The Cursed King

Fortunately, Loriel was a witty person and a fast thinker. He could easily make an excuse on the spot. The man shrugged and replied nonchalantly.

"I frequently shop here before, they have a very good men's fashion line despite it being more well-known that they cater to women." 

Nobody could contradict him here because that was how well his grand-nephew dealt with things. 

Loriel cleared his throat and motioned to the entire store. "But we can save this conversation for another time, for now, have a look around."

"I… don't feel very comfortable using your membership points." Elise had seen how luxurious this store was. The price of the products they sold here must be exorbitant.

She was worried that she would use all Loriel's points and ended up owing him so much. The truth was, Elise was determined to pay back the points she used to buy her work outfit in monetary value once she had her own money.

But seeing that she might not be able to earn a decent income with her limited skills and education, she was worried about piling up debts.

It would be better if they went to other more humble stores. She would just buy one work outfit and pay with the money she had now.

Loriel waved a hand nonchalantly. "Don't worry about it. Clothes here are not expensive, and the store has big discounts for the cardholders."

Bloomingrose wasn't the type to ever lower their prices at all. And yet the two female attendants quickly nodded their heads and smiled brightly at Elise. 

"That's true, Miss," said one of the staff to confirm Loriel's words. "We are having big discounts today."

Whatever the man in front of them said, it was the truth now. If Loriel were to even say that Bloomingrose had a dog's fashion line, then the employees would go along with that story.

"Ah, okay, then." 

"What kind of outfit do you need, Miss? We can help you search…" said one attendant with a very friendly attitude.

"Can I see your collection?" Elise asked back.

"Yes, definitely. We have a special collection on the second floor which I believe you will love. Please come with us," said the other attendant.

Loriel nodded and motioned Elise to follow them.

Elise glanced at Loriel once before she was ushered and taken away by the attendants. 

The two women were actually eager to help assist Elise and maybe even suggest some clothes. There was always something about seeing an already beautiful woman getting dressed up in gorgeous clothing that made anyone excited.

It was almost like dressing up Cinderella.

Loriel followed after them to keep an eye, but he still gave them some distance to make Elise feel comfortable.

After half an hour in the store, the two attendants were too busy picking out clothes for Elise to try on and chattered happily. 

It was almost like they were eager fairy godmothers about to transform Elise into a princess.

That gave Elise enough of a breathing room to look around on her own.

It wasn't like Elise was going to pick everything they'd suggest when she was supposed to get an outfit more appropriate for her work. 

Soon Elise was browsing at all the available business attire in the boutique when a sharp woman's voice sounded within Bloomingrose. 

"Don't you have anything in this color? This turquoise blue doesn't match my cool skin undertone at all." A woman complained to her own attendants.

It was a voice that Elise recognized at once.

Elise froze in her tracks for a moment and Loriel who stood close to her noticed the expression on Elise's face. "What's wrong?"

Loriel didn't see anyone actually worth noticing, there was no one except the sight of a woman harassing some of the attendants. It was an off-putting scene in an otherwise high-end establishment.

"Uhm… can we get out of here, please?" Suddenly Elise begged him to leave. 

  Her unexpected request made Loriel wonder if something happened to Elise in the store. She had not even picked clothes to buy.

Was she annoyed by the other woman's voice? Or, did she not find anything worth buying in this store?

He noticed Elise glanced in the direction of the voice. Her face paled. 

  "Does her voice bother you?" Loriel asked her gently. To be honest, he felt annoyed by the woman's squeaky voice too. He might ask the shop attendants to just kick her out,

"No, it's not it. Can we just shop in another place?" asked Elise with a pleading voice.

She tugged into his sleeves and Loriel finally nodded. "Sure, Let's go."

As much as it was possible to let the woman get thrown out of the store, Loriel allowed himself to be dragged away by Elise. The two headed to a spot far away from their current location.

Once they were a good distance away, Elise sighed in relief.

"Sorry about that, I just… saw someone I didn't want to see," Elise explained. She didn't expect to see that wicked woman in New York while she was shopping for clothes. Ugh.

What was Tessa doing here? She was wondering.

No matter what, she must not let herself be found. If Tessa saw her, she would let everyone know and soon Elise would find herself dragged back into that house.

No. She needed to stay far away from them.

But there was no way that it would be a good thing for the two of them to meet right now.

"I see," Loriel said. 

There was no use trying to pry into Elise unless she wanted to tell him and so he nodded. Loriel changed the topic. "What about your clothes though? We still need to buy them."

"Ah, about that…" Elise looked back and forth. Probably ensuring that nobody followed them. "I'm not exactly sure what to choose, but I do know that I need work-related clothes."

Loriel glanced around them and realized they were in another section of the store. It was a different building, but still part of the same establishment.

He pulled out his phone and offered it to her. "If you're having difficulty choosing, why not use the internet to help you?"