CHAPTER 402: THE WARMTH BETWEEN STORMS

"Husband, the blizzard is really bad," said Primrose as she peeked outside through the window.

She couldn’t even see the sunlight even though it was still daytime. That was because the dark clouds had completely covered the sky, and the only thing visible outside was the endless snowstorm, even though three days had already passed.

"Back then, I always felt a little down every time I went through the Winter Retreat," Primrose said with a soft sigh. "Blizzards are honestly quite scary."

Especially when she had to stay alone in her room, with the sound of the wind howling outside. She had always been afraid of storms, and snowstorms were no different.

"Don’t look outside for too long," Edmund said gently as he came up behind her. He pulled the curtains shut so she wouldn’t have to see the storm anymore. "You’re right. The blizzard does look frightening." He added in a quiet voice, "I’m sorry for leaving you alone back then."

Primrose immediately turned around and hugged him tightly. "It doesn’t matter anymore. After all, we finally get to spend time together until the storm passes."

In the past, she used to wish the blizzard would end quickly. But now that she was spending it with her husband, she secretly hoped it would last just a little longer.

Edmund smiled and lifted her off the ground, making her laugh softly. "So, what should we do today?" he asked. "Do you want to read something together?"

In truth, Primrose thought they would spend the Winter Retreat having a lot of sex because, let’s be honest, how could a couple possibly resist touching each other when they were locked inside the same room for days?

However, now that she was two months pregnant, she had begun to experience morning sickness. It wasn’t too severe and only came occasionally thanks to Edmund’s saliva, but still, it affected her life quite a bit.

Her stomach sometimes felt heavy and bloated, and she just didn’t have the energy or mood for intimacy. She felt a little guilty for her husband’s sake and for her own hidden longing, but what could she do? She couldn’t just force her body to feel fine.

"How about ... we try finding a name for our baby?" Primrose suggested softly after Edmund set her down on the couch near the fireplace. "I asked Marielle to buy a baby name book before. It should be on the shelf."

Edmund went to grab the book she mentioned and sat beside her. "Ten thousand baby names?" he said with a small laugh. "Won’t that make it even harder to choose?"

"Well, we have plenty of time, right?" Primrose smiled.

Edmund chuckled and pulled her gently closer. "Alright, let’s read them one by one." He let her lean against his arm, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders before opening the book.

He started reading aloud—first the boy names, then the girl names—but after a while, Primrose still wasn’t satisfied.

"I don’t know ... none of these names sound right for our baby." Primrose pouted. "You know what I mean? It’s like standing in front of a table full of cakes, but none of them are the one I want, so I don’t feel like eating any."

Edmund honestly didn’t think too deeply about their baby’s name. To him, a name was just a name, something used to call someone, like how he named his horse Dante.

"Husband!" Primrose lightly smacked his arm. "You can’t compare our baby to your greedy horse! A name isn’t just a name, but it carries a parent’s hope too."

Just like her own: Primrose Vielle Illvaris. Her father once told her that it meant "The first bloom who carries the harmony of the past."

"In other words, he told me it meant I was a new hope that grows and carries on my mother’s legacy," she explained softly, wanting Edmund to understand how important names could be.

"Oh ..." Edmund murmured, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don’t even know what my name means. Actually ... my current name is not my birth name."

"What?" Primrose’s eyes widened in surprise. "I didn’t know that! Then, what was your birth name?"

"My name was ... Blue."

Primrose’s forehead wrinkled in disbelief. "Blue? That’s it?"

"Yes," Edmund said quickly, avoiding her gaze. "That’s it."

Primrose’s brows furrowed in disbelief. Blue? Why on earth would his parents name him that? Don’t tell her they chose it just because his eyes were blue.

Oh, for heaven’s sake, they probably did!

"My former tribe didn’t have surnames," Edmund explained. "We usually only had one name. Maybe that’s why mine was so simple."

Even so, his parents could’ve chosen something more meaningful instead of giving him a name that sounded like one meant for a pet dog.

Primrose grew even more annoyed at his parents, and more relieved each time she remembered they were already dead.

"Then who gave you your current name?" Primrose asked softly. "Your name sounds so beautiful. I mean it."

Edmund Osbert Varnhame.

She wasn’t exaggerating, it truly was a beautiful name. If she hadn’t known the truth, she would’ve thought his parents had put real thought and love into choosing it.

"There was a kind old woman who took me in after I ran away from my tribe," Edmund said softly, pulling her closer, as if her warmth could soothe the ache in his heart. "She was human, and even though she didn’t know who I was, she gave me warm meals and let me stay with her for a while."

Primrose smiled sadly, listening to every word.

"But she was already sick," Edmund continued in a low voice. "She passed away just three months after I started living there."

The neighbors, who knew that a beast was living in the old woman’s house, thought Edmund was the reason for her death. Because of that misunderstanding, they tried to burn him alive.

"But I managed to run away," Edmund said quietly. "Then again ... and again ... until, eventually, I was caught and sold as a slave."

Primrose knew that Edmund’s past was nothing close to sunshine and rainbows, but every time she learned something new about what he’d been through, it still broke her heart all over again.

How could someone have so much bad luck in their life? Why would God be so cruel to him? What did Edmund ever do wrong?

"But don’t worry," Edmund added with a faint smile. "They never put a slave seal on me. So, I wasn’t that pitiful."

It was still pitiful!

Even without the seal, they had chained a silver collar around his neck so he couldn’t move freely, and back then, he’d been too young to control his lycan side, sometimes it was too strong, sometimes too weak.

"My wife, why are you crying?" Edmund asked suddenly, panic flashing across his face when he saw tears welling in her eyes.

"How could I not cry?" Primrose’s voice trembled as she wiped her tears. "The world was so cruel to you. You didn’t deserve any of that."

Edmund gently cupped her face, his thumb brushing away the tears on her cheeks. "But the world also gave me you," he said softly. "And for that, I’ll always be grateful. I’m sorry ... I shouldn’t have brought up something so heavy right now."

Maybe it was the blizzard. There was something about the endless snow and the cold that made people remember things they’d rather forget.

Just a few moments ago, they’d been talking about baby names. Now, the warmth in the room had turned into a heavy silence filled with unspoken pain.

"Even if your parents never gave you a meaningful name, and that kind old lady never told you what your new name meant," Primrose whispered, squeezing his hands tightly, "at least we can make sure our child will have one."

"You’re right." Edmund returned her grip, holding her hands even tighter. "Then let’s give our child a name that carries all the love and hope we never had."

Primrose smiled and said, "Maybe ... we should wait until our baby is born." She gently stroked her stomach. The baby bump wasn’t very visible yet, but there was a small curve starting to show. "Maybe once we see them with our own eyes, we’ll just know which name feels right."

Edmund nodded, then gently pulled his wife onto his lap so they could be as close as possible.

The blizzard lasted for nearly two weeks, and during that time, they never once stepped outside their room. In the final days of the winter retreat, they finally shared something intimate, but most of the days were spent simply holding each other close, trading kisses, laughter, and warmth beneath the blankets.

Even so, Primrose didn’t really want the winter retreat to end. Those days of quiet togetherness felt like a dream she never wanted to wake up from.

Therefore, when the blizzard finally stopped and the sunlight began to melt the snow outside, allowing them to step out of their room without shivering, she couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed ... and a little sad that their peaceful cocoon had come to an end.