Chapter 482: When the Ring Fell Silent

“It’s alright, Your Majesty,” Averon said with a smile as he stood up. “Your knight told me that you’re sick.” He walked a little closer. “Was it because you drank too much at the banquet?” he asked lightly. “I heard you left the palace early.”

Primrose was still smiling, but she had actually become more alert than before.

First, she had already told Bianca—the Queen of Azmeria—yesterday that she wasn’t feeling well and had to go home early. Edmund had also told Averon about it, so there was no reason for the King of Azmeria to question her again.

Second of all, she hadn’t touched any alcohol at the banquet. It was because of her pregnancy and for her own safety.

But putting those things aside for a moment, Primrose had just realized something far more important: she couldn’t hear Averon’s thoughts.

It was such a bizarre situation, because at the banquet, Averon had so many thoughts running through his mind, whether commenting on some noblewomen’s clothes or giving bad remarks about lower-ranking nobles.

There had always been something. So why was it silent now?

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t sense anything. It was like an invisible wall was standing between her magic and his mind.

If that was the case, then there was also a possibility that her mind-control ability wouldn’t work on him.

“I didn’t feel well last night, so I decided to go home early,” Primrose finally said. Her voice was calm, even though her heart was beating fast.

She forced herself to act normal because she couldn’t afford to make him suspicious.

She unconsciously twisted the ring on her finger, as if asking her husband to come home immediately. However, after a burst of magical energy rose from within her, Primrose became more sensitive to the magic around her.

And she swore to any God who might be listening that her ring felt empty. She even closed her eyes for a few seconds, hoping she could see Edmund through his wedding ring, but nothing happened.

She saw nothing, not because Edmund had covered his ring again, but because their rings had lost contact with each other. She didn’t know why it happened, but she was sure that Edmund must have noticed it.

Unless… something terrible had gone wrong.

“What brings you here, Your Majesty?” Primrose walked carefully toward the couch in front of the person wearing Averon’s face.

She placed her fan on her lap, along with something Edmund had given her last night, a gift he said could protect her in case a bad person approached her while he wasn’t by her side.

“I just wanted to see your beautiful face,” Averon said with a smile. “Is that not allowed?”

Primrose laughed lightly, as if she wasn’t bothered.

“Both of us are married,” she replied gently. “So I don’t think it’s right to say things like that so casually. I don’t want to hurt our spouses’ hearts.”

“No one will get hurt if no one knows about our affair,” he said calmly.

He was such a flirtatious man, just like Averon. However, Averon wouldn’t say something like that so openly, especially inside the Duke’s manor, the house of the man who had once rejected his proposal outright.

Besides, there was a phrase that made Primrose immediately realize that something was truly wrong with this situation.

’No one knows about our affair.’

It might have sounded like casual words usually said by cheaters, but to Primrose, it sounded planned, like he was sure no one could see them and like he had made sure Edmund wouldn’t be able to see them here.

“You look… nervous.” The fake Averon reached out, wanting to grab Primrose’s arm, but she immediately leaned back to avoid him.

“I’m fine,” she said politely. “I’m just feeling a little tired since I’m not in my best condition today, Your Majesty.”

[This king is very suspicious,] Solene thought. [I should have tried harder to send him away earlier. Her Majesty even looks so uncomfortable.]

“Your Majesty,” Solene said firmly, stepping forward, “as I said before, Her Majesty is truly unwell. She needs to rest immediately.”

She bowed slightly. “Please forgive me if I sound rude, but it would be better to postpone this meeting. Perhaps you can speak with His Majesty, the King of Noctvaris, after he returns.”

Averon let out a soft sigh. Seeing this, Solene thought he was finally going to leave. But instead, he suddenly said, “I want to talk to the Queen, not her dog.”

Both Primrose and Solene froze. Their eyes widened in shock because they never expected Averon to insult Edmund so openly.

“Your Majesty!” Primrose slammed her hand on the table. Her voice shook with anger. “You have to respect my husband!”

For a moment, she had to force herself to breathe. She knew very well that getting angry at someone dangerous would only bring more trouble. Still, she couldn’t stay silent.

At least, his words had made Primrose completely sure that this man was the fake Averon. The real King of Azmeria might look down on beastkin, but he would never dare insult the King of Noctvaris so boldly.

So… who was this man?

“Why should I?” he replied coldly. His gentle tone vanished, replaced by something cold. “A dog will always be a dog. A dirty creature that keeps stealing what belongs to me.”

Solene was about to step closer to him, but Primrose immediately grabbed her hand. She didn’t want anything terrible to happen to Solene.

This man was dangerous, and Primrose could feel it in her bones.

From the moment she entered this room, something had felt wrong. Now she understood why.

This was a trap.

He had planned everything from the start. From the moment he arrived at the manor, he had been trapping her and everyone inside it.

That was why, even if Primrose had never entered this room, she still would have fallen into his trap.

“My husband didn’t steal anything,” Primrose said firmly, even though her hands were shaking slightly. “He is not a thief.”

“Oh, he is.” The man leaned forward lazily, resting his chin on his hand. A strange smile appeared on his lips. “Whether in the past or now,” he said softly, “he has always been stealing my precious daughter away from me.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep