Reina of Hanneau (English)

PIERCING EYES

“Hmm, I wonder what flower these are.”

Reina examines the pots that she watered a few seconds ago. Haru brought this for her the last time he came to Hanneau. He dropped by in the middle of the day, so Mitsuei didn't see the plants that she has been tending for weeks now. 

Gardening is one of her mother’s hobbies. Aside from reading books about the world, Helen loves to explore plant cultivation. Their backyard in Haran is full of different types of flowers. Most of them are domestic plants, though she has been trying to grow seeds that are from another country. 

And the pots that she sent her are one of those extrinsic plants. Reina has no idea what flowers will bloom from the budding leaves. Helen always loved to surprise them with the plants she cared for.

When Reina was still a kid, Helen’s orchids finally bloomed. She can vividly remember the satisfied smile on her face while she proudly present the flower to her.

“Do you know orchids are considered the queen of flowers? And back home, your name 'Reina' is associated with the word queen. A royalty with grace and elegance. And you see this color?”

Reina stares with curious eyes at the blossoms hanging on their backyard walls. She is only six years old by then, so anything new to her eyes catches her attention.

“Blue!” Reina cheers happily.

“Yes, blue. Aside from being a queen, blue orchids are considered rare. Precious, just like our little Reina.”

Reina caresses the leaves, looking intently at the lines and texture. Even the smell is unfamiliar. She has been around flowers for a while, so she is already familiar with some of them. Even ones that are not common in the country.

“Oh, well. I may not have my mother’s talents, but I will do my best to care for you, little one. I’m excited to see you bloom.”

Reina groans as she stretches her body. She has been crouching on the ground for a while now after watering the plants. She pushed the pots back to their proper hiding places.

Mitsuei doesn't seem to be the type of person to appreciate flowers. The absence of colors in his garden is enough proof for her. Aside from the cherry blossom trees on the corner, there are only non-flowering bushes surrounding the pond. A rather gloomy place to live in. 

However, now that it is almost spring, the cherry blossom trees are starting to bloom. The white to pink hue is slowly sprouting on its branches. Perhaps it will bloom in a few weeks, providing the space a nicer mood and a pleasant bitter-sweet perfume.

After more than a month of staying idle at the Sou residence, Reina had enough of being useless to her new home. For the past few days, she had attempted to open up a conversation to Mitsuei about her going back to work in Haran and the household chores. However, whenever Reina finds the strength to do so, her husband's frightening indifferent eyes overpower her. She would unconsciously step back and lose hope in her intention without even trying. 

Despite the facade that Mitsuei showed her parents during the marriage meeting and the ceremony itself, there is not much change in their relationship. He treats her like a mere acquaintance. 

Reina reasoned that since they would be spending a lifetime together, they should at least be friends and have a respectful relationship. Yet, she always minds her words and actions whenever they are together. 

Reina walks away from the garden and makes her way towards the library. In the past few days, she has been wandering around the house, looking for some things that she can work on or have herself occupied. 

Then she found the library in disarray. Some of the books are misplaced. The table piles an enormous amount of books and documents. It has always been like that since she lived in this house. Mitsuei or Kayomi might have used those books before, but then since everyone got busy, they perhaps forgot to return them to their places.

Reina peeks through the open sliding door. Tall and wall-sized shelves encircle the space. On the corner, there is a small drawer. And sitting in the center of the room is Mitsuei's work table.

The library also serves as Mitsuei’s office. He spends most of his time there when he is home to study the paperwork he brings in from the lodge. 

Reina steps into the room and inspects the books that scatter like breadcrumbs in the room. These are books about management, economy, and such. Most of them are about the business world, something she won’t understand. 

“Oh, my. I better start now. Anyone might arrive soon,” she gasps after realizing the time. 

Kayomi usually arrives home first, just right before the sun goes down. School ends sooner than that, yet it would take her a long time to get to Hanneau from Moulen. 

Mitsuei, on the other hand, always returns home in the evening. On most occasions, he isn't able to join them for supper. Possibly, due to work. Reina never dared to ask about his affairs. 

Reina repositions the books on the shelf. She groups the same books, categorizing them by topic to make it easy for him to find what he needs. However, the books aren't just for business purposes. 

Encyclopedias, dictionaries, biographies of notable people from around the country, and a slew of other books she hardly had any interest in make up the shelves. 

She moves to the table further back into the room. Although Mitsuei has his own office in the lodge, there are times that he brings work home. She even wakes up to him still working in the library in the middle of the night. 

Reina didn’t touch any papers on the table. Instead, she only arranged them neatly on the sides, leaving the middle a wide space for Mitsuei to work on if he ever brings home another work at home. 

In the corner of her eye, Reina notices something odd on the shelves. 

“What could that be?” 

Reina tilts her head slightly, curious about that one book on the shelf. It seems out of place given how vibrant the color of the cover was. It stands out even more against the backdrop of documents with either black or brown coverings.

It is placed on the topmost shelf, somewhere only Mitsuei could reach. But then, defeated by her curiosity, Reina tiptoes, trying to get her hands on the peculiar thing calling for her attention.

“A little more.”

Reina grunts stretching her arm more to reach for the item on the highest area of the ledge. Her fingertips already touched the body of the book. She only needs to extend her body more so she can get the whole thing off the shelf.

“What are you doing?!”

Reina flinches in surprise. She feels like her heart could come out from the shock. It beats faster and faster, realizing who just yelled out of nowhere.

She moves her gaze to the open door. Mitsuei stands there with his eyes wide and his brows wrinkled with rage.

His expression scares Reina. She takes a step back after seeing him walking towards her, still with the same furious face. Her hands clench on her chest. She can feel her heart thumping loudly, that it almost leaped out off her chest when Mitsuei finally stood in front of her. 

“I told you not to do anything. Have you not understood me? You don’t need to do chores here, much so touch things that are none of your concern.”

Reina bites her lower lip stifling a cry. She got so frightened of him that a whimper almost left her throat. His tone evenly matches his expression. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disarrange your things. I, ah, I only wanted to ----.”

“Only wanted to what? You are alone here most of the time, and no one would have heard you if you slipped or if those heavy books fell on you.”

Mitsuei raises his voice, every word searing in her ears. Reina is still confused as to why he came back early. She expected him to return at night like usual. 

Reina's eyes are welling up with tears. She simply wanted to help around the house and was chastised for it. She's in such a horrible mood that she wants to flee the library, but his massive frame prevents her from doing so. She had no choice but to hide her sobs.

“Please forgive me. I promise not to do it again.”

Reina promises, lowering her head, too afraid to meet his gaze. She fears what would happen if she raises her head in his direction. The thought of his irritated eyes is enough to alarm her. 

With her head still held low, she presses her eyes firmly, stopping herself from crying in front of him. She feels like a child being reprimanded for breaking some expensive pottery in the house.

They stood there for a while before Reina heard Mitsuei taking a deep annoyed sigh. He must be frustrated with her by now. 

Reina swore to do her role properly. Even without feelings or love invested on both sides, she still wants to be the suited wife for him. Yet, for months she has been failing terribly. 

“Go back to your room. I will have you called when dinner is served,” Mitsuei mutters.

Reina unconsciously raises her head, looking back at Mitsuei. His face is covered by his huge hand.

Without any more words, Reina runs off, not looking back at the man behind her. She only wanted to escape before his patience finally snapped. 

Back to her room, Reina sits beside her bed, finally releasing the tears that she had endured. She left, not knowing why he suddenly got angry. Hearing the tone of his voice was enough reason for her not to ask. 

Is she able to carry on like this for the rest of her life? Should she always mind her words and actions every time?