Counting Stars ✓

thirty

[Before King wakes up.]

Rune was furious. He looked at King who was now laying on the hospital bed, covered in heavy injuries. On the other side of the room was Kaew who, much like her younger brother, was also injured to the point of yet regaining her consciousness.

He bit down on his lips till he drew some blood, and clenched his fists. He was just as angry as he was sad. Angry at Alice. Angry at the world. And angry at himself. He should've trusted his gut instinct and insisted on going with King when he left to meet his sister so they could see and talk to the lawyer.

"Rune?"

He unclenched his fists and looked at his worried grandmother. He reached out and hugged her, showing his vulnerability to her for the first time in years. She patted his back in a slow and soft manner.

"It'll be okay," she said, hoping to sooth her grandson's worries despite her own concerns. "He's a strong boy."

"When's the trial?" Rune asked, pulling away. For the first time, he took a closer look at his grandmother - noticing just how much she's aged during the time he's started to neglect his position as the heir.

It was a choice made out of foolishness and immaturity when he decided to first hide his identity, rather than having it revealed on his eighteenth like his family had planned for years.

While he did waver due to guilt, the situation of Kasper using him for money made him all the more unwilling to reveal his identity until he found the one.

Ever since he was young, he dreamt about finding the perfect love his parents had, and continue to have. Seeing them being so loving made him all the more excited to have someone to spoil. Yet, somewhere along the way, he started to become too obsessed with it and let it control his decisions.

"The trial is next week," his grandmother answered, reaching out to cup his face and offering a smile. "We'll win this case."

Rune returned a tight smile, turning back to the sleeping King. He inhaled, and exhaled, determination running through him. He turned back to his grandmother.

"Let's announce who I am," he said, determination running through him. Khun Rain looked at him in surprise, "I...are you sure?"

He nodded, "Yeah. This could be used to our advantage."

She shook her head. "I don't want you to reveal yourself if you still aren't comfortable-"

"-Please," Rune begged. "Let me do this."

Seeing how desperate and determined her grandson was, she nodded. "Alright. We'll set up a press conference tomorrow."

"Thanks," he pulled her into another hug, to which she happily accepted.

"-Please welcome; Rune." Khun Rain moved aside and watched as Rune walked onto the stage, dressed in a suit with his hair slicked back, and his expression serious.

The cameras began to go wild as the reporters all tried to push forward into the crowd in order to get their question answered. The media had already been going crazy with the sudden arrest of Alice, and for Khun Rain to decide to finally announce her heir came as another wave of surprise.

"Thank you all for gathering today," Rune began speaking, ignoring the slight nervousness running through him. "I understand you have been waiting for me to show myself for a few years now, and most likely have plenty of questions. However, I would like to start by saying; there is someone whom I love. His name is King."