How... Did it come to this?! Irene wondered, as she sat opposite her father on a plush leather sofa situated in the midst of his office. Rudien crossed his legs, eyeing her like a hawk as if he was examining his next target.

Irene had no idea why, but her father suddenly appeared - or rather, interrupted her playtime and had taken her directly to his office. He carried her under his arm, in a clearly uncomfortable way for a baby, and then sat her down there wordlessly.

This is so suffocating... Irene wanted to sigh, but instead she stayed silent. Why is he just observing me like that...?

The man then furrowed his brows, and surveyed her with a rather frustrated look on his face. "You..." he said, causing Irene to flinch. She was so uncomfortable and frightened, tears were starting to swell in her baby eyes. Crap crap crap don't cry! Baby me don't cry!

Then, all of a sudden, a pair of large hands slipped under her arms, and with one swift motion, Rudien had lifted up his daughter into the air. His eyes fixated on her startled expression. Suddenly, she burst out crying.

Irene wailed, flailing her arms at him as she let out a shrill scream, and started to call out "Mama!" For the first time in her life. Her sudden outburst left him slightly agitated, but he didn't appear angry at her.

"I guess you don't remember who I am then."

Irene froze, at the audacity of this man.

The only time he saw her, his daughter, was the day she was born. Since then, she hadn't seen him even once, and he was expecting her to remember him after all that time?

Not to mention, she was still a baby.

OF COURSE I WOULDN'T REMEMBER THAT! If she was a normal baby, at least.

What is WRONG with this man?!

"Bleurr!! Ab gopo babu mamamaa!!" She yelled out, attacking his face and managing to land a solid hit on his perfect nose.

"Ack-" he winced, surprised by the sudden hit. "Why are you hitting me? I'm your father, you know."

Put me down you evil man!!! I want my mother!!!

Rudien then lowered his arms, with Irene held between them, as he heaved a sigh. He sat himself back down, propping his daughter into his lap and running a hand through his hair.

"'Spend some time with your daughter,' he says. What am I supposed to do with such a tiny thing that doesn't understand me?" Rudien muttered to himself, and Irene pouted at him. I can understand you, actually.

Ugh this damned father. Why can't he just ignore me as always?!

It seemed like this sudden whim of his was suggested by someone else. Perhaps it was his advisor or someone close to him. Rudien didn't seem like he wanted to be there with Irene either, but something about her drew his interest.

From the way she was looking at him, Rudien could tell she clearly didn't like him. But no matter how many times Irene tried to crawl off his lap, her father would pull her back. He trapped her there, using his giant hands and sturdy arms to his advantage.

Her constant attempts to run away from him intrigued him even more. It was like she wanted to get far away - perhaps because she was unfamiliar with him. But for him, her actions were rather amusing.

Eventually, Irene grew too tired to move, having exerted all her energy on trying to escape her father. She was so exhausted, that without realising, she had fallen asleep against his chest, trapped in his arms as he watched her tiny body clutch onto his loose white shirt.

She was so energetic before, and yet she's sleeping so peacefully now. Rudien thought, continuing to watch his daughter sleep. He noticed her chubby little cheek was pressed against his chest, and found himself lifting a finger to poke the other.

Oh, Rayvis was right. It is really soft. He thought, rubbing his slim thumb against her face. As he gazed at her, even the cold-hearted duke found himself rather lost in an unfamiliar feeling which blossomed like flowers in his chest. Something about this baby made him want to see her more often, although he didn't quite understand it yet. All he knew was, she was an interesting child.

Rudien gently stood up, and placed the baby in his arms down onto the sofa, with a pillow by her head. He covered her with a small blanket, before moving to his desk on the other side of the grand office, lined with bookshelves and resplendent furnishings.

As Irene slept, her father continued with his work at his desk. A mountain of paperwork had stacked up during the time he spent away from the manor, which needed to be thoroughly examined. Although there was much to do, Rudien didn't find his work to be a bother. He was a man who was accustomed busying himself, and balancing ducal matters with training.

A while had passed by, and the small figure who had fallen asleep was now shifting slightly in her spot on the sofa. Rudien glanced toward her, and noticed she had woken up. He expected her to cry for someone the moment she was awake - as all babies tended to do.

But instead, Irene sat upright on her own, and yawned while rubbing her eyes with the back of her tiny hands. This action took her father by slight surprise, as he waited for her to come out of her fatigue.

What? Why am I still here? Irene wondered, as she glanced around her surroundings. She then made eye contact with the duke, who was sat at the desk watching her clinically. But she made no reaction to seeing him, and instead turned away.

Just as she did this, there was a knock on the door. Rudien sighed softly, calling out "Come in," before the figure on the other side entered the room. A beautiful young woman with snow-white hair and sapphire eyes stepped in, and baby Irene almost instantly started to smile.

"Mama!" She called out, eliciting a look of total shock from her mother.

"Rene is here? And-" her mother's eyes sparkled, as she approached the little baby who held out her arms to be picked up. "Did you just call me Mama for the first time?"

Rudien then cleared his throat, rather loudly after Sarah had picked her daughter up. As he did this, Irene noticed her mother's expression darkened slightly when she looked at her husband.

"Is there something you need, Dear?" Rudien asked, without even looking up at his wife.

"Well, I came because I was hoping that we could have dinner together," she spoke in a rather flat tone, as though she already knew how his response would go. "It's been so long since you've been able to come home, and I-"

"I'm sorry, Sarah," Rudien sighed. "As you know, I can't simply abandon all of this work. There is too much to get done and too little time-"

"Then why won't you rely on me?" She asked him, and Irene could tell her mother was hurt now. "You always take up all of the work on your own - even matters that, as a Duchess, should be under my care. Why do you always busy yourself without leaving any time for your family?"

Rudien sighed again, setting down his pen. To him, it seemed like he was dealing with a trivial matter. But to Irene, she knew this was definitely a red flag. She had never seen her mother be so upset before, and that made it clear - perhaps Rudien's neglectful attitude was the issue here.

Something about this had to change. Irene had to make her father pay attention to the people who were most important to him. Even if he couldn't see that now.

I won't let this cold-hearted duke hurt my beautiful mother anymore.

And so, with a deep breath, the baby steeled her resolve, and stretched out her arms in the direction of her father.

"Dada!" Irene suddenly called out in the middle of their argument, and both parents suddenly fell into silence.

Rudien stared with wide eyes at his daughter, who was red-faced and urging him to come to her. She looked like she would explode from trying to reach him.

"Dadaaa!" She called out again, forcing tears out of her eyes. Good thing babies can cry so easily. If I throw a tantrum, he'll have no choice but to calm me down.

"It seems..." Sarah suddenly chuckled. "That I'm not the only parent little Rene cares about."

Oh no, don't misunderstand, Momma. I don't like this guy one bit. I'm just doing this for you.

Rudien stood up from his seat, rather reluctantly, before stepping over to his wife and baby. He crossed his arms, watching Irene struggle to reach him in tears, almost teasingly.

Hurry up and pick me up you damned duke!! She screamed in her mind, before a pair of large, slender hands finally took her into their embrace.

Irene almost instantly stopped crying, much to his confusion. She was trying this hard to get away from me just an hour ago. Babies are so unpredictable.

But it seemed Sarah was rather pleased by this. She was no longer upset at the duke, and that was what mattered. Irene needed to show that she liked him, and she was sure that little by little, she was already breaking down the duke's iron wall. The power of a baby sure is amazing.

"It seems your daughter has taken a liking to you, despite not seeing you at all," Sarah giggled, rubbing Irene's back as she continued clinging onto her father. "What magic spell did you use?"

"I didn't do anything." He sighed. Rudien didn't seem like he hated this either, but he did appear rather uncomfortable with this situation. That was to be expected, as a man who knew nothing but the cruel world of war and hard work needed to help run an empire.

Just then, Irene's stomach began to churn loudly, indicating that she was hungry. Rudien raised an eyebrow in slight question. "Don't babies usually cry when they're hungry?"

"Ah, that's what's special about our little Rene," her mother spoke proudly, with a warm smile. "She's always happy and doesn't cry very often! It's like she's always trying to be considerate of others who take care of her. Irene is such a kind little child."

As Sarah said this, Rudien blinked. She didn't seem at all considerate when she punched me on the nose, earlier? He thought, confused. And the moment he glanced down at his daughter, who almost knew what he was thinking, she instantly averted her gaze.

In that fragment of a moment, the edges of his lips curled upwards slightly in amusement. This child of mine... She really is interesting.