It was a cloudy morning and Aaron's parents took notice of his happy face while eating. "Hmmmm seems you found a great subject for your literature huh," his mom said. "Well must be because of the hunting," his father added. "Well as you promised I will be the first to read it," his mom utter. "Of course ma as promised," Aaron replied.
While they are still at the table, Aaron try to open up about the girl who live near the river, about Meriam. But when his grandpa arrived, seems he was so angry about the girl. Aaron got curious but just don't wanna break his grandpa's heart and so he stopped talking. At the back of his mind, "if they only knew who she really was, they will be enlightened and not judge her anymore.
Aaron stopped talking about Meriam to them but they still their topic. "That girl is a witch...papa said that her skin is so white and hair is gold but who would survive living in the forest alone?," Martha insisted. "Well because the fact that she is born a witch...before I just thought that she was just a story but when papa said that he saw her for real, of course I believed her to be a real witch," Caspar added. Then Don Conrad angrily utter, "must not talk about that witch in front of food, or else our appetite be lost, coz' that is a cursed!" Aaron cannot contain hearing those words and so he stands and leave the table without finishing his food and just utter, "excuse me."
Aaron just got to his study room and think about what they said. He became curious why they hate Meriam that much even without knowing who she really was. For him, she was the kindest and purest soul he ever met. He even decided to introduce her to them and bring her to the city where he lives and let her go to school. But the fact that they hate her that all became impossible. He just drew the face of Meriam on his drawing book and started to write a poem about her.
Awhile later, his grandpa asked him to go with him for hunting. But he became disinterested when he heard what they said at the dining table. He just said, "some other time grandpa, I'm not in the mood right now." Then his grandpa just leaves. The thought again why his grandpa hates Meriam that much recurred on his mind. He then thinks that what if it is his grandpa who killed Meriam's parents, where did his grandpa became so rich and famous. He cannot contain his mind and so he goes down and made some inquiry.
For Aaron's inquiry about the richness of his grandpa, he first goes to the grandpa of Jacob who was also the oldest help in their family. "Well uncle grandpa I'd just like to ask, as part of my research and to be the next to handle all our business, I'd just like to know how grandpa became so rich," Aaron's first question to Tino, Jacob's grandpa. "Well son, your grandpa and I same born in this place. Our family has long been friends of each other. We treated each other as brothers and sisters. Your grandpa's parents are the known tailors in this village while my parents are farmers. It was a long time story but as far as I know, your grandpa's parents are said to have found a fortune while hiking on the forest. Feeling satisfied, Aaron then leaves and look for someone else to question.
He goes to their corn field and there he found Hermina, the oldest woman in the village. "Good day madam," he greeted the old woman but there was no respond. He keeps on greeting but still no respond. Luckily there was a girl who heard him and said that her grandma cannot hear clearly because of old age. At that place, though they own the cornfield, nobody knew that he was the grandson of the wealthiest man in the village because he lives at the city and visit seldomly at Don Conrad's farm. That's why he just pretended, that he was a buyer of the land.
Gema invited him to their hut since it's lunchtime so everybody's break in the cornfield. There they saw their real situation with his own eyes. That not everybody was treated right and the fact that the old woman must be on retire but to his surprise still working on her 90's. Gema keeps also talking about their situation that if Mr. Luke as he pretended, then they would no work to do and hence no more food to eat. Aaron also asked about their salary and Gema said that it was just enough for them to eat three times a day and nothing more only for their food.
Aaron felt so pity, that while his family lavished for a delicious food, someone's table got nothing to eat. But to dealt more to his inquiry of where their fortune really came, he then asked the question, "seems that Don Conrad was the wealthiest man in this place do you have any idea where his fortune really came?" Gema eagerly replied, "well you must never know of Conrad's darkest secret." Aaron's ears were eager to hear everything and so he listens carefully. Gema said that her grandma used to tell them not to be greedy like Conrad. Conrad's wealth come from evil and so he is evil. There was a news that breakout in the village that Conrad and his parents go for a hunt in the forest and after that, her couple friend died leaving their daughter alone. That Conrad's parents kill them and take the most precious gem they found inside the cave behind the waterfall. At that moment seems that Aaron was eaten by the shamed because of the darkness of his bloodline cause to those innocent people. There he confirmed that it was his grandpa and his parents who killed Meriam's parents. But how can he say it to her, she must have hated him of knowing the truth.