The little girl had only intended to sneak out to catch fireflies at night because she couldn't sleep. She never expected to witness such events with her own eyes.
Krongkwan was a clever child and well aware that MaeYing Kesakaew was the most powerful woman in the household. Her mother had always warned her not to play or be mischievous near her, and often, she had seen MaeYing Kesakaew beat the servants. Thus, the child was deeply afraid of this lady, but this time, the cruelty was beyond what a seven-year-old could handle. Just as she was about to scream, a hand from behind covered her small lips.
MaeYing Koknang, upon looking for her child and finding her, could guess what had happened to Madam-Ramphueng even though she hadn't witnessed the events.
Even MaeYing Radamani, who was the daughter of a high-ranking official, had such a tragic fate; how could Madam-Ramphueng, merely a servant, ever hope to rise to fight the level of the primary wife like MaeYing Kesakaew?
MaeYing Koknang's eyes were red with fear and shock at her daughter having witnessed such an unspeakable scene. She didn't even want to think about what would happen to them if they were caught.
Krongkwan pointed at Madam-Ramphueng, but MaeYing Koknang shook her head, then scooped up her child and half-ran, half-walked away.
However, they did not escape MaeYing Kesakaew's sight, nor did they miss the hope in Madam-Ramphueng's eyes, which seemed to see light at the end of the tunnel.
Seeing the hopeful expression on Madam-Ramphueng's face, MaeYing Kesakaew sneered, grabbed Madam-Ramphueng by her hair to make her look up, and said,
"Do you think those two, mother and daughter, can help you in any way?"
Madam-Ramphueng was still crying as if her heart would break, but MaeYing Kesakaew showed no pity or compassion. She turned to speak to the two male servants holding Madam-Ramphueng,
"Take her to the storage room and lock her up. Follow me." She then spoke to the rest of the servants, pushed Madam-Ramphueng's head away forcefully, and walked towards the left wing of the house where MaeYing Koknang and her daughter resided...
Two days later, Phraya Worasingh returned home upon receiving grim news from one of the servants. The first was that MaeYing Kesakaew had given birth to a son, but the son had died shortly after birth. The second was about Madam-Ramphueng...
Madam-Ramphueng was released from the storage room where she had been locked up for two full days after hearing that her husband had returned. She ran to the house to complain about what had happened to her and her child, but in the house, there were not only Phraya Worasingh but also several men from the same lineage, from young to old, who had all received the same report.
The male servant who delivered the letters to everyone was from Ong Luang Phakdiwijitra, PhrayaWorasingh's father, who was placed in the household to report back on the various goings-on to his master.
Phraya Worasingh had four full brothers and seven close male relatives, all of whom held good positions thanks to the connections of Phraya Chalermsak, father of MaeYing Kesakaew, and a friend of the current king.
Whatever happened within Phraya Worasingh's household, whether good or bad, was always under scrutiny by those in power.
Naturally, in this matter, everyone with stakes could not remain indifferent.
"So, what exactly happened? Madam-Ramphueng, you explain!" Ong Luang Phakdiwijitra asked with a stern face. Surrounded by the men of authority, Madam-Ramphueng felt a glimmer of hope. She quickly clasped her hands together and recounted the whole story in search of justice, her body still weak and tears streaming down her cheeks.
Phraya Worasingh's face grew increasingly somber as he listened, and once she finished, he spoke up, then turned to a female servant waiting for orders not far away.
"This matter cannot be judged one-sidedly. Go fetch MaeYing Kesakaew and MaeYing Kaknang."
"Yes, sir." The servant replied, hiding a smile before she left. Soon, she returned with MaeYing Kesakaew, who was being supported by a close attendant, looking frail and pale from grief and lack of sleep after losing her son. MaeYing Kaknang followed quietly, holding her daughter's hand, her head down.
Once all three women were seated, Phraya Worasingh, with a trembling voice tinged with anger and sorrow, got straight to the point.
"Madam-Ramphueng says you threw her child into the river. Is this true?"
MaeYing Kesakaew, ignored in her own loss of a son and having nearly bled to death, could only swallow her grief and lift her head to speak:
"After losing my child, I've been feverish and bedridden, without the strength to do such a thing. Last night, Madam Kaknang and her daughter even came to visit me. If you don't believe me, ask her."
"Is this true?" MaeYing Kaknang met Madam-Ramphueng's eyes briefly before looking away to respond to her husband.
"Really, sister?" Madam-Ramphueng's eyes widened in disbelief at what she heard from MaeYing Koknang, then she screamed with all her might, her body thrashing in refusal, though still held down by the two male servants.
"It's not true! It's not true! Didn't you and your daughter see what MaeYing Kesakaew did to me that night? Why lie about it?" Phraya Worasingh looked at Madam-Ramphueng with a mix of pain and pity in his eyes, then turned to look at MaeYing Koknang, who maintained an impassive expression, keeping all her emotions tightly controlled.
"What do you have to say?" Phraya Worasingh asked, feeling a tightness in his chest.
Madam-Ramphueng, fearing she wouldn't receive justice, turned to Krongkwan.
"Krongkwan, you saw it that night, didn't you? Please, help me!"
At this, all eyes turned to the little girl trembling beside her mother. But when her mother gently stroked her back, she took a deep breath and spoke in a quivering voice,
"Y-yes, I saw it." PhrayaWorasingh swallowed hard, then continued to ask his daughter,
"What did you see, Krongkwan?"
"I saw Madam-Ramphueng throwing the baby into the river."
After Krongkwan finished speaking, while Madam-Ramphueng was still in shock, the men, who were the decision-makers, subtly exhaled in relief.
Not long after, a female servant who had once been a close friend of Madam-Ramphueng, before she was made a wife, ran onto the platform holding a banana leaf parcel, saying a merchant from the market had left it for her.
"The merchant said Madam-Ramphueng had arranged for opium to be delivered every week, but she didn't show up today after waiting for a long time. I went out to buy things for Lady Koknang, and he recognized me, so he left it with me."
Upon hearing this, Madam-Ramphueng understood what had happened.
She had been framed as an opium addict, having thrown her child into the river in a drug-induced frenzy, mistakenly believing that MaeYing Kesakaew, whom she despised, was the perpetrator. That night, MaeYing Kesakaew had ordered her to be locked up until Phraya Worasingh returned.
"Aaaargh! No! No! Ugh! Waaaah!" Madam-Ramphueng screamed in anguish, but soon a servant gagged her with cloth, and two more men gripped her arms tightly, leaving only her legs to kick helplessly. The image of her child being thrown into the river was like a knife repeatedly stabbing her heart.
What the truth was, everyone knew well, but here, the truth was something that would only bring harm to oneself. Even Phraya Worasingh did not speak up or help Madam-Ramphueng.
When everything settled down, Ong Luang Phakdiwijitra struck his cane on the ground with a loud thump and declared:
"Take this deceitful servant away to be flogged to death!"
Madam-Ramphueng was dragged away crying, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional torment she endured.
She had only held her child a few times, embraced and smelled her baby only a handful of moments, and looked into the adorable face for a brief while before he was cruelly taken from her. Her husband did not lift a finger to help, the last beacon of hope turned his back, and she was falsely accused and left to die in disgrace.
Madam-Ramphueng's body was left to lie in a pool of blood on the dirty ground, her once beautiful eyes now bloodshot and staring blankly like those of a demon, tears streaming endlessly, her lips, bitten until they bled, turning a dark purple as she muttered her last words:
"With my last breath, I curse you all..."
"..."
"Kesakaew, may you suffer a fate worse than what you've done to my child, and when you die, may you burn in hell, never to be reborn as a human."
"..."
"From here on, may this family only face calamity. No sons shall continue the lineage. If the descendants are born as women, may they lose their lovers, either by separation or death. If they are born as men, let them die before the age of twenty."
"Phii Khem! Phii Khem!"
"Phii Khem! Can you hear us!"
A small voice, as if heard before, pierced through the dimension, and her eyes opened wide to the scene before her.
From the ghostly form of Madam-Ramphueng, it transformed into Grandma-Si, with entirely black eyes, her hands strangling a boy with a ponytail in a blue mahout outfit who was struggling for life. Khem recognized them as Ekk and Thong, the ghost servants kept by the monk.
'Run, Phii Khem!'
The voice of someone echoed again in Khem's mind, snapping him back to the reality of his current situation. Although part of him didn't want to escape alone, he knew he couldn't do anything more. With his last bit of strength, he swam as fast as he could towards the surface.
Khem struggled up onto the dock, panting and crying, then crawled to the edge to look down into the water.
Grief, confusion, and anger churned in his chest. Grandma-Si, Thong, and Ekk, all of them were in this dire situation because of Khem.
Khem gasped for air, still sobbing. His heart wanted to jump back in to help Grandma-Si, Ek, and Tong, but he was also terrified that he might only make things worse.
At that moment, Khem's arm was pulled back by Jett, with Chan running up, looking distressed.
"Khem! Are you okay?" Jett asked. Khem shook his head, tears still streaming down his face like someone out of their mind, his whole body trembling.
"Jett, Chan, Grandma-Si, Grandma-Si, ughhh." Khem sobbed almost to the point of breaking down, while Jett and Chan exchanged confused
glances. Then someone ran past them and dove into the water swiftly.
Splash!
Jett pulled Khem away from the edge, his eyes fixed on the spot where the water had rippled, his heart pounding. He didn't dare to ask Khem what had happened.
Because the person who had jumped into the water was the master.
Pharan, in his blood-stained white shirt, dove into the pond. What Khem saw was Grandma-Si, no longer possessed by the evil spirit, and Ekk's body floating beside her. On the other side, only a golden dust, the remnants of Thong's spirit that had shattered, remained.
The tall figure swam to support the one who was like another mother to him, embracing her in his arms, while his other hand touched the head of his remaining spirit servant, reciting a mantra in his mind to send him back to the house.
Shortly after, Jett, Chan, and Khem saw the monk carrying Grandma-Si's body out of the water. The oppressive and frightening feeling made the three of them step back several paces. Khem stood still, allowing the monk to pass with Grandma-Si in his arms, only watching the pale feet of Grandma-Si with a pained expression, not daring to look up to see the monk's face.
Because they all knew that Grandma-Si, as the monk carried her, was no longer breathing.