"Please forgive me for my rudeness, Your Majesty," Salem said as he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm his tangled thoughts and emotions. "I’m just ... angry about what those kids had to go through. That’s all."
"I understand, Sir Vesper," Primrose replied softly. "There’s nothing wrong with being angry after hearing something that awful."
[They just remind me of the past,] Salem thought bitterly. [Raven might have killed that bastard ... but his face still haunts me every night.]
[What an asshole.]
Who was he thinking about?
Honestly, there were still so many things Primrose didn’t know about Salem.
She didn’t even know what names he had used in the past and most importantly, she knew absolutely nothing about the life he had lived before they met.
Even when she asked Solene about it, Solene didn’t know much either, since Salem always kept his past tightly guarded.
If he truly was a young master from a noble or wealthy family, surely someone would have recognized him by now.
But no, no one had ever recognized Salem’s face.
"I hope His Majesty will take good care of those children," Salem said. "They deserve a second chance."
[Even I’m still here, aren’t I?] he thought. [It was hell at first... but somehow, I survived, but ... well, life itself is a punishment anyway.]
Did he go through the same kind of pain as those children?
But what kind of experience did he mean?
Being promised a bright future by someone, only to be thrown into hell?
Had he been hurt? Used? Treated like he didn’t matter?
Or ... had it been all of that?
No. That couldn’t be.
He didn’t look like someone who had experienced something that awful.
But then again, what did Primrose really know about him?
Appearances weren’t the only way to understand someone’s true nature or story.
What if his past wasn’t as bright as the colors he wore?
Primrose wanted to ask more, but unfortunately, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
It didn’t feel right to pry into something he clearly wanted to keep buried. Besides, Salem also didn’t say all of those things out loud.
"We’ll do our best to help them heal, Sir Vesper," Primrose said, offering a soft, hopeful smile. "Once they’re safe ... would you like to meet them?"
Salem looked like he was about to open his mouth, and for a second, he seemed ready to agree.
But then, he changed his answer almost instantly.
"No," he said flatly. "Just tell me about their progress. I don’t feel the need to meet them."
It was bold of him to ask the Queen to report back to him, but since Primrose knew he didn’t mean any harm, she let it slide.
"Mhm," she nodded. "Maybe you’ll want to visit once they’re doing better."
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