The Cursed King

Chapter 256 - Loriel Makes A Heartbreaking Decision

TRIGGER WARNING:

The character is considering abortion.

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The clouds were hiding the moon when Loriel finally got up and summoned the royal physician to consult him in private at the king's residence and in his study. This time, Elise was truly asleep and could not hinder the meeting with her endless tears and begging.

It was a meeting that made Zaff the royal physician wary. However, it was something that perhaps only a king who ruled and made decisions for the better of his people could actually consider.

Making decisions that were for the good of his wife, even if she detested it and hated him for it. That was how a king often ruled, thinking of his people and their best interests in heart despite it not always appearing that way. 

Those were the things that Loriel had in mind when he convinced himself that this was the only way. Even if Elise were to grow to hate him for what he was going to do, at least it meant her survival. 

"Your Majesty, if you were to ask me, there are several available plants across the region of Summeria and even outside of here that grow plants that can safely abort the baby," Zaff said with a heavy heart.

Loriel tried to imagine Elise's anger and then hesitated. 

Right now, the sight of her tears made Loriel weak and made him agree with everything that she pleaded with him earlier. 

Could he really bear the idea and life of the woman hating him? 

Elise was the woman whom Loriel was supposed to spend the rest of his days with. If he were to end her pregnancy to save her life despite her plea not to, then he could imagine Elise would always be harboring resentment for what he had done to her. 

It was going to be a difficult life for him if he made Elise take the abortion medicine with her completely aware of it.

There was also the fact that Elise might seek for justice and revenge from Summeria by asking her father, King Alexander of Myreen, the powerful wizard to uphold her honor. That was how vicious a mother's love was.

If Catalina Leoralei could place a protection spell that made the woman Loriel loved suffer and bring a kingdom to ashes… what could her husband and mother-in-law do if they knew that Loriel also put Elise through suffering by forcing an abortion?

Loriel was afraid of the consequences but he also wanted the results that would save Elise's life.

"Can it be done in secret?" Loriel asked Zaff haltingly.

He was a coward and he knew it. The king was afraid of losing the things that he appreciated right now. Even though Loriel had yet to still actually love Elise, it was apparent that their relationship was now exceedingly good.

This abortion would change things if she knew about it. No… Loriel couldn't imagine Elise hated him.

Loriel still wanted the love and devotion that Elise offered to him without any stop because he was an immensely greedy and selfish man. If he could hide the fact that he gave her something to abort the baby… then it made Loriel more willing.

Zaff clasped his hands together and sighed aloud. 

The fact that the royal physician had to give a suggestion to keep it a secret and unknown to the queen was a horrible position to be in and yet he was a physician required to give answers. He must not say no to the king.

Finally, after he was deep in thoughts, Zaff spoke up. "Your Majesty, as these are herbal… you can mix it in with Her Majesty's tea that you often have with her. There are no dangerous side effects when you drink it and naturally, it is not lethal to Her Majesty. Only to a child in the womb. She wouldn't know about it."

"Then we will obtain these herbs and prepare them," Loriel said at last as he stood up to his feet. The man was restless and could not sit still. "How much dosage do we need? Is it possible to be only done at once?"

"Your Majesty, if you wish for a large dosage then it can be done," Zaff said. "I can make a powerful concoction that will swiftly end the life of the child in Her Majesty's womb."

"I see. Let's do it that way, Zaff." Loriel's face was grim and dark. "I will send my men, no, I will personally collect everything tonight so we can have it done this morning. The sooner the better."

"I will follow Your Majesty's orders and swear my secrecy to your wishes." Zaff swore to the king. "I will list them down now for you to gather, Your Majesty."

"Thank you."

Loriel didn't like the idea of him serving Elise tea everyday and knowing that she was unwittingly killing her child little by little. If Loriel was going to do this, then he wanted it to be done quickly.

It was reminiscent of pulling a bandage from a wound, you needed to do it once and suddenly.

For the rest of the night and for the hours before dawn, Loriel quickly gathered the plants named by the royal physician and returned to the palace to have it concocted by the physician. 

Abortion was not outlawed in Summeria. If a husband and wife were to come to a decision to abort during the early terms of pregnancy, then it was not begrudged to those who wished for it. Especially when a woman made the decision because it was her body that carried the child.

Loriel normally didn't care for such laws or bothered himself to be familiar with them. As the king of Summeria, he was above everything and could do as he pleased and thus it was around dawn when the potion for abortion was finished.

It was Loriel himself who prepared the tea that Elise loved dearly.

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When morning came, all the ingredients that Zaff wanted had been prepared and the physician immediately started working to make the concoction. Once he was done, he notified Loriel that the medicine to abort his child was ready.

The king picked up the clear bottle that contained the liquid meant to abort the child within Elise's womb. Loriel tried to convince himself that it was probably not even a baby yet because Elise's stomach hadn't exactly grown that much beyond a bump.

"It's been… how long? Two months? Three at most?" Loriel said to himself and gritted his teeth and uncorked the potion bottle. "It's not even a baby yet at this point."

He said those words to convince himself that what he would be doing was not murder. He had to choose between his wife, a living human, and an unborn fetus that did not even have its form yet.

Without another moment's hesitation, Loriel poured the potion into the teapot and mixed it. It surprisingly didn't look or smell different from the usual tea that Loriel prepared and he could even pretend that he never poured it.

Loriel picked up the tray and headed for the queen's chambers.

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From Missrealitybites:

Topics about miscarriage and abortion are very delicate and can be triggering to some. So, I added a trigger warning. Tbh, this part is extremely difficult to write.. So, please bear with me.