Rebirth: Enchantment at the Golden Summit

Chapter 11: A Closer Look

　　Ge Si-han looked dazed as she viewed everyone here from a completely new perspective.

Adit, the head of the Sirodom family, bore a striking resemblance to the late duke. He was in love with Virongrong, a commoner girl who looked exactly like his grandmother’s younger sister and shared the same name—a name with the same meaning. Virongrong’s former boyfriend in England happened to be the husband of his niece, Pintong.

　　Lady Montha, Duchess of Sanaruksgaironrong, fell in love with the Duke. Even though she knew her own younger sister, Phubpleung, was in love with him, she used her elders’ authority to force a marriage contract with the Duke. Driven by jealousy, she starved her sister to death in the attic of the Golden Roof.

　　Usa, the adopted daughter of the Golden Roof, fell in love with Pansoon, the son of the Duke’s treasurer who was born and raised at the Golden Roof. Though Adit initially tried to break them apart, she eventually received his permission and blessing.

　　As for Saengkea, the original owner of the body she now inhabits, she sought to become Adit’s wife and the mistress of the Golden Roof for money and power. Driven by jealousy, she hired a hitman to kill Virongrong and actually caused Virongrong to be injured. Although Adit, who valued family honor, covered up the incident and the victim forgave her, she could not bear the news of Adit and Virongrong’s impending marriage and drowned herself in the sea.

As for Ge Si-han herself, an ordinary freshman college student, the only thing that set her apart from other female students was that she drowned while out boating with friends on the weekend…

　　Ge Sihan’s breathing quickened; her chest felt tight, her head spun, her hands and feet grew cold, and her whole body trembled. For the first time, the sensation of death crept into her mind.

　　She thought she had forgotten… but she had been drowned alive!

　　Does anyone know how agonizing drowning is?

　　When submerged, water filled her airways and alveoli, preventing her from breathing and causing suffocation… Underwater, her limbs grew cold, her throat spasmed reflexively, followed by oxygen deprivation, convulsions, and cardiac arrhythmia…

　　She slid downward uncontrollably. Usa, who was holding her hand, quickly noticed something was wrong. He clutched her slipping body tightly and cried out in alarm, “Saengkea? Saengkea, what’s wrong with you?”

Adit’s expression darkened. Rising amid the old lady’s insults of “putting on a show… disgusting tricks,” he took Ge Si-han from Usa’s arms.

　　He knelt on the ground, half-holding Ge Si-han, who had already fainted in his arms.

　　Physical reactions cannot be faked. He gently patted Ge Si-han’s cheek and called out, “Saengkea? Saengkea? Saengkea, can you hear me?”

　　There was no response. He scooped Ge Si-han into his arms and said to the old lady, “Grandma, I need to tend to Saengkea first. I’ll come see you later…” With that, he hurried off toward her room, carrying her, and ordered, “Usa, fetch some water for your sister to wash her face… and prepare a cup of warm water for her.”

　　Usa quickly agreed and ran downstairs.

Ge Si-han’s frail body was unexpectedly heavy, but Adit still carried her effortlessly into her room and laid her on the bed.

　　The girls’ school uniform consisted of a short-sleeved blouse and a skirt that fell below the knees. Ge Si-han’s pale, slender calves were now exposed as she lay limp on the bed—a sight that was truly unsightly. Adit picked up a thin silk blanket and draped it over her legs.

He leaned down and touched Ge Si-han’s forehead, feeling a cold sweat on his hand.

　　He sat up and shook his head, his expression stern.

He didn’t want to say it, but this shake of the head was for the old lady’s sake.

“How pitiful,” he thought.

He had thought that after today, he would no longer feel pity for her, because clearly, this little girl had grown up smoothly after her trials and tribulations, and had grown up well… Beautiful, well-mannered, and well-behaved, yet sometimes surprisingly bold—able to take his teasing and even catch him off guard with a blunt retort… Adit pressed his hand to his forehead, sitting on the edge of the bed as he studied Ge Sihan’s face, observing her current state.

　　Soon, hurried footsteps echoed through the room. Usa entered carrying a basin of water, the towel inside swaying with the ripples.

　　Bua followed closely behind her, holding a cup of warm water.

Adit stood up to make room: “Wipe your sister’s face.”

Usa wrung out the towel and wiped the sweat from Ge Si-han’s face. When she unbuttoned the first and second buttons of her short-sleeved shirt, Adit turned away.

　　Usa wiped Ge Si-han’s neck, but she quickly sensed something was wrong. Her voice trembled as she said, “Khun… Khun Lop, Saengkea—she, she has a fever!”

Adit spun around instantly.

When Ge Si-han woke up, she felt heavy and dizzy.

　　The room she’d lived in for five years felt unfamiliar; if it weren’t for Usa sleeping by the bedside, she might have thought she’d traveled back in time again.

“Usa… Usa… Cough, cough…” Ge Si-han’s throat was dry and hoarse; she coughed once before her voice returned to normal.

Usa was a light sleeper and was quickly startled awake by her voice. She exclaimed in delight, “Saengkea, you’re awake?”

　　“What happened to me?”

　　Usa said worriedly, “You fainted… and then you had a fever. Khun Lop already had a doctor come see you, and the doctor prescribed some fever-reducing medicine.” She stood up, grabbed the thermometer from the bedside table, and shook it. “Here, let’s take your temperature.”

　　Ge Si-han obediently accepted it. Only then did she realize her clothes had been changed into pajamas. “Who helped me change?”

“Me and Bua.”

Ge Si-han smiled faintly. “Then I’ll have to thank her tomorrow… Pi Usa is my older sister, so I don’t need to thank her, right?”

Usa’s heart was filled with worry, but her words left her both amused and exasperated. “You really are something…”

　　“What exactly? Too optimistic?”

　　Usa fell silent.

　　“You can’t bite the hand that feeds you. That’s just how it is,” Ge Sihan murmured.

　　Usa felt uneasy, but she didn’t speak up to object, because she knew Ge Sihan was telling the truth.

　　Since they were living under someone else’s roof and had received so much kindness, they couldn’t even utter a single complaint.

　　Ge Si-han looked at the beautiful light green mosquito net hanging over the bed and suddenly asked, “Usa, have you ever thought about going to college?”

　　Usa was completely taken aback by the abrupt question and looked at Ge Si-han in surprise. “Saengkea? Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?”

　　“Have you?”

　　Usa didn’t understand what she meant, but out of affection for her younger sister, she replied, “High school is already a high level of education… I haven’t thought about continuing my studies.”

　　“I knew it,” Ge Si-han muttered softly. “I knew it the moment I saw you didn’t have the slightest interest in looking up information about universities… “But I suddenly think being a teacher is pretty good—respectable and secure… Teacher Tasapong is a great example… isn’t he? He can support himself and his family.”

　　When Usa heard Ge Si-han’s last sentence, she froze.

　　She had understood her sister’s meaning.

　　Ge Si-han let out a long sigh and said calmly, “Pi Usa, let’s go to college and then find a job, okay? “I know Golden Peak has been kind to us, and we need to repay that debt. But I also hope that one day, when Golden Peak no longer needs us, we can leave on our own terms… because we’ll have the ability to support ourselves.”

The room fell silent. Adit leaned against the wall next to the door, arms crossed over her chest.

After a long while, Ge Sihan heard her sister’s voice:

“…Okay.”