Board Thread:Episode Discussion/@comment-14138255-20161030153351/@comment-14909251-20161031220208

MetallicArcher wrote:

The real question is how that name allows to a colour. Apparently, Klein derives from an older Germanic term meaning "Shining" so that it is essentially a reference to the color white.

MetallicArcher wrote:

I like this theory.

Thank you, some credence lended to Jaques being in the role of the wicked step-mother is the fact that Snow White sought refuge with the Seven Dwarves when her step-mother sought to hurt her and Weiss similarly sought refuge with Klein from the troubles with Jaques. As some versions of Snow White involve the Queen being her biological mother this doesn't inherently lend weight to the idea of Jaques being her uncle.

Weiss being the product of her mother having an affair with the elder brother of Jaques is probably the scenario that makes the most sense in context with that theory since it would be easier to keep that a secret from Weiss. From there the question is whether Winter is legitimately a child of Jaques. I would say most likely yes and it may even be Winter is the reason for their unhappy marriage.

Part of the palace intrigue here would be the fact Winter herself experienced a bit of turmoil in her relationship with Jaques. With Weiss it would make sense with her not being his daughter, but with Winter being his daughter it would suggest that maybe there is another reason for the falling out. She gives it as being about her joining the military, but there could be much more to that story.

Theoretically, if Winter were six or seven around the time Weiss was conceived, she may be aware of her sister's true paternity. Given the comparison of SDC to royalty, it could be the successor to the corporate throne as it were is required by corporate by-laws or the will of Grandpa Schnee (presuming he is dead) to be, after his immediate offspring, the first-born child of his first-born son and failing that it falls to the first-born child of his second-born son.

Of course, this would make Weiss the rightful successor to the company following her real father's death and Winter would be aware of this fact, so her decision to join the military could be as much about forcing her father's hand by taking herself out of the running. Henceforth, Jaques is forced to train up the product of his wife's affair with his older brother as his successor, knowing it was always her right. Perhaps this would explain his harshness towards her.

Even darker possibility exists with this storyline since the portrait's timing may not be entirely a coincidence. Weiss looks to be about eleven or twelve, Winter about 17 or 18, and Whitley around five or six. Given we see this portrait roughly a year or year and a half after the conclusion of Volume One, this would suggest the portrait was painted around five to six years before that period in Volume One i.e. right around when the White Fang turned violent. As we all know, Weiss described people associated with SDC "disappearing" and board members being "executed" yet never elaborates.

Now we are to believe the White Fang is responsible for these things and they may be, but let us say that at this same time the White Fang turned violent Grandpa Schnee passed of natural causes or was near to passing. Weiss describing Jaques as changing things at SDC after taking control may mean her Grandfather was still in charge for a while when she was alive. Yet with his passing the question of succession comes up.

Could be that Grandpa Schnee's will made it so that one of his sons would succeed so long as he also had successors i.e. children to pass the company on to afterwards. Suddenly Jaques finds his brother wanting to claim Weiss and Jaques cannot allow that to happen. Jaques then arranges for his brother to meet an untimely end at the hands of the White Fang and thus cements his place as successor. As a result, Weiss is sort of sad that her nice "uncle" is dead, Winter is really sad because her sister lost her real father without ever knowing the truth, and Mama Schnee is cold because she suspects that subtly smirking husband of hers was responsible.