"I'm home," Raphael smiled when he went back and found his wife was still reading by the window. He was happy to see her keep herself occupied.
Rowena was an outgoing person and enjoyed doing things outside when she was still in her realm. However, ever since she was brought to Cretea and faced hostility from the residents, she didn't go out much.
This made Raphael feel bad. He wanted to take her out and go on adventures as they did in the past. However, the king was clear with his conditions.
Raphael was not allowed to take Rowena outside of Cretea before the one-month time passed. It had been two weeks and things didn't seem to get better between them.
Rowena tolerated his appearance, but Raphael could tell she was struggling so hard to keep a flat face when she saw him. Sometimes, he actually saw her flinch at their servants which made him wonder if she also saw everyone around them as monsters.
She never said it though. She pretended she was okay and everything was fine. No matter how much Raphael pressed on her, Rowena would just fake a smile and told him everything was fine. She didn't want him to worry about her more. She thought he had suffered enough for her sake.
"Hey… welcome home," Rowena looked up from her book. She put it down when Raphael came to her and sat beside her. "Where did you go?"
Raphael shrugged. "Just outside and met some old friends. Nothing important."
"Oh…" Rowena went silent. She had zero friends in Cretea and everyone in this world hated her. She was missing her home very much and hearing that Raphael went out to see his friends fanned the longing she had for the world she left behind to be with him.
Raphael could sense her sadness and he wrapped his hands around her waist. "We can visit your world in a few weeks."
Rowena's eyes widened and she looked at him with a twinkle in her eyes. Raphael could clearly see she was happy by the thought that she could go back with him. He had not seen her happy for a long time.
This made him feel bad. He wished he could just break the spell in her eyes and passed the test, so they could go.
Unfortunately, he was not allowed to say anything. Rowena must be the one to break the spell herself. He thought their relationship would improve because Rowena accepted him despite his appearance, but even after two weeks, he couldn't make her sleep with him.
Of course, he could make her if he wanted to. He would just pretend not to see her discomfort and insist on initiating sex, but it was not his style. He respected her too much. Plus, it was not going to work. She had to want to make love with him out of her own will for the spell to break.
Perhaps, someday, she could look past his hideous appearance, but it would take time. And time was not something they had aplenty.
With two weeks passed, Rowena and Raphael now only had two more weeks left.
"Why can't we visit tomorrow?" Rowena asked weakly. It was great that Raphael talked about taking her out of Crete and visiting her old world. This ignited her longing for home even more.
Now, she felt the desire burn even bigger. Why couldn't they just go as soon as possible?
"I…" Raphael also wished they could go tomorrow. However, it was not possible unless they had broken the spell. He quickly made up an excuse. "I have to do some work in Cretea. The king needs me here. I cannot disappoint him after he spared you."
"Oh…" Rowena nodded. She faked a smile to hide her disappointment. "I understand."
She should have known her place. SHE was the reason they were in this mess together. She would never demand anything from him. Even if she was going to get stuck in this place for the rest of eternity, she wouldn't complain.
"Wifey…"
Rowena turned to Raphael and saw the hideous monster bared his ugly and yellow fangs at her. She had gotten used to this expression and realized he was smiling. So, she smiled back. "Yes?"
"I love you," Raphael said sincerely. "Please bear with this. I will take you wherever your heart desires when the time is right."
"I love you too, Raphael," Rowena replied. She was also sincere with her words.
"Rowena.."
"Yes, Raphael?" Rowena sensed there was something in Raphael's tone that sounded unusual. He sounded helpless. This made her feel bad for him. "Are you okay?"
"I love you, Rowena.." Raphael sighed."It hurts me whenever you flinch away from me."
His words sent Rowena's heart aching badly because she didn't want to hurt him. It broke her to know that she was eroding his confidence.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"It's okay. I just want to…" Raphael swallowed. "Maybe try to get to where we were in the past. Do you know what I mean?"
She knew perfectly well what he meant.
Rowena nodded.
They had not been intimate for a long time and it was so difficult to even think about it when the handsome husband she was married to was now looking like such a different person entirely.
It took a lot of adjustment on Rowena's side just to be able to look him in the eye and not be horrified.
They kissed several times, but she knew it was not enough. He was a man and he had his sexual needs. She was such a beautiful woman and he must feel the same desires he had always had for her.
While, on her part, it was the opposite. Raphael was no longer the husband she knew. He was a beast, a monster. He didn't turn her on. Instead, his appearance scared her.
"I…" Rowena nodded shyly. "I know…"
Maybe she could try? She could close her eyes and think about Raphael from the past when she… when she have sex with this monster before her? It was part of her marital duties to serve her husband.
She also loved him so much. So, she should be able to make this sacrifice.
It was no big deal.
"Do you…" Raphael took a deep breath before he continued his words. "I miss you, Wifey… Do you want to make love to me?"
If he could make love with her today, then the spell would be broken and he could grant Rowena's wish and take her back to her world tomorrow. They would be free.
This was what made Raphael decide to just try and initiate sex with slightly stronger persuasion. There was nothing to lose anyway.
Raphael gently pulled away and looked at his beautiful wife. Rowena was meekly standing in one place and looked at him, trying to look brave. She wasn't running away from him and it made him happy.
"If you feel uncomfortable, just tell me, or push me away. I will understand. But… I want us to try. You can close your eyes and think about me before I turned into this form."
Rowena bit her lip and then nodded. She closed her eyes.
Raphael reached out to his wife and clasped her cheek. "How do you feel?"
"It feels… it feels just like your touch, Raphael," Rowena whispered.
Raphael sighed inwardly in relief. Even though his wife would open her eyes and see him as a monster, when it came to the sense of touch and feel, there was no change whatsoever. He brushed his thumb across her cheek. "Can I kiss you, Rowena?"
Rowena hesitated for a moment but nodded. "Yes."
If she closed her eyes and listened to Raphael's gentle voice, it made Rowena a lot more willing to do it. She didn't want to imagine the hideous beast but kept her mind on her loving husband.
Raphael pulled her into a kiss and it was almost exactly as Rowena remembered. She felt his soft lips and was surprised by the skill of her husband, that she let out a soft moan in surprise.
Raphael knew how to please his wife.
Rowena didn't mind kissing him, and before she knew it, Raphael's hands went down to her side and each of his touches was relieving and wonderful. There were no claws, scales, or tentacles that touched her.
She didn't feel any of those. Raphael's touch on her was exactly like how it was before.
"Mmm… wifey," Raphael opened his eyes and saw Rowena's flushed face. Her eyes were still closed but under his familiar touches, her body still responded well. "Do you want to go to bed?"
Rowena's eyes nearly opened, but she kept them shut.
Rowena realized that just because her husband was transformed into a monster, it didn't mean that his needs and longings for his wife would change. It was time that her love for him was tested. She didn't love him for his looks. So, even he lost it, he was still the same man she loved and married.
"Rowena?" Raphael whispered.
"Yes, let's go to bed." Rowena slowly nodded.
She could do this. She loved Raphael. No matter how much he had changed on the outside, he was still the man that she married. "Can you carry me?"
As long as Rowena kept her eyes shut, she felt brave enough to do it with him.
Raphael quickly picked up his wife and returned her back to their bed. He gently lay her down on their bed and knelt above her, doing his best not to weigh himself on top of her. The two of them returned to kissing.
It didn't take too long for them to feel it.
