IN ANOTHER LIFE // Harry Styles

The Painting

Warning: There's obviously no English monarch in history named Edward Rammour (chose the name Edward because, duh? Harry Edward Styles) nor a famous painter named Piersilvio, I didn't want to offend anyone with historical inaccuracies so I made everything up. Don't come at me, please. Oh, and Harry's still famous in this.

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They said in London you were never far from a museum, there were over 170 of them, including some of the world's finest which attracted a countless number of visitors every single day. While most people came to these places to witness historical events and people revive in exhibits, some others showed up and brought history back to life.

"And this one, this one is my favorite!" a young man exclaimed to his friend as they stopped in front of a big painting of an English monarch in the 16th century. Just like any royal member in portraits, the man stood tall and proud with his shoulders pulled back and a stern look on his face, still the softness in his eyes made him peculiarly human-like.

"Wow, Jason, this painting is so real..." the girl commented. The more she looked into this character's eyes, the more hooked she was for some unknown reason. Either the artist of this masterpiece was truly gifted for making his painting look so alive, or there was just something not ordinary about this piece.

"This is the work of Piersilvio, a world-famous Italian painter at the time, a gift for the King on his coronation day," narrated Jason as he studied the look on his best friend's face, her excitement got him beaming. This wasn't the reaction he would get from the other girls. "Edward Rammour was a great King, he only married once in his life, but since the Queen couldn't give birth to an heir, he was the last monarch in the House of Rammour."

"Sounds tragic."

"They said he was cursed."

"Cursed?"

"Yes, Y/N, cursed. Some documents mentioned that Edward had never loved the Queen, before he was crowned King, he'd been in love with a peasant girl who ended up executed. They said she was a witch and before she died, she'd put a curse on Prince Edward so he would forever live an unhappy life without her in it."

Y/N stared at her friend with her mouth agape, batting her eyelashes before she burst out laughing. "You almost got me, J!"

"No, it was true!" Jason shook his head. "Um, actually I'm not sure if it's true, but they did say that online!"

Rolling her eyes, Y/N playfully patted his cheek and giggled. "Never trust everything you read online, J."

"Okay, but you gotta admit it sounds kind of cool," Jason asserted, staring at the portrait in awe.

Y/N didn't believe in her friend's story, however, she did have a strange feeling every time she made eye contact with the monarch in this painting. It creeped her out, and she didn't want to be there any longer. So she tugged at Jason's sleeve and told him they should probably go, then both headed towards the next exhibits.

Not so long after they had left, another group of four visitors also stopped by the same painting of Edward Rammour. They stood exactly where Y/N and Jason had as they admired the work.

"Edward Rammour sure looked hot when he was young."

"Oh, please, Sarah, I look much better!"

Sarah rolled her eyes at her boyfriend and turned to the others to ask for their opinions. "Jeff, Harry, what do you think? Who looks better, Mitch or this guy here?"

"I'll go with this guy, because Harry will definitely choose Mitch, right Haz?" Jeff asked, but when he heard only silence, he turned around and saw the youngest member in the group still texting on the phone.

"Jesus, put your phone away, mate!" Mitch grumbled.

Harry was still too occupied to even look up when he said, "Just a minute, I have to reply to Lillie."

Mitch heaved a sigh. Without warning, he snatched the phone from Harry's hands, causing the famous singer to gasp in shock. Harry's quick attempt to get his phone back was prevented for Mitch was faster to already had it shoved into Sarah's handbag, which he was holding.

"Text your girlfriend when you get home, mate! You've been on the phone ever since we got into the car!"

"Alright, alright, no more texting," Harry gave Mitch his word, then crossed his arms and turned to the artwork at last. "What were you guys saying about this painting again?"

"Sarah said this guy over here looked better than me!"

Harry breathed out a chuckle as he assured his older friend, "It's only a painting, he probably didn't look like this in real life. So I'd say you are more good-looking."

"No way! These facial features seem pretty real to me!" Sarah argued, then leaned closer to get a better look at the details on the piece of art. The moment she turned back and locked eyes with Harry, her smile vanished all at once.

"What?" Harry was so confused by Sarah's reaction. She had to look back and forth a couple more times at the painting and then at him to make sure she made no mistake before drawing the conclusion.

"Harry, the eyes in this painting are identical to yours!"

Sarah's discovery caught the attention of the whole group. Everyone stepped closer to observe the features on the masterpiece to compare with their friend's. No one, apart from Harry himself, could disagree, for the eyes in the artwork were Harry's carbon copy.

"I don't see it! You guys are just messing with me!" Harry breathed out a heavy laugh in response, still his friends insisted him on taking a second look because they were all sure there was not a single difference.

Mitch said something, then it was Sarah, then Jeff added something else in the conversation and all three of them burst into laughter. However, Harry could not make out a single word they said. All of their voices seemed to be muffled by his own thoughts for he was now too drawn to this unusual painting to pay attention to anything else.

Out of nowhere, a random person bumped hard into Harry, forcing him to snap back to reality in an instant! He didn't even catch a glimpse of her face because the girl ran off as soon as she'd mumbled a quick apology to him.

"Y/N! Wait, I'm sorry!" A young man called out when the girl reached the exit of the room, apparently, he was going after her.

The pair disappeared behind the door, leaving four people here confused, and a bit amused by what had just happened. It wouldn't have been something too bizarre if they hadn't been in an art museum, but dramatic couples could cause a scene anywhere so Harry didn't think much of that. He turned back to his friends and suggested they should probably go now.

So the group happily moved on to the next painting. For an unknown reason still, Harry couldn't stop thinking about the King's portrait.