CHAPTER 251: KISSING YOUR WIFE IS NOT A BAD THING

[If my wife offers me something and insists on it,] he thought to himself, [then I should accept it without question.]

Primrose leaned against Edmund’s shoulder as he sat beside her, still holding his stack of reports.

She tried to follow along, curious about how her husband worked. But halfway through, she lost interest and began rubbing her cheek against his shoulder or occasionally pinching his bicep just to feel her husband’s hard muscle.

[How am I supposed to focus when my adorable wife keeps distracting me?] Edmund sighed quietly to himself. [All I want to do is throw these papers aside and pull her into my arms.]

Honestly, Primrose didn’t understand why Edmund always said he couldn’t concentrate whenever she was beside him.

She thought he would be distracted, sure, but the moment she watched him closely, he looked like someone who had just downed a whole bottle of energy tonic.

He was working so quickly that her eyes couldn’t even keep up with the movement of his hands.

[I need to work faster, so I can cuddle with my wife!]

So, that was the reason.

If that was the kind of motivation he needed, maybe she should visit his study room more often.

Who knew? It might finally stop the palace advisors from complaining that the King was too slow with his paperwork.

"Husband," Primrose called softly, her voice sweet and teasing, "I want to kiss you ... but if I do it now, you’ll definitely get distracted. So how about this ... you finish your work in thirty minutes, and I’ll give you a proper kiss and hug."

Primrose was really just teasing him. Even if he didn’t finish within thirty minutes, she still would’ve kissed and hugged him anyway.

But to her surprise, those playful words lit a fire under Edmund. He started working like the fate of the kingdom depended on it.

[My wife wants to kiss me! My wife wants to kiss me!]

[Faster. I need to work faster. No distractions. Just pure efficiency.]

[But, wait ...]

Suddenly, Edmund froze. He looked up from the reports and turned to face her. "You’re still recovering, my wife," he said, his voice gentle. "I’m afraid ... if I do something reckless, it might make your condition worse."

Primrose frowned. "Kissing your wife isn’t a bad thing," she said. "Besides, it’s my legs that are hurt, not my lips. So there’s absolutely no reason you can’t kiss me, husband."

Edmund hesitated, which made her tilt her head in confusion. Why did he have to think so hard about something so simple?

Eventually, he said softly, "I’m sorry ... I just don’t want to make things worse." He lowered his gaze. "I really don’t want to see you hurt anymore."

Primrose’s expression softened. She reached up, cupped his face, and smiled. "You’ve done so much for me today. Not even once have you made me suffer." She gently pulled him in and kissed his cheek. "There. That’s your first kiss. I’ll kiss your lips once you finish your work."

Edmund didn’t resist anymore. In fact, he suddenly gained a hidden burst of energy and finished all his work in under thirty minutes—maybe even less—before tossing all the papers onto the floor and kissing his wife’s lips.

Primrose blinked in surprise. For a moment, she wondered if her husband had been possessed by some workaholic ghost.

But the moment his arms wrapped tightly around her and his lips brushed hers so gently, so sincerely, all of her thoughts suddenly vanished.

She felt warm, safe, and as if every bad thing that had happened that day no longer mattered.

How could a single kiss have such a powerful effect?

Unfortunately, he didn’t kiss her for long, not even three minutes.

"I’m sorry," Edmund said softly, his eyes filled with a hint of guilt. "I’m afraid ... if we keep going, I might lose control. Would just hugging me be enough for now?"

[I want to kiss my wife more,] he thought, [but I don’t think my boner will behave itself. I could take care of it myself, but I don’t want to leave her alone for too long.]

He was so considerate it made Primrose’s heart ache a little. She buried her face in his chest and whispered, "A hug is more than enough."

Even if all they could do was hold hands, it would still be more than enough for her because his presence alone was everything.

Edmund was enough.

She didn’t want to let go of their embrace, but then, a knock on the door broke the moment.

It was Callen’s voice from outside. "Your Majesty, Sir Vesper and Lady Raven have arrived!"

• •

Salem and Raven had finally arrived at the palace, though clearly not by choice.

They had been forced to come, escorted by soldiers like prisoners rather than guests, despite having no intention of being there in the first place.

Salem looked visibly irritated, his steps stiff and his eyes sharp as he entered the Queen’s chamber.

He wasn’t wearing his usual colorful clothing. Instead, he was dressed head to toe in black. Oddly enough, the plain look didn’t dull his beauty. If anything, it made him look even prettier.

Wait, prettier?

Primrose blinked. That wasn’t the right word to describe a grown man, was it? But Salem had a face too beautiful to ignore, and no outfit could change that.

Raven followed behind him, her expression unreadable. Since becoming a widow, she’d been required to wear black.

However, even before that, most of her clothes had always been dark. So to Primrose, her appearance didn’t look all that different.

"Your Majesty," Salem greeted, flashing a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Primrose could see the irritation hiding behind it. "Didn’t I tell His Majesty that we’d come the moment we finished our business? I was honestly hoping for a longer break."

[Those soldiers didn’t even wait for me to pack my things or the colorful items I bought in Moonshadow!] Salem cursed inwardly. [Damn it! I didn’t even get to change my clothes! My perfect look is completely ruined!]

Though in truth, there was nothing wrong with the way he looked now.

"I’m sorry for calling you and Lady Raven on such short notice, Sir Vesper," Primrose said, trying to offer a sweet smile to calm his irritation, though she knew her pretty face had no effect on someone like Salem. "As you can see ... I’ve run into a bit of trouble."

Salem lowered his gaze and looked at her legs, which were stiff and completely unmoving. [What the hell! I was only gone for a few days and she’s already paralyzed from poison?!]

Oh ... was Salem actually worried abou—

[I should’ve come sooner so I could witness this dramatic, entertaining moment firsthand,] Salem thought. [I bet the poison even tasted delicious.]

The corner of Primrose’s eyes twitched slightly. Clearly, she had made a mistake in trying to think positively about this honeybadger.

"Did you accidentally ingest poison?" Salem asked with feigned concern. "I thought His Majesty would be your personal poison tester."

Edmund’s jaw tightened at his words. He had been silently standing beside Primrose all this time, but now he lowered his gaze. "I guess the poison didn’t affect me, so I didn’t notice anything was wrong," he said. "But apparently, it reacted badly with my wife’s body."

Primrose reached for his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "No, it’s not your fault," she said softly.

Besides, it wasn’t something he could’ve prevented. The poison hadn’t come from anything she ate.

Oh, she just realized Edmund still didn’t know the poison was in her bathwater.

But if she told him, he might realize that she had willingly stepped into the poisoned bath. Logically, there was no way she should have known where the poison entered her body through the waterbath unless she had done it on purpose.

He had been furious with her when she jumped into the lake. If he found out she had entered a poison bath on purpose ... well, she didn’t even want to imagine his reaction.

Honestly, she wasn’t sure how she was supposed to have an important conversation with Salem and Raven while Edmund remained in the room.

But apparently, she didn’t need to think about that anymore, because just then, a soldier suddenly burst into her room, his face pale with panic.

"Y-Your Majesty!" he stammered, eyes locking onto Edmund. "Rogue werewolves have been spotted trying to enter the forest near the palace!"

Edmund groaned in frustration. "Can’t you handle it?"

The soldier quickly shook his head. "There are too many, and they’re not afraid to die. I’m afraid they’ll do anything to get inside the palace."

Edmund’s face darkened. He stared at the soldier for a long moment, then slowly turned to Primrose, torn between duty and the woman he couldn’t bear to leave.

"I don’t want to leave you," he said softly, his voice heavy with hesitation.

Primrose gave him a gentle squeeze, her smile calm and comforting. "It’s alright, husband," she said. "Go. I’ll be fine. Sir Vesper and Lady Raven are here, and if I need anything, I can always call for Lady Solene or Marielle."

Edmund truly didn’t want to go.

However, he knew that if the rogue werewolves managed to breach palace grounds, things could become much worse. His wife could be in real danger, and that was something he couldn’t risk.

Clenching his jaw, he gave her one last look, then nodded. "Stay in your room. Don’t go anywhere without a guard."

Primrose glanced down at her legs and let out a small sigh. "As if I could go anywhere."