It was nighttime. The sky was beautiful, filled with stars, with several shooting stars streaking across it and a radiant red moon. The wind was cool and gentle.
A sky like this was a rare sight; one that hadn't appeared in a million years.
There was complete silence.
A large castle, red and white in color, was surrounded by a beautiful garden filled with many kinds of flowers. Some were tall and beautiful, while others were short and gorgeous.
The flowers shook in the gentle breeze, their petals flying away and their scent spreading across the entire garden.
Inside the castle, in a large bedroom, maids were gathered around a red bed. They had worried looks on their faces, and some were rushing out of the room.
A woman was in extreme pain as she gave birth. The maids were assisting her.
The woman was Queen Seraphina Valentine, giving birth to her third child. She was trying to endure the pain, which was so intense it felt like she was about to die. She had given birth twice before, but the pain had never been like this; it was the first time she had felt such agony.
Lilith, the head maid, held her hand. "Hold on, my Queen," she said, her voice filled with concern.
Seraphina let out a long, loud scream before falling quiet, panting heavily as her body glistened with sweat.
Then, a baby's cry rang out.
Seraphina had given birth to a boy. The maids quickly wrapped him in a white towel, and one handed him to Lilith.
Lilith gently took the crying boy into her arms, a calm and gentle smile on her face. She looked at Seraphina, who was still panting heavily with a weak look in her eyes, but a smile graced her lips—the smile of a mother who had just welcomed another happiness into her world.
Seraphina slowly tried to sit up, extending her arms toward Lilith with a smile. Lilith handed the boy to his mother. Seraphina took him in her arms and looked at his face.
He was beautiful, with a striking resemblance to Seraphina herself. He had pure white hair and beautiful blue eyes.
He was her first child to look just like her, while her other children resembled their father.
The boy stopped crying as he looked at his mother. He extended his little arms toward her and began to laugh, his cute, soft voice filling the room.
"He's beautiful," Seraphina said, her voice now low and soft.
Lilith gave her a gentle smile. "You're right. He's just as beautiful as you."
Seraphina let out a soft laugh as she gazed at her child, her beautiful blue eyes meeting his.
"What will you name him?" Lilith asked, moving closer to the bed.
"Seiichi... His name will be Seiichi," she said, slowly stroking his hair. It was as soft and smooth as cotton.
"That's a beautiful name," Lilith said. She sat on the edge of the bed and gently placed her hand on Seiichi's soft, smooth face.
Seiichi looked at Lilith and blinked. He laughed and extended his tiny arms toward her.
She slowly took him from Seraphina and gently hugged him.
"I'm worried," Lilith said.
Seraphina looked at her. "What do you mean?" she asked gently.
Lilith looked outside through the closed window, her smile fading slightly. "It's the night of the red moon."
"You don't have to worry about that. Even if he is cursed, I will still love him as I love my other children. He is my blood," Seraphina said, her expression gentle.
The red moon was a phenomenon that occurred once every million years. It was a symbol of a curse; legend said that those born under its light would be cursed, though no one had ever been born on such a night before.
But now, Seiichi had been born under the red moon.
Seraphina looked at Lilith holding Seiichi and gave a soft, gentle smile.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, and without waiting for an answer, it opened. A boy and a girl ran inside.
They were Seraphina's other children, Azariel and Lumine. Azariel was the oldest, and Lumine had been born two years after him. They both resembled their father more than Seraphina, with black hair and red eyes. They were dressed in casual attire.
Azariel and Lumine ran to the bed and hopped onto it.
"Mom, Mom, can we see our sibling?" they said in cheerful, energetic unison.
"Of course," Seraphina said. She slowly took Seiichi from Lilith. Azariel and Lumine looked at him, their mouths forming an "O" of amazement.
"He's so cute and beautiful!" Lumine and Azariel said together.
"He also resembles you a lot, Mom," Lumine added.
Azariel looked at Seiichi, his eyes glowing red as if he were peering into his soul.
"It's strange," Azariel said, a confused look on his face as he rubbed his chin.
"What do you mean?" Seraphina asked, gently stroking Seiichi's hair while looking at Azariel.
"I don't sense any magic from him," he said, pointing at Seiichi.
Everyone's eyes widened as they all looked at the baby.
"I didn't realize it, but he's right. I don't sense any type of magic from him," Lilith said, her eyes wide with shock.
The other maids began muttering among themselves.
"Could it be that this is the curse of the red moon?" Seraphina mused. Her voice was gentle, and she neither looked nor sounded worried.
"Aren't you concerned?" Lilith asked.
Seraphina looked at her. "Well, I am concerned, but as I said before, it doesn't matter if he's cursed because he is still my blood." She continued, "Besides, even if he doesn't have magic, he can still learn other things, like swordsmanship. Or, if he wants to study when he grows up, I'll enroll him in an academy."
Lilith, Azariel, and Lumine looked at her with genuine surprise. They hadn't expected her to be so carefree.
"Well, it's getting late, and I'm feeling sleepy," she said. She placed Seiichi beside her and lay down gently. "Lilith, you can go and rest. If I need anything, I'll call you." With that, she dismissed Lilith and the other maids. "Azariel and Lumine, you two go to your room as well. It's late now." They both obeyed and left the room.
Seraphina turned to Seiichi and gazed at him gently. She pulled him closer and hugged his sleeping form. "You don't have to worry about anything as long as I'm with you." She slowly closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.
---
Outside the room, in the castle hallway, Lumine and Azariel were walking.
"Why do you think he doesn't have any magic?" Lumine asked.
"Well, I read in a book that anyone born under the red moon will be cursed."
"Just as I expected, you're really smart," she said. "By the way, what do you think of him?"
"I'm worried about our family's reputation. If people find out our brother was born without magic, everyone will make fun of us. Our mom's status as queen will be damaged," he said, his voice serious and firm.
"...So, what do you think we should do?" Lumine asked.
"We can't do anything. Just leave it be," Azariel said.
They continued walking down the hallway until they reached their room and went inside.