'' Take that thing away from me .'' As the guard presented Kirk with the golden headdress, it reminded him that he was supposed to attend such an engagement with him and the noblewoman chosen to be his queen . Everything is being rushly arranged as the prince's father, the king, is currently suffering from an unknown illness.
He lied when he said earlier that he was about to go to the other side of the country when, in fact, he was just going to stay outside the palace and investigate an anomaly that has been going on around the kingdom, and he can't take those actions inside the palace as it has a lot of eyes around them.
And he started his investigation at the port of Ayutthaya.
' 'Why did you stop?'' Kirk asked when the guards in front of them stopped the horses neighing as blood came lashing out of the guards, and that's when Kirk held his sword tightly in his side and saw men in red clothing with masks who were easily knocking down his guards.
''Shit '' He swear when he saw one by one his guards were dead.
As I told Saint, it's safer for me to hide, blend in, and travel alone than travel with those guards .
If he only travels with me instead, what is he doing? By the way, where is he? Why didn't that bastard come along with me?
''What is this ?'' Kirk asks when his driver suddenly attacks him with a sword. Thankfully, Kirk is a certified swordsman, which is why he easily dodges the attack. He twists the man's arm and lets it stab itself Kirk then pulled the sword by kicking the attacker out of his chariot as it hung on the now moving chariot. The horse was terrified; it'd been running crazily, but the other royal guards were persistent in attacking him, and he continued fighting with them.
Kirk knew he had to find a way to get rid of them, so he steered the chariot towards the woods, where the guards would have difficulty following. And he quickly jumped off and the guards who were with it crashed with it. He immediately attacked and stabbed them one by one, not giving them a chance to attack.
But it doesn't end there, as another group of royal guards is coming near him on horses. He put himself in a position to fight instead of running away Kirk was shaken when a flying spear passed near his ear; he even heard the swooshing sound of it. He followed where it went, and it directly hit the first horseman coming his way, and it made a whole and went to the next horseman.
He traced where the spear came from and saw the masks people who attacked the guards earlier, including the one who thinks he is the leader, Kirk, and took off his mask.
''Saint?''
''''Chao Fa Kirk,'' said the saint, and he bowed together with his ally, showing respect towards Kirk.
''Seriously? Stand all of you; we're in a war," said Kirk , but in honesty, he was grateful General Saint was able to come with his people. And is really not a fan of such gestures as being bowed to , despite being a royal all his life.
And they all fought the enemies.
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''ฉิบหาย''(C̄hibh̄āy)
A smile crept on Lady Rebecca's lips as she saw the reaction of her servant when she intentionally stripped in front of her.
She is always confident of doing so, as she has done it many times and it is part of her daily routine, but the reaction of Freen somehow gives her satisfaction in a way that she doesn't understand. She's been this confident, unbothered woman, but who would've thought she has those insecurities left that have been brought to life by just a mere servant? It makes her feel nervous every time this woman is around.
She tries to brush it off, thinking it's just a passing phase, but the feeling lingers. Freen's presence has become a source of both comfort and discomfort for her.
It's like she wants the servant's presents, but at the same time, it annoys her, it confuses her, and it adds to the reasons she is irritated whenever this certain servant is around, but she can't take her eyes off of her, and she can't help but be annoyed watching her with a man, specifically seeing her with that Kirk man. The way he looks at her, the way he touches her—it all makes her feel uneasy. She can't quite put her finger on why, but something about their interactions bothers her deeply. Perhaps it's jealousy, or maybe it's a gut feeling, but either way, she can't shake the irritation that bubbles up whenever she sees them together.
Flashback
Yes, she's been following them since that man dragged her servant out of her place and brought her somewhere out of the mansion, specifically in the grass field.
No, she's not a creep; she was just not trusting the man, as he was too suspicious to be just a simple scholar of the palace.
And yes, she admits it's because of the servant too; she just expressed concern for the first time towards a servant and became protective.
And she is not hiding behind bushes; she just coincidentally sat there, not too far from the two people who are now hugging each other.
And she unconsciously grabbed a rock, ready to throw it towards the man taking advantage of her poor servant. ''Is he making her pay, from saving her earlier he is making her pay by giving her dignity?'' Lady Rebecca was ready to throw the rock when she saw the Royal Guards start showing up around the area, and she saw just how Kirk pushes Freen away from him in an awkward way, and she quickly hid herself back in the bushes .
''What are the royal guards doing around here?'' Lady Rebecca asks herself.
''And what are you doing here , Lady Rebecca?''
''HOLY MOTHER GOD OF MARY!!'' Lady Rebecca threw the rocks she was holding out of shock when she heard a whisper near her ear behind her.
''Bloody hell, Mr. Lee, have you gone nuts? Do you plan to kill me out of a heart attack?'' Lady Rebecca shouts in whispers, hands on her chest, breathing heavily as she faces the questioning look of Mr. Lee, who is now also sitting beside her behind the bushes. Mr. Lee chuckles softly, shaking his head. "No need to worry, Lady Rebecca. I just wanted to surprise you and make sure we weren't overheard."
''I don't know what you mean by that.'' Lady Rebecca said, shrugging her shoulders, and she sat properly and looked forward , watching the birds fly around the grassfields.
''I don't mean anything at all," says Mr. Lee with a smile on his lips, and he does the same as Lady Rebecca.
Lady Rebecca had the time to observe Mr. Lee's features. He is wearing a white polo shirt, black slacks pants, and a jumper, which always suit a man.
Mr. Lee is not a typical butler; he is a street man who her father adopted and made the butler of the family, but he is not like what everybody portrayed as a butler would be.
Mr. Lee is a handsome young man who has a very mysterious personality. Until now, they didn't know anything about the man's background, but he gained Mr. Armstrong's trust because of his unexplained intelligence and knowledge of things that are weird and ununderstandable, which made Mr. Armstrong admire him more, thinking he could use Mr. Lee's extraordinary gift.
''Why are you looking at me like that, Lady Rebecca?" said Mr. Lee, not even looking in her direction.
"I was just admiring your smile, Mr. Lee." I didn't know you had such a cute smile until now.'' Rebecca's honest remarks towards Mr. Lee's facial features made him feel a bit self-conscious, but he couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth from her words. He smiled even wider, revealing his perfect teeth.
''If I didn't know you back in forth, I would assume you are in love with me, Lady Rebecca.'' Mr. Lee's joke made Lady Rebecca laugh, and she playfully rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, Mr. Lee, don't flatter yourself too much," she teased. "But I will say that your confidence is quite attractive."
And both laugh about it
''Love.'' Lady Rebecca chuckled.
''You don't believe in love?'' Mr. Lee asks. Lady Rebecca shook her head. "I believe in practicality and compatibility," she said. "Love is often fleeting and unreliable."
Lady Rebecca looked away while saying those words. She does believe in the idea of love, but her parents beliefs, her father's words earlier, and all things around her made her believe that is really just a fantasy for kids.
''What about you, Mr. Lee? Do you believe in such?'' Lady Rebecca's question made Mr. Lee take a serious look at her.
''Love is the reason why I exist in this world.'' He gave a figurative answer to Lady Rebecca's question, which made the young woman frown.
"I suggest that we must go back now to your residence before they figure out you are out without their permission, Lady Rebecca .'' Mr. Lee got up and offered her a hand, but the lady didn't accept. He chuckled as he noticed not far away from them how synchronized the two woman was.
"This universe is really magical and mysterious," he commented.
"What was it, Mr. Lee?" asks Lady Rebecca, hearing Mr. Lee say something but being unable to hear.
''I said I know a shortcut where they won't notice us sneaking in," Mr. Lee said. The lady's eyes widen in surprise and curiosity. "Really? That could be our chance to finally get inside without getting caught," she responds with excitement.
Mr. Lee chuckles at Lady Rebecca's childishness.
Mr. Lee then led the way to the back of the mansion, as he had already told Miss Nam to prepare the window as they would use it to get in just before he got out to look for the lady.
But he was shocked that Miss Nam didn't do as he told her when the window was closed.
''Mr. Lee, they are coming.'' Panic can be heard in Lady Rebecca's whisper as she sees that Kirk and Freen are coming their way. ''Shit, why are they coming this way? I thought this was a shortcut?'' Lady Rebecca continued her worried rant.
But in all honesty, Mr. Lee was also surprised, as nobody knows this except them. And why Mr. Kirk chose to go this secluded way is another question, as if he is also hiding himself from the sight of people .
Mr. Lee then did something magic to the window, and it opened just before Kirk and Freen turned there way towards the mansion, but the problem was Lady Rebecca's wearing a dress, which made it difficult for her to make a big step, and she tripped Mr. Lee laughed before he helped her up as she gave him death stare.
And they both peeked out the window to see Mr. Kirk and Freen walking, but both quickly hid and looked at each other.
''Did you see what I saw?'' Lady Rebecca asks Mr. Lee just to make sure she is not the only one who saw the royal guards sneakily following behind the two who were walking towards the mansion. Mr. Lee nods in agreement and suggests they follow the guards to see what they are up to. Lady Rebecca hesitates but eventually agrees, knowing that it could be a matter of great importance.
But Lady Rebecca chose to stay and was about to change her mind when she decided to do the same, but without Mr. Lee's knowledge, so she chose to use the front door of her room, but as she opened the door, Freen and Kirk were already standing in front of the room.
And she has no choice but to entertain the man. But then it gave her the chance to get to know the man, which is why she invited him to have tea.
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''Khun Nop '' A royal guard gets the attention of Nop while sitting on the balcony facing the beautiful view outside the palace here in his residence inside the palace while drinking his tea.
''Yes , what is it?'' He asked while admiring the blue sky.
''General Saint is here.'' The guard informed him.
''Let him in.'' As he says, a man with a long scar in his left eye entered with a furious face and stopped behind Nop .
''Brother, what's so urgent that you remembered the way to your little brother's residence? It's a surprise you still remember my home; I was afraid you had already forgotten me. You know you are my favorite brother of all time," says Nop as he stands and embraces his stepbrother, General Saint.
But the latter didn't bother to embrace Nop back and just stood still, clenching his jaw.
''Is it you?'' General Saint straight-forwardly asks Nop.
''What did I do now?'' Nop replies, confused by his stepbrother's sudden change in demeanor. General Saint takes a step back and looks Nop in the eye. "I heard about your involvement with the rebels," he says sternly. "You know that goes against everything I stand for."
''I have no idea what you are talking about, brother.'' Nop simply denied it, turned his back to his brother, and got back to sitting near the balcony. He gestured to the maid to get another cup, and the servant obliged.
Saint was just silently standing and observing his brother.
''Why are you looking at me like I am a criminal? Why don't you sit down with me and let's drink some tea?" He invited Saint to personally pour tea in the cup given to him by the servant.
Saint sat across the table and just leant his arms against the table, not dinking the tea, and looked Nop in the eyes in seriousness.
''Why did you do that to your own cousin?'' Saint asks.
''Can you be more specific ?I have a lot of them.'' Nop answered, grinning, and drank his tea, not making eye contact with his brother.
''Do you really think I wouldn't know about your illegal business in the port letting foreigners bring smuggled goods into our kingdom and how you gained from it as their accomplice? "You are shame to this family!' The evidence against you is overwhelming, and I cannot turn a blind eye to it. You have betrayed our trust and tarnished our family's reputation. And I cannot believe you are able to ambush your own bloodline just to satisfy your own selfish desires. Your actions will cause irreparable damage to our family, and it will take a long time for us to recover from this, if ever. I hope you understand the gravity of your actions and are prepared to face the consequences. '' Saint's long sentiment but it didn't even make Nop flinch hearing it.
''Don't let the time come that I will be the one to cut your horns, brother . '' General Saint got up from his seat, while Nop just smirked at his brother's remarks.
''Haha, you are still the funniest and most dramatic brother I ever had. If I didn't know you more, I would really believe that your name, Saint, really suits you, but that's another story for another day. My beloved Saint brother '' Saint clench his fist and started walking out of the place when,
''Why are you so worried? He is fine. I know it would hurt you so I would not kill him, at least not yet. I wonder what would people think especially the prince that his strong knight and shining armor has his deepest secret lying beside him.'' Nop said grinning.
''I don't know what you are talking about.'' Saint face him a teary eyes but still in stern face.
''Then, we both don't know anything .It's that simple, brother.''Nop said that before he got up and whispered something in Saint's ear that made him tremble but he still manage to maintain his composure ,before tapped Saint's shoulder.
General Saint, along with his souldiers, left the place in silence that day.