NOVEL NEXT Chapter 359: The Letter and The Stamp
Primrose's eyes widened when she suddenly heard Sevrin praising her in his heart. Just like him, she hadn't expected that she could still manage to do her duties well, even though she spent half her days sleeping.
Maybe it was because she knew she could drift off at any moment, so whenever she was awake, she tried to work as effectively as possible.
"I think you should stop working on reports for today, Your Majesty," Sevrin said gently. "I can finish the rest for you."
[She's already taken more naps than usual today. If she keeps working, she might actually make herself sick.]
In fact, that was also because Edmund had gone to the border to deal with a rogue attack. That afternoon, Primrose hadn't received her energy boost yet, and the sun was already about to set.
"When will His Majesty come back?" Primrose asked softly, rubbing her tired eyes. "He promised me he'd return by four, but it's already two hours past that. Are you sure he's alright?"
Her husband had never once broken a promise, and she knew well he wouldn't purposely come home late, especially when she needed him so much. That was why she started to worry and wondered, had something happened to Edmund on the way back? What if the rogues had managed to hurt him?
Primrose tried to see him through their rings, but since Edmund had gone out to fight, he deliberately blocked his ring so she couldn't see anything.
"Perhaps there were too many rogues today, Your Majesty," Sevrin explained. "It's common for them to come in large numbers as winter approaches. Don't worry. I'm sure His Majesty will be back any moment now."
Just as he finished speaking, the doors of her office burst open, revealing Edmund rushing inside. There was no blood on his clothes, but Primrose noticed faint traces of it on his shoes.
"Wife, I'm sorry .…" Edmund pressed one hand against the doorframe, lowering his head for a moment to catch his breath. "I'm late."
Primrose shot up from her chair and rushed to him without hesitation. "Are you alright?" she asked quickly, her voice full of worry. "You look pale."
It was rare for Edmund to look this exhausted, so of course she was worried.
"I'm fine," Edmund said, swallowing hard as he straightened his back. "I was just running too fast earlier."
[There were too many rogues this time, at least thirty. They even set traps all around the border.] Edmund thought, forgetting for a moment that Primrose could hear him. [I tried to kill them all quickly, but even then, it still took me hours—]
He suddenly stopped thinking, realizing Primrose was listening. "I didn't kill anyone," he blurted quickly.
Primrose couldn't help but laugh softly. Ever since she got pregnant, Edmund had stubbornly held onto the old superstition that a pregnant woman shouldn't hear or see violence, or else the child would grow up wicked.
"Oh, husband, don't believe silly myths." She patted his arm and guided him toward the door. "Come on, let's get you into clean clothes."
Before leaving, she glanced back at Sevrin and Solene, silently signaling that they didn't need to watch over her anymore.
But Edmund, still reluctant, muttered, "I haven't kissed you yet."
Primrose chuckled and whispered back, "We can do that in our room."
Yes, their shared room had finally been completed, so they were able to move in there about three weeks ago.
From that day on, they became so inseparable that the palace staff began calling them "The Letter and the Stamp," because no one could tear them apart.
"Did you sleep too much today?" Edmund asked softly as Primrose helped him change into a clean shirt.
Primrose shook her head quickly. "Not really."
"Don't lie." Edmund sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled her gently onto his lap. "You know I can see it through your ring."
Primrose gave him a small, bitter smile. "Then maybe don't ask if you already know."
Edmund fell silent for a moment, noticing the bitterness in her tone. "Are you upset with me?" he asked gently. "Tell me … what did I do?"
Primrose turned her face away, her lips pressed tight. "If you don't think you've done anything wrong, then maybe nothing's wrong."
Edmund didn't get angry. His voice stayed calm and patient. "But something is wrong, isn't it?"
Primrose didn't reply right away. She knew deep down she was just being dramatic. But what could she do? Ever since the constant exhaustion and the endless naps started, her moods had become unpredictable.
Sometimes, the smallest things could irritate her. Other times, she found herself angry at her husband simply because … he had been away for too long.
Yes, she knew it sounded silly, stupid, childish, the kind of thing people would laugh at, or scold her for.
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop it. The frustration just boiled inside her, and she hated how little control she had over it.
When she realized she couldn't hold back her anger, the tears would come instead. Just like now, her eyes burned, her throat tightened, and she felt on the verge of crying. To anyone else, she probably looked like nothing more than a dramatic, unreasonable woman.
"I'm sorry." She hid her face in her hands, feeling foolish for letting her moods swing so wildly. "Just ignore me, it's fine."
Edmund let out a soft sigh, then pulled her firmly into his embrace. "How could I ever ignore you?" he murmured against her hair. "It's alright." His hand moved slowly up and down her back, giving her his flow of magic. "Just tell me what's wrong."
"It's nothing big," Primrose whispered. "I'm just … upset over something silly."
"If it's enough to make you upset, then it isn't silly," Edmund said firmly.
At last, Primrose lifted her head and looked into Edmund's eyes. She bit her lower lip before admitting softly, "I … just feel sad, and maybe a little angry, because I rarely see you these days."
Edmund did make time to come to her during the day, giving her kisses at least five times, but their meetings never lasted longer than a few minutes before duty pulled him away again.
Those brief moments only made her more frustrated, because once night came and they finally had time together, she would immediately drift off to sleep and miss the chance to truly talk to her husband.
It had been like that for the past two weeks, and she couldn't help but feel frustrated.