The Queen and the Lion - Chapter 78
Even though it was a safe period, Aslan couldn’t bring himself to touch Lysian, fearing that something might go wrong.
Although Lysian offered him her hands or mouth, Aslan didn’t want to burden her. He endured by pinching his thighs. A few more months. There was something infinitely happier waiting for him in life, so he could endure.
But that wasn’t the only problem.
Originally, morning sickness was a symptom that appeared in pregnant women during the early stages of pregnancy. Fortunately, Lysian had a good appetite and didn’t have any cravings, so Dandelion and Aslan, who had been fretting about what would happen if the already picky queen were to develop morning sickness, breathed a sigh of relief.
But as days turned into weeks, something changed.
Aslan, who had once eaten enough to finish even the plates, started eating less. At first, he felt a little bloated, but soon his appetite disappeared and he felt nauseous for no reason.
One day, he gagged as soon as he smelled food. Lysian worried that Aslan might be sick. Not wanting to worry Lysian, Aslan tried to act fine and finished his meal. That night, however, he vomited everything he had eaten. It was the first time in his life he had vomited, not even after heavy drinking or excessive exercise.
Aslan’s health deteriorated as he couldn’t eat properly, continued to vomit, and felt nauseous. Seeing Aslan so weak, Lysian called for a physician. Aslan, who had insisted that there was nothing wrong, finally gave in to the physician’s examination after experiencing vomiting for the first time.
The physician’s diagnosis was revealed: morning sickness.
Lysian, Aslan, and Dandelion were all dumbfounded by the surprising result. Morning sickness? Not Lysian, but Aslan? Seeing the bewildered reaction of the royal couple, the physician calmly said, “It’s not a common phenomenon, but it’s not unheard of either. Your Majesty seems to be very stressed due to Her Majesty’s pregnancy.”
“Stressed?!”
Aslan shouted, then gagged again. Even while vomiting, he glared, signaling that he wasn’t stressed at all.
‘Stressed’? It was as if he felt burdened by Lysian’s pregnancy.
The physician sighed and added, “Your Majesty loves Her Majesty so much. You must be constantly worried about Her Majesty’s safety, so it’s impossible not to be stressed.”
“Then is there no cure?”
Lysian asked with concern, worried that Aslan wouldn’t be able to eat anything if this continued. The physician shook his head. “There’s no medicine for it. The only thing you can do is adjust your diet. Be sure to drink plenty of water and eat salty biscuits from time to time.”
And so, instead of Lysian, Aslan began to experience morning sickness. Sometimes, he couldn’t even sleep. Aslan suggested that they sleep in separate rooms so that Lysian wouldn’t be disturbed by his tossing and turning, but Lysian firmly refused.
Lysian felt sorry for Aslan, who couldn’t eat properly, sometimes even vomited so much that he couldn’t even drink water, and suffered from insomnia.
All she could do was frantically search the kitchen for foods that he might be able to eat.
When Lysian apologized, Aslan smiled faintly and replied, “It’s better this way. I have a strong constitution. I can go without food for a few days. But you have to take care of state affairs and our child…”
But his pale complexion belied his claim that he was fine.
“Even for someone like you, it must be difficult to not even be able to drink water.”
“It’s much better than you being upset.”
Aslan, who had just received several skewers of eggplant from the kitchen, declared as he stuffed them into his mouth. As if to prove that he was fine, he chewed the eggplants vigorously, as if they were meat.
Lysian sighed again at Aslan’s bravado. What if he vomited again tonight after eating so much? Feeling uneasy, Lysian told him to eat slowly.
And her anxiety became a reality.
