Muzan: My daughter can't be that weak!

The newlywed Lady Huixiang was a lively young girl, as cheerful as a little sparrow.

She was only sixteen years old, a full seven years younger than Seri. When she first married into the family, everyone thought she would mind that Yukina was "the ex-wife's child," but she didn't care at all.

"So cute!" When Huixiang first saw Yukina, her eyes lit up, and she immediately knelt down and picked her up. "You're Yukina? I'm Huixiang!"

Yukina was startled by her sudden closeness and looked at her timidly.

Huixiang laughed even harder, hugging her and spinning her around in the yard: "From now on, I'm your mother! I'll take good care of you!"

She does what she says.

Whenever Huixiang had free time, she would hold Xuena in her arms and sunbathe in the yard, telling her interesting stories about the outside world and singing some strange and out-of-tune songs.

With Keika and Yuko around, life doesn't seem so hard anymore.

Although Yukina's body was still frail, she could walk around the yard without any problems. Her older sister, Yuko, would always hold her hand and take her to see the flowers, the trees, and the birds flying across the sky.

---

In the blink of an eye, Xue Nai turned five.

That morning, she overheard the servants talking.

"Today is the young master's twentieth birthday."

"Twenty years old...so young."

"It's a pity about his health..."

"I heard that many people sent congratulatory gifts, but the young master has not seen any of them."

Yukina hid behind a pillar, her heart pounding as she listened.

Today is my father's birthday.

My father is twenty years old.

She remembered what Yuko had said: "Once the young master is feeling better, you will be able to see him."

Perhaps... today is a special day? Perhaps Father will be in a better mood today?

Once the thought popped into my head, I couldn't suppress it anymore.

Yukina was restless all day. Yuko noticed her unusual behavior and asked her what was wrong, but she just shook her head.

In the afternoon, Huixiang went to the front yard to receive the messengers from other families, and Youzi was also called to help. It was rare for the yard to be unattended.

Yukina stood at the door of the room, her heart pounding.

She wanted to see her father.

Even just a glance.

Just one glance.

The desire was so strong that she forgot her fear, forgot the rules, and forgot all the prohibitions against going to her father's yard.

She lifted the hem of her light pink kimono, barefoot, and quietly slipped out of the room.

She had secretly asked Yuko for directions to her father's yard.

Walk through this long corridor, turn left, and then through a moon gate to reach the young master's residence.

She encountered two servants sweeping the road, and immediately hid behind a tree, waiting until they were far away before continuing on her way. Her heart was pounding in her chest, as if it would burst out of her chest.

Finally, she saw the tightly closed paper door.

The door was ajar, leaving a narrow crack.

She held her breath and tiptoed closer. She placed her small hand on the door frame, stood on tiptoe, and peeked through the crack in the door.

The room was dark, with only a little light coming in through a small window.

A tall, black-haired young man lay on the tatami mat, his back to the door, covered with a thin blanket.

Is that... Father?

Yukina opened her eyes wide, her magenta pupils slightly contracting in the dim light, trying to see more clearly.

The young man moved slightly and slowly turned around.

Yukina finally saw his face.

His skin was pale, like paper that had never seen the sun. His features were delicate, yet shrouded in a sickly gloom. His eyes were closed, his brows slightly furrowed, as if he were enduring some kind of pain.

Yukina's heart clenched instantly.

Just as Yuko-neechan had said, her father wasn't visiting her because he was sick.

He looked so weak and in so much pain that even turning over seemed difficult for him.

I am not a child abandoned by my father.

This realization filled Yukina with a mixture of secret joy and heartache. She quietly moved a little further in, wanting to see more clearly.

Just then, the young man on the tatami seemed to notice something.

Those eyes, which had been tightly closed, suddenly opened.

Her crimson eyes were like the coldest plum blossoms in winter.

Yukina was stunned.

Those eyes... are exactly the same as hers!

It's not just somewhat similar, it's not just alike, it's absolutely identical.

That unusual plum red color, that quality that shimmers slightly in dim light.

it's the same.

Yukina was so excited she almost cried out. She covered her mouth, her magenta eyes wide open, filled with surprise and a sense of belonging, as if she had found someone like her.

Her father was just like her.

They all had plum-red eyes.

They were all trapped in their sickly bodies.

She wasn't a monster, and neither was her father.

They are the same.

This discovery made Yukina's heart pound. She wasn't alone; there was someone else in the world who shared the same eyes and the same pain.

Just as Yukina was immersed in excitement, a pair of eyes that looked exactly like hers met her gaze precisely.

Muzan sensed someone outside the door while he was in a daze.

His condition has worsened in the past few days; he has a splitting headache and every joint in his body is aching.

A twentieth birthday? He found it laughable. What was there to celebrate about this lingering, feeble life? To celebrate being one step closer to death?

He closed his eyes, trying to escape the pain through sleep. But the noise outside the door was too obvious.

The careful footsteps and soft breathing sounded more like a child than an adult's.

child.

How could there possibly be children in his yard?

He hates children the most. Those healthy little creatures, running and screaming in the sunshine—what gives them the right?

Why do they have the vitality he can never have? Why can they laugh and make a ruckus, while he has been lying here since birth, staring at the ceiling and waiting to die?

Jealousy gnawed at his heart like a venomous snake.

He hates anything healthy.

I hate sunshine, I hate laughter, I hate those lives that take things for granted.

And now, a child actually dares to barge into his yard?

Muzan suddenly opened his eyes, his crimson pupils surging with murderous intent. He wanted to see which fool was being so reckless.

Then, he saw it.

Through the crack in the door, a pair of crimson eyes peeked out.

A thin, small child, who looked about four or five years old, was incredibly pale. He was wearing a light pink kimono, barefoot, and was timidly peering into the doorway while clinging to the door frame.

The moment their eyes met, Muzan froze.

Those eyes...

It was the same plum red as his.

Not just similar, they're completely identical. Like they were carved from the same mold.

Who is this child?

He suddenly remembered.

Oh, right, he has a daughter, born to a woman named Se-ri.

It seems someone came to report his birth, but he didn't pay any attention. What was there to care about in a sickly child destined to die young?

But now, the child stands outside his door, looking at him with eyes exactly like his own.

Muzan propped himself up and sat up, his crimson eyes coldly fixed on the child outside the door. His gaze was sharp as a knife as he looked the little thing that had suddenly barged in up close.

Thin and pale, he looked like someone suffering from illness, just like him.

"Who sent you?" Muzan's voice was hoarse, weak from a long illness, yet still icy cold. "Get out. Get out of here!"