Chapter 600: I Came to See My Husband

Primrose’s expression softened. She hated hearing Pippa think of herself that way, but knowing what the girl had gone through, Primrose could understand why she thought like that.

Pippa had spent too long living in a place where her worth depended on how useful she could be.

“I know I’m still not that stable, but I… I can work properly,” Pippa hurriedly promised. “And I’ll learn as hard as I can. I promise.”

The more she spoke, the more desperate she sounded, as though she was afraid Primrose would reject her immediately.

So instead of saying no, Primrose asked gently, “What have you been interested in lately? Cooking?”

Pippa’s eyes widened. “Ah, no, no!” She quickly shook her head. “I can’t cook. I only go to the kitchen to watch the cooks, and…”

Her voice suddenly became smaller. “And I’m sorry for stealing the palace’s food.”

Primrose blinked, then she couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’re not stealing any food.”

Pippa looked up at her in confusion, but said nothing.

“You live here,” Primrose explained. “That means you can eat as much as you want. Besides, we still have plenty for everyone.”

Winter would soon come to an end as well. Once the weather became warmer, they could start filling their food stores again. Hence, there was no reason for Pippa to feel guilty over a few extra meals.

Still, Pippa did not look convinced.

“But… I still feel bad,” she admitted quietly. “The cooks keep giving me more food every time I go to the kitchen.”

Primrose stared at her for a moment before a smile even wider. “Then that means they like you.”

“Since the palace cooks already like having you around, why don’t you work there?” Primrose suggested. “I can ask them to let you become their assistant. You can help with simple things at first and learn from them little by little.”

She leaned back slightly and smiled at Pippa. “What do you think?”

Pippa still looked hesitant, but Primrose could see a small spark of interest in her eyes.

The young woman nervously played with the hem of her dress, rubbing the fabric between her fingers as she thought about the offer.

After a few seconds, she finally gave a small nod. “If… if you really allow me to do that, then I’d be happy to work in the kitchen,” Pippa said.

She slowly lifted her head and looked directly at Primrose. Then, much to Primrose’s surprise, Pippa smiled. It was small and still a little shy, but it was a real smile.

“I’d love that, Your Majesty,” she said softly. “Thank you very much.”

Primrose felt something warm spread through her chest.

It was only a small step, but perhaps small steps like this were exactly what she needed.

After all, Primrose knew that better than anyone.

In her previous life, she had spent so many years without knowing what true freedom felt like. Her life had always been controlled by someone else, and by the time she finally tried to take that freedom for herself, she had already lost almost everything.

She did not want these young women to go through the same thing.

They had already lost enough years of their lives. So if Primrose could give them a safe place to stay while they slowly learned how to live for themselves again, she would gladly do it.

“Of course,” Primrose said softly, returning Pippa’s smile. “And remember, you can always come to me whenever you need something.”

She paused for a moment before adding gently, “Or even when you don’t need anything at all.”

Pippa nodded once more. “Again, thank you, Your Majesty.”

Not long after that, she finally left the Queen’s office.

Primrose immediately asked Solene to inform the palace cooks that Pippa would start helping them tomorrow morning. She also made sure they knew not to give the girl anything too difficult at first.

With that settled, Primrose glanced toward the window and found that the sun was already beginning to sink.

She had been sitting in her office since morning, dealing with one matter after another, so she finally decided that she had done enough work for the day.

Primrose pushed herself up from her chair and stretched both arms above her head. She could feel that her back was starting to ache from sitting for so long.

After stretching for a few more seconds, she walked out of the office and immediately spotted Callen standing guard outside.

“Sir Callen, would you mind taking me to my husband?” Primrose asked.

Callen, who had been right in the middle of a yawn, instantly froze. His mouth was still half open. For an awkward second, he simply stared at the Queen before slowly closing it again.

Then, after forcing every trace of sleepiness from his face, he straightened his back. “Of course, Your Majesty!”

Primrose had to hold back a laugh.

Callen quickly cleared his throat and added, “I heard His Majesty is at the training ground. But… are you sure you want to walk there? It’s kind of far.”

His gaze naturally dropped toward Primrose’s stomach. Her baby bump had grown much bigger over the past few months. It was now large enough that walking for too long could become uncomfortable, and even something as simple as putting on her own shoes had started to become a struggle.

Primrose noticed where he was looking and chuckled. “I’m alright. It wouldn’t be good for me to stop walking completely just because my stomach is getting bigger,” she said. “Besides, I want some fresh air.”

Callen still looked a little worried. But since Primrose clearly had no intention of changing her mind, he could only agree.

“Then please don’t walk too quickly, Your Majesty,” he reminded her.

“I know, I know.”

With Callen accompanying her, Primrose slowly made her way toward the training ground.

By now, most of the newcomers had become much more skilled than when they first arrived. Because of that, Edmund no longer needed to lead them all the time and could finally spend some time training himself.

“Husband!” Primrose waved her hand as soon as she spotted Edmund in the middle of the training ground.

Several knights immediately turned toward her voice and Edmund did too.

He had been sparring with one of the senior knights, wearing nothing but a thin black shirt beneath his training gear. His hair was slightly messy, and sweat ran down the side of his face as he lowered the wooden sword in his hand.

The moment his eyes landed on Primrose, however, his serious expression disappeared. He handed the wooden sword to the knight beside him and walked toward her.

“What are you doing here?” Edmund asked. Despite his question, there was already a smile on his face.

“I came to see my husband.” Primrose leaned against the wooden fence, her eyes slowly roaming over him. “But who knew I’d end up meeting such a handsome warrior instead?”