27 Demons from the Pas (2/2)

”Hehehe… why can't you love me only? Why? Why??”, she asked madly to the lonely silent air in a mix of tears and laughter, painting the perfect picture of a maddened obsession. Her thin body lay among the broken debris of porcelain as they mercilessly cut through her soft skin. Yet she was unable to even feel a sense of external pain. The tales of how the first Madam of Omaru household is insane raved the streets of Shinto. Everyone took pity on young general Omaru and his new concubine for having to deal with such a disaster. Yet they spit on Ai's name in disgust.

But all these… did not matter to her. She only wanted Jin. Others simply wouldn't do.

A pair of strong arms lifted her off the ground, cradling her to the warm broad chest. The red dragon emblem of the Omaru defence shone brilliantly on his chest and Ai lifted her eyes with hope and happiness.

But…

It wasn't him...

Cyan blue eyes gazed down at her in sadness, evidently taking pity on the sorry state she was in. He gingerly wiped her tears away and his lips moved urgently. But Ai Shizuka couldn't hear anything as she stared back at him woodenly, floods of tears flowed even harder, shutting her into her own self-made prison.

The scene blurred out and Jin stood beside a delicate woman as he rubbed her bulging belly gingerly, happiness evident on his face. These two painted the perfect picture of harmony, except… Ai Shizuka rushed forwards with drunken steps and blocked their way.

”I...I hate you so much, Rini Morioka!! Why don't you just die!”

Those words that were spoken in a drunken agony, she also didn't know how much she would come to regret them in the future.

”Please Ai, just talk to me how can I make you feel better?”, two small delicate hands tried to grab hold of her clothes as the soft trembling voice begged her incessantly.

”Noo!! Get out! Don't touch me, I said get out!”, Ai Shizuka tried to pry away those hands in anger, struggling to make the woman let go.

”AHHHH!”

A pained scream and a lost footing, the fragile body that was carrying the weight of an unborn child had fallen down. Ai Shizuka tried to reach out to her. But it was too late. In the eerily silent room, only the shocked face of Ai and the large amount of blood that pooled on the pristine floor remained.

There was so much blood.

Two weeks later, the unfortunate fate of the concubine who drowned herself in a river spread through the streets of Shinto like a wildfire. She was missing for a few days until her body floated near the river banks. But even then, the poor girl's body was so mangled and beyond recognition that the coroner could only identify her by the clothes that she was last seen in.

The news put a sour taste in everyone's mouth and the one who took it the hardest was Jin Omaru. His grief at her loss was unparalleled and evidently the blame befall on Ai Shizuka. She was the one who caused the miscarriage and ultimately also the main cause that made Rini took her own life.

”Kneel.”, Jin Omaru yelled the moment she stepped into his study.

Ai Shizuka choked back her tears as she fumbled to kneel. No matter what she says or does, his inevitable hatred would be upon her.

”...Jin...”, her voice shook slightly.

”You will address me as master!”

The response was immediate.

Ai Shizuka hanged her head down, trying desperately to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall. He would always hate her. Nothing else would matter.

Jin was silent for a while before he asked her slowly.

”Why… why did you have to...”, he couldn't continue the question as the large waves of emotions choked his voice.

”I-I…”, she barely stuttered.

”ANSWER ME!”, Jin Omaru's voice boomed as he suddenly loomed in front of her, startling Ai to a point that she started to shake in fear. He forcibly pulled her head back by the hair and roughly lifted up her chin. But his reddened eyes that were staring at her were full of shaky emotions, flickering between pain, disbelief, worries and a deep sense of helplessness. But as fast as it was, those emotions disappeared as if they were simply a trick of an eye.

Ai Shizuka's heart hammered erratically, both from his closeness and the heavy sense of fear. Despite her own circumstances, she shakily tried to reach out to hold her husband's face, wanting and hoping to take away the pain that once marred his face.

But before her hands could even reach him, a palm raised up and struck her across the face. Her thin frame fell limply to the ground from the large impact.

Ai Shizuka widened her eyes in shock and pain, staring unblinkingly at Jin from the floor as blood started to pool from the corner of her mouth. He was looking at the hand that struck her in disbelief and perhaps her eyes were playing a trick again: she thought… she thought she saw a glimpse of concern on his face. But it was only a mirage…

”What's so wrong about me having another wife, Ai Shizuka? At my age and status, every other man has harem full of women. I doted on you and pampered you alone but you… you just had to…”, Jin trailed off as his footsteps slowly faded into the darkness.

The emotions of self-hatred, guilt and sadness weighed down on her, making it hard for her to breath, until…