Chapter 9: A Glimpse into a Past Life

Returning to the present.

"When La-Orduen’s spirit held Khun Aey underwater in the bathtub, she called you a traitor, didn’t she?"

Nicha asked, repeating her question after hearing the entire story recounted by Treephat and Rinlada. The three of them sat in a riverside pavilion behind Rinlada’s shop in Ayutthaya.

"Yes, she said I was a traitor," Rinlada confirmed.

"La-Orduen insulted me in my dreams too," Treephat added. "She called me a backstabber."

Nicha’s face grew thoughtful before she spoke again.

"So, can we summarize it like this? Lin... if you and Khun Aey are somehow connected in your past lives, then you must have been Phiengwad. Khun Aey was La-Orchan, and La-Orduen was Khun Aey’s twin sister from that life who’s now haunting both of you. The problem is, no one knows what you did to La-Orduen in your past lives, or how to set her spirit free. Is that right?"

"Yes," Treephat and Rinlada answered in unison.

Nicha snapped her fingers. "... Let me guess. Maybe you and Khun Aey made some kind of promise to her back then but ended up betraying her. That’s why she’s holding such a grudge."

Nicha speculated, trying to piece together the mystery of their past lives while Treephat and Rinlada exchanged tense looks. Then, out of nowhere, Nicha slapped her knee dramatically.

"This is gold! I’m buying the rights to this story right now. I have a friend who’s a producer for dramas and series. Where should I pitch this? Who’s got the best actresses? And who’s making high-quality GL series? I’m going to be rich! Rolling in stacks of cash, posing with sports cars, and dining at Michelin-starred restaurants every day!"

Nicha exclaimed, laughing heartily at her own joke.

“This isn’t funny, Nicha,”

Treephat said, letting out a long sigh, her expression serious. Seeing this, Nicha’s face fell, her usual cheer fading. Rinlada, noticing Treephat’s unusually tense demeanor, gently took her hand and gave it a light squeeze, as if offering silent support.

“Alright, alright, no more jokes. I get it, this is serious,”

Nicha replied softly, backing off. She glanced at the two ancient gold rings before them, pointing at them hesitantly.

“So, what are we going to do about these haunted gold rings?” she asked tentatively.

“Hold on. These rings are heirlooms passed down through Khun Aey’s family. How could they possibly be haunted like you’re saying? Honestly, Nicha, I’m offended on Khun Aey’s behalf,” Treephat said, her tone laced with irritation.

“Oh, come on, Khun Treephat, my dear friend! Didn’t you tell me that you saw visions of your past life the first time you came across these two ancient gold rings?”

Nicha argued, reminding Treephat of the reasoning behind her suspicion that the rings were connected to everything.

“But I don’t think these rings are haunted,” Rinlada interjected. “I’ve been around these rings since I was a child. They’re part of my family’s inheritance. If La-Orduen’s spirit were truly tied to these rings, I would have felt something by now.”

“I agree with Khun Aey’s perspective,” Treephat said, turning to meet Rinlada’s eyes. “When I first saw these two ancient rings, I actually felt happy to see them...”

Nicha narrowed her eyes, deep in thought. She was still convinced that the two rings were somehow connected to La-Orduen’s spirit. Suddenly, her eyes lit up as an idea struck her. She quickly turned to her friends.

“Hey! Didn’t you say that when you and Khun Aey went to make merit and offer alms, one of the monks at the temple said something strange to you?” Nicha asked excitedly.

“Yes,” Treephat nodded, recalling the monk’s cryptic words that had lingered in her mind.

“Then why don’t we take these two rings to that monk and ask him for help? I think he might know something. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have said anything odd like that,” Nicha suggested.

Treephat and Rinlada exchanged glances, as if waiting for the other to decide. Perhaps this was the only way to get clear answers about everything that had happened.

…

At a serene monk’s residence in an ancient temple in Ayutthaya, Treephat, Rinlada, and Nicha sat with their hands pressed together in respect before an elderly monk. The three of them recounted their dreams and the strange events they had experienced.

When they finished their story, Rinlada handed the two ancient gold rings to the monk for his consideration. The elderly monk gazed at the rings, his expression calm and unreadable.

Minutes passed before he finally spoke.

“The past life is the past life. It has already passed. It would be better for you to let it go. Don’t dwell on uncovering what happened,” he said softly.

Treephat frowned. “But if we don’t uncover the truth about what happened back then, we’ll never know what we might have done to La-Orduen. Perhaps her spirit isn’t at peace, or she could be suffering right now.”

The monk closed his eyes, appearing to ponder her words. When he opened them again, his voice remained steady and composed.

“A person’s life unfolds according to their karma—the actions they take. Whatever she has done, she will receive in kind,” he said.

Treephat and Rinlada exchanged confused glances, the monk’s words leaving them with more questions than answers. Yet, the monk offered no further explanation, his gaze drifting quietly out the window.

.

.

Under the shadow of a sprawling tree, the spirit of La-Orduen appeared in a horrifying form. Her burnt skin was grotesque, her wrists and ankles bound by endless chains. She stood silently in the darkness, glaring at Treephat and the elderly monk in the monk’s residence with fiery, blood-red eyes full of seething anger.

The elderly monk shifted his gaze back to the three people before him. His face remained calm, yet his eyes conveyed profound pity and compassion. He understood well that the karmic bonds tying the spirit outside and the people inside were tightly intertwined.

Deep down, he wished for the tormented spirit to find release from her endless suffering. With a voice laden with cryptic wisdom, he spoke to the three.

“What binds her spirit is not an object but the karmic chains and vengeful oath that keep her from breaking free.”

“How can we help her?” Rinlada asked, her voice trembling.

The monk closed his eyes once more before delivering his final words.

“There is only one path. Acceptance and forgiveness—these are the two keys that will release her spirit from its suffering.”

…

That night, Treephat collapsed onto her soft bed, utterly exhausted. Though her body craved rest, her mind remained restless, plagued by a whirlwind of thoughts. The monk’s words echoed in her head, urging her to let go of the past life. But deep down, Treephat knew she couldn’t do that.

The bond she felt with La-Orduen’s spirit weighed heavily on her heart, as if an invisible thread tethered them together. The recurring dreams that had haunted her for years and the visions of the tormented spirit all reinforced the idea that there was something unresolved.

Meanwhile, Rinlada sat in her home’s prayer room, hands folded in reverence before the Buddha statue. She recited prayers with great focus, but no matter how hard she tried, her mind refused to find peace. Thoughts of La-Orduen’s spirit and the mysteries of their past lives consumed her.

Eventually, Rinlada’s restlessness made it impossible for her to continue praying. Instead, she directed her thoughts toward La-Orduen, the twin sister from her past life, and softly whispered an apology.

“If I ever wronged you in our past life, I’m truly sorry, La-Orduen,” Rinlada murmured, her voice barely audible but filled with sincerity.

Suddenly, a thought struck her. That day in the bathroom, La-Orduen had been able to harm her because she wasn’t wearing the protective amulet necklace her grandmother had given her. What if she removed it again? Could she communicate with La-Orduen? Perhaps it was time to confront the spirit and settle things once and for all.

With that decision, Rinlada immediately removed the amulet necklace from around her neck.

.

.

“La-Orduen, let’s talk. I want to know what Khun Lin and I did to you that made you so vengeful toward us,” Rinlada said firmly, her voice resolute.

Suddenly, an icy gust of wind swept through the room from nowhere, and the flames of the lamps flickered as if in response to her call.

The spirit of La-Orduen stood silently in the corner of the room, watching Rinlada. Her eyes burned with hatred and contempt, fixed on the woman before her. Even though Rinlada, the reincarnation of her twin sister, retained no memory of their past life, La-Orduen’s fury was undiminished.

“You dare to utter an apology when you can’t even recall the sins you committed against me?” La-Orduen’s voice was filled with venom. “You’ve always been so thoughtless, La-Orchan!”

In an instant, La-Orduen’s spirit surged forward, closing the distance between them. She materialized directly in front of Rinlada, her burnt and charred face mere inches away. Her hands clamped tightly around Rinlada’s face, her eyes blazing with vengeful fire.

“Look at what you and P’Phiengwad did to me, you traitorous sister!”

Her furious scream reverberated through the room, shaking the very air with its intensity.

.

.

Suddenly, Rinlada felt as if she was being pulled into a dark void before the scenes of her past life became vividly clear.

.

.

“La-Orduen...”

“Yes?”

“La-Orchan didn’t come to make merit again today, did she?”

“No, P'Phiengwad,” La-Orduen replied with her usual gentle smile.

At the same temple, Phiengwad continued her routine of making merit every holy day. Yet, her radiant beauty had dimmed with sadness. Ever since the day she and La-Orchan shared their first kiss, La-Orchan seemed to have vanished from her life, deliberately avoiding any chance of meeting. This left Phiengwad’s thoughts spiraling with endless questions.

Each time Phiengwad came to the temple, she only encountered La-Orduen, the elder twin. Whenever she asked about La-Orchan, La-Orduen’s replies were always brief, as if she wished to avoid the topic. In stark contrast, La-Orduen appeared increasingly happy each time she met Phiengwad, especially in La-Orchan’s absence.

Today was no different. Phiengwad had come to the temple, hoping to see La-Orchan, the woman she loved. But once again, she found only La-Orduen, the elder twin.

La-Orduen smiled warmly, inviting Phiengwad to take a stroll through the floating market. However, before Phiengwad could reply, her gaze shifted to a sight that felt like a nightmare.

Phiengwad saw La-Orchan walking alongside a strikingly handsome man—Sir Ramdecha, a renowned nobleman of the capital. She froze in place, her chest tightening as though it were being crushed. A wave of pain coursed through her body, and the image of La-Orchan smiling at another man cut into her heart like a sharp blade.

Clenching her teeth, Phiengwad decided to approach them swiftly.

“La-Orchan,” Phiengwad called out before turning her attention to the man beside her. “Sir Ramdecha.”

She deliberately addressed him with a voice and a smile dripping with sweetness, as if to charm the man and gauge his relationship with La-Orchan. However, Sir Ramdecha responded with nothing more than a polite smile. La-Orchan, on the other hand, reacted more noticeably, her face betraying shock at the sight of Phiengwad standing before her.

Noticing the tension, La-Orduen quickly stepped between the three, offering a courteous smile to Sir Ramdecha. She knew all too well what the man felt toward her twin sister.

Sir Ramdecha had fallen in love with La-Orchan, the younger twin of La-Orduen, from the very first moment he laid eyes on her. It happened when he accompanied his father on a business visit to her family’s residence.

Since then, he had persistently pursued La-Orchan, yet she never entertained his advances. La-Orduen had never once seen her sister accept Sir Ramdecha’s invitations, no matter how many times he asked.

“Sir Ramdecha and La-Orchan are strolling through the floating market together, are they? No wonder La-Orchan hasn’t spent any time with me lately. It seems Sir Ramdecha has been keeping her company,”

La-Orduen teased lightly, though her words were deliberately aimed at wounding Phiengwad. She noticed the jealousy in Phiengwad’s gaze as she stared at La-Orchan, a jealousy she could not hide.

“It seems La-Orchan is quite happy. No wonder you’ve stopped coming to the temple to pay respects with me. With such a handsome man by your side, who needs the Buddha?”

Phiengwad quipped with a sweet smile, though her eyes betrayed her hurt feelings.

“P'Phiengwad, I only...” La-Orchan began, trying to explain, but her words were cut off as Phiengwad interrupted her.

“Excuse me, I’ll take my leave. I think I’ll explore the other side of the market,” Phiengwad said briskly.

Before La-Orchan could finish her sentence, Phiengwad turned on her heel and walked away quickly, disappearing into the crowd. La-Orchan could only watch her retreating figure fade into the throng of people. Though her heart ached to run after her and explain the truth, her sister’s gaze stopped her. The vow she had made before the sacred Buddha resurfaced in her mind like a sharp reminder. She turned to Sir Ramdecha, speaking briefly to deter him from following her further.

“Since we’ve run into each other here, let us part ways for now, Sir Ramdecha,” she said politely.

…

Phiengwad stormed off until she reached a large tree. She stopped and sat down, leaning against its sturdy trunk. She tried to calm the tempest of emotions raging inside her. The jealousy that had flared up caused her to act poorly toward La-Orchan and Sir Ramdecha. Now, alone with her thoughts, guilt began to gnaw at her. Phiengwad despised herself for behaving in such a way.

Suddenly, La-Orduen appeared, having followed her. She approached with a gentle smile and asked in a soft voice, fully aware that Phiengwad was jealous of her younger twin sister.

“P'Phiengwad, is something troubling you? You seem quite upset,” La-Orduen said tenderly, though her eyes were watchful. Hearing this, Phiengwad quickly masked her emotions, forcing a smile as she replied.

“It’s nothing. The heat today is quite intense, and it’s made me a little irritable.”

La-Orduen offered a faint smile, as if she had seen through the pretense. She teased lightly, “Is it the heat, or could it be the signs of jealousy, perhaps?”

Phiengwad froze for a moment but quickly regained her composure. She let out a soft laugh, pretending to brush off the truth hidden in her heart. She feared La-Orduen might discover her feelings for La-Orchan—feelings for another woman

…