Reina of Hanneau (English)

A PARENT'S RESOLVE

Helen groans inwardly. Ryouta is only being stubborn. She can tell that he also is swayed by Mitsuei’s words. Even as parents, they didn’t recognize the word special. They have been occupied with keeping a low profile that they forgot to equip their children with confidence.

But then again, if Ryouta keeps on being obstinate, he might have another attack in the middle of the marriage meeting. So before that happens, Helen readies herself for another scolding. But just before she could, Mitsuei overrode her.

“I understand your worries, father, and you may not completely trust me. However, I guarantee you that Reina and our future family are safe. No one will hurt them in any way.”

“Don’t call me father!”

“Now, now.” Helen intervenes, snickering in amusement. “Young man, the reason I’m asking this is that we don’t want our little girl to end up as some man’s sturdy bag to be punched whenever he is not satisfied with something. We may not be rich, but Reina is still thoroughly cared for here."

Mitsuei nods his head in acknowledgment. He can recognize their worries. 

“I may not be able to persuade you with my words but my daughter here, despite her mischief, I have never hurt her. As you know, I grew up with extreme discipline. And I do not wish anyone to go through the same thing as I did before. Rest assured that I will make her happier than she already is.”

“What my father said is true. As a child, I am similar to everyone. Full of curiosity and mischief, but my father never lays a finger on me. His discipline is more on hurting one’s conscience,” Kayomi giggles as she supports her father’s statement.

Reina is in awe. She has been listening to them for a while now, and she is getting more impressed as time passes. Did they rehearse perchance?

“I don’t think you can assure us of making her happy when your previous marriage didn’t work perfectly,” Haru interjects with sarcasm. 

“Brother! Do you realize your rudeness?” Reina opposes with a loud voice. The statement was not only humiliating Mitsuei but also Kayomi.

“I apologize, Mister Mitsuei, little Kayomi. My son seems to have forgotten his manners.”

Helen turns her head to Haru with wide angry eyes. She will make sure to reprimand him of this later. They are here to talk peacefully and not aggravate others.  

“I often hear such things about myself, and I am aware of my imperfections. As any of you know, it was an arranged marriage set by my father. I have tried to make the relationship work, but in the end, she found happiness in someone else. What makes Reina different is that this is my sole choice. No one forced me into choosing her. Likewise, she accepted me as her lifelong companion. There is nothing that holds us together but our genuine feelings for each other.” 

Reina is stunned upon hearing Mitsuei’s loving words. His eyes are even looking in her direction with so much affection. Reina can’t stop herself from turning red. True or not, those words will surely embarrass anyone.

“That’s sweet, Mister Mitsuei. At some point, I have doubted myself if I have heard you correctly. You must be aware of your frightening reputation, yes? Yet I only hear affection from you since you came in here. I’m starting to think, our Reina is having a positive effect on you,” Helen eyes Reina with vexing looks. 

“Mother,” Reina whines looking sheepishly. Her mother's teasing will only aggravate her father and brother. Also, once this all ends, she will be too ashamed to face Mitsuei.

“But you know, Mister Mitsuei. You may also seem to give her the same effect. My little girl may have grown up, but she is still the same timid and compliant kid from before. She never argues, nor does she oppose anyone. However, these past few months, I have witnessed changes in her face. She is the same quiet girl, yet I often catch her smiling, sad, or on some occasions, blushing from some thought.”

Reina gasps for air as she asks for her mother to restrain herself from speaking more of her. She knows her face is clearly flustered as she can feel herself blushing. 

The room is filled then with giggles as the women in the room begin taunting Reina more with their observations. They seem to enjoy teasing her though, without their knowledge, it was those moments when she is constantly worried about her pregnancy that caused her to act that way.

“How long have both of you been together?” Ryouta, who is silent for some time, finally decides to join the conversation.

“We have been together since the summer of last year,” Mitsuei answers with confidence. 

Gasps of disbelief echoed through the room. None of them ever noticed the relationship between the two, yet they have been going out for a long time. 

Reina, herself, is amazed by the concepts she hears. Good thing she had kept quiet about their supposed relationship. If she ever said something contrary to his words now, it would only make things complicated.

“Almost a year, and why did you two keep it a secret?” Ryouta inquires further, directing the question to Reina.

Reina is at loss. She didn’t know how to respond to her father’s sudden interest since he was opposed from the beginning. But before she can open her mouth to respond, Helen interjected.

“Well, Ryouta. Perhaps Reina had already imagined you reacting this way, thus making her afraid of ever opening up to us. Don’t you think so too, Haru?”

Haru lowers his head and softly expresses his apologies to both Mitsuie and Kayomi. Helen looks satisfied once she heard Haru apologize. She then returns her attention to Ryouta, awaiting his admittance.

Ryouta sighs in resignation. He can never go against Helen in this matter. 

“I’m sorry, Sou Mitsuei. I am a parent, and since you are also one, you must understand where I’m coming from.”

“Of course, father. As parents, we only have the best interest for our loved ones.”

“Then what do you think of my daughter?” 

Reina bites her lower lip in anticipation of Mitsuei’s response. As time goes by, her parents are somewhat persuaded by the man’s answers. His actions and words, seem to be taking their effect on them though little by little, the questions are getting harder. If she was asked of such things, she would be fidgety and probably take time before answering. She has always been a bad liar. 

Reina grasps her breath when Mitsuei turns his attention on her. Intently, looking at her. Like someone who reads the innermost of her being. 

“Since meeting her as a kid, she has always been modest. Perhaps because of the way people view her that she never sees the wonderful things about her. She is timid, yet she is courageous. She is reserved, yet she is frank about her desires. She is careful and smart, yet at times she tends to be clumsy. She tries so hard to keep things to herself due to her nature of not troubling others. If you say that I have a great effect on her, then I’m looking forward to progressing with her.”

Ryouta nods his head, seemingly satisfied with the young man’s response. Sou Mitsuei has gained a reputation of being a difficult person due to his upbringing and failure in marriage. But the person sitting in front of them right now is far from being difficult. He’s like a whole different person at this moment. 

Then, Ryouta’s eyes shift to Reina. She seems perplexed herself. Like she is also seeing this person for the first time.

“How you about, Reina? What do you think of Sou Mitsuei?”

Reina adjusts herself on her seat and heaves a deep breath. Her hands start to tremble as her sight goes blind by nervousness. She never thought of such things herself. 

“Um, ah. You see.” Reina curses herself for stammering. The way she acts isn’t convincing at all. She will only ruin Mitsuei's efforts.

“Come on, darling. Don’t get shy now,” Helen encourages with a smile. 

'Something good about Mister Mitsuei.'

Reina looks back at Mitsuei so she can at least make out the best things about him. However, she didn't want to dwell only on his appearance.

Mitsuei, who seems to have detected Reina's gaze, looks back at her. Then, their eyes are locked together. Somehow, Reina feels lost in his gaze. Aside from his overall persona, his behavior, words, and everything about him right now are entirely different. 

For some reason, she feels comfortable after meeting his eyes. Her nerves has finally calmed down, and the shaking of her hands stopped.

“Mis - uh, Mitsuei is a kind person. Aside from my family, he and Kayomi are the only people that showed me kindness. The past few months have been troubling for me, but he is the only person that gave me strength and pushed me to move forward. His words may not be enough to convince you all, but for me, the things I have witnessed especially recently, I believe him to be true to his words. And we will be sure to make each other happy.”

Reina can’t stop herself from smiling. The words she declared have truths about them. She thought that she has nothing good to tell about Mitsuei but in the end, as soon as words left her mouth, they just flowed out of her naturally. Looks like she didn’t need to lie after all. 

"I will not be taking Reina away from everyone. Her family is my family. And so is mine to hers. So please, entrust me your daughter. I promise to make her happy for the rest of our lives."

Mitsuei once again bows to the Asai family, with Kayomi following along. 

Reina can no longer stop the tears in her eyes. Their words, and efforts in helping her, touched her soul to the point that she wants to sob from happiness.