Submitting to My Lycan Prince Mate

93 I Can't Forgive You

Claire's POV

Louis had barely finished speaking when Cathy swiftly scrambled up from the ground.

Her hair, once tightly pinned up on her head, had come loose when she knelt down, now messy and strewn over her shoulders, making her look utterly disheveled.

But in this urgent moment, Cathy, who usually cared so much about her appearance, couldn't care less. She grabbed her skirt and practically crawled out the door, fearing that if she delayed another second, she'd be accused of disrespecting the royal family and have no chance to redeem herself.

Seeing the troublemaker flee the room, Olivia breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, Kyle's probably still waiting for me in the hall."

This onlooker who had lingered in the room until the last moment also began making excuses to leave. "I won't bother you guys anymore. See you later!"

Louis quickly glanced at Olivia and nodded, giving his approval.

Finally, the grand lounge was empty, leaving only me and Louis.

"Now, I can answer your question about the engagement."

Louis looked at me deeply, but his ice-blue eyes seemed frozen, devoid of any warmth or emotion.

"If you recall, I asked you about marriage before, and you agreed."

"Yes." I nodded without hesitation, admitting, "But that was a conversation, a discussion about our thoughts on marriage! And now you're saying you want to announce this news to everyone..."

"I understand your concerns, Claire. You mentioned last time that you were worried others wouldn't accept you as my wife and Luna."

"I..." Nervously, I gripped my gown, mechanically nodding, "Yes, yes."

Louis let out a soft snort and a bitter smile appeared on his face. "Well, maybe I should have honestly told you the significance of that necklace when I gave it to you."

"Told me what?" My heart was pounding in my throat, Olivia's words from earlier suddenly resurfacing in my mind. Could that necklace really be a royal token?

"The necklace is a royal token."

Louis affirmed my suspicion with a cold face. "Its history can be traced back to my grandmother's grandmother. My grandmother passed it on to my mother. It's a symbol of the Lycan royal family, representing Luna. As long as you wear that necklace and appear in front of everyone, they will soon understand that you have been recognized by the royal family. This recognition comes not only from me but also from its former owners, my grandmother and my mother."

"This is part of my plan for our future. This way, when I announce our engagement at the ball, no one can oppose or question your authority."

I stood frozen in place, staring blankly at Louis. At this moment, I finally understood. So, his gaze towards me contained not only anger but also disappointment.

They were like sharp blades, piercing deeply into my heart.

I could even hear Helena wailing mournfully in my mind.

"I'm sorry, Louis." Tears streamed down my face, dripping onto my gown.

"I didn't know the necklace held such importance, and I didn't know you had put in so much effort for me..."

"If all you can say is sorry, Claire, then I'd rather you stay silent."

Louis rejected my apology. He lowered his head, twirling the silver wolf-head ring on his pinky finger, revealing a bitter smile.

"Do you know this ring, Claire? It's also a royal token, a symbol of recognition and encouragement for a new member of the royal family. But this ring doesn't belong to me; it belongs to my brother. Prince Liam, after his first public hunt, my father presented this ring to him in front of all the nobles."

Louis glanced at me. It was the first time I saw such profound sadness and reluctance in his expression.

"I heard from Olivia that this ring is your token. How could..."

"My ring is in the royal cemetery, six feet under."

Louis spoke emotionlessly, but I could feel the temperature dropping rapidly around us, all due to his sorrow.

"On the day of Liam's burial, I took off my own ring and exchanged it with Liam's. This way, to some extent, Liam has been accompanying me, and I accompany him too."

"Louis..."

Tears blurred my vision as I choked up, wanting to approach this lonely man and give him a hug.But when I lifted my leg to move towards Louis, he stepped back.

Tears fell once again, and I stared at Louis in disbelief, frozen in place.

"It's too late for apologies now, Claire."

Louis looked at me with a pained expression, but quickly turned away, leaving me with only a cold sentence at the end of our conversation.

"So, I guess I can't forgive you."