Chapter 598: Back to Their Everyday Lives (II)

Salem had even proudly written that he had finally managed to teach them how to read properly. On top of that, he had started teaching them some basic medical knowledge as well.

Every time Primrose received one of his letters, she could almost imagine Salem sitting among the children with a book in his hands, patiently teaching them one word at a time.

At least while Primrose was busy helping the kingdom recover, the children were slowly beginning to build new lives of their own.

Things had been peaceful for the past two months. Unfortunately, that peace did not last forever.

“Your Majesty, we finally found Pippa’s parents.”

Primrose immediately looked up from the documents on her desk when Solene entered her office with the news.

Now that Primrose had gotten used to handling the kingdom’s affairs, Sevrin no longer needed to stay by her side all the time. He would still help whenever she needed some rest due to her pregnancy or simply did not feel like dealing with something herself, but most days, Primrose could handle everything just fine on her own.

Today happened to be one of the rare days when Sevrin was busy with some personal matters. Because of that, Primrose was alone when Solene brought her the news she had been waiting for.

They had finally found the parents of one of the women she had brought back to Noctvaris: Pippa, the hamster beastwoman.

And apparently, her own parents were the ones who had sold her to Averon.

Primrose’s expression immediately darkened. “It was really difficult to find them,” Solene continued. “They belong to a tribe that isn’t registered under Noctvaris’s administration.”

That information only made Primrose more confused. “A tribe that isn’t registered?”

Solene nodded. “The Holan Tribe. They have never sent their strongest warrior to challenge His Majesty the Lycan King.”

Normally, tribes that wanted to remain independent had to send their strongest warrior to fight Edmund. If their warrior lost, they would have no choice but to accept Edmund’s rule and follow the laws he had set.

However, the Holan Tribe had avoided doing exactly that.

“They know they would lose,” Solene explained. “And once they lose, they would be forced to follow His Majesty’s rules.”

Primrose slowly leaned back in her chair. “Is there a particular reason why they’re so determined not to join Noctvaris?”

Solene did not answer right away. For a moment, she simply stood there in silence, and the hesitation on her face made Primrose’s frown deepen.

Finally, Solene spoke. “Because the Holan Tribe still practices an old tradition.” She took a small breath before saying, “They sacrifice the most beautiful girl in their tribe to be killed as their God’s sacrifice.”

Primrose immediately gritted her teeth. Of all the answers she had expected, that was the one she hated the most.

For a few seconds, she said nothing. Her fingers slowly tightened around the paper in her hand as memories she would rather forget began creeping back into her mind.

A young girl chosen by others.

A God they were expected to devote their entire life to.

A sacrifice made in the name of faith.

It all sounded far too familiar.

Primrose had once been Rose, the Saintess of Holy Temple. She knew better than anyone what it felt like to have other people decide that your life belonged to a God simply because they believed you had been chosen.

The circumstances might have been different, but the thought alone was enough to leave a bitter taste in her mouth.

“There is a possibility that Pippa’s parents sold her because they truly didn’t have enough money to buy medicine for her brother,” Solene continued carefully. “And because Pippa was beautiful, they realized that selling her would benefit them more than sacrificing her to their God.”

Primrose’s expression grew even colder.

So either way, Pippa’s life had never truly belonged to her. She would either be killed as a sacrifice or sold for money.

“Who told you all of this?” Primrose asked.

“Pippa herself, Your Majesty,” Solene answered. “She finally managed to remember a little about her old life. It wasn’t much, but it gave us somewhere to start. I asked Sir Leofric to investigate further, and that was how we discovered the Holan Tribe.”

Primrose leaned back in her chair and let out a tired sigh. “Can we bring them to the palace?”

“Sir Leofric thought it would be better to watch them first,” Solene explained. “He also reported everything to His Majesty this morning. His Majesty has already sent a small group of soldiers to accompany Sir Leofric.”

She paused for a moment. “We should be able to bring them to the palace by tomorrow. That is… if they don’t resist too much.”

Primrose immediately understood what Solene was trying to say. If the Holan Tribe came peacefully, they would be brought here, but if they chose to fight, there was only one possible outcome: the royal soldiers would eliminate them.

“Have you told Pippa about what you found?” Primrose asked.

Solene shook her head. “Not yet, Your Majesty. I wanted to ask for your opinion first.”

Primrose fell silent for a moment, thinking carefully about what would be best for Pippa.

“They sold her. That’s the truth, and I believe Pippa will remember it sooner or later,” she finally said. “But if the Holan Tribe refuses to come peacefully, then there’s no reason to tell her about them now.”

Pippa had already suffered enough because of those people. Primrose saw no reason to give her hope of seeing her family again, only to take it away immediately afterward.

“If everything goes wrong and the Holan Tribe chooses to fight…” Primrose paused for a moment before continuing, “then just tell Pippa that the tribe has been gone for a long time.”

Perhaps hiding the truth was not the perfect choice, but Primrose would rather let Pippa move forward with her new life than force her to suffer over a family that had already chosen to sell her once.