The Cursed King

Once the two of them finished their lunch, Loriel and Elise traveled back to the penthouse. 

When they arrived, the two of them saw something left at the doorstep of the penthouse. It was a small inconspicuous package.  Loriel's brows furrowed. "Huh, what's that? I don't remember ordering anything?"

He tried to act confused, but Loriel knew what this package was. He was the one who ordered it after all. In reality, this was the phone that he personally picked out for Elise to use. 

He even made sure the courier delivered it to his doorstep, instead of his mailbox like usual, so Elise could see it and he could pretend to be surprised by it.

"I can pick it up for you and check," Elise said. Before Loriel could say anything, Elise already moved and went for the package to see what it was.

"What is it?" Loriel asked.

"...something about a phone?" Elise's lips pursed together as she read the label.

Loriel slapped a hand over his forehead. "Ah, it must be from my mobile plan, I get a new phone whenever a brand new model comes up to replace my old phone. I should have cancelled it, but… just bring it inside."

"Oh, okay." 

Elise waited for Loriel to unlock the door and then the two of them stepped inside. Loriel placed the shopping bags at the sofa and took a seat, as Elise did the same.

Now that their little shopping trip was finally over, the two of them could finally take a seat and relax. Elise placed the package in the coffee table carefully.

Elise didn't know what to exactly think. 

It did appear that Loriel really didn't consider his financial situation a lot when he was confident that he'd be able to bounce back from it. 

Similar to how Loriel refused to sell even a single item in his penthouse, even additional expenses like this one was allowed to continue and go on. It seemed like the man did not have any concerns at all about his current financial limitations.

Loriel picked up the box and gave it a scrutinizing look. Once he assessed the package and deemed it satisfactory, Loriel cleared his throat. "It'd be a hassle to return it, so why don't you use it instead?"

"Huh?" Elise batted her eyes.

Loriel ran his fingers through his hair. "If you'll be working and staying outside of the penthouse, it's essential that you have a phone."

"...We could have bought one outside," Elise said. If what Loriel said was correct, then it meant that the phone in the box was the latest model and that meant it was expensive.

Elise could later buy  an affordable one after she received her salary if Loriel and her were talking about work.

"It's a lot more convenient to use this one now that it's with us." Loriel replied with an offhand shrug. "Besides, shelling out for a phone at once can be a tad expensive whereas this one comes with my mobile plan, it's amortized." 

Could Elise argue with that explanation?

After some moments, Elise eventually nodded her head and agreed with him. Without waiting for another moment, Elise carefully unwrapped the package and took out the phone that was now hers.

Her forehead creased over, but she turned on the phone without any troubles.

"Here, let me show you how it works," said Loriel casually. He walked to Elise's side and touched the phone screen, showing Elise which buttons to use for which functions.

The beautiful woman nodded several times and tried to remember his explanations. It was hard to concentrate on her phone though, when this handsome man was standing so, so close from her body, that she could smell his really pleasant scent.

What kind of perfume was he using? It smelled so nice and so familiar. There was something about this man that piqued her interest.

"What do you think? Is it fine?" Loriel asked politely. He tilted his face to look at Elise and found the woman close her eyes and smiled faintly. He was in awe. What was she smiling about?

Was there something that made her especially happy?

What was it? Loriel was dying to know. He decided not to move her from her reverie. She seemed to think about something good. He wouldn't disturb her. So, he just watched her with a smile.

Finally, Elise opened her eyes. She was surprised to see Loriel was looking at her with a smile on his face. The man looked so handsome and mesmerizing, she thought.

"Uhmm.. what did you ask me just now?" Elise asked Loriel with a sheepish expression. 

"What do you think about this phone? I have showed you how to use the basic functions. You should be fine, but if you have trouble with it, don't hesitate to let me know. I will help you," said Loriel.

Elise glanced down at the screen. "Ah, well, I can use it… but there are some functions that I'm not familiar with like GoogleMaps. I'll have to get used to using it, but thank you so much for letting me have this."

She made a mental note to search for the price of this particular phone and added it to the amount of money she owed Loriel. She would pay it in installment once she got a job and made money.

"If you want to, I can help you learn how to use some of the more advanced features of your phone, Elise. Would you like some help?" Loriel offered.

"Alright, I'd appreciate that. Thank you." 

"Then can I sit right next to you?" Loriel asked. "It's easier to do it that way."

Elise smiled and nodded. "Yeah, it's fine. How else can I learn?"

If Loriel didn't wish to teach anybody, and even if someone were to ask him help then he'd say no.

Loriel might have said something about watching a tutorial online instead of wasting his time on this. But things were different for his wife, Loriel moved quickly and plopped down beside her on the sofa.

"Alright, let's get started. What would you like to learn first?" Loriel asked.