CHAPTER 261: THE QUEEN IS A PROFESSIONAL LIAR (II)

Back to Silas, his gaze toward Primrose had started to shift, now filled with admiration and a twisted sort of approval, as if he had just found a kindred spirit in cruelty.

"That’s quite the mindset, Your Majesty," Silas said with a dark chuckle. "I always suspected you were more clever than your reputation suggests."

"So," she continued, her tone light and curious, "how do you usually discipline your slaves? I assume you don’t just drag them out and whip them in the town square like some barbarian?"

"Of course not," Silas replied with a wave of his hand. "That’s messy and too easy for others to see. I prefer something more elegant, more ... effective like a slave seal."

Primrose’s brow lifted ever so slightly, pretending to not know anything about that. "Slave seal?"

Silas nodded. "Yes. It’s a tool clever masters use. With the right spell, you can make a slave feel pain, freeze their limbs, or even cause terrifying hallucinations just by breaking your command."

He leaned forward a bit, lowering his voice like he was sharing a precious secret. "You can customize the rules and the punishments however you like."

He continued, "The punishment can be so painful, so intense, that even the most stubborn beast will never dare disobey again. Especially if they’re bound by one of these seals."

Primrose clenched her fists beneath the table, her nails digging into her palm. Her face, however, remained calm.

Silas spoke of such horrifying things so casually, as if they were simply chatting about favorite recipes, not torment and control. It made her skin crawl.

"Amazing," she said, forcing a sweet smile, even as bitterness rose in her throat. "So, these seals can really do all that? Pain, hallucinations, even paralysis?"

Silas’s eyes lit up with pride. "Exactly. It all depends on the type of spell used during the binding ritual and the command word selected by the master. If done properly, you can make a slave collapse to their knees with a single whisper."

His eyes glinted with an unsettling excitement, like a child showing off a dangerous toy.

[She’s surprisingly enjoyable to talk to,] Silas thought. [Maybe ... instead of killing her, I could get her to place a slave seal on the Lycan King.]

[The Lycan King adores her, so perhaps it wouldn’t be too difficult for her to do something to him.]

Primrose felt a shiver slide down her spine. She would rather slit her own throat than ever place something that vile on her husband’s body.

She raised her teacup again to hide how tightly her jaw had clenched. She had to stay calm. Stay sweet. This was the only way to make him keep talking.

Her eyes flicked once more to the hourglass by the greenhouse door. The sand was almost gone. At best, she had ten minutes left.

"I’ve heard rumors about slave seals before," she said, setting her teacup down gracefully. "But I always thought they were just old myths, something used to scare disobedient servants."

Silas chuckled darkly. "I assure you, Your Majesty, they’re very real."

Her smile remained soft, but never reached her eyes. "If they’re truly that powerful, then I’d love to learn more. Would you be willing to teach me, Dr. Silas?"

Silas gave a sly smile. "Oh, I’d be more than happy to, Your Majesty. But how about I write down the instructions for you first? Then, I can join you later when you’re ready to place the seal on the slave’s body."

Primrose had no desire to see his face again, so of course, she declined. "Can’t you just explain it now?" she asked sweetly, her eyes glancing once more at the hourglass. "Just the simple version, maybe. I don’t think I’ll get another chance to create a slave seal after today."

Silas tilted his head slightly, curiosity lighting up his eyes. "May I ask who the slave is that you plan to use it on, Your Majesty?"

Without hesitation, Primrose replied with a bright smile. "My husband."

For a moment, the entire greenhouse fell into complete silence.

Callen and Solene glanced at each other, wide-eyed, but still too stunned to say anything. Their thoughts were spinning, trying desperately to make sense of what they’d just heard.

[Did she just say she wants to put a slave seal on His Majesty?!]

[No. No way. That can’t be right.]

Meanwhile, Silas blinked in surprise, clearly stunned. He glanced cautiously at the two attendants standing behind Primrose.

No matter how thrilled he was to hear that the queen wanted to use a slave seal on the mighty Lycan King, part of him still feared this might be a trap.

After all, talking about enslaving the Lycan King, especially in front of his people, was not exactly the safest topic.

"You don’t need to worry about them," Primrose said with a cheerful laugh, waving her hand as if brushing off a minor concern. "They’re my loyal followers now. And to be honest ... they hate the king just as much as I do."

Callen and Solene, still frozen in place, shared the exact same panicked thought. [We do?!]

Their faces didn’t show it, but inside, they were screaming.

Was this some kind of secret mission?

A test of loyalty they weren’t informed about?

Did they miss a meeting?!

Was this an elaborate act?

They didn’t know. So, like any smart servant, they kept their mouths shut and prayed they’d survive whatever this was.

Silas, still trying to wrap his head around all this, said slowly, "But I thought His Majesty treated you quite well, Your Majesty."

Primrose smiled again, but this time, there was something colder beneath it. "You have no idea what kind of monster he turns into when it’s just the two of us."

At that moment, Solene and Callen started to wonder if Primrose wasn’t pretending after all.

[Did His Majesty really ... abuse her in secret?!] Callen thought in horror. [Is that why she wants to put a slave seal on him?]

Solene’s fingers twitched like she was ready to draw her sword and storm through the palace to find Edmund herself. Her mind went straight to vengeance.

[If this isn’t just an act, I swear I’ll cut off his dick for Her Majesty!] Solene thought with a disturbingly calm smile. [I’ll cut it off and make him eat it.]