Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]
Chapter 117 117: Walk of Shame

Electra's Pov

The walk from the rooftop to the dormitory felt like the longest, most terrifying journey of my life. Every step was painful, not just from the physical exhaustion of having spent the entire night in the cold, but from the humiliation that came with walking around with my butt cheeks on display.

My tired feet scraped against the floor of the classroom hallways, and I could feel every pair of eyes that turned to look at me.

Nobody said anything. Nobody dared to.

But their wide eyes, their gasping, and the occasional muffled laugh were more than enough for me. I could almost hear their thoughts, their judgments, their pity. Why is she walking around like that? What happened to her?

I hated every single one of them. Hated their looks, their silence, their refusal to help. Not a single one of them had the decency to offer me a jacket or even a scarf to cover myself. They just stared, wide-eyed and gawking, like I was some kind of circus act put on for their entertainment.

Elysium Girls High truly is hell, I thought bitterly, my arms wrapped tightly around myself in a feeble attempt to shield my body from the cold and their prying eyes. In a place like this, where power was currency and higher status was survival, being a nobody, or low-ranked, was like having a contagious disease. No one wanted to get close. No one wanted to help.

I let out a dry, humorless chuckle at the thought. Even in my humiliation, even as I felt the burn of a thousand imaginary daggers stabbing into my pride, I couldn't help but find the absurdity of it all amusing. Just a week ago, I had been Electra Vale, and now, I was… this. I'd never get tired of reminding myself of who I was, because the last thing I wanted to do was get used to being this person, whoever the hell she was.

When I finally reached the dormitory building, I heaved a sigh of relief, my chest tight and aching. The hallways were thankfully empty, except for a couple of hall cleaners who barely spared me a glance.

I didn't know if their indifference was intentional or if they were just that used to seeing weird things at this school, but I was grateful for it. After the walk of shame I'd just gone through, their lack of interest felt like a gift.

I hurried down the hallway toward my room, and the entire time, I was hyperaware of my state—my very untidy hair, my raw skin, and the way my underwear clung to me uncomfortably. I wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and disappear for the rest of the year, but the thought of lying in this underwear, and in this state, was unbearable.

When I reached my door, I hesitated for a moment, half-expecting one of my roommates to appear and add another layer to my misery, but when I pushed the door open, the room was empty.

A small, shaky breath of relief escaped me.

I didn't waste any time. I rushed to the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind me and locking it. The sight of my reflection in the mirror made me wince—I looked like a ghost, pale and hollow-eyed, my hair a mess and my skin blotchy from the cold.

I didn't bother taking off my underwear before stepping into the shower. I turned the hot water on as high as it would go and stood there under the stream, letting it burn my skin. The heat was a shock at first, but as it seeped into my frozen body, I felt the tension in my muscles begin to melt away.

A long sigh escaped me, the sound almost guttural because of the strong sense of relief I felt.

The hot water was the first kindness I'd felt since this nightmare from last night till this morning, and I took it in greedily. It didn't erase the humiliation, didn't undo the damage, but it was something. It was warm, and it was mine, and right now, that was enough.

Time seemed to blur as I stayed there, letting the water calm me, but that was until I heard it.

"Electra?" a voice called out, faint but unmistakable. My shoulders stiffened, and I blinked, confused. Who was calling me?

"Electra, are you in here?" the voice called again, louder this time.

I turned the water off, my ears perking up as I tried to place it. It took a moment, but then it clicked. Yuna.

Letting out a frustrated grunt, I pressed my palm against my face. "I'm in the bathroom!" I shouted back, hoping that would stop her from yelling my name over and over like a broken record.

There was a pause, and I thought she might've left, but her muffled voice came again. "Oh! Okay… I'll wait."

I rolled my eyes and leaned against the wall for a moment, letting out a long sigh. The last thing I needed right now was Yuna's overly concerned, overly sweet demeanor, but since she clearly wasn't leaving, I figured I might as well get it over with.

With an irritated huff, I peeled off my soaked underwear and tossed it aside before grabbing the soap and giving myself a proper bath. Once I was clean, I reached for one of the towels hanging nearby, wrapping it tightly around myself. My body still felt weak and tired, but I pushed through it, stepping out of the bathroom and back into the room.

Yuna was standing in the middle of the room, looking like she didn't know whether to sit or keep pacing. The moment her eyes landed on me, her face shifted, her brows furrowing with concern and—worst of all—pity.

I stopped in my tracks, my irritation bubbling up again. "What are you doing in my room?" I snapped, my tone harsher than I intended.

Yuna flinched slightly, her eyes widening. "I… I heard what happened," she said nervously. "I wanted to check on you."

Her words only made my irritation spike. Heard what happened? Of course she did. Everyone probably knows by now.

I crossed my arms over my chest, the towel clinging to my damp skin. "So?" I said coldly. "You've seen me. Now you can leave."

Yuna hesitated, shifting awkwardly on her feet. "Electra, I was really worried," she said. "I went to the rooftop to look for you, and when you weren't there, I checked the infirmary. I didn't know where else to go, so I came here."

I narrowed my eyes at her, my jaw tightening. "And now you've found me," I said flatly. "So you can go."