After being brought into the palace and having my blindfold removed, I was taken inside by people who unlocked my handcuffs. Once inside, I was brought to a room where two people guarded me.
"Sit," they ordered me, and I obediently complied, looking around at the palace - the first time I had entered it. I thought about how in the present day, this is likely what the palace looked like. After a while, someone came out of another room and said:
"Let him enter." When he finished speaking and nodded, the guards made me stand up and brought me into the room, where I saw men dressed like high-ranking nobles, as I had seen on TV. To my shock, the man at the head of the table was the King, His Majesty the Great King. Oh no, I was being granted an audience with the King! After that, they left, and everyone in the room stared at me, making me feel uneasy, until one of them asked:
"So you're the one who proposed solutions for the current economic downturn?" he asked in a stern, loud voice.
"Yes, sir," I replied, my voice shaking slightly because I was unsure what they would do to me.
"What is your name?" the same man asked again.
"I cannot tell you my name, but you may call me Atee," I said. When I responded, they looked at each other before questioning me again.
"And why did you propose this plan to address the economic downturn in the newspaper?"
"Because I want to propose solutions to help the country as someone from the future," I stated.
"Ha!!!"
Upon hearing that, we were all shocked and in disbelief, for it seemed impossible for there to be someone from the future. But if he was telling the truth, it was an unbelievable thing.
"Do not speak nonsense and lie. Tell the truth," His Royal Highness Prince Naris scolded the man sternly.
His Royal Highness Prince Narisranuwatiwongse (April 28, 1863 - March 10, 1947) was a Siamese royal, statesman, military officer, and scholar. He was erudite and became the "Great Artisan of Siam".
"I am not lying, sir. I am telling the truth," he spoke with a firm voice.
"If you really are from the future, then prove it," Prince Bamrung Bundit calmly said.
"Of course I can prove it." He then took out something that looked like a flat, rectangular object.
"This is a telephone called a smartphone that can communicate, act as a mobile library, and take pictures, along with various other functions." After saying that, he did something to make a light appear and demonstrated some of its capabilities. He then proceeded to display something else.
"What are you doing?" Prince Damrong Rajanubhab asked the man, sounding puzzled.
"Oh, I'm just opening a video clip for you all to see," he replied.
"A video clip?" Prince Damrong asked. What he showed seemed like a movie projection, and we all watched what he displayed.
After watching, we were utterly convinced that this man was truly from the future, having seen the so-called "video clip" about history involving the future.
"You may leave now, Mr. Atee. We wish to discuss this among ourselves for a moment," I said. When I spoke, a palace guard escorted him out, though he glanced back briefly before exiting. We then looked at each other, and seeing everyone's uneasy expressions, I spoke first.
"What are your thoughts on this matter?" When I asked, everyone exchanged glances.
"I think it is a good thing because knowing the future will allow us to make careful decisions," Prince Chanthaburi calmly stated. Then Prince Bamrung replied:
"We should consider this carefully and ask for more information because we still do not know his motives."
"But what if he is telling the truth? And the biggest concern is that there will be a revolution in the future!!!" Prince Naris worriedly exclaimed.
"You make a fair point. After speaking with him again, we can reconsider," I said.
"You are correct, Your Majesty. We should gather more information first. Palace guard, bring him back in," Prince Damrong instructed.
"Yes, sir." The guard then brought the man from the future back into the room. Once he arrived, we began questioning him.
"We would like to ask you, how did you come to be in this time period?"
"I too would like to know, for I do not understand why I came to be in this era," he replied. From his demeanor, he appeared to be telling the truth.
"And what is your purpose in claiming to be from the future?"
"Because I wish to change history for the better," he stated.
"For the better?" I asked, implying that the future was not prosperous.
"Yes, because in the future world, while it may appear good on the outside, there is much injustice," he said with a sad, mournful voice. Seeing this, we exchanged glances, each of us looking puzzled.
"So the revolution should not have occurred then?" Prince Chanthaburi asked.
"No, according to people in the future, it was meant to happen," he passionately stated.
"Then what events made the future seem so bleak in your eyes?" Prince Naris asked, sounding slightly displeased.
"I cannot say, but what I want to address now is fixing the economic downturn that Siam - not Thailand - is currently facing," he said. Upon hearing this, we all looked at each other.
"And what is your plan to address this economic situation?" Prince Bamrung calmly inquired.
"Of course, from analyzing the future, which has been accepted by people of the future, I can propose solutions to address this economic downturn," he confidently stated.
"What solutions?"
"Certainly, to address this, these measures should be taken," he explained:
(The solutions he proposed are the same as in the original text, so I will not repeat them here)
After he explained, everyone in the room, including myself, agreed wholeheartedly with his proposals. I then spoke up, satisfied:
"What do you all think of the ideas proposed by Mr. Atee?"
"I strongly agree with what Mr. Atee has proposed. What do you all think?" Prince Damrong said, also satisfied.
"I agree, we should implement them right away as they would be immediately effective," Prince Naris firmly stated.
"Although it will consume a great deal of resources, it is worth the risk," Prince Bamrung said, slightly satisfied.
"I strongly agree," Prince Chanthaburi agreed, also satisfied.
Knowing everyone concurred, I made the decision promptly.
"Since you all agree, none of you would object to appointing Mr. Atee as an economic advisor?" When I said this, everyone nodded in agreement.
"In that case, I hereby appoint Mr. Atee as the Royal Economic Advisor, effective immediately."
Upon hearing me say this, the man looked flustered and knelt down.
"Thank...thank you, Your Majesty."
Seeing his reaction, everyone smiled slightly. I let out a small laugh.
"Rise, there is no need to kneel."
"Ah...yes, sir," the man said as he stood up, then asked, "May I return? For there are those who know me who will worry."
"Of course. Tomorrow morning, await me at the palace gates."
"Yes, sir." The man then left with the palace guard to be escorted out.
Finally, my first plan has succeeded. Though I do wonder how they recognized me, or perhaps it was the doing of that publishing house. I must inform Tula and the others about this. When I reached the palace gates, the palace guard said to me:
"You are truly amazing, sir. You have attained such a lofty position, it is unbelievable. May I ask how you convinced His Majesty to grant you this title?"
"Ah, I cannot say," I replied.
"I see. Well, good luck to you, Royal Advisor," he said before walking away.
After leaving the palace, I could only think about what to do next. I had no choice but to return to Tula and the others on foot since I did not know the way very well. Finally, in the late afternoon, I arrived at Prayoon's house, relying on my faint memories to find my way back.
Upon arrival, I saw no one was home, leaving me unsure of what to do next. I was also starting to feel hungry.
"Mr. Atee!?" a familiar voice called out. I turned toward the direction of that voice, which was Tula's.
"Mr. Atee, you're here! When did you return?" Tula asked with a slightly surprised tone upon seeing me.
"Ah yes, I just got back and got a bit lost before arriving," I replied evenly.
"Is that so? Well, come then, we must inform Mr. Prayoon about this." The two of us then went to Mr. Thep's house, and along the way I told her about my experiences today.
"So in summary, you were brought to the Grand Palace, and then appointed as an advisor, correct?"
"Precisely," I confirmed.
"But that means you told them about the future, didn't you?" she asked.
"Ah...yes," I replied. When Tula heard my answer, she looked distressed and muttered, "Oh no, oh no."
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Don't you realize what you've done?" she exclaimed. "Oh, I completely forgot, you told them about the future revolution too, didn't you? It'll be fine though, right? Right?"