The Mind-Reading Mate: Why Is the Lycan King So Obsessed With Me?!-Chapter 174: A Little Stone

Edmund quickly left the inn after making sure his wife was safe and well.

Before he went, he gave a firm command to Callen and a few of his most trusted soldiers to protect her at all costs while he was away.

He made his orders very clear. "I expect to see my wife safe and sound when I return."

Otherwise, they’d better hope the mighty Lycan King only fired them instead of doing something far worse.

Primrose honestly didn’t think anyone would suddenly attack the inn.

After all, Mirelle was here, and if she knew Mirelle, the woman had probably already spread the news all over Moonshadow that the King and Queen looked completely in love and even went shopping at her store.

If they tried to kill Primrose in broad daylight, they wouldn’t live to see the sunset.

In hindsight, becoming friends with the gossip queen had been one of her smartest moves.

After watching Edmund disappear into the distance, Primrose was planning to do what any reasonable person would: roll around in bed, nap, maybe eat some snack, and be delightfully lazy for the rest of the day.

However, before she could return to her room, she saw a carriage approaching the inn.

It didn’t bear any family crest or official emblem, just a plain carriage, the kind rented or belonged to someone who wasn’t nobility or from a well-known house.

But why was the carriage coming toward the inn?

Edmund had rented the entire place just for them, so no other guests were supposed to be allowed in.

If it belonged to the inn’s staff, it should’ve come in through the back, not straight to the front.

Should she be worried? No, Primrose doubted that.

That carriage must’ve crossed paths with Edmund on the way here, and there was no way he would’ve allowed something dangerous to approach her without stopping it.

"Lady Solene," Primrose said calmly, "do you mind checking who that is?"

Before Solene could step forward, Salem suddenly spoke from behind her. "There’s no need to check," he said after a brief pause. "It’s Raven."

Primrose blinked. Raven?

She looked at the carriage again. The curtains were drawn tight. There was no way anyone could see who was inside.

Could beasts really recognize each other just by scent?

From what she remembered, many of them seemed to react to her scent without even realizing it, so maybe that was one of the ways they identified each other.

Raven wasn’t a beast, but Salem had known her for so long that he was definitely familiar with her scent.

Still, Primrose couldn’t deny, it was kind of impressive.

It had been such a long time since they last saw each other, and yet ... he still recognized her scent without a second of doubt.

"Do skunks have a strong sense of smell?" she asked. It sounded like a joke, but she was actually serious.

"We do—but oh, come on, Your Majesty!" Salem let out an offended squawk. "I’m a honey badger, not a skunk!"

Primrose didn’t bother responding to his protest. She was too focused on the carriage that was still drawing closer.

"What is she doing here?" she mumbled. "We agreed to meet tomorrow, not today."

"Do you want to meet her, Your Majesty?" Callen asked gently.

[I actually don’t want Her Majesty meeting with anyone,] Callen thought nervously. [What if something bad happens to her? What if I can’t protect her? What if someone’s trying to hurt her?]

Primrose was genuinely touched, not because Callen was afraid of what the Lycan King might do if she got hurt, but because he was more worried about failing to protect her in the first place.

That kind of loyalty ... it warmed her heart.

"Don’t worry, Sir Callen," she said gently but firmly. "She didn’t come here to stir up trouble."

In fact, it was probably the opposite.

Raven wouldn’t have come all this way unless she’d seen something important in one of her visions.

Maybe that’s why she didn’t use her family’s carriage. She might have come here quietly, in secret.

It might’ve seemed like a small decision, but it was actually a bold move, a sign that she was going against her husband.

As the carriage came to a stop in front of the inn, Raven jumped out. Her face was hidden behind a thin black veil, making her look like a grieving widow.

Her gaze lingered briefly on Salem before locking onto Primrose. "Your Majesty, I don’t understand," Raven said, quickly walking up to her. "How did you do it?"

"Do what?" Primrose asked, stepping back in surprise. Raven didn’t stop until she was standing right in front of her.

"Second life." Raven lowered her voice until only Primrose could hear her words. "You were dead, Your Majesty."

A heavy silence fell around them.

Raven waited for an answer while everyone else stayed still, watching the interaction from a distance, silently observing what the Marchioness was trying to do.

Primrose took a deep breath. "Let’s talk inside."

She already knew Raven had the ability to see someone’s fate, but what she didn’t expect was that Raven could also see into the past.

Her past life.

How was that even possible?

[Did Her Majesty use dark magic?] Raven wondered silently. [No ... those who use dark magic to return to the past always suffer physical consequences. But she looks perfectly fine without a single flaw.]

Primrose suddenly felt grateful that she hadn’t come back broken. If her face had been disfigured, or if her body had been damaged, she might’ve chosen to die rather than live again in shame.

So if it wasn’t dark magic ... then what had brought her back? God? Fate?

Primrose had no idea.

Once they stepped inside her private room, Raven spoke again. "Every time I try to look forward ... something gets in the way. There’s a clash."

"It’s like two timelines are overlapping," Raven continued, her voice low and firm. "And I can’t separate them properly."

She stared at Primrose with a stunned expression. "It’s you, Your Majesty. You’re the little stone that disrupted the balance of the world."