After witnessing Klein's death at Mother's hands, a majority of the staff ended up quitting their jobs. They didn't want to stay, and who could blame them? They just saw one of their own getting drowned by a giant, murderous psychopath of a woman, and they most definitely weren't about to stick around and find out if that was going to happen to them! Most of them didn't even bother packing their belongings or handing Jacques their resignation letters. They just wanted to leave and never look back. They could always find other, better, and safer jobs.

Those who didn't quit, on the other hand, didn't really have anywhere else to go. Nearly all of them were Faunus, which should have been self-explanatory. Where would they go? They wouldn't find any other jobs that would accept them, especially in Atlas, a city where hatred and discrimination against their kind was rampant. Yes, Mother was beyond dangerous, but to them, it was less risky than going out into a world that just wanted to snuff them all out.

It turned out that those who stayed behind ended up being the lucky ones (though they wouldn't stay lucky for long). Every single person who left their jobs at the Schnee Manor died in their homes the very next day. Eerily enough, they died in almost the same way that Willow had. They died in their sleep, their internal organs having shut down simultaneously for no medical reason whatsoever. The only difference was that unlike Willow, who seemed to have died rather peacefully, they died with their eyes bulging from their sockets, their faces twisted and warped beyond recognition, and their mouths frozen into grotesque and horrible screams.

Klein's death seemed to be a turning point for Mother. Since that night she drowned him in the courtyard fountain, Mother became more aggressive than ever. It didn't matter who it was. Jacques, the children, the remaining staff, even the bodyguards. None of them were safe from Mother's wrath. She stalked them, beat them, physically and psychologically tormented them in no particular order. And none of them were allowed to speak about it to another soul.

It was fairly obvious by now. Mother was not normal. Was she even human?

Jacques began staying inside of his study for longer periods of time. Eventually, it got to the point where he rarely came out except for meals and board meetings. He grew much paler and thinner as time went on. He had bags under his eyes from lack of sleep. His voice became quiet and timid. Even his posture changed to him constantly hunching over.

Nobody knew how long it had been since Mother's arrival. It could've only been a few months, but to them, it may as well have been years. Mother made sure that not a single living soul within the walls of the mansion were left unscathed. It seemed that Klein's defiance towards her had pushed her over the edge. Now she was constantly asserting her dominance over all of them, making sure that none of them dared to even think of opposing her like Klein did. It was her way of saying, 'I do not care how you feel about me. I am not going anywhere. I am here to stay, and if you have a problem with that, then I am going to make you suffer.'

However, despite all the recent madness, there was one thing that had not changed: the parties. The Schnee household was going through some pretty rough times, but they still had a reputation to uphold. Hosting grand and expensive parties was great for that. It allowed them to mingle with others from the upper class, to maintain bonds with them, and of course, to show the general public that there was absolutely nothing sinister going on within their walls. Mother insisted that they still host these parties, since that's what they often did before. If they were to suddenly stop, people would get suspicious. There would be questions. Questions would lead to investigations. Investigations would lead to spilled secrets. And spilled secrets would lead to the discovery of Mother, which is something she could never abide, oh no, no, no.

Which was how Winter found herself in the main hall, surrounded by older men and women wearing garish clothing, sipping their wine and chortling snobbishly. Usually, she could not stand attending these parties. Always having to keep a forced smile on her face, nodding and laughing at anything being told to her like the obedient little girl she was, even though she wanted nothing more than to strangle the person in front of her. But now, she was more relieved than anything. These parties, which were once suffocatingly bland, were now a safe haven for her, an escape from the nightmare that had become her normal life. Since Mother preferred to stay hidden, she never attended these parties. Where she ran off to, Winter had no idea, and she didn't want to know. All she cared about was savoring this moment, knowing that in a few hours, the party would be over, the guests would leave, and she would come back.

Having had enough of the stuffy environment, Winter went outside to get some fresh air. She went out to the courtyard, where there was nobody but herself. She spotted the fountain not too far away, and had to suppress a shiver. This was where Klein died. This was where he was murdered. Since nobody else was around to see her tears, Winter finally allowed herself to cry, to release the grief and sorrow that she had been bottling up inside of her for so long.

Eventually, there were no more tears left for Winter to cry. Wiping her eyes and sniffling, she turned around and was about to walk back inside… until a rough hand suddenly came from behind her and covered her mouth, preventing her from screaming. A second later, a black bag was put over her head, plunging her in darkness. She was shoved to the ground, and her wrists were quickly tied behind her back while a dirty cloth was stuffed into her mouth.

"Can you believe it, man? We did it! We caught a fucking Schnee!"

"We sure did. Let's get the hell out of here. This is a good day for the White Fang."