Elise gazed back at the man she was with. Her cheeks suddenly burned as she realized that he was here all this time and saw how she was ejected from her current place of accommodation. She felt a wave of embarrassment spurn in her chest.

"It seems that you are currently vacated from this premise." Loriel's brows were furrowed.

"Ah, yes..." Elise said. She licked her lips and held on to the money she received. "But I'll find some other place to stay. I'm sure that I'll find another hostel around."

Loriel wanted to say that the money given to her was enough for her to stay in a five-star hotel in New York, which meant it was A LOT. But that wasn't the reason why he had asked Marc to distribute such an amount.

Instead, it was to strike her with this opportunity.

"I do not think that someone who has difficulty navigating around the city can find one easily. Especially one that has vacant rooms at this hour," he said. Loriel did not wish to dishearten her or criticize her lack of knowledge, but it was to state obvious facts.

He wanted to give her the idea of her lack of options right now.

Elise already knew that much. "Yes, I know. But I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

There was certain tiredness that afflicted her right now. All she wanted to do was throw herself into bed and sleep after the events of today.

Although the two of them had refreshed and eaten their fill at the ramen shop earlier, it still didn't mean that the time spent walking to the city's park did not wear her out.

Loriel took note of the slight snappishness and attributed it to her tiredness. He didn't exactly want to just offer it out of nowhere and make her flinch, but the offer seemed essential now.

"How about you stay with me?" he asked.

Elise looked up at him, completely startled for a moment.

Loriel motioned to the money in her hands. "You are aware that my financial situation isn't the best right now, but I still manage to have a good place where I can still live. It's not too far away from here and I have an extra room that you can stay in if that sounds good to you? You can use the money to get good accommodation in my place and at the same time help me make a little income."

He didn't want to imagine what he'd do next if Elise refused.

Make another reason why it was the best idea out of the other ones she could do, but thankfully, it didn't seem like he needed to do so.

Elise considered her options, and also thought about how the money she had with her might help this man.

While the idea of staying at a stranger's place was something she knew she should be wary of, there was an inexplicable gut feeling that told her that this man was safe.

Elise took a deep breath and then looked him in the eye. "Alright, deal."

He nearly sighed aloud in relief, but now, he only smiled and nodded. "Thank you, then it'll be this way."

"Please accept the money first," Elise said and offered it to him.

"Let's do that when we actually get to my place," Loriel told her. If Elise met a swindler, then it was far too easy for the person to get their hands on her money and run away.

Her situation before made him think that she was poor, but now he realized that it might just be a sheltered upbringing.

Almost like his own Elise.

His head couldn't help but compare one with the other.

The walk to the man's penthouse was short and brief. The night sky of this city was actually less starry than the ones Loriel had back in the old days.

He wished that he had the opportunity to bring Elise to a less polluted place and rest on a grassy hilltop together to stargaze with one another.

***

When the two of them arrived at the penthouse, Elise stared at the place with complete bafflement. This was this man's place?

Elise knew that the man had lost some of his fortunes through a bad business deal and crash in the stock market, but this entire place seemed like a miniature castle in its own right.

Loriel took note of her shocked expression and cleared his throat. "Ah, welcome to my place. Please make yourself comfortable and take a seat."

He gestured to his leather sofa cushions. The man watched Elise step towards the seats slowly and carefully, similar to how a young gazelle took its first steps in the forest. A certain nervousness and clumsiness that was actually cute.

Loriel fought the urge to slap his face. He needed to make sure that this was the Elise that he was looking for.

The former king cleared his throat, "Would you like something to drink? I can make some refreshments. Juice, a glass of warm milk… or maybe hot chocolate?"

The man already knew that Elise had a sweet tooth, and the same could be said for the woman who finally plopped down on his couch. She fiddled with her fingers together and looked up at him. "We've just eaten though?"

"Well, we still have to discuss some terms of the agreement on your duration of stay here," Loriel informed her. "Or will you be staying here for one night only? I mean, I live alone here and don't mind a company."

If that was the case, then he needed to find reasons for her to stay longer. It was also his chance to figure out her identity.

Elise chewed on her lip. "Hot chocolate please?"

A smile broke out on Loriel's lips as he nodded. "Two mugs coming right up, then."

The man quickly moved to his kitchen island and set out to prepare their drinks. It was a little too early to be happy, and yet the ease and pleasant feelings couldn't be rid of his chest.

The man felt like he was finally given a chance to do things that actually mattered in his life. After living alone for over fifteen centuries and felt bored with life, he finally got his zest back.

This would be the first step that he'd take in amending his errors and searching for the love of his life.

.

.

>>>>

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