Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]
Chapter 181 181: You're my bully

Electra's POV

As Seraphina and I stood in front of the dining hall, I couldn't help but smirk at her slightly irritated expression. She was frowning at me as though I'd just insulted her, but I hadn't—at least not yet.

I gestured toward the large double doors and said, "Go ahead, Sera. You go in first, find your friends, and I'll come in right after you."

Seraphina crossed her arms over her chest, her frown deepening. "Why can't we just walk in together? What's the big deal? We're already here, so we might as well just have dinner together with the other girls, who, in case you're forgetting, are your actual friends."

I let out a light chuckle, shaking my head. She could be so stubborn sometimes. "Sera, you might find this hard to believe, but I don't want to draw any more attention to myself, at least not for a while," I said, keeping my tone light.

Her brows furrowed in confusion. "What attention will you draw to yourself, Electra? You're not making any sense."

I sighed, leaning slightly against the wall. "Let me remind you: I'm already known as the girl you locked on the rooftop in her underwear. That's the image people have of me right now. If we walk in together and sit at the same table, it's going to look... weird. Like I've suddenly decided to hang out with my bully. That's the kind of attention I'm trying to avoid."

"And before you mention that we've sat at the same table before, typically, when you join my table, everyone thinks I'm getting bullied by you, and when I join yours, they think I'm being foolishly brave, but if we head in together, they're going to wonder when we became close enough to walk in for dinner together," I added quickly.

Seraphina's jaw dropped, and I could see the flicker of offense in her eyes. "Your bully?" she asked, her voice rising slightly. "Are you indirectly trying to call me an idiot? Because if I remember correctly, Electra, you were my bully in the real world. Not the other way around, and now, you're insinuating that I'm an idiot for hanging around you."

Her obvious annoyance was almost amusing. I crossed my arms and gave her a pointed look. "Sera, don't get your feathers ruffled. I'm not calling you anything. I'm just saying that in this world, people see me as the girl you humiliated on a rooftop. That's all, and as a Vale, you need to maintain your reputation, okay?"

She opened her mouth to argue, but I held up a hand, cutting her off. "Besides," I added, "you were the one practically running here because you're starving. So why don't you head in and eat? We can skip the unnecessary bickering for once."

She stared at me for a long moment, her lips pressed into a thin line. I could see the conflict in her expression—part of her wanted to argue, but the other part probably realized I was right.

With a huff, she dropped her arms and turned toward the doors.

"Fine," she muttered. "But for the record, this is ridiculous."

I smirked as she pushed the doors open and walked in, her shoulders squared and her head held high. Watching her slip into her role as Seraphina Vale was almost impressive. She'd learned to mimic my confidence so well that sometimes it felt like she was becoming more like me than she realized.

After a while, I followed into the dining hall, and immediately, my eyes started scanning the crowd for Yuna and Iris. I wasn't particularly excited to see Yuna—especially not after everything—but I knew that Iris was likely with her, and I couldn't just ignore Iris for the sake of avoiding Yuna.

Besides, I still felt a sense of responsibility for Iris.

It didn't take long before I spotted them, and Yuna, as always, was chatting animatedly, while Iris sat across from her, smiling faintly. I sighed, bracing myself as I approached their table. The moment I sat down beside Iris, Yuna's expression shifted.

Her brows furrowed, and she didn't even bother with a greeting. "Where the hell have you been all day?" she demanded, her tone laced with irritation. "I've been calling you, but you didn't pick up, and when I went to your room, you weren't there."

I shrugged, keeping my expression neutral. "I was busy," I said flatly, not offering anything more.

Yuna's frown deepened. "Busy doing what? Don't you think it was selfish of you to not even check up on Iris once after what happened between you two?"

I could feel her staring at me intensely, expecting me to play into her obvious baiting, but I refused to look her in the eye or acknowledge her nonsense.

Instead, I grabbed a fork from the table and started playing with the edge of the napkin in front of me. "What does it matter, Yuna? I'm here now, aren't I? What else do you want?"

Iris, sensing the tension between us, glanced nervously between Yuna and me. "Is... something going on that I should know about?" she asked hesitantly, her voice calm and concerned.

Before Yuna could say anything, I quickly jumped in. "No, nothing's going on," I said, forcing a small smile. "We're just... having a difference of opinion."

Yuna scoffed loudly, clearly unimpressed by my attempt to downplay things. "That's one way to put it," she muttered under her breath.

Ignoring her, I turned my attention fully to Iris. "How are you feeling now, Iris?" I asked, genuinely curious. "Are you better now?"

Iris blinked, clearly thrown off by the sudden shift in conversation, but she nodded. "I think so," she said. "It's still a little overwhelming, but I'm feeling much better. Thanks for asking."

"That's good to hear," I said sincerely, leaning back in my seat.

My gaze wandered to the staff moving between tables, and I silently signaled them to bring my dinner.

Just as I was about to zone out entirely, Iris cleared her throat again, and I glanced at her, curious, as she leaned a little closer, urging me to do the same as well.

"Electra, I'd like to speak to you alone later, if you don't mind," she said, her tone hesitant, and her blue eyes locking on mine.

I blinked, momentarily taken aback. "Uh, sure," I responded, wondering what she wanted to talk about while also hoping that it would not be awkward. "I don't mind."

She offered a small, almost apologetic smile, and for a moment, I wondered what could be so important that she felt the need to whisper it.

My thoughts barely had a chance to form before Yuna cut in with a frown, clearly unhappy with being left out of the exchange.

"What did you just say to Electra?" she asked Iris, her tone sharp and her expression practically demanding an explanation.

I groaned inwardly, and turning my attention to Yuna, I gave her a pointed look.

"Yuna," I said, my voice clipped, "mind your business for once in your life."