Reina of Hanneau (English)

SECRETS IN THE NIGHT

Reina wakes up from her deep slumber with an uncomfortable feeling. She badly needs to pee in the middle of the night. 

It has been several nights that she is unable to enjoy sleep like she used to. Aside from her constant call to nature, the worries growing inside her keep her up till late at night. The thought about her and the child’s future is her daily routine. 

Her husband reassures her all the time while constantly giving her support. But her worries still won't go away. 

After attending to her needs, she immediately returns to her room. She lays on her back, covering herself with a blanket up to her neck. The nights in Hanneau are incredibly frigid now that winter is coming. 

She shuts her eyes despite the lingering unsettling feeling. She tries her best not to think of anything so she can return to sleep. She goes so far as to count lambs in her head to fall asleep.

Too bad, it still is ineffective. Not that it had worked for her before. 

- Growl - 

“Ugh! I cannot believe you are doing this to me, my child.” 

Despite her complaints, Reina sits back on her bed. Her feet feel the floor as she looks for her sandals. Even with socks on, the cold floor still finds a way to get to her body. The chill she feels every time she takes off her blanket is enough to keep her awake for hours. 

She takes her robe once more before peeking outside her bedroom door. She gently opens the door so as not to awaken the sleeping Kayomi in the adjacent room. She is worried that she might disrupt the young lady’s slumber, causing her to be late for school by morning.

With light steps, she makes her way towards the kitchen. If her memory serves right, then she must still have the umeboshi that Akari gave her a few days ago. In addition to that, her mother brought her some salted rice cakes yesterday. She can munch tiny bit portions of either of them. 

“Yey!” Reina cries in delight when she opens the cupboard. 

Rice crackers and umeboshi are arranged next to one other conveniently. She does not need to dig through the entire kitchen, which may make a lot of noise. Amid the darkness, she has a little lamp. If she moved around while hunting for what she needed, it could get messy.

She will hate it if someone is to awaken because of her. More so, seeing her eating in the middle of the night. It is kind of embarrassing.

She quietly sits at the dining table as she opens the jars containing her preferred snacks. She already had a few bites of her rice crackers when she realizes something.

“I want to drink tea now,” Reina slumps her shoulders. 

Her mouth went dry from eating the salty snack and is now craving tea. 

The idea of brewing tea gives her conflicting feelings. She wants to so bad, but it might awaken anyone if she was to make even the slightest noise. The night is too serene after all. Even the wind blowing outside doesn’t make much sound.

However, as much as she hates the idea, her thirst overpowered her. There is one problem, though. She can’t seem to find the kettle.

She opens every cupboard and drawer but still nothing. She ransacks every nook and cranny with nothing but empty hands. She even walks around the kitchen and dining area with her lamp to ensure it hasn't been misplaced or forgotten elsewhere.

“Hmm, where are you little pot,” she murmurs to herself while relentlessly inspecting the place. 

At the same time….

Mitsuei stirs on his bed. Despite being asleep for a while now, he can still have someone moving around the house. 

Afraid that it might be some robber, he gets off his bed and takes the long knife he keeps near him. No one dared to come to his house unannounced before. Aside from people knowing who resides here, the location pretty much makes it difficult for a burglary.

Little by little, he steps out of his room and looks around to check for a possible thief. 

The faint noise from earlier is getting stronger and stronger. Like he was getting annoyed. Perhaps he was mad for not finding something worthy to rob. He wasn’t the type to keep such things anyway. 

Still, the desire to catch the felon never left him.

His heart starts to race from fear when he notices that Reina’s room is open. The thought of her meeting the thief sends shivers through his spine. Something could have happened to her while he was taking his time getting up.

His anguish rose even higher when he saw her absent in the room. 

‘Damn! Where could she possibly be?’

Was she apprehended by the thief? Or kidnapped her? He is enraged by the prospect of Reina being harmed. If he catches the robber, he will undoubtedly murder him.

Moving forward on his search, he is somehow relieved that Kayomi’s room appears intact. He peers through the slight opening of her door, and he is glad to see her still sound asleep. 

Still, the idea of having a robber inside his home didn’t make him safe at all. He can only achieve such security when he catches the man and punishes him for trespassing. 

He drags his feet calmly towards the kitchen, where the noise is increasing.

With his back against the wall, he slowly walks towards the kitchen door. He didn’t bother to open the lights as the person inside holds a lamp, probably not to get any attention should someone wakes up. 

He clutches the knife on his waist as he gradually turns to see the person who was invading his sanctuary. He is ready to tackle the person standing in the middle of the room, but he restrains himself. The figure who didn’t seem to notice his presence at all is very familiar. 

“Hmm, where are your little pot.”

Mitsuei smirks at the sight of Reina searching the place with eagerness. She must have been preoccupied to the point where she didn't see he was only a few meters away from her.

He puts his knife away after knowing that it was a false suspicion. He hides it inside his robe so as not to scare Reina. He should have known. No one would dare to invade his house. Aside from his past as a military man, his reputation to scare people to death is enough to drive away such intentions. No one would dare to go against him.

He sighs in relief before slowly approaching Reina from behind. 

“I am surprised that you are still awake.”

Reina, who is jittery, to begin with, jolts with surprise even when he speaks in hushed tones. He tried not to startle her, but it appears that the result is still the same.

Reina turns to him with wide, teary eyes, lips trembling in fear.

Driven by guilt, Mitsuei immediately runs to her with a warm embrace. It must have scared her to an extent since she won’t stop shaking in his arms. She hugs him back with such intensity that it might render him breathless if she continues.

He rubs her back, hoping this will soothe her in some ways. But even so, it took her a while to finally calm down and regain composure. 

“You scared me,” Reina sobs while she sinks herself into her husband’s chest.

“Forgive me. I didn’t mean to frighten you,” Mitsuei whispers, lightly caressing her hair.

Reina doesn’t know how long has she been nuzzling against Mitsuei, but as soon as she realizes her impudence, she instantly pulls away.

It was fortunate that the lights were not switched on. If it hadn't been for the darkness, he might have noticed her flushed cheeks. Her odd craving for food in the middle of the night brought her in an awkward position. 

Mitsuei, seemingly unaffected by her actions, asks for the reason behind her midnight trip in the kitchen. He walks towards the switch to finally activate the lights. 

Despite the embarrassment, she manages to explain the purpose of her doings. The light flooding her surroundings didn’t help in hiding her flustered face.

“I see. Then, if that is the case, I shall accompany you on your snacks,” Mitsuei utters after hearing Reina’s explanation.

“No, it is fine. I can bring this to my room and ---,”

Mitsuei ignores her insistence and walks out of the kitchen. He also switches on the lights in the dining area and sits on one of the chairs.

“Do not worry. I have also been yearning for these rice cakes.”

Reina resigns to her husband’s whims. After all, she felt too drained to argue with him right now. The fright she had earlier took all her energy.

And now that the lights are on, she finally spots where the kettle is sitting.

While waiting for the tea, she sits on the chair opposite Mitsuei. He seems to be enjoying every bite of that rice cake. He was not kidding when he told her about yearning for it. 

“And here I was so careful not to be found out,” Reina sighs in disappointment. 

Mitsuei grins at her while wiping the crumbs off the corner of his lips. 

“Well, you should do a proper job next time.”

“There will be no next time!” Reina exclaims at the subtle implication.

“That remains to be seen.”

Reina’s face turns bright red from embarrassment. She couldn’t refute him as she can’t also deny that it will never happen again. 

While this may be her first time sneaking in the night, she can’t say that she is not enjoying her midnight snack. She also gets the feeling that she might do it again in the future. 

“Please don’t tell Kayomi about this.”

Mitsuei turns to her while licking his fingers. He smiles at the hint of her embarrassment. 

“Oh, don’t worry. This will be our little secret.”