Gosh.. he missed her so very badly.

How long had it been?

A little bit over 1500 years. He just needed to wait another 55 years, until the year 2100 came.

If you had waited for over 15 centuries.. surely five decades didn't feel that long, did it?

But why did he feel his chest so heavy every time he thought about that fifty-five long years? He was like a long-distance runner who had exhausted all his energy on the first 100 miles and now was struggling to reach the finish line.

He wished he could end his life right now.

Oh.. if only she went to the afterlife, it was easier to find her there. Unfortunately, she went to the future. And now, all he could do was wait until the day he could see her again. He missed hugging her, kissing her, and loving her.

Gosh.. he missed her scent and her smile, and the way she shyly talked with her low voice.

His mind wandered to the moment she first came to his palace. She curtseyed and greeted him with her melodious voice, that he only appreciated after she was gone.

He growled in displeasure when she called him 'Your Majesty.'

He said, "Call me by my name."

She looked surprised by his order, but she was a princess after all. She could immediately control her expression and did as he said. "Loriel."

He growled again. "That is NOT my name."

Now, she was in a panic and Loriel almost felt sorry for her. This woman was betrothed to him since they were not even born. That's right. It was part of the silly vows made by their mothers who were best friends for life

They were so close that they regretted the fact that they were not sisters. So, to secure the familial relationship, they promised if they had one son and one daughter, the two would be betrothed to be married.

She was born six years after him and both were made aware of the engagement as soon as possible. From the looks of it, she accepted the agreement between their mothers with an open heart.

However, Loriel's heart belonged to someone else. He hated this woman for trying to claim her right to be his wife.

"I-I'm sorry, Your Majesty..." She was almost crying, but she kept her head high and looked at him with a sincere expression. "I didn't know your other name."

Seeing her eyes gleaming with tears but she kept trying to look tough, Loriel's heart softened. He was not an evil man, after all.

He waved his hand impatiently and told her to just call him whatever she liked.

"Forget it. You can just call me whatever. Not that it matters," he said.

She lowered her head. Seemed to be deep in thoughts. This gesture made Loriel feel interested. Now, he was wondering what was going on in that beautiful head.

Yeah.. he would be an idiot if he didn't know she was beautiful. She had this soft creamy hair, falling down her shoulders like a waterfall. Her petite face was blessed with two perfect diamond-like eyes and flawless brows. Her nose was small and tall.

She looked like a perfectly drawn painting of a goddess. Her red lips moistened as she subconsciously licked them when she was nervous. And when she was thinking, her face looked so serious in an adorable way.

"What are you thinking?" Loriel asked her impatiently. He just had to know what she was thinking.

She was startled when she heard him. She looked up to him with batted eyes.

Her reaction made Lauriel question his own voice. Did he talk too loudly that she was startled? Or was she that scared of him? She reminded him of a little mouse who was cornered and scared to death.

Was he that scary to her?

"Wh-what I was thinking?" she asked him back.

"Don't you have ears?" Loriel knew this question was unnecessary and rude, but he disliked her for being scared of him. Oh.. how different she was from her, the woman he loved with all his heart.

She was fearless, witty, cunning, and was just... amazing. While this woman before him was the typical damsel in distress who was weak and must definitely need saving from dragons or something.

He had enough chasing away dragons and monsters. Now, he just wanted to live a peaceful life.

"I do have ears, Your Majesty—Lo.. Loriel." She licked her lips again as she was getting more and more nervous.

Dammit. He didn't love her and he hated their betrothal, but he was a normal man after all. She had that ridiculous womanly charm in her, and the way she unintentionally licked her lips when she was nervous slowly drove him crazy.

Crazy with lust.

"So?" By now, Loriel had accepted the fact that she would probably call him 'Loriel' for the rest of their lives.

"You told me to call you 'Whatever'..." she finally replied with a shy expression. "I don't think it's a good name."

Her answer left Loriel speechless.