Chapter 962: Meeting Her Elven Family

"It seems this is it, please have a safe trip, Rowena," Raphael said. "I wish you all the best."

"And the same to you," Rowena replied with a sweet smile.

She then looked over at Prince Jadeith who already opened a portal, it revealed a canopy of thick lush trees along with beautiful fireflies that lit up the place.

Her uncle waited patiently for her, Rowena took a step forward, hesitated, and then turned around to say one last thing—but Raphael was already gone.

He simply vanished into the night.

Rowena's eyes widened momentarily and an ache formed in her heart. Tears sprang up in the corner of her eyes.

"Rowena?" Prince Jadeith called out to her.

"Coming." Rowena brushed away the tears and then quickly walked after her uncle.  The two of them stepped into a portal and arrived in the elven realm. 

Similar to the mermaid realm, the air was clear and filled with magic, but instead of water, it was densely populated by trees and other flora and fauna.

"Welcome home." Prince Jadeith smiled kindly.

"This... this is it?" Rowena was surprised. However, she didn't know about the culture of elves...

"Oh, not this." Prince Jadeith chuckled and then swept a hand, the large trees bent to the side and revealed a beautiful palace in a short distance. "There's your home. I thought a small walk might help you clear your thoughts before we get there."

Rowena smiled and nodded slowly. "Thank you."

Prince Jadeith was thoughtful to his niece, but a short walk to clear her head was not enough.  When the two of them arrived at the palace, a great number of elves greeted her and Prince Jadeith respectfully, guards and members of the court.

Since Rowena didn't know anyone, she kept close to Prince Jadeith. However, every now and then, someone came to greet him.  She was in such a new environment that it made her feel like an outsider. Everything was beautiful but unfamiliar.

"I would like to introduce to you, my niece. This is Rowena. Elren's daughter." Prince Jadeith exchanged quick pleasantries with another elf before he and Rowena continued to walk. "Apologies, I've been gone for a while and formalities are formalities, but where was I—oh look."

The two of them paused in the hallway filled with a dozen of portrait paintings.  Each one of them depicted a different royal elf, elegant and composed in each portrait.

Prince Jadeith's portrait was also among them. Rowena could recognize it. Her gaze followed the paintings one by one as Jadeith explained who they were. However, it felt odd, to see so many faces that she didn't know and have any attachments for.

Finally, her uncle gestured to a picture of a beautiful woman right next to his portrait. Before he could say anything, Rowena's steps halted. She could tell who she was. She looked a lot like her.

"This is your mother, Elren. The resemblance between the two of you is extraordinary, isn't it? I knew you were hers right away."

Rowena looked at the somber and wistful expression on Prince Jadeith's face before she turned again to look at the woman who gave birth to her. She was a petite woman with a beautiful face that was similar to hers, but her hair was silver.

For a moment, Rowena was silent. She looked at the face of Elren staring back at her and hoped she would feel something.

She didn't.

Rowena wished that she mustered the same amount of longing that Prince Jadeith had over his sister—but all Rowena saw was someone who looked like her. Nothing more.

A much younger Rowena would have probably felt something. For many years, she was longing for a mother figure. When she was alone and sad and in fear of what else her father would do to bully her. Elren never came. Not even in her dreams.

She had no connection whatsoever to that woman. Rowena didn't even know what she looked like because Draco didn't keep any pictures of her in the royal palace.

Now as Rowena finally came to see her mother through the picture... she didn't feel anything.

It was like looking at the image of a complete stranger. Maybe a mere doppelganger.

They did share a lot of physical similarities, but that was it. There was no actual connection and that made Rowena feel guilty.

"She... she's beautiful," Rowena said.

"Indeed, and so are you." Prince Jadei

th sighed but then motioned for them to continue walking down the hallway. "Your grandparents were a bit displeased to find out that your father hid the truth of your existence from us, but they're excited to meet you."

He added, "I'm sure that you would love to hear stories about your mother from them and you'd finally get the chance to meet your cousins too."

"I see," Rowena tried to smile, but now that she was no longer trying to fool Raphael into thinking that she was fine, it was a lot harder now.

Soon enough, Rowena and Prince Jadeith arrived in the elven palace's royal dining hall.  Compared to dinners with King Draco in the past, the entire table was occupied by a lot more people than Rowena expected.

It was incredibly lively, people were eating and laughing, conversing over drinks—until she arrived.  Their gaze swept over Rowena and Prince Jadeith and she gulped.

"Who's this half-elf?" a younger-looking elf asked and broke the silence.

"She's your cousin, Ceci." Prince Jadeith replied. He cleared his throat and addressed his parents. "Mother, Father—"

"But... Why did she only come here now? Didn't you mention that a while back, Jadeith?" another spoke up.

Rowena wore a tight smile on her lips.  She had no idea who her grandparents were since they all looked ethereally youthful but from the reactions of the others, It was clear that the disconnect didn't only come from Rowena's side.

Some weren't exactly as enthusiastic as Prince Jadeith, which was fair on their part. She was practically a stranger to them. Some mumbled things and didn't seem interested in talking to her further.

Prince Jadeith looked a bit frustrated by their reception, and then finally waited for Rowena's grandparents to intercede.

"Please, enough with the chatter—one of our own has returned." The eldest of the elves, a woman and a man, finally stood up and approached Rowena. "It's remarkable... it took you a while, Jadeith but here you are—what's your name, child?"

"My name is Rowena, Your Majesty," She introduced herself politely.

"Enough with the formalities. Rowena, welcome to the family, you look so much like your mother that it almost feels like I'm looking at her." Rowena's grandmother blinked back the tears and engulfed her in a hug. "Come down and join us for a meal, child."

As promised, Prince Jadeith did reunite Rowena with the family. She couldn't remember exactly who else was in there. Everything felt blurry at that point. She saw many good-looking people with their beautiful clothes and lively chatter.

They introduced themselves briefly to her. She had some uncles, aunts, and cousins. She couldn't remember which is which, they all looked so young. So she just pretended to smile and nod every time one person came to introduce themselves to her.

When she sat down to eat, she felt... distant. Rowena didn't speak their language. They understood hers because they had magic and could understand other creatures. So, when she introduced herself and spoke a little, they could respond. But they didn't really initiate conversation from their end.

After a while, she didn't know what else to say.  When the meal started and they enjoyed dinner with a lively conversation, Rowena felt like she was surrounded by bees making noises.

She couldn't understand them because Rowena didn't have the capabilities to understand other languages because she was half human and didn't grow up around magic. The struggle to fit in came almost immediately. She didn't know what they were discussing and so she couldn't be part of their conversation.

Her uncle, Prince Jadeith was more sympathetic and tried to talk to her every now and then, but Rowen was embarrassed to burden her uncle in that way. So, she pretended to enjoy her dinner and focused only on her plates.

Prince Jadeith personally came over to talk with Rowena in private after dinner. He could see her discomfort and wanted to see if he could help her with anything.

He took her to one of the outside gardens of the palace and profusely went to discuss the situation with her.

"I apologize, Rowena, your appearance is—"

"Unwanted?" Rowena asked. She faked a sweet smile. "I know that."

"That's not it. Gosh, don't say that." Prince Jadeith shook his head. "It will just take some time before they warm up to you."

"I understand," Rowena nodded. "It's not their fault. I am practically a stranger to th

em."

Prince Jadeith looked at Rowena attentively. He could see her trouble and wanted to help her. "We are your family no matter what. Give it time."

"Thank you, Uncle. You are so kind to me." Rowena bit her lip and looked away. She had a family but the people she was closest to and who made her feel loved and cared for were all outsiders.

Her nanny Leia, her friend Julian, and even a stranger like Raphael.

They were not blood, but they treated her lovingly and respectfully. They felt more like family to her than her father, Draco Roseland. Her time with Julian was the best days of her life, and so was her time with Raphael.