Reiner - Nothing but Trouble

I walked the short walk barefoot from the car to the entrance of the house. Although it was dark the pathway was well lit; however, there was no one around at this time of night. I was sure that there were guards positioned elsewhere though. Walking barefoot felt so much better than wearing heels. I wondered if there’s a first aid kit in my room so that I could fix up the blisters on my feet. That would be amazing…

“Where have you been?”

A familiar voice asked just when I arrived at the mansion’s entrance. It seemed like whatever luck I had left had just ran out. Why did I have to run into him of all people and now of all times?

“Are you my father now or something?” I asked as I faced him after letting out a tired sigh.

Reiner came out of the shadows where he had been leaning his back against the wall. I wondered how long he had been waiting here for me and then I didn’t want to know anymore. It annoyed me that this reminded me of the time when he was still my butler. Back then, he would wait for me like this for me to return to Lucien’s mansion as well. His overall temperament now couldn’t be more different though.

“Where were you? Why are you back so late at night?” Reiner asked, ignoring my sarcastic question from earlier.

I don’t even remember Lucien being this strict with me when I went out at night. It honestly felt like I was a teenager being scolded by her father for breaking curfew. The heart of the matter was that it was no longer any of his concern where I went or why I came back so late at night.

“I’m tired. I’m going to bed,” I muttered before trying to walk past him.

“Natalia…” Reiner called my name as his large hand grabbed my wrist.

I glanced down at where his hand was holding my wrist before staring up directly into his face.

Seriously, what does he want from me now?

“Can you please let go?” I asked, as I held up my wrist.

“Where did you go?” Reiner asked again.

I let out a breath of pure annoyance. He really doesn’t get it, does he?

“Why do you want to know?” I asked before yanking my wrist away from his hand.

At least he let me go. I rubbed my wrist where he had grabbed it as I waited for his reply.

“Natalia. Why were you out so late?” Reiner asked and his voice was very stern.

“Are you worried?” I asked just as sternly.

“I am. So, can you tell me now? Where did you go and why are you back so late?” Reiner asked again and I could tell that he was very worried about me.

I already knew that he was probably worried about me, and I just had to force him to say it. I didn’t know why I did that. Afterall, it wasn’t his ‘worry’ or ‘concern’ that I wanted.

“Thanks for your concern but you don’t have to worry about me. You don’t work at my butler anymore so there’s really no need for you to worry about me or for you to wait up for me like this,” I said emotionlessly.

“You can’t tell me where you’ve been?” Reiner asked without backing down.

“Of course, I can. I didn’t do anything shameful or illegal. I was out working at a bar. Happy?” I said before smiling a little at him.

“You should stop what you’re doing and head back home. A girl like you shouldn’t be out here like this,”

Reiner warned.

Once again, he was telling me to go home. I wondered if one day he would have something new or different to say to me.

“I’m not quite sure what you mean by a girl like me. Maybe you’re right but it’s not your opinion that matters. It’s late and my feet are killing me, so if you don’t mind, I’d like to excuse myself now,” I said lazily as I walked past him and into the mansion’s entrance.

It was slightly surprising that he didn’t stop me or say anything else. I’m glad that he didn’t because I didn’t have much more to say to him and I’ve already answered his questions. As I dragged my tired and blistered feet along the long hallway that led to my room, I started thinking about moving out and getting my own place. It would probably be best for everyone if I moved out of this mansion. I wouldn’t have to run into Reiner that way and I wouldn’t be a burden to Queen any longer.

If I can rent out a small apartment somewhere close to the business district or the bar, then I can probably commute easily using public transportation like the bus. I wasn’t sure how that worked but I was sure that Kat could give me some advice. That all depended on whether I get the secretarial job.

Time to pray hard before going to bed once again.

I think it was around that time that I started to understand what Reiner had been trying to tell me all along. Perhaps it was just a momentary weakness on my part or because I had started losing faith, but I was starting to believe that maybe the Reiner that I had fallen in love with didn’t truly exist in the first place. Just like how my life had taken many changes and turns, so did Reiner and how I felt about him.

It wasn’t like I could immediately get over him or forget about him but perhaps as more time went by, I’ll come to live with the fact that somethings are just not meant to be.

Despite the stress and uncertainty in my life, I had no problem falling asleep and ended up having a restful night of sleep.

--To be continued…