Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]
Chapter 145 145: A Bad Morning

Electra's POV

I stood outside my room, leaning against the doorframe, my arms crossed tightly over my chest. The morning air wasn't doing much to wake me up after a sleepless night filled with thoughts I'd rather not have.

Seraphina's words from last night replayed in my mind on a constant loop—Hunter Vale, the supposed brother I didn't have in my real life, was a strange inconsistency in this reality but was also a brother that I'd meet in the future once Sera and I returned to our places.

None of it made sense. My father didn't have a child before me, and only a child from the king could carry the last name Vale, or so I thought, but the more I thought about it, the more my head spun.

I sighed, shifting my weight from one foot to the other. Where the hell was Yuna? On a morning like this, when I wasn't in the best mood, I'd be sure to avoid going to class with her, but if I left without her again, after leaving her by herself in the dining hall last night, she'd corner me later and demand an explanation.

And Yuna's nagging was something I was definitely not in the mood for today.

After another ten minutes of waiting, I decided I'd had enough. Pushing myself off the doorframe, I straightened my posture, ready to head to class alone. At least now I could say I'd waited, but just as I was about to take my first step, a familiar voice called out my name.

"Electra!"

I turned my head toward the sound, my expression already sour, and saw Yuna jogging toward me. My annoyance deepened when I noticed she wasn't alone. Beside her was Yura, her twin, wearing the same perpetually annoyed expression she always seemed to have around me.

Of course, Yuna brought Yura along. Just great.

"Finally," I muttered under my breath, rolling my eyes. "Took you long enough."

Yuna grinned, completely unfazed by my irritation. "Sorry, we got held up," she said, stopping in front of me. "And Yura decided to tag along today."

Yura crossed her arms and gave me a once-over, her gaze sharp. "Not like I had a choice," she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "You dragged me out here with you."

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Fantastic. Are we going to class, or are we just going to stand?"

Yuna ignored my question, her grin widening. "You look like you didn't sleep at all," she said, tilting her head. "Bad dreams?"

I stiffened, caught off guard by her accuracy. "What's it to you?" I shot back, my voice sharper than I intended.

Yuna raised her hands in mock surrender, her grin never fading. "Just making an observation. No need to bite my head off."

"So," Yuna continued, a note of amusement coloring her voice, "aren't you going to ask me to introduce you properly to Yura here? I mean, you've never met her before, right? Usually people show some curiosity when their friends show up with a complete stranger."

Yuna's question caught me off guard, though I managed to keep my expression neutral. Since I already knew Yura was Yuna's sister, I forgot to act curious about her, and now Yuna was calling me out on it. I cursed internally, realizing I'd slipped.

I mentally sighed, already regretting how this conversation was going. Fine, I thought. If I can't fake curiosity, I'll just go with the nonchalant route.

"Do I have to be curious?" I asked, my tone flat. I turned my gaze toward Yura, who was still glaring at me as if I'd committed some personal offense just by existing. "Since you called her Yura a minute ago, and you two look a little alike, I'm just going to assume you're sisters."

Yuna grinned, clearly amused by my deduction. "You're right," she said cheerfully. "We're sisters—twin sisters, actually."

"Congratulations," I replied dryly, my tone laced with sarcasm. "Can we go to class now?"

Yuna's grin faltered slightly, but she quickly recovered. "You're so rude sometimes, you know that?"

Before I could respond, Yura finally spoke, her voice sharp. "Rude is an understatement. She's downright insufferable."

I raised an eyebrow, suppressing the urge to snap back. Instead, I folded my arms and replied coolly, "And you're delightful."

Yura scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You're proving my point."

Yuna stepped between us, holding up her hands as if to mediate. "Alright, alright, can we not do this? It's way too early for you two to be sniping at each other. You two only just met. Can't you be nice to each other?"

I sighed, glancing at Yuna. "I'm not the one picking a fight."

Yura let out a sarcastic laugh. "Of course you're not. You're just being your usual charming self."

Yuna groaned, rubbing her temples. "I regret introducing you two already."

I smirked, enjoying Yura's frustration more than I probably should. "Don't blame me. This is all on you."

Yuna shot me a glare, then turned to her sister. "Yura, can you try not to antagonize her? And Electra, could you at least pretend to be civil? For my sake?"

I rolled my eyes but didn't argue. Yura muttered something under her breath but didn't press further. Sensing the tension starting to ease, Yuna clapped her hands together.

"Great. Now that we're all on the same page, let's get to class before we're late."

On our way to class, Yuna continued her endless chattering, and I found myself tuning her out after a while. It wasn't that I didn't appreciate her energy—well, not entirely—it was just that my head was already a jumble of thoughts, and I couldn't handle any more noise.

I simply let her voice become background noise, nodding occasionally to avoid any follow-up questions.

Yura, unsurprisingly, stayed quiet, which I appreciated. She clearly wasn't the type to indulge in needless conversation, and for once, her aloofness felt like a blessing.

I was in my own head as we walked, letting my feet carry me to class while Yuna filled the silence with her commentary on everything from her breakfast to her thoughts on the upcoming school festival that was still weeks away.

As we entered the main school building, something—or rather, someone—caught my eye. It was the red-haired girl from last night, the one who had collided with me in the dining hall.

She was alone, standing near the staircase, clutching a notebook to her chest and looking as if she was trying to disappear into the wall.

Something about her piqued my curiosity again. Maybe it was the way she seemed so out of place, or the faint trace of fear I'd seen in her eyes the night before. Whatever it was, I couldn't just ignore her.

Without thinking, I turned to Yuna and muttered, "Give me a minute."

Before I could walk away, Yuna reached out, her fingers lightly gripping my wrist. She leaned in close, her voice low enough that only I could hear. "Take your time," she said, a sly smile playing on her lips.

I raised an eyebrow at her, but she just released my wrist and waved me off like she knew something I didn't, and ignoring her, I made my way toward the girl.