Chapter 971: Please Say Yes

Raphael looked at Rowena intently. He knew she didn't mean what she said. He didn't know why, he thought he could understand her better now after they consummated their union.

It was like he could see into her broken soul and saw all the little pieces that made up her whole being. The beautiful woman standing bravely before him now, asking him to go, was just scared and embarrassed.

He had left her the last time when she asked him to go, he wouldn't do it again. He would stay with her because he loved her. After they became intimate, it felt as if half his soul had stayed with her. How could he go and leave behind his better half? There's no way!

The man took his clothes and got dressed calmly. Rowena watched him with pursed lips. She wiped her tears roughly and then looked outside the window. The sun was slowly rising in the east. A new day had begun.

Her chamber was located on the second floor. Soon, Raphael would fly out through the window and never come back. This would be the last time they met. She didn't regret what happened last night. At least, before she died she had known love. That was enough.

"Aren't you going to get dressed?" Raphael's voice rang gently in her ears, prompting Rowena to turn to him.

She faked a smile and nodded, "Later. Are you done? Please leave now."

Raphael shook his head. "I am not going anywhere."

"Why not?" Rowena clutched the blanket on her chest. "Don't be stupid."

"I love you and I want to marry you. I am sorry that it has to happen this way. Maybe you drank too much last night and didn't remember what happened, but I remember and I did it consciously," Raphael said calmly. He stepped forward and now he was only a step away from Rowena. "I did it out of love and I wish to spend the rest of forever with you."

He added, "I am very sorry that I was not vigilant and couldn't protect you from being humiliated earlier. You must be horrified being caught by your father like that..."

Raphael didn't expect King Draco would barge into his daughter's chamber, so he didn't use his magic to protect their space. This was a very expensive lesson to learn at the expense of Rowena being humiliated. He would never let something like that ever happen again.

Rowena looked at the man with trembling lips. She wanted to tell him that it was all planned by her father. She should have known and prevented it from happening.

"Rowena, there is something you need to know about me." Raphael stepped forward and now he closed the distance between them. He touched her ha

ir gently and looked her in the eye. "After I told you who I am, I will let you decide whether you would accept me or not. Please listen to what I have to say."

Rowena's heart pounded. She almost forgot to breathe when she realized the man would probably reveal his identity to her.

"My name is Raphael, and I am not human," the man started his explanation. "I am also not from here. If your mother came from the elven realm, I came from another realm that many humans call as the god's realm. We call it Cretea."

Rowena's eyes widened. She had heard a little bit about Cretea from her father but she didn't know the details. So, Raphael just confirmed what King Draco already told Rowena.

Now she didn't know what to do with this information. Rowena  could only mutter, "Oh."

Raphael took a strand of her hair and played with it while he told her who he was, to ease the tension. "We have magic in our realm and we live for a very long time. I cannot tell you my age, but for my people's standard, I am considered very young."

Rowena nodded absent-mindedly. Her mind was still processing everything she was hearing. It was a lot to take in.

So, how old was Raphael actually? And was he really an immortal? Did they really have the immortality potion like what her father said?

"I had never been in love, until I met you," Raphael admitted. "You are the first woman that moved my heart and, after everything that happened between us, I realize that I want to be with you. I can ask my father to give you the immortality potion as a wedding gift so we can be together until the end of time. That is... if you would accept me."

Rowena was silent. Her mind was in a mess.

So, it's true. The immortality potion was real. Her father was right all along.

Was he also right when he said that the immortality potion could revive Julian? He had been right with everything so far.

"Raphael... I..." Rowena swallowed hard. "I don't deserve you. Someday, you will see who I really am and you will regret you ever wanted me. When that time comes, you will make me feel heartbroken. I can't deal with it. I would rather not have anything to do with you than wait for the inevitable. Don't you understand?"

"Rowena, I will always want you. I have lived for a long time to understand what I want. I didn't come to this decision harshly, or because of what happened last night," Raphael tugged Rowena's chin to look him in the eye.

His voice was extremely gentle when he spoke. "I came here because I wanted

to be with you. I slept with you last night because I wanted you. And I am asking you now to marry me because I want you to be my wife."

Rowena saw her reflection in his irises and she was surprised to see how she looked like a hot mess. So why was his gaze still filled with so much love? What's there to love about her? She didn't even look good today.

"Now, look me in the eye and tell me honestly, do you love me and do you see a future with me?" Raphael looked at Rowena deeply. "I need you to be honest with me. We will soon go out of that door and see your father. I will ask for his permission to marry you, but I want to get your approval before I go out and see him. Please, say yes."