Circumstance, Reason
The old winter is to blame for today's circumstance. It is the reason things are bad now.
Imagine a poor, broken town. And, imagine the mayor of a town telling their people that things are bad because of that bad old winter. "It's to blame for our circumstance!" he yells.
こ
ゆえ
None
In reality, this circumstance was actually caused by a single 子 (こ), though. This kid went through town, destroying everything in their path.
Imagine your kid character walking through town, using their super powers to destroy buildings and rot food.