As Reyna had predicted, Duke Reeve knocked at the door once Irene was done. "Sylvaine, are you awake, child? Shall I come in?"

Irene glanced at herself before she nodded at Reyna and the girl scrambled to open the door for the old Duke. Seymour did not waste his time and entered the room in a hurry, only to stop at his feet on finding the girl sitting in front of the mirror. She was staring at her reflection and the moment she saw him in the mirror, she turned to greet him.

"Good Morning, Father. Did you have a good sleep?" When the old Duke heard his daughter's concerned-filled voice, he choked up. His eyes turned red and he sniffled softly.

"Father," Irene did not know why the people in this bizarre world liked to cry. Since the time she had woken up, Reyna had been crying buckets and she had to put a lot of effort into stopping her. And now, the old Duke was crying. 'Is crying a disease here? Or do people love crying? How do I stop them? I had not cried this much even when I chopped onions.' Irene thought to herself and moved towards her father.

"Why are you crying, Father?" She suppressed her urge to scold the man for crying like a baby.

"You are awake, Sylvaine. You are awake. I thought I was dreaming. You are actually awake." Seymour was overwhelmed with emotions and hugged his daughter, stunning her completely.

Irene stood frozen in her spot, for he had embraced her suddenly. Now, she too was overwhelmed for a reason different altogether. For the first time in her life, she was being embraced by a man who she had considered her father. The warmth from his body touched her heart and she buried herself deep in his hug. Unknowingly, tears started leaking out of her eyes, and she was wailing like a child in no time. Irene's loneliness from her past life got the best of her and she let out all her frustration through her tears.

Seymour panicked as soon as he sensed his girl crying in his embrace. He had never seen her cry, not after the death of his wife at least and now that she was sobbing in his arms, he was perturbed and scared.

"Sylvaine, dear, why are you crying? Are you in pain? Are you hurt anywhere? Are you feeling uncomfortable?" His words only made the girl cry harder and the old Duke was lost. He did not know what to do and how to stop her from crying. Every sob, every cry, every sound that left her lips was making his heart wrench in pain and he was filled with guilt and remorse.

Stolen story; please report.

"Please forgive me, dear. I did not take care of you well. I did not protect you and you were injured because of my negligence."

Irene pulled back at once, realizing her father had misunderstood her. She let out a helpless chuckle before she rubbed her eyes, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Father," She chuckled again. "Thank you." That was all she could say and she took a deep breath.

Her response confounded both Seymour and Reyna. They gave her an incredulous look, making Irene frown. 'Why are they looking at me this way? Did I say something wrong? Did I do something I should not have done?' She wondered and looked at the two blankly.

"Father, what..."

"Sylvaine, oh Sylvaine," Seymour hugged her again. "This is the first time you are thanking me and I don't know how to feel. This is the first time you are thanking anyone."

'What?' Now, it was Irene's turn to go into disbelief. 'Did Sylvaine never thank people before? What kind of rude child was she? How impudent!' Irene scolded the girl she had no idea about. 'The old Duke had seriously given her a lavish life. So, the girl does not know when to be grateful. If she had been in my situation with no parents or money, she would have understood how amazing it is to have a father finally.

"But I am confused, dear. Would you mind telling me why you are thanking me?"

Irene shook her head to clear her thoughts and pulled back, forcing a smile on her face. "Father, I just wanted to thank you for being here with me." She just shrugged lightly before she added, "Please don't cry now. I am not sure I will be able to stop my tears if you cry again, Father. And I already look ugly with my eyes swollen and red."

The old Duke chuckled at her words and wiped his tears. "Who told you are ugly, dear? My daughter is the most beautiful woman in the world. I will see who dares to call you ugly. My pistol will speak to them instead of me." Seymour placed his hands on his hips to emphasize his words and Irene started laughing at once. Even Reyna could not stop laughing and she wiped her tears.

Irene smiled and ran her eyes on the old man. It was only then did she realize that the old man was still dressed in the clothes he had worn the previous. 'He must have come here in a hurry.' She presumed. 'Did he really think it was all a dream and I was not yet awake?' She smiled widely, sighing deeply. The old Duke truly cared for his daughter, while Sylvaine...

"Father, why are you still not ready for the day?"

"Oh," Seymour snuck out his tongue in guilt. "I did not realize it. I wanted to meet you first thing in the morning."

"This is bad, Father. You need to take care of yourself. Take a warm bath first and relax your nerves."

"Yes, yes, dear. I will do as you say. Please wait for me in the dining hall. Let us have breakfast together. I have been waiting for this day for so long. Finally, I will eat with my daughter at the same table."