Love Written By Blood // FirstKhao

Research

Exhausted, Khaotung dropped onto the bed in his room, his head still pounding, but it was more bearable than the stabbing pain before. "You're not crazy, not crazy," he kept muttering to himself as if he needed to convince someone. He rubbed his temples and then sat up to dig the photo First had given him earlier out of his backpack.

He turned it over in his hand, afraid of another headache, but he needed to take a closer look, needed to know what exactly was in that picture. Khao took a deep breath and turned the picture over. This time he didn't feel any pain, but the dull feeling in his head grew stronger as Khaotung lay prone on the bed, the picture in his hands.

The picture showed the royal family, the king, his wife, and a boy, a little younger than Khaotung was now. The signature of the picture read:

The royal family shortly after the coronation ceremony of their son, the newly crowned King Nopakhoon Rattanakitpaisan.

From left to right - former King Chatchawan Rattanakitpaisan, newly crowned King Nopakhoon Rattanakitpaisan, and the former Empress Supranee Rattanakitpaisan.
Shortly after Nopakhoon Rattanakitpaisan was crowned, he introduced monarchistic democracy, making him the last King to be crowned by blood status in the country.

Khaotung looked closely at the people in the photo, they all had impossibly stern expressions on their faces, and none of them looked as happy as one would have expected on the day of the coronation.

"Someone is missing," Khaotung muttered. "Someone is missing from the picture." He tilted his head, pondering why he was so sure someone was missing from the picture. Suddenly he snapped his eyes open and sat down on the bed. "I'm missing...but that.... 's completely impossible." His heart raced madly as he reached for his smartphone and dialed Book's number.

"Book please tell me you have time, I think I'm going crazy."

A short time later the bell rang and Khaotung opened the door to Book, who was loaded with snacks and beer.

"Okay, what's wrong?" Book asked worriedly as he made himself comfortable on Khaotung's bed and let the first chips slide into his mouth.

"This whole thing with my nightmares is getting weirder and weirder," Khaotung began. "I'm getting flashbacks and unbelievable headaches, and now I found this picture of the royal family and I feel like a person is missing." He took a deep breath. "And on top of that...Kanaphan also has nightmares, similar to those that I have."

"And you believe him ?"

"I know he's an ass, but why shouldn't I? What would he gain?"

"Maybe he's just trying to manipulate you that way." Replied Book.

"That would have been stupid of him because he was the one who brought up the topic in the first place."

"Oh."

"Yeah, I'm telling you, it's all getting pretty weird right now." Khaotung took a sip of his beer.

"So what exactly was with the photo now?" Khaotung held out the picture of the royal family to Book.

"This is going to sound crazy, but...I think someone is missing from the picture."

"You're right, that does sound crazy. What makes you think that?" Book asked, looking at the picture more closely.

"I...um, that's...well that's the family I always see in my dreams." You could read the astonishment in the expression on Book's face.

"And you're sure about that? I mean you have the same last name and everything, so maybe it's just because you're somehow related?"