Chapter 2: Flawless
1868 Words
These people didn’t stay in the room for long; it seemed they had reached some sort of agreement, and they left quickly.
The beautiful girl, who looked to be about twelve or thirteen, stayed behind until last. She held Ge Sihan’s hand, whispered a few comforting words, and then left as well.
The room was completely empty, eerily quiet. Though she knew it was probably nothing to worry about, Ge Sihan couldn’t help but wonder: Would those people abandon her? Because she was completely worthless?
Before becoming this little girl, Ge Sihan had been a college student in the 21st century. She had, of course, read all sorts of novels and watched TV shows about time travel and reincarnation, but she never imagined she would actually find herself transported to another time!
The situation was so urgent that she wanted to faint again, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t just pass out like that. She had to answer their questions, but she had absolutely no memory of this body and couldn’t understand a word they were saying. She was also afraid that if she spoke Chinese and they understood her, she wouldn’t be able to explain herself.
She had no choice but to pretend she had amnesia.
After all, what else could she do besides feigning amnesia?
Taking advantage of a moment when everyone had left the room, Ge Sihan took several deep breaths, barely managing to control her emotions on the verge of collapse. She stopped dwelling on it and, despite her frail condition, quickly surveyed the spacious room.
The room’s decor and furniture were opulent, though their style didn’t look modern—it was rather “old-fashioned.” But there were lights in the room, and they could be turned on.
There was also a fairly spacious bathroom; though the fixtures were old-fashioned, they were clean and in good condition.
If she were still on Earth, she suspected she had traveled back to the last century. The question was, where exactly was she?
Could she ever go home?
The very thought caused a sharp pain to shoot through Ge Sihan’s head, and her breathing quickened.
She pushed the thought aside, finished her inspection of the room, and lay back down on the bed, feeling dazed.
Dinner was brought to her room by that beautiful girl of about twelve or thirteen.
She carried a tray with several plates on it, containing fish, rice, chicken, and fruit, along with a glass of water, and placed the food on the bedside table.
Ge Sihan pretended to be someone who didn’t even know how to eat; under the girl’s guidance, she finally “learned” that these things were food and how to use cutlery to eat.
Although the food was very light, it tasted delicious—much like Thai cuisine.
Ge Sihan wasn’t sure if the cook had made the food lighter on purpose because she was a patient, or if it was because she had a fever and couldn’t really taste anything.
Thai food… something from the last century… Had she somehow traveled back to Thailand in the last century?
Whether due to physical or psychological reasons, Ge Sihan could only manage a few bites before losing her appetite. She set down her knife and spoon and pushed the plate away.
The young girl didn’t try to persuade her further. Instead, she took out some medicine, counted the pills, demonstrated how to take them, handed them to Ge Sihan, and said in a language Ge Sihan couldn’t understand, “Saengkea, take your medicine. Rest after you take it, and you’ll get better soon.”
Although Ge Si-han didn’t understand the words, she understood the gesture. Unsure how someone with amnesia should respond, she hesitantly took the pills and put them in her mouth.
The girl quickly picked up a glass of water and handed it to her. Ge Si-han took the glass, sipped the water, and swallowed the pills.
The girl let out a sigh of relief, then pointed at herself and said, “Usa.” She pointed at Ge Si-han next: “Saengkea.” ”
Were those their names…? Ge Si-han parroted the words, pointing at the girl: “Usa.” Then she pointed at herself: “Saengkea.”
Usa let out a sigh of relief, her eyes brimming with tears as she smiled with relief. Pointing at herself, she said, “Usa Sirodom.”
Ge Si-han understood: Usa was the girl’s first name, and Sirodom was her last name. Though she didn’t know how to spell it, she committed the name to memory: “Usa Sirodom.”
She hoped this girl—the only one who cared about her—would be happy, and that she might see “hope”… the hope that “Saengkea,” whom she cared about, would recover.
So, without waiting for Usa to do anything, she pointed at herself again and asked, “Saengkea Sirodom?”
Tears immediately welled up in Usa’s eyes. Ge Si-han reached out with her still-trembling hand to gently wipe away her tears and embraced her.
“Thank you,” Ge Si-han said to Usa in her heart.
She felt like crying again.
The two girls cried as they hugged and comforted each other, quickly regaining their composure.
Ge Si-han was 18 after all—she was practically an adult. Things had come to this point; she had to be strong to protect herself, and she didn’t want to worry the only girl who cared about her anymore.
As for Usa, her younger sister couldn’t remember anything now. If she remained vulnerable, what hope was there? She had to protect her younger sister, with whom she was now completely dependent on one another, within this household.
Usa held Saengkea’s hand and pointed to the furniture in the room, teaching her how to pronounce each piece one by one. Ge Si-han channeled the determination she’d used for the college entrance exams, enduring her headache as she memorized everything by rote. There was no pattern to it, but she still managed to force herself to commit it all to memory.
As Ge Si-han memorized more and more words, Usa’s mood improved. It wasn’t until she noticed Ge Si-han’s face growing increasingly pale that she realized she had been pushing too hard.
But there was no denying that Ge Si-han’s performance had given her a shot in the arm.
Usa took out some clothes from the rosewood cabinet in the room, led Ge Si-han to the bathroom, and taught her how to use them.
Ge Si-han already knew how to use some of them, but others were still a mystery to her. After learning from Usa, Usa waited in the room while she finished her hygiene routine in the bathroom, then helped her into bed to rest.
“Good night, Saengkea. Get some rest. You’ll get better,” Usa said.
Ge Si-han guessed that the first word Usa had said must mean “good night,” since it was short and didn’t sound like anything else. So she parroted Usa’s words back at him: “Good night, Usa.”
Usa’s eyes widened slightly, and he smiled with surprise and delight.
Usa cleared the tableware and carried it out of the room. Before she could reach the kitchen in the back, she ran into Ging, who was waiting for her around the corner.
Ging was a servant at Golden Roof. She said cautiously, “ “Khun Usa, Khun Lop instructed me to have you come to his study after you leave Khun Saengkea’s room.”
Lop was the nickname of Adit Sirodom, the current master of the Golden Roof; his close elders always called him that. The household staff, out of respect, courtesy, and awe, addressed him as Khun Lop.
This was also why Usa had addressed him as Khun Adit—a more formal title—when she had pleaded with him to send Saengkea to Bangkok that afternoon.
……Or perhaps it was because she didn’t feel she currently had the standing or was close enough to him to use Khun Adit’s nickname.
The smile on Usa’s lips froze. It took her a moment to react; she handed the tray to Ging: “Thank you. I’ll go right away.”
Golden Roof—this marquis’s mansion covered a vast expanse, resplendent and opulent to the extreme, with even its corridors deep and wide. Yet this lavish palace brought Usa nothing but a sense of oppression and dread.
She walked quietly down the corridor, taking quite a while to reach the door of Adit’s study, where she knocked.
A muffled voice came from inside: “Come in.”
Usa pushed open the heavy door. Adit was seated behind his desk, sorting through some documents. Upon seeing her, he merely gestured with his chin toward the chair in front of the desk: “Sit. You don’t need to close the door.”
This was Usa’s first time entering Adit’s study, but she had neither the energy nor the inclination to look around. Instead, she stepped inside cautiously and sat down at the desk: “Khun Lop, did you need me?”
Adit asked without looking up from his papers, “How is Saengkea?”
Usa answered cautiously, “Saengkea has taken her medicine and is resting. I taught her our names and the names of some furniture; she’s picking it up quickly… I think with treatment, she should recover soon.”
Adit looked up from his papers and said coldly, “So Saengkea has forgotten even her own name and the names of the furniture, is that right? She really is quite ill.”
Usa realized she had said the wrong thing, and her heart sank.
Adit set down the papers, leaned back in his chair, and said indifferently, “It’s fine. I’ll take her to Bangkok for treatment. Being sick isn’t a big deal, but you must never mention her true condition to anyone. Since she can’t even speak and doesn’t recognize anything, people will easily spread rumors that Saengkea has a mental problem. That would be very bad for your future.”
Usa hesitated slightly: “...Yes.”
Adit instructed, “See what the doctor says. We must be on the same page. Even if she doesn’t recover and has to start over from scratch, don’t worry. I’ll hire a private tutor for her so she can get back to a presentable state as soon as possible. If it comes to that, Saengkea will be studying at home because she’s weak from her illness, not because her brain has been fried. Do you understand?”
Adit’s words left Usa with mixed feelings, but this was indeed the best arrangement. Usa bowed slightly, pressed her palms together in a wai, and said gratefully, “ “Khun Lop, thank you.”
“All right, you may leave now. Close the door behind you. Don’t worry—the reputation of the Golden Roof will remain spotless.” With that, Adit returned to poring over his documents.
Usa quietly closed the door and left the study. It wasn’t until she stepped out that she realized her back was completely soaked with cold sweat.
- Writer
