The Cursed King

"Hehehe… yes, it is." Elise gushed. She proceeded in telling Loriel everything she learned from Chef Lucy. All the pastries mentioned suddenly made Loriel feel hungry.

She continued, "I learned interesting things today, like crème patisserie which is actually just custard made from eggs, milk, sugar, and cornstarch. Well, you can also use flour as an alternative and then enrich it with butter and then flavor it with vanilla."

"Ah, that sounds delicious," Loriel replied. 

"They are! I hope someday I can make them. There's also brioche which is a yeast bread enriched with eggs and butter. But what's interesting is that brioche is created in various shapes. It can be rings to tall cylinders depending on which region you came from of France—"

Elise suddenly stopped and slapped a hand over her forehead.

"Hmm?" Loriel raised a brow. "What's the matter, Elise? Is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing… but I may be boring you with all of these details," Elise shyly said. "I mean you're supposed to be a business or finance guy. Why would you be interested in aerate? Macerate? Leavening and all of those?"

"Not at all, it's great to hear you talk about them so enthusiastically. It means that you really are interested in pursuing baking." Loriel smiled. "I think it makes it worth it that I've recommended you to my friend to sponsor you."

While the two of them talked yesterday about work, there was still a certain hint of reservation in Elise's expression and movements at that time. 

It was as if she was a tad uncomfortable.

Whereas now, Loriel simply asked about baking, and Elise already delved into interesting details about pastries. Not to mention that Elise had such a warm smile on her face when she talked about them.

He loved watching her express her enthusiasm for her baking course. She looked beaming with happiness. This was the only expression he wanted to see from her. Happiness.

In the past, she seemed sad most of the time. Ahh.. thinking about it made Loriel's stomach churn. He must have been such a jerk to his wife for a long time.

Ah.. now, he couldn't wait to teach her cooking too. He hoped she would be just as excited. He could teach her to make delicious food and plan dinner dates where they could try the dishes they made together.

Who cares if Elise didn't see it as dinner dates. He would.

Ahh, thinking about cooking together with Elise made the man smile so broadly.

"Are you sure?" Elise asked. "You're not just saying that because you're being considerate?"

"Yes, besides, I'd love to hear about what's special in this brioche," Loriel answered. "Plus, I don't think anyone would be uninterested in hearing about these delicious treats."

"Well, the pastry may also be stuffed with various items, such as nuts, raisins, other dried fruit, or cheese. I'm looking forward to doing it by myself," Elise said.

"Hmm, if you want to. There are ample ingredients to use in my kitchen pantry." Loriel offered. "You can make them if you'd like. I'd love to taste your pastries. You can use the kitchen here to practice or do whatever. Tell Horatio if you need any other ingredients you cannot find here and whatnot."

"Yes, Miss. Do tell me if you need anything." Horatio's voice rang in the room with his usual efficiency.

"Ah.. you're too kind. Thank you, Horatio. I really appreciate it,"  said Elise.

Loriel was happy with the progress. If Elise liked learning baking, he would support her. Besides, the faster Elise learned and got a hang of it… the faster the lessons could end, right? 

Elise grinned sheepishly. "I've done a little bit of baking, but such terminology and other styles of preparation isn't something I've been familiar with. Chef Lucy and I will go over the fundamentals first before I do actual baking."

"Is that so? Well, if you feel comfortable and just want to experiment, just let me know." Loriel smiled. "Yes, feel free to use the kitchen whenever you like. I'm sure the two cats will like to see you around." 

"Ah, Pot and Pebble!" Elise exclaimed. She remembered the two cats' names.

"That's right."

Elise nodded. "I need to wake up a little earlier to see them then. I'll make sure they get enough milk so you can take it easy and focus on jogging when you go out in the mornings, okay?"

Did Elise associate Loriel as someone who jogged often? He didn't actually need to do any workout to maintain his physique.

Elise didn't know this, yet, but Loriel was no longer a regular human. His body was not like them who needed a lot of physical training.

He had been living like this for over fifteen centuries. He was not getting old and he was never sick. Ahh.. he couldn't wait to share this life that he had with Elise.

Once she was herself again and could remember him, Loriel would ask Elise if she would join him and be an immortal, or if she wanted him to be a mortal again. Whatever she chose, he would gladly grant it.

'You don't have to wake up early to feed the cats. They are very self-sufficient and they would never appreciate you anyway. They are cats," said Loriel. "I, on the other hand, would know how to appreciate your kindness.. hehehe…"

Elise looked at the man with a playful smile on her face. "So, does this mean, you want me to wake up early to make you breakfast? I can do that. If the cats are not appreciative, I better feed you since you know how to appreciate good food."

"No, what I meant was…" Loriel was so happy to see her acting this way. It seemed Elise was becoming more relaxed around him. "I would love to have breakfast with you every morning. I can make breakfast and you can make us tea. What do you think?"

"Oh…" Elise was surprised to hear his offer. This man was really too kind, she thought.

Loriel winked. "I hate eating alone and you also can't go to work on an empty stomach. So, breakfast is a must."

"Well.. that sounds good," said Elise with a smile.