NOVEL WEB Chapter 282: The Queen Is Too Lazy To Walk
It turned out Edmund had left his patrol duty the moment he saw Primrose doing something outside of what they'd agreed on.
The soldiers were still able to handle things without him, but when a group of rogue werewolves suddenly showed up in the capital—so close to the palace it looked like they could break in at any moment—Edmund decided to return and help the soldiers fight them off.
"I'll be back soon. I promise." He kissed Primrose on the lips, then her cheeks, again and again before grabbing his cloak. "Don't do anything else, alright? Just rest in your room."
"I know," Primrose reassured him. "I won't do anything weird again. I'll just wait for you here." She reached out and smiled. "Kiss me one more time."
Edmund leaned down and kissed her again. When he pulled back, he gently reminded her, "Let the human doctors I called check on you today, alright? Please don't push them away."
Primrose knew she wouldn't be able to refuse that request now, so she simply nodded in agreement.
After saying goodbye one last time, Edmund finally left the palace.
But instead of looking tense or serious like usual, the soldiers swore to the moon and back that their mighty Lycan King actually looked excited, like a man who'd just received the best gift in the world.
And honestly, they weren't wrong.
The reason Edmund looked so happy, even while preparing to slaughter dozens of rogue werewolves, was because Primrose, his adorable wife, kept whispering sweetly, "I love you, husband,"through the spying vase placed beside her bed.
She just wanted to make sure he never doubted her feelings again, especially after he learned how tragic their first life had been.
And well … her efforts definitely paid off.
Not only did the mighty Lycan King look like he'd been blessed straight from the heavens, but he also managed to wipe out all the rogue werewolves in under two hours, making sure not a single one remained near the palace.
He truly kept his promise to Primrose about coming back to the palace as soon as possible.
As soon as he stepped back inside the palace walls, he cleaned himself up, didn't waste a second, and rushed straight to see his wife.
Primrose, who had been reading a book in bed, didn't even hesitate to toss the poor book somewhere across the room like it meant nothing and stretched her arms wide open toward him, silently asking for a hug.
Edmund didn't make her wait. He walked straight into her embrace, wrapping his arms around her tightly, almost as if he were afraid she might disappear if he let go.
Primrose melted into his chest, burying her face in his shoulder. "You really came back fast," she whispered.
Her husband hummed softly, then said, "I also love you, my wife."
Primrose giggled, realizing that Edmund had rushed back home not only to keep his promise, but also because he wanted to say those words back to her.
He really came back just to return her "I love you."
She honestly never expected their relationship to grow even sweeter than before, especially after she had told him the truth about their past.
But somehow, it did.
Somewhere between his quiet touches and gentle words, she realized something important: All the bad thoughts in her head didn't always come true.
Most of the time, they were just anxious, whispering lies, making her question things that were never meant to be questioned, and maybe … it would be better to stop listening to those voices.
"Do you need anything?" Edmund asked softly, brushing his fingers through her hair. "Maybe some cake? I can ask the maids to bring it for you."
Primrose shook her head gently, then buried her face even deeper against his chest. "I just want to be with you."
Edmund smiled and held her a little tighter, like she was the most precious thing in the world. "Then I won't go anywhere."
For the rest of the day, they stayed in bed and cuddled beneath the soft covers, holding each other close without needing to say much.
There were no kisses filled with lust or no wandering hands. The only kiss Edmund gave her in that moment was one filled with gentleness and warmth.
Neither of them even thought about anything sexual because right now, the only thing they wanted … was simply to be together.
• •
The next day, the poison in Primrose's body had finally faded. Her legs didn't hurt anymore, but even so, she still couldn't walk properly.
Every time she tried to take a step, her legs would tremble, like they weren't sure if they could trust the ground yet.
"This is perfectly normal, Your Majesty," said one of the human doctors, Dr. Alina Prescott, gently. "Your legs are still healing and need a bit more time before they can support you fully. After a few days of walking practice, you should be able to walk normally again."
Another doctor, Dr. Grace Devon, nodded in agreement. "We'll give you some medicine to help speed up your recovery, but how fast you heal depends on how much you're willing to push yourself."
They told Primrose that she needed to make an effort if she wanted to recover quickly and walk like normal again. Actually, there was nothing wrong with that advice, except for one thing: she was too lazy to follow it.
Every time she took five steps, the only thing that crossed her mind was, "I want to lie in bed right now."
In the end, Edmund—though it broke his heart to push her—had to gently make her walk for at least thirty minutes each day.
The first day went well. Primrose had a little motivation, maybe even a spark of determination, but the next day … her laziness caught up with her.
"Husband," Primrose whined as she clung to his arm, dragging her feet along the garden path. "I want to go back to bed."
When Edmund didn't answer, she whined again—louder this time. Her bottom lip jutted out in a dramatic pout as she leaned all her weight against him. "The grass is poking my feet, the wind is too strong, and my legs are being dramatic."
Edmund raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you say you wanted to meet Sir Dorne after this?"
Primrose groaned. "Can I postpone that meeting? I'm sleepy."
Edmund let out a long sigh. Deep down, he wanted to give in to her request, but he also knew he had to resist the urge to spoil her every time she gave him that look.
"Last night," he reminded her, "you said, and I quote: 'No matter what I say tomorrow, you have to force me to meet with the royal advisor.' And then you added, 'If I suddenly get lazy, just drag me to the library and lock me in there.'"
Primrose blinked up at him. "… That doesn't sound like me."
"It was definitely you, my wife."
"That was Night Primrose," she argued. "Daytime Primrose has different opinions."
Edmund couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head fondly. "Night Primrose also said and I quote 'You're not allowed to listen to me during the day because she's too lazy.'"
"Alright, alright! Stop quoting me!" Primrose huffed. "Fine. I'll meet with Sir Dorne this afternoon."
After all, she didn't really have a choice.
It had been way too long since she last attended one of his classes, and honestly … she'd probably forgotten half of what Sevrin had taught her.
Primrose knew the royal advisor would probably scold her and that was exactly why she didn't want to face him just yet.
But of course, she couldn't tell Edmund that. If she did, he'd probably do something extreme, like banning her from learning with Sevrin altogether.
"Will you have dinner with me tonight?" she asked suddenly, trying to change the subject. "Or do you have something else to do?"
Lately, there had been constant threats near the capital borders. Sometimes it was the rogues. Other times, wild beast tribes trying to stir up chaos.
Edmund had explained to her that this kind of thing always happened before winter.
Once winter arrived, most bandits and wild tribes wouldn't be able to launch attacks anymore, because the royal soldiers would have the advantage, hiding and moving through the thick snow.
In other words, once the Noctvaris region was fully covered in snow, the palace would be nearly impossible to breach.
That was why these enemies were trying their luck now before the snow came.
Well … most of them were cowards anyway.
The truly brave ones, those who actually had enough guts to challenge Edmund for the throne, would ask for a fair duel.
But unfortunately, most of them didn't have that kind of honor. They preferred to ambush the palace in groups, hoping numbers would win them the crown.
"Ah … I need to leave the palace before sunset today," Edmund said softly, a trace of regret in his voice. "So unfortunately … I won't be able to have dinner with you tonight."