"How pitiful. A child of the family head, yet because of that monster... and now she's going to be... ah."
Beyond the shabby window lattice, two maids stood on the wooden veranda, shaking their heads in pity at the little child kneeling on the floor inside.
Alluka lowered her head, playing with a stalk of dry grass in her hands.
Hearing the maids' words, she looked up and gave them an innocent, gentle smile without a trace of resentment.
At the sight, the maids' expressions changed. They covered their faces and hurried away.
Alluka watched them leave, a little puzzled.
She really wanted to play with the two maids. They weren't usually like this. They were acting so strangely today...
She squeezed the dry grass in her hand, and a moment later, her newest toy crumbled.
Alluka carelessly scattered the fragments to one side.
Outside the window, the sky had quietly laid down a thin blanket of white.
The birch trees in the courtyard had long since shed all their leaves.
Only dry, tangled branches remained on their pale trunks.
Alluka leaned against the broken wooden window, counting the snowflakes falling from the dark sky one by one.
As she counted, she fell asleep.
Since birth, Alluka had been confined to this cramped, dilapidated courtyard. Only the two maids occasionally brought her cold meals.
Of everyone else, she had only ever seen a boy named Kirei from a distance.
That boy always looked spirited and proud, nothing like her.
The maids said Young Master Kirei was Alluka's older brother, but because of the monster, their circumstances were rather different.
Alluka knew she had two other older brothers, but she didn't know where they were.
She had always tried hard to be a good, obedient child, never crying or making a fuss.
Because she knew she was an unwanted "ill-omened child." Even if she called for help, no one would answer.
Alluka curled up a little, as though doing so might feel like being held.
She gently closed her eyes amid the wind and snow. In her dream, she saw two pink figures from behind.
But she couldn't make out their faces.
When Alluka woke again, her mind felt muddled, her whole body heavy and dazed.
Cold air entered her lungs, and she broke into a violent coughing fit.
But when she tried to raise a hand to cover her mouth, she discovered that her neck, arms, and ankles had all been bound to a massive stone pillar.
Her father and the brother named Kirei sat nearby, their faces cold and indifferent.
"Father... Big Brother Kirei?"
Alluka's gaze wandered over the incomprehensible scene before her.
She didn't know why she had been tied up here.
Her shabby hemp clothes had been replaced with a white robe and crimson hakama. Several sturdy warriors around her held unlit torches, as though they were about to perform some ritual.
"Who are you calling your brother, you worthless little thing?"
The boy in white hunting robes stared in disgust at this disgrace to their family.
In their era, twins were considered ill omens.
And this so-called younger sibling was more than merely a twin.
At the thought of that two-faced monster, a change came over him.
The expression on the white-robed boy's face gradually turned vicious.
Alluka moved her wrists, a little curious.
Finding herself securely bound, she couldn't pull her hands free.
Seeing her act like this, Kirei let out a faint sneer.
"Give up. War has been raging throughout Hida, so Father intends to sacrifice you to the Demon God and pray for our family's lineage to endure."
As he spoke, he climbed the wooden steps with a light gait and approached Alluka.
Undisguised malice filled Kirei's pale golden eyes.
He had had enough of sharing the same space with this worthless little thing.
Once she was killed, he would be the family's sole heir.
Go on, be afraid. Be jealous. Hate me.
A worthless creature like Alluka didn't have even a trace of cursed energy in her body.
She couldn't create a curse even if she wanted to.
What did he have to worry about?
The white-robed boy chuckled.
Alluka blinked, not quite understanding what Kirei was laughing at.
She hadn't eaten since noon yesterday. She swallowed.
Looking at the malicious face before her, Alluka followed her body's wishes and asked in a coaxing voice, "Big Brother Kirei, could you give me a hug?"
"I told you I'm not your brother, you little bitch."
The white-robed boy clamped a hand around Alluka's androgynous face. Years of martial training had given him considerable strength.
Soon, beneath his rough fingertips, two red pinch marks appeared on Alluka's fair cheeks.
It hurt a little, but Alluka didn't even furrow her brows. Her dark blue eyes curved, and that innocent, gentle smile remained on her face.
She moved her wrists, her voice sweet as maple syrup. "Big Brother Kirei, could you let me down?"
"Not a chance. Give up."
The white-robed boy glanced at Alluka's wrists, reddened and swollen by the bindings, and curled his lips cruelly.
Already on the sacrificial altar, and she was still dreaming of getting down.
Once again, he refused Alluka's request.
Rejected twice in a row, Alluka pouted and asked pitifully, "Big Brother Kirei, could you give me the dagger at your waist?"
Alluka knew that dagger.
Her father had given it to her older brother last year.
Her brother had happily shown it off everywhere.
When the maids spoke with her, they had sighed and complained, "Why is there such a huge difference when you're both children of the family head?"
At the time, Alluka had obediently offered the maids toys she had woven from wild grass.
The maids had been delighted.
Kirei drew the blade at his waist. Its snowy-white surface reflected a strange, cold gleam.
"Father gave this to me. How could a worthless little thing like you deserve it? If you weren't about to die, I'd make sure you got a taste of this blade."
Kirei looked up at the sky. It was almost time for the ceremony. He couldn't be bothered to waste any more words and turned to head back to the spectators' seats.
But in those few seconds, Alluka spoke from behind him one last time, her tone firmer and utterly serious. "Big Brother Kirei, could you please not leave?"
Several sturdy warriors had already begun lighting their torches. The boy in white hunting robes glanced back, gloating.
Poor little Alluka would surely beg him for mercy, her face filled with terror.
But things weren't quite as he had imagined.
The black-haired child's face had turned a strange, deathly white. Her features seemed like bottomless black holes, radiating an emptiness that threatened to devour everything.
"You... you..."
Looking at Alluka like this, Young Master Kirei felt dread crawl through his entire body.
He pointed at this monster, about to say something.
In an instant, his entire body seemed to be crushed inward by an external force.
His face twisted out of shape, and a trembling cry of pain escaped his opening and closing lips.
It was as though countless unknown forces had seized the flesh all over his body and were twisting it with all their strength.
A sharp tearing sensation came from within. He felt his body being wrung into a grotesque shape.
Amid the splattering blood, he only had time to meet Alluka's eyes once.
The next moment, in unimaginable agony, he was twisted into a rope and died.
Blood spurted like a fountain, and a few crimson drops flew over to spatter Alluka's face.
Watching the bloody scene, Alluka blinked and gave an innocent smile.