Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]
Chapter 158 158: Loneliness

Electra's POV

It had been days since I last spoke to Seraphina, and the silence was starting to gnaw at me. At first, I thought it was just coincidence—her being busy, our schedules misaligned—but as the days turned into a week, it became glaringly obvious. Seraphina was avoiding me.

I'd catch glimpses of her around campus, always surrounded by my group of friends—Irina, Roxana, Pen, and Deena. She suddenly looked so natural with them, laughing and chatting as though this was her real life, as though we weren't stuck in some fabricated alternate reality.

Every time I tried to approach, she either walked off or pretended not to see me.

At first, I gave her the benefit of the doubt. I told myself that maybe it was all just a coincidence, and I was overthinking things for no reason, but as her avoidance became more deliberate, I couldn't help but feel irritated.

We were supposed to be in this together, figuring out a way to escape this bizarre world we'd been thrust into. Instead, she seemed like she was now content to play along, like she'd forgotten everything we talked about the last time.

I told myself it didn't bother me because I missed her or anything sentimental like that. No, I told myself I was impatient because we needed to talk, to plan. Every day that passed without us making progress was a day closer to being trapped here forever.

This morning, however, I decided enough was enough. If Seraphina wasn't going to come to me, I'd go to her.

I skipped my own class and made my way to hers, the plan simple: confront her, drag her somewhere private, and force her to talk. It wasn't exactly elegant, but it was all I could think of.

When I arrived, though, her classroom was empty. Confused, I glanced around, wondering if I'd gotten the schedule wrong. A junior walking by noticed me lingering and paused long enough to explain that Seraphina's entire class was at the lab for a practical test.

Great.

Feeling frustrated, I leaned against the wall outside her classroom. I considered leaving, but the idea of going back to my own class felt unnecessary. Instead, I decided to wait her out. She'd have to come back eventually.

As I stood there, the silence of the empty hallway only made my thoughts louder, and my impatience gave way to something else—a sudden pang of homesickness I hadn't let myself feel until now.

I missed my real life.

I missed the version of me who didn't have to chase after anyone, who commanded attention without effort, but it wasn't just about the power or the privilege. What I missed most were my friends.

Irina, Roxana, Deena, Penelope—we'd been inseparable. For years, they'd been my sisters, my confidants, the people who knew me better than anyone else. Sure, Yuna was cool in her own way, and Iris was surprisingly easy to get along with, but they weren't Irina and Roxana.

They didn't know my inside jokes, both had a different sense of humour, and the understanding that came with years of friendship just wasn't there since I haven't even been friends with Yuna for a month.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice Irina approaching until she was almost in front of me.

"Electra?"

Her voice jolted me out of my reverie. I looked up and saw her standing there, her expression a mix of confusion and curiosity. She was alone, clutching a folder, clearly having come back to retrieve something.

For a moment, the sight of her made me feel something strange that worsened my homesickness. She still looked the same as she always did—tall, intimidating, and confident, with that slight air of mischief she always carried, but this wasn't my Irina. This was Seraphina's Irina.

Despite knowing that, I had to fight the sudden and overwhelming urge to hug her. I wanted to pull her into a hug, something I didn't do often which I now regret, and tell her everything—who I was, what had happened, and how much I missed her.

But I didn't.

Because here, she wasn't my best friend.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, tilting her head.

Her voice was casual, but there was an edge of suspicion, like she couldn't quite figure out what I was up to.

I straightened, brushing imaginary dust off my uniform. "I was looking for Seraphina," I said, keeping my tone neutral.

"She's at the lab," Irina said, stating the obvious.

"Yeah, I heard."

"So why are you still here?"

I hesitated, trying to come up with a plausible excuse. "I was just… waiting to talk to her. It's important."

Irina raised an eyebrow. "Important enough to skip class?"

Her tone was teasing, but there was a flicker of genuine curiosity in her eyes.

"Let's just say it's not something I can bring up during lunch," I said, hoping to steer the conversation away from my current truancy.

Irina studied me for a moment, and I could feel her trying to piece together what was going on. "You've been hanging out with Yuna and Iris a lot lately," she said, her tone casual but probing.

I shrugged. "Yeah, they're… my friends and it's only normal that I hang out with my friends."

"And Seraphina?"

The question caught me off guard. "What about her?"

"Are you two still friends? She hasn't mentioned you much lately," Irina said, leaning against the wall. "And for someone waiting to talk to her, you two don't seem to be spending much time together."

I stiffened, unsure how to respond. Was she fishing for information, or had Seraphina actually told her something?

"We've both been busy," I said finally, hoping to end the line of questioning.

Irina didn't look convinced, but she didn't push. Instead, she gave me a small smile, the kind that made my chest ache with familiarity. "Well, whatever's going on, I'm sure you'll figure it out. Seraphina can be a handful, but she's not as complicated as she pretends to be."

I snorted despite myself. "You think so?" I asked, knowing very well that the description of Seraphina she had in her mind, was actually what she thought of me.

"Trust me," Irina said, her grin widening. "I've known her long enough to see through her act."

For a moment, the tension between us eased, and it almost felt like old times. Almost.

"Well," Irina said, straightening and clutching her folder, "I should get back before the teacher notices I'm gone. Good luck with Seraphina."

"Thanks," I muttered, watching as she walked into the class to pick up whatever she came for.

When she was done, she waved goodbye at me before leaving, and I watched her disappear around the corner. Talking to Irina had stirred something I'd been trying to ignore—the deep, aching loneliness that came with being out of place in a world that wasn't mine.

This wasn't my life, and as much as I hated to admit it, I needed Seraphina.

Not just because we needed to find a way out of this reality, but because she was the only other person here who understood what it felt like to be so completely out of place.

I leaned back against the wall, letting out a long breath. I didn't know how much longer I could take living like this, but for better or worse, Seraphina and I were in this together. Whether she liked it or not.

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