CHAPTER 246: THE QUEEN CAN’T MOVE HER LEGS! (II)

[I KNEW IT! I should’ve never let my wife climb all those stairs!]

[She can’t feel her feet? What if ... what if she never walks again?!]

[No ... no, no, no! My wife ... my wife is paralyzed!]

Edmund’s thoughts were spiraling out of control, so loud and panicked that if thoughts had sound, the whole palace would’ve heard them.

"Do your legs hurt?" he asked, breathless with fear. In a second, he pulled the blanket off the bed, kneeling beside her with wide, frantic eyes.

"I ... actually feel nothing," Primrose said softly.

She sat upright, staring down at her legs. No matter how hard she tried, her toes wouldn’t move. She willed them to twitch, to respond, but they just lay there, motionless.

Still, they looked normal. No swelling, no bruises. Nothing to suggest she had been poisoned or overexerted the day before.

She had to admit that Silas really knew what he was doing, and it seemed Hazelle might know quite a bit about poisons too.

"You feel nothing?" Edmund whispered. His hand hovered above her legs, trembling. He wanted to touch her, to help somehow, but he was terrified he’d make it worse.

[Could my saliva heal her? But ... there’s no visible wound, so maybe that won’t work.]

[Why does she look so calm? IS SHE HIDING HER PAIN?!]

[She’s just pretending to be fine so I won’t worry ... isn’t she?]

[What should I do? What if I can’t fix this?!]

His mind was a whirlwind of panic and guilt, each thought hitting harder than the last.

Primrose managed to look calm only because she knew the paralysis would wear off in three days.

"Husband," she said gently, tugging his hand to get his attention. "Could you please call Dr. Silas? I don’t think this is normal at all."

"If it was from walking too much yesterday, my legs should at least look swollen, right? But they look fine ... so maybe that’s not the reason."

Edmund didn’t say a word. He just nodded and darted toward the door. From the bed, Primrose could hear him telling Callen—who was stationed outside—to bring Silas to the Queen’s chamber immediately.

Callen didn’t know what had happened, but the sheer panic on the Lycan King’s face was enough to send him sprinting down the corridor.

Silas arrived within three minutes, still in his sleep robe, with Hazelle trailing behind him.

"What happened, Your Majesty?" Silas asked, his tone full with concern. He looked at Primrose like a protective father, but Primrose could hear his real thoughts, and they were anything but fatherly.

[Finally ... I get to see her suffer,] Silas thought. [She’s been giggling around the palace like a fool, clinging to the Lycan King like some palace whore.]

[I’ve held back my disgust for so long, and it’s worth it because now I can see her suffer.]

Primrose clenched her fists secretly.

Whore? Just for being close to her husband? Kissing him in public?

He was her husband, for Goodness’ sake! What was wrong with showing affection with her own husband?!

Silas was clearly insane to even think like that.

"I can’t move my legs," Primrose said, putting on a frightened tone. "I don’t understand. I was fine last night ... but when I woke up this morning, I couldn’t move at all."

Most people might not notice, but she saw the corner of Silas’s mouth twitch, like he was fighting the urge to smile.

"Let me examine you first, Your Majesty," Silas said.

Primrose only nodded and turned her eyes toward Hazelle, who stood quietly behind him. But unlike usual, she looked tense and kept fidgeting with her fingers.

[This is wrong ...] Hazelle thought. [I told Her Majesty the poison wouldn’t cause any pain.]

Primrose frowned. ’What does she mean?’

[What do I do now? Dr. Silas just told me he lied. He said the poison won’t cause pain unless—]

"AAAH!" Primrose cried out in agony the moment Silas touched her foot.

He hadn’t pressed hard, but it felt like her bones were being crushed, like sharp blades were slicing through her skin.

The sharp, searing pain brought tears to her eyes instantly.

Edmund shoved Silas away with so much force, the doctor nearly fell backward. His eyes were wild with fury, his canines slightly bared, and his Lycan instincts flaring.

"What the hell are you doing to my wife?!" he roared.

Silas raised both hands quickly. "Your Majesty, please! I didn’t mean to hurt Her Majesty. I was only checking her nerves. I didn’t expect her reaction to be that intense."

Primrose trembled as she gripped the edge of the bed, struggling to breathe through the fire still burning in her legs. Every throb sent a fresh wave of pain through her bones.

"Then don’t touch her again!" Edmund snapped. "You grabbed her too hard!"

"No, I swear, I didn’t press hard," Silas insisted, putting on an innocent face. "It seems like her nerves aren’t functioning properly. That’s likely why it felt so painful."

Edmund clenched his jaw. "She said she felt nothing this morning, and now you’re saying her nerves are ruined? Explain that."

Silas paused, then said, "It’s possible the paralysis is linked to hidden nerve sensitivity. Sometimes, when nerves begin to reawaken, it happens suddenly ... and it hurts."

"And how does that happen?" Edmund demanded.

"This ... this might be a rare hereditary condition," Silas said carefully. "I’m afraid Her Majesty is suffering from something passed down through her bloodline."

"A rare hereditary condition?" Edmund repeated slowly, his voice low and skeptical. "Why have I never heard of it before?"

Silas cleared his throat, choosing his words carefully. "It’s not commonly spoken about, especially if no one in the family has shown symptoms for generations. But it can remain dormant and suddenly appear under the right circumstances ... like extreme physical exertion."

Silas might not have said it directly, but his words were clearly referring to the time when Primrose climbed a thousand stairs yesterday.

Honestly, she was surprised, how could that information have spread throughout the entire palace so quickly?