Board Thread:Character Discussion/@comment-25355646-20140828223515/@comment-1894786-20140928034625

Cora was like 2 months pregnant with Zelena when she met Leopold. She quickly got him to care about her, so she probably slept with him off-screen. Contrary to what the media and religion might lead you to believe, most couples in those days did what Cora and Jonathon did. Consumate in the engagement rather than the marriage. It was very rare for a princess to go to her marriage bed a virgin, and no prince ever went to his a virgin. So even if the wedding didn't happen immediately, she still could've passed off Zelena as Leopold's.

By the way, Cora was buried in Henry's fake tomb. And the dead aren't affected by the Curse, as stated in "The Doctor". Cora's body remained in the Maine woods, as did Johanna's, Billy's, and anyone else who died during the first 2 seasons in Storybrooke. They would've properly been reburied when the Curse re-struck thanks to Snow, however.

So no. Zelena never saw her mother's dead body. I do have a headcanon that Zelena did meet Cora at least once in Wonderland. I mean, she had the slippers (briefly) so there's no way she didn't go to Wonderland to at least meet Cora.