(BL) Reborn as Lycan's Emperor's abandoned Beta concubine?!

Chapter 47: 47. A royal tutor nightmare

AN HOUR LATER

XAVIER

By the time I escaped to the kitchen, my face was still burning. I walked through the doorway. Silence, then several kitchen staff looked up. One servant glanced at my red face. Another glanced at the others. Slowly, veryone started grinning.

"Oh no." I muttered.

Ana was already standing beside the counter with her arms crossed. Hin was beside her. Both looked far too pleased.

"You already know." I said.

"We heard."Ana said.

"From whom?"I asked.

"A maid."Hin said.

"Of course."I closed my eyes.

"Apparently, you were sitting on His Majesty’s lap."Hin tried to look serious.

"It was not like that!"I groaned.

"Then what was it like?"Ana raised an eyebrow.

"I was escaping!"I argued.

"Onto his lap?"Hin asked.

"HE PULLED ME!"I gasped.

The kitchen erupted into laughter and I wanted to disappear. I thought the kitchen gossip was bad, then my parents arrived. That was when my dignity officially died. Lin Rui walked in first, followed by Zhao Rui, both wearing suspiciously amused expressions.

"Good morning, dear son."Dad said.

"Please don’t."I nearly dropped the spoon.

"We heard you had an interesting morning."Zhao Rui laughed.

"It wasn’t interesting."I said.

"Apparently His Majesty pulled you onto his lap."Lin Rui smiled sweetly.

"Mother!"I gasped.

Mei Lin, who had been quietly preparing tea nearby, suddenly covered her mouth. Her shoulders shook.

"Don’t you start."I ordered.

"I’m not doing anything." She said innocently.

She looked at me, then grinned.

"You are absolutely doing something."I pointed at her.

"At least you seem comfortable around him."Zhao Rui chuckled.

"I am going to the kitchen and never coming out."I groaned.

"That won’t save you."Lin Rui laughed.

"Sorry, Prince Wei."Mei Lin finally lost her battle and giggled.

"You are not sorry."I said.

"Not even slightly."She smiled.

I groaned. Why had becoming a lost imperial prince somehow made my family even more embarrassing? Eventually, the teasing died down enough for me to return to what I actually knew how to do. Cooking. Unlike imperial bloodlines, mysterious childhood memories, strange copper boxes, and the horrifying fact that half the palace apparently knew about me sitting on Lang Li’s lap, cooking was simple. Food went into a pot, spices went into food, nobody needed to investigate my ancestry. I stood over the stove, stirring a pot of lotus chicken soup while Ana chopped vegetables beside me.

"More ginger?" She asked.

"A little."I said.

"Salt?"She tossed some in.

"Not yet."I said.

"Pepper?"She asked.

"Later."I said.

Hin was arranging freshly washed vegetables into baskets. The kitchen gradually filled with the familiar sounds of chopping, boiling, sizzling, and servants moving between tables. This was my territory and just breakfast.

"Perfect."I tasted the soup.

"Really?"Ana leaned over.

I handed her the spoon.

"Perfect."Ana nodded.

"See?"I smiled.

"For once, you look normal."Hin nodded.

"What does that mean?"I glared at her.

"You’ve spent the last few days looking like you’re constantly expecting another royal mystery to fall from the ceiling."Hin said.

"I am." I said as she laughed.

Then the kitchen doors opened and every servant immediately straightened. I turned around as the Empress Dowager entered room.

"Your Majesty." I quickly wiped my hands and bowed.

"Good morning, Wei."She smiled.

Moments later, I noticed someone walking behind her, a woman. She was older than me, perhaps in her forties or early fifties, dressed in an elegant but practical robe. Her hair was neatly tied back, and she carried several books and scrolls under one arm. She looked exactly like someone who had spent her entire life correcting people’s handwriting. Why did the Empress Dowager bring a tutor into my kitchen?

"Your Majesty."The woman stopped beside her.

"Everyone, this is Madam Qiao."The Empress Dowager nodded.

I looked at Madam Qiao and madam Qiao looked at me.

"Prince Wei."She smiled politely.

"Prince?"I nearly dropped the spoon.

The entire kitchen went silent.

"My apologies. Chef Wei."Madam Qiao immediately bowed.

I stared at her. The Empress Dowager’s smile became suspiciously innocent.

"She has come to assist you."She said.

"Assist me with what?"I asked.

"Your education."She said.

"My what?"I froze.

"Your education."She repeated.

I looked toward Ana as Ana immediately looked away. Hin suddenly became fascinated by a cabbage. I looked back at the Empress Dowager.

"Why do I need a tutor?"I asked.

"Because you are now recognized as an imperial prince."She reminded me.

"That doesn’t mean I need someone following me around with books!"I groaned.

"I was told you have gaps in your education."Madam Qiao calmly adjusted the scrolls beneath her arm.

"That’s putting it mildly."I sighed.

"Then we have much to do."She nodded.

I stared at her as he stared back. There was something terrifyingly calm about her, the sort of calm possessed by people who could assign homework without feeling guilty.

"How much?"I asked.

"History, imperial law, etiquette, geography, political structure, diplomacy, literature, mathematics, military history, genealogy, court customs, and several aspects of Red Moon Flower imperial culture."She opened one of the scrolls.

My soul left my body.

"Several?"I asked.

"That is merely the introductory curriculum."Madam Qiao nodded.

Ana immediately turned away because she was laughing.

"Don’t laugh!"I ordered her.

"I’m sorry!"She grinned.

"You aren’t!"I argued.

"You will begin this afternoon."The Empress Dowager looked delighted.

"This afternoon?!"I gasped.

"Yes."She nodded.

"I have dinner preparation!"I said.

"You can study between meals."She said.

"I have breakfast preparation!"I argued.

"After breakfast."She said.

"I have lunch!" I repeated.

"After lunch."She added.

"I have a kitchen!"She said again.

"And now you have a classroom."Madam Qiao calmly looked around.

"Where?"I stared at her.

"Here."She pointed toward the table.

I looked at the enormous stack of books she had brought, then at my cooking pots, then back at her.

"This is going to be a disaster."

"Ding. New event detected: Imperial Education Arc." A system said.

"Of course."I sighed.

"Difficulty: Extremely annoying."The system continued.

"At least you’re honest."I said.

"Madam Qiao is one of the finest tutors in the empire."The Empress Dowager laughed softly.

"That doesn’t make me feel better."I sighed.

"It should."She said.

"It really doesn’t."I sighed again.

Madam Qiao placed the first book on the counter. The history of the Red Moon Flower Empire. I stared at the title and something about it made my stomach twist. Not because I disliked history. Because the moment I saw the royal crest embossed on the cover, a strange flicker passed through my mind. A flowering tree, a small wooden flute.

"One day, you will play this for someone important."A voice in my head.

The memory vanished.

"Are you alright, Prince Wei?"Madam Qiao noticed my expression.

"Yes."I swallowed.

But I wasn’t entirely sure. The Empress Dowager’s expression changed slightly. She had noticed too, and across the kitchen, Huan, who had apparently arrived without anyone noticing, had gone completely still. His eyes were fixed on the book, then on me, then on the imperial crest. He looked worried, very worried.

"Huan?"I narrowed my eyes.

"Nothing."He immediately smiled.

I didn’t believe him, not even slightly and judging by the way Madam Qiao carefully watched both of us, I had a feeling my first history lesson was about to reveal something that nobody had intended to tell me.

"This section concerns an old Red Moon Flower tradition."Madam Qiao opened another book.

"The courtship song."I leaned closer. "Why does that sound dangerous?"

She ignored me and began reading the opening verse, then she stopped.

"Prince Wei?"She asked.

"What?"I asked.

"Continue."She said.

"Continue what?"I blinked.

"The song."She said.

"I don’t know it."I said.

"Then why were you humming it?"She stared at me.

I froze. I hadn’t even noticed. My lips had apparently been quietly repeating the melody.

"I... don’t know."I whispered.

"You shouldn’t know this song."Madam Qiao’s expression became thoughtful.

"Why?"I asked.

"Because it was traditionally taught only to members of the imperial family."Qiao explained.

My stomach dropped. Across the room, Huan suddenly looked away.

"Ding. Memory fragment detected."A system said.

I stared at the system as Madam Qiao quietly closed the book. For the first time since meeting her, she looked genuinely unsettled.

"I think." She murmured. "We need to discuss your childhood."

"My childhood?"I asked confused.

I stared at her, confused. I did not remember much about it. I remember from Wei flashbacks being brought here before I turned 18 and learned about my Beta status. I do not know how I know that song or how I even ended up inside a Lycan kingdom. It seems that every day I get closer to knowing the original Wei’s past.

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