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

First, it's Hartigan who has a bad temper, and now, it's Maximilian.

Things are getting harder and harder to understand. It would have been fine if they would not involve someone else in this. Yet, as it turned out, they were not satisfied with just keeping it to themselves.

And because of that, Lady remains bamboozled.

Even though she doesn't know what's going on at the moment, she can sense how tense and stiff the air around them is. The temperature may have also dropped. It's almost as if a snowstorm is coming. Of course, all these could just be her imagination.

But going by her father's expression, she can't help but think otherwise. 

"Don't get it wrong, Daenerys. We attended the party because we're invited. Nothing more, nothing less…" Maximilian then suddenly disclosed, finally turning to face Julian.

"I already talked with your parents about it. They're very amicable and gallant. But even with that, I have no plans of giving Lady away that easily."

Lady stilled at that.

It was a brief explanation. But it was enough to convince her that she was wrong about her father all along. She was not going to be married off. 

'Well, it really shouldn't have been that much of a surprise. As I already said, the villainess would remain single even when the heroine made her debut in the story. I'd written it this way…' Lady thought while regarding Maximilian quietly. 

'Even still, I didn't expect that this was how it'd go.'

More particularly, she hasn't seen his reason coming – about how he doesn't want to give her away so easily, that is. The way he said it was probably the most humane thing she ever saw him do. It held a little bit of affection. Other than that, he's the one who said that her only role in the family is to find a suitable marriage partner who'll succeed him in the future, and yet, he's refusing an offer from someone who undoubtedly meets all his standards.

"I see. I understand, President…" Julian said with a polite yet somewhat enigmatic smile.

"Thank you for taking time to consider it."

"I'm doing you a favor, Daenerys. You can't marry my daughter for other reasons too…" Maximilian added, making Lady flinch.

"She's a handful, I admit. I believe she'll only humiliate our family. She doesn't think about the consequences of her actions, so she always does whatever she wants. That being said, it'll take longer before I allow her to carry that kind of obligation. She must grow mature first."

And just like she thought, it would end up like this. Now, he's got her hiding her face in his shoulder out of embarrassment. He really had to do the unnecessary all the time. Between them, it was him who's humiliating her. He could have just said that she was not fit for the role and be done with it.

"Speaking of, you're the one she troubled during the first day of school, right?" Maximilian inquired, shifting the topic to Hartigan who perked up at the question. 

"Yes, it's me, Sir. My name's Hartigan Holbein."

"I have sent my sincerest apology to you and your family"

"We've received it, Sir, and we've accepted your apology." 

"How about my daughter? Did she tell you sorry?"

With that, all their attention is back to Lady. She began to sweatdrop then, knowing quite well that she never uttered a single apology. To begin with, she isn't completely on good terms with Hartigan – not yet, at least. She still has not figured out where exactly they are standing at this point.

But of course, Maximilian isn't going to have any of that.

"W-What? I-I didn't do a-anything wrong," she lamely reasoned.

"You still believe that, huh? Even after I kept grounding you?" he deadpanned.

"I already promised I won't do it again!"

"That is not the same. You know that."

"R-Right."

"Well, forget it. Let's just put this aside for now. At this rate, you'll only end up doing it because you're forced to."       

Lady caught how Hartigan reacted to all that.

He may seem unbothered at first glance. But as she looked a little closer, she could see that he actually wasn't at all. He was kind of dismayed. Now, she is beginning to feel guilty.

"Anyway, let's get going now."

Maximilian turned back around and started walking again. It was then that Lady made eye contact with Hartigan. 

They just stare at each other for a moment – with him wondering why she was looking at him like that, and her contemplating if she should just really leave like this. It was awkward enough that the whole apology thingy was brought up so suddenly. This silent exchange would make it more so, especially since neither of them was looking away at all.

"Okay. That's it. Release me, Father."

And eventually, she gave in.

Lady could no longer hold it in. With that, she asked Maximilian to put her back down before she approached Hartigan again. 

"I'm sorry for slapping you back then. I didn't mean to hurt you…" she apologized in all seriousness while she looked at him straight in the eye. 

"You were being a jerk, so I got mad. But I swore I won't do it again."

Hartigan can't help but blush at that. Maximilian went back there the moment he noticed. He then scooped up Lady once again, catching her off guard.

"H-Huh?! Father?!"

"That's good enough. Now, let's go."

When she asked him why he needed to carry her, he simply answered that she was being too slow. She felt like giving up on him at this point. He was just too unpredictable. So, with a defeated sigh and exasperated look, she finally resigned. 

Hartigan and Julian, on the other hand, could only watch as Maximilian take Lady away.

"The rumors aren't true after all. He holds his daughter dearly."

"Hmm? Are you saying something, Julian?"

"No. It's nothing." 

--- 

"Are you certain about this, Young Master? If you decline the offer, you can't take it back anymore."

Fallon dismisses the question with a nod.

That's all it took to finally drop the topic. His personal attendant left right after, respecting his decision. Even his parents weren't able to convince him, anyway. He already made up his mind long ago.

'An offer from a prestigious school abroad, huh? That does seem like a rare opportunity,' he admitted nevertheless.

Apparently, a well-esteemed scholarly institution has recognized Fallon for his gift and talent. 

He got to pass their examination, and he qualified for their special program. It was stated that he could skip grades through this. If he is to accept, he can study abroad and even finish college there. 

But that's the thing. In doing so, Fallon would have to leave.

'I would have immediately agreed if I was still the same as I used to be before. Considering that this could help the family, I could not see why I would refuse. There was no one here worth staying for, anyway. But now…' he thought, knowing what exactly was holding back – or more like, who. 

'I don't want to miss an entire school life with her. That'll be boring as hell.' 

Fallon knew right then that he changed so much – and Lady was to blame.

With her around, life has been fun. Not only at school, but at home as well. She makes everything bright wherever she goes, and though she gets too caught up in her antics most of the time, she says a lot of meaningful stuff. Yet, what really makes her extraordinary is that she does things that no one has ever done before.     

Just like that day when she snuck out to play and ended up returning home with a group of gangsters as her escorts.

"I may have gotten a little lost, but thankfully, these gentlemen showed me the way," was what Lady reasoned back then, which, of course, still earned her a good scolding from Maximilian. 

Everyone was so shaken at that time. After all, no one would have ever imagined finding their Young Miss bring a whole mob with her. Then, as if that wasn't enough, she caused another incident weeks later. It just so happened that she brought a group of homeless people to a five-star restaurant and let them eat with her at her table. 

"Was it my fault that I felt lonely?! We're supposed to spend the night together, but Father didn't show up at all! So, I just decided to invite them! They looked really hungry!" was what Lady reasoned this time, which, fortunately, didn't earn another reprimanding from Maximilian. 

Fallon personally thought that what Lady did was benevolent. 

However, for the rest of the family, it was way too much. It was not like they were not already helping those in need, so she did not have to go all through that trouble – was what they said. They reproached her for not thinking of her safety, but in reality, they just did not like the image it brought on her.

Even after that, however, Lady never let anyone get to her.