Chapter 950: Taking Care Of Rowena (1)

Raphael didn't have the heart to tell her when she was close to the tears, but that was the truth. Julian was gone—

Rowena let out a sorrowful and pitiful wail. The usually headstrong appearance of Rowena who was so confident, brave, and ready to do anything, just broke down and collapsed.

Instead, a rush of tears and an uncontrollable shaking seized Rowena's body as huge droplets fell down over her cheeks.

"Julian. Julian! I'm so sorry—" Rowena bent over the ground around the vegetable patch and continued to cry. 

Raphael's heart hurt to see her and he immediately ventured forward to approach her. "Rowena..."

She continued to be a blubbering mess, not even caring that Raphael—a complete stranger was seeing her fragile and weak side.

"Please." Raphael knelt down in front of her and tried to procure a handkerchief to help wipe her tears—but all of a sudden, Rowena fell over into his arms as she wept.

While the Seventh Prince saw the blood all over Rowena's body from her killing Queen Serena, he didn't have much of an idea of what actually transpired.

Raphael only held Rowena close to his chest, allowing her to rest her poor body on him as she continued to snivel and hiccup in his arms.

"Do you..." Raphael's gaze fell over the hut with a solemn look. "Do you wish to stay inside? This is no appropriate place to cry, Rowena. Come on, let's go over there."

Rowena didn't respond beyond the fact that he could see her crying.

Without another word, Raphael decided to carry her up in his arms—Rowena was weak and limp against his chest as she continued to cry.

Rowena gripped Raphael's clothes tightly in her hand as she allowed herself to be picked up. she didn't have any strength or even motivation to put up a fight against what Raphael would do.

The Seventh Prince and Rowena soon entered the small hut, the door opening quietly thanks to his magic. 

The hut was bare, empty, and devoid of much proof that anybody had lived here... probably because Rowena and Julian didn't have many belongings. 

However, from what Raphael could see, most of the household furniture was handmade and even made roughly. He stopped focusing on that and simply searched for Rowena's room and then helped her take a seat on a wooden cot.

As he tried to place her down, Rowena's grip tightened around his collar and she looked up at him with red eyes.

"Rowena..."

Raphael had no idea how much of a burden she bore, because even back when Raphael was Lucent... a young Rowena refused to cry or show weakness.

He wished that it didn't have to come at this point where she was already an adult—and yet only being able to freely cry at the lowest point of her life.

"I'll prepare you something to eat alright?" Raphael smiled gently. "Stay here... and you can cry all you want. But I'll be right back, al

right?"

She didn't actually give him a response, but that was understandable.

Raphael made his way out of Rowena's room and tried not to look at the hut that much. For some reason, it really made him realize what a vital role Julian had in her life and to see that vanish—of course, she would be in a lot of pain.

The Seventh Prince then entered the forest as he conjured some magical arrows and started to hunt for something to eat.

He ended up taking the life of a couple of rabbits, which was a small pity—but Rowena needed sustenance and to strengthen herself.

This was why, even though Raphael was not used to cooking or cleaning as the youngest spoiled Prince of Cretea—he tried his best to cook her a proper meal.

The first rabbit was a bit burnt too much for his liking, the other was undercooked but finally, the last one seemed perfectly alright and edible. Grilled rabbit meat.

Raphael was lucky to find some leftover utensils and bowls in the hut, and to his surprise, they were made out of wood.

What made him look over was the fact that there was etching in the bowls. One was the letter J and the other was the letter R.

It was an unintentional thing, but a fleeting memory of Julian suggesting to Rowena to mark their bowls echoed in Raphael's mind.

He shook his head and brought over the grilled rabbit, some freshly plucked and sliced fruits, and a cup of water so she could eat.

However, when he arrived, Rowena was already lying down on her bed, facing a wall.

"Rowena, are you asleep?"

No response.

Raphael sighed.

He placed the tray filled with her food over at a nearby table and plopped down on her bed. 

"You know, it's important for you to have a meal, Rowena. It's good for you to recover your strength."

Since the two of them arrived here in the valley and Rowena finally accepted Julian's death, she hadn't even said a single word to him.

Raphael's feet idly tapped on what appeared to be a rather creaky floorboard before he stood up and cleared his throat. 

"Since it appears that I'm talking to thin air, I will give you some privacy. Please eat the food I've prepared for you—I will be around the area."

He made his way out of the bedroom, took one final look at Rowena still curled around her bed, and then stepped out of the hut.

Truth be told, the Seventh Prince felt like he was intruding and invading a special place by being there, so he actually wanted to stay out more.

However, all it gave Raphael was a look over at the vegetable patch and the broken-down fence.

It was another marker, of only a few remaining markers, of Julian's existence.

"I could be gone now, I took her away from King Draco… and when I rescued her from the towe

r, you could say that the debt was fully paid," Raphael said to himself. "A life saved for the original one that she saved."

The moment where a young Rowena saved his life.

"But I can't—I don't want to leave. Why?" Raphael stared up at the sky that was turning red and purple as the sun descended. 

He took a deep breath. 

"As a god, it's not enough to simply repay a debt. I have much more capacity than her—so it's only right for me to wait, to see and make sure that she is truly alright. It's no longer about debts, but about what I could do for her... as a god that cares about people. No god would turn a blind eye to this."