Reina of Hanneau (English)

KEEPING SECRETS

Cool breeze, comfy sheets.

Reina turns to her side, slowly getting up on her bed in a sitting position as her back goes against the wall.

She has been awake for a while now. But she didn’t dare walk out in the hallway and meet the father and daughter.

She is humiliated as she recalls the events of yesterday. Enough to make her cheeks flush.

After waking up from her short nap yesterday, she discovered that Mitsuei remained in the room, reading some documents on his office table.

Who knows how long has he been there with her?

Several other concerns also came to her mind when she opened her eyes, finding him sitting close to her. She felt awkward imagining that he watched her sleep.

Lots of things worried her.

Did she snore?

Did she drool?

Or did she perhaps talk in her sleep?

However, that wasn’t the worst-case scenario. To add to her worries, she later realized that the short nap that she had planned lasted for almost three hours. She was way past her usual lunch break.

Shameless of her to ditch work and sleep. And in front of the owner nonetheless!

She didn’t recall how Mitsuei looked that time as she tried her best to hide her face from embarrassment. All she remembered was wiping the side of her mouth before apologizing profusely.

She then heard Mitsuei sigh, telling her to go home if she was still tired. Hearing him say that only made her feel worse.

After expressing her remorse once more, she immediately left the room. She didn’t even dare look in his eyes even when they passed by each other.

“Reina, doctor Yuuma is here.”

The shrill voice made her jump, almost falling off her bed.

Kayomi’s usual liveliness pierces through the thin sliding door.

“I’m up. I’m up!”

She scurries on her feet, walking fast towards the door to greet Kayomi. Her heartbeat, still racing from the surprise.

“Good morning, Kayomi. I’ll be ready in a bit.”

“Good morning, too. Doctor Yuuma is waiting in the sunroom with Father. You may also have your breakfast there.”

“Alright, understood.”

“No need to rush.” Kayomi giggles seeing Reina in panic. Oddly enough, her now mother seems to be on the edge in the past few days. “Slow down because you might trip. Mother.”

Reina’s mouth went agape after hearing the young girl’s last remarks. The way Kayomi addressed her almost made her gag. They both agreed to call her by her given name when she married her father. And not once did she call her mother before.

She is rendered speechless for a moment there. However, she snapped back to her senses and noticed the vexing look on Kayomi’s face. She has been smirking at her for some time now.

Teasing her.

“You better get used to it, Reina. In a few months, a little one will surely call you mother every day.”

“You just have to mess with me so early in the morning Kayomi. And do not fret since I have done some image training regarding your concern.”

“What? Come on, mother.” Kayomi snorts, carelessly showing her efforts in hiding her amusement. “Anyway please, take your time washing up. It is doctor Yuuma’s fault for being here too early. He should have slept more.”

Reina slumped her shoulders as soon as Kayomi left. She was still tense, so she returned to her bed and sat.

Kayomi seems to be in a rush. She said she needed to head to school early for extra work. She said that she had to arrive at school early for extra work. According to Kayomi, one of her instructors has a garden, which she enjoys. Hence, she volunteered to help out planting the seeds.

“Maybe we can grow some more flowers in the garden.”

Reina mutters to herself after taking a deep breath. The flowers she has been caring for in the garden still haven’t bloomed. But the way the new leaves sprout was promising. She at least knows that she was doing something right, although she isn’t knowledgeable about plants.

She holds her hand in front of her chest. It isn’t thumping harshly now. Her heart finally calmed down after talking with Kayomi bit.

Earlier, her heart almost jumped out of her chest, spooked by the sudden noise so close to her. But who wouldn’t be? She was thinking in peace, but then someone disrupted that peace.

Or was it because she was scared that the man she was thinking of was also standing outside?

…...

Meanwhile, in the sunroom where Mitsuei and Yuuma wait, both men look surprisingly serious when their conversation takes a huge turn.

“So you haven’t told your wife and daughter about Tomohisa?” Yuuma inquires as he sips the tea his friend had served.

Mitsuei shakes his head in response. Never had he thought of telling them as necessary? And to be honest, knowing what happened to his pathetic brother would only make their current relationship unpleasant.

Especially to Reina. She hasn't warmed up to him even though they have been living together for months.

“I don’t think that telling them will benefit our family. Especially to my wife whom as you know, is pregnant with a child.”

‘Hmm, is he getting annoyed by the subject?’ Yuuma thought to himself while sneaking glances at his usual calm friend.

“Tomohisa going to prison is none of their concern. And Reina isn’t even blood-related to him.”

“But I thought they were close friends since they were kids? She at least has to know about her friend and now brother-in-law’s current state.”

“And what? Stress her out with that knowledge? Make her concerned about a former acquaintance who has turned criminal? Between the two of us, you should know that could take a toll on her body and the baby in her belly.”

Yuuma takes the cup in front of him. His hand, seemingly shaking from shock. A shock from the anger in Mitsuei’s voice.

Mitsuei was getting surprisingly agitated about the topic. After all, it is his brother who was going to jail.

“Calm down, Mitsuei. No need to get worked up. If you wish they remain ignorant of the case, I support that. She is my patient too, you know.”

Yuuma releases the breath that he didn’t realize he was holding when Mitsue began to sound intense. He always saw him as a calm and mild person. Even when they were active soldiers, he had rarely snapped at anyone. So it is weird for him to hear his friend angry.

It has to be about his brother’s horrible behavior resulting in a terrible consequence. The Sou family name is now smeared with dirt.

Or is it because he is overprotective towards his new wife? The way he acted earlier was a bit too much considering he didn’t say anything rude about him or Tomohisa or his family. They were talking fine until he had brought up about informing Reina of Tomohisa’s case.

Yuuma takes a deep exasperated breath while he sat down his cup of tea.

Tomohisa is to be sentenced to the capital city prison on allegations of illicit smuggling. Before his relocation to the capital, he had already been serving time in Moulen's police station for months. He didn’t know his brother got involved with the dangerous crowd.

Sure, Tomohisa was an insufferable bastard, especially with what he did to Reina. But to be linked to a crime? How did his brother turn out like this?

But illegal smuggling wasn’t what got him in the first place. Before the wedding ceremony, Tomohisa caused a huge brawl in his pub.

He was drinking with a regular guest, chatting for a long time before he started to act strange and attack the man sitting across from him.

No one knew what came to him suddenly to act violently. However, Mitsuei was able to talk to one of his workers who was serving the table at that time.

Allegedly, the customer, in his drunken state, began to ramble about him. The once divorced owner of Hanneau was finally remarrying. And to a foreigner in the settlement outside of Moulen.

For certain, Tomohisa knew who the customer was talking about. There is only one famed female foreigner in their town.

The customer then continued talking, constantly comparing Tomohisa to his older brother who was more successful than he was. Not only in business, but also in relationships.

People in their neighborhood may avoid Reina, but no one can deny her beauty. Apart from that, everyone is aware of her personality. Elegant and considerate.

“Tomohisa got what he deserved. He should know that this is beyond forgiving. I won’t bail him. He has to learn his lesson this time,” Mitsuei mutters, almost in a whisper as he turns his gaze to the leaves flying in the air.

For a long period, the room was silent. All that can be heard is the sound of leaves dancing in the trees.

Yuuma shifts his eyes to the cup in front of him. He shouldn’t have done that. He now regretted ever opening the subject when his friend was already showing signs of fulfillment. He began smiling more often. He can tell that Mitsuei was starting to feel love even if he kept on ignoring it.

Mitsuei is obviously affected by his brother’s case in his own way even if he remained quiet. Yet Yuuma figured that Mitsuei was now prioritizing his daughter and new wife’s well-being.

“Father! I’m leaving for school now.”

Kayomi’s high-pitched voice broke the deafening silence in the room. The young lady was already eating breakfast when he arrived and is now excitedly rushing to her school.

Shortly after the girl left, he heard another female voice in the hallway.

The soft tone tells him it was his patient. Reina and Kayomi talked for a while before he finally heard a door close in from a distance. The young lady might have left since light steps are now approaching the sunroom.

“Good morning.”