Chapter 17: Don't Curse Me

Lina blinked. Once. Twice. Thrice. This god damn bastard—

"Don't curse me hard with your eyes. They'll fall out," Kaden taunted her.

Lina would've thought he was teasing her, but she was staring at him so intensely, he might as well be speaking the truth.

Lina glanced at Kaden's clean-cut outfit, where his crisp white-button up was blinding. Kaden's sleeves were rolled up, revealing his toned forearms and the veins that popped.

Kaden was so handsome, even the Gods would ask him for beauty tips.

"And trust me, you wouldn't want that," Kaden drawled, his voice dripping with mischief.

His eyes flickered at her outfit, short enough to give him nice access to a good spank for wearing something so short in a cold museum.

"And why's that?" Lina demanded.

"You need eyes to cry and gawk at me, don't you?"

Lina gasped at his audacious words. "I do not cry and gawk at you!"

In two long strides, Kaden was in front of her. Her voice died in her throat. Lina found herself fumbling for words, staring up at him.

Kaden towered over her, a wall of muscle and steel, but in the best way possible. Her heart skipped when they made eye contact.

His fine lips curled just slightly, amusement flickering in his dangerous gaze. He smelled amazing. Heat radiated off of his body, revealing he must've had a temper.

"What was that?" Kaden cooed, tilting his head.

Lina opened and closed her mouth, suddenly forgetting her train of thought near him.

Lina breathed through her nose to clear her mind, but it was an immediate mistake. His masculine and dominating scent flooded her insides.

"I-I—"

"That's what I thought, my dear dove," Kaden muttered.

Kaden wasn't even touching her and she already seemed weak to the knees. A ghost of a smile lingered on his face.

To praise her for being focused on him, he reached a hand out and stroked the hair away from her features, revealing her trembling gaze.

Kaden made sure to not touch her skin and only her hair. Her lashes fluttered and immediately, he glanced at her mouth. Her breath quickened.

"Now, be a doll and step aside. You're blocking my path." Kaden didn't wait for her to move.

Kaden simply shoved past Everett, not once looking back to see the mess he had made of her.

Lina fumed on the inside. The second he left, the spell was broken. She chided herself for falling so hopelessly into his trap. She might as well have skipped her way into the lion's jaw!

"I'm sorry," Lina breathed out. This was a blind date with Everett. Yet again, it was interrupted by Kaden. Yet again, she was drawn to a man that wasn't her date.

"I don't blame you," Everett said.

Lina's head snapped to him. 'Don't tell me… He batted for the other team?!'

"His cologne was really overpowering, so I'd have the same reaction trying to not breathe it in," Everett told her, offering a gentle smile.

R-right… strong cologne.

Something told Lina it was Kaden's natural scent, like the forest after a rainstorm. She returned Everett's smile and together, they walked into the museum.

Lina was completely oblivious to Everett's expression, dark and deceiving, as a small crowd of people was beginning to approach in the far distance.

If another predator kept on coming for his prey, he was just going to corner the prey.

- - - - -

As they toured through the museum, Lina's prediction came through. They had closed off the majority of the museum, except for the most popular spots. This made her wonder exactly why Kaden was here.

Unsurprisingly, the things she was learning recently were the exact locations being toured.

"Ah, I have a cousin who goes to your school," Everett said with a grin. "I hear you guys are learning about the Great History of Ritan."

"Y-yeah…" Lina trailed off, not wanting to set foot in this painful part of her first life.

Everything here was giving her deja-vu, and Lina couldn't stand it. There was an aroma in the air too, meant to resemble the streets of ancient Ritan.

"It just so happens I'm going to make changes to the law firm's lobby, so I plan on buying auctioned Ritan artifacts. I'd love to hear your opinion," Everett said. "As a cookie-cutter heir, I am horrible with history."

Lina deeply frowned. How many times was he going to bring that up? She knew it was to lighten the mood, but when she was forced to go on this blind date, they already started on the wrong foot.

"Come now," Everett grinned, thinking she was just excited and didn't know where to begin.

Everett reached for her wrist, but she quickly dodged it by dragging her brother's blazer down.

"It's cold," Lina lied, beginning to button Milo's blazer.

Lina was beginning to think of a way to escape this date, in hopes that it'd deter Everett's interest in her. She was debating between letting him down nicely or rudely.

Besides, Lina was extremely worried. This morning, she hadn't touched anyone. Her clairvoyance ability could activate at any given moment. And she'd rather not faint in front of Everett.

"Oh, I will contact the manager immediately," Everett said, pulling out his phone.

"No need," Lina said, not wanting to inconvenience the museum more than they already did. They were already beginning to garner curious glances from the pedestrians since they were standing in the restricted and reserved area.

"Let's go and look for new decoration pieces," Lina said. She wondered exactly how Everett planned to get his hands on these priceless antiques, but wasn't interested to find out.

As they began to browse the section and her giving small explanations here and there, they eventually reached a spot that froze Lina's entire body. Her eyes trembled at the sight of a painting.

"Woah," Everett muttered, peering at the portrait of the "enemy" Princess of Ritan.

There was no mention of her name anywhere, except the simple identification of "Portrait: She, Who Got Away."

"This woman has such similar features to you," Everett told, awestruck by the beauty of this painting. The fine lines of her hair, the delicate strokes of her features, there had never been a Princess as beautiful as her in history. He'd know for certain.

"It's almost as if you were a Princess in your past life, which isn't a surprise given your beauty," Everett complimented her.

Lina tore her eyes away from the drawing and towards the name card of the piece.

"Hm, it was drawn by the Second King of Ritan," Everett commented, looking at the artist. "What a surprise. I didn't think such a barbaric warlord would have the abilities to even hold a paintbrush, much less, make such delicate lines."

"The Second King was always good with his fingers," Lina whispered.

"What?" Everett was baffled by her words.

Lina's eyes went wide with panic.

"I mean, he was known to be one of the most powerful knights the country has ever seen. Poets dedicate their lives to writing his story, bards destroy their throats to sing of him, and storytellers talk until their breathless about him. Surely, he'd have good hands to draw," Lina babbled, hoping he didn't realize how nervous she sounded from the accidental slip of the tongue.

"Sounds like you admire the Second King of Ritan very much," Everett noticed.

Everett glanced at her and wondered why she seemed so emotional. It was just art. No need to get that sentimental. He supposed seeing someone so passionate about their interest was a fascinating thing to witness.

"I'll keep that in mind," Everett said. "It's the small details that matter."

Lina didn't respond. Her throat tightened at the mention of the artist, for she remembered this exact moment. It was a memory she'd cherish for the rest of her life.

The most painful memory isn't the parting. It was not knowing this would be the last time you'll get to see them, ever again.