Chapter 209: The Cruelest Joke in History

But the most terrifying part was … Primrose herself didn’t even realize she was doing it.

No—deep down, she was aware of it.

But she didn’t think what she was doing was wrong since no one got hurt and no one died.

She got what she wanted, so what was the problem?

Maybe that was exactly why people with soft hearts and too much empathy couldn’t stand her.

It was because they could feel it. They could sense the way her sweetness didn’t always feel real, like something about her was too perfect, too gentle, too carefully put together.

And maybe … that was why she had been so deeply stressed in her first life.

She had cried and begged her father on her knees not to send her to Noctvaris. She really thought her tears would work like always.

But in the end, even her father couldn’t protect her.

When she arrived in Noctvaris, she assumed the beasts wouldn’t fall for her emotional tricks.

She thought they wouldn’t care about her tears, or give her what she wanted just because she acted sweet.

And when her only weapons—her beauty, her smiles, her charm—stopped working, when the world no longer bent to her will, she turned her manipulation toward herself.

She convinced herself over and over again that maybe death would be easier.

Maybe it would be more peaceful than surviving in a place that didn’t love her back.

Oh, how foolish she had been back then.

Because unlike what she believed, the beasts could also feel pity for her, and Primrose only learned that after she awakened her ability to hear their thoughts.

Once she knew what they were truly thinking, she went right back to her old habits.

She used her sweet smiles, her innocent eyes, her pitiful tears.

But the scariest thing of all?

She feared she might manipulate people without meaning to, when in reality, she had already been doing that long before her ability awakened.

If Edmund thought he was a monster, then Primrose would be an angel with the voice of a devil.

Just because she looked sweet and harmless didn’t mean she was any kinder than Edmund.

And just because he looked terrifying and strong didn’t mean he was crueler than her.

But did any of that really matter?

Primrose might have faked her emotions often to get what she wanted, but her love for Edmund? That part had always been real.

She truly loved him.

She pitied him.

Her heart broke every time she heard that he hated himself.

If Edmund believed he wasn’t worthy of her, then Primrose felt the exact same way.

Neither of them was perfect.

Neither of them carried some noble moral compass in their heart.

Edmund would kill if he had to and Primrose would manipulate people if she needed to.

So instead of focusing on the worst parts of who they were, wouldn’t it be better if they simply learned to accept each other?

But to do that, Edmund needed to save her from the lake first.

Because she was actually drowning now!

Damn it!

Her lungs started to burn. The panic she had faked just moments ago was now horribly, terrifyingly real.

This wasn’t part of the plan.

She kicked her legs desperately, but the heavy fabric of her soaked dress clung to her like chains, pulling her down faster than she expected.

Her arms flailed, searching for something—anything—to grab onto, but there was nothing. There was only cold water all around her.

She hadn’t realized that five minutes could feel this long when someone was drowning!

Her head broke the surface for a single second. “Edmu—!”

But then she sank again before she could even say his name.

The water swallowed her whole, her scream turned to bubbles as she disappeared beneath the surface once more.

The soldiers standing nearby were frozen in place, torn between following the Queen’s strict order or breaking it to save her life.

Five minutes. She had told them to wait five minutes.

But wouldn’t it be the cruelest joke in history if the Queen died just trying to get her husband’s attention?

Wouldn’t that be funny?

Like hell it would be!

There was absolutely nothing funny about this.

Primrose hadn’t lived twice just to die because of her own foolishness.

This was exactly why she should’ve taken a moment to think before doing something so reckless.

What the hell had she been thinking?

Jumping into a lake when she didn’t even know how to swim, all for the sake of dragging her husband back with a dramatic stunt?

No … maybe this wasn’t just impulsiveness.

Maybe this was punishment.

Punishment for all the times she had tricked Edmund with her her fake tears, her sweet smiles, her carefully chosen words that always shifted the situation in her favor.

Her chest tightened, but she couldn’t tell anymore if it was because of the guilt … or because she was running out of air.

She felt like water had filled her lungs, making her unable to move anymore. After a while, her vision dimmed into gray.

But just before she completely lost consciousness, Primrose faintly saw a silhouette diving into the lake, cutting through the water with powerful strokes, swimming straight toward her.

Was that … the soldier?

No—wait.

Her eyes fluttered, blurred by water and panic. But she recognized his black hair and his blue eyes.

It wasn’t the soldier.

It was her husband.

It was Edmund.

She tried to smile, but her body was too weak to respond.

The world around her faded into black, the last thing she felt was a strong pair of arms wrapping around her and pulling her toward the surface.

“Primrose!”

Edmund crashed onto the shore, water dripping from his clothes as he dragged her limp body out of the lake.

He coughed, gasping for air, but never let go of her, not even for a second. He scooped her into his arms like she weighed nothing

Soldiers rushed toward them, but one furious look from Edmund made them freeze.

“Go away!” he shouted, voice ragged like a wild animal. “Just leave us alone!”

“But, Your Majesty, should we call a doct—”

“I said leave!” Edmund roared.

The soldiers flinched and scattered instantly, rushing away like frightened birds, not daring to look back.

They didn’t even understand why the King was so angry instead of asking for a doctor.

He dropped to his knees beside her and stared at her pale face. His jaw clenched as he felt her icy skin under his touch.

She was so cold, too cold.

Her lips had lost their color. Her body didn’t move.

[No. No. No.]

He leaned down quickly, tilting her head with shaking hands. His fingers gently brushed the soaked strands of hair away from her face.

He pressed his mouth to hers and breathed into her, again and again, desperately sharing his air.

Along with the air, he gave her a part of his saliva to heal her.

“Wake up, Primrose,” he whispered, voice cracking with fear. “Please … wake up.”

He placed his palms against her chest and pumped it once, twice, again and again.

He was desperate to bring his wife back to life.

Seconds passed like hours, and then Primrose finally opened her eyes.

She rolled to the side, coughing violently as water poured from her mouth.

Her breathing was fast and shaky as she gasped, trying to fill her lungs with air.

As her consciousness fully returned, Primrose turned to look at her husband. “Ed—”

“What the hell were you thinking?!”

Primrose’s eyes widened, completely caught off guard by the sudden outburst.

For the first time in this lifetime, she saw him truly angry, not annoyed, not frustrated, but furious.

“W-what?” she stammered, stunned.

Edmund let out a harsh breath, running a hand through his soaked hair and dragging it down his face like he was trying to calm himself, though clearly, he couldn’t.

“Why did you jump into the lake, Primrose?” His voice cracked again, full of disbelief. “Why would you do something like that?!”

He grabbed her shoulders, not roughly, but enough to shake her back to her senses.

Primrose panicked. Her eyes darted. Her lips parted.

“I didn’t jump!” she blurted out quickly, her voice high and defensive. “I—I tripped on a rock and fell!”

Edmund stared at her like she’d just told him the sky was green.

He stared at her like she’d grown another head. “Don’t lie to me right now.”

“I’m not—!”

“I can tell the difference,” he growled, moving closer. “I’ve seen people stumble. And I’ve seen people leap. You leapt, Primrose. You did it on purpose.”

Primrose fell silent. The only thing she could do was look at his face. She opened her mouth, then closed it again over and over.

Her mind couldn’t think clearly. Edmund had never scolded her like this before.

But really … what kind of husband wouldn’t be angry after watching his wife jump into a lake on purpose?

“Are you trying to kill yourself?” His voice finally softened, but filled with pain.

His grip on her arms loosened as he looked down at her, his eyes full of fear. “Is it … is it because you finally see what I am?” he whispered. “Because you realize I’m a monster, and now you want to leave me?”

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