The Cursed Prince

1011  A Mother's Love

"Raphael, my son!" Queen Lilith was having a conversation with several ladies in her lounge and she immediately halted her words when she felt his presence. Then she shrieked in joy. "Why does it take you this long to visit your mother?!"

She ran toward him and hugged Raphael tightly. "You have become like those brothers of yours! You forgot that your parents exist."

Raphael was touched by his mother's reception. He thought she would scold him for what he did ten years ago, but she didn't even mention it. Queen Lilith waved her hand and motioned the ladies to leave because she wanted to spend time with her son.

They all exchanged glances and mumbled among themselves. Raphael's appearance was shocking and they all wondered what would happen to him after he returned. The commotion ten years ago was still fresh in their memory because for immortals like them, the concept of time flowed differently. Would the king really punish his son for chasing after that mortal girl? They were curious to know.

However, they were all smart enough not to voice their thoughts openly while in the presence of the queen. So, they all bowed slightly to pay respects to Queen Lilith and Raphael and then took their leave.

Once they were outside, the ladies finally started gossiping about what they just saw.

"The seventh prince has finally returned," one woman talked excitedly. "Did that mean he has finally left that mortal woman? It's been ten years, isn't it? She must be a lot older now and probably not as attractive as she was when he was in love with her."

"Men. Only want the looks. Sigh."

"That's disappointing," another one said. "I honestly thought we will have a beautiful romance story, true love, between a god and a mortal. It would make a wonderful and exciting story to pass down and make songs for."

"Do you think they have children? Some demigods?"

"Of course, not," said one woman with long black hair and red eyes. She looked so beautiful but scary at the same time. She was the goddess of prophecy. She shook her head with disapproval. "She killed someone while she was here. She was cursed already."

"What curse? I don't know about that. Could you elaborate, Lora?"

The woman called Lora cast a glance toward the royal palace and let out a sigh. "This almost never happened, so of course, we are not used to seeing the curse being cast. But... our land is sacred. Killings are not allowed because it bears such a severe consequence."

She added, "There is a reason why gods never kill each other even though we sometimes have disputes and animosity toward each other. Anyone who kills a god in this sacred land will be banished from Cretea. But that's not all. Someone who takes a life will be barred from ever creating one. In this case, they will not be able to bear a child."

"Wait... so, that woman is now barren?" Nymia who just came and saw the group of women immediately jumped in the conversation. "Because she killed someone?"

Lora raised a brow and looked at Nymia with a wicked smile. "That's why, no matter how much you hate someone, you should never lay a hand on them to kill them. It will backfire on you. You haven't had any children, have you?"

Nymia bit her lip and shook her head. "No."

"Now, you know not to kill anyone in Cretea if you still want to have children."

Nymia pursed her lips and stared at Lora, looking offended. "Why are you telling me this? I have no desire to kill anyone. In fact, I have never had any problems with anyone."

Lora didn't reply. She was a seer and could see something was not right with Nymia. Her advice also came out without her thinking about it.

She waved her hands at her friends and told them to move somewhere to continue the conversation since the palace guards were now watching them with narrowed eyes. "Let's have tea at my place. What do you think?"

"That's a good idea, Lora. We haven't visited your house for a long time."

Nymia stayed where she was. She looked at the palace with a longing expression. So, Raphael finally returned. She couldn't wait to see him and asked him how he was doing. It's been too long.

***

Raphael couldn't believe what he heard. He looked at his mother with gratitude.

"So, you ban the people from here to visit the human realm because you don't want them to know I stole the immortality potion to give Rowena?"

He thought his parents must have hated him for committing the crime and disowned him. Yet, it was actually the opposite. They covered for him and didn't let other people know what he did. "You abuse your power," Raphael said. Even though he said it to criticize his parents, his tone was filled with relief. "I thought you have disowned me..."

Queen Lilith shook her head. "You are my son. How could I disown you? Your father actually didn't want to protect you, but I made him. So, you know I love you more than he does."

She chuckled and rubbed Raphael's hair. "Gosh... you are my baby. Even if I have to die, I will always protect you."

Raphael felt like crying when he heard his mother's sincere words. Was that how a parent felt? He thought it must be the case. He didn't have children yet, but he could see himself die for his children because of his great love for them.

"Oh, mother..." Raphael wiped his eyes and let out a long sigh. All this time he avoided coming back to Cretea because he was not ready to face his parents' wrath, when in reality... it was really far from his expectation. "I am so, sorry. I should have come sooner."

Queen Lilith raised a brow and scolded her son. "You should have. Your father thought you would immediately realize your mistake and come back within a year. We didn't expect you to be so stubborn and only return today."

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From Missrealitybites:

It's such a relief for Raphael that his parents actually covered for him. I think he can become the loving man he is today because he has such wonderful parents (like Harlow in the future).

But, ouch.. the curse on Rowena is not actually from the king and queen, but from the sacred land itself. What do you think about this?