The Cursed Prince

Chapter 949: Rowena's Happy Place

While Rowena was falling—she was suddenly struck with lucidity through the fog of her mind.

For a moment, she idly thought about how Julian was going to catch her.

He wasn't exactly the strongest kind of man—he was fast, quick on his feet but you'd never expect him to carry a huge sack of wheat or rice. So... how would Julian catch her?

However, Rowena didn't need to wonder, because all of a sudden, she felt strong arms surround her and carry her.

It was a sensation that left her confused. When Rowena finally opened her eyes, she came across a peculiar sight. Raphael's face was so close to hers, his beautiful golden eyes stared down at her and he was breathing hard.

"Raphael?" Rowena thought she was dreaming. She clearly remembered that she chased Raphael out and told him that he did more than enough for her. He wasn't supposed to be here.

Why was he here?

Why was he back?

Was Rowena dreaming about him all of a sudden?

There was no way that she'd be up in the clouds and with the two of them in the sky like this.

It didn't feel real at all.

Raphael was also in a state of disbelief. He thought that he wouldn't make it. It took him some time to resolve the argument with his fellow gods, and even checking up on Nymia because she inhaled too much smoke.

When he came flying back, he didn't think that'd he witnessed Rowena hurtling down the window all of a sudden as her carefree laughter rang into the air.

Raphael didn't have any idea that she would do something like this—his heart was pounding hard as he panted and stared directly into Rowena's face.

Why did this all happen?

"Hey! Look! Are they flying?!"

"Are you seeing what I am seeing?!"

Raphael could hear the sound of people in the prison tower. There were people exclaiming aloud at his presence and out of them all—King Draco was looking on with a hint of disbelief.

However, he didn't care about them at all. His eyes were only on Rowena, and since he had already come this far and revealed himself, Raphael decided to do what he thought was right.

Gently, the Seventh Prince of Cretea reached out and touched Rowena's temples and then closed his own eyes. While he wished to respect her privacy and not intrude—he took a deep breath and let his power manifest fully and covered them.

He could feel Rowena was not in the right state of mind. The only way to help her was to bring her to a place where she felt safe, at peace, and happy. It was definitely not in here, nor in Ashland. So, he let her mind guide his power as he took them both away from Verona.

Everybody who looked up to the sky could only watch as the two suddenly disappear, teleporting out of thin air, and were left witless.

It made all of them erupt into a sense of chaos upon realizing that Raphael had been hiding his powers all this time. Out of all of the spectators, however, there was one man with a small smile on his lips. King Draco inwardly gloated.

It didn't matter where Rowena would go—she'd come back.

She would surely come back. He knew her well enough to be sure. Everyone in the tower prison was left with a sense of awe, except for one. It was only Liam who remained on the ground with his mother, still

shaking and weeping for her.

King Draco eyed them idly and then casually stepped out of the prison tower. He had better things to do while he awaited the return of his daughter.

"I can almost taste it," he smiled happily.

***

Elsewhere, when Rowena and Raphael teleported out of Verona and he finally used the full extent of his powers for her sake—the two would end up arriving at a beautiful valley.

Among the human realms, there were lovely sights and yet this was what stayed with Rowena the most. As soon as he saw the valley, Raphael knew why this place was the most important and happiest place for her.

His gaze landed on a small hut in the distance, a small vegetable patch with very peculiar magical plants growing near. There was a river flowing closely by and the air was crisp and fresh, comparable to even that of Cretea.

"So this is it..." Raphael quietly mumbled underneath his breath, but then looked back over at Rowena.

He noticed that while she was in a daze, her breathing had returned to normal and she was no longer shaking in his arms. Raphael smiled a little. Who cared about a little jealousy that he felt about the special memory Rowena shared with Julian?

What mattered the most to him right now was her well-being. It was worth the cost to see Rowena inhale as she took in the entire sight of her most precious place.

Rowena's eyes were wide open as she looked down at the valley below them.

"How... How did we get here?" she asked Raphael softly. Her tone was filled with disbelief.

Raphael looked at her wide-eyed and didn't quite know what to say. When he made the decision to take her to a place where she could calm down—it was an abrupt choice.

He didn't know how to explain it to Rowena without her having more questions than answers. It wasn't everyday that an ordinary human, or even elf met a god like him.

Uff.. what should he tell her?

Fortunately, before Raphael could even think about whether he should lie to her or tell the truth, Rowena's gaze drifted back to the valley.

She didn't need to get an answer from Raphael because her father's words about him being a god returned to her mind. He advised her to pretend to jump from the highest tower of Verona to test Raphael's power and she blatantly rejected it.

Yet, somehow, things just turned out that way in the end.

So... was he really a god? If so, what was a god doing with a mortal like her? Rowena couldn't understand how the minds of the higher beings work.

Meanwhile, Raphael decided to slowly descend and bring her down to the ground so she could see her old home up close. He was sure that she probably liked being on the steady ground rather than being simply carried in his arms.

Once they reached the ground, Rowena walked forwards like she was in a daze. Slow and unsteady steps towards the hut that she and Julian worked hard on.

Rowena's gaze fell on the hut and then at the area close to her filled with still healthy plants like the tomato. Sturdy plants refused to die because they were in a paradise. It made her smile, she could almost even taste the crops that she and Julian had grown together.

There were actually some small rabbits, deer, and other forest creatures that were now bravely raiding their little

vegetable patch. Julian had set up a small fence precisely to keep them out, but due to a storm or some other reason—it was now all gone.

The wooden fence now lay on the ground, some half-rotten and others simply turned over.

Gone.

The animals fled as Rowena stepped closer, frightened by her presence, but her eyes landed on the broken wood again.

"He worked so hard to set them up—and now it's gone." Rowena's voice cracked as she knelt down and picked one up.

"Rowena..." Raphael stepped closer as he watched her back tremble.

"It's gone—he's really gone, isn't he?"