New World with Four Husbands

Coco sank into her seat at the dining table, her gaze fixed on the spread of food laid out before her.

The scents of spices and fresh ingredients wafted through the air, a tantalizing scent that made her mouth water— well, first of all, the food looked delicious, each dish bursting with colors and appealing to the senses.

Second, the sight of it made Coco's stomach growl in anticipation as she took in the mouthwatering sight of the meal, her appetite awakened by the sight and smells of the feast.

"You look like you're ready to dive right in and devour everything by yourself." Renaldo commented, chuckling under his breath as he set a plate down in front of Coco, his expression soft and his movements efficient.

As the plate came to rest, Coco's lips curled up into a subtle smile. "That I would do, but I want to eat with all of you so I won't."

Her response elicited an amused laugh from Renaldo and a delighted giggle from Jacques, both friends of hers finding her eagerness to start eating and her cheeky response endearing.

"I'm flattered." Jacques hums out, smiling softly towards her black haired friend.

"You should be." Coco said as she pulled the plate towards her, "I don't compliment other people's cooking because I'm a picky eater, you know? You're one of the best cooks around here."

"One of the best cooks?" Jacques raised an eyebrow, settling herself in front of Coco, "Who are the others?"

"En, the cook from the Red Horse Inn." Coco answered, her gaze glued to the flying pig's ribs before her, "I love everything En cooks, it gives me a lot of strength whenever I'm done eating whatever he packed me for breakfast and lunch."

Jacques blinked, then a look of recognition crossed her eyes, "Oh! He's the one who is in charge of packing your meals!"

"Yep." Coco said and looked at Jacques, "Can I start now? I'm really hungry—"

Renaldo placed a serving of food onto Coco's plate without warning, his movements smooth and quick, as if he was afraid that Coco would stop him.

He smiled warmly at her as he did so, his expression radiating a sense of dare.

The sound of the wooden ladle against the plate was soft, the food settling onto the surface with a gentle thump, slowly filling Coco's plate with the main dish and the side dish— both pork, just different cooked dishes.

Once the plate was full, he pulled away and seemed pleased to be the one serving her, his smile widening as the food practically filled her plate.

"That's.. That's too much.." Coco said, laughing nervously under her breath as she gazed at the amount of food on her plate, "You're not mad at me, aren't you? Did I do something wrong—"

Renaldo waved a hand, dismissing Coco's worries and cutting her off, "Relax, I just have a feeling that you would be able to finish what I served you."

Then, Renaldo walked over to the seat beside his wife, Jacques, and sat down beside her, his chair squeaked softly as he sat, the sound blending with the soft sounds of hushed conversation between Kairo and Rey.

Renaldo's gaze flicked to Jacques, a warm smile playing on his lips as he looked at his wife, before leaning in and placing a kiss on her cheek.

"Don't force yourself if you can't eat everything Renaldo placed on your plate, okay?" Jacques said to Coco, smiling apologetically towards her friend, "He's just nervous. He often overdo things if he's nervous."

Coco raised an eyebrow and turned to Renaldo before turning back to Jacques, "Nervous? Why would he be nervous?"

At her question, Rey leaned towards Coco and whispered, "They're probably going to tell you something."

Coco hummed and nodded her head, letting Rey know that she listened to what he just said, then he pulled away, focusing his attention back to his plate.

"What did you say to her?" Renaldo blinked owlishly at Rey.

Rey shrugged, pushing his spoon inside his mouth so he does not have to answer the older mediator's question.

"Anyway." Jacques cleared her throat and caught everyone's attention, "Renaldo's nervous because of the soon to be new addition to our family."

"New addition?" Coco echoed the words, surprised.

"No, Renaldo is not pregnant." Jacques was quick to shoot Coco's assumption down the drain, "But we found a mediator perfect as our new family member."

"Aww.. I thought Renaldo's finally pregnant." Coco's shoulders deflated, dropping her spoon to her plate for the dramatic effect, "I thought I would become a godmother. That would be so cool, you know?"

Renaldo's cheeks flushed when Coco mentioned her shameless thoughts of becoming someone important to their future child.

A shy smile spread across his face, his expression filled with excitement and joy.

"Soon, but not now." Renaldo said, looking away from Coco and clearing his throat to gather his confident remnants, "Though, I'm not sure if me and my wife are ready to have a child.. So, we're planning to court a second husband for now."

"It's not up to me." Coco stated, an apologetic smile crossing her features, "I'm sorry. That was thoughtless of me. Don't let my words burden the two of you, okay? Go at your own pace."

"Thoughtless? Oh, no, I do think that it was also the right time to have a child." Jacques giggled, causing Renaldo's face to become flush once more.

"But.. You should ask Renaldo, too. He's the one who will be carrying your child after all." Coco said, picking up her fork and pointing the pointy edges towards the flustered mediator beside Jacques.

"Of course." Jacques nodded her head in understanding.

"Anyway, since the two of you said that you will court a mediator to become the second husband." Coco immediately changed the topic and looked at Jacques, "Why would Renaldo be nervous? Who is this mediator you speak of?"

"Ah." Jacques blinked before looking away, suddenly feeling nervous, "About that.."