Chapter 60: The King’s Forbidden Books (II)

Wait …

Edmund didn’t send the marriage proposal through the Emperor of Vellmoria? He didn’t even go through the King of the Azmeria Kingdom?

He sent it directly to her father.

Then, why did the Emperor suddenly issue a decree, demanding that Primrose Vielle Illvaris be sent to the Noctvaris Kingdom as the bride of the Lycan King?

Confused, Primrose turned to the next page.

[September 23, 1576]

[Something is wrong.

I only sent the proposal letter to the Duke of Illvaris, yet the Emperor somehow learned about it. Did someone spy on me?

Why would the Emperor get involved in a personal proposal meant only for Lady Primrose and the Duke of Illvaris?

And worse, he made it an imperial decree. Now it looks as if I forced this marriage, when in truth, I simply wanted to ask, not command.

If Lady Primrose learns about this, she will surely think I trapped her here.]

Primrose’s fingers tightened slightly on the edges of the notebook.

So it wasn’t Edmund who forced the marriage.

She flipped to the next page.

[September 27, 1576]

[I wanted to refuse the Emperor’s decree.

I even prepared a letter to decline it. I don’t want to force Lady Primrose into marriage, not like this.

But … the Elders stopped me.

They said rejecting the decree would be seen as a direct insult to the Emperor, and worse, it could cause a political war between the human and beast kingdoms.

The Elders reminded me that if conflict breaks out, the humans would take it out on the Duke’s family first, including Lady Primrose.

I have no choice.

I must accept this marriage.

But I swear, I will never hurt her. Even if she ends up hating me, it’s better than putting her family in danger.]

Primrose stared at the words, her hands tremble was getting worse with each line.

Edmund … had wanted to refuse? He tried to protect her from this marriage?

But … she never knew this.

All she ever thought was that he accepted it without a second thought, without caring how she felt.

But behind closed doors, he had been trapped too and even when trapped, he still thought of her.

[September 30, 1576]

[Lady Primrose arrived today.

She looked so small and fragile standing in front of the palace gates.

She must hate this place already. I can see it in her eyes.

No … maybe she hates me too.]

Primrose felt her chest tighten. She clearly remembered that day. Back then, she really did hate this place.

She hated the cold walls, the gloomy halls, and the intimidating presence of the beasts.

But most of all, she hated Edmund.

She was about to flip to the next page when suddenly, she heard someone’s voice right outside the door. “Is my wife inside?”

Primrose jolted in surprise, panicking.

The books were scattered all over the floor, and there was no way she could organize them back onto the shelves in time.

On top of that … she still wanted to read more of the journal.

’What should I do?’

As Edmund began turning the doorknob, Primrose did the most ridiculous thing she could think of.

She grabbed an entire row of books and pulled them all at once.

CRASH!

She only meant to pull down a few more books to make it look less suspicious, but instead, she accidentally brought down the whole bookshelf.

How did that even happen?!

Luckily, she had stepped back just in time to avoid getting crushed, but the bookshelf hit the floor with a loud, echoing bang that rattled the entire room.

“Wife, what happened?!” The door flew open, and Edmund stormed in, eyes wide, clearly panicking after hearing the sudden crash.

Primrose froze in place.

Would he be angry when he saw the mess?

Primrose had only stepped into his study for thirty minutes, yet somehow, she had already turned it upside down.

In the middle of her panic, she quickly slipped the tiny journal into her corset. Luckily, the tight fabric kept it securely in place, stopping it from falling.

“I-I’m sorry!” Primrose spun around, desperately trying to think of an excuse. “I just wanted to grab a book, but then the bookshelf just … fell on its own! I-I don’t even know—”

Before she could finish, Edmund rushed over to her, his eyes filled with panic. He grabbed her shoulders gently before quickly spinning her around, checking her from head to toe.

“Are you hurt? Your feet, did the books fall on them?” he asked.

He didn’t even wait for an answer. Without thinking, he knelt in front of her and lifted the hem of her skirt just enough to check.

But with her shoes still on, there wasn’t much he could see.

“I’m fine,” Primrose mumbled. But the moment Edmund pressed gently on her foot, she flinched.

It seemed that a few of the heavy books had fallen onto her, but she hadn’t noticed it earlier because of the panic.

“Maybe it’s just a little sore,” she added quickly. “It’s nothing serious.”

[Who put the bookshelf there?! How dare those books hurt my wife’s feet?!]

Primrose almost choked when she heard his thoughts.

Was he seriously blaming the books instead of her?

Before she could even speak, Edmund scooped her up without warning, carrying her like she was weightless.

What the—?!

She didn’t even have time to blink before she found herself sitting on the couch, her legs carefully resting on Edmund’s lap.

“Your Majesty, my feet are fine,” Primrose said quickly. “I … I’m sorry for making a mess of your room. I shouldn’t have touched anything.”

In a second, Edmund lifted his face, his icy-blue eyes locking straight onto hers. His voice was serious and full of guilt as he said, “Wife, this is my fault.”

Primrose blinked, utterly confused.

She was the one who pulled the books.

She was the one who caused the mess.

So why on earth was he the one apologizing?

“I should’ve checked the bookshelf earlier,” Edmund said, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s old … the wood might have weakened over time. That’s probably why it fell so easily.”

He let out a frustrated sigh and lowered his head. “I’m sorry. Because of my carelessness, you could’ve been hurt.”

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