The Mind-Reading Mate: Why Is the Lycan King So Obsessed With Me?!-Chapter 38: Trash-Talking Session (I)

Primrose sat across from Salem. She calmly sipped her tea while the man in such bright clothing stared at her sharply.

It really felt like Salem was scrutinizing her appearance, not because he thought she was beautiful, but because he wanted to judge her!

[I thought my client would be interesting, but a human? I could give her rat poison, and she’d have dropped dead tomorrow.]

[How boring. Rat poison doesn’t even taste that delicious.]

Primrose’s fingers twitched slightly against her cup. What the hell was that supposed to mean?

Being a poison tester was an incredibly dangerous job. That was why most of them trained themselves to recognize poisons by scent and color alone. But this man ... he wanted to taste them? Did he lose his damn mind?

Sure, she knew beasts had stronger bodies and absurdly fast healing abilities compared to humans, but did that mean they were immune to everything?

"I assume Lady Solene has already explained why you were summoned to the palace," Primrose said gently, setting her cup down with a soft clink.

Salem leaned back against the couch, crossing his legs with the kind of arrogance only a young master from a prestigious family could pull off. His expression remained cold as he answered, "No, she didn’t."

[I thought Solene sent me an urgent letter because someone interesting like His Majesty had been poisoned. But ... turns out, it was just the Queen.]

[How boring.]

Primrose’s eye twitched.

Why was he more concerned about Edmund?! That foolish Lycan could probably chug ten gallons of rat poison and still walk it off like it was nothing!

Even though she was irritated, Primrose still tried to maintain a smile on her face.

"Since someone attempted to kill me a few days ago, I thought it would be wise to have a poison tester," she said. "I had one back in my homeland, so—"

"I refuse," Salem interrupted firmly.

Without hesitation, he drained his tea to the last drop, then rose swiftly from the couch. "I guess our conversation is over. Well then, I’ll be taking my leave."

What the hell just happened?!

Primrose had barely gotten a few words out, and he was already walking away? Could he not at least pretend to respect her as the Queen of Noctvaris?

Forget it.

She had been lulled into a false sense of comfort by the palace beasts who treated her kindly, completely forgetting that most of their kind still hated her simply for being human.

But no! She refused to let this arrogant beast dismiss her so easily. She wasn’t about to sit back and be humiliated by his outright rejection.

Besides, Solene had personally recommended him, knowing full well that this man had a worse attitude than a rabid monkey.

That meant Salem must be exceptional at what he did, so exceptional that even his unbearable personality was worth tolerating.

Primrose didn’t know much about him yet, but one thing was clear that he had a weird interest in poisons.

Not just in recognizing them, but in tasting them. Experimenting with them. Perhaps even creating something deadlier than anything she’d ever heard of.

A smile appeared on her lips as she lifted her teacup, taking a slow sip. "Well, I suppose you’re not that impressive after all." Primrose spoke without bothering to turn toward him.

"I never judge people based on appearances, but you ..." She sighed softly, tilting her head slightly, as if in thought. "How should I put this in a way that doesn’t sound too insulting?"

Primrose finally turned her head, her gaze settling on Salem, who had stopped midway. His back was still facing her, but she knew he was waiting to hear what she would say afterward.

"You look far too childish to be an expert," she scoffed at him. "I bet the only toxins you know are rat poison and snake venom."

Salem spun around so fast his coat nearly flared behind him.

"Excuse me?" His purple eyes narrowed, his expression flickering between disbelief and offense. "Did I hear you wrong, Your Majesty?"

Primrose lifted her fan, covering the lower half of her face and a grin appeared on her face.

Since he had been so quick to judge her appearance and dismiss weak poisons as boring, she had no doubt that belittling his expertise would get under his skin.

His first impression of her would be terrible, but that was still better than having no conversation at all.

"My voice is clear enough for you to hear, isn’t it?" she said, blinking up at him with round, innocent eyes.

Back in her homeland, that expression alone was enough to make men weak at the knees. A sweet smile, a flutter of her lashes, she could bend them to her will without even trying.

That was why, in her first life, she had been utterly baffled by the Lycan King’s cold indifference. No matter how sweet or graceful she acted, he had remained unmoved.

As it turned out, he simply didn’t know how to express his emotions properly.

But Salem? He was different.

His face was ice-cold, and his mind showed zero interest in her. Not once had he ever praised her beauty. He hadn’t even pretended to be charmed.

"You can try to find another poison expert," Salem said confidently, lifting his chin. "But I assure you, there is no beast more skilled in poisons than I am.

"And besides, my fashion choices are not childish!"

[Childish, she said?! At least my outfit doesn’t look old like that ridiculous gown she’s wearing!]

[That dress is so outdated. The only people still wearing something like that are grandmothers!]

Behind her fan, Primrose’s smile twisted into a sneer.

Her gown was outdated?!

She had burned every single ugly gown that Leah had picked out for her, so how dare Salem think her dress was outdated?!

Primrose was certain she had always followed fashion trends. She had even brought plenty of dresses from her homeland to this kingdom!

No. No. She wasn’t the one in the wrong here. He was the one with an absurd sense of fashion!

Maybe consuming too many poisons had fried a few brain cells, including the ones responsible for his fashion sense!

But that wasn’t the most important thing right now.

"I don’t believe you," Primrose said. "If you’re really that great, then why did you refuse my request? Could it be that you’re afraid of disappointing me because you’re just a fraud?"