Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]
Chapter 121 121: Out of depth

Seraphina's POV

Irina and Roxana were sprawled across my bed, completely at ease as if they owned the place. Meanwhile, I sat stiffly in the chair by my table, my discomfort evident in every inch of my posture.

I wasn't used to this—having people in my space, treating my room like some kind of hangout spot. Sure, this was supposed to be normal as Seraphina Vale, but for me, the real me? This was exhausting.

They chatted away, laughing about something that had happened in class earlier, but I wasn't really paying attention. My mind was elsewhere, spiraling into the endless mess that had become my life.

Living as Seraphina Vale was supposed to be a step-up, wasn't it? She was royalty, untouchable, and had the kind of authority I could've only dreamed of as Seraphina Hook, and yet, here I was, feeling more trapped and miserable than ever.

Irina, Roxana, and the other girls didn't make it any easier. They were… a lot. Intimidating, brash, and far too intense for my liking. I couldn't see myself ever considering them as friends.

It made me miss Yuna—her warmth, her simplicity, the way she always knew how to make me feel less alone, but now, Yuna was Electra's friend, and even if I wanted to, there was no way I could be close to her again.

The mere thought of it was laughable. Seraphina Vale wouldn't be caught dead associating with someone like Yuna.

Lost in my thoughts, I stared blankly at the floor, letting their conversation fade into the background. My chest felt tight, and the more I thought about it, the more suffocating it all became. I hated this. Hated every second of pretending to be someone I wasn't.

"Seraphina!" Roxana's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

I flinched, my head snapping up to look at her. "What?" I said, my voice sharper than I intended. "Why the hell are you yelling? You're literally two feet away."

Roxana rolled her eyes dramatically, leaning back against the headboard with a smirk. "Maybe if you'd answered me the first ten times I called your name, I wouldn't have had to raise my voice."

I blinked, momentarily caught off guard. Had she really been calling me? I hadn't even noticed. "Well, sorry for not hanging onto your every word," I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Yeah, what's up with you, anyway?" Irina chimed in, her gaze narrowing as she studied me. "You've been looking pale all day. Are you sick or something?"

"I'm fine," I said quickly, my tone defensive.

"You don't look fine," Roxana said, sitting up straighter. "You've been off since this morning, after we let that Electra girl go, and don't even try to deny it."

I scoffed, leaning back in my chair and avoiding their gazes. "Nothing's wrong with me," I said, trying to sound casual. "Can't a girl just be in her thoughts in peace?"

Irina raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. "In your thoughts?" she repeated, her tone skeptical. "Since when do you get lost in your thoughts?"

"Since now," I shot back, my voice clipped. "Is that a problem?"

"It is when you're acting weird," Roxana said bluntly. "Come on, Sera. Spill. What's going on?"

I hesitated. What could I even say? That I wasn't the real Seraphina Vale, and I was barely holding it together in a life that wasn't mine? That I was slowly losing my mind pretending to be someone I wasn't? Yeah, right. Like that would go over well.

"Nothing's going on," I said finally, forcing a smirk on my face. "Seriously. You're both overthinking this."

Irina and Roxana exchanged a glance, clearly unconvinced, but thankfully, they didn't press further. Roxana shrugged, leaning back against the headboard again. "Fine," she said. "But if you're going to mope, at least make it entertaining for us."

I rolled my eyes, biting back a sarcastic retort. Instead, I turned my attention to the window, hoping they wouldn't make any more attempts to talk to me, but unfortunately, they did.

"So, Seraphina," Irina called out casually, "are you all set for the visit to the palace tomorrow?"

Her words pulled me up short, and I turned to her with a furrowed brow. "What?" I asked. "What are you talking about?"

Both Irina and Roxana gave me identical looks of disbelief, their confusion mirrored in their wide eyes. "The palace," Irina said slowly, as if explaining to a child. "You're going there tomorrow. You didn't forget, did you?"

I stared at her, my heart sinking. My mind raced, trying to piece together what she was talking about, but I came up blank. I hadn't been told anything about visiting the palace.

I barely knew anything about the Elmerian royal family beyond the basics of who they were, but apparently, as Seraphina Vale, this was something I was supposed to know.

"What are you talking about?" I asked again, trying to keep my voice from shaking.

Irina exchanged a glance with Roxana, both of them looking increasingly baffled. "Are you serious?" Irina asked, sitting up straighter. "You told us yourself! The Queen summoned you to the palace for a specific date, and that date is tomorrow."

The Queen. Summoning me. To the palace. Tomorrow.

Roxana chimed in. "Don't tell me you forgot about your mother's summon—and her birthday banquet, no less."

My stomach dropped, and my throat went dry. The Queen's birthday banquet? I knew absolutely nothing about this. How could I have possibly prepared for something I didn't even know existed until this moment?

But I couldn't let them see that. I couldn't let them suspect that I had no idea what was going on. Forcing myself to stay calm, I raised an eyebrow and leaned back slightly, trying to feign casual indifference.

"Of course, I didn't forget," I said, though the words felt clumsy in my mouth. "I've just been… preoccupied."

Irina frowned, her gaze narrowing slightly. "Preoccupied?" she repeated, clearly unconvinced.

Roxana crossed her arms, her expression a mix of suspicion and annoyance. "You're not telling me you've been so preoccupied that you don't remember why the Queen summoned you, are you?"

My jaw tightened, but I forced myself to keep my expression neutral. "I haven't forgotten," I lied smoothly, though my chest was tight with panic. "I'm just… making sure I have all the details straight. Did I mention why she wanted me there?"

They exchanged another glance, and I could see the confusion flickering across their faces. Irina was the first to respond. "It's her birthday banquet, Seraphina. The Queen's birthday. You know, the woman who gave birth to you?"

"Yeah," Roxana added, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Pretty big deal, don't you think?"

I forced out a laugh, though it sounded forced and brittle. "Right. Of course," I said quickly, nodding as if this were all coming back to me. "The Queen's birthday banquet. I knew that. Just slipped my mind for a second."

Irina smiled, seemingly satisfied with my answer. "Good. Because we were thinking of going shopping tomorrow to find something new for the banquet. You can't wear something the court's already seen."

Shopping. Just the word made me feel even more out of my depth. Seraphina Vale probably knew everything about royal fashion, but I didn't have a clue.

The thought of stepping into a high-end boutique and trying to pick out a dress fit for a princess made me want to crawl under a rock.

"That sounds… great," I said, forcing another smile.

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