CHAPTER 232: THE MYSTERIOUS VOICE

[I truly thought this marriage would end in heartbreak,] he admitted silently. [That the Moon Goddess would give me pain instead of love.]

[But now I realize the Moon Goddess didn’t make a mistake when she told me that Primrose is my mate.]

Primrose, however, honestly doubted that.

Deep down, she still believed the Moon Goddess had made a mistake by choosing her to be Edmund’s mate.

No matter how many times she tried to convince herself otherwise, the doubt always came back, and honestly, it still made more sense that way.

She was just a human. Edmund was the strongest Lycan alive.

Anyone who heard that the Moon Goddess had paired them would probably laugh and think it was a joke.

It didn’t feel like a blessing at all.

If anything, it felt like a curse.

Primrose didn’t believe she had been given to Edmund as a gift, but she believed she had been placed in his life to bring him more pain.

He had already watched her die once in their first life, and now, there was a real chance he would have to go through that heartbreak all over again.

The reason for her death might be different this time, but the pain Edmund would feel would still be just as deep, maybe even worse than the last time.

Once someone has tasted the sweetness of sugar, it’s even harder to swallow something bitter.

Edmund had felt Primrose’s love, and if it lasted long enough, losing it would break him. Maybe even more than it did in their first life.

At least back then, Primrose had barely been part of his life. They had known each other existed, but they barely saw one another.

But this life was different.

In this life, they saw each other often, so much so that Primrose felt uneasy whenever she hadn’t seen Edmund’s face by noon.

Just the thought of him waking up one day, reaching across the bed for her, and finding nothing but emptiness ...

Just the thought of him calling her name, only to remember she’d already been buried six feet under ...

It made her chest ache in a way words couldn’t describe.

She clenched her fists, blaming the Moon Goddess even more because she was giving Edmund someone so fragile, someone so breakable, someone like her.

Why would she ever deserve someone like him?

She was a spoiled daughter of a Duke, someone who had slept on soft mattresses since birth and been showered in diamonds.

Edmund, on the other hand, had survived a life full of scars and battles.

Didn’t he deserve someone who could truly understand his pain? Someone who had walked through the same kind of darkness?

Sure, Primrose could sympathize, but at the end of the day, she would never fully understand the kind of agony Edmund had lived through.

[He has witnessed too much suffering and pain throughout his life, and amidst all of that, he doesn’t need someone who shares his wounds ...]

[He needs someone who can teach him how to love in a gentle way.]

Primrose’s eyes widened.

That voice again!

Once could’ve been a coincidence. But twice? No, she was certain this voice wasn’t just in her imagination.

She looked around the temple again, searching every corner, but just like before, it was still empty. Most of the couples were still outside, near the sacred spring.

Then who on earth was speaking to her?

[My sweet child, you are the embodiment of the love his wounded soul has always needed.]

Primrose slowly lifted her head, and at that moment, it truly felt as if the Moon Goddess statue was gazing at her with the softest, most tender eyes.

[Because in the middle of his pain, he needs someone who can teach him how to love.]

[He needs someone who was born from pure love, so that he can believe he is worthy of being loved in return.]

Was that ... her voice?

Was the Moon Goddess truly speaking to her?

Primrose’s heart pounded against her ribs. The temple remained silent, and yet those words echoed louder than anything she’d ever heard.

The voice hadn’t just reached her ears, but it reached her soul as well.

She looked up at the statue once more. The carved eyes of the Moon Goddess seemed almost alive now, shimmering in the soft glow of the altar candles.

Without realizing it, Primrose stepped closer to the altar, her eyes fixed on the statue. She didn’t even hear Edmund calling her name from behind, who was confused and a little concerned by her strange behavior.

"Are you ... really there?" she whispered again, lifting her hand.

Her fingertips gently brushed the cool surface of the statue’s stone robe.

Instead of answering her question, the voice spoke again. [You are not here to understand his pain,] the voice whispered. [You are here to heal it.]

Heal him?

But how could she?

In their first life, she hadn’t healed anything. If anything, she had only made the pain worse.

Her fear, her confusion, her silence, each one had become another burden for him to carry.

How could someone like her be given such a sacred task?

[You both weren’t ready back then,] the voice continued, [but know this, your souls have been longing for each other for so long, too long that you’ve both forgotten.]

Longing for each other for so long that they forgot?

"What ... what do you mean?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

There was no reply. Only the altar candles flickered faintly, and then, all at once, they went out right as the last ray of sunlight disappeared from the sky.

Darkness swallowed the temple, making Primrose flinch in surprise. But before she could panic, she felt a warm hand reach out and grasp hers.

"Primrose." Edmund’s voice finally reached her. "What’s wrong? Who were you talking to just now?"

Primrose turned, and in the dim light, she could just barely make out Edmund’s face.

She didn’t say anything at first. Instead, she stepped forward and threw herself into his arms.

"The Moon Goddess spoke to me," she whispered. "I don’t know if it was really her, but ... don’t you think it’s a sign for us?"