Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]
Chapter 148 148: New Interest

Electra's POV

As Iris and I stepped into the classroom, I could immediately feel the curious eyes of the other students on us. It was my first time in class since the incident with Seraphina, and it wasn't every day that I walked into class with someone they probably didn't recognize or care for.

Judging by the quick glances they exchanged, I could tell they were wondering who she was while also discreetly laughing at me.

Trying to ignore the sudden attention from them, I turned to Iris, who looked like she wanted to melt into the floor.

"So," I said, keeping my voice low to avoid drawing more attention, "where's your seat?"

Iris hesitated, then pointed to a desk near the back of the room by the window, partially tucked behind a tall cabinet. "That one," she murmured, barely meeting my gaze.

"Alright," I said with a small nod. "I'll see you later then." I gave her a quick wave before turning and heading toward my usual seat.

Yuna was already there, leaning back in her chair with her arms crossed, a smug grin plastered on her face. I could feel the judgment radiating off her from across the room, and I groaned internally.

By the time I dropped into the seat next to her, her grin had only grown wider.

"Well, well," she drawled, tapping her fingers on her desk. "Look who's suddenly all buddy-buddy with the quiet girl."

I shot her a look that could have melted steel. "Don't start."

"Oh, I'm not starting," she replied, holding her hands up defensively. "I'm just… observing."

"Observing what, exactly?" I asked, already regretting engaging with her.

Yuna leaned in closer, lowering her voice. "You. Walking in with that girl. Are you interested in her? Because from my observation, it's very out of character for you to engage with anyone that doesn't interest you, if I may say so."

"Maybe you shouldn't say so," I muttered, pulling out my notebook and pretending to be engrossed in organizing my things.

I tried to look disinterested as I responded, hoping Yuna would leave me alone, but unfortunately, she wasn't ready to let go.

"So," she started, "are you going to tell me the girl's name, or am I going to have to pry it out of you?"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes—barely. "What girl are you talking about?" I asked, pretending like I didn't know who she was talking about.

Yuna's grin widened. "Don't even try to play dumb again, Electra. I'm talking about little Miss Redhead you walked in with. The one who's apparently so fascinating you decided to be her personal escort."

My mouth twitched into a scowl. "Her name isn't 'redhead,'" I muttered under my breath.

"Exactly," Yuna agreed, pouncing on the slip. "So what is it?"

I glanced at the front of the classroom, hoping by some miracle the teacher would show up early and save me. No such luck. The clock on the wall said we still had a few minutes before class began, meaning I was at Yuna's mercy.

"Why do you care so much?" I asked, trying to stall.

"Why do 'you' care so much, is the real question," Yuna shot back, flipping a strand of her hair over her shoulder. "Since when do you walk around with random girls you barely know?"

I let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine. Her name is Iris. There. You happy?"

"Iris." Yuna tested the name on her tongue, then gave me a mock-thoughtful look. "That's pretty. So you two buddies now, or what?"

I clenched my jaw, refusing to meet her amused gaze. "We're not buddies," I said, wishing she'd drop the subject already. "I just… ended up walking with her. That's all."

"Uh-huh," Yuna replied, her skepticism practically radiating off her. "So if it's no big deal, why do you look so tense right now?"

"Because you won't shut up," I snapped, louder than I intended. A couple of heads turned our way, but I ignored them, leaning in closer to Yuna so my voice wouldn't carry. "Look, Yuna, can we not do this right now? I have better things to do with my time, and the teacher's going to walk in any second."

Yuna arched a brow, that smirk not leaving her face. "If you really want me to stop bothering you," she said, her tone dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "you'll tell me the truth. Why are you suddenly interested in her?"

I pressed my lips together, every instinct telling me to push her away, but Yuna was relentless. "Do you like her?" she asked, and her grin softened into something genuinely curious. "I promise I'm not going to judge if you say yes. I mean, I'll tease the hell out of you, but I won't judge."

"Are you out of your mind?" I hissed. My pulse pounded, half anger, half… embarrassment? "I'm not into her, alright? God, Yuna, you jump to the wildest conclusions."

She laughed softly, tossing her hair again. "Maybe," she conceded, though her eyes danced with mischief. "But I didn't peg you as someone who could be so friendly with a stranger, and 'friendly' is putting it lightly."

I felt my jaw clench so hard it nearly hurt. I was done with this conversation. Absolutely done. "Yeah, well," I said, grabbing my pen and flipping open my notebook in a deliberate attempt to change the subject, "since you seem so fascinated with who I talk to, maybe I should ask you about your own love life, Yuna. Oh, wait—do you even have one?"

Yuna raised an eyebrow at me, clearly unimpressed by my attempt to deflect. She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms with a smirk. "Oh, so now you're trying to turn this on me? Classic move, Electra. Classic."

I rolled my eyes, hoping the conversation would end there, but of course, Yuna wasn't done. "For the record," she continued, "my love life is perfectly fine, but you dodging my question like that? Suspicious."

I clenched my jaw. "I didn't dodge your question," I muttered, glaring down at my notebook. "I just don't see why you care so much about who I talk to."

Yuna leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. "I care because you don't usually talk to people, Electra. You're not exactly the most… approachable person."

I shot her a sharp look. "Thanks for the glowing review."

"Hey, I'm just saying," she said with a shrug. "You keep to yourself, you glare at everyone, and now suddenly, you're buddy-buddy with some quiet girl named Iris? I'm intrigued."

"There's nothing to be intrigued about," I said flatly. "We barely even talked, and that's it. End of story."

Yuna squinted at me like she was trying to read my mind. "Uh-huh. Sure, and I suppose you decided to walk her to class and chat with her because you're just such a nice person?"

"Exactly," I said sarcastically. "Because I'm such a saint."

Yuna grinned. "Okay, Saint Electra, let's get back to the real question. Do you like her?"

I groaned, running a hand through my hair. "Yuna, I swear to whatever higher power you believe in, if you don't drop this—"

"Fine, fine," she said, throwing her hands up in mock surrender. "I'll drop it. For now."

"Thank you," I muttered, turning my attention back to my notebook.

"But," she added, leaning closer, "if you ever want to talk about your feelings—"

"I don't," I snapped, cutting her off.

She laughed, clearly enjoying herself far too much. "Alright, alright. I'll shut up. For real this time."

Thankfully, the teacher entered the room moments later, saving me from any further interrogation, and I let out a quiet sigh of relief and focused on the lesson, though my mind kept wandering.

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