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

First on the list, Weiss has to come clean to Lady.

He now knows that the friendship she's trying to offer to him is genuine and sincere. Hiding the fact that he's the boy she met one summer and left without a word would probably bring more bad than good, anyway. He should be honest first before he asks her to be truthful – it's only fair. 

'But it gave me the impression that she just never had the chance to make friends before – that she never even had one in the past. So, that memory is very important to her,' Weiss recalled Fallon say.

Yesterday's exchange was eye-opening. Yet, at the same time, it brought forth many more questions. He didn't truly get what he meant by those words. Regardless, it's finally clear to him that, contrary to his initial belief, he wasn't forgotten at all. 

Lady still remembers him. On top of that, she sees Weiss as a friend even way back then. 

"You know, you're the first to go this far for me…" he started as he laid on the bed, stealing her attention away from the nurse's cabinet.

"I thought at first that it's because you didn't know me that well yet. I thought you'd change the way you treat me if you found out."

"What are you talking about…?" she snorted, much to his surprise.

"You're right. We still don't know each other that much. But so what? You're Weiss, and I'm Lady. What matters is that we're trying."

"What if I tell you that we've met before?"

"Huh?"

Lady froze at that. There's no turning back at this point. Weiss continued.

"I was that boy, Lady."

He knew that she already understood even with just that. After all, he did overhear her suspecting him a week ago. He's expecting she'd get it quickly. 

And that she did.

Lady slowly turned around to face him. Weiss was prepared to see anything but this expression.

She's nearly tearing up. 

"Y-You're… him?" 

He nodded sheepishly, expression tight yet controlled. She stared on, eyes bulging wide in shock and disbelief. Neither of them was still probably breathing. They were both quiet and unmoving. 

Then, after what felt like a long moment of silence, she suddenly charged forward and pounced on him in the bed.

"L-Lady?!" Weiss exclaimed, thoroughly flummoxed.

"You little sneak! So, I was right along! It really was you!" Lady bolted out.

"W-Wait. C-Calm down."

"Dummy, dummy, dummy, dummy!" 

She kept hitting his chest aggressively, having completely forgotten that he was supposed to be ill. All he could do was yelp out in pain. When that soon turned into a helpless cry, she finally stopped. But that didn't seem to mean that she's finished as she only leaned down to him and pinned both of his wrists on the sides of his head.

To anyone who's looking, it'll appear like she's assaulting him.

"Why didn't you say anything?! When you left and when you returned, you never uttered a word! Did you think that I forgot?! Hell, no! I was so upset for days, okay?! You're such a jerk!" 

"I'm so sorry! I really am! But I have my reasons!"

"Like what?!"

"W-Well, you already mentioned it. I thought you forgot-"

"I didn't!"

It took almost an eternity before things settled down between the two.

They talked it out like they should – with Weiss begging for forgiveness over and over again, and Lady breaking down in tears. He was stupefied by this development. Her reaction was different from what he imagined. He didn't see it coming at all. 

Even still, it seems that Fallon is right. It's not so bad that Lady knows.

"Come on, little ladies shouldn't waste their tears like this," he chuckled softly as he held both sides of her face and gently wiped her tears away. 

"Y-You… recall?" she breathed out shakily, astonished.

"What? The 'little lady' thingy? Of course, I do. It was the cutest thing ever."

"I-It was not."

Her cheeks flush in embarrassment. She does remember often calling herself a 'little lady' when she's younger – and she's sure she'd always come out cheeky whenever she did so. But then, it turned out that he actually found it cute. 

Not only that. He also said it right at her face with such a fond look on his own – and for some reason, the sight almost got her knocked out of breath.

"Will you accept my apology?" he asked once more, smiling.

Instead of answering with words, Lady gathered Weiss in a hug.

That did the trick and broke his cool. He thought that he could deal with this in a mature way. But she still ended up throwing him off guard and making him feel all giddy inside – time and again. 

For once, Weiss feels like he actually matters – regardless if he's the son of the Chairman or the child prodigy that everyone has known him for. Lady makes him feel special even though he hasn't done anything special, which is more than enough to have him melting in her warm, soothing embrace. 

He had planned to discuss a few more topics that had to do with the other discoveries he made yesterday. He had wanted to ask about that Sarah – everything that she talked about with Fallon, actually. He had thought of wrapping it all up in this one conversation while he still had the chance. 

But at that moment, Weiss completely forgot about those things. His head was filled with nothing but Lady – and Lady alone.

He's glad that he brought up this subject first. Because he did, he's able to receive such a heart-pounding, soul-touching gesture from her. It was easy to get lost in a peaceful reverie. He didn't know he needed something like this so much until he just did. It was really calming - comforting.  

Then, before Weiss knew it, he already fell asleep in Lady's embrace.

---   

"Oh, you're here again. Welcome." 

That must be the biggest underreaction of the year. To be fair, though, Weiss didn't anticipate that he'd see Lady again this soon. 

It almost feels like it's only been a minute since they shared that moment in the school clinic when in reality it's already been several hours ago. Apparently, classes had just been dismissed by the time the nurse woke him up. He's then escorted back home as soon as his bodyguards arrived.  

Now, nighttime is about to fall.

Weiss was allowed to sit around inside the shop after insisting Catalina that he's had enough of lying down in bed today. Then, just to his luck, Lady came stepping inside the store in what looks like some formal attire moments later.  

"Another order for your grandparents, perhaps?" he asked as calmly and as coolly as he could.

"Oh, no. I already ordered yesterday. I just came to see you," she answered quite bluntly, and he blinked.

"Me?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Just because? I like talking to you, I guess?"

"Oh."

He doesn't know what to say to that. He thinks it's better if he doesn't say anything at all. 

If he opens his mouth, he'll probably blurt out something stupid.

In the first place, this is kind of risky. He feels exposed, especially when his mind starts doing the inevitable whenever she's around. It's full of thoughts about how her eyes are so bright, and how her smile is so pretty, and how her lips look so pink with all that lipgloss.

Weiss immediately shakes all those ideas away. It's just in time when Lady asked, "Hey, do you like flowers?" 

She's now walking towards the shelves with potted plants. He looks in her general direction, decidedly not meeting her eye, and pays attention to her clothes instead – a frilly yellow sweetheart dress, a pair of white shoes with a ribbon, and a small white bag with golden chains. 

'Is she going somewhere?'  

He looks at her. She's not facing him, and he's grateful for it. If she'd been looking, he'd probably just run away.

"Yeah, I like them…" he replied eventually. 

"Especially marigolds."

"Marigolds…?" she blurted out, looking a bit startled.

"What do they mean?"

"Huh?

"Marigolds."

"Depends on what language you speak. Sacrifices to gods, despair over lost love, creativity, drive to succeed, warmth of the rising sun… W-Winning someone's love."

Now, he's hating this. He hates how he's just stuttered in the end.

"No way! Really? I read somewhere it's considered a love charm!" Lady chirped ecstatically and leaned over the counter, making Weiss take a step back instinctively. 

"It was considered one in the middle ages, but nowadays, people take it to mean success – mostly."

She hums and spins around. Then, she glances back at him, flashing a grin.

"I think I like the love charm meaning more. It's romantic. Don't you agree?"

He blinks at her – at her sunny smile and the way her eyes gleam. She looks mesmerizing, and he can't help but be compelled. 

"Yeah, I guess so," he said but only after she left the store in a hurry.

And it was also only when Lady disappeared that Weiss thought it was safe enough to bang his head on the wall.