The Cursed King

"Let's get out of here.. please," Elise whispered again. This time Loriel was fast. He nodded and scooped her up gently. Then, he carried her in his arms.

"Let's go home," he said. Elise nodded and wrapped her arms around her neck. She felt sad, angry, and devastated at the same time. Her head hurt.

Tessa and her parents didn't dare to block their way because the murderous glare from Loriel was enough to send shivers down their spines.

They could only grumble among themselves once Loriel was out of sight.

"Who is that man? Do you know him, Tessa?" Linda York asked her daughter. Tessa shook her head and gritted her teeth.

"I don't know him, but I saw him eat dinner with Madeline once in an upscale restaurant," she replied. "The man is evil. He went to our hotel and viciously beat up Julian."

"Oh.. so, it's him who assaulted Julian?" Her father asked in surprise. "We should report him to the police!"

"Julian already did, and the police keep saying they are doing their job to investigate the case and asked him to be patient," said Tessa in annoyance.

"Maybe they don't know who he is and are still looking?" Edward York asked again. "You must tell Julian about meeting that man here today and ask him to report it to the police. Didn't you say you know where that impostor works? Send the police to her office!"

"Okay, father.. I will do that..." Inwardly, Tessa didn't have a high expectation that the police would get anything if they went to Sanderman Group's building.

She and Julian went there to harass Madeline and ended up getting kicked out and beaten up by the group's CEO himself. She had a suspicion that Madeline and the CEO must have a good relationship.

Surely that wench seduced the CEO to protect her, right? And now, this man too. She probably slept with all of them and these men didn't know each other.

Madeline was really beautiful, Tessa gave her that. However, she was sure once those men knew who she really was, they would not want to have anything to do with her.

***

Loriel had arrived in the car and he gently put down Elise on the back seat. He entered and sat beside her, then asked the driver to go.

"I am sorry you have to see that," said Elise apologetically. "That's my cousin and her parents..."

She felt choked when she mentioned the word 'cousin'. She already told Loriel that she was not related to the Yorks by blood. The man was already kind enough not to bring up the matter and acted as if she was really Madeline York.

However, seeing how Tessa and her mother yell at her earlier and called her an impostor again, Elise couldn't help but feel aggrieved and ashamed. They tore open the wound in her heart that was not yet healed.

She, too, would love to know who she was. She didn't ask to be brought to the US and given the identity of the missing Madeline York. However, she had no choice. She didn't even know her own name and where her family was. 

She liked the name Elise and used it when she required a new name to introduce herself. But was it really her name? What if she had a dark past and the reason why she forgot about everything was that it was too violent or embarrassing?

How could she face Loriel if that was really the case? Would Loriel still like her around him?

Her father's words rang in her mind. He said Loriel must be in love with her from the way he looked at her and spoke to her. As a man, he could read another man. But was it really true?

"No, I am sorry you have to experience that," Loriel said sincerely. He blamed himself for what happened to Elise. If it was not for him, Elise wouldn't be stranded in this world where she was wronged and bullied by those people.

Loriel had matured considerably during the past fifteen centuries and he understood that it was all his fault that things had turned up this way. He must take responsibility for Elise's sufferings.

"No.. it's not your fault," Elise cupped her face with both hands and started sobbing. "I dragged you into my problem. I am very sorry."

'Oh, sweetheart.. it IS my fault,' Loriel wanted to say those words, but he held back. He pulled Elise to his embrace and rubbed her back to soothe her.

He didn't say anything else. No words were needed and no words could do anything to make Elise feel better.

She just lost the only man she considered family in this world. She loved Daniel York as her father. This sight truly broke Loriel's heart.

He didn't have the heart to imagine how much more devastated Elise would be when she got her memory back and found out she had another family, but she had lost them too?

She would break down in sadness. And... Loriel didn't even want to think about their child. Elise was truly heartbroken when she had a miscarriage. She was never the same after the devastating experience. 

After thinking about it for weeks, Loriel had a suspicion that Elise also miscarried her second pregnancy before she went to the future, and that was the reason why she lost her memory.

She must be truly heartbroken that she didn't want to remember any more painful memories... and so she decided to forget about her unborn babies, about Loriel, and about her wretched life as his wife.

Loriel cried for days when this realization hit him. Elise never knew this because the man always looked happy and content when she arrived home from work. He acted like nothing happened.

Today, seeing his wife sob despondently after losing the man she called father, who was not even her real father, Loriel felt as if his heart was stabbed by a hundred knives.

Elise would be destroyed if she got her memory back and she would remember all the sufferings she went through because of him.

Tears slowly fell down his cheeks when Loriel thought about the possibility.

People said ignorance is bliss, didn't they?

Maybe he should find ways to keep Elise in this state and not try to make her gain her memory back? Elise that he knew today was much happier than the wife he knew in the past.

She enjoyed learning new things, she started making friends, she was happy to make a little money, she also liked him around her. She said he was kind and charming and she liked spending time with him.

If Elise remembered, would she hate him and left him again?

He hugged Elise more tightly. Suddenly, he was really afraid of losing her again. His chest was filled with worry and fear. He had waited to meet her again for far too long. He wouldn't want to let her go.

But... would it be fair for her to live with him without ever knowing the truth?

What should I do? Loriel asked himself dejectedly.

If he worked hard to help Elise remember, at some point, she would finally remember who she was. Was Loriel's redemption enough to get her forgiveness and she would want to accept him as her husband again?

Or, would it reignite the old flame of hatred and she would hate him again?

Should Loriel just keep things as is? He could work hard and make her fall in love with him and asked her to marry him, without ever telling her the truth that they were married in the past life.

Loriel could forget about the past and start anew. If Elise never knew what happened in the past, she would never feel hurt. 

Right?

He didn't want to hurt her.

"I love you, honey... I promise to make anyone who hurt you pay," Loriel whispered emotionally when he rubbed Elise's hair. He kissed her hair dotingly and tighten his embrace.

Elise was too devastated to pay attention to what Loriel just said. She kept sobbing silently and damped his shirt. 

When the car arrived in the basement of their building, Elise was asleep on Loriel's embrace. The man made a sign to the driver to open the backseat door so he could get out and carry Elise to his floor.

The driver did what he ordered. Soon, Loriel was already walking with Elise in his arms. The woman's face looked so pitiful and had tear stains on her cheeks. When they arrived in front of his private elevator, the driver quickly pushed the button for Loriel so the man could enter.

"Thank you. You may go," Loriel nodded at the driver. 

"Good night, Sir."

The elevator doors closed and it went up to the 50th floor.

DING

When the doors opened, Loriel stepped outside of the elevator and walked with Elise's body in his arms. Horatio greeted him as usual when the penthouse door was opened and the master entered with his wife.

"Good evening, Master."

"Hey, Horatio," Loriel replied with a tired voice. Pot and Pebble came meowing and rubbed their heads on his pants. "Hello Pot, hello Pebble."

The man finally felt relieved after he arrived at his home. This was his sanctuary. The only place that made him feel better after a tiring and long day outside and met some pests like the Yorks.

Elise opened her eyes. She, too, instinctively felt that she was in a good place. When she looked up, she locked eyes with Loriel. The man was looking at her with a worried expression.

Elise took a few moments to realize she was in Loriel's doting arms.

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