The Cursed Prince

Chapter 804: Can Rowena Accept Raphael's Appearance?

Rowena took a deep and calming breath.

She could do this. It was still Raphael underneath all of this, she convinced herself.

But... why did her hands start sweating?

"I... I think I want to lie down in bed for a moment," Rowena said as she glanced at their room. She wasn't looking at him and only at the door. "Do you want to eat first, Raphael?"

"Well, I'm not really that hungry yet. I'd prefer to join you," Raphael said.

"Okay, that sounds good to me."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I don't mind," Rowena said. "It's our room, Raphael. If you want to lie down at the same time as me, I'm fine with it."

"Thank you." Raphael kissed his wife's forehead and Rowena had to exert all her sanity not to move away and dodge his kiss.

It was so hard.

She convinced herself that this monster… uhm, this man, was still Raphael.

The two of them entered their chamber and it was exactly as they left it. Rowena immediately jumped into the bed and buried her face into their pillows. Raphael chuckled and joined her in the bed.

"You must be really exhausted," he commented.

"I am," Rowena muttered from the pillows.

Raphael understood that it was a lot to take. He moved closer to his wife and gently touched her head. "Is this fine?"

"Yes." Rowena closed her eyes and tried to visualize Raphael's handsome face and his gentle hands, instead of this creature she saw. It eased up the tension in her body when she kept focusing her mind on the thought that it was her husband. "It actually feels nice."

Raphael happily continued to rub his wife's head to soothe the stress out of her body. The effect that he had on her was the same as always and it relieved him.

Despite his father giving him a deadline, Raphael was confident that they would pass the test. He was so sure that their love would prevail.

He knew even though Rowena initially tried to push him away, she had only done it because she loved him. Right now, they were together again because Rowena wanted to be with him and that was more than enough for him.

It was less than a day but his wife was already holding his hand and not flinching away from his own touch despite the spell that his father cast on Rowena's eyes. Raphael was positive that as long as he made Rowena more relaxed and safe in his presence, they would succeed.

The one-month deadline was actually too much. 

"Rowena?" Raphael gently called his wife. "Do you want me to massage your forehead?"

"Alright." Rowena turned around to face him with her eyes closed. "Thank you, Raphael."

Raphael smiled sadly. His confidence was suddenly shattered. In the past, Rowena would look at him with her gorgeous eyes, grab his collar and tug him down for a kiss. Now, she wanted a massage and didn't even want to look at him. 

She really found it difficult to look him in the eyes, didn't she?

Rejection by someone you cared about hurt.

Even though he was rationally aware of what was happening and what was going through Rowena's situation, it was still tough on the Seventh Prince to have his wife act like she couldn't bear to see him.

He was not some kind of person who only operated by logic alone.

Raphael looked at his wife's closed eyes and felt his heart ache a little more. Now wasn't the time for him to feel this way at all. He bit down on his own lip, reached out to Rowena's forehead with one finger, and pressed some healing magic to remove the ache.

"Do you feel better?" Raphael asked. It was a little too sudden for him to expect close intimacy between them when earlier she had been so scared of him getting close to her. He needed to take things slowly.

However, now he started to worry about the deadline.

Could she accept him completely before the one month time was over?

Before, he was so sure that their love would pull through this situation. However, now he realized it was harder than he expected. He was so naive.

So, how could he make sure that Rowena would want to sleep with him and break the spell planted on her eyes? what was the best way for Raphael to do this? Perhaps it was better to make his wife understand that he loved her dearly and wait for her to respond positively to himself? 

Raphael already knew all of those things and did his best to show his love for his wife, but there was always room for him to be better. Maybe it was best to operate like he was courting her when they first met?

In his wife's eyes, she was looking at a complete stranger anyway. She could hear his voice and recognize his personality but, appearance-wise, he was a stranger. A hideous one at that. So, it was necessary to take it slowly.

"Do you feel better?" Raphael asked her.

The beautiful woman nodded. She still closed her eyes. "I do. Thank you."

"Good. Do you want to have dinner?" Raphael pulled away and sat up. He cleared his throat. "I've asked the servants to make all of your favorite dishes. You must be hungry."

Rowena sat up and folded her hands together. She opened her eyes and looked down at her lap trying to tell herself to look at Raphael and smile, but it was so hard.

She was angry at herself for still not being able to look at Raphael without flinching in disgust. This man may be hideous, but his heart was made of gold.

Raphael was turned into this monster because of her. It was all her fault. She must learn to accept him because they would be together for the rest of their lives like this.

Slowly, Rowena raised her face and turned to look at Raphael.

.

.

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From Missrealitybites:

So, now you know the punishment and why Raphael cannot say anything to Harlow/Rowena about the curse. Soon, I will uncover what happened between Raphael and Rowena and how she ended up being separated from him for a millennium.

Then, I will reset the story from the moment Raphael and Rowena met for the first time to give you a detailed account of what happened.

So, please hold your judgment until you see the full picture.. I know Rowena doesn't seem like a likable character a the moment, but I hope once you see the story from her side, you will understand her and take her side.