Maria Bradley adored her older sister. Ever since she was a child, she had constantly trailed in her wake. The kind of girl who would burst into tears the moment her sister was gone, Maria refused to leave Rebecca's side for even a second.
"Ehehe. I love you, Big Sis!"
"My, Maria, you certainly know how to act the baby."
"Uh-huh!"
Despite her affection, Maria was shunned by other nobles. On lineage alone, she was magnificent; after all, House Bradley was one of the Three Great Noble Families.
However, for some reason, her skin and hair had been pure, snow-white from the moment of her birth. Furthermore, her eyes were a burning, vivid crimson.
It was a rare condition among sorcerers: albinism.
Maria, the second daughter of House Bradley, had been born as an albino.
While it never quite escalated to outright bullying, she was frequently avoided by those around her. That was the reality that awaited her.
Through it all, Rebecca was always there by her side.
"Big Sis... am I weird?"
By the time she was old enough to understand the world, Maria had begun to feel the gap between herself and others. Until then, she had been happy as long as she was with her sister.
But occasionally, she caught the sound of voices.
"That child... she’s so white, it’s creepy."
She had heard those words countless times.
While there were some who called her beautiful, most people simply observed Maria from a distance, their gazes as cold as if they were looking at a strange animal.
Because she belonged to one of the Three Great Noble Families, those around her kept a respectful but distant gap.
Even in that environment, Rebecca alone stayed by her side.
"That's not true! You're so, so cute, Maria!"
"Really?"
"Yes. This snowy skin, this white hair, and those red eyes—they’re all very beautiful. Other people might say things, but I will always think you're the cutest girl in the world."
"Big Sis..."
Rebecca would pull her into a tight hug.
The two were still young.
Even so, they supported each other to survive. They already felt the pressure of being part of the Three Great Noble Families. Every time they attended a party, they were told how much was expected of them.
Every time someone said they hoped they would become great sorcerers, the two would smile and respond. They would declare loudly that they would work hard to become fine sorcerers. No—they were forced to.
Even as children, they understood: the adults around them saw them only as the bloodline of House Bradley.
"Maria. I’ll always be with you."
"Yeah...! Thank you, Big Sis!"
Rebecca Bradley and Maria Bradley.
The two sisters believed their bond was eternal. However, reality was not so kind.
"Maria, I have some delicious sweets. Want to eat them together?"
"...No. I don't want any."
"I see..."
Time passed, and the sisters grew. They developed physically, mentally, and as sorcerers. At the same time, they were confronted with a cruel reality.
The gap between them became undeniable—a rift so deep it could hardly be crossed.
Rebecca was superior to Maria in every single category: academics, athletics, etiquette, and above all else... her strength as a sorcerer.
At parties, the nobles flocked to Rebecca.
Her appearance, her personality, and her skill as a sorcerer—Maria felt a crushing sense of inferiority toward her sister, who seemed to be a perfect being possessing everything.
"Ow... that hurts..."
Standing before a mirror, Maria was piercing her own ears. When she did it for the first time, she felt a strange sense of accomplishment.
It wasn't that she particularly wanted to be fashionable. She simply wanted to transform into something far removed from the typical noble girl.
She had always kept her hair long like Rebecca's, but she took this opportunity to change it to something eccentric. Her bangs were cut at an angle to cover one eye, and the back was slightly shaved.
Her overall appearance was no longer that of a noble.
Naturally, her family had plenty to say about it. While her father, Bruno, remained silent, her mother directed her fury at Maria.
She told her it was not a look befitting the daughter of a noble house.
In that moment, unable to suppress her emotions, Maria snapped.
"Then what about you? Doesn't the mother who gave birth to me like this have any responsibility? I'm so white I can't even walk under the sun properly... and these eyes are blood-red. It must be nice for Big Sis. She’s beautiful. She's not 'eccentric,' she's perfectly refined. You're proud of her, right? Of Big Sis. So just leave me alone. I've had enough! I'm just a failure anyway!"
"Wait! Maria...!"
The piercings weren't going in correctly, and blood was trickling from her ears. Some spots were even festering because she hadn't disinfected them. Unlike Rebecca, Maria was clumsy.
Maria ran to her room as if escaping, soaking her pillow with tears.
There was a knock-knock-knock at the door.
She didn't answer. Maria simply immersed herself in her grief, her body shaking with sobs.
—Why do I look like this? Why don't I have any talent? Why can't I be like her? Why, why, why?
She repeated the questions to herself, but there were no answers.
The current Maria could not reach the answer on her own.
Not by herself.
"Maria."
That gentle voice belonged to her sister.
If it had been her mother, Maria would have rejected her, locking the door tight. But she couldn't do that to Rebecca.
She certainly felt a sense of inferiority. There were times she thought... if only I didn't have a sister like her.
Even so, Maria loved Rebecca so much that she couldn't bring herself to shut her out.
"Big Sis..."
Raising her tear-stained face, Maria looked at her sister.
Rebecca approached and sat on the edge of the bed. Then, avoiding Maria's eyes, she began to speak.
"If I say 'I'm sorry it's because of me'... I'm sure it will only hurt you, Maria. But I have always wanted to be by your side."
"..."
Being near her was painful. It was agonizing, yet there was no doubt that Rebecca was a sister she was immensely proud of.
—A sister I'm more proud of than anyone.
Maria knew that Rebecca worked tirelessly behind the scenes. Maria had worked hard too, certainly. But compared to Rebecca's efforts, she still fell short.
Rebecca was more diligent than anyone, yet she never let it show.
Because her sister was so humble, Maria couldn't find it in her heart to truly hate her.
It wasn't just her looks; even her way of life was beautiful.
Hating such a sister was impossible.
"Big Sis..."
Maria gazed at Rebecca's profile through her tears.
—Ah. As I thought, she really is beautiful...
She couldn't help but think it. Her features were a gift from birth, but Maria knew the effort she put into her hair, her skin, and maintaining her physique.
Rebecca was dazzling as a human being.
Then, Rebecca slowly turned toward her, and their eyes met.
"Ah..."
The sound escaped Maria's lips because Rebecca, too, was crying.
Tears trailed down her sister's cheeks.
Rebecca was grieving as well. She felt she had cornered Maria just by existing. She truly wanted them to be close sisters forever, but their environment wouldn't allow it.
Their status as nobles. Maria's appearance. And the vast gap in talent and effort that existed between them. Every circumstance conspired to tear their relationship apart.
Knowing that feelings alone weren't enough to fix it, Rebecca let her tears fall silently.
"Honestly... Maria, getting so many piercings..."
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry... Big Sis."
"It's fine. You wanted to be fashionable, didn't you? I like those earrings, and the hairstyle too."
Rebecca gently stroked her hair.
Maria felt a tightening in her chest, and she finally bared her true feelings.
"...Big Sis. I still feel inferior to you. I can't help it. But... I'll definitely overcome it someday. Will you wait for me?"
"Of course. I'll be waiting for you forever. Even if it's hard for us to be close right now... I'll be waiting."
"Yeah... yeah!"
The two hugged, weeping together.
It wasn't as if anything had been fixed overnight. The sense of inferiority remained. Rebecca understood that hollow encouragement would only be counterproductive.
Both of them knew they had to keep their distance for now.
But Maria had promised that even if it wasn't immediate, a day would come when she could stand beside her.
Their parents called Maria a weak child, but they were wrong.
Rebecca knew better. She believed that Maria had a strong core—that she was someone who could truly overcome this.
Since then, the two had maintained a careful distance. Even at home, they didn't speak more than necessary.
But the bond of sisters remained between them, unbroken.
"Alright..."
Preparations were complete.
Maria wore a black-based one-piece dress and carried a parasol. Every inch of exposed skin was covered by black sleeves. Sunglasses were a necessity as well; she had to be especially careful during the summer. By now, she was used to it.
Maria was heading out to cheer for Rebecca in the Magics Chevalier. Rebecca had won the tournament the previous year, and Maria had high expectations for her this year as well.
—If it's Big Sis, she'll surely win again!
Even as Maria looked up at her from below, struggling with her own feelings of inferiority, her heart had raced when she saw Rebecca crowned the winner of the Magics Chevalier.
She had managed to offer her congratulations, clumsy though they were.
And she had been able to tell her to do her best again this year. They had spoken briefly when Rebecca returned home recently.
Rebecca had left the house with a bright smile, saying, "Maria, I'll do my best again this year."
"I'm off!"
Maria spoke the words as she left the house, heading toward the Magics Chevalier.
She intended to burn the image of her sister's heroic figure into her memory.