What surprised me was that she wasn’t foolish enough to be the kind who invites misfortune.
After I made it clear that I didn’t like her that day, she barely spoke to me again.
But I hated her even more.
Because she was too outstanding—not just in appearance, but in every way she seemed to possess extraordinary talent.
Whether it was hunting, strength, or even leadership, she could astonish Father beyond belief.
Gradually, the people in the clan began to praise this outsider, even comparing me to her…
I didn’t care about what others said about me, because the words they used—“weak as a breeze,” “medicine pot,” “a burden who eats without giving back”—were all true of me, and I wouldn’t complain about it.
But what I couldn’t stand was that she had taken away the only person who ever loved me.
Ever since she revealed her talent, Father spared no effort in nurturing her.
Anyone with eyes could see that Father had already been raising her as the successor to the Clan Leader…
I didn’t care about the position of Clan Leader.
Father’s health was deteriorating, and he needed to find someone to take his place, but that person would never be someone like me—neither dead nor alive.
It wasn’t until the day Father showed her a look of relief and pride that I understood—he hadn’t found me a little sister; he had found someone to replace me.
On that day, the last remaining reason for me to live was buried in the ground.
There was no one left in this world who cared about me, so why should I keep living?
Instead of enduring others’ disdain, causing them trouble, and looking at them with jealous eyes, it was better to end it all.
I couldn’t even hold a knife properly, and my claws had become soft and almost indistinguishable from human nails due to my chronic condition.
I lay in bed listening to the laughter and joy outside the window, thinking for a long time until I finally came up with a feasible way to kill myself…
“Time for your medicine, darling.”
Father brought the bowl of Medicine Soup again and sat by my bed.
He helped me sit up and prepared to feed me the soup bit by bit.
“I want… to drink it myself.”
He seemed a bit surprised, then said, “Then drink slowly, be careful not to burn yourself.”
He placed the Medicine Soup on the bedside table.
I summoned all my strength to lift the bowl, sipping small mouthfuls.
After a few seconds, I had to put the bowl down, rest for a moment, then pick it up again to continue drinking.
It took me over five minutes to finish the entire bowl.
Seeing that I had finished every last drop, Father smiled with relief.
“Daddy, I want to drink by myself from now on.”
“Daddy promises you, darling.”
He patted my head, then left with the bowl.
For the next several days, I forced myself to finish the medicine in front of him until he was completely reassured…
This time, after placing the Medicine Soup on my bedside table, Father casually told me to be good and went off to busy himself.
The first step of my plan was finally complete.
“Bang.”
The door of the Wooden House slammed shut.
I propped myself up with my hands and leaned against the wall, my eyes scanning the empty room.
After a deep breath, I lifted the bowl of Medicine Soup.
I stared at the glaring red liquid, and a quiet fury rose within me.
This Medicine Soup was like a chain binding my life—trapping me so I couldn’t live freely, yet unable to die thoroughly…
I gritted my teeth and poured it out the window.
From then on, every time Father brought the medicine, I would secretly dump it when he wasn’t looking.
Without the medicine, my body began to deteriorate rapidly, and at a rate far faster than Father’s.
Seeing the medicine was barely working, Father became desperate and frantic.
I found it amusing. Hadn’t Father already found someone a hundred or a thousand times better than me? Who was he putting on this hypocritical act for?
When I saw Father praying to the God, I suddenly understood—it was a show for the God.
He didn’t want the God to see through his heart and punish him, so he was putting on a performance.
I think if I ever met the God after I died, I wouldn’t tell on Father either.
He truly took care of me, this worthless person.
If it were me, I probably would have strangled this burden long ago in my childhood.
“Bang.”
Today, Father brought the medicine again.
His face was grave, and the wrinkles seemed deeper than before…
“Darling, a few days from now Daddy plans to go to Human Territory to find some new herbs. You have to be good at home. Little Sister will take care of you.”
“…Got it, Father.”
Was he finally ready to abandon this burden of mine?
After he left, I raised the bowl of medicine, determined to pour it out the window without hesitation.
But just as I struggled to bring it to the window sill, a slender hand suddenly grabbed my wrist.
“I just knew something felt off, meow.”
That voice—I knew it—it was my adopted Little Sister.
I turned my head and saw her delicate, adorable face.
“Mind your own business…”
I said in a dark tone.
I tried to shake off her hand, but I was too weak—barely stronger than one of her fingers.
She snatched the Medicine Soup from my hand and placed it back on the bedside table.
“What are you doing!”
I was about to lose my temper, but she pressed me back onto the bed.
“I can’t let you do something so stupid, meow!”
Her words annoyed me.
What did she care what I did?
It was her very existence that made me want to do this!
And now she was speaking so self-righteously!
My anger was about to burst…
“How could you possibly understand me!!”
I shouted.
It was the first time I had ever been this angry, this loud.
After shouting, my voice instantly weakened to a faint whisper.
“You feel superior because of me, don’t you? You’re just like Father, hoping I’d die sooner!”
“I’ve never thought that! I believe Father never thought that either, meow!”
She retorted loudly, and her words almost made me laugh.
“Look at me. Tell me who wants to live like this?”
“I don’t have your talents. I’m not loved by the clan! I can barely even get out of bed, and now no one in this world cares about me. So why not just let me die?”
“I’m not talented at everything either! I’ve been in Transformation for months and still haven’t lost the meow! Father said you lost yours just days after your Transformation. In this, I really admire you, meow!”
“What does that have to do with me wanting to die?”
“I just want to say!! I care about you! Father cares about you too, meow!”
More of her self-righteous talk.
But I didn’t believe she truly cared about me—we barely exchanged a few words.
“If you really care about me, then kill me. That would be the only relief from this pain…”
I said this as I took her hand and placed it against my neck.
“…I don’t think death is relief from pain, meow. Death only prolongs pain and spreads it like a plague to others, meow.”
“What does that have to do with me? I’m selfish and despicable. I don’t care what others think!”
“Then I’m selfish and despicable too! I don’t want to see you die, meow!”
She suddenly lifted the bowl of Medicine Soup and placed it in front of me.
“I’ll make you like a normal person, meow! I swear to you, meow! So drink this medicine, meow!”
“No.”
“…Then don’t blame me for being ruthless, meow.”
She drank the entire bowl in one gulp, then leaned close and pressed her lips firmly against mine.
My mind went completely blank at that moment, unable to think of anything…
Gulp gulp.
The warm Medicine Soup slowly flowed from her lips into my mouth.
It was still bitter as always, but mingled with a softness and strength I had never experienced before.
“Cough cough…”
She wiped her mouth, looked at me, and repeated her self-righteous words: “Look into my sincere eyes, meow! I’ll help you live like a normal person. I promise, meow!”
“You’re my Little Sister. I won’t let you die!”
I didn’t want to believe her, but when I saw tears in her eyes, I found myself at a loss for words.
Was she really crying?
Yet her gaze was so determined…
It was the first time someone cried for me.
That feeling of being cared for seeped into my heart like an addictive poison—I actually began to believe her words.