A hundred years have passed since Axe declared the Black Gold Forest his. But what happened to Sameer and Rajoo hundreds of years ago hasn't changed the forest. From then until today, no human has dared to go inside, but now, who is that young woman?
The wind was soothing even though Siora's heart was aching.
The beautiful 25-year-old Siora had just been crushed by fate. Born into a poor family with an unemployed father and a mother who was just a laborer harvesting the neighbor's shallots, Siora had become the laughingstock of the village.
Today, she should be standing on the aisle as the queen of the night with her boyfriend, Aiden. But unbeknownst to her and her family, Aiden and his parents had lied to Siora.
Just because Aiden's parents refused to have a poor daughter-in-law like Siora, they were willing to exchange their son's bride with Siora's cousin.
The two-year love affair with Aiden was like a joke to her boyfriend's family. Siora's pain and heartbreak made her ignore the ban on entering the Black Gold Forest.
The woman did not care about anything, not even death. All she knew was that only in the forbidden forest would there be no one to laugh at and humiliate her.
"Why does a poor person like me not deserve to marry a rich man?" Beating her tight chest, Siora continued to cry.
"If you allowed me to become a rich woman, God, I swear to heaven and earth that I will avenge everyone's humiliation of me…" Siora said with tears in her eyes.
''Jdarrr!!!' Siora's vow was answered by God with a thunderous lightning bolt. Of course, the young woman was shocked instantly.
"That's great too. Her oath was immediately greeted by the sky. That means a human child suffers a lot because that is her destiny. Well, this is very interesting!" Axe murmured happily. There was a sense of excitement that made him interested in finding out who Siora was.
The woman suddenly went silent as she felt a refreshing gust of wind, making her divert the shock of the thunder. Siora felt that someone was watching her.
Instead of moving from there, Siora let out a rough breath, straightened her legs, and leaned against the large peach tree. It felt so comfortable, and the dimness of her eyes showed that Siora was sleepy now. In her tiredness wrapped in sorrow, Siora finally fell asleep just like that.
"Sleep so fast, huh?" muttered Axe, unlike when dealing with humans before. Axe's attitude towards Siora was different. Perhaps it was because she had no malice or greed. The White Tiger Demon King knew that Siora was a human with a bright heart.
However, even though Axe was the King, the demon nation's sewing attitude remained. When Siora slept, Axe deliberately entered her dreams. From there, he could see what Siora's memories were like and what the woman's life really was like.
For the first time in a long time in the human world, Axe came out of the forest and saw what human life was like outside the mountain, heading straight to the people closest to Siora.
Axe arrived at a hut whose backyard directly bordered the Black Gold Mountain.
"So this is her house? Why would such a sweet girl live in a bad place like this? Maybe one step of mine will knock her house down," Axe muttered.
Only after noticing the rickety house, which was no better than a hovel, Axe noticed a shabby man sitting in front of his door. He was Cliff, Siora's father.
"Is that old man her father? His face looks like it's been thrown in horse dung; it's so wrinkled," Axe commented and then closed his eyes. He looked into Cliff's past and found that the old man was a burden to his children and wife.
Axe also learnt that Cliff had a big hand in canceling Siora's wedding and the man she loved. He was greedy, arrogant, lazy, and liked to gamble.
"Why does that poor woman have a bastard father like this? No wonder her fate is so unfortunate," Axe concluded to himself. Not long after, an old woman also came out, and it could be immediately deduced that she was Siora's mother.
Axe wrinkled his forehead instantly, "There's something different about her mother. But what?" he muttered in confusion. But that confusion was eclipsed by the argument that Cliff and Solana were currently having.
"It's all your fault. If you hadn't greedily asked them for a high dowry for Siora, maybe our daughter wouldn't have been humiliated like this!" Solana half shouted, blaming her husband.
"Why blame me? Blame yourself for being a useless wife and mother? You gave birth to useless daughters!" Cliff shamelessly insulted his own wife and three daughters.
"What are you saying? I've spent my whole life caring for you, who's lazy and has never provided for our family. Ever since I married you, I've been cursed!"
"Did you know that Siora was so devastated that she entered the forbidden forest? What if she committed suicide? What if the forest demon gets angry and eats our girl?! She's your daughter, Cliff. Why did you have such a heart for her life?!"
Solana, who had never yelled or screamed as Cliff's wife, could no longer contain her anger.
"Ah, never mind, why do you keep cornering me? She wanted to go in there; I didn't tell her to kill herself, did I?" Cliff shamelessly said, "A human wouldn't marry her, let alone a demon!"
"It's useless if she's hard-working and pretty but stupid. What man would want that for her?"
"That's enough, stop insulting Siora!" Solana immediately stopped her husband's insults to their daughter.
"So what, are you unhappy that all your children are like you? So pretty but useless! You came to me poor with no parents, while I was born into a rich family. My life is ruined because I married you and have three useless daughters!"
A rumbling in the sky could be heard. The sky gradually darkened as clouds began to cover it. Axe frowned in confusion.
"Who exactly are they? Why do their words seem to be welcomed by the sky?" Axe remained confused without knowing what the connection was.
"Listen to me, poor lady! Once again, it's not me who's causing the bad luck in our family; it's you, and now it's trickling down to your children!"
"If you don't believe me, let's prove it right now. I can become a rich man again without you. And instead, you will always be poor and live in misery for the rest of your lives!"
The more Cliff cursed his wife and children, the stronger the wind blew, sweeping the leaves and trees around them.
Axe even shuddered at this strange phenomenon he was witnessing, "What the hell?" he muttered.
"Listen to my oath, Solana. If what I say is true, my life will turn out to be rich again like it used to be after I left you!"
"But if my words are wrong and you, Siora, and her siblings' fortunes brighten and become rich, I'm willing to die among you without enjoying your wealth!"
'Jdarrr!!!'
Not only Cliff and Solana were surprised, but even Axe also cringed at the thunderclap that greeted Cliff's oath.
"Why are you so cruel to your own wife and children? Not even animals like you, you rotten human!' Axe joined in cursing Cliff's behavior.
Axe could no longer bear the resentment in his heart and chose to return to the forest before he took the life of that arrogant human.