NOVEL NEXT Chapter 290: The Queen Wants To Choke Someone
"There are so many misunderstandings here." Leofric cleared his throat and rubbed his neck, the same one Primrose had been choking for over ten minutes. "I let an assassin hunt you on purpose because I wanted you to understand your ability better."
Primrose clenched her teeth and balled her fists at her sides, fighting the urge to grab him by the throat again until he couldn't speak for a week.
Not that it would kill him anyway. Just like Edmund, Leofric's skin was infuriatingly tough, and even after she'd choked him for so long, he hadn't so much as gasped for air.
If anything, her own hands had started to hurt from holding him that tightly.
Maybe she could try using her mind-control ability again, but she didn't want to mess around with something that dangerous. Besides, she was only annoyed and furious at Leofric, not aiming to kill him, at least not right this second.
"There are so many ways you could've tested my ability, but why … why did you choose something this extreme?"
Primrose smiled at him, but it was the kind of smile a killer clown might give while waiting for the perfect moment to strike. "If I had a heart condition, I'd probably have dropped dead on the spot."
"But you're still alive, aren't you?" Leofric said without a shred of guilt. "That's what matters most. Besides, in the military, it's common to run simulations that are almost exactly like real situations, like releasing actual demon beasts into the training grounds."
Primrose fell silent for a moment, feeling sorry for every soldier who had ever trained under Leofric.
"But I'm not a soldier, Sir Leofric." She was 'this close' to throwing the dagger straight at his face. "My heart is not built for … bloody fight."
She had truly thought she was going to have a heart attack when the assassin's sword was aimed at her throat. She had even started wondering whether she'd end up in heaven … or be forced to live through everything all over again from the very beginning.
The thought alone made her stomach twist.
Leofric, of course, didn't seem to notice or maybe he just didn't care. "That's exactly why I did it," he said, as if it were the most reasonable thing in the world. "You can't protect yourself if your heart stops every time danger shows up. You have to get used to it."
Primrose let out a dry, humorless laugh. "Get used to it? You make it sound like I'm supposed to schedule assassination attempts into my week."
Leofric's mouth curved into the faintest smirk. "If that's what it takes for you to master your ability, then yes."
She stared at him in disbelief, then shook her head slowly. "I will report this to my husband." She turned and started walking toward the library door. She winced slightly when she saw Sevrin still lying on the floor but decided she'd deal with him later.
"No, no, no!" Leofric grabbed her hand before she could take another step. "If you tell Edmund about this, he will definitely kill me!"
Primrose yanked her hand free and shot him a glare sharp enough to cut steel. "Good. That's exactly the point."
Leofric held up both hands in mock surrender, though his expression stayed annoyingly calm. "Come on, Primrose, you know I wasn't trying to harm you. I was helping you. Just try looking on the bright side for once."
She twitched the corner of her eye, wondering why he was suddenly speaking to her so casually. In that moment, she finally understood why Edmund always looked irritated whenever he talked to Leofric.
"Sir Leofric, please speak formally to me in this situation and apologize to me properly," Primrose said. "Because really … you have crossed the line now."
Leofric took a deep breath, and for a second, she thought he was realizing how outrageous his actions had been.
But no, Primrose was so wrong about him.
"There's nothing more effective to awaken your magic ability than being in real danger, that's why—"
"I'm going to tell my husband," Primrose cut him off or rather, she truly didn't care what he was about to say next.
The only thing she wanted to do right now was report his outrageous behavior to Edmund as soon as possible.
"Wait, wait!" Leofric rushed ahead of her, planting himself right in front of the door to stop her from storming out. "Alright, I'm sorry!" he said quickly, and there was the slightest hint of panic in his voice. "I've always used tough methods to train my soldiers, so I didn't know what kind of approach would work best for awakening your ability."
Primrose took a deep breath and pressed a hand to her forehead, frustration bubbling inside her at the beast standing in front of her.
She honestly wanted to keep scolding Leofric, but she also understood that, despite his reckless and infuriating methods, he hadn't done it out of malice.
It didn't make her any less angry, but a small part of her knew that beasts were indeed used to brutal methods, especially those in the military.
Maybe Leofric's method wasn't entirely wrong. Maybe it was her fault for having a weak heart.
No, what the hell.
If Primrose let Leofric think this was even slightly acceptable, he'd just keep doing it again, and next time, it might not be an assassin, but it could be something far worse.
Her glare hardened as she straightened her back. "You can start by having a proper conversation with me," she said. "You can tell me about all the information you've found regarding my ability. Maybe it would be less effective, but at least it's the safest way."
"Then let's talk now," Leofric said. His hand rested firmly on the doorknob, a clear sign that he had no intention of letting Primrose leave the room. "But how about we make a deal? I'll give you every important piece of information I've found, and you keep this little … incident a secret from your husband."
Primrose narrowed her eyes. She could tell Leofric had hinted at something important about her ability earlier. Besides, if she really wanted to know something, she could just read his mind.
As if he could read her expression, Leofric said, "What I have isn't just important information, but it's also a tool that can help you control your mind-control ability without … you know? Being angry all the time."
Before Primrose could say anything, he added, "And for your information, you won't be able to read my mind so easily because I can protect it from you, even better than Edmund can."
Now that he mentioned it, Primrose realized she could no longer hear anything from his mind, as if he wasn't thinking at all, which was impossible.
"What kind of tool?" Primrose asked.
"It wouldn't be fair if I told you before you agreed to our deal." Leofric gave her a crooked smile. "This thing is incredibly valuable, and you probably wouldn't be able to find it without my help."
Primrose let out a heavy sigh. She didn't even know what kind of item Leofric was talking about, so how could she possibly get it without his help?
"Fine." She extended her hand toward him and said, "Let's make a deal, but there's a dead body over there, so I don't think you can hide it very well."
Leofric waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, don't worry about that. I can take care of it quickly."
Primrose then glanced at Sevrin, who was still unconscious on the floor. Leofric spoke again, "He'll be fine. The poison will keep him out for at least two hours, so we have plenty of time. Oh, and about your blood … maybe you can ask your most trusted maid to take care of it."
She only replied with a nod because she was too tired to bother speaking.
Leofric finally moved away from the door after making sure it was securely locked. "Come on, let's have a seat first."
As he walked ahead, Primrose silently moved toward the broken window and, without a sound, tossed her wedding ring out through the gap.
"Your Majesty, you won't be able to escape through the window," Leofric said without turning around. "It's too high for you."
Primrose smiled, pleased that he hadn't realized what she had just done. "Don't worry, I just want to close the window." She pushed it shut and wedged a book against it so it wouldn't swing open again. "The air is getting colder."
A deal, my ass.
She was already planning to make sure Leofric never pulled something like this on her again by letting her husband kick him a few times for good measure.
Leofric settled into a chair, gesturing for her to do the same. "Now, shall we talk like civilized people?"
Primrose slowly walked over and sat down across from him. "Tell me everything you've found, Sir Leofric."
Leofric reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. The parchment was yellowed and fragile, as if it had been kept hidden away for a very long time.
"Your ability," Leofric began, "is actually more fascinating than I thought. Like I told you before, an ability like yours is usually passed down through bloodlines or granted as a heaven's blessing. But it turns out … there's a third possibility."