(The tears blurred the ink, leaving dark stains on the yellowing pages.)
Why did I come to this place? This isn't heaven at all. It's hell...
On September 7, I locked myself in my room for two days.
Teacher Bell came to see me. The moment he saw the scars on my face, he understood everything.
He didn't ask any questions. He just held me and let me cry as much as I needed. He said, "I know how much you're suffering, Jasmine. Some people dressed in finery are filthier inside than beasts."
September 28. It happened again.
He's coming more and more often.
Mother... Mother seems not to know anything. Or maybe she's just pretending she doesn't.
All she does is complain that I look worse and worse, and that my paintings have lost their spirit."
How could she understand! All she cares about is whether the ladies will praise my work at their tea parties!
October 15. Tami came to see me today. Why does she always ask so many questions? "What's wrong with you lately, Sister Jasmine? Why do you keep avoiding the Baron Lord?"
What does she know! She lives in the sunlight. She has no idea what monsters lurk in the shadows.
I lost my temper and told her to stop bothering me.
She looked so hurt.
But what could I do? How could I tell her that the man who adopted me was slowly devouring me?
She's too close to me. She'll be tainted.
Or... he might set his sights on her, too.
October 29. Tami is dead.
They say she accidentally fell into the river while playing by the bank."
A lie! An outright lie!
It was him! It had to be him! That beast did it! Tami must have found out something!