Black lines formed on her forehead when Grandpa spoke about the truth that he was hiding for years. The old man still remembered the night when Jasmine came to seek his help. Tears blurred his vision when his memories drifted back to the moment when he pushed her away.
** FLASHBACK OF PAST **
Before the family of Jasmine came to stay in Richalwolf Land, they used to live in the rural side of Davina since the place was very quiet and the old master of their house aka Jasmine's father liked to stay in peace.
That night, it was raining heavily. Dark clouds drapped the sky of Davina's land that night. The motion of rains had turned so heavy that it was hard to see through the rain. Streets flooded in rain and it was impossible to run a vehicle on it.
Late at midnight, a woman soaked in heavy rain appeared on the entrance of his mansion. Knocking at the door repeatedly which irritated the caretaker who was in charge of the mansion. A middle aged man in black shawl hurried his steps to open the door with a lantern in his hand. His face was full of annoyance as it was his sleeping time. He wandered about the person who had came to knock on the door so late at night in this rough weather.
As the slightly soaked door pushed open after a gentle creak, the butler was shocked to find a woman, standing on the doorway with fully drenched clothes. She was so heavily soaked that her hairs were dripping water. The long strand of hairs covered her face and it was hard to notice her facial attributes through the black strands.
The butler kept staring in confusion when he heard her shaky, vulnerable voice,
" Old Master..Is he here?"
Her shaky voice confirmed that she had been soaking in rains for a long time. The butler didn't show any sympathy since he had the charge of safeguarding this mansion. Besides, he was unknown of Jasmine's face since she only existed in gossip after she eloped with Oscar to start a family on her own.
The butler responded in a stern voice, showing his unwelcoming attitude,
" Who are you? How dare you to come so late at night? Don't you know a basic manner?"
Jasmine who was heavily soaked in rain after a long run from Oscar's castle wrapped her arms around her body, shivering in coldness. After she was pregnant with an usual child, her body wasn't behaving practical anymore. Instead she faced many difficulties like normal human. It was hard to detect the changes as she wasn't carrying a normal child but the power of demon in her womb.
Her voice came out as whisper as she tried to beg the butler,
" Please..I...I just need to meet him once.. Please..I.."
" Butler, who are you talking with so late at night?", It was the voice of Atlus Rodriguez, father of Jasmine who wasn't that much old at that time. He was heading for his bedroom after finishing his reading. While crossing the hallway, he overhearded the voice of his butler who was standing against the door.
Before the butler had chance of replying, Atlus strode downstairs, frowning hard when he spotted another silhouette standing opposite of the door. When he walked closer, emotions triggered hard Jasmine who couldn't hold back her tears after a long time of reunion. But she was too afraid to get closer since he promised to never see her face except death body in this life.
Atlus came closer to face the standing figure and heard a broken tone that came out vaguely,
At that time, the sky growled in loud noise and thunderstrokes broke through the sky to illuminate her face. Atlus gasped in surprise when he recognized his own daughter and glanced down at her protruding belly. Rumours spreaded through the kingdom that she was pregnant with a forbidden baby.
His eyes softened on her naturally. Hopes flashed on her eyes when she realized that her father still cared for her. But nothing came out as her expectation. Instead of hearing a soft melting voice, Atlus spoke in a cold voice without welcoming her inside,
" What are you doing here, young lady? This isn't your home to come anytime that you wish. Please go back to your eyes."
Jasmine forced herself to hold back her tears. Sucking raw breaths, she fell on her knees without going inside,
" I..I have nowhere to go for now, father. Today I haven't come to you as a daughter but I come here as a mother who is desperate to save her baby. Father, only you can save my child in this world. Please father! Save him or else Oscar will kill him before he is even born!"
Atlus was surprised hearing her words. However he didn't understand that why wouldn't Oscar want his own heir. When the sight of his daughter begging touched his arrogant heart, another piercing voice resounded from his back coldly,
" This bitch has already appeared to beg you, I knew it!"
Albert Rodriguez, the eldest son of Atlus marched downstairs to stand beside his father. He had already heard their conversation from the stairs and had vaguely guessed why could Jasmine come at this time.
Atlus sent his son a questioning glare for speaking so rudely with his sister but he didn't bother to stop and continued venting disgustingly,
" Father, you know nothing of her. She is carrying a forbidden child. Her so called loving husband doesn't want her anymore. She is here to jinx our home. Did you hear about the rumours? Everyone is calling her cheater for carrying a child who isn't accepted by her husband. Enough of this! Send her back father. We have our family now and I can't allow you to ruin our family."
Atlus swallowed hard painfully after his words. If the rumours were true, Jasmine should be sending back without any delay. Jasmine who heard her own family cursing her existence shivered under the rain and a bitter smile formed on her lips when she noticed that how her father didn't defend back her brother's words.
The answer was written all over his face and she sniffed her nose slowly before saying,
" I..I..I am sorry father..I..I shouldn't have come in first place..But brother Albert, you have no right to disrespect my child. He has nothing to do with you. I won't bother you anymore."
With the saying, Jasmine turned to leave the mansion but she halted midway turning around to say to Atlus whose heart was aching over her state,
" I hope that you keep your words, father. You don't want to see me ever right? But you must see my dead body, father."
That night, Jasmine went back to Oscar's castle after understanding that she had no one in this world except herself to relay right now. The world only cursed her for carrying a forbidden child but no one saw the desperation, the helplessness of a mother who wanted nothing but to save her child.