Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]
Chapter 143 143: A break down

Seraphina's POV

Electra's expression shifted instantly—confusion first, then anger. She blinked at me, her mouth slightly open as if she wasn't sure she'd heard me correctly. "What did you just say?" she asked, her voice low.

Her eyes bore into mine, and I let out a deep sigh, trying to avoid her eyes and gather my thoughts. Explaining this wasn't going to be easy, especially since I could already tell that her irritation was growing with each second.

"Look," I started, "before you blow a fuse, I need you to understand something. I didn't fully understand what I was agreeing to at the time. It's not like this voice gave me a detailed explanation or anything."

Electra's expression shifted slightly, her brows knitting together as if she was piecing something together, but she didn't interrupt, so I carried on.

"So," I continued, taking a deep breath to calm myself, "you remember the day you came into my room and attacked Liana, right? That was the first time I heard it—the voice."

Electra's brow furrowed slightly, and she tilted her head as if trying to figure out where I was going with this. "I remember," she said cautiously, "but what does that have to do with anything? And what voice are you talking about?"

"It wasn't just any voice," I explained. "It was… strange, and it didn't even have a face or a form. It could just… hear it, and I know you might think I'm crazy and making things up, but I swear I'm telling the truth."

Electra narrowed her eyes at me, and for a moment, I thought she might laugh or dismiss me entirely, but instead, she leaned forward slightly. "And this voice asked you something?" she prompted, her tone flat but her curiosity unmistakable.

I nodded. "It asked me if I wanted to switch. That was all it said at first. It emphasized just that word: switch."

"And what did you say?" she demanded, her impatience creeping back into her voice.

I hesitated, feeling a lump form in my throat. "The first time it asked me, I didn't say anything. I thought I was going crazy, hearing things. I mean, how could I not? A voice from nowhere just… speaking to me. I ignored it, pretended it didn't happen."

Electra leaned back, crossing her legs and resting her elbow on the arm of the bench. "Okay, so you ignored it the first time. What about the second time? Surely, there must have been a second time."

"The second time I heard the voice," I began, "was after I got back to Aldoria. My father had just died and..."

Electra's head snapped up, and her eyes widened with shock as she chimed in. "Your father died?" she blurted, her tone disbelieving.

Her reaction surprised me a little, and it also made me realize that I hadn't mentioned it to anyone since the switch. It wasn't like there was anyone I could mention it to, besides Electra, and to be honest, I've been trying to avoid thinking about it altogether.

Slowly, I nodded, my throat tightening as I confirmed, "Yes. When I finally made it back to Aldoria, big thanks to you, by the way, I saw him... but only briefly, before he died."

Electra leaned back slightly, clearly taken aback. Her features softened, and for a moment, the usual sharpness in her gaze faded. "Seraphina," she said slowly, "I didn't know. I mean, you didn't say anything about it, so I just assumed that your visit must have either not happened, or it wasn't anything serious."

I gave a bitter chuckle. "Well, I guess I didn't say anything because I didn't know how to process it myself. After all, he was my only parent, the only real family I had, and then, just like that, he was gone. I guess I didn't want to believe that he was mortal, just like everyone else."

Electra hesitated before asking, "Did the switch happen right after he died?"

I nodded again, my hands fidgeting suddenly. "It did. I remember being in my bathroom, staring at myself in the mirror. I kept thinking about how I wasn't crying, even though my father—my father—was dead, and then, out of nowhere, that damned voice started yelling in my head."

Electra frowned, her confusion evident. "Yelling?"

"Yes," I confirmed, my voice trembling slightly as the memory replayed in my mind. "It wasn't calm or subtle this time. It was ringing, pounding, almost like the voice itself was coming from inside my head. It kept asking me to say yes. I didn't even understand what I was agreeing to—I just wanted the noise to stop."

I paused, my hands now trembling. "So I said yes, and then… everything changed. The next thing I knew, I was here, in this reality, living your life."

Electra didn't respond immediately. She seemed to be processing my words, and her brow furrowed as she stared at the ground.

Finally, she spoke, her voice low, almost like she was choosing her words. "So you're telling me that this whole switch happened because of some voice? That you didn't even know what you were agreeing to?"

I nodded. "I swear, if I had known—if I'd understood what it meant—I would never have said yes. I didn't want this, Electra. I didn't want to take your life, or for you to take mine. Sure, I was upset, and I hated you, but to purposely want to be you? I don't think my hatred was that extreme."

Electra stared at me for a long moment, her gaze unreadable. Finally, she sighed and leaned back against the bench. "You're lucky I can't punch you right now."

"Are you not… mad at me?" I asked carefully, my voice subdued.

I half-expected her to lash out and retort that of course she was mad at me, but she merely exhaled and shook her head.

"I don't know," she replied. "I mean, yeah, I'm mad, or I was a few minutes ago, but now…" Her voice trailed off, and she fixed me with a troubled look. "Now I'm just more confused than anything."

"Confused how?" I prompted, trying to keep my tone gentle. If she really wasn't upset, I didn't want to risk reigniting her anger. Getting into an argument was the last thing we both needed right now.

"Before our lives got turned upside down, I was having these nightmares. Weird ones, and now that I think about it, they were definitely prophetic. The nightmares clearly pointed to the idea that you'd end up in my shoes and take over things that were supposed to be mine," she explained.

I blinked in surprise, my heart giving a little skip. She'd never mentioned nightmares before. "That couldn't have been pleasant, but is that what's confusing you?"

She shook her head. "No. It's not." She paused, pressing her lips together. Then, letting out a quiet sigh, she continued. "I think I've heard the voice too, Seraphina, and just like you, the first and only time I've heard it, I thought my mind was playing with me."

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