Arranged Marriage

Vol 1: Week 4 (4)

Phew! Sorry for the wait! This is such a long chapter that it took me a while. Enjoy the chapter ❤️

*****

"So please answer me. Karlyle, do you want to marry me? Or does it not matter who it is?"

This will be the deciding moment. That is what Karlyle's instinct is telling him. He clasps his lips. The breakup contract he brought here for revision weighs on his heart. Logically, there's no need to accept Ash Jones.

But he doesn't want to disappoint his grandfather. Yeah, that's why.

"If I have to marry anyone...."

Karlyle takes a deep breath.

"....it should be you."

That's the best he can express. To him, such expressions as "I love you" or "I can't live without you" are too alien and foreign. He has said it as best as he could.

Ash is silent at his answer. Ash said he couldn't read his mind, but the same also goes for Karlyle. He doesn't know what Ash thinks. Perhaps because they're too different, it's difficult for him to interpret Ash's intention behind his kindness.

"I have one thing I want to check." After a long thought, Ash says.

"I don't understand why you're asking this, Ash. Haven't you already decided? You said you didn't want to marry someone you didn't love. If you force yourself now....."

"It's because you're much more amazing than I thought."

What? Karlyle blinks.

"When we met, you were different from what I thought you would be. So I acted like a fool at the party last time. I'll be honest. I don't know if this is love. The love I know is a very strong emotion. But Karlyle, you're so different from anyone I've ever met, and I've never been in a relationship with someone like you before. If it's somehow fate that we find ourselves in this situation...."

Ash fixes his eyes on him.

"Let's give it a try, us."

"What...."

"Follow me. Then you will know."

Ash says firmly. Things are going in an unexpected direction. Like before, he knows this will be the deciding moment.

Ash holds out his hand. Karlyle looks down at that hand. He has a gut feeling. If he takes that hand, a lot of things will change. He doesn't like unpredictable changes. Unpredictable things have high risk.

Even though he knows that, his hand reaches out. And he takes Ash's hand.

*****

Ash's house is not far, as Natalie said. Karlyle keeps pace with Ash, who's walking in hurried strides, and within a few minutes, they arrive at his house on the border of Notting Hill. It's a pretty house that stands out even from a passing glance, but Karlyle doesn't have time to appreciate it.

As Ash opens the gate and passes through the garden, he seems calm but in a hurry. A mysterious tension envelops them. Only after arriving at the front door does Ash stop and look back. His hair is a little disheveled as he walks too briskly. A shadow casts on Ash's face, making him give off a strange vibe.

"It's not very romantic." Ash's voice is deep. "It's not the first time I thought about it."

Karlyle realizes that this will be his first time. It's clear what is going to happen. He knows what Ash wants to test.

"Do you know what I'm talking about?"

Perhaps reading his thoughts, Ash asks. A feeling that he has never felt before lingers along with Ash's deep voice ringing in the entrance hall where the two of them are alone. Tension is filling the air. Ash squeezes his hand, then presses his thumb firmly on his wrist.