Chapter 371: My Husband Has Dog (Wolf) Ears!
Primrose immediately sat up straight and gasped once she was certain she wasn’t dreaming.
Her husband ... he had suddenly changed into a dog! No—wait. Not a dog, but a wolf.
Yes, there were beasts in the kingdom with animal ears, but they were usually the weaker kind. Edmund, however, had never shown a single beastly trait in his human form.
So why now? Why had he suddenly grown wolf ears? Was something wrong with him? And more importantly ... why hadn’t he woken up yet, even though she had been moving around so much?
Usually, he was a light sleeper and would always wake up at the slightest movement near him.
"Husband ...." Primrose reached out to him, touching his arm, but then she froze because his body temperature was far too warm, even hotter than usual.
His hair was slightly damp, and when she placed her palm against his forehead, she finally realized that her husband had a fever!
But that was impossible. Edmund never got sick. His body healed wounds in an instant, his strength unmatched. For him to have a fever meant something was truly wrong.
Was it because he had been overworking himself? Day after day, he trained soldiers, hunted for the winter, rode to the borders whenever rogues appeared, and still, he always cared for her. He never took a moment to rest, and at night, he even poured his magic into her body.
He had always told her that his body wasn’t like a human’s, that he wouldn’t grow tired the way others did. But now ... now he was lying here, feverish and weak.
Seeing Edmund still not opening his eyes, Primrose began to panic. Dark thoughts rushed into her mind. If a man who never fell ill was sick now, then it had to be serious!
"H-husband ... Husband, wake up." Primrose patted his cheek gently and placed her fingers under his nose to make sure he was still breathing. "Edmund!"
Right after she called his name, Edmund finally opened his eyes slowly. His eyelids trembled, reluctant to open fully.
"Wife ...." His voice was hoarse, deeper than usual. "You’re awake? I’m sorry ... I didn’t clean your body."
"That’s not important!" Primrose brushed his damp hair back and touched his forehead again. "Edmund, you have a fever ... and your wolf ears have come out."
Edmund’s eyes widened as his hand instinctively went to his head, his fingers brushing over the soft wolf ears now sticking out.
"Husband, what’s wrong?" Primrose’s voice trembled as fear tightened her chest. "Are you really sick? I-I’ll call Dr. Celdric right away."
She hurried off the bed, but before she could reach the door, Edmund’s warm hand caught hers. "Wife ... you’re still naked."
"Oh ...." Primrose lowered her gaze and suddenly realized she had almost walked out of the room completely bare. Worse, a clear liquid trailed down her thighs, making her feel even more exposed.
Her whole body flushed with embarrassment. If anyone had seen her like this ... how shameless she would have looked.
"I-I’ll just clean myself first!" she stammered.
[I’m sorry, my wife ...] Edmund thought weakly, sadness flickering in his eyes. [I should have cleaned your body last night.]
"Husband, please don’t apologize," Primrose said gently. "You’re the one who’s sick. I can take care of myself."
The truth was, she couldn’t clean herself up properly.
Without Edmund’s saliva to erase the bite marks on her neck and shoulders, she would have to keep herself covered up to her collarbone, otherwise everyone would see them.
She also felt a faint soreness between her thighs. Actually, it was the first time she had ever felt like this, because Edmund had always healed her completely before.
Strangely, instead of shame, warmth filled her chest. She felt proud and touched all at once because her husband had treated her with such gentleness, caring for her in a way that made her heart ache with love.
After a quick wash, Primrose slipped into a robe, fastening it snugly around her body before turning back to Edmund.
His face looked pale, his lips dry, and those twitching wolf ears made her chest tighten with worry ... yet at the same time, she had an irresistible urge to reach out and touch them.
She quickly shook her head. No—this wasn’t the time to think of something so shameless!
Primrose then helped Edmund cover his bare body with a robe before finally stepping out of the room, asking the guard to call for Dr. Celdric.
She didn’t tell the soldier that Edmund was sick, because she thought it was better not to let such news spread to everyone.
It didn’t take long before Dr. Celdric entered their room, carrying his medical kit with him. At first, he thought Primrose was the one who had fallen ill, but instead, he saw Edmund looking pale, while the queen sat beside him with an expression full of worry.
"Your Majesty," Dr. Celdric bowed quickly, then approached the bed without hesitation. "What happened?"
Primrose bit her lip, glancing at Edmund’s still figure. "He ... he has a fever," she whispered, her voice trembling. "And ... something strange happened. His wolf ears appeared."
Dr. Celdric’s brows furrowed, but he kept his expression calm. "Let me see."
He carefully placed his hand against Edmund’s forehead, then checked his pulse. His frown deepened. "His temperature is much too high, and his energy ... it’s unstable."
Primrose clutched the fabric of her robe tightly. "Doctor, you must help him. Edmund has never fallen sick before. I don’t understand why this is happening."
"Your Majesty, please don’t worry too much. His Majesty will be fine," Dr. Celdric explained. "The imbalance in his energy is because he has been working too hard lately and hasn’t had enough rest, since he’s been channeling his magic into your body every night."
So, it really was her fault!
As if he had read her thoughts, Edmund weakly reached for her hand, his fingers curling around hers. "This isn’t your fault, wife," he murmured. Then he added, "I would rather fall sick myself than see you or our baby suffer."