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.
Despite still being a cultivation maniac—cold-hearted, misanthropic, and cynical—the repeated events around me kept dragging my mind back into reality.
I couldn't help but feel a faint sense of guilt.
That guilt slowly twisted into hatred, and before I knew it, I despised Gustav's presence more and more.
'Damn it… if that bastard had never entered our peaceful life, would Elina be weaning me already?
'How are we supposed to live normally with him constantly breathing down our necks? Not only does he resemble my older brother from my previous life, but he's also frighteningly good at acting like the perfect son—spending time with my sisters and eating our food like he owns the place.
'Mom and Dad praise him endlessly for being "hardworking" and "smart." The whole house is filled with his name. Everyone talks about how much stress he's relieved them of, yet no one notices how he steals our food.
'No one even cares that he eats more than anyone else. Why does someone like him even exist?'
Unaware of my thoughts and curses, Gustav continued following his flawless routine. He secretly stole and hid food meant for the entire family, then blamed the shortages on pests ruining the crops.
With this new development, I struggled more and more to complete my daily tasks. Without enough food, my body—already growing too fast—couldn't keep up.
'This is worse than I imagined, I thought bitterly. He really is the evil version of my previous life's older brother.
'At this point, I only have two options.
Option one: wait until that bastard slowly starves everyone while pretending to be innocent. Malnourishment is a death sentence for a baby—and that includes me, being a Cursed One didn't change my need for food.
'Option two: wait until I grow enough… and put an end to this nightmare once and for all.
I'll choose option two.'
Over the following months, Gustav was left in charge of the household more often, watching over his so-called "siblings" whenever Elina and John were away or busy.
More than once, I watched him shout at Oge for doing something he disliked. It never lasted long—he always corrected himself quickly, masking his temper with fake calm so he wouldn't expose his true nature.
As for me, I was already exhausted by his existence. I couldn't move freely, couldn't speak openly, couldn't act without risking exposure. I could only lie there and silently watch him do whatever he pleased.
Worst of all, I couldn't use my abilities. If I was discovered, abandonment would be the least of my worries.
I wasn't used to being this helpless—this completely taunted me. Gustav always wore that smug smile while eating his food or drinking his soup, as if everything belonged to him.
I had to fight every instinct not to lash out, forcing myself to accept this absurd reality without losing control.
After months of quiet practice, I finally felt confident enough to attempt forming a few babbled words. I was extremely careful—never letting Gustav see or hear me.
No matter how common early speech might be, I didn't trust him. One mistake, one panic, and he might do something irreversible.
I was terrified—not just by mistakenly killing him, but of him manipulating my family into abandoning me.
Another month passed, and I made yet another world-changing discovery.
Without realizing it at first, my meditation-technique daily task had begun granting attribute points only once every month.
I hadn't noticed earlier because
Elina was always there, feeding me constantly. Now, my level was advancing faster than my body could handle.
Even Ada and Oge started noticing that I looked worn out.
This mattered for two reasons.
First, Ada was constantly reprimanded by Gustav whenever she did something he didn't like. When she tried doing things his way, Elina would scold her for being wrong—while Gustav shamelessly took credit for "correcting" her.
Second, whenever Oge suffered frostbite, Gustav would deliberately use hot water instead of warm water to treat it, increasing her pain to an unbearable level. He only did this when John and Elina weren't around.
Forced by circumstance, Ada began closely monitoring Oge's health.
Because of Og's worsening condition, the old midwife placed her on a strict diet and treatment plan. It took several attempts to find the right balance—too much treatment caused as much harm as too little.
Ada soon noticed Oge growing paler, coughing more often, sometimes even bleeding from her frostbitten skin.
Eventually, nine months passed.
By then, Gustav acted like the lord of the house. Whether he realized it or not, Ada, Oge, and I already despised him deeply. To us, he was no longer family—he was a living nightmare.
Fortunately, John and Elina still checked in on the household from time to time.