Chapter 404: The King’s Promise

When Edmund finally lay back on the pile of snow and made sure it was thick enough to keep his wife from hitting the hard ground, he let out a long, relieved breath.

“This feels calming, doesn’t it?” Primrose said as she flopped down beside him, spreading her arms and legs like a starfish.

“Wife, don’t lie there too long. You’ll catch a cold,” Edmund warned. He tried to pull her up, but Primrose refused to move even an inch.

“Just a little longer, please…” she said with pleading eyes. “Maybe this is our baby’s wish! They want to play with their first snow while still inside my womb!”

Edmund sighed in defeat and lay down again beside her. “Alright, five minutes,” he said, taking her hand as they both looked up at the bright blue sky.

“Husband,” Primrose turned her head toward him with a hopeful smile, “can we go to Illvaris next week? I really want to go. We don’t have to delay our trip anymore, right?”

Edmund squeezed her hand gently and nodded. “Don’t worry. I already told the maids to pack our things into the carriage before the Winter Retreat, so we won’t have to wait. We can leave next week. I promise.”

“Really?!” Primrose sat up straight and clapped her hands in pure joy. Her eyes sparkled like a child’s. “You won’t change your mind, right?”

“I won’t.” Edmund smiled softly. “I’d never break a promise to my wife.”

Unable to contain her excitement, Primrose stood up and started jumping around in the snow. However, she got a bit too enthusiastic and nearly slipped again. Fortunately, Edmund quickly caught her and immediately lifted her off the ground.

“Alright, that’s enough,” he said firmly, a flicker of panic in his eyes. “No more jumping around. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

But Primrose only laughed and wrapped her arms around him instead. “Husband, I’m really happy!” she giggled, resting her face in the crook of his neck. “I can finally see my friends again!”

Edmund held her close as she kept moving around in his embrace. He couldn’t stop smiling because seeing her this happy made everything worth it.

It turned out the saying “happy wife, happy life” was completely true. His world had indeed become brighter ever since he made it his mission to keep his wife smiling every single day.

After finally calming herself down, Primrose lifted her head from Edmund’s chest and said, “But husband, we need to decide what we’re going to wear to the King of Azmeria’s banquet.” She added seriously, “We can’t let them think Noctvaris has terrible fashion!”

Edmund blinked, looking a little lost. “When I attend important events, I just wear whatever the maids prepare.”

Primrose immediately shook her head. “No, no, no! We can’t just wear anything. We have to show them that my husband is much more handsome than those men who call you the ugly beast!”

Edmund froze for a moment. “But… isn’t that true? I am a beast.”

“Yes, you are a beast,” Primrose said firmly, cupping his face between her hands. “But you’re definitely not ugly! You’re my handsome beast!”

She gave his cheeks a playful pat, a mix of pride and affection in her voice. The word beast didn’t sound like an insult coming from her, but it sounded like pure admiration.

In that moment, Edmund’s heart softened. He truly felt loved, not just as a man, but as every part of who he was, even the beast he once believed no one could ever accept.

“You’re my beautiful wife,” he returned the compliment, which only made Primrose’s cheeks turn even redder.

She quickly cleared her throat to hide her flustered smile and said, “But don’t worry. One of my ladies-in-waiting is actually really good at fashion, and coincidentally, she’s in Illvaris right now.”

She was Lady Nina Varellian, the daughter of Earl Northorn Varellian. She actually shared a distant family connection with Mirelle, but unfortunately, their fates couldn’t have been more different.

Despite coming from a wealthy family with a successful business, Nina never managed to do well in that field. She was far too addicted to buying items from auctions, taking on debts, and even gambling.

Because of her reckless behavior, her father wanted her to become one of the queen’s ladies-in-waiting, hoping that working under royalty would help her change.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t the type to listen to her father. Instead of going to the palace, she spent her days wandering from one auction house to another.

Primrose, who in the past never paid much attention to her ladies-in-waiting, also never told the Earl that his daughter had never actually arrived at the palace.

Worse yet, Nina tragically died after falling from a bridge, only six months before Primrose herself passed away.

Her fate was truly heartbreaking for someone with so much talent in fashion and so many privileges.

That was why, in this lifetime, Primrose wanted to make sure Nina came to the palace, but it turned out to be much harder than she expected, as Nina always ended up traveling to another kingdom to attend one auction house after another.

Primrose still couldn’t understand why Nina was so obsessed with them.

Good thing, before the Winter Retreat, Nina managed to send a letter to Primrose saying that she was currently in Illvaris City and planned to attend an auction that would be held a few days before the King’s birthday.

Without thinking twice, Primrose immediately told Nina not to go anywhere because she would be coming to Illvaris herself, and she even added that the Lycan King had ordered Nina not to run away again.

“But maybe we should bring some of our formal clothes,” Primrose said. “That way, Lady Nina will have plenty of options and might be able to mix and match them.”

Edmund replied, “That’s not a problem. I can ask the soldiers to bring another carriage for our clothes.”

Primrose clapped her hands once. “Then it’s settled! We’ll leave next week!”

However, before their departure, there were still a few urgent matters that needed to be handled, such as the ongoing problem in Cindralis City.

Edmund had already filed their case in court, and the summons for the Duke and Duchess of Cindralis would be sent out right after the Winter Retreat ended, or in other words, today.

“Do you think the trial will be over quickly?” Primrose asked, her tone calm but a little impatient. “I don’t want this matter to delay our trip.”

She honestly didn’t care what would happen to the Duke and Duchess of Cindralis anymore. Whatever punishment they received didn’t concern her, and she just wanted to leave for her homeland as soon as possible.

“Sir Dorne has gathered a great deal of strong evidence about their illegal trading activities,” Edmund said reassuringly. “So the trial should only take a day at most. Besides, I’ve already spoken with the judge about carrying out the sentence you suggested back then.”

Primrose smiled faintly, feeling a small wave of relief. “Good. The sooner this ends, the better.”

Edmund reached out and gently brushed his thumb across the back of her hand. “It will. After this, there’s nothing left to stop you from going home.”

• •

Two days later, Edmund invited Primrose to attend the trial, along with several other nobles from around the capital.

To be honest, the arrest of the Duke and Duchess of Cindralis had been incredibly dramatic yesterday.

The moment they received the court summons, they tried to run away. But, of course, Edmund had already anticipated that. He had stationed soldiers all around their estate to make sure they couldn’t leave Noctvaris or escape their punishment.

“Your Majesty, this is outrageous!” Arabella cried out the second she saw Primrose walk into the courtroom. “We just had tea together not long ago! How could you possibly let me end up here like this?!”

Primrose stopped in her tracks, her lips curving into a soft, elegant smile. She no longer needed to pretend to be the innocent, naive woman Arabella used to look down on.

No, actually, she still smiled sweetly and spoke in a calm, honeyed tone, but the words that came out of her lips were anything but sweet.

“Oh, Lady Arabella,” Primrose said softly, her voice calm and almost too sweet—as if they were still having a polite chat over tea instead of standing in a courtroom. She slowly stepped closer, whispering. “You should be grateful you’re only standing trial right now. If I hadn’t shown you mercy, your punishment would’ve been far worse.”

Arabella’s face drained of color. “Mercy?” she spat, her voice trembling between anger and disbelief. “You call this mercy?”

When she tried to lunge toward Primrose, the soldiers immediately caught her by the arms, forcing her to stay in place.

Primrose’s gaze dropped to Arabella’s hand, where she noticed the woman was still wearing her wedding ring. “But I meant what I said, Lady Arabella,” she murmured softly, her smile never faltering. “Your wedding ring really is beautiful.”

The moment those words left Primrose’s lips, Arabella’s eyes widened in realization. She finally understood that the tea party had been a trap all along.

“YOU BITCH!” she screamed, her voice echoing through the courtroom as Primrose only stood there, smiling innocently.

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