Chapter 297: The Better Side of Beasts (I)
"What’s your answer, Sir Callen?" Primrose asked again when he still didn’t reply to her.
After a few seconds, Callen finally gave a slow nod that quickly turned into a firm one. "I want to take the test, Your Majesty," he declared. "I want to be your royal guard the proper way."
[That way, no one will ever doubt me again. And I’ll know for sure that I really am capable of being Her Majesty’s royal guard.]
[But more importantly ... I’ll get a raise!]
Primrose had a feeling the raise was the main reason he was so eager.
"I’m glad to hear that, Sir Callen!" she said, clapping her hands once and smiling brightly. "I know how much this test means to soldiers, so ... how about I relieve you from your duties for now, so you can train without any distractions?"
Callen blinked a few times, looking uncertain. "But ... who will protect you, Your Majesty?"
Primrose waved her hand lightly. "Don’t worry. I have Lady Solene. She can guard me for a while."
Usually, Solene assisted her with changing clothes, mealtimes, or managing her daily schedule.
It might have seemed like Solene was always by her side, but compared to Callen, who shadowed her constantly and stood guard at her door, Solene still had plenty of free time.
When Primrose didn’t need her, Solene would spend her day at the training grounds, and judging by the more defined muscles in her arms since they first met, those hours weren’t going to waste.
Primrose was starting to think Solene could easily serve as her personal guard instead of just her lady-in-waiting.
She’d have to bring it up with her later, though officially, Solene was no longer a soldier of Noctvaris.
"Then ... I’ll do my best to train so I can pass the royal guard’s test without a hitch!" Callen said with newfound determination.
All the doubt in his heart was gone, replaced by the burning desire to earn the official title of royal guard and yes, the thought of a bigger paycheck.
"But first, help me get Sir Dorne into a chair. He’s probably freezing after lying on the floor so long." Primrose’s gaze moved to the lifeless body, then to Leofric, who was still darting around the courtyard. "Leave the corpse there. Sir Leofric will deal with it himself."
Besides, the lifeless body was proof of Leofric’s involvement in the assassination attempt on the Queen of Noctvaris, and a reminder of Primrose’s hidden power.
The fewer people who knew about it, the better.
Fortunately, Callen was too caught up thinking about the royal guard’s test to notice anything unusual about the danger Primrose had just faced.
"Of course, Your Majesty." Callen pushed a few chairs together in the library and carefully placed Sevrin’s body on them. "Do you want me to call a doctor for him?"
Primrose considered it for a moment before saying, "I don’t think that’s necessary. Sir Leofric said he’d be fine in two hours."
She also didn’t want too many people knowing what had happened, though that might be difficult, considering two of the library’s huge windows were shattered, and the Lycan King was currently chasing Leofric with a sword in hand.
Anyone with eyes and half a brain would assume Leofric had done something truly awful to make Edmund lose his temper.
Primrose let out a slow sigh. At least no one would discover her mind-control ability because there hadn’t been a single witness close enough to see it.
"How about the maids?" Callen asked, his gaze flicking over Primrose’s blood-stained gown and face. "I can call Marielle and a few others to help you clean up."
[With that much blood, I’m certain Her Majesty is still in shock.]
[She might not even have the strength to walk to her room ... Should I carry her there? But what if His Majesty gets angry at me for carrying his wife while he’s nearby?]
Edmund might be annoyed, but Primrose doubted he’d lose his temper over her personal guard carrying her when she was clearly shaken.
Still, there was no point in tempting fate, especially when the "fate" in question was a giant, sharp-fanged wolf.
"Could you call Lady Solene instead?" Primrose said. "Tell her to bring a cloak big enough to cover me, and please ... go to her yourself. Don’t send another soldier."
She didn’t want anyone else finding out she’d just survived an assassination attempt.
This way, she could spin a different story about why Edmund had been ready to run Leofric through. Maybe ... she could say Leofric had been drunk on duty. Yes, that would work.
"Please, don’t go anywhere, Your Majesty," Callen said firmly. "I’ll be right back after I find Lady Solene."
Primrose gave him a small nod. "I will."
The moment Callen left the library, she let out a tired sigh and lowered her gaze to the blood-soaked gown.
"What a shame ... I really liked this one," she muttered.
She had no intention of explaining anything to the maids, so she’d rather have Solene burn the gown altogether.
Soap might remove the stains, but the metallic smell of blood would linger. Even if it didn’t, she was sure she’d smell it every time she looked at the dress.
Earlier, she hadn’t felt nauseous because her survival instincts had been too strong. But now that the danger was over and the room was quiet, the wave of sickness hit hard.
She immediately bent forward and vomited onto the floor.
She had seen plenty of blood and bodies before, yet she still hadn’t grown used to it.
But that wasn’t surprising because she’d never grown up around violence. Her father hadn’t even let her watch plays if they had a single violent scene.
It would take time for her to get used to the sight and smell of blood.
"Your Majesty!" Solene’s voice rang out as she burst into the library. "What happened to you?!"
Primrose blinked in surprise because she hadn’t expected Solene and Callen to return so quickly. Surely Callen had been gone in less than five minutes.
"Dear God, you’re covered in blood!" Solene rushed over, scanning her from head to toe. "Are you hurt? I was in the training grounds earlier, so I didn’t hear the commotion inside the palace."
[Is that a corpse?!] Solene screamed in her mind. [How could His Majesty leave his wife alone with a dead body?! What in the world happened here?!]
[D-Did Sir Leofric try to assassinate Her Majesty?!]
Primrose hadn’t expected her to piece things together so quickly. Truly, she was an exceptional woman.
"I’m fine now," Primrose said, rising from the chair. "Help me hide the blood with the cloak. I don’t want anyone seeing me like this on my way back to my room."
Solene nodded quickly, draping a large black cloak over her and gently wiping the blood from her face with a handkerchief.
"Oh, Lady Solene," Primrose added casually, "Sir Leofric killed that man, but he was late because he’d been drinking while on duty. That’s why my husband was so furious with him."
She continued, "I just want you to know that so you don’t get the wrong idea about my husband and Sir Leofric arguing outside, and please ... don’t tell a soul about what happened here."
Solene let out a small breath of relief, her shoulders relaxing now that she knew Leofric hadn’t been the one to bring danger into Primrose’s life.
After a moment, she tightened the cloak around Primrose’s waist and asked again, "Are you really alright, Your Majesty?"
Primrose nodded. "Like I said, I’m fine."
"No, I’m not asking about your body." Solene’s voice softened as she placed her hands gently on Primrose’s shoulders. "How are you feeling? Are you really alright? The corpse ... it looked a bit brutal, didn’t it?"
[Sir Leofric could have just thrown the man out the window or done something less bloody,] Solene thought with a flash of irritation. [Why kill someone so violently right in front of Her Majesty? That’s hardly professional.]
Leofric might be known as a drunkard, but that was still far better than being labeled a traitor.
"I’m fine," Primrose said, forcing a small smile onto her face. "I’m starting to get used to it."
Solene’s eyes briefly flicked to the vomit on the floor, making it clear she didn’t fully believe that claim.
"I’m sorry, Your Majesty," she whispered, her voice trembling ever so slightly.
Primrose frowned. "Why are you apologizing?"
Taking Primrose’s hands into her own, Solene gently wiped away the flecks of dried blood on her fingers. "I know it’s not easy for you to live among beasts like us," she said with guilt heavy in her voice.
"I’ve always wanted to show you that we’re more than just our fangs and claws, but no matter how hard I try, moments like this keep ruining it."
Primrose stayed quiet for a while, her gaze dropping to the dark fabric of the cloak wrapped around her.
She could still feel the weight of Solene’s words hanging in the air. There was no point in pretending those moments of blood and chaos hadn’t shaken her because they had.
But in the middle of all that, there were people like Solene who tried to shield her from the worst of it.
Finally, she lifted her head and met Solene’s eyes. "You already have," she said softly. "Every time you stand beside me, every time you make me laugh when the world feels too heavy ... that’s you showing me the better side of your kind."