A resolute decision had been made.
With one final breath, La-Orchan slipped the noose around her neck...
Ending her suffering in this lifetime, once and for all.
.
.
At that very moment, Saiyood stepped into La-Orchan's chamber, following Lord Krai's orders to check whether her mistress had gone to bed. But as soon as she pushed the door open and laid eyes on the scene before her, she froze in sheer horror.
Her breath caught in her throat.
It felt as though the blood in her veins had turned to ice, as though time had momentarily stood still—before a piercing scream of terror erupted from her lips.
"Lady La-Orchan!"
Saiyood rushed forward without hesitation, scrambling onto the wooden platform to reach her lady. With trembling hands, she desperately grabbed at the noose La-Orchan had placed around her neck, struggling to untie it with all her strength.
The sound of Saiyood's panicked voice yanked La-Orchan back to reality. She turned to look at her maid, her tear-filled eyes reflecting nothing but agony and confusion. The weight of despair that had consumed her moments ago suddenly felt crushing.
Her fragile body collapsed onto the floor, as if the last remnants of her strength had been completely drained away.
Saiyood immediately pulled La-Orchan into her arms, her hands trembling as she clutched onto her mistress with all the desperation in her being.
"Lady La-Orchan, please… I beg of you, don't do this again," she sobbed, her voice quivering as she tightened her embrace around the fragile woman in her arms. "You must live. Please, just hold on a little longer. Try to endure, even if it's only for a little while longer."
Her heartfelt plea was met with silence.
La-Orchan did not speak. She could not.
She simply buried her face into Saiyood's shoulder, her body shaking as sob after sob wracked her small frame.
The quiet stillness of the night was broken only by the heart-wrenching sound of two women weeping in each other's arms—one drowning in her own sorrow, and the other holding on, refusing to let her slip away.
…
Hearing the devastating news nearly stopped Phiengwad's heart.
Her breath hitched, and her body trembled as if the world had caved in upon her. La-Orchan—her beloved—had nearly taken her own life, driven to the edge of despair by their forced separation.
Phiengwad sat motionless on the bed inside the chamber where she was confined. A storm of emotions raged within her—fear of losing the one she loved, agony layered upon agony. Her once-radiant face had turned deathly pale, drained of all color. Her fists clenched so tightly that her nails dug painfully into her skin, yet she felt nothing except the suffocating thought of existing in a world without La-Orchan.
She tilted her head back, staring blankly at the ceiling, eyes devoid of light. A single tear slipped silently down her cheek.
She knew.
If La-Orchan no longer existed, she, too, would cease to exist.
That terrifying realization forced Phiengwad to act. Wiping away her tears with the back of her hand, she steadied herself—waiting, listening.
And then she heard it.
The approaching footsteps of her elder brother, Sir Det-Wijit, growing louder as he neared the door.
The moment the door creaked open, Phiengwad wasted no time. She rushed forward, gripping her brother's hands as if they were the only anchor keeping her from drowning in despair.
"Phiengwad, why have you not touched your food?"
Sir Det-Wijit asked with concern, glancing at the untouched tray of rice Saiyood had brought earlier.
"I cannot eat," she admitted without hesitation, her voice thick with worry. "Saiyood just brought me terrible news... La-Orchan attempted to take her own life by hanging. Had Saiyood not found her in time—"
Her voice faltered, unable to finish the thought.
Sir Det-Wijit's eyes widened in shock. His complexion paled, and he staggered back as if the weight of the revelation was too much to bear. "And… is she safe now?" he asked, his voice laced with worry.
"She is safe for now,"
Phiengwad replied, her voice even but burdened. Then, with newfound resolve, she continued,
"Brother, I can no longer remain here. If this place refuses to accept my love for La-Orchan, then I will take her and leave."
"Phiengwad! Do you hear yourself? Do you know what you're saying?!" Sir Det-Wijit's voice rose in alarm, his expression filled with disbelief.
"I know exactly what I'm saying." Phiengwad held his gaze, unwavering. "We have distant relatives in Suphanburi. I intend to seek refuge with them for a short while before journeying farther, perhaps to Phitsanulok. But I am a woman, and so is La-Orchan. Traveling alone would be too dangerous. That is why I seek your help, brother."
"Phiengwad! You must have lost your mind!" Sir Det-Wijit exclaimed, his face darkened with distress. "Do you have any idea what will happen if you are caught? Do you think our Father or Lord Noradit would simply let you go? There will be consequences!"
But Phiengwad did not falter. Her gaze was firm, her resolve unshaken.
"And being forced to wed a man I do not love? Being torn from the one my heart has chosen? Is that not a punishment as well?"
Her voice quivered—not with fear, but with years of repressed sorrow, anger, and helplessness.
"Phiengwad!" Sir Det-Wijit called her name sternly, but for once, he found himself at a loss for words.
Phiengwad swallowed the lump in her throat and looked straight into her brother's eyes. "You know how much La-Orchan and I love each other. Why must we be forced into marriages with men we do not love?"
Her voice was barely above a whisper, yet each word was laced with deep, aching pain. Her once-bright eyes were now clouded with sorrow, yet beneath them burned the faintest glimmer of hope.
A long silence stretched between them.
Sir Det-Wijit studied his sister's face, her unwavering determination, the fire that had yet to be extinguished despite everything she had endured.
Then, at last, he sighed—a deep, weary sigh, as though resigning himself to the fate that now lay before them.
"And what of La-Orchan? Will she agree to this?" he finally asked.
"If she does not, then I will accept my fate." Phiengwad's voice wavered, but her gaze did not. Her heart, however, felt as if it were on the verge of breaking. "But if she chooses to go with me… will you help us?"
Silence hung in the air once more.
Sir Det-Wijit fell deep into thought, weighing the risks, the consequences. He knew all too well that Phiengwad's love for La-Orchan was pure and untainted. Yet the path she wished to take was fraught with peril.
Still, in the depths of his heart, he knew that denying her was the same as condemning her to a slow, silent death.
Finally, he exhaled, his gaze filled with reluctant determination.
"Then so be it," he said at last. "Whatever happens, happens. I will see you through this to the very end, my dear sister."
.
.
When Sir Det-Wijit gave his word that he would do everything in his power to help, Phiengwad's plan to escape was set into motion. The message was delivered to La-Orchan through Saiyood, her loyal maid.
Upon hearing it, La-Orchan furrowed her brows in deep contemplation. As much as she longed to flee with Phiengwad, an overwhelming fear gnawed at her—fear that their fathers would uncover their plan. Her thoughts whirled in chaos. She could not bear the idea of being forced into marriage with Sir Ramdecha, yet the risk of being caught made her hesitate.
But when she imagined a life without Phiengwad, the one person she truly loved—the one thing in her life she could never endure losing—her heart clenched in unbearable agony.
In the end, La-Orchan made her choice.
She agreed to Phiengwad's plan, sending her answer back through Saiyood.
Upon receiving her mistress's reply, Saiyood, ever steadfast in her loyalty, swore that she would accompany them. No matter the obstacles, she would not leave La-Orchan's side.
.
.
Three days passed at an excruciatingly slow pace.
At long last, the night they had all been waiting for arrived.
The rendezvous was set beneath the grand tree by the wide riverbank—the very place where Phiengwad and La-Orchan had once met in secret. This time, however, their meeting held far greater stakes. Sir Det-Wijit would guide them to Suphanburi, ensuring their safe passage. Gulab, Phiengwad's trusted maid, would accompany them as well.
Inside La-Orchan's chamber, Saiyood worked swiftly to pack the essentials. A few sets of clothing, personal items, and valuables that could be exchanged for money if needed were carefully placed inside a satchel. Time was slipping away.
Then, without warning, the door swung open.
A sharp gasp escaped La-Orchan's lips as she turned to see La-Orduen standing at the threshold. Her elder twin's expression was unreadable, yet her eyes burned with intensity.
Fear paralyzed La-Orchan.
Her face drained of all color, and her heart pounded furiously against her ribs.
Saiyood, reacting instinctively, tried to hide the satchel behind her back.
But it was too late.
La-Orduen had already seen it.
Her piercing gaze locked onto the bag, her expression darkening like a storm brewing on the horizon.
A long, dreadful silence stretched between them.
.
.
La-Orduen strode forward, her expression a storm of anger and resentment.
"What the hell are you two doing?" she demanded, her voice sharp and unwavering.
Her piercing gaze fell upon the satchel clutched in Saiyood's hands before shifting to La-Orchan's delicate face, scrutinizing her intently, waiting for an answer.
A suffocating tension filled the small chamber. La-Orchan pressed her lips together, determined not to let a single emotion betray the secret she so desperately sought to conceal.
La-Orduen's eyes narrowed, suspicion gleaming in their depths. She was no fool—she could sense when something was being kept from her. The confirmation had come just earlier, when one of her own maids reported seeing Saiyood secretly conversing with Gulab, Phiengwad's personal servant, far too frequently for it to be a mere coincidence.
A slow realization dawned upon her.
There was a plan.
Something was being plotted behind her back.
She clenched her fists.
"Answer me, La-Orchan! What are you and this wretch plotting!?"
Her voice, laced with seething fury, sliced through the silence like a blade.
.
.
The weight of the silence in the room was suffocating, as if all sound from the outside world had been swallowed into the void.
La-Orchan locked eyes with her twin sister, her pulse hammering in her ears.
Fear gripped her—but so did defiance.
She took a deep breath, steadying herself. She would not back down so easily.
She remained silent.
La-Orduen glared at her, studying every flicker of hesitation, every telltale sign of deceit. La-Orchan's refusal to speak only fueled her anger.
With a sudden burst of rage, La-Orduen reached out and yanked Saiyood by the hair, forcing her upright before slapping her across the face with brutal force.
A sharp cry escaped Saiyood's lips. Her head snapped to the side, a red mark immediately forming on her cheek.
La-Orchan's eyes widened in horror.
"Tell me now, La-Orchan!" La-Orduen roared. "Or I swear I'll keep striking this wretched servant of yours until you do!"
Her hand was raised again, poised to strike.
La-Orchan acted on impulse.
She shot up from her seat and grabbed her sister's wrist, gripping it tightly with both hands.
"Please, P'La-Orduen—do not harm Saiyood!" she pleaded, desperation thick in her voice. "I will tell you everything!"
.
.
La-Orduen sat in utter silence, her gaze fixed on her twin sister.
Now that she knew everything, La-Orchan felt an invisible force tightening around her, suffocating her inch by inch. She had no way of knowing what her sister was thinking. If La-Orduen truly intended to tell their father about her and Phiengwad's plan to escape together, she would have done so the moment she learned of it.
Beside her, Saiyood, her loyal maid, remained still, pressing herself small against the floor. Every so often, she cast furtive glances at her mistress, as if trying to gauge what La-Orchan would do next.
The pressure building in La-Orchan's chest was unbearable. Unconsciously, her fingers brushed against the ring Phiengwad had given her, seeking comfort from its cold, familiar touch. She stared at her older twin, waiting, as if fate itself would be decided by the next words her sister spoke.
At last, La-Orduen broke the silence.
"Give me the ring P'Phiengwad gave you."
Her voice was calm, but her outstretched hand was firm and expectant.
La-Orchan flinched slightly.
"Why do you want it, sister?" she asked warily. Her voice carried an edge of suspicion, and though confusion flickered in her eyes, she did not remove the ring as instructed.
La-Orduen's brows knit together in frustration.
"I said, give me your ring. Are you deaf?"
she repeated, her voice rising slightly. The tension on her face tightened, her jaw clenched, and the severity in her tone made it clear she would not ask again.
La-Orchan studied her warily. She had known La-Orduen all her life, and yet she could not understand her intentions now. Her heart pounded with unease, but her stubbornness remained.
"At least tell me why, sister," she said, her voice steadier than she felt. "Why must I give it to you?"
La-Orduen let out a long, exasperated sigh, her eyes flashing with irritation. A faint smile curled on her lips, but it lacked any warmth—instead, it carried an unmistakable glint of calculation.
"You and I…" she began slowly, deliberately, "we need to switch rings."
A chill ran down La-Orchan's spine.
She didn't understand. Something was terribly wrong.
"What are you planning, La-Orduen?" she demanded, her voice barely above a whisper.
La-Orduen's smile widened into a smirk.
"You and I are going to trade places."
She leaned in slightly, her voice lowering but no less menacing.
"I will be the one to leave with Phiengwad… as La-Orchan."
...
Writer Talk:
Hi everyone. Let me say this again to everyone, I'm running a special promotion for The Curse of The Oath (English Version) E-book on the MEB app from today until March 7, 2026.
The price is reduced by 27%, from 520 THB to just 378 THB. Feel free to grab your copy while the sale lasts. The novel has 52 chapters in total, including NC-17 content.
Thank you so much for your support.
Since I'm unable to share a direct link, likely due to platform restrictions, you can search for the novel directly on the MEB app or visit www.mebmarket.com
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