Butterfly's Curse: Prisoner Of The Unseen| Zenin Toji

Unknown Fate

A few days after the baby was born, the mother of Tsumiki entered the room where Seiren was imprisoned together with her daughter. Noritoshi wasn't present since he was summoned by the chief, perhaps to finally pay for going against the rules of the village.

Seiren was expecting to see Tsumiki today but not her mother, narrowing her eyes at her. The few times she had seen and encountered this woman before, she treated her the same way the villagers did. So being here, it wasn't a good sign.

There was only two reasons of why the mother of Tsumiki could be here: to take away the baby or to bring the news about the fate of Noritoshi. Seiren doubted the latter, since she believed that the parents of her husband will be the ones to tell her once they know about the punishment he would receive. Hence, she was here because of the former.

Tsumiki had always been the chosen one to adopt and to take care of the baby, but in the eyes of everyone she was still too young. It was understandable even for Seiren that someone must help her, and there was no other than her own mother.

"You probably already know why I'm here," the woman stated, her brown eyes fixing on Seiren who was carrying a sleeping baby wrapped in a blanket as red butterflies fluttered around them. "The baby wasn't born with butterflies or with crimson eyes?" She asked, hoping and wishing the child was more human than anything else.

With that question, Seiren confirmed that she was indeed right. "He's a normal human baby. His eyes are just like Noritoshi's."

The woman was pleased to hear that. "Well, since that's the case, we will be taking the baby now."

Seiren understood this day would come, but she still did not want to part from her child. "There is still a few days left before the offering. And since we are not going to see each other ever again, I want to pass these last days with him."

"I don't see the point for that. You still are going to part from him, so it would only make you more miserable," she refused. "Don't complicated things further and give us the baby."

"I wasn't asking for permission," Seiren stated, furrowing her eyebrows. "If you cannot do as I wish, then I'm afraid that I would have to find some else to take care of my son."

"Forgive my mother, Seiren," Tsumiki stepped in, her voice full of guilt and regret of what she was forced to do. "We were not planning to come this day, at least not to take your child. But the head of the clan ordered us to do it. We cannot leave without him, so I'm so sorry."

By the mention of Noritoshi's father, Seiren couldn't refuse anymore even if she didn't want to. "I can't really pass more time with him?" She looked at her baby, her expression softening.

"I'm sorry," Tsumiki's eyes glittered with tears. "I'm sorry that it had to be this way."

"You don't need to apologize. It's not your fault, nor did you wish for this to happen," Seiren mentioned, not wanting for Tsumiki to blame herself. "All of this has been caused because of the fear of the unknown and because I'm the child of the Black Butterfly," she took a few steps close to the young girl, stopping in front of her. "Before I give you my son, could you promise me that he will retain his name? That you will not change it?"

Tsumiki did not mind. In fact, she did not see the point of changing the baby's name. "Don't worry, I'm not planning to do something like that, nor will I allow my mother to do such a thing. So I promise it," her brown eyes fell on the child. "So what's his name?"

"Yuta," Seiren simple responded. "I had different names in mind, but since Noritoshi is not here anymore, I decided to give him that name. After all, he was the one that chose that name."