“Like” can mean many different things.

The “like” Yilisi felt was laden with meaning, and took immense courage to say aloud. Bai Ye’s “like,” on the other hand, came out without a second thought. They were completely different.

To Yilisi, her “like” was profound. It was for one person alone, with no one else in its sights.

But Bai Ye could say “like” to all kinds of people. She said it to her family, to her friends—and, of course, to Yilisi.

To Bai Ye, those two words were simply a way of expressing her warmth. They didn’t carry any deeper meaning.

Of course, Yilisi understood that. When she heard Bai Ye say “like,” she was happy at first. Then came the disappointment. And after that, she told herself it was only natural.

Yilisi didn’t think she had anything that could make Bai Ye fall for her, either. Besides being cute, what did she have?

She was timid, cowardly, and useless. How could Big Sister Bai Ye possibly fall for someone like her?

When Bai Ye said she liked her, she probably just meant Yilisi was someone important to her. And there might be plenty of people like that in Bai Ye’s heart.

“Big Sister Bai Ye, you once said you left the Royal Capital because of someone very important to you. Would you tell me about them?”

“Do you want to hear about it?”

“Mm.”

Yilisi nodded obediently. She wanted to hear Big Sister Bai Ye’s story and get to know her better. Maybe then she’d have some idea of what place she held in Bai Ye’s heart.

“All right. I’ll tell you about it, little by little.”

Bai Ye held out her palm and summoned a tiny bit of black magic into it.

“Yilisi, you know what this black magic means in the legends of the Holy Radiance Empire.”

“Mm. I know.”

Of course Yilisi knew. Almost everyone in the Holy Radiance Empire did. Black magic was an omen of misfortune, and anyone who wielded it would bring bad luck to those around them.

Yilisi had believed that once, too. But after Bai Ye had rescued her, her whole outlook had changed.

This black magic hadn’t brought Yilisi misfortune at all. Instead, it had pulled her out of the abyss of despair. If black magic really was so cursed, how could she explain what had happened to her?

In the end, it was just a foolish legend.

“But it’s only a legend, Big Sister Bai Ye. You’re such a kind, gentle person. How could you bring anyone bad luck?”

At Yilisi’s words, Bai Ye affectionately patted her head.

“That’s right. It’s only a legend. But…”

As she spoke, a trace of sadness appeared in Bai Ye’s eyes.

“Not everyone sees it the way you do, Yilisi… My family, for example.”

“Y-your family!”

At those words, Yilisi froze. Had Bai Ye’s family really refused to accept that she had black magic?

“They discovered I had a talent for controlling magic when I was seven. At first, everyone in the family was delighted. They thought it was wonderful that someone in the family could finally use magic. But it wasn’t long before they stopped being happy. They didn’t just lose their excitement—they became afraid of me, and even disgusted by me, because they found out… my magic was black.”

“What happened after that?”

Yilisi sounded desperate for an answer. It was terrifying to think that a child of only seven couldn’t be accepted by her own family.

“After that, they threw me out.”

Bai Ye gave a small laugh, but to Yilisi, her smile looked unbearably bitter.

“I think it was winter. A servant told me I’d been kicked out of the house. I wanted to see my parents, but they wouldn’t let me. They beat me with a broom and forced me to leave.”

“M-maybe the servants acted on their own. Maybe your parents…”

Yilisi wanted to comfort Bai Ye, but Bai Ye gently shook her head.

“My family was noble, too. Not a particularly powerful house, but we did govern a territory for the empire. My father was always busy. He went out several times a day. But during the days after I was thrown out, I waited by the front gate almost every moment, and I never saw him—not even once. Eventually, I suppose they couldn’t stand having me wait outside their home anymore, so they sold me to a slave camp. They wouldn’t even let me keep my name.”

Yilisi’s eyes reddened as she listened. She felt so sorry for Bai Ye. Why had someone as kind as Big Sister Bai Ye been treated like that?

“Was your whole family like that?”

“Not exactly. At least one person was very kind to me.”

“Is that the person you said was so important to you?”

Bai Ye nodded. When she spoke of this person, a genuine smile spread across her face.

“That’s right. That person was my little sister.”