The Cursed Prince

At the sight of Raphael's teary eyes, Nymia immediately hesitated. Why was he suddenly tearful when Nymia hadn't even touched a single strand on the mortal's hair?

Ugh… everyone was right. Raphael was blinded by his love for this mortal and he was no longer one of them. He had betrayed everyone in Cretea for that temptress, his family, his people. No wonder the king was really disappointed and punished him severely.

Nymia pursed her lips. She was really upset and angered by the situation but realized there was nothing she could do. Even if she wanted to keep trying to attack Rowena, Raphael was too strong for her.

In the past, he had done the unthinkable for her sake.  Who knows what he would do now to protect that woman. Nymia might end up dead in his hands.

The goddess finally cursed underneath her breath because she realized they were happy tears.

Raphael was so happy to be with the woman again. That filthy,  wicked, and scheming temptress, Rowena.

Nymia couldn't help but feel irritated that Raphael's heart was tugged and pulled once more. This was just like in the past. Just the sight of that woman alone was enough to make his heart flutter.

Didn't he know that he had the same effect on Nymia? Of course not.

Raphael cleared his throat and looked at his once-old friend. "Nymia, can you please leave us be? This is all a case of misunderstandings. I must ask for your patience and understanding again. I will take over the situation."

Nymia glared at Raphael but then immediately spun away. If she was stronger than Raphael, she wouldn't budge. But she realized she was only courting death if she tried to hurt Rowena openly.

Finally, Nymia scoffed and vacated the premises. "Fine! Whatever happens to you is your own undoing!" 

Raphael sighed and only looked down at the floor for a moment. Nobody truly understood the situation and he couldn't blame anyone.

Harlow frowned at the exchange between Raphael and the beautiful goddess. She didn't know if they had some history or anything, but the princess really just wanted to get away from Cretea.

Confused and also extremely worn out from being on her own for the past hour and treated like a criminal, Harlow already had enough for one day.

She couldn't imagine delaying here in Cretea any further. This was not a friendly place. She hated it here. Right now, she just wanted to get out as soon as possible.

The princess stepped towards Raphael, grabbed for the collar of his tunic, and tugged his attention back to her. Harlow cleared her throat and looked him in the eye. "I don't want to interrupt your moment, Raphael, but can you just get me out of this place? Please...?"

Raphael glanced down at Harlow and he couldn't help but smile bitterly.

It was almost silly to hear that from her. Because a similar thing happened almost a thousand years ago.

***

<One thousand human years ago>

Everywhere the Seventh Prince of Cretea passed through the streets of his beloved home, he could feel their heavy stares on him. Each one of them felt like they were digging daggers behind his back because of how much they glared.

All of the gods and goddesses looked at him with judgment and contempt in their eyes.  They didn't say anything aloud because he was still the son of the king, but displeasure was evident and they whispered his name with much disappointment.

Out of all of his friends, only Nymia bothered to say a word to him, but even she was upset by what happened.

Raphael couldn't actually blame those gazes that were on him. After everything that had happened, it was actually a surprise that they hadn't shouted curses at him or decided to cast him out of Cretea. At least not yet.

In the eyes of everyone else, he betrayed them.

Cretea was currently in a state of unrest and upheaval. It was his fault.

The humans now knew magic.

Raphael stole the magic dust and immortality potion because Rowena seduced him and now the human realm was sprinkled with magic everywhere.

From now on, gifted humans could practice magic on their own. Soon, they would stop worshipping gods for help. This didn't sit well with many immortals in Cretea who had enjoyed being adored and worshiped by those mortals down there.

However, Raphael didn't pay any attention. His focus was solely on the place he was heading toward. It was the prison where they locked her up.

Upon arrival, he found Rowena chained and tied like an animal. At the sight of his beloved, Raphael threw dark looks at the guards who immediately fled to avoid his wrath.

"Rowena!" Raphael called out to her and she finally raised her head and looked him in the eyes. 

He immediately released the chains on her wrists and legs with a snap of his fingers. The metal chains were snapping off as the prisoner fell down to the floor.

Unfortunately, the doors didn't open at all because his father's magic was too potent and strong.  The king must have known that the seventh prince would come here.

So, he immediately strengthened the magic of the prison place, so Raphael couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't free the prisoner with his strength alone.

"Raphael." Rowena rose to her feet and stepped towards him. She grabbed the bars that imprisoned her and stared at the Seventh Prince with a smile on her face. "You've visited at last. I thought I was never going to see you again."

"I should have come sooner. I'm sorry." Raphael looked at her with agony. "But why did you do it? If… if you only had told me that you wanted it…"

Rowena bit her lip and averted her gaze away from him. Her voice was flat when she replied. "It was necessary."

She refused to elaborate. There were too many ears around them.

Raphael sighed and watched his beloved silently.

She refused to say anything else and it hurt him to know that, until now, there were still several things that she was hiding from him. Secrets that Rowena didn't entrust him with even though the two of them were together. Didn't their marriage vow mean anything to her?

Her silence disappointed him, and yet Raphael couldn't stop looking at her.

Despite being captured by the elite guards of Cretea, there was not one hair out of place on Rowena's face. To the Seventh Prince who had wandered countless realms and encountered all sorts of people, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, always and still was.

Nothing could ruin her beauty even though her clothes and body were soiled by dirt and tears.

Her hair flowed down all the way to her hips like a waterfall of silver. Her beautiful eyes were the color of the deepest ocean, sprinkled with the reflection of countless stars in the sky. They were gleaming in tears. Her full red lips were pursed, expressing her stubbornness.

"I wish that you told me, Rowena," Raphael muttered.

After a couple of moments in silence, Rowena finally reached out to Raphael and grabbed his collar. She cleared her throat and looked him in the eye, sighing softly. "I actually don't want to ask too much from you, Raphael."

"I know that."

"You've already done so much for me and I don't want you to get into trouble but...." 

Raphael looked at her and knew he didn't regret anything at all. "What do you wish for?"

"It's a lot, but… can you help me get out of this place?"

.

.

______________________

From Missrealitybites:

So... yes, it's confirmed that Raphael IS the seventh prince, and sometime in the past, a long time ago, he was 'seduced' by a woman named Rowena who made him steal the magic dust and incurred the wrath of everyone in Cretea.

What do you think about this revelation?