Dear Immortal Tyrant

'We are the main characters of our stories.'

Lina reminded herself of such a thing when the choices fell through her fingers. When Atlantis refused to divorce her on paper, when Kaden showed up in every face she'd see at the bar, Lina would repeat this quote to herself. . 

In her youth, Lina realized how stupid she was. Lina had even contemplated getting married at a young age and abandoning her dreams. She was planning on taking online courses that could hinder her choices in the future. 

Had Lina stayed with Kaden, Lina wondered if she would've gotten her dream job, if her hard work would be recognized as her own, or would it have been credited to Kaden's connections.

Lina was glad that she had left both men at the altar. She no longer minded the blood on her wedding dress, the smoke in the air, and the bullets on the ground.

Lina never regretted her choices.

"Lina Yang was it?"

No one called her by her full name anymore. It was just Lina. Or, Director Lina. Never Director Yang. Never Miss Yang. Always Lina. Or, if they were irritating, Limitless Lina. She found that nickname both horrendous and hilarious at the same time. Albeit, a little cringe too.

"Atlantis talks about you."

Lina hoped this wasn't a catfight. They were too old for that.

"So does Kaden."

Lina realized this woman was close with both of them. It must've been on an extremely personal level if she was allowed to call both of them by their names. The woman said such a thing like it was no big deal.

"I see you live up to their words."

At this, Lina raised a brow. She slowly turned around. Instantly, Lina was shot in the heart. She was at a loss for words. It took every cell in Lina's body not to react.

"Princess," Lina said under her breath, feeling her ground shake. In the blurry photos, Lina didn't see it. But in person, she did.

Lina could feel her resolution grow unsteady. Her limbs were heavy. Her heart was still.

Standing before Lina was Prince Kade's younger and most beloved sister. The woman was the spitting image of Kade's younger sister, the one that was kidnapped by Atlan, and died during the transport back. 

A dead woman was walking.

No, Lina corrected herself. The pitiful little Princess was reincarnated.

'Into a good life, at that,' Lina thought to herself.

"You're even more beautiful in person," the heiress stated. "Atlantis was right about you. It is no wonder he still hasn't moved on."

Lina didn't know what to say. Now that the woman was close and personal, instead of from a distance like earlier with Atlantis, she saw her features perfectly. 

"That little picture by Kaden's bedroom doesn't do you justice," she continued on. "At all."

She'd been in Kaden's bedroom. 

"You are…?" Estella pressed, in Lina's stead.

Estella never wanted Lina's hand to be dirtied with work like this. Especially after what Lina had done for Estella. 

"You must live under a rock," the woman mused, her ruby-red lips curled. "My name is Mia Li."

"Pleasure to meet you, Mia," Lina stated, sticking out her hand.

"Wow, you greet so professionally," Mia laughed, taking the hand and shaking it. "If I had known better, I'd think you were somebusinesswomann instead of an art curator."

Lina couldn't tell if it was an insult. "I see."

Mia's eyes flashed with amusement. She pulled away, her lips pursed in a slight smile. Brushing her hair behind her ears, she naively blinked.

"Unluckily for me, I'm in the same boat as you used to be," Mia said with a heavy sigh. "I'm being pressured to take over my family's business."

"I see."

Who the hell told her that Lina was pressured as well? This woman was either intentionally revealing this information or she was just dumb as hell. 

Lina had never wondered what the little Princess would look like when she grew up, but she never pictured the features to be so similar to Kaden. In fact, Lina was surprised to hear Mia wasn't a DeHaven. Perhaps it was for the better that Mia wasn't related to Kaden.

Lina knew history would repeat itself. If Atlantis knew Mia, some random woman, was Kaden's sister, Lina couldn't imagine what would happen. 

"You're so cold," Mia said with a wrinkle of her nose. "I'm guessing your quote in the Women's Magazine a few weeks ago was a lie, you know, the one about women supporting women." 

"We've just met, what is there to be cold about?" Lina mused.

Mia slowly blinked in realization. "True."

"Director, we must leave, the meeting will start soon," Estella emphasized, even though they still had a few minutes.

Lina nodded her head.

"Pleasure to meet you," Mia said. "I'll be sure to tell Kaden and Atlantis."

Lina said nothing. She turned on her heels and walked off, feeling Mia's eyes staring her down. Lina didn't know how to react around Mia. On one end, she felt a tinge of guilt for what happened to the little Princess. 

On the other hand, Lina was happy for Mia, who was reincarnated into a wealthy family that'd take good care of her. On the next, she wondered to what extent Mia was pressured to lead her family business.

"She was a blabbermouth," Estella stated once they were out of earshot.

"A bit."

"That's the woman from the gossip columns, isn't it?" Estella continued.

"I suppose."

"How do you feel about her?" Estella asked.

"Like meeting a fan," Lina said.

"Pft." Estella held back a laugh that'd have echoed down the quiet museum. "Good thing she didn't ask for an autograph then, your handwriting needs improvement."

"At least you didn't call it chicken scratch this time," Lina retorted.

"Just because I didn't say it doesn't mean I don't think it," Estella returned. "We're out in public, director."

Lina's lips curled in response. She had tried her best to improve her writing style and practiced it every day, but at some point, she was too busy to continue improving. From her frequent meetings with clients, discussions with artists, everything piled up, she rarely had time for herself. But Lina loved her occupation far too much to complain.

"Oh!" Estella chirped. "We've spent too much time in the Second King of Ritan's section, we've yet to visit the newly unearthed artifacts area. Since we have a few minutes to spare, should we visit and capture photos for Isabelle?"

Lina debated the idea. They were currently at a crossroad of hallways. She could turn to the left to visit the artifacts of the 1900s, or the right with paintings from the early eras, and the list went on.

"Let's go," Lina decided, even though she had let the journalist inside the museum.

Lina wondered if the journalist was successful. Lina hoped the irritable big shot wasn't inside of the section at the time the journalist visited, or else the poor employee would be sweating buckets.

"This way," Estella stated, as the two walked down the quiet museum together. Their heels were soft and quiet, but in the emptiness, the noise was amplified, reaching even the end of the corridor.

Lina's mood soured when she saw who was outside. Kaden's secretary, Sebastian. Before Lina could turn away, Sebastian turned his head.

Sebastian saw her.