Mother and Daughter

After Aegis and Weiss's tearful reunion, they calmed down enough for them to walk home. Weiss pouted as Aegis made her walk and didn't carry her. Still, after he took her hand into his and interlocked their fingers, she happily loses her pout and starts to hum one of the lullabies Aegis always sings her when he put her to bed...

Aegis looked at his little sister with a smile as even her scar or the previous day's happenings made her lose her sweet innocence.

And as they made their way to mansion doors, Aegis could see a glimpse of Winter, who take leave from school until the situation at home doesn't settle down, with his mother Willow looking at them thinking they don't see them back as both of them were in different rooms, and didn't know about each other.

Both of them witnessed Aegis and Weiss warm reunion they were glad, but at the same time, they were jealous of their closeness, but both of them knew that the sole reason is in them as both of them shunned Aegis and Weiss, one buried her sadness and self-pity in bottles of wine and other was cold on her little brother for things he didn't do and ultimately run from home leaving them in their father's hands...

Aegis just shrugged his shoulders as he tightened his grip with Weiss, who looked at him confusedly but too just shrugged as she thought that it was just one of her brother's strange quirks.

As they were close to the main doors, they could see them opened, and standing there was their small and pudgy yet very supportive and loyal butler Klein with a professional yet warm smile.

"Master, Miss Schnee, come let me take care of your coats."

Klein said with a smile as he took siblings' coats, and Aegis did notice how Klein greeted him...

A Master...

It was official Aegis is the new master of the Schnee family even if he was but thirteen year old boy...

"Klein, It always warms my heart when I see you."

Aegis smiled at the man who was more father to him than Jacques ever was.

"Uncle Klein! I brought big brother is back!"

Weiss puffs her chest of to Klein, who just smiles warmly but a little bitterly as no matter how he tried, he never could convince his little mistress to no call him uncle but just Klein or butler...

Aegis knows Klein's misery and embarrassment at being called uncle and helped him.

"Snowflake, go change into your training clothes. I must make sure you didn't neglect your everyday training schedule as im sure you don't want to be punished again, right?"

Weiss paled a little and immediately run to her room, not looking at the teasing smile Aegis had or Klein's disapproving expression.

"Master, it isn't nice of you to tease little mistress like that."

Klein said as he saw how Aegis punished Weiss last time...

Poor little mistress, she was so much tickled to be master Aegis that as she laughed, she wet herself. Truly the entire week after that incident, a little mistress wasn't able to look on both master Aegis or his own eyes as she always blushed from embarrassment...

Now, the little mistress is scared of tickling.

"She would be alright. My little Snowflake is stronger than she looks."

Aegis said with a gentle smile as he looked at Weiss retreating back.

"Come, Klein, we have a lot of work, and I need you to show me all of my father's documents."

Aegis said as he makes way to his father's office...

"Yes, Master"

Klein said in happiness.

As Aegis and Klein were making their way to Jacques's office, another meeting was happening in another part of the mansion, between Mother and the eldest daughter...

"Winter"

Willow said with a slight smile as she was about to hug her daughter, but at the last second, she stopped herself as she smiled bitterly...

What right she has to hug her daughter she exchanges for the bottle of wine?

"Ah, to hell with it!"

Winter swore with surprised Willow as Winter never a NEVER swore...

Winter made her way to her mother and hugged her with enough strength that would break the person's ribs without an active aura...

"I-Im sorry dear im so sorry deary..."

Willow cried out as Winter, her daughter, was hugging her.

"Im sorry for leaving you! Im so sorry for not taking care of you! Im so sorry for everything I made you witness."

Willow cried even more as she hugged her daughter, who started crying too.

"No-no, Im sorry for leaving you all behind!"

Winter cried out as she sniffed to her mother's shoulders.

"Im sorry for being cold to you after I found out that monster was favoring more Aegis than me, his firstborn. I was so stupid as to make that monster hate my little brother and you!"

Winter cried as she held her mother, who with her sat at the ground as their quivering legs gave out.

"You don't have to apologize for anything, dear, and I was the weak one who let that man ruin our family. I always knew there was something wrong."

Willow said with a sniff as she continues.

"But I was coward enough to fear answers I could get."

Willow said bitterly as she remembers her days where she instead hid her sorrow in a bottle of wine than acknowledge the truth about her husband...

"Heh"

Winter laughs a little, and Willow looks at her little offended and confused. Winter looked at Willow and said.

"We had entire three days, but we finally spill the beans when Aegis returned rather than waiting on him as Wiess did..."

Winter said with a laugh, but there wasn't even little humor in her tone.

Willow just looked at her and gave her a hollow smile.

"We really are cowards, aren't we? Rather than see my son and your brother, we shunned, and who protected our entire time, we hide in this room."

Willow said with sight.

"And to think he always come to speak with me even when I ignored him... It made me happy that he never stopped... But that makes me even worse... I really wish for him to stop trying so much to make me like him..."

Winter said with a sob and continued under her mother's shocked gaze.

"Im truly the worst, arent I? I have such a wonderful little brother, and what he gets for all of his work? a Cold shoulder from me..."

Winter said sorrowfully as Willow embraced her even more.

"No, you aren't bad, my dear. I feel the same the more he tries to help me, the more I wish for him to stop, the more it pains me to watch him try so hard..."

Willow said, and they descend to silence...

"What will we do, mother?"

Willow looks at her mother's blue eyes that are now red from all crying and seeing in her eyes her own eyes what are too red from all the emotions, and she was finally able to get out...

"I don't know, dear, and I don't truly know."

Willow said and was about to continue when she saw the room's doors open and a small head full of white hair sticking out.

"Then you must apologize to big brother!"

Weiss, who overheard the entire conversation, said with conviction and little hope at the idea of having the entire family together and happy...

Yes, the entire family as she stoped recognizing Jacques as her father...

And Weiss gets an evil spark in her eyes as she got the best idea ever.

Now Weiss knows how she can hide her ditching of training as she smiles evilly, completely ignoring the shocked and embarrassed gazes of her mother and big sister...