While a young prince was trying to escape from the hands of his companion, in one of the palace rooms the kings were looking at the servant who trembled in front of them with serious expressions on their faces....
- "I am so sorry Your Majesties, but ... the bridge has been destroyed. There is nothing we can do..."
Mew, sitting in one of the armchairs that had just been placed in the large room, sighed as he looked away from the middle-aged man who, as soon as he had stopped talking, started to whisper over and over again how sorry he was as he hit his head against the cold floor of the marble room. He had known from the start that something had not gone quite right with the search for Kongpob... especially after seeing the terrified expression of the guards who had return through the corridor hidden behind the portrait.
"This is going to complicate things a lot ... and their majesties do not seem to be willing to listen to excuses..."
His eyes, with concern, scanned the faces of everyone present in search of Korn, trying to see if he could think of some way to appeal to the Emperor and his wife. However, moments later, he frowned as he watched Kongpob's assistant, sitting a few steps away.
The man was also frowning while, with his fists clenched tightly, he listened to the haphazard words of the three men who had just returned from the dark hallway.
"How strange, he seems more angry than worried...", he said to himself while observing the young man's face.
A beautiful face, without a doubt. But full of pride and arrogance. Typical of his social class, no doubt...
Mew sighed, looking away from the man.
- "Your Majesties... I'm afraid we won't be able to do anything except wait for them to make it out of the temple alive..."
Everyone, with incredulous expressions, turned to the man who, with a look of regret, was reviewing the parchment that was on the table.
- "How...How can you expect me...?!
Korn, however, barely paid attention to the queen's words and, with one finger, pointed to a sentence on the paper.
- "It is obvious that the scroll mentions a different exit... an exit that will take them to the place where the crown rests. I'm afraid the only thing we can do is... is wait for them to get there..."
Nessa, letting out a growl, took a few steps towards Kornelius, only to turn around halfway and run towards the still open corridor.
No sooner had she taken a few steps inside than several hands grabbed her and forced her to return to the Library room.
- "NO!" - she exclaimed as she tried to free herself from Alexander and Korn's hands - "let me go... my baby... Kongpob!"
As Nessa was led to one of the armchairs in the large room, Kongpob watched, his face completely red, as Arthit inspected the small wound on his thigh.
His hands, noticing the young man's fingers on his aching skin, closed over the folds of his shirt. A shirt that was undoubtedly the only thing Arthit had left him after taking off his jacket and pants.
Kong growled, wishing again he could hide under the covers of his bed and not go out for the remainder of the year.
"Why ...?" He asked himself, "why is this happening to me ...?"
All this while his eyes, despite himself, returned to rest on Arthit who, on his knees, checked his wound, which was a very short distance from ... from ...
Kongpob swallowed hard.
- "Well ... it doesn't seem like we have to worry about it ..." - the boy muttered as he raised his face and looked at Kongpob with a slight smile on his lips.
Then, after cutting a piece of his shirt with his hands, he placed the cloth over the wound.
- "Hold it tight"
Kongpob nodded, eyes wide open, as he watched how Arthit took one of the laces with which he had been keeping his own shirt collar around his neck to finally, and with a determined expression, begin to secure the fabric with the small cord.
- "A..Arthit ..."
However the young man, without stopping , continued tying the dressing firmly while, through his lips, a small and pink tongue came out to moisten his rosy lips.
Kong reddened even more than he already was, especially after noticing how soft Arthit's skin seemed to be, at least from what he could see now that was not hidden by the worn white fabric of the shirt... Then, as he felt his blood rise to his head and to a certain part of his anatomy, he quickly hit himself in the face. That made Arthit raise his face and fix his gaze on him, a question in his eyes.
- "No ... it's nothing ... a fly" - Kong muttered as he moved his arms around him. All this while wishing, with all his might, that Arthit believed his words.
The latter, with a frown, stood up to, moments later, point to the dressing that had just been placed on him.
- "Be careful not to get it wet ..." - he muttered as he took Kongpob's pants from the statue where he had left it to give it back to its owner.
Kong quickly took it in his hands and began to dress himself. Meanwhile Arthit, with a curious look on his face, started to observe the room in which they were now standing.
- "Wow ..."
It was a huge room with dozens of statues of different sizes. Statues that undoubtedly represented the people whose graves were at their feet.
Some of them were men, other were women. Some even corresponded to children of different ages. There were even a couple of statues of animals sleeping at the feet of their owners.
- "It is impressive..." - Kongpob muttered as Arthit nodded - "they must be them, you know...Those Who Were ... "
- "Probably... now we need to find a door and its key.."
Then, without saying anything else, he approached the walls and began to check them.
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Gulf closed the door to his bedroom with more force than expected. Moments later, with an angry expression, he threw the jacket on his bed.
- "I can't believe they are together. That ... that the gods have chosen Kongpob as her Consort"
- "That is still not sure ..." - a voice whispered from the shadows of the room.
Gulf turned and, with a terrified gesture, looked at the figure that, in those moments, rose from his seat and approached the light of the fireplace.
- "Khaofang?"
The girl smiled and, with a slight wave of her hand, made a cup of coffee fly toward her.
- "How are you cousin?" - Khao asked as she dropped into one of the seats again.
The man, just hearing the girl's question, growled under his breath.
- " How do you want me to be? Sunny has disappeared, she has gone with Kongpob to look for the crown..."
The girl, just hearing her cousin's words, stopped smiling.
- "I know that..I have just come from talking to May and the Council...."
Gulf, with a growl, approached the girl and, putting his hands on her shoulders, made her look him in the eye.
- "Why Kong? Didn't you tell me that she would be mine, that we were destined?"
- "I ... I'm sorry ... the gods have chosen it that way. I..." she began to say when, to his shock, Gulf took the cup from his hands and threw it against the fireplace.
- "DON'T TALK TO ME ABOUT THEM!" - Gulf exclaimed while looking at the pieces of porcelain - "those gods allowed the destruction of our people, allowed our priestess to be murdered in front of the eyes of everyone ... and all because of that damn Emperor who was not able to accept that our Queen didn't want him at all! "
Khao nodded sadly.
- "But it is not Kongpob's fault that his ancestor did what he did..."
Gulf turned to her with an incredulous expression on his face.
- "I already know that! He is my friend! But the blood of that murderer runs through his veins..." - replied the man, clenching his fists tightly - "and now ... now the gods choose Kongpob as her Consort..she is mine. She is my Sunny!!"
Gulf shook his head.
- "I will not accept it... she is mine, MINE!"
Then, with a determined expression on his face, he went to his closet and took out a backpack where he began to introduce various articles of clothing.
- "Gulf, it's not a good idea...."
The man, however, paused for a moment to look at Kahofang.
- "No, Khao ... I am going to fight for my wife. She is mine ... my destiny. I am not going to give her to anyone else. Not even to Kong, no matter how good a friend of mine he is."