The Mind-Reading Mate: Why Is the Lycan King So Obsessed With Me?!-Chapter 470: Bitterness Beneath the Sweet

"They’re under the sugar factory," Edmund said as he walked out of the dungeon. "In Veloria County."

He removed his gloves, which were stained with blood, but the rest of his clothes didn’t have a single drop on them. When Edmund said he wouldn’t dirty the dungeon, he truly meant it.

Primrose couldn’t help feeling curious about what he had done to the Duke of Obsidia, but at the same time, she didn’t really want to know. Besides, it seemed like Edmund’s wolf had blocked those memories of torture, so she couldn’t hear any of it inside his head.

Well, she also didn’t want to read Garrick’s mind again, so it was probably better to just let that part go.

"Veloria County? That’s only three hours away," Primrose said as she stood up. "Do you want to go there now?"

Edmund nodded. "The sooner the better. But this kingdom isn’t my territory, so I can’t act on my own." His gaze softened on Primrose. "I need Father’s help."

In the Azmeria Kingdom, a duke could interfere in a count’s affairs if the county was inside the duke’s duchy. But Veloria County wasn’t under Lazarus’s authority, so he couldn’t search the area directly.

Which meant the only person with power over Veloria County was the King of Azmeria, and since he was involved in this mess, they couldn’t ask for his help.

However, even though Lazarus had no official authority over the county, at the very least, he could enter it easily, and Edmund thought he could take advantage of that.

After Edmund explained the situation to Lazarus, the man immediately frowned. "So, what exactly is your plan?" he asked. "Tell me first."

Right now, they were sitting in the parlor because the Duke’s office was still a mess from all the things Lazarus had thrown earlier.

To be honest, some of the maids and guards truly believed the Duke and the Lycan King had a real father-and-son bond. One moment they were arguing, and the next, they would calmly share lunch in the parlor together.

Well, even Primrose felt the same way. She slowly sipped her tea while glancing back and forth between her father and her husband. It was actually quite heartwarming to see Edmund immediately ask Lazarus for help, as if he really were his father.

"The sugar factory mentioned by the Duke of Obsidia belongs to the Count of Veloria. That’s why I want to ask if you can help us get inside the factory," Edmund said. "I just need to get in and try to find the secret passage."

[Or maybe that passage isn’t even that secret, since they probably never expected anyone to raid the factory,] Edmund thought bitterly. [If the king is rotten, then the people under him will also reek of the same stench.]

Primrose couldn’t help but agree. There was a lot of corruption in noble society, and no one could stop it because the king who held power also benefitted from it.

That was why Lazarus was always so careful when choosing real friends. He could socialize with anyone, but letting someone truly close was a completely different matter.

Lazarus leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "Getting you inside the factory isn’t a problem," he said calmly. "But don’t expect the Count to welcome you with open arms. If he really is hiding something, he won’t let anyone step inside without a fight."

"He won’t stop you if you come as an angry customer," Primrose suddenly said. "One of your sugar suppliers is his sugar factory, right?"

Lazarus’s eyes widened. "Ah, yes!"

"He’s not my main supplier since his sugar isn’t good enough for my distillery, but I still buy some of it for our kitchens because the price is cheaper," Lazarus explained. "So if I show up there, furious about a late shipment or bad quality, no one will question it."

Primrose almost choked on her tea. "You what?! You used that low-quality sugar in the food we eat?!" she shouted. "Since when did you become so stingy?!"

Lazarus frowned. "The quality isn’t bad! It just isn’t good enough for my distillery. But for food, the taste is still fine. We’ve been using it for a long time! Besides, the cooks have checked the sugar many times and made sure it isn’t harmful."

Primrose still wanted to stay angry, but decided to stay quiet, because she had never actually experienced any health problems because of that damn sugar.

After all, if they were hiding children underground, they wouldn’t risk selling something so terrible that nobles—or even commoners—would start complaining and come to the factory.

Still, Primrose didn’t want to touch that sugar again after learning the truth. Knowing it was produced through other people’s suffering made her stomach turn. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Throw away every bit of that sugar in our kitchen," Primrose said firmly. "I don’t want my child consuming anything that comes from cruel people even before they were born. It will bring bad luck!"

"Of course I’ll throw it all away! I’m not that cheap!" Lazarus replied.

He clicked his tongue inwardly. [I really am a fool! How could I keep using things made by horrible people? First the painting... and now the sugar in our food.]

[Damn it. Can’t people just behave normally for once?!]

Unfortunately, there would always be strange and unpleasant people in this world, and there was no way to stop them all.

"But if Edmund is going with you, you’ll need a strong reason for your anger," Primrose said with a small smile. "You can say his sugar made me very sick."

And with that, the Duke of Illvaris and the Lycan King set off for Veloria County before sunset. They took several soldiers from Noctvaris with them, disguised as Lazarus’s regular guards.

Many people already knew that the Duke of Illvaris was very protective of his daughter, and some nobles who had once planned to propose to Primrose even referred to him as a hellhound.

Then there was Edmund, who had just made his debut as a loving husband in front of many nobles the day before. So seeing the two of them together like this felt completely natural.

Since Primrose was supposed to be the one who was "sick," she had to stay at the manor under the constant protection of Callen and Solene. They never left her alone, because Edmund had personally asked them to watch over her at all times.

"Lady Solene, aren’t you tired of standing like that?" Primrose asked as she lowered the book in her hands. Solene had been standing beside the bedroom window for a long while now, keeping watch in case anything dangerous suddenly appeared from outside.

Meanwhile, Callen was guarding the door. "No, Your Majesty," Solene said with a warm smile. "I’m really fine."

Primrose didn’t ask again, since it seemed clear Solene wouldn’t sit down even if she told her to.

After some time passed, Primrose finally spoke again. "Where is Sir Vesper? I haven’t seen him since this morning."

In truth, she hadn’t seen him at all since she left the palace earlier than the others.

She hadn’t really bothered to look for him at first, since one of the soldiers had told her that Salem went home early that morning. But even after lunch, he still hadn’t appeared anywhere.

"Ah... Sir Vesper?" Solene pressed her lips together for a moment before speaking, as if choosing her words carefully. "He went with His Majesty’s entourage to Veloria County."

Primrose slowly lowered her book and looked straight at Solene. "Why didn’t I know anything about this?"

Solene glanced to the side. "Probably because... Sir Vesper didn’t want you to stop him from going."

Well... that did make sense.

Because Primrose knew about his past, there was no way she would have allowed him to join the search for those missing children. First, it could reopen the trauma buried in his mind. And second, to save people, someone needed to be in a clear mental state, otherwise, their whole plan could fall apart.

"So does that mean my husband also doesn’t know about this?" Primrose asked seriously. She was certain Edmund would never have agreed to let Salem go.

"I guess not, Your Majesty," Solene replied. "Actually, I only realized it when I saw a honey badger clinging to the back of the carriage."

Primrose smacked her forehead. She really could never predict Salem’s next move. No wonder he hadn’t come to see her earlier because he didn’t want her to find out what he was planning.

"That man..." Primrose sighed. "He must have been watching me from a distance since morning."

Solene didn’t say anything, because she also didn’t know what to say.

A moment later, the bedroom door opened just a little, and Callen peeked in through the gap. "Your Majesty, Lady Nina would like to see you."

Primrose smacked her forehead once again, because Nina clearly didn’t want to let her forget about the music box.

"Alright," Primrose said. "Let her in."