Point of View: Emily Von Valeriana

I remember when I was a child, I always knew how to play with my older brother. Every time I got into trouble, my brother stood in front of me, defending me. Every time I was sad, he made me laugh. He was my brother, my pride; I loved him, and he was always there for me.

But things changed. His change in attitude was very strange; I don't know what happened. But I remember that day, it was 10 years ago. For some reason, my parents paid more attention to me than to my brother. It's not that they excluded him, but there was a drastic change in the people around me.

They stared at me and whispered, and I felt very uncomfortable, as if all their eyes were constantly watching what I did.

At my tenth birthday party, I was excited and happy, eagerly awaiting my gifts. But I was even more eager for my brother's gift. Time passed, but my brother never showed up to celebrate my birthday. I felt sad, disappointed, and angry. After the party, I went to his room to ask for an explanation, but he didn't come out.

I went back to my room and cried because he didn't pay attention to me. He had never done that before, and it made me feel bad. The next day I saw him in the living room and ran to hug him, but all I got was a resentful and annoyed look. He rejected my hug and left.

I stayed in the same place, not knowing what was going on. Over time, my brother not only ignored me but also intimidated me, making me cry, ignoring me, and pushing me aside. I didn't understand what was happening; I just wanted to spend time with my brother again.

The image I had of my brother diminished over time. The brother I knew was no longer there; now he was a troublesome, arrogant, despicable, and conceited guy. He always misbehaved at subsequent parties, causing trouble, but always ended up beaten. He even tried to get involved with the girls present or disrespected them.

My father and mother always scolded him for his behavior, but my brother had a smile on his face.

One day, by chance, I overheard my father and my brother arguing. My brother cried and said that he had always tried to make them proud, but they changed just because he lacked talent. From that day on, I understood everything that was happening around me, the looks I always received when I went somewhere, the attention from my parents, and how my name was always on their lips during conversations.

But there was one thing I didn't understand: even though my parents paid more attention to me, they never abandoned my brother. It's just that he closed himself off and saw things differently.

Despite this, my father arranged a marriage with my best friend, Alicia Tudor Grimald, the princess of the kingdom. I remember the days when we always played together in our childhood. I hoped that she could change my brother, but I couldn't have been more wrong. He tried to assault my childhood friend. I couldn't believe what Alicia was saying.

I went to my brother's room to see that it was all a lie; my brother couldn't do such a thing. But all I received was,

"GET OUT! DAMN IT, AND IF IT'S TRUE, IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS."

With a look of pure hatred that tore me apart inside. The ray of hope that my brother would change shattered that day. Since then, I closed my heart to him.

But there was something I thought would be impossible to happen: he apologized to my father in front of my mother. I was also there and couldn't believe it, but I didn't change my expression. He also asked my father for permission for my teacher to teach him fencing. I thought he had hit his head because he was acting strange, but I ignored it.

He always tried to start a conversation with me, but I ignored him. The next day he arrived at the training ground, and by Miguel's order, he started doing physical exercises. I thought he would get tired and quit, as he always did in the past.

To my surprise, he never stopped training. He always arrived on time and did his exercises every day without fail. I always saw him lying on the ground, breathing deeply, exhausted to the bone, but within a few minutes, he would get up and start again.

This went on for three months, and he never faltered. I was impressed, but he always had a poker face. In these months, he also tried to talk to me. I wanted to respond, but I couldn't. Just remembering the indifference and contempt over the years pierced my heart.

But right now, he's standing in front of me, looking me directly in the eyes with a sword in hand...