Interminable

...Love...

CRASH!

 

The crystal glass slipped and shattered into glittering shards, jolting the young lord from his reverie. He stared at the wreckage, his hammering fitfully. A strange foreboding overwhelmed him until the lad sitting nearby turned to look. His sharp-featured face was blood-drained pale as he stared wordlessly at the floor. His ashen hand reached out and brushed a fragment. Slender brows knitting, he paused. It was his favourite glass, brought back from Europe as a keepsake of his studies before he returned to serve the kingdom. Moments before, he had found himself thinking of Kaewta for no reason he could name. But it wasn't the usual yearning, but an unease, gnawing worry that would not be stilled.

 

"Kaewta?"

"What did you say?" Saen looked up from his task.

 

"I thought I heard Kaewta's voice a moment ago."

 

"You must be hearing things. Missing him too much, suppose," Saen teased.

 

"Saen, finish at once. I must hurry back to Kaewta as soon as possible."

 

"There it is... you've only been away for a few days, Master."

 

Saen clamped his lips abruptly, noticing his master's well-favoured face showed no smile at the playful remark, or maybe he wasn't even listening. His expression was tight, brows drawn, eyes clouded with worry, prompting Saen to return to finish his work as his master desired.

 

"Even if we make haste here, you'll have to stay and host the governor of Ban Sema, won't you, sir? However great your wish to hurry back, it cannot be as swift as you hope." Saen reminded him, casting a glance at the Western clock on the wall that marked two o'clock; a new day had already begun.

 

"Even just a fraction of a minute, I wish I could rush back, Saen." The man sighed, his chest heavy with an unease that would not lift.

 

Ten full days had gone by before the assignment was complete. The governor of Ban Sema extended an invitation to a banquet, but Khun Phra Nai declined, claiming illness, excused himself, packed in haste, and hired a boat to return to the .0apital at once. If he could have an engine set upon this boat as with the vehicles in the capital, he would do so this instant.

 

For all his urging of the rowers, it was never as swift as his heart desired. The young man could only sit brooding at the prow. Saen scratched his head, questioning what could drive his master to such haste. He could well understand rushing work to return to his little one, for the pair were in the throes of smitten. But whenever duty called, Khun Phra Nai had never shown such haste. Every task must be meticulous, correct to the last detail, with no room for error. Now he was even hiring a boat to set out, heedless of how late the hour.

...This was utterly unlike him.

 

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It was searing. The sun was blazing aflame; it hurt. Water. The agony of a slit wrist. Cracked lips and a throat as barren as scorched ground. His frail wrists fought against the shackles, but the more he struggled, the more it felt like his flesh was ripping apart. The thick, abrasive rope scraped his skin, causing blood to seep out. His once-flawless face was now blackened and burnt as it turned upward to the sky, shadows of twigs falling over him in despair.

 

"Help." The hoarse, feeble voice was only resonant in the throat, and then nothing else was uttered anymore. All the boy could do was scream within himself out of terror. Help. Somebody help me. It's suffering. He was totally clueless as to why he was confined here or whether he had ever caused anyone to abhor him. The dread now took all of him. After being attacked from the rear last night, no one could find or release him.

 

The greenery from the bower of trees that he was once fond of couldn't mitigate the pain even slightly. The boy howled, praying for someone to find and rescue him. The greenery of the bowered trees he had once loved could not ease the pain in the least. The boy howled, praying for someone to find and deliver him. Anybody. Please save me. Khun Phra Nai, Khun Yai, please save Kaew!

 

"Kaew, would you like me to escort you home?"

 

"What's brought this on, Phi Kan? I've always walked home by myself. Why would you accompany me tonight?" The youth laughed. The drum mender from the piphat troupe was a familiar companion, well acquainted with him.

 

"I don't know. I just feel uneasy for you, that's all."

"There's nothing to worry about, Phi Kan. I can return on my own. You should hurry home yourself. Your wife must be waiting." Kaewta demurred, knowing well that at such a late hour, the other's wife and children would be expecting him.

 

"But." Something in Kan's heart remained unquiet. He gazed at the young one before him and sighed. "Well then, come for practice early tomorrow morning. I'll sleep easier once I see your face." Kan waved farewell before turning toward his boat. The youth smiled in response, amused that Phi Kan's concern had set an early morning practice.

 

Small hands turned up the lantern a touch more. Suddenly, thoughts of that shrewd countenance away on court business rose, drawing forth laughter. Had Khun Phra Nai retired for the night? He wondered. Hopefully not toiling without rest, as when they had gone to Ayutthaya the month prior. Yet the cause of such haste was likely himself. At this thought, Kaewta's heart quickened and swelled.

 

That face and those coaxing ways whenever the larger man would sulk at his feigned indifference in anger. Always, he must relent to such entreaties... embraces, kisses until he softened without fail. During their disputes over matters both consequential and trifling, the other would most often yield first and offer an apology. Sometimes he himself would feel remorse and offer an apology in return. Thereafter, he would repay those words of contrition with his body instead.

 

Kaewta smiled, recalling that first encounter with that refined visage seated beside his mother on the veranda.... After being punched, he had not glimpsed the young man for scores of days. When chance brought them together at Uncle's gathering, that gorgeous face blanched upon seeing him, averting whenever their gazes met. Days without seeing that face set his heart to beat slowly with loneliness. When did it begin? Trepidation and ache mingled, interwoven with moments of joy each day. And everything came to this at last. 

 

His thoughts came to an abrupt halt when two burly men barred his way. Kaewta instinctively recoiled. Their faces were veiled, and they advanced with clear intent. He turned to flee, but another man cut him off. The storm lantern was wrenched from his grasp.

 

"What do you want?" he asked, his sweet voice trembling though he strove to steady it.

 

"There's someone who wants you to disappear for a while!" one of them barked.

 

"Who?" His slender hand reached to touch the ring on his finger, as if beseeching the one who gave it to him to be here now.

 

"You don't need to know!" Two more men snapped from behind before seizing his slender wrist in an iron grip.

 

"Brothers! I beg you, don't do anything to me. I haven't done anything to wrong you, have I?"

 

"You haven't wronged us, but you've wronged the one who sent us."

 

"I'm begging you, please let me go." His slender hands rose in supplication. However skilled he might be at fighting, he could never overcome three great brutes attacking at once. His heart turned toward his mother, who must be waiting for him.

 

"We can't." That answer froze him. Then, with all his strength, he struggled to break free.

 

"Help!" His cry for aid was cut short when the rough hands clamped over his mouth. Sharp pain flared at the back of his head, and consciousness slowly faded to black.

 

"Help! Can anyone hear me? Please help!" His voice cracked from shouting, ringing through the darkness. Fear gripped him so tightly that he could scarcely hold fast to his wits. His fair face paled as death. The coarse fibres scraped his skin raw, until his blood slowly stained them red.

 

'Remain here for two days, and we shall return to release you.'

 

‘Please, brothers, I'm begging you, let me go..'

 

'Remain here for two days, and we shall return to release you.'

 

'Brother, I beg you. Let me go. By now, my mother must be beside herself. She is not in robust health; without someone to tend to her, I know not how she fares.' Kaewta pleaded through tears, his thoughts fixed on his mother. By now, she must be near mad with worry. One of them faltered, hesitant at his words; the other stepped close, fixed him with a stare, and said,

 

'We shall come back and set you free, but only after we have collected the reward.

Tell me-who bade you do this?' They looked at one another.

 

'We cannot say, for you will soon be released, knowing it would avail you nothing.'

 

‘I beg you'

• Khun Phra Nai. Khun Phra Nai sent us.'

 

The answer struck like lightning to his heart... beating so hard it pained him. Tears slowly trickled down his cheeks, yet no sob escaped. His hands were tied behind the tree's trunk, as well as both his ankles bound fast. That they left his mouth free showed they were confident no one would find him. And by now... who knew what had befallen his mother, seeing her only son not return home.

 

He cried out with all the voice he had until it grew hoarse and failed. The cool night air gave way to the scorching heat of the sun. Sweat seeped and soaked through his clothes. Hunger and thirst, his body desperate for water, ... though no sound escaped. Blood that had dried and crusted flowed, staining the old until the colour returned to crimson.

 

Even the tears that flowed had dried to salt in the heat. He lifted his face toward the sky as if in supplication. But as night passed and a new day dawned, still they had not returned to release Kaewta, despite their promise.

 

His gaunt frame lacked even the strength to stand, and slumped against the tree... His lips had cracked into scales... Hair like raven's wings that once fell beautifully now hung limp and brittle. Pale skin had been burned by the sun until it broke and reddened across his entire form. His vision blurred by the moment.

 

"Khun Yai..." The owner of those melancholy eyes and that radiant smile appeared before him, indistinct. … He wished to reach out and wipe them dry.

 

"Help me..."

He was dying...

 

Kaewta mourned within his heart, powerless to hold fast to the life that slowly guttered out. He would have no chance to return. To return and speak the words the other wished to hear....Love…

 

Som stole a sidelong glance at Lady Sophee's stately figure, furtively rolling her eyes and casting a scowl behind her back, vexed.

 

"Isn't Khun Phi meant to return today, Phi Som?" Sophee turned to her confidante, her countenance clouded with displeasure. She yearned to behold her beloved's visage so ardently that her heart seemed about to burst; yet why had he not returned home?"

 

"Perhaps Khun Yai has gone to the palace first."

 

"And what affair detained him at the palace so late into the night, that he has still not returned?!"

 

"How should I know? I am not Saen, shadowing Khun Yai all day."

 

"Phi Som!" Sophee rebuked her attendant sharply.

 

"Yes, yes, my Lady." Som quickly fell silent, knowing her mistress's temperament well. If she kept prattling on, Sophee would likely seize the nearest object and dash her brains out. Consider those three men: after she had ordered them to abduct that youth Kaewta and hide him away, she had slain all three to silence them, so that no one could help or know where the child was. After so many days, that youth must be dead by now.

 

"Or perhaps Khun Phi went to see that little wretch," Sophee mused, her lips curving into a contemptuous smile. "But even if he did, he would not find that child, regardless!"

 

"That is so, my Lady," Som chimed in, ever quick to flatter.

 

"Sooner or later, Khun Phi will have to wed me." Sophee's smile widened. Som couldn't restrain herself from questioning.

 

"But what if Khun Yai refuses to wed you?"

 

"Som! Are you so keen to die?"

 

"No, no! I do not wish to die!" she stammered. " I was only wondering... why don't you seek the love sorcerer's aid? That way, Khun Yai will be yours in no time!"

 

"I long for Khun Phi's heart to be mine of his own accord, not because of some petty charms or black magic!"

 

Som curled her lip behind Sophee's back, thinking to herself that she would like to see when that day would ever come for Young Mistress Sophee-likely not until the next life; Khun Phra Nai would scarcely consent to bestow his heart!

 

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The tall figure quickened his pace, broke into a run as his chest knotted with dread. The man behind him gaped, unable to understand why Khun Phra Nai was in such a frenzied haste. Even before fatigue could so much as overtake them, they reached the little house. Yet the house stood in darkness, shooting a chill through the heart. His pale hand reached out to unlatch the

gate without hesitation.

 

"Kaewta! Kaewta! Mother Payom!" his deep voice rang out, only to be swallowed by hollow silence, echoing off the bare walls. Saen, having caught up, frowned. No one came to greet them. He hurried in after his master. Khun Phra Nai's chiselled features turned ashen, calling for the one who occupied his every waking thought.

Kaewta, where are you, Love?

 

"How can this be? It's as if no one's been here for days," Saen murmured his misgivings, yet one look at his master's countenance made him wish to strike his own mouth. The tall man wheeled and bolted from the house at once, a sudden hope sparking in his chest that Kaewta and Mother Payom might be at Luang Sanor's compound instead. Khun Phra Nai ran until his breath snagged in his throat. 

 

The maidservants at Luang Sanor's compound stirred at the sight of him. One dashed off to summon Luang Sanor while another hurried to usher Khun Phra Nai into the house. Yet as the young noble glanced around, every face bore unspeakable gloom.

 

"Yai!" Luang Sanor arrived panting after a servant had informed him. The elder embraced the young noble with relief. 

 

"Thank heavens you've returned!"

 

"Where are Kaewta and Mother Payom, sir? I went to their house and found no one. My chest burned so anxiously that I had to run here."

 

"That's exactly why I'm so glad you're here. Come, come inside and take some water first, to ease your fatigue." Luang Sanor gripped his arm and led him into the waiting room, offering him a glass of butterfly-pea infusion. The young lord took but a sip before pressing Luang Sanor to tell what had transpired.

 

"Where is Kaewta, sir?"

 

"..I don't know."

"Pardon?"

 

"We've been searching for Kaewta for days now."

 

"What did you say?" His heart nearly stopped. The ominous feeling that had loomed over him for these past few days came crashing down in full. He thought he had shouted, yet what escaped him was scarcely more than a whisper.

 

"Kaew vanished the day you departed for official duty. We have scoured the area for days, yet still we have not found him." Luang Sanor's voice trembled, his eyes red-rimmed.

 

"That day, Kaew came to practice his dance as usual. We finished late owing to a new piece. Kan felt uneasy and wished to escort him home, but that stubborn child sent him away. Kan told him to come early the next morning to practice. We waited until the afternoon, but he never came. Kan grew anxious and went to fetch him at his home, only to find Mother Payom sitting alone. She said Kaewta had not returned since that night, and so he came running to ask me to gather men for a search. But as hard as we might, we turned up nothing, not until you came here." His voice grew hoarse, trembling as he imagined the fate of that stubborn child he loved as his own flesh and blood.

 

"How is Mother Payom?"

 

"She's taken to her bed," Luang Sanor said with a shake of his head.

 

"I shall report to the department and set the patrol units to assist in the search."

 

"Then make haste, my boy. I myself reported to the department the very day Kaew disappeared, but no one has found him yet."

 

Khun Phra Nai's heart was adrift. His thoughts kept circling where Kaewta could have gone. Who would dare steal his beloved away and hide him? He commanded the patrol units to search through the vicinity, aided by Luang Sanor's men, and by Kan, who was now weeping freely as he called out for his little brother. The nobleman ordered his men to fan out far and wide, through the forest tracts and into every household.

 

Not even a finger's breadth of hiding space was to be overlooked. His chest throbbed with pain as he cried hoarsely for Kaewta... Kaewta, until his voice was spent. Men and mounts were spent in their search, nearly turning the very earth upside down until time crept toward a new day. By the time the golden dawn broke, hoofbeats thundered.

 

"Khun Yai! Khun Yai, sir!" Saen yanked the reins taut as he spurred forward to bear tidings to his master. His weathered face was stricken with despair-he could not bear to see Khun Phra Nai suffer. Yet what his eyes had seen could not be construed as anything else.

 

"You've found Kaewta?"

"Yes, sir, but..."

 

"But what?" The man barked. The near-weeping expression of his subordinate was on the verge of driving him mad. His strong arms shoved Saen's tall frame aside until he staggered backwards, before spurring his horse toward where Saen had just come from.

 

The patrol stood ringed around something, slowly parting when they saw who had dismounted. Then the sight before his eyes nearly felled Khun Phra Nai where he stood...

 

His fair face contorted and blanched. His body trembled as shock turned to agony that speared his chest. His strong legs quaked so that he could scarcely step forward. Yet he hauled himself toward that form. Those well-formed lips quivered....Was it really him? Was that form truly his Kaewta?

 

He stumbled and fell to his knees. His gaze was fixed upon that body. Saen rushed to support him, and Khun Phra Nai gave a low sob. His large hands thrust his subordinate away, whispering in a broken voice,

 

"It's not him, is it? It's not..." The parched voice that leaked trembled.

 

"HIC! It is him, sir," Saen sobbed in reply, not daring to meet his master's gaze.

 

"You lie!" His anguished voice made those around avert their eyes in pity. Saen shook his head, sobbing and swaying before slowly approaching that form. Gently, he unbound the ropes and laid the body carefully upon the ground, then raised the left hand.  Golden sunlight caught a glint of metal. He knew that object well. It was the engraved ring he had himself slipped onto the other's finger, now gleaming in the sunlight for him to see. 

 

The man braced himself and moved closer. His ears rang, and he heard nothing. Though sunlight blazed brightly, darkness fell upon him as if he'd been struck blind. He saw only that lifeless form and the small golden ring. He sank beside the outstretched body, taking that frigid left hand from Saen's grasp. His gaze travelled over the youth's body... Tears streamed down his cheeks. The raven-black hair had turned dry and brittle, with some portions fallen away. 

 

The skin, once fair and smooth, had darkened and sunk against bone. Those scarlet lips that once curled into a smile, those pale cheeks that once flushed with coyness, that pert, round nose bore no trace of their former shape. With a trembling finger, he traced downward before stopping at the left ring finger. There were but two rings of this kind. One now rested on Kaewta's hand, and the other upon his own.

 

"Kaewta..." The man leaned forward and drew the withered body to him, calling the name again and again.

 

"Kaewta..."

My grieving arms now hold thee tight,

I bow and kiss our ring once so bright;

A band I set with all my heart,

Its gleam from thy dear hand never depart.

I never dreamed death would divide

My single gem now cast aside;

My riven heart can only grieve,

Mind reft of sense, I long to leave.

Fierce sorrow storms my feeble frame,

And floods of tears know not their shame;

Let this frail soul rejoin with thine,

All griefs be ended, all tears resign.

My shattered chest can bear no pain,

No mortal tears can ease this strain;

Without thee lying by my side,

I long to die and there abide.

 

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The atmosphere was heavy with grief, especially with Kan, whose tears fell unchecked. His sorrow ran so deep that Luang Sanor set a man to stay by his side, fearing he might blame himself and follow the dead into the river.

 

The older man turned to glance at the young aristocrat, then released a distressed sigh. That comely visage was pallid, drained of all colour, his eyes rimmed crimson from unceasing weeping. He still forced himself to endure the monks' chanting, nevertheless. Beside him sat Saen, who kept casting anxious glances at his master. Luang Sanor's heart sank as he recalled the recent, tragic night.

 

When Mother Payom learned that Luang Sanor had returned with Khun Phra Nai and her son, she hastened out to greet them with joy. But the moment her eyes beheld the scene before her, she collapsed to the ground, weeping as though her heart would break while clasping her son's lifeless body tightly. Beyond all imagining, Mother Payom had fainted and breathed her last that very night, following her son in death. Luang Sanor regarded the coffins before him, raising a hand to dash away tears with a soft, shuddering breath. If he should show weakness and unravel now, Khun Phra Nai surely wouldn't have the strength to see the funeral rites through.

 

"I'll leave the arrangements here in your hands then, Khun Luang."

 

"Will you be returning to that house?" Luang Sanor asked, regarding that grief-stricken face, before sighing. How could he possibly help the other man?

 

"Yes, sir." ... if he doesn't return, Kaewta will be waiting without end...

 

"Saen, look after Yai for me," Khun Luang entrusted. The young lad Saen nodded, offering a mournful smile. The events of the previous night continued to haunt him, so terrified that he scarcely dared stray more than five paces from his Khun Phra Nai's side. Khun Phra Nai cradled the lifeless form of his beloved tightly in his arms. Not a soul dared approach, for Luang Sanor insisted the funeral rites be completed according to custom.

 

"Do not take him from me!" The deep voice thundered, pleading as though his heart were near to failing. He wept and cradled the slender form, refusing to let go.

 

"Khun Yai, Khun Kaew has passed, sir." Saen forced the words out with great difficulty, choking back his sobs.

 

"No... You see, Saen? Kaewta is here. I'm holding him in my arms now." The stately visage pressed close against what had been that beloved countenance.

 

"HIC... he's truly left us, sir," Saen sobbed, lifting his arm to dash away tears. The young man went still, stricken, gazing at the form in his embrace. His finely hewn features twisted in anguish. He drew the body closer still before rising to his feet. 

 

"Let us go, Saen."

"Go where, sir?"

 

"The White Manor."

"Eh?"

 

"Ready the boat at once!" The tall figure strode from the estate grounds. Luang Sanor rushed after him in alarm, blocking his path.

 

"Where are you going?"

"I shall take Kaewta to abide at the White Manor, sir."

 

"Wait! You know well that Kaew has passed. Why don't you arrange the funeral..."

 

"No, sir!" the young man roared. "Kaewta shall remain with me!" Luang Sanor's mouth fell agape at these words. Had Khun Phra Nai lost his senses in his grief? Despite every effort to prevent him, the man bore Kaewta's body away, leaving Luang Sanor to see to all of Payom's funeral arrangements alone.

 

The White Manor, awaiting only the auspicious day for the house's merit-making, now stood desolate and forlorn. The slender form had been laid in a crystal coffin in the midst of the house. Khun Phra Nai sat gazing at that still form, unmoving. He would not rise, would not stir, would neither eat nor sleep. The soft calls of his beloved's name echoed over and over in that chamber, the sound of his yearning piercing the hearts of all who heard with pity and grief.

 

"Master, please eat something." Yet, the man remained silent, unresponsive. His once pleasing visage had grown so gaunt that Saen’s heart sank. He withdrew to set a tray, yet he had scarcely crossed the threshold when dread seized him, compelling his return to the hall. Saen cried out in alarm, rushing toward his master's form with all haste. He seized the strong arm, pulling and wrenching with all his might.

 

"Release me!"

 

"No, sir! What would you do? Would you take your own life to follow Khun Kaew?" Saen shouted in desperate fury. He struggled to wrench the pistol from the tall man's grasp with all his strength, yet still could not overcome Khun Phra Nai's power.

 

"Yes! Without Kaewta, for whom should I live?" The young man's shout rang out, choked with sobs.

 

"For... for your father! What of His Excellency?" Sean answered. "He has raised you since you were a child. Will you be so cruel as to abandon him in such a manner? Khun Phrom has already caused His Excellency grief enough. Will you take your life and flee from him as well?" The tall form went rigid. Saen’s words halted the young master's actions abruptly, yet he could not be at ease. He still struggled to wrest the pistol from that strong hand into his keeping.

 

"How shall I live without Kaewta..." Khun Phra Nai collapsed to the floor in a fit of lamentation.

 

"Return to your father, Khun Yai," Sean urged him.

 

"He surely awaits word of the patrol duties you went north to manage."

 

"By now, His Excellency must be awaiting you at the table." At the thought of his father's face, the man fell silent."I shall tend to the task here, sir. I shall care for Khun Kaew myself. You need not worry, Master," Saen offered consolation and helped Khun Phra Nai to the boat lying at the pier before returning to close the White Manor's door softly behind him. 

 

By day, the man discharged his official duties as before, while also pursuing the felon who harmed Kaewta. When night fell, he would row to the White Manor, lying beside the crystal coffin, whispering through his tears...

...Kaewta...

 

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The sound of a harsh cough escaped his lips, causing Nanny Yam to furrow her brow in grave concern before hastening to summon the Western physician to examine Khun Phra Nai, at His Excellency's urgent command upon learning that his eldest son had taken ill.

 

"I am not so ill, Father."

 

His Excellency gazed upon the speaker with heart-rending sorrow. Look at him; that once-imposing frame had grown achingly. Those once-sparkling eyes were now dull and vacant. His gaunt face bore the pallor of one gravely afflicted, bereft of all the noble charm he once possessed.

 

"Do you still claim to be not so unwell in such a condition? You now grow more corpse-like by the day." The young man heard his father's words and merely smiled bitterly. Perhaps death would be a mercy, so he would not have to endure this torment of the heart. "Take your medicine, please." His Excellency bade Saen to help support his son.

 

Nanny Yam rose to administer the medicine, but within moments, he brought it all back up. Nanny Yam turned pale with alarm, covering her mouth as she wept in compassion. Saen turned to His Excellency, shaking his head helplessly.

 

"Oh, Khun Yai, how has it come to this?" Nanny Yam crept forward to wipe his face and lips, then embraced him, overcome with heartfelt sympathy. His Excellency nodded and beckoned Saen outside after seeing that the patient had closed his eyes.

 

"Has anything happened during the official business in the North?" Saen started at the question, merely shaking his head in professed ignorance. His Excellency sighed, at a loss for how to remedy the situation. 

 

Days ago, Sophee had come running to him in tears, complaining that Khun Yai refused her care and had even dragged himself to attend the funeral of that Luang Sanor's protégée. Though he knew his son had been reasonably close to Luang Sanor, surely it wouldn't extend to attending the funeral of a mere dancer-unless he held great significance for him.

 

"Was Yai in love with that late dancer of Luang Sanor?" Saen returned to His Excellency's query.

 

"Well.."

"Answer me!"

"Yes, sir."

 

"But he is dead, isn't he?" Saen offered no response. His Excellency stroked his chin, then turned to regard his son's room in solemn thought. "It seems I must hasten to arrange Khun Yai's marriage to Sophee."

 

"I beg your pardon?" Saen exclaimed in dismay, gazing upward to question his old lord.

 

"Why such alarm, Saen?"

"But..."

 

"No 'buts.'" I will not stand by and watch my own son waste away in anguish over a woman already in her grave!" Having spoken, he left Saen standing agape before the man clutched his head in frustration.

 

"I'm not ready yet."

 

"I shall not wait any longer! Come what may, you must marry Sophee!" His Excellency refused to heed his son, who had dragged his ailing body to the desk and set himself to the documents that he had sent Saen to fetch from the Police Bureau.

 

"No, sir."

"You!" 

 

The lord father bristled with fury. Glancing at his beloved son only stoked the fire, for the son's face bore not a trace of feeling. The haggard man slumped against the chair, spent after his father left. Saen rushed to support him when he saw the young master gasping for breath. When he brought the medicine cup to his lips, he was pushed aside. Tears pricked his eyes. Look at him, his young master was bent on courting death.

 

"Khun Yai, please take the medicine. Saen begs you, "The lad pleaded through tears, imploring until at last he drank the medicine. But just a brief moment later, the man brought it all up, together with all he had eaten earlier.

 

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"Khun Phi, do you find this fabric lovely?" Sophee held up the beautiful silk cloth before the man. However, he remained motionless, not even sparing it a glance, only offering a low assent, a 'hmm' from deep in his throat. Sophee rose to her feet in indignation, for these past days her darling had continued to treat her like a hollow vessel. She seized the once-strong arm, now devastatingly thin. Yet her anger burned all the more. She pressed her lips thin before rebuking him.

 

"You show me no honour at all! We are to be married!"

 

"Married?" His slender brows knitted at those words. He broke into a fit of coughing as the word left him. Sophee took in the sight before her, tears brimming. The tall frame, once robust, now seemed gaunt and liable to collapse at any moment. That once-lustrous skin had turned ashen. Those eyes were now sunken and bereft of the beauty they once held.

 

"Yes! Our wedding. You and I!" Sophee wiped her tears and cried out.

 

"I do not love you in that manner." Though the voice was soft, Sophee heard it with piercing clarity, and it struck straight into her heart, cleaving it completely.

 

"Khun Phi!" Sophee shrieked. She was in terrible pain when the man before her spoke those words. "You must love me!" She rushed forward to beat upon those broad yet bony shoulders in fury. The young man merely stood still and let her strike before uttering words that cut to the marrow.

 

"Forgive me, but I love Kaewta. I love Kaewta alone."

 

"But that boy is dead! He is dead, Khun Phi, do you hear me!" Sophee screamed. She lost all self-command. Jealousy robbed her of all sense, and what she had kept hidden now spilt from her own lips.

 

The tall figure turned to gaze at the one called his younger sister in disbelief. No one knew that Kaewta was dead but himself, Saen, Nanny Yam, and those in Luang Sanor's household. The funeral had been held only for Mother Payom. How could Sophee know that Kaewta was dead? The tall figure turned to regard the one he called his younger sister in disbelief. "Sophee?"

 

"You must love me, not him! Dead and turned ghost, still he would haunt and torment me!" She screamed till the house rang. Saen and Nanny Yam rushed in in alarm, and now they heard every word Sophee had cried. Had Lady Sophee killed Khun Kaewta?

"Did you kill Kaewta?" The young man rose to his full height, fixing the woman with utter disbelief, his voice gone hoarse.

 

"Yes! He deserved it. Because of him, you don't love me!" Sophee remained furious. Though she was shaken by what she had confessed, her love must belong to her alone!

 

"Sophee!" The young man roared, his fist clenched tight. The tall frame lunged forward in one motion and reached the woman. His gaunt hand seized her throat and tightened.

 

"Khun Yai!" Saen and Nany Yam cried out in alarm at his actions.

 

"Kh-Are you going to kill me?" The young woman's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at the man she loved. Her eyes were flushed with tears. The pressure on her throat only increased. Sophee clawed at the man's wrists, hoping he would relent.

 

"Khun Yai, stop, I beg you! She is your sister! Lady Sophee is the daughter of your lord-father, isn't she!"

 

Saen came forward to intercede, though in his heart he wished for Sophee to perish as well. He feared only that his revered master would become a murderer. Beyond the grief of losing Khun Kaew, guilt would surely be etched upon his heart.

 

"Get out of my face! Leave my sight at once!" The man flung out his hand, pushing her slender form aside. She fell in a heap upon the floor. Sophee gasped and coughed until her face turned crimson. She glanced up with reproachful eyes, tears flooding her face. Nanny came to support Sophee and took her out of the room. But when the woman was on the verge of leaning upon her shoulder to cry, Nanny Yam shoved her away until she fell to the floor once more. She despised this young lady with all her heart!

 

"This woman is not my sister!" Warm droplets spilt down his weathered cheeks. Eyes, filled with pain, hatred, and wrath, fixed upon the person sobbing on the floor.

 

"Khun Phi!"

 

"Saen, take me away from here. Away from this place."The man spoke in a weary tone. His heart ached beyond bearing. He had searched to learn who had shattered his heart. Never had he imagined, not for a moment, that the perpetrator would be one so near. He knew Sophee loathed Kaewta, but he never thought she would dare such a deed. Sophee had been his sweet younger sister, so he had harboured no suspicion at all. Today, Sophee had betrayed herself with her own mouth. He wished desperately to end her himself, but he could not. After all, Father had shown him limitless kindness in rearing an orphan like himself.

 

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The mournful flute's sweet lament pierced the soul. Saen raised his arm to wipe away tears, never venturing far from his master's side. Suddenly, the melody ceased, giving way to violent coughing. 

 

Saen rushed forward to support the frail, attenuated frame of his noble lord, then his tears flowed anew. The small handkerchief pressed to those lips was now stained darkly with blood. Saen's heart lurched as his lord swayed and collapsed upon the bench, breathing heavily.

 

Those deep, grief-laden eyes had lost their vitality, drifting blankly. Parched, cracked lips moved without a sound, yet Saen knew whose name his master whispered.

 

"...Kaewta." His final thoughts belonged only to that Lady Chui Chai. How I long for your smile, my little one. Our love was won through such bitter trials-why then did Heaven tear you from me? If I had only been with you that day, none of this would have befallen us, would it? How terrified you must have been then. You must have cried for help until your voice grew hoarse. You must have suffered from hunger, from anguish. 

 

My precious Kaewta, forgive me. If only I could, I would love to cradle you in my arms for all eternity. I could not bear to see your anguished cry even once. I long to stroke your raven-black hair while you are in my arms, and I shall tell you each day I love you. But without you, I no longer wish to live. My cherished heart, please wait for me. Soon enough, I shall follow where you have gone.

 

Nanny Yam entered, her questioning gaze meeting Saen's. The lad shook his head as he tried to stifle a sob. No matter how many physicians he summoned, none could heal his young lord. This malady of the heart... his master's spirit was shattered beyond repair, and that body refused all sustenance and medicine. With each passing day, his lord's breath grew ever fainter.

 

Saen had brought Khun Phra Nai and Nanny Yam away from His Excellency's mansion that very day. Though weeks had passed, Lady Sophee still searched ceaselessly for his master. The lord father himself was also profoundly troubled, yet Saen would never take his master back there. Those people had wounded his young noble's heart until it lay in tatters, barely clinging to life.

 

"Saen."

"Yes, Khun Yai." Saen clasped the spindly hand, pressing it to his tear-stained cheek.

 

"If... COUGH! When I breathe my last, lay my body beside Kaewta." The words came broken and gasping.

 

"Khun Yai, sir..." Nanny Yam wept, seizing his other hand and clutching it to her chest.

 

"Nanny, I'm sorry."

 

Nanny Yam shook her head, sobbing with pity for her master. The laboured, rapid breathing gradually slowed and faded. The emaciated body convulsed a few times before falling stone dead. Saen and Nanny Yam screamed, calling to their master with shaky voices. Khun Yai had departed this life!

 

Saen wiped his tears, watching his master one last time. Gently, he laid the cold body beside Kaewta's remains, arranging them in each other's embrace.

 

He penned a letter to apprise Luang Sanor alone. Whether to inform his lord's father was left to Luang Sanor's discretion. Only one thing: no one would seek to separate his master from Kaewta ever again. Thereafter, Saen and Nanny Yam sealed themselves within the white house, barring the beautiful residence forever.

...No one caught a glimpse of them since...

 

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The figure on the white bed stirred. Small arms rose to cover his face as he sobbed. Sharp, piercing pain shot through his chest so intensely that it nearly took his breath away. The tears could not be held back from the fall. He wept... wept out of pity for Khun Phra Nai, and that person who bore in such terrible pain. That person was himself!

 

"Kaew! Kaew's awake!" He recognised Rudee's voice, yet Kaewta was indifferent toward it. He still cried on...