Chapter 117: The Shocking Realization

“That’s why … I want to have more meals with you now, so you won’t feel lonely anymore.”

Lonely anymore? Anymore?

Primrose blinked in confusion.

She had never mentioned to him that she was lonely.

In fact, she had never even said anything like that to Solene or Marielle either, so why did he suddenly think she was lonely?

Did she really look that lonely?

“I’m not that lonely,” Primrose said, trying to sound casual.

“There are always soldiers and maids around in the dining room, so I’m never actually eating completely alone.”

Edmund quietly put down his utensils and said, “But no one sits at the same table with you.”

Primrose opened her mouth, then closed it.

It was true.

She could have meals with Solene or Marielle if she wanted to, but they would never dare to sit with her at the main dining table since it was reserved for royalty only.

Still, what surprised her more was, how did Edmund know that deep down, she actually wanted someone to sit and eat with her?

As far as she remembered, she had never said anything so personal to anyone in Noctvaris, not even once.

She had no close friends here yet.

Mostly, she just talked to herself when she was feeling lonely.

No, these days, she did not just talk to herself.

Her eyes widened slightly as the realization hit her.

She had talked to Bunnie, her rabbit plushie.

She remembered complaining once, telling Bunnie that she missed her father terribly, and sometimes felt lonely when she had to eat by herself.

Her mind raced as she recalled another detail, the maids who suddenly brought jars of cookies to her room this morning.

Not just one, but five full jars.

The maids had simply said it was by Edmund’s order, to make sure she always had something to eat if she got hungry in the middle of the night.

At the time, Primrose hadn’t thought much of it because the maids came early in the morning, and she had still been half-asleep.

But now … now that her head was clear, she realized something.

A few days ago, she had been annoyed because there hadn’t been any food in her room, she had even gone down to the kitchen herself to find something to eat.

It was too specific to be a coincidence.

Primrose couldn’t help but feel suspicious.

There was something wrong with that doll.

“Husband,” she said firmly, locking eyes with Edmund’s icy-blue ones, “did you happen to spy on me through the doll?”

Primrose hadn’t intended to be so blunt, but knowing her husband, it was better to ask the question clearly rather than dropping hints.

The moment the words left her mouth, Edmund flinched so hard that his knee slammed into the underside of the table, almost knocking it over.

[How could she figure it out so fast?!]

So she was right!

Primrose immediately stood up from her chair, staring at Edmund in disbelief.

She had been talking to herself all this time, right in front of the doll!

She had talked about missing her home, complained about how the sweets in the beast lands tasted like they had no sugar.

And worst of all, she had even said out loud that Bunnie was the only one who could stay close to her without filling her head with thousands of noisy thoughts!

[Why does my wife look so angry at me?! I haven’t even said anything yet!]

[Can she really read people’s thoughts?!]

A crease formed vividly on Primrose’s forehead when she heard that thought.

[She looks even angrier! Can she really hear me right now? Then, I should stop thinking altogether!]

Primrose closed her eyes briefly, calming herself down so she wouldn’t make Edmund even more suspicious.

Alright.

She usually didn’t talk about her mind-reading ability out loud, afraid someone might overhear her.

The only time she had ever mentioned it out loud was when she was alone in her room, whispering softly to the rabbit doll, thinking it was nothing more than a lifeless toy.

There was no need to panic.

She could still fix this.

[What’s happening between the King and Queen?! Are they fighting?!]

[Wait … but they haven’t even spoken yet, so what are they fighting about?]

Ah, the gossiping crowd.

If she and Edmund clashed in front of everyone, news about their argument would surely spread across the entire palace by sunset.

“Your Majesty,” Primrose said with a smile, but there wasn’t a single trace of warmth in her eyes.

“Shall we talk somewhere more private? How about your study room?”

Edmund opened and closed his mouth a few times, looking like he was facing a deadly enemy and needed to choose his words very carefully.

“Alright,” he finally managed to say, gathering his courage. “Let’s move somewhere private.”

The walk to his study felt heavy.

Primrose said nothing, folding her hands neatly in front of her, quietly thinking of ways to make sure Edmund didn’t find out she could read his mind.

Once they stepped into the study and Edmund closed the door behind them, Primrose immediately spoke.

“Edmund,” she said sharply, not “Your Majesty,” not “Husband”, just his name, to make it clear she was serious.

“Tell me,” she said, her voice firm, “did you really spy on me through the doll?”

Edmund stood by the door, for some reason unable to find the courage to approach his wife.

“W-Why would you think that?” he asked, his voice uneasy.

Primrose smiled calmly.

“If you hadn’t done it, you wouldn’t have panicked and almost knocked over the dining table.”

[O-Oh … so she didn’t figure it out because she can read my mind?]

Primrose worked hard to keep her face perfectly calm, not wanting to raise Edmund’s suspicions about her ability.

Actually, Primrose was sure that Edmund wouldn’t be angry if he ever found out she could read his mind.

But if he did know, he would definitely start restraining his thoughts around her.

And if that happened, Primrose would be doomed because her husband was still awkward and often struggled to express himself out loud.

That was why she needed to hear his unspoken thoughts, at least for now.

Maybe someday, when Edmund could express himself openly and easily, Primrose would tell him the truth.

But for now, she had to play it safe.

“Please forgive me, wife,” Edmund said, lowering his head so much that it almost looked like he was bowing.

He looked so guilty that he didn’t even dare meet her eyes. “I didn’t mean to spy on you,” he said quietly.

Primrose fell silent, a little surprised that Edmund had admitted it so easily, much faster than she had expected.

“Then why did you do it?” Primrose asked, this time in a softer voice, because Edmund didn’t seem like he was trying to defend himself at all.

“I was just worried about you,” Edmund said, lifting his head slightly and sneaking a glance at her face.

“I left you when you were still sick, so I was scared that something bad might happen to you while I was away from the palace.”

“I only meant to keep an eye on you for a few days, but …”

Edmund’s voice trailed off.

He didn’t dare finish the sentence, afraid it would make Primrose even angrier.

Unfortunately for him, his thoughts weren’t safe from her.

[It’s so hard to live when I can’t hear my wife’s voice or see her face, even for just a day.]

Wait, he could see her too?!

If that was true, had he been watching her even when she changed clothes? Even when she was naked?!

Well … it wasn’t like he hadn’t already seen her body before.

Still, it was a little shocking to realize it like this.

[More than that,]

[I could see the small things that make her sad. Sometimes it’s hard to understand her true feelings because she always looks like she’s fine.]

[My wife cries a lot, usually when I shout at her or when she’s scared. But if she cries that much in front of me, doesn’t that mean she cries even more when she’s alone? And I didn’t know that …]

[… seeing her cry by herself feels so much more painful than seeing her cry in front of me.]

“I’m really sorry,” Edmund said again, lowering his head once more. “I promise I won’t do it again.”

Primrose bit her lower lip, standing in front of him in silence for a long moment.

Hearing his thoughts made her realize something.

Most of the tears she had shown Edmund were fake, little acts to dramatize a situation.

Even though some of the tears were real, still, she only let out her true sadness when she was completely alone, where no one could see or hear her.

It wasn’t surprising, then, that Edmund felt she looked even more pitiful when she cried by herself.

She had only dared to truly complain about her loneliness when no one was around to witness it.

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