CHAPTER 322: THE KING’S GREATEST FEAR

"Husband, you’re late," Primrose greeted with a smile as Edmund stepped into the royal living room. He was no longer in the clothes he had worn that afternoon, maybe he had changed before coming here.

"Sorry for making you wait." Edmund leaned down slightly, pressing a kiss to her cheek without the slightest care that someone else was sitting right in front of them. "The young soldiers still need a lot more practice, so I was stuck on the training grounds longer than expected. And after that, I met with the contractor to discuss our new bedroom."

Primrose’s smile grew at the mention of their new bedroom. Just hearing him say it made her heart flutter.

"I see," she replied softly, slipping her fingers into his before he sat down beside her. "You’ve been working so hard."

Edmund’s gaze lingered on her a moment longer, his lips curving faintly as if he wanted to kiss her again, completely ignoring the fact that Leofric was sitting there, watching the two of them with an expression that screamed discomfort.

Leofric cleared his throat loudly, finally breaking the tender moment. "Your Majesties ... some of us are still here, you know."

Primrose didn’t even look his way. "And some of us don’t matter," she muttered, just loud enough for Edmund to hear.

Edmund chuckled, but the affection in his icy-blue eyes quickly dimmed as he finally turned to face Leofric. "Alright, what trouble are you bringing to my wife this time?" he asked. "Why did you ask to meet us?"

Leofric tapped his foot against the floor before slowly shifting his gaze toward Primrose. She only met his eyes and gave a small shrug, silently telling him she had no intention of being the one to bring up the matter first.

[Your Majesty, if I die today, I hope you’ll take care of my sister for the rest of her short life.] Leofric’s voice slipped into her mind.

Primrose rolled her eyes, her expression clearly saying, You’re being dramatic.

"What’s wrong?" Edmund asked, his sharp gaze flicking between them. He had noticed their silent exchange but neither of them had spoken a word.

Finally, Leofric let out a long sigh and forced himself to speak. "Do you still remember my dearest sister ... Lorelle?"

Edmund’s brows furrowed slightly. "I remember her. Has something happened to her?"

[Did Lady Lorelle die while I had Leofric locked in the dungeon last night?] Edmund’s chest tightened, guilt sinking into his gut. [Damn it ... what if that’s true?]

Thankfully, the worry eased as Leofric answered, "She’s fine ... at least, for now." He continued, "Actually, I want to ask your wife for a favor regarding ... my sister."

Edmund’s voice was firm as he said, "My wife is not a healer, Sir Leofric." He continued, "I don’t think she can help Lady Lorelle."

"No, that’s not my intention." Leofric’s eyes shifted back to Primrose, silently urging her to speak about the matter they had discussed in the library yesterday.

Primrose rolled her eyes again, clearly unwilling to be the one to explain it. But if she stayed quiet, things might turn ugly fast—and the last thing she wanted was blood spilled right here in the royal living room. With a resigned sigh, she finally stepped into the conversation.

"Husband, there’s something we need to discuss," Primrose said gently. "It’s about what Sir Leofric discovered concerning my ability."

Primrose didn’t wait any longer. She quickly explained the truth about her ability and the possibility that she might one day have to face the heavenly trial.

"Sir Leofric has worked hard to gather this information and even managed to find a way to help me," Primrose said carefully. "So... maybe we could give him a small reward. Perhaps ... helping his sister to find a little peace, right?"

She bit her lower lip, her eyes flicking toward Edmund as she waited for his response, and so did Leofric. Both of them half-expected Edmund to flip the table and explode in anger at Leofric for daring to use his wife like this.

But instead, Edmund sat in silence, his expression unreadable as the tension thickened in the room.

"Edmund?" Primrose called his name softly, confused as to why he still hadn’t given any response.

On the other hand, Edmund’s eyes looked hollow, as if he was still struggling to process every word his wife had just told him.

[My ... my wife will be forced to face something as terrifying as a heavenly trial?] Edmund finally spoke, but only through his thoughts. Even then, it sounded more like he was talking to himself rather than to Primrose.

Ah... she finally understood. He wasn’t worried about Leofric’s request at all because he was terrified that something terrible might happen to her.

She should have realized it sooner.

"Edmund," she whispered again, reaching out to touch his hand. Her fingers brushed gently against his knuckles, grounding him back to her. "I will be fine."

But her reassurance only made his eyes darken further, as if the very idea of her facing danger was unbearable. His grip on her hand tightened, fierce and desperate, as though he could shield her from the heavens themselves.

"No, you won’t," Edmund muttered. "You’ll only say that to ease my heart, but you don’t know how cruel the heavens can be."

Primrose froze in place once her husband spoke to her in such a serious tone. "How about you? Do you know?"

"I don’t." Edmund’s jaw clenched, his voice low and tight. "But I’ve heard enough stories to know that it’s not something a human like you could ever endure."

Primrose saw a great horror in Edmund’s eyes, the kind of fear that didn’t come from legends or old tales, but from something deeper. It was the fear of losing her, of watching her be taken from him by a power he couldn’t fight with sword or claw.

"I don’t care if you have no magic within you," Edmund said without blinking, his voice steady but desperate. "I just want you. I just need you. If there’s a way to get rid of that ability from you, I’ll take it, no matter the cost."

"It’s not possible ...," Primrose murmured.

The only way to remove this ability was to pass it on to someone else through a fated line. But how could Primrose ever find someone who shared the same destiny as hers? And even if such a person existed, could she really bring herself to push this curse onto them?

She might not have been the kindest person alive, but at the very least ... she wasn’t the type of person who would toss a mountain of suffering onto an innocent soul.