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

For the following days, Lady made sure to harass Sarah whenever possible.

She would shoot off every offensive remark she could come up with at the moment, and unlike before, she would finish every scene she started until the end – no holding back, no changing minds. Just like in the book, she often uses her background as a commoner to insult her in any way she can. She strives to make her appear pitiful and pathetic even if she can't exactly tell if she feels that way. In fact, she doesn't know how she feels at all.

And that's what makes harassing Sarah somewhat difficult for Lady. 

She has a hard time understanding what she thinks about this whole thing. All her responses so far are vague. She'd either stay quiet for the rest of their confrontation or make some weak comeback that isn't even half as offending as her comments. Thinking that it's only because she's too kind for her own good, she just pays it no heed and carries on with her bullying. 

Playing the role of the villainess, all in all, is a piece of cake. She's got acting in the bag, and she has all the support she can ask for.   

Lady can always depend on Fallon and Weiss.

She would report her latest bad deeds to them, and they would make comments on each. They're there to listen all the time, though they don't completely support whatever she's doing. She would be often questioned if she's forcing herself too hard. They're concerned, she can tell, but it's not like she can still quit at this point.

So, all Lady can do is reassure Fallon and Weiss.     

---

"Weiss!"

Lady's cry rang out across the courtyard as she hurried towards Weiss.

Seeing her make a dash for it, moving faster than a lady of her station should, he puts on a polite smile. It's what he's been doing these days to keep his feelings towards this cute little friend of his hidden underneath.

"Lady, don't you think you should slow down a bit?" Weiss called back.

Almost as if his words were a prophecy, her foot suddenly hit a loose brick in the path, and she pitched forward, her eyes wide in shock. 

Khalil, who's keeping him company the whole time, made a start to catch her. Luckily, she had tripped mere feet away from Weiss, so he was in a position to easily intercept her fall. Instead of hitting the hard bricks, Lady fell into his waiting arms. 

Despite the ease with which he caught her, his heart skipped a beat, and he felt irked at her carelessness. He spoke to her in a low, raspy voice, his face frozen in a smile, "Lady, didn't I just tell you to slow down?"

She looked up at him, her eyes now wide in apprehension at his expression, and replied, "Y-You did, Weiss."

"And do you see now why I said that?"

"Y-Yes, Weiss."

"Don't you think a little lady should be more careful about where she's going, anyway?"

"I-I… Yes, Weiss." 

Lady appears to be suitably chastened at Weiss's scolding. Khalil is even making a face.

'Hey, Khalil, I know what you're thinking. This is for her own good, okay? There's no such thing as me being too strict with her. Besides, this is the least Lady deserves for not listening.'

Ignoring the judgmental glare of his personal attendant, he went on to ask her, "What were you in such a hurry for, anyway?" As he spoke, he set her carefully back on her feet.

Lady's face beamed almost immediately. Weiss knows that look. 

"Oh, that's right! Weiss, I completed some absolutely splendid bullying today!" she chirped and put her hands on her hips in triumph, showing what he's sure she meant to be a villainous smile.

Adorable. Absolutely adorable.

He offered her a smile and said, "Did you, now?"

Lady nodded firmly. Weiss turned slightly without looking away. 

"Well, I have to head this way. Would you mind walking with me while you tell me about it?"

"Oh, of course, Weiss. I wouldn't want to take up too much of your time. Ms. Mirabella did mention that you're busy with something." 

She obediently fell into step with him, completely missing the fact that a real villainess would want to monopolize his time as demandingly as possible.

Khalil followed suit and walked behind them. Having just noticed his presence, Lady took a moment to exchange greetings with him. Then, she went on to tell Weiss about her escapades. 

"The thing is, we've had a joint discussion with another class earlier. You don't know since you're not around, but apparently, Sarah is there. She was called upon to answer a question on etiquette, and she said she didn't know the answer, so I spoke up and ridiculed her for not knowing. Everyone started whispering about her, and she even had to stay after class for review with the teacher," she told him, smiling proudly at the end of the speech.

After hearing the entire thing, all he can think of is, 'But isn't that just you pointing out something that's true, Lady? As I've said before, Ms. Gracelyn is also a student here. She should already know the basic etiquette. Also, her having to stay after class probably has more to do with her lack of effort than your attempted bullying.'

He would've said that out loud if it wasn't for the gratified look on her face. She seems to be having fun. 

'Ah, well. She's cute, so I'll let it go at this.'

As he was watching her triumphant face in amusement, Lady suddenly stumbled and pitched sideways – straight towards an open stairwell. Swiftly, Weiss darted forward, but she had already begun to fall down the stairs. 

"Lady!"

Without thinking, he dove after her, catching up to her progress quickly and cradling her body to his. Once he had her secured, he reached out to grab hold of the railing, using it to arrest their fall. They stopped moving with a jerk. He clutched her even tighter at that moment, still wary of her tumbling downwards again.

For some time after they came to a rest in the middle of the stairs, all was silent. Then, he heard giggles from a little ways away. He quickly located two female students across an open courtyard who were staring at them and whispering behind their hands. 

Hissing, he sent them a glare – one that was full of all his pent-up emotions from Lady's near-fall. They both turned pale and scrambled away, not daring to look back. He turned his gaze to Khalil and flicked his head towards the two female students. Wordlessly, he nodded then went after them. 

Weiss would make sure they knew what would happen if they dared to laugh at Lady again.

Having dealt with this issue, he looked down and focused on the bundle in his arms. Keeping a tight hold on her, he walked her back up the steps and said in a quiet yet vehement tone, "Didn't I just get done telling you to be careful, Lady?"

Weiss felt her shudder a little. Lady didn't lift her head up to look at him as she nodded.

"Lady, that's not an answer."

"I-I'm sorry, Weiss."

"Sorry? And what good would that have done if you had fallen all the way down the stairs and gotten yourself hurt? You're lucky that I was here to catch you this time, and that Khalil was ready as back up. Don't think that we'll be around every time you go near a staircase. You need to pay a bit more attention and have some awareness of your surroundings."

Lady nodded miserably, still staring at the floor. Weiss let out a sigh.

This wouldn't do at all. 

He let go of her waist and reached both of his hands out. Cupping her cheeks, he then tilted her head up so that he could look at her properly.

"Weiss, what-"

Not waiting for her to finish, he pinched her cheeks and pulled gently on them before letting them go. She could only gape at him in surprise and incredulity.

"What do you think I would do if you got injured?" he asked softly. 

Her eyes widened at his words. He smiled in reply – a real smile this time. 

"Just make sure to be more careful."

"Yes, Weiss. I promise."

"Good." 

His expression softened, pleased and satisfied that Lady was finally answering seriously. Weiss scooped her hand up and placed it in the crook of his arm. 

"Hold onto me like this while we walk. I wouldn't want to lose you to a flight of steps," he quipped, causing her to brighten up.

"Of course! You're right! I must take care of my health until graduation, so I can properly receive my downfall!" she declared cheerfully.

Seems like she misunderstood again. It's fine, he supposes, as long as she's committed to taking care of herself until they graduate. He'll have to figure something out after that, however. Looking at how determined she is now, though, with her free hand clenched into a fist, he can't help but feel smitten and endeared. 

Perhaps, Weiss will allow this misunderstanding to go on for a little longer.