"Don’t worry about it, Your Majesty," Averon said with a light laugh. "I’ve already forgotten about it, but it would be nice if your wife became more obedient."

Primrose let out a quiet sigh and secretly glanced at Bianca, who was standing beside Averon.

[I thought she would do something interesting after learning about the west wing,] Bianca thought.

[But it seems like nothing has happened since last night...] she sighed. [I didn’t even hear any noise yesterday. Maybe she was just talking nonsense when she said she wanted to take down Averon and help me—]

"HELP! HELP ME!"

Bianca’s thoughts were cut off by a loud scream.

"Don’t let her get away!" A group of soldiers chased after a woman running from the direction of the west wing.

Her brunette hair was slightly messy, but the plain white dress she wore was clean. Even though she looked well taken care of, her skin was pale, far too pale, as if she hadn’t seen sunlight for years.

As she ran, she kept stumbling, her steps unsteady, like someone who wasn’t used to running freely outside.

"What the—" Averon’s eyes widened when he saw the young woman running toward the palace gate.

Meanwhile, Edmund’s gaze followed her closely. His eyes landed on the bear ears on top of her head, instantly telling him that she was one of his people.

Solene immediately spoke, "Your Majesty—"

"Bring her to me," Edmund ordered.

Without wasting a second, Solene rushed toward the young woman. She moved so fast that the palace soldiers couldn’t even keep up with her.

[She looks genuinely scared,] Solene thought. [I truly feel bad for Miss Evelia.] 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

When Solene stopped right in front of Evelia, blocking her path to the gate, Evelia flinched in surprise. Her legs shook, and she almost fell because she wasn’t used to running like this after so many years.

[The gate... I was almost there...] she thought. [I could have gotten out...]

Solene could see Evelia reaching for the gate, but she couldn’t let her go since it wasn’t part of their plan.

"Miss Evelia, it’s alright," Solene whispered softly near her ear. She adjusted her position so Averon and the soldiers wouldn’t notice her speaking. "We’re got you now."

After a moment, Evelia’s tense expression slowly softened. She recognized Solene’s voice, the same voice that had stayed with her through the long night in the west wing and told her the route she needed to take to reach the palace gate.

With little time to spare, Solene grabbed Evelia’s hands and lifted her up like a sack of potatoes. "Sorry," she whispered gently.

She then returned to Edmund and carefully lowered Evelia to the ground.

"Your Majesty," Solene said, her voice calm but cold as she glanced at Averon. "I believe she is one of us."

Before Edmund could speak, Averon quickly cut in, "Y-Your Majesty, I think there’s been a misunderstanding." He forced a small smile, but his voice was tense as he looked at Evelia kneeling on the ground. "I swear, I don’t know why she is in my palace."

"Liar!" Evelia snapped, turning toward him. Her hand shook as she pointed at Averon. "H-He locked me up... me and so many other women... in this cursed palace!"

Evelia had rarely spoken to anyone for years, so she stammered a little, struggling to form her words quickly.

"H-He has taken advantage of us!" she added, her eyes filled with anger, even as fear still lingered inside them.

"Don’t speak carelessly!" Averon snapped. "Do you know that accusing a king is the highest crime?!"

He quickly turned to Edmund. "You believe me, right? I mean... how could I possibly do something like that?"

Edmund looked at Averon with a cold gaze. All the fake friendliness he had shown to the King of Azmeria earlier had completely disappeared.

"After speaking with you for so long, I believe you are capable of doing something like that," Edmund said calmly, his voice turning sharp. "King Averon, you should understand this: when it comes to protecting my people, I do not take things lightly. And now that I know you have harmed one of my kind... this is not something that can be settled like a simple matter."

"Oh, you’ve got to be joking!" Averon let out a harsh sigh and gave a short laugh, not because he found it funny, but because he was frustrated. "This is just a misunderstanding!"

"A misunderstanding, my ass," Primrose said at last. She stepped out from behind Edmund and walked straight toward Averon. "Your soldiers were chasing her and trying their best to stop her from escaping this place. Anyone with eyes can see that she would become your downfall the moment she stepped out of the palace gate."

"Shut up!" Averon snapped, pointing his finger at her. "What would a stupid woman like you understand? Talking nonsense with that filthy mouth of yours! Do you think you have the right to—"

SLAP!

Averon’s eyes widened as Primrose struck his cheek. When he realized what had just happened, his face flushed red with anger. "How dare you—"

SLAP!

Primrose slapped him again. Her golden eyes were calm, without even a trace of fear, as she struck the King of Azmeria.

On the other side, Edmund didn’t even try to stop her. In fact, even if his wife decided to throw a table at Averon, he wouldn’t stop her.

"Oh, Averon..." Primrose said, her voice cold and clear. "Do you even realize who you’re speaking to?"

"I am no longer the daughter of the Duke of Illvaris," she continued. "I am the Queen of Noctvaris. And if you think you stand on the same level as me, then you are very wrong."

"You are just a king ruling a small kingdom under the empire," she went on. "You only control a small part of the Vellmoria Empire."

Her gaze sharpened. She lifted her chin slightly, her eyes carrying an authority she had previously hidden from him. "While my husband—the King of Noctvaris—rules over all his land. A land that is almost as vast as the Vellmoria Empire itself."

"So no, you are not our equal," she added firmly, "Our equals are the Emperor and Empress of the Vellmoria Empire."

She took a small step closer, her voice dropping just enough to feel heavy. "So when you speak to us, you should lower your head, like a proper subject."