A long time ago, an alluring maiden who was considered the most beautiful woman in the Zionitte Empire existed. Her figure seemed to be carved by the goddess of beauty herself, but her frame wasn't the main feature that captivated the eyes of men and drove women mad with envy. No other woman possessed silvery hair as long and silky as hers. Her hair complimented her rare, porcelain skin. Her left eye was as black as the night sky with swirls of color closely resembling the finest. royal purple silk. In contrast, her right eye was as brown as honey with tints of gold. For those who witnessed her beauty claimed that these exquisite eyes sparkled even without the sun shining down on her face, and that her sleek hair was indeed very luminous. She was ethereal. No one in that universe possessed her resplendent features. The beautiful maiden was called Caelina, which means heaven.

Caelina was engaged to the Crown Prince of the great Zionitte empire.

Unfortunately, her outer appearance did not match her inner self, for she was cruel and selfish. Caelina did not know how to love and did not understand the differences between good and bad. Even Laith, the Crown Prince. didn't love her, and he abandoned Caelina for a another woman, named Zavia. This woman was not a beauty, yet she melted the hearts of the first and second tyrannical prince using her gentle and good-natured charms.

Filled with disbelief and jealousy. Caelina brought chaos into the world, and the city became engulfed with flames. The second prince pierced Caelina's heart and extinguished the fire which saved the city. The second prince himself wasn't the hero of this story and met a tragic death after his heart turned black from murder and Zavia's rejection. He was killed by Laith himself.

Zavia then became a prosperous and benevolent Queen alongside Laith, and they lived happily ever after.

The moral lesson of this story was that looks do not matter, and one should always strive for a virtuous life.

2020

Somewhere in the Middle East, a woman was reading a fictional book she bought from a night bazaar. She was perched on a rock in a desert oasis and slowly reading the contents.

There was a man sitting next to her with a loving smile

plastered on his face. He brushed a strand of hair away

from her face and asked.

"What are you reading. Yeon-Woo?"

"A book of myths"

"Read it later when we go back to Korea and play with me" The man pouted.

The woman looked up and smiled at his childish remark. "Sorry. husband. I just wanted to read a short story before heading out. I couldn't resist."

"How was the story?"

"Shitty"

Confused, the man didn't ask why and lead his wife to their next destination. While they walked back to their hotel, a piece of paper secretly slipped out from the book and fell to the ground until it was buried in the sand.

Maybe in another parallel universe we are together.

This was one of the last memories Yeon-Woo recalled before boarding an airplane that crashed into the ocean. inevitably killing her and her husband.

Yeon-Woo reincarnated in a different life and began as a baby, except her past memories were still intact. She was very upset with this situation especially since she loved her past life and lived very comfortably. She was a genius studying chemical engineering and entrepreneurship. She even experienced love and traveled the world with this man. Her heart ached whenever she thought about her husband now. She missed him dearly and spent the first few months crying as she realized she'd never see him again.

I wonder where he is and whether he reincarnated like me.

Yeon-Woo seemed to have reincarnated into the past as a middle eastern woman. Soon after she was born. she was immediately moved to a dome building filled with Indian, Persian, and Islamic influences. This was the Zion Imperial Palace, and the entrance gateway made up of marble and Persian mosaic tiles greeted her. There were multiple. golden copula towers surrounding two significantly larger dome structures made of white marble. As she came close to these architectures, she could see the beautiful lotus inlays and calligraphy that decorated the palace. This palace complex included multiple pavilions surrounded by lagoons, and exquisite works of marble fountains, statues, and pillars. As she entered one of the main dome buildings. She saw the ribbed vaults of the dome on the ceiling above and stared at the polygonal space in the center in awe.

There were men and women dressed in loose-fitted garments gawking at her in surprise and disbelief. She couldn't help but stare back at the women covered in gold jewels and rich fabrics. They looked exotic to her. The people here possessed tanned skin with well defined features. Their curly hair paired with brown eyes were different from how she looked as a Korean woman. Yeon-Woo wondered if she was as beautiful as those women.

She couldn't exactly tell which country she was in, but the only information she could gather was that she was somewhere in the middle east, and had reincarnated into the past. She safely assumed she was wealthy since she was living in this marvelous palace with servants taking care of her every day. Since she was a baby, she couldn't understand this foreign language, but she did figure out her name since the servants here continuously repeated this particular word whenever they were tending to her. They called her Caelina.

She was uncomfortable and dreading her future life since she had transitioned from a world filled with advanced technology and liberal beliefs into a conservative past filled with blood and war. Not to mention there were no toilets or showers here. She decided not to dwell on this matter, and tried her best to erase the discomfort and depressing thoughts.

She continued to live idly as a baby in the palace until she was 5 years old. As she became familiar with this world and proficiently learned the language, she received various background information and could figure out her current situation. Her mother had died giving birth to her, and her father abandoned her at the emperor's palace as the crown prince's future fiance. Although her father's abandonment might be considered as an exaggeration, he had never paid her a visit since she was born. Currently, she was under a strict schedule from tutors who taught her how to speak eloquently and have proper etiquette before being introduced to the Emperor and Crown Prince.

Strangely enough, her world felt oddly familiar, and she was filled with suspicion and contemplating whether she was the ethereal Caelina from the book of myths she had read in her previous life. This foreboding thought was impossible and so absurd that she immediately erased this idea. Despite denying this dreadful thought. she refused to look at her own reflection and strayed away from any reflective surfaces. She was very scared. especially since she could see her silvery strands of hair from the corner of her eyes.

When Caelina was formally presented to the Emperor Michaelis I and the Crown Prince, she found out that she had indeed reincarnated into the beautiful Caelina. The Crown Prince introduced himself as her fiance. Laith. Caelina couldn't handle the amount of stress overwhelming her tiny frame, and she fainted in front of the royal family.

I guess it wasn't a myth after all.

(this story is from Wattpad!)

Yeon-Woo is now Caelina but will be referred to as Celine as a nickname*****

There was a small pavilion hidden within the marble palace. One could only discover this pavilion by crossing an arched bridge that stretched from Caelina's residence to the east wing of the palace. Not many people came to this secluded area since it was too close to the east wing of the palace where the previous concubine from Krastia had been brutally murdered. This was the Krastian garden that the Emperor has gifted her.

Hibiscus and sakura flowers bloomed in the warm. spring air around the pavilion. This was a Japanese style botanical garden, and the only spot in the entire palace complex that grew East Asian flowers and trees. which gave Yeon-Woo a sense of comfort and nostalgia. Not only did she care for these gardens, but she often reminisced memories from her past lover. Her lover had loved hibiscus flowers. Now, he was gone and she would never see him again. She had also left her single mother alone in that world. She couldn't bare to imagine what her mother's reaction would have been. Although she dearly missed her husband and mother. Yeon-woo could only clutch the hibiscus flowers close to her heart and cherish her memories.

Her new reality was cruel. Yeon-Woo was placed into a different time period with the knowledge of her impending death. This world was unfamiliar and Yeon-Woo'd mental health gradually deteriorated. Yeon-Woo's once lively soul ceased to exist, and her emotions turned numb and grim.

Caelina sat near the shaded area of the arched bridged and watched the river flow peacefully. She looked almost celestial in her white dress, with silvery hair swaying in the wind as she peered down at the river to see her own reflection. A set of purple and golden colored eyes stared back at her. They seemed to be sparkling.

I really am ethereal, impossibly perfect. flawless. Tm more beautiful than Song Hye Kyo, she thought. She was in awe of her small face. perfect nose, rosy lips, and flushed cheeks.

She felt a surge of pride and satisfaction as she realized that she truly would grow up to be the most beautiful woman in the empire. It was truly a wonderful feeling. She almost forgot the pain of the past and the foreboding future when she peered at her own reflection.

"Celinel"

A tiny boy with ruffled, blonde hair called Caelina by a familiar nickname. She turned around and saw the Crown Prince. laith. Although this little boy was merely 6 years old, the gold color from his cat-like shaped eyes shined brightly, and his blonde hair almost seemed to be translucent under the sun. He resembled a baby lion bathing underneath the sun. Jaith and Caelina beth appeared to be otherworldly beings when they were side by side. She often wondered why Laith and her were the only ones with distinct characteristics. The tutors told her it was because they were blessed by the gods themselves. but it genetically did not make sense to her.

Their unique features were unsettling especially since humans should not have purple and golden eyes. let alone silver hair.

Ever since they were introduced to one another, he was immediately sent to her palace everyday as a playmate. At first. Caelina was wary, or at least as wary as a 5 year old could be, but laith was far from her expectations. He was warm and pure. They got along quite well and he even became attached to her. Now, she couldn't even imagine how this bubbly child could coldly abandon her in the future.

Although Laith kept her company, he was also her only friend. Her father still hadn't paid her a visit, and she truly didn't care. Even the Emperor Michaelis I was a terrible father, although Jaith also didn't seem to mind his father's absence. Since she had laith and his persistent visits, she was never too lonely. It was probably the same for Laith.

Perhaps the original Caelina was an evil person because she received no parental guidance or love. Living in luxury and being treated as a princess could essentially produce a spoiled and arrogant adult too.

Caelina was also living in a different Universe altogether. These lands were similar to middle eastern art and history, but the countries had different names. Emperor Michaelis I ruled over the Zionitte Empire that stretched from Zax to Nour, which was the capital she was currently living in. Basically, the Emperor ruled over all of the middle eastern lands. They owned major trade routes and was even considered the wealthiest empire due to their textiles and spices.

What was even more shocking to Caelina were the supernatural beings that existed in this world. Next to her shadow, she could see a smaller shadow outlining a figure of another being. Sometimes this shadow hid in her shadows and disappeared from everyone's sight. The tutor had told her that this extra shadow was her familiar and it would give her strength. Only royal family members and certain nobles had familiars, which made Caelina extremely lucky to have one. Caelina's familiar was a golden Koi fish. As soon as the royal court officials and citizens discovered that her familiar was a fish. they started to look down on her and deemed her as a worthless beauty with the weakest familiar in history. There hadn't been a single person in history who had a fish as a familiar.

The Emperor had also laughed in his booming voice and remarked. "As expected of a woman, but since laith is a lion, he will protect you."

Caelina ignored their criticism and insults, for she knew what her familiar was capable of. She also avoided conflict since women were treated differently and could easily be killed and discarded without punishment. Therefore, she always masked her face so no one could see her distorted face. She also created a pure and innocent facade with the Emperor and Crown Prince out of fear. Therefore, Caelina was always on guard and alert. She never let her true colors show.

With an innocent smile Laith asked Caelina. "What are you doing here?"

Laith followed her gaze and saw their clear reflections from the river. They stood side by side and observed their angelic forms staring back at them. They wore matching. loose-fitted white garments, and the folds of the silky fabrics flowed elegantly against the wind while the tall. marble palace stood behind them.

How majestic, she thought.

"We must be blinding to others when we're together." Caelina said nonchalantly.

Laith blinked and tilted his head as if he didn't understand, then smiled and took her hand.

"Let's play!"

After chasing each other around for a long time. Laith became tired more quickly than usual. His eyes seemed droopy and he looked like a sad puppy.

Caelina paused and held his hand. "What's wrong?"

Laith widened his eyes, then he looked down at their entangled hands and smiled shyly.

"I found out that I have a little brother. He's three years old."

He's born already? So he's only 2 years younger than me?

Caelina froze and stood still. Her face was blank but her

head was clouded with anxious thoughts.

".... have you met him yet?"

Laith shook his head. "Father won't let me, he's in the east wing of the palace."

The east wing of the palace was coined as the abandoned, cold palace. Caelina felt pity towards this newborn prince who also seemed to be an abandoned child. She had to visit the second prince as soon as possible and befriend him.

"Maybe he can play with us later on."

Laith never replied and looked as if he was holding something back. Then he changed the topic and they chatted over something else.