CHAPTER 200: TWO GRUMPY MEN

After days of ignoring her appearance, Primrose finally asked Marielle to help braid her hair so she could look a little more presentable.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror, and for the first time in days, she was able to admire her own beauty without thinking it would be better if she just ruined her face.

It seemed that Edmund wasn’t the only one who needed to see her face clearly.

Primrose needed it too.

All the pain and dark thoughts that had haunted her for days had begun to fade little by little after her husband wrapped her in a warm hug.

That simple moment had done more for her than she expected.

"What’s his name again?" Primrose asked, glancing at Solene, who stood quietly beside her.

Solene had spent the morning on the training grounds, filling in for the instructor who’d fallen sick. That’s why she was only now returning to Primrose’s side.

"His name is Sir Leofric Darnell," Solene replied. "He’s one of the royal knights His Majesty trusts the most."

Primrose tapped her fingers lightly on the vanity table, trying to recall that name from her first life.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard she tried, it didn’t ring a bell. There was no trace of him in her memories from the past.

"Have I ever met him before?" she asked, her voice laced with hesitation.

Solene chuckled softly. "No, Your Majesty, you’ve never met him." She continued, "In fact, not even Marielle has."

Primrose turned to look at Solene. "Why’s that?"

"Well." Solene explained, "Like I said, Sir Leofric is one of the most trusted royal knights. And while that sounds like a privilege, in reality ... it’s more like hell."

[He only gets three days off in a whole year. No wonder he always looks like he’s ready to snap.]

Three days a year?!

That sounded more like a prison sentence than a job. Even Callen, who was always on duty, had at least one day off a week.

Primrose let out a small, awkward laugh. "He must secretly hate my husband."

"Oh, not at all," Solene said with a smile, waving her hand dismissively. "Actually, they get along quite well. Sir Leofric even sends little souvenirs whenever he’s assigned outside the capital."

So he wasn’t just grumpy, he was strange too.

If Primrose had a job where her boss only gave her three days off a year, she would’ve started a riot and cursed her superior every single day.

"I heard from the guards that Sir Leofric is His Majesty’s old friend," Marielle chimed in. "Is that true?"

Solene shrugged. "I don’t know much about their personal history, but ... if I remember correctly, Sir Leofric started working at the palace on the same day His Majesty became king."

Primrose blinked. Edmund’s old friend?

This was the first time she’d ever heard that Edmund had a friend.

He never talked about anyone from his past, and people often joked that his only companions were Dante ... and the phoenix bird.

"Do you rarely talk to Sir Leofric?" Primrose asked Solene.

Solene raised her brows. "Talk to him? Oh, Your Majesty ..."

She sighed dramatically. "If people think it’s hard to talk to His Majesty, they should try a conversation with Sir Leofric."

She shook her head. "He doesn’t even try to acknowledge the person in front of him. If someone talks to him, he just walks away, unless it’s His Majesty."

So ... how could anyone possibly explain the friendship between Edmund and Leofric?

They barely talked to each other, so how in the world were they even friends?!

"But don’t worry, Your Majesty," Solene said, trying to ease her concern. "You’re the Queen of Noctvaris. I don’t think Sir Leofric would dare ignore you."

[To be more exact, His Majesty would probably send Sir Leofric to the Forsaken North if he ever refused to speak to his beloved wife.]

"Let’s just hope he’s not that bad," Primrose muttered with a sigh.

She was really not in the mood to guide someone on how to be more friendly.

Primrose had expected that the moment she stepped into the greenhouse, she’d be greeted by two cold and stiff men, but reality turned out to be the complete opposite of what she imagined.

"Your Majesty! It’s such a pleasure to finally meet you!"

A tall man with golden hair and bright green eyes walked toward her in a rush.

His skin looked almost like chocolate milk, which—if Primrose was being honest—made him look kind of sweet.

Before she could even blink, he was already grabbing her hand and shaking it with so much enthusiasm, it nearly made her stumble.

"I’m Leofric Darnell! Royal knight of Noctvaris Kingdom!"

"I’ve been dying to meet you ever since your wedding, but sadly, His Majesty has been cruel enough to throw me into a place where only demons belong!"

Primrose just stood there, wide-eyed. She hadn’t said a single word yet because Leofric hadn’t stopped talking.

He was shaking her hand so quickly, so eagerly, that she actually began to worry her wrist might pop out of place.

"Where are your manners, Sir Leofric!" Edmund suddenly stepped forward and smacked Leofric’s hand away, not too hard, but enough to break the handshake. "You can’t just touch someone’s wife like that without permission!"

Leofric’s cheerful expression immediately turned into a scowl. He rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue before saying, "No one’s going to die just because I touched your wife’s hand, Edmund."

Did ... did he just call the king by his name?!

Primrose glanced between Leofric and Edmund.

They both looked irritated, like they couldn’t stand being in the same room, yet somehow, there was no actual hostility in their eyes.

They were just two grumpy people who clearly knew each other too well.

"She’s not just my wife," Edmund reminded him sternly, "She’s the Queen of Noctvaris. And how many times do I have to tell you, you can’t call me by name inside the palace."

"Oh, come on! You call me by name too," Leofric huffed.

"I add ’Sir’ in front of it," Edmund said flatly.

Leofric let out a long, heavy sigh, and with the most unmotivated voice he could muster, muttered, "Fine ... Sir Edmund."

The veins on Edmund’s forehead twitched, and it looked like he was doing everything in his power not to throw a punch.

Before one of them actually hit the other, Primrose quickly stepped in. "Are you two ... close friends?"