"You know how I love our conversations, Rowena," Raphael said. Seeing his wife smile at him made him feel relieved. It seemed like the alcohol in her system truly helped her relax a little despite everything. "You never said nonsense,"
"I know…" Rowena suddenly winced and felt her head throb. "But maybe it is time to sleep."
"May I help you up?" Raphael asked.
"No, I can manage." Rowena decided to down a lot of wine to make her feel more relaxed. In a way, it did help, because now she really had a good talk with Raphael. However, it also made her rather dizzy and Rowena ended up tripping in her husband's arms.
"Oh no…" she muttered and tried to speak more but all she uttered were nonsensical words. Raphael sighed.
"You have drunk too much." Raphael pulled her to his embrace and looked at her face deeply.
He wanted to scold her for drinking so much but he held back. He understood that the situation must have led her wanting to drink her sorrows away. Raphael was just happy they could have a heart-to-heart conversation.
Compared to when Rowena was frightened, her drunkenness made her more comfortable as she wrapped her arms around Raphael and rested her head against his chest.
Raphael gently picked her up and carried her to their bed. He sat by the edge of the bed and watched Rowena sleep. She looked so tired and stressed and her brows furrowed even in her sleep.
***
The next day, when Rowena woke up, she glanced down to check for Raphael but she ended up screaming and falling off the bed. Raphael immediately woke up and immediately reached out to her, but she backed against the wall.
"Stay back!" Rowena screamed and then covered her ears. "Stay back all of you."
"Rowena, it is only me," Raphael called out to her.
"Is it only you?"
"Yes."
"…I'm sorry, I thought I was surrounded by monsters."
"No worries," Raphael said but his expression became tense. At first, it was only one monster that Rowena saw, himself. However, he could see that the punishment seemed to be getting crueler.
Did his father decide to let the punishment become more difficult?
"Shall we head for breakfast then?" Rowena pulled herself up to her feet and looked uneasily at her surroundings. She thought she woke up in a cave filled with spiders, but now everything was back to normal.
Except for Raphael that was still looking hideous like he was before.
"Let's go," he said. Rowena nodded reluctantly.
***
The next few days would soon fly by before he knew it and it was difficult for Raphael to see Rowena tiptoe around him and feel uneasy on certain occasions.
While Rowena was convinced that it was him because of his voice and he didn't lay one hand on her, sometimes she jerked away in fear. Since all Rowena could see was a monster, she instinctively avoided him at times because of the fear that her visions were causing her.
Raphael couldn't blame her.
He knew that his father was giving her nightmarish sights that could make an ordinary person pass out in fear or go insane, but she was doing her best to stay with him.
"I'm sorry," Rowena looked away from Raphael and bit her lip. "It's a little hard."
"How… how terrible is it in your eyes?" Raphael asked.
"You… you look like an eldritch monster. You say that it's your arm reaching out to me, but all I see are tentacles and I recoil instantly."
Raphael looked at his hand and closed it. "Please trust me, Rowena. I would never hurt you."
"I know." Rowena finally grabbed his hand and looked at him apologetically. "I'm sorry. It must be so difficult for you to be a monster and here I am running away. I'll do better, I know that deep down inside, it's still you, Raphael."
"Thank you."
"The punishment that your father gave you is extremely harsh. He punished you with this form because of me, and he punished me with the sight of a monster for a husband for the rest of my life."
"It doesn't matter to me, as long as we are together," Raphael said.
It had already been two weeks since Rowena and Raphael were living in Cretea in relative peace. The initial hatred that the gods and goddesses had for Rowena stealing the magical dust already waned as they accepted the situation at last.
However, the situation was still the same and Raphael couldn't hide the secret too long that it was only Rowena who saw him as a monster. When Rowena was preoccupied with reading at home, he made up an excuse to leave and do something.
Raphael gathered most of his friends who started talking with him again. He wanted their help to make sure Rowena would pass the test.
"I'll have to ask that you be patient with Rowena," Raphael explained to the gods and goddesses. "The reason why she is free is that she's been punished by my father and made to see me as a monster. Please agree with her if she ever talks to you. DON'T EVER SAY ANYTHING that you don't see me any differently."
"Wow, if I were her, I would immediately run in the opposite direction!" one of the gods laughed. "Your father probably made you so frightening or hideous."
Raphael didn't smile. He didn't find the situation funny.
"It must be so terrifying to not see your handsome visage, Raphael," one of the goddesses said. "I feel bad for her that she has to live like that. I don't know if I can do that."
"She was frightened at first, but she knows it is me."
"That's true love indeed!" one of the gods cheered him on.
All of the gods and goddesses that day were supportive or didn't go against Raphael's words. Except for one goddess that was feeling immensely jealous.. Her nails scratched against her palm until it bled.
