CHAPTER 196: THE HUSBAND WHO NEVER LEFT HER SIDE

For the past three days, Primrose had spent most of her time tucked away in her room.

Edmund had even told Sevrin not to disturb her for a while and that they could continue their lessons later.

During those days, Primrose began to notice a few things in her room had changed. It looked quite different from how she had left it before going to Moonshadow City.

Her once gray walls had been repainted a soft, calming green.

She vaguely remembered telling Edmund that she wanted to repaint the walls, maybe something lighter, something like green. But she never thought he’d actually go ahead and do it ... and without saying a word.

She had even waited for Edmund to return to the palace before changing his bedroom wall color, simply because she was afraid he might not like it.

But in Primrose’s case ... she actually loved the change.

The green made the room feel more alive and far less depressing. On top of that, she liked surprises, so what Edmund did truly made her happy.

To make it even better, the maids had placed potted plants and colorful flowers around her chamber, making her feel much more comfortable spending time in her own space.

"Your Majesty, your new dresses have arrived!" Marielle announced with a cheerful smile. "Would you like to try them on?"

Primrose, who had been sitting quietly on the balcony, sipping tea and staring off into the distance, turned her head slowly. "That fast? I thought it would take at least half a month to adjust them to my size."

Marielle leaned in and whispered, "They said your measurements aren’t that different from their mannequins."

Then, after a small pause, her voice dropped into an even more excited whisper. "But I heard His Majesty paid extra to have them delivered faster."

"Oh ..." Primrose lowered her gaze, stirring her tea absentmindedly. "I didn’t know he did that ... for me."

Sometimes, she wondered why it was so easy to miss all the little things Edmund did for her even though she had the ability to hear his thoughts so clearly.

Maybe ... it was because Edmund had so many things on his mind that she couldn’t catch them all.

"That’s very sweet of him." Primrose smiled. "Can you ask the maids to bring the dresses here? I’ll try them on in my room."

Marielle smiled in return. "Of course, Your Majesty."

Though she said that, she still looked like something was on her mind. "But, Your Majesty, wouldn’t you like to try them on in the dressing room instead? You could get some fresh air outside while you’re at it."

Primrose raised an eyebrow and looked around the balcony. "I am getting fresh air and sunlight right now. Can’t you see?"

"That’s not what I meant," Marielle replied softly.

She knelt beside Primrose’s chair, resting her hands gently on the armrest. Her voice dropped into a whisper. "You’ve been staying in this room for three days, Your Majesty. And you haven’t seen His Majesty even once."

"Maybe you haven’t noticed, but ... he’s been a little ..." she looked for the right word, then smiled slightly. "Grumpy. Yes. His Majesty has been looking very grumpy lately."

Primrose set her teacup down and tilted her head. "Has he done anything bad? I mean ... something that upset the maids or the soldiers? Is he shouting at people?"

"Oh no, no, nothing like that," Marielle quickly shook her head. "He hasn’t raised his voice at all. But—"

She stopped herself, covering her mouth, thinking the next words might be too much for Primrose to hear.

[At least His Majesty only took out his anger on that bastard tiger,] she continued in her mind. [The good thing is, today I finally found out about it from one of the soldiers guarding the torture room.]

Primrose sighed inwardly, feeling a little frustrated. No matter how many times she asked what Edmund had done to Thevan, no one ever gave her a straight answer.

They treated her like a delicate little girl who couldn’t even handle words like blood or torture.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t get anything from the maids’ minds either because none of them ever dared to go near the torture room.

Only the soldiers knew what really went on in places like that, especially those assigned to guard the cursed room.

"Is it related to the tiger beast?" Primrose asked at last, unable to hold back her curiosity. "Did my husband ... take out his anger on him?"

Marielle bit her lower lip, debating whether or not she should continue the conversation.

After a moment’s hesitation, she simply said, "You don’t need to think about that man anymore, Your Majesty. His Majesty and the soldiers are handling him ... properly."

"I know." Primrose let out a soft sigh. "But I still want to know what kind of things my husband actually did to him."

"Just... bad things," Marielle answered, forcing a small smile. "A lot of bad things."

[From what I’ve heard,] she thought, [His Majesty is torturing him slowly, but painfully. Among the many methods he uses, one of his favorites is hanging that bastard upside down and pouring water over his head.]

[Another one is locking him inside the furnace and burning him alive. Though, with how fast that man heals, it doesn’t seem to kill him. Not even close.]

[He even managed to grow his dick back after the soldiers cut it off several times!]

Primrose held her breath for a moment, then took a slow sip of her tea.

Well, the tortures were ... brutal.

She knew torture wasn’t anything new in a world ruled by beasts and soldiers. But still, she never realized just how cruel and detailed those methods could be.

Well, maybe the maids had a point. That kind of information was not easy to digest for her.

"Marielle," Primrose called her softly. "I’d like to see my husband today. Would you mind delivering a message for me? Tell him... to meet me in the queen’s dressing room."

After days of torturing a rotten man like Thevan, it made sense that Edmund had been grumpy lately.

Maybe today ... just seeing her again would be enough to soften his mood a little.

"O-of course, Your Majesty!" Marielle stood up quickly. "His Majesty will be delighted to hear your message!"

It only took a few minutes for Marielle to deliver the message, and when Primrose stepped into the dressing room half an hour later, her heart fluttered a little.

Edmund was already there. He was sitting alone, waiting for her patiently.

"Wife!" He stood up the moment he saw her, looking a bit stiff, as if he didn’t know whether to run into her arms or stay perfectly still.

"I’m here," he said, lowering his voice a little, "just like you asked me to be."

Primrose turned to Marielle, who stood silently behind her, and whispered, "You can leave us now."

Marielle nodded and slipped out, quietly closing the door behind her.

Primrose walked toward Edmund, releasing a soft sigh before she spoke. "I hope I didn’t make you wait too long?" she said with a gentle smile. "I didn’t expect you to arrive before me."

"No," Edmund replied right away. "I just got here a few minutes ago. You didn’t keep me waiting, my wife."

[I came straight to this room the moment the maid told me my wife wanted to see me. But I don’t mind. After seeing her face again ... every second of waiting was worth it.]

Edmund didn’t say anything out loud, but the way he looked at Primrose said everything. His eyes sparkled with joy, and he couldn’t stop staring at her, as if he still wasn’t sure she was really there.

Primrose almost smiled. If he had a tail, she swore it would’ve been wagging wildly right now.

[It’s been so long since I smelled her scent,] he thought. [I nearly lost my mind these past few days. No matter how many flowers I sniffed in the garden, none of them smelled even close to her scent.]

[But my wife is really special after all,] he continued in his mind. [Her scent is the only thing that calms me down.]

Her scent.

Primrose had to bite back a laugh. Of all things ... that was the first thought in his head?

Not how long it had been since they kissed, or since they’d been intimate in bed.

No.

It was her scent.

"How ... how have you been lately, my wife?" he asked a bit awkwardly, like a man meeting his date for the first time.

"I’m feeling better now." Primrose smiled so brightly that her eyes curved like crescent moons. "Thank you for everything you’ve done, husband. The books you sent to my room were truly fun to read."

There hadn’t been a single day where Edmund stopped sending something to her room.

If she remembered correctly, every few hours, something new would arrive at her door—A book, a bouquet of fresh flowers, or a sweet little cake made just for her sweet tooth.

Because of that, even though they hadn’t seen each other for three days, it still felt like he had never left her side.

"I’m your husband," Edmund said gently. "It’s my duty to make sure you’re comfortable... especially after everything that happened."