The Cursed King

When morning came, Loriel finally gave up trying to sleep. He thought it would be better if he got up and prepared breakfast for them. If he could keep himself busy, it would be good for him to distract his mind.

So, the man went to the kitchen and prepared some bread, eggs, sausages, and bacon. The nice smell of food immediately wafted in the air. 

Elise opened her eyes and twitched her brows. What smell was this? It's good. 

Suddenly she felt hungry. Was someone cooking? She was wondering. Was the smell coming from this penthouse, or was it from the neighbors? But... being at the top of the building, there was no neighbor, right?

Elise saw a night robe was provided in the cupboard. She climbed down from the bed and took the robe to wear it.

After she wore the robe, Elise decided to get out of her room and get something to drink from the kitchen. The smell of food also made her thirsty.

When Elise went to the kitchen to get water, she didn't expect to see Loriel sitting at the dining table. Her eyes widened momentarily when she saw some nice-looking food before the man.

"Good morning, Elise," Loriel looked up when he heard the sound of footsteps and immediately guessed it was Elise. His guess was correct.

"Good morning Loriel," said Elise with a smile. Her eyes were fixed on the food and she looked confused. "Did you make breakfast?"

"Yes, I did," Loriel replied proudly, In fifteen centuries he had perfected his cooking technique and he could make pretty much whatever.

He was happy to see Elise looked impressed by his cooking skills. At least she seemed to like the presentation.

Well, once she tried the food, she would become even more impressed.

"You woke up earlier than me and prepared breakfast. You should have woken me up. I could have helped you." Elise stood awkwardly and stared at the food and Loriel alternately.

She felt like a freeloader. Wasn't she the guest here.. wait no, wasn't she 'the maid' here? Why did it feel like Loriel was the one who did all the work?

"Ah, it's okay. I will not wake you up for this small matter," Loriel chuckled.  "I hope you slept well."

Elise nodded. "I did, thank you. The bed is really nice."

Loriel rose from his seat and motioned to the table. "Please have a seat, I have trouble sleeping. I have bad insomnia. So, I decided to cook something for breakfast. I hope you're hungry."

"Oh, I see… insomnia is terrible," Elise said with a small frown. She felt sorry for Loriel who couldn't sleep properly. She knew how unpleasant it was.

"Thank you. I've lived with it for a while now, I am used to it by now," said Loriel calmly. He was glad to see Elise cared about his insomnia.

Elise cleared her throat and looked at him. "Have you tried to drink chamomile tea to alleviate the symptoms?"

Those words of hers made Loriel remember when she used to make him tea. He smiled briefly and shrugged. "I could perhaps use a cup, or maybe a pot of tea. Although, I tend to prefer jasmine more than chamomile."

"That is a nice type of tea." Elise agreed.

  "Would you like to drink some tea with me? I can brew a pot for us." Loriel started to get up, but then Elise waved her hand.

"You've already made breakfast, so please let me make the tea for us." Elise turned toward the kitchen and walked there. She stopped by the kitchen counter and gazed up at the shelves. "It's in the cupboard right?"

"Yes. The one to the right has the canisters for tea and the pot and cups are in the third cupboard." Loriel instructed her, and Elise moved quickly to gather them.

Loriel temporarily glanced away to give her some privacy. He didn't want to seem intense by staring at her for far too much than necessary. 

It was at the exact moment that Loriel's phone rang. Loriel answered it and realized that it was Marc.

"How did it go?" he immediately asked.

"Uncle, I just got the identity of the girl you are looking for,"  Marc chirped from the end of the line. He sounded proud of his achievement.

Obviously, he wanted Loriel to praise him for a job well done. Marc went out of his way to find this information for Loriel. He woke up early and made a stop at the hostel before he went to the office.

"I'm listening," said Loriel flatly. His eyes were focused on the beautiful woman not far from him who was preparing tea for them on the kitchen counter.

"So, her name is Madeline York. She is from Connecticut." Marc paused and waited for his uncle to ask him for further details.

Even though Loriel had not told him to investigate who Madeline York was, Marc already did. If Loriel wanted more information, he would have the answer ready.

"Did you find any more details about her?" Loriel asked Marc. His heart skipped a beat. So, this woman was Madeline York.

Was it her real name? Or…

"Did you read the news from twenty years ago?" Marc asked Loriel back.

Loriel almost threw his phone to the ground. He didn't follow the news. Why should he? It had always been depressing. War, greed, hunger, crimes.. gah. He stopped reading the news for peace of mind.

So, why would he read the news from 20 years ago?

"Madeline York was very famous," Marc quickly added. "I am sure you have heard of her many years ago."

"Marc, I don't have time for trivia," Loriel snapped at Marc, but he managed to keep his voice low, so he didn't want to attract Elise's attention. "You have one minute to explain the whole thing."

"Uhm.. okay, Uncle. The thing is, this information is hidden by her family. They are the affluent York family from Connecticut. I had to use my influence to get all the details." Marc finally told Loriel of his findings.

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From the author:

Since we got around 1800 power stone votes this week, I will give 3 bonus chapters and I will just start now (start early). Expect the other two bonus chapters on Monday. ^^