CHAPTER 387: A SOLDIER’S TEARS

When Primrose opened her eyes, the sun was already sinking behind the horizon. She rubbed her eyes slowly and realized that Edmund must have kissed her in her sleep every half hour so she could stay asleep even without him channeling his magic into her body.

He had even placed a blanket over her so she wouldn’t get cold while he trained the soldiers at the training grounds.

She vaguely remembered that before she drifted off, Edmund had mentioned he would conduct the royal guard’s test for Callen. She had wanted to stay awake to watch it, but sleepiness had taken over her, and she completely missed it.

Now, she saw Callen sitting on the ground, clutching a red ribbon in his hand, staring blankly into the sky.

Edmund once told her that the royal guard’s test wasn’t as complicated as it sounded. The only thing the soldiers had to do was snatch the ribbon tied around the Lycan King’s arm. If they managed to grab it, they passed.

However, they only had half an hour to succeed. If they couldn’t grab the ribbon within that time, they would fail.

According to the records, hundreds of soldiers had failed this test—especially during Edmund’s early days as king—to the point that Sevrin had to beg him to restrain himself, or they would end up with no official royal guards at all.

That was exactly why Primrose had wanted to see the test herself. But instead ... she accidentally fell asleep!

She had even asked Edmund to wake her up, but it seemed he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Primrose turned to the side and saw Solene still standing beside her. "Lady Solene," she called softly as she tried to sit up straight. "Did Sir Callen fail the test?"

The more Primrose looked at Callen, the more she thought he looked like someone who had just gone through something extremely traumatic.

Solene lowered her head and smiled brightly when she noticed Primrose was awake. "Your Majesty, good afternoon," she greeted warmly before adding cheerfully, "Sir Callen actually passed the test."

"Oh, really?!" Primrose’s eyes widened. She turned toward Callen again. "Then why does he look so miserable?"

Solene leaned closer and whispered, "It’s because he passed at the very last minute. He’s still in shock, and maybe he really thought he was going to fail."

[Sir Callen even hugged His Majesty’s legs and cried when His Majesty told him he passed.]

He did what?!

Primrose winced a little. He must have lost his mind! Usually, Callen was terrified of Edmund. But maybe, after seeing how affectionate the king was with her, he had gotten a bit braver.

"Even if he almost failed, he still made it," Primrose said finally, standing up from her chair. "I think he needs to be reminded of that."

She walked toward Callen, with Solene following behind her. "Sir Callen," Primrose called gently, tilting her head as she looked down at him.

Callen squinted up at her. The golden rays of the setting sun framed her figure, making her look almost ethereal.

"Congratulations," she said softly, a warm smile spreading on her lips. The sunlight behind her seemed to glow even brighter. "You’re officially my royal guard now."

[So, it’s real!] Callen’s eyes filled with tears, and before anyone could stop him, he suddenly burst out crying and wrapped his arms around Primrose’s legs. [I really passed that damn test!]

"Your Majesty, I did it!" he sobbed louder, even as Primrose tried to gently push him off. "His Majesty didn’t go easy on me at all, but I still did it!"

A moment later, his thoughts came pouring out again. [My salary is finally going up! I can finally pay off my house loan earlier than planned!]

[Mother!! Your son has finally become rich!]

Primrose pressed her lips together, finally realizing that money was the main thing motivating Callen. Still, as long as it kept him working hard, it wasn’t really a bad thing.

"Yes, yes. You did well," she said softly, giving his head a light pat like she was calming an overexcited puppy. "I’ll tell His Majesty to raise your salary, so please stop crying now."

But instead of doing what she said, Callen only cried even harder. [After going through hellish training with Sir Leofric, I can finally sleep in peace tonight!]

Ah, no wonder he was wailing like that.

Solene had told her before that Leofric would make Callen run around the training ground all day and night if he failed to meet his expectations.

"There, there." Primrose patted his head again and said gently, "Sir Callen, you might want to let go of my leg before His Majesty gets here."

The moment he heard that, Callen froze, then quickly let go of her and crawled backward just as Edmund walked toward them.

[Wait, is His Majesty going to cancel my test?! Why did I even hug Her Majesty’s leg like that?! I must’ve gone insane! Did I really just see her as my mother?!]

Primrose’s smile froze. Did he really just think of her as his mother? Was she really that old-looking already? But then again, beasts stayed young for a long time, so maybe he just thought she gave off a motherly vibe.

That was kind of sweet, actually, especially since Primrose often wondered if she could ever be a good mother once she had children of her own.

"Your Majesty! I’ll take my leave now!" Callen jumped to his feet and sprinted out of the training ground before Edmund could even open his mouth. "I’ll see you again after I wash up!"

Primrose chuckled softly and waved at him.

Seeing how far he had come truly warmed her heart. In her first life, Callen never got the chance to train under Leofric or take the royal guard’s test.

He had died far too young, even before he could achieve anything at all.

She couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for his mother, who must’ve been heartbroken when she heard that her son had died at the border.

"Wife," Edmund’s deep voice gently pulled her out of her thoughts. "Are you still tired?"

Primrose smiled faintly. Her husband didn’t even mention Callen’s ridiculous behavior from earlier, a clear sign that he trusted him completely. Edmund knew that the young soldier would never do anything to harm his queen.