Chapter 991: Raphael Showing Rowena Their New House

"Going out already? That's so soon. Why not stay here for a while. Let's have desserts." Queen Lilith offered with a smile.

Rowena sat uneasily for a moment and looked at Raphael. Towards other people, there would be no hesitation at all to say what she wanted. But in this situation, she was compelled to say yes.

It was easier to stay.  It was much more convenient to agree with her future mother-in-law and gain Queen Lilith's approval, but she was really looking forward to seeing the house with Raphael since they finished dinner.

Queen Lilith seemed to notice her reluctance and chose to take action. With a wave of her hand, she summoned some of their people forwards.

One of the servants conjured what appeared to be a decadent dessert in golden cups and served it in front of them all.

There was a bright and lovely look on the queen's face as she said, "Rowena, you would love to taste this special treat, it's as soft and feathery as clouds but tastes like the freshest of milk. Silken and oh so delicious."

"Don't hinder them from going where they want. We've already stopped and held them back for a month already, haven't we?" King Areal chuckled and looked over at King Draco.

King Draco faked a laugh and nodded. "I agree, we should let the two have a night off."

He looked at Rowena and gave her a subtle look.

It was much easier to keep Rowena's condition away from the Cretean King and Queen if she was away.

The Seventh Prince seemed ready to accept whatever Rowena was due to his unwavering devotion—but King Draco was sure that others were less forgiving of Rowena's flaws and faults.

If Rowena ever slipped up once, King Draco was sure that both the king and especially the queen might find reasons to separate them.  He had to move fast.

"Well, then, we shall be going." Raphael stood up and held out a hand for Rowena.

Rowena smiled and took his hand.

Once dinner was over, the couple finally found themselves excused from their parents and made their way out of the palace together.

There was a bounce in each of their steps as they gazed up at the sky above them.

"It's a beautiful night isn't it?" Rowena exclaimed in awe. Somehow the night sky seemed even more bright and starry here.

Cretea was absolutely breathtaking.

Raphael stared at Rowena and smiled. "Beautiful, yes."

"You were just talking about me." Rowena threw Raphael a teasing smile. She had heard that line several times over from countless men in the past two years.

"Well, I've spent my entire life here and I think the moon pales in comparison to your company. The stars seem to glitter less than your eyes. They're beautiful, but then there's you."

Rowena blushed and looked away. She thought she was immune to such words, but when it came to Raphael, he really made her cheeks heat up.

"Let's just get going okay?" Rowena tugged him down the staircase with a bright smile.

Soon enough, Raphael took Rowena with him into a lovely carriage. The journey was very pleasant and Rowena clicked her tongue several times as she saw the beautiful sights from the carriage window. Not long after, they arrived at a beautiful house not far from the royal palace.

"We're here," Raphael announced as he opened the carriage door and offered her a hand. He showed her the huge mansion and said, "If there's anything you wish to change before we move in, you can tell me ahead so we can make changes."

Rowena laughed and looked at Raphael. Was he serious? She took his hand and then leaped into his arms. "Changes? Everything has been perfect so far, you and this place—this is amazing. I would have chosen these myself."

"Really?" Raphael's eyes widened in surprise, he did his best to please her, however, it wasn't like they knew each other that well due to how long they'd been apart.

Nonetheless, he happily spun her for a moment before he placed her along the path to the mansion.

"I wouldn't lie to you, would I?" Rowena said and felt the bile in her throat. She realized she was such a good liar now that she could say untrue things with a smile on her face.

"You wouldn't," Raphael replied.

"Raphael…"

"At least, I don't think that you would lie about something like this. It makes no sense for you to do so. However… There are instances where a person does lie, or simply chooses not to reveal too much in an attempt to protect themselves. Or they think it's the best decision… and one can't blame them for it."

"Some would lie to spare a person's feelings, but it's much better to tell the truth, right?" Rowena asked.

"Of course." Raphael blushed. "But there are instances where you… don't. And maybe that's fine too?"

Until all this time, Raphael hadn't told Rowena that he had been Lucent–and it was something he wanted to keep to himself.  He was afraid it would make things awkward between them. Maybe someday... he kept telling himself. Someday it would no longer be awkward and they could laugh about it.

While Raphael was lost in his thoughts, Rowena's gaze flitted towards the mansion and the garden and a smile adorned her face.  She couldn't help but admire the building's beautiful and sleek architecture.

The garden itself was reminiscent of the valley back where she and Julian had once lived but more tended to. It was really such a surprise that she genuinely liked it.

Rowena pursed her lips and glanced at Raphael's face questioningly. She didn't understand how almost everything was exactly the things that she would pick herself.

Perhaps it was because he was a god?

No that wasn't it either.

He would have known Rowena's darkest and deepest secrets if he could read minds.

Instead, it was something else that helped her figure it out.

As she and Raphael stepped inside of the mansion and were greeted by servants upon servants—when she saw his warm smile as he greeted his people back, Rowena thought that the two of them were the same.

She realized that she and Raphael had so much in common.

While Rowena never had siblings, she saw a reflection of herself in Raphael and perhaps he also saw some of himself in her?

The two of them toured the mansion and Raphael did his best to explain everything about each room and yet there was a place that he seemed to be most interested in.

Raphael cleared his throat and slowly opened the door.

"This… this is the master's bedroom. And with no more disturbances… from outside if we wish."

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From Missrealitybites:

Well... now they are alone in the master bedroom, no disturbances from outside... #chuckle# What do you think Raphael has in mind? XD