Rebirth: Enchantment at the Golden Summit

Ge Sihan awoke to wave after wave of excruciating headaches. She felt weak all over and her mind was foggy; it even took some effort to open her eyes. 　　When she finally managed to open her eyes with a groan, she saw a young girl with slightly tanned skin wearing a plain, unadorned blue blouse. The girl said a few words happily and excitedly, but without waiting for a response, she called out and jogged out the door. Ge Sihan helplessly reached out her small hand to try to stop the girl, but unfortunately, there was no one left in the room to help her. 　　She looked around and found herself in a spacious room, lying on a bed about two meters wide, covered by a thin silk quilt. The room’s decor was simple, but the craftsmanship was clearly exquisite, and the quality was excellent. Ge Sihan’s head ached even more—she already sensed something was wrong, and then she saw her own hands. 　　Pale, slender, and delicate—a pair of child’s hands. Ge Sihan fainted again. When she awoke once more with a splitting headache, a middle-aged man in a light-colored suit was sitting on a stool at the edge of her bed. Several people were seated or standing around him: 　　an elderly man in a wheelchair with a somewhat stern expression, a beautiful girl of about twelve or thirteen, and a handsome young man in his twenties. Among them, only the girl of twelve or thirteen was looking at her with genuine concern, and Ge Si-han immediately took a liking to her. The middle-aged man asked kindly, “Khun Saengkea, ??????????????? (Thai for “How are you feeling?”) Ge Si-han’s heart raced and her breathing quickened. She wanted to say something, but she couldn’t even manage a simple “I’m fine”—because she couldn’t understand a word of it! She thought it would be better to faint again. When she woke up, perhaps the situation would have changed… like she wouldn’t be here anymore, facing all this horror. 　　She really did pass out again. 　　Usa, the beautiful girl of twelve or thirteen, couldn’t help but let out a scream. She hurried forward a few steps, but Duchess Montha, sitting in her wheelchair, coldly rebuked her: “Usa, don’t scream! It’s rude!” 　　The handsome young man gently patted the old lady’s shoulder and whispered, “It’s all right, Grandma. Saengkea is Usa’s own sister; it’s only natural for her to be worried.” 　　The old lady gave a cold laugh and muttered under her breath, “Sisters… Hmph, you can’t even raise your own kin to be trustworthy.” 　　The handsome young man heard this but looked away without showing any reaction. The middle-aged man stood up and shone a medical flashlight into the eyes of the pale little girl lying unconscious on the bed. Since the patient was a girl, he didn’t use a stethoscope; instead, he simply pressed his fingers against her pulse for a few seconds. After a moment, he withdrew his hand and said, “ “Khun Saengkea fainted due to her frail constitution combined with extreme panic. I’ll prescribe her some sedatives. But don’t worry—her fever is already subsiding, and she’ll be fine soon.” 　　The handsome young man nodded and smiled. “Thank you, Doctor.” The doctor nodded back. “You’re welcome, Khun Adit.” As Adit escorted the doctor out of the room, he said, “I’ll have the driver take you home.” However, an hour later, he had the driver bring the doctor back—because the unconscious little girl had woken up, unable to speak and not recognizing any of them. 　　Actually, not recognizing them wasn’t a big deal, since Saengkea had only been adopted a week earlier, along with her older sister Usa, as distant relatives into this duke’s mansion known as “Golden Roof.” Not long after, she had caught a fever from getting soaked while playing at the beach, and she hadn’t really exchanged many words with the people at Golden Roof—the problem was that she didn’t even recognize Usa, her own sister with whom she’d been relying on each other for survival. 　　That afternoon, the group gathered once more in Saengkea’s room. While the doctor examined her, Usa sat at the edge of the bed, clutching the hand of the little girl whose face was etched with terror—even despair. Lady Montha, along with her grandson and the current young master of Golden Roof, Adit Sirodom, stood a short distance away. “Poor, unfortunate girl…” the old lady said grimly, tapping the armrest of her wheelchair. “ She’s fallen ill the moment she arrived at Golden Roof… Perhaps she’s possessed by a spirit. We never should have taken them in.” Her voice was loud enough for Usa to flinch. She glanced at them in panic, then looked anxiously at the doctor, praying her sister would be all right. Adit looked at the two sisters, their faces filled with terror and pity. He patted the old lady’s shoulder soothingly and said calmly, “ “Grandmother, now that we’ve taken them in, sending them back would invite gossip. Let’s perform some merit-making rituals for the girls at the temple. I’ll make the arrangements.” He paid no heed to the old lady’s grumbling and complaints, instead stepping forward to ask the doctor, “Doctor, what’s wrong with Saengkea? Will she recover?” 　　The doctor had also heard the old lady’s words. He sighed inwardly, shook his head, and said, “Khun Saengkea may have suffered brain damage from the high fever. Neither your residence nor my clinic has the equipment to examine her brain. It would be best to send Khun Saengkea to a hospital in Bangkok to see a neurosurgeon.” 　　Upon hearing the doctor’s words, Usa could not hold back her tears. She raised her hands to her forehead, pressed her palms together in a prayerful gesture, and said, “ “Please, Khun Adit, take my sister Saengkea to Bangkok… I beg you… please.” Although Ge Si-han couldn’t understand the words, she realized they seemed to be asking that handsome young man for a favor—something that concerned her. The little girl beside her—the one who cared for her most, or perhaps the only one who did—was pleading with him because of this. 　　A mix of despair, anxiety, helplessness, and shame swirled in Ge Si-han’s heart, a complex blend of emotions. She held the little girl tightly and, unable to hold back any longer, burst into tears. 　　The room was instantly filled with a gloomy, somber atmosphere. Adit returned the gesture with his hands pressed together and said calmly, “Since you are already my sisters, as family, there is no reason to abandon a sister. Rest assured, I will take Saengkea to the hospital first thing tomorrow.” 　　His demeanor could be described as cool, but the certainty in his words brought relief to Usa and the doctor, for they could strongly sense that Adit was the kind of person who meant what he said and followed through on his promises. 　　Usa collapsed, wrapping her arms around her sister’s still-warm body as they wept together. Ge Si-han could sense the atmosphere in the room shifting again, because of what that young man had said… What exactly had he said? She wasn’t sure, but it seemed to be good news for her.