“Hack!” Elena nearly choked to her death as she inhaled a mouthful of soup. Did she hear him, right? He was afraid that her body could take the stress, so he prepared the meal to keep her nourished. He probably referred to the event from the previous night—a night long of steamy passion?
Elena’s little face immediately flushed crimson red, and she wanted to hide somewhere. The housekeeper and the servants were around them, and they could hear every single word that Eldest Young Master Williams had said. It was not like he said that in a soft voice.
Several of the maids blushed in embarrassment. They hung their heads low to avoid eye contact with anyone. Only Butler Qin smiled as he introduced the dishes to Elena. “Young Madam, these are the medicinal dishes prescribed by Ryan.”
“This is good for blood circulation, and this one is for qi regeneration. This Black Chicken Ginseng Soup is especially good for a woman’s body as it is extremely nourishing.”
“And this, the Antler White Bait Roll, is not only good for you, Young Madam, but it is also good for Young Master.”
“If a man eats the antler, it will increase his vitality at night. Young Master, is there any problem?” he coughed as he asked that.
Michael shot a vicious glance at Butler Qin. The cold gaze made Butler Qin’s scalp tingled. He was slow to react, but he knew that something was wrong immediately after he finished his sentences.
“Young Master is full of energy, so he would not need these extra supplements. However, Young Madam is quite frail. Perhaps, Young Master can indulge Young Madam, and partake in some of the dishes.”
He made it sound as if the eldest young master should accompany the young madam so that she would not feel lonely during the mealtime. He did not mean that the young master was weak. How could the gallant eldest young master be weak? No one would believe him anyway, right?
Elena wanted to dig a hole, tuck her head in, and never to meet anyone again. Did everyone in the mansion know what had happened between her and Eldest Young Master Williams in the room the previous night?
What was with those people? Did they eavesdrop outside the door too?
It had been a matter between the two of them, but it somehow looked like an instance when an ancient emperor would pay a visit to his concubine.
Michael realized that she was embarrassed about the situation, so he dismissed all of the help. Then only Michael and Elena were left in the hall.
He commanded her without any expression on her face. “Eat.”
“I don’t want to eat it.” The scent of the Chinese herbs was so strong that she could not stomach it.
She felt like she had been hand-picked by the emperor for the meal. If her body were to feel better after the meal, did that mean the emperor would favor her that night as well? Oh, God! What was she thinking?
“Why are you not eating?” Michael arched his eyebrows. “Do you want me to feed you?”
Elena looked at him, and her gaze bore into his eyes that shimmered like thick ice on the lake. The previous night, the man had pressed his body on her. The image of his bead-sized sweat as it slid down his face and onto her chest immediately flooded her mind. Elena’s heart twitched, and she quickly averted her gaze.
“The smell made me nauseous,” she muttered.
Michael furrowed his eyebrows tightly. Nauseous? Did she not like the spread of feast at the table?
“We can change the cook tomorrow. You’ll just have to bear with it for today.”
“Then I’ll eat tomorrow…”
“Your physical strength is too weak. If you don’t take the rejuvenating herbs in time, you might collapse easily.”
Michael always had a magnanimous gaze on his face. He never spotted an uncomfortable or awkward expression under any circumstances, not even when his words made the people around him blushed and uncomfortable. That was how Elena saw him at the dinner table that night.
“You fainted twice last night.”
Elena felt that she could faint at any moment then. Could they not discuss what had happened the previous night? Would he stop embarrassing her if she ate them all?
Without any hesitation, she immediately picked up the bowl and downed the black chicken ginseng soup with her eyes closed. The typical black chicken ginseng soup would smell heavenly, but not the one that she drank. She wondered what was in the soup.
Even though it had proper nourishment, the taste was unbearable. Then she picked up her chopsticks and tried to eat the vegetables quietly. The rest of the dishes include antler whitebait rolls and light brew bird’s nest with wine. That was the first time she had tried the bird’s nest cooked with wine. It looked like there were still many exciting things in the world that she had yet to try. If she had not trusted Ryan’s medical skills, she would not dare to put that food into her mouth. She tried every single dish on the table. When she was full, she put down her chopsticks and stared blankly at Michael.
“Are you full?” The man frowned as he was obviously dissatisfied with her appetite.
Elena nodded pitifully. It might look like she had eaten very little, but she only had a small stomach. She would vomit if she were to eat more.
“Qin Ming,” Michael called out.
Butler Qin immediately brought a bowl of soup with him as he came out of the kitchen with a smile on his face.
“Young Madam, this medicinal soup is for qi rejuvenation. It should be taken right after a meal. After you drink this, you won’t faint that easily when you are with Young Master tonight.”
With a thud, the chopsticks in Elena’s hand fell onto the table, and she also almost fell off her chair. She wished she would faint to avoid all the embarrassment.
Michael, that bastard, why did he have to tell the whole world about their intimate secret in bed! It was too much!
…
That night, Aunt Hong made Elena’s bed. When she noticed the young madam’s sullen face, Aunt Hong grinned widely. “Are you blaming Young Master for preparing the banquet for you today?”
Elena wished Aunt Hong had not said anything. Her face burned again when she heard those words.
Aunt Hong said with a smile, “Young Madam, you shouldn’t blame the young master. He had never taken care of a girl, so you are the first. It is only normal that he is nervous about it.”
Elena was still blushing when she looked at Aunt Hong. “I’m the first one?”
“I’m not sure if he has any other woman out there, but you are the first woman that he had brought home and the first lady to stay overnight in Young Master’s room.”
Aunt Hong had taken care of Michael as he grew up, and so her eyes were filled with kindness and love when she talked about him.
“Our young master had never been close to any woman. I think you might even be the first woman for him.”
“Aunt Hong, what are you talking about?” Elena was too embarrassed to hear such shocking news.
Eldest Young Master Williams’s first woman? How could that be? Eldest Young Master Williams was such an outstanding man, how could there be no woman for him?
“I heard that Young Master told Ryan that you fainted twice last night…”
“Aunt Hong…” Elena did not want to talk about that topic again.
However, Aunt Hong carried on. “Young Master did that because he was worried about you, Young Madam. He is learning how to take care of you.”
Elena bit her lip. She wondered if she could believe her words.
“Young Master also asked Ryan if there’s a way to make a woman more comfortable in that matter.”
At that point, Elena’s knees nearly buckled.
Aunt Hong continued to speak with a smile on her face, “I accidentally heard about that. I did not eavesdrop on purpose. Young Madam, don’t you think that Young Master is charming?”
She leaned over and smiled mischievously. “He is the vision of an innocent little boy. Young Madam, you have found a treasure!”
Elena was dubious about that. Eldest Young Master Williams—an innocent boy? How was that possible?
He had even asked Ryan about such a thing. Did he really not have any experience at all?