. Once again, he removed his mask and brushed his face as a painful memory surfaced.
"Kiat… dear… go… go hide… Phi is okay…"
"Phi… Phi …"
At that moment, Kiat had lost consciousness. When he woke up, his brother's burned body was still holding him. The pain of his burns was filled with the screams of his loss…
The memory cut off. A single tear fell onto the dry leaves.
He looked into the distance… and remained in the darkness for a long time.
Back in the hut, Kiat murmured, "I will end everything, Daeng… after my revenge. I need to hide who I am… then we can live normally, somewhere far away…"
"Forgive me, Daeng… you will…"
His voice faded as he opened his eyes.
"This night is beautiful…"
The fragrance of yellow wildflowers filled the air once again…
The rain fell, and the sound of thunder was loud. But as the sun rose, the wetness of the forest slowly dripped away.
It became more beautiful… and warm.
A cool breeze remained, slowly wrapping the forest as its own…
The sound of feet splashing in the water echoed softly.
Covered in Kiat's arms, Daeng played with the water near the river by the hut.
"Did you talk with Khun Waen…?" Kiat murmured.
Daeng nodded. He turned back, hugged Kiat, and kissed his cheek.
Daeng lay against Kiat's chest as Kiat sat…
Daeng took Kiat's hand and held it tightly. He said nothing—the silence answered everything…
As they entered the hut, Daeng saw the gifts. He looked at them with doubt and slowly unwrapped them. The thick white paper fell away…
Daeng turned back to Kiat.
Kiat stepped closer, hugging Daeng from behind.
"Who needs blessings… let's get married, Daeng… will you marry me…?"
Daeng looked at Kiat and replied, "Khun… can you call my name again…?"
Kiat slowly whispered into Daeng's ear, "Daeng…"
"Call again…"
"Daeng…"
"Call again…"
"Daeng… Daeng…" Kiat whispered into his ear again and again.
"Khun Kiat… thank you…"
Their lips slowly parted… and then met.
A sudden, yet gentle, pause.
"Can we get changed… my Daeng…?"
Daeng was almost done, but Kiat was struggling. The traditional clothes were difficult to wear.
Daeng helped him. As he adjusted the fabric, Kiat slowly pulled him closer, his hand firm around Daeng.
Kiat leaned in and lightly brushed his lips against the tip of Daeng's nose.
"When I first saw you, I wondered… how can such a weird person be handsome…" Daeng said, then looked up at Kiat.
"You just hurt me, Daeng…"
Daeng sulked. Kiat gently touched his puffed cheek with his fingers. "What is it now… my Daeng…?"
"What about me? What was your impression…? Didn't I tell you mine about you?"
Kiat looked at him and took a deep breath. "Can I be honest…?"
Daeng quickly covered his ears, almost not wanting to hear.
Kiat gently pulled his hands away and leaned closer, whispering softly…
"I compared you to the moon, Daeng…"
Daeng blinked. "Are you alright…? Did I fall in love with a crazy person…?" He looked around, confused, as if trying to understand.
His expression slowly fell.
Kiat frowned slightly, wondering what he had said wrong. "But it's true… I'm not lying…"
Hours later....
"Khun Kiat… how many times have we circled? It's too warm…"
"Didn't I say it three times…?"
"But I saw it seven times, dear…" Kiat and Daeng argued softly.
"Well then… let's spin ten times, okay…?" Kiat said.
Daeng nodded happily.
Kiat suddenly froze, as if he had forgotten something. "Wait… just a minute, dear. I'll come back."
He quickly ran into the hut. A moment later, he returned, holding something small wrapped in paper.
Kiat was slightly out of breath, a thin layer of sweat on his skin. Daeng gently wiped it away with his hand.
"What's that…?"
Kiat opened it carefully. A red thread.
As per commoner tradition, they wrapped it around their fingers—binding them together, making a promise to stay side by side for as long as they lived.
Daeng smiled as Kiat carefully tied it tighter. It wouldn't slip from their fingers. They had to wear it through the night.
They spun again… once, twice… until it reached twelve times.
Their fingers remained linked by the red thread, warm against each other.
I hope we will be happy… and live together forever… Daeng thought.
As Kiat had said—
"Daeng… let's live together… even death cannot tear us apart…"
The ceremony came to an end.
The forest stood silent, as if it had witnessed something sacred, something meant only for them.
And then—
Kiat pulled Daeng closer.
Their bodies met, warmth against warmth… breath mixing, unsteady… their closeness deepened as they gave in to each other.