Submitting to My Lycan Prince Mate

121 An Unexpected Guest

Claire's POV

"Oh, Claire, it's so good to see you!"

Upon receiving the servant's notice, I hurried to the castle's hall where Maria, dressed in her finest attire, quickly rose from the sofa and approached me with a fake smile. She gave me a perfumed, insincere hug.

"Maria? Why did you..."

Before I could ask her purpose, Maria had already grabbed my hand and started complimenting me in an overly exaggerated tone.

"Oh, dear, you must tell me what cosmetics you're using! You look even more stunning today than the last time we met!"

For the sake of the Moon Goddess.

I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes and forced a smile as fake as hers. But I wasn't here to engage in meaningless social pleasantries with her. I decisively withdrew my hand from Maria's grasp.

"Sorry, dear, but actually, I'm not wearing any makeup today."

This sarcastic response caused a crack in Maria's smile. Although she maintained a warm expression, her eyes turned cold like a snake's.

This woman definitely doesn't have good intentions.

"I know, perhaps you find my manners hypocritical."

Maria chuckled, retracting her awkwardly hovering hand, "But dear, I think you must learn the ways of communication among the nobility. After all, it is essential etiquette for a future princess."

"Thank you for the advice, Maria. But frankly, I prefer to decide my own manner of socializing." I scoffed and retorted without hesitation, "You defied Louis's orders just to come here and impart your valuable experience as a princess. Why?"

Maria was more stubborn than I expected.

Realizing my stance, she retracted the anger in her eyes and a meaningful smile appeared on her lips.

"You are Louis's mate, Claire. That means unless Louis leaves the royal family—which we both know is impossible—you will certainly become his princess. And I have no experience to pass on to you because, in the future, you will not only be a princess but also the kingdom's Luna."

Maria paused, shrugging nonchalantly, "I am not qualified to teach you how to be a competent Luna."

"Really? How interesting."

Maria's self-deprecating humor didn't make me drop my guard. I stared into her eyes, still trying to understand her true intentions.

"All along, wasn't it you, Maria, who wanted to become the kingdom's Luna?! To achieve that goal, you even abandoned Louis and turned to his brother. And now, you say you hope I will become the future Luna?!"

Facing my questions, there was no guilt or shame on Maria's face.

She raised her well-groomed eyebrows, and her smile spread across her painted lips.

"I knew there were many misunderstandings between us, Claire. In fact, I never wanted to take the position that belongs to you. All of this was orchestrated by those with ulterior motives."

"Ulterior motives?" I raised an eyebrow, staring into Maria's eyes, "Who do you mean?"

"You know who I mean."

Maria smiled mysteriously, leaning closer to me and lowering her voice.

"Think about who revealed the king's decree in front of all the nobles."

"Oh, so you're talking about Garfield Evans."

"Shh."

Maria immediately stopped me from continuing, her eyes darting around nervously as if fearing someone might hear our conversation.

But unfortunately for her, I wasn't buying her act.

"Stop pretending, dear Maria. You know very well that from the moment you walked in, every word you say would be reported to Prince Louis. Because you are in his territory."

I snorted at the nervous Maria, exposing her little ploy.

"Moreover, regarding your accusations against Evans... Frankly, I do dislike him. Louis and I both agree he's a cunning politician, but when it comes to announcing the king's decree, isn't the most obvious beneficiary you, Maria?!"

"See? I told you, there are many misunderstandings between us."

The shameless Maria seemed unbothered by my accusations. She even smiled as she lightly held my arm, leading me to sit on the sofa.

"I understand that as Louis's former mate, you see me as a rival. That's not surprising." "I'm not—"

"Please, let me finish, dear."

Maria raised her hand, interrupting me before I could speak, which only made me more annoyed.

I glared at her fiercely, but she remained unfazed, continuing her monologue.

"No matter how many wonderful memories Louis and I shared in the past, it's now history. I am now Prince Liam's wife and Prince Chris's mother. I am not as ruthless as Evans, thinking it's normal to force a woman to marry her deceased husband's brother. Such unethical behavior will surely be punished by the Moon Goddess."

Perhaps it was mentioning her son Chris that made Maria's tone genuinely sincere at this moment.

This gave me a fleeting moment of doubt: Could it be she truly didn't want to marry Louis and become his Luna?

My brief hesitation was quickly noticed by the keen Maria. In response, her tone became even more sincere. "Please believe me, Claire, as Louis's sister-in-law, I genuinely wish you both happiness, just like Prince Liam and I have. However, Garfield Evans and his Black Mountain pack do not want to see the royal family members remain at peace, so he deliberately sows discord to further his ancestors' unfinished business—replacing the Bouchan family and establishing a new dynasty..."