Chapter 559: Contain the Unknown (I)
"She spent every one of them surrounded by fortune, while you spent every one of yours buried in misfortune."
Both Edmund and Primrose froze in place. Their eyes met, and neither of them looked away. It was as if they were both searching for an answer in each other’s eyes.
"That’s not true," Edmund murmured at last.
The skull let out a hollow laugh. "She stole all of your good fortune. That is the truth you need to know. If you had never been connected to her, every bit of that fortune would have belonged to you."
Primrose held her breath as she heard those words. She honestly had no idea whether the skull was speaking the truth or simply trying to get into her head as well. But for some reason, deep down, she found herself believing those words.
She didn’t understand what was happening, and she didn’t know why she felt that way. She only felt that something deep within her soul was trembling because of those words.
Maybe the mysterious being was lying or maybe... it was telling the truth.
Maybe she really had stolen all of Edmund’s good fortune, leaving him to carry nothing but misfortune.
[Edmund...] Primrose’s voice finally reached his mind, making him flinch slightly. [I’m... I’m sorry.]
She didn’t even know why she was apologizing when she still wasn’t sure whether the mysterious voice was telling the truth.
She also didn’t understand why she slowly took a step back, as if she wanted to run away from Edmund.
She couldn’t even bring herself to look at him anymore and lowered her head instead.
[Maybe that voice is right,] Primrose whispered. [Maybe... I’m the reason you’ve suffered so much. Even back then... when I accidentally saw my past with my father, my life was full of misery.]
She had watched Lazarus die right before her eyes, and her biological father had been nothing more than a cruel man who tried to force his beliefs about God and sin onto her.
If that wasn’t proof that their lives had once been the complete opposite of what they were now, then Primrose didn’t know what was.
[Primrose—]
[I don’t think it’s lying, Edmund,] Primrose said softly, her voice filled with guilt. [I’m sorry... I’m so sorry.]
"Do you hear that?" the mysterious voice said again. "She has already admitted it. Do you still think I’m speaking nonsense?"
"She stole your fortune. Don’t you think you deserve to take it back?" it continued. "You were born under a lucky star. Your soul was never meant to be stained by her bad fate. If—"
"Shut up." Edmund’s voice cut through the air.
His jaw tightened as he forced the mysterious voice out of his mind. At the same time, he watched his wife slowly step away from him.
"She didn’t steal my fortune," he added.
The moment those words reached her ears, Primrose stopped. Slowly, she raised her head and looked at Edmund once more.
[You’re supposed to protect me from the skull’s influence...] Edmund said gently through their mind. [So why are you the one letting it get to you?]
Primrose swallowed hard and bit her lower lip before answering. [Because... it’s telling the truth... maybe]
[And if it really is the truth, then what?] Edmund replied firmly.
"She didn’t steal my fortune, because she is my fortune," Edmund said at last.
His blue eyes met her golden ones as he continued in a gentle voice. "Was it worth it? Yes." A faint smile appeared on his face. "Being able to hold your hand without fearing we’d be torn apart... that alone is worth every bit of pain I went through."
"If everything you said is true..." he declared, "then I have no regrets."
Primrose’s eyes slowly widened.
She observed Edmund’s face, hoping to find even the smallest sign that he was forcing himself to say those words, but there was none.
His expression remained calm, and the warmth in his blue eyes never wavered.
The mysterious voice let out a low laugh. "So you would rather throw away the life you were meant to have... for a single woman?"
"I didn’t throw anything away," Edmund answered without hesitation. "I made my choice."
"You could have lived without pain."
"I know."
"You could have had endless luck."
"I know."
"You could have become someone far greater."
Edmund gave a small smile. "And yet, none of that means anything if I have to live without her."
He raised his hand once more and continued carving ancient runes around the skull.
"I know why you’re trying to convince me that my wife was the wrong choice," he said calmly. "You want to offer me my fortune back in exchange for getting you out of here, don’t you?"
"But you’re wrong," Edmund answered his own question. "If my past self chose to give up all of my fortune for her, then it means he loved her just as deeply as I love her now."
A gentle smile appeared on his face. "That’s why my past self would definitely be angry if I threw away my precious Primrose just for the sake of some useless luck."
"So, shut up." Edmund carved the final line of the ancient runes into the ground. "I might be a little dumb, but that doesn’t mean I’ll let you fool me."
"You’re not dumb," Primrose said at last.
A gentle smile slowly appeared on her tear-stained face. "You..." Her voice trembled. "You’re the greatest husband I could ever ask for."
Edmund softened his gaze as he said, "You’re also the greatest wife I could ever ask for and I won’t trade you with anything."
A faint blush appeared on Primrose’s cheeks as she smiled through her tears.
Before either of them could say another word, the skull in Edmund’s hand suddenly cracked.
A thin line spread across its surface, then another, and another. The dark aura surrounding it began to leak out through the cracks.
Leofric immediately strode toward them, his expression turning serious.
"Step back," he warned.