CHAPTER 266: BENEATH THE SURFACE OF SILENCE

That realization made her heart race and her hands turned cold almost instantly.

If her guess was right, then it meant Edmund knew about her ability to read minds. But instead of confronting her about it, he had decided to stay quiet, letting her read his thoughts.

How ... how could he stay so calm about something so big?

"Your Majesty," Raven’s gentle voice pulled her back to reality. She leaned closer and whispered softly into her ear, "Nothing bad will happen to you, so please don’t worry too much."

Don’t worry? How could she not worry?

Her husband, Edmund, had found out her biggest secret, and she hadn’t even realized it. That alone was terrifying, but what scared her the most was that he had hidden it so well.

There was no hint, not a flicker of suspicion from him had ever shown in his thought, or maybe he had been careful even with his own thoughts, but it was impossible, wasn’t it?

She had even caught a few phrases in his mind, like, "If my wife can read my mind, she’ll definitely hate me."

If he really knew about her ability, why would he say something like that? Edmund wouldn’t say that just to mock her, right?

It ... it didn’t sound like him at all. Her husband would never mock her like that.

The only way to know for sure was to ask him directly.

After all, he was the one who had placed the bunny doll in the greenhouse.

He must’ve known that she figured out the key words in Silas’s mind through mind-reading, even Raven had understood that much too.

But fortunately, Callen and Solene hadn’t pieced together the full puzzle yet, so Primrose could still come up with excuses to make sure they didn’t learn about her mind-reading ability.

For now, the only person she was truly afraid of was her husband.

How in the world was she supposed to explain everything?

Sure, there was a chance he knew Primrose had died in her first life, but as far as she could remember, she had never explicitly said that he had unintentionally neglected her back then.

But what if he asked about their relationship dynamic in the past?

There was no way she could just casually say, "Oh, we were avoiding each other and I thought you hated me, so I deliberately hid my illness from you."

However, the more Primrose delayed this conversation with her husband, the more their relationship would be built on a lie.

Besides, it would be better if he heard this kind of information directly from her rather than from someone else, right?

Still, before anything else, there was one thing she needed to know.

"Really?" Primrose turned to Raven with anxious eyes. "Are you sure everything will be alright?"

Raven didn’t answer out loud. Instead, she spoke gently into Primrose’s mind, [You and His Majesty will be just fine. Your strings of fate are still tightly bound. I don’t even see them loosening, not even a little.]

Primrose blinked several times, tilting her head in surprise that Raven would use this moment to test her mind-reading ability.

But that thought quickly faded, as she became more interested in the so-called string of fate.

She couldn’t help but wonder what hers and Edmund’s looked like. What made Raven so confident that their bond would never break?

[Should we talk somewhere else, Your Majesty?] Raven spoke into her mind again. [You’re attracting too many eyes here.]

Primrose quickly turned around, scanning the people around them.

Everyone was staring at her, and it wasn’t hard to imagine what they were thinking.

She had gone from confused to frustrated, to sad, and then to quiet relief, all in just a few minutes.

[Did Dr. Silas poison Her Majesty too?!] Solene wondered with concern.

Hazelle looked just as panicked. [T-this is my fault! Her Majesty sacrificed her feet for me a few days ago, what if she was poisoned too without realizing it?!]

[Why is she only looking at Lady Raven and not saying anything?] Callen wondered in confusion. [Did Lady Raven get poisoned too?!]

Primrose sighed softly.

Alright, Raven was right. They really needed to talk somewhere else.

If Primrose didn’t leave soon, people might start thinking something was really wrong with her, like she was sick, or worse, losing her mind.

"Forget the doll," she finally said with a deep breath, turning to Callen. "Maybe I brought it here before and just forgot. It’s probably dirty now, so don’t bother bringing it to my room."

What she really meant was: she needed to talk to Raven in private, without worrying that her husband might be listening in.

"Would you like to return to your room now, Your Majesty?" Callen asked carefully. "Or ... should I call a doctor? His Majesty summoned two physicians yesterday, and they arrived at the palace this morning. He told me to contact them right away if you needed anything."

Primrose had caught those thoughts in Edmund’s mind too.

Apparently, those doctors weren’t from the Vellmoria Empire. They were travelers, physicians who went from kingdom to kingdom, treating anyone in need, even beasts.

More importantly, they had no political ties to the Noctvaris Kingdom. They didn’t answer to Edmund, nor to anyone else.

That alone told her how cautious Edmund had been. He clearly didn’t want to recklessly choose anyone to care for his wife, not after what happened with the previous doctor who ended up poisoning her.

"No, I just want to rest in my bedroom for now," Primrose said. "You can call the doctors later."

Callen nodded. "Understood, Your Majesty."

He began pushing her wheelchair, walking her back to her chambers with Raven by their side.

Behind them, Solene and Hazelle bowed respectfully before heading to the room the maids had prepared for Hazelle.

Once they reached her room, Primrose turned to Callen. "If His Majesty suddenly returns and asks to see me, please tell him I’m resting and I don’t want to be disturbed."

Callen hesitated for a second. "You’re not feeling well, Your Majesty. I don’t think His Majesty will be pleased if I stop him."

Primrose looked at him kindly, her voice softening. "But you’re my personal knight, Sir Callen. You’re supposed to listen to me, not my husband."

Callen swallowed hard at her words.

[But His Majesty is the one who signs my paycheck ... What if he cuts my salary? No, no, no—what am I even thinking?! I’m the queen’s knight. I should follow her orders, right?]

[Besides, it’s the kingdom’s money, not his personal stash. That means Her Majesty can control it too ... right?!]

Primrose didn’t know what to say when she heard Callen’s thoughts, but honestly, he was just being realistic, so she couldn’t blame him for it.

After all, people loved money. That’s why Primrose decided to go along with it instead of pushing back.

"I’ll give you a bonus," she said with a teasing smile. "Twice your salary, if you can keep His Majesty away from my door."

Callen’s eyes went wide. "Y-Your Majesty! That’s not necessary! This isn’t about money!"

[But it does sound tempting ... Should I just accept it?]

Primrose smiled, thinking she had successfully baited the fish. "How about triple it?" she offered again. "Will you ask His Majesty to leave if he tries to barge into my bedroom?"

This time, he didn’t even hesitate. "I can do that," he said quickly, standing a little straighter.

"Thank you, Sir Callen," Primrose said with a soft smile. "I knew I made the right choice when I picked you to be my royal knight."

Inside his mind, Callen was screaming. [Nooo! Now I feel guilty for accepting the bonus!]

[Her Majesty trusts me this much, and I let money tempt me?! I’m such a terrible knight! No! That’s it, I won’t take a single coin from her!]

"Y-Your Majesty!" Callen suddenly blurted, eyes wide and full of determination. "You don’t have to give me any bonus! I’ll keep His Majesty away for free! I promise I won’t let him take even one step inside your bedroom!"

Primrose leaned back a little, startled by how loud his voice was. "U-um ... that might be a bit too much," she said awkwardly. "Let’s not be too aggressive, alright?"

She cleared her throat and continued, "How about this ... if he comes, just knock on my door first. If I don’t answer, it means I’m not ready to see him yet. That should be enough."

The reason she asked Callen to hold her husband at the door, or even drive him away, was because she needed time to prepare herself before facing the situation.

Her mind and heart were still a mess, and she wasn’t sure she could explain things properly in that state.

She wasn’t trying to avoid him forever, just long enough to gather her courage.

However, if Callen blocked Edmund too aggressively, Edmund might suspect something was seriously wrong with her.

So a simple knock felt like the safest way to handle it for now.

"I understand, Your Majesty!" Callen said with bright eyes, standing tall like a soldier ready for war.

He gave her a respectful bow before heading toward the door.

Before leaving, he glanced at Raven, as if silently wondering why Primrose was inviting her in when she claimed she wanted to rest.

Eventually, he just shrugged, thinking it was perfectly normal for a woman to spend her downtime with a close friend.

"He’s quite loyal," Raven said as soon as Callen left. "But I don’t think he was close to you in your past life, was he?"

Primrose shook her head. "No, he wasn’t. In fact, he died in my past life." She paused for a second before adding, "But I made a different choice this time. I saved him."

Raven looked thoughtful. "That explains it," she murmured, her eyes locked with Primrose’s. "It all makes sense now."

Then, with a deep breath, she added, "You know ... if anyone else tried to change fate the way you have, I’m not sure the universe would’ve let them live."

Her tone softened even more. "Your Majesty ... you really are God’s favorite, aren’t you?"