The Mind-Reading Mate: Why Is the Lycan King So Obsessed With Me?!-Chapter 121: The King’s Genius Business

As the silence between them started to feel suffocating, Primrose opened her mouth again. "Where are you from, Sir?"

"Somewhere far."

Primrose frowned. This man was really cold. "Then ... why did you choose to come all the way here? Isn’t there any alcohol in your place that tastes as good as my father’s?"

Edmund didn’t answer right away.

For a moment, she thought maybe he just didn’t want to talk to her at all.

She was about to say something else when she finally heard his voice. "Actually, I’m looking for someone who can create a special kind of alcohol for me and for my people."

The moment he said that, the first thought that popped into little Primrose’s head was: ’Oh! I can help Father earn even more money!’

Without wasting a second, she immediately said, "Why don’t you work with my father, then? He’s the best distiller in the Vellmoria Empire! Even the Emperor praises his liquor!"

The little girl, who secretly dreamed of buying lots of jewelry, tried her best to convince the mysterious man to invest in her father’s business.

"Sir, if you’re unsure of his talent, you can judge it for yourself by tasting the rum you just bought for that ridiculous price!"

"I promise you didn’t waste your five million gold coins!" she added, pointing toward the chaos outside. "Just look at them! They’re acting like wild animals because they didn’t get to taste my father’s rum! Isn’t that enough proof of how amazing he is?"

Primrose looked up at him with hopeful eyes, her golden irises shining like sunlight. The smile on her face was so bright, it nearly blinded him.

Edmund opened his mouth to say something, but just then, the Duke of Illvaris returned, hurrying into the backstage and grabbing his daughter’s hand.

"Rosie! We have to go! These people are starting to lose control!"

Primrose tugged at her father’s sleeve and quickly said, "Father, this man told me—"

But when she turned back around, the man was gone.

He had disappeared without making a sound, leaving her momentarily wondering if she had just been talking to a ghost. freeωebnovēl.c૦m

"What’s wrong, Rosie?" Lazarus asked as he picked her up in his arms, raising his voice over the growing noise of the angry crowd. "Let’s get out of here first!"

Just like Edmund had said ...

Their encounter had been so brief, maybe no more than fifteen minutes.

If he hadn’t reminded her today, she probably would’ve forgotten it completely.

Back in the present, Primrose stared into the same blue eyes that had once looked both terrifying and beautiful at the same time.

She had never expected that he had actually listened to her words, even back then.

"I thought ... you didn’t listen to my suggestion," Primrose said softly, feeling a little strange now that she remembered they had met before.

Suddenly, she felt like one of those young princesses in old stories, the ones who were forced to marry a creepy old man.

Old man?

She blinked. That wasn’t fair. He didn’t look old at all.

In fact, as she really looked at him, she realized something strange. His face hadn’t changed, not even a little.

Back then, she couldn’t see his face clearly under the cloak, but even the glimpse she caught ... his face looked exactly the same now as it had ten years ago.

Then again, it was normal.

Beasts didn’t age as quickly as humans. They lived longer, especially those as strong as Edmund.

More than that, he wasn’t creepy at all, so no, Edmund definitely wasn’t some creepy old man.

"After I drank your father’s rum," Edmund said gently, "I finally understood why you called him the most talented distiller in the entire empire."

He paused, then said, "It tasted heavenly. That’s why I decided to start a business partnership with him."

For centuries, beasts had tried to distill Ember Fruit into liquor, something to help calm their anger.

But no one had ever managed to make it taste good.

So Edmund began searching for someone who could do both: create a calming drink, and make it enjoyable to drink.

"We rebranded the drink, called it Moonfire, and kept the real ownership a secret," he admitted. "Only your father and Sir Dorne knew the truth ... and now, so do you."

Hiding the identity of the original owner had been a smart move.

Back then, most beasts wouldn’t have touched alcohol made by a human, not with tensions still high between the two races.

And if they knew the king was involved, they might accuse him of caring more about his business than his people.

So the best option for Edmund and Lazarus was to stay hidden.

All anyone knew was that Moonfire came from a reclusive beast who preferred to keep his name out of the spotlight.

Now that she thought about it and realized how long this had been going on, Primrose finally understood what Edmund meant when he once said, "Even if I’m no longer king, I’ll never go poor."

"But ... why were you so interested in business all of a sudden?" Primrose asked.

Edmund had claimed he only wanted to create something pleasant for the beasts to drink, but Primrose didn’t quite believe him.

In her first life, she had seen Moonfire everywhere in the palace.

The maids had told her it was a luxury drink, usually served to nobles because it was expensive and hard to find.

Meanwhile, the alcohol served to the common folk was called Blue Moon.

It was much cheaper, still good in quality, though its bottle wasn’t nearly as fancy.

With just one glance, Primrose had known both brands came from the same place.

The maker had simply upgraded the flavor and packaging of Moonfire to make it seem more luxurious, so it could be sold to the rich for a higher price.

In other words, the owner wanted everyone to enjoy the alcohol, but also wanted to make a huge profit.

"Didn’t I tell you before?" Edmund said, gently looking at her. "I wanted to make sure that my future wife and children would never suffer, even if I lost my title or nobility."