LUCIA

WHERE DREAM AND REALITY MEET (2)

"What's going on?"

As soon Hugo stepped inside, he sensed the unusual atmosphere in the house. And he found his daughter crying, with the rims of her eyes and nose red. Her amber eyes that were like her mother's were filled with tears and when she met his eyes, her shoulders shook even more.

It was both loveable and pitiful. With a faint smile on his face, Hugo bent down and stretched out his arms to his daughter. Evangeline glanced at her brother and mother once, then she slowly walked to her father. As she wiped her flowing tears with the back of her hand, her steps towards her father gradually grew faster. Evangeline ran into her father's arms and threw her arms around his neck.

"Waaaaaa!!"

Hugo gently patted his daughter's back as she sobbed on his shoulders. He hugged Evangeline and stood up before turning to look at his wife. He nodded at her, telling her to leave this to him then he headed to the receiving room.

Who knew how such a small body was pouring out so much tears, but Hugo's neck was quickly soaked as his daughter buried her face in it. He sat down on the receiving room couch with his daughter in his arms and simply patted her back, not saying anything and just letting her cry as much as she wanted.

When the child's cries turned to snivels, Hugo asked his daughter.

"Do you want water?"

Evangeline nodded her head. Hugo got up, still carrying her, walked to the table, poured out some water and brought it to her lips. Evangeline quickly gulped down the water while hiccuping from the aftermath of crying.

Hugo returned to the couch, sat down, then he spoke to his daughter who was sulkily sitting on his lap.

"Eve."

"..."

"You don't want to tell me what's going on?"

Evangeline shook her head.

"...Elder brother...stopped Jude from coming."

"Damian drove Jude away?"

"Jude didn't come. But I heard elder brother made him not to come."

Hugo was able to grasp the entire situation with her brief explanation. He had gotten increasing skilled in doing this as he raised his young daughter who wished to express many things with her limited but sufficient vocabulary.

He remembered telling his wife not to allow the boys into the ducal residence anymore. And when he said that, his wife had told him:

[You can't just stop the children from playing together all of a sudden. If you forcibly take Eve's friend away from her, she'll be hurt. Let me try to make Eve understand even if it takes some time.]

He felt his wife had a point, so he told her to do as she saw fit. There was no way his wife would unilaterally stop Jude from coming to visit without talking to Evangeline. And even if Jude was truly restricted from visiting, it had no relation to Damian. Hugo thought Eve had misunderstood something.

"Eve, did you ask your mother why Jude didn't come to see you?"

"...No."

"Your brother didn't do it."

"Elder brother said he did it."

"Then Damian is also mistaken. Damian can't stop Jude from coming to visit. Only your mother and I can. I have never stopped Jude from coming here, and your mother had never done so as well."

"..."

"Did you cry because you were upset Jude didn't come?"

"...I...yelled at elder brother...and...mother got angry..."