CHAPTER 381: THE QUEEN’S PLAN (I)

"Not much is left, Your Majesty," Sevrin reported the moment they reached the warehouse. "Even the meat stored in the cooling chamber has spoiled after the wolves destroyed the magic that kept it preserved."

Primrose turned her head toward the smaller building beside the warehouse. It was the cooling chamber, a place wrapped in enchantments strong enough to keep food fresh for months.

But now, the building was in ruins. Part of its walls had collapsed, and all the frozen meat they had carefully stored since the beginning of the month had melted and rotted away in just a single day.

The stench was so overpowering that Primrose couldn’t bring herself to step any closer.

"What about the materials for making warm clothes?" Primrose asked.

"Almost all the wool and animal pelts are stained with blood," Sevrin admitted, "but we might still be able to clean them. Besides, we still have warm clothes from previous years, so this won’t be too much of a problem."

At least the firewood was safe. Edmund had killed the wolves before they could set fire to the piles, sparing them from an even greater loss.

After inspecting everything and reviewing the report Primrose had written earlier, it became clear that the worst damage was to the meat and beans. Almost all of it had been ruined, either spoiled or contaminated with blood.

"We can hunt again," Edmund muttered, "but gathering enough meat to last through the winter would mean working around the clock." He let out a sharp sigh, frustration flickering in his eyes. "As for the beans ... I doubt we have enough time left to harvest them."

The air was growing colder, and the leaves had already begun to fall, a clear sign that winter was almost upon them. Once the frost set in, the fields would stop producing, and the chance of harvesting more beans would vanish entirely.

Buying from the local farmers was no solution either. With winter so close, most of them would rather keep what they had for their own families than sell it.

Sevrin spoke to Edmund, "We may have to purchase beans and crops from outside, Your Majesty."

"Buying from other kingdoms?" Edmund replied hesitantly. "That would show weakness. Most of the surrounding kingdoms are human kingdoms, and I doubt they would willingly sell their goods to beasts like us."

Edmund and Sevrin’s voices grew blurry as Primrose sank into her own thoughts, searching for a solution. There was no way they could ask for help from Vellmoria because the Emperor would only seize the chance to exploit their weakness.

What they needed was a prosperous kingdom, one with no history of hostility. It wouldn’t matter if it was a human kingdom, as long as the ruler wasn’t blinded by prejudice. That alone would be enough

And it would be even better if Primrose already knew the king or queen personally.

Oh, she did know one.

"Have you heard of the Kingdom of Elandria?" Primrose asked suddenly, making both Edmund and Sevrin turn toward her at once.

"I know of it," Edmund said slowly. "But we’ve never had political ties with them."

Honestly, the Kingdom of Noctvaris didn’t have strong political ties with any of the human realms nearby. The combination of rumors and the existence of rotten beasts like the Blackpeak Pack had been enough to plant fear in the hearts of men.

However, human hatred toward beasts had lessened—only a little, but even that was an improvement—since Edmund had destroyed many of the beasts who only caused chaos instead of peace.

Because of this, Primrose found it hard to believe that her husband’s kill count was only "three hundred," as he once said. She suspected the real number was likely hidden away by his wolf.

Still, she had no intention of bringing up her husband’s kill count now.

"Indeed, we don’t," Primrose admitted, "but maybe we can build one. Elandria lies in the mountains, and their fields are rich with beans and root vegetables. We could purchase part of what we need from them. As for the rest ... we’ll sort through what food we still have that isn’t tainted by blood."

Edmund frowned. "I know you mean well, my wife. However, forming political ties with a human kingdom is extremely difficult, especially with one that rarely interacts with us."

The Kingdom of Elandria was located far from Noctvaris, and their interactions were minimal, unlike with the Vellmoria Empire, whose borders directly touched those of the beast kingdom.

"I wouldn’t suggest this if I wasn’t sure it could work," Primrose said firmly. "The Queen of Elandria is an old friend of mine. We haven’t met in two years, but before I married, we often exchanged letters."

When Primrose said she could befriend anyone, she truly meant it.

The Queen of Elandria, Rowena Lyselle, had once been only the daughter of Viscount Lyselle. They were a minor noble house without any territories, but the House of Lyselle wielded strong influence in the arts of the Vellmoria Empire.

Viscountess Lyselle had once been a famous opera singer, while the Viscount himself was a great writer whose works had spread even beyond the empire’s borders.

Their only daughter, Rowena, had inherited both gifts; singing like her mother, while mastering embroidery with hands as skilled as her father’s pen.

That was why, from the age of fifteen until her debutante, Primrose had learned embroidery from her. They were only six years apart, close enough in age to talk like sisters instead of teacher and student.

But no amount of talent could shield Rowena from misfortune. The carriage accident that struck her before she turned eighteen had changed her life forever.

Her once-beautiful face was scarred, and from that day on, Rowena hid it behind a veil. Even Primrose, who had once spent hours with her learning embroidery, had never seen her face directly.

Because of that, no man in the Kingdom of Azmeria—or in the entire Vellmoria Empire—wanted to marry her, even though she had once been admired, with men waiting eagerly for her debutante so they could propose