Daeng slowed down...
He caught his breath,his tears were already dry.
The fabric behind him was long enough to touch the floor—it was his wedding shirt, the one he wore when he married Kiat.
On that garment, the cold blood of his family members stained it.
The pale color had turned deep red.
He walked slowly, then collapsed on the ground. The dress became dirtier.
Covering his mouth, he broke down…
His mind was blank. As he took a breath, the dagger was still in his hand.
He looked at the palm where he had wounded himself.
He was sitting on one side of the jasmine garden, where the pungent smell still mixed with the jasmine scent.
Forcing himself to stand, he walked forward slowly, without even looking at the cold bodies of his loved ones.
Moving toward the balcony where his mother was…
He smiled when he saw her.
"Mae… I am here… Your Daeng is here.
Why aren't you saying anything…?
Mae… scold me. I dirtied my clothes again… Scold me, Mae…"
His legs were tired as he sat down beside his mother, gazing at her. He wiped the blood scattered on her face.
Taking a heavy breath, "Mae, I lied to you… Actually, the painting is already done…
I painted both of you… Mae Bua and Mae Waen in one painting…"
Daeng stood up and started to search for the painting.
"Why can't I find it…? Mae… just a moment…
Let me find it…"
The sound of paint splashing echoed in the silence.
Everything was a mess. He kept searching until he finally found it. Paint had spread all over his clothes.
In the empty space, tears fell quietly, without effort.
His hands trembled.
"Mae… look… beautiful… How can my maes be so beautiful… even I feel jealous…"
He gave a faint smile and slowly sat beside her.
His eyes shifted to Waen. He smiled again, gently touching her face.
"It's all my fault, Mae…"
"Grandfather… father… uncle… Aung… everyone is here… but no one is speaking… they were just lying there..."
His voice grew softer.
"Even Chim… the same… and you too…"
Touching his lips, then his neck, then his body—as if trying to wipe something away.
"I am dirty… I did this… I killed everyone…"
A pause.
"How can I…?"
Footsteps approached slowly from behind.
"Dear… let me… please…" Kiat's voice trembled as he stepped closer.
Daeng turned sharply and glared at him.
He grabbed the handkerchief he had taken and squeezed it tightly.
Then he picked up the dagger.
"You need to die… You can't live… I will kill you…"
His voice broke, his throat already strained.
He tried to stand, but his legs shook—not from the cold, but from weakness.
Even the breeze had gone still, as if it refused to witness what was about to happen.
With trembling hands, he pointed the dagger at Kiat.
"If that's what you want… you can do it…"
Kiat slowly knelt down, his eyes empty.
"Daeng… I love you… I really—"
"Don't say it!"
Daeng's voice rose suddenly.
"Don't say that word…"
Memories rushed back—everything he had shared with Kiat.
"When you touched me… When you married me… When you said you loved me…"
His voice cracked.
"Did you really mean it…?"
Kiat nodded, barely holding himself together.
"I mean it… I mean it… At first, I didn't… but now I truly do…"
His voice shook.
"If I lose you… I will die, Daeng…"
"You can punish me… Daeng… please…"
Daeng stepped closer, sobbing, struggling to breathe. Slowly, he lowered himself and sat in front of Kiat.
He raised the dagger, pointing it at him, his eyes fixed.
Kiat instinctively reached toward it—
"Don't…"
Daeng's voice dropped to a whisper.
"Don't touch it… your hands… the blood hasn't even dried…"
"If you touch me…"
A pause.
"That's the end…"
Kiat nodded quickly. "I won't… I won't touch."
Daeng turned his head slightly and looked back at his mother. A soft smile appeared.
"Mae… don't go… we can go together…"
Then he looked at Kiat again.
Before Kiat could react—
Daeng drove the dagger into his own heart.
Blood spilled from his mouth, unable to stop.
He smiled faintly at Kiat.
"You… never… get… what… you… want…"
His breath grew uneven.
"I wish… I had never loved you…"
He pushed the dagger deeper.
His heartbeat slowed, breathing weakened.
A final thought passed through him—
But still… I loved you…
His body collapsed to the ground.
Still.
Cold.
Kiat remained on his knees, frozen.
"Dear…"
No sound came out.
Then suddenly—
He screamed.
The sound echoed, raw and broken.
Kiat reached out, trying to pull him closer… but stopped midway.
"I can't… I can't touch him…"
His voice shook.
"He'll hate me… he won't forgive me…"
He leaned back against the wall, staring at Daeng's body.
Tears kept falling, soaking the floor beneath him.
Someone was taking slow steps.
His legs weakened as Thanat held his stomach tightly, but blood still dripped.
"I looked everywhere… Daeng must be safe… only the balcony and room are left…"
He panted heavily.
When he looked into Daeng's room, it was completely empty.
He moved toward the balcony.
In one glance, he saw Daeng lying there.
Kiat beside him—looking almost lifeless, yet still breathing. The floor around Daeng was flooded with blood.
The handkerchief had fallen beside him, soaked in his blood. The dagger was still lodged in his heart.
Thanat collapsed near the door, unable to believe what he saw.
He crawled forward. "I am sorry… Daeng… don't go…"
His eyes turned to Kiat, who only stared at Daeng, whispering his name again and again.
"Daeng… Daeng…"
"Sorry… Phi is sorry… for touching…" Thanat said softly.
He tried to lift Daeng. As he held him, Daeng's cold hand loosened from the dagger, his grip slowly slipping.
Kiat flinched in shock. He dropped to his knees, frozen—only his voice came out.
"Don't take him… don't take…"
But Thanat carried Daeng away, unnoticed by anyone.
He walked on as the mud dirtied his feet.
His entire body trembled, and he could feel the faint warmth left by Daeng drifting away.
Thanat brought him to their secret garden. Only the two of them knew about that place. The garden was already in ruins.
He gently laid Daeng down, resting him against his chest, then supported himself against the tree. Thanat was already losing strength.
Slowly, he pressed his lips to Daeng's hair.
"Didn't I say… even death can't separate us…?
Let's stay together, Daeng…"
Rain began to fall, like colorless petals.
It filled the lotus pond and washed away the blood.
The rain soaked them both, while Thanat held him tightly.
The rain washed away Thanat's tears.
He suddenly took something from his pocket.
"I made this for you…"
It was a ring. Thanat had made it. That was the reason he had rushed home—only to see everyone dead.
Thanat held Daeng's hand. He sobbed as he slipped the ring onto his finger.
"How can it be this cold…?"
"Daeng… now we are together…"
He broke down, pressing a trembling kiss to Daeng's lips… then he—slowly picked up the dagger.
"If I do it fast… it won't hurt…"
He pulled the blade out and placed it against his own throat.
"Just a moment, Daeng…"
He cut himself. Blood spilled, staining Daeng's hair.
Until his last breath, he tried to wipe it away, never letting go of Daeng hand.
It took some time, but the Shadow Leader eventually found the bodies of Thanat and Daeng. They were no longer in a good state.
The story of the massacre of the Asawa family and the second prince spread over the years…
Years later, it was a warm day.
On the balcony of Daeng's room—
Everything still looked clean, the same as before.
"Daeng… I am here again…" Kiat looked around.
He smiled faintly, watching and replaying Daeng through his memories.
Like a falling feather, Kiat threw himself off the balcony—the place Daeng loved.
He had ordered that no one should touch him before he died.
Until his last breath, he lived with Daeng in his thoughts.
He wondered how many years he had tried to end his life—it felt like a curse.
"Finally, I can see you… dear…"
He begged for death, hoping for forgiveness for what he had done to Daeng.
But he could not forgive himself.
Not even in death.
To one, it was incomplete love… to the other, it was unrequited.
Shattered into fragments, each carrying a pain that could never be healed.
Tears fell as Toffee tried to open his eyes. He clutched his chest as if he was dying.
With trembling hands, he looked around—
He was soaked in blood. Bodies were lying everywhere. It was the garden of the third mansion from his memories.
Toffee was scared. He tried to calm himself.
Daeng slowly approached.
Toffee looked up and crawled back.
"Can't you just come with me…?"
Daeng stretched out his pale, cold hand.
Toffee sobbed.
"I can't… I can't…"
He stood up and ran—but no matter how far he ran, he ended up in the same place.
He panted heavily, trying to control his breath, wiping the sweat from his face.
He covered his ears. He could hear strange, sharp sounds.
When Toffee turned again, he saw Daeng.
"You are me…" Daeng said softly.
"We are the same… the pain, the memories… all of it…"
Toffee shook his head, stepping back.
"They never loved us… and he doesn't deserve you… Why keep holding on…? Why keep suffering like this…? Come with me…"
Daeng smiled faintly.
Toffee wiped his tears, his voice breaking.
"No… you are not me…"
He took a slow step forward.
"You are my pain… my past… the part of me that couldn't survive…"
Toffee paused, breathing unevenly.
"But I am still here…"
"You can't accept it," Toffee continued.
"You want to end everything… but I don't…"
His voice softened.
"He loves me… truly… and I won't hurt him because of you…"
Pale tears fell from Daeng's eyes.
The silence grew heavy.
Then Daeng spoke softly,
"Go… you need to wake up before it's too late…"
Toffee slowly reached out to him.
"Wait…"
His fingers brushed against a thin white thread—
And suddenly, Toffee woke up.
Mok was sitting on the floor, his eyes fixed on Toffee.
With a cracked voice, "Toffee… you…"
Mok screamed, "Toffee, wake up!"
"Kao… P'Artit…" he called out, his voice filled with fear as he waited.
Mok stepped closer. "Toffee… are you okay…?"
"P'Mix…" Mok called again, more urgently.
"Toffee… it's been a week since you lost consciousness… Are you okay…? You scared everyone…" His voice trembled.
Toffee didn't speak. No sound came out. Only tears slipped down, soaking his ears and hair.
A faint smile appeared on his face as Mok gently covered him.
A week earlier…
Toffee had fallen into the pond—because of Daeng…