Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]
Chapter 150 150: A Moment of Weakness

Seraphina's POV

Entering into the cafeteria, I walked alongside Deena, Irina, Roxana, and Penelope, heading toward our usual table as my feet moved automatically.

For some reason, my eyes wandered as we crossed the room, scanning the crowd without any real purpose, and that was when I saw her—Yuna.

She was sitting at a table near the back. My gaze shifted almost involuntarily to the person seated opposite her, and my stomach churned for some strange reason as I recognized the unmistakable silhouette of Electra.

But it wasn't Electra that held my attention. It was the girl sitting next to Yuna, directly across from Electra—the same red-haired girl I'd seen with Electra earlier that morning. The moment my eyes landed on her, the irritation inside me ignited into full-blown rage.

The girl was smiling, her expression open and friendly, and Electra… Electra was actually engaging with her. There was something about the scene that felt almost intimate, and it clawed at me like a living thing.

My fists clenched at my sides, and before I even realized it, a frown had taken over my face.

I didn't just feel angry—I felt possessive, territorial, though I couldn't for the life of me explain why. I didn't even have that kind of relationship with Electra, and this red-haired girl had done absolutely nothing to warrant my fury, but the urge to march over there and wipe that smile off her face was almost overwhelming.

"Seraphina," Roxana said, her voice breaking through the haze.

She cleared her throat loudly, and I snapped back to reality, realizing with a jolt that I'd stopped walking. Not only that, but I'd been glaring at Electra's table for who knows how long.

"What's up with you?" Roxana asked, raising an eyebrow as she slowed to stand beside me.

The others had stopped too, all of them looking at me with varying degrees of confusion.

"Nothing," I said quickly, shaking my head and forcing my feet to move again. "I just… thought I saw something."

Irina narrowed her eyes, clearly unconvinced. "You were staring at that table. The one with Yuna, Electra, and that girl."

Roxana's gaze followed Irina's, and she frowned. "Isn't that the same girl you were all weird about this morning? The red-haired one?"

Roxana smirked, her eyes glinting with amusement. "Don't tell me you're jealous, Seraphina."

I bristled at the word, whipping around to glare at her. "Jealous? Of what? Don't be ridiculous."

Penelope quickly stepped in before Roxana could tease me further. "Maybe Seraphina's just curious about the girl. She is new, right?"

I latched onto Penelope's suggestion like a lifeline, nodding quickly. "Exactly. I was just curious. Nothing more."

But the look on Roxana's face told me she didn't believe me for a second. "Sure," she drawled, her smirk widening. "Curious."

I ignored her, focusing instead on getting to our table without glancing back at Electra's, but even as we sat down and the conversation shifted to other topics, my mind kept drifting.

I couldn't stop replaying the scene in my head—Electra and that girl sitting together, looking far too comfortable for my liking.

"What's her deal, anyway?" Roxana asked suddenly, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I blinked at her, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"The red-haired girl," she said, gesturing vaguely toward Electra's table. "What's her story?"

"How would I know?" I snapped, my voice coming out sharper than I intended.

Roxana raised an eyebrow. "No need to bite my head off. I was just asking."

Irina leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand as she studied me. "You really are being so defensive today, Seraphina. Are you sure there's nothing going on with you and Electra? Someone you're not telling us?"

"Nothing," I said firmly, though the word felt like a lie even as I spoke it.

Deena, who had been unusually quiet, finally spoke up. "If it's nothing, then why do you keep looking over there?"

I froze, realizing with a jolt that I had, indeed, been sneaking glances at Electra's table. I forced myself to look away, clenching my jaw as I picked at the food on my tray.

"I'm not looking at anything," I muttered.

Penelope sighed, giving me a sympathetic look. "Seraphina, if something's bothering you, you can talk to us. You know that, right? One of our jobs as your friends is getting rid of obstacles."

I nodded, though I didn't respond. What could I say? That I was inexplicably furious over a girl I wasn't dating sitting with another girl I didn't know? That I felt like something important was slipping through my fingers, even though I didn't even know what it was?

No. I couldn't tell them any of that. So instead, I stayed quiet, letting their conversation wash over me as I tried—and failed—to focus on anything but Electra and her new red-haired friend.

---

By the time lunch was over, I was practically vibrating with frustration. I needed to do something, anything, to get this gnawing feeling out of my chest. As my friends and I made our way out of the cafeteria, I made a split-second decision.

"I'll catch up with you guys later," I said, breaking away from the group before they could protest.

"Where are you going?" Irina called after me, but I didn't answer.

Instead, I made a beeline for Electra's table, my heart pounding in my chest. I didn't know what I was going to say or do, but I couldn't walk away without confronting her.

When I reached the table, I cleared my throat loudly, drawing their attention. Electra looked up first, her expression shifting from confusion to surprise as she saw me standing there. Yuna and the red-haired girl both turned to look at me as well.

"Seraphina?" Electra said, frowning slightly. "Can I help you?"

"I need to talk to you," I said, my voice calm despite the storm raging inside me. "Alone."

Electra blinked, clearly caught off guard. "Right now?"

"Yes," I said firmly.

Yuna raised an eyebrow, glancing between us with a knowing look. "Well, this should be interesting."

Ignoring her, I looked at Electra again, silently daring her to refuse. After a moment, she sighed and stood up, muttering something to Yuna and Iris before following me out of the cafeteria.

As we walked, neither of us spoke until we reached an empty hallway, far enough from prying eyes and ears.

"Well?" Electra said, crossing her arms. "What's so important that you had to drag me out of lunch?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but the words caught in my throat. What was I supposed to say? That I couldn't stand seeing her with someone else? That I felt like I was losing something I never even had?

Instead, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Who is she?"

Electra frowned. "Who?"

"The red-haired girl," I said, my voice sharper than I intended. "Who is she to you?"

Electra stared at me for a long moment before letting out a laugh—short and humorless. "Are you serious right now?"

"Just answer the question," I snapped.

"She's no one," Electra said, her tone cold. "Just a classmate. Why do you care?"

"I don't," I said quickly, though the lie was obvious even to me.

Electra's eyes narrowed, and for a moment, I thought she was going to push further, but then she shook her head, letting out a frustrated sigh.

"You're out of your damn mind," she muttered, turning to walk away.

"Electra—" I started, but she didn't stop.

As I watched her go, I felt a pang of regret. Whatever it was that was going on with me was spiraling out of control, and I had no idea how to stop it from getting worse.