(Yelena's POV)

Ever since I was just a child, barely able to utter my words properly, I knew my brother and I were different.

While I had glossy silver hair, his was black, and he was far more in tune with my parents.

Although they loved me more, it became increasingly obvious how much they bonded over him more than me.

I didn't hate it. If anything, if my brother was happy, I felt happy.

Still…

"Mother, why do I have different hair than big brother?" I asked so earnestly, swinging my legs on the chair as my mother braided my hair.

When I asked this question, I noticed my mother flinching, almost as though she never expected such a question to leave my mouth.

"Yelena, you're so small and yet so smart. Aren't you just the cutest."

My mother tickled me. I laughed. I really did laugh, but it was a way to hide it from her. Hide the fact I knew she avoided the question in the best way she could.

I had many questions.

Why are people so happy to live in this world knowing they would die right after?

Wouldn't it be better if we lived forever?

Why does my father work so hard to make other people happy?

Why are people following a man they know nothing about?

But the biggest question of all…

Why do I have this sense of possessiveness towards my brother?

For my age, I knew I was smart. I knew things people my age would struggle to do.

I was a prodigy, but not in a way even I understood.

It was as though I had gathered knowledge from a past life and was now slowly unraveling it all as I grew up.

I was scared.

What if, just what if, I wasn't normal?

My back rested against the wall, gripping my small chest tightly at the thought of it.

Just in the other room was my brother, reading his books and trying to learn a spell that I already knew before even touching a paper.

There was no way I could let him know.

It would shatter his heart, knowing he was trying so hard to accomplish something I already did without lifting a finger.

If we could attend the same academy like we promised, then that was more than enough for me.

…

A few years passed, and I soon found myself growing more affectionate and longing for my brother's praises.

The way he would pat my head, cuddle me at night when I felt scared, hold my hand while walking through the hallways.

It was like I had my own prince guarding me through it all. I feared nothing. I wanted nothing else.

Even though I had so many friends, I would choose my brother over them time and time and time again.

But with all this came the fear that I might not be normal.

Was it normal for a sister to love her big brother this much?

I wanted answers, answers that would justify my feelings.

So, I snuck into my parents' room and went through the documents that they had kept hidden from prying eyes.

It took me over a month of stalking to find them, but I eventually did.

Before I opened the papers, I closed my eyes, prayed, wished them to be something that would put a smile on my face.

Please.

Please.

Please let it be what I need.

It was a lie, but a lie I wanted to keep so badly.

Slowly I opened the papers, and there it was, exactly what I needed.

As I thought. I was adopted.

That explains why my hair was silver, unlike everyone else in my family.

While I was happy about it, a part of me felt sad, the part that wondered why I always felt left out.

Who cares.

Yeah, I don't care.

As long as my brother is by my side, blood or not, Dorian is all I care about.

No one else.

Not a single person can take his place.

…

I spent the next few months learning everything I could about my brother.

What he liked.

Who he liked.

Who he hated.

All of it. I wanted to know everything, down to the tiniest, most minor things.

What was wrong with me? Why am I so happy all of a sudden?

Just like that, every question I had about life was thrown out the window, redirected into making sure I was babied and pampered by my brother… by Dorian.

Everything was going well.

Until…

"Brother, let's go read in my room like yesterday. You never finished that story, remember?" I stood in front of my brother, clutching the giant book close to my chest as I asked.

My face was so full of excitement that it would be hard for my brother not to notice.

And yet, his response was still off the mark.

"Sorry, Yelena, I have someone I need to meet today," he would say to me while petting my head and walking away.

This wasn't the first time he was making an excuse not to play with me.

Every time he made this excuse to meet someone, he would journey into the forest and not come back until the sun set.

I grew increasingly impatient each time.

Wondering to myself…

Who was my brother constantly going to meet every day, and why did he seem so happy every time he came back?

Not once has my brother smiled at me like that.

My curiosity soon got the better of me, and I one day tailed him without his knowledge.

If he were to find out, I knew he would be angry at me, but I did it anyway.

Hiding behind a tree, I watched my brother sit on a small rock, waiting for someone to show up while playing with another small rock.

My heart pounded heavily… I didn't like this one bit.

As I thought. I didn't like it.

A girl, roughly the same age as my brother, showed up, carrying a wooden sword in one hand, throwing a disgusted look at him.

She had silver hair just like I did, and I was smart enough to know she was strong.

But I was stronger.

"Mariaaa~" My brother launched at her, a huge smile on his face.

"What are you doing here again? I already told you no."

"You did? I don't remember."

"Tsk! You're annoying."

"See? You said more than two words to me today. That's a huge improvement. You're slowly liking me, aren't you?"

Their banter went on and on for a long while.

It might have been for a few seconds, but for me, it was as though the world had stopped, forcing me to witness this torment.

Maria. Why is my brother talking to a girl like this? Is she better than I am?

Prettier?

Who the hell even is she?

My eyes glowed with fury, flames dancing around my body, causing my fingers to get heated and melt into the tree bark.

Brother... look at me.

I'm prettier.

Why are you letting this homewrecker come between us?

Is it because you see me as nothing more than your sister?

We are not even blood-related.

I'm willing to do anything for you. Not her.

It took me a while to notice, but every word I had been saying came right out of my mouth, and my brother heard it all.

Every last bit of it.

My brother and the homewrecker looked at me. While he looked concerned, she had that unbothered look on her face.

"Yelena? Why are you here?" he asked me, taking a few steps forward.

There was no use hiding it. He already heard all of it.

"Why is she with you? Who is she?" I asked, taking steps of my own. However, the flames dancing around my body did not die; instead, they seemed to be growing each time.

"I didn't know you could use magic. Since when can-"

"That wasn't what I asked!" I shouted.

"Why is big brother meeting a girl in this place? Is this why you've been ignoring me? Is she so important to you that you choose her over me?!"

"C-calm down, Yelena… I didn't-"

"Liar!"

My flames spread through the forest, fire burning everywhere around me in a matter of seconds.

"You're lying to me, aren't you? You think she is prettier. You think she is better!"

Once again, my flames charged forward, almost engulfing the entire place.

What happened next further fueled my anger.

Maria grabbed my brother's arm and tried to shove him behind her.

Protecting him from me?

Me?

His little sister?

"Go to hell."

Before I knew what had come over me, I was there, dazed and confused.

I was lying on the ground, slowly opening my eyes to the morning sun. My clothes were burnt, but even more, where were my brother and the girl?

I jerked up from the ground, my small legs racing as fast as they could go.

Thankfully, I remembered the path back home and hurriedly took it.

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