Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]
Chapter 147 147: I don't like her

Seraphina's POV

As I walked through the hallway with Irina and Roxana walking beside me, my mood was spiraling fast. It had already been a rough morning—I hadn't slept well, I felt irritable, and everything just seemed to be off. And then I saw her.

Electra. But she wasn't alone.

She was walking with some girl I didn't recognize, a girl who, despite my immediate instinct to dismiss her, had this quiet beauty about her. Something about the girl reminded me of myself—not entirely, but enough to annoy me. Her demeanor, her obvious shyness, even her hair, even though mine was no longer as striking as hers, had a similar flow to it.

It was ridiculous. I had no reason to care who Electra walked with or talked to, but the moment I spotted them together, my stomach churned in a way I didn't like.

I hated how much it annoyed me, hated that I was even spending this much mental energy on it. Why did it matter? Electra and I weren't together in that sense. We weren't even friends, not really.

But no matter how much I tried to rationalize it, I couldn't stop the bitterness from creeping in. Was it jealousy? It couldn't be. I wasn't the jealous type—or at least, I didn't think I was, and yet, the idea that Electra might be interested in someone else… it gnawed at me.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even notice when Irina and Roxana stopped walking. It wasn't until Roxana cleared her throat loudly that I snapped out of it and realized they were both staring at me, their expressions a mix of confusion and amusement.

"What?" I snapped, crossing my arms defensively.

Irina raised an eyebrow, her lips twitching as though she was holding back a laugh. "What's with the face, Sera? You look like you're about to murder someone."

Roxana nodded in agreement, smirking. "Yeah, you've been frowning so hard it's like your face is stuck that way. Care to share what's got you so worked up?"

"I'm not worked up," I muttered, looking away from them and trying to mask my irritation. "I'm fine."

"Right," Irina said, drawing out the word in a way that made it clear she didn't believe me. "Because you totally weren't glaring daggers at that Electra girl and the other chick she was with."

At the mention of Electra, my jaw tightened, and I felt a flash of heat rise to my cheeks. "I wasn't glaring," I said defensively, though even I could hear how unconvincing I sounded.

"Oh, please," Roxana said, rolling her eyes. "You were staring so hard I thought you were going to burn a hole through the back of her head."

"I wasn't staring," I insisted, though my voice lacked conviction. "And even if I was, it's none of your business."

Irina exchanged a knowing look with Roxana before turning back to me with a smirk. "I know you and that new girl had something going earlier, so is it what I think it is? Are you by any chance jealous?"

I froze, my body stiffening at her words. "What the hell are you even talking about, Irina? Of course, I'm not. What's there to be jealous about?" I said quickly, too quickly.

"Oh, you totally are," Roxana said, her grin widening. "It's written all over your face, and that voice is such a giveaway."

"I'm not jealous," I repeated, though my voice was quieter this time.

Irina scoffed. "Just be honest, Seraphina," she said, tapping her foot impatiently. "It's obvious you're into that new girl. Why not just admit it and spare us the performance?"

"Why in the world would I like Electra?" I snapped, my voice sharper than I intended. "I barely know her. You're both jumping to ridiculous conclusions."

Irina tilted her head, her trademark skeptical look plastered across her face. "Really?" she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Because your behavior lately screams otherwise. Distracted, hovering around her like a moth to a flame—it doesn't exactly sell the 'I barely know her' story, Sera."

"I'm not hovering around Electra," I snapped, my voice sharper than intended. "And I'm certainly not distracted because of her."

Roxana arched an eyebrow, a small, knowing smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. "Right," she drawled. "Because staring daggers at her in the hallway this morning wasn't a distraction. Totally normal behavior, Sera."

"I wasn't staring daggers at her!" I shot back, though my voice faltered slightly. "I was… observing. She was with someone I didn't recognize. That's it."

Irina let out an exaggerated sigh, leaning against the wall as if she were settling in for a long debate. "Come on, Sera. You're not fooling anyone. You've been acting weird since the moment that girl showed up. First, you were furious with her—understandable, considering what she did to you that day in her class. But now? It's like she's the only thing you're capable of thinking about."

"That's not true," I muttered, though even I didn't sound convinced.

I didn't know how else to deny what they were thinking, especially since I couldn't really tell them the true nature of my relationship with Electra.

"Oh, really?" Roxana chimed in, her tone teasing but her expression serious. "Then why did you drag her out of the dining hall the other night? Why were you sitting with her and her friend in the first place? And let's not forget the way you've been avoiding literally everyone else ever since."

"I wasn't avoiding anyone," I protested. "I was just… trying to figure some things out."

"About Electra?" Irina pressed, her eyes narrowing.

I hesitated, and that was all the confirmation they needed.

Roxana's grin widened as she clapped her hands together. "See? You just admitted it. You're trying to figure out Electra. Why? Because you like her."

"I do not like her!" I practically shouted, the words echoing down the hallway.

My face burned as a few passing students turned to look at us, curiosity and amusement flickering in their eyes.

Irina snorted, clearly unimpressed by my outburst. "If you didn't like her, you wouldn't be so defensive about it."

"I'm not defensive," I muttered, though I could feel my pulse pounding in my ears.

Roxana rolled her eyes, her smirk softening into something more genuine. "Sera, it's okay if you like her. We're your friends. We're not going to judge you for it."

I opened my mouth to argue again, but the words caught in my throat. Did I like Electra? The idea seemed ridiculous.

Why would I like someone who used to hurt me? Sure, she was attractive, and I used to have a crush on her before I realized just how much of a nutcase she was, and even though I didn't hate her anymore, thanks to this situation that we've found ourselves in, I couldn't exactly say I liked her either.

Was she hot? Yes. Did she sometimes give me butterflies? Definitely. But did I like her in that? Absolutely not.