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Dark Horse Sibling

 Dark Horse Sibling
type
FeatureClass
 Dark Horse Sibling
label
Dark Horse Sibling
 Dark Horse Sibling
page
DarkHorseSibling
 Dark Horse Sibling
comment
When it comes to siblings, they usually fall into two categories. One sibling may be considered The Reliable One and is often the subject of Parental Favoritism, while one is usually seen as a Black Sheep, and may be treated as The Un-Favourite. Often they may make a Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling pair or their relationship results in Successful Sibling Syndrome.
However, over time, maybe the lesser sibling changes their ways, applies themselves, and becomes more successful and more popular. Perhaps this sibling suffered from Middle Child Syndrome and gained the ambition to succeed so they can have a little attention and credit. Or perhaps a stroke of luck changes the fortunes of the lesser sibling. Meanwhile, the sibling everyone looked up to had a fall from grace. Now the sibling that everybody thought would fail has taken the other sibling's place as the one everyone looks up to.
See also Cain and Abel and Seth for where a new sibling is introduced who may fit this trope. Not to be confused with Ensemble Dark Horse.

Examples
 Dark Horse Sibling
fetched
2023-07-22T00:14:23Z
 Dark Horse Sibling
parsed
2023-07-22T00:14:23Z
 Dark Horse Sibling
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Dropped link to FutureLoser: Not an Item - FEATURE
 Dark Horse Sibling
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Dropped link to GenderBender: Not an Item - FEATURE
 Dark Horse Sibling
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Dropped link to THeUnfavorite: Not an Item - FEATURE
 Dark Horse Sibling
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 Dark Horse Sibling
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 Dark Horse Sibling
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WarhammerFantasy
 Dark Horse Sibling
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DBTropes
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_10175749
type
Dark Horse Sibling
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_10175749
comment
In Aquaman (2018), Orm becomes the king of Atlantis, despite not being the first-born son of queen Atlanna, while first-born half-sibling Arthur is shunned by him and lives on the surface. However, Orm is ruthless and tries to wage war against the surface world, while Arthur succeeds in gaining the trident of Atlantis' first king, making him the true ruler of Atlantis. In the end, Arthur defeats Orm and takes his rightful place on the throne.
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_10175749
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_10175749
featureConfidence
1.0
 Aquaman (2018)
hasFeature
Dark Horse Sibling / int_10175749
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_1100d723
type
Dark Horse Sibling
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_1100d723
comment
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin: Between Leila and Malik, Leila is the one who has a better education, always stays calm and provides plans, while Malik is often wrecked by panic attacks and was an outsider in their village due to his visions - yet it is he who becomes a champion at Solstasia and develops strong magical talents.
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_1100d723
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_1100d723
featureConfidence
1.0
 A Song Of Wraiths And Ruin
hasFeature
Dark Horse Sibling / int_1100d723
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_14600393
type
Dark Horse Sibling
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_14600393
comment
Matilda: Despite her intelligence, the title character is horribly dismissed and mistreated by her parents, who clearly prefer her brother Michael over her. Matilda eventually discovers she has psychokinetic powers which she uses to her advantage, and towards the end, she's also Happily Adopted by her nice teacher who recognised her genius.
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_14600393
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_14600393
featureConfidence
1.0
 Matilda
hasFeature
Dark Horse Sibling / int_14600393
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_18acb3a5
type
Dark Horse Sibling
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_18acb3a5
comment
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: Hilary is introduced as a spoiled college dropout who is not book smart like her siblings, and her parents are afraid she will never move out of the house or find a job. However, from season 2 onwards, she finds a lot of jobs and eventually becomes the host of her own talk show, having more overt success than her brother (who is rejected by his dream college) or her sister (whose attempts to become a singer or a model failed). In the final season, Hilary is the one using her success to help her family by getting Will a better job and connecting Ashley with a prestigious performing arts school.
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_18acb3a5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_18acb3a5
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
hasFeature
Dark Horse Sibling / int_18acb3a5
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_30a5ebfd
type
Dark Horse Sibling
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_30a5ebfd
comment
Naruto:
While it was never questioned that Gaara was the most powerful of the three Sand Siblings and that his power was more than enough to qualify him as the Fifth Kazekage, his father never believed that Gaara would become his heir or that anyone would willingly sacrifice their life for him, since Gaara used to be feared and outcast by anyone in the village and was treated as a weapon by his father. Rasa the Fourth Kazekage, resurrected via Edo Tensei, was shocked to learn that Gaara has become not only his successor, but also became a beloved figure in the village, with the Elder Chiyo even having sacrificed her life for him. Oonoki the Third Tsuchikage even told Rasa that his son was appointed as the Regimental Commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces. Rasa was even shocked by the news that Gaara got friends, with the resurrected Second Mizukage jabbing at Rasa for that. Gaara's two older siblings are still serving happily under him (well, at least Kankuro does, now that Temari left Suna-gakure for Shikamaru in Konoha-gakure).
Itachi was a prodigy who developed his talents in his early age, became a member of the Anbu in his early teens and was portrayed to be his father's favorite. However, after Itachi commited the Uchiha Massacre to protect the village and prevent the coup de tat from happening, Itachi ended up becoming Konoha's public enemy (and the entire world because of his association with the Akatsuki). Only very few know the truth behind the Uchiha Massacre, so even after his death, Itachi is still viewed as a criminal. Sasuke, who developed his talents much later in life than his older brother did, would also become a criminal, but manages to reform himself during and after the Fourth Shinobi World War, having become one of the war heroes. Sasuke is now acting as the Seventh Hokage's personal partner and is a very respected figure in the village. That being said, the truth behind the Uchiha and Itachi's involvement of supporting the Great Shinobi Alliance is still hidden to the public, and Itachi was content of being a scapegoat as long as the village is still safe.
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_30a5ebfd
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_30a5ebfd
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1.0
 Naruto (Manga)
hasFeature
Dark Horse Sibling / int_30a5ebfd
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_33379487
type
Dark Horse Sibling
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_33379487
comment
In The King's Speech, nobody expects much of Prince Albert because of his shy personality and severe stutter, but when his older brother Edward abdicates the throne, Albert becomes King George VI of England.
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_33379487
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_33379487
featureConfidence
1.0
 The King's Speech
hasFeature
Dark Horse Sibling / int_33379487
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_3e5de40b
type
Dark Horse Sibling
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_3e5de40b
comment
Scrubs: J.D.'s older brother Dan is a former Big Brother Bully turned Manchild who usually shows up Once a Season to mooch off him. In Season 7, he buckles down, becomes a successful real estate agent, gives his younger brother a new car as a form of gratitude, and even tells J.D. to grow up a bit when J.D. becomes jealous of not being the best-off sibling anymore.
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_3e5de40b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_3e5de40b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Scrubs
hasFeature
Dark Horse Sibling / int_3e5de40b
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_4522fd1
type
Dark Horse Sibling
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_4522fd1
comment
Whateley Universe:
Bryan St. Claire, The Un-Favorite, compared to his sister, Paige, is the one who gets superpowers.
Jesse James Harrow, the one who had to babysit his younger siblings, and didn't have a gimmick like his older siblings, ended up netting a windfall of supernatural power on his birthday. Including the Gender Bender transformation she was primarily after.
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_4522fd1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_4522fd1
featureConfidence
1.0
 Whateley Universe
hasFeature
Dark Horse Sibling / int_4522fd1
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_457b96fa
type
Dark Horse Sibling
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_457b96fa
comment
After the Junglenote (by Flowerprincess 11): Most people (including Helga) figured that Olga, a bright/beautiful/popular/talented young woman, would be the more successful Pataki-sister between her and Helga. However, by the time Helga's in her mid-30s (when Olga would be well into her 40s), it's clear that Helga's become the more successful one of her and Olga, which even their parents seem to acknowledgenote While it depends on how you look at it, Bob and Miriam (whose relationship with Helga has improved tremendously as she's gotten older, to the point of where Helga does call them "Mom" and "Dad" more frequently) now seem to favor Helga over Olga.
By the time Helga's around 34 or 35, she's become an award-winning/top-selling poet/novelist/short story writer (specializing in romance literature) and works for one of the best publishing firms in the United States. She also achieves her life goal of marrying Arnold and having a family with him — Arnold and Helga end up having three kids, consisting of two sons named Andrew "Andy" Phillip Shortman and Henry Miles Shortman and one daughter named Megan Gertrude Shortman.
Olga, by contrast, has come down with a serious case of Future Loser (a common occurrence in stories by FP11). After failing to make it big as an actress and marrying "some hack of a wannabe rockstar" named Patrick Sherman (both of which Olga had a major falling out with her parents, particularly her father), was forced to go back to working as a schoolteacher to help support her familynote By the time Andy and Megan have started 4th-grade and Kindergarten, respectively, at P.S. 118, Olga has become a 5th-grade teacher at that same school — however, unlike back in the original series, Olga's clearly lost her passion for her teaching career. Patrick fails to make it big as a musician but has trouble holding down a job and frequently changes employment—he and Olga eventually have a pair of boy-girl fraternal twins named Logan Robert Sherman and Lisa Miriam Sherman, but neither Patrick nor Olga are ideal parents: Olga basically tries doing to the twins what her own parents (particularly Bob) had done to her and though Patrick doesn't have distant of a relationship with them as Olga, he's still very flawed. Also, the Shermans aren't as financially well-off as Helga and her family are, such as living in a cheap/tiny apartment instead of a regular house — they also can't afford to have more than one car, and Olga's been forced to stick with the car that she's had since graduating high school.
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_457b96fa
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1.0
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_457b96fa
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1.0
 After the Jungle Series (Fanfic)
hasFeature
Dark Horse Sibling / int_457b96fa
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_4617a9f2
type
Dark Horse Sibling
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_4617a9f2
comment
Married... with Children: Between Bud and Kelly, it was believed that Bud would be the more successful of the two, due to being a lot smarter than Kelly was. However, thanks to Kelly's beauty and sex appeal, she's the one who's had more overt success over the years, having been a model, commercial actress, and television star on numerous occasions.
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_4617a9f2
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_4617a9f2
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1.0
 Married... with Children
hasFeature
Dark Horse Sibling / int_4617a9f2
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_4d04208
type
Dark Horse Sibling
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_4d04208
comment
One episode of The Andy Griffith Show has Otis pretend to be a deputy in order to impress his brother, who the family always looked up to. It turns out that Otis' brother is now a town drunk much like Otis is, and Otis shames his brother for what's become of him.
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_4d04208
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_4d04208
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Andy Griffith Show
hasFeature
Dark Horse Sibling / int_4d04208
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_4e45b093
type
Dark Horse Sibling
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_4e45b093
comment
The Big Bang Theory: Sheldon's older brother George was always considered the family's Black Sheep destined to be a bum. Eventually adult Sheldon is surprised to find out that George was actually the one taking care of the family when Sheldon went to college (after their father's death), and that he has become the successful owner of a tire chain store.
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_4e45b093
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_4e45b093
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Big Bang Theory
hasFeature
Dark Horse Sibling / int_4e45b093
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_72262aee
type
Dark Horse Sibling
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_72262aee
comment
In Avatar: The Last Airbender, Azula was the celebrated prodigy Fire Nation princess, while her brother Zuko was considered a disgrace and eventually exiled before the start of the series. However, in the final season, Azula's world and mental state started falling apart while Zuko became a better person. In the finale, it culminates in Azula completely losing her mind while Zuko becomes the Fire Lord.
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_72262aee
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_72262aee
featureConfidence
1.0
 Avatar: The Last Airbender
hasFeature
Dark Horse Sibling / int_72262aee
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_7d271ad1
type
Dark Horse Sibling
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_7d271ad1
comment
In The Sword in the Stone, Arthur (aka "Wart)") is seen as the inferior (adoptive) brother. However, he grows up to be King Arthur.
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_7d271ad1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_7d271ad1
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Sword in the Stone
hasFeature
Dark Horse Sibling / int_7d271ad1
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_83e716b1
type
Dark Horse Sibling
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_83e716b1
comment
On The Last Man on Earth, Tandy was a failure his whole life, while his brother Mike made something of himself and ended up becoming an astronaut. While Tandy was still a screw-up after the virus wipes out most life on the planet, he managed to get a lot of the survivors together, got married, and ended up becoming the de facto leader of the group, while Mike becomes jealous over what Tandy now has, and goes off to find his own place in the new world.
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_83e716b1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_83e716b1
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Last Man on Earth
hasFeature
Dark Horse Sibling / int_83e716b1
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_9a56099
type
Dark Horse Sibling
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_9a56099
comment
In A League of Their Own, older sister Dottie is the All-Star in her hometown, in the baseball league, and even with her parents. But younger sister Kit ends up being the one who hits the grand-slam home run that wins the Big Game. This is made all the more dramatic by the catcher Dottie literally dropping the ball, allowing Kit to get home safe.
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_9a56099
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_9a56099
featureConfidence
1.0
 A League of Their Own
hasFeature
Dark Horse Sibling / int_9a56099
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_9bb5aad4
type
Dark Horse Sibling
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_9bb5aad4
comment
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX: Ryo Marufuji, better known as Kaiser, was very popular in Duel Academia and was The Ace and pride of the school, whereas his younger brother Sho enrolled the worst dorm of the academy, is neither popular nor good-looking like his brother did and has severe confidence issues. Starting with season 2 after Kaiser graduated, Sho would rise to the second-best dorm and is capable of even defeating students of the best dorm, while Kaiser suffers from a losing streak, but he comes back as Hell Kaiser and gains a fearsome repetition for his violent dueling. By season 4, Hell Kaiser ends up retiring from dueling because of his heart problems caused by the Cyberdark cards he obtained in season 2, while his brother Sho, now a student of Duel Academia's best dorm, inherits his brother's deck, suffers from no health issues for using the Cyberdark monsters, and he's set up to become the next Kaiser.
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_9bb5aad4
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_9bb5aad4
featureConfidence
1.0
 Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
hasFeature
Dark Horse Sibling / int_9bb5aad4
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_a59597f2
type
Dark Horse Sibling
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_a59597f2
comment
Cinderella, in its many variations and adaptations, has the title character treated poorly by her stepfamily, but in the end, Cinderella's the one that wins the heart of the prince and marries him.
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_a59597f2
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_a59597f2
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cinderella
hasFeature
Dark Horse Sibling / int_a59597f2
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_aecab
type
Dark Horse Sibling
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_aecab
comment
In Gattaca, because of Fantastic Racism over who is genetically optimized, the older Vincent is shunned and looked down on compared to his younger brother, Anton. However, in a swimming race, Vincent managed to beat his genetically-superior brother and Anton had a complex about that loss since. Ultimately, Vincent gets to be an astronaut while Anton is the literally more down-to-Earth police detective.
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_aecab
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_aecab
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1.0
 Gattaca
hasFeature
Dark Horse Sibling / int_aecab
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_af88e831
type
Dark Horse Sibling
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_af88e831
comment
1 Samuel in The Bible describes how the prophet Samuel came to the home of Jesse to anoint the new king of Israel. Jesse presents his seven sons to Samuel but leaves out his youngest David. Only when the LORD has rejected the first seven does Jesse mention David. David turns out to be The Chosen One.
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_af88e831
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_af88e831
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1.0
 Books of Samuel
hasFeature
Dark Horse Sibling / int_af88e831
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_d4efb984
type
Dark Horse Sibling
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_d4efb984
comment
Stan Zbornak on The Golden Girls has always been described as a "yutz" by his ex-wife Dorothy's family and even his own mother. The Season 3 episode "Brotherly Love" introduced Stan's younger brother Ted, a successful doctor. The Season 6 episode "If at Last You Do Succeed" has Stan becoming rich after inventing a device to open baked potatoes without burning your fingers, so presumably he has become more successful than Ted.
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_d4efb984
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1.0
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_d4efb984
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1.0
 The Golden Girls
hasFeature
Dark Horse Sibling / int_d4efb984
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_dab6270b
type
Dark Horse Sibling
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_dab6270b
comment
Stand by Me: Gordie was The Un-Favourite and largely ignored by his parents who only cared about their athletic son Denny. Denny was already killed in a car accident by the time the movie started, while Gordie will eventually become a Family Man and a writer.
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_dab6270b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_dab6270b
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1.0
 Stand by Me
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Dark Horse Sibling / int_dab6270b
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_daff6a21
type
Dark Horse Sibling
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_daff6a21
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Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds: Luca was introduced to be the dueling prodigy of the two twins and one of the five Signers, while her brother Lua was introduced as very flawed duelist who wasn't a Signer. By the end of the series, Lua became a Signer and he has grown up to be a Pro Riding Duelist as an adult, while his sister is just being a university student. That said, Lua always had the desire to become a Pro Duelist, while Luca never showed any interest in becoming one despite her talent.
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_daff6a21
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1.0
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_daff6a21
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1.0
 Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds
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Dark Horse Sibling / int_daff6a21
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_fd191ee0
type
Dark Horse Sibling
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_fd191ee0
comment
Wilbur from Charlotte's Web was born the runt of his litter, but thanks to Charlotte and her webs, he becomes a famous tourist attraction and wins a special prize at the county fair.
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_fd191ee0
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1.0
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_fd191ee0
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1.0
 Charlotte's Web
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Dark Horse Sibling / int_fd191ee0
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_fda9c8b
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Dark Horse Sibling
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_fda9c8b
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In Downton Abbey, Edith is considered the plainest, least interesting, and least promising of the Crawley sisters. After one suitor gets cold feet at the altar, the next one gets killed in Germany and leaves Edith with an illegitimate daughter, and the third one leaves her after learning of said daughter, her marriage prospects are treated as practically non-existent. Then the third suitor returns, and they happily marry. He is also a fabulously rich Marquess, and Edith ends up outranking her one surviving sister and the entire Crawley clan.
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_fda9c8b
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1.0
 Dark Horse Sibling / int_fda9c8b
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 Downton Abbey
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Dark Horse Sibling / int_fda9c8b

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Dark Horse Sibling
processingCategory2
Sibling Tropes
 Aquaman (2018) / int_e1718aa0
type
Dark Horse Sibling
 Gattaca / int_e1718aa0
type
Dark Horse Sibling
 The King's Speech / int_e1718aa0
type
Dark Horse Sibling
 The Way to Protect the Female Lead's Older Brother / Lightnovel / int_e1718aa0
type
Dark Horse Sibling
 The Way to Protect the Female Lead's Older Brother / int_e1718aa0
type
Dark Horse Sibling
 Trace / int_e1718aa0
type
Dark Horse Sibling