Chapter 391: Another Tea Party

Since Arabella Cindralis—the Duchess of Cindralis—wasn’t the one who first introduced wedding rings in this lifetime, she seemed quite bitter after hearing that Edmund had given Primrose a wedding ring, and not just any ring, but one adorned with the Celestial Heart Gemstone instead of a diamond.

Mirelle had once mentioned that Arabella actually asked her husband to send people to retrieve the same gemstone for her. Of course, that request was immediately rejected, such a mission would cost a fortune and was nothing short of foolishly extravagant.

In the end, the Duke of Cindralis bought her a rare gemstone from another kingdom to use as her wedding ring instead.

Primrose honestly couldn’t understand why Arabella had gone to such lengths. From what she’d gathered at the previous tea party, Arabella seemed to treat the whole concept of wedding rings as a marketing trick for her jewelry shop.

But really, no matter who started the trend, wouldn’t people still visit her store to buy wedding rings anyway?

Unless … Arabella wanted to be known as the pioneer, the one everyone would look up to and envy, and since everyone already knew that Edmund had given Primrose the Celestial Heart Gemstone, which he had obtained through his own efforts, many beastmen had started following his example.

They began searching for their own gemstones instead of buying them from jewelry shops.

Even if they weren’t as daring as Edmund—who had literally taken the gemstone from the abyss—the effort of finding their own gems was seen as more admirable than simply purchasing one.

Therefore, her jewelry shop didn’t gain more customers, and when she couldn’t make money from it, perhaps she started craving status instead.

“We need to look into this matter carefully,” Sevrin said, his tone serious. “We can’t ignore something this suspicious.”

[If His Majesty were the one reading this report, he would’ve probably sent out the food supplies right away without thinking twice.] Sevrin thought. [Guess it’s a good thing Her Majesty enjoys gossiping with that so-called ’perverted lady.’]

Perverted lady?

Primrose honestly wasn’t surprised that people referred to Mirelle as a “perverted lady” in their thoughts. But wasn’t that a bit unfair? If the owner of the adult shop were a man, they would’ve probably thought it was completely normal.

Still, since Sevrin didn’t say it out loud, there was nothing she could really do about it.

“Yes, for now, check on the local farmers first,” Primrose said, tapping her finger thoughtfully on the table. “As for Lady Arabella’s wedding ring … maybe I can learn more if I invite her to my next tea party.”

Sevrin didn’t seem to disagree. In fact, he looked rather pleased. “That’s a good plan,” he said. “People tend to let their guard down when they think they’re in a casual setting.”

After getting his approval, Primrose instructed Solene to prepare new invitations for the upcoming tea party to the Duke of Cindralis, Lady Mirelle, and Brielle, the Baroness of Viremonth.

The Baroness was a former Dame, so Primrose planned to ask her for advice on how to become better at using weapons for self-defense.

“Oh, and I think I’ll invite Lady Naveer as well,” Primrose added after a pause. “Yes, send an invitation to her too.”

It had been about two weeks since she last examined Lorelle, and during that time, Primrose had been far too busy to ask about the offer Naveer once made. From what she’d seen, Lorelle still seemed hesitant, and Leofric’s presence wasn’t helping at all.

That was why Primrose thought that if Lorelle knew Naveer was visiting the palace, she might finally find the courage to make a decision.

Besides, Primrose worried that Naveer might leave Noctvaris too soon, thinking Lorelle didn’t want her help anymore. Inviting her to the tea party would give her a reason to stay a little longer, and something to look forward to.

“Understood, Your Majesty,” Solene replied with a polite nod. “But … don’t you want to invite a few more guests? Perhaps the ladies who declined your last invitation?”

Primrose’s expression softened but her tone stayed firm. “No. They turned me down once, so there’s no reason to give them another chance. I’ll invite them again only if I ever need to.”

By now, everyone knew that the Queen of Noctvaris was deeply loved by the Lycan King, and that alone had changed how people viewed her. The same ladies who had once ignored her invitation probably regretted it now, but Primrose wasn’t the type to let others step on her just because of status or reputation.

If they had already disappointed her once, why should she bother asking them to come to her little gathering again?

Maybe she would consider it if they were the ones to invite her to their banquets. But since winter was approaching, the nobles had postponed all their gatherings anyway.

She decided it was better to wait until the snowstorms passed and see which of them would have the courage or the sincerity to invite the Queen of Noctvaris to their next grand event.

“That’s the right attitude, Your Majesty,” Solene said proudly, smiling as she looked at her queen. She truly admired Primrose’s quiet strength. “They should’ve known better than to ignore your invitation in the first place.”

• • •

One week later, Primrose finally held her long-awaited little tea party. But since the weather had turned colder, she decided to host it inside the palace instead of in the greenhouse.

She had asked the maids to decorate the royal living room beautifully, adding artificial flowers that wouldn’t wilt in the autumn chill.

At first, Primrose wasn’t sure if fake flowers could capture the same warmth as real ones, but to her surprise, they completely transformed the once plain royal living room into a cozy, elegant space that looked perfect for a her tea party.

Edmund, ever thoughtful, had even stocked extra firewood in the room to make sure she wouldn’t feel cold.

“Greetings, Your Majesty.”

Brielle was the first to arrive. She looked as gentle and kind as always, perhaps even more radiant than the last time Primrose had seen her.

“Lady Brielle!” Primrose greeted warmly, standing up for a moment before gesturing to the seat across from her. “I’m so glad you could make it. I was worried I might be interrupting your day, but seeing you here, I realize I was just overthinking.”

Brielle smiled, her tone light and genuine. “Of course I would come, Your Majesty. I rarely receive invitations to tea parties these days. Maybe it’s because I’m too old to keep up with the younger ladies.” She chuckled softly. “That’s why I should be thanking you for inviting me.”

Primrose laughed softly and waved her hands in protest. “Oh, please don’t say that! You still look so young, and your presence truly makes me feel at ease. Naturally, I’d want you here again.”

Honestly, Primrose was certain that the reason Brielle rarely received invitations from other ladies wasn’t because she wasn’t young enough, but because her background as a former Dame made them think she was too stern or intimidating.

When in reality, Brielle was a gentle and kind woman who didn’t have a single trace of malice in her heart!

“Actually, I also want to ask your advice about something,” Primrose said softly. “But it’s not that I invited you here because I want something from you, I really, really like your company!”

[Her Majesty looks cute when she’s flustered like that. No wonder His Majesty is truly obsessed with his wife.] Brielle thought. [I even heard a rumor that they’ll openly show their affection in public without shame. Maybe young couples these days are shameless, but isn’t that a good thing? At least it means their marriage is very harmonious.]

Primrose pressed her lips into a thin line and fiddled with her fingers under the table. They had been kissing a lot in public lately because of her pregnancy, but honestly … Primrose was starting to like it.

She knew that kind of thing would become hot gossip in the palace, but she hadn’t expected the rumors to spread so fast beyond its walls!

Oh, for heaven’s sake, people really couldn’t stop gossiping.

“I understand, Your Majesty,” Brielle chuckled. “You don’t need to feel guilty about it. Besides, I’d be happy to help you. So tell me, Your Majesty, what kind of advice do you want?”

Primrose finally spoke. “I know it may sound like a joke, but it really isn’t.” She paused for a moment before adding, “Since I moved to this kingdom, I’ve felt so defenseless around others and I’ve mostly relied on my husband. But … now I think I want to try using a weapon to protect myself.”

“It doesn’t have to be a sword, of course,” Primrose said, embarrassed. “I actually practiced archery a week ago, but my hands are still so shaky and it hurts afterwards. I just want to ask … do you have any advice on a weapon I can use for protection without … hurting myself?”

It was honestly a bit of a ridiculous question because no one in the world could pick up a weapon for the first time without hurting their hands.

But what people didn’t know was that Primrose genuinely hated pain.

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