KongArt Week Stories

The Emperor's Secret - Part Nine

Days and months soon passed and Arthit slowly felt suffocated. After the Emperor passed and Kongpob stepped up, taking his place, he grew busier and Arthit's days grew longer. Even with Prae often sneaking into the chambers to pay him a visit, Arthit couldn't help but feel imprisoned in Kongpob's palace.

Maprang could barely keep up with him in Go and there were only so many hours a day one could practise martial arts before feeling the need to utterly collapse. He had pleaded with Kongpob on countless occasions to let him go out to the city but Kongpob was cautious, overly cautious in Arthit's opinion and feared that his brother might take the chance to harm him. Not that Arthit even knew how that was possible.

He was just a nameless person living in Kongpob's bedroom.

His existence had basically been erased, or never declared to begin with to be accurate. Only a handful of trusted people were privy to the fact that Kongpob lived with another man in his quarters. It wasn't that Arthit didn't understand the implications. He did, he really did, but there was only so much a man could take.

He had tried asking Kongpob to allow him to work with the other musicians but there came the problem that all musicians were to live outside the palace. If Arthit lingered, he would become visible to others. Not to mention that musicians were called in for performances from time to time. Someone would have recognised Arthit eventually and Kongpob was unwilling to take that risk.

To make matters worse, the Empress Dowager had insisted on Kongpob taking in a few more concubines not a few months after his marriage to Prae and now Kongpob had to spend some nights away from his chambers because the law dictated it to be so. No doubt that the now Emperor still managed to find ways and means to sneak back to Arthit, assuring him that he hadn't slept with any of them, but it just made Arthit's days that much longer.

Arthit massaged his temples as he lay in bed. Being cooped up made him lazy and it felt like it was making him unhealthy as well. He abruptly shot out of bed, grabbing the basin by the bedside and started hurling. This had been going on for a couple of days now. At first, he had thought it was probably the new delicacies Kongpob had ordered the kitchens to make with the tributes that were offered up by the neighbouring states but by this point, it was going on for too long.

Maybe Kongpob was right, it was time to let a physician take a look at him. Maprang ran to his side with a glass of hot water and a dried small plum. It was strange really. Arthit had detested sour things but lately, sour plums were the only things that could keep him from throwing up all his meals. He thanked the girl and rinsed his mouth before popping the dried tidbit into his mouth. A small moan of pleasure left him as he felt the sweet and sour flavour spread over his tongue, chasing away the bitter aftertaste of bile.

"Maprang, could you let Kong know that I would like the physician to come check me out? I've been feeling worse these few days, it might be more than just a bad meal."

"Oh finally!" Maprang huffed, side eyeing her young master who was now giving her a what-the-hell look. "We've been telling you for days and you only finally decide to stop being stubborn when you've already lost so much weight! Look! All your robes are loose now!"

Arthit scowled and mumbled under his breath. He knew he was at fault but who'd have known this damn need to regurgitate would stay with him this long. He wasn't royalty, he wasn't usually this weak. Growing up he had rarely gotten sick either so he had thought it would have blown over in a few days. Maprang rolled her eyes and shushed the young man, staring pointedly at the bed where he obediently returned to lying down.

She had been Kongpob's personal assigned maid since youth and had followed Kongpob everywhere, even to the borders. She had seen how the Emperor had suffered throughout his early life and couldn't be more happy that he had found someone to love, even if that person was a man. She had never seen Kongpob as happy as when he was with Arthit. As long as Arthit could make Kongpob smile, she too was willing to protect the young man with her life.