Chapter 298: The Better Side of Beasts (II)
Solene’s lips trembled for a moment before she finally whispered, "That ... that’s not enough."
Primrose let out a soft laugh, not because she wanted to mock Solene, but because she was mocking herself. "If we’re looking for perfection, then nothing we do will ever be enough. Besides ... don’t humans also act like monsters sometimes?"
Her smile faded slightly. "You’ve heard what Dr. Silas and his rotten son did, haven’t you? Tell me, what’s the difference between people like them and the beast lying dead on that floor? Race has never decided whether someone has a kind heart ... or a cruel one."
At the end of the day, anyone could become a monster if they chose to, and Primrose had never really seen herself as a saint either. Deep down, she believed she was a sinner, just like her husband.
"That’s why, Lady Solene..." Primrose’s smile brightened again, softer this time. "... you don’t have to care about what others do to me. The only thing that matters is how you treat me."
Primrose had never held a grudge against Solene, not in this life, and not in her first one. To her, Solene was someone who always made her feel safe.
If Primrose were to be honest, she would admit that Solene and Callen were the very reasons she had started to believe beasts weren’t as terrifying as she once thought.
"I’m really glad I met you, Lady Solene," she said gently when Solene still hadn’t replied to her, maybe because she didn’t know what words would be enough at that moment.
In the end, the only thing Solene managed to whisper was, "Thank you." Her teeth sank into her lower lip as she lowered her head, her voice trembling when she spoke again. "Thank you for trusting me this much, Your Majesty."
Callen, who was standing silently behind Solene, wore the same expression. He didn’t say it out loud, but Primrose could tell he felt the same way. He carried guilt in his heart for all the pain she had endured since stepping foot into the Noctvaris Kingdom.
"I swear ... on my name and on my family’s honor, I won’t ever let you get hurt again, Your Majesty," Solene said firmly. "Please, Your Majesty ... will you allow me to serve as your personal guard instead of just your lady-in-waiting?"
Primrose blinked in surprise. She honestly hadn’t expected Solene to be the one to bring up that question first.
[If Her Majesty wants me as her personal guard temporarily, then I’d rather do it officially,] Solene thought to herself. [Sir Callen is good, but he still needs to sharpen his skills before I can trust him to guard Her Majesty alone.]
Primrose was utterly baffled. How could Solene possibly know that she wanted to make her the temporary guard? She was certain that Callen and Solene had only the briefest moment together when they came to the library.
"Your Majesty?" Solene tilted her head when Primrose didn’t answer right away.
[Does Her Majesty not want me to be her personal guard?] Solene wondered silently. [But ... I guess it’s fair. I’ve been out of the military for so long, maybe she doubts my combat skills now.]
But Primrose had never once doubted her. Solene had slain the tiger beasts that attacked her in Moonshadow and came to her in less than half an hour. There was no way her skills had dulled.
The only reason she didn’t respond right away was because she was stunned at how smoothly her plan had fallen into place.
"I’d be more than glad to have you as my personal guard, Lady Solene." Primrose finally extended her hand toward her. "I can even ask His Majesty to reinstate you into the military. How does that sound?"
Without thinking twice, Solene grabbed her hand and shook it firmly. "That sounds amazing, Your Majesty!" she said with a bright smile. They held hands for a moment before Solene added, "But ... I’d still need to take the royal guard’s test again if I want to rejoin the military. That’s the only way I can make it official."
Primrose didn’t really understand the military system. She honestly thought Edmund could just bring Solene back in without any hassle. Since Solene already had a high rank before, wouldn’t that automatically qualify her to be a royal guard?
"O-oh ... is that really necessary?" Primrose asked, tilting her head.
Solene nodded with a light laugh. "It’s just protocol, Your Majesty."
Not long after, Primrose caught Solene’s thoughts again. [I honestly don’t understand how Sir Callen managed to become the Queen’s personal guard without ever taking the test.]
[Some soldiers at the training ground even think he’s having an affair with Her Majesty. Ridiculous. That rumor is absolutely ridiculous.]
[If only they could see the King and Queen’s relationship up close every day, such rumors would never exist.]
Primrose was speechless when she realized such a rumor had been spreading around, not necessarily inside the palace, but most likely among the soldiers in the training ground.
After all, most of them were new recruits or guards stationed outside the palace, so it wasn’t surprising that Primrose rarely met them or heard their thoughts.
Still, what in the world was that nonsense?!
Having an affair with Callen?! If Callen ever dared to flirt with her, his head wouldn’t even last three seconds on his shoulders because Edmund would slice it off so fast that Callen wouldn’t even have time to say goodbye to his paycheck.
Sure, Edmund wasn’t exactly the type to get jealous without reason ... but Primrose wasn’t fully convinced either because his wolf often filtered his thoughts before she could hear them, and from what she’d gathered, that filter was there for her own good.
Hell, his wolf even once told her that if she ever got the unfiltered version, she’d probably find her husband terrifying, which left her wondering: did that mean Edmund really did have crazy, jealous thoughts sometimes?
Well, probably. But as long as he kept them in his head and didn’t actually act on them, she didn’t really care. Besides, he’d never once stopped her from talking to other men. He wasn’t that unhinged ... right?
Still, Primrose couldn’t help but wonder: what would Edmund do if some idiot actually flirted with her right in front of him?
On second thought ... maybe she didn’t want to know.