The Cursed King

Elise looked up to Loriel and smiled back. "Hello, Loriel."

The man was wearing a cooking apron And held vegetables in his hand. After he hid his knitting gears, he put on his apron and pretended to get ready to cook dinner. The two cats, Pot and Pebble were mewling around Loriel's feet.

It seemed like they were eager to delight and sample the dishes that Loriel was planning to cook.

"Can I get your cloak, Miss Elise?" Horatio's voice rang in the air and a robot strolled and came up to Elise.

"Ah, I'm good. Thank you." Elise hung the cloak in the coat rack and glanced at Loriel once again.

How was Elise going to approach Loriel about this gala? It was best to be honest and forthcoming about this, right? Elise can do this easily.

"So how did your day go, Elise?" Loriel suddenly asked. "There seems to be something on your mind. Would you like to eat first? I am preparing a quick dinner. It will be done in fifteen minutes."

Elise looked up to him and then quickly approached the cupboard. "I'll set down the dining ware then. I'm looking forward to eating since your cooking smells delicious as always." 

It was as if the man could readily see and read her expressions even when Elise didn't even say anything at all. This was probably what Loriel learned to do after all the time they've lived together for the past two months.

Now that Elise didn't immediately answer his question, Loriel didn't insist on getting her response. Loriel hoped Elise would open up by herself and so, he didn't want to pry at all.

The man kept his word. He whipped a quick dinner and soon the scent of delicious and fragrant food once again filled the entire penthouse. Elise helped him by preparing the dining table and cutlery, while Loriel served the food for them.

The two eventually settled down at the dinner table and began dining together. Once again it seemed like Loriel cooked another Italian dinner for them--it seemed to be perfect for a date.

While eating, Elise was busy with her thoughts as she remembered how her coworkers kept bringing and interrogating about her fictional boyfriend.

"Uh… Loriel?"

"Yes, Elise?"

"You don't happen to be free around December 15, are you?" Elise finally asked. She looked at the man with her best puppy eyes.

Loriel looked up to her from his meal. "My schedule's free by that time. It's usually around that time when business operations and meetings slow down and come to a halt as the end of the year approaches."

"Then would you like to attend a gala with me?" Elise asked.

Loriel raised a brow. "Is this the end of the year gala at Marc's company?" 

"Yes! I should have known that you already know about it." Elise smiled at him. At least Elise didn't need to explain about the gala when Loriel was already familiar with it. 

"Indeed, I've attended it in the past when I wasn't so busy," Loriel said. "It's your first year there so I'm sure you'll love the party."

"Yeah… about that. Would you like to come with me to the party? If you're attending this year, then perhaps the two of us can go there together?"

"I'd love to."

Actually, Loriel hated the crowds and meeting many people…

However, if Elise needed him to go with her to this stupid gala, he would gladly do it.

That's how much he loved his wife.

"Great!" Elise smiled in relief. "You see, there's something at work that I need to prove…"

"And that is?"

"It's a really funny story actually. My colleagues started teasing me about being Marc's woman. Probably because I got in the company with your help. I told them that I have a boyfriend… but now they're expecting me to bring someone."

"And the boyfriend is… me?"

"If you don't mind." Elise's face looked so red from embarassment. She quickly added. "Just for the gala!"

Loriel wanted to laugh when he saw her shy expression. She looked so cute and adorable. He really, really wanted to kiss her luscious lips.

"Ah, just for the gala?" he repeated her words.

Elise nodded. "Yeah. They only asked me to show you during the gala."

Loriel rubbed his chin. "Hmm… don't you know nowadays it's so easy to rent a boyfriend online? You can find them anywhere with rates as low as $100 per hour."

Loriel just happened to stumble into such sites when he was browsing the internet out of boredom. 

The world nowadays was a crazy place. Search, and you would find. That's basically what happened now. A wide array of services were available, you just need to look and use the right keywords.

Elise's eyes bulged when she heard him. She pressed her lips in surprise. "For real??? B-boyfriend for hire??"

"Yes. Not only girlfriend for hire, but boyfriend for hire is quite popular too," Loriel added, "In this modern times, many people choose to rent boyfriend or girlfriend to show to their families or friends during social events or Christmas family holidays to avoid being pestered."

"Pestered?" Elise didn't understand why would people do such a thing.

"Yeah. Fewer and fewer people in modern times want to get married, while their conservative parents might want to see their kids get married and produce grandchildren for them. This is especially true for people in Asia, where marriages and family are still valued greatly. I've seen such services offered here in the US too, by the way."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Also, socially awkward people who cannot have any real relationship might need to show a romantic partner on social events to boost their careers in politics, industry gathering, and whatnot."

"But they are… paid escorts, right?" Elise confirmed his words. "Aren't they the same as prostitutes and gigolos?"

Loriel quickly waved his hand. "No. They are different. Sex workers are easy to get. This boyfriend and girlfriend for hire usually don't offer sex. They are there for the conversation, as arm candy. They have to look like people from the upper-class or well educated, or something to create a good impression. They have to look like the boyfriend or girlfriend that you want to bring to your parents."

"You seem to know a lot," Elise commented.

Loriel shrugged. He did know a lot. When he was bored, he would read and search on stuff. He ended up knowing so many useless things, including this one fact.

"What's more interesting, I also know people who offer services as a cuddle buddy. They charge $80 per hour to cuddle with you and that's it. It's because research shows that cuddle is good for physical and mental health," he added. "This is a new business niche that apparently becomes quite popular too."

When he saw Elise's face, Loriel realized he had talked too much. The man immediately waved both hands in a panic. "No, I just read a lot. I have never used their services. Not a girlfriend for hire nor cuddle buddy…"

Elise must think that Loriel had done those things since he seemed to know so much. She forced a smile and shook her head. "I'm not judging you, Loriel. It's okay if you have."

Loriel felt like eating his own shoe.