CHAPTER 176: A GRAVE THAT CHANGED THE KINGDOM

"Why would he do that?" Primrose asked.

But instead of answering, Raven looked at her and asked a different question. "Your Majesty ... do you know where His Majesty went?"

Primrose frowned the moment Raven asked something that didn’t seem related to the Marquess at all. "He had something to take care of outside," she said. "Why are you asking?"

"Because ..." Raven whispered, "His Majesty will be the reason my husband dies."

"All I saw in my vision," she continued hesitantly, "was His Majesty leading my husband to kill himself tonight. I couldn’t hear what he said to the Marquess ... but His Majesty looked so ... angry."

Angry?

Primrose knew Edmund had been investigating whatever the Marquess was hiding from the public, but what kind of secret could possibly make him that angry?

Even when Primrose told him that the Marquess of Moonshadow had been abusing his wife for years, Edmund’s expression hadn’t changed much.

He clearly found the man disgusting and rotten, but his face had stayed calm, almost expressionless.

So ... what did he hear this time?

What kind of truth could shake a man like Edmund—a stoic, cold-faced man—show such visible rage?

"Will he be alright?" Primrose suddenly reached out and grabbed Raven’s arm, holding it tightly. "My husband ... is he going to be alright?"

Raven narrowed her eyes slightly. [She just heard that her husband would lead someone into his death, and yet ... the only thing she’s worried about is whether he’ll be alright.]

Was that surprising? The Marquess would die regardless. But Edmund ... Edmund was her heart, so of course, she’d be more worried about him.

"Nothing bad will happen to His Majesty," Raven said softly. "Since the Marquess takes his own life, the case will be closed. That’s all I can see for now."

"That’s a relief." Primrose let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding and sat back down. "I’m glad he’ll be alright."

"Yes ... it’s a relief, Your Majesty." Raven’s shoulders relaxed. Her whole expression softened, as if a heavy weight had finally been lifted from her chest.

[I’m finally free,] she thought. [I used to think this day would never come. I thought it was just a dream, something too far away to reach.]

"I might need to stay the night here, Your Majesty," Raven said after a moment. "I need an alibi. Just in case anyone asks questions."

Primrose nodded without hesitation. "Of course. You can stay as long as you need. There are plenty of empty rooms here, you’re free to pick whichever one you like."

After that, neither of them said a word. Raven simply sat beside Primrose, lost in thought, already imagining what she would do once her husband was gone.

She was even thinking about taking her children on a little vacation, something peaceful, something new. Something that finally felt like freedom.

Of course Raven felt that way. If Primrose had been in her position, she wouldn’t have cared about her husband either.

"Lady Raven," Primrose finally spoke again, her voice calm but a little unsure. "You said ... you can also see things that happen in other timelines, right?"

Raven nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty, you’re right. However, unfortunately, my visions of that other timeline are much messier, so it’s harder to make sense of."

Primrose clenched her hands tightly on her lap, gathering the courage to ask. "I don’t expect you to answer this, but ... you know I died in that timeline, right?"

Before Raven could respond, Primrose added in a softer voice, "Do you know what happened to my husband after I died?"

It was a question that had lived in the back of her mind ever since she found out that Edmund had cared about her.

Even when he never said it aloud, even when he stayed quiet, he always tried to give her what she needed. Always showed up in his own way.

Therefore, she wanted to know ... could he survive after watching his wife die the moment he came home?

Honestly, she was scared of what Raven might say. She even tried not to read Raven’s mind because she was truly scared of what she might hear.

She was terrified Edmund had taken his own life. Terrified that he had suffered so much more than she ever imagined.

"He left Noctvaris," Raven finally said.

Primrose froze. Her eyes widened in shock. That wasn’t the answer she had expected at all. "He ... left Noctvaris?" she repeated in disbelief. "Why?"

"I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I don’t know either," Raven murmured. "My vision ended there. I couldn’t see what happened to him after that."

She paused, then added, "But I do know this: as soon as His Majesty left, Noctvaris fell into chaos."

"There were arguments, fights about whether or not he would ever return. Some people wanted to keep the throne empty and wait for him. But most ... most wanted someone to immediately take the throne right away."

Raven’s expression darkened slightly as she tried to recall the rest of her vision. "Without His Majesty, the balance between the tribes broke apart. There was bloodshed, famine, and even the collapse of diplomacy between the beasts and humans. It all happened after that."

Primrose was speechless. She had never imagined that the entire kingdom would begin to collapse the moment Edmund walked away from Noctvaris. "Do you think ... he left because of my death?" she asked, her voice uncertain.

"I’m not sure," Raven replied. "But... there are signs that point in that direction."

"Like what?"

"For example, he left right after watching your coffin being buried," Raven said.

"And he looked ... devastated." Raven tilted her head slightly, as if she was trying to watch the vision all over again. "He was crying."

Raven opened her eyes, taking a deep breath. "That’s all I saw, Your Majesty. I’m sorry. I don’t think I’ll be able to have another vision for a while. Maybe a few weeks."

[I never imagined someone like the Lycan King could cry like that,] Raven thought to herself.

[He looked so broken ... so lost. He even stood in front of Her Majesty’s grave all night before finally leaving Noctvaris.]

Primrose didn’t understand why Raven hadn’t told her all of this out loud, but maybe she simply felt the truth was too heavy to share.

And maybe she was right.

That information was too heavy for her.

Primrose couldn’t even bear to imagine seeing her husband cry in front of her grave, let alone picture what he might’ve been thinking as he stood there, staring at her tombstone.

Just the thought of it made her want to wrap her arms around him and never let go.

"That’s enough, Lady Raven," Primrose said, forcing a small, bitter smile. "Thank you ... for telling me."