Even among the noble houses of the great kingdom of Garlant, the O’Brian family had a long and storied history. They once stood at the right hand of the king and had wielded great influence among the nation’s nobility. However, their house was now only a shadow of its former self. In particular, the current head of the family, Count Arthur, could hardly be said to be skilled at politics, business, or even flattery.
It was into this family that Yui had been born. As Arthur’s third child and as the first girl, she should have been doted upon by her father—but reality was not so kind. He considered her a worthless failure. His attitude was absolutely not one that a father would normally have toward his child; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he bitterly hated her.
Arthur hadn’t ever been someone who especially loved and cherished his family, but while he was strict with Yui’s two older brothers, he at least spoke with them. Yet if she even so much as tried to talk to her father, he would fly into a rage at her. While she was still young, she had understood that he disliked her, even if she hadn’t known why. Yui’s mother and her two brothers had figured she would find out the reason eventually, but perhaps out of some consideration for her, they hadn’t told her, wanting her to spend her days as carefree as possible until then.
Yui was rarely permitted to go outside, so the one place she could relax was the library of her family’s mansion. As a young child, she had learned to acquire new information through books, and it was through those books that she had discovered she was called a “Liefe,” someone deficient in the ability to use magic.
The O’Brian lineage had always produced great numbers of knights, so for her father and the family’s future as a whole, Yui’s existence was unforgivable. Still, she didn’t give up—if she couldn’t find success in magic, she would achieve results in her studies. After reading all sorts of books, she learned much, and she was even able to score at the top of her class on her written tests at the school for nobles she attended. However, she couldn’t change the reality that she couldn’t use magic, and at school, she was mocked and ridiculed. Her father’s attitude wasn’t swayed at all by her good grades, and he never showed her any love. He would even occasionally hit her, and he only got angrier if she made a fuss, so over time, she learned to not outwardly show any emotion.
One day, that life came to an abrupt end.
“Huh? What do you mean, mother?” Yui asked.
In contrast with her father, Yui’s mother, Sherina, showed her daughter plenty of affection. With a sad look on her face, she repeated what she had just said to Yui. “Your father and I are getting a divorce. You and I are going to have to leave this house.”
“Why?” Yui asked, her voice trailing off. No—somehow, she knew. “Is it my fault? Is it because I’m a Liefe and I’m not useful to this family?”
“No, not at all!” Sherina said firmly. “You already know that he and I have never been on good terms with each other, right?”
Yui nodded hesitantly. “Yeah.”
The couple’s marital life had started off on the wrong foot and never improved. Their children constantly saw the two arguing. Sherina had originally been a commoner. Her family ran a bakery, so her social standing should have made it impossible for her to marry a noble. That was until Arthur had fallen in love with her at first sight. She had felt no desire to marry him, but after he had threatened to close her family’s bakery, she reluctantly assented.
“You’re still a child, and I don’t know whether I ought to tell you this, but since you’re a smart girl, I’m sure you can handle it. He has another woman and no longer has any use for a commoner woman without a noble guardian, so I decided I’m going back home. Will you come with me, Yui?”
“Of course!”
Sherina hugged her tenderly. “Thank you. I wanted to take Cecil and Carlo with me too, but...”
“They aren’t coming with us?”
Sherina looked upset. “Arthur won’t allow it. ‘They’re this family’s valuable successors,’ he said.”
“No way...” Yui pulled away from her mother and rushed out of the room, running to her brothers’ room. She opened the door without knocking and entered to find her two beloved older brothers, looking just as they always did. Their calm demeanors made her think for a second that they hadn’t yet been told that their parents were separating and that their mother and sister would be leaving.
“Cecil, Carlo...” she said.
“What is it, Yui?”
“You’re in a hurry. Did something happen?”
Yui’s two brothers were twins three years older than her. They looked enough alike to be easily mistaken for each other at first glance, but anyone who knew them well would instantly tell them apart. Cecil had dark-brown hair and brilliant, deep-blue eyes, and his kind, calm presence was just like their mother’s. Carlo’s hair and eye color were the same as his twin’s, but he was much more lively and cheerful. In fact, their personalities were complete opposites.
When Yui saw her two brothers’ faces, the thought that she would soon no longer be able to see them anymore brought tears to her eyes. Seeing this, her brothers were surprised. Their friends often told them they were obsessed with their sister, but that observation only pleased them. They amply demonstrated their brotherly overprotectiveness now as they began to panic.
“Wh-What’s wrong?!”
“Are you hurt somewhere?”
Yui falteringly began to explain, holding back sobs. “Mother says she’s divorcing father and that she has to leave here. She says you two can’t come with us.”
Understanding dawned on the twins’ faces as they realized why she was upset.
“Oh, so you heard,” Carlo said, unexpectedly nonchalant. Cecil merely offered her a strained smile as he wiped Yui’s face with his handkerchief.
Yui was so shocked to see that they weren’t sad like she was that she burst into tears again. “Aren’t you upset?” she asked them, an accusatory edge to her voice.
“We are!” Carlo exclaimed, hurrying to correct her. “We’re very sad that we can’t live together with you and mother anymore.”
“You don’t look it,” Yui said, shooting him a reproachful gaze.
Carlo flinched. Cecil, calm as ever, quietly wiped away Yui’s tears and corrected her misunderstanding. “Yui, we don’t seem sad because there’s no reason to be,” he said.
“Why not?” Yui asked.