novelden Chapter 531: Fear Doesn’t Fade That Easily
Chapter 531: Fear Doesn’t Fade That Easily
The news of King Averon’s disappearance spread quickly across Azmeria, and soon, the entire Vellmoria Empire knew about it. Since that day, the palace had been in chaos. Officials rushed back and forth through the halls, barely getting any rest as they tried to handle the urgent situation.
Edmund had already sent his envoy to Zerath Vi Vellmoria. Not long after, the Emperor responded by sending several important figures—an Imperial Inspector, a High-Ranking General, and an Imperial Envoy—to Azmeria to investigate what had happened.
"Your Majesty, this kind of crime requires a very long investigation since it involves important parties—"
Edmund suddenly stopped walking. He turned his head toward the Imperial Inspector, Varn, his gaze sharp and cold. "Fifteen," he said in a low voice.
"Averon has abducted, harassed, and tortured fifteen of my people. And seventeen young women from your kind. All of them are important to their families, their friends, and should be protected by their constitution."
"That’s why, Sir Varn, do your job quickly, because Averon isn’t as important as his victims," Edmund emphasized every word that left his lips, making Varn swallow hard and not even dare to look into the Lycan King’s eyes for too long. "Do you understand?"
Varn swallowed hard. He forced himself to nod. "I will do my best, Your Majesty."
"Good." Edmund’s voice remained calm, but firm. "And tell your General to make sure no soldiers or maids who have been to the west wing escape."
Varn nodded once more. "Understood, Your Majesty."
He then immediately turned around to carry out the Lycan King’s orders, while Edmund continued walking through the entire palace to make sure that Averon wasn’t hiding more prisoners inside his palace.
Outside the palace, Primrose was busy taking care of the rescued women.
She handed out warm clothes and cups of hot chocolate, making sure each of them was comfortable. Doctors were also present, ready to check their condition.
"Are you still cold?" Primrose asked gently as she approached one of the beastwomen, who had small hamster ears on her head.
She gave her another cup of hot chocolate with a soft smile. "Here, drink a little more. It will help warm your body. Or would you prefer something else?"
The woman lowered her head slightly as she accepted the cup. "N-No..." she said softly. "Thank you, Your... Majesty."
Primrose smiled at her. "It’s alright." Then she added gently, "If you’re feeling better, would you like the doctors to check on you? I promise they won’t hurt you. They’ll examine you in a private room, so you don’t have to worry."
The hamster beastwoman didn’t say anything for a moment and only sipped the hot chocolate in silence. But her thoughts were uneasy. [Why do they want to check my body so much?]
[Will I be sent to a new master after this?]
[I don’t want that.]
[I don’t want anyone to touch me...]
[Even if they are women... what if they’re only pretending to be women?]
Primrose let out a soft sigh and finally said, "If you don’t want to be examined by the doctors, then that’s also fine, no one will force you. But if you feel uncomfortable anywhere, you can tell me right away, alright?"
The beastwoman only nodded in response, but that was more than enough for Primrose.
Since the rescued women had come out of the palace, most of them refused to be examined by the doctors. They didn’t say the reason directly, but through their thoughts, Primrose understood that they were actually afraid to take off their clothes in front of others.
It could be said that they truly didn’t want anyone to touch them, even if the doctors were women.
Even though Primrose wanted to make sure they were healthy, she didn’t want to force them to be examined, or she might accidentally cause even more trauma to those women.
"Why don’t you bring them to your place first?" Aster suggested.
She had come to the palace to accompany her father, Lord Keirwyn, the one who made the locks in the west wing. Luckily, he only made the locks and didn’t know anything else, so the court would likely treat him as a witness.
"Like I said before, it’s too risky," Primrose replied as she walked a little farther from the women. "The person who took Averon can use teleportation magic. I can’t be sure they won’t appear again if we try to move these women somewhere else."
She sighed again, then lifted her head to look at the Azmeria palace in front of her. "Whether we like it or not, it’s easier to ensure their safety here, because Averon and whoever is working with him won’t dare to come back."
After all, Edmund had called more soldiers from Noctvaris to come to the Azmeria Kingdom, and in less than three hours, the palace had already been surrounded by beast soldiers.
"But don’t worry," Primrose added. "My soldiers are looking for the safest route for them."
Aster followed her gaze and spoke softly, "It still feels a bit unfair. You sent Bianca to one of your father’s properties because she’s scared, but these women have to stay here."
Primrose gave a small laugh. "It might look unfair, but trust me, Aster... I care more about these women than I do about Bianca."
She might have sent Bianca away, but she wasn’t too concerned about her safety. If she truly was, she would have forced Bianca to stay in the palace, close to her and Edmund.
But Bianca had insisted on leaving during the investigation, and Primrose didn’t want to force her.
Whatever happened after that, it would be Bianca’s own choice.
On the other hand, Aster didn’t ask anything else, because she also understood what Primrose meant. Not long after, she suddenly said, "Oh... that’s strange."
Primrose turned to her right away. "What is it?"
Aster pointed toward the third floor. "That window."
Primrose followed her gaze.
"We opened every window in the palace to mark the rooms that have been checked," Aster said slowly. "But that one... why hasn’t anyone gone inside yet?"