Reina of Hanneau (English)

SPECIAL TREATMENT

“Are you okay, Mrs. Sou? You can leave this to me.”

Reina looks up from the washing basket and then to Sora. The young cleaner smiled brightly as he took the basket from her hands. Those linens needed to be hung in the sun to dry.

Given that it was stuffed with thick, newly cleaned linens, the basket was quite hefty. However, it was not something she could not deal with on her own.

And yet, the people around her think she cannot perform such a thing now.

“We got it from here, Mrs. Sou,” Kairi, one of the room attendants, beams at Reina taking the linens off her grasps.

Reina scratches her head as she walks away from the scene with a frown. Ever since her pregnancy came out in the open, the workers in Hanneau wouldn’t allow her to touch anything. Especially when it has something to do with bending and lifting stuff.

Kiyoko would only give her light tasks like organizing reservations or taking calls from the receiving desk.

A task that can also be considered real work.

Yet she can’t help but feel that they all went exaggeratedly cautious now after knowing she is carrying a child.

And clearly, she doesn’t enjoy her current situation. Not one bit.

 It only makes her feel like a hindrance than a help. Everyone is constantly on the lookout for her.

“Mrs. Sou! Lunch has been served already, you can take a break.”

Rio’s familiar anxious voice calls Reina from behind. Reina shifts on her feet, seeing the young lady speed walking in her direction.

“Understood. Do you happen to be on a break, too?”

“Um, yes. I can accompany you if you would like.”

“Why, I’d love to. Shall we go?”

Reina extends her right hand to the shy girl. Rio is confused for a moment but then eventually decided on taking her hand.

They both walked hand in hand towards the staff reserved for the workers. Rio was acting bashful the whole time they traverse the hallway. And the way Rio looks embarrassed whilst holding tightly on her arm is adorable. She appears as a kid scared of getting lost along the way.

However, the moment they stepped inside the staff room, something caught her by surprise. A portion of food has already been prepared on the table. All she needed to do was sit there, grab the utensils, and eat.

This is exactly why she has conflicting feelings about declaring her pregnancy. Not only do they treat her with the utmost care, but they also provide her with special treatment.

Reina only feels like she went back to square one. Being treated like this defeats the purpose of her understanding and knowing the Sou family business.

She is more like one of Hanneau’s guests rather than being a staff.

“I hope you find everything to your liking, Mrs. Sou.”

Both she and Rio turn their gaze to the young man standing beside the buffet table. Yoshi works as the assistant to the cook and even at such a young age, he already shows potential. Even his aura screams hospitality. Definitely someone suitable for Hanneau.

Out of politeness, Reina only smiled at the lad despite the vague annoyance she feels deep inside. She was starting to hate the special treatment that she kept receiving since this morning.

But then again, nothing beats the frequent dizziness accompanied by nausea she feels in the past few days. Yuuma told her that morning sickness was normal, yet for her, it didn’t matter when or where. Still, on the brighter side, it isn’t something that she can tolerate. Thankfully, she can handle it enough not to make it obvious to everyone.

“Yes, they all smell delicious,” Reina compliments with a grin.

She takes a whiff of the nice and appetizing meal before her. There is grilled chicken which she guessed is freshly cooked considering the smoke rising from it. On its side is a small bowl of thick brown sauce that smelled sweet.

On the opposite side, there are the usual bowl-filled cooked vegetables. As for her drink, a kettle sits in the middle of the table, and judging from the scent, it is the usual green tea widely available in Haran. Something to help digestion.

“How about the others?” Reina further inquires as she noticed the room is barely in use. The room is only occupied by the three of them.

“Oh! Other’s will be here later. You can eat first, Mrs. Sou. No need to worry about the others.”

“Yoshi, I take it that you are also here for a break, correct?”

Yoshi goes silent, looking a little bit confused about Reina’s question. He only nods softly as a response.

“So why don’t you grab your share too so you could join Rio and me.”

Yoshi blinks profusely as he is again rendered speechless. He briefly smiled at Reina before agreeing, walking towards the food table.

He takes a tray of food similar to hers before sitting right across her and beside Rio.

Unlike Rio who remains silent while enjoying her meal, Yoshi seems to be a chatterbox. His cheerful persona is almost as similar to Kayomi’s. Must be the same but a bit on the controllable mature side.

“You know Mrs. Sou. We were completely caught by surprise the other day. None of us expected that owner would jump into having a baby right away. It's only been a few months since you both married,” Yoshi’s eyes glisten with wonder as he eagerly converses with her.

Reina only stares at Yoshi with a slightly awkward smile. She is a bit overwhelmed by his eagerness that which leads her speechless.

Moreover, she is not comfortable talking about their setup with the others on her own. She is afraid that she might give herself away. Her inability to lie is one thing that suggests she stay quiet.

However, how will she get out of the topic? It would be pretty obvious if she lied. Moreover, it would be rude of her to ignore the boy.

“What are you talking about? It’s normal since they are married,” Rio’s brows furrow, looking strangely at Yoshi grumbling beside her.

Yoshi shoots her back with the same look. “I didn’t say it was weird. I believe what I say was unexpected.”

“Again, why? Why would it be unexpected? Don’t couples marry to build a family thus bearing children?” Rio argues aggressively.

“Enough, please. You’re making my head spin. I love the food so I don’t want to lose my appetite or throw up,” Reina feels the need to interject. Hearing them squabble makes her tired.

They weren’t as busy they had been yesterday. Most of the guests had already left when the celebration in Moulen ended. Of course, none of them had the chance to witness it as they barely got by with the number of people working.

And yet, she can’t explain how she feels weak and exhausted as she worked like a dog before taking her lunch. Or is it perhaps the aftereffect of yesterday’s hectic day?

What’s more though is that having eaten and full, she now feels sleepy all of a sudden.

Reina can no longer stifle her yawn after Yoshi left to clean the empty dishes off the table.

“You can lay down for a while on the couch, Mrs. Sou.”

Reina detects the worry in Rio’s voice. The young lady holds her hand, suggesting she stand up so Rio can support her walking towards the couch just a few meters away.

In the past few days since she worked in Hanneau, Rio has been more of a personal caretaker than being a co-worker especially when they announced pregnancy.

Whenever Kayomi wasn’t around, Rio kept her company. Like a baby duckling to her mother.

But with this, she feels upset being inept in a job she eagerly asked for. Still, she appreciates everyone’s concern.

Before Reina could respond and accept Rio’s assistance, she heard a familiar baritone voice.

“I say you go home and rest some more there.”

Mitsuei intervenes, putting one hand over Reina’s shoulder.

“Mr. Sou!” Rio jumps on her feet, surprised as she barely noticed the owner’s presence until he spoke.

Mitsuei nods in acknowledgment before shifting his gaze back to Reina who is still sitting with her back facing him.

“I admire your dedication to our business, but you should remember that you and the baby’s health takes priority.”

Reina turns her head to Mitsuei with a seemingly forced smile. “I don’t really feel tired. Just a little sleepy. Maybe a good old nap can take care of it.”

Mitsuei stares at Reina with an expression that he wanted to argue with her. Yet he seems to be in control of his emotions and words. He pursed his lips briefly before releasing an exasperated sigh in defeat.

“Do as you wish.”

Reina grins at Mitsuei, clearly amused by his resignation. She is aware that he wouldn’t want to argue in front of the workers.

“However, you might want to nap in my office. This room will be swarming with noise once the others go on break,” Mitsuei adds, pointing something that she failed to consider.

Perhaps she should take up on his offer. She gets restless nowadays that even the littlest sound can wake her up. Even when conscious, she still is jumpy.

Rio returns to her work as Mitsuei leads her to his office. It is a room enough for an office table, a drawer, and a couch. Not too crowded and isolated from the public area. Free from noise.

He rummages through his drawer, searching for some blanket to give Reina. As soon as he finds one, he turns towards Reina only to find her sleeping soundly already on the couch.

She was snoring softly but enough for him to hear when he walked closer to her. He deeply sighs while observing his wife being defenseless before him.

He covers her with a blanket. Even with the heater working, the temperature in the mountains during autumn is still cold.

“Sleep well, Sou Reina.”