Chapter 1000: Ro, Where Are You?

Rowena stared at her father in horror. Her eyes were filled with tears, and her heart was broken into a million little pieces. This was the ultimate betrayal that she felt after everything he did to her.

After raising her without love, using her for his gain, and threatening her with everyone she had ever loved... he had come to another low.

"Father..." Rowena pursed her lips. Her body was shaking. "How... how could you do this to me?"

Draco looked at her coldly. He raised the cup to his lips to get a sip of the potion while again shouting how he was disappointed at his daughter for being so sloppy with such a precious gift as the immortality potion.

Draco wouldn't miss the chance to be immortal when it was right before him. He planned to drink it right away. He would make people think Rowena spilled the potion. It was not so much a crime.

Seeing how Raphael was head over heels for his daughter, he knew the Cretean royalty would just gift Rowena another one, perhaps with a stern warning next time.

However, Draco was not Rowena, and he wasn't ent.i.tled to the immortality potion. He might never get his hands on another one. So, he shouldn't waste this opportunity.

CRAs.h.!.+

Before he could take a sip, however, Rowena suddenly charged at him and tossed the wine cup to the floor.

"Rowena?!!!" Draco Roseland's eyes bulged in shock when the cup fell to the floor and shattered. The wine, together with the immortality potion, was now spilled for real. He was too shocked by what happened that he couldn't immediately process what happened. Rowena herself stood in shock, surprised by what she just did.

When he realized what had happened, Draco Roseland turned to Rowena with a furious expression. He grabbed her collar and shook her body hard. "How dare you? How f.u.c.king dare you!!"

People had started coming, and the noises felt like a thousand bees swarming the area. Rowena closed her eyes and screamed.

"Aaahhhh!!!"

"I have told you, child, if you shoot me down, I am going to take you down with me," Draco Roseland hissed in Rowena's ear. "Now, you have to fix this mess and get me another immortality potion, or I will tell Raphael and his parents how you deceive them, and you seduce their son to take advantage of their magic."

Rowena's body trembled at hearing this. From the corner of her eyes, she could see the worried Raphael walking briskly toward them. At that moment, she realized she was cornered. In a few more seconds, her father would humiliate her and tell everyone more lies to punish her, and Raphael would be disappointed in her.

She couldn't bear to see Raphael's hurt and betrayed look when Draco spouted more lies about her.

"I hate you so much..." Rowena cried without a sound.

Before Draco realized what had happened, Rowena had picked up the biggest gla.s.s shard from the floor and stabbed it into his heart.

STAB!

"Y-you...?" Draco's eyes bulged when the gla.s.s shard pierced his heart. He didn't expect his meek daughter would dare to stab him like this. He raised his index finger and pointed at her in disbelief. "How dare... you...!"

"Hey! Look! She just stabbed her own father!"

Someone's cry moved Rowena from her daze. She instantly fled with tears streaming down hard. At that moment, somehow, she felt like she had an extra power that gave wings to her feet, and she could run so fast.

"What just happened?!!"

"Gos.h.!.+ Is she out of her mind?!"

Rowena didn't want Raphael to see her in this state. So, she left in a hurry. She just killed her own father. She didn't know if Draco would survive since the room was filled with powerful G.o.ds.

Perhaps the G.o.d of healing was there and could immediately cure him. If Draco died, Rowena's reputation was tarnished forever, and it would ruin Raphael's too, by extension.

If Draco survived, Rowena could imagine how much worse it would be for her. Draco would hold such a deep grudge that he would make it his mission to torture Rowena and inflict more misery on her.

It was best if she left.

"Rowena!! Wait!" Raphael was too late. When he arrived at the scene, he only found Draco on the floor, clutching his chest. Blood streamed down from the open wound on his chest. His face paled, and his lips went blue so fast.

When he saw Raphael, Draco immediately gripped his leg. His voice was choked, but he forced himself to speak. "Ra-Raphael... I'm sorry..."

Raphael wanted to chase after Rowena, but he couldn't possibly let his future father-in-law die in front of him without doing anything. So he crouched down and held the man's arm. His heart was filled with so much worry and confusion. What exactly happened? Why did Rowena stab her father? He needed answers.

"Why are you saying sorry?" asked Raphael.

People had crowded around them, and someone shouted to call Esper, the G.o.d of healing, for help. Draco's gaze clouded. He was searching for Minnerva's presence and didn't find her anywhere.

Perhaps she was at the far end of the room and didn't hear the commotion. Draco didn't want to die before he could at least lay his eyes on the woman he loved again.

d.a.m.n you, Rowena! He cursed inwardly. His mortal wound was giving him unbearable pain, and it made him feel so mad. He was much bigger and stronger than his daughter so he could have easily overcome Rowena. However, the element of surprise was something that he didn't put into the calculation.

Now, not only did he fail to get the immortality potion, but he also had to die such a painful and embarra.s.sing death in the hands of his own daughter.

No... as he said, if he went down, he would take Rowena down with him. That wench shouldn't experience a happy ever after, after what she did to him.

Draco gritted his teeth. He tried to fake a concerned smile and squeezed Raphael's arm. "Forgive me... for my daughter's actions. I... I should have... been honest... with you... about her intention. She did all this... because... because of her love... for Julian..."

"What?" Queen Lilith's voice interrupted Draco's words. She had arrived at the scene and was shocked to hear what the man was saying. "What do you mean she loves another man?"

Draco looked at Queen Lilith apologetically, "I am very sorry, Your Majesty... I didn't raise my daughter properly... She grew up without a mother and..., and I have failed my wife in taking care of her..."

Raphael felt his heart was like stabbed by the same gla.s.s shard that was piercing through Draco Roseland's heart.

He knew how much Rowena cared about Julian, and he even suspected that she loved that man. However, hearing it from the mouth of Draco himself, the father of the woman he loved, hurt more than he thought it would.

"No... mother," Raphael turned to Queen Lilith and spoke in Rowena's defense. However, even his voice didn't sound convincing. "Julian is her best friend. There must be a misunderstanding."

"Tell me, Draco, what actually happened?" Queen Lilith had become frantic. She was so upset at hearing that Rowena didn't actually love Raphael. Spilling the immortality potion at this point had become a trivial matter to her compared to what Draco was saying.

"Your Majesty... my foolish daughter thought the immortality potion from Cretea could bring back her dead boyfriend..." Draco spoke with his last remaining breath, trying to be as clear as possible. "That's why... when she found out from her uncle Jadeith that Raphael comes from Cretea... she... she decided to seduce him... and get that immortality potion for Julian..."

Queen Lilith stared at Draco in horror. She pressed her lips, and anger was evident in her eyes. She turned to Raphael and asked him angrily. "How could you bring such a woman to our house? To Cretea??"

Raphael was dumbfounded. He didn't expect to hear Draco would say such things about Rowena. Even if it was true, wouldn't a father cover up for his daughter? Why would he do that to his own flesh and blood?

Raphael didn't want to believe Draco's words. Not a single one.

"Mother, there must be a mistake," he insisted. "Rowena is not that kind of person."

Draco hated that he had to die so pathetically like this, but at least he could be happy that before he died, he could punish his stupid daughter for ruining his life.

"I'm sorry..." he said weakly before he closed his eyes. "I have failed as a father..."

He took his last breath when Esper, the G.o.d of healing, finally arrived. The man was sleeping in his home because he was never big on parties when suddenly a royal messenger came knocking on his door and asked him to come on the king's order.

"You're too late, Esper," Queen Lilith criticized the man. "He is dead."

Raphael felt his world crumbling down. What did just happen? Wasn't this supposed to be the happiest night before his wedding to Rowena? Why did Rowena spill the immortality potion if she really wanted it to bring back Julian? And why did she kill her own father?

He couldn't wrap his head around everything. He needed to find Rowena and ask her what had happened. He would never believe the one-sided story from Draco. He knew full well how badly Draco treated Rowena when she was younger. Maybe even until his death Draco still wanted to hurt Rowena.

Yeah... that must be it. Raphael would always believe Rowena over Draco Roseland.

"I need to find Rowena," he muttered and quickly walked away from the room.

His mother's shouts and cries didn't stop him from leaving. Unfortunately, when he arrived outside, he didn't see even Rowena's shadow. Raphael looked around him in worry.

"Ro... where are you?"

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From Missrealitybites:

I went to Vietnam for ten days to have a holiday with my older and younger sisters. Growing up, we were not close. However, now that we're old, we realize that family is number one. So, four years ago, we decided to spend a holiday together every year, just us sisters.

We went to Thailand together in 2018, in 2019, we took our mom holiday in Europe (Holland, Italy, Swiss, and France), and then COVID happened. This year, finally, after all travel restrictions are lifted, we can travel again.

It was great, and I had so much fun. I even got a bit more motivation to write again. Sadly, I got sick right after I returned and have been spending two days at home doing nothing. Sobs. I am taking the time to recuperate by reading and watching shows. I hope I can go back to writing regularly again soon.

Anyway... I think chapter 1000 is best closed with Draco's death, don't you think?