CHAPTER 320: THE KING’S EMPTY SWORD

Primrose returned to her chamber with a smile still lingering on her face. She proudly showed the gift to Solene, holding up the soft white scarf as though it were the most priceless treasure in the world.

"My husband gave this to me." She hugged the scarf close, swaying it back and forth with childlike joy. Even though she knew Solene might think she was being a little silly, she couldn’t stop herself.

But instead of looking annoyed, Solene’s face lit up with excitement. "Your Majesty, this scarf is truly precious!" she exclaimed. "Its material is extremely rare. It’s made from the fur of a mountain bear, a demon beast that usually lives high in the mountains and is incredibly fierce!"

She continued, "Scarves like this are hardly ever seen on the market because the fur is so difficult to obtain. Only the strongest warriors are able to bring one back."

Solene paused for a moment, as if trying to recall something. "Ah, yes ... I think I once heard that His Majesty traveled to the mountains before you arrived at the palace. I wasn’t here back then, but Marielle told me he went to hunt for mountain bear fur, so his future wife would never have to suffer from the cold in winter."

He what?

So ... he had prepared this gift even before she came to the palace? But if that was true, then why, in her first life, had she never received this scarf?

Or ... had she?

A faint memory stirred in her mind. If she wasn’t mistaken, she had once seen a fur scarf tucked away inside his cupboard. At the time, she hadn’t thought much of it, and since she rarely stepped outside during the winter, she never had the chance to use it.

It seemed that, in that life, Edmund hadn’t handed it to her personally. Instead, he must have quietly asked the maids to place it in her wardrobe, so she never realized it had been a gift from him all along.

Primrose suddenly felt a pang of sadness as the realization sank in.

He must have thought she would throw the scarf away if she knew it was from him.

Well, he wasn’t wrong. There was a high possibility she might have done exactly that back then. But in this life, she would never make the same mistake. She would keep all of Edmund’s gifts and treasure them as if they were priceless jewels!

"Your Majesty, what’s wrong?" Solene asked gently when Primrose didn’t respond right away.

Primrose quickly shook her head. "I’m fine," she said. "But ... I was actually wondering what kind of gift I could possibly give my husband, something as precious as this scarf?"

The only things she had ever given Edmund were a pair of gloves and a handkerchief, and even those hadn’t been very special. That was why she now felt it was completely unfair.

Solene smiled softly. "Your Majesty, His Majesty would treasure anything that comes from your hands. Even the simplest gift means the world to him if it’s from you."

"But still ...." Primrose lowered her head, murmuring, "I don’t want to give my husband something of low value."

She stared at the floor for a moment, lost in thought, before tilting her head when her eyes caught something interesting on Solene’s sword.

"What is that?" she asked curiously, pointing toward the small ornament hanging from the hilt.

Solene glanced down at her sword and smiled faintly. Hanging from the hilt was a small tassel made of braided red thread, with a tiny silver bead at its end.

"This?" She lifted it gently, the charm swaying in her fingers. "It was given to me by my mother before she passed away. In the beast world, we often hang charms from our swords as talismans. They’re meant to protect us in battle, but more importantly ..." her voice softened, "... they’re usually given by family."

Family?

Primrose thought about it for a moment and finally realized that every soldier she had seen carried a sword with a charm tied to its hilt. Even Callen had one, most likely from his mother as well.

But Edmund’s sword hilt was empty, because he had no family left, and no one who wished for him to return home safely.

"Can ... a wife give one to her husband?" Primrose whispered. "A wife is family too, isn’t she?"

Solene’s eyes softened, and for a moment she looked touched by Primrose’s words. "Of course, Your Majesty. A wife is the closest family a man could ever have. If you give His Majesty a sword charm, it will be more precious than anything else he owns."

[Usually, parents pass down the charm to their children, as it also becomes a symbol of their pride in them. But ... I think His Majesty would be truly glad if his wife gave him something like this.]

[If someone ties a charm to his sword, Your Majesty, then for the first time ... it won’t just carry blood and death, but it will carry love too.]

"Would you like a recommendation for a jeweler in this kingdom? I know a few who can make a sword charm just the way you want," Solene offered.

Primrose’s shoulders slowly relaxed, relieved that she didn’t have to search for that kind of information on her own. "Yes, please ... you’re such a great help, Lady Solene."

A few days ago, Edmund had told her she could take money from his account whenever she needed it. He never mentioned any limits, but ... Primrose was determined to use it wisely because the last thing she wanted was to hurt his account balance.

All she had to do was let Edmund’s personal financial assistant know whenever she wished to make a withdrawal or handle a transaction with a merchant, and he would take care of the rest for her.

Yeah, Primrose hadn’t even realized at first that Edmund had his own personal financial assistant.

"So, what kind of charm would you like, Your Majesty?" Solene asked gently.

Primrose fell silent for a while, her eyes thoughtful. Then a small smile touched her lips. "I think ... I already know what I want."