That was the last time Elise ever saw Loriel from a crystal ball. She waved her hand and the luminous ball dimmed. Myrcella Leoralei, who busied herself with her journal, looked up and saw Elise got up from her chair.

"Yes, grandmother. My head hurts. I think I was exposed to the sun too much today. So, I will rest now." Elise tried not to lie, so she mentioned her regular headache and her proneness to the sunlight.

Myrcella Leoralei got up from her chair and came to Elise. Her face looked concerned. "Are you okay? Do you need a potion to relieve your headache?"

"I am fine. Don't worry," Elise smiled. "I just need rest."

"Hmm.. okay." Myrcella didn't prolong the issue. She believed Elise because the girl had never lied to anyone. She was such a good girl. "You can go to your chamber and rest now."

"Thank you for letting me see Loriel, Grandma," said Elise. She kissed her grandmother's cheek then she took her leave.

She looked nonchalant and happy like usual, as she was walking through the palace corridors to get to her beautiful room in the blue tower. Once she entered her chamber and closed the door behind her, Elise cried despondently.

She was so jealous to see Loriel smile at that beautiful woman. She still remembered vividly how Loriel immediately got up and came to get the woman. Then they talked about something and laughed together.

They seemed so close and the sight ached Elise's heart.

She was too late.

In just one year, suddenly Loriel had met another woman during his travels. And from the way he looked at her... Elise saw an intense feeling of affection.

Elise could tell that it was love on Loriel's part because that was how her father's eyes looked when he was talking about Anwyn, her mother.

Every time King Alexander looked at the painting of his late wife, his gaze would be filled with tenderness.

Her father loved her mother so deeply, and it was apparent from his gestures, expressions, and gaze whenever he talked about the woman he loved.

Somehow, Elise could easily recognize that gaze and gesture on Loriel as soon as the other woman arrived with the two fat rabbits in her hands.

This was not fair... Loriel was supposed to meet her first and fell in love with her, not some other woman...

Elise cried her eyes out.

She had never felt her heart pained this badly before. Was this how it felt to be heartbroken? Elise didn't know. This was something foreign to her. That night, she was crying herself to sleep.

***

Elise was moved from her reverie when her husband touched her cheek and looked deep into her eyes.

Gosh.. this man was so handsome. He was now 26, a king, and was so much more mature than the man she saw on the crystal ball the last time.

Ahh... tonight, her mind wandered to the past as Loriel and she sat together and talked over red wine. Brick, their cat was playing at the foot of the bed.

As she looked at the man who was now her husband, she remembered the man she saw two years ago with another woman. It was that woman that Loriel actually loved, not her, his wife.

Elise could never get rid of that moment from her memory because it was the last time she would ever see Loriel from the crystal ball.

After the incident, she wanted to protect her heart and stop seeing him from afar.

Elise would rather wait to see him in person and foster a relationship with him, instead of looking at him one-sidedly.

She was worried if she kept looking through the crystal ball, she would feel hurt and her feelings for Loriel would be affected. So, she ditched the ball and never looked back.

It was two years ago, and so many things had changed. Loriel's father passed away and he was called to return to the capital and took over the throne. Gone were his days of adventures.

Loriel was now a king with so much responsibility. And what was more important was.. he was now Elise's husband. They got married six months ago and Elise had never been happier in her life.

This was her dream come true. So, in order to stay happy, she tried to forget everything that made her sad.

Even though Loriel loved another woman, the fact remained that he married Elise. Over time, she believed his love for her would grow.

Once they spent more time together and he got to know her better, he would love her.

Wasn't this what happened now?

Elise touched Loriel's hand on her cheek and closed her eyes. She wanted to enjoy his touch on her skin. It was oh.. so gentle. She loved this man and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.

For six months, she had waited and stayed patient. He never touched her after they got married. As soon as they both drank their wine to finalize their wedding ritual, he left her to stay in this chamber by herself.

He said Elise was only his wife by name and he would never touch her. But slowly, he seemed to soften his heart and spent more time with her. And tonight...

Would they finally consummate their marriage?

Elise was wondering about that when a gentle kiss was planted on her lips. She held her breath and slowly opened her eyes.

She found her husband's beautiful silver eyes were closed and his hand moved to rub her hair. His other hand supported her head as Loriel moved closer and deepen his kiss.

.

.

>>>>

From the author:

I have planned the way this story will be presented. So, there will be many back and forth between Elise and Loriel's side of the story, and there will be flashbacks every now and then, but the story will mostly move in the current/modern timeline until Elise gets her memory back.

And then... I will share the story in the past timeline. What happened in detail after Elise saw Loriel and the woman he loved in that crystal ball, until their wedding day, their marriage life, and what happened between Elise and Loriel that made them end up in the future.

Also, I will publish 3 more chapters later today as appreciation for your continuous support (Yeay.. we reached 1800 power stones this week).

Keep voting your power stones to this book. I will publish 3 chapters if we cross 1k votes and an additional 1 chapter for every 500 in increment.

So, if we can get 2k power stones by Sunday, I will publish 5 chapters on Monday!