The Mind-Reading Mate: Why Is the Lycan King So Obsessed With Me?!-Chapter 31: The Queen’s Cursed Hairpins

Leah’s eyes widened in shock at those words.

The Forsaken North.

One of the coldest regions in the Noctvaris Kingdom. It was a place used to exile criminals who had committed serious offenses. Their crimes were not severe enough for execution, but still deserving of punishment.

People called it the Snowy Desert of Redemption, but deep down, everyone knew the truth. Living in the Northern Region was worse than death.

Leah gritted her teeth, her furious gaze locked onto Primrose. "You bastard!" She suddenly lunged forward and extended her sharp claws from her fingers.

She aimed for Primrose’s face, but before she could land a single scratch, the soldiers had already drawn their swords and pressed their swords near her throat.

"Lady Leah." A soldier’s voice rang out. "Move another inch, and you won’t live to regret it."

The soldiers of Noctvaris were the embodiment of loyalty. They served the kingdom and its royal family with unwavering devotion, especially those they deeply respected.

As long as Primrose didn’t have any bad rumors spreading among the soldiers and maids, they had no reason to turn against her.

"Take her to the dungeon," Edmund ordered, his voice colder than ice. "Exile her to the North before sunrise. If she dares to escape, kill her immediately."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Don’t yell."

"..."

The soldiers exchanged glances before whispering in hushed voices, "Yes, Your Majesty."

The soldiers dragged Leah toward the dungeon, her furious screams bouncing off the stone walls. Primrose didn’t even need to hear them to know what was running through the fox’s head because her face alone said it all.

When no one was watching, she tilted her head slightly and lifted the corner of her mouth. The Queen’s wicked smile was only displayed for her alone.

The struggling fox suddenly froze.

[She ... she’s smiling at me?!]

[That conniving little—SHE’S DOING THIS ON PURPOSE!]

"YOU FILTHY HUMAN! I HOPE YOU ROT IN HELL!" Leah’s voice cracked with pure rage, echoing through the hallway. "I HOPE YOUR BUTT STAYS FLAT FOREVER!"

Primrose’s eyes snapped wide open.

... Excuse me?!

Of all things, she cursed her butt?!

Her butt wasn’t flat! Edmund himself said it was the perfect size for his hands!

Wait.

What the hell was she thinking?!

Now wasn’t the time to be worrying about her butt, dammit. She had to keep up her act as the pitiful, heartbroken queen in front of these overly dramatic beasts.

"H-How could something like this happen?" She lowered her head, covering her face with her hands.

Her shoulders trembled, making it seem as if she was barely holding back sobs.

In reality?

She was laughing at how easily these beasts fell for her act.

"I’ve always thought of Lady Leah as my own sister, the one person I could trust in this palace. But why ... why would she do this to me?"

Primrose’s voice trembled as she sobbed, her delicate frame shaking. "Just a few days ago ... someone even tried to take my life."

She lifted her face, revealing long lashes damp with tears. Her golden eyes shimmered with sorrow, slightly reddened from crying too much.

"Do the people of Noctvaris hate me that much?" Her lips trembled as she gazed at the soldiers and maids one by one, before finally looking at Edmund. "If I leave this palace, will everyone be happy? But ... but I have nowhere to go."

"The Emperor of Vellmoria won’t allow me to return, and the people of Noctvaris despise me." Her knees buckled as she sank onto the cold floor, looking as if she might faint. In a broken whisper, she murmured, "Maybe I should just die."

Then, before anyone could react, she reached up and pulled the hairpin from her hair. Within seconds, she drove it straight toward her neck.

"NO!" Everyone screamed at the same time.

Edmund grabbed her wrist and snatched the hairpin away, tossing it across the hallway. Meanwhile, several soldiers and maids tripped over each other in their frantic rush to stop the Queen.

"YOU CAN’T JUST KILL YOURSELF LIKE THAT!" Edmund’s voice boomed, panic lacing his words. The thought of his wife trying to take her own life right in front of him sent a chill down his spine.

"Don’t yell at her!" The soldiers and maids snapped back at him.

For a second, there was silence. Then, as if realizing what they had just done, one of them cleared his throat, looking like he wanted to dig his own grave. "Ahem. W-What we meant was ... The Queen has been through a lot lately, Your Majesty. So maybe ... speaking gently would be best?"

Primrose scanned their faces one by one. For the first time, she could see the fear, guilt, and genuine concern reflected in their eyes.

She chuckled inwardly. It seemed she really did have to go to extreme lengths just to drag their sympathy out into the open.

Edmund, still kneeling beside her, reached for her chin and gently turned her face toward him, checking her neck for any injuries.

He let out a slow breath of relief when he found none. "I wasn’t trying to scold you," he murmured, his tone softer now. "But death isn’t the answer to your pain, my wife."

She turned her face away, her voice barely above a whisper. "But ... everyone here hates me." A tear slid down her cheek. "If I have to endure that much hatred every day, my weak heart will give out eventually."

Edmund’s expression darkened. His sharp gaze swept over the people in the corridor.

"Who?" His voice dropped to a deadly calm. "Tell me, who dares to hate my wife?"

People’s thoughts flooded into her mind one by one.

[Who in their right mind would dare to hate our queen?!]

[For god’s sake... our beautiful queen has suffered enough.]

[These beasts need to act less like beasts!]

"Your Majesty, not all of us hate you!" a soldier suddenly blurted out. "Please, give us a chance to see you live a long and healthy life!"

That ... That was a bizarre way to encourage someone not to take their own life.

Primrose let out a deep, sorrowful sigh, murmuring, "But... everyone always looks at me so coldly. You never even smile at me."

And then, out of nowhere, she pulled out a second hairpin. "Just let me die!"

Edmund’s eyes widened. [Who the hell decided to make hairpins with such sharp ends?!]

He didn’t hesitate. In one swift motion, he grabbed the second hairpin from her hand and threw it to the ground. "Destroy it! Destroy it now!" he barked at the soldiers. "And throw out every single sharp-ended hairpin in this damn palace!"

The soldiers scrambled to obey, stomping on the hairpin until it was nothing but shattered fragments on the floor.

"Wife!" Edmund gripped Primrose’s hands tightly, his voice filled with desperation. "Please, please, don’t ever think about taking your own life again! Tonight’s disaster was entirely my fault!"

[I’m the one who let that wretched woman into my chambers!]

[I’m the one who made my wife’s heart ache!]

[I’m the reason she’s suffering!]

[If anyone deserves to die, it’s me!]

"I swear, from now on, I’ll make sure everyone in this palace smiles whenever they see you!" Edmund declared with conviction.

The moment those words left his mouth, the beasts immediately forced the corners of their lips upward.

The result?

Rows of sharp fangs gleamed under the dim palace lights, making them look less like friendly courtiers and more like ravenous predators ready to devour Primrose alive.

Why was smiling such a struggle for these people?! Had their facial muscles completely deteriorated?!