"I'm so sorry, Raphael." Rowena glanced down at the waters and bit down on her lip. She hesitated and didn't jump immediately. However, it wasn't because she didn't know what the waters would do to her.
On the contrary, she knew what it was capable of.
The River of Death was potent and strong enough even for those who were 'immortals' in Cretea and it was something that needed to be revered and not frightened of.
Even though Creteans were said to no longer be part of the cycle of life and death, it was still something to be reminded of. Now it was time for her to die and yet the surviving instincts instilled within her were refusing to make her budge and move towards it.
A terrified part of her wanted to run away, longed to be comforted by Raphael and another part of her wanted to storm up the palace's staircase and oppose Raphael's father, but she shunned that part of her.
If she had actually tried to confront the King of Cretea, she was worried that it would seal the fate for Raphael. So, in Rowena's mind, this was the best way to remove the judgment on her husband without causing too much trouble.
"Once I am gone and out of the picture…" Rowena smiled sadly and tried to reassure herself. "I am sure that he will be devastated but… Raphael can find another love. He has such a big heart. He will move on and love someone else once I'm gone and he would have all the time in the world for that. He didn't need someone who would only bring him down."
Rowena never once doubted their love at all and considered it true.
However, Rowena wholeheartedly believed that the Seventh Prince could find love again. His capacity for love was so immense that she didn't find it strange at all for him to be able to love someone else after he was done grieving.
He deserved a woman who could make him happy.
"He could do so much better than me." Rowena's tears started streaming down her face. She wanted to turn away and run back to their house and yet she kept her feet planted on the grass.
"I… I can't be selfish. I can't ask him to do that for me, I have already asked for a lot." Rowena clenched her fist. "Shouldn't I also do my best to make sacrifices for him? He won't be making good decisions when I'm around, so enough is enough."
This was it.
The two of them were happy together and she would cherish those moments, however, their love had already caused too much trouble and danger for Raphael. It was finally time to finish it.
A bitter smile curled up on her lips. "Maybe if I'm lucky, Raphael will finally hate me and curse me. That would make moving on so much faster, wouldn't it?"
Rowena took steps back and finally leaped into the water. The moment that Rowena plunged herself in the River of Death, she felt something ripped out within her and she let out a silent scream.
Instinctively, Rowena's body immediately tried to swim to avoid drowning. She gasped out as she resurfaced. Rowena felt something seep out of her and yet she immediately sank.
When Rowena married Raphael, he gave her the potion of immortality so that she could live with him in Cretea. However, as she felt the waters coalesce around her, they took away the same liquid that turned her immortal.
Rowena wasn't able to swim as the water pulled her under and carried her in a tide she didn't know was there.
Before she knew it, Rowena vanished without a trace and without even letting anyone know.
Or so she thought.
***
"If you truly insist on being with your wife, Raphael. I will make it easy for the two of you." The King of Cretea's voice echoed across the temple. "I will strip immortality and banish the two of you from Cretea."
Raphael stared up at his father in shock and fell silent.
He would no longer be the beloved Seventh Prince and his own powers were going to be taken away? That was indeed something that would scare anyone.
And yet Raphael didn't care about that at all. He found it as salvation and a chance for them to be truly happy. Raphael realized that he didn't even need to gain his father's approval at all if the man still disapproved.
Why should Raphael care? He understood that his father came to him under the guise of concern, but the King of Cretea really didn't like Rowena. So this was their best chance to be free.
What truly mattered was that he and Rowena were together.
However, the only thing that worried him about the punishment was how he would be able to take care of Rowena. If he became mortal and powerless, Raphael needed to start from scratch.
Raphael relied on magic quite much and didn't have that many useful skills without his magic. Yes, he was strong and he could use weapons, but he was so used to using magic for almost everything.
That meant that once they came to the human realm, he was going to be useless to his wife for a long time. Was he going to be a burdensome husband? Wait. It was possible for him to still use his knowledge to obtain wealth for Rowena and give her a good life.
Unfortunately, that meant they were going to make him an easy target. Raphael clenched his fist as he was suddenly lost in his own thoughts.
He was worried that he wouldn't be able to protect Rowena. Raphael and Rowena could easily be killed and separated if they had any enemies. How was Raphael going to handle that?
The Seventh Prince still needed to make certain of something though.
"Father… you would remove the curse from Rowena if I choose that, right?" Raphael asked again.. His words shocked the King of Cretea this time.
