Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]
Chapter 141 141: Back and Forth

Third-person POV

Electra tilted her head at Seraphina, who now sat beside her, looking far too comfortable for her liking. Lowering her voice to a harsh whisper, she asked, "What the hell are you doing here, Seraphina?"

Seraphina, unfazed by Electra's tone, leaned back slightly in her chair and responded in a calm, almost amused voice, "Didn't you just hear me politely ask if I could join your table?"

Electra scoffed, her patience thinning. "Shouldn't you have waited for permission before plopping yourself down?"

Seraphina's lips curved into a small, nonchalant smile, and instead of responding, she picked up the glass of water in front of Electra and took a sip.

The gesture only served to irritate Electra further, and she rolled her eyes dramatically before muttering, "What do you want, Seraphina? Because I'm pretty sure you didn't come here just to have dinner with me knowing very well that it's both controversial and embarrassing for both you and me."

Before Seraphina could respond, a loud throat-clearing interrupted their back-and-forth. Both of them turned to see Yuna glaring at them from across the table, her expression a mix of annoyance and amusement.

"Am I invisible, or are you two just that self-absorbed?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Seraphina shifted her attention to Yuna, her eyes scanning her briefly as if seeing her for the first time. She then put on a polite, slightly condescending smile. "You're Yuna, right?" she asked, trying to sound as unfamiliar as she could.

Yuna scoffed, leaning forward slightly as she crossed her arms. Ignoring Seraphina's question entirely, she fired back with sarcasm dripping from her words, "No offense, but what's a queen like you doing at our humble table, anyway? Surely there are more 'regal' spots in this dining hall for someone like you to join."

Seraphina tilted her head slightly, her lips curving into a subtle smirk as she regarded Yuna. "A queen? That's an interesting way to describe me," she said smoothly, leaning back in her chair as if she owned the entire dining hall.

Electra, visibly irritated by Seraphina's antics, shot her a sharp look. "You're deflecting," she hissed in a low voice. "Why are you here, Seraphina? You don't just stroll into a random table for no reason, Your Highness."

Yuna crossed her arms, clearly unimpressed. "Yeah, what she said," she added. "You've got the entire dining hall staring at us, you know. Your royal presence is a bit… noticeable."

Seraphina gave a slow shrug, her demeanor as nonchalant as ever. "Maybe I just wanted a change of scenery; how about that? I don't think it's a bad thing to want to chat with other people, you know," she said, her tone light but with an undertone of sarcasm.

Yuna immediately let out a scoff, wondering if Seraphina' thought she was stupid. "Are you two sleeping together?" she asked suddenly, directing her words as much to Seraphina as she did to Electra.

Her gaze, however, locked on Electra with an intensity that dared her to deny it.

Electra felt her heart leap into her throat. She gripped the edge of the table, her knuckles whitening, while Seraphina merely narrowed her eyes.

A moment passed, long enough for Electra's heartbeat to thrum uncomfortably in her chest. "What the hell, Yuna?" she managed at last, forcing the words through clenched teeth. She leaned forward, trying to keep her voice low. "Why would you even ask something like that out of nowhere?"

Yuna shrugged, her lips quirking into a smirk that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Because it's the only explanation that makes sense."

She threw a glance in Seraphina's direction. "Seraphina Vale," she emphasized, "sitting at our table as though you two are friends, right after everything that happened with that… humiliating rooftop stunt. You two must be on very good terms—good enough that you're not flipping this table in her face."

Seraphina suppressed a twitch at Yuna's words. She was still a little shocked by Yuna's sudden question, but she kept her face calm, as though she'd expected some kind of confrontation from Yuna all along.

"You have an odd sense of logic," she said, her voice low. "I don't recall seeing any law that says two people can't share a table unless they're sleeping together."

"That's not a law," Yuna shot back, rolling her eyes. "But it's definitely the simplest explanation for why you two are acting so casual despite your history. Look, I may look like an idiot to you, but I'm not one, Your Highness. What you did to her was nasty, which is why I don't understand how you can stroll over to our table like it's no big deal and try to act casual."

"Nothing is going on," Electra denied firmly, meeting Yuna's gaze. "At least, nothing like… that."

Usually, she wouldn't have any issues admitting she had slept with someone, but for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to admit to Yuna that she and Seraphina had sex before and would most probably still have sex again sometime in the future.

"Then why aren't you pissed at her?" Yuna asked, refusing to relent. She drummed her fingers on the table, the repetitive tap echoing her impatience. "Why not hurl your drink in her face for good measure, at least? Because that's what I'd do if someone locked me half-naked on a rooftop."

Electra opened her mouth to snap back, but Seraphina spoke first, her tone laced with mild amusement. "Maybe she just got over it," she said, shrugging as if the incident had been a minor inconvenience. "Is it so unbelievable to think that we sorted things out?"

Yuna scoffed again. "Sorted things out? Yeah, right," she muttered. Then, narrowing her eyes, she tilted her head at Electra. "So, if you're not hooking up with Her Majesty here, explain yourselves. Because I'm not swallowing any story about you two 'making nice' after that fiasco."

Seraphina's lips curved into a small smile. "My dear Yuna," she said lightly, "if you weren't going to believe anything we said, why ask in the first place?"

Electra pinched the bridge of her nose, wishing she could disappear. The last thing she needed was a scene in the dining hall, and with Seraphina's presence alone, they were already drawing more attention than she liked.

They'd both immediately go quiet when a server approached with a hesitant smile, placing a plate of steaming food in front of Yuna, then one in front of Electra, and finally turning to Seraphina. "May I get you anything, Your Highness?"

Seraphina waved a dismissive hand. "I'm fine. Thank you," she replied.

The server nodded and quickly moved away, sensing the tension at the table.

Electra exhaled, trying to calm her nerves. She could feel the curiosity of other students, who recognized Seraphina and wondered why she was in this corner of the hall, let alone seated with Electra and Yuna, and she hated it very much.

Yuna, meanwhile, poked at her dinner with the tip of her fork, eyes flicking between the two across from her. "Well?" she asked. "I'm waiting."

Electra exchanged a quick glance with Seraphina, whose expression was now unreadable. A part of Electra wanted to snap at Yuna to back off, but another part recognized that she needed to handle this carefully.

Letting Seraphina speak was no safer—Seraphina seemed to be enjoying pushing Yuna's buttons deliberately, and knowing Yuna, she wasn't going to shut up if Seraphina kept poking her.

So Electra cleared her throat and did her best to speak calmly. "Look, Yuna, we're not together or anything," she stated flatly. "We're not even friends, really. We just… have some things we need to talk about. The rooftop thing is over, and I've moved on, so you should too."