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

For what feels like some time, Lady is in a daze, a little too entranced. 

It's just that the boy looks so charming that she can't help but admire him. She used to think that princes would have crowns and ride on horses. But he proves her wrong. Sometimes, princes could just be holding some gold medal while looking all dejected instead of accomplished. It's a sight she'd neither seen nor imagined before.

And now, Lady appears to have been placed under a spell, not expecting such an encounter at all. 

'No, snap out of it! This is what you get for reading too many novels in the past! You should be thinking about why he seems sad!' she told herself, pulling her senses back to reality.

The silence is drawing on for too long.

She has to say something even if it is not making her feel awkward or uncomfortable. It is likely that he also wants to do the same but is too perplexed to even let a word out. He might be overthinking at that moment, and she does not want that.

"So, uhhh… You don't look too happy even though you've got that shiny thing with you…" she started again before sitting back down on the bench and patting the spot next to her.

"You can join me here if you want. I'm just taking a break." 

Lady is still not that good with interacting with strangers – and it probably shows.

She's not sure if offering the seat beside her is a good choice. Maybe it makes her appear like she's assuming they're close enough to share each other's company.

But to her pleasant surprise, he nods in reply. He then walks closer and settles down next to her. Even though he still looked hesitant, she was glad that, at least, he accepted her invitation.

Because of that, Lady feels more comfortable to talk.

"Actually, I'm not just taking a break here. I'm also waiting for Father and Principal Abel to come and get me. You see, I'm kind of lost," she confessed while beaming at him.

"You're… lost?" he blurted out, looking somewhat puzzled.

"Yeah!"

"Then, why… do you look happy?"

"Eh?"

"Most kids would cry when they went missing. But you, on the other hand, don't look a bit least scared or worried."

"Well, I'm just inside the school, anyway. So long as I stay here, I'm sure I'll be found. There's really nothing to be afraid of. In fact, I quite enjoyed the views and sceneries here even though I was all on my own." 

"I see. You're pretty optimistic."

"That I am! Pretty and optimistic!"

His eyes widen slightly at that, and he falls silent once again. Then, he lets out a chuckle, catching her off guard. From that point on, all she can do is stare at him in wonder. His smile has just charmed her even more.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make fun of you…" he apologized, going to a still as soon as he realized that he was already laughing. 

"It's just that you're kind of amusing. Until now, I never met anyone who'd openly say that they're 'pretty' like what you did - with so much confidence, at that."

"I see! It worked, then…!" she chirped in delight, baffling him.

"To tell you the truth, I just said that to cheer you up. I wasn't trying to boast."

"Huh? To cheer me up?"

"I mean, you seem upset about something, which is somehow odd since you have something with you that's given me the impression that you've won at a competition. Makes me wonder, shouldn't you be celebrating?"

"Well, ummm… I-It's a long story."

"Oh, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I understand. We've just met, after all. I'm only curious. I apologize if I'm being nosy."

"No, I don't think you're being like that at all. I just didn't expect that you'd… notice."

He looks away from her, his gaze falling upon the vast field before them. The downcast expression that he shows right then is starting to intrigue her more. However, she tries to hold herself back from asking anything. She already told him that she didn't need to know, after all. 

"People rarely notice how I'm feeling, to be honest," he then suddenly added, making her perk up slightly in surprise. 

"Really? I noticed it almost right away. Could it be that you're hiding it?" she inquired.

"Well, in the first place, I didn't know that someone was already here. So, you really threw me off guard. I usually visit this place to spend some time alone, you see."

"Oh, ermmm… I'm sorry for intruding?"

"It's alright. No need for that. Anyone can use this spot. Besides, I also enjoy having you here so far. It's nice to have someone to talk to every once in a while." 

Lady silently takes note of that. 

If she wasn't so sure before, she's almost sure now. This child is lonely. She had read enough stories to know where this was going, and while she swore she would no longer treat everyone she met and would meet here as mere characters in her book, she could at least read moods and atmospheres. Right now, what she's getting from this mysterious boy is that he has always been alone – just like her at that moment. 

It's not part of Lady's plans for today, but perhaps, just like this encounter, there are things that must be done even though they've not been planned. 

"Hey, tell me your name," she demanded all of the sudden, taking him by surprise.

"Eh? W-Why? I mean, I know you've already told me yours earlier, and you're probably expecting me to give you mine too. But I'm… I-I'm afraid I can't do that," he said reluctantly, evading her expectant gaze and lowering his head in shame.

"Okay, then. I won't force you. Can we still be friends, though?"

"Huh? What?" 

"I want to get to know you more. It's fine even if you don't tell me who you are."

"But why?"

"Do I need a reason to befriend someone?"

"Of course, you do. Surely, you don't just befriend anyone, do you? Otherwise, everyone around you must be your friends already."

"Hmmm… Fair point. Then, maybe I just have a feeling that I'm gonna like you?" 

Astonished, the boy doesn't seem to know how to respond to that. 

He was quiet for a few moments, taking her words in. She could tell that he was in disbelief. But eventually, he gave her a sheepish nod, which made her brighten up in delight.

"Awesome! Now, my no-name friend, you shall tour me around the school!" she then announced out of nowhere, hopping off from her seat before grinning down at him. 

"W-Wait, what? Tour you around?" he blurted out, bamboozled yet again.

"You said you'd usually go to this place to spend some time alone, right? Then, you're probably a student here or something. Maybe the son of one of the academy officials? Well, whoever you are, as a friend, I ask that you tour me around."

"I thought you're supposed to be waiting here for your father and the principal?"

"Oh, shoot! I forgot!"

"Right. You did."

"Father would kill me if I made him search around all day! And I still haven't even gotten off the hook when I called Principal Abel a chubby egghead! I'll be doomed-"

Right then, Lady was abruptly cut off by his sudden burst of laughter. 

Not a chuckle this time, but a full expression of mirth. She didn't even realize that she said all of that out loud, but after seeing his cheerful reaction, she didn't regret she did.

"Pffft! You called Sir Abel what...?" he wheezed. 

"And just what is your father to you?"

"Oh, Father is one weird guy. I call him the 'Emperor' because he looks and acts like one. That being said, you must never laugh at his face like that. I care about you, so you should keep this our secret..." she warned in all seriousness, which only made him laugh harder.

"I'm not joking, boy!"

"Alright, alright. That's a secret."

"Good. Now, why don't we just do this? Let's look for them and tour around the school at the same time. Is that okay?"

"What if we're already found by them before we could even have a tour?"

"I don't think it'd be that quick. Then again, it's been a while since I got lost, but they're still nowhere to be seen. But if we do happen to get found, it'll depend on Father's mood if he'll let us see through that."

"Is there a chance he won't?"

"If he's mad, there's a high one."

"I see."

Going by how he furrows his brows and casts down his gaze, he appears to be contemplating. She no longer waited for him to say whatever it was he was thinking, and instead, she started bouncing around ecstatically before attempting to take a sprint. 

"Shall we get going then, my friend?" she enthused with a grin as bright as the sun, and if it was not for what happened next, he would have taken more time to enjoy such a beautiful sight. 

"Hey, wait! Look out-"

Lady tripped.