Not gone, not forgotten, steadfast and eternal... Not parted, not abandoned, everlasting...

    This poem echoed constantly in Lalita's mind. Each word gnawed at her, making it hard to breathe, like a thick fog obscuring forgotten memories. Feeling restless, Lalita searched for information about the name on the jade. After immersing herself in research all night, she concluded that Li Xuanyue was a warrior Wang who ruled the Li Region. He trained his soldiers to become formidable and expanded his territory aggressively, leaving a legacy of uniting hundreds of states into just seven major ones. He eventually died of old age at seventy-seven.

    Li Xuanyue seemed to be quite popular with women, as records indicated he had thousands of concubines and eleven sons. What’s remarkable was that all eleven children were from the same mother. Lalita imagined the ruler commanding battles and leading armies on horseback, with his beloved woman by his side.

    "Li Lin"

    Normally, historical records only mention the surname of women. Li Lin was the only woman from the state of Chu recognized by that Wang. Since then, no other woman's name from that era appeared in history. It was clearly recorded that Li Wang seldom stayed away from her, even taking her to battles, showing his great love and respect for her. The Qilin jade must have been one of the gifts Li Wang gave to Li Lin with deep affection. But why did this jade end up in her family's possession?

    ---

    The next early morning...

    Lalita hadn’t slept all night but didn’t feel tired due to her excitement about the history of the brave Wang. She looked around to make sure the coast was clear before hurrying to brush her teeth in the bathroom. Just then, her three brothers barged in, squeezing in to shave. They smelled of sweat from exercising and, as usual, started bickering.

    “Close your eyes, I’m taking off my underwear.”

    “Let me leave first, you idiot.”

    “Yok, wear this. I bought it for you. It’s got sweet lace.” Lawit held up a light pink lace dress, boasting about its comfortable fabric, matching pearl earrings, and high heels adorned with rose beadwork. Lalita immediately shook her head.

    “No, Brother Vit. That dress is hideous.”

    “You never dress sweetly for us. You’d look cute in a skirt. Just a breeze blowing the hem around your legs, and men would fall for you instantly. But you keep dressing like a tomboy. How will you ever find a boyfriend? It’s okay, though. If you can’t find a man better than us, we’ll take care of you forever.”

    The three energetic brothers flexed their muscles for her. Lalita had become so used to seeing her brothers' muscles that when she encountered handsome men, she felt indifferent—no excitement, no embarrassment, no blushing. This led people to think she was cold and unapproachable, making them too scared to flirt with her.

    “Come here, let me do your hair. Today, I’ll braid it for you, so it won’t get in the way at work.”

    “Brother Latthi, I’m not a kid anymore,” Lawit continued to pester her to wear pretty clothes. As she walked away, she bumped into Lapat, her second brother, holding up a tight red dress for her to choose.

    “You want to wear the sexy dress I picked, right? Just put on a lab coat over it. Wow, it would look amazing.”

    “Lace dress is better.”

    “Hair first.”

    Ten minutes later, Lalita walked down to the dining table, sulking. She looked perfectly beautiful in a lace dress with a braided headband and her long, flowing hair. Police General Lersak, sipping his coffee, frowned at her. “Wearing a skirt that shows your knees is inappropriate. Why not wear proper pants?”

    Tomorrow, she would leave the house at 4 a.m.!

    “The meteorological department predicts rain today. Take an umbrella.”

    “But...”

    Her father stuffed an umbrella into her backpack without another word. Lately, he was watching her every move, making her ride with him or have one of her brothers drive her. No one mentioned the Qilin jade again. Lalita feared her father might confiscate her grandmother’s jade, so she kept it in her purse.

    “You opened my safe yesterday. What did you take? Return it.”

    “Uh… I missed Grandma, so I took something to remember her by. I’ll return it this evening,” Lalita had anticipated that her father would know. When she arrived at work, she quickly exited her father’s car. But upon reaching her desk, she encountered a surprise.

    “What…? How did this get here?”

    The Qilin jade was under a file, shimmering more brightly than she remembered. Every important piece of evidence had to be recorded and securely stored. Who was careless enough to leave it here? Lalita frowned, put on thin rubber gloves, and compared the jade to her grandmother’s.

    They fit together perfectly. Lalita took a photo for evidence.

    …Her father would have to answer for this.

    A flash of light appeared outside the office building. Her assistant, Kae, mentioned that there was suddenly a thunderstorm outside, even though it was winter. Lalita quickly separated the evidence jade from her grandmother’s, placed it in a clear plastic evidence bag, sealed it, and handed it to the forensic officer about to leave.

    “I’ve been looking for this. I thought I’d lost the evidence.” The forensic officer thanked her profusely, his pale face regaining some color. He explained that he had stored the evidence bag with other items in a document box all day yesterday, but when he went to log them, the jade was missing. He even thought he had accidentally dropped it.

    “Maybe it fell, and someone returned it to my desk. Thank you for helping today.”

    “Thank you, Dr. Yok. If not for you, I’d be in big trouble. My boss would’ve killed me.” He took the evidence bag from her, put it in a box, and got into the police car. Lalita bought a coffee and went back to work.

    The Qilin jade was back on her desk again!

    Who was playing this prank?

    Not gone, not forgotten, steadfast and eternal... Not parted, not abandoned, everlasting...

    “Sister Kae, Sister Kae,” Lalita called out as she stepped backward and bumped into a man’s chest. The coffee cup slipped from her hand. Startled, she reached to catch it but saw the cup suspended in mid-air, with even the ice and coffee droplets frozen in place. Lalita turned to look at the man and saw a long scar on his right cheek. He was the missing adopted son of the deceased.

    “Don’t waste any more time, my lady. I’ve come to fulfill my sworn duty.”

    His lips didn’t move, but the words echoed in Lalita’s mind. As she blinked and was about to ask a question, her body vanished. Simultaneously, the Qilin jade floated up and merged with its counterpart as it had thousands of years ago, then shattered. This happened just as Kae peered into the office.

    “Did you call me, Dr. Yok…?” Kae looked around the empty room, spotting the coffee cup spilled on the floor as if dropped by an invisible hand. “Huh? I just heard Dr. Yok. Where did she go?”

    Kae walked out confusedly and then back in several times. The spilled coffee cup on the floor made her uneasy.

    “I swear I heard her.”

    “Was it your imagination?”

    “No way. I heard Dr. Yok call me, and the coffee cup is still rolling on the floor. Someone, please radio the security room downstairs and check if Dr. Yok has returned.”

    “Dr. Yok just walked into the office, right here.” The security officer radioed back. The CCTV footage clearly showed Lalita entering her small, windowless office with the coffee cup. She had to pass by three officers to get there. Since she entered the room, Kae followed just a few seconds later. “She’s definitely in there. Maybe she’s playing hide and seek.”

    Kae’s face turned pale.

    “No one’s there.”