CHAPTER 388: THE KING’S ARCHERY LESSON (I)

"Not really." Primrose gave him a bright smile, then gently asked Solene to leave them alone. "I’m sorry. I slept too long."

"Please, don’t apologize." Edmund tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and brushed his thumb softly over her cheek. "Thanks to you, we’ve managed to fill up our meat stock for winter without working ourselves to death."

The prisoners were still out in the forest, hunting endlessly and filling the freezing chambers with meat. Even without food or rest, their healing abilities kept them going nonstop.

Edmund had predicted that they could probably continue hunting for at least a week, until their regeneration slowed down and they were no longer able to move properly.

"How was your day?" Primrose asked softly, her eyes lowering to the bow in Edmund’s hand. "Were you teaching the soldiers how to shoot arrows?"

Edmund nodded. "Yes. When winter comes, we’ll have plenty of places to hide and blend in. That’s why I want everyone to be good at striking from a distance."

Even though it was rare for enemies to show up during winter, Edmund always made sure his soldiers were well-prepared, just in case.

"Can I try it?" Primrose asked all of a sudden.

Edmund raised an eyebrow. "What? The bow?" He hesitated for a moment before saying, "It might be ... too heavy for you, my wife."

He didn’t mean to underestimate her. It was just that all the weapons in the palace were made for beasts, so a normal human like her would have a hard time even drawing the string.

Primrose let out a quiet sigh. She just wanted to try it because whenever something dangerous happened, all she could do was stand by helplessly. Sure, she could control people’s minds now, but still ... wouldn’t it be better if she could handle at least one weapon on her own?

"But I think I have a lighter one," Edmund said after noticing the disappointment on her face. "It’s actually made for beast children, but humans can use it too."

Primrose tilted her head curiously. "Why do you even have a child’s bow? You don’t hire children."

Edmund looked away, covering half of his face with his hand. "I’ve heard that children are always curious about what their parents do. What if our child sees me using a bow and wants to try it too?"

Primrose blinked in surprise before chuckling softly. "So that’s why you bought a child’s bow?"

"I didn’t buy it ..." Edmund murmured. "I made it."

[Dr. Celdric said there’s a high chance our child will be a beast, but what if they’re born human instead?]

[I don’t want them to feel sad if they can’t use a beast’s bow, so I made one that both humans and beasts can use.]

Primrose stared at him, her heart swelling. "You really think of everything, don’t you?"

"Is that ... weird?" Edmund asked hesitantly.

"No." Primrose turned his face toward her and smiled warmly. "Of course not. That’s really sweet, husband." Her voice softened. "Our child will be so lucky to have you as their father."

In the past, Primrose used to worry that Edmund might not accept their child if they weren’t born as strong as him, or if their firstborn happened to be a girl. But from the very beginning, Edmund had always made it clear that no matter who their child was, he would love them unconditionally.

"They’ll also be lucky to have you as their mother, wife," Edmund said with a gentle smile.

Primrose laughed softly. "Since our kids aren’t here yet, can I try the bow first? Maybe we can test it together to make sure it’s safe."

"Maybe ... just a bit," Edmund said. "If your hand starts to hurt, we’ll stop right away."

Since the sun had already set, they decided to continue their archery practice inside the training hall, while the soldiers remained outside. Thanks to their beastly sight, they could still see clearly even in the dark.

"Here," Edmund said softly as he stepped behind her. He had to spread his legs slightly to the sides so they could stand evenly together. "Put your hand like this."

He adjusted her grip on the bow, his fingers brushing gently against hers. The warmth of his touch made Primrose’s heart skip a beat. She could feel his breath near her ear as he guided her arms into the right position.

At that moment, Primrose honestly didn’t know whether she should focus on the bow or on her very handsome husband who was standing so close to her.

Still, she forced herself to concentrate because he really wanted to learn properly this time. Even though Edmund had said the bow was light enough for children, it still felt a little heavy in her hands.

But she could understand why.

He was used to extraordinary strength, so of course, it was hard for him to imagine what it felt like to be weaker than that.

Even so, this bow was at least five times lighter than the one Edmund usually used.

"My hands are shaking," Primrose said, a bit embarrassed. "I’m sorry."

"No, it’s fine." Edmund covered her hands with his, his voice calm and gentle. "It’s normal for beginners to have shaking hands. Don’t apologize."

While most of the soldiers were still practicing outside, a few had come inside to restock their arrows.

The moment they saw how softly the Lycan King spoke to his wife, their thoughts started running wild.

[It’s not fair! His Majesty would smack our hands if we trembled like that when we first held a bow!]

[Dear Moon Goddess, if reincarnation is real, please let me come back as a beautiful woman married to a kind, strong Alpha, or even better, a Lycan!]

Primrose pressed her lips tightly to hold back a laugh. It seemed their relationship not only made women envious, but even made some of the men wish they had been born as women instead.

They really shouldn’t think that way. Somewhere in the world, there must be someone just as gentle and loving as her husband.

"Do you see that red dot?" Edmund asked.

Primrose squinted at the target board standing far ahead. "I see it."

"We’re going to try hitting that spot," he said calmly.