Arranged Marriage

Vol 2: Chapter 4

Hello! I'm back 😆 It's been raining so much in my place recently 🥲 How are you doing?

This chapter is a little long. Enjoy!

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When they enter the dining room, Mariam has got out all the dishes Ash prepared in advance. Ash consults with Luther every week to plan the menu. Ever since they moved to Bath, Ash has been cooking for Karlyle on his own without missing a single meal.

Today's lunch menu is boeuf bourguignon with low-sodium gravy and couscous salad. The bread for the meal is Campagne with walnuts, which Ash made from scratch and baked himself.

Ash is already good at cooking and has become even more excellent lately. The fragrant smell spreading through the hallway makes his mouth water. It's rare for him to be this hungry. He even forgets to refuse Ash pulling the chair for him and immediately sits down.

"Here, have a taste! I tried a little in advance and oh my, Mr. Jones is such a good cook!" Mariam exclaims.

"If you don't mind, please call me Ash. Mr. Jones sounds too bland." Ash says.

"Oh, is that alright? Then please feel free to call me May as well."

"May sounds great."

While the two sociable people are exchanging conversations about names, Karlyle picks up the cutlery out of hunger. If he waits, Ash will definitely insist on cutting the food and feeding it to him. He has to act first to prevent it. It's already embarrassing when there are just the two of them, now May is here, letting Ash feed him is beyond his limit.

He picks up the largest piece of boeuf bourguignon, silently cuts it and puts it in his mouth. He knows the taste of Ash's food, so he takes a bite with anticipation.

However.

Although the tender and juicy beef is certainly delicious, the moment the gravy goes down his esophagus, he almost throws up. The nausea is so strong that he flinches a little. Karlyle suppresses the gagging feeling that is about to come out reflexively and swallows the meat somehow.

The food lump starts to go down his esophagus. At the same time, his tremendous hunger disappears, as if it never existed, and his appetite is gone.

What's going on?

Isn't his morning sickness over? The veins on the back of his hand which is holding the knife pop up at the unpleasant realization. He thought he was fortunate not to have morning sickness anymore in this critical state, but this is unexpected.

Maybe this is just his imagination. Karlyle reaches for another food. He forks over some couscous cooked in hot water and some vegetables that were cooked until just slightly blanched. This time, the nausea isn't as strong as before, but there is definitely rejection. All the food feels like it is stuck in his esophagus.

"How does it taste, Lyle? Is it edible?"

Bringing his own plate, Ash sits down next to him. Seeing his affectionate gaze, Karlyle can't say it. Even if he's dead, there's no way he can tell Ash that he cannot eat his food.

The food actually isn't so bad that he can't eat it. He can swallow it, and it goes down.

"It's delicious. Excellent as always."

Regardless of his condition, Ash's dishes are perfect. How can such a multi-talented man be his husband? As if to prove his point, Karlyle quietly puts another piece in his mouth and gulps it down while suppressing the rising nausea.

"Thank goodness. I made it while checking the salt level, so I thought it might not be as good as usual."

Unlike the overwhelming sleepiness, the mess in his stomach is more endurable. In the case of excessive sleepiness, it's for the baby and not morning sickness.