CHAPTER 310: THE QUEEN’S SURPRISE (II)

Primrose took Solene’s words into account, but they weren’t nearly enough to change her mind. She was far too curious about the place her husband spent so much of his time, and now that she finally had the chance, she didn’t want to waste it.

Besides, it wasn’t just about Edmund. She wanted to see with her own eyes what the training ground was like.

"Don’t worry, I won’t stay there for too long." Primrose gave Solene a reassuring smile. "Maybe I’ll come back after having lunch with my husband. The soldiers will get a lunch break too, won’t they?"

Solene returned the smile, but it was a little forced. In her head, a less cheerful thought crossed her mind. [Lunch break? If the trainer isn’t happy with their performance, those poor boys might not be allowed to eat until tomorrow morning.]

That just felt too harsh. How could anyone expect those poor boys to perform well if they were running on empty stomachs?

"It depends," Solene admitted carefully. "But ... I believe His Majesty will definitely spare some time to have lunch with you, Your Majesty."

[I saw His Majesty leaving the queen’s chamber in a very good mood earlier,] Solene thought. [I suppose he’ll be kind enough to let those poor soldiers eat today. Let’s just hope their progress has improved since the last time I saw them train.]

Solene herself wasn’t the type to be strict with new soldiers, but that was understandable. She wasn’t an official military officer, so she never felt right about pushing them too hard.

But Edmund and Leofric were different stories. Both of them were the most respected figures in the military, so if they wanted to push the soldiers with strict training, no one dared to complain. After all, everyone knew their strength and trusted their judgment.

"Marielle, can you ask the other maids to prepare lunch for the soldiers?" Primrose asked cheerfully, her eyes bright with excitement. "Maybe something simple, like sandwiches or meat pastries. Oh, and make sure to prepare a light lunch for me and my husband as well."

Marielle nodded quickly, her face lighting up. "Yes, Your Majesty."

After passing on the queen’s orders to the other maids, Marielle returned to Primrose’s chamber and helped tidy her hair. She tied it back with a loose yellow ribbon that matched the soft yellow dress Primrose had chosen to wear.

The dress wasn’t overly decorated. It was simple enough for comfort, yet elegant enough to remind anyone who saw her that she was their queen.

It had a square neckline with a small lace trim, adding just a hint of sweetness. The short puffed sleeves ended above her elbows with little ribbon ties, giving her a fresh and lively look.

By the time everything was ready, Primrose stepped out of her chamber with a basket in hand, while Solene and Marielle carried the others. The delicious smell of freshly baked bread and warm meat pastries drifted from them, enough to make anyone’s stomach growl at the first whiff.

"Are you sure you don’t want to use your wheelchair, Your Majesty?" Solene asked gently, still a little worried.

Primrose thought about it for a moment before nodding. "I’m sure," she said softly. "My legs feel strong enough to walk today, and besides, I brought the crutches with me, just in case."

She had been practicing for several days now, though progress was slow since she often felt too lazy to walk far. But after that sudden burst of running in the library, along with the stronger medicine from the doctors, she felt like her legs had finally begun to recover.

More than that, Edmund had also given her his saliva over and over again last night, so it was possible that had helped heal her legs as well.

That was why Primrose decided she could walk with the crutches today, and if her legs started hurting halfway, she could always ask Solene to bring the wheelchair for her.

"Then let me carry your basket, Your Majesty," Marielle said quickly, snatching it from her hands before Primrose could protest.

Together, the three of them made their way through the palace corridors. The golden ribbon in Primrose’s hair swayed gently with her steps, while the warm scent of food followed them around.

The sun was already high when they finally stepped outside. A light breeze swept through the palace ground, brushing against her cheeks.

Since she was walking with crutches, it took her nearly fifteen minutes before she finally arrived in front of the training ground.

Yes, the palace grounds were really that vast. That was why Primrose rarely wandered through every corner of the palace.

She took a deep breath and let her eyes roam over the view before her. The training ground was divided into two sections: indoor and outdoor.

The indoor area was a semi-open building that also served as a storage area for weapons.

Meanwhile, the outdoor section was a wide open field, usually used for group drills. If it was only the new recruits training, they were usually sent to the building instead.

Not far from there was the lake, the very place that had once witnessed one of her dramatic quarrels with Edmund.

It used to be where soldiers practiced their swimming skills, but now the entire area had been sealed off with high fences, so the soldiers could only use it if swim training was officially scheduled.

Primrose couldn’t help but smile faintly. It seemed Edmund really was serious about making sure she never jumped into that lake again.

"Oh, Your Majesty!"

Primrose lifted her head and spotted Callen at the far end of the field. He was waving at her enthusiastically with one hand, while holding his sword in the other.

Scattered around him were wooden practice dummies, all battered and splintered, a clear proof of how hard he had been training. Ever since Primrose had given him the chance to prove himself in the royal guard’s test yesterday, Callen had spent all day at the training ground since this morning.

"What are you doing here, Your Majesty?" he called out as he jogged toward her, a wide grin lighting up his face. When he finally reached her side, he leaned in slightly and added, "Just so you know, His Majesty gave strict orders to keep you away from the lake."