CHAPTER 189: RUNNING FROM DANGER

Primrose’s eyes widened as Callen dashed through the forest, his speed almost unnatural. The trees and shadows around them blurred into streaks of color.

She had never moved this fast in her life, not even while riding in a horse-drawn carriage.

But no matter how fast Callen ran, the tiger beasts chasing them were just as fast. Some were already dangerously close, their growls echoing through the forest.

Salem, running alongside them, suddenly spoke up. "Your Majesty, you hired me to be your poison tester," he panted. "This..." He paused to catch his breath. "This wasn’t part of the deal. You didn’t hire me to fight off a pack of bloodthirsty cats!"

"Stop calling them cats!" Callen snapped. "Cats wouldn’t cause this much chaos!"

"Oh? Because they’re weaker?" Salem shot back.

"No!" Callen shouted. "Because they’re smarter and they’d wait until you’re asleep to kill you!"

"Well, thank you for the warning, Sir Callen," Salem muttered, clearing his throat. Then he turned to Primrose. "The point is, Your Majesty, I’m not responsible for what happens to you in a battlefield!"

Primrose frowned as she noticed Salem slowly pulling away from them. "You’re leaving me? Sir Vesper! I let you live comfortably in my palace!"

"That was part of our agreement, Your Majesty," Salem replied, waving his hand. "You’re Sir Callen’s responsibility now."

[It feels so wrong to leave Her Majesty behind, but I also need to make sure Raven is safe,] Salem thought as he glanced at her one last time. [Besides, why should I care about the Queen’s life? I barely know her.]

What? But, she thought they were friends!

If he didn’t consider her important, then why did he always sit beside her whenever she drank tea or relaxed?

"They won’t let you go that easily, Sir Vesper!" Callen warned.

The corner of Salem’s mouth lifted into a crooked smile. "Don’t worry, Sir Callen. The honey badger is just as agile as a cat."

Before Primrose could say a word, Salem’s body began to shrink. Within seconds, he had shifted into a small skunk—no, a honey badger. Honestly, they looked the same.

He grabbed his bag in his mouth and disappeared into the trees. His tiny form made him nearly impossible to follow among the thick forest.

Primrose clicked her tongue in frustration. This was her first betrayal in this life!

She turned to Callen and asked, "Do you think you’ll be able to reach my husband in time?"

"I have to, Your Majesty," he replied firmly.

[How many tigers are chasing us now? Five? Seven?] Callen calculated. [I could try to fight them, but I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to protect Her Majesty at the same time.]

[Fighting them alone isn’t an option, because Her Majesty’s safety is my top priority right now.]

Even though Callen often claimed he wasn’t strong enough, Primrose could feel his determination radiating off him.

He was ready to fight, ready to die if he had to, but protecting her while doing that was still too much for one man alone.

Others might think she had chosen the wrong personal guard, but at this moment, Primrose was more convinced than ever that Callen was the right choice.

Callen never charged into battle blindly. He always considered every possible outcome. He stayed alert, sharp, and wasn’t afraid to swallow his pride if it meant doing the smarter thing, like running to keep her safe.

"Your Majesty," he said. "If something bad happens to me and you end up alone, you must run as fast as you can. Don’t ever look back, just keep going."

For some reason, his warning only made Primrose feel more nervous and terrified.

In her first life, she had a deep-rooted fear that someday she would be killed by a beast. But in the end, it wasn’t a beast who killed her, it was a human: Doctor Silas.

That fear had started to fade ever since Edmund saved her from the beast that had crept into her room.

After that, she stopped being afraid because every beast she encountered in the palace had only ever tried to protect her.

However ... she had forgotten that, just like humans, beasts could also have a bad seed, those with darkness in their hearts who could kill without mercy.

In the end, any creature could be dangerous and Primrose should’ve never let herself forget that.

"Your Majesty, are you listening to me?" Callen asked when Primrose remained silent.

She took a slow breath and nodded. "I hear you, Sir Callen." Then she added, "I will run as fast as I can."

But deep down, Primrose hoped that nothing bad would happen to him because she wasn’t sure she could survive without help from someone else.

CRASH!

"Fuck!"

A flaming arrow pierced Callen’s right leg, stopping him in his tracks. Just before he collapsed, he threw Primrose forward with the last of his strength.

"No—!"

She didn’t get the chance to finish her sentence before her body slammed into the cold, hard ground. She held her breath as pain spread throughout her body, but there was no time to cry out, no time to wait for it to pass.

"Your Majesty, run!" Callen shouted. "Lady Solene will be here soon!"

[Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. This is why I should’ve watched my mouth! I just thought something bad might happen to me, and a second later, it really did!]

[Good thing I can smell Lady Solene nearby. Until she gets here, I need to make sure no one chases Her Majesty.]

Primrose groaned as she struggled to stand. Her whole body ached, and her feet were likely scraped by sharp stones, but she didn’t want to waste a second spacing out.

She had to move. She had to run as fast as she could.

She wasn’t the type who liked running, definitely not the kind to work out for fun either, but when danger was near, her adrenaline had taken full control of her body.

Something she once thought impossible, she was now able to do because she was desperate.

The freezing air bit into her skin, sending shivers through her bones because she hadn’t worn anything thick when she left.

"Damn it!" Primrose cursed when she accidentally stepped on a sharp stone, injuring the sole of her foot.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t stop, not even for a second.

It would be a cruel joke if she died now, just when she’d finally gotten her second chance.

Her bond with Edmund had only just begun to grow, blooming faster than she expected.

If she were to die now ... No. She couldn’t let that happen. She couldn’t let him come back, only to find her lifeless and cold.

He had already experienced that in another timeline. Primrose couldn’t let him go through that again.

She didn’t know what had happened to him after he left Noctvaris, but something in her gut told her it hadn’t been good.

"Why are you running so fast?"

A wave of dread crashed over her the moment she saw a man step out from behind a tree, standing just a few feet away.

Since she was running too fast, Primrose couldn’t stop in time or change direction. She ended up crashing into him, and the impact sent her sprawling backward.

She grimaced in pain. Her entire body ached so much she could barely move.

"Oh, dear ... my brother wasn’t lying. You really are beautiful," He walked toward Primrose slowly, like a predator toying with its prey.

Primrose locked her golden eyes on him, her body tense and frozen. She didn’t dare move. Something about him felt wrong.

"B-Brother?" she asked, her voice trembling.

When he stood right in front of her, Primrose finally got a good look at his face under the faint moonlight.

What the hell ...

His face ... it looked exactly like someone she wished she could erase from her memory. Someone who made her skin crawl every time she thought of him.

He looked like the Marquess. Not just similar, he was practically a mirror image. As if the Marquess had stepped out of the grave and come back to haunt her.

Primrose only knew the Marquess’s family line in Moonshadow, but she had no idea whether he had any close relatives within the tiger tribe.

Then again, it made sense. The Marquess had once declared that he’d cut ties with his former tribe. In fact, the one who replaced him after his death in the other timeline had been a distant cousin.

"Ah, Thalen must’ve never mentioned me before." He walked around Primrose, looking completely relaxed and calm, a stark contrast to her tense, frozen body. "He publicly declared that he had no ties with the Valaza Tribes anymore."

"But the truth is, we’ve always been the first ones he contacted when he needed something ... violent," he said. "Like getting rid of people who stood in his way or people who wanted him dead."

It seemed the Marquess had asked his brother to remain in the shadows so no one would ever suspect a thing.

"Well, I don’t really like the spotlight anyway, so I never protested when he didn’t mention my name," he shrugged. "As long as he sent me a pile of money every month, I didn’t really care. But unfortunately ... my pockets were robbed a few days ago."

He suddenly bent down, bringing his face close to Primrose’s. She could even feel his breath against her skin.

"Do you know how we punish thieves in my tribe?"

Primrose didn’t answer. Maybe it was fear. Maybe her lips were too numb to move. She just stayed still, holding her breath.

The man reached out and touched her chin, lifting it gently.

"We either cut off their hands," he whispered, "or rip out their fingernails ... one by one."

He smiled wide, flashing his fangs. "But lucky you, sweetheart. I’ve always had a weakness for beauties like you."