Time off for Christmas is starting soon, so this will be the last chapter of this story for 2022. Hope you all have a good Christmas and a merry new year. Or the other way around.
Begin (No Update): Thursday 22nd Dec
Return (with update): Thursday 5th Jan
Everyone's reactions on reading newspaper headlines; "Damn it, Jaune…"
Cover Art: GWBrex
Chapter 26
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Wedding bells toll as Weiss Schnee and Jaune Arc announce engagement
Atlas Times
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Vale's Jaune Arc to marry Atlas' Weiss Schnee
Vale Daily Tribune
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Pundits in disarray as famous healer and famous businessman's daughter announce engagement. Pyrrha Nikos offers "no comment" during interview
The Mistral Review
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Gillian Asturias pushes for prisoner exchange with Atlas. "Carmine Esclados must face punishment for her crimes in Vacuo, not Atlas."
Vacuo Today
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Arc's marriage into family of known racists RUBBISHES Belladonna's claims of improved relations.
Kuo Kuana Express
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"You're engaged!?"
Juniper might not have meant to shout but she did, and she did it at breakfast with a newspaper in hand and with his whole family around the table. Their reactions were… dramatic, to say the least. Sable choked on a cut of bacon while Lavender scraped her fork across the plate and spilled a runny fried egg into her lap, then shrieked as it oozed over her school skirt. Nicholas had just taken a sip of tea, which he sprayed at Coral's face. Coral merely removed her glasses, wiped them clean of second-hand tea, and turned to face Jaune.
"Congratulations."
"No!" howled Juniper. "No congratulations! Explanations!"
Jaune shrank back. "What do you want me to explain?"
She thrust the paper in his face. "THIS!"
"Well, an engagement is when-" Her fingers found his collar, curled into them and hoisted him out his seat. Okay, she wasn't in the mood to play games. He swallowed as his mother's normally placid face was pushed against his.
"I know what an engagement is, young man," she hissed. "What I don't understand is why I – your mother – am only learning about it because of a news story at breakfast. I don't understand why half of Atlas knows about this before I did."
Ah. That. In all truth, he didn't have the best answer for her other than that he'd felt so exhausted after his evening with Weiss that he'd gone straight to bed. "I didn't think Weiss would be putting the news out there this fast," said Jaune, as apologetically as he could. "We only talked about this last night. I thought we'd have time to talk to you all and announce it."
He could understand Weiss wanting to get the news out given the media attention was turning to questioning their relationship over the long-distance thing at Beacon, but even he couldn't help but be a little annoyed she'd disseminated it without warning him. Obviously, she'd talked to her family about it, but he'd hoped she and him could sit down over dinner with his and explain it to them before going straight to the media.
"You decided this last night?" whispered Juniper. "Jaune, the two of you have been dating for like…"
"Almost a year?"
"That's not a lot of time!"
"Isn't it? That feels like a long time to me."
"That's because you're sixteen," said Nicholas, "A year is a long time when you've only lived sixteen of them, and you probably only remember ten at best. I know it's legal for you to get engaged at this age, but are you sure this is wise?"
Honestly? No. He wasn't. Everything about this felt too soon and too big and too scary, but what was he supposed to say to Weiss when she brought it up? No? If they'd been dating for a year and he didn't want to take things seriously, then she'd be better off breaking things off and trying with someone else. He'd be the first to say sixteen felt too soon, but it was only an engagement. A promise. They wouldn't actually be getting married until after Beacon. He tried to explain that to his parents, and his gawking sisters, but it only left Juniper gnawing at her bottom lip.
"Did she pressure you?"
"Mom. No. Weiss didn't pressure me."
"It sure sounds like she pressured you," she said. "I get wanting to set expectations and I think it's a good idea to do that sooner so you both know what you want from a relationship, but to say she expects you to ask for her hand and then push the engagement on the same night isn't even giving you time to think."
"Was your marriage any less sudden?" asked Jaune. It was a low blow. He knew from hearing enough stories that his parents got married because dad knocked mom up with Saphron, and she'd been a Mountain Glenn orphan with no good options.
"That's… That's not…"
"That's different," said Nicholas. "For one, we were both twenty and on the second part we'd been seeing one another for a while at that point. We also agreed to get together and try to raise the child. We didn't marry until we were sure we were happy with one another. You're running into this because your first ever girlfriend is getting nervous about what you'll do when she's away for four years. At least as far as I can tell."
"I wouldn't cheat on her."
"It's not about what you would and wouldn't do. It's about what she's afraid you'll do."
He didn't think it was that, even if he understood where they were coming from. The harsh reality was that his parents couldn't grasp just why it was. They were famous by association with him, but they didn't have their every step watched like he did. This engagement was as much about sending a united message to the world then it was about his and Weiss' feelings, even if he thought – and hoped – those were important in some way.
"What about these expectations of hers?" prodded Nicholas, changing the subject a little. Jaune was happy to get away from talk of cheating and engagements, even if they were still talking about him and Weiss. "Tell us a little about how that went."
He covered them as best as he could remember but kept the details of Jacques and Willow out. There was a good chance his parents had figured it out already, but they didn't spend the same amount of time he did with the Schnee family, and he didn't want them heaping pity on Weiss if it would make her uncomfortable. He kept it to talk about respect and being equals, framing it over how easy it'd be for one of them to be more powerful than the other given her wealth and his fame.
Nicholas nodded along, and Juniper seemed to become increasingly more relaxed as the expectations were listed and none that might be considered problematic came up. Weiss hadn't asked him to be anything he wouldn't have tried to be anyway, but he could see the sense in being up front about it. They could have gone further and talked about future plans for children and family, but he figured she wanted to leave that for after Beacon. It was hard to plan when you didn't know what the future would hold.
"Those all seem reasonable," said Juniper, warming up not to the idea of him being engaged, but to the idea of Weiss being his long-term partner. "There's nothing odd in there – and you should be fine with her having male friends, and vice versa. There's nothing worse than a partner who tries to limit who you can talk to."
"I never did that," complained Nicholas.
"Not you, darling. Someone before you." Juniper waved her hand dismissively at him, and some of the girls giggled at his pathetic expression. "What did you say back?" she asked. "What expectations did you set?"
The question threw him for a loop. "Me?"
"Yes. You." Juniper said it patiently, but it was she already suspected the answer. "This was a chance for you both to set terms of your relationship. Weiss set a whole bunch, so I'm sure you set some as well. Right?" She knew, even as Jaune cringed. That didn't stop her dragging things out. "Right…?"
"I-I mean, I'm fine with things as they are, and Weiss covered the important stuff…" He tried to look away, but it was hard when you had seven sisters. No matter where he looked there was someone looking back. "What was I supposed to ask for?"
"Sex," said Coral.
"Coral!" barked Juniper.
"What? Jaune is sixteen, has had a girlfriend for almost a year, is talking about marrying her and hasn't even banged her yet." It wasn't unusual for Coral to speak over everyone and with no thought for how uncomfortable her subject matter might make someone. "The least she can do if she expects him to bend over backwards for her is bend over for him."
"Coral," whined Jaune. "That's not… I can't…"
"No talk about sex at the breakfast table." said Nicholas.
"Pft. As if the two of you haven't had sex on this table."
"Not this one," said Juniper, all but confirming they had the old one back in Ansel. Jaune was not the only one to make gagging sounds and deeply wish to scour the skin of his hands. He'd eaten at that table. "A-And that's not what we're talking about here. Jaune, you can't just let Weiss set the terms for your relationship. You said yourself you're supposed to be partners. That means equal say. You can't let her dictate every little thing about your relationship."
"Not even if I agree with what she says?" asked Jaune, frustration creeping into his voice. This conversation had gone on too long for his liking. This all felt too much like an interrogation, and what did they know? It was his life.
"Your mother is worried," said Nicholas, trying to calm the situation down. "As am I. This is your first girlfriend and I know the circumstances are strange; she's famous, you're famous, the world is constantly paying attention. We're just worried you might be running into something you're not ready for, or that you don't even want."
"I want this."
He had wanted to date Weiss, and he had wanted to be with her before, so it made sense he wanted to marry her as well. Maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow, but if they really were still together at twenty-one then that would mean they'd been dating for almost six years. What couple stayed together six years but didn't know if they were ready to tie the knot? Hell, some people stayed engaged for longer. This didn't mean an immediate marriage the second she graduated. They'd have time to spend together and reconnect and make sure nothing has changed.
At least he assumed so. Then again, he'd also assumed they'd have time to talk to his parents before this hit the front page news. That still annoyed him, and that annoyance was mounting with the feelings from this. Jaune set his knife and fork down, breakfast forgotten.
Nicholas noticed. "I think we're all getting a little too heated over this," he said, standing up suddenly. "Jaune's obviously got his reason and this is… not the best way for us to have found out. That's no one's fault." It was Weiss', but he didn't say it. "Why don't we agree to leave it be for today and talk about it again tomorrow? With calmer minds."
Juniper looked agonised. "But-"
"The news is already out there, June. There's no point acting like we're in a rush to decide. Besides, Jaune and Weiss aren't going to be taking this further until after Beacon, right?"
"Right." Jaune nodded, relieved to have an opening to leave. "And I did want to tell you all properly. I only didn't last night because of how tired I was. I thought… I really thought we'd have more time. Or that Weiss and I could tell you directly over dinner or something."
"Maybe that's an expectation you should set with her," said Sable. "That she should consider your feelings and your families before she makes any big media moves."
He felt a rush of anger but stamped it down. Sable's idea wasn't unfair. Not at all. "You're right."
"Talk to her," said Nicholas. "If you take one piece of advice from a married man it's that you should confront your partner if they do something that upsets you. Not to get angry, not to rage, but to let them know what they did wrong and why. Most of the time, they'll have not realised it would bother you and they'll apologise. The worst thing you can do is not say anything and let the frustration mount and fester. That's how relationships fall apart."
It was good advice, he felt, and Weiss had said they should handle any issues between the two of them. She'd even acted like she expected some to pop up. She was a lot more realistic about this than he'd been led to believe most girls her age was. Then again, their relationship had to be a lot more serious than those of most sixteen year olds, because the media wouldn't accept the excuse of "we're young and stupid" if either of them did anything wrong. They'd be judged by adult standards and dragged over the burning dust for it.
"I'll talk to her today about it. Do you want me to invite her over?"
"No." That was Juniper, and she shook her head. "No, I… I don't have any issue with her, but I'm worried I'll lose my temper with her if she comes over now. Your father is right; let's let feelings simmer down before we discuss this again."
It was a relief to go to the hospitals for once. He didn't even demand the reasons for the deaths of family members, nor scowl at the departing backs of negligent parents. If anything, he kind of wished his own would be a little less interested in his love life at that moment. The moment his rota was done, he brought out his scroll and texted Weiss.
/-/
They were the centre of attention the moment they touched down in Mantle. Almost everyone knew about the engagement now, if not having read it directly then having been told by gossiping family, friends or work colleagues. The Arc-Ops knew too and had been equally cautious as to why they were only finding out from the newspaper. Jaune had given them the same story, but at least they congratulated him, even if Elm worried he was taking things too fast. At least they were professional enough about it not to question Weiss the moment she arrived.
The jewellery shop they would be going to had been chose in advance, and it had been rented out for a three hour period. Weiss hadn't told him that, but it was obvious enough when they arrived to find it "closed" but were then welcomed in all the same. The woman behind the counter was at least twice their age but looked inordinately pleased to be serving them. It was a big brand business, and he wouldn't be surprised if this was an actual upper manager instead of some part-time clerk. They were led to a section where two huge displays were separated by wedding and engagement bands. The woman unlocked the whole thing and bid them look at, touch and try whatever they wanted. He was fairly sure most teenagers weren't given that privilege.
Weiss seemed to know what she was looking for and wasn't shy about bringing out rings to try on. Most were too big for her small and delicate hands, but he figured they were just display pieces so it was more about the look than the fit. After putting each one on, she'd turn to him and offer her hand, then ask him what he thought.
It wasn't a trick question but it felt like it might as well have been one. Jaune wasn't one to really understand much about fashion. He knew whether he liked or didn't like something he saw, but it was never to any scale. Everything was either good or not good. Jewellery was even worse because for the life of him he couldn't say what looked good. About the only thing he could say was that his eyes naturally gravitated to the shiny and colourful stuff, like some demented magpie or kleptomaniac. The more gems of differing colours, the better, but that was just because they caught his eye. He didn't think Weiss would want a ring with green, orange and red gems like some traffic stop.
"I'm really not good at this," he told her. Best to be honest. "I kind of just like anything shiny."
Weiss laughed. "Typical man." It didn't sound insulting and he laughed back. "An engagement ring shouldn't be more impressive than a wedding band. I'm going to have to fight with it on as well, so it can't be so big it catches on things. I wouldn't say no to some white diamonds, however."
White. Of course. He'd have thought she'd be more worried about being washed out, but then the benefit of wearing so much white was that it made her eyes stand out startlingly. The band would also be gold as well, so that would serve to highlight the diamond. The shop clerk, hovering close enough to listen in, was quick to offer some advice of her own and point Weiss toward a set of white diamond rings. Jaune leaned in with her, interested, but not really having enough fashion sense to chip in with anything meaningful.
When he saw the price tags, he almost fainted.
Three hundred thousand lien for a ring!? What the fuck! I can't afford-
Actually, he could afford it. The thought made him pause, then blink. He'd always been too tired or too busy to really take advantage of the generous pay package from Atlas, so it had sat and built up in his bank. He hadn't checked in a while, but it was definitely in the many millions at this point. Half a million for two rings wouldn't even dent it.
"Try this one," said Weiss, pushing a ring into his hands.
He looked down at the ring, a band of mostly gold but with an odd swirl of white gold on the top. It didn't quite look like a whirlpool, but more like a pattern as the white and yellow gold melted together and swirled around a single white diamond that was studded into the band so as not to stick out. The white and yellow gold clutched it on both sides, with the white to the left and the yellow to the right.
"I thought it represented us," said Weiss, nervously showing her own – a matching ring, but with a slightly larger diamond. "You're the yellow gold and I'm the white, and we're holding a diamond together to represent…" Her cheeks flushed a pretty shade of pink, and her eyes darted away. "Well, you know. Us."
Jaune stared down at the ring. The swirling patterns suddenly made a lot more sense, and he felt a rush of…. He wasn't sure what. Warmth, surprise, guilt, love? It was a complicated and heady combination that left him staring at Weiss in shock.
"Is it not good…?" she asked, uncharacteristically timid.
"It's perfect." More the sentiment than the ring. He really wasn't good at these things. Still, he was surprised at the amount of thought that had gone into her choice, and the sentiment behind it. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "I love it. Sorry if I'm being sketchy, I just really don't know what to do when I'm shopping."
Weiss leaned into him. "Be honest, tell me if you don't like something and I'll handle the rest." Weiss pushed at him suddenly. "Let go. There are paparazzi outside."
"Then isn't it better they see this? You obviously want everyone to know we're together."
He didn't mean for that to come out snappy and he didn't think she'd caught it anyway. Weiss accepted and held still in his arms as lights flashed through the window. Then, when he did let her go, she cupped his cheeks and drew him down for a soft but loving kiss. Jaune wanted to deepen it, but he knew the difference in photogenic quality between a chaste touch of the lips and a sweaty tongue-fuelled make out session.
"We'll take these", he told the clerk, offering his debit card, which was a solid black with gold typing. He'd been led to believe there were only fifteen of these in circulation, and they represented accounts with truly staggering connections. The clerk rang up the purchase, coming in at 650,000 lien and the card didn't protest.
His balance wouldn't even feel it.
They left the shop with their rings on, and Weiss even allowed the photographers to get shots, having them pose with their hands linked, ring to ring, cheek to cheek, as cameras flashed. It was a rare moment of cooperation between them and the paparazzi, and likely only because Weiss wanted to be in control of the situation. It was a good idea. He'd already learned it was better to control the message than leave it in the hands of the public, because they'd jump to the worst conclusions possible if you gave them any leeway.
He waited all the way until they were back in an airship on the way up to Atlas before he broached the big issue. His hand still in hers, their rings still touching, he took a deep breath and said, "Weiss. Can we talk for a moment?"
"Hm?" Her eyes met his. "Of course. What about?"
"About those expectations we set before."
Her lips turned down. "Is there a problem?"
"Well, my parents were pretty shocked to wake up and find out I was engaged by the newspaper of all things. I think they'd have appreciated it if we were the ones to tell them first. And to be honest, I'd have appreciated that as well. And a chance to talk more."
Her hand tugged out of his. "What do you mean? We agreed to become engaged. What was there to discuss?"
"When we'd announce it, how we'd announce it, that sort of thing." He let that hang in the air as her eyes widened. "I agreed to the engagement but I thought we could announce it to our families together. You know, romantically. Not just throw it out to the sharks and let them scream it from the rooftops."
"I told my family," said Weiss.
"Yeah, well, I didn't have the chance to tell mine." He didn't want to be so aggressive about this, but Weiss was pushing back and he had to get his point across. He wished she'd just understand and say she wouldn't do it again. "I'm not trying to be mean, Weiss, but I had no idea the media would know about this. Couldn't you have at least talked that through with me? I'd have liked the chance to mentally prepare myself."
"I said we'd be letting the world know we were engaged. I thought I'd made that clear."
"You did. I just… What part of our conversation mentioned you'd be doing that literally the next day? Where was that? I don't think I missed it." Weiss' eyes flicked away and her shoulders rose. He didn't like the defensive look, not only because he didn't want to put her on the spot but because he didn't want her to be defensive in the first place. "Look," he said, before she could get upset. "I'm not saying I'm angry at you or trying to make you feel bad, Weiss. Isn't this the expectation you set? You said yourself that we're bound to have issues, but that we should talk about them between the two of us in private. That's what I'm doing."
"I… Yes, I did say that." Weiss huffed as the wind was taken out her sails. Her shoulders came down and she sank a little – it was better than the wall she'd thrown up before. "You're right. I… You're only doing what I asked you to." Her hand nervously sought his again, and he let her take it to show he wasn't angry. "Thank you for not bringing this up in the store with all those cameras watching."
"I'm not keen to give them any ammunition either. But do you understand where I'm coming from?"
"I do. I should have talked the decision through with you and let you talk with your family about it. I'm sorry." Weiss looked away again and sighed. "I guess I was just excited and wanted everyone to know."
Excited about being with him.
It was hard to stay upset when she said something like that.
"I'm excited to be with you as well," he told her, and he curled his fingers with hers. "And I'm grateful for the fact we met at your birthday party so it could come to this. One of the few things I genuinely am thankful for my fame over." He caught her tiny smile. Shy, but honest. "I just think it would have been so much more special if you and I could have announced this to my parents properly and not just… let others do it for us. My mom was hurt."
"I'm sorry," she said again. "I'll apologise to her. Maybe we can do it again. How about we plan a dinner between our families? I know it's too late to undo it, but we can do it properly. Would that be alright?"
He squeezed her hand gently. "I think that sounds perfect. Thanks for listening, Weiss. I'm glad we can be open like this."
"Yes." Her smile had grown, and she looked not only relieved, but proud. As if by getting over their first hurdle they had proven something to her. "I am as well. More than you know."
/-/
Weiss had all but forgotten about her little tiff by the time she returned to the manor. Jaune's complaints were important to him, as silly as she felt they were, so she'd give them the weight thy deserved. Still, it was such a small thing to get so worked up about. They'd decided on their engagement, so he should have been happy with everyone knowing. And if he'd not told his family, well, wasn't that his fault? It didn't matter either way, as she would keep it in mind for the future. He needed to learn how to handle the attention, though. That wasn't something she could change.
Still, the fact they had been able to get over the issue was a promising sign. If dating was a chance to test someone for their potential at a long-term relationship – or to test both of them – then they had come out of this with flying colours. Whenever Jacques and Willow argued, which happened more when she'd been younger than it did now, it always ended with shouting, slammed doors and occasionally the crash of a bottle striking wood. Never striking flesh, but close, like two people shadow boxing. Weiss could remember times she'd spent crying in Willow's lap, face pressed into her sister's chest, as Winter would read a story loudly over the noise to try and drown it out. Even in a mansion so vast as theirs, it never seemed that she could.
We won't be like that. This proves it. We're going to be perfect together. Weiss held her hand up and felt her heart soar as her ring gleamed on her finger. Everything is going to be perfect.
Her father was waiting for her in the main hallway when she arrived. It was such a rare thing that she almost didn't know how to react, but then he'd been more "in her life" since his ascent to the Council of Atlas, and her dating of Jaune. Weiss wasn't fool enough not to know it was because he now saw value in her, but knowing it was self-serving didn't mean she did not appreciate it. His brand of attention was still better than the absolute blanking she received from her mother.
"Weiss." Jacques' smile was a rare thing. He had a nice smile, surprisingly enough. When he wanted to, he could be every bit the charismatic gentleman. He just rarely wanted to at home, since it was normally his place to unwind and be the heartless man he was deep inside. "How did you date go?"
"Wonderful, father." There was no holding back her excitement, and she thrust her left hand out with fingers splayed. "Look!"
He took her hand by her fingers and inspected the ring. It wasn't a wedding band, so she accepted that it might not be as expensive as he would like. In truth, she'd felt a little on the spot when she'd been window shopping and had chosen one a little more middle of the road. Even if Jaune was filthy rich, she was richer, and she hadn't liked making him shell out. A silly concern really, since their finances would be shared in the future anyway.
"A beautiful ring," complimented Jacques. "I trust you took care in selecting his."
"Of course." More care than she had her own in all honesty, but she'd wanted something he would like to keep on him at all times. "There was one issue," said Weiss, and she almost flinched when his eyes locked onto her. "Jaune was upset about the media finding out so soon. He hadn't had the time to tell his family and they found out from the newspapers."
He relaxed a little, and chuckled. "Ah. I expect that did not go down well."
"Maybe we should have waited…"
"I'd normally agree, but this is a momentous occasion." He set his hand on her shoulder and turned her to walk alongside him. "The union of the Schnee and Arc families before you leave for Beacon is not something to hide away like an uncomfortable secret."
"We could have waited a few days. A week at least."
Weiss suspected that the reason they had not was because of a council meeting being held tomorrow, of which Jacques wanted to be able to flaunt the marriage in the face of the other council members.
I should have just told Jaune it was you who leaked the news, thought Weiss.
She wasn't sure why she hadn't. Not wanting to look incompetent in front of him? Wanting to appear more in control? Part of it was that she was concerned he wouldn't be able to look at her as an equal if he found out she couldn't even control her own family. In the end, she'd let him think it was her, and now he was upset with her. Or had been. Hopefully, they'd resolved that issue. For the meantime, she was content to just enjoy the rare moment of having her father offer her his complete attention, even if she knew it was because she was marrying up.
"I'd best go get prepared for dinner," said Weiss. "We can talk more there."
"Of course." Jacques let her go. "I'm happy for you, my daughter. I had thought you would neglect the family name with your going to Beacon, but I could not have been more wrong." He smiled then, and Weiss' heart was gripped tight. "I am proud of you."
"T-Thank you." Her voice cracked, and she looked away. "I had best go prepare."
He let her go and she made her way down the corridors, wanting to break into a run but knowing any one of the many maids and servants would talk about her behind her back if she did. They already were. Not only about the wedding, but about the firing of every faunus member of staff. They acted like she was responsible for it, which she was, but then they didn't know she had been murdered, so they couldn't understand how hard it had been for her to be served breakfast by a woman with ram's horns.
No. Don't think about that. This is supposed to be a happy moment.
Her happy moment was interrupted by a person bumbling around the corridor corner. Her mother was drunk – no surprises there – and clutching an empty glass in her hand. She was likely en route to find more, having polished off another bottle. Weiss paused, then took a deep breath. Her father had been happy for. What could it hurt to try? She swallowed and stepped forward, plastering a smile on her face.
"Mother. Have you heard? I just came back from shopping with Jaune and he bought me an engagement ring." She offered her hand, giddy and proud. "Do you want to see it?"
Willow looked down on her, and then down on the ring. Her lips peeled back. "So what?" she slurred. "Am I supposed to say I'm happy for you?"
It hurt, even if Weiss had expected this. "Yes. You are. I'm your daughter. I realise you're not happy with Jacques, and that you never loved him, but the least you can do is be happy that I've found someone I love and who loves me back."
"You don't love him."
"Excuse me?"
Willow laughed. "You don't love him," she said, wobbling on her feet. "You love the idea of him. You love having someone important at your side, and it making you feel special. You love the idea of standing next to the man who saves thousands every year." Willow pointed the glass at Weiss' face. "But do you love the man behind all that?"
Weiss stood her ground. "Yes."
"Jacques said the same about me when we were married. Told me he loved me for who I was, and that the Schnee fortune was never a factor." Willow snorted bitterly. "We can all see what happened to that. You're taking after your father."
"I am nothing like him!" snapped Weiss. "I'm nothing like you either." Snatching her hand back, she brushed past her drunk of a mother and didn't hear her response. How dare she? How dare she? And after Weiss had offered her a perfect chance to bury the hatchet. "I'm nothing like them," she whispered, to herself and to the world. "Nothing."
The maids and servants whispered about her as she stomped down the hallway, tears in her eyes.
A little Weiss PoV since she isn't getting a lot of sympathy and I wanted to show a little more of just why she so desperately wants this relationship to go well. And why she is pushing Jaune into it quickly. Poor girl has had to grow up the daughter to a loveless marriage with a pair of parents who either ignore her or only give attention when she is benefitting them.
Next Chapter: 5th January
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