CHAPTER 373: THE HUSBAND WHO BECAME A PUPPY

"Wife ... they’re my ears," Edmund muttered, his voice low with embarrassment as Primrose continued stroking them for a little too long, as though she were petting a dog.

"I know," she replied softly. Instead of letting him go, she pulled him closer, wrapping her arms around him and letting his head rest against her chest. "But they’re so soft."

His ears suddenly folded back on their own, as if showing that their owner felt threatened or maybe ... just embarrassed.

"Don’t you think this appearance makes me look disgusting?" Edmund asked quietly, turning his gaze away. "I look like a dog."

Primrose smiled, her voice full of warmth. "What’s wrong with that? I love dogs. They’re cute, loyal ... and so precious." She leaned down, brushing her lips against his temple. "But you’re not a dog, Edmund. You’re my husband, and I love my husband."

Edmund’s chest tightened at her words, and for a moment he couldn’t bring himself to speak.

His wolf ears twitched, then perked up ever so slightly, betraying his mood more honestly than his face ever could. They flicked forward like a happy pup, showing just how deeply her words had touched him.

Slowly, he turned back to her. "I love you too, wife," he said, his voice low but full of sincerity.

At last, Primrose stopped playing with Edmund’s wolf ears and guided him back down to bed. "Alright, let’s drink your medicine first," she said. "Do you need some water?"

Before Edmund could answer, she had already poured water into a glass and set it beside him. "We need to change your clothes too, or maybe use warm water to clean your body a little."

She helped him sit up carefully, then pressed the medicine into his hand along with the glass. "Here, drink this. I’ll ask Marielle to bring a basin of warm water and a towel." After a brief pause, she added with a smile, "And maybe some food too. We need breakfast."

All this time, Edmund had always been the one taking care of her, so he never expected his wife to do the same for him.

But to his surprise, Primrose was handling it so well—almost too well—that he couldn’t help but wonder if she had taken care of another man before.

"I used to take care of my father whenever he got sick," Primrose explained before Edmund’s thoughts could wander too far.

She buttoned his shirt after wiping his body gently with warm water. "He was always a little needy and only wanted me to look after him. That’s why ... I’ve grown used to caring for someone when they’re unwell."

"But just make sure you don’t fall out of bed." Primrose pressed a little kiss to his cheek after buttoning his shirt. "It’s impossible for me to carry you back."

Maybe she could, but only at the cost of breaking her hips. Or perhaps she could drag him little by little until he was back in bed.

"You can ask Leofric to lift me if I fall," Edmund said softly. "But don’t worry, I won’t go anywhere until I’m feeling better."

[Besides ... it feels really nice to be spoiled by my wife,] Edmund thought lazily.

"It also feels nice to pamper you, husband," Primrose said suddenly, making Edmund freeze for a moment.

Even now, she still found it funny how her husband kept forgetting about her mind-reading ability. Leofric even never forgot, but Edmund somehow always did.

"I’m sorry for troubling you, my wife," he said at last.

Primrose frowned, her eyes narrowing. "Don’t say that! I’ll really get angry if you keep calling yourself a burden to me."

Edmund pressed his lips together and wisely stayed quiet, deciding it was safer than accidentally provoking her.

Afterward, Primrose fed him porridge spoon by spoon and sent word to Leofric to handle Edmund’s duties for the day.

But to her surprise, Leofric didn’t look too well either. His face was pale, and his hair was left unkempt, as if he hadn’t bothered with it at all.

"I just had a rough night," Leofric said quickly, before Primrose could question his weary appearance. "Don’t worry about His Majesty’s duties, I’ll take care of them."

Primrose guessed he had probably spent the night trying to persuade Lorelle to go through with the ritual Naveer had suggested.

Even now, she thought their relationship was far too complicated, and even if Lorelle truly recovered, Primrose doubted that the scars left behind could ever fully heal.

Lorelle had pushed herself too far in her desperate pursuit of Leofric, only to fail. Worse still, he never once returned her feelings outright. Though Primrose could see that he loved her deep inside, he still refused to surrender to it.

Why? What was holding him back? Even if they couldn’t be together forever, couldn’t they at least spend a little time together happily, as a couple?

But then again ... what did Primrose really know? She wasn’t immortal. She could never understand the weight of thoughts and choices that someone like Leofric carried.

Maybe, to him, it was like being afraid to taste something sweet after swallowing too much bitterness. So, to protect himself from pain, he chose to turn away from joy altogether.

It sounded selfish—thinking only of his own well-being—but wasn’t that natural? In the end, every person has the instinct to protect themselves ... unless they’re completely blinded by love.

Perhaps Leofric simply didn’t love Lorelle enough, or maybe ... Primrose truly didn’t know, since she couldn’t read his mind.

"Can you also tell Sir Callen that he won’t be able to take the royal guard’s test today?" Primrose asked gently.

Though Leofric could take over Edmund’s duties for a while, he could not replace Edmund in conducting the royal guard’s test for Callen.

It was because only the king had the right to decide the outcome of that test.

Primrose imagined Callen would be devastated, forced to wait even longer for something he had been anticipating for so long. But unbeknownst to her, Callen was actually celebrating the delay, happily playing fetch-the-plate with the other soldiers.

It was better she didn’t know. If she did, she would have been furious because to her, it would look as though Callen was celebrating her husband’s illness, even though he hadn’t known the truth.

"Are you feeling better now?" Primrose asked softly to Edmund.

They had spent the entire day in the bedroom, but neither of them minded. In truth, it was what they had been longing for since yesterday, even if it came at the expense of Edmund’s health.

"I’m not sure." Edmund leaned closer to his wife, burying his face against her breast, either seeking comfort ... or just being a shameless pervert. "I still feel so weak I can’t even stand."

Primrose giggled, stroking his head gently to soothe him. "Really? Just a while ago, I heard you thinking that you already had the energy to run outside."

Edmund groaned and pressed his face deeper into her embrace. "You must have misheard," he mumbled. "I didn’t say that in my head."

Primrose’s smile softened as she patted his back tenderly. "If that’s so ... then I guess I’ll just have to take care of my husband a little longer."

Dr. Celdric had been right after all. Edmund didn’t even need a full day to recover completely. The sun hadn’t even set yet, but her husband’s fever had already gone down.

His complexion no longer looked pale, and Primrose believed he was fully recovered, especially since he already had enough strength to do something naughty like ... squeezing her breast.

"Edmund," Primrose scolded gently, her cheeks turning pink. "You’re already sick because you pushed yourself too hard yesterday, and now ... are you trying to make love to me again? Aren’t you tired?"

Edmund immediately lifted his head, his voice full of stubborn pride. "I’m not tired just because we made love last night!" He blurted out without thinking, "Wife, don’t worry. I could still have sex with you all night and all day without ever getting tired if you wa—"

"I don’t think I can last the entire day," Primrose cut him off with a laugh, her cheeks flushing pink. But then, almost without warning, her smile softened and she whispered, "I’m sorry."

Edmund swallowed hard, realizing too late that his playful boasting might have hurt her instead. "No ... forget what I said," he murmured quickly. "I was just rambling nonsense."

Primrose squeezed his hand gently, her eyes softening. "Then let’s forget it," she said with a faint smile. "You need to rest, Edmund. Maybe I can read you a book, so you won’t feel bored lying here."

Edmund relaxed a little at her words, his wolf ears twitching faintly. He nodded, the corner of his lips curving into a small smile. "That sounds nice ... as long as it’s your voice I hear."

Primrose reached for the stack of books by the bedside, carefully choosing one. But just as she opened the cover, a deep, echoing sound shook the palace walls.

DONG! DONG! DONG!

The heavy bell from the palace tower rang out, its solemn toll cutting through the quiet of their chamber.

Primrose froze, her eyes widening. That bell was only rung for one reason; danger had come to the palace.