Forbidden

She would ask Bardumond about it next time. She did not dislike blonde hair, but watching hair color change on its own was not one of the things that one would want to happen. It was creepy even though the cause had been explained and for some strange reason, Jasmine couldn't help believing that Dairon had lied about it being a side effect of the healing herbs.

Instead of staying in her room and gasping in shock about it all day, she went to Maximus' dressmaking chamber instead.

The man was making a dress so she sat down calmly without disturbing him. When he noticed her, he looked up with a meek smile. "You came back."

She nodded and continued to observe him. "Maximus, have you ever seen anyone's hair change from its original color?"

The man had been trying not to ask about her hair, but since she asked it herself, he was certain that she didn't do anything to it.

"Please don't lie to me." She said before he could speak.

He guiltily averted his gaze, having been caught on the verge of lying.

"Aside from the young men and women I saw washing their hair with special herbs to make it a lighter shade, the only other instance I heard of was…" He paused. "Please do not find my words offensive."

"I will not." She was unfazed. As long as she was not being lied to, she could handle whatever it was.

"Demons." He continued in a low voice, as though he was speaking of a taboo topic. "Rumor has it that in the past, demons and gods coexisted peacefully, until one of the demon lords instigated a war against the gods. However, it turned out that the gods had never trusted the demons to begin with, so they were prepared to counterattack. Some demons were banished to the underworld while others were killed, while some hid in the human world, disguised as humans."

Jasmine was baffled by this tale that she had never heard of nor imagined. She didn't even know that demons existed, let alone that they were hiding in the human world. Her eyes remained wide for a moment before she frowned. "Wait. What's this got to do with my hair?"

Maximus was uneasy as he said out the next part, which was disturbing. "Rumor has it that when a disguised demon comes into contact with a powerful god, their disguise starts to fade."

She raised an eyebrow until she realized just what he had said, which made her laugh—a bitter laugh. "Are you saying that I'm a demon?"

"I didn't…" Maximus was unsure what to say. It would sound like he was covering up, and he didn't want Jasmine to misunderstand his opinion. "You would never be a demon. They are cunning, selfish and evil in every way possible, but you are very kind. What I stated was only one of the instances I've heard that made people's hair and eye color change." He explained, but it didn't make her feel better.

She was suspicious of herself. Was it possible to be a demon without knowing it? She knew that she was human, but she started questioning her life when she thought of the possibility.

"Please forget that I said anything." Maximus wished he could swallow back his words. He had made her nervous, when she was such a friendly woman. He couldn't stand seeing her feel so confused about herself. "You cannot be a demon. They have claws that appear when they want them to, and wings. Besides, some of them have eyes that change their color with every change of emotion."

She let out a sigh of relief. Even though she didn't know about what her eyes looked like under different circumstances, at least she was certain that she neither had wings nor claws.

He sighed in relief when her calm was restored. "What would you like to make today?"

He was done with the dress and had started stitching buttons onto it, which was the final step.

She checked out the available materials and took a piece of charcoal and paper to draw. Her draft was ready within a minute, but she realized that it was going to need many materials. "Maximus, where do you buy the needed materials?" She asked.

"Around the island. I could show you later if you'd like, but you can feel free to use mine for now." He allowed her, guessing why she was asking.

She felt guilty using his resources and made a mental note to replace whatever she used later.

When she was done, she stretched tiredly. As if on cue, Rosetta came to find her. She was carrying a tray that was covered with her.

"Milady, I brought you food."

She was hungry so she thanked the latter, who placed the tray on the table and uncovered it.

Rosetta bowed and turned to leave.

"Wait. Don't go, let's eat together." She called her back.

"I'm not hungry." Rosetta shook her head, lying.

Jasmine saw through her. "There's so much food, I will have to dispose of the rest of it. Why don't we eat it instead?" She suggested to Maximus and Rosetta, who were finding more excuses to reject her. "I will be upset if you don't." She added in a jokingly threatening voice, and they had no choice but to dine with her.

It reminded her so much of her home. It had been so long since she had a meal with her family or friends.

When they were done, she was happier and more calm. "Is there any way to communicate with a god?" She asked Rosetta and Maximus.

"Unfortunately, humans cannot communicate with them. It's forbidden." Rosetta answered dreadfully, which confused Jasmine.

"But Bardumond has been interacting with us even though we are humans." She wondered aloud.

"The fact that something is forbidden doesn't necessarily have to mean that no one does it, does it?" Maximus challenged, and he had a point. If no one ever tried to do it, there was a chance that they wouldn't even know that such a rule existed.