Chapter 1
00_Prina
Once upon a time,
There lived a girl with skin as white as snow,
Hair as black as ebony, and lips as red as blood.
In the kingdom, black hair was thought to be ominous,
So she seemed like a devil’s flower blooming upon pure white snow.
People called her Prina.
…And this is the tale
Of my beloved Prina, from the year she turned twenty.
At last, Prina.
You have fallen into my trap.
* * *
Prina was a good child.
“Mr. Lawrence, are you awake?”
The patient’s eyelids fluttered minutely. Prina set down the wet towel she had been using to wipe away the patient’s cold sweat, and hurriedly checked his condition.
“…A, A reaper!”
Barely regaining consciousness, Mr. Lawrence forced his eyes open and, trembling all over, shouted as if in a fit. Ever since his illness had worsened, he often suffered from delirium.
“Mr. Lawrence, please calm down.”
As Prina hastily tried to give him some herbal water with a calming effect, he sharply brushed her hand away.
Crash—!
With a sharp shattering sound, the bowl fell to the floor. Because he struggled so violently, Prina was also pushed aside. As a result, the white veil covering her head was pushed back and slipped off.
Even amidst the commotion, Prina tried frantically to fix her veil. When she managed to calm her startled heart and lifted her head, her eyes met the patient’s, and a new, vivid fear appeared in his gaze.
“It’s alright, Mr. Lawrence. This is a monastery. You’re in the arms of the divine, so you’ll be safe.”
“L-Lies! You witch! That jet-black hair… you’re a reaper!”
Prina struggled to reassure the patient, but the more she tried, the more he kicked and spat at her. As she tried to restrain him so he wouldn’t hurt himself, Prina’s small body swayed precariously.
“Filthy demon! G-Get out! You’re trying to deceive me and take me away… using your cunning tricks! Aaah! Aaaah!”
“Prina!”
At the moment when the patient’s fit was growing ever more violent, the head nun shouted thunderously.
“You’ll get hurt. Get out, now!”
Driven out of the sickroom by the stern command, Prina suddenly saw her reflection in the window.
“…….”
For a moment, her own bright blue eyes met her gaze.
Snow-white skin, blood-red lips came into view one after another.
And above her full forehead, sweat-soaked black hair had slipped out from beneath her veil.
She must be crazy.
She should have covered it properly. Why on earth did she expose that?
…It’s unsettling.
The whispers of her colleagues buzzed in her ears.
So that’s why.
As she pulled the nun’s veil deeply down, as if by agreement, the gazes all dropped.
It’s not as if she took it off on purpose…
Her clenched fists trembled violently.
Prina hated her own appearance. Like anyone else, she hadn’t chosen to be born this way. Yet living on with this appearance was something she alone had to bear.
Prina was a good child.
No, she always wanted to be a good child.
She wanted to be the kind of good child who would never be hated by anyone.
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