Chapter 59: The King’s Forbidden Books (I)

Since Primrose only needed to wash her face and change her clothes, she finished quicker than expected and arrived at Edmund’s study before he did.

Without her saying a single word, the soldier guarding the door immediately opened it for her, as if it was completely normal for her to enter. As if this room already belonged to her too.

As soon as she stepped inside, she was hit by the thick scent of Edmund’s pheromone lingering in the room.

It didn’t make her feel flustered or horny. It wasn’t overwhelming like she had imagined.

Instead … It felt comforting. Like something warm in the middle of the cold palace.

Primrose hadn’t planned on snooping. She had every intention of just sitting down and waiting patiently.

But somehow, without realizing it, her feet moved on their own, slowly wandering through the study.

There was nothing particularly special about Edmund’s study. In fact, it looked rather plain and … dark.

The walls were painted a deep navy blue, and the marble floors were pitch black.

Primrose couldn’t help but frown a little. She had always wanted to question Edmund’s taste in decorating the palace. It was too dark, too dull. The black-heavy design made the whole place feel cold and gloomy.

Out of all the rooms, her own bedroom was probably the brightest, but even then, it was only decorated in light gray, which still felt dull and boring after spending years in it.

She had once planned to change the theme of her room to something brighter, something that actually felt like home.

But in her first life, she had been too afraid to ask Edmund.

So, she ended up stuck with those cold, gray walls … until the very end.

Even now, even though she had moved to another room, the color theme was still gray. Primrose still couldn’t understand why Edmund ever thought gray was a suitable color for her.

Shaking her head, she wandered toward a small bookshelf tucked into the corner of the study. Most of the books were covered in a thin layer of dust, proof that Edmund hardly ever bothered with them.

Primrose sighed softly.

’This foolish Lycan King really does care more about muscles than books,’ she thought.

If only the Beast Kingdom cared more about brains than brawn when choosing their king, maybe Edmund would’ve never made it to the throne in the first place.

However, as her eyes scanned the entire bookshelf, Primrose noticed something odd.

Some of the books had no dust at all. One of them was even sticking halfway out, like someone had read it not too long ago.

“Is this … a porn book?” Primrose chuckled to herself, half-joking. Surely the perverted Lycan King had at least one indecent book hidden somewhere, right?

Without thinking much about it, she casually pulled out the book with the red cover, expecting something ridiculous.

But instead of some embarrassing adult novel, what she saw left her speechless.

The title read: ’A Husband’s Guide to a Happy Wife’, written in big, shiny gold letters.

Primrose blinked, staring at the cover.

’What … is this?’

Why would something like this be in his study?

Feeling more curious than ever, she pulled out another book from the same shelf.

’How to Be a Good Husband.’

Then another.

’How to Care for a Wife.’

One by one, she picked up book after book, and nearly all of them had the words husband, wife, or marriage written across the covers.

Each book showed signs of being read, some pages were creased, others slightly wrinkled, as if they had been flipped through again and again.

The more she looked, the clearer it became. These weren’t just books sitting here for show. They were used, studied, and perhaps … treasured.

’Who … who even reads books like these?’

Primrose had always believed it was the wife’s role to learn how to please her husband, not the other way around.

But now, standing here with a handful of marriage guides clearly read by her husband, she was more confused than ever.

And the most frustrating part?

Even after reading all these books … Why did he still suck at it during their first marriage?

Maybe … he read them, but he never knew how to apply them.

Maybe he only read them in secret, scared to even try, or too awkward to put those lessons into words and actions.

Primrose bit her lip.

Back then, she never gave him a chance to explain himself. In fact, they barely spoke at all. Both of them were trapped by fear, by pride, by the distance between them.

Was that why? Was he trying all along, but failing quietly, without her ever noticing?

Primrose sighed and started putting the books back on the shelf. But as she slid one of them into place, a small yellow notebook slipped out and quietly hit the floor.

It was so thin, it must have been hidden between the pages without her noticing. Primrose bent down and picked it up, flipping it open without much thought.

She held her breath as she realized that It was, without a doubt, the King’s journal, more specifically … a journal about his wife.

Primrose stood there, frozen, staring at the little notebook in her hands.

Should she put it back? Pretend she never saw it?

Reading someone’s personal journal was incredibly rude, wasn’t it?

It would be the proper thing to just tuck it back into the book and leave it untouched.

It would be better to just slip it back into the thick book and act like she never stumbled upon Edmund’s private thoughts.

That would be the polite thing to do.

But somehow, her hand moved on its own, flipping the notebook open. ’Just a few pages … it wouldn’t hurt to take a little peek, right?’

[September 15, 1576]

[I’m screwed. The Moon Goddess has announced my mate, and she’s a human.

How could a beast possibly have a human wife?]

If Primrose didn’t already know Edmund’s true nature, she might have thought he was annoyed or angry just because he was being forced to marry a weak and powerless human.

She flipped to the next page.

[September 21, 1576]

[I’ve sent a letter to the Duke of Ivallis, but I doubt Lady Primrose will accept my marriage proposal.]

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