I'm sorry that it took a while for me to update the next chapter. I had to work and had class in every evenings too but I passed my last exams of the apprenticeship :) Since I have too much going on right now, I won't have time to update regularly like before.

Still, I hope you enjoy this chapter :) 

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The Crown Prince's chamber wasn't the only room available in the eastwings of the palace. There were altogether five more rooms, of course not so large as his Highness's chamber but they were reserved for Arthit's important guests he wished to be close to him. The bigger chamber closest to his Highness's room was occupied, a tall man was laying there, eyed closed as if he was already in realm where he would never wake up again. His upper body was stripped down from his cloths but his lower body was covered with the blanket till to his taille, hiding the lethal wound on his stomach. On the left side of the bed, a shorter man was laying there with his face turned to the taller man, cuddling in to him like a tired cat snuggling next to his owner. The latter was sleeping, safe and sound.

One of the two young men moved his hand, the person finally opened his eyes, his vision were still blurry but he closed his eyes then opened them again to adjust to the light. Now his view became clearlier. The first thing his eyes set upon was the ceiling of the room, he tried to lift up his arm but sharp pain shoot through his entire body as soon as he tried to move. But the pain was nothing for him, he still moved his right arm, clenching his hand into fist, trying to see if he could hold a sword again. But his body was in a good shape. Even if he still felt weak, he was sure that he could swing a weapon again when he regained his strength.

He moved his head to look aside, a surprise awaited him there. To his own surprise, a young man was sleeping peacefully next to him as if it was his right to acclaim the place beside him. As if it was something he did everyday, he was sleeping beside him without worrying about the servants watching them. But it was the first time they were so close to each other, sleeping on the same bed too. Kongpob smiled at the childish look on the Crown Prince's face. Arthit's face was paler than usual, his red lips parted from each other, breathing sound faintly came out of his slightly opened mouth. The faint sound of his shallow breath echoed in the air. Seeing Arthit sleeping safe and sound next to him, reminded the taller man of the sun rising up, enlightening the darkness in the wide horizont. Again Kongpob thought the name Arthit like the sun was just meant for him.

Kongpob chuckled at the shorter man's sleeping position. For him, Arthit didn't look like a Crown Prince of a nation right now but more like a normal spoiled brat who was afraid to lose his important toy, wanting to be there for him before the latter woke up.

With a smile on his lips, Kongpob reached out his hand to him, caressing him on the cheek, taking some of the shorter man's bodyheat to raise his own cold bodytemperature. His fingers caressed over Arthit's bangs, he moved them up behind his ear. The warm touch disturbed the Prince in his sleep, it slowly pulled the latter out of his dream. As he woke up, Kongpob quickly retired his arm before the latter could notice him being wide awake. The shorter man realized that he was being watched by Kongpob, he felt shy for an unknown reason, didn't knew what to do. Only now did he remember the wound on the taller man's stomach, he quickly sat up, gazing at him. He wanted to touch him but was having a hard time to resist the urge of touching him.

„You... You woke up...", he stuttered, couldn't believe the almost dying Kongpob woke up from his long, deep sleep. Tears of joy filled his eyes but he hold them back and wipped them with the back of his hands. He wanted to scream out of joy but he unfortunately touched him on the wound whereupon the taller man immediately sat up, moaning in pain.

„I just woke up and you're already trying to hurt me again...", Kongpob said in pain while clenching onto the injury in his abdomen.

„I'm sorry... It wasn't on purpose", he immediately apologized for bringing him more pain.

Arthit wanted to call for help, more like for the physician but Kongpob grabbed at his wrist, preventing him from distancing from him. Their eyes met, both of them staring at each other. The picture of the shorter man crying face appeared in Kongpob's mind, he remembered the shorter man crying while begging him not to die. It was the first time someone cried for him, desperately trying to keep him alive. Up until now he was sure humans helped another human for their own benefit, hoping to have a reward in return for helping the person in need. But the moment he saw Arthit fighting for his sake, even breaking the law by using his Crown Prince gown to staunch his bleeding, changed his opinion about humans. Arthits caring for him, opened his eyes to realize that not everyone was selfish just like he thought. This short man really cared for him although it was something a Crown Prince shouldn't do for a lowly life like him. Arthit crying for him, let him know that the latter would be sad if he had really died.

It flattered him that a man, a Crown Prince didn't want to lose him. His heart felt restless again, it couldn't calm down. Whenever he was looking at Arthit, he always felt his heart skipping a beat for an unknown reason. But why did he have these unknown feelings only toward him?

However the shorter man's cheek turned red all the sudden, he blushed when he remembered how he hold onto Kongpob, crying like a helpless child. He felt embarassed at his childish behaviour, something he never felt embarassed about till now. His expression changed into a sad expression when the fight from yesterday replayed in his mind. When he saw his royal guard laying on the ground, motionless as if life left him, he felt a sharp pain throught his whole body. It hurted being left behind by him. He never wanted to experience this kind of pain again nor see him hurt just because he tried to save him. The next time Kongpob was on the verge of dying, he didn't knew what he would do. Maybe he would lose his mind?

His heart ached for the taller man, he placed a hand on his chest to ease the pain. The longer Kongpob looked at him, the harder his heart beated like crazy. His chest hurted as if his heart would jump out soon, he felt butterflies in his tummy as if his guts were interwined together. Even he didn't knew why he only felt so strange toward Kongpob. Although he didn't have any information about his new impercial soldier, he always felt a strong bound between them whenever he looked at him as if they were meant for each other.

„What happened?", Kongpob finally spoke, breaking the silence.

Arthitwanted to forget the painful situation from yesterday but he needed to tell him the truth. His silence lasted for a whole minute before he found his courage to speak again. „You were on the verge of dying but the Emperor's royal physician managed to save you."

„I see."

„I didn't know what to do, I... I...", the words refused to come since he felt a lump stuck in his throat from the tears that were forcing him to let them out. He hold back his tears.

„It won't happen again... I promise, I won't let them hurt me again."

„I hope it for you because...", again he couldn't speak out. He wanted to say he would lose his mind if such situation happen again but he choose to keep that fact to himself. He cleared his throat, „Of course you can't die. I need you to entertain me after all", he said as if it was a matter of course Kongpob needed to do for him.

„I'm sure you need me to keep saving you, right?", the taller man raised one of his eyebrown.

Arthit pouted but his sulky expression changed into a sad expression. „You slept for four days in a row. I thought you won't wake up again... Please, be careful next time... And thanks for saving me for the third time", his voice quievered from the many tears he was holding back.

The moment he finished his sentence, the eunuch seeked for an audience with the Crown Prince. As he was allowed to join them, the Emperor's physician, Ko Thiha and Maprang entered the chamber, coming closer to them. Thiha noticed his Highness was in tears again because of the nobody named Ko Chan Tha so he shoot the taller man an angry expression, meaning he should stop making Arthit cry for the Crown Prince's sake. Kongpob saw the angry face the eunuch was giving him but he ignored him, enjoying how much concerned Arthit was feeling for him.

The Emperor's physician left his material for the wound treatment on the ground, sat down beside the taller man. Thiha turned to his Highness, smiling and feeling happy about the colour of life returning in his master's face again. In the last four days, he looked awfully tired as if he was the one being deadly injured but today he seemed to be doing fine again. Perhaps he could eat like usual again. Thiha already npticed one thing: If the Crown Prince's sad then it must be something about Chan Tha. But if he's feeling happy too, it must be Chan Tha's doing too. Why was everything about his Highness involving the unknown man? Did the new royal guard cast a spell on him?

„He's already awake, your Highness. Now you can attend the meeting in the court, right?", the eunuch told him, hoping he would be willing to take part on the meeting with the high officials.

„Will he be alright again?", Arthit asked first.

The physician nodded politely, „Yeah, rest assured, your Highness. With the right treatment and enough rest, he'll be up in his feet in a few days."

A smile appeared on Arthit's face, he nodded his head to his eunuch to help him dress up for the meeting. After stealing a sneek peak at Kongpob, he finally left the room with his eunuch Ko Thiha.

„His Highness seemed to care for you deeply", the physician said while rummaging in his silk bandage.

Kongpob diverted his attention to the elder man, maybe in his sixty, who was taking care of his wound. He fell quiet again.

„In the middle of the night, he called for me to come to his quartier because the Crown Prince's physiscian wasn't capable to save you. His Highness urged me to save you at any cost, leaving me nothing than to feel a presure behind me. My instinct was telling me that I should save your life or the slightest mistake could cost me my life. I'm glad you woke up... You being alive, meant I'll live too", he carefully took off the old bandage made from wilk, left it in the pot the maid was holding.

There was a seven centimenters long wound on Kongpob's left stomach, it was neatly stitched but fresh exudate still came out the injury. The young maid offered the older man a wet silk whereupon the man wipped the fresh blood carefully from his skin, pressing on the wound. It hurted but the young man clenched on his teeth, didn't even let out a moan out of pain. The elder man was impressed at his toughness, smiled to express his impression.

„My task was to save you and take care of your injury in the first two days but his Highness himself dressed your wound in the last two days. He insisted of treating your wound himself but I had to listen to his order even if it was against the law. He carefully took care of you and didn't even sleep the four days you were uncouncious... Is he doing it out of courtesy because you saved his life? Or he did it for another reason?", the older man explained while cleaning the wound, speaking with much caution so the servants outside wouldn't hear him. The reason he didn't care about Maprang listening to them? He just knew she was one of Arthit's loyal servant. Because the Prince saved her, she would serve him for the rest of her life. She would never backstab or betray him so he spoke freely in her presence.

„What other reason did he need to save me?", Kongpob finally broke his silence, felt the need to speak out to defend the Crown Prince.

The physician dressed up the wound carefully, wrapped it around his stomach to hide the big injury. „Why did you save him?"

„I'm his royal guard..."

„Don't try to fool me", the elder man interrupted. „You're hundred years too late to fool me. I can read people's face. Even if I can't see through you, I'm capable of reading some of your expressions. For an unknown reason, you shut yourself from the world so nobody would reach out to you...", he said without looking at him, avoiding eye contact with him. He came closer to him, whispering into his ear, „Beside, you don't look like the kind of man who want to protect someone, not even if the person's the Emperor or the Crown Prince. Either you rescued him for your own benefit or you did it because your heart urged you to save him. But one thing's clear, you didn't protect the Crown Prince because you don't seem to care for his status. You only saved the man behind the Crown Prince, Arthit". after finishing the treatment, he cleaned up before standing up. He approached the entrance but hold on for a while. „It's not my place to meddle in your life or ask about your identity but don't challenge destiny... Things that aren't meant to be, shouldn't be together... It's an advice from an elder man who knew much about life more than you", was his last words for him before he finally exited the room.

Before the new maid Maprang left too, she glanced from the corner of her eyes to Kongpob. Today she was in conflict with her mind. Her instinct told her to be careful around him. She wasn't sure if she should trust the man sitting on the bed. He saved Arthit but the physician said he didn't care about the Crown Prince but only about the person Arthit. It meant if the kingdom was falling, he wouldn't try to save the kingdom but only Arthit. He wouldn't even want to restore the falling kingdom, right? What an odd man! Ever since Maprang saw him threatening the pervert prisoner in the dungeon, she noticed he wasn't an ordinary person. Three questions dawned in her head: Where did he come from? Why did he approach his Highness? What were his intention towards Arthit?

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Today was the day the Emperor would announce his decision about allowing Ko Chan Tha, a son from a slowly household, to be the Crown Prince's royal guard or strip him from his new titel. Would he listen to the corrupted court officials or to his son who was crying for help, wanting for someone to be beside him to protect him from any danger?

Arthit was standing in the middle of the meeting hall, waiting for the Emperor to declare his decision. However his father asked him for the reason for keeping Chan Tha as his guard for the last time, giving him a chance to defend his decision for giving Chan Tha the title as a royal guard. Allowing him to speak out his opinion, was a gift from his father to Chan Tha for saving his son.

„He saved my life again. The first time he helped me, was when I escaped the palace to seek for an adventure on the outside world but was attacked by bandits. The second time was when my own sword almost pierced me on the tournament. The third time was four days ago. I have many guards protecting me for many years right now but they didn't even sense the assassins surrounding me. Only Ko Chan Tha felt their presences and came to my rescue while the other waited like I ordered them to do. Everyone of you saw how capable Chan Tha is. Why should I give up on such a skilled man our country needed."

„Maybe he didn't feel the danger but knew about it because he was one of them", the minister of the left interrupted him.

„Do you want to go back to the lie about him being a spy? If he's really a spy, why did he save me then by preventing his allegedly friends to kill me?", a shadow emerged between them.

„Maybe he did it to gain your trust. And he even successed with it, seeing how much you're trying to defend him", this time the premier minister defended their argument of not taking Chan Tha as a royal guard.

„Really? If he's a spy then we should force the truth out of the assassin we could capture alive. Perhaps we'll know more about Chan Tha being a spy. Maybe he'll even tell us who the mastermind behind the assassination attempt on me was", the shorter man said, staring at the premier minister to provoke him. He wanted to show him that not only he had the power but he, the future ruler of this country was powerful too. The fierce look in his eyes was telling the minister that the Price could guess who was hiding behind the mask of the mastermind. It could be enemies from their neighbor country but there were some people inside the palace who wanted to get rid of him too. The reason? They feared the change he would bring in his regime.

This time the premier minister backed down, leaving his Highness to enjoy his victory for speaking against him. However Arthit didn't feel the need to enjoy his victory against his enemy. He continued speaking, defending Kongpob.

„I'll repeat it again. Ko Chan Tha saved me more than just once. I feel more safe by his side. He always gives me the feelings that no one can touch me if he is beside me", he continued. Without Kongpob beside him, Arthit felt like the thick lay protecting his body was missing but he couldn't tell them about it. It was better to leave this feeling for himself. This time he was gazing at his father, wishing him to listen to him instead to the court officials.

The Emperor couldn't take his eyes from his son, he noticed he was begging him to give in to him just once. A quiet minute passed by, everyone waiting for his Emperor's decision. „Make sure he don't shame the name of the royal guards", he said, directing it to the Crown Prince.

Arthit froze on the spot when Hearing his father's decision. The sentence replayed in his head, only now did he realize the meaning of his father's sentence. The Emperor gave him his consent to keep Kongpob next to him. He smiled happily for wining against the old ministers but a big commotion emerged in the court. Murmor raised amoung the court officials, they were against the Emperor's decision for allowing a lowly servant to be a royal guard. But the ruler ignored them, was about to leave the hall but was holding back bx Arthit.

„I demand for Chan Tha's reward he won on the tournament", Arthit suddenly said, causing a louder commotion in the court.

The loud gasp of the higher officials echoed in the air. They were bewildered, they couldn't believe how bold his Highness was to demand the reward from the ruler as if it was his right from the beginning.

Unbelievable! The Emperor already knew his son was stubborn but he just knew he could be bold too He was demanding for a reward after causing the tournament to be stopped midway because of him taking part in the match. As soon as a wish was granted to him, he was already asking for the next wish to be fulfilled. But the Emperor knew his son too well. He wouldn't be his father if he didn't expect him to ask for this request.

His hand waving to the eunuch, was enough for the older man to approach the Crown Prince. He carried the reward in his hands, delivered it to the Crown Prince. It was the silver sword extra forged for the winner of the tournament, it looked heavy but it felt light to carry around although it was made out of the finest metal. There was a golden line from the edge till the tip of the sword, there wasn't even a single scratcher on it. The way it was shining, showed that it was forged from the royal craftsman, the best craftman in the whole Burma.

Arthit's lips curved up into a smile as soon as he saw the gift for Kongpob. According to himself, the taller man deserved it after saving him from the assassins. He couldn't wait to give him the reward to see how the latter would react.

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In the same night an unknown person lurked around in the less guarded place of the palace, the person looked around to see if a guard was in the proximity. As the place seemed empty, he jumped high to grab onto the wall, quickly climbed on the top then jumped down to land quietly on the ground outside. The person walked on the empty street, using the darkness to hide his face. When someone appraoched him, he took the scarf around his neck to cover half of his face, hiding his identity from the passengers. With a faint whistleblow, a dark horses galloped towards him, licking at his master's face, feeling happy about his return since he waited many days for him.

The man patted on the anima's chest, „brave horse... I'm sorry for letting you wait for so long", he apologized to the animal before jumping on its back, ridding on the most darkest street of the capital where not even the bravest soldier would visit because of danger lurking around. Here were the places most bandits had their hideout. It was the place where they could vent their hatred towards the imperial family, the court officials and the royal guards.

The man left a long distance behind him till he arrived at his destination, a shabby, deserted shack that not even a beggar would dare to spent a night in. The house was over 100 years old, it may had survived many wars till now but it looked like it could crumble anytime. The unknown man jumped down from his horse, telling the animal to wait here for him. He sensed a presence behind him but he ignored it, entered the shabby while the horse waited outside for him.

He set fire on the torch to enlighten the darkness in the schack then went from to and fro with arms crossed around his chest. Suddenly a shadow appeared behind him. Without looking back, he sighed while waiting in the middle of the house for the person. The second man approached him, hold on where the light of the torch reached the room, showing his identity. The man who came here first, took off his scarf from his face, revealing his identity. Kongpob! He looked at the young man in front of him but the latter quickly went into one knee, holding his fist onto the ground.

„I apologize for being late", the second man apoligized first.

„Did someone follow you?"

„No. I made sure that nobody followed me here", only now did he dare to look up, mustering the young man before him. „Are you feeling well, master?"

„Don't worry about me. The injury's already healing up... Did you tell anyone about the last incidents with assassins injuring me."

„No, I wouldn't dare to tell them the truth about you being injured. I just told them you successfully infiltrated the palace of Burma", was his reply to his question, he was careful to not sound too rude to his master.

„Good..."

„But... They're awaiting for good news from you and of course for your arrival too."

Kongpob turned his back to him, falling deep in thought. Of course he successfully infiltrated the palace, someting he didn't thought could be so easy to do. Because of the Crown Prince being targeted by many assassins, he managed to win over his heart, even gaining the royal family's trust by saving the Prince. Soon he would finish his task and return to his beloved home. While thinking about leaving his Highness, he felt a sharp pain torturing his heart as if thousand needles were piercing through his heart. Whenever he thought about betraying the Crown Prince, he felt more pain in his heart. He closed his eyes, trying to not think about how broken Arthit would be if he find out about his identity, his reason for being here and the task that was given to him. It would destroy their relationship they built till now.

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Ah Kongpob didn't die anyway, that boy's not the Kind of Person to die so easily since he survived so much till now ;) But now we're coming closer to Kongpob's identity :D I think next chapter should be some lovey dovey  between the Crown Prince and his new royal guard