CHAPTER 316: THE QUEEN WANTS TO EASE HER HUSBAND’S BURDEN

"Can you meet us after dinner?" Edmund asked gently. "We can talk in the royal family room."

Primrose gave a small nod, though deep down she wasn’t sure if she could really stop Edmund from throwing Leofric back into the dungeon.

She only wanted to make sure she didn’t break the promise she had made to Leofric, that she would make sure Edmund didn’t get angry with him, which felt nearly impossible.

"I don’t mind," Primrose said softly. "I don’t have much else to do anyway."

Edmund nodded, hesitation flickering in his eyes. "Maybe ... I’ll also have to skip dinner with you tonight. There’s just too much work."

[I really need to fix my horrendous schedule,] Edmund thought with frustration. [If I keep missing meals with my wife, I’ll never keep my promise to always eat with her.]

[I’m such a terrible husband.]

"You’re my perfect husband," Primrose blurted out immediately, startling him. "Don’t worry too much about it, husband. I know how busy you are. Besides ... you always make sure to come back before I fall asleep. That alone is more than enough for me."

She knew Edmund wanted to follow her father’s example. Her father had always eaten meals with her mother no matter how busy he was. However, no matter how hard he tried, the duties of a duke and a king couldn’t be compared.

More than that, as the King of Beasts, he also had to deal with endless office work, military affairs, and sometimes even patrols himself.

She truly needed to find a way to help him as soon as possible.

"Oh, husband, I heard you’ve already started preparing supplies for winter," she said before he could respond.

"Mhm, I have," Edmund admitted. "That’s why I’ll be even busier in the coming weeks."

On top of leading his soldiers to hunt and helping the people harvest, he also had to personally check everything that went into the palace warehouses.

Primrose remembered, in her first life, she had once caught sight of the mighty Lycan King kicking a boulder over and over, grumbling, "Damn winter."

When he realized she was watching him, Edmund immediately froze and snapped, "What? What are you staring at?"

Back then, she thought he was angry at her for spying on him. But now that she knew him better, it seemed he was simply embarrassed that his wife had seen him breaking down over winter workload.

"How about I lighten your burden by checking the food and clothing supplies for winter?" Primrose offered with a smile. "I can ask Sir Dorne to guide me. He would probably be thrilled to see me taking part in official work."

Primrose always had trouble with financial reports and endless paperwork, but quality control was her strength. She had often followed her father to his distillery and even stepped in for him when he was sick.

She wasn’t perfect, and sometimes she still needed help from her father’s senior workers, but she understood the flow of work well enough.

"I don’t think that’s the right first task for you," Edmund said firmly. "Winter preparations are huge and complicated. I’m afraid it will only put you under too much stress."

[I even curse the Moon Goddess every time winter comes,] Edmund thought. [I don’t want my wife to go through that stress.]

Remembering how he had crashed out in public before, Primrose could already guess the kind of insults he hurled at the Moon Goddess every winter.

But she also knew she’d feel even more stressed if her husband collapsed under the weight of his duties.

"I know you mean well, but husband ... I want to ease your burden too," she said softly, her eyes gleaming with determination. "At the very least, if I get stressed, then we’ll share that stress together."

It was such a strange way to comfort someone, but sometimes sharing the stress felt so much better than carrying it alone. At least, that was how Primrose felt it, and maybe ... Edmund wouldn’t break down so easily if she could share even a little of his burden.

Edmund looked at her for a long moment, his icy-blue eyes softening in a way that always made Primrose’s heart ache. He didn’t say anything right away, but the slight curve of his lips told her that he was touched.

"You really are too good to me," he finally whispered. "I don’t deserve a wife like you."

Primrose shook her head quickly, reaching out to squeeze his hand. "No, husband. You deserve even more. You’re the one carrying the entire kingdom on your shoulders. The least I can do is carry a piece of it with you."

For a moment, Edmund closed his eyes and let out a few heavy breaths. It seemed his wife wouldn’t be satisfied if he kept rejecting her idea.

"Alright then," Edmund finally said. "I will let you handle this work."

Primrose’s eyes lit up instantly, her smile blooming like sunlight after a storm. "Really? You mean it?"

Edmund chuckled softly, reaching out to brush a loose strand of hair from her face. "Yes. But you have to promise me not to push yourself too hard. If it ever feels overwhelming, just tell me and let me help."

How could Primrose ever complain about her tasks being too heavy when her husband was already carrying a mountain of burdens on his shoulders?

She had made a vow to herself that no matter how difficult things became, she would never complain to Edmund because the last thing she wanted was to add to his worries.

"I know, I know." "I know, I know," she said with a bright smile. A moment later, Edmund showed her a warm smile in return, the kind of smile that was wider than usual.

[HIS MAJESTY JUST SMILED?!]

[DAMN IT! THIS ONLY MEANS SOMETHING TERRIBLE IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN!]

Oh, for heaven’s sake.

These people really needed to stop associating her husband’s smile with the arrival of disaster.

He was smiling, not performing some dark ritual to summon demons!