CHAPTER 400: HAVING A SPECIAL DINER (I)

"Your Majesty, I have good news," she whispered beside her ear. "Your present from His Majesty has finally arrived at the palace."

Primrose’s eyes brightened immediately. She had asked Solene to have a sword charm made for her husband over a month ago. But since the jeweler was in high demand, she had to wait a long time before her order could even be started.

The jeweler was also known for being very detailed and perfectionist, so it wasn’t a surprise that it took a while.

The moment Primrose heard that her gift was finally ready, she shot up from her chair. "Where’s the gift?" she asked eagerly.

Solene leaned in closer, lowering her voice so Edmund wouldn’t overhear. "Would you like to see it first, Your Majesty?"

Primrose nodded. "But let’s not check it here." She turned toward her husband and raised her voice slightly. "Husband! I’ll head back first with Lady Solene!"

Edmund waved from a distance, not stopping her. He probably thought his wife just wanted to lie down for a bit.

"Let’s get out of here," Primrose said, grabbing Solene’s hand and pulling her away from the training ground.

Once they were far enough, they finally stopped walking. Solene handed her a small wooden box, and Primrose carefully lifted the lid, her heart beating a little faster.

"Do you think it turned out well?" she asked softly, almost nervous.

"Of course, Your Majesty," Solene replied with a warm smile. "Sir Argus is the most famous jeweler in Noctvaris. I can promise you, it’s going to be beautiful. Please don’t worry."

After taking a deep breath, Primrose finally opened the wooden box, and her eyes widened in awe.

Inside was the sword charm she had designed in her mind weeks ago, recreated perfectly down to the tiniest detail.

It was a small ornament meant to hang from the hilt of Edmund’s sword, a symbol of protection and devotion. The charm’s base was made of polished silver, shaped like a slender leaf with tiny vines delicately etched along its edges, as if they were gently wrapping around it.

At its center rested two gemstones: a deep green emerald and a shimmering blue topaz. The emerald was her birthstone from May, while the topaz was Edmund’s birthstone from December.

When sunlight touched the charm, both gemstones shimmered beautifully, scattering soft reflections of green and blue.

The design itself was simple—nothing too grand or flashy—yet it carried a meaning far deeper than any jewel could hold. Their birthstones would remind Edmund that he was no longer alone, that there was someone walking beside him now, sharing his battles and his peace.

Primrose smiled faintly as she ran her thumb over the smooth surface of the charm. "It looks really perfect."

Primrose wanted to give the gift to Edmund in private, so she decided to wait for him to return from the training ground. Besides, she still needed to see Naveer off after their long discussion with Leofric and Lorelle.

"I’ll inform you as soon as the clay statue is ready," Naveer said politely before turning to Leofric, who stood beside Primrose. "Don’t worry, Sir Leofric. With a touch of magic, the clay statue will look perfectly human."

[I’m still annoyed by him,] Naveer thought to herself, glancing briefly at Leofric. [But since his love story is honestly such a tragic mess, I’ll let go of my resentment for now.]

Primrose never expected that such a tragic love story could make someone feel so much sympathy, enough to forget all their hatred.

"I’ll be waiting for your good news, Lady Naveer," said Leofric.

They didn’t exchange any more pleasantries; Primrose simply waved as Naveer departed in her carriage.

"I’ll return to Lorelle," Leofric said next. "Tell Edmund not to bother us for a while."

Primrose only nodded in response. She figured they probably wanted some private time to talk about their feelings heart to heart. And no, she didn’t think they would do anything indecent, since Lorelle’s body was still so weak.

After Leofric left, Primrose turned to Solene and asked her to tell the maids to prepare a special dinner for her and Edmund.

"Are you sure, Your Majesty?" Solene asked. "His Majesty might come back quite late."

Primrose smiled. "I’ve already asked Sir Callen to tell my husband to return a little earlier."

Besides, the soldiers’ training seemed to be going smoothly. Primrose could even see that the newcomers had grown stronger, their bodies firmer and their techniques much sharper.

"Alright then," Solene asked with a soft smile, "would you like to have dinner in the dining room, or do you have another place in mind?"

Primrose thought for a moment. The dining room felt too large, and honestly, she was getting a bit tired of always eating there.

"How about dinner on our balcony?" she suggested. "I have a feeling the sky will be clear tonight."

• • •

Primrose waited patiently on the balcony, the evening breeze brushing through her hair as the last streaks of sunlight faded beyond the horizon.

The maids had already prepared the table for their special dinner on the balcony. It wasn’t anything too fancy; just a few candles on the table, a vase filled with fake flowers that looked almost real, and their dinner neatly arranged.

Primrose had planned all of this because she realized how rarely they had dinner together lately, and ... she simply wanted to be the one to surprise her husband for once, hoping it would make him happy.

Unfortunately, just as Solene had warned earlier, Edmund was late, even after Callen had told him to come back sooner.

Maybe something came up after his training, she wasn’t sure. But what bothered her most was that Edmund once again wasn’t wearing his wedding ring.

Primrose tapped her fingers on the table, starting to feel a bit impatient. She had been waiting for almost an hour, and Edmund should’ve known she prepared something special tonight because after all, he must have seen the maids carrying everything up to their balcony.

Well, she had also hidden her wedding ring earlier when she was checking his gift. Still, he must have at least heard that she wanted to give him something. Besides, she had already told Edmund before that she wanted to earn her own money so she could buy him something nice.

Primrose let out a soft sigh. It seemed like she would never be able to truly surprise her husband, not with all the spying devices scattered around their chamber and practically everywhere else.

But ... whatever.

At the very least, this would show Edmund that she was always thinking about him, and that she loved him just as much as he loved her.

After another ten minutes of waiting. and nearly dozing off from boredom, Primrose suddenly heard a familiar voice calling her from below the balcony.

"Wife!"

Her eyes fluttered open, and she immediately stood up, leaning over the railing. Down below, Edmund was looking up at her with that charming grin that always made her heart skip a beat.

He was holding something behind his back, a rectangular box wrapped neatly in deep red paper and tied with a golden ribbon.

"What are you doing down there?!" Primrose called out. "I told you to come here an hour ago!"

Edmund’s expression immediately turned guilty, like a puppy who knew he’d done something wrong. "I ... I’m sorry, my wife!" he said, his voice soft and pleading. "I knew you wanted to give me something, and I couldn’t just show up empty-handed!"

Primrose sighed, half exasperated, half amused. "Husband! You don’t need to bring anything! I’m the one who wanted to give you something!"

Still standing below the balcony, Edmund looked up at her with a stubborn smile. "But my wife is too precious," he said warmly, "and I can’t let her give without receiving something in return."

Primrose’s cheeks instantly turned red because her husband could be unbelievably sweet sometimes. She stammered a little before asking, "Then ... why don’t you come up here?! Why are you still down there?"

Edmund smiled. "Because ... this thing can only be opened outside," he replied mysteriously.

Primrose frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

"You’ll see," he said, stepping back a few paces while holding the box carefully. He glanced up at her one last time, saying, "Keep your eyes on the sky, wife."

Before Primrose could say anything else, Edmund lifted the lid of the box.

Within seconds, a burst of glowing lights shot upward into the night sky. It was explosion magic, the kind usually used for grand celebrations. In other words, it was fireworks.

As they burst high above the palace, the colors shimmered in emerald green and icy blue, their birthstone colors.

Ah ... Edmund must have already known about her gift.

Primrose gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as the lights bloomed and danced across the sky, reflecting in her eyes. Each explosion looked like a spray of glittering stars, some forming heart shapes, others spreading out like delicate phoenix wings.

[My wife, I love you,] Primrose heard Edmund spoke through his mind.