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

Lady looks dazzling tonight.

In her dress that shows off her sense of style, sophistication, and flair for fun, she stands out - a sight for sore eyes. It seems to be designed for looks and ease, made to be breathable and built for comfort. 

The 'knee length and bare shoulders' look shows off just enough to get her noticed while the halter straps give her image quite the edge. The empire waistline offers a slimming effect on her figure, and without any sleeves, the outfit creates a jazzy look for those warm summer nights.

Weiss, once again, is smitten.

"You look so pretty, Lady," he could not help but say.

"Why, thank you, Weiss! You look so handsome yourself," she chirped while beaming, completely oblivious of the implication.

It's fine if she didn't get it. At least, she thinks she's beautiful too - just as she should. She's not even shy or bashful about it at all. 

Perhaps, it is Lady's humble confidence that attracts Weiss the most. 

---

"I thought we're best friends, Lady. You didn't tell me you're already sucking face with Weiss."

Lady slowly tilts her head at Belle who's currently looking at her with a sly smirk.

They're sitting beside each other at their table, taking a rest. Everyone else is either engaged in conversations or partaking in the banquet. So, at the moment, they're all by themselves - out of the crowd, having some girls' talk. 

"Sucking... face? What's that supposed to mean?" Lady asked with a scrunched nose. 

"You and Weiss! Together!" Belle enunciated, smirking wider. 

"Well, yeah? We're friends."

"Oh, how pure~ That's not it, darling. What I mean is, you're dating~"

"What?! We're not dating!"

Lady looks defensive. Belle pretends to be confused - the things she does for Hartigan. 

The truth is, she's now in a secret mission to confirm Lady and Weiss's true relationship. Hartigan is starting to get on the edge, and Fallon is one useless source of information. In the end, Belle decided to do the work herself. 

"From the looks of it, though, both of you appear to be already... oh, I don't know... on the second base by now?"

"What's the second base?"

"A stage in dating where you already had your first kiss at the very least-"

"K-K-K-K-Kiss?!"

Almost instantly, the image of Sarah and Orion kissing flashed through her mind. Lady can't help but blush furiously. At the sight, Belle quirked a brow. 

"So, you two are really-"

"N-No, Belle!" she quickly denied, startling her a bit. 

Lady just could not imagine it at all. She could not imagine kissing Weiss like that. 

"Don't jump to conclusions, okay? I agreed to have him as my escort tonight because he asked me to - as a friend. We don't go on dates, and we certainly don't kiss! Why are you suddenly interested, anyway?" she huffed, a pout on her face, and crossed her arms together, taking her turn to inquire. 

"Oh, darling, the whole school is interested!" her friend said gigglingly. 

"Why would people even want to talk about that?" 

"Why would people not want to talk about that?"

"Because it's not that interesting?"

"But it is!"

"It's not!"

"Who's the one in the broadcasting club again?"

"Ugh."

Belle lets out a laugh and looks at her adoringly. Lady shot her a half-quizzical, half-peeved stare. 

That should have been enough to make the idea cross - she's got no clue what she's on about. But then, she only went on with whatever game she's into. 

"You claiming the one and only Weiss is very interesting, darling...!" Belle remarked, seemingly amused. 

"Not only is he the hottest nerd you'll ever meet, but he's also the Chairman's son!"

"Wait a sec! What's with this 'claiming' thingy? I didn't claim no one...!" Lady tried but to no avail. 

"He's not an object, to begin with, and so what if he's the hot, nerdy son of who knows which Chairman? He's him!"

"Claim is a loose term. You should really listen to gossips more often, though. You're missing out, you know. Everyone's been buzzing about how he blew off so many offers just because of you."

"Offers? What offers?"

"To be someone else's escort tonight."

Lady takes a long breath, trying to take in the news. It's at her stunned expression that Belle laughs out loud again. 

"Just what is this about Weiss denying other offers?" she mumbled to herself, but the other girl caught on to it.

"Oh, so you don't know after all?" she drawled and settled back, looking somewhat smug.

"To be honest? I don't know a lot of things."

"Well, alright. I heard this from the other club members, but apparently, there's a number of girls who asked guys out for tonight's party - and vice versa."

"Oh, wow. Seems like the Acquaintance Party is quite a big deal."

"Sure, it is. Anyway, some 'brave' girls decided to aim high. Hartigan had been getting notes all week, and Fallon even had a few asking him out personally. I myself even got tons of letters from boys."

"Oh, good for you guys. I never received any, so I didn't know that's a thing."

"What do you mean? I recall that at least a couple of guys did try to ask you out! You're part of the unofficial list of the prettiest girls in school, you know, and since you've been hanging out with Weiss a lot, many dudes thought of getting to closer to you by doing that-"

"Oh, no they did not! Pretty girl my face! Ridiculous! Nobody did nothing! That's impossible!"

"Hmmm... Weird. I thought for sure you got something. Well, that aside, if the hot boys are the target, then the bullseye is the top of popularity ranking - in other words, Weiss. That boy is on some other level. He's already on par with Hartigan and Fallon in just a short amount of time."

Lady frowns.

She recalls what she realized before - that Weiss isn't really what most people think he is. To learn that he has achieved that sort of reputation is overwhelming - and kind of sad. They all see him as this amazing person, and although she can't deny that he's warm and kind and with a smile worthy of springtime, she's also aware of a more important side of him, and that is the dreamer in him who also gets tired of the spotlight and just wants to be free. 

"Continuing on...!" Belle piped again. 

"Many girls gave it a shot, but Weiss turned down every single one who asked. And wouldn't you know it? I heard people talking about it. He had actually announced that he already had a girl in mind, so all of their efforts were in vain. And do you know who he had in mind?"

Belle smirks meaningfully. Lady blinks in bafflement.

It seems that she hasn't understood. Typical of her.

Basically, what she's trying to say is that Weiss has labelled himself off-limits. In doing so, he had caused Lady to be off-limits too. From there, Belle can see what he did quite clearly.

'Come to think of it, could that also be the reason why she failed to receive those offers I told her about?'

Weiss had already announced Lady off the market. It's a strategic move, Belle has to admit.

Using the girls' offers to his advantage, he was also able to intimidate the boys who wanted to invite her too. It's just as expected of that cunning fellow. Now, she's got enough evidence to prove her suspicions. 

Weiss seriously has a thing for Lady.

---

At some point that night, Lady went with Belle to get some food.

She hadn't been that far away from their table when she had felt a tap on her shoulder. Curious, she turned around and came face-to-face with a boy she had never met before - nor could recall anything about.

He's a couple heads taller than her - with ash blonde hair and dark brown eyes that remind her of melted chocolate. He has a perfect beach tan as well as a strong, chiseled jawline that serves to accentuate his features even more.

His full lips are slightly parted to reveal a row of gleaming white teeth while he observes her startled stare.

"Hello..." he greeted, his voice rich and almost resembling a purr.

"I couldn't help but notice your… dress from across the room. It's very exquisite."

Making its way to her face then is a relieved smile. For a moment there, she thought he wanted to flirt with her.

"Thank you..." she bid brightly, even performing a small twirl - the skirt swirling around her thighs.

"I drew the design myself. Got a very talented designer to make it, though."

When she made that spin, she failed to notice his gaze. It quickly flickered from the exposed skin before going back to her face again.

"Very impressive..." he commented, the grin not leaving him.

"What is your name?"

"Lady..." she answered, genuinely thinking he wanted to be friends. 

"And you?"

"Huh? You don't recognize me?"

"Oh, sorry, do we already know each other? I may have forgotten."

She slightly tilted her head, studying him once again. But she still achieved no recognition of him.

"Are you serious? I'm Glenn Valentin. Famous teen model?"

Lady simply lifted a brow, unknowingly hurting Glenn's ego.