Reina of Hanneau (English)

ASAI HOUSEHOLD

“Reina.”

Reina flinches in both fear and surprise after hearing her father calling for her from the hall. She got home earlier after having breakfast in the Sou family residence.

Mitsuei escorted her home. For some reason, Kayomi didn’t join them. The entire journey was awkward for her knowing he just proposed to her just a few hours ago.

Indeed the offer is tempting, but she has to consider so many things especially Kayomi. She should have a say on this since she is also involved. They may get along well as friends but will she accept her as her stepmother? She isn’t a kid anymore to be left out on such an important topic.

“Yes, father?” Reina stiffly stands by the open door of the sunroom.

Reina’s father, Ryouta gestures her to sit in front of him. They just cleared the table after dinner, and her father is currently enjoying his cup of rice wine.

Reina gulps though she can feel her throat dry. Her father just used his commanding tone. He may look like he isn’t mad or anything, but she knew better. Her father is just too good at controlling his emotions.

“Come on, darling. Don’t be so scared of your father.”

Reina gasps in surprise as her mother, Helen, abruptly shows up behind her. She gently pushes her to walk inside the room and sit opposite her parents. Helen then sits beside her husband, also getting herself a cup of rice wine.

Reina sits properly in a kneeling position. Part of her is thankful that Mitsuei decided to take her home himself because she had some help making an excuse for her parents. He did say that Kayomi went down with a sickness and Reina had volunteered to help him when they accidentally met sometime at night.

However, a faction of her being is being restless of him coming over since she can sense the skeptic look on her parents especially her father and older brother, Haru.

“Calm down, darling. We’re not going to gobble you up,” Helen giggles pouring another cup for her husband.

Indeed, Reina appears to be pretty nervous. She may not be shaking, but she has this habit of playing with her fingers when restless. As a mother, she is keen on her children's tendencies. Plus, Reina can’t seem to meet their eyes.

“Mitsuei gave us the overview of the whole thing that happened. However, you do realize it is improper not to let anyone know, correct?” Ryouta says, not even blinking for a second while looking at Reina.

“Yes, father. I’m terribly sorry.”

“You could have at least told Mitsuei to send someone informing us about your whereabouts.”

“Ryouta, didn’t you say you would never get angry?” Helen pinches her husband on the cheek. She then turns to Reina with a smile. “We are just worried about you, darling. For the past few days, you seem troubled, and you never mentioned anything. Can you believe your father almost organized a search party for you? Thank goodness you came before he could gather everyone in the neighborhood.”

“I am sorry to have you all worried. I -- I was just too submerged on getting Kayomi’s fever down, so I forgot to --- to consider sending a messenger.”

Ryouta sighs in both relief and frustration. He sets his cup back to the table and stares at the lowered head of his daughter. She seems sorry for the commotion she almost caused, but somehow he can tell that she is still worried about something. But then, knowing her, she will never share it with them. She has never been the type of person to express her worries and fears openly.

“Do you have something to tell us, darling?” Helen asks, staring at Reina with a concerned expression.

If Ryouta is the type to wait until someone opens up to him, Helen is the exact opposite. She voices out everything that is on her mind especially when it concerns her family.

Reina jolting on her seat didn’t escape Helen’s sharp eyes. She is now convinced that her daughter is in a pinch.

o“You know you can always talk to us, right? Do not worry, whatever that is, we’ll support you.”

Meanwhile, Reina is feeling more guilty about keeping things from her family. Should she have told them about Tomohisa from the start, maybe they could have shed some light on her. She could have avoided the problem she has now. But then, it isn’t her child’s fault. It’s all hers.

So many things are running on her mind now. If she tells them now, how will they react? Will they accept her predicament? Or will Tomohisa be forced to marry her in the end? Is Tomohisa willing to accept that?

“Ryouta!”

Reina abruptly turns her head towards her parents when she heard her mother screaming in distress. Her father is clutching his chest with a pained look on his face.

“Father!” Reina screams with urgency, standing on her seat to get her father’s medicine in the nearby drawer.

She rushes to his side, giving him his medicine. Ryouta is still breathing heavily, panting as he struggles to catch his breath. It is a sign that the pain is subsiding.

Haru runs to the room after hearing his mother’s screams. His wife, Maya is following behind him with the same worried expression. They just put Miki, their six-year-old daughter to sleep when they heard the frantic noise.

It took Ryouta a while to finally calm down. His face looked a bit better than earlier though he still looks a little weak from the mild attack. Still, they are thankful that it was mild and the medicine worked immediately.

Haru stays on his side massaging his hands as they went stiff the moment he had a heart attack. Slowly, the color on his face returned.

Reina clenches her fists and took a deep breath. No, she can never do that. Not only this will cause them shame, but this can also worsen her father’s condition. They’re already thankful enough that it isn’t some acute disease. He is also getting old and he is no longer in the best of health.

“Mother, father, please rest already,” Reina plea smiling gently at her mother who is supporting Ryouta’s back.

Helen looks conflicted but she knows that Reina is right. Her husband needs a rest badly. She can always ask Reina once more at a later time when Ryouta feels well. That way, they can all collaborate and fix the problem in a better condition.

Haru escorts their parents to their room. Reina is left cleaning up in the room with her thoughts and worries filling her mind.

Maya offered to help her but, all of a sudden, Miki’s crying came from the distance. She probably woke up from the commotion and got scared of being alone.

Reina washes the little dishes left on the sink and returns to her room. She takes a peek first in her parents' room before getting to bed. It seems that her father fell asleep just a while ago and is already wheezing.

“Reina,” Helen calls just right before Reina leaves the doorsteps. “Whatever is on your mind, don’t be afraid to tell us, okay? We help each other, okay?”

Reina only nods as a response giving her tensed mother a reassuring smile.

As soon as she is in her room, Reina allows herself to fall freely on the bed. She suddenly feels tired. More like her brain hurts from thinking too much.

After witnessing her father getting an attack out of nowhere, she decided to keep the secret to herself. She wants to keep the baby but at the same time, she didn’t want to torment her parents because of her rash decisions.

There is a high probability that they will accept her no matter what. And because they allow her choices, they will also suffer along with her. People’s prejudice. Judgmental looks. And of course, the harsh words that know no filter.

A difficult road indeed she had chosen.

However, she has another choice. Mitsuei built a different path for her.

His offer gave her a shock. She didn’t get the chance to reply to him after that. She remained silent with her mouth agape.

‘I will not force you. However, I wish you to think about it carefully. To mold a good person, one must also come from a good environment. I wish to let the child grow without facing problems of their birth. And since Tomohisa is out of the question, I will offer my name. After all, the child still belongs to the Sou family.’

Reina closes her eyes and sighs. Between the choices she currently has, Mitsuei’s suggestion is the best option. But will it really be okay? Will everyone accept their marriage? How about Kayomi? She didn’t have the chance to talk to her before leaving since Kiyoko said the young girl returned to her sleep.

Reina rolls on her back. She moves her hand just right on top of her stomach. Soon, that place will grow bigger as the baby inside her also grows. She can’t probably fool her family for a long time considering she will presumably have morning sickness. They would be skeptical about it.

“Ahhh, what should I do, my child?” Reina whispers to her unborn child.

Whatever the case, she needs to decide fast. Sooner or later, one of them will notice the changes in her body.

Reina shuts her eyes firmly in an attempt to force herself to sleep. She wants to discard the thoughts for now. Thinking about it more will cost her sleep. Plus, the baby inside her may come out unhealthy because of her unhealthy habits.

For a child to grow healthy, the mother needs to keep a healthy lifestyle. East properly and rest on time. Something she must remember from now on.

But then, her mind still wanders recalling the face Mitsuei made after proposing. His face was still tough-looking. However, she didn’t miss the emotion in his eyes. His kind eyes somehow promised her that everything will be alright.