The Cursed King

Loriel didn't like seeing Elise in so much pain. 

The woman was currently bent over and sobbing alone in the hospital benches. She looked so small as if she was making herself disappear from sight. 

Elise buried her face in her hands as she couldn't hold back the tears.

It was a terrible sight.

His own heart hurt at the sight of Elise in so much pain that he tentatively reached out at first, unsure if it was right for him to do it, before simply pulling her into a hug. 

Now wasn't the time to hesitate and think about the boundaries between their current level of friendship. It didn't matter right now. Elise lost her adoptive father and Loriel needed to be there for her.

Loriel soothed his wife and held her to his chest.

Elise was shaking in his arms and even dampening the shirt that he wore today, but he couldn't care any less. He was more concerned about her than he was about what was dripping down his shirt.

Loriel remembered how much Elise didn't want to show him this side of hers, but now the tears didn't seem to stop flowing at all.

His wife wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest, crying against his shirt. Loriel couldn't do anything but hold her like that until the storm passed.

Closing his eyes, he tried to think back to the time he'd seen Elise cry so much like this. He rarely did so, or never bothered about it that much because Elise didn't want to bother him. 

Once again another wave of guilt formed within him as he remembered how he once didn't care about it at all...

But now Loriel was here and he'd do his best to love Elise dearly.

He didn't want for Elise to go through this pain alone, because he was now with her. After waiting all these centuries, it was time for him to make it up to her.

"I'm so sorry," Elise said.

"No, you don't have to be sorry, Elise. I'm here." Loriel whispered and rubbed the back of her head.

Elise soon ran out of tears to cry and she realized she was sobbing too much into Loriel's chest. She pulled away slightly and looked at the pitiful mess on Loriel's shirt.

"I... I ruined your shirt. I'm so sorry, Loriel. I'll do my best to clean it properly." Elise croaked. Only a ghost of a smile appeared on her lips.

In Loriel's eyes, it seemed like his words didn't register in Elise's ears at all. She was still entrenched in the pain of losing her father.

"Elise," Loriel said, this time speaking louder. "No, don't worry about it, it's okay."

Though he wanted to fix the situation, Loriel knew that he couldn't make Elise feel better. So instead of giving her another word of encouragement, he gave her a reassuring smile.

Loriel's smile only made Elise's feelings grow even deeper.

Although Elise was still in grief, she still cared about the state of his shirt. It must have been a terrible experience for Elise to suddenly come into Loriel's life, didn't it?

First she was someone who didn't have any place to go when she arrived in NYC. Someone who didn't even know how to use GoogleMaps to go around the city and Loriel met her under these circumstances.

Even though two months had passed, Elise didn't think it was right to place the burden of grief she was feeling on Loriel by doing it when he was around. Loriel already did far too much for her.

Loriel even searched for Elise's father and brought her to meet him.

Elise was able to meet her father before he died and that was something she didn't think was possible. But Loriel did it for her. Loriel was the reason why she met her father.

Though her father was gone forever… Another wave of emptiness filled Elise's heart.

She was now all alone in the world without her father. Elise was sure that her father reunited with her mother now, but now Madeline York only had her cousin Tessa's family.

People who didn't care about her and only about the wealth that Daniel York left behind.

There was no one for Elise to turn to.

It was a terrible feeling.

Elise felt her tears start to flow again. Loriel put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into him.

"It's painful, isn't it?" Loriel whispered.

Elise looked back at him with teary eyes, "Can you imagine how painful it is to be left by someone you loved forever…?" 

She suddenly remembered how Loriel also had no other family.

"I know how you feel," Loriel said. He smiled a little sadly. "I know what it's like to lose the one person that gives meaning and depth to your life."

"I'm so sorry, Loriel, I... that was thoughtless of me." Elise was so used to seeing Loriel as an independent and capable man, that she forgot how he also must have cared about his family as well.

Loriel shook his head. "It's alright, when we're in so much pain... we tend to become callous over everything else. We start focusing only on ourselves, our grief and how we're all alone in the world."

That was how immature Loriel was when he was young and caught up in a frenzy over Emmelynn. He never paid attention to anybody else and only focused on the pain and desire to be with her that he failed to see Elise had been there all along.

Loriel smiled weakly at her. "Unintentionally through our own ignorance, apathy... we hurt the people who love us."

Elise thought it was like Loriel read her mind. "I've lost my father, Loriel. I have no one left in the world anymore."

Loriel gently wiped the tears away from Elise's cheeks. "You must remember that there will always be people out there who do love you and care for you immensely. People like your co-workers, friends, and colleagues. Someone like me…"

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Even though it's sad that Elise lost her 'father', but I believe this will be a good entry for Loriel to win her heart and get her to become his again.

PS: NEW PRIVILEGE IN AUGUST

I will publish the next chapter in a few hours. After that, please be patient and wait for two days as I am preparing the next tier for Privilege (I need two days to add 8 chapters in the new tier and 2 more chapters for regular readers). They will be ready on August 2.

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