Chapter 160: Lovebirds

Primrose hummed softly as they strolled side by side through the city streets. To keep a low profile, they wore cloaks with hoods that partially covered their faces.

But even with the hoods, it was hard to avoid attention, mostly because Edmund was far too tall to blend in.

Beasts were usually taller than humans, but Edmund was even bigger than most beasts.

No wonder so many people had always whispered that Primrose wouldn’t survive her first night after being marked by the mighty Lycan King.

“Have you ever walked around the city like this before?” Primrose asked, slipping her arm around his and choosing to ignore the stares from passersby.

“I rarely walk through the streets,” Edmund admitted. “But when something serious is happening in the city, I usually patrol.”

“Just patrolling?” Primrose tilted her head to get a better look at his face. “I mean, have you ever gone out just to buy something? Or, I don’t know … just to have fun?”

Edmund was quiet for a moment. Then he asked, “Can you define fun for me?”

Primrose blinked. Could she define it? Of course she could, but it was strange. Didn’t everyone understand what fun meant?

“Well,” she began, “having fun usually means doing something that makes you happy. For me, it’s hanging out with friends, going shopping, or maybe enjoying a nice dinner at a fancy restaurant.”

She knew her husband wasn’t the social type, but surely he had something he enjoyed, right?

“Hunting!” she exclaimed, gently tapping his arm. “You enjoy hunting, don’t you?”

If she remembered correctly, one of the soldiers had told her the Lycan King often went into the forest to hunt. He even had a whole room in the palace filled with hunting clothes and weapons.

But Edmund shook his head. “I don’t hunt for fun. I do it to train to improve my focus and accuracy.”

Primrose stepped a little ahead of him, turning to walk backward so she could look at his face. “Really? But hunting sounds like it could be fun.”

Her father used to go hunting with his friends too. Primrose never really understood what was so enjoyable about walking through the woods for hours just to find a single target.

She didn’t think it sounded fun at all, but now that she knew Edmund liked it, she found herself wondering if she could join him someday.

“Then … what do you usually do for fun?” she asked.

This time, Edmund didn’t respond for a long while. It wasn’t that he was ignoring her, but he genuinely didn’t know how to answer.

[I don’t think I’ve ever done anything just for fun …] Edmund thought. [I’ve just lived by routine. Eat, train, work … then train again to be better the next day.]

[Wait, does drinking liquor count as fun? But that’s just something I do out of habit. So … where’s the fun in that?]

Primrose stayed quietly beside him, listening to the thoughts swirling in his mind.

Primrose walked beside him quietly, listening to his thoughts with a heavy heart. He was trying so hard to figure it out, turning over every action in his mind, wondering if any of them had ever made him truly happy.

The problem was … he didn’t know how to recognize it.

Primrose realized that her husband might have a condition, one that made it incredibly difficult for him to understand his own emotions, especially when it came to happiness.

If he couldn’t even recognize those feelings in his mind, how could he possibly show them on his face?

Primrose wasn’t sure if she could fix that for him, but maybe … she could help, little by little.

“There are actually so many different ways to define fun,” she said gently. “It’s not always about laughing out loud or jumping around like a child. Sometimes, fun is just feeling safe. Being with someone who makes you feel calm. Doing simple things that make your heart feel lighter.”

“… Sometimes,” she added, her voice growing gentler, “it’s just about being comfortable with yourself. Being able to breathe without putting on a mask.”

Edmund didn’t respond right away. His eyes softened as he looked at her, and something shifted behind them, like sunlight breaking through the fog of a long, quiet winter.

“Oh …” he murmured slowly, as if the realization had only just clicked into place. “Now I know what I do to have fun.”

Primrose blinked, smiling with curiosity. “What is it?”

He looked down for a second, a little shy, then raised his gaze to hers. “Spending time with you.”

Primrose froze.

She stopped walking right there in the middle of the street. The noise around them—the bustling footsteps, the clatter of carriage wheels, the hum of city life—faded into a distant blur.

All she could see was Edmund.

He tilted his head, slightly confused by her reaction. “Did I say something strange?”

She shook her head slowly. Her lips parted as if to speak, but no words came out right away. She was still absorbing what he had said.

Because at that moment, she didn’t see the cold and distant King of Beasts. She saw a man, someone soft, someone gentle and honest. Someone whose idea of happiness … was simply her.

“No,” she finally whispered. “It’s not strange at all. It’s … the most beautiful thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

Edmund reached up, gently brushing his fingers along her cheek. “But it’s true.”

[I’ve done so many things in my life,] he thought. [Spent time with so many people. But the only time I’ve ever felt truly calm … is with my wife.]

[If being comfortable is what it means to have fun … then she’s the source of my happiness.]

The more Primrose listened to his thoughts, the more she wanted to pull him close and kiss him right there on the street.

But …

No. Not now.

Because suddenly, she realized people around them had started to notice, and even think about them.

[Damn it, it’s still broad daylight and I’m already getting tortured watching lovebirds?!]

[I don’t know who they are, but even under those hoods, I can tell they’re beautiful. They look so good together.]

[When’s it going to be my turn to experience something like that?!]

[Can I throw a rock to those fucking lovebirds?!]

Primrose winced slightly as too many voices filled her head all at once.

She had been trying to endure them ever since she stepped into the city, but walking through the crowded streets was turning into a nightmare.

At least now, she could control her ability better, and she tried to keep the range of it as close as possible.

She didn’t really know when she first learned how to control that range.

It had just … happened, like it was something that had always been inside her, and all she had to do was figure out how to use it.

“What’s wrong?” Edmund asked gently, noticing the discomfort on her face.

Primrose took a deep breath and shook her head. “I’m fine. Just a little cold. Let’s get to the boutique as fast as we can.”

Edmund didn’t say a word. Instead, he instinctively pulled her closer, wrapping an arm around her shoulder to share his warmth.

His body heat spread around her like a walking blanket, calming her instantly.

They continued walking side by side through the street. After a few more steps, Primrose spotted a boutique that caught her eye.

It wasn’t overly luxurious, but the dresses displayed in the window shimmered softly under the sunlight. One in particular, a lilac gown with silver vines embroidered along the hem, stood out to her.

“That one!” Primrose said with excitement. “I want to try that one.”

Edmund hadn’t even replied yet when she tugged him forward and pulled him into the boutique with her.

As Primrose lowered her hood, the boutique owner immediately approached her with a bright, welcoming smile.

“Welcome, Young Miss! What kind of dress are you looking for today?”

Primrose hadn’t expected to be greeted so enthusiastically, especially since no one in this city had recognized her face yet.

[This young woman looks too beautiful. And her skin … it’s way too smooth for a commoner!]

[She must be from a wealthy family!] the boutique owner thought. [If I treat her well, maybe she’ll buy a lot of dresses and I can close early today!]

Hearing that, Primrose tucked her hair behind her ear proudly. A faint smile tugged at her lips, so subtle it was almost unnoticeable.

It really was hard for someone as beautiful as her to blend in and pretend to be an ordinary person.

She turned to the shopkeeper with a bright smile. May I try on some of your dresses?”

It had been far too long since she last went shopping.

And of course, today, she fully intended to make sure her husband’s wallet felt the weight of her joy.

“Of course! Of course!” The boutique owner beamed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Please, come in. You’re welcome to try anything you like. We just got some new pieces in today, I’ll bring them out for you right away!”

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