Chapter 984: Welcome To Cretea
It was Raphael's words that filled Rowena with courage. The two of them left Rowena's tower hand-in-hand together as they came down to meet King Draco.
Truth be told, King Draco was already rushing up the staircase of his daughter's tower—a part of him still felt on edge.
If his words had no effect on Rowena, if she was no longer scared of him—she could so easily just leave him and go with Raphael. All of King Draco's hopes and dreams for the past decades would have been for naught.
Luckily for him, he had been effective at instilling fear into his daughter's heart.
A look of relief momentarily appeared on King Draco's face as he held the scroll of invitation in his hands. Raphael and Rowena were by the staircase and paused upon his appearance.
"Father..." Rowena looked down at King Draco.
King Draco's palms felt sweaty for a moment. Unlike her mother, Rowena was no sweet woman who went along with whatever other people wanted—he had raised her to be cunning and smart.
But Julian was her weakness and King Draco had the upper hand. It didn't stop King Draco from trying to smooth things over so as to not raise suspicion.
He smiled regally and inclined his head towards Raphael. "Your grace, I was wondering where you were—I see that you've come to see my daughter right away."
"Yes, indeed." Raphael nodded back.
"Thank you for the invitation, I wanted to give Rowena the good news but it seems that it's no longer necessary. Instead, I'll have the maids deliver our belongings into the carriage so we can leave right away."
"Carriage to Cretea?" Rowena raised a brow. She didn't know where it was, but if it was in the realm of gods, no mere horse could bring them there.
"I have a feeling that you might like it." Raphael squeezed Rowena's hand with a smile.
There was a sparkle in his eyes as he looked fondly at her.
"Well then, I'll be seeing the two of you at the carriage." King Draco frowned but then turned his back away from them. "Let's make it quick, Cretea awaits us."
He was a little disgusted at how infatuation could make someone as powerful and revered as the Seventh Prince of Cretea neglect his duties and be with a mortal woman.
If King Draco were in Raphael's shoes, he'd choose someone around his station. However, since this was all according to his plans—the man chose not to question it.
It was King Draco's own abilities to form and craft Rowena into a woman worth a god's fall that made it possible. All of his efforts would prove themselves in the end.
***
When Rowena and Raphael arrived outside of the palace, the two of them were welcomed by the lovely sight of a carriage. It was brilliant white, even decorated with the soft feathery billows of what appeared to be a mythical creature.
"Pegasus?" Rowena remarked as she approached two angelic-like horses. She read about them in books telling stories about magic and fantasy lands. She didn't know that someday she would see them with her own eyes.
"Yes," Raphael confirmed with a smile. "Ahh… I know you'd like this."
"I do! So, why did we ride in a griffon the last time then?" Rowena joked lightly.
Although it was at that time that she was rushing to deliver the cure to Julian, she felt somewhat at ease now to even speak about it.
"These creatures tend to frolic less here in the human realm compared to others," Raphael explained. "My father personally adores them as well so he keeps a number of them in his personal stable."
"I see. That's interesting, I suppose he wouldn't like Hades." Rowena chose to store that memory away.
Any interesting or important tidbit she could use to gain the favor of her potential in-laws was something she remembered.
"Hades?" Raphael looked at Rowena confused.
"It's a bit of a story," Rowena explained as she stepped inside.
"Well, we do have quite some time," Raphael said. "We'd have all of forever to listen to all of your stories."
Rowena smiled weakly, but still feeling marveled, the two of them stepped inside of the carriage. Before she knew it, the magical carriage took off, although it didn't soar into the air as she expected.
Instead, the carriage rode towards one of the closer forests near the royal palace of Roseland and before she knew it, Rowena felt a change happen.
It was like a visible stirring in her heart, and then she threw open the carriage's windows. The most wondrous sights filled her mind and eyes.
Compared to the human realm, and even the elven or mermaid realm, all of them paled in comparison to the vibrancy and the environment she saw. Everything was beautiful, filled with vibrant colors and some parts even looked like they glowed.
The rivers were like a stream of gold or precious gems. The trees were lush with all kinds of colors you could imagine. Rowena saw trees with purple leaves, yellow, pink, green, snowy white, blue, and many more. In the sky, there were all kinds of magical animals flying leisurely. Everything was simply breathtaking.
Even King Draco couldn't help but smile as he gazed out at their environment. He was so close. He missed this place with all his heart.
Rowena gasped and couldn't close her mouth for a good while, Raphael smiled in amusement to see her reaction. For someone who only reached Cretea the first time, Rowena's reaction was more in utter awe and she was unable to form a complete sentence.
Instead, she trailed off uncertainly as her eyes tried to take in everything.
"This is..."
"Welcome to Cretea, the land of the gods," Raphael said as he took note of Rowena's expression. "Do you like it?"
Rowena looked briefly around the carriage and composed herself, but not before she leaned up close to him and whispered in his ear. "Yes, I really do. This place is amazing."
"I'm glad you like it," Raphael said, feeling pleased. He knew that the valley that Rowena and Julian lived in was special and would never be erased from her memory, but he also wanted Rowena to find this a new place for her to finally breathe.
The two of them sat together in comfortable silence as they rode towards the Cretean Palace. Raphael did his best to point out various sights and spots that he and Rowena could visit in the near future once they were done with meeting his parents.
Soon enough, the two of them reached the palace grounds of Cretea and it was finally time for them to meet with Raphael's parents.
A terrible churn started in Rowena's stomach.
"Welcome," Raphael said to Rowena. He got off the carriage and smiled proudly, with the majestic palace behind him. "This is my home."
The man's smile was so beautiful that, for a moment, Rowena forgot all her life's struggles. She wished time would stop and she could be here with him and not have to think about her abusive father and his family that might look down on her.
"Rowena, snap out of it," King Draco's deep voice moved Rowena from her daze.
The king was worried she lost her mind again and didn't want Raphael to know the woman he was about t
o marry was a lunatic and canceled everything.
Rowena batted her eyes and faked a beautiful smile on her face.
"Sorry, I was enchanted by the beauty of this place," she lied. Guilt and shame came back twofold, but she kept her composure and looked at Raphael with a twinkle in her eyes. "Thank you for taking me here."
King Draco smiled faintly at seeing Rowena do her job well. He was convinced that now everything would be all right. He went down the carriage and looked around them, feeling very pleased with himself.
Meanwhile, Raphael was waiting for Rowena. His hand was outstretched. "Shall we meet my parents now, Rowena?"
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