Reina of Hanneau (English)

THE INVITATION

“Your family is as lively as ever.”

Reina clumsily smiles at Mitsuei as they both stood by the gates, sending off her family as they ride the carriage.

Even with the great distance already separating them, she and Mitsuei can still hear the sound of their noises. Very loud noises. 

Watching her family from afar makes her heart swell. They spent the whole day together chatting and playing but she misses them already. It was like for her, the time wasn’t enough.

“Oddly enough, I have never seen you act that sort of way. Even when you were still a kid,” Mitsuei smirks, taking notice of the huge gap in the personality.

“Hmm, I don’t really notice it myself. But maybe you are right. I’m not as loud as my father and brother are. Or brimming with life like my mother and sister-in-law. Even little Miki already picked up those traits although she is still young.”

Mitsuei goes silent for a moment, observing the wistful smile on his wife’s face. Even with the absence of words, he can tell that she was feeling lonely seeing her family leave. 

His chest rose as he sighed. “Perhaps that is why you fit perfectly in the house right away. As you can see, only Kayomi is the loud one. Except of course few of the workers in the lodge. But anyway, what I’m trying to say is, you also have a family here.”

Reina giggles at Mitsuei’s honest remarks. He may seem a socially withdrawn person but he actually knows the people close to him. Always quiet, yet the observer. 

Moreover, he was right. Unlike him, Kayomi never fails to show everyone, family, friends, and strangers alike, of her cheerfulness. 

As soon as they were sure that her family already left with the carriage, Mitsuei urged Reina to return inside the house as it was slowly getting dark. 

“I apologize for my father and Haru. I guess the news wasn’t to take in as I thought I could be,” Reina mumbles under her breath, still slightly embarrassed of the unpleasant morning that welcomed them.

“Do not fret. In a way I understand them. They must have felt lonely when their little girl was taken away without warning. Much so discovering that she will be having a child of her own. Perhaps in their eyes, you are still a kid.”

Reina laughs at the thought. “I am already twenty-four and have worked for years now. I grew and did things similar to theirs. I can even buy myself and others stuff if I wanted to.”

Mitsuei stops on the steps and looks back at her. His expression seemingly lit up in realization.

“Speaking of which, would it be possible for us to go around town and look for the baby’s things. You know, like clothes, toys, or maybe food.”

Now, it is Reina’s time to pause. She looks up at him as they both stood in the plight of stairs by the foyer. 

The way he offers his hand to her makes him more chivalrous. 

But it wasn’t his gesture that caught her by surprise. It was the sudden invitation to go out. Never had she imagined such a day would come. Nor did she expect him to take the initiative. She never thought he has so much interest in her child.

“Um, I would love to. Whenever you are free, of course.”

“Wonderful.”

Reina watches in awe as Mitsuei smiles at her. And something about it tells her that this isn’t part of an act.

Honestly, she isn’t wishing for their relationship to take a romantic turn just because they are married. Being civil was enough for her. 

But then, she can’t help but wish that somehow their relationship wouldn’t remain civil to each other. Perhaps being friends could work much better for them since they have each other as forever companions.

Days passed, Reina and Mitsuei finally had the time to shop for clothes and other necessities for the baby. 

There is one problem, though. 

The entire shopping district is overflowing with all sorts of people. Elderly, children, couples, and even merchants from other towns are here.

‘Is there another celebration of some sort again?’ Reina mutters at the back of her head.

She got too lost in the crowd that she did not notice the person in front of her. She bumped into the man, to which she apologized right away but with no response. 

More like, he didn’t hear her because of the bustling noise.

“I did not imagine today would be this crowded,” Mitsuei grunts as he steps ahead of her.

Surprisingly enough, they can now gradually move forward thanks to his actions. It’s like his built was made to part and clear their way. 

They left shortly after lunch, thinking it would be less packed during those hours. 

Reina is constantly trying her best to squeeze through the heaps of people. The least she can do today is not get lost and trouble Mitsuei. And she didn’t want that. He could either be worried or annoyed.

Though losing Mitsuei is close to possible considering how he and she both stick out in this sea of strangers. Nonetheless, she does not want to be separated from him in this unpleasant situation.

“Ah!” Reina stifles a scream when another person came in between her and Mitsuei.

One after the other, their distance grew. Worse, Mitsuei never seemed to notice. 

Although she still has her eyes on him, it became harder to follow him. She can’t even pass through when the people in front of her.

Furthermore, the noise, heat, and odor are rapidly wearing her down. They have not walked far enough. So why does she feel exhausted? 

All of a sudden, everything in front of her is going in circles. She is so dizzy to the point of passing out.

Looking around, she spotted a slight opening going towards a line of trees. Someplace where she could take a momentary refuge before she truly lost consciousness.

However, before she could push through with her plans, a hand grips her arm with enough strength to surprise her.

“Where are you heading? Mitsuei questions with confusion and relief spread across his face.

“Forgive me. I wasn’t able to catch up to you.”

“I am not scolding you. I’m only asking since you were suddenly gone.” Mitsuei takes a deep breath, disappointed in Reina’s response. “You seem sick. Shall we head home instead?”

“No, I’m alright. I just needed a little rest for a bit.”

Mitsuei stares at her with a blank expression. It seems that she failed to convince him with her words just now. 

Reina looks at him with a smile. “I swear. I will not be lying if it regards my health. A short stop will fix my condition.”

Mitsuei seemingly resigns to her wishes with a soft nod. He then guides her in the direction she was heading, one hand over her and the other on her back.

“Please. You don’t need to do this. I-- I can walk just fine.”

“I won’t take risks of losing you here again.”

His words resounded with finality. The way he spoke tells her not to argue any further and just submit to him.

Fortunately, they had found a better place to take a break. A small tea shop is sitting close by the tress. Complete with chairs and tables for eating guests. 

Reina takes a seat on one of the available chairs while Mitsuei left shortly to buy some drink. 

Truthfully, he is taking a while. 

Waiting isn’t a problem for her. The only thing bothering her short break is the side glances she gets from the passing people and customers. 

‘Tourists probably,’ Reina justifies, knowing if they are from Moulen, they would have known about her a long time ago.

One stranger, however, stood out among the passersby who gave her strange stares or made snide remarks.

And this person also seems to have taken interest in her considering he was slowly coming her way. He is clearly talking to her considering he keeps opening his mouth while looking at her eyes. However, the words he continuously says are not familiar to her. 

She casts a glance behind her, supposing she's hallucinating and that he's talking to someone behind her. However, no one is there.

She stared back at the man with furrowed brows and confused eyes. As much as she loved to reply to him, she had no idea what he was talking about.

“Oh, I apologize. I assumed you know the language since you seem like a foreigner.”

The man who appeared to be wearing flashy garments finally spoke to her with a language she understood. Amazing as he sounds, she still doesn’t like talking to complete strangers. The encounter only makes her feel awkward.

“Hello,” She responds, almost in a whisper.

“Hi! I’m sorry, I may come as rude since I aggressively followed you here. But I am just happy to see another westerner in this part of the country.” the man replies with a bashful smile. “I’m Leonard, by the way.”

Leonard grins at her while offering a handshake. 

Even with the discomfort, she managed to take his offer. She didn’t know what to do in this situation and she didn’t want to come out rude. The man looks genuinely delighted to meet her. 

“I am Reina.”

“Do you mind if I take a seat, Reina? I hope you can tell me more about this place.”

“Um, you see…,”

“Please. I swear, I only wanted to talk to you.”

Overpowered by Leonard’s assertiveness, Reina is left with no words. She can just ignore it if this person was bad-mouthing her. No one had ever shown as much interest in her as this individual had. And she doesn’t know how to deal with his bold behavior.

Reina was about to respond when a harsh voice sounded from behind her. A familiar voice that she grew accustomed to. 

“What seems to be the problem with my wife, sir?” 

And judging from his tone, he was not happy.