Reina of Hanneau (English)

TROUBLING EMOTIONS

Reina takes a peek through the cracks of the hallway doors. Ever since she woke up this morning, she can only hear Mitsuei working on the crib in the garden.

The sound of sandpaper against the wood vibrates through the house. He is almost finished with his project, only smoothing the wood and its edges. And by the looks of it, he would probably be done before the day ends. 

Amused by the scene, Reina quickly turns her back to go to the kitchen. She will get the tea ready and prepare some snacks for Mitsuei. He hardly stops working, taking breaks only during breakfast and lunch. He deserves as much since he is working hard for the sake of her baby.

While waiting for the water to boil, she takes out some crackers and nuts from the cupboard. She places them on a tray with the cups and a kettle of freshly brewed tea.

Trying her best t balance the entire tray, she slowly walks into the hallway. She is thankful that the doors are slightly open. She can use one foot to push the door on one side. Sliding doors are pretty convenient. 

“Ugh! Really? Again, Reina?” Mitsuei sighs in disbelief, looking at Reina with slight irritation. 

He shakes his head, throwing the sandpaper on the ground. He approaches Reina, presumably to take the tray from her grip, but she stops him.

“Go wash up first,” Reina insists, glaring at his dirty hands while pulling the tray away.

Mitsuei stares at her like he wants to argue but then decided not to. He zips his lips as he unwillingly steps away from her.

Reina smirks while she watches Mitsuei run to the bathroom with no question. Despite looking so conflicted, he still accepted her demands without creating discord. Somehow, he changed.

She had not expected such a tough man to soften on her. He easily obliges to her whims. Perhaps it has something to do with his military experience. A soldier, after all, should be disciplined. Even after retirement, he retained such quality.

Unable to wait for his return, Reina slowly steps down one foot on the concrete stairs below her. It is only three steps down, but she needs to be careful since she can hardly see anything under her big belly. Thankfully, the stairs are adjacent to the sturdy pillar. At least she can lean on something for support. 

Gently, she steps on another flight. She'd been carrying this massive tummy for months. She at least figured out how to move around without putting too much strain on herself. It was challenging at first, but she finally grew used to it and can now move with ease.

“You couldn’t wait for me, can you?” 

Even without looking back, Reina knows that Mitsuei has this exasperated expression on his face. She laughs as she can even detect the discomfort in his voice. 

He immediately takes the tray away from her with one hand, while the other free hand is on her back for support. 

“You know I can move perfectly fine, right?” Reina frowns in discontent. 

“I know. But it would not hurt to be careful, don’t you think?”

Realizing his point, Reina can only pout in silence. Moreover, she doesn’t want to argue with him over trivial matters. She would rather spend her days in peace. And she isn’t in the mood for a verbal fight in the past few months.

However, when the baby is born, will moments like this change? That, she doesn’t know. All she knows is that she will miss his kind gestures. She is aware that he only wants her to have a safe pregnancy. And that is all that is since he is a kind person.

“Alright, here we go,” Mitsuei mumbles behind her ears as he sets the tray down on the floor. 

The feel of his breath so near on her skin made the hair on her back stand. She didn’t expect his face to be so close to her. She shivers that ran down her spine made her heart thump in nervousness.

Ignoring the sudden beating of her heart, she sits next to him in silence. It isn’t the right time for her to feel this way. Having such thoughts and feelings would only create inconvenience.

And so, both of them share the snacks she had prepared earlier. She tries to reply to his small talks, not wanting to leave any moment of silence. She is afraid that he might hear the nervousness of her heart.

Most of their topic only revolves around the crib that would be finished anytime soon. Mitsuei sounds so excited to have the baby use it. He might have discovered an enjoyable new hobby to keep himself occupied during his spare time. 

“I only need to brush it with some varnish, and it will all be good. Do you want to place it in your room right away or wait until the baby is born?”Mitsuei asks after he sips from his cup.

“Well, I think having it in my room is fine. That way, I can place the things we bought,” Reina agrees, thinking of ways to arrange the pillows, blankets, and small mattress. 

“Alright. The once the varnish dries, we’ll move it in your room.”

”That would be nice. Thank you,” Reina smiles in appreciation.

“Of course.” Mitsuei grins back. “Do you think the baby clothes are enough?”

Reina contemplates for a moment. She can’t say that the amount is enough. But it's not lacking. 

“Perhaps, it is fine. Anyway, if we need a few more things, I can just visit the shopping district. If you’d allow, I could ask Rio to join me.”

Mitsuei stares back at her with an unreadable expression. It seems like her response caught him off guard.

“Should I be joining you instead?” He asks, raising one brow.

Surprised by his reaction, Reina tries to put on a smile. A few minutes ago, she was only thinking that he might stop doting on her as soon as the baby arrive. 

Should she believe that sort of promise? But then, she knows she can’t rely on that. They will never know what will happen along the way. Change can happen over time. And when that happens, she would be the one hurt the most.

Long silence comes without a peep from any of them. They merely watch the birds pass by while leaves fall one by one from the cherry blossoms' branches. Winter is so close. And so is her childbirth. She might need to prepare herself mentally.

Reina unconsciously clutches her stomach. This tiny one is about to make its appearance in the world. They don't know the gender yet. She is confident, though, that this family will adore it regardless of gender. 

They will have a normal family. At least on the outside.

“I will wash these. Surely, you won’t disagree on that?”

Reina flinches in surprise as Mitsuei’s low voice reverberates in her ears. She almost let out a curse as she thought she was past the point of getting surprised at invading her personal space. Day by day, Mitsuei seems to get touchy with her all the time.

Not that she is complaining. She likes the warmth of his hands. But she can’t get used to their sudden closeness.

“Please. Thank you,” Reina manages to pull on a smile. 

The dishes clatter as Mitsuei gently walk to the kitchen, leaving her alone with her troubled feelings. She doesn't want to disrupt their relationship by having such feelings. And these sentiments she has only made her feel guilty. She wishes to be content in the present moment. Wanting more will only complicate things.

As she drown in her thoughts, she heard a loud noise from the foyer. She doesn’t exactly know what was going on until she heard some familiar voices. 

From a short distance, she can hear her parents' voice conversing with Mitsuei who is probably welcoming them by the front door. 

She later confirms her theory when she hears several footsteps going in along the usual loud voices.

“Ah! Here’s my little girl.”

Reina tries to get out of her seat to greet her parents, but she is stopped by Helen midway. Helen then smothers her in kisses while continually complimenting her appearance. Ryouta, on the other hand, smiles and embraces her tightly.

From the excitement on their faces, she knows her family misses her. And so does she. Especially now that she is anxious about her incoming childbirth. She badly needs her parents’ comfort.

“Oh, mother, father. I never expected you to visit. I miss everyone terribly,” Reina bursts with emotions. She doesn’t know the reason but somehow, she feels like crying as soon as she saw them.

“Aw. We miss you, too. Regrettably, Haru and his family can’t join us today since little Miki feels under the weather,” Helen hugs Reina again, seeing her daughter’s emotional state.

“But they wanted to give you these. Haru harvested these yesterday,” Ryouta adds, showing a basket full of different vegetables from the farm.

“Allow me to take them, father.”

All of them turn around after realizing another presence. They got too absorbed with the moment that they seemed to forget the master of the house.

Reina gently stands on her feet, wanting to be mobile like everyone else. Helen and Ryouta help her stand before she joyfully invites them to the kitchen. 

“We got some fresh peaches, and I am sure you will love it. I was surprised to know we have those close in Hanneau,” Reina recounts their picnic from a few days before with glee.

“That sounds nice. Maybe we can go together next time,” Helen replies, laughing at Reina’s excitement.

“Splendid idea! We can do that soon.”

“Reina, I think it would be best if we schedule that a few weeks or months after the childbirth,” Mitsuei interjects.

“Your husband is right, sweetheart. Think of it as a celebration after the delivery.”

“Haah! If you say so.”

”Good. So then, why don’t we eat those peaches you picked.”