Henrick opened his eyes when he heard someone crying. Barely awake, he looked out the window and saw that the sun had not yet risen. He thought to himself, ‘They say that you’re going to have an unlucky day if you wake up before the crack of dawn.’ He tried to force himself to go back to sleep due to his drowsiness, but alas, slumber eluded him.

“Euk… Heuk… Heuk…” 

Henrick got up and squinted, grumbling, “Just slap me and wake me up or something. Don’t go around crying near someone sleeping.”

“Henrick is stupid,” Iris said, glaring at Henrick with tear-filled eyes. She continued, “A gentleman would have asked me why I was crying.”

“Alright, this stupid and ungentlemanly guy will try to be a gentleman with you. Why are you crying?” Henrick asked.

“I don’t know,” Iris replied.

“What an awesome response. It’s so awesome that even the gentlest of men would be annoyed with you right now,” Henrick said, furrowing his brow. He stretched his back and grumbled, “Ah… Who removed the chair from under me while I was sleeping? My back is killing me.”

“Henrick,” Iris began. She took Henrick’s hands while crying a river, continuing, “I need help. I heard something strange in the library just now. I am not sad, but I have been unable to stop crying since then.”

Henrick placed his finger on Iris’ cheek and took a few of her tears, placing them on his tongue. He pondered for a moment, muttering, “Hmmm…”

Iris could not hide her surprise, asking, “Are tears...