Irene sat beside her father at the dining table, her face pale and sickly. She was even sweating profusely and her back was completely drenched. She was not in the mood to eat and the food before her only made her nauseous.

The words she had heard in her sleep kept playing like a broken record and every time she thought about it, she felt fear creeping in slowly.

'What the hell is happening?' She screamed in her mind, her heart palpitating loud enough for her to hear. 'Who is that man and what the hell does he want of me?'

Irene was agitated and beyond frightened and could not mask her expression even if she wanted to. Her fear was evident on her face, and Seymour, who had not stopped staring at her since she had gone into a trance, instantly sensed her abnormality.

"Sylvaine, what happened? Is something the matter?"

Irene jumped in her place when she heard the old man's voice, and her unexpected action only increased his worry for her.

"What happened, dear? Do you feel sick?" He did not hesitate and pressed his palm on her forehead. "Oh my Lord, you are burning, Sylvaine." He jumped to his feet immediately and Reyna, who was standing nearby, ran towards them in fright.

"Call the physician. My dear daughter, what happened? How did you fall sick again?" Seymour's heart ached and he glared at Reyna, who lowered her head immediately.

"Do you not know my daughter is sick? How could you be careless?"

"Father, please do not blame her. She is innocent." Irene tried hard when she came out of her stupor.

But Seymour was having none of it, and he continued glaring at the poor girl. "Take her back to her room. I will deal with you later."

His dark promise made Reyna gulp and she was almost on the verge of tears. Yet, she did not break down and helped her mistress to her feet.

Irene was too tired to handle the old man. She felt weak all over and her head was heavy. So, she leaned against Reyna as the young girl helped her back to her room.

"Do not worry, Reyna. I will talk to Father later." Irene tried, but Reyna shook her head immediately.

"No, no, Milady. I should be punished. I had no idea you were sick. I am your personal maid, I should have been more careful and considerate." Reyna blamed herself for her mistress' condition and Irene felt guilty for putting the young girl through such misery. She secretly made a note to talk to her father later.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

With Reyna's help, Irene lay on the bed and closed her eyes for a few moments.

"What happened, dear? Why are you falling sick every now and then? What is wrong?" Seymour sat beside his daughter and looked at her in concern. Although he was putting up a brave front, his teary eyes gave his condition away and Irene felt terrible to see him this way.

It was all due to the man who had visited her when she was asleep. Even though she was asleep, she had heard everything the man wanted to say. It was as though he wanted her to remember them even after she woke up.

It was the most terrifying incident Irene had ever experienced. 'Until now, I only had dreams. But now...People are speaking to me when I am asleep. Does that mean the man was here in my room when I was asleep?'

As soon as the notion entered her mind, Irene felt her heartbeat rising in fear and her hair standing on her skin. It spooked the hell out of her and she trembled subconsciously.

Seymour pushed the duvet to her chin on seeing her state and tucked her in. He had never felt this weak and helpless before and he could not help but feel his heart ache.

Irene was mortified to care about the old man. Her breathing turned erratic and sweat dripped down her forehead and cheeks.

Reyna rushed in with a basin of warm water and started wiping her face slowly and carefully.

Irene took deep breaths to calm herself down and with the warm water helping her fight her fear, she felt better slowly.

"I had a nightmare," Irene mumbled all of a sudden when she noticed her father's worry. "I dreamt of the day I slipped down the staircase."

"It is fine, dear." Seymour held out his hand at Reyna and she handed him the cloth before moving a few steps away. "It was just a nightmare."

'If only you knew.' Irene thought in her mind but did not show it on her face.

"Your Grace, the physician is here." The servant announced and Seymour stood up to make way for the physician.

"Please check my daughter. She is burning."

The physician got to work and Irene cooperated with him and thought, 'This body is weaker than I thought. I need to start exercising once I recover.'

"Your Grace, My Lady is running a fever. I will prescribe a tonic. Please mix it with milk and make her drink it three times after food for two days." The old physician handed the bottle of tonic to Seymour. "She will recover quickly."

"I understand." Seymour handed over the bottle to Reyna, who cowered in her place when she felt his glare again.

Seymour waited for the physician to leave and looked at his daughter with tears in his tears. "Please get well soon, dear. I cannot see you this way. This old man prefers to see you hate him for life than to see you see sick and suffer."

Although the last few words were barely a whisper, Irene still heard them and she felt a pang in her heart.

'I need to recover soon and find out what is happening to me. I cannot allow this to go on forever.' Irene pursed her lips and looked at her father in a dilemma before she sighed in determination.

"Father, I have something to ask you."

"Sure, Sylvanie. Please tell me. I will do anything you want me to." Seymour did not hesitate even for a moment and held her palm in his, giving her the warmth she so desperately wanted.

Although Irene felt weak, that did not stop her from stating her request. She had already decided the previous night and she had to act upon it immediately before she went crazy due to the bizarre incidents that were happening with her recently.

"Please help me meet the King. I want to meet him in person."