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

Lady is starting to believe that Maximilian is harboring some kind of grudge against Weiss.

While he seems pleased and delighted at the fact that her grades have been improving, he turned back to being all cranky again when she unintentionally mentioned her classmate. His mood shifts so fast it's impressive. If she hadn't been looking at him while she was talking, she would've missed the way his beaming expression contorted into a scowling one.   

"I asked you a question, Lady," he muttered as he rested his elbows on top of the table and folded his hands together, eyeing her sternly - intently.

"Well, it's just as you said, Father. He teaches me from to time," she simply replied, unsure of what to make of this conversation.

"Why do you have to go to him when you already have Fallon around?"

"Fallon is in a different class. You know that, right? I can't just go to him whenever I want to. Besides, Weiss and I are seatmates. He's literally a table away from me."

"Oh, so you're seatmates too, huh? What's your class adviser's phone number again?"

"What? Why?"

"Just give it to me."

"I will if you tell me."

"This is not a request. I'm ordering you."

"Ugh."

Lady pouts, wondering if Maximilian is really being serious right now. 

She can't find a single thing to dislike about Weiss, though. He's the kindest, purest guy she knows out there. Not only is he incredibly smart, but he's also a respectful gentleman. There's absolutely nothing to be wary about him. Fallon himself is interested in getting closer to him. 

"Excuse me, Uncle Max…" Fallon piped, joining in to save Lady's butt.

"Now that you've mentioned their class adviser, I've been wondering what you decided to talk about in the end. You seemed to have stayed quite a while in her office even though the meeting with Mrs. Gracelyn was already called off, and I was worried that Lady was caught up in another trouble."

"Oh, right. I still haven't said it…" Maximilian mused out loud, having just recalled something.

"There's actually another reason why Ms. Mirabella called for me and Mrs. Gracelyn. She explained that our daughters have been seen arguing a lot lately. That whole essay incident was just the last straw pulled. She wanted to talk with us because she's concerned about Lady's relationship with her as a whole." 

Lady could not help but grimace at that. Fallon gave her a deadpan look.

His expression is basically telling her, 'See what you just did?' to which she responds with one that says, 'How would I know?' 

"I would've normally grounded you for this, but I believe that there's also a fault on my part as your parent. Your class adviser is already concerned enough to call for a meeting – so should I. She told me that it's just not like you to make enemies, and I agree. So, that leaves me the impression that I'm lacking something as your overseer…" Maximilian continued. 

"Therefore, I may have to require you to report your day at school to me."

"Ummmm…" Lady blurted out, still trying to process this whole disclosure.

"You mean I have to tell you what I did at school? That's it? Am I not already doing that every day?"

"I highly doubt you're telling me everything I need to know." 

"Oh, come on, Father. I would never keep things from you-"

"If you were, why hadn't I heard of Sarah Gracelyn before?" 

She gulped quietly. 

The answer to that is simple – it's because he's only supposed to meet his future step-daughter, along with his future wife, earlier today. 

She did tell him about Sarah on more than one occasion, but she never dared name her in fear that she would end up ruining the surprise. Regina, on the other hand, must strictly be an entire mystery even after their official meeting, which apparently did not happen. 

"Anyway, that's that. You'll have to tell me everything that you've been doing at school starting from now on – otherwise, I may have to plant a spy there. You know me, Lady…" Maximilian said with finality, making Lady gulp loudly this time.

"Not only about Sarah Gracelyn, but about that Weiss Oh-Am too." 

Fallon could not resist a laugh at the mention of Weiss's mistaken surname. Lady is too flabbergasted by this turn of events to correct it. With that, Maximilian continues to hold onto the belief that such a weird last name actually exists. 

"By the way, is someone gonna pick you up, Fallon? Or you're gonna sleep here tonight…?" he inquired moments later, addressing his nephew who just finished his meal. 

"Give your parents a call first, and I'll prepare the guest room for you."

"Oh, yes, Uncle. I'll stay…" he answered before glancing briefly at his cousin.

"But you don't have to prepare anything for me. I can just sleep with Lady in her room-"

"NO."

"Understood."

He was quick to shoot him a glare. And he was also quick to concede.

That's enough fun for today, it seems. 

He quite enjoyed his uncle's rare fits, and he hopes to see more of them in the future. Not only are they entertaining to watch, but it also shows just how much he has grown fond of his daughter – just as he should have been since long ago. What's more, he sucks at controlling his expressions and keeping his thoughts to himself when he's in his overprotective father mode. 

Things are about to get a lot more interesting from this point on, Fallon thinks. 

---

Conducting a background check on Sarah and Regina had unfortunately caused so much emotional distress to Lady. 

Apparently, everything they learned three days ago had turned out to be true. It's a fact that the mother's a stripper who works at a nightclub. In addition to that, the daughter's working a part-time job in secret, which is a grave violation of the rules of the academy and can potentially lead to the worst punishment - expulsion. It's a shocking revelation that has blown their minds.       

And now, Lady isn't sure what to do.

'Everything isn't going the way it should be. The protagonists are acting out of character. The plot is a mess. So many events just don't line up anymore.'

The main problem lies on Sarah's side. However, it probably won't be too long before Lady's side screws up too.

'I mean, how can I continue bullying her now that I know what she's going through…?!' she grimaced internally, feeling like she's facing some mid-life crisis. 

'The heroine didn't suffer that much in the story! The worst she'd been through was getting harassed! The only source of her problem was the villains! Everything else fell in place for her 'cause she's meant to be a freaking Mary Sue!'

For a while now, Weiss and Fallon have been observing Lady from the side. Belle and Hartigan have also seemed to notice but chose to keep quiet and wait patiently. 

The five of them are having their lunch at the usual spot.

Fallon had broken down the news to her that morning. It came much earlier than expected with Weiss's help. Both of them also found out everything but swore to Lady that they won't tell anyone else about it. 

Only the three of them know. 

"What's wrong, Lady?" 

Eventually, somebody's worried voice penetrated through the silence.

They all turned to look at Hartigan, surprise on each of their faces. When even Belle couldn't say a word of comfort to Lady, he's the one to step up. 

"Oh, wait, I've got just the right thing to cheer you up…" he added, smirking knowingly, and they knew then that he was not really planning to force her to talk, which was why he quickly followed up his question with that sentence.

"It's been more than a month since we entered middle school, right? I bet you're already burned out. Perhaps, a change of pace would lift your spirits up! Ever heard of the Acquaintance Party this coming Friday?"

"Acquaintance Party…?" she blurted out, slightly perking up.

"What's that?"

"It's one of the most anticipated events by the students in this academy. This activity allows the upperclassmen to welcome new students in the school – a time to mingle and acquaint themselves with one another, basically. The event will be graced by the presence of the school administrators and some faculty members. So, it's a semi-formal occasion."

"Oh, I see."

She'd been so caught up with the whole drama with Sarah and Regina that she seemed to have missed quite a few things that'd been happening around lately. This won't do at all. She could tell that Hartigan brought this subject up because he's also starting to get concerned about her – he and Belle.   

Weiss and Fallon's worries are enough. She can't possibly burden Hartigan and Belle as well.

"That seems kinda fun. Should we go this Friday, then?" she asked them with a smile, which they immediately returned with each of their own.

Without any of them noticing, Weiss, unlike the rest, was smirking.