The Cursed King

FIFTEEN CENTURIES AGO:

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Elise traveled to the capital of Summeria, Castilse, to meet her fiance for the very first time. Now that her father approved her visiting and actually going here, Elise felt a sense of excitement come over her chest.

Summeria was a lovely and beautiful kingdom, and although Elise couldn\'t compare it to her home back in Myreen that was beautiful and well-kept due to the magic that her father cast over the kingdom… this would be her new home.

Elise\'s heart pounded loudly in her chest.

Everybody welcomed her into the royal palace politely and respectfully, Elise did not lack for anything now that she was here.

It was now time for her to approach the king and give her greetings to him, but at the same time, she couldn\'t help but feel nervous about how it would all go down.

Elise traveled and walked through the king\'s private residence, taking note of her surroundings and memorizing the outlay of the castle in the back of her mind..

Familiarizing herself with the castle was one of the many things that Elise needed to do now that she was here. This was where Elise would marry the man she loved and the two of them would start their new life together. 

After all those years of only watching him from afar, and even when Elise had seen Loriel with another woman in the past…  It didn\'t change that Loriel asked for her hand in marriage.

In the end, he would be her husband, as promised by their mothers.

That was what Elise\'s father told her and that was why she was finally allowed to come here. King Alexander told her that Loriel had come to Myreen while Elise was away and asked his blessings to marry her, and King Alexander had said yes.

Had Loriel seen her painting in Myreen? Did he like what he saw? Did he feel something for her?

Ahh... Elise felt sad that the man came while she was away. Her father got really sick and she secretly left home to find a magical artifact that could heal her father.

She was told to meet a healer named Raphael and after begging before him for days, finally, Elise was granted healing for her dear father. 

Unfortunately, when she came back, Loriel already left Myreen. She didn\'t get the chance to see her fiance. However, her father gave her good news that Loriel came to propose.

Since his mother was ailing, Loriel wanted to marry Elise as soon as possible, before Queen Maude passed away. This was her dying wish.

Several months later, Loriel sent a group of knights and his trusted right hand, a wizard called Renwyck, to come to Myreen and get Elise to come to see him in Summeria.

He said they must do the wedding at his home because his mother was too frail to travel to Myreen. That\'s why now Elise was here, in Castilse, the beautiful capital city of Summeria.

She went with her loyal maid, Alina, and two knights from Myreen to go to Summeria. The twenty knights and Renwyck sent by her husband were meant to protect her on the way.

Ahh.. they didn\'t know that Elise could protect herself well. They might think she was a weak damsel. She never bothered to correct their perspective.

She wanted to show her future husband that she appreciated his thoughtful gesture by sending so many people to protect her.

Ahh.. she was anxious. What did he think when he came to Myreen? Was he interested in knowing her more? Did he comment on her painting when he saw it? Was he eager to see her in person?

So many questions filled her mind. Elise couldn\'t wait to see Loriel. Even if he might not love her from the beginning, Elise was determined to be a good wife to Loriel.

She would love him with all her heart. Someday, he would love her.

The two of them would have the entirety of their lives together for that.

Elise saw the king of Summeria currently all by himself and she stood in awe. The man was more handsome in real life than what her grandmother\'s crystal ball showed.

Loriel\'s appearance was really astonishing and Elise wanted to compare him to the gods of Cretea with how handsome the man was. Elise approached him respectfully to pay her respects. 

It was Loriel\'s first time meeting her and knowing who she was, so Elise wanted to make a good impression. That was the first step. If Elise couldn\'t have his love, then Elise would make Loriel like and respect her.

Wasn\'t Elise trained as a proper princess? 

All those years that her father and grandmother taught and trained her made Elise someone who was capable of acting as Loriel\'s future wife and queen of the kingdom.

Loriel needed to see Elise as someone who was fit to be by his side.

Elise curtseyed and greeted him. "Your Majesty."

The handsome man turned to see her and for a few moments, he froze in place. This was… the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her painting couldn\'t do her justice, he thought.

When Maxim saw Elise\'s painting back in Myreen, he didn\'t really care. He thought paintings were usually made to deceive anyway. He didn\'t think his fiancee would look even half as beautiful as the painting.

He was dead wrong.

Elise became confused. Loriel didn\'t reply to her greetings. Instead, he looked dumbfounded.

What was going on? He didn\'t look happy to see Elise.

Her heart suddenly felt distraught.

Was Loriel… still in love with that woman whom Elise saw through her crystal ball?

Did he feel upset that he was betrothed to Elise when he was in love with another woman?

"You are?" Loriel was moved from his reverie and he asked Elise for her name, even though he could already guess who she was. 

.

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*************

From Missrealitybites:

Finally, we are back at zero where everything started and we will read in more detail what actually happened between Loriel and Elise, and how Loriel groveled and took his punishment for fifteen centuries for hurting his wife.

Are you excited?