A Heart's Promise Beneath The Night [E-Book on MEB]

CHAPTER 5 : The Game Changes

The morning sunlight streamed into Thanida's bedroom. She opened the curtains and saw the flower garden, which looked brighter than ever this morning. But her heart felt heavy from the information Phum had given her yesterday. The wind rustling through the trees made the atmosphere around her unusually calm and quiet. She had no idea who among those hiding in this mansion was playing what kind of game.

In the morning, Thanida came down to the large, luxurious reception room of the mansion. The white walls and intricately detailed furniture gave a cool feeling, but today it felt like something was hiding in its shadows.

She walked through the hall to the dining room as usual. When she entered, her eyes met Nawin's, who was sitting at the dining table. He looked at her with a calm gaze that was tinged with suspicion, making her feel as if he were peering deep into her thoughts.

"Sit down," Nawin said in a low voice, but it was still a command that left no room for her to refuse.

Thanida sat down in the chair opposite him. She felt uncomfortable looking at the neatly arranged breakfast on the table. Everything looked perfect, but the atmosphere was not.

"Phum came to see me yesterday..." Thanida spoke up, her voice laced with concern.

Nawin frowned slightly. "And what did he say to you?"

"He said there's someone here who's not loyal to you," she said straightforwardly, though her heart was racing, not knowing how Nawin would react to this information.

Nawin was silent for a moment before smiling coldly. "Phum is more cautious than expected."

"What do you mean?"

"He's right," his voice was as cold as ice.

Thanida looked at him in surprise. "You know?"

"I've known for a long time," Nawin replied with a calm demeanor. "But I still don't know who it is, and I'm not sure what they want... But now we need to prepare ourselves well."

Thanida listened to his words with confusion. Did this mean she was in the midst of a game more dangerous than she thought? Her eyes began to wander as she tried to assess this frightening situation.

The atmosphere in the dining room returned to calm, but the tension didn't dissipate. Nawin looked at Thanida searchingly, as if trying to find answers from her.

"You can help me," Nawin said.

"Help?" Thanida looked at him in bewilderment. "How?"

"I don't know what Phum told you, but what's certain is that I need someone I can trust, and you're one of the few people I still somewhat believe in."

Thanida's heart beat faster. She never thought she would be someone important in Nawin's eyes. "What do you want me to do?"

Nawin smiled slightly, a smile that seemed to hide many secrets. "I need you to observe. You're here and have started to know the people in the mansion quite well. You might see things that I might miss."

Thanida felt this mission was too heavy for her to handle. "But I... I'm not your person. I'm just..."

"You are my person," Nawin cut her off sharply. "As long as you're here, you're mine, and if you want to survive this situation, you must do as I say."

Thanida felt herself being pulled into a game with no way back. She didn't know if she would survive this, but when she saw Nawin's eyes looking at her, she knew she couldn't refuse.

That afternoon, Thanida walked into the quiet back garden of the house. She looked around the garden that used to be a place of rest for her to feel calm, but today this garden felt different.

Her eyes caught sight of Phum standing at the corner of the back door of the mansion. He looked at her as if trying to send some kind of signal, but Thanida didn't understand what he wanted to say. She decided to walk closer to him.

"Nawin told me to observe," Thanida told Phum. "Is there anything else I should know?"

Phum looked around cautiously before answering softly, "As I've said before, there's someone here who shouldn't be trusted, but I can't say for sure who it is yet."

"What should we do?" Thanida asked quietly, feeling that the burden she had received was too heavy.

Phum sighed deeply. "I'll keep an eye on Nawin, and I'll tell you immediately if I know who's behind this. You just need to be careful and watch for anything unusual in this house."

Thanida nodded, though her heart felt heavy with the unexpected responsibility. But she knew well that now she had no other choice.

That night, the sky was pitch black and a cool breeze blew through the window of her room. Thanida sat on the bed in the dimly lit room, her mind still swirling with the words of Nawin and Phum. She knew well that from now on, everything would change. Any move she made could affect the lives of everyone in the mansion.

She looked out the window, seeing the shadows of trees swaying in the wind. She took a deep breath and promised herself that she would do her best, no matter what she had to face from now on.

Buzz!

The vibration of her phone interrupted her thoughts. Thanida answered the call and heard Nawin's serious-sounding voice.

"Found anything yet?"

"Not yet," she answered softly. "But I'll try to observe everything."

"Good."

Nawin replied briefly before hanging up. Silence returned to Thanida's room once again.

But inthat silence, she could feel whispers that couldn't be seen with the naked eye.Whispers of fear and mystery began to spread into her heart once again.