The Cursed King

Elise was dumbfounded throughout the entire process. She looked at Loriel in disbelief. This man was faster than a rollercoaster, she thought.

Didn't they only know each other for slightly over three months? And they got into a relationship like last week.

So fast. This was so, really fast.

However, why didn't Elise think that Loriel was out of his mind? In fact, she was flattered by his action. And another weird thing was… she felt like she had known this man all her life.

Was this normal?

Elise didn't know about her family and her background. What if she was already married before she came to the United States? She lost her memory when they found her five years ago.

"Loriel…" she bit her lip. "You don't really know me. How could you decide that you want to spend the rest of your life with me?"

Elise added bitterly, "I don't even know who I am. What if… I have a dark secret? I don't remember anything about my life before five years ago."

Loriel's heart ached when he heard her words. He really, really wanted to tell her that he was his wife. She loved him so deeply and they also almost had children together.

Gosh.. should he just tell her the truth?

But… what would she think about it? There were so many possibilities. She could laugh it off and think Loriel was joking.

She could believe Loriel and demand him to tell her everything.

Loriel was not ready to tell her EVERYTHING.

He didn't even know what happened to Elise after she left him. He didn't know how Elise lost the baby in her second pregnancy.

And he didn't know if she would be able to bear the truth. Their past was truly sad and heartbreaking.

Loriel didn't have the heart to see her cry again. Elise was physically weak. She lost her first pregnancy because her body was too weak to carry a baby. She also had a physical breakdown when Daniel York, the man she considered as a father, passed away.

No.. Loriel couldn't risk losing Elise this time because she was feeling heartbroken and fell ill.

He had waited for so long to get his wife back. He wouldn't let her go out of his life again. He must wait until the coast was clear and it was safe to tell her the truth.

Not today.

"Elise... honey, I don't care who you are..." Loriel got down on his knees and took Elise's hands dotingly. His voice was hoarse because he was feeling so moved. "Even if you had a  deep dark secret in your life, I don't mind. Heck, I will even help you bury dead bodies if you need me to."

"Oh, Loriel..." Elise was out of words. She couldn't help but laugh at the man's words. Not only he was smart, good-looking, sweet, a great cook, he always knew the right words to say and knew how to do the right thing... he was also funny.

He didn't like most people, but that only added to his charm. Even though women all looked at him with admiring gaze and were ready to throw themselves at him, Loriel never even gave them a second glance.

Elise  could tell this from every time they went out together. When they went to the mall, the cafe, the high end restaurant, to Elise's company year-end gala, and during their holiday to Japan.

Loriel's eyes and undivided attention were only on her alone.

How could she not feel flattered and valued?

She knew this man was one of a kind.

Ahh... he made Elise feel so, so special, desired, and treasured. She thought she would be dumb to say no. 

Right?

And even if Loriel turned out to be bad, Elise could protect herself well. However, she actually trusted that the man wouldn't do any harm to her.

She didn't know how she knew it, but she just did.

She looked at the man intently and tried to visualize their life together, and she actually liked what she saw.

For their future, Elise could see a lot of cuddles while watching TV together or spending time with nice books, great food prepared for dinner and breakfast, new knitted scarves and sweaters in wintertime, and... ahem, lots of mind-blowing sex.

Ah... Her face flushed red when she remembered their first time doing that in Japan. She didn't know sexual intercourse was THAT fun. Loriel made things easy and pleasant. She didn't even feel the pain from her first time.

It was THAT good.

She was still shy when they did it again the next day, but after the third time, she became so comfortable and didn't feel ashamed of even initiating it, subtly, of course.

It seemed like Loriel always knew when she wanted it, and how she wanted it.

It was really amazing. 

Elise didn't know if she would ever meet another man who was as kind,  understanding, and loving as Loriel. Most humans were greedy. They would want to wait and see if a better offer would come along.

Ah, I can get a better man than this one. I should wait, they thought.

And when the better man came, they again thought that they must wait to get an even better one. And it became a neverending cycle.

By the time they realized that the best one had passed them, it was already too late, and in desperation, they took the next available one, that might not be as good as what they had rejected in the past.

Elise was not like most people. She was grateful and never took people for granted. When she saw this man, on his knees, asking her hand in marriage, she realized that she, too, loved this man.

And she thought, if he was willing to accept her for who she was, good and bad, no matter how dark her past actually was, then she must accept him too.

Once they were married, it was more possible for Elise to stop worrying about other things. The two of them could just be together and live their entire lives together as husband and wife.

"Hmm...." A faint smile curved up on her face. "Aren't you going to give me a ring?"

"Huh?" Loriel was struck dumbfounded by the question. That's right. He had poured his heart out to ask her to marry him just now, but he forgot the ring?

Oh my god.

Please don't reject me because of my stupidity, he begged internally. I just forgot about the ring because... I was nervous.

His face paled and he quickly groped his body to find the ring that Marc had sent his way earlier. "I-I have it... wait..."

Elise was amused by his frantic reaction. This man looked so adorable when he was in a panic like this, over a ring. She said sweetly, "Okay."

Loriel wanted to kill himself when he couldn't find the ring. He got up and groped all over his pockets, his shirt and pants, but still couldn't find it. He even jumped up and down to make sure the ring was not stuck between the lines of his clothes.

"Noooo...." He looked at Elise apologetically, "I swear... I had it..."

"Well.. without a ring, I cannot say yes, even if I wanted to," said Elise, teasing Loriel.

The man's eyes went droopy and he was almost crying. "B-but... you wanted to say yes?"

Elise nodded. "Yes. If you have the ring with you."

Actually, Elise would say yes regardless, but after seeing Loriel in a panic, she thought it would be funny to tease him.

The man let out a relieved sigh. He quickly took out his phone and called Marc. "Marc, I need a new ring. Immediately. Can you deliver a ring here in half an hour?"

Elise was astonished when she saw Loriel called Marc and ordered a new ring, just like that. She quickly snatched Loriel's phone and dropped it on the couch. "No! Don't make Marc get you a new ring. He is my boss!"

She shook her head in horror. Loriel was too much, she thought. Elise knew how hard Marc had worked even during the holiday and he needed his rest. He shouldn't be on Loriel's beck and call like this and sacrifice his well-deserved rest to get Loriel a new ring.

"B-but... you only accept my proposal if I have the ring..." Loriel pouted. He tried to get his phone back. "I need the ring. Marc wouldn't mind."

"No... you don't need the ring," Elise decided to end her tease. She blocked Loriel's hand who tried to take the phone back. "I will marry you."

Loriel's body froze when he heard the words that he was dying to hear. He looked at Elise with widened eyes. Tears started forming in the corner of his silver eyes. His irises always turned silver when he was in a good mood.

This time, they were like bright silver, filled with happiness.

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