Lady Misfortune: Daddy, I'll Be A Righteous Villainess!

Lady certainly didn't expect to see such a sight from Fallon. 

Even though she just met him, she could already tell that he was one of a kind. Every emotion he shows seems genuine, and each of his actions has meaning – or at least, according to her impression of him. So, when she heard him laugh out loud for the first time, she could already tell that it was a rare, precious thing. 

And that holds a lot more weight as Lady thinks about the fate that awaits Fallon in the story.

"You should do that more often from now on," she found herself blurting out after a brief pause on her part, making him snap out of his moment of mirth and turn to look at her.

"Do what?" he asked with a raised brow.

"Laugh. I'm getting the feeling that you don't do it that much."

"Well, more often than not, there's really nothing to laugh about. Things hardly amuse me. There's so little that can entertain me. I even used to have the idea that I was supposed to be born without any emotions."

"You're not the Ice Emperor, though."

"The what?"

"Father, I mean."

Right then, Fallon bursts out laughing one more time. Lady noticed that it's because of Maximilian again. 

Perhaps, there is something about him that he sees as funny. She thought for sure that he respected him so much that he would not dare make fun of him even if he was not around. He did speak highly of him earlier. 

"No, it's not him. It's you."

"Eh?"

Suddenly, he made a correction. It's crazy how he instantly changed his expression from mirthful to serious. 

"First of all, I could not imagine myself or anyone else calling your father a blockhead. Second, I find it entertaining how his own daughter perceives him this whole time. Third and last, I believe you're the only one who's gusty enough to think of him like that – and even say it aloud," Fallon explained.

"A-At least, I'm honest!" Lady retorted with a pout.

"Amusingly honest, yeah."

He just said that he hardly gets amused by anything. She wonders if that makes her kind of special, then – or maybe just plain weird. He probably sees her like a comedian or something.

Nonetheless, Lady has to admit that she enjoys knowing Fallon's different sides.

After spending time with him, regardless of how bizarre their experiences together so far are, she is starting to see him as less of a mere book character and more of a real person. Back in her past life, it was very hard to make friends – even harder to make the few ones stay. She told herself countless times that she didn't have to change anything in order to be accepted, and in the end, she just blamed it all on her sickness and her condition. 

Now, though, Lady felt like she could have a proper beginning for once. She could try to pursue a friendship with Fallon, and considering that he wasn't supposed to be part of the original story, it would probably be safe to assume that the other characters would still get their happy ending.

'But then, there's that…' she thought as she remembered something significant and crucial to the plot.

'The reason why I had to let him die was so that Calixtus Mireille would become evil.'

The thing is, Fallon's death would be the main cause of Calixtus and Maximillian's heating rivalry and estranged relationship. 

After the assassins succeeded in their mission and finished him off, Maximillian would be framed as the mastermind. Considering that Fallon was the top candidate for the positions of future CEO and head of the family until Lady appeared in the picture, that false claim would seem like it was not that far from the truth – even more so when several pieces of evidence were shown during the investigation. Since then, Calixtus developed a grudge against him and vowed to take revenge.

That hatred intensified when Maximillian still got away with the accusations. Calixtus did everything he could to bring him down. That was all until Sarah came into their lives and helped them make peace with each other.

'Of course, I had Calixtus act like a total pain in the ass for Maximilian for many years. He got in the way of his and Regina's blooming romance, treated Sarah like shit, and manipulated Lady to do his evil bidding…' she continued to recall piece by piece, relieved that she was able to have a recollection of these important events before they took place.

'In the end, though, Calixtus still had the chance to make up with Maximilian even if he was technically the walking hell of his life for a long time while Lady was kicked out like trash for being a spoiled brat who just wanted someone to love and care for her in that family.'

As much as she wanted to complain about how unfair that was, all she would end up doing was complaining to her own self. Besides, it's not that bad. At least, she had that character make a huge development at some point in the story. The antagonists really didn't get away from their misdeeds that easily.

'Now, if I want to save Fallon, I have to make Calixtus evil in another way…' she concluded. 

'I'll still follow the plot, of course! He was such a great villain, after all! So, he'll be important if I want to give the protagonists the center stage!' 

Lady was still in the middle of listing down the things to bring out the inner demons in someone when Fallon noticed the sound of approaching footsteps from a distance.

Discreetly, he informed her about it and told her to keep silent to which she nodded. They shrunk deeper in the bushes, then. As they hide, they listen on. Their hearts beat faster with each step they hear. Whoever it is, they're coming closer and closer to where they are –

Until they're suddenly gone.

"Huh? What-"

"Shush," Fallon cut Lady off, getting a bad feeling about this.

If it's their rescuer, there's no need for them to vanish out of nowhere. This is most likely their pursuer. It'd be understandable if he's trying to be stealthy to catch them off guard.

"I know you're around here somewhere, children."

And then came the confirmation. That's definitely the man.

"You're quite the smart ones, I see. You chose the perfect route and place that you thought I would not suspect. But there's one thing you failed to take note of…" he continued to talk to the vast space of quietude, knowing quite well that they could hear him from wherever they were hiding in.

"Your footprints."

Fallon clenched his teeth at that. He was right – he did forget about that. It should've been easy to create fake footprints along the way, but it still slipped his mind. Sensing his frustration, Lady put her hand on top of his. That made him unclench his teeth and look at her in mild surprise. 

"It's alright, Fallon. Don't beat yourself up about it…" she reassured him with a smile, and he wondered how she could still make such a face in that situation.

"We've rested enough, anyway. There's a chance that we could outrun him. If he's been searching around for a while now, he's probably tired."

"You're right. We can't get caught here now…" he said and nodded at her, making her beam brighter.

"On my mark, let's run and get out of here."

"Yeah. Good idea."

---

On second thought, that wasn't such a good idea after all.

"Damn it! That freak's already catching up to us!"

"I told you to run, moron! Not fall on your face!"

"When was tripping ever part of anyone's plan?!"

"Oh, I don't know! Maybe when you're so friendless you just wanted to make friends with the floor!"

"Gahhh!!! I already said I'm sorryyy!!!"

Apparently, Lady tripped over her feet and ended up falling face-first as soon as she rushed out of their hiding place. Fallon, of course, was not so pleased about it even though it was as clear as day that it was just an accident. 

Then again, whether it was intended or not, it did slow them down. Now, their assailant has not only seen them fleeing, but he is also already gaining on them - all set to hunt them down. 

"We have to buy some more time. I just received a text from Grandfather before we got chased. He said that they already arrived," Fallon informed her, much to her relief.

"Oh, thank goodness! Good thing Grandpa didn't call, though! He would've busted us out earlier if he had!" Lady cried out, earning a deadpan look from him. 

"I asked him not to call when you gave me his cellphone. That could potentially happen. But if anything, you were the only one around here who kept trying to bust us out."

"Seriously, I didn't mean to be clumsy!"

He would never let her live that down, it seemed.

At that moment, they appear to have gone back to the very beginning – running away from their pursuer, that is. But then, as always, there is a dead end. They hardly lasted for five minutes when one came, and this time, they found themselves facing a steep cliff.

"You've gotta be kidding me."