Better With You [L.S.]

☁️~ 3 ~☁️

☁️

After the Queen sets Louis down - apologizing profusely for her "wild behaviour" - she goes back to her seat across the table.

"Now, this is an arranged marriage. We need Harry to sign the papers agreeing to marry you, and we need you to sign the papers agreeing to marry him, as well as a paper stating that you understand that you're supposed to help him become a better person," the Queen explains.

"And how exactly are you going to get Harry to agree to marry me? I thought you said he was problematic," Louis says, hoping he doesn't come off as rude.

"Easy. I'll just say the contract is for some new building or something. He usually needs to sign those kinds of things anyways. If we need to build something new, sometimes we have him sign a contract saying he won't remove it once he gets the throne. It's just a security measure," the Queen rambles a bit.

Louis feels a bit bad about lying to the Prince like that, but he understands why it's necessary.

"But won't Har- er- the Prince get mad once he finds out the truth? He'll resent me. He'll probably refuse to be in my presence," Louis points out.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. He may be an arse, but he'd never flat out refuse to see someone. He usually just tries to get the people he's arranged with to get frustrated with him so that they quit trying to be with him," the Queen shrugs.

"Right. Well. I won't quit. You trust me enough to let me see what he's really like, so I'll follow through," Louis says confidently.

To be honest, Louis isn't sure why he agreed to this. The King surprised him by offering so much money, he just felt like this was too important to not accept. The Royals almost seemed desperate. Besides, if the Prince ruled, and he was still an arse, then the entire land would suffer. They'd probably go to war. Louis couldn't let that happen if he knew that he could help.

Since Louis was getting engaged to the Prince, the Monarchs wanted them to share a house, so that it would be easier for the two to see each other and interact. They decided to give an entire floor of the Castle to the two boys, allowing the Prince to stay in his comfortable Castle, and allowing Louis a better place to live.

The two would share a Bedroom, and they'd have an hour of the day where they were required to spend time with each other. This time was both for Louis to teach the Prince to be a good person, and to give time for the two of them to get to know each other.

These rules, of course, could be changed with time. If the Prince ends up becoming a good person more quickly, then the two won't have a set requirement for the amount of time they spend together.

Louis signs the contract, a bit hesitant about agreeing to live with the Prince, and leaves the Discussion Room behind. He notices Liam standing just across the hallway.

"Welcome back. Did everything go well? They wouldn't tell me what you would discuss," Liam says.

"I'm marrying the Prince," Louis says half to tell Liam, and half to convince himself that he isn't dreaming.

"Ah. I see. They probably want you two to move in together. Do you want me to help you pack?" Liam asks, holding out his hand.

"Liam. Does this not sound absolutely insane to you?" Louis asks a bit exasperatedly.

"I mean, I can see why they'd want you to be with him. From how you treat me, you're a great person. Anyone would want you as their kid's partner," Liam shrugs, hand still extended.

Louis sighs and takes Liam's hand, holding it firmly to ground himself.

"I'm on the edge of screaming from how bloody insane today has been. How about you help me pack tomorrow. Can I crash at your place?" Louis asks him, not wanting to go back to his "house" by the Stables.

"Sure. The Royals gave me this apartment looking place in the Castle. I swear, this place is huge. It'll definitely feel more homely with some company," Liam smiles at him.

"Do you think the King and Queen will be okay with it?" Louis wonders as they start walking hand in hand.

"I don't see why not. I'm helping you get adjusted to living in the Castle, after all," Liam smiles.

☁️

Once they get into Liam's room - which really is an apartment - Louis jumps onto his soft-looking bed.

"Liam! Your bed is so soft! It's like laying on a giant pillow!" Louis exclaims.

"You could've taken your shoes off before you jumped on it," Liam grumbles.

At that, Louis sits up. He takes off his shoes and throws them at Liam, who catches them easily.

"Thank you," he says.

Louis rolls his eyes and flops back down on the heavenly bed.

"Seriously, Lou, you're acting like you've never been on a bed before."

"That's cuz I haven't. My 'house'" - he says house while using air quotes - "is this room connected to the Stables. I use hay as a makeshift bed. I haven't told the Royals how crappy it is 'cause I don't want to seem ungrateful."

"Louis!" Liam shouts. "If you had told them, they would've given you an actual house. It's a miracle you survived in that place! How did you get food?"

Louis shrugs. "I use the money I make to buy canned food. Just yesterday I cooked canned spaghetti in a bowl Zayn made over the Plaza Campfire."

"That's awful! I can't believe you had to live like that. Seriously, how did your situation get that bad?"

Louis opened his eyes and shrugged, squirming a little on the bed. He didn't want to talk about it.

Liam notices his discomfort. "Sorry. I didn't mean to overstep. You don't have to tell me."

Louis relaxes again, smiling softly.

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