At first, I didn't believe her.
But then I saw the baby. Those eyes, not the eyes a normal baby should have, they were four and looked scary. Like the eyes of a demon
The unease turned into certainty.
How could she take another woman's husband and live happily like this? How could my real mother suffer alone while this woman smiled and laughed in her place?
The more I thought about it, the deeper my thoughts sank. The unfairness burned in my chest, slowly turning into something darker.
My lips curled into a cold smile—nothing like the childish grin I had worn earlier.
'Elina,' I muttered quietly but coldly, the name tasted bitter in my mouth.
Gustav point of view.
All of it lasted barely a second. I quickly reassumed my childish expression and slowly closed my eyes, letting myself sink into the dream world.
Even though I couldn't understand everything yet, I knew one thing for certain—my coming here was never going to be a happy reunion. I had to seize every opportunity and carefully plan how to bring my suffering mother into this house.
If I examined my capabilities properly, they would undoubtedly play a huge role, whether it was helping my mother or removing Elina and her children from my path.
That was why I had to play my hidden cards carefully and keep them close to my heart, never revealing my trump card.
Before the next day even arrived, I had already set my priorities.
Once I was accepted into the family and everything seemed to be going smoothly, I finally began portraying myself as the ideal son and older brother.
I quickly proved that I was more than capable of helping the girls and could even handle multiple household chores on my own. All of this happened within my first week here.
It relieved Elina and the girls of a great deal of work. Over the following days, I helped everyone—assisting the girls, helping Elina or my father with cooking and carpentry, and aiding Ada and Oge with washing and sweeping.
No matter what task I was given, I never complained or frowned.
By acting as the perfect son and older brother, I soon became the center of attention. I even created a special schedule where I told fairy tales I had read, describing valiant heroes saving princesses and fighting bravely against impossible odds.
Sometimes, I spoke about my painful past and how difficult survival had been in my former environment. The family would look at me with pity, feeling sympathy for everything I claimed to have endured.
I became so absorbed in spinning these perfect tales and lying through my teeth that I didn't even notice myself taking several mouthfuls of Oge's creamy soup. No one noticed—except Ragna. He was always cautious around me.
Still, he could not interfere. All he could do was remain wary of my strange behavior. As long as I didn't get on his nerves or hit him, he kept his distance.
As the days passed, the little imp Ragna began finishing his daily milk much faster. Unlike before, when Elina was constantly overwhelmed with work, my arrival turned out to be a relief for her.
Without anyone truly realizing it, the entire household slowly grew fond of me, and their trust deepened.
Whenever someone tried to bully Ada or Oge, I always stood up for them—even when it meant getting beaten by a group of kids. I kept fighting through it all, because I could feel my plan nearing perfection.
This was the perfect time to deepen their feelings for me.
The downside was the pain. I had to endure it all.
On top of that, I noticed that the four-eyed imp was constantly glaring at me.
Luckily, John and Elina were always attentive to my needs, and the little one could barely do anything except cling to his mother.
Every part of my plan mattered, but two reasons stood above all else. First, by making myself appear like a tireless worker, I earned the trust of the household. I proved to my father and Elina that I was reliable enough to be entrusted with coordinating the girls and managing things in their absence.
The second reason was even more crucial. To be beaten repeatedly for my so-called siblings required bravery, strength, and what appeared to be deep love. If I held back during fights, my injuries wouldn't look convincing enough.
What I needed was their compassion. I needed them to see me as the perfect shield—the self-sacrificing fool who would always protect them.
In doing so, I would gain their love, affection, and care, slowly breaking down their emotional walls.
As long as I remained the favored child, my plans to remove the four obstacles in my way would only become more solid.
[Ragna's point of view]
Another month passed, and the system within me underwent a noticeable change.
I realized something was wrong when I suddenly stopped receiving experience points from my daily milk task, on the first month of transmigrating.
At first, I thought it was a glitch. I was barely one months old then so—I wonder why it would suddenly stop?
Unless… my body no longer needed milk to grow.
For a brief moment, I tried applying the logic of an Earth baby to myself, only to realize how absurd that was.
Soon after, as if triggered by a chain reaction, Elina began weaning on me. With one more mouth to feed in the family, their food supplies were no longer enough to support six people—even if they hadn't realized it before.