Reiner - His Strictness

“Come down to the dining room immediately after you’re done. Breakfast should be ready by that time,”

Reiner instructed before turning to leave.

“Aha…ok…” I mumbled in acknowledgement.

Reiner left the room immediately after he was done giving me instructions. Was it me or was it that Reiner seemed a lot more bossy than he was before? I started to have a bad feeling about all this.

Just as I was instructed, I showered and got dressed in the clothes that he had lain out for me. It was a simple white shirt with lace decoration and a simple pair of light blue jeans. All made for comfort. After I was done, I headed to the dining room where I knew that Reiner would be waiting.

“What’s all this?” I asked, eyeing the extensive variety of food that was on the table.

“Your breakfast,” Reiner stated flatly.

I mean, I know that but…

“All of this?!” I exclaimed in shock.

“I consulted the doctor and the chef, and they came up with the perfect meal course for you. For the next one month, you will be eating all your meals from the course that they have designed,” Reiner explained emotionlessly.

“Umm…are you serious?” I asked, still not quite gasping the whole idea.

“Yes,” he replied without hesitation.

Was this what Reiner was working on late last night?

Seriously, there’s too much food. Plus, all of them looked too clean and healthy. I could eat it, sure, but every meal like this for the next one month is just…insane…

Impossible.

“It’s not just the food. Recreational activities and exercises have been designed and factored into your daily schedule. You’re going to return back to your healthy state if not even better,” Reiner said with satisfaction.

“Isn’t all this a bit too much?” I asked a little weakly.

“Not at all,” Reiner replied with confidence.

“I…see…” I mumbled.

I guess living with Reiner wasn’t going to be as easy as it used to be. The incident didn’t just turn Lucien into a bigger control freak than he was before, it also turned Reiner into an overly worried butler.

I could tell that my life was about to get a lot more difficult than ever before.

…

Just like that, my life of healthy food, a balanced diet and regular exercise started. Reiner played an active and overly strict part in making sure that I stuck to my schedule and meal plan. Honestly, it was extremely stressful and annoying at first. I hated being controlled and monitored this way. I mean, I couldn’t even choose what food to put in my mouth and when.

The exercises were a pain in the ass, at best. The training was too strict, and Reiner refused to go easy on me. The first couple of session left my whole body sore and I could barely walk afterwards. The soreness only got worst the following morning. Getting fit was supposed to be a very good thing and even I knew that. However, that didn’t make it psychologically any easier for someone as lazy as I am.

“What’s wrong?” Reiner asked.

I had stopped walking after limping to the foot of the stairs. Looking up, I felt like I was going to faint. I could barely walk properly so how am I supposed to drag myself up these flight of stairs to my room.

The exercises made me feel like every muscle in my body was inflamed.

“My whole body is sore. I can barely walk. I can’t climb up the stairs,” I complained.

“It’ll get better with time. Suck it up and give it a week; your body will adapt and adjust,” Reiner said and I wasn’t sure if he was just stating the facts or if he was trying to be encouraging.

“Sure, but that doesn’t solve the problem in front of me right now,” I said as I gestured with my eyes at the stairs.

“Get on…” Reiner said as he crouched down in front of me and offered me his back.

I smiled a little to myself. Thankfully, Reiner couldn’t see my face with his back turned towards me.

Slowly and carefully, I got on his back, and he stood up with ease. I had my arms wrapped around his neck as he carried me on his back. Reiner ascended the stairs with ease and soon we arrived at my bedroom.

“Thank you…for carrying me…” I whispered feeling a little shy when I got off his back.

“It’s just for today. Tomorrow, you’ll climb the stairs yourself,”

“I take my thanks back…” I mumbled grumpily.

Reiner just laughed in response as I pouted at him. I understood that he was doing this for my own good but I didn’t like it when he was so strict with me. Life was so tough already so why won’t he of all people just cut me some slack.

“Can’t you guys go easier on me all the training and the whole balanced-diet stuff?” I asked, daring to feel a little hopeful.

“No. I’m going to make sure that you recover as soon as possible and forcing you to stick to this is the fastest and surest way,” Reiner replied without remorse.

“If you can’t reduce the trainings then…what about putting in place some incentives instead? You know…like rewards and stuff…” I suggested, determined to get something out of this so that I wouldn’t have to suffer for free.

“You’re not a kid. Just do this for your own good; don’t do it for the sake of some reward,” Reiner replied flatly as he tried to kill my brilliant and self-serving idea.

“Can’t you be nice and reward me once in a while…” I said sweetly.

“What do you have in mind?” Reiner asked after a moment of thought.

“Maybe like…doing something together. We could bake like before…go to the gardens…go out on a date?” I quickly suggested various options that came to my mind.

“Going out of the mansion would be a stretch right now, but I can agree to the other activities that we can do in the mansion and on the premises of the property,” Reiner replied after careful consideration.

“…when will I be allowed to go outside?” I asked the question that had always been on my mind lately.

“Soon…” Reiner replied.

--To be continued…