Submitting to My Lycan Prince Mate

52 Our New Home

The space of the castle was even more spacious than I had imagined. When we pushed open the heavy doors and entered the castle's grand hall, I couldn't help but cover my mouth. because the furnishings inside are so opulent. Various precious oil paintings, porcelain, ancient artifacts, and suits of armor were everywhere. The crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling was the largest I had ever seen. Not to mention the sculptures and coral crystals covered in white cloth. It was like a museum curated by a seasoned collector! "My father enjoyed collecting these ancient items from all over the world," Louis explained as we walked, a hint of nostalgia in his expression, "Some were gifts from other packs, while others he acquired at auctions. Of course, most of the treasures here were left by our ancestors." "I left this castle when I was sixteen because my father passed away," he continued, "According to royal protocol, both Liam and I had to leave until one of us was ready to inherit the throne, only then were we allowed to return here. I thought I would never have a chance to see all of this again." His tone was tinged with regret, but more than that, it was filled with reminiscence. After walking for a while, Louis suddenly stopped in his tracks. I turned slightly, looking at him in confusion, "What's wrong?" Pointing to a finely crafted gold peacock bronze clock in a corner not far away, Louis smiled and said, "When Liam and I were playing around as kids, we accidentally knocked off the emerald from the peacock's tail. In the end, Liam secretly pressed a plastic green bead from his sweater onto it. No one else knows about this, only the two of us. So until now, nobody has realized that the gem on it is actually just a plastic bead." I looked at the gold peacock bronze clock in awe. Its level of intricacy was astonishing even to a modern person. Especially the pure gold peacock inside, adorned with various gems and pigments. Its value couldn't be measured in terms of money alone; it would likely be the centerpiece of any museum it was displayed here. Yet, its tail had been replaced with a plastic bead by Prince Liam in secret. A sense of absurdity enveloped me. I had always been well aware of the considerable gap between Prince Louis and me. This distance wasn't something that being recognized as his mate could bridge. Prior to this, our living environments, family backgrounds, and everyone and everything we had encountered were entirely different. Despite Louis always treating me with respect, many times I still felt powerless due to this disparity. However, this time, I wasn't planning to retreat and give up as I had before. "I remember you once said you would arrange for a tutor for me to learn how to be Luna," I said to Prince Louis, "Can we start learning tomorrow? I can't wait." But for some reason, Prince Louis' expression didn't look good. "What's wrong?" I couldn't understand why he wasn't happy. I observed his expression cautiously and asked, "I thought there were specialized teachers from the royal family for this kind of education? Or is there something inconvenient?" "No," Louis said slowly, "You're right, there are such teachers. But I don't want to invite them." "Why?" Louis closed his mouth tightly. After a while, he reluctantly voiced his true thoughts, "You remember that movie you watched that day, with the male lead as a family tutor?" I paused for a moment and burst into laughter. My laughter echoed throughout the castle. Alfred, who had hurried over, sighed and turned away, directing the servants to arrange luggage and clean the castle. "No, it can't be," I even laughed until tears were in my eyes, and asked while catching my breath, "You mean you actually went and searched for that movie afterwards? Did you watch the whole thing?" Only then did Prince Louis realize that he had accidentally revealed the truth that he had watched the movie. He clenched his teeth, clearly not wanting to admit this embarrassing fact in front of me. But I didn't care about that. I playfully wrapped my arms around his neck, gazed into his shimmering blue eyes, and asked him in a seductive tone, "Do you like the male lead in it?" He immediately shook his head with a cold expression. "How about the female lead?" He shook his head again. "What a pity," I intentionally sighed, "Because I didn't finish watching it last time, I was actually thinking of finding a time to watch the whole thing with you." Louis' expression became somewhat strange. He narrowed his eyes slightly, giving me a predatory gaze that sent a shiver down my spine. After a moment, he reached out and pinched my cheek in frustration. "Your audacity is growing," he said, "If anyone else dared to speak to me in such a frivolous tone, I would have had the guards drag them away." I raised an eyebrow playfully, "Would you really?" Louis curled his lips into a smirk, leaned in, and kissed my lips. "Of course, I wouldn't," he said with a hint of a smile, pulling me close by my waist, "Come on, let's go see our bedroom." The castle's bedrooms weren't too surprising in line with my expectations. Perhaps due to the living quarters' nature, the decorations here were cozier compared to the grandeur of the hall. I really liked the gallery of framed paintings outside the bedroom, each frame depicting members of the royal family from various generations—Louis naturally included. I looked at the family portrait of the last king, and the two little boys in it were obviously Prince Louis and Prince Liam. Compared to the lively and cheerful Liam, Louis appeared smaller and quieter. I guessed that he was probably around seven or eight years old when this portrait was painted. In the painting, Prince Louis had a slight upward curve at the corners of his mouth, his body relaxed as he leaned against his mother's embrace, much like Chris. "Your mother," I asked, "Where is she now?" Louis looked at the paintings with me. In response to my question, he answered, "Her whereabouts are even beyond my grasp, because my mother has been tracing clues about the royal traitors all these years. The last time she contacted me was in the second week after Liam's death. Her IP address was located on a small island in the Atlantic." I couldn't help but sigh, "The experiences of your family could be made into a movie." "A movie?" Louis chuckled softly, "I doubt any director would dare to make it. After all, the history of our family is equivalent to the history of werewolves." With his hands behind his back, he stood in front of the gallery of paintings depicting past kings, calmly gazing at these ancestors. "And it's not 'your family'," he turned to me, smiled, and said, "Claire, don't forget, now you are also a member of this esteemed family."